Government Must Act  #39;Without Delay #39; over Detainees The Government must act swiftly to either charge or release the nine detainees who are being held on suspicion of links with terrorism, civil liberties campaigners said today.


Iceland to home Bobby Fischer Iceland is ready to provide a residence permit to worlds chess ex-champion Bobby Fischer whos now serving his sentence in one of the Japanese jails.


China, Pakistan call for closer army-to-army ties China and Pakistan officials voiced their common aspiration of furthering ties between the two armies during a meeting here Wednesday.


Darfur rebels accuse Sudan of continuing attacks Rebels refuse to return to AU-sponsored talks with Sudanese government until latter stops attacks in Darfur. ABUJA - Rebel leaders accused the Sudanese government of pursuing an offensive in the western region


Japan risks damaging China relations with Lee visa The decision, which prompted an immediate protest from Beijing, was the latest sign that Japan is hardening its diplomatic stance towards China.


Australia #39;s Maritime Security Net Stirs Concern Among Neighbors Plans by Australia to enforce an extensive new offshore security zone are causing concern among its neighbors. The Maritime Identification Zone announced by Prime Minister John Howard will extend 18-hundred


UK's Brown to Urge U.S. to Cut Deficits (Reuters) Reuters - British finance minister Gordon Brown\said on Thursday he would urge the United States to tackle its\current account and budget deficits, and warned that the weak\dollar was hurting the British and other global economies.


Uncertain Landscape For Copyright Protection An otherwise routine power shift on the Senate Judiciary Committee could have far-reaching implications for high-tech firms, movie studios, record companies and the future of downloading. -washingtonpost.com


During the Holiday Shopping Season, Beware of Identity Theft I resisted shopping online for the longest time. I feared my credit card number would be stolen and that I would spend a few years of my life trying to explain that I did not buy a Hummer with my Visa card.


Justice Reviews Request for Probe Of Satellite Reports The National Reconnaissance Office has asked the Justice Department to consider opening a criminal investigation into recent disclosures about a highly classified satellite program that has prompted criticism in Congress because of escalating costs, two administration officials said yesterday.


Dollar Falls as Deficit Worries Mount  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar fell within half a cent of  last week's record low against the euro on Thursday after  capital inflows data added to worries the United States may  struggle to fund its current account deficit.


Oil Prices Drop from Two-Week Highs  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell from two-week highs on  Thursday, as traders took profits from dramatic gains on  Wednesday driven by renewed fears over fuel supplies for the  northern winter.


UK's Brown to Urge U.S. to Cut Deficits  LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister Gordon Brown  said on Thursday he would urge the United States to tackle its  current account and budget deficits, and warned that the weak  dollar was hurting the British and other global economies.


Latin America sees strong growth Latin America's economy grew by 5.5 in 2004, its best performance since 1980, while exports registered their  best performance in two decades.


Kerry Campaign Head Admits Miscalculations (AP) AP - The campaign manager for Sen. John Kerry's failed presidential bid said Wednesday she regrets underestimating the impact of an attack advertisement that questioned Kerry's Vietnam War record.


Iraq Awards First Post-War Oilfield Contracts  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's oil ministry has awarded the  country's first post-war oilfield development contracts to  Turkish and Canadian firms, an oil official said on Thursday.


Symantec And Veritas To Merge With aftershocks still fresh from the Oracle-PeopleSoft deal, another buyout has rocked the enterprise market - Symantec #39;s multi-billion dollar buyout of Veritas.


J amp;J #39;s Big Buy NEW YORK - In its biggest purchase ever, Johnson  amp; Johnson is dropping \$24.5 billion to get into the fast-growing market for implantible devices that automatically restart stopped hearts.


Corus saves 1,700 steel jobs Corus lifted a threat to 1,700 steelworkers #39; jobs today by securing the future of a major operation in the north-east. The company ended speculation over the imminent shutdown of its Redcar site with the announcement


Cendant to Buy London Travel Firms Cendant Corp., the world #39;s largest hotel franchisor, said Thursday it agreed to acquire London-based Gullivers Travel Associates and Octopus Travel Group Ltd.


South Carolinian may be tapped for top NASA job Retired Marine Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr., a former space shuttle astronaut from South Carolina for whom the new military elementary school at Laurel Bay north of Beaufort was named


Jones files Balco lawsuit Marion Jones is attempting to sue controversial Balco boss Victor Conte for alleging that she took drugs. The American sprinter is at the centre of a widespread probe into the activities of Conte #39;s laboratory


In a flash, DC baseball deal is near collapse The news was stunning as it came out on Wednesday morning. After two years of the city selling itself to baseball, after all that time spent on finally landing a baseball team in the District for the first


Sky wins exclusive cricket contract Sky has been awarded exclusive rights to show cricket, strengthening its hold over televised sports. In a move that has received a mixed response from licensees, the broadcaster has added cricket to a growing


Iraq election campaign under way, Bush warns Iran, Syria to keep <b>...</b> BAGHDAD - Campaigning for the first post-Saddam Hussein elections got under way on Thursday amid more bloodshed, as US President George W. Bush warned Iran and Syria to stop meddling in Iraq in the run-up to the vote.


Israel FM calls for peace summit Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has called for a new international summit to re-launch the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.


FedEx Profit Jumps, Outlook Is Raised (Reuters) Reuters - FedEx Corp. , the world's top\air-express shipper, on Thursday said quarterly profit more\than tripled on strength in its international, ground and\freight businesses, and the company raised its full-year\earnings forecast.


Housing Starts Dive Unexpectedly in Nov.  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. housing starts unexpectedly  plummeted 13.1 percent last month, the biggest dive in nearly  11 years, as groundbreaking activity fell sharply across the  nation, a government report showed on Thursday.


FedEx Profit Jumps, Outlook Is Raised  NEW YORK (Reuters) - FedEx Corp. FDX.N, the world's top  air-express shipper, on Thursday said quarterly profit more  than tripled on strength in its international, ground and  freight businesses, and the company raised its full-year  earnings forecast.


U.S. Jobless Claims Drop Sharply  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing  initial claims for jobless pay fell by much more than expected  last week to 317,000 in the steepest decline in three years,  Labor Department data showed on Thursday.


British retail sales get Christmas boost (AFP) AFP - British retail sales bounced back in November, as Christmas shoppers kept the tills ringing in the crucial festive trading period.


Symantec and Veritas to Merge Symantec (SYMC:Nasdaq - news - research) Thursday said it will acquire rival software company Veritas Software (VRTS:Nasdaq - news - research)in an all-stock deal.


Official: WTO Members Should Reach Accord World Trade Organization members should be able to reach a binding accord to liberalize global commerce in 2006, the European Union #39;s new agriculture chief said Thursday.


Dollar #39;s weakness sending US investors overseas Americans have been stepping up their international purchases of stocks and bonds as the dollar #39;s decline has accelerated and foreign investors have slowed their buying of securities in the United States.


HP engineers to join Intel Intel Corp. has agreed to hire the team of Hewlett-Packard Co. engineers that helped design the chip giant #39;s Itanium microprocessors for server computers, both companies said Wednesday.


Nintendo DS Media Adaptor soon Soon Japanese owners of the Nintendo DS (Dual Screen), their latest handheld console, and GameBoy Advance SP will be able to play music and video with a new adaptor on their pocket marvels.


Hidden fault may contribute to Bay Area earthquake risk Earthquakes are not unusual in the San Francisco Bay Area, but a team of Penn State geoscientists believes that the hazard may be greater than previously thought because of a hidden fault under Marin County.


Marion Jones sues head of BALCO, challenges him to take lie <b>...</b> SAN FRANCISCO Olympic track star Marion Jones is seeking 25 (m) million dollars in a defamation lawsuit against BALCO founder Victor Conte.


It was him SHOAIB Akhtar completed a first-round knockout of his rival Matthew Hayden yesterday in a hell-raising opening to the Australia-Pakistan Test series in Perth.


Bin Laden points finger at Saudi regime Osama bin Laden, in a purported audiotape message on Thursday, assailed Washington for meddling in Muslim states and laid the blame for deadly unrest gripping Saudi Arabia on the kingdom #39;s own regime.


AP: Yushchenko Sure Gov #39;t Poisoned Him Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko speaks to members of the media during a press conference in Kiev, in this Friday, Nov. 19, 2004 file photo.


Iraq #39;s election campaign underway MARK COLVIN: Iraq #39;s election campaign is officially underway and already it #39;s been hit by violence and fears that minority Sunnis will boycott next month #39;s poll.


Japan OKs Visa for Ex-Taiwan President (AP) AP - Japan plans to issue a visa for former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui to visit this year, a government spokesman said Thursday, a decision that China urged Tokyo to reconsider to avoid damaging ties between the two countries.


Goldman Sachs Quarterly Profit Up 23 Pct.  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc. GS.N on  Thursday said fourth-quarter profit rose 23 percent as its  fixed-income, currency and commodities business soared while a  rebounding stock market boosted investment banking.


Current Account Gap Widens to Record  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. current account deficit  widened slightly to a record \$164.71 billion in the third  quarter as the goods trade shortfall grew and the services  surplus shrank, the government said on Thursday.


Airbus sees big demand for huge jets LONDON Airbus has predicted that an average of 830 passenger aircraft will be built each year for the next two decades and that the new Airbus jumbo A380 will be so successful that Boeing will be forced to develop a competitor.


iTunes Music Store Downloads Top 200 Million Songs CUPERTINO, Calif., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple(R) today announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded more than 200 million songs from the iTunes(R) Music Store.


Sold down the river The ECB #39;S decision is not a surprise. It #39;s crass but no surprise. The wind #39;s been blowing that way for ages. So there #39;ll be no live international cricket on terrestrial telly from the summer after next.


Virus poses as Christmas e-mail A computer virus posing as an electronic Christmas card is spreading across the net in many languages.


US airport security loses 'bomb' Security screeners at a US airport spot but then lose a bag containing a fake bomb, in a training blunder.


Battalions go in troops shake-up Geoff Hoon announces a major restructuring of the Army, which will see four battalions cut and regiments merged.


Fast lifts rise into record books Two lifts at the world's tallest building in Taipei have been declared the fastest on the planet.


Ukrainian Government Blamed for Poisoning Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko said Thursday that he was sure he was poisoned by the Ukrainian government after a Sept. 5 dinner with the head of the country's security service.


Symantec to Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Symantec Corp. SYMC.O, a maker of  security software, on Thursday said it would buy storage  software maker Veritas Software Corp. VRTS.O for \$13.5  billion, creating the world's fourth-largest software company.


Yukos awaits US bankruptcy fate MOSCOW, Russia -- Embattled Russian oil giant Yukos is set to learn if a US bankruptcy court will try to block the sale of its main production unit this weekend.


