U.S. Sends Troops to Help Philippine Flood Relief  INFANTA, Philippines (Reuters) - An advance team of 40 U.S.  Marines joined relief efforts in the Philippines on Wednesday  after four deadly storms, as officials said funds were running  short to help 650,000 survivors.


Titans close out season on a high NASHVILLE -- Billy Volek threw for 175 yards and a touchdown before being knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter, and the Tennessee Titans held on for a 24-19 victory over the Detroit Lions yesterday to snap a five-game skid.


Oracle shaken by PeopleSoft customers #39; concerns Business software maker Oracle on Tuesday promised to do everything it can to keep PeopleSoft #39;s giant customer base, whose departure could threaten the financial success of its proposed \$9.2bn takeover of the company.


Branson Launches Virgin Atlantic Flights to Australia Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic, disembarked from the inaugural flight from London, balancing on the aircrafts wing carrying a surfboard and flanked by models in bikinis.


Vivendi and its former boss fined Vivendi Universal and its former chief executive Jean-Marie Messier have each been fined 1m euros (\$1.3m; 690,000) by French regulators.


Tokyo Stocks Post Modest Rebound (AP) AP - Tokyo stocks rebounded Wednesday from a two-day decline, as investors cautiously bought select technology blue chips despite government data showing Japan's economy grew slower than initially thought in the past quarter. The U.S. dollar was up against the Japanese yen.


Holcomb's return sparks Browns HOUSTON -- Kelly Holcomb's return to the lineup provided a lift to the Browns' punchless offense, and Cleveland surprised the Houston Texans with a thoroughly dominating effort in a 22-14 victory yesterday, breaking a nine-game losing streak.


Oil at 3-Month Low, Off \$8 in 7 Sessions  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices hit a new three-month low on  Wednesday as mild winter weather in the United States and  expectations of a rise in heating fuel stocks kept downward  pressure on the market.


Dollar Rises 1 Percent Against Euro, Yen  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar rose one percent against the  euro and the yen on Wednesday as investors bought the U.S.  currency back in the run-up to the year-end and eyed the impact  of the dollar's weakness on other economies.


Murder-charge cleric denied bail Senior Hindu cleric Jayendra Saraswathi, facing charges of  murdering a temple worker, is denied bail.


IBM called for 500m IT contract IBM is celebrating a seven-year contract to provide voice and data solutions to Lloyds TSB, as part of the largest European IT deal of its kind, worth an estimated 500m.


Microsoft Xbox Live Traffic Quadruples Following Halo-2 Launch Microsoft Xbox Live traffic on service provider networks quadrupled following the November 9th launch of Halo-II -- which set entertainment industry records by selling 2.4-million units in the US and Canada on the first day of availability, driving cash


MLB stars facing tough drugs tests PHOENIX, Arizona -- Baseball #39;s stars could face more tests for drugs such as steroids next season after giving their lawyers the green light to reach an agreement with owners over a tougher anti-doping regime.


Gerrard urges fans to get behind team Steven Gerrard has called on the Anfield faithful to get behind the team, but also to be patient in the critical clash with Olympiacos at Anfield tonight.


INDIA TOUR GIVEN GO-AHEAD India #39;s two-Test series in Bangladesh will go ahead after concerns over security issues were allayed. A militant group had vowed to kill the Indian players if they came to Dhaka but that threat has now been dismissed as a hoax.


Harris three helps But their decision to buy out Lucious Harris cost them for at least one night. Harris, one of the significant pieces the Nets discarded for financial reasons, drilled a baseline three-pointer


Vikings go down, but they're not out LANDOVER, Md. -- Once again, the Minnesota Vikings collapsed under the weight of late-season pressure.


Dutch arrest man suspected of aiding Saddam war crimes, genocide (AFP) AFP - The Dutch police said they had arrested a man suspected of aiding former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in committing war crimes and genocide by supplying him with the materials to make chemical weapons used in attacks in the 1980s.


Putin went  #39;too far #39; on Ukraine RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin went  quot;too far quot; in a warning to the West not to adopt a colonial attitude toward Ukraine #39;s election wrangle, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana has said.


Incredibles head animation awards Superhero movie The Incredibles tops the shortlist for the Annie Awards, celebrating animated films.


Indians given the green light The Indian tour of Bangladesh will go ahead after the national foreign ministry gave their stamp of approval after a thorough security assessment.


Players give OK to steroid-test talks PHOENIX - Baseball players gave their lawyers the go-ahead Tuesday to reach an agreement with owners on tougher testing for steroids.


US Sends Troops to Help Philippine Flood Relief An advance team of 40 US Marines joined relief efforts in the Philippines on Wednesday after four deadly storms, as officials said funds were running short to help 650,000 survivors.


Intelligence sources warn Abu Mazens election not in the bag The initial confidence that the election of Mohammed Abbas (Abu Mazen) as Arafats successor was a foregone conclusion may be dissipating, as western intelligence sources warn that his rivals are more formidable than originally estimated.


Govt: Consumers face high heat bills US says winter heating bills will be higher, but not by as much as feared. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US consumers still face sharply higher home heating bills this winter, but prices will be somewhat lower than


It #39;s official: IBM sells PC unit to Chinese company IBM (IBM) said Tuesday that it would sell its PC business to Lenovo, China #39;s No. 1 PC maker, in a \$1.75 billion deal that marks the end of an era.


Coulthard ready for F1 return. David Coulthard has admitted that he is keen to prove himself in testing with the Red Bull Racing team this week, aware that it could possibly be his last chance of salvaging a Formula One drive for 2005.


Oil worries remain, despite price slide With crude oil prices drifting down to as low as \$ 41 per barrel, OPEC is expected by many observers to slash production, when it meets on Friday.


Funny bone intact AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The potential loss of Gary Payton with a strained left hamstring was briefly a laughing matter last night after the Celtics dropped a 100-88 decision to the Pistons. When asked how he would get through one and possibly many more games without the veteran point guard, coach Doc Rivers decided he would call up executive director ...


HD-DVD format war looms There #39;s a reason progressive-scan DVD players are selling for as little as \$29 these days. They are about to be replaced by something better -- and, of course, more expensive.


Update for Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 secures new beta status May result in unexpected behavior


IBM CEO's memo clarifies PC biz sell-off Exclusive The Palmisano email to the troops in full


Astronaut's Long Career Ends The longest serving astronaut in history, John W. Young, announced his retirement on Tuesday.


New Remedies for a Frustrating Illness. But Do They Work? Two drugs approved for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome may or may not work for the 45 million Americans who suffer from the disorder.


IBM Selling PC Unit to China's Lenovo (Reuters) Reuters - IBM is selling its\PC-making business to China's largest personal computer\company, Lenovo Group Ltd., for  #36;1.25 billion, marking the U.S.\company's retreat from an industry it helped pioneer in 1981.


Chinese Computer Maker Acquires IBM China #39;s biggest computer maker says it has acquired a majority stake in IBM #39;s personal computer business. The 1.75- billion-dollar deal is one of the biggest Chinese overseas acquisitions ever.


Oklahoma State's Miles gets LSU job Names Oklahoma State football coach Les Miles will replace Nick Saban at Louisiana State, a source close to the negotiations said last night. LSU called a news conference for today, and the source, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Miles will be introduced then. LSU athletic director Skip Bertman did not immediately return a call seeking ...


Issing says EU growth will pick up soon European Central Bank chief economist Otmar Issing has said the slowing of euro zone economic growth in the third quarter was temporary and he expects growth rates to pick up again.


Giant finish for Manning, Barber EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Tiki Barber scored on a 3-yard run with 11 seconds to play and Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes as the Giants edged the Dallas Cowboys, 28-24, last night in a wild finale to the NFL regular season.The late heroics provided Manning with his first career victory and spoiled a great effort by Cowboys quarterback Vinny ...


#39;Go Canadian #39; advises US t-shirt maker ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico -- An American T-shirt company wants to help US citizens relax on vacation -- by posing as Canadians. TshirtKing.


Three Iraqis Killed in Bomb Attack on U.S. Troops (Reuters) Reuters - Three Iraqis were killed on\Wednesday when a suicide car bomber attacked a U.S. convoy in\the northern city of Samarra, a local police official said.


Netscape prototype browser more secure, says analyst AOL has unveiled a prototype of its revived Netscape browser without half the hype that Mozilla programs like Firefox and Thunderbird have been fetching.


Toshiba Develops Dual-Format DVD Memory-Tech and Toshiba today announced that they have jointly developed a dual-layer ROM (read-only) disc that can store content in both the HD DVD and DVD formats.


FOOTBALL: ONE-NORSE RACE FOR GUNNERS Considering Rosenborg haven #39;t won away in Europe for five years, Highbury would have been rocked if the Gunners hadn #39;t. The Norwegian challenge was snuffed out by the break.


Celt #39;s Euro dream is over THE curtain closed on Celtic #39;s European dream for another season after the Bhoys were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Milan with the result meaning that Shakhtar Donetsk, who won their


Auburn hoping for sweet redemption NEW ORLEANS -- Auburn has come too far to give up hope. So, on the eve of tonight's Sugar Bowl, coach Tommy Tuberville made a familiar pitch: The third-ranked Tigers deserve at least a share of the national title if they beat No. 9 Virginia Tech.


Annan Rejects Calls for Resignation UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he has no plans to resign, and will concentrate on reforming the international body in the last two years of his term.


Pakistan test-fires medium range ballistic missile RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Wednesday carried out a successful test fire of its endogenously developed medium range surface to surface ballistic missile Hatf-IV/Shaheen-I.


Russian chamber approves street beer drinking ban Russia #39;s upper house of parliament on Wednesday passed a tougher version of a bill controlling public beer sales and consumption after rejecting the original last month.


Ghana waits for election verdict The first results are declared in Ghana's general elections, with the two major parties ahead in their strongholds.


US rejects climate policy attacks The US defends its decision not to sign up to the Kyoto climate change treaty with an attack on Europe's record.


CIA Analyst Cautious About Iraq  In a farewell assessment of Iraq's security and political situation, the CIA's senior officer there wrote that a stronger government and economy are necessary to avoid descent into wider violence, a U.S. official said yesterday.


Update for Microsoft #39;s Windows Server 2003 secures new beta status Microsoft has strolled a little closer to delivering an update for Windows Server 2003 by showing a release candidate service pack for the OS.


Excel powers advanced Halo 2 stats system An unlikely union of Halo 2 and Excel has been capturing the interest of statistically minded Xbox Live fans for whom Bungie.net #39;s seven-day online game stats service just isn #39;t detailed enough.


Ganguly plays down security fears India captain Sourav Ganguly has attempted to play down safety fears over their tour to Bangladesh. The Indian squad arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday for a 19-day tour featuring two Tests and three one-day matches.


