Handling of frequent-flier miles, tickets depends on appetite for risk US Airways, the most troubled of the nation's major airlines, has had to walk a tightrope the last few months, simultaneously talking tough to its unions while telling customers their frequent-flier miles are safe and the skies are still friendly.


Olympics were hardly a total loss for Harris His team won only twice in Athens, but one of those victories was pure hoop ambrosia for Del Harris. And this is a man who has coached basketball at various locales for 44 years, guiding the likes of Moses Malone, Shaquille O'Neal, and Sidney Moncrief along the way.


Patriotism drives copter competition CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Designers say it flies faster, farther, and smoother. Pilots say the latest collision-avoidance systems in the all-digital cockpit make it the safest in the air.


Without the wicket it wouldn't be cricket As the Red Sox ready for a shot at post-season play, a group of batters across town prepares for their own championship finale where they'll face an impressive lineup of -- bowlers.


Venture capitalists -- Boston's lure for start-ups Boston isn't the cheapest place to do business. Living and housing costs are steep. And you can't play golf year round.


Q amp;A Dr. Jeffrey M. Drazen on drug trial results The editors of 11 top medical journals shook up the staid world of academic publishing this past week when they decided to stop printing results of drug trials that aren't registered in a central database. Globe biotechnology reporter Jeffrey Krasner spoke with Dr. Jeffrey M. Drazen , editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, about how the policy should ...


A fragmented look at the business of multiculturalism My friends laugh at me for watching ''Passions, quot; the campy daytime drama about occult doings in a New England hamlet. But my favorite soap is cutting-edge: It has been praised for featuring a Mexican-American family, a rare dash of color in the largely white world of recurring TV characters.


Charlotte stops Lynx to rise to top in East A record-setting start against Minnesota put the Charlotte Sting alone atop the Eastern Conference. Charlotte opened the game with a WNBA-record 21 straight points and Charlotte Smith-Taylor scored 13 in the Sting's 60-50 win over the Minnesota Lynx last night in Charlotte, N.C.


In weak job market, suits make comeback NEW YORK -- The suit is back, and America's boardrooms and bars are looking smart again.


Dolphins can't get started MIAMI -- When the Tennessee Titans were forced to start the season 24 hours early because of Hurricane Ivan, their defense was ready.


Wing failure costs Lopez second place at Monza Jose Maria Lopez lost what would have been the best result of his rookie FIA F3000 season when he was pitched into a spectacular accident after his front wing fell off.


It's looking up for Beverly biotech firm So what's a dog's life like, anyhow? Scientists at Agencourt Bioscience Corp. in Beverly know. The biotech company helped to sequence the genetic coding that makes a dog a dog. Last month, the data was added to several public databases, making it available to biomedical and veterinary researchers around the world.


Jamaicans spared direct hit from deadly hurricane PROVIDENCIALES, Turks  amp; Caicos Islands -- Hurricane Ivan dealt a mercifully glancing blow to Jamaica yesterday but immediately rebounded to a potent Category 5 storm and raged through open waters toward the Cayman Islands and Cuba. The death toll rose to 56.


For centuries, ethnic strife has been Moscow's bane MOSCOW -- Maintaining control over the North Caucasus region, where the plains of southern Russia give way to mountain ridges and the predominant faith changes from Orthodox Christianity to Islam, has been Moscow's headache for centuries.


Embezzlement seen widespread in China KAIPING, China -- In this city and many others in China, senior officials are embezzling tens of millions of dollars and fleeing overseas with their families.


N. Korea retreats on talks SEOUL -- North Korea suggested yesterday that it would not participate in further six-party negotiations over its nuclear program because of recent revelations that scientists in South Korea had illegally experimented with producing fissile material for nuclear weapons.


Europe eyes Iran on nuclear ambitions BERLIN -- Europe's major powers have agreed to set a November deadline for Iran to meet demands meant to resolve concerns that it is secretly trying to make nuclear weapons, in a confidential document made available yesterday to the Associated Press.


Citing sex trade, US to oppose loans to Venezuela WASHINGTON -- President Bush has ordered a partial cut in US assistance to Venezuela because of its alleged role in the international trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation.


Afghan leader starts a race by dismissing key governor KABUL -- President Hamid Karzai chose the third anniversary yesterday of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States to launch his election manifesto and to effectively dismiss a powerful governor, hours after pledging to rein in regional clan leaders.


Families Recite Names of 9/11 Victims NEW YORK - Their voices breaking, parents and grandparents of those lost on Sept. 11 stood at the World Trade Center site Saturday and marked the third anniversary of the attacks by reciting the names of the 2,749 people who died there...


I will stay army chief until 2007: Musharraf LAHORE: General Pervez Musharraf has said he will stay army chief and president until 2007, as the law now permits him to do so, the first time he has clearly stated his intention to keep both offices.


Israel's Sharon Accuses Far-Right of Inciting War (Reuters) Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon\accused far-rightists on Sunday of trying to incite civil war\over his plan to withdraw from the occupied Gaza Strip and\called for measures to curb such groups.


Minister in Pyongyang to demand explanation on blast (AFP) AFP - A government minister, now in Pyongyang, said he will seek an explanation from his North Korean hosts of a reported blast in the north of the country three days ago.


The Fight of His Life The sonorous voice is familiar around the world. No matter what the crisis of the day, Kofi Annan #39;s soft baritone always manages to convey a sense of imperturbable gravitas.


Afghan Warlord's Ouster Prompts Violence (AP) AP - Demonstrators broke into a U.N. compound in the western city of Herat on Sunday, a day after the Afghan government fired the city's warlord governor.


NASA must feel bruised by capsule #39;s botched landing Have you ever ordered, say, a new laptop online, and you were so excited about it that you kept hitting Fedex.com #39;s package tracker nine times an hour, day after day, like a lab rat flicking a lever to get his next hit of smack?


T-Mobile tries OFDM in Europe IT APPEARS THAT Germany #39;s T-Mobile has broken ranks and decided to test a complimentary IP based wireless technology,Flash-OFDM,in The Hague, the Netherlands.


Barrichello on Pole at Monza Rubens Barrichello will start tomorrow #39;s Italian Grand Prix at Monza from pole position after setting the fastest time in final qualifying of 1 minute 20.


Freshman Walker gives Irish running game a boost SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Running back Darius Walker didn #39;t play last week against Brigham Young, but Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham said the reason had nothing to do with any thoughts of holding Walker out as a freshman to preserve a year of eligibility.


Mayfield in Chase with win Smart pit strategy puts Jeremy Mayfield in the driver #39;s seat, while other contenders drop out. By BRANT JAMES, Times Staff Writer.


NL: Bucs slow down Astros #39; charge PITTSBURGH - The Houston Astros came into Pittsburgh as baseball #39;s hottest team. They #39;re threatening to leave town as one of the coldest.


Phils #39; Wagner livid after getting tossed The cap, glove, water cooler and bag of paper cups Billy Wagner left in his wake on the Shea Stadium field Saturday explained how he felt about his premature exit.


Iran says it won #39;t halt nuclear technology drive Iran on Sunday rejected European demands it halt its pursuit of nuclear technology but reiterated its readiness to provide assurances it would not use that technology to build atomic weapons.


Voters in Hong Kong may give opposition party its most clout since <b>...</b> HONG KONG Turnout is brisk in Hong Kong where voters could give pro-democracy leaders more clout than they #39;ve had since China reclaimed the area in 1997.


Copter crash kills cleric ATHENS -- The Christian Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria was killed yesterday after an army helicopter transporting him and his entourage to a monastic enclave in northern Greece crashed into the sea, according to government and church officials.


Is That Dog Barking Up the Wrong Family Tree? DNA testing, the same technology used in human paternity disputes and criminal investigations, is increasingly being used to verify canine bloodline claims.


WTC agency sues Saudis over 9/11 The owner of the World Trade Center site announces plans to sue Saudi Arabia, three years to the day since 9/11.


F1: Rubens gets flier Rubens Barrichello topped a record-breaking qualifying session at Monza with the fastest ever lap in Formula One to grab pole position for today #39;s Italian Grand Prix.


Iran rejects limits on nuclear technology Iran has rejected demands by Europe #39;s three major powers to abandon its uranium enrichment programme. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Riza Asifi said on Sunday Iran had already the technology required for


Herat in tension as mob attacks army barracks: UN offices The capital of an Afghanistan #39;s western province was engulfed in tension as demonstrators loyal toformer governor of Herat province looted and burned local army barracks and UN


IBM #39;s New eServer Supports AMD Dual-Core IBM is looking to get a leg up on the competition with the October 15 launch of eServer 326, a rack-mounted server that supports AMD #39;s upcoming dual-core 64-bit processor.


Mourinho Fumes At Referee Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho fired a broadside at referee Rob Styles for his decision not to award a penalty when Didier Drogba was brought down under a challenge from Ulises de la Cruz.


Losing hits veterans the hardest RICHMOND, Va. - The highest-stakes midseason race in NASCAR history shuffled playoff contenders in and out of the top 10 all night.


M #39;s Moyer heads over the hill The Seattle lefty gives up his 40th and 41st homers of the season as Boston wins 9-0. By Kirby Arnold. SEATTLE - One day after he joined baseball #39;s 40-home-run club, Manny Ramirez dragged Jamie Moyer into it.


Pudge, Guillen injured in loss Playing the Minnesota Twins can be a painful process. On Saturday night, however, it literally was for the Tigers. Not only did they lose the game, 3-2, but two star players as well.


El Salvador fires national soccer team coach after two losses The Salvadoran Soccer Federation fired national team coach Juan Ramon Paredes following two humiliating defeats in recent World Cup qualifiers, the federation said Saturday.


Lost in the Green Zone President George W. Bush and his advisers like to say that sovereignty has been returned to the Iraqis. But the heart of the Iraqi capital, where the symbols of power are most concentrated, belongs to America.


Troops Battle Militants in Iraq; 13 Dead BAGHDAD, Iraq - Militants pounded central Baghdad on Sunday with one of their most intense mortar barrages ever, targeting the Green Zone and destroying a U.S. vehicle along a major street...


Diabetes websites too complicated Online health advice for people with diabetes is often too complex to understand, research suggests.


WPP Wins Bidding for Grey, Beating Havas, Hellman (Update1) WPP Group Inc., the world #39;s second- largest marketing and advertising company, said it won the bidding for Grey Global Group Inc.


IBM Says  #39;Go #39; on Dual-Core Opteron Servers IBM has given AMD #39;s recently announced dual-core Opteron microprocessor its stamp of approval, announcing that in mid-2005 it will ship a version of its e326 server equipped with the chips.


Ricky's world Ricky Davis wants a do-over. With his Cleveland Cavaliers near the end of a 17-win season and enjoying a rare blowout victory over visiting Utah on March 16, 2003, Davis did the unthinkable for basketball purists. He deliberately missed a shot at his own basket to pad his rebounding statistics in an attempt to record his  #64257; rst career triple-double.