Update 1: Goldman Sachs Posts Higher 4Q Profit Investment banking firm Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said Thursday that fourth-quarter earnings rose 23 percent to beat Wall Street expectations.


FedEx Profit Jumps, Outlook Is Raised FedEx Corp. (FDX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the world #39;s top air-express shipper, on Thursday said quarterly profit more than tripled on strength in its international, ground and freight


Wheels of Justice Flatten Fannie Can the Fannie Mae (FNM:NYSE - news - research) scandal now take its place as the Enron-sized debacle it long has been shaping up as?


Cendant Buys Two Leading Names in Travel Industry Two leading names in the travel industry were today bought for 1.1 billion dollars (563 million) - the second major UK deal by US giant Cendant this month.


Plans Under Way for Exiled Iraqis to Vote -IOM (Reuters) Reuters - Logistical preparations are under way to\allow at least a million exiled Iraqis to cast their votes in\the country's first free elections next month, a senior\organizer said on Thursday.


Panthers punter arrested for DWI, other charges Carolina Panthers punter Todd Sauerbrun was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, a police spokeswoman said Thursday. Sauerbrun also was charged Wednesday night with speeding and with driving while


Britons outpace their own government in aiding disaster victims (AFP) AFP - Britons, moved by stories of tragedy and heroism that even involved their own nationals, outpaced their own government in how much aid money they could raise for tsunami victims in Asia in the last week.


EU expected to approve talks with Turkey BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Union leaders are expected to approve opening talks with Turkey on its wish to join the EU during a two-day summit opening Thursday, but they will likely impose stiff conditions on Ankara.


Mosque bombing mars beginning of election campaign BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A bomb targeting a prominent Shiite cleric killed seven people outside one of southern Iraqs holiest shrines Wednesday as campaigning began for Iraqs first post-Saddam elections -- a vote that is going ahead despite suicide attacks


Barroso Urges Turkey to Go Extra Mile on EU Talks  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission president  urged Turkey on Thursday to "go the extra mile" to show  Europeans it is ready for EU membership talks as the bloc  prepared to approve them despite misgivings by many EU voters.


Plans Under Way for Exiled Iraqis to Vote -IOM  AMMAN (Reuters) - Logistical preparations are under way to  allow at least a million exiled Iraqis to cast their votes in  the country's first free elections next month, a senior  organizer said on Thursday.


FedEx profit jumps, outlook raised FedEx Corp., the world #39;s top air-express shipper, said Thursday quarterly profit more than tripled on strength in its international, ground and freight businesses, and the company raised its full-year earnings forecast.


Tunes Music Store Downloads Top 200 Million Songs, Apple Says Apple Computer Apple announced Thursday that music fans have purchased and downloaded more than 200 million songs from the iTunes Music Store since its launch in April of 2003.


Now, show-off your solar panels It sounds crazy, but its true! Scientists have developed wearable solar panels that can be sewed into clothing, helping charge music players, mobile phones, light batteries This innovative product is likely to hit the market in three years time.


Jones #39; lawyer claims Conte was rebuffed by track star SAN FRANCISCO A lawyer for Marion Jones tells CBS the man accusing the track star of using steroids is a spurned admirer who tried  quot;for years quot; to establish a relationship with her.


UEFA Delays Decision on Soccer Quotas Amid EU Legal Concern European soccer #39;s ruling body today delayed a plan to force clubs to rear more players from their own countries after the European Union said the proposal may be illegal.


Langer #39;s ice douses Shoaib #39;s fire JUSTIN LANGER is fast mounting a case to be considered Australia #39;s most valuable cricketer following a brave and defiant century which laid the foundation for a rescue mission on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan in Perth yesterday.


Destiny and title awaits Taylor SHANNAN TAYLOR will fulfil a lifelong dream when he steps into the ring for a world title shot at the Gold Coast in Queensland tonight.


Dickau #39;s big shot lifts Hornets The Hornets have experienced a Christmas miracle and his name is Dan Dickau. The recently acquired PG paved the way for just their second win all season with his game-high 23 points in a victory over Golden State.


Mistakes hinder Knicks in loss It will be labeled a learning experience, but that won #39;t remove any of the sting. Momentum was lost again Wednesday night as the Knicks blew a lead and lost 94-93 to the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden.


UK government loses terror appeal BRITAIN #39;s highest court has ruled today that the UK Government cannot detain terror suspects indefinitely without trial. Nine judges in the House of Lords ruled in favour of a group of men jailed without charge for up to three years.


Scandal claims a tearful Blunkett THE revenge of an ex-lover has forced the resignation of British Home Secretary David Blunkett, dealing a blow to Tony Blair less than six months before an expected general election.


UN broadens its presence in Iraq UNITED NATIONS, New York The United Nations has announced that it is expanding its presence in Iraq outside of Baghdad to the cities of Erbil and Basra and planning to send a small addition of staff members into the country to assist in the elections


Current Account Gap Widens to Record (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. current account deficit\widened slightly to a record  #36;164.71 billion in the third\quarter as the goods trade shortfall grew and the services\surplus shrank, the government said on Thursday.


Symantec to Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion  NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Symantec Corp. SYMC.O,  a maker of security software, on Thursday said it would buy  storage software maker Veritas Software Corp. VRTS.O for  \$13.5 billion, creating the world's fourth-largest software  company.


Goldman Profit Rises; Revenue Disappoints  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on Thursday  said fourth-quarter profit rose 23 percent on strong  fixed-income and commodities trading results and investment  banking gains, but shares fell as revenue missed expectations.


Stocks Open Lower; Data, Goldman Weigh  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened lower on Thursday,  as investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. GS.N reported  smaller-than-expected revenues, while a slew of data gave a  mixed picture of the economy.


Symantec will buy Veritas for \$13.5B Symantec Corp. will buy Veritas Software Corp. in an all-stock transaction, the companies announced Thursday. Based on Wednesday #39;s closing stock prices, the deal values Veritas at around US\$13.5 billion, they said.


Low US inventories of crude fuel price hike An above expected chilly winter almost a week away from its official arrival date, with temperature already hovering below freezing; top it with a US government data showing a slight decline in crude and heating oil supplies is a wonderful recipe for


Update 2: Goldman Sachs Earnings Soar in 4Q Net earnings at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. rose 23 percent in the fourth quarter as increased transaction volume and a rise in mergers and acquisitions, the brokerage announced Thursday.


FedEx #39;s 2Q Earnings Nearly Triple MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The FedEx Corp., the delivery giant, reported Thursday its second quarter earnings soared due to a strengthening economy and continued growth in overseas and ground shipping.


Cendant Acquires Two British Travel Cos. Cendant Corp. said Thursday it has agreed to acquire Gullivers Travel Associates and Octopus Travel Group Ltd. of Britain for about US\$1.1 billion (euro820 million) in cash.


Westpac just gets stronger WESTPAC said yesterday it was on track with its plans for the first two months of 2005 and expected to deliver strong full-year results, despite intensifying competition.


Governor wants to ban sale of explicit video games to minors Gov. Rod Blagojevich plans to propose a ban Thursday on the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors, something other states have tried with little success.


Adobe smoothes kinks in Acrobat Software company Adobe issued a updated version of Acrobat for the Windows and the Macintosh OS X platforms this week, fixing three security holes that could be used to compromise a user #39;s system.


Mars Science Laboratory As Spirit and Opportunity continue their treks through the Martian winter -- still on duty nearly a year after their arrivals, back down on Earth, NASA is already planning the robot rover that will follow them.


Sinister quake hazard may lurk beneath Mount Tam A particularly sinister form of fault may lie beneath Marin County and could trigger an earthquake of up to 6.5 magnitude, perhaps during this century, scientists plan to report at the American Geophysical Union conference Thursday.


India to play full-strength team Bangladesh maybe celebrating Victory Day today to mark the liberation of their country from the occupation by Pakistani forces, but their actual battle begins on Friday in Chittagong in the second Test against India.


Soccer: Germany overwhelms Japan 3-0 in Asian football tour opener YOKOHAMA, Japan : World Cup heroes Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack scored the goals on Thursday as Germany overwhelmed Asian champions Japan 3-0 in the opener of their three-game Asian tour.


Jakarta raises alert on terror attacks JAKARTA The Indonesian authorities ordered a nationwide security crackdown Thursday after several foreign governments warned that terrorists were preparing to attack Western targets before Christmas.


Sudan #39;s Government Promises to Stop Darfur Offensive African Union (AU) mediators at Darfur peace talks in Nigeria are trying to have rebel groups end their boycott, after receiving assurances from Sudan #39;s government it will stop its offensive.


Ill. Gov. Seeks Violent Video Game Ban (AP) AP - Gov. Rod Blagojevich is proposing to make it a misdemeanor for businesses to sell violent and sexually explicit video games to minors, a step that other states have tried with little success.


Hoon sparks fury with army regiment shake-up (AFP) AFP - The Black Watch army regiment, which lost seven soldiers during a recent mission in Iraq, is to be merged with other units as part of a major military overhaul, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon revealed.


Uncertain Landscape Ahead for Copyright Protection (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - In the final few weeks before the 2004 election, lobbyists for high-tech, entertainment and civil liberties interests were crammed into an icy room in the Dirksen Senate office building, trying to hammer out a bill that would have put Internet song-swapping networks like Kazaa and eDonkey out of business.


NEC develops CD, DVD, HD-DVD drive prototype (MacCentral) MacCentral - Engineers at NEC Corp. have developed a prototype optical disc drive that supports the new HD-DVD format and is also compatible with CD and DVD formats, they said Wednesday.


US troops concluding storm relief operations in the Philippines (AFP) AFP - A major US military airlift of relief goods for victims of deadly storms in the Philippines was winding down, a spokeswoman for the mission said.


Symantec Agrees to Buy Veritas Software (AP) AP - Computer security giant Symantec Corp. is buying storage and backup program maker Veritas Software Corp. in a  #36;13.5 billion deal that will create the world's fourth largest software company.


Quantum Astronomy: Knowability and Unknowability in the Universe (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - This is the third article in a series of four articles each with a separate explanation of different quantum phenomena. Each article is a piece of a mosaic, so every one is needed to understand the final explanation of the quantum astronomy experiment we propose, possibly using the Allen Telescope Array and the narrow-band radio-wave detectors being build by the SETI Institute and the University of California, Berkeley.


Italian President Vetoes Contested Justice Bill  ROME (Reuters) - Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi  defied Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government on  Thursday and vetoed a bill aimed at reforming the legal system,  the president's office said in a statement.


Saddam, Defense Lawyer Meet for 1st Time (AP) AP - Saddam Hussein met for the first time since his capture a year ago with a defense lawyer Thursday, two days after Iraq announced it will soon bring top figures of the fallen regime to court, the chief of the former dictator's legal team said.