IBM Selling PC Unit to China's Lenovo  HONG KONG/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - IBM is selling its  PC-making business to China's largest personal computer  company, Lenovo Group Ltd., for \$1.25 billion, marking the U.S.  firm's retreat from an industry it helped pioneer in 1981.


Economy shrugs off soaring oil prices Despite a huge run-up in oil prices this year, the resilient American economy has continued to grow at brisk pace, defying predictions of an oil-related slowdown.


As steel prices soar, developers scramble Just five months after ground was broken on the Trilogy luxury apartments in the Fenway, the \$130 million construction price tag has jumped to \$138 million.


CSFB betting ring denies abuses A BETTING ring accused of insider trading had no idea that information leaked to it by former Credit Suisse First Boston compliance officer Asif Butt was confidential, a court has heard.


Arla Foods to Merge With Campina Europe #39;s biggest dairy company, Arla Foods amba, will merge with Netherlands-based Campina, the companies said Wednesday, a move that will help them prepare for anticipated price drops in milk.


Ukraine parliament passes plan to weaken presidency (AFP) AFP - Ukraine's parliament overwhelmingly passed a bill to weaken presidential powers and change electoral law, breaking an impasse between outgoing President Leonid Kuchma and the opposition.


NASA #39;s Longest-Serving Astronaut to Retire John W. Young, Commander of First Shuttle Mission and NASA #39;s Longest-Serving Astronaut, to Retire. HOUSTON Dec 8, 2004 - The longest serving astronaut in history, who flew twice to the moon and commanded


Toshiba and disc maker develop dual format DVD Tokyo, December 8: Toshiba Corp and a Japanese disc maker said on Tuesday they had developed a disc that can store content in both conventional and high-definition DVD formats, in a move they hope will strengthen their hand in a battle for the next


Tougher Cyber-Security Measures Urged A group representing technology industry executives yesterday called on the Bush administration to step up efforts to protect the nation #39;s computer and Internet infrastructure, and it proposed


Deciphered chicken genome sheds light on human DNA Here #39;s something to ponder when you eat your next chicken wing: A new study says about 60 of the genes in the critter you #39;re eating have close cousins in your own DNA.


Computing giants team up on grid Oracle yesterday announced the result of a joint venture with strategic partners to validate and extend its to grid computing vision with best-practice standards.


New Attitude: Prince of Persia Right around the time that the Prince, dressed in studded leather and wielding blood-soaked scabbards, takes on a buxom undead vixen wearing a metal bikini, it becomes clear that this is most certainly not your father #39;s Prince of Persia .


IOC opens probe of Jones doping allegations The IOC opened an investigation yesterday into doping allegations against Marion Jones, who could eventually be stripped of her five medals from the 2000 Olympics.


FIRST PICS - DC TESTS FOR RED BULL Having denied rumours for the past week that the Scot would run for them, Red Bull finally came clean first thing on Wednesday morning.


Barea sparks Huskies Northeastern and Binghamton were locked in a back-and-forth struggle before Jose Juan Barea took charge. The junior guard scored 15 of his game-high 28 points in the final five minutes to lead the Huskies to a 75-68 victory at Solomon Court yesterday.


The long goodbye It hit Julie Foudy not when she saw the 90,125 in the Rose Bowl for the final of the 1999 Women #39;s World Cup, or when she heard about the double-digit television rating on ABC, or when she realized President Clinton was in attendance.


S amp;P frowns on Telecom Italia debt (TheDeal.com) TheDeal.com - The company plans to spend  #36;27 billion to buy the 44 of Telecom Italia Mobile it does not already own.


Egypt brokers West Asia peace pact Israel and Palestine have reached an agreement  #39;in principle #39; over a set of proposals to guide a comprehensive peace settlement between them, under Egyptian mediation.


Putin hopes Russian companies will get good deal in Iraq During a meeting in the Kremlin with Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed hope that  quot;the interests of Russian companies will be heeded both by the present Iraqi leadership and by the future government of Iraq


Ghana waits for election results The first results are being declared in Ghana #39;s presidential and parliamentary elections, which were generally calm and orderly.


Scientists Develop Fast Diagnostic Test for Bird Flu (Reuters) Reuters - Scientists in Hong Kong and China\said Wednesday they have developed a test to detect bird flu\infections in humans within hours, which could give health\officials an important tool for controlling the killer virus.


UK in Danger of Missing CO2 Emission Target (Reuters) Reuters - Britain is in danger of missing its\target of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent by the\end of the decade, Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett said\Wednesday.


EU Holds Out Prospect of End to China Arms Embargo  THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The EU told China on Wednesday it was  not yet ready to end its 15-year-old ban on selling it arms,  but suggested the embargo could be lifted in early 2005 despite  opposition from human rights groups and Washington.


Red Tide Algae Lurks in Gulf Coast (AP) AP - Scientists are tracking a 400 square-mile bloom of red tide algae lurking off the Gulf Coast, pointing to it as the likely cause of a mass fish kill and several dolphin deaths at the tip of the Florida peninsula.


NASA's Longest-Serving Astronaut to Retire (AP) AP - The longest serving astronaut in history, who flew twice to the moon and commanded the first space shuttle mission, has announced his retirement after 42 years at NASA.


Shangri-La No More: The Dragons Have Settled In Visitors to Tibet can see clearly that commercialism has invaded this ancient land.


Meet Frank Fowlie, the Internet's physician Exclusive Canadian mountie, Olympics organiser and now ICANN Ombudsman


Oil at 3-Month Low, Off \$8 in 7 Sessions Oil prices hit a new three-month low on Wednesday as mild winter weather in the United States and expectations of a rise in heating fuel stocks kept downward pressure on the market.


Eagles get a line on West Virginia It was a perfect day all around for Boston College. No. 14 BC went 18 for 18 from the free throw line and beat West Virginia for the 14th time without a loss, rolling past the Mountaineers, 69-56, yesterday in Morgantown, W.Va.


Celtic 0, AC Milan 0 Celtic manager Martin O #39;Neill last night said it was time for the board to  quot;take stock quot; after their latest European adventure came to an end weeks before Christmas.


FOOTBALL: BENNI-FIT NIGHT AS HOLDERS SURVIVE PORTO ended Chelsea #39;s unbeaten record to earn themselves a place in the knockout stages in dramatic fashion. Benni McCarthy scored the winner for the Portuguese side with just five minutes remaining of a game


Redknapp to be unveiled as Saints boss - report The 57-year-old quit south coast rivals Portsmouth two weeks ago claiming he needed a break from the game. However, BBC Radio Five Live reported this morning that Redknapp has confirmed to them he will be installed at St Marys.


No. 5 Cowboys #39; physical defense punishes Orange The rough and tough Oklahoma State Cowboys pushed Syracuse around for most of the game and then used a late push to beat the Orange 74-60 in the Jimmy V Classic here at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.


Knicks done in by defense He stood in the corner of a quiet locker room after last night #39;s 96-88 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum and inquired whether Boston, Philadelphia or Toronto had played.


EU Holds Out Prospect of End to China Arms Embargo The EU told China on Wednesday it was not yet ready to end its 15-year-old ban on selling it arms, but suggested the embargo could be lifted in early 2005 despite opposition from human rights groups and Washington.


Data Revision Shows Japan's Economy Grew (AP) AP - Japan's economy barely grew during the quarter ending Sept. 30 and in the April-June period it actually shrank instead of squeezing out slight growth, according to revised government data released Wednesday.


IBM quits PC manufacturing in 900m deal IBM has sold its computer making business to Lenovo Group, the Chinese technology company, in a \$1.75 billion (900 million) deal, signalling an exit from the PC market it helped create in the 1980s.


The Picture of Devotion Engineer John Charlton takes an Apple Newton everywhere on his travels. He convinces himself it's a useful device, but in his heart he knows the truth: He simply wants to photograph it in front of landmarks. By Leander Kahney.


EBay Negative on Negativland IPod An artist modified a U2 iPod to make a statement about intellectual property rights and free culture, then listed the customized gadget on eBay. Apple wasn't amused, and the auction site removed the listing -- but attorneys say the artist did nothing wrong. By Katie Dean.


Cell Phones Work as Tour Guides Sightseers in major cities no longer need a tour guide or travel book to point out local landmarks. Several startup companies now offer tours delivered by cell phones. By Rachel Metz.


Blade: The Art of Gore Blade: Trinity, the new installment in the movie franchise about the human-vampire hybrid, doesn't get high marks for plot plausibility. But if you're looking for impressive scenes of on-screen carnage, the film delivers in full. By Jason Silverman.


New Attitude: Prince of Persia The new melee combat engine of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within beefs up the action of the popular game series. But the dark and bloody style doesn't suit the franchise. By Chris Kohler.


The True Measure of Success Forget GDP. A better metric for prosperity is Gross National Happiness. By Daniel H. Pink from Wired magazine.


UK to Seek Bush Support on G8 Poverty Goals (Reuters) Reuters - Britain will seek Washington's support\to help it achieve goals on global poverty reduction, debt\relief and fair trade during London's G8 presidency next year,\finance minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday.


Oracle concern at  #39;brain drain #39; Oracle, the American corporate software giant, has admitted it is feeling the pressure of its protracted takeover battle for PeopleSoft, saying that it was worried that valuable staff were starting to leave its acquisition target.


China's Lenovo buys IBM personal computer business for 1.25 bln dollars (AFP) AFP - China's largest manufacturer of personal computers Lenovo Group said it has bought IBM's PC business for 1.25 billion dollars, making it the world's number three in the intensely competitive field.


Toshiba and Memory-Tech go Dual-Format DVD. Toshiba and Memory-Tech announced they developed a dual-layer DVD disc. This wouldn #39;t be newsworthy unless the disc is able to contain two formats: HD DVD and DVD formats.


Mozilla #39;s Thunderbird is go The Mozilla Foundation has released version 1.0 of its Thunderbird open source email client, following up on the successful recent launch of its Firefox web browser, and delivering new anti-spam and anti-virus technology to the desktop.


Cisco guns for datacentres Cisco Systems aimed straight for datacentres yesterday at its annual worldwide analyst conference, with company executives claiming many communications functions in servers would be better moved into the network.


O #39;Neill  #39;envious #39; of Europe #39;s top clubs Martin O #39;Neill last night confronted the disappointment of seeing his Celtic side being ejected from European football before Christmas, but batted away questions about being in charge of a cash-strapped team following the 0-0 draw with AC Milan.


Redknapp  #39;ready to join Saints #39; Redknapp has been linked with a move to replace caretaker manager Steve Wigley two weeks after leaving Southampton #39;s south-coast rivals Portsmouth.


NATO Postpones Talks with Ukrainian Minister  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO has postponed a Thursday meeting  between its foreign ministers and their Ukrainian counterpart,  to avoid high-level contacts with a government accused of  election fraud, NATO sources said.


