Ex-CA chief pleads not guilty to fraud This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been improving or obtaining CRM and ERP software for the past year and a half. NEW YORK--Former Computer Associates International Chief Executive Sanjay Kumar pleaded


UPDATE 3-Cyberonics gets FDA OK for small study US regulators, who rejected Cyberonics Inc. #39;s (CYBX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) device to treat depression in August, cleared the therapy


Is Sony in the Groove? Sony #39;s (NYSE: SNE) tweaking its musical strategy, with reports galore that the electronics giant will now support the playback of MP3 files on many of its digital music players.


Russian Cosmonaut to Travel With the Next Space Station Crew A Russian cosmonaut will travel to the International Space Station with the outpost #39;s next two-man crew when it launches aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft next month, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.


Yahoo Survey Reveals  #39;Web Withdrawal #39; For some people, carrying on a normal routine without the Web is almost impossible, because the Internet #39;s tools and services have become firmly ingrained in their daily lives, according to the Internet Deprivation Study.


Alarm Raised over Antarctic #39;s Rapid Ice Flow The weight of evidence to suggest that some Antarctic glaciers are melting at an increasing pace continues to build. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) has been melting naturally


Real Stand By Remon For Now With speculation over big name coaches running wild, Real Madrid executive Jose Luis Cerrano insisted that the club were set to ride out the season with Mariano Garcia Remon.


Kansas City Royals Team Report - September 23 (Sports Network) - A pair of teams trying for a strong finish to the season meet tonight, as the Kansas City Royals visit the Chicago White Sox for the opener of a four-game series at US Cellular Field.


Report: Two Italian female hostages executed in Iraq Another group of militants claimed Thursday to have killed the two Italian women hostages in Iraq and promised to provide film proof of their beheading.


Indonesian President Apologizes for Shortcomings President Megawati Sukarnoputri apologized Thursday for the shortcomings of her three-year tenure, as official vote-counting for Monday #39;s presidential election reflected her imminent defeat.


NATO to begin training Iraq army NATO allies agreed to expand the alliance #39;s training mission for Iraq #39;s armed forces after allaying French concerns that had delayed the plan for a week.


Update 1: Germany Wants to Privatize Railway Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Thursday that Germany #39;s national railway should be privatized by 2008 at the latest, a day after Deutsche Bahn backed off a target of selling shares on the stock market by mid-2006.


Small Syrian Force Withdraws From Lebanon (AP) AP - About 300 Syrian soldiers in a convoy of trucks and armored vehicles crossed the Lebanese border into Syria early Thursday, Lebanese security officials said.


Peru Ex-President Rejects Extradition Call (AP) AP - Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori on Thursday rejected his successor's call, made at the United Nations, for world leaders to press Japan to extradite him to face corruption charges and allegations of involvement in death squad massacres, according to a statement broadcast by news media here.


UPDATE 5-Interstate Bakeries files for bankruptcy Interstate Bakeries Corp. (IBC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , maker of Hostess Twinkies and Wonder Bread, filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday after struggling with more than \$1.


Unemployment, Oil News Keep Stocks Mixed A slowdown in economic growth and oil prices hovering around \$48 per barrel renewed fears of disappointing third-quarter earnings Thursday and kept stocks mixed.


American Airlines seeks new credit line The parent company of American Airlines said it must refinance or replace an \$834 million credit facility or it might not be able to comply with one of the covenants of the loan, according to news reports Thursday.


Booming Market for MP3 Players According to IDC #39;s Latest Forecast Compressed audio players - also known as MP3 players -re available in portable, home and automotive form factors and from major and minor consumer electronics manufacturers and PC vendors.


Yudhoyono makes the cut in Sulawesi Some 300 people have shaved their heads in Indonesia #39;s Central Sulawesi province to celebrate the victory of former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in this week #39;s presidential election.


Bush ahead in swing states, will defeat Kerry: Karl Rove (AFP) AFP - US President George W. Bush will defeat his Democratic rival, John Kerry, in the November 2 election because he is leading in the polls in the key US swing states, the president's top political adviser said in an interview.


Online Sales Jump in November Online consumers in the United States spent \$8.8 billion, excluding travel purchases, in November, a 19 percent jump over the \$7.4 billion spent online a year earlier, a report released Monday said.


Nations Lobby to Expand Security Council (AP) AP - Seeking more influence over global decisions, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan joined forces to lobby for a permanent U.N. Security Council seat and pledged to work together to reform the United Nations.


Intel launches 2.93 GHz Celeron D, PCI Express chipset Intel today announced additions to its Celeron D entry level processor family. The new chips come with LGA775 packaging known from 90 nm Prescott Pentium


Allawi Says Democratic Forces Succeeding in Iraq Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told Congress on Thursday Iraq would hold elections in January despite the flaring insurgency, and urged the US-led coalition not to bow to terrorist forces.