Update 4: Symantec Agrees to Buy Veritas Software Computer security giant Symantec Corp. is buying storage and backup program maker Veritas Software Corp. in a \$13.5 billion deal that will create the world #39;s fourth largest software company.


Google wins fight against Geico Google #39;s motion to dismiss legal proceedings brought against it by insurance company Geico was granted on Wednesday by a US District Court judge.


US-based Glamis Gold plans US\$3.4B takeover bid for Canada #39;s <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - Glamis Gold of Reno, Nev., is planning a takeover bid for Goldcorp Inc. of Toronto - but only if Goldcorp drops its \$2.4-billion-Cdn offer for another Canadian firm, made in early December.


New species of monkey found in India A species of monkey unknown to science has been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh, according to the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society.


Lawmaker Wants To Ban Sale Of Violent Video Games To Minors CHICAGO -- The governor of Illinois wants to make it a misdemeanor for businesses to distribute, sell, rent or make available violent and sexually explicit video games to minors.


UPDATE 1-Germany banish World Cup ghosts in Japan Germany banished their 2002 World Cup ghosts with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Japan in the first match of their three-game tour of Asia on Thursday.


British gov #39;t loses key case over terror suspects #39; detention LONDON (AFP) - A key but controversial plank of Britain #39;s post-September 11 security policy was thrown into disarray as the country #39;s highest court ruled that detaining terror suspects indefinitely without trial violated human rights laws.


Demobilized Soldiers Take Over Aristide #39;s Home Near Port-au-Prince Dozens of demobilized soldiers have taken over the home of ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in a Port-au-Prince suburb.


Today 121 articles about Russia appeared worldwide YUKOS petition for bankruptcy protection was lodged to the US court to protect reputation of foreign managers, wont held the holders, M. Khodorkovsky said.


Lifetime in Prison...  With no Evidence? \\My god this is disturbing :\\"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration is preparing plans for possible\lifetime detention of suspected terrorists, including hundreds whom the\government does not have enough evidence to charge in courts, The Washington\Post reported Sunday."\\"Citing intelligence, defense and diplomatic officials, the newspaper said the\Pentagon (news - web sites) and the CIA (news - web sites) had asked the White\House to decide on a more permanent approach for those it would not set free\or turn over to courts at home or abroad."\\... so all you have to do is be a "suspected" terrorist now and you can spend\the rest of your life in prison.\\


Cendant to Acquire Gullivers Travel for \$1.1 Billion (Update3) Cendant Corp., which owns Days Inn hotels and Avis Rent A Car Systems Inc., agreed to buy the UK #39;s Gullivers Travel Associates and Octopus Travel Group Ltd.


J and J to buy US #39;s second-biggest heart device manufacturer Washington - United States health titan Johnson and Johnson has reached a deal to acquire American heart device manufacturer Guidant, in a stock-and-cash deal valued at \$23.9-billion, based on \$76 per share, the companies said in a statement early on


India faces criticism on tsunami Indian PM Manmohan Singh visits tsunami victims but faces more criticism over the handling of the disaster.


Parmalat Announces Suits Against 45 Banks Parmalat SpA is suing 45 financial institutions to try to claw back money lost in the runup to its crash a year ago, the Italian dairy giant said Thursday.


Freebie to boost Powderfinger AMERICANS are downloading Powderfinger #39;s music for nothing this week - and the Brisbane band couldn #39;t be happier. The track Stumblin #39;, from the band #39;s latest album Vulture Street, is the free download of the week on Apple #39;s iTunes Music Store in the US.


Baseball rejects DC plan Major League Baseball is poised to cancel the move of the Montreal Expos to Washington after the District of Columbia Council Tuesday night amended the agreement for a riverfront stadium by requiring 50 percent private financing.


India's tsumani death toll jumps to 14,488 (Reuters) Reuters - India raised the number of people killed or feared killed in last week's tsunami to 14,488 on Sunday, up by more than 1,700 since the previous evening's estimate.


Pacheco vs. Darchinyan: Finally, A Hidden Gem by Paul Upham: It was a fight that was to receive national exposure in the USA on ESPN2 #39;s #39;Friday Night Fights on September 3, until the arrival of Hurricane Frances and it #39;s devastating impact on Florida caused the cancellation of the entire Warrior #39;s


Chicago Bulls Team Report - December 16 In 2003-04, the Bucks won three of their four contests with the Bulls. Overall, the home team has won 13 of the last 14 meetings. Milwaukee has won four of six and six of the last nine contests in this series.


Birmingham to sell Gronkjaer to Atletico Madrid Birmingham City have agreed to sell Denmark winger Jesper Gronkjaer to Spanish side Atletico Madrid, the Premier League club says.


Turkish PM eyes  #39;positive #39; EU move, but sticking points remain BRUSSELS, Dec 16 (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Thursday the EU #39;s  quot;positive quot; approach to its bid to start membership talks, but said sticking points remain ahead of a crunch summit.


Britain Cannot Detain Terror Suspects Indefinitely: Court Nine Law Lords ruled in favour of a group of men jailed without charge for up to three years. The British government had argued that the detention without trial of some terrorist suspects is a tough but necessary


Taliban deny hand in Turkish engineer #39;s murder ISLAMABAD, Dec 16 (AFP) - Taliban militants on Thursday denied any hand in the abduction and murder of a Turkish man in Afghanistan, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported.


Virus poses as Christmas e-mail A computer virus posing as an electronic Christmas card is spreading across the net.


U.S. Current Account Deficit Hits Record (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. current account deficit\grew to a record  #36;164.71 billion in the third quarter, less\than had been forecast, the Commerce Department said on\Thursday.


Fannie Mae Shares Fall on Accounting Woes (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of U.S. mortgage finance\giant Fannie Mae  tumbled on Thursday after the\Securities and Exchange Commission said the company must\restate earnings because of accounting problems.


Symantec to Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion Computer security giant Symantec Corp. has agreed to buy the storage and backup program maker Veritas Software Corp. for about \$13.5 billion in stock in a deal that would create a massive software company that provides a wide range of programs to secure and protect networks and computers.


U.S. Current Account Deficit Hits Record  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. current account deficit  grew to a record \$164.71 billion in the third quarter, less  than had been forecast, the Commerce Department said on  Thursday.


Fannie Mae Shares Fall on Accounting Woes  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. mortgage finance  giant Fannie Mae FNM.N tumbled on Thursday after the  Securities and Exchange Commission said the company must  restate earnings because of accounting problems.


Carnival Profit Cruises Up 43 Percent  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Carnival Corp. CCL.N<CCL.L>, the  world's biggest cruise group, on Thursday posted a 43 percent  rise in quarterly earnings as it benefited from a merger with  P O Princess Cruises last year.


E-Mail Program Lacks 'Wow' Factor The Firefox browser has become an instant sensation, in just a few weeks gaining impressively against Microsoft Corp.'s market-leading but malware-beleaguered Internet Explorer.


Rite Aid Post Loss, Cuts Outlook  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Pharmacy chain operator Rite Aid Corp.  RAD.N on Thursday posted a quarterly loss, compared with a  profit in the same year-earlier quarter, and cut its full-year  outlook, citing worse-than-expected sales.


Missile team homes in on the Moon A US firm is proposing to use guided missile technology to make an automated, precision landing on the Moon.


New rival for Verizon, Cingular Round two of US wireless industry consolidation is officially under way, with Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc.making the much anticipated announcement that they have agreed to a \$35 billion merger Wednesday, Dec.


Yukos files for bankruptcy The Yukos oil company has filed for bankruptcy in the US and appealed for a temporary restraining order against the auction of its main production unit, scheduled for Sunday.


UPDATE 1-Goldman Sachs 4th-quarter profit up 23 pct Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday said fourth-quarter profit rose 23 percent as its fixed-income, currency and commodities business soared while


Stocks creep higher as investors weigh climbing oil against M amp;A <b>...</b> Stocks extended their rally with modest gains Wednesday, as Wall Street overlooked climbing oil prices to focus on strong results from Lehman Brothers and Sprint #39;s \$35 billion deal for Nextel Communications.


Cendant to buy Gullivers for \$1.1B Deal to buy UK travel company expected to close next April, funded with Wright IPO proceeds. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Travel and real estate company Cendant Corp.


Johnson  amp; Johnson to Buy Guidant Johnson  amp; Johnson (JNJ:NYSE - news - research) said Wednesday night that it would acquire medical equipment maker Guidant (GDT:NYSE - news - research) for \$23.9 billion in cash and stock.


PARMALAT: FT, BONDI WANTS 1 BLN DOLLARS FROM ITALIAN BANKS (AGI) - Rome, 15 Dec - The special commissioner for Parmalat Enrico Bondi is ready  quot;to present over the next few days legal action seeking to recover over a billion dollars from dozens of Italian banks which aided the company #39;s finances before its


Ask Jeeves Introduces Yet Another Desktop Search Tool Ask Jeeves yesterday joined Microsoft in introducing a beta desktop search application. Ask Jeeves states that its Desktop Search makes it easy for people to find information on their computers or the Internet.


iTunes Music Store downloads top 200 million songs Well on its way to serving up a quarter-billion iTunes tracks by next Spring, Apple claims to have sold over 200 million tunes to date.


SAP launches security service SAP AG this week unveiled a service that evaluates security settings across a customer #39;s SAP enterprise system. SAP Security Optimization helps customers identify and fix vulnerabilities, and minimise the


Iraq Considering Nominees for U.S. Ambassador (Reuters) Reuters - Iraq's interim government is\considering nominees for the position of ambassador to the\United States for the first time since the 1991 Gulf War,\deputy foreign minister Hamid al-Bayati said on Thursday.


Panthers Punter Arrested on DWI Charge (AP) AP - Carolina Panthers punter Todd Sauerbrun was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, a police spokeswoman said Thursday.


Plan to limit foreigners mooted Arsene Wenger #39;s policy of bringing youngsters from across Europe to build his next Arsenal squad could be outlawed under a new UEFA ruling.


Pistons get gift from Knicks They were in desperate need of a victory, and the New York Knicks gift-wrapped one for them on Wednesday. Detroit (11-10) pulled off one of its more improbable wins, getting a pair of


Cole pleads for Blues chance Joe Cole has pleaded for another chance to prove himself at Chelsea as his Stamford Bridge future remains clouded in uncertainty ahead of the transfer window.


Iraqi Militants Say They Shot Italian (AP) AP - Iraqi militants said they shot and killed an Italian citizen after he tried to break through a guerrilla roadblock on a highway outside the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi.


Police arrest stationmaster after rail crash (Reuters) Reuters - Indian railway police on Thursday arrested one of two stationmasters blamed for a head-on crash between two passenger trains which killed at least 38 people and injured 53, officials said.