UK to Seek Bush Support on G8 Poverty Goals  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will seek Washington's support  to help it achieve goals on global poverty reduction, debt  relief and fair trade during London's G8 presidency next year,  finance minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday.


US air force 'deaf to sex claims' A Pentagon report on claims of sexual assault says US air force commanders failed to recognise the problem.


Lenovo buys IBM PC business IBM, which revolutionised the global computer industry when it launched its first desktop in 1981, has sold its PC business to a Chinese group in a \$1.75bn (900m) deal, it was confirmed today.


Motorola, others profit from major Sprint upgrade Lucent, Motorola and Nortel won about \$3 billion in contracts to help Sprint upgrade its wireless network to handle high-speed Internet traffic over mobile phones and computers.


Johnson and Johnson mulls USD24bn takeover NEW YORK - US health titan Johnson and Johnson is in  quot;advanced negotiations quot; for a 24-billion-dollar takeover of US heart device manufacturer Guidant, the New York Times said.


India on track to poverty reduction: ILO: India News: New Delhi, Dec 8 : India is on its way to poverty reduction and employment generation at a time when about 1.4 billion people, or half the world #39;s workers, are trapped in grinding poverty, says a new International Labour Organisation (ILO


Lamy gets EU backing for WTO The EU is set to back former trade commissioner Pascal Lamy for the top job at the WTO. A meeting of trade chiefs from the 25 member states agreed on the Frenchmans candidacy on Tuesday.


California outlook: solid but unspectacular For California businesses, 2005 may not quite be a year of wine and roses. But it will at least be a time of beer and daisies, according to economists at the Anderson Forecast of the University of California Los Angeles.


Postponed  quot;Cars quot; release puts Pixar ahead Pixar has said its upcoming film  quot;Cars quot; will be postponed from its planned November release to a June 2006 bow -- a move that could leave the company better


Safe landing for Seahawks SEATTLE -- Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes and got another TD on a sneak, leading the Seahawks to a 28-26 win over the Atlanta Falcons yesterday and helping Seattle win the NFC West and secure a first-round playoff game at home.


Victory not enough as Saints eliminated CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tom Benson crowded around a tiny television, the fate of his football team resting on the outcome of a game being played halfway across the country.


Falling Oil Hits Europe; Dollar Bounces (Reuters) Reuters - Most European stock markets followed\Wall Street lower Wednesday as crude oil's slide to three-month\lows hit heavily weighted oil shares, although a recovering\dollar was a plus for the region's exporters.


EU set to close fishing grounds The European Commission proposes closure of dangerously depleted cod grounds in the North Sea, Irish Sea and off the west of Scotland.


Terriers are unable to go out in style After Boston University's 2-1 loss to Minnesota last night at Walter Brown Arena, the last game BU will play at the Babcock Street building, nearly half of the Terrier squad trudged down the runway to their locker room.


Missing point, Celtics stumble AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The turning point in last night's game came less than three minutes into the third quarter. That's when Gary Payton limped to the visitors' locker room after suffering a strained left hamstring.


Global Funds Offer Broad Exposure (AP) AP - With the U.S. economy likely to slow next year, many investors are looking to add more international exposure to their portfolios in hopes of winning higher returns. A number of global mutual funds offer what seems like easy one-stop shopping, but experts warn that all are not created equal.


Dual DVD/HD-DVD disc developed Memory-Tech is to start mass production next year of read-only discs that can contain data stored in both DVD and HD-DVDs (high-definition/high-density DVDs) layers, a company executive said Wednesday.


Dell, EMC, Intel and Oracle line up on the grid IT industry heavyweights Dell, EMC, Intel and Oracle today sealed an alliance to develop grid computing technology and establish best practice.


Technology ; Experts push for more US computer security efforts An official with the Homeland Security Department #39;s National Cyber Security Division said the 120-person office has been able to limit the harmful effects of at least one virus and has helped to track down online criminals in 28 countries.


BEA hails app server upgrade Not to be outdone by rival Oracle, BEA Systems has unveiled version 9.0 of its WebLogic Server application server. Homing in on the theme of service-oriented architecture deployment, BEA said the product would


Sony Sings Off-Key The company that brought us the Walkman should be giving the iPod a run for its money. What happened? Perhaps you #39;ve caught a glimpse of Sony #39;s new digital music player, a sleek silver gizmo brandished in


Mobile networks are iPod  #39;threat #39; The iPod and iTunes will see competition from wireless network providers, according to the CEO of Warner Music Group. Speaking at the UBS Media Week Conference, Warner #39;s Edgar Bronfman suggested


Kazaa trial highlights P2P dangers The ongoing civil trial involving P2P file sharing network Kazaa highlights the risks corporates face by not locking down employees #39; desktop applications, say security experts.


Mourinho unhappy with Porto loss Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was left disappointed after his side were defeated 2-1 by his former club Porto. Mourinho blamed a lack of motivation as Chelsea sunk to their first Champions League defeat of the season.


Where can O #39;Neill go from here? Celtic may be out of Europe before Christmas for the first time in four years but their exit after the brave 0-0 draw with AC Milan had a familiar ring to it.


Gerrard is the man Olympiakos boss Dusan Bajevic has identified Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, as likely to be the most influential player for the Reds tonight.


Valencia tarnish image with angry Champions League exit The reaction of Valencia players, coach Claudio Ranieri and their fans to the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Werder Bremen has done irreparable damage to the image of the club according to Spanish media.


Bayer look to leave Kiev out in the cold Bayer Leverkusen surprised everyone by qualifying for the Champions League last season and they now have the chance to reach the knockout phase of the competition with Dynamo Kiev their final obstacle.


India arrives amidst unprecedented security Dhaka, December 8: The 15-member Indian cricket team arrived in the Bangladeshi capital amidst unprecedented security following a death threat but captain Sourav Ganguly said the pre-tour developments would have no bearing on the performance of his players


Who #39;s behind the oil-for-food scandal? Once it became clear some months ago that Saddam Hussein had been telling the truth about not having weapons of mass destruction or connections to al-Qaida, it should have been an embarrassment


US marines in Philippines on storm relief mission, health fears <b>...</b> INFANTA, Philippines (AFP) - US Marines began helping relief operations in the Philippines following storms that have left more than 1,500 people dead as fears grew of a health crisis among survivors.


Palestinian killed in Gaza Strip A Palestinian was killed overnight by Israeli forces, as further violence continued in the Gaza Strip, medical sources said. A body - described on Israeli radio as a  quot;Palestinian youngster quot;, and on Palestinian


Stocks Set for Flat Open; IBM in Focus  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks look to open flat on  Wednesday, a day after a sharp sell-off, as the dollar  rebounded and a major sale was announced by IBM IBM.N, but  oil prices nudged up slightly.


Dollar Rises, Investors Focus on Rates  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar gained ground on Wednesday,  as investors took profits on other major currencies on signs  that currency strength may prompt some central banks to scale  back interest rate tightening.


Falling Oil Hits Europe; Dollar Bounces  LONDON (Reuters) - Most European stock markets followed  Wall Street lower Wednesday as crude oil's slide to three-month  lows hit heavily weighted oil shares, although a recovering  dollar was a plus for the region's exporters.


Miners Lead European Stocks Down  LONDON (Reuters) - European shares eased on Wednesday with  mining stocks soft after sharp falls in metal prices and  concerns about the strong euro hitting growth, but auto makers  like Porsche rose after strong sales data.


BBC Schedules Major Cuts in Payroll, Budget LONDON, Dec. 7 -- The BBC, the world's largest public broadcasting company, announced plans Tuesday for some of the biggest budget cuts in its 82-year history, slashing at least 10 percent of its staff and more than \$620 million in annual spending.


New sales push for struggling GM General Motors , which has experienced two months of disappointing sales, reveals a new winter sales programme in the US.


Dillon: Cash and carry setup working well FOXBOROUGH -- There were just under 9 1/2 minutes to go in the third quarter yesterday when Patriots running back Corey Dillon broke free and ambled toward the end zone with San Francisco defenders Dwaine Carpenter and Ronnie Heard grabbing and clawing and pulling at his jersey. They finally hauled Dillon down at the 14-yard line, but not before he ...


Nvidia to supply PlayStation 3 graphics chip Nvidia will supply the graphics chip for the successor to the PlayStation 2 being developed by Sony, the companies announced. The deal also gives Sony the right to use the chip in its digital consumer products, according to the companies.


NASA #39;s longest-serving astronaut retiring His first space flight was in 1965 when he piloted the first manned Gemini mission. Later he made two trips to the moon -- orbiting during a 1969 flight and then walking on the lunar surface during a mission in 1972.


Technology ; Dell seeks to open second PC plant in Europe Technology News, SAN FRANCISCO, Dell Inc. is looking to open its second European production plant, its chairman said on Tuesday, and a source familiar with the plan said the company was considering a location in France.


Ranieri Livid In Defeat Valencia boss Claudio Ranieri was bitter in defeat. Werder Bremen eliminated the Spanish club 2-0 on Tuesday. Ranieri singled out referee Anders Frisk venemously in a post-match television interview with Canal Plus.


File-sorting software coming of age The holidays are done at last. Time to get back to normal. Well, perhaps not entirely normal. Our computers, after all, are normally in a state of chaos, cluttered with once-cherished files that we can't even find anymore.


US says  quot;getting nowhere quot; with crisis in Darfur UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The international community is  quot;getting nowhere quot; with the crisis in Sudan #39;s troubled Darfur region, the US ambassador to the United Nations, John Danforth, said.


Officials say Logan death a horrible accident #39; A longtime Delta Air Lines employee was killed at Logan Airport yesterday morning when he was struck by a de-icing truck driven by a good friend, officials said.


A plan for US energy security? The United States must diversify its global oil supplies, expand a world network of strategic petroleum reserves and raise fuel efficiency standards to ensure its energy security, a panel of experts will recommend Wednesday.


Reports: Charges Expected for Five Pacers (AP) AP - Five Indiana Pacers players and five Detroit Pistons fans were expected to be charged with assault Wednesday in a brawl that broke out on the court last month and spilled into the stands at The Palace of Auburn Hills, according to news reports.


Israel #39;s Sharon Lines Up Support for Likud Vote Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon marshalled support for Thursday #39;s Likud party vote to bring the Labor Party into a government that would block snap elections and pave the way for a Gaza withdrawal next year.


Mortgage Applications Rose Last Week (Reuters) Reuters - Applications for U.S. home mortgages\rose last week, as mortgage rates fell, an industry group said\on Wednesday.


Lenovo-IBM is a tough sell Two years ago, I got an inside look at operations at Lenovo Group, the Chinese computing giant that is expected to form a joint venture with IBM to sell PCs worldwide.


Latest Business news on mobile: sms BIZ to 7333 The US-based oral care and personal products company Colgate-Palmolive Company is drawing a blueprint to restructure its operations.