Prime-time Eagles They opened their season Sept. 2 in the smallest of markets in Muncie, Ind., lucky to escape Ball State's lyric little bandbox with a 19-11 victory and luckier still that the game was not televised and broadcast back home to Boston.


Furcal issues apology for DUI arrest, returns to lineup NAMES Atlanta Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal returned to the starting lineup last night after issuing a public apology for his second DUI arrest in four years.  quot;I want to say I'm sorry to Bobby Cox and also all my teammates and all the fans, the baseball fans who follow me in my career and follow the Atlanta Braves, quot; Furcal said ...


Revolution lose grip EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. --  quot;Very definitely, we're still in this, quot; maintains Pat Noonan of the bandaged and bruised but still playoff-hungry New England Revolution.


Moreno aids United Alecko Eskandarian had two goals and Jaime Moreno three assists, leading D.C. United to a 3-0 win over the Dallas Burn yesterday at Washington.


No faceoffs, just a standoff Barring a miracle (which isn't coming), the National Hockey League owners will officially shut down operations Wednesday when the collective bargaining agreement expires. Jobs will be lost, arenas will be dark, and fans will be left waiting. Both sides, entrenched in their positions, deserve equal blame for not hammering out a deal. There are no bargaining sessions scheduled, and why ...


Game plan falls short ST. PAUL -- The finality of losing usually leaves the vanquished searching for answers. Not the United States hockey team.


Despite his putting, Weir gains The only putt Mike Weir made yesterday in the Canadian Open came at a good time, a 6-footer for birdie on the 18th hole for a 1-under-par 70 that gave him a three-shot lead and left him in great shape to become the first Canadian in 50 years to win his national championship.


Mayfield jumps into chase with victory The task was clear for Jeremy Mayfield: Win the race and don't worry about the race to make NASCAR's playoffs.


Ghostzapper captures Woodward NEW YORK -- Ghostzapper, by a neck. In a thrilling stretchlong duel down the middle of the track, a gallant Ghostzapper held off Saint Liam and won yesterday's \$500,000 Woodward Stakes, one of three Grade I races at Belmont Park leading up to the Breeders' Cup Oct. 30.


Sutton has much riding on Cup So much about this week gives David Toms reason to be excited, but there is one aspect to the Ryder Cup that he is not looking forward to. His 7-year-old son Carter won't be at the proceedings.


WPP Wins Bidding for Grey, Beating Havas, Hellman (Update3) WPP Group Plc, the world #39;s second- largest marketing and advertising company, said it won the bidding for Grey Global Group Inc.


Health care, two-tier wage system threaten to ignite labor dispute Two sides with something to prove barrel down a narrow road at one another with no intention of letting up. If neither swerves at the last second, there will be a crash that inflicts heavy damage on both.


Wife tried to sway judge As the consummate  quot;corporate wife, quot; Denise Foderaro backed Frank Quattrone as he climbed the rungs to the pinnacle of Wall Street.


Hurricane force Insurance companies hit homeowners with high <b>...</b> As Floridians pick up the pieces from the second devastating hurricane in less than a month, many are discovering the full effects of a decade of maneuvering


New network layer could reduce Internet jams and improve security As more and more people get keyed into technology, computer experts are struggling for ways to fight internet traffic jams, computer worms and improve video webcasting, and a new report by Technology giants Intel has suggested that overlaying new


BlackBerry 7100t and SureType The smart phone market will grow more crowded Wednesday with the debut of two devices directed at opposite ends of the customer spectrum: a BlackBerry for consumers with a newfangled keyboard and a Nokia phone-organizer for mobile business professionals.


Czechs lament wasted chances Six years later, the Czech Republic has found how bitter the taste of Nagano can be. In a game very similar to their shoot-out win over Canada in the semi-final at the 2002 Olympics


Barrichello leads Ferrari one-two in Monza Brazilian Rubens Barrichello led a Ferrari one-two in the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday to trigger a homecoming party for the Formula One champions.


Golf: Ryder rookie praise The Europeans head Stateside tomorrow for the 35th transatlantic golfing showpiece at Oakland Hills, Michigan. And the pressure is on for Donald, who travels as one of captain Bernhard Langer #39;s two wildcard choices.


ONeill has no doubts over new strike force Celtic will put Henri Camara and John Hartson together up front on Tuesday to face the might of Barcelona and Martin ONeill has no doubts about the partnership after seeing them destroy Dundee on Saturday.


Beckham praised for lifting listless Real Madrid David Beckham #39;s goal against Primera Liga newcomer Numancia was the highlight of Real Madrid #39;s first league outing in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium this season, according to the country #39;s sports press Sunday.


HEINZE MAKES GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION Sir Alex Ferguson is not easily won over but Gabriel Heinze may just have bucked the trend at Manchester United. The 6.9million Argentina defender had a debut to remember after only linking up with his new team-mates four days before the game.


PONTING PLANNING AMERICAN MISERY Australia are out to flex their muscles against part-timers USA at the Rose Bowl tomorrow and show the world they are serious about winning the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time.


Record crowd witnesses India-Kenya match London, Sep 12.(PTI): The ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between India and Kenya at the Rose Bowl, Southampton, made a record of sorts as it was attended by a crowd of about 12,000, the highest for any match at the ground.


#39;Dogs bite Wildcats Move over, David Carr and the 2001 Fresno State gang of lore. This year #39;s team is quickly making its own mark in the college football world.


Iran Won #39;t Abandon Nuclear Fuel Program TEHRAN, Iran Sept. 12, 2004 - Iran said Sunday it would not abandon uranium enrichment, rejecting a key demand by three European powers that have threatened to intensify pressure if Tehran does not curb its nuclear program.


Greece Fires Air Force Chief Following Deadly Helicopter Crash Greece has fired its air force chief after 17 people, including a top Greek Orthodox cleric, died in a helicopter crash Saturday. The Air Force #39;s Lieutenant General Panagiotis Papanikolaou was blamed for the


Turnout Is Heavy for Election in Hong Kong Throngs of residents headed for polling places here on Sunday in legislative elections widely seen as a referendum on relations with mainland China.


Blasts rock Baghdad Strong explosions have shaken central Baghdad and heavy fighting has erupted in a street notorious as a rebel stronghold. The interim Iraqi government and US forces


Freedom at Last for Pakistanis Who Aided Taliban  PUL-I-CHARKI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Hundreds of  Pakistanis who fought alongside the Taliban against U.S-led  forces after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States  were released from an Afghan jail Sunday after nearly three  years as prisoners of war.


Israel's Sharon Accuses Far-Right of Inciting War  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  accused far-rightists Sunday of trying to incite civil war over  his plan to withdraw from the occupied Gaza Strip and called  for measures to curb such groups.


Pakistani Forces Attack Militant Hideouts; 10 Killed  WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Up to ten people were killed in  fierce fighting between Pakistani security forces and al  Qaeda-linked fighters Sunday, taking the death toll to over 70  in one of the deadliest actions against the militants.


Seven Dead in Clashes After Afghan Governor Ousted  HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - At least seven supporters of  the ousted governor of Herat in western Afghanistan were killed  Sunday and 20 wounded in clashes with police and U.S. troops  after mobs burned U.N. offices, doctors said.


U.S. Middle East Project to Leave Politics Alone  DUBAI (Reuters) - A senior U.S. official appointed to a  controversial multi-million dollar project to promote democracy  in Arab countries insists he will not meddle in the politics of  the region.


Iran Says It Won't Halt Nuclear Technology Drive  TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran Sunday rejected European demands it  abandon sensitive nuclear activities but reiterated its  readiness to provide assurances that its atomic ambitions are  entirely peaceful.


Hurricane Ivan hits Caymans Hurricane Ivan is battering the Cayman Islands after moving on from Jamaica where it killed at least 14 people.


Greek debt spirals after Olympics The soaring cost of the 2004 Olympic Games looks set to drive Greece deep into debt, its prime minister warns.


Intel Officer Pleads Guilty in Abu Ghraib Case Description: Army Spec. Armin Cruz pleads guilty to maltreatment of prisoners and conspiracy to maltreat prisoners in a hearing related to the Abu Ghraib prison-abuse scandal.


Sharon says far-rightists trying to incite war Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, accused some far-rightists today of trying to incite civil war and urged measures to curb such groups, which oppose his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.


Barrichello takes Monza win Rubens Barrichello leads home Michael Schumacher to seal a Ferrari one-two at the Italian Grand Prix.


Civil servants face strike ballot Almost 300,000 civil servants will be balloted for a one-day national strike\against government plans to cut jobs.


Singer Keys cancels Jakarta show Singer Alicia Keys cancels a show in Jakarta following last week's bomb attack in the Indonesian capital.


U.S. Says N.Korea Blast Probably Not Nuclear (Reuters) Reuters - A huge explosion rocked North Korea last\week but U.S. and South Korean officials said on Sunday it was\unlikely to have been a nuclear weapons test despite the\appearance of a "peculiar cloud" over the area.


Pakistani Forces Attack Militant Hideouts; 10 Killed (Reuters) Reuters - Up to ten people were killed in\fierce fighting between Pakistani security forces and al\Qaeda-linked fighters Sunday, taking the death toll to over 70\in one of the deadliest actions against the militants.


US and Europe draw closer on setting a deadline of Iran nuclear program (AFP) AFP - The United States and Europe appeared closer to agreement ahead of a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog over setting a deadline for Iran to allay suspicions it is secretly making atomic weapons, but Tehran insisted on its right to develop peaceful nuclear technology.


Notre Dame Bounces Back to Stun Michigan (AP) AP - Notre Dame found a familiar way to make its problems go away  #151; beat Michigan. Using the ingredients that vaulted them to wins in coach Tyrone Willingham's first eight games two years ago, the Fighting Irish used a stingy defense, an opportunistic offense and a key special teams play to beat No. 8 Michigan 28-20 on Saturday.


Afghan Prison Releases 363 Pakistanis (AP) AP - Hundreds of Pakistanis jailed for fighting alongside the Taliban were released from an Afghan prison Sunday  #151; a major gesture meant to better strained relations between the neighboring countries.


ND shows it still has a heartbeat He breathes, hitting the poor kid quarterback from Michigan so hard the Maize racing stripes flee screaming from the Blue helmet. He breathes, stripping the ball from a Michigan receiver, pouring through to stuff a punt.


UN buildings attacked in west Afghanistan after governor dismissed HERAT, Afghanistan : Two United Nations buildings in the western Afghan city of Herat were attacked by demonstrators protesting the dismissal of governor Ismael Khan, UN and police officials told AFP.


Sources: WPP Buys Grey for \$1.34 Billion  LONDON (Reuters) - British advertising company WPP Group  Plc. has won the auction for U.S. rival Grey Global, agreeing  to pay about \$1.34 billion, sources familiar with the situation  said on Sunday.


New PC Fingerprint Passwords (CBS) Instead of using all ten fingers to type in your user names and passwords when you enter a secure web site or log on to your PC, Microsoft wants you to use the tip of just one finger.