Bode Miller Faces a Tough Challenge  VAL GARDENA, Italy (Reuters) - American Bode Miller faces a  challenge to his domination of the men's World Cup when the  speed events return with three days of racing in the Dolomites.


Detroit Pistons Team Report - December 16 (Sports Network) - The Detroit Pistons start a three-game homestand, as they welcome LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight to The Palace of Auburn Hills.


Coming to America (to Die) You know your country is messed up if people don #39;t even want to die there, much less live there. On Wednesday, Russia #39;s erstwhile oil giant, Yukos (Pink Sheets: YUKOY), attempted to commit corporate


Bush to tackle Social Security issues The nation #39;s economy is growing, President Bush told attendees on the second day of a White House economic conference, but work remains to be done on Social Security, the deficit and what the president called  quot;fiscal restraint.


Google wins AdWords trade mark case Google has won a trade mark dispute, with a District Court judge finding that the search engines sale of sponsored search terms Geico and Geico Direct did not breach car insurance firm GEICOs rights in the trade marked terms.


Goldman reports quarterly earnings up 36 Goldman Sachs reported strong fourth quarter and full year earnings of \$1.19bn, up 36 per cent on the previous quarter. Full year profit rose 52 per cent from the previous year to \$4.55bn.


Hershey Ups Wholesale Prices on Candy People looking for that next chocolate fix might find it a little bit more expensive Thursday after Hershey Food Corp. said it will raise wholesale prices to offset higher raw material and other production costs.


J amp;J to buy Guidant for \$25.4 billion Johnson  amp; Johnson said Wednesday night that it would acquire Indianapolis-based medical device manufacturer Guidant Corp. for \$25.4 billion.


Clorox Boosts 2Q, Year Guidance on Gain Household products maker Clorox Co. on Thursday revised its second-quarter and year guidance higher to reflect the benefits of the stock exchange with Henkel KGaA and related financing.


Fannie Mae delays note sale announcement to Friday Fannie Mae (FNM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the largest US home funding company, said on Thursday it will delay by one day until Friday announcing whether it will sell December benchmark notes.


Coke Enterprises Outlook Disappoints Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (CCE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the world #39;s largest bottler of Coca-Cola soft drinks, on Thursday forecast its earnings in 2005 would be at


Ask Jeeves Launches Desktop Search Ask Jeeves has launched a beta desktop search application, capping off a very busy year in the desktop search space. Just a year ago, consumer oriented desktop search was only available from a few small companies like Enfish, dtSearch, and x1.


Linux Poised for Takeoff The market for Linux-based products, including servers, PCs and software, will reach \$35 billion by 2008, according to a report from IDC.


Yahoo! shows live traffic conditions Company #39;s maps show local traffic conditions in the US, the first site to do so nationally. SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo! Inc.


Indian Scientists Discover New Primate Species There are 19 macaque species in Asia and one in Africa, and they are said to be second only to human beings in their wide geographical distribution.


Nokia hologram to expose fake, unsafe batteries Nokia has begun applying a holographic sticker to its mobile phone batteries in a bid to prevent fake power packs being inadvertently purchased as the real thing.


Nintendo Powers Up The battle between the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP handheld game players just heated up again. Faced with the PSPs movie and music playback capabilities, Nintendo announced yesterday that it will be releasing


Zafi worm causes email mayhem Mass-mailing Zafi-D worm, which disguises itself as a Christmas greeting, is infecting more than one in every ten emails. The worm, which spreads in a file attached to email messages containing the text Happy


UPDATE 1-Wenger fined for Old Trafford comments Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been fined 15,000 pounds (\$29,220) for improper conduct for comments he made after the champions #39; 2-0 defeat by Manchester United in October.


Cropp Not Shaken by MLB #39;s Reaction WASHINGTON - DC Council Chair Linda Cropp isn #39;t shaken by Major League Baseball calling the DC Council #39;s measure requiring 50 percent private financing for a new stadium  quot;wholly unacceptable.


Kinnear resigns as Nottingham Forest manager Joe Kinnear resigned Thursday as manager of struggling League Championship side Nottingham Forest. Kinnear took over at the City Ground in February and steered Forest out of relegation danger last season.


Three fans banned for racially abusing Yorke Three men have been banned from football matches for five years after Birmingham City striker Dwight Yorke was racially abused at Blackburn Rovers last month, a court official said on Thursday.


Golden State Warriors Team Report - December 16 (Sports Network) - The Golden State Warriors lost to the New Orleans Hornets, 98-89, on Wednesday. The Warriors are 1-1 on their current four-game road trip.


Soccer to become football in Australia Soccer will officially become football in Australia next year after the Australian Soccer Association announced Thursday it will change its name to Football Federation Australia.


Bode Miller Faces a Tough Challenge American Bode Miller faces a challenge to his domination of the men #39;s World Cup when the speed events return with three days of racing in the Dolomites.


Ayoob to play football at Cal With his infamous work ethic, Cal football coach Jeff Tedford isn #39;t really the kind of guy who goes for long, leisurely mornings in bed and afternoons spent napping on the couch.


Houston Rockets Team Report - December 16 (Sports Network) - Tracy McGrady scored a game-high 25 points and added six rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets over the Atlanta Hawks, 92-69, on Wednesday at the Toyota Center.


Barroso Urges Turkey to Go Extra Mile on EU Talks The European Commission president urged Turkey on Thursday to  quot;go the extra mile quot; to show Europeans it is ready for EU membership talks as the bloc prepared


Alleged Bin Laden Tape Targets Saudi Rulers An audio tape purportedly by Osama bin Laden praises gunmen who attacked a US consulate in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 6 and warns Saudi rulers they could be toppled like the Shah of Iran.


Syria rejects US accusations of meddling in Iraqi affairs Syria on Thursday rejected accusations by US President George W. Bush and some Iraqi officials of meddling in Iraqi affairs as  quot;groundless, quot; the official SANA news agency reported.


Sudan will stop attacks if Darfur rebels do-official The Sudanese government will stop its military operations in the Darfur conflict zone in west Sudan if rebels in the area stop violating a ceasefire deal, a top official in Sudan #39;s ruling party said on Thursday.


Japan urged to repeal Lee visit China strongly demanded Japan immediately repeal its decision to issue a visa to former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui, warning that if Tokyo allows the visit it will harm bilateral relations.


Abbas #39; own militants reject call to end intifida Key Palestinian militant groups, including ones headed by Mahmoud Abbas, have rejected the leader #39;s calls to end their armed fight against Israel.


NZ first in coastal security zone rule The Government may have been caught flat-footed by Australia #39;s announcement of a 1850km maritime security zone but it turns out New Zealand already has similar measures.


Panthers Punter Sauerbrun Arrested for DWI (Reuters) Reuters - Carolina Panthers punter\Todd Sauerbrun was arrested Wednesday night and charged with\driving while impaired.


Source: New Warrants for NYRA Tracks (AP) AP - Authorities are investigating whether bettors at New York's top thoroughbred tracks were properly informed when jockeys came in overweight at races, a source familiar with the probe told The Associated Press.


Panthers Punter Sauerbrun Arrested for DWI  CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sports Network) - Carolina Panthers punter  Todd Sauerbrun was arrested Wednesday night and charged with  driving while impaired.


Compensation for Pinochet Victims Approved (AP) AP - Congress overwhelmingly passed a bill granting money and other compensation to some 28,000 former political prisoners, most of them victims of torture during the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.


ADVISORY: Levi Strauss Story Withdrawn (Reuters) Reuters - The story headlined "UPDATE 1-Levi\Strauss   Co says could face bankruptcy" is withdrawn. The\story was based on language included in a filing the company\made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Such\language on risk factors is standard in most references to\indebtedness in regulatory filings by companies.


Iceland Offers Shelter to Fugitive Chess Player Fischer (Reuters) Reuters - Fugitive chess master Bobby\Fischer has been offered a new home in Iceland, where he won a\classic victory in 1972, but it is unclear whether he will be\able to make the move from his detention in Japan.


Montreal man pleads guilty to arson in firebombing at Jewish school (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - MONTREAL (CP) - A 19-year-old man charged in a firebombing at a Jewish elementary school pleaded guilty Thursday to arson.


Symantec to Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion  NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Symantec Corp. SYMC.O,  the top global security software maker, on Thursday said it  will buy Veritas Software Corp. VRTS.O for \$13.5 billion,  expanding into the data storage and recovery business.


FedEx Profit, Outlook Up, Stock Down  NEW YORK (Reuters) - FedEx Corp. FDX.N  said quarterly  profit nearly quadrupled on in its international, ground and  freight businesses, but the stock slipped on disappointment  over the margins.


ADVISORY: Levi Strauss Story Withdrawn  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The story headlined "UPDATE 1-Levi  Strauss   Co says could face bankruptcy" is withdrawn. The  story was based on language included in a filing the company  made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Such  language on risk factors is standard in most references to  indebtedness in regulatory filings by companies.


Parmalat sues 45 banks over crash Parmalat sues 45 banks as it tries to reclaim money paid to banks before the scandal-hit Italian dairy company went bust last year.


Stormy year for property insurers A string of storms, typhoons and earthquakes makes 2004 the most expensive year on record for property insurers, according to Swiss Re.


UK Keeps Terror Suspects in Jail, Despite Judgement  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top court delivered a severe  jolt to Prime Minister Tony Blair's post-Sept. 11 security  policies on Thursday by ruling against the detention of nine  foreign terrorism suspects without trial.


Southwest Airlines Nears \$117 Million Deal for ATA Southwest Airlines was the apparent winner today in the bidding war for ATA Airlines, a low-fare carrier that sought Chapter 11 protection this fall.


Algeria Security Feared Behind 5,200 Deaths  ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian security forces members are  believed responsible for the deaths of 5,200 civilians who  disappeared during a decade-long struggle with Islamic rebels  and should face justice, a government-appointed official said.


Update 1: Moscow Court Bars Yukos Meeting A Moscow court has barred the embattled Russian oil giant Yukos from holding an emergency shareholders meeting next week, a Russian oil company official said Thursday.


Symantec Will Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion in Stock (Update4) Symantec Corp., the world #39;s largest maker of anti-virus programs for computers, agreed to buy Veritas Software Corp. for \$13.5 billion, the biggest software purchase in six years.


FedEx Profit, Outlook Up, Stock Down FedEx Corp. (FDX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said quarterly profit nearly quadrupled on in its international, ground and freight businesses, but the stock slipped on disappointment over the margins.


Cendant Snags Another Travel Site The acquisition of privately held Gullivers, a wholesaler of hotels, travel packages and group tours, also includes online travel seller OctopusTravel.