Report: Calif economy will see growth in 2005, but danger looms LOS ANGELES A report says California #39;s economy will see solid growth next year, but danger looms. The quarterly UCLA Anderson Forecast says the state #39;s fortunes could change if the national economy falters


Software for drummers and strummers If one of your New Year's resolutions is to finally learn how to play an instrument, technology increasingly can help you get started.


Kids happy to get an Apple in their stocking US holiday sales forecasts have been decidedly muted this year, but it appeared no one bothered telling the throngs of shoppers crammed into Apple Computer #39;s downtown San Francisco store last week.


Clashes before Hoon #39;s visit to Iraq Three Iraqis have been killed in clashes in Ramadi while six Iraqi civilians and two US soldiers were wounded after a bomb targeting a US convoy exploded in southern Baghdad.


Pope Prays for Iraqi People after Bomb Attacks on Churches Pope John Paul II today said he was praying for the Iraqi people after militants bombed two churches in Mosul, the latest anti-Christian violence in the country.


Stocks to Watch Wednesday  The hard drive maker on Tuesday raised its quarterly  revenue and profit forecasts for the December quarter on strong  seasonal demand for newer products, surpassing analysts'  forecasts.


Bank calls for Argentine reforms The World Bank approves \$200m for infrastructure projects in Argentina, but  demands that the country complete restructuring its defaulted debt.


Commentary: Is China on the verge of its own Enron scandal? In 2002, China Aviation Oil (Singapore) was named Singapore #39;s most transparent company by the island #39;s Securities Investors Association.


Thunderbird 1.0 email client bids to repeat Firefox success Hoping to emulate the success of the open source browser Firefox, the Mozilla group has now released version 1.0 of its Thunderbird email client.


HD-DVD Sticks It To Blu-Ray......again Toshiba has hammered another nail in the Blu-Ray coffin, by announcing a dual layer HD-DVD and DVD disc. This means that studios will be able to sell discs that have the DVD version on one side and the HD-DVD


Drug makers adding X-rays, MRIs to arsenal Researchers at Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. hope to produce better drugs with medical-imaging equipment usually used to examine patients.


Sonys Walkman bows to MP3 format The company which invented the walkman and created a new niche with it has now got its ear to the ground. The latest Walkman music player to emerge from their workshop seems to be a hybrid of sorts.


IBM expands virtual resources for partners IBM has announced virtual resources to help its business partners accelerate the building and deployment of on-demand business applications tailored to customer requirements across all vertical industries.


IT disaster in British public authority caused by operator The US IT service provider EDS has admitted that one of its employees was responsible for the crash of thousands of computers in Britain #39;s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) two weeks ago.


On latest players, choice is unlimited The menu at Flash's, a saloon on Boston's Stuart Street, offers many choices. The jukebox offers even more.


Players OK talks on steroids Baseball players gave their lawyers the go-ahead Tuesday to reach an agreement with owners on tougher testing for steroids. After negotiations with management were outlined to the executive board of the players


V.KLITSCKO V D.WILLIAMS FIXED ODDS BETTING PREVIEW Following his upset of Mike Tyson in July, British heavyweight Danny Williams has the chance on Saturday to become the WBC World Heavyweight Champion when he takes on Vitali Klitscko at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.


Redknapp move angers Pompey fans The chairman of Portsmouth #39;s supporters club believes many fans will turn on former boss Harry Redknapp after his impending move to rivals Southampton.


Soccer: Youth brings energy to a night drained of meaning On Tuesday, Cesc Fabregas, a 17-year-old Spaniard, scored a flamboyant goal and ran the midfield so well that Arsenal thrashed Rosenborg Trondheim 5-1.


UPDATE 1-Coulthard tests for Red Bull in Spain David Coulthard moved a significant step closer to staying in Formula One when he started a three-day test with the Red Bull Racing team in southern Spain on Wednesday.


AFGHAN PRESIDENT TAKES ON TALIBAN AFGHANISTAN #39;S first democratically elected president was sworn in yesterday - vowing to crack down on drug traffickers and the last of the Taliban.


Iraqi PM Calls on Russian Companies to Take Part in Reconstruction Iraq is prepared to cooperate with Russia and to sign contracts, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said in an exclusive interview with the Itar-Tass news agency on Wednesday, Dec. 8. Allawi said that on Tuesday, Dec.


Bush puts squeeze on UN #39;s Annan The suggestion by Republican Senator Norman Coleman that United Nations #39; Secretary-General Kofi Annan should resign because of the UN #39;s oil-for-food scandal fits somewhere on the scale in between the absurd and the vicious.


Finnish government plans sale of 250-300 mln TeliaSonera shares (AFP) AFP - The Finnish government said it would sell between 250 and 300 million shares, or as much as 6.4 percent of its stake, in Nordic telecommunications operator TeliaSonera.


Troops Put Tough Questions to Rumsfeld (AP) AP - After delivering a pep talk designed to energize troops preparing to head for Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld got a little "talking to" himself from disgruntled soldiers.


Mortgage Applications Rise Last Week  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for U.S. home  mortgages increased last week, as purchase activity rose amid  lower mortgage rates, an industry group said on Wednesday.


N.Irish Deal Stalls Over IRA Arms Pictures  BELFAST, Northern Ireland (Reuters) - A major push to seal  a political settlement for the turbulent British province of  Northern Ireland stalled at the last moment Wednesday over  demands for photographic evidence of IRA guerrillas scrapping  their arms.


TI Narrows Forecast for Fourth Quarter  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Texas Instruments Inc. TXN.N, the  world's largest maker of chips for cell phones, on Tuesday said  it expects fourth-quarter revenue and earnings per share at the  mid range of its previous estimates, as order trends remain  soft and an inventory correction continues.


S Korea's Roh visits Iraq troops South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun pays a surprise visit to troops in Iraq, after his government decided to extend their mandate.


Ganguly plays down security fears The Indian squad arrives in Bangladesh despite threats allegedly sent by Islamic militants.


Exec arrested in Singapore scandal The chief executive of embattled China Aviation Oil (CAO) Singapore Corp. Ltd. was arrested Wednesday in Singapore #39;s biggest trading scandal since the fall of Barings Bank in 1995.


Jukebox is reborn for the Internet age The Internet has changed the way people listen to music in their personal space. (Think iPod and other portable music players.) Now, it's also changing the way people listen to music in public places, such as restaurants and bars.


Reliance unit loses Anil Ambani Anil Ambani resigns from the petrochemical unit of Indian giant Reliance, renewing rumours of a management feud with elder brother Mukesh.


Bush urged to get to grips with cybersecurity A cybersecurity group yesterday called on US President George Bush to invest more in IT issues and to make the top IT security job a bigger posting.


Australia Beats NZ in One-Day Cricket Match to Tie Series 1-1 Australia defied a late rally by New Zealand to win the second of three one-day cricket internationals in Sydney by 17 runs and set up a deciding match at Brisbane on Friday.


Gerrard issues warning The Merseyside captain, his professional career born and bred at Liverpool, wants to  quot;show his kids medals, quot; saying the Premiership side may not be able to rack up the major-tournament titles Gerrard thinks he deserves.


Real Madrid faces AS Roma in  #39;the most important game of the <b>...</b> Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos called Wednesday #39;s do-or-die Champions League match against AS Roma  quot;the most important game of the season.


Karzai faces drug challenge at outset of fresh presidential term KABUL, Afghanistan _ Afghanistan #39;s newly inaugurated President Hamid Karzai is pushing the fight to control the nation #39;s booming drug trade to the top of his to-do list.


High Turnout Reported for Ghana #39;s National Elections Vote counting has begun in Tuesday #39;s general election in Ghana, where President John Kufuor is widely expected to win re-election.


Williams in Pull-Out Threat Over Beard Inspection  LONDON (Reuters) - British heavyweight fighter Danny  Williams has threatened to pull out of Saturday's World Boxing  Council title fight with champion Vitali Klitschko if he is  forced to shave his beard, British media reported.


Lenovo IBM deal a  #39;great leap #39; for Chinese companies on the world <b>...</b> SHANGHAI (AFP) - Computer maker Lenovo #39;s landmark purchase of the PC business of one of America #39;s most vaunted corporate names adds to a growing list of ambitious Chinese companies seeking to make a name for themselves on global markets.


Bank of England policymakers meet; no change seen on interest rates (AFP) AFP - The Bank of England's rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) began its two-day monthly meeting amid broad expectation that interest rates will be left unchanged due to signs of economic slowdown.


Arsenal and Bremen advance with Porto #39;s hope alive Holders Porto survived a fightback to overcome Chelsea 2-1 and kept a Champions League second round hope alive as Arsenal and Werder Bremen booked their places in thenext round on Tuesday.


Celtic needs to take stock - O #39;Neill Celtic boss Martin O #39;Neill admits the club needs to hold an internal investigation into where its future lies after being dumped out of Europe least night.


Singh not breaking habits The world #39;s No. 1 golfer gave another relentless indication Tuesday why he has risen to the top. One day after he was named PGA Tour Player of the Year, Vijay Singh celebrated by pounding


Arsenal v Rosenborg - Player Ratings Goal (Arsenal) (4) - Just what we needed early on. The nerves were removed, and we just kept on moving forward. A sweet ball from Bobby set Reyes up with a chance to run.


He Sounds Confident, Not Cocky You could tell why University of President Bernie Machen and athletic director Jeremy Foley wanted Urban Meyer almost immediately after the coach started talking.


Indian cricket team arrives in Bangladesh India #39;s national cricket team arrived in Dhaka Wednesday for a Bangladesh tour approved despite an Islamic group #39;s threat to kill the Indian players.


Hamas rejects ceasefire in preparations for Palestinian elections The Islamic resistance movement Hamas on Wednesday refused to halt attacks against the Jewish settlements during the period of preparations for the Jan. 9 elections.


Pixar Falls 4 Percent Before Bell  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Pixar Animation Studios Inc.  PIXR.O fell 4 percent before the bell on Wednesday after it  said it would postpone the theatrical release of its animated  feature "Cars" to June 2006 from November 2005.


Safeway Sets Outlook Below Estimates (Reuters) Reuters - Grocery chain operator Safeway Inc.\ on Wednesday set a 2005 earnings per share goal that\was below analysts' expectations, with added marketing expenses\and lingering impact from a strike at its Vons stores weighing\on profits.


Nortel to File Restated Results Next Year  TORONTO (Reuters) - Nortel Networks Corp. NT.TO said on  Wednesday that after months of trying to untangle faulty  financial results, it plans to file 2003 and first-half 2004  results starting Jan. 10 of next year.


Colgate overhaul to cut over 4,400 jobs Colgate-Palmolive, the US consumer products company, has said that it plans to close about a third of its factories and cut more than 4,400 jobs over the next four years as part of a major restructuring effort to increase profit margins.