Hamilton Will Keep Cycling Gold Medal (AP) AP - Tyler Hamilton will keep his Olympic cycling gold medal because a backup drug test was inconclusive, the International Olympic Committee said Thursday.


Musicians Sing Different Tune on File Sharing Aside from the few who speak out publicly, musicians typically sit out the debate over file sharing. Now, a new survey has found that most artists don't view unauthorized swapping as a threat to their livelihood.  -washingtonpost.com


Wonder Bread parent files for bankruptcy The parent company of the downtown Wonder Bread bakery filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday in an attempt to restructure its struggling operations.


IMF house price warning THE IMF #39;s World Economic Outlook has warned of a possible sharp fall in UK house prices, based on interest rate rises priced into future markets, the market would probably slow down significantly in the next 18 months.


US Economic Gauge Signals Weakness A key gauge of future economic activity weakened for a third straight month in August as costlier oil spread worry among consumers and businesses, a report from a business research group showed on Thursday .


Nokia debuts new smart phone With the economy slowly turning up, upgrading hardware has been on businesses radar in the past 12 months as their number two priority.


Monaco down troubled PSG to go top PARIS: Monaco moved top of Ligue 1 after a late winner by striker Emmanuel Adebayor on Sunday sealed troubled Paris St Germains second consecutive home defeat.


Okocha Calls for Caution, As Allardyce Celebrates First they beat Liverpool 1-0, then they were held to a 2-2 draw by Manchester United and last weekend, they ended Arsenal #39;s 100 Premiership winning record, when they held their nerves to pull a shock 2-2 draw at Highbury, home of Arsenal.


UN pullback in Sierra Leone moves to security handover in capital FREETOWN : UN peacekeepers were handing over charge of security for Freetown to Sierra Leone #39;s nascent police and armed forces, the latest step in a staggered withdrawal after a five-year mission to restore calm to the west African state.


Party Animal Dougherty Changes Ways  WOBURN, England (Reuters) - Advice from mentor Nick Faldo  persuaded Briton Nick Dougherty to give up partying and spend  more time trying to be a winner, the 22-year-old said on  Thursday after taking a share of the early lead in The  Heritage.


PM Says Iraq Succeeding In Fight For Stability 23 September 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told a joint session of the US Congress today that his country is making progress in its effort to create a stable Iraq despite obstacles.


Rival Technologies Vie for 'Green' Car of Tomorrow  PARIS (Reuters) - Carmakers presented new-age automobiles  at the Paris car show on Thursday that could give much-hyped  fuel cells a run for their money in the coming market for  vehicles that do less damage to the environment.


30-, 15-Yr Mortgages Lowest Since April  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Interest rates on U.S. 30- and  15-year mortgages fell this week to their lowest levels since  early April as the housing market showed little sign of slowing  despite the Federal Reserve's move to raise interest rates,  mortgage finance company Freddie Mac said on Thursday.


Frances' Insured Losses to Near \$4.4 Bln  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Insurance payments to victims of  Hurricane Frances are expected to reach \$4.4 billion, making it  the fourth most costly storm in U.S. history, an insurance  industry group said on Thursday.


AMR Forecast Cut by Analysts  DALLAS (Reuters) - Several Wall Street analysts cut their  forecast on earnings for American Airlines parent AMR Corp.  AMR.N on Thursday while the airline's chief executive said  high fuel prices had stung the world's largest carrier.


Bank of America to Move Part of Business to Boston The move concentrates one of the company's four major business lines in the city and seeks to reassure Massachusetts officials that it is committed to the Northeast.


Dentsply Is More Than a Mouthful Dental supply company increases cash dividend by 14 amid torrid growth.


Mandrake gets contract to boost Linux security Linux seller gets piece of \$8.6 million French contract after exiting bankruptcy protection.


Holiday Tech Buying Guide Fast Forward columnist Rob Pegoraro will be online to host his second discussion on The Washington Post's holiday tech buying guide and answer your personal tech questions.


Briefly: LookSmart buys Furl.net roundup Plus: Pentagon expands access to voting site...Ad campaign touts multimedia cards...T-Mobile sells Sidekick II...Spyware bill moves to Senate.


Danish government agency opts for open source The country's Ministry of Finance chooses JBoss on Linux over Microsoft's BizTalk to run a key system.


Nokia touts new smart phone The phone, due out in October, comes with a built-in megapixel camera. Also on tap: a wireless home-monitoring system.


Ex-NetScreen CEO joins start-up The former CEO of NetScreen Technologies has moved on to a new upstart. Can he make the same magic work again?


Computer Associates ex-CEO pleads not guilty Sanjay Kumar, former chief executive of software maker Computer Associates International Inc., pleaded not guilty to orchestrating a massive accounting fraud scheme aimed at helping the company meet Wall Street targets, according to news reports.


Wall St shuffles as deals decline Wall Street #39;s earnings growth, fuelled by two years of robust trading gains, is showing signs that it might taper off in coming quarters as a sluggish stockmarket and a less favourable trading environment take a toll on profits.