Noble to Buy Patina Oil for Cash, Stock Oil and gas producer Noble Energy Inc. (NBL) agreed to buy Patina Oil  amp; Gas Corp. (POG) in a cash and stock deal, helping it expand into the natural gas-rich Rocky Mountain region, the companies said on Thursday.


Yahoo adds traffic information to map service Yahoo is adding local traffic information to its map service in the US, including roadwork and accident reports as well as the approximate speed at which traffic is proceeding along specific roads.


O2 and Nortel demo super-fast wireless broadband O2 and Nortel have completed live mobile test calls using an emerging technology known as High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), which the firms claim is three times faster than today #39;s commercial 3G networks.


Three English fans get five-year bans for racist taunting Three soccer fans were fined and banned from attending games in England or Wales until 2009 after pleading guilty Thursday to racist taunting of Birmingham City striker Dwight Yorke.


US Intelligence Analyzing New Tape Attributed to bin Laden A US official says intelligence agents will analyze a new tape purportedly featuring the voice of Osama bin Laden. The message praises this month #39;s attack on a US consulate in Saudi Arabia and claims change is needed in the Saudi leadership.


Turkey urged to recognise Cyprus The European commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, today urged Ankara to  quot;go the extra mile quot; - including the recognition of Cyprus - to convince sceptics Turkey is ready to become a candidate for EU membership.


Another wireless hookup Sprint #39;s acquisition of Nextel Communications is fueling speculation of more deals to come in a telecommunications industry roiled by intense competition and rapid technological change.


Time Warner to Pay \$510 Million to Settle AOL Charges with US <b>...</b> Media giant Time Warner will pay approximately \$510 million to settle various fraud charges regarding its America Online (AOL) unit with two US regulatory agencies, the company revealed this morning.


Lawyers Clear Krispy Kreme of Wrongdoing Troubled doughnut maker Krispy Kreme said Thursday that lawyers have concluded for a second time that no one at the company engaged in intentional misconduct related to the company #39;s acquisition of a Michigan franchise.


J amp;J Sets Pace With \$25B Guidant Deal NEW YORK -- Johnson  amp; Johnson will acquire Guidant Corp., one of the world #39;s leading makers of cardiac devices, for about \$25.4 billion in cash and stock.


Cendant buying spree continues with \$1bn UK deal Cendant, the worlds largest travel group, continued its buying spree, saying on Thursday it had agreed to buy privately held Gullivers Travel Associates, the UK-based travel company, and Octopus Travel for about \$1.1bn cash.


Noble to Buy Patina Oil for Cash, Stock Oil and gas producer Noble Energy Inc. (NBL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) agreed to buy Patina Oil  amp; Gas Corp. (POG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) in a cash and stock deal, helping it expand


P2P sites shut down, MPAA unleashes lawsuits worldwide In the beginning, there was Napster. And the lords of the music industry looked upon it and declared war. And the hordes of music fans fought back, using technology to the utmost in order to continually stay


Microsoft Acquires Anti-Spyware Leader GIANT Company Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has acquired GIANT Company Software Inc., a provider of top-rated anti-spyware and Internet security products.


Australia claw back after Langer smacks 181 Australia: The long-awaited showdown between two of the world #39;s best pace attacks did not disappoint on Thursday when first the ball, then the bat dominated proceedings on the opening day of the Test between Pakistan and Australia.


I sacrificed career for little boy #39;s sake DAVID BLUNKETT, who dramatically quit as Home Secretary last night, has told how he sacrificed his career for the sake of his two-year-old love child.


Iceland offers visa to chess wizard Bobby Fischer TOKYO - Iceland has offered a residency visa to Bobby Fischer, but the former US chess champion faces obstacles to get there because he remains in jail in Japan under an American deportation order.


China vows to further anti-terror ties with Pakistan Beijing, Dec. 16 (PTI): China today said it opposed terrorism  quot;in all forms quot;, and vowed to enhance cooperation with Pakistan to jointly fight against the menace as also to develop the  quot;comprehensive cooperative partnership quot; with its  quot;all-weather friend.


Australian security plan worries New Zealand: World News: Wellington, Dec 16 : An Australian plan to boost coastal security with a vast surveillance net across the Tasman Sea has taken New Zealand by surprise.


UN troops surround Aristide #39;s former compound seized by ex <b>...</b> PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Several hundred UN troops and Haitian police surrounded the estate of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Thursday in a showdown with a band of former soldiers who seized the abandoned compound.


Economic Data Triggers Huge Dollar Rally  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rebounded strongly on  Thursday after the release of data showing the U.S. current  account was narrower in the third quarter than many had feared,  triggering a relief rally for the beleaguered U.S. currency.


Russia Duma election must stand Russia's Supreme Court rejects a claim to invalidate the results of the 2003 elections to the Duma.


UK rejects North Sea fishing plan Plans by the European Commission to close some areas round British coasts to cod fishing will be opposed by the UK.


Mystery Woman in Kerik Case: Nanny Little is known about the household employee at the center of the controversy enveloping Bernard B. Kerik, the former nominee for homeland security secretary.


Star Alliance airlines may delay orders to hear more about Airbus <b>...</b> C-117 writes  quot;The 15 Star Alliance member carriers decided to move ahead with a complete analysis and comparison of the Boeing 7E7 and Airbus A350, which could be seen as a setback for Boeing, as several airlines may delay potential orders while waiting


CORRECTED - UPDATE 2-Krispy Kreme lawyers found no purposeful <b>...</b> In CHICAGO story headlined  quot;UPDATE 2-Krispy Kreme lawyers found no purposeful misconduct, quot; please read in paragraph 9 ... a former operating manager of a Northern California franchise ... instead of ... a


Goldman #39;s Profit Rises 23 on Oil Trading, Mergers (Update2) Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the third- largest US securities firm, said quarterly profit rose 23 percent, boosted by revenue from commodities and currency trading and fees from providing merger advice.


Noble to buy Patina Oil Gas for \$3.4bn Noble Energy Inc. said Thursday it was acquiring Patina Oil Gas Corp. in a deal valued at \$3.4 billion including the assumption of debt, helping it expand into the Rockies and mid-continent.


India 'delivers aid to islands' The Indian army says planes have delivered supplies to tsunami survivors on \all the Andaman and Nicobar islands.


Microsoft Purchases GIANT Company Software for Anti-Spyware <b>...</b> This morning, Microsoft pleasantly surprised me by purchasing GIANT Company Software, which makes what I believe to be the best anti-spyware solution on the market.


LEVEIN RELISHING DERBY CLASH Craig Levein hopes to give Leicester fans an early Christmas present when his side face local rivals Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.


Miller takes weekly honors with fifth, sixth wins com. How high have expectations risen for Bode Miller? The one-time slalom specialist finishes fourth in a World Cup downhill, and it #39;s reported as some sort of crushing loss.


Boston Celtics Team Report - December 16 (Sports Network) - The Boston Celtics found themselves on the wrong end of a 100-99 decision against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday at the FleetCenter.


Full Extent of Indonesia Disaster Slowly Revealed  BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - Survivors huddle in  clearings without food or shelter above the water-damage line  all along the tsunami-ravaged coast of Indonesia's Aceh  province, and corpses float for miles out to sea.


EP Leaders Deliver Opinion: Let Negotiations Begin Without Delay The European Parliament (EP) has advised European Union (EU) leaders, who meet today at the EU summit, to begin full membership negotiations with Turkey immediately.


Japan Approves Visa for Ex-Taiwan Leader Japan has decided to issue a visa for former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui to visit this year, a government spokesman said Thursday, a decision that could exacerbate tense relations with China.


Italian captive Santoro killed in Iraq An Italian captive identified as Salvatore Santoro has been killed by his captors in Iraq , Aljazeera television reported. Aljazeera on Thursday broadcast pictures of Santoro #39;s passport and showed him sitting


PM says his Chinese visit to strengthen close ties ISLAMABAD, Dec 14 (NNI): Prime Minister Mr. Shaukat Aziz Tuesday said his visit will China will go a long way to strengthen existing close ties between the two countries in all fields.


Philips switches strategy pictures through flat screen disposal (AFP) AFP - The Dutch electronics group Philips said that it is selling its low-brand flat screens business group to TPV Technology of Taiwan as part of a strategic change of direction, and in line with a trend by big groups to use Asian partners to cut costs.


Congressman's New Job Is Top Drug Lobbyist (Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles Times - WASHINGTON  #8212; The pharmaceutical industry on Wednesday named as its top lobbyist a longtime congressman who had been among those overseeing it. The new job is said to come with a  #36;1-million-plus salary.


Gaza Plan May Bring Palestinian State-Sharon Aide  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's  chief of staff on Thursday called a Gaza withdrawal plan a  possible step toward a Palestinian state, in a clear sign of  softening following Yasser Arafat's death.


Bosnia Envoy Sacks Bosnia Serb Officials Over Hague  SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia's peace overseer fired six Serb  police officers and three other officials on Thursday to punish  the Serb Republic for failing to arrest war crimes suspects and  obstructing the process of hunting them down.


Statement From Demos On The Last Fed Rate Hike of 2004  quot;While the increase in the Federal Reserve rate might benefit individuals with long term investments or saving, millions of households in our deficit-spending culture will only experience its many pitfalls.


SEARCHING FOR A HOME? The deal to move the Expos to Washington, DC, is, as Mayor Anthony Williams puts it,  quot;in jeopardy. quot; If it falls apart, baseball will not resume talks with other cities until after Dec. 31, and it #39;s unclear where the Expos would play this season.


Promoter Wants More MLB Games in P.R. (AP) AP - The promoter who brought the Montreal Expos to Puerto Rico is talking with major league baseball to have other reams play on the island next season.


Bed Bath   Beyond Debt-Free The leading home-goods retailer keeps its balance sheet clean and delivers strong results.


Bush Says Social Security Is a Top Priority President Bush said Thursday that "now is the time to confront Social Security" to deal with a projected \$3.7 trillion, 75-year shortfall and give younger workers the ability to invest some of their contributions into personal accounts.


Sprint-Nextel: First Marital Tiff Technology problems arise as Sprint and Nextel merge. Also: Symantec buys Veritas.... Illinois' governor bans violent video games for minors   hellip;.  and more.


Symantec in \$13bn Veritas merger Global security software maker Symantec is to take over Veritas Software in a merger deal valued at \$13.5bn (7bn). The all-share deal will see Symantec swap 1.1242 shares of common stock for each Veritas share.


Oil futures stabilize after sharp rise on cold North Hemisphere <b>...</b> Oil futures steadied Thursday after a jump that reflected a drop in US crude and heating oil stocks amid rising demand fueled by cold weather spreading across the US Northeast and Midwest.