China Aviation Oil CEO arrested in Singapore, helping CAD with <b>...</b> SINGAPORE : Singapore #39;s white collar crime buster, the Commercial Affairs Department, has arrested China Aviation Oil #39;s beleaguered chief executive, Chen Jiulin.


US is urged to adopt new, diverse energy policy WASHINGTON Trying to break a deadlock on energy policy, a diverse group of environmentalists, academics and former government officials were to publish a report on Wednesday that presents strategies for making the United States cleaner, more competitive


Update 2: VimpelCom Hit With \$157M Back Tax Claim In what market watchers are calling a new battle between a Russian oligarch and the state, Russia #39;s second largest mobile phone operator, VimpelCom, has been hit with a 4.4 billion ruble (US\$157 million, euro118 million) back-tax claim for 2001, company


Merck sets up new Vioxx review Drugmaker Merck has set up an independent committee to review the firm #39;s actions prior to the withdrawal of its painkiller Vioxx from the market in September.


Fighting Rages in Iraq's Rebel-Held Ramadi (Reuters) Reuters - Fighting raged between rebels\controlling the western Iraq town of Ramadi and U.S. Marines\Wednesday after two Iraqis were killed in clashes following a\suicide car bomb attack, witnesses said.


South American Leaders Discuss New Bloc (AP) AP - Presidents and high-ranking officials from 12 South American countries gathered in this ancient Inca capital to create a political and economic bloc they hope will put them on a more equal footing with the United States and Europe.


Williams in Pull-Out Threat Over Beard Inspection British heavyweight fighter Danny Williams has threatened to pull out of Saturday #39;s World Boxing Council title fight with champion Vitali Klitschko if he is forced to shave his beard, British media reported.


RANIERI BLASTS FRISK Valencia coach Claudio Ranieri was unable to hide his frustration at referee Anders Frisk after his side crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday.


Aussies prevail in SCG thriller Australia has forced the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series into a decider, but only after surviving a stunning fightback by New Zealand in match two at the Sydney Cricket Ground.


Karzai to Address Afghan Tribal Leaders (AP) AP - Afghan President Hamid Karzai plans to address tribal leaders Thursday on the need to eliminate this war-ravaged country's booming drug trade, an aide said.


Karzai to Address Tribal Leaders Afghan President Hamid Karzai plans to address tribal leaders Thursday on the need to eliminate this war-ravaged country #39;s booming drug trade, an aide said.


DeTrani drums up support for talks December 09, 2004  A senior US official came to Seoul yesterday to create momentum for talks aimed at halting North Korea #39;s nuclear weapons program.


Russia Using Soviet Tactics Over Ukraine -- Warsaw Russia #39;s refusal to cooperate with the West to ensure a fair election in Ukraine signals that Moscow is slipping back to Soviet-style tactics, a senior Polish diplomat was quoted Wednesday as saying.


Paisley rules out devolution deal A deal to restore devolution in Northern Ireland will not be signed, DUP leader Ian Paisley confirms.


Lenovo Buys IBM #39;s PC Business for \$1.25 Billion (Update7) Lenovo Group Ltd. agreed to pay \$1.25 billion for International Business Machines Corp. #39;s personal computer business, making the Chinese company the world #39;s third- largest PC maker and giving it a globally recognized brand.


Calpers reveals risky investments #39; cost Calpers, the largest pension fund in the United States, has disclosed for the first time how much it paid the venture capitalists, hedge fund managers and others who handle its riskiest specialized investments, and how well those investments performed in


Mission is over for top astronaut THE longest serving astronaut in history, who flew twice to the moon and commanded the first space shuttle mission, has announced his retirement after 42 years at Nasa.


PA Sues Online  #39;University #39; For Spamming CousinLarry writes  quot;Online  #39;university #39; Trinity Southern University (Google cache of disabled site homepage) has been sued by the state of Pennsylvania.


Silverstone owners  #39;hopeful #39; for F1 deal Silverstone #39;s owners say they are confident that a deal can be reached with Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One #39;s chief, to save the British Grand Prix.


Thistle see an end to wanderings Inverness Caledonian Thistle will finally be allowed to return to their own ground after half a season #39;s wanderings following a change of heart by the Scottish Premier League.


China #39;s Lenovo acquires IBM #39;s PC business Lenovo Group, China #39;s personal computer giant, Wednesday signed a definitive agreement with IBM to acquire Big Blue #39;s personal computer


Merck Sees 2005 Profit Hurt by Vioxx Merck  amp; Co. Inc.(MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , reeling from the recent withdrawal of its Vioxx arthritis drug, on Wednesday reaffirmed its 2004 earnings outlook but said earnings in 2005 will be lower than analysts had expected.


AutoZone Earnings Are Flat Autozone #39;s (AZO:NYSE - news - research) first-quarter sales and earnings were virtually unchanged from a year ago, held back by higher fuel prices that made car owners skittish.


'The boat started shaking' The BBC's Rachel Harvey meets a fisherman in the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh who survived the tsunami.


Telecom Tests Online Aromatherapy Service (AP) AP - People play games, go shopping and meet dates on the Internet. So why not use the Web to download the perfect mood-enhancing fragrance?


BEA Rolls Out WebLogic Server 9.0 for SOA SAN FRANCISCOBEA Systems Inc. took advantage of the proximity of Oracle Corp. #39;s OpenWorld conference here this week to introduce BEA WebLogic Server 9.0, which is designed to allow developers to rapidly


Want a PS2 this Christmas? You #39;ll be lucky! Beleaguered parents hunting down a must-have games console for this Christmas are being told to keep on hassling their local games retailer - and keep their fingers crossed.


India, Pakistan say need more talks on Kashmir bus (Reuters) Reuters - India and Pakistan were unable to agree on starting a bus service between the capitals of divided Kashmir in two days of talks which ended in New Delhi on Wednesday and said they would need more discussions.


Benni the toast of Portugal Portuguese newspapers praised Porto #39;s Benni McCarthy on Wednesday after a late goal by the South African striker sent Chelsea crashing to a 2-1 defeat and won the club a spot in the knockout phase of the Champions League.


No appeal against Mols five-match ban Utrecht #39;s Michael Mols is to start a five-match ban for knocking out a Graafschap Doetinchem defender in a game on November 28.


Vodafone seeks second place in Japan with slice of growing 3G market (AFP) AFP - British giant Vodafone said it aimed to become the second biggest operator in Japan through an aggressive push in third-generation (3G) service which is taking off in the country.


Penguin Computing launches cluster in a box (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Armed with a new form factor and its clustering management software, Penguin Computing on Wednesday launched an aggressively priced Linux-based blade server targeted at the lower end of the market -- a market recently entered into by Dell Computer.


Finding the Best Programmer's Font Becoming frustrated with source code not aligning in my favorite source editor I decided to hunt  for the best font. In particular, I began to hunt down the available fixed-width or monospaced fonts.    What are monospaced fonts you ask? From Xerox:Monospace fonts (Such as Courier or LetterGothic), or "fixed pitch" fonts, contain characters that all have the same character width, producing text that can be used to create forms, tabular material or documents that require exact text line lengths. An example of a fixed pitch font is Courier 12 pitch, which is a 10 point font that will print at exactly 12 characters per inch.    Why use  monospaced fonts? Primarily because the text will align more readily. Especially is areas like the comment block header. Updated versions of this document will be located at http://www.lowing.org/fonts/


Experts: Men Distort Religion to Justify 'Honour' Killings  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Men all over the world distort the  teachings of Islam and Christianity to justify abusing their  wives and daughters, leading to thousands of "honor" killings a  year for which courts provide virtual impunity, experts say.


Intel CEO: Company Recovered From Missteps Intel Corp. chief executive Craig Barrett said Tuesday the company has "recovered" from product missteps that plagued the chip maker during the first half of the year.


HP Board Pondered Breaking Up the Company
\

 By Duncan Martell

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The board of Hewlett-Packard Co.\<HPQ.N> discussed breaking up the No. 2 computer maker three\times in the past, yet each time decided to keep it intact,\Chief Executive Carly Fiorina said on Tuesday, defending her\strategy for the company.


'EverQuest,' 'Warcraft' Polished If my experiences with two new massively multiplayer online role-playing games have taught me one thing, it's that if I really wanted, I'd never have to interact face-to-face with another person again. I have all the friends and enemies I can handle thanks to "EverQuest II" and "World of Warcraft."


Update 2: GM Europe Pledges to Avoid Job Cuts General Motors Corp. has pledged to avoid plant closures and layoffs in Europe as it seeks to return its money-losing European operations to profitability, worker representatives said Wednesday.


Sony selects NVIDIA for Playstation 3 chips NEW YORK, December 8 (newratings.com) - Sony Corp (SNE.NYS) named NVIDIA yesterday as the supplier of the graphics chips required for its upcoming Playstation 3 video game console.


Lycos Anti-Spam Screensaver Inspires Trojan Even though it #39;s been withdrawn, the Lycos anti-spam screensaver is not forgotten. Rollie Hawk writes  quot;And with this, the  #39;What #39;s Good for the Goose... #39; award goes to all those people trying to install that


Ancient brew discovered in China People in ancient China may have been enjoying the delights of wine as long as 9,000 years ago, making them the first in the world to enjoy a tipple.


Napster founder back with new file-sharing venture The kid who sparked the digital music revolution says he #39;s back to finish the job. As a 19-year-old college freshman, Shawn Fanning created Napster, the file-sharing software program


Pair say strip cheats INTERNATIONAL Olympic Committee members Susie O #39;Neill and Kevan Gosper have called for the IOC to strip Sydney triple gold medallist Marion Jones of her medals if she is proven to be a drug cheat.


Gerrard Wants Fans To Play Their Part Steven Gerrard has called on Liverpool #39;s supporters to play their part in inspiring the Reds to victory against Olympiakos tonight.


Indian cricket team in Dhaka: Sports India, Cricket: Dhaka, Dec 8 : A 15-member Indian cricket squad Wednesday arrived here amidst tight security to play two Tests and three one-day internationals against Bangladesh.


Champions Trophy 2004 Pakistan #39;s Mohammad Saqlain (centre) raises his arms to celebrate the first goal against India during the six-nation Champions Trophy Tournament match at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore, on Wednesday.


No Mideast peace deal yet: Palestinian official JERUSALEM - A senior Palestinian official called reports of a Mideast peace agreement premature, but said Israelis and Palestinians have agreed on the logistics of the upcoming elections to replace Yasser Arafat.


Iraqi Officials Consider Extending Voting Period BAGHDAD - Iraq #39;s Independent Electoral Commission said on Wednesday it may consider holding next month #39;s elections over an extended period, as Prime Minister Iyad Allawi had suggested.