Barrichello heads Ferrari victory at Motorsport.com. Rubens Barrichello finally got the win he has been waiting for when he led Michael Schumacher across the line to take a Ferrari one-two at the Italian Grand Prix.


Federer has final obstacle: Hewitt World #39;s No.1 player must beat Australian to become first man since 1988 to win three majors in a year. By KEITH NIEBUHR, Times Staff Writer.


Ghostzapper survives dogfight Ghostzapper may have shown as much winning Saturday #39;s Grade 1, \$500,000 Woodward by a neck than he did winning previous stakes by open lengths.


All 2,749 WTC Victims Honored in N.Y. NEW YORK - Their voices breaking, parents and grandparents of those lost on Sept. 11 stood at the World Trade Center site Saturday and marked the third anniversary of the attacks by reciting the names of the 2,749 people who died there...


Iran Won't Abandon Nuclear Fuel Program TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Sunday it would not abandon uranium enrichment, rejecting a key demand by three European powers that have threatened to intensify pressure if Tehran does not curb its nuclear program.    Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Iran already had the technology required for its nuclear fuel cycle, and would not reverse the situation...


Ivan moves toward the Cayman Islands Hurricane Ivan moved steadily toward the Cayman Islands and western Cuba Sunday morning with the potential to cause catastrophic damage.


Fighting in Baghdad kills eight Strong explosions and heavy fighting in central Baghdad has left at least eight people dead, the US army and witnesses said. The clashes flared as the US military pressed on with new offensives aimed at retaking


Blast, Mushroom Cloud Reported in N. Korea SEOUL, South Korea Sept. 12, 2004 - A large explosion occurred in the northern part of North Korea, sending a huge column of smoke into the air on an important anniversary of the communist regime, a South Korean news agency reported Sunday.


Terrorism: Australia in the Crosshairs Will the deadly bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta create a  quot;Madrid effect quot; in elections Down Under? The Oct. 9 vote is being hotly contested.


Battle rages in rebel stronghold, as aid workers flee Iraq US forces continued to battle Iraqis in the insurgent bastion of Falluja on Wednesday as the kidnapping of two Italian aid workers in central Baghdad prompted workers for foreign charities workers to consider leaving Iraq.


Powell: N. Korea Explosion Wasn't Nuclear SEOUL, South Korea - A large explosion occurred in the northern part of North Korea, sending a plume of smoke more than two miles wide into the air on an important anniversary of the communist regime, a South Korean news agency reported Sunday. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the explosion Thursday was not a nuclear test but that it was not known yet what caused it...


Baghdad Explosions Kill 25, Injure 100 BAGHDAD, Iraq - Militants pounded central Baghdad on Sunday with one of their most intense mortar barrages ever, targeting the Green Zone and destroying a U.S. vehicle along a major street...


At Least 13 Killed in Baghdad Fighting BAGHDAD, Iraq - Militants pounded central Baghdad on Sunday with one of their most intense mortar barrages ever, targeting the Green Zone and destroying a U.S. vehicle along a major street...


Whacky Version of Polo Produces Jumbo Fun BANGKOK, Thailand - With a clash of mallets and the stomping of jumbo feet that shook the earth, the game was under way. Tense commands were shouted by pith helmeted players tied firmly to their two-ton mounts...


UK Ad Firm WPP Wins Bid for U.S. Rival (Reuters) Reuters - British advertising company WPP  said on\Sunday it won an auction for U.S. rival Grey Global, with what\sources familiar with the matter said was a cash-and-stock deal\worth about  #36;1.34 billion.


Land of Potatoes Aims to Be High-Tech Hotbed (Reuters) Reuters - Jeffrey Moeser and his company are\aiming to change the future of home entertainment.


PM touts China-Canada trade as Chinese firm confirms interest in Alberta oil (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - One month before a trade mission to China, Prime Minister Paul Martin said Canada must do more business with the booming Asian giant, whose economy could soon surpass that of the world's economic engine, the United States.


Iran Says It Won't Halt Nuclear Technology Drive (Reuters) Reuters - Iran Sunday rejected European demands it\abandon sensitive nuclear activities but reiterated its\readiness to provide assurances that its atomic ambitions are\entirely peaceful.


Ivanov: Russia to Revamp Security, Seek Cooperation (Reuters) Reuters - Russia will revamp its security forces\and seek international cooperation to hunt militants in the\wake of a school siege which killed more than 300 people nine\days ago, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Sunday.


UK Ad Firm WPP Wins Bid for U.S. Rival  LONDON (Reuters) - British advertising company WPP  said on  Sunday it won an auction for U.S. rival Grey Global, with what  sources familiar with the matter said was a cash-and-stock deal  worth about \$1.34 billion.


Victorious on Gun Ban, NRA Looks Toward Elections (Reuters) Reuters - With its battle to kill the\decade-long U.S. ban on assault weapons won, the National Rifle\Association is now setting its sights on the Nov. 2\presidential and congressional elections.


Ivanov: Russia to Revamp Security, Seek Cooperation  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will revamp its security forces  and seek international cooperation to hunt militants in the  wake of a school siege which killed more than 300 people nine  days ago, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Sunday.


Namibia expels Bangladesh workers Namibia orders the deportation of about 400 textile workers after a dispute over working conditions.


US Air Pilots Agree to New Talks US Airways and its pilots union said on Saturday that they were willing to resume talks over a \$295 million package of concessions, as time ran short for the company


Kuznetsov wins US Open title Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova came back twice from a break down in the second set to beat compatriot Elena Dementieva 6-3, 7-5 in the final of the US Open.


Barrichello wins Italian Grand Prix Brazil #39;s Rubens Barrichello won the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, overcoming an unscheduled pit stop to finish 1.3 seconds ahead of Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher in a 1-2 finish for the Italian team on its home circuit.


South Africa win by nine wickets Birmingham, Sept. 12 (PTI): South Africa defeated Bangladesh by nine wickets in a Group B league match of the ICC Champions Trophy one-day cricket tournament at Edgbaston here today.


Land of Potatoes Aims to Be High-Tech Hotbed  NAMPA, Idaho (Reuters) - Jeffrey Moeser and his company are  aiming to change the future of home entertainment.


Genes and Biology Important in Obesity Fight By EMMA ROSS    LONDON (AP) -- Apart from upbringing and environment, scientists are discovering that genes and biology are more important in the fight against obesity than previously believed.    "The people who are not increasing their weight have something special - they are resistant to obesity," said Philippe Froguel, an obesity exert and chair of genomic medicine at Imperial College in London...


Secrets of a Salty Survivor You can learn a lot from a microbe. Right now, a tiny critter from the Dead Sea is teaching scientists new things about biotechnology, cancer, possible life on other worlds. And that's just for starters.


UK Ad Firm WPP Wins Bid for US Rival British advertising company WPP said on Sunday it won an auction for US rival Grey Global, with what sources familiar with the matter said was a cash-and-stock deal worth about \$1.


Impact of deductibles For years, the piece of paper has been tucked into Paul Carson #39;s insurance policy that outlined his hurricane deductible. He never thought about it until Hurricane Frances destroyed the garage roof of his Tamarac home.


Real #39;s Music Deal Ends RealNetworks will end its three-week  quot;Freedom of Choice quot; online music promotion this week. Over 3 million songs were purchased during the sale, the company says.


Afghanistan releases Taliban prisoners Hundreds of Pakistanis who have fought alongside the Taliban against US-led forces have been released from an Afghan jail. The 368 prisoners, the last of more than 2500 Pakistanis captured during the overthrow


A's Beat Indians to Maintain AL West Lead (AP) AP - Rookies Bobby Crosby and Nick Swisher hit back-to-back homers in the eighth inning against Bob Howry, leading the Oakland Athletics to a 5-4 victory over the visiting Cleveland Indians on Saturday night. The A's rallied from a four-run deficit in the final three innings to keep their AL West lead.


Small College Debates Its High-Tech Gamble Small, poor and 45 minutes from the nearest town with a shopping mall, West Virginia Wesleyan College couldn't attract enough students to fill its classrooms and improve its struggling finances. To survive and thrive, it needed to stand out. The answer, college leaders decided, was technology.


Finding Life on the Red Planet A remote Mars life-detection strategy is being tested in the fjords of Scandanavia, with a goal of eventually identifying even a single biological cell hiding in the rugged landscape.


Everyone seeing Red AFTER Justine Henin-Hardenne was upset in the US Open by Nadia Petrova - and subsequently dethroned as world No.1 - the Belgian was asked whether it was further confirmation that the Russians were coming.


Ponting questions format Captain Ricky Ponting has questioned how much smaller teams can benefit from playing against the top teams in the ICC Champions Trophy.


HARRINGTON DRAWS LEVEL Padraig Harrington took advantage of a huge mistake by Graeme McDowell to move into a share of the lead with nine holes to play at the Linde German Masters in Cologne today.


Ivan skirts Grand Cayman, flooding homes GEORGETOWN, Cayman Islands - Hurricane Ivan skirted Grand Cayman with winds near 250 km/h today, uprooting trees, bursting the banks of canals and flooding some homes on the island as it churned toward Cuba.


Ivanov: Russia to Revamp Security, Seek Cooperation Russia will revamp its security forces and seek international cooperation to hunt militants in the wake of a school siege which killed more than 300 people nine days ago, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Sunday.


Group Threatens to Kill Hostages in Iraq (AP) AP - A second militant group claimed on Sunday to be holding two female Italian aid workers in Iraq and threatened to kill them if Italy's government did not withdraw its troops from Iraq within 24 hours.


Top-Ranked Trojans Whip Colorado State  LOS ANGELES (Sports Network) - LenDale White carried the  ball 14 times for 123 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead  top-ranked Southern California to a dominating 49-0 shutout of  Colorado State at the Coliseum.


Barrichello Sparks Ferrari Celebrations  MONZA, Italy (Reuters) - Brazilian Rubens Barrichello led a  Ferrari one-two in the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday to trigger  a homecoming party for the Formula One champions.


IBM Announces Dual-Core Support IBM next week will begin shipping the second generation of its rack-mounted dual processor servers based on Advanced Micro Devices #39; Opteron microprocessor.


UPDATE 1-South Africa crush sorry Bangladesh Graeme Smith led South Africa to a thumping nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their ICC Champions Trophy Group B match in Birmingham on Sunday.


Two fathers keep vigil for Manny The surgeon who treated a young Jakarta blast victim fears the five-year-old may have paralysis, reports Connie Levett from Singapore.


Ganguly wants Sehwag, Yuvraj to strike form Southampton, September 12: The Indian team might have regained its momentum with an easy victory over Kenya in their ICC Champions Trophy opener, but captain Sourav Ganguly wants batsmen Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh to strike form before the crucial


Ivan Approaches Caymans as Florida Braces for 3rd Hurricane Hurricane Ivan, with wind speeds near 155 mph, is approaching Grand Cayman and moving toward Cuba, as Florida residents brace for a third storm to hit the state in a month.


Powell: N. Korea Blast Not Nuclear Event The United States does not believe that a large explosion in North Korea was related to the communist country #39;s suspected nuclear weapons program, President Bush #39;s foreign policy advisers said Sunday.