J amp;J Seals \$25.4 Bln Pact to Buy Guidant Johnson  amp; Johnson has agreed to buy Guidant Corp. for \$25.4 billion in cash and stock, the companies said on Wednesday, giving the healthcare products maker a foothold


Cendant Corporation Acquires Gullivers Travel Associates And <b>...</b> NEW YORK and LONDON, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cendant Corporation (NYSE:CD) today announced that it has agreed to acquire privately held, UK based Gullivers Travel Associates, the trading name of Donvand Ltd.


Yahoo adds traffic information to maps service Yahoo Inc. is adding local traffic information to its maps service, including roadwork and accident reports as well as the approximate speed at which traffic is proceeding along specific roads.


Warner Inks Mobile-Phone Music Deal biz. Warner Music Group has signed a global licensing agreement with Melodeo Inc., marking the Seattle-based mobile music platform provider #39;s first deal with a major label.


IDC: Linux Market Will Surpass \$35 Billion by 2008 The combined worldwide market for desktops, servers and packaged software running on Linux is forecast to grow at a 2003-2008 compound annual growth rate of 25.9 percent worldwide, reaching \$35.7 billion by 2008.


The two sides of Wenger Is the real Arsenal boss the fair-minded French Professor we have come to admire or the sore loser who is to face the FA today for calling Ruud van Nistelrooy  quot;a cheat quot;?


Kinnear resigns as Forest manager The City Ground side are languishing in 22nd place in the league and coach Mick Harford has taken temporary charge.  quot;I feel it is in the best interests of the club that I resign and give my successor the chance to turn things around, quot; said Kinnear.


Source: New Warrants for NYRA Tracks Authorities are investigating whether bettors at New York #39;s top thoroughbred tracks were properly informed when jockeys came in overweight at races, a source familiar with the probe told The Associated Press.


Mort: Coach keeps NFL door open, leery of full-time Dave Wannstedt withdrew his name Thursday from the search for a new coach at the University of Pittsburgh, he told ESPN #39;s Chris Mortensen.


American Stewart back with Venlo Amsterdam, the Netherlands (Sports Network) - American international Earnie Stewart has signed an 18-month contract with VVV Venlo, the club where the midfielder began his career.


New York Knicks Billups scored 15 points, including a pair of free throws with 2.6 seconds left, as the Pistons rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to defeat the Knicks, 94-93.


Taylor wants  #39;meaningful #39; world title SHANNAN Taylor plans to use his World Boxing Foundation (WBF) super middleweight title fight on Friday as  quot;a battery charge quot; for his attempt on a far more prestigious and meaningful world title next year.


Praise the lords The law lords have produced a historic, landmark judgment upholding fundamental rights. It is a decision which demonstrates how vital it is for us all that an independent judiciary is able to scrutinise every act and decision of government and parliament.


Blunkett #39;s sacrifice DAVID Blunkett sacrificed his political career last night when he resigned as Home Secretary just days before an inquiry was due to report that the visa application for his former lover #39;s nanny was  quot;fast-tracked quot; after all.


Islamist group in Iraq claims killing of Italian hostage: TV DUBAI (AFP) - An Italian hostage identified as Salvatore Santoro has been killed by an Islamist group in Iraq, Al-Jazeera television said quoting a statement from the group and showing footage of the man.


Midway Developing Mature-Rated Football Video Game (Reuters) Reuters - Midway Games Inc. plans to publish\a "mature"-rated pro football video game with the kinds of\violence and excess shunned by the National Football League,\the company said on Thursday.


Gaza Plan May Bring Palestinian State-Sharon Aide (Reuters) Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's\chief of staff on Thursday called a Gaza withdrawal plan a\possible step toward a Palestinian state, in a clear sign of\softening following Yasser Arafat's death.


Mid-Atlantic Factory Output Grows in Dec. (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. Mid-Atlantic factories kicked\production up a notch in December as orders for manufacturing\goods increased, a regional Federal Reserve bank said on\Thursday.


Darfuris Fleeing Villages, Report Govt Attacks (Reuters) Reuters - Darfuri Dowsa Ahmed Hassan\said he was standing in the market place when he heard the\Antonov plane's drone and watched it drop three bombs on his\village, killing a mother and her three children.


Sponsorship woes still dog Martin heading into new year (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Paul Martin knew it wouldn't be easy to explain the sponsorship scandal to Canadian voters.


Miller to Honor Swift Boat Vets' Group (AP) AP - For one night only, it'll be spitballs and Swift Boats together on the same stage  #151; a who's who of Sen. John Kerry bashing. The American Conservative Union on Thursday announced it has tapped Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., to present the "Courage Under Fire" award to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth at the Conservative Political Action Conference's Feb. 16 banquet.


Mid-Atlantic Factory Output Grows in Dec.  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Mid-Atlantic factories kicked  production up a notch in December as orders for manufacturing  goods increased, a regional Federal Reserve bank said on  Thursday.


Blue Chips Rise; J J Up, Goldman Falls  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips moved higher  on  Thursday, getting a lift from Johnson   Johnson JNJ.N  following its acquisition of medical device maker Guidant Corp.  GDT.N, but broader market gains were capped after investment  bank Goldman Sachs posted disappointing quarterly revenues.


CORRECTED: Symantec to Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion Symantec Corp. (SYMC), the top global security software maker, on Thursday said it will buy Veritas Software Corp. (VRTS) for \$13.5 billion, expanding


Southwest bids \$117M for ATA assets Southwest Airlines #39; package of \$117 million in cash, loan payoffs and preferred stock purchases was selected as the winning bid at the bankruptcy court-approved auction for certain ATA Airlines Inc.


Exchange That Funky Gift Card If a plastic card that gives you credit for something you don't want isn't your idea of a great gift, you can put it up for sale or swap.


Goldman Sachs Fourth-Quarter Profit Rises Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on Thursday said fourth-quarter profit rose as its fixed-income, currency and commodities business soared while a rebounding stock market boosted investment banking.


Update 2: FedEx Earnings More Than Triple in Quarter The FedEx Corp., the huge package delivery courier, reported Thursday its second quarter earnings soared due to a strengthening economy and continued growth in overseas and ground shipping.


Francona kept Sox' snags sewn up A few stories Terry Francona never told as he was guiding the Red Sox to their first world championship since the inventions of traffic signals, frozen food, and bubble gum:


BCS still ranks as a failure FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Two days before college football's biggest game of the season -- the BCS national championship Orange Bowl matchup between No. 1 Southern Cal and No. 2 Oklahoma -- college football itself is again on the precipice of chaos.


HP to Invest \$3 Billion in Itanium-Powered Servers Hewlett-Packard Co. is planning to spend \$3 billion over the next three years to grow the server product line that runs on Intel Corp.


Overall iPod sales surge, iPod photo demand mediocre Sales of Apple #39;s flagship iPods are booming in recent weeks, though sources claim the company #39;s recently introduced iPod photo is not such a hot ticket.


SAP introduces security service com December 15, 2004, 2:54 PM PT. SAP is starting a computer security service for its corporate customers, the German software maker announced on Wednesday.


Enterprise Security Adobe Patches Acrobat Vulnerabilities Adobe has issued a patch for Acrobat Reader to correct a vulnerability that could allow an atacker to take over a user #39;s system with an infected PDF file.


FA fines Wenger London - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was fined 15 000 by the Football Association on Thursday for calling Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy a cheat.


Langer #39;s century saves Australia Justin Langer hit a superb unbeaten century to haul Australia back from 78-5 on day one of the first Test against Pakistan in Perth.


Orgeron introduced as football coach at Ole Miss Ed Orgeron #39;s recruiting success at Southern California helped him land the job as Mississippi #39;s football coach Thursday.  quot;We are going to teach our young men to compete, quot; Orgeron said at a news conference.


Ahern and Blair hope to revitalise NI process Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair meet today to try to find a way of breathing new life into the faltering efforts to restore devolution to Northern Ireland.


Irish company hit by Iraqi report Shares in Irish oil company Petrel Resources have lost more than 50 of their value on a report that the firm has failed to win a contract in Iraq.


Yukos could still rescue its main asset with help from US judge Yukos can succeed in postponing the auction of Yuganskneftegaz on December 19 if the court rules in its favor in the case where the Russian oil giant seeks US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.


Southwest Wins Chicago ATA Gate Bid Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines Inc. reported Thursday that it won a \$117 million bid for rights to six of ATA Airlines Inc. #39;s gates at Chicago #39;s Midway Airport.


Lions, Rogers OK six-year deal The Detroit Lions reached a six-year deal with Shaun Rogers yesterday, making him the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL, his agent said. Kennard McGuire would not reveal terms of the contract, but ESPN.com reported the deal was worth \$46 million and included a \$15 million signing bonus. Rogers, 25, was selected to the Pro Bowl this year and was ...


Ole Miss tabs Orgeron as head coach Oxford, MS (Sports Network) - The University of Mississippi introduced Southern California assistant Ed Orgeron as its new head football coach during a Thursday press conference.


Connors hopes to continue helping Brits John McEnroe has previously worked with young British players, but the Lawn Tennis Association has now hooked up with another American left-hander with a fiery reputation.


HarperCollins' State of Bliss The News Corp. publishing division appears to have a winning title on its hands.


Britain's Highest Court Overturns Anti-Terrorism Law Britain's highest court ruled today that the British government cannot indefinitely detain foreigners suspected of terrorism.


UTC Agrees to Buy Kidde for \$2.8 Billion  LONDON/BOSTON (Reuters) - United Technologies Corp. UTX.N  agreed on Thursday to acquire Britain's Kidde Plc KID.L for  \$2.8 billion in cash in a deal aimed at expanding the U.S.  conglomerate's security system business.


Skeptics Crash Symantec-Veritas Party Within hours of the announcement that antivirus maker Symantec (SYMC:Nasdaq - news - research) and software storage vendor Veritas (VRTS:Nasdaq - news - research) would merge, skeptical investors shaved about a billion dollars off the value of the all


Sprint-Nextel: First Marital Tiff The proposed merger of Sprint and Nextel Communications could face a rocky start as the companies work to run and eventually merge two wireless technologies without breaking the bank or losing customers.


Bush to reform Social Security US President Bush said that now is the time to confront Social Security to deal with a projected \$3.7 trillion shortfall over 75 years and give younger workers the ability to invest some of their retirement money in personal accounts.


Goldman Sachs - robust earnings growth for 4Q NEW YORK, December 16 (newratings.com) - Goldman Sachs Group (GS.NYS) reported sequential earnings growth of 36 for 4Q today. The renowned brokerage firm reported earnings of \$1.19 billion or \$2.36 per share


Update 1: Advance America Leads Busy Day for IPOs Check-cashing service Advance America Cash Advance Centers Inc. gained as much as 37 percent in its initial public offering Thursday, leading moderate advances for all but one of the day #39;s seven deals.