Annan rejects resignation demands United Nations: Buoyed by strong support from member nations including four out of five Security Council members, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has firmly rejected the demand of some American lawmakers to resign in view of allegations of corruption in


Pakistan does 2nd test of nuclear-capable missile in 10 days ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- Pakistan on Wednesday test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead but insisted it was not sending a signal to India amid continuing peace moves with its regional rival.


GREAT LAKES: African Union may help disarm militias ADDIS ABABA, 8 December (IRIN) - With the threat of renewed regional conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the African Union #39;s (AU #39;s) Peace and Security Council announced on Tuesday that it would seek a greater role in helping to disarm


Stocks Open Higher, Lower Oil Prices Help  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened higher on  Wednesday, a day after a sharp sell-off, as oil tumbled  further, easing concerns about the impact high crude prices  have on corporate profits and consumer spending.


Saudi Arabia Questions Need for OPEC Move  CAIRO (Reuters) - Top OPEC producer Saudi Arabia on  Wednesday questioned the need for OPEC oil producers to rein in  supply, saying the kingdom would keep crude output at current  high levels as long as customers wanted it.


Toro Earnings Rise, Dividend Doubled  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Lawn-care equipment maker Toro  Co.TTC.N  on Wednesday reported stronger-than-expected  quarterly earnings and doubled its dividend, citing increased  sales and cost controls.


N. Korea Remains Are Not of Japan Citizen (AP) AP - Japan lodged a formal complaint with North Korea on Wednesday after tests showed that human remains which Pyongyang claimed belonged to a Japanese citizen abducted decades ago by communist agents are those of someone else.


Wall Street set for steady open (FT.com) FT.com - Wall Street futures were flat on Tuesday, as a lack of economic news led investors to focus on the falling price of oil and the falling dollar. Investors were also assessing the merits of IBM's planned sale of its personal computer division to Lenovo, the Chinese computer group, for  #36;1.75bn.


Australia to Upgrade Embassy Security (AP) AP - Australia's foreign ministry said Wednesday it will boost security spending at its embassies by  #36;52 million after a terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia left nine dead earlier this week.


Nobel Winners to Explain Discoveries (AP) AP - Their discoveries may be hard for many to comprehend, but this year's Nobel Prize winners still have to explain what they did and how they did it.


IBM sells PC unit to Lenovo International Business Machines Corp. agreed to sell its personal computing business to China #39;s largest computer maker, Lenovo Group Ltd.


GM Europe Aims to Avoid Forced Layoffs General Motors aims to restructure its loss-making European operations without resorting to involuntary redundancies or shuttering any


Merck Sees 2005 Profit Hurt by Vioxx Merck  amp; Co. Inc.(MRK), reeling from the recent withdrawal of its Vioxx arthritis drug, said Wednesday it expects 2005 earnings of \$2.42 to \$2.52 a share -- a decline from expected 2004 results.


Online university sued for selling fake degrees Trinity Southern University, an online school based in Texas, has been sued by the state of Pennsylvania for allegedly using state and private Internet addresses to hawk fake graduate degrees and prescription drugs.


Muck of the Irish: Petrino staying at Louisville Cross another name off the Notre Dame wish list. Bobby Petrino is expected to announce he #39;s stayng at Louisville. Dec. 8 Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino, who was contacted by both Notre Dame and Mississippi


Mid-East summit agreed as peace efforts pay off THE depth and scale of the covert diplomatic manoeuvring to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was dramatically illuminated yesterday when Egyptian government officials confirmed their involvement in talks leading up to a mid-year peace conference


UN Council Warns Rwanda Against Attack in Congo The Security Council, in an apparent warning to Rwandan President Paul Kagame, said on Tuesday it intended to consider unspecified measures against individuals who undermined the peace process in Congo.


Will More Power for Intelligence Chief Mean Better Results? Congress is close to approving a broad intelligence overhaul, but the changes that will matter most still lie ahead.


Japanese get 'beautiful' housesitter with jellyfish-shaped robot (AFP) AFP - A Japanese firm said it has created a jellyfish-shaped robot that can alert homeowners to burglars or housesit for their pets -- and, when not at work, lounge about and be "beautiful."


Israel's Sharon Lines Up Support for Likud Vote  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  marshaled support for Thursday's Likud party vote to bring the  Labor Party into a government that would block snap elections  and pave the way for a Gaza withdrawal next year.


Blair Rules Out Iraq Civilian Death Toll Probe  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair  rejected a call Wednesday for an independent inquiry into the  civilian death toll in the U.S.-led war in Iraq.


French Court Convicts Mitterrand Son of Tax Fraud  PARIS (Reuters) - A French court Wednesday found the eldest  son of former French President Francois Mitterrand guilty of  tax fraud and sentenced him to a suspended 30-month prison  sentence.


Nortel to File Statements Next Year Nortel Networks Corp. said Wednesday it intends to file its long-delayed financial statements for the first two quarters of 2004 on Jan. 10 of next year.


New sub-species of tiger found A genetic study of the tiger family reveals a previously unknown sub-species of the big cats.


Israeli Forces End Northern Gaza Raid - Army  GAZA, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - Israeli forces ended an  operation in the northern Gaza Strip less then 24 hours after  they raided the area to try to stop cross-border rocket attacks  by Palestinian militants, the army said Monday.


Group formed to track IM threats A group of internet security and instant messaging (IM) providers have teamed up to detect and thwart the growing threat of IM and P2P viruses and worms.


Aus beat Kiwis by 17 runs Australia have won the 2nd one dayer against New Zealand by 17 runs to level the three-match series at 1-1. Australia were down to 161 for 6 at one stage, but then added another 100 runs.


Shanahan summit looks to improve game CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Behind closed doors, some of hockey #39;s most influential people met to discuss the game. It wasn #39;ta meeting to end the lockout, but how to improve NHL hockey once it gets up and running again.


Suicide Bomber Kills 3 in Baghdad Near Allawi HQ  BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber posing as a taxi  driver killed three people near the headquarters of Iraqi Prime  Minister Iyad Allawi's party in Baghdad on Monday as insurgents  pressed a bloody campaign to disrupt a Jan. 30 election.


Dell explores second factory in Europe Dellis considering opening a second European production plant to support its steady growth on the continent.


IBM adjusts to harsh PC market Perhaps it isn't quite as surprising as if Ford MotorCo. suddenly decided to sell the Mustang sports car brand to Hyundai. But IBM's decision to sell its PC business to China's Lenovo Group underscores the challenges that manufacturers face in the modern PC business, even for a company synonymous with the product.


IBM Sells Its PC Business Companies say customers will see no change in product availability or support.


Dual DVD, HD-DVD Disc Developed New disc could ease the transition to the next-gen DVD standard, company says.


Virgin Atlantic Inaugural Flight Lands in Sydney The wait for Virgin Atlantics daily service from Sydney to Hong Kong and London is finally over, with Virgin Atlantics inaugural flight touching down at Sydney Airport.


Stocks sink on profit taking The Dow Jones industrial average fell 106 points to 10,440. Decliners on the New York Stock Exchange outnumbered advancers by a three-to-one margin.


Arsenal in goalkeeper quandry The Spaniard has played in two victories in his first three starts - a 3-0 win over Birmingham and a 5-1 triumph over Rosenborg in the Champions League - after replacing Jens Lehmann.


Benitez keeps eye on the prize Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes that his side have every chance of making the Champions League knockout stage tonight. The Spaniard is confident that the Reds can claim the 1-0 or two-goal win against


Stocks Climb on Decline in Oil Prices A decline in oil prices is giving some stocks a modest boost. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 9 points in today #39;s early going.


Update 1: Gazprom Board Approves Plan for Yukos Bid Russia #39;s state-controlled gas giant Gazprom approved a plan to bid for Yukos #39; core production unit Wednesday amid reports that the company was negotiating to secure a euro10 billion (US\$13 billion) loan from a group of Western banks to support its offer.


Aussies level series with win A lower-order fightback was not enough to save New Zealand as Australia levelled the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series after a thrilling 17-run win in Sydney.


Black Watch mission  #39;exceptional #39; Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has played down suggestions that there could be further UK troop re-deployments in support of US operations in Iraq.


PMs publish devolution proposals The British and Irish prime ministers are publishing their proposals to restore devolution in NI.


Saudi Questions Need for OPEC Supply Cuts  CAIRO (Reuters) - OPEC's top producer Saudi Arabia on  Wednesday questioned the need for the cartel to bolster oil  prices by cutting supply, saying the kingdom would keep crude  output at current high levels as long as customers wanted it.


Hoon plays down new Iraq troop move Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has played down the prospect of fresh deployments of British troops into the American-controlled sector of Iraq.


Toro Earnings Rise; Dividend Doubled  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Lawn-care equipment maker Toro Co.  TTC.N on Wednesday reported stronger-than-expected quarterly  earnings and doubled its dividend, citing increased sales and  its streamlining efforts.


Tax bill hits Russian mobile firm Mobile operator Vimpelcom is the latest Russian firm to be hit with a heavy bill for back taxes


Goldman Cuts Wal-Mart Rating  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT.N, the  world's biggest retailer, suffered another blow to its star  status on Wednesday when a leading U.S. investment bank  downgraded the company's stock.


IBM Sells PC Biz to Lenovo for \$1.75B , 12/8/2004. IBM #39;s awaited personal computing division sale to Lenovo Group Ltd. became official this morning with an announcement that Big Blue will pass the unit to China #39;s number one PC maker for \$1.75 billion.


TELECOM: FT, REORGANISATION MAKES COMPANY MORE  #39;NORMAL #39; (AGI) - Rome, Italy, Dec. 8 - The merger between Telecom Italia and its mobile arm, Tim, will make the company more normal and will sign the  quot;end of the biggest Italian soap opera quot;.


Sports Car Revamp Revs Up Porsche Sales German carmaker Porsche expects its streak of strong earnings to continue in the current fiscal year that ends in July, the company said on Wednesday.


Nortel expects drop in 2003 net earnings TORONTO -- Nortel Networks Corp., which is in the process of resolving an accounting mess that will result in restatements of prior years #39; earnings, expects a 28 percent reduction in previously announced net earnings for 2003, compared with its previous


Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 takes off Mozillas latest launch, the standalone Thunderbird 0.9 email client, has captured the attention of the mainstream media who are happily trumpeting its arrival and linking it to the hugely popular Firefox browser, which is giving Microsofts Internet


NVIDIA Partners With Sony NVIDIA, graphics card manufacturer, has reported that it #39;s partnering up with Sony on the graphics hardware for PlayStation 3. The companies have been developing a custom graphics processing unit (GPU) incorporating next-generation GeForce technology


Do they know it #39;s Christmas? Watching the Jonathan Woss Show last week, I was more than impressed with U2 #39;s fabulous live performance, thinking that the Irish supergroup were right back at the top of their form.


Playstation Supplies  #39;Tight #39;, Admits Sony Sony was forced to admit today that availability of its PlayStation 2 (PS2) games console in UK shops would be tight before Christmas.