NASA Says Spaceport Should Withstand Ivan By MARCIA DUNN     CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- NASA's hurricane-damaged spaceport should be able to withstand the wind and rain from Ivan if the storm stays well to the west, the Kennedy Space Center's director said Saturday...


US Agrees to Abide by NAFTA Decision A US trade body Friday agreed to comply with a NAFTA panel ruling concluding that Canadian softwood lumber imports are no threat to the US industry.


Manage and sell - Fund managers #39; dual role could affect <b>...</b> ASSET management companies (AMCs) concede that the immaturity of the Indian mutual fund industry forces fund managers to spend substantial amounts of time in sales activities.


OPEC in search of the  quot;right price quot; for oil Vienna: OPEC plans to adjust its price band before the end of the year, although not in order to stabilise the market as it claims but to justify sky-high oil prices, analysts say.


Mortgage rates increase Mortgage rates around the country went up last week, although 30-year mortgages still were below 6 percent for a sixth straight week.


Intel suggests overlay to boost Internet performance Intel announced its plans on Thursday to improve the Internet by making it safer, more useful, reliable, and accessible. At Fall IDF (Intel Developer Forum), Pat Gelsinger, Senior Vice President and Chief


Intel shifts course on microprocessors Chipmaking giant Intel Corporation believes that its future lies in dual-core chips. Speaking at last weeks Intel Developer Forum here, Intel President and COO Paul Otellini


NASA Hurricane Ivan Preparation Update 12 Sep 2004 NASA #39;s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) will reopen Monday Sept. 13 to all 14,000 employees. KSC has been closed for normal business since Sept.


Olsson, Williams-Darling share million-dollar jackpot Triple jumper Christian Olsson of Sweden and 400-meter runner Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas split the \$1 million jackpot by winning Sunday at the season #39;s final Golden League track meet.


Kaiserslautern ease strain on Jara BERLIN, Germany -- Kaiserslautern eased the pressure on the underfire coach Kurt Jara with their first win of the season at Hansa Rostock on Sunday.


Dolphins #39; Feeley gets starting nod Feeley played well enough coming off the bench in the Dolphins #39; season-opening loss to earn a start this week at Cincinnati, coach Dave Wannstedt said Sunday.


Atomic Activity in North Korea Raises US Concerns ASHINGTON, Sept. 12 - Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said today that a huge explosion that took place Thursday on North Korea #39;s border with China was likely  quot;not any kind of nuclear event, quot; but he said


Curfew in protest-hit Afghan city A curfew has been imposed on the Afghan city of Herat after protests over the sacking of former governor Ismail Khan, local television reports said.


US may help Syria with Iraqi border security A US envoy said Sunday that American military experts might work alongside Syrians to stop militants crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border to fight coalition forces.


Italian Minister in Bid to Free Hostages Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini will travel to the Mideast in an effort to free two female aid workers taken hostage in Iraq, the ministry announced today.


Italy Apprehends Hundreds of Illegal Migrants Italian police have apprehended more than 650 illegal immigrants in southern Italy in what is reported to be one of the largest daily influxes of third world migrants.


Seahawks take 14-3 first quarter lead over Cowboys Jerry Rice set his 35th NFL record and caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Matt Hasselbeck, leading the Seattle Seahawks to a 14-3 first-quarter lead over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.


Feeley Will Start Next Game for Dolphins (AP) AP - Quarterback A.J. Feeley will remain in the Miami Dolphins' lineup  #151; at least for now. Feeley played well enough coming off the bench in the Dolphins' season-opening loss to earn a start this week at Cincinnati, coach Dave Wannstedt said Sunday.


Chiefs-Broncos Game Could Be Pivotal (AP) AP - After finishing 13-3 last season, the Kansas City Chiefs are thinking Super Bowl. The Denver Broncos always think Super Bowl, even though they've made the playoffs just twice in the five years since John Elway retired and haven't won a postseason game. So while it may be premature to think of their meeting in Denver on Sunday night as an AFC championship game preview, it could be critical in the AFC West, where the Chiefs and Broncos figure to battle for the title.


Orioles' Bedard Won't Pitch Again in 2004 (AP) AP - Orioles rookie left-hander Erik Bedard has been shut down for the remainder of the year after pitching more than 133 innings in his first full season following elbow ligament replacement surgery.


Bucs WR Galloway Out With Groin Injury (AP) AP - Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Joey Galloway strained a groin muscle in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins and the team said he would not return.


Halladay Throws Another Simulated Game (AP) AP - Toronto ace Roy Halladay threw 25 pitches Sunday during his second simulated game in four days.


Oracle Ruling May Embolden Dealmakers  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge may have sent a gift  to all merger-minded U.S. executives when he rejected the  government's request to block Oracle Corp.'s ORCL.O bid for  PeopleSoft Inc. PSFT.O last week.


Selig undergoes skin surgery com. Commissioner Bud Selig underwent surgery on Monday to remove a cancerous melanoma skin lesion from his forehead at New York #39;s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.


Oracle Ruling May Embolden Dealmakers (Reuters) Reuters - A federal judge may have sent a gift\to all merger-minded U.S. executives when he rejected the\government's request to block Oracle Corp.'s  bid for\PeopleSoft Inc.  last week.


Harrington Wins in Germany to End Slump (AP) AP - Padraig Harrington rallied to a three-stroke victory in the German Masters on a windy Sunday, closing with a 2-under-par 70 and giving his game a big boost before the Ryder Cup.


Group: Red Sea Pollution Hurts Coral Reef (AP) AP - A panel of experts from Israel and abroad on Sunday urged the government to immediately halt fish farming in Israel's Red Sea coastal waters, saying pollution from operation is killing a unique coral reef.


UK Ad Firm Clinches Bid for U.S. Rival  LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - British advertising company WPP  WPP.L said on Sunday it has won an auction for U.S. rival  Grey Global GREY.O, with what sources familiar with the  matter said was a cash-and-stock deal worth about \$1.34  billion.


Gore Unleashes Fury on Democrats' Behalf (AP) AP - Al Gore's stiff jokes are gone now, replaced by recount jokes. The cautious campaigner of 2000 is gone, too, replaced by a fire-breathing Bush basher.


Bush Environment Record an Issue in Nev. (AP) AP - For environmentalists hoping to turn anger at President Bush into electoral votes for John Kerry, the biggest and perhaps only field of dreams is a nuclear waste dump site in Nevada.


Bush Visits Embassy, Offers Condolences (AP) AP - President Bush made an unexpected visit to the Russian Embassy on Sunday where he signed a book of condolences for victims of the school hostage seizure and expressed outrage at the actions of "evil terrorists."


Nasty rhetoric intensifies 50 days ahead of US presidential vote (AFP) AFP - Fifty days out from the US presidential election, the rhetoric is becoming nastier between George W. Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry, as the US president's lead appears to be solidifying.


Harrington Shows Form to Win German Masters  COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) - Ireland's Padraig Harrington  demonstrated his return to form five days before the Ryder Cup,  with victory in the German Masters on Sunday.


Seven Die in Clashes Over Ousted Afghan Governor  HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Seven supporters of an  ousted Afghan governor were killed and 20 were wounded on  Sunday in clashes with police and U.S. troops after crowds  torched U.N. offices, medics and witnesses said.


Sharon Accuses Far-Right of Inciting Civil War  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  accused far-rightists Sunday of trying to incite civil war over  his plan to withdraw from Gaza, while tens of thousands of the  premier's opponents massed to denounce the pullout.


Syria, Lebanon Reject Foreign Criticism of Ties  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syria and Lebanon rejected any outside  role in shaping their relations Sunday, a day after a top State  Department official said Damascus should pull its troops from  its small neighbor.


Travel firms count cost of Ivan Hurricane Ivan looks set to cost tour operators as they race to get customers out of harm's way, though future bookings may not suffer too much.


Curfew in protest-hit Afghan city A curfew is put on the Afghan city of Herat after protests at the sacking of its former governor, TV reports say.


Tennis: Federer ready for Hewitt Roger Federer will go for his third Grand Slam title of 2004 against Lleyton Hewitt at the US Open on Sunday.


Australian leaders spar over Iraq Australia's main political leaders clash over the country's role in Iraq, ahead of next month's general election.


AMD providing update for Opteron processor AMD uses a technology called PowerNow to control power supply to the processor depending upon how much of the processing power is being used.


IBM triples transistor performance with germanium IBM has successfully demonstrated a new technique for improving transistor performance that will help the company build smaller, more powerful chips in the next decade, company researchers said Monday.


Gaps in Intel Itanium, Xeon Road Maps During its bi-annual Developers Forum in San Francisco this week, the chipmaker focused on promoting its next-generation Itanium and Xeon processors.


Gamble paid off - Barrichello Ferrari #39;s Rubens Barrichello admitted he was relieved after his race strategy earned him his first victory of the season at the Italian Grand Prix.


Holmes second in Berlin Double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes finished second on her return to action in the 1500m at the final Golden League meeting of 2004 in Berlin on Sunday.


Honours Even At White Hart Lane Norwich City climbed out of the bottom three and Tottenham maintained their unbeaten start to the start to the season in a 0-0 draw notable for some fine goalkeeping and defending.


Powell: North Korean Explosion Probably Not Nuclear Secretary of State Colin Powell says the United States believes a recent explosion in North Korea was, in his words, not a nuclear event.


US enter Samarrah during new push against insurgents American forces with their Iraqi allies penetrated the northern city of Samarrah for the first time in a month yesterday in an attempt to recapture territory that has slipped out of coalition control in recent weeks.


Polish ambassador: government considers question of WWII <b>...</b> BERLIN Poland #39;s ambassador to Germany says Poland considers the question of World War Two reparations closed. Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939 to start World War Two, and last week, the Polish parliament


Medicare Costs Are New Focus for Candidates Democrats are vowing to roll back a sharp increase in premiums announced this month, and the Bush campaign is seeking to blame lawmakers for the rise.


Hurricane Ivan Closes In on Grand Cayman; Cuba Braces Hurricane Ivan lost some strength as it hit the Cayman Islands and Cuba but was still capable of causing tremendous damage.


Fire in Ohio Apartment Building Kills 8 COLUMBUS, Ohio - A suspected arson fire engulfed an apartment complex in suburban Columbus Sunday, killing eight people and forcing others to jump from third-story windows to escape, firefighters said.    The fire in Prairie Township came just six weeks after three fires were set in the same building in an empty apartment and hallway, said Fire Chief Steve Feustel...


Zhang Readies Another Martial-Arts Saga TORONTO - A few years back, Zhang Yimou was a bit miffed that fellow filmmaker Ang Lee was faster on the draw in elevating the martial-arts epic to serious cinema. But now that Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has broken the genre into the mainstream among Western audiences, Zhang is happy to follow his lead...