New York Times runs Firefox ad com December 16, 2004, 9:02 AM PT. Fans of the Mozilla Foundation #39;s Firefox browser who funded an advertisement in The New York Times will finally get to see their names in print on Thursday.


ICANN Proceeds with .job and .mobi December 16, 2004 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (icann.org) said earlier this week that it has moved its commercial and technical negotiations with the .


Uefa backs local talent Football teams would have to include a minimum number of  #39;homegrown #39; players under new proposals announced by the Uefa chief executive today.


Wannstedt Decides Against Coaching at Pitt (AP) AP - Former Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears coach Dave Wannstedt decided Thursday not to seek the coaching job at Pitt, the school where he played and once was an assistant coach.


Martin accuses Harper of political cowardice over gay marriage (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin slammed Stephen Harper over the gay marriage issue Thursday, accusing his rival of political cowardice.


Ole Miss Tabs Orgeron as Head Coach  OXFORD, Miss. (Sports Network) - The University of  Mississippi introduced Southern California assistant Ed Orgeron  as its new head football coach during a Thursday press  conference.


Sharon Says Israel Could Coordinate Gaza Pullout  HERZLIYA, Israel (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  said Israel was ready to coordinate its Gaza withdrawal plan  with a future Palestinian government and said that could open  the way for a broader peace agreement.


Wenger Punishment A Warning to Others Arsene Wenger was tonight warned not to repeat his accusation of cheating against Ruud van Nistelrooy as he received a record fine and a severe reprimand from the Football Association.


One old Guy gives Europe #39;s Xmas turkeys a stuffing ONE by one, the players #39; faces had flashed up on the giant Ibrox screens offering season #39;s greetings to the Rangers fans. But the main presents were reserved for Auxerre.


Wannstedt won #39;t pursue U. of Pittsburgh job Ex-Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt is an ardent supporter of the University of Pittsburgh, but he decided Thursday against pursing the Panthers #39; vacant head coaching position.


Two charged in hijacking bus; government tries to avoid backlash <b>...</b> ATHENS, Greece Formal charges, and an appeal for calm. They #39;re the latest developments in the arrests of two Albanian immigrants charged with staging an 18-hour bus hijacking and hostage siege in Athens.


Deeper knowledge WALTHAM -- Shifting his weight from right to left and glancing repeatedly at his cellphone, Al Jefferson looked a bit distracted around 3 p.m. yesterday. That was understandable. The Celtics' rookie big man had to rush home and pack before catching the team charter to Detroit in an hour.


J J Helps Boost Blue Chips  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips rose  on Thursday,  boosted by Johnson   Johnson JNJ.N following its move to buy  Guidant Corp. GDT.N, but market gains were limited after  Goldman Sachs posted disappointing revenues.


Dollar Rallies on U.S. Economic Data  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar climbed across the board on  Thursday after data showed the third-quarter U.S. current  account deficit was narrower than many had feared, fueling a  relief rally for the beleaguered U.S. currency.


Surf   Talk at 35,000 Feet The FCC says it's inclined to let Web surfers go wireless on airplanes. Yippee! But they might allow in-flight cell phone use, too. Oh.


ATA accepts Southwest Airline #39;s bid for Midway airport operations INDIANAPOLIS ATA Holdings Corporation has accepted Southwest Airline #39;s 117 (m) million-dollar bid for its operations at Chicago #39;s Midway International Airport.


Goldman Net Rises 23; Shares Fall as Revenue Drops (Update5) Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the third- largest US securities firm, said quarterly profit rose 23 percent. Its shares had their biggest fall in more than a year as trading revenue tumbled from the prior three months.


Chocoholic beware: Prices going up Hershey Foods (down \$0.23 to \$56.35, Research), the nation #39;s largest snack-food company, said Thursday it is raising its candy prices.


Motorola Gets Nextel Contract Extension Communications giant Motorola Inc. said Thursday it received a three-year contract extension from Nextel Communications Inc. to continue supplying telecommunications infrastructure for Nextel #39;s iDEN walkie-talkie phones through 2007.


Noble Energy Expands Into Rockies and Mid-Continent With \$3.4 <b>...</b> HOUSTON, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Noble Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NBL) and Patina Oil  amp; Gas Corporation (NYSE:POG) today announced that their boards of directors approved Noble Energy #39;s strategic acquisition


Google to digitize some Harvard library holdings Harvard University is embarking on a collaboration with Google that could harness Google #39;s search technology to provide to both the Harvard community and the larger public a revolutionary new information location tool to find materials available in


New Monkey Species Found in India Scientists discovered a new species of monkey in India, 101 years after the last species of its kind was found. They have called it the Arunachal macaque (scientific name Macaca munzala) after the state of Arunachal Pradesh where it was found.


Focus group: Kazaa will meet Napster #39;s fate SYDNEY--Legal representatives of both the Sharman Networks parties and the music industry drew out the 13th day of the copyright trial with arguments on which pieces of evidence should be admissible.


Spreading Like WildFirefox Ten days after the open-source Web browser Firefox 1.0 was officially launched (November 9), it had already hit the 2 million download mark.


Governor wants ban on sale of violent video games to minors CHICAGO -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich proposed making it a crime Thursday to sell violent or sexually explicit video games to minors, a step other states have tried with little success.


Wenger fined for Old Trafford comments London, England (Sports Network) - Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger was fined \$29,000 Thursday by the English Football Association (FA).


Back in the game The point man of a private group #39;s attempt to bring the Montreal Expos to Las Vegas said Las Vegas Sports and Entertainment (LVSE) LLC did not dissolve when Major League Baseball put that franchise in Washington, DC, in September.


Ole Miss Contacts Erickson --  #39;It #39;s Something I Need to Look at #39; Don #39;t count San Francisco 49ers coach Dennis Erickson out of Ole Miss #39;s hunt for a new coach just yet. On Tuesday, Erickson met with Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone and chancellor Robert Khayat for two hours in a Santa Clara, Calif.


Nigerian Debuts for Germany Nigerian Patrick Owomoyela, who plays for Arminia Bielefeld, will make his debut for Germany when they take on Asian champions Japan on Thursday.


Bin Laden tells followers to hit West #39;s oil supplies Dubai: Osama bin Laden on Thursday called on his fighters to strike Gulf oil supplies and warned Saudi leaders they risked a popular uprising in an audio message said to be by the Western world #39;s most wanted terror mastermind.


US and poor nations in climate change face-off The United States suggested last week that developing nations should provide regular updates on their greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations, much as developed nations are required to.


Iceland offers Fischer shelter But he said the gesture was not meant as a criticism of Washington by Iceland, a staunch US ally. no longer exists, according to laws that no one has been incriminated for before.


Bethlehem's Paradise Hotel Opens Doors (AP) AP - The floors are polished, a Christmas tree glitters near the bar and the dining room is ready for hundreds of guests: The luxury Paradise Hotel is open for business for the first time since the latest Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000.


Clorox Investors Cheer, Customers Sigh  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clorox Co. CLX.N gave investors  reason to cheer on Thursday, saying its recent deals with  Germany's Henkel KGaA HNKG.DE would help earnings more than  it first thought and that Procter   Gamble is doubling its  stake in their joint venture, sending the shares up 2 percent.


Patriots getting lined up for playoffs FOXBOROUGH -- After today's game against the San Francisco 49ers, Patriots right tackle Brandon Gorin will have a bull's-eye on his back for the playoffs.


ATA likely to accept Southwest bid Indianapolis, Dec. 16 - Southwest Airlines says ATA Airlines had accepted its bid for the bankrupt carriers #39; operations at Chicago #39;s Midway airport.


Motorola in 3-year contract extension with Nextel Motorola said on Thursday it has extended for three years a deal to supply Nextel Communications with telecommunications equipment, allaying fears that Sprint buyout of Nextel would threaten the relationship.


Survey Shows Lack of Confidence at FDA WASHINGTON - About two-thirds of Food and Drug Administration scientists are less than fully confident in the agency #39;s monitoring of the safety of prescription drugs now being sold, according to an FDA internal survey.


Noble Energy to buy Patina for \$3.4bn Noble Energy has agreed to buy Patina Oil  amp; Gas in a \$3.4bn deal that will mark its expansion in the gas-rich Rocky Mountains region.


Cuban M.D. Staying at Argentine Embassy A prominent Cuban doctor who was denied permission to travel to Buenos Aires to visit relatives was staying at the Argentine Embassy on Thursday, but her son said she does plan to seek asylum in a case that has raised tensions between the two nations.


Adobe Repairs Reader, Acrobat Flaws Adobe this week updated its Acrobat and Reader software to fix vulnerabilities spotted by Reston, Vir.-based security intelligence firm iDefense.


Apple releases Mac OS X 10.3.7 Update As expected, Apple Computer today released Mac OS X 10.3.7 Update, a maintenance release for its Mac OS X 10.3  quot;Panther quot; operating system.


#39;Critical #39; XP SP2 Update Fixes Windows Firewall Bug Microsoft Corp. has quietly released a  quot;critical quot; Windows XP Service Pack 2 update to fix a serious flaw in the Windows Firewall utility.


Orgeron Introduced As Ole Miss Coach New Mississippi football coach Ed Orgeron answers a reporter #39;s question, in Oxford, Miss., Thursday, Dec. 16, 2004, moments after he was introduced as the new head coach.


Turkey #39;s Long Wait for EU Entry Turkey has been knocking on the EUs door for more than 40 years, watching in frustration as other countries leapfrogged Ankara in the queue to join the Union.


Jazeera Says Iraq Militants Killed Italian Hostage Al Jazeera television said on Thursday an Iraqi group had killed an Italian hostage who appeared in video footage aired by the Arabic channel.


Majerus Takes USC Job, With Docs' OK (AP) AP - Rick Majerus' new basketball coaching job comes with a doctor's permission slip. Given the OK to return to the high-stress, late-night, eat-on-the-run profession he loves, Majerus took over Southern California's underachieving program Wednesday although he won't be on the bench this season.


Some FDA Staff Had Drug Safety Concerns-Survey Nearly 20 percent of US Food and Drug Administration scientists surveyed in late 2002 said they were pressured to approve or recommend approval of a medicine despite


Microsoft Releases Desktop Search The online search battle was extended earlier this week, when Microsoft launched its new desktop search tool - allowing users to find their favorite music, email, acrobat files and other documents in a friendly and effective manner.


Apple fixes Panther glitches com December 16, 2004, 10:27 AM PT. Apple Computer on Wednesday released a minor update to its Mac OS X 10.3 Panther operating system.