PalmSource to Extend Leadership in Phone Software With Acquisition <b>...</b> SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PalmSource, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSRC), provider of Palm OS(R), a leading operating system powering next generation mobile devices and smartphones today announced


Thompson Does Not Fear O #39;Neill Exit Celtic midfielder Alan Thompson insists fears Martin ONeill might have managed Celtic in Europe for the final time will prove unfounded.


High Court rules against Ecclestone in F1 case The High Court ruled on 6 December in favour of the three banks which own 75 per cent of F1 #39;s commercial rights being permitted to appoint directors to Formula One Holdings.


Redknapp appointed Southampton boss (AFP) AFP - Harry Redknapp was appointed manager of Premiership strugglers Southampton just two weeks after quitting their arch south-coast rivals Portsmouth.


Separation Makes Algeria, Morocco Bad Neighbors (Reuters) Reuters - They share the same language,\religion and culture but the dramatically different political\histories of Algeria and Morocco have bred mistrust and enmity.


Ukraine Parliament Votes for Sweeping Electoral Changes In the biggest shift, legislators gave themselves the power to elect the premier, removing that choice from the president.


Hold the Risotto, Make It Fried Rice When the renowned cookbook author Marcella Hazan comes to New York, Italian food is not uppermost on her mind  she eats Chinese.


Colgate-Palmolive to Cut 4,000 Jobs Description: Colgate-Palmolive says it will cut more than 4,000 jobs and close a third of its factories worldwide. The company plans to use the savings for advertising and new product development.


Court weighs wine shipping rules Rogue Valley wine shippers hope the US Supreme Court agrees with arguments presented Tuesday on behalf of small wineries. The high court was told state laws barring people from buying wine directly from out


Apple Threatens Owner of iTunes Domain Apple has taken steps to take ownership of the iTunes.co.uk domain name from its current owner, with the company formally complaining to Nominet, the UK domain name registrar, that it is entitled to the domain.


Halo 2 heralds traffic explosion The growing popularity of online gaming could spell problems for net service firms, warns network monitoring company Sandvine. It issued the warning following analysis which shows that Traffic on the Xbox


PalmSource to build Palm OS on Linux PalmSource is to create a new version of the Palm OS with Linux at its core, the company said today after announcing a plan to buy Chinese phone software company China MobileSoft (CMS #39;).


McCARTHY SLAMS HIS OWN  #39;STUPID #39; FANS South African international Benni McCarthy has criticised Porto fans who taunted two Chelsea players with racist chants during their Champions League clash.


For Petrino, all that #39;s at stake is his legacy So the slot machine stopped and flashed three cardinals. The University of Louisville is a winner. It gets to keep what it already possesses: football coach Bobby Petrino.


Vaughan misses the tour opener ENGLAND captain Michael Vaughan has decided to rest for the opening match of their South Africa tour against Nicky Oppenheimer #39;s XI in Randjesfontein today.


Rawlings Accuses Obasanjo of Interference Ghanaians went to the polls yesterday to elect a new President and members of Parliament with former President Jerry Rawlings accusing Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo of undue interference in the electoral process.


Merck #39;s Irrelevant Guidance The Whitehouse Station, NJ-based drug giant held its traditional yearly conference call announcing earnings guidance for next year.


CalPERS unveils managmement fees in settlement of open records <b>...</b> The nation #39;s largest public pension fund has agreed to disclose more than \$200 million in annual money management fees to settle a lawsuit by a media coalition.


Gerrard aiming high Steven Gerrard insists he #39;ll not accept  quot;second best quot; by crashing out of the Champions League and into the Uefa Cup.


Red Bull tonic for David... David Coulthard is to test for the Red Bull Racing F1 team in Jerez, Spain, this week. He will join the team to drive the team #39;s 2004 car, the R5.


Gazprom gets go-ahead for Yukos Russian gas monopoly Gazprom gets government approval to make a bid for Yugansk, the main production arm of stricken oil firm Yukos.


Aetna Ends Magellan Mental Health Deal  CHICAGO  (Reuters) - Aetna Inc. AET.N on Wednesday said  it will end its contract with Magellan Health Services MGLN.O  for mental health coverage and bring those services in-house,  pushing shares of Magellan down about 3.5 percent.


Analysis: IBM adjusts to harsh PC market DECEMBER 08, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Perhaps it isn #39;t quite as surprising as if Ford suddenly decided to sell its Mustang sports car brand to Hyundai.


Goldman Cuts Wal-Mart Rating Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the world #39;s biggest retailer, suffered another blow to its star status on Wednesday when a leading US investment bank downgraded the company #39;s stock.


Iraqis Consider Extending Election Amid Violence (Reuters) Reuters - Iraq may modify plans for its first\free election to give people more time to vote next month,\officials said Wednesday as suicide bombers and gunmen again\struck Sunni Muslim towns north and west of the capital.


Dual DVD, HD-DVD Disc Developed Memory-Tech will start mass production late next year of read-only discs that can contain data stored in both DVD and HD-DVDs (High Definition/High Density-DVDs) layers, a company executive says.


PalmSource buys into China, Linux com December 8, 2004, 7:53 AM PT. PalmSource, which makes software for mobile devices, said Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire China MobileSoft in a deal expected to expand the


Oracle, Dell to boost grid standards Dell Inc. chairman Michael Dell announced a long-term partnership between his company and other hardware and software vendors to develop best practices in deploying a grid computing infrastructure.


Driver #39;s license gets new high-tech features Governor Pawlenty unveils a new Minnesota driver #39;s license today -- one that contains high-tech features. The new license includes a reflective image of a row of loons that seem to  quot;float quot; when viewed from different angles.


Porto #39;s desire is winning factor CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho said Porto #39;s better motivation earned them a place in the next phase of the Champions League and sent the Londoners crashing to their first defeat of the competition.


US ; NBA Wrap: Nowitzki Leads Dallas Past Minnesota Dallas pulled away in the second half after leading by just four points at the half, out-rebounding the T-Wolves 54-35. Minnesota was without Latrell Sprewell, who was suspended for one game by the NBA for


MLB Players Open to Changes in Steroids Testing (Reuters) Reuters - The Major League Baseball\Players Association announced Tuesday it would work toward a\new agreement with owners for tougher steroid testing.


Samarra sees repeated attacks, British defense minister visits <b>...</b> Insurgents launched a string of assaults around the city of Samarra on Wednesday, trading gunfire with US forces, attacking a US convoy


Ukraine's Opposition Sees Path to Victory  KIEV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Opposition hopeful Viktor  Yushchenko said Wednesday a parliamentary vote to root out  cheating in elections opened the way for him to win a re-run of  a rigged presidential poll.


N. Irish Deal Stalls Over IRA Arms Pictures  BELFAST, Northern Ireland (Reuters) - A major push to seal  a political settlement for the turbulent British province of  Northern Ireland stalled at the last moment Wednesday over  demands for photographic evidence of IRA guerrillas scrapping  their arms.


IBM sells PC business to China BEIJING - Lenovo Group has agreed to pay US\$1.25 billion (\$1.75 billion) for IBM #39;s personal computer business, lifting China #39;s largest PC maker to third in global rankings and giving it a globally recognised brand.


Crude oil prices rise near US\$42 as traders await US data, OPEC <b>...</b> Crude oil prices rose Wednesday ahead of US petroleum inventory data and an OPEC meeting this week at which the group could decide on a production cut.


Yankees acquire new leadoff man The Yankees have found a new leadoff man, signing free-agent second baseman Tony Womack to a two-year contract, Sporting News has learned.


Peru Gunmen Seize Police Station The leader of a nationalist group that seized a remote police station, taking 10 police officers hostage, and later allegedly ambushed a police vehicle, killing four other officers, agreed Sunday to publicly lay down his weapons.


Survivors For a vacationing family, it's been only two weeks since leaving a wintry Washington for sunny Sri Lanka, but it seems like several lifetimes ago. During those two weeks, they have seen both paradise and hell, and a surrealistic netherworld in between.


Blair rejects tally of Iraq war dead Tony Blair has rejected a call for an independent inquiry into the civilian death toll in the US-led war in Iraq. The call came on Wednesday in an open letter to the


Cardinals Re-Sign Morris The St. Louis Cardinals and pitcher Matt Morris agree to a one-year, \$2.5 contract.


Bank on course to freeze rates Experts expect the Bank of England to leave interest rates on hold at 4.75 on Thursday.


Oil Rebounds on Winter Supply Worries Oil prices jumped from a four-month low on Wednesday as slow growth in US heating fuel inventories heightened fears for tight winter supplies.


Branson Predicts Price War as Virgin Adds Sydney Flights Virgin will use Airbus A340-600 aircraft on the London-Sydney route, but plans to increase capacity by using Boeing 747s or adding a second daily service.


Update 3: Merck Slashes Its 2005 Estimates on Vioxx The withdrawal of painkiller Vioxx will reduce 2005 earnings of Merck  amp; Co. Inc. to between \$2.42 and \$2.52 a share, below the already diminished expectations of Wall Street analysts, the huge drug maker said Wednesday.


Update 1: Toro 4Q Profit Soars 23 Percent Lawnmower manufacturer Toro Co. on Wednesday said its profit grew 23 percent in the fourth quarter, helped by higher sales across all of its product segments and a surge in overseas demand.


Wal-Mart suffers another blow Goldman cuts No. 1 retailer #39;s rating to  quot;in-line quot; from  quot;outperform quot; on heels of weak November sales. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world #39;s biggest retailer, suffered another blow to its star


Sirius falls after analyst says stock overvalued Shares of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. (SIRI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) fell as much as 27 percent in early trading on Wednesday after an investment firm said the stock was overvalued


Canadian Gold Doesn #39;t Glitter No news was good news for South Africa #39;s Harmony Gold Mining Company (NYSE: HMY) today. Over at rival and takeover target Gold Fields Limited (NYSE: GFI), a shareholder vote was held to endorse


PalmSource to Acquire China MobileSoft, Develop for Linux PalmSource today announced entry into an agreement for the acquisition of China MobileSoft Limited (CMS), a leading Chinese mobile phone software company with business operations headquartered with its wholly-owned subsidiary, MobileSoft Technology


Apple in cybersquatting fight over iTunes US computer giant Apple is locked in a cybersquatting battle with a 22-year-old London Internet whiz kid over the itunes.co.uk website, a domain the company wants for its chain of iTunes online music stores.


Dell, EMC, Intel and Oracle Line Up on the Grid Dell will provide an enterprise networked server infrastructure consisting of dual Intel Xeon and four-way Intel Itanium processor-based PowerEdge servers.