Televangelist Said Tried to Hush Charges LOS ANGELES - The founder of the world's largest Christian broadcasting network has sought repeatedly to prevent a former male employee from going public with allegations of a sexual encounter between them eight years ago, a newspaper reported Sunday.    Paul Crouch, 70, president of the Trinity Broadcasting Network, reached a \$425,000 settlement in 1998 with the former worker who threatened to sue over claims he had been unjustly fired from the network, the Los Angeles Times said...


At Least 25 Killed in Baghdad Violence BAGHDAD, Iraq - Militants pounded central Baghdad on Sunday with one of their most intense mortar barrages ever, targeting the Green Zone and destroying a U.S. vehicle along a major street...


Protesters Attack Soldiers in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan - Demonstrators stormed U.N. compounds and stoned U.S...


Trend Micro Offers New Mobile Security for Mobile Phones and PDAs Trend Micro has announced the up coming availability of Trend Micro Mobile Security for UIQ in January 2005, with a free trial to June.


Johnson #39;s crash calls attention to flaw in the Chase system RICHMOND, Va.  NASCAR hasn #39;t even unveiled its Chase for the Championship and already there #39;s a problem. When it came up with the idea of a 10-race playoff, NASCAR correctly realized there would


Explosions caused mushroom cloud over N. Korea: source SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - A mushroom-shaped cloud was seen in North Korea last Thursday following a large explosion, a South Korean news agency reported Sunday.


Mayfield Races Into NASCAR Playoffs (AP) AP - It was win and in for Jeremy Mayfield, who couldn't hide his excitement when NASCAR chairman Brian France stopped to congratulate him on racing his way into the playoffs.


Investors on Alert for Earnings Warnings (Reuters) Reuters - Investors are expected to focus on oil\prices and corporate earnings outlooks this week, and the\slightest warning about company revenues could weigh on stocks.


Array of Innovations at Mobile Tech Show (AP) AP - As co-stars of an elite, wireless-oriented tech show they were improbable indeed: A weed whacker, a blender and a boombox. Their decibel assault at this year's 6th annual DEMOmobile show was the perfect foil for its most celebrated product, a noise-canceling cell phone headset called Jawbone.


Ruano Pascual, Suarez Win Women's Doubles (AP) AP - Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez won their third straight U.S. Open women's doubles title by beating singles champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Likhovtseva 6-4, 7-5 Sunday.


US in bid to jumpstart NKorea talks amid nuclear bomb warning (AFP) AFP - A US special envoy left for China, South Korea and Japan in a bid to jump start North Korean nuclear talks, the State Department said, as the UN nuclear watchdog chief warned Pyongyang could develop up to six atomic bombs.


Kirsten Dunst Pretends to Be a Jock Grunting tennis pro. Evil brat. Marie Antoinette. What kind of roles are these for a young, blond Hollywood ingnue?


Thousands Protest Gaza Evacuation Plan JERUSALEM - Tens of thousands of Jewish settlers and their backers demonstrated in Jerusalem on Sunday against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate all settlements from Gaza and four West Bank enclaves in a rally held against a backdrop of assassination threats and warnings of civil war.    The withdrawal plan has upset the Israeli political scene since it was announced last year, turning Sharon's backers into opponents and detractors into supporters...


Federer Tries for Third Major Title of '04 NEW YORK - In heat or wind, before a crowd for or against him, facing Andre Agassi's baseline bashing or Tim Henman's get-to-the-net style: When Roger Federer is on his game, it doesn't seem to matter what he has to deal with. Now Lleyton Hewitt will try to disrupt him...


Nations: N. Korea Cloud Isn't Nuke Blast SEOUL, South Korea - A huge mushroom cloud that reportedly billowed up from North Korea was not caused by a nuclear explosion, South Korean and U.S. officials said Sunday, but they said the cause was a mystery...


Skipper wants a final fling MICHAEL Vaughan last night dreamed of capping a spectacularly successful summer for England with an appearance in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy.


J. Lopez, SS SEATTLE (Ticker) -- The surging Boston Red Sox attempt to win their seventh straight series when they conclude a four-game set against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.


Nations: N. Korea Cloud Isn #39;t Nuke Blast SEOUL, South Korea Sept. 12, 2004 - A huge mushroom cloud that reportedly billowed up from North Korea was not caused by a nuclear explosion, South Korean and US officials said Sunday, but they said the cause was a mystery.


Insurgents hammer central Baghdad, 25 dead in surge of violence in <b>...</b> Insurgents hammered central Baghdad on Sunday with one of their most intense mortar and rocket barrages ever in the heart of the capital


Mystics Remain Alive Alana Beard scored 21 points to help the Washington Mystics keep their playoff hopes alive with a 75-63 victory over the Houston Comets on Sunday. The Mystics, winners of three straight, closed on a 6-0 run, capped by Beard's layup with 34 seconds remaining.


Companies move to anti piracy chips NDS, STMicroelectronics and Thomson announced on Friday that they will begin implementing new anti piracy technology to weed out video piracy.


Feeley gets nod over Fiedler Davie, FL (Sports Network) - Miami Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt named AJ Feeley as his starting quarterback for next Sunday #39;s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.


South Africa thump Tigers Bangladesh were thrashed by nine wickets in their Champions Trophy match against South Africa at Edgbaston on Sunday. Bizarrely electing to bat first, the Tigers mustered just 93 runs before being bowled out in the 32nd over.


Turner confident Illini can rebound from 35-17 loss Poor tackling, missed opportunities and turnovers plagued Illinois through a 1-11 season last year and all were factors again in Saturday #39;s 35-17 loss to UCLA.


Coach Willingham Never Doubted Notre Dame (AP) AP - Tyrone Willingham never showed a trace of doubt. Not following last season's 5-7 finish by Notre Dame. Not after a deflating season-opening loss to Brigham Young. Not when the Fighting Irish trailed 9-0 at halftime to Michigan on Saturday.


Mexico's President Fires Mexico City Chief (AP) AP - President Vicente Fox fired Mexico City's police chief Monday for allegedly bungling the response to a mob attack that killed two federal police officers. Fox's action sharply increases a political clash with leaders of the opposition-led capital ahead of the 2006 presidential race.


Investors Weighing Consumer Spending (AP) AP - Investors will be looking to consumer spending in the coming week on Wall Street, as the government releases figures on consumer prices and retail sales and major retailers release earnings reports.


Groups Work on Ways to Stop Hurricanes (AP) AP - Amateur hurricane-busters have come up with any number of crackpot ideas to spare Florida from ferocious storms. Among them: blowing hurricanes away with giant fans or blowing them up with nuclear warheads.


UES Loses Utility Bid in Slovakia BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- Enel, Italy #39;s biggest power company, put in the highest bid for the Slovak government #39;s stake in Slovenske Elektrarne, the country #39;s top power generator.


EPA could reject appeal, order Wednesday that Metro Detroit cars <b>...</b> The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to decide by Wednesday whether automobile emissions tests could be mandatory for communities in the metropolitan area.


A new handshake for mini hard drives? A consortium of companies wants to build on the progress of the Serial ATA hard drive interface in PCs by creating a similar offering for consumer electronics devices.


Great matchup to end US Open Roger Federer -- and the summer #39;s best performer -- Lleyton Hewitt -- play off for the year #39;s final Grand Slam. It #39;s difficult to imagine a better matchup than Federer and Hewitt.


It definitely wasn #39;t easy Berlin, Germany - Soon after claiming athletics #39; biggest single financial award this year, Christian Olsson offered perhaps the understatement of the year.


Thousands March over Gaza Pull-Out Plans Crowds filled downtown Jerusalem to protest at the proposed pullout, most of them Orthodox Jews. A huge banner behind the stage set the theme: Disengagement tears the people apart.


Mercosur, EU Hope to Meet Trade Deadline (AP) AP - The South American trade bloc Mercosur and the European Union said after a ministerial meeting Sunday they hope to conclude stalled talks about free-trade agreement on time.


Female Baseball Pioneer Gacioch Dies (AP) AP - Rosie Gacioch, whose baseball experiences during the World War II era helped inspire the 1992 movie "A League of Their Own," died at 89.


Purdue on a Roll Heading Into Bye Week (AP) AP - With as well as No. 18 Purdue is playing right now, it appears there is only one thing that can slow down these Boilermakers  #151; the bye.


Question of medicare reform has become test of Martin's political credibility (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - There was a moment before the last federal election when medicare reform became more than just a campaign promise for Prime Minister Paul Martin.


Up to 7 Die in Clashes Over Ousted Afghan Governor  HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Up to seven supporters of an  ousted Afghan governor were killed and 20 wounded on Sunday in  clashes with police and U.S. troops in the western city of  Herat, which was placed under night curfew.


British Firm Wins Bidding for Grey Advertising The British advertising agency WPP Group said today that it had won the bidding for Grey Global Group, the world #39;s last large independent advertising


Three Years Since I left work on September 10th at 9:00 PM. An hour before, my coworker was getting nervous. She was leaving on a trip to Italy on the 12th and wanted to meet me at 8:30 AM on the 11th to go over what projects of hers I needed to steer in her absence. I rolled my eyes and complained that no one schedules meetings at 8:30 in the morning, and convinced her to postpone the meeting to 10:00 AM.


New Object in Saturn #39;s F Ring A small newly found object, temporarily designated S/2004 S 3, has been seen orbiting Saturn #39;s outer F ring. The tiny object, seen in this movie centered in a green box, orbits the planet at a distance of


Tottenham held by promoted Norwich London, England (Sports Network) - Tottenham remained unbeaten by drawing with Norwich Sunday, 0-0, in the only Premiership fixture of the day.


Russia #39;s grim return to reality Children were arriving at the school on Bakhrushina Street in central Moscow: small girls with oversize ribbons festooning their hair, small boys, fidgety and chattering, dwarfed by large satchels.


Italian FM to Middle East to seek release of aid workers in Iraq ROME : Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini was to leave for the Middle East, as Rome pressed on with efforts to win the release of two Italian aid workers kidnapped in Iraq, his ministry said.


quot;Beware of the End of the World (Wide Web), quot; Says Intel Sep 10, 2004 (financialwire.net via COMTEX) -- (FinancialWire) Remember those  quot;End of the World quot; signs? Well, Intel Corp.


RealNetworks Ends Download 49-Cent Promo RealNetworks Inc. is ending its 49 cent-per-song music download service but will keep the promotional prices in place for top 10 songs, the Internet media and software company said on Thursday.


Dementyeva Looks to Future After Loss NEW YORK -- When Yelena Dementyeva lost to fellow Russian Anastasia Myskina in the French Open final in June, she could barely hold back the tears.


Osasuna rallies at Deportivo Coruna MADRID -- Osasuna fought back from a goal down and a sending-off to claim their first win of the season with a resounding 3-1 victory at Deportivo Coruna in the Primera Liga on Sunday.


Seven dead after Afghan governor ousted Up to seven supporters of an ousted Afghan governor have been killed and 20 wounded in clashes with police and US troops in the western city


Phillies Sweep Woeful Mets With 4-2 Win (AP) AP - Vicente Padilla pitched 6 2-3 shutout innings in his best start since coming off the disabled list and led the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Mets 4-2 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.