Shoemaker Nike's Quarterly Earnings Rise (Reuters) Reuters - Nike Inc.  said on Thursday its\second quarter earnings rose, boosted by strong demand in the\United States and overseas for its namesake athletic shoes and\Converse sneakers.


Wal-Mart to Match Kettle Donations (AP) AP - Folks dropping money in Salvation Army kettles at Wal-Mart stores can make their money go twice as far. The world's largest retailer announced Thursday it would match up to  #36;1 million in donations.


Symantec to Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion  NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Symantec Corp. SYMC.O,  the top global security software maker, on Thursday said it  will buy data management software company Veritas Software  Corp. VRTS.O for \$13.5 billion, expanding into the data  storage and recovery business.


More questions than answers in Symantec/Veritas deal DECEMBER 16, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Security company Symantec Corp. #39;s acquisition of Veritas Software Corp. could benefit customers and shareholders of both companies, but details of the \$13.5 billion deal


Yukos awaits US ruling on break-up order MOSCOW: Embattled Russian oil major Yukos should hear later today whether a United States bankruptcy court will back its last-ditch attempt to halt the sale due on Sunday of its main production unit.


Time Warner in Proposed Settlement with SEC NEW YORK, December 16: In addition to its \$210 million settlement with the Department of Justice over securities fraud at America Online, Time Warner has reached a proposed settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a further \$300 million


Google Wins GEICO Trademark Suit over Keywords The decision left undecided whether the sale of GEICO #39;s trademarks by Google or any other search engine, in and of itself, violates the trademark laws or other laws.


Johnson  amp; Johnson to Buy Guidant for \$25.4B Health care products giant Johnson  amp; Johnson #39;s \$25.4 billion acquisition of Guidant Corp. could face a tough review from regulators because of their competition in the coronary stent market, analysts say.


Nike 2Q Profit Rises 46 Percent Nike Inc., the world #39;s largest shoemaker, on Thursday said its profit grew 46 percent in the second quarter as its sales gained traction in the US, Chinese, Russian and Turkish markets.


US Airways Reaches Flight Attendant Deal US Airways Group Inc. on Thursday said it reached a tentative agreement with the union representing its flight attendants for a work contract that would save the airline about \$94 million.


Mortgage Rates Dip This Week Rates on 30-year and 15-year mortgages dipped this week, good news for prospective home buyers. Freddie Mac #39;s weekly survey released Thursday showed that rates on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages declined to


Noble Energy to Buy Patina for \$2.76 B Noble Energy Inc. Thursday said it agreed to acquire Patina Oil  amp; Gas Corp. for about \$2.76 billion, plus debt. Denver-based Patina owns oil and gas fields in mainly in Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.


Fannie Mae Pays the Price of Cutting Corners to Look Safe Fannie Mae wanted to look very safe. But to do that it cut accounting corners, two regulatory agencies have now concluded. And that has severely damaged the image of the mortgage lender and its management.


Russ Berrie Buys Private Bedding Firm Russ Berrie and Co., a maker of stuffed animals and other gift items, on Thursday said it bought Kids Line LLC , a privately held maker of infant bedding products based in South Gate Calif.


U.S. Current Account Gap Widens  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. current account trade gap  widened slightly to a record \$164.71 billion in the third  quarter, data showed on Thursday, but U.S. dependence on  overseas capital was not as great as feared, fueling a big  dollar rally.


Googles virtual library signals communications revolution <b>...</b> Google is planning to announce an agreement Tuesday with some of the nation #39;s top libraries and Oxford University to start converting their holdings into digital files.


Microsoft to offer anti-Spyware in January Microsoft today announced that it has acquired Giant Software, a provider of anti-spyware and Internet security products. Microsoft said it will use intellectual property and technology assets from the.


HP Extends Server Leadership HP (www.hp.com) announced an investment of more than \$3 billion over the next three years designed to vault Intel Itanium 2-based HP Integrity servers to the leadership position in the \$20 billion market currently served by RISC processors.


Illinois Governor Wants Ban on Graphic Video Games Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday proposed the state ban the sale and rental of violent and sexually explicit video games for children under 18, a restriction that has failed so far elsewhere in the country.


Zafi worm proves a holiday pest The mass-mailing Christmas e-card virus Zafi.D is clogging huge amounts of bandwidth and now accounts for one in 15 of all e-mails, antivirus companies said on Thursday.


Water and robots on Mars chosen as tops in 2004 by  #39;Science #39; The conclusive discovery by a pair of wheeled robots that Mars once had vast pools of water and possibly could have harbored life was chosen by the editors of


New species of monkey discovered in Arunachal A species of monkey previously unknown to science has been discovered in the remote northeastern region of India, according to the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).


Adobe Fixes Multiple Flaws Adobe (Quote, Chart) issued a patch this week that helps prevent multiple flaws found in its products. The fixes clear up problems in Windows and Macintosh systems running Adobe Reader and Acrobat Pro versions


IBM Accelerates Grid-Computing Efforts For ISVs Grid computing already is close to being a \$1 billion business for IBM. Now the company is stepping up its efforts to make sure its independent software vendor partners are onboard the grid-computing bandwagon.


Personal Solar Panels Could Help Power Mobile Devices Mobile phone users left talking to themselves when their battery runs out in the middle of a call could soon see an end to their frustration as scientists perfect a way to recharge electrical equipment while on the move.


Melodeo Lands Cell-Phone Music Deals Melodeo, a mobile music service, has signed a deal with the Warner Music Group to make complete tracks from Warner #39;s music catalog available to cell phone users.


Linux To Ring Up \$35 Billion By 2008 For a theoretically free operating system, Linux is -- and will continue to be -- a cash cow, a research firm said Wednesday as it predicted the OS will bring in more than \$35 billion in revenues by 2008.


AMD Will Have An Edge Over Intel Through 2005 Piper Jaffray said Advanced Micro Devices (nyse: AMD - news - people ) should have an edge over Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people )  quot;throughout 2005 quot; but resumed coverage of both companies at  quot;market perform quot; and both at price targets of \$25.


The browsers war: Firefox vs Internet Expl As I write this article a war is going on on the battlefield of the browsers (programs for surfing the internet such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox).


Jones Sues Accuser for Slander Posted December 16, 2004 - Track star Marion Jones, finding it difficult to outrun accusations she injected steroids, has filed a \$25 million lawsuit against trainer Victor Conte, who is the source of the allegations.


Wenger fined for his wicked tongue; will not appeal Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger gets a penalty. The Frenchman received a record fine and a  quot;severe reprimand quot; from the English Football Association for his comments about Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.


Langer eyes double, Australia to push for 400 Justin Langer will be aiming for another Test double century when play begins on day two of the first Test against Pakistan at the WACA ground in Perth.


Mariners reportedly land Beltre com. One day after signing a right-handed hitter with two 45-home runs seasons on his resume, the Mariners could be on the verge of signing the current Major League home run champion.


Washington mayor to push change in baseball bill Washington, DC, Mayor Anthony Williams will try to get financing for a Major League Baseball stadium back on the city council agenda next week after the council


Farjestad pounds Worldstars CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Traversing across Europe in a short period of time has taken its toll on the Worldstars. The tired group of locked-out NHL players were unable to keep up to physically fit Farjestad club


White Sox and Uribe agree to terms Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - The Chicago White Sox and infielder Juan Uribe avoided arbitration Thursday by agreeing to terms on a three-year, \$9.75 million contract with a club option for 2008.


Mets challenge intrigues Martinez Pedro Martinez considered the choices: stay with the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, sign with the NL champion St. Louis Cardinals or become the cornerstone of a reconstruction project with the New York Mets.


Coach had stent inserted Wednesday Hawaii coach Riley Wallace will be released from the hospital Thursday after having a stent inserted Wednesday into an artery that was 90 percent blocked, according to assistant coach Bob Nash.


Houston #39;s Yao, Miami #39;s O #39;Neal lead early NBA all-star fan <b>...</b> NEW YORK (CP) - Shaquille O #39;Neal leads his new conference in early all-star game voting, while Yao Ming is No. 1 overall in the NBA.


In Fox they trust: Panthers lean on coach to turn around 1-7 start His team was 1-7 and his list of injured players seemed a mile long. Carolina coach John Fox changed nothing, sticking with his style of cutesy little clich Des to pull the Panthers through and prevent them from quitting on him.


Saudi forces thwart protest march Saudi security forces thwarted planned protest marches in the kingdom #39;s two main cities on Thursday, deploying in force in the capital Riyadh and arresting at least a dozen people in the Red Sea port of Jeddah.


Iraq trials  #39;should be after poll #39; IRAQ #39;S justice minister said in an interview published today that the Iraqi government is rushing too quickly to try top officials of the government of Saddam Hussein.


Nike trounces forecasts Athletic shoemaker says earnings jump on strong demand for its athletic shoes and Converse sneakers. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nike Inc.


Fire At UPS Hub Still Under Investigation Fire investigators said it is still unclear what started a fire at a UPS shipping hub in Hodgkins, which damaged seven trailers early Thursday.


Singing the iPod blues Apple #39;s iPod has joined the list of gifts late holiday shoppers are finding in short supply. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Shoppers can now add the iPod to the holiday hot list.


Blue Chips Close Up, Goldman Drags on S P  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips closed higher on  Thursday, helped by gains in Johnson   Johnson JNJ.N after  its move to buy Guidant Corp. GDT.N, but Goldman Sachs Group  Inc. GS.N dragged the S P 500 down having posted quarterly  revenues that disappointed Wall Street.


Oil Holds Big Gains on U.S. Fuel Concerns  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices held Wednesday's 6 percent  gains on Thursday on fears over U.S. fuel supplies ahead of the  northern winter.


Blockbuster Up on Hollywood Video Talk  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Shares of Blockbuster Inc. BBI.N  were sharply higher on Thursday after Hollywood Entertainment's  chief executive said he did not think an attempt to take his  company private would succeed, which was taken as a sign  Blockbuster could prevail in its bid to buy the U.S.'  second-largest video rental chain.


Accounting Board Rules Options  Be Expensed The nation's accounting rulemaker decided Thursday that companies will have to begin deducting the value of stock options from their profits next year, a move cheered by shareholder advocates but scorned by many companies who rely heavily on options to beef up compensation packages.


Court Approves US Airways Agreements With GE US Airways Group Inc. on Thursday won court approval to move ahead with an aircraft leasing and financing deal that will help the struggling airline lower costs and reduce debt.


'Bin Laden' tape urges oil attack A tape said to have been recorded by Osama Bin Laden calls on his supporters\to strike Gulf oil supplies.


Smoltz OKs New Two-Year Deal With Braves (AP) AP - In a deal motivated by his recent return to the starting rotation, John Smoltz agreed Thursday to a new two-year contract with the Braves that increases the chance he will complete his career in Atlanta.