Chicken Genome Could Shed Light on Human DNA A new US study says about 60 of the genes in chickens are closely related to those found in humans. In fact, the recently deciphered chicken genome should prove a valuable tool for learning about the human


NASA: Hubble Fix Pricey, Not Guaranteed Earlier this year, NASA administrator Sean O #39;Keefe nixed a final shuttle service mission to Hubble scheduled for mid-2006, saying it posed too much of a risk to the lives of astronauts.


Driver #39;s license gets new high-tech features Minnesota will soon begin issuing new driver #39;s licenses that contain high-tech features to curb counterfeiting, as well as a  quot;status check quot; that will show a driver #39;s immigration status.


Witness against Sharman switched sides One of the witnesses against Sharman Networks had at one time offered to be an expert witness for the company in the civil trial now taking place in Australia, according to Sharman #39;s attorney.


Microsoft in final testing on Windows Server 2003 SP1 The software was originally scheduled to ship by the end of the year, but in October Microsoft pushed the release date into the first half of 2005.


IOC Sets Up Disciplinary Commission To Investigate Jones Doping <b>...</b> The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Tuesday that IOC President Jacques Rogge has set up a Disciplinary Commission to investigate remarks on ABCs 20/20 Friday, made by Victor Conte, head of the California-based Balco laboratory, on ABC


Red Bull Racing confirms David Coulthard to join team for testing <b>...</b> Red Bull Racing confirmed today that as part of the continued winter test programme, David Coulthard will join the team in Jerez (Spain) this week driving the 2004 car, the R5.


England openers lead victory charge Marcus Trescothick and Robert Key led England to a convincing eight-wicket victory in their first match of the South African tour.


Utah hires Whittingham to replace Meyer Utah defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham was hired as the school #39;s football coach to replace Urban Meyer. Whittingham rejected an offer from rival BYU to take the Utes #39; job.


Prosecutor #39;s Announcement on Brawl Charges to Come Wednesday brings the next step for Pacers players and Piston fans facing disciplinary action following the melee in Detroit. Various news reports say a prosecutor in Detroit is expected to make a major announcement this afternoon.


Putin, Annan emphasize role played by UN in settling international <b>...</b> MOSCOW. Dec 8 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan have emphasized the unassailable central coordinating role played by the United Nations in resolving international


US urges China to bring North Korea to talks The United States has urged China to work harder to persuade North Korea to return to talks over its nuclear weapons drive. US special envoy, Joseph DeTrani, has asked Beijing to step up efforts to bring Pyongyang


148 unarmed Palestinians killed in West Bank in 2004: Israeli army The Israeli army said on Wednesday that a total of 148 unarmed Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year. A senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer released


Security in Sudan Deteriorating, UN Official Warns Throughout November violence in Sudan increased and there has been  quot;a marked deterioration quot; in Darfur, a senior UN official told the Security Council December 7. Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs


Pope condemns Iraq church attacks Pope John Paul II has spoken out against attacks on Iraq #39;s Christian community after the bombing of two churches in the northern city of Mosul.


Oil Rebounds on Winter Supply Worries  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped from a four-month low  on Wednesday as slow growth in U.S. heating fuel inventories  heightened fears for tight winter supplies.


Stocks Rise; Healthcare Sector Climbs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, a day  after a sharp sell-off, as value investors picked up shares in  lagging sectors such as healthcare.


Mortgage Applications Up - MBA  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for U.S. home  mortgages rose last week as lower interest rates spurred  purchases, an industry group said on Wednesday.


Utah Hires Whittingham Defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham replaces Urban Meyer as the new head coach at Utah on Wednesday.


WestJet Estimates Cut on Load Factor Woes  MONTREAL (Reuters) - Analysts chopped their fourth-quarter  profit estimates for WestJet Airlines Ltd. WJA.TO on  Wednesday and braced for turbulence in its share price, mainly  because of computer woes that hurt its online reservations  bookings.


Download Tonight's Perfume A Japanese firm pioneers a system to share fragrances over the internet.  Also: A Bollywood movie makes its debut on cell phones   hellip;. Merck smarting from Vioxx pull   hellip;. and more.


Milk shake-up as dairies merge A Scandinavian and a Dutch dairy announce plans to merge and create a co-operative of 21,000 farmers.


Global Hawk Costs Soar Cost overruns won't endanger Northrop Grumman's latest surveillance aircraft program, but federal budget cuts will likely hamper future defense contracts.


Enter your e-mail: If you #39;ve been a computer user for as long as I have, you still remember the day in 1981 when IBM introduced its first PC. It was far from the first personal computer, but it quickly reinvented an industry that was just beginning to take off.


Trip for Clean Water Kits Proves a Tortuous One By the time the first truckload of clean water solution reached the refugee camp in Desa Rueng Bakjok village on Sunday, about 50 of the 1,000 people living here on muddy ground under plastic tarps were suffering from dehydration and diarrhea.


Nomar Garciaparra Stays With Cubs Nomar Garciaparra stayed with the Chicago Cubs, Brad Radke remained with Minnesota and the New York Yankees looked ahead to deals with pitcher Jaret Wright and second baseman Tony


India, Pakistan say need more talks on Kashmir bus India and Pakistan were unable to agree on starting a bus service between the capitals of divided Kashmir in two days of talks which ended in New Delhi on Wednesday and said they would need more discussions.


Leiter rejoins Marlins pitching corps MIAMI -- Pitcher Al Leiter has been high atop the Florida Marlins wish list for a while. Wednesday morning that wish came true at Pro Player Stadium during a conference call between team officials and the press.


NASD Warns of Risky Home-Equity Investing (Reuters) Reuters - Too many house-rich Americans are\borrowing money against their homes to play the stock market,\brokerages regulator NASD warned on Wednesday.


IBM sells PC business to Chinese group (KAAL) -- Last week it was announced that IBM might be selling part of it #39;s company, and now that appears to have happened. China #39;s biggest computer maker says it #39;s acquired a majority stake in IBM #39;s personal


Colgate To Cut 4,400 Jobs For months, Colgate executives have been hinting that a restructuring was imminent. Still, the scope of the plan that has been unveiled is larger than many analysts had anticipated and is expected to cost \$550-\$650 million after taxes.


Merck Sees  #39;05 Earnings Decline, Stock Up Merck  amp; Co. Inc. (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , reeling from the recent withdrawal of its Vioxx arthritis drug, on Wednesday said 2005 earnings will decline to


Satellite radio competitors engaged in a star search The competition between the country #39;s two satellite radio companies began as a race to the stars, with each fighting to be the first to launch satellites into space.


Lilly Launches Clinical Trial Web Site Drug maker Eli Lilly and Co. reported Wednesday that it launched its clinical trial database Web site after announcing its intention to create the site in August.


Indian Movie to Debut on Cell Phones (AP) AP - An Indian cellular phone company plans to air a new Bollywood movie on mobile handsets for free and in full Thursday in a bid to promote its video-streaming service.


Bills' Campbell Out for Rest of Season (AP) AP - Bills tight end Mark Campbell will miss the rest of the season because of an injured right knee.


Eli Lilly Launches Online Clinical Trial Registry (Reuters) Reuters - Drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co.  on\Wednesday said it will make clinical trial information\available online amid calls by lawmakers and physicians for\more disclosure of negative trial results.


2004 Was Year of Netsky Worm, Web Firm Sophos Says (Reuters) Reuters - Netsky-P, an email computer worm\allegedly written by a German teenager, was the hardest-hitting\virus of 2004, disrupting tens of thousands of businesses and\homes worldwide, Web security firm Sophos says.


Toshiba create dual layered DVD/HD DVD disc Toshiba has announced a dual layered disc that will playback both HD-DVD and DVD formats strengthing its offering in the battle of the next generation DVD formats.


PalmSource to Port Palm OS on top of Linux Palm OS 6.0 (Palm OS Cobalt) hasn #39;t even seen the light of day on any device yet, nor is there any sign it will soon. All the same, PalmSource is steering its unused OS 6.0 onto the Linux platform.


2004 Was Year of Netsky Worm, Web Firm Sophos Says Netsky-P, an email computer worm allegedly written by a German teenager, was the hardest-hitting virus of 2004, disrupting tens of thousands of businesses and homes worldwide, Web security firm Sophos says.


#39;Human error #39; crashed DWP Human error caused the crash that left 80 per cent of staff without access to benefits payment processing systems at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) last month, supplier EDS has acknowledged.


Wigley makes clean break from Southampton Wigley had been under intense pressure at St Marys since replacing Paul Sturrock at the start of the season, with his position as head coach being questioned in the wake of some poor form.


Marlins welcome back Leiter CBC SPORTS ONLINE - After spending the last seven seasons with the New York Mets, Al Leiter was feeling a little nostalgic. Leiter signed a one-year contract with the Florida Marlins, a team he helped lead to a World Series title in 1997.


Nomar could undoubtedly excel again So it is with Nomar Garciaparra, who, less than a year ago, was regarded as one of the top dozen or so players in the major leagues.


Delgado bears no grudges, but doesn #39;t think Jays made serious <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - Carlos Delgado says he is leaving Toronto with no grudges, although the first baseman doesn #39;t think the Blue Jays did all they could to re-sign him.


Cheers Greet Rescuers in Aceh, Children Suffer  BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - U.S. helicopters shuttled  injured refugees, many of them children, out of some of the  worst-hit parts of tsunami-devastated Aceh province, as reports  surfaced of trafficking in orphans from the disaster.


EU urges China to exert moderation after textile quotas end (AFP) AFP - The European Union called on China at a summit to rein in its textile exports after international quotas are scrapped next year.


IBM Data Reveals Rising Warranty Costs (PC World) PC World - Costs have increased steadily in recent years, causing some to wonder about quality.


Apple in Cybersquatting Fight Over ITunes Website (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. computer giant Apple  is\locked in a cybersquatting battle with a 22-year-old British\Internet whiz kid over the itunes.co.uk Web Site, a domain the\company wants for its chain of iTunes online music stores.


Players and Fans Expected to Face Charges in Brawl  DETROIT (Sports Network) - Five members of the Indiana  Pacers and five Detroit Pistons fans are expected to be charged  Wednesday in the November 19 brawl that took place at The  Palace of Auburn Hills.


Amazon Burning Makes Brazil a Leading Polluter (Reuters) Reuters - Burning of the Amazon and\other forests accounts for three quarters of Brazil's\greenhouse gas emissions and has made the country one of the\world's leading polluters, a long-delayed government report\showed on Wednesday.


Poll: Fla. Voters Had No Voting Problems (AP) AP - Most Florida voters had no problem casting a ballot on Election Day and many say they are confident their vote was counted correctly, a poll shows.


Nobel Winner Urges Tree Plantings; Peace Row Brews (Reuters) Reuters - Kenya's Wangari Maathai urged a fight\against deforestation on Wednesday on her arrival in Oslo to\collect the Nobel Peace Prize amid controversy about whether\the award has lost its way by embracing environmentalism.