Georgia Overcomes First SEC Road Test (AP) AP - Georgia's depth and defense kept the Bulldogs unbeaten.


Eisner #39;s Exit Plan Good for Disney -Analysts While fans of Michael Eisner argue that his 20-year legacy of continued financial and stock growth at the Walt Disney Co. is a strong achievement, Wall Street observers say his record is more mixed.


Mercosur, EU hope to meet trade deadline The South American trade bloc Mercosur and the European Union said after a ministerial meeting Sunday they hope to conclude stalled talks about free-trade agreement on time.


Japanese bank battle a break from the past In the old days in Japan, a merger between two banks would have been quietly brokered behind closed doors. But the current clash between two major Japanese banks over competing


Sun may rise, after all, on faulty space probe Scientists are hopeful they can retrieve particles of solar wind from a capsule that crashed in the desert last week. By Peter N. Spotts  Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor.


Longhorn locked against theft by iPod MICROSOFT is working on technology that will give companies more control over whether to prohibit devices that can easily be used to transfer data to and from personal computers.


Big Five Set Their Sights On Mobile TV TV broadcasts to the mobile phone moved a step nearer reality today when the big five handset vendors announced a co-operation deal to investigate mobile broadcast services.


Microsoft #39;s new mice get touchy Microsoft is introducing a new line of keyboards and mice, including some with fingerprint readers that lets users scan a finger instead of having to enter a log-in name and password when accessing online services or logging on to the PC.


Cisco to acquire network-monitoring firm NetSolve Cisco Systems announced it is acquiring NetSolve, which provides real-time monitoring of the performance of corporate data networks.


Real sells 3m tracks at a loss RealNetworks says it sold more than three million tracks thanks to an aggressive three-week price promotion in the US. The company halved the cost of tracks to 49 cents in mid-August to try to tempt consumers away from Apple #39;s iTunes music store.


FCC says US getting its broadband act together US communications regulators insisted on Thursday that the United States was making progress in rolling out high-speed Internet service, despite falling further behind other countries.


Extinction #39;s ripple effects WASHINGTON - Conservationists concerned about the extinction of plants and animals may be overlooking the danger to thousands of other species that depend on the threatened ones.


Dead sea turtles wash up on beaches Nearly two dozen dead sea turtles have washed up on Maryland and Delaware beaches in the past 10 days. At least nine of the animals, which are among six endangered


Harrington bags timely triumph Padraig Harrington of Ireland exceeded his and Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer #39;s expectations yesterday when he claimed the German Masters title with an 11th-hour return to form.


Tottenham Misses Chance to Climb to Third With 0-0 Norwich Draw Tottenham Hotspur missed the chance to climb to third in English soccer #39;s Premiership after a 0-0 draw at home against newly promoted Norwich.


Arsenal stretches unbeaten run in England Arsenal stretched its unbeaten run in the English Premier League to 45 games, while Real Madrid and FC Barcelona stayed perfect in the Spanish league.


Willingham never doubted Irish could beat Michigan Not following last season #39;s 5-to-7 finish by Notre Dame. Not after a deflating season-opening loss to Brigham Young. Not when the Irish trailed 9-to-zero at halftime to Michigan.


GAME DAY PREVIEW Game time: 4:00 PM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Sparks aim for their seventh straight win at home when they host the Sacramento Monarchs on Sunday at the Staples Center.


McLeish  #39;hopeful #39; Yesterday #39;s 0-0 draw at Hearts left Rangers fourth behind Aberdeen and Kilmarnock and without an away goal in three league games.


NFL Wrap: Gibbs Returns to NFL as Redskins Edge Buccaneers Clinton Portis ran 64 yards for a touchdown and had 164 yards rushing and the Washington Redskins used a stifling defense to edge the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-10 in Joe Gibbs #39;s return to the National Football League Sunday in Landover


Teixeira hits pair of home runs to lead Rangers to 7-6 win over <b>...</b> Chan Ho Park couldn #39;t hold the lead after Mark Teixeira #39;s first home run. Francisco Cordero made sure Teixeira #39;s second one held up for the Texas Rangers.


Hurricane Ivan slams Grand Cayman Hurricane Ivan has battered the Cayman Islands with ferocious 240kph winds, flooding homes, ripping off roofs and toppling trees three stories tall as its powerful eye thundered past just offshore.


Strong turnout marked in HK election HONG KONG - Hong Kong voters made a strong turnout Sunday in a hard-fought legislative election being closely watched by Beijing. As of 5:30 pm, turnout was 35.


Indonesian police reenact Jakarta embassy blast JAKARTA - Indonesian police on Sunday reenacted Thursday #39;s car bomb attack in front of the Australian Embassy that killed nine people and injured 182 others.


Greek air force chief sacked after Orthodox leader dies in chopper <b>...</b> Greece #39;s air force chief of staff was sacked Sunday over delays in launching a rescue operation after a weekend helicopter crash that killed the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, the church #39;s number two.


Putin #39;s outdated illusions are dangerous Before the tragedy of Beslan, Vladimir Putin lived in a vibrant young democracy. Voters gave a Kremlin-backed party an overwhelming mandate in parliamentary elections in December, and


US eyes Syria #39;s aid in Iraq security A US envoy on a Middle East tour said Sunday that America has suggested having its military experts work alongside Syrians to stop militants from crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border


Thousands demonstrate in Jerusalem against plan to evacuate Gaza <b>...</b> JERUSALEM Tens of thousands of Jewish settlers and their backers essentially shut down much of Jerusalem today. They took to the streets to protest a plan to evacuate settlements in Gaza and the West Bank.


Italy #39;s Two Hostages Dedicated to Helping Iraqis Simona Torretta and Simona Pari share the same first name, the same age, the same job and the same dedication to the Iraqi people.


Nearly 800 refugees in 3 boats swamp Italy Palermo, Sicily Almost 800 illegal immigrants arrived in southern Italy aboard only three boats Sunday in one of the largest influxes of refugees that Italy has seen in a single day.


HK Democrats Demand Partial Election Recount  HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's main pro-democracy party  demanded on Monday a partial recount of the vote in the city's  legislative elections, after officials had failed to announce a  single result eight hours after polls closed.


Italy's Two Hostages Dedicated to Helping Iraqis  ROME (Reuters) - Simona Torretta and Simona Pari share the  same first name, the same age, the same job and the same  dedication to the Iraqi people.


Unprecedented turnout in Hong Kong vote Democracy candidates picked up at least one more seat in parliament, according to exit polls.


Afghan rebels plan for elections Presidential campaigning in Afghanistan is shadowed by a new insurgent group plan for disruptions.


US Airways Files for Bankruptcy Protection; 2nd Time in 2 Years S Airways filed for Chapter 11 protection this afternoon, its second round in bankruptcy in two years, after workers refused the airline #39;s push for \$800 million in wage and benefit cuts so that it could lower its costs.


Japanese Stocks May Gain, Led by Toyota, After Oil Price Drops Japanese stocks may rise after oil prices fell by the most in three months, allaying concern higher fuel costs will slow global economic growth.


Ellison earns \$3.85 million in FY04 Oracle Corp. Chief Executive Larry Ellison took home \$3.85 million in salary and bonuses in fiscal 2004, according to a Friday filing with securities regulators.


Italy seeks Libya migrant curbs Italy is urging Libya to tackle the swelling flow of illegal migrants as hundreds more land on Italian shores.


Europe urged to accept GM foods A conference on genetically-modified crops opens in Germany with calls for Europe to take up GM foods.


US envoy warns of Iran sanctions THE US will pursue sanctions against Iran if Tehran does not renounce its quest for nuclear weapons, a top US official said today.


US soldier jailed for Iraq abuses A US court martial in Baghdad has sentenced a soldier to eight months in jail for maltreating and conspiring to maltreat Iraqi detainees.


Two men fight for paternal rights over Jakarta blast victim Singapore, Sep 12 (UNI) An Australian policeman and an Italian bank security guard are set to fight a legal battle over the parentage of five-year old Elisabeth Manuela Banbin Musu, who is in coma in a Singapore hospital after suffering severe injuries in


Formula One Racing: Ferrari #39;s one-two is full of surprises MONZA, Italy Those who did not see the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday will not be surprised to hear that Ferrari finished first and second for the eighth time this season.


Olsson, Williams-Darling share million-dollar Golden League <b>...</b> Christian Olsson of Sweden and Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas split the \$1 million-US Golden League bonus by winning their events at the ISTAF athletics meet Sunday.


South Africa in a hurry After 10 consecutive one-day defeats, South Africa regained a scrap of self-belief yesterday with a nine-wicket win over Pool B whipping boys Bangladesh, whose bold decision to bat first went badly wrong.


Ramirez homer sets early tone When the Red Sox return to Fenway Park next week, don #39;t be surprised if  quot;MVP quot; chants for Manny Ramirez start to become a fixture.


Lions end record 24-game road losing streak vs. Bears Bracy Walker got one of the game balls and rightfully so. Needing intravenous fluids to fight off dehydration, Walker rescued the Detroit Lions from the NFL #39;s longest road losing streak Sunday.


Angels 11, White Sox 0 Bartolo Colon pitched seven sharp innings, Garret Anderson drove in three runs and the Anaheim Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 11-0 Sunday.


US missile attack kills 13 civilians in Iraq  quot;I am a journalist. I #39;m dying, I #39;m dying, quot; screamed Mazen al-Tumeizi, a correspondent for the Arabic television channel al-Arabiya, after shrapnel from a rocket fired by an American helicopter slammed into his back.


European countries agree on Iran nuke deadline TEHRAN: France, Britain and Germany proposing a November deadline for Iran to dispel concern that it has a covert atom bomb program.


In Australia: Debate hots up CANBERRA - Australia #39;s political leaders went head-to-head yesterday in a national debate dominated by the war on terror as campaigning for the Oct 9 polls resumed.


Piece of shrapnel still lodged in girl #39;s brain A PIECE of shrapnel remains lodged in the brain of the five-year-old girl badly hurt in Thursday #39;s Jakarta bombing, and her doctors said she was almost certain to be paralysed.


WPP says it won bid WPP said on Sunday that it had won the bidding for Grey Global Group, the seventh-largest agency company, ending a summer-long takeover battle in which it outlasted Havas of France and a US private equity firm, Hellman Friedman.


US Airways Files for Bankruptcy Protection; 2nd Time in 2 Years The company's announcement followed workers' refusal to accept \$800 million in wage and benefit cuts to lower costs.


Federer Dominates U.S. Open Final Roger Federer became the first man since 1988 to win three Grand Slam tournaments in a year, thoroughly outclassing Lleyton Hewitt 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-0.


Suspected Arson Fire Kills 10 in Ohio COLUMBUS, Ohio - A suspected arson fire raced through an apartment complex in suburban Columbus on Sunday, killing 10 people who lived in the same apartment and forcing others to jump from third-story windows to escape.    At least 53 people were left homeless by the blaze in Prairie Township, which destroyed the building's roof and third floor, melted siding and left its wooden skeleton exposed...


US Airways Files for Bankruptcy Protection ARLINGTON, Va. - US Airways Group Inc., the nation's seventh largest airline, filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday for the second time in two years...


Surge of Baghdad Violence Leaves 59 Dead BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents hammered central Baghdad on Sunday with one of their most intense mortar and rocket barrages ever in the heart of the capital, heralding a day of violence that killed nearly 60 people nationwide as security appeared to spiral out of control.    At least 37 people were killed in Baghdad alone...


Ivan Batters Caymans, Heads for Cuba GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands - Hurricane Ivan battered the Cayman Islands with ferocious 150-mph winds Sunday, flooding homes, ripping off roofs and toppling trees three stories tall as its powerful eye thundered past just offshore.    Ivan has killed at least 60 people in its path of destruction across the Caribbean and was headed next for western Cuba, where it was expected to hit Monday...


Florida Keys Likely Spared a Direct Hit KEY WEST, Fla. - The only whooshing sound Hurricane Ivan stirred in the Keys and populous South Florida on Sunday was a sigh of relief from residents no longer fearful the 150-mph storm would make a direct hit...


Hurricane Ivan Batters Grand Cayman GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands - Hurricane Ivan battered the Cayman Islands with ferocious 150-mph winds Sunday, flooding homes, ripping off roofs and toppling trees three stories tall as its powerful eye thundered past just offshore.    Ivan has killed at least 60 people in its path of destruction across the Caribbean and was headed next for western Cuba, where it was expected to hit Monday...


Ivan Won't Make Direct Hit on Fla. Keys KEY WEST, Fla. - The only whooshing sound Hurricane Ivan stirred in the Keys and populous South Florida on Sunday was a sigh of relief from residents no longer fearful the 150-mph storm would make a direct hit...


'Resident Evil' Sequel Tops Box Office LOS ANGELES - The undead came alive once more over the weekend as "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" debuted at No. 1 at the box office, bringing in \$23.7 million...


Flight Attendants Reject US Air Proposal (Reuters) Reuters - Flight attendants at US Airways\ on Sunday said they had rejected a new proposal by the\airline on cuts in wages and benefits which they said fail to\improve on sick leave and reserve policies.


Gas Price Slips to  #36;1.86/Gallon -Survey (Reuters) Reuters - The average U.S. retail price of\gasoline fell slightly over the last two weeks to about  #36;1.86 a\gallon, restoring a trend of declines after a modest increase\late last month, according to the nationwide Lundberg survey of\about 7,000 gas stations released on Sunday.


OPEC Eyes Caution, Supply Weighs on Price (Reuters) Reuters - OPEC may resist calls to raise oil\output quotas much, if at all, when it meets this week for fear\of turning a decline from record prices into a rout.


China #39;s ad market gallops ahead China will be the third largest advertising economy by 2011, beating the UK and Germany, according to a report published yesterday.


Bonds Hits Homer 699, Giants Top D'Backs (AP) AP - Barry Bonds hit his 699th home run, and the San Francisco Giants regained the NL wild-card lead with a 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.


Browns Open With Win, 20-3 Over Ravens (AP) AP - Jeff Garcia threw a 46-yard touchdown pass and ran for another TD in his Cleveland debut, leading the Browns to their first opening-week win since 1999, a 20-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.


U.S. says UN, Africa and Sudan itself hold solution to Darfur crisis (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - WASHINGTON (AP) - The key to stopping the ethnic violence in western Sudan rests not with the United States alone but with the United Nations, other African countries and Sudan itself, President George W. Bush's foreign policy advisers said Sunday.


US Airways Files for Ch. 11 Bankruptcy  ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters) - US Airways Group Inc. UAIR.O,  squeezed severely by low-cost rivals and soaring fuel prices  and failing in its drive for new labor concessions, filed for  bankruptcy protection on Sunday for the second time in two  years.


Flight Attendants Reject US Air Proposal  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Flight attendants at US Airways  UAIR.O on Sunday said they had rejected a new proposal by the  airline on cuts in wages and benefits which they said fail to  improve on sick leave and reserve policies.


Canadian Brodeur's Wrist Feeling Better (AP) AP - Martin Brodeur casually strolled through Canada's dressing room on Sunday with a noticeable wrap on his injured left wrist.


Federer Crushes Hewitt in U.S. Open Final  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Roger Federer emphasized his position  as the world's best player by demolishing former champion  Lleyton Hewitt 6-0, 7-6, 6-0, to win his first U.S. Open title  on Sunday.


NFL Wrap: Gibbs Returns to NFL as Redskins Edge Buccaneers  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clinton Portis ran 64 yards for a  touchdown and had 164 yards rushing and the Washington Redskins  used a stifling defense to edge the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-10  in Joe Gibbs's return to the National Football League Sunday in  Landover, Maryland.


NL Wrap: Pierre Hits, Burnett Pitches Marlins to Easy Win  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Juan Pierre had three hits and A.J.  Burnett pitched eight solid innings as the Florida Marlins  salvaged a split of their key four-game series against the  Chicago Cubs with an 11-1 win in the series finale in National  League play Sunday.


Stern: Sirius Wants Him Now, But No Plans To Jump Gun Early holiday wishes. Sirius Satellite Radio (nasdaq: SIRI - news - people ) is looking to unwrap its blockbuster gift a year ahead of schedule.


U.S. Assault Weapons Ban Set to Expire (AP) AP - Ten years after it was born out of the carnage of three California mass shootings, the federal assault weapons ban is fading out of existence Monday.


Singh Wins Canadian Open After Play-Off  OAKVILLE, Ontario (Reuters) - Vijay Singh teed off his  reign as the new world number one in victorious style when he  won the Canadian Open on its 100th anniversary on Sunday at the  third extra hole of a play-off with home hope Mike Weir.


Pakistan forces battle on border An ongoing battle between Pakistani forces and suspected al Qaeda fighters Sunday in a tribal area near the border with Afghanistan has left six suspected terrorists and 12 Pakistani forces dead, two government officials told


Orange joins 3G fray with pitch to early adopters Orange joined the Christmas scramble for customers willing to experiment with new 3G services yesterday, offering four handsets, a competitively priced service and a target of four million customers, split between Britain and France, within two years.


Crude Oil May Rise on Concern Hurricane Could Cut Gulf Output Crude oil futures may rise in New York on speculation Hurricane Ivan could disrupt output from platforms in the Gulf of Mexico as the storm nears the US mainland this week.


No Road Woes Yet Shaun Alexander scores three touchdowns on Sunday to get the Seahawks off to a good road-season start with a 21-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints.


Steelers Run to Win The Steelers grind out a tough win with new addition Duce Staley and old horse Jerome Bettis, holding off a late Raiders' rally to win, 24-21, on Sunday.


Brees Guides Chargers Zero turnovers and an efficient 17-for-24 day with two touchdowns for Drew Brees enables San Diego to score a 27-20 triumph over the Texans in Houston.


Mariners Blank Bosox Gil Meche pitches a five-hitter for his second career shutout and Raul Ibanez hits a two-run shot to lead Seattle over Boston 2-0 Sunday.


THECHAT <em>  Gene Simmons and his tongue came to Richmond International Raceway last weekend to promote three KISS-themed NASCAR vehicles and a line of die-cast collectible replicas.</em>


Changing Directions Over at USA Today -- Slogan: "All the News That's Fit to Print in Four Paragraphs or Less" -- they got together the last couple of weeks and asked the staff to vote for the "10 things to change in sports."


Sting Pound Lynx Early Charlotte opens the game with a WNBA-record 21 straight points in the Sting's 60-50 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday night.


UPDATE 2-Harrington shows form to win German Masters Ireland #39;s Padraig Harrington demonstrated his return to form five days before the Ryder Cup, with victory in the German Masters on Sunday.


Ego Czech-ed at door TORONTO -- Martin Brodeur took one for the team. After sitting out yesterday #39;s morning skate, Canada #39;s top goalie chose to bow out of last night #39;s World Cup of Hockey semi-final victory over the Czech Republic because of his left wrist injury.


American League Game Summary - Boston at Seattle Boston ended its 12-game road trip at 9-3...Lowe fell to 4-4 lifetime against Seattle...Meche is 2-1 in his career versus Boston...The Red Sox took five of nine meetings with the Mariners this season. Seattle


Europe urged to embrace GM foods A conference on genetically-modified crops opens in Germany with calls for Europe to take up GM foods.


US: Iranian Nuclear Program May Come Before UN Security Council Secretary of State Colin Powell says the United Nations Security Council may ultimately have to deal with questions surrounding Iran #39;s nuclear program.


Federer crushes Hewitt to win US Open Swiss maestro Roger Federer has produced a devastating display of tennis to crush Lleyton Hewitt in a one-sided US Open final at Flushing Meadows.


Brodeur #39;s wrist feeling better Martin Brodeur casually strolled through Canada #39;s dressing room on Sunday with a noticeable wrap on his injured left wrist. He said he felt good, just not well enough to join his teammates on the ice in preparation


Liberty 64, Silver Stars 62 Crystal Robinson scored 16 points and Becky Hammon had 15 to rally the New York Liberty over the last-place San Antonio Silver Stars 64-62 on Sunday.


Hurricane Ivan Lashes Caymans, Jamaica A Jamaican man walks in front of a church destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in Lionel Town, outside of Kingston. Relief operations get under way in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, which has brought destruction to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.


UN chief condemns attacks in Afghanistan UN Secretary-General condemned on Sunday the attacks in a western Afghanistan province which may jeopardize the already worrisome security in the war-torn country before its scheduled general elections next month.


Italy summons Libyan ambassador to discuss latest illegal migrants ROME - Almost 1,000 illegal immigrants have arrived at a southern Italian island over the weekend. Most are believed to be from North Africa.


NASA Hopes Data Can Be Salvaged From Crashed Craft A top NASA official said Thursday that scientists examining the remains of the crashed Genesis space capsule have peeked inside a broken canister containing atoms


New Windows OS boosts security For years, programmers at Microsoft and elsewhere have worked to make it easier for devices like cell phones and personal digital assistants to work instantly and easily with computers.


Greek Defense Minister Quits for Deadly Copter Crash A day after Africa #39;s senior Greek Orthodox prelate and 16 others died in a helicopter crash in the northern Aegean, the Greek defense minister, Spilios Spiliotopoulos


Islamic group threatens to kill Italian hostages, sets deadline DUBAI : An Islamist group has threatened to kill two Italian women held hostage in Iraq if Rome does not withdraw its troops from the war-torn country within 24 hours, according to an internet statement.


China eyes Life offshore CHINA Life, China #39;s largest life insurer, might start investing in overseas financial markets before the end of the year, state media reported yesterday.


Oil Supply Fears Leave Shares Mixed Oil supply concerns and broker downgrades of blue-chip companies left stocks mixed yesterday, raising doubts that Wall Street #39;s year-end rally would continue.


Indonesia Pursues Two Terror Suspects (AP) AP - Indonesian police pursued a manhunt Sunday for two of Southeast Asia's most wanted terrorism suspects while warning of the danger of more suicide attacks on Western interests in the wake of a lethal bombing outside the Australian Embassy.


Tokyo Stocks Seen Firming After Nasdaq  TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average is expected to  gain ground on Monday as firmness in U.S. technology stocks  eases investors' nervousness toward that sector in Japan.


China Camp Makes Big Gains in HK Elections  HONG KONG (Reuters) - Pro-democracy candidates in Hong  Kong, stung by sex and money scandals, made only limited gains  while the China camp made big gains in directly elected seats  in legislative elections, results showed on Monday.


Harrington coasts back to form for Ryder test Bernhard Langer will lead a contented team of players on the plane to Detroit today with yet another member of the European Ryder Cup side celebrating a victory on the eve of the match against the Americans.


NFL Game Summary - Baltimore at Cleveland Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Jeff Garcia completed 15-of-24 passes for 180 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Morgan, leading Cleveland over Baltimore, 20-3, in the season-opener for both teams at Cleveland Browns Stadium.


Sun pull into first place in East The Connecticut Sun spoiled Sue Bird #39;s return Sunday and pulled into first place in the process. Bird had nine points, seven assists and five rebounds in front of her former hometown


Tokyo Stocks Open Higher After Nasdaq  TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average opened 0.64  percent higher on Monday as investors took a cue from gains in  U.S. technology stocks, snapping up Toshiba Corp. and several  other lagging high-tech issues.


HK Vote Count Late, Few Democrat Gains in Exit Polls  HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong pro-democracy candidates,  stung by a sex scandal, made limited gains against the Beijing  camp in legislative polls as voters wary of irking their  communist rulers chose stability, results showed on Monday.


Poll blow for Hong Kong democrats Hong Kong's pro-democracy parties are on course to net fewer seats  than expected in legislative elections.


Three percent is no longer sacred Ten days ago, the European Commission made an extremely significant decision on the Stability and Growth Pact, which lays down the principles of economic policy for states belonging to the euro bloc.


Checks to clear faster than they can float soon Under new federal legislation called the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, also called Check 21, the time taken for checks to clear will be much quicker than in the past.


It #39;s AMD Inside AMD has been the perennial underdog to behemoth Intel. Noe AMD is challenging Intel with a new class of microprocessors. This time, it #39;s Intel is having to play catch-up.


Economics week Economists are facing a busy week ahead as most of the key monthly UK economic data is released. The Producer Price Index for August is published today, and economists


Transmeta ships 90-nm processor Transmeta last week announced it had started shipping limited quantities of its x86-compatible Efficeon TM8800 processor, a low-powered CPU fabbed on 90-nanometer silicon.


NFL Game Summary - NY Giants at Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Donovan McNabb threw four touchdown passes, including three to Terrell Owens, to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a 31-17 victory over the New York Giants in the season-opener for both teams at Lincoln Financial Field.


Browns Beat Ravens 20-3 Behind Garcia: NFL Week 1 (Update1) Jeff Garcia passed for one touchdown and ran for another to lead the Cleveland Browns to a 20-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens in his first game with the team.


Falcons at 49ers Players to watch  Michael Vick is back after missing last season with a broken leg. 49ers going with Tim Rattay, who threw 6 TD passes vs.


JUVE OFF TO A FLYER Fabio Capello #39;s reign as Juventus coach began in ominous fashion for the rest of Italy as the Turin giants claimed a convincing triumph at Brescia.


Patriarch Petros VII of Alexandria His Beatitude Petros VII , who died in a helicopter accident on Saturday aged 55, was the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, namely the head of the Eastern or Greek Orthodox Church in Africa; by tradition, he was the 128th successor in that office to St


Tens of thousands of Israeli settlers rally against Sharon #39;s <b>...</b> Tens of thousands of Israeli settlers and their supporters yesterday took part in a right-wing demonstration in Jerusalem #39;s Zion Square.


Iraqi PM warned to  #39;await Angel of Death #39; A voice recording said to be that of suspected Al Qaeda commander Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, claims Iraq #39;s Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is the militant network #39;s number one target.


Last Part of Mustang Ranch Brothel Moved RENO, Nev. - The final section of the infamous Mustang Ranch brothel - the parlor in which the working girls lined up for customers - was airlifted four miles to the east on Sunday to the new location of the ranch at the Wild Horse Adult Resort   Spa...


U.S. Assault Weapons Ban Set to Expire SAN FRANCISCO - Ten years after it was born out of the carnage of three California mass shootings, the federal assault weapons ban is fading out of existence Monday.    While manufacturers look for a boom in business as people buy up previously banned weapons like AK-47s, Uzis and TEC-9s, police chiefs warn of an upsurge in crime...


US Airways, pilots to resume talks on concession US Airways Group Inc, struggling to avert a second bankruptcy filing since 2002, and its pilots union have agreed to resume negotiations on US\$295 million in pay-and-benefit cuts.


Cheung Kong, CapitaLand May Rise With Asian Real-Estate Stocks Asian real-estate stocks such as Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. and CapitaLand Ltd., among this quarter #39;s best performers, may extend the gains as economic growth spurs demand for homes.


Second suits happy Holmes A month ago getting beaten would have seemed like the end of the world to the fiercely driven Kelly Holmes. But, with two Olympic gold medals to her name, it does not seem so important now.


Monza rain makes it a perfect day for Ferrari Ferrari grand slams have been taken for granted in formula one over the past five years. But Rubens Barrichello #39;s close victory over Michael Schumacher here in the Italian grand prix was a remarkable success


Larsson lights up Nou Camp, while Braga hold Porto WITH the impeccable timing that has become his trademark, Henrik Larsson discovered his scoring touch for Barcelona on Saturday night with the second goal in his sides 2-0 win over Sevilla at the Nou Camp.


Bears-Lions Scoring Summary Chicago - Thomas Jones proved to be the Bears only source offense against the Detroit Lions. FIRST QUARTER: RB Thomas Jones two-yard touchdown run at 7:38.


Vikings 35, Cowboys 17 Culpepper threw a career-high five touchdown passes, two to Randy Moss, and led the Vikings to a 35-17 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.


Baseball-Pierre Hits, Burnett Pitches Marlins to Easy Win Juan Pierre had three hits and AJ Burnett pitched eight solid innings as the Florida Marlins salvaged a split of their key four-game series against the Chicago Cubs with an 11-1 win in the series finale in National League play Sunday.


Ibrahimovic scores as Juventus wins opener Brescia, Italy (Sports Network) - New acquisition Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in his debut as Juventus dominated Brescia 3-0 Sunday.


Deportivo upset by battling Osasuna MADRID: Deportivo Coruna slumped to a surprise 3-1 home defeat by Osasuna last night after the visitors fought back from a goal down and a sending-off to claim their first Primera Liga win of the season.


Violence as Karzai sacks governor DEMONSTRATORS set fire to United Nations offices and stoned United States soldiers in the Afghan city of Herat, a day after the government sacked its popular and powerful warlord as governor.


Far-right stoking civil war in Israel over Gaza, says Sharon ISRAELI prime minister Ariel Sharon yesterday warned that far-right elements could push the country into a civil war if they continue with heated rhetoric in opposition to his plan for a unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.


Iraqi PM Says Elections Must Go Ahead -UK Papers (Reuters) Reuters - Iraq's interim Prime Minister told\British media in an interview published on Monday he wanted\elections to go ahead as planned in January even if violence\prevented some Iraqis from voting.


Nevada's E-Vote Free of Serious Problems (AP) AP - Alarmed by software glitches, security threats and computer crashes with ATM-like voting machines, officials from Washington, D.C., to California are considering an alternative from an unlikely place: Nevada.


Singh Spoils 100th Anniversary Party in Canada  OAKVILLE, Ontario (Reuters) - Vijay Singh began his reign  as world number one with a dramatic sudden death playoff win  over Mike Weir in the Canadian Open on Sunday.


HTTP Deltas, RSS, and Differential Content Fetching \\It seems  PubSub.com is offering a bounty  on an HTTP Delta implementation\of RFC 3229.  This seems in response to the current meme  of RSS and Atom\syndication bloat.\ \First off this is certainly *very* generous of them.  I'd like to see this\happen more.  Good for you guys!\\I myself  have thought that HTTP Deltas were a viable solution but I was\wrong.\\Of course most people aren't familiar with HTTP deltas.  Eseentially what an\HTTP delta enables is a client/server differential protocol that can exchange a\patch from the server to the client.  The client is then patched and it will\then have the updated version without having to transfer the *entire* document\again.\\For example say you ...\\


More on the INDUCE Act \\"Copyright officials recommended on Thursday that U.S. law be amended so that\companies that rely on copyright infringement to make a profit can be held\liable for their actions."\\Which of course applies only to US companies.  Kazaa should be free and clear.\\...\\Should have supplied a link.  I'm a BAD blogger!\\


Australia #39;s S amp;P/ASX 200 Index Heads for Record; Foodland Rises Australia #39;s S amp;P/ASX 200 Index advanced for a third day and was heading for a record close. Foodland Associated Ltd. rose after full-year earnings climbed 19 percent, helped by one-time gains.


IBM eServer to support Dual-Core processors IBM announced that it will begin shipping its new eServer 326 server to its enterprise clients starting next week. This server will be an upgrade from the company #39;s previously released eServer 325 model.


Federer, Near-Perfect, Wins US Open Against Hewitt (Update2) Roger Federer got off to an almost- perfect start and beat Lleyton Hewitt 6-0, 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 for the championship at the US Open, his third Grand Slam title of the year.


Athletics: Holmes loses with smile as cruise control misfires Kelly Holmes lost a race and broke into a radiant smile. But then you can do that kind of thing when you are a double Olympic champion.


Ferrari show rolls on RUBENS Barrichello finally won his first Formula One race of the season to hand Ferrari victory on its home circuit yesterday. He punched the air in pure delight as he beat teammate Michael Schumacher at the


Spurs frustrated by Norwichs Green LONDON: Tottenham were held to a 0-0 draw by Premier League newcomers Norwich yesterday, spurning the chance to go third in the standings behind fellow London clubs Arsenal and Chelsea.


Gunners extend winning stretch ARSENAL pulled clear at the top of the English Premier League table for the first time this season after producing a devastating change of gear to sink London rival Fulham 3-0 yesterday.


Bonds hits No. 699; Giants gain wild card lead Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Barry Bonds hit career home run No. 699, Jason Schmidt tossed a complete game to pick up a win for the first time in five starts, and San Francisco grabbed solo possession of


Deportivo goes down at home La Coruna, Spain (Sports Network) - Osasuna overcame a red card to shock Deportivo La Coruna Sunday, 3-1. Deportivo took a 1-0 lead into halftime on a Walter Pandiani strike in the 19th minute.


New spasm of violence sweeps across Iraq BAGHDAD: At least 110 people have been killed across Iraq in a sharp escalation of violence that saw gun battles, car bombs and bombardments rock the capital.