AMR Forecast Cut by Analysts Several Wall Street analysts cut their forecast on earnings for American Airlines parent AMR Corp. (AMR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday while the airline #39;s chief


Jury: Sony unit to pay \$82M to San Jose company Immersion Corp. said Wednesday a jury ordered Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and its US unit to pay \$82 million in a patent infringement case.


Longest-necked protorosaur ever unearthed A bizarre marine reptile used a neck nearly twice the length of its body to capture its prey, 230 million years ago. Fish saw only its small head in murky waters and, when they came too close, the animal quickly


Mandrake gets contract to boost Linux security com September 23, 2004, 10:28 AM PT. This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been improving or obtaining CRM and ERP software for the past year and a half.


Apple v. Apple: Perfect harmony? As eager Macintosh developers waited for Steve Jobs to speak, the familiar strains of  quot;Magical Mystery Tour quot; filled the darkened hall at an Apple Computer conference in June.


System attackers up the ante The recent Internet Security Threat Report from security vendor Symantec painted a bleak picture for IT security - both now and into the future.


Shakhtar loses top goal-scorer Kiev, Ukraine (Sports Network) - Shakhtar Donetsk #39;s Champions League aspirations were dealt a severe blow Thursday when the club learned star striker Julius Aghahowa will be out for two weeks.


Arizona Diamondbacks Team Report - September 23 (Sports Network) - The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies will finish a three-game series with a doubleheader today at Coors Field.


Broken jaw slows Kurz The avalanche of injuries that has raced across the Notre Dame men #39;s basketball roster in recent months has now touched someone yet to play one minute for the Irish.


North Korean Missile Test Isn #39;t Imminent, #39; Japan Minister Says North Korea isn #39;t on the verge of test-firing a ballistic missile, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said, while expressing concern that the government in Pyongyang hasn #39;t


Sudan has no plans to disarm  #39;Arab rebels #39; A top official from Sudan #39;s ruling party said on Thursday that the government would not disarm  quot;Arab rebels quot; in the troubled Darfur region, saying they were not all members of the feared Janjaweed militia.


U.S. Economic Gauge Signals Weakness (Reuters) Reuters - A key gauge of future economic\activity weakened for a third straight month in August as\costlier oil spread worry among consumers and businesses, a\report from a business research group showed on Thursday .


Lehman Near Deal on Enron Lawsuit-Source (Reuters) Reuters - Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. \has tentatively agreed to pay  #36;222.5 million to settle an\investor lawsuit over its role as an underwriter for Enron\Corp., a person familiar with the situation said on Thursday.


Dentsply Is More Than a Mouthful (The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - Investing genius Peter Lynch liked to say that to find "tenbaggers," that is, stocks that will increase in value by 10 times or more, you should start by looking close to home. In his book One Up on Wall Street, he also noted he liked to seek out companies in dull, disagreeable industries because they were often overlooked or shunned, giving individual investors a chance to purchase them at a discount.


Controversial Swiss culture show abroad sparks domestic storm (AFP) AFP - An exhibition at Switzerland's cultural centre in Paris, which sheds the more common image of orderly Swiss society in favour of political rebellion and a vomiting actor, triggered an uproar in Switzerland.


Democratic prospects for Hill takeover dim In a sharp change from just two months ago, Republicans are gaining a commanding position in the race for control of the US House and Senate.


BofA to move Wealth Division to Boston Bank of America Corp. will move its Wealth and Investment Management division to its Boston offices. Of 10 senior executives that will be based in Boston, only two will come from Charlotte.


Roddick vs. Voltchkov opens Davis Cup semifinal Andy Roddick will play Vladimir Voltchkov on Friday to open the Davis Cup semifinal between the United States and Belarus. Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish was drawn Thursday to face Max Mirnyi in the second singles match.


Jaguar sale drawing massive interest Jaguar Racing boss Tony Purnell says he #39;s received  quot;masses of interest quot; in the F1 team since Ford announced it was putting the entire operation up for sale.


Tennis: Kuznetsova Advances to China Open Quarterfinals US Open tennis champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia has advanced to the quarterfinals of the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing with a hard-fought win over China #39;s Li Na.


Aghahowa out of Barcelona tie Shakhtar Donetsk #39;s Nigerian striker Julius Aghahowa will miss next week #39;s Champions League match against Barcelona with a knee injury.


UN says no nuke inspection agreement The UN nuclear watchdog said on Thursday it was still talking with Brazil about inspecting its uranium enrichment plant despite Brazil #39;s assertion an inspection deal had been finalized.


Hostage #39;s release explained A MILITANT group said today it had released a Canadian hostage, claiming her company pledged to withdraw from Iraq. The group, calling itself The Brigades of the Victorious Lion of God, said Fairuz Yamulky


Former Dot-Com Commerce One Eyes Closure (AP) AP - Commerce One Inc., an Internet software maker valued at  #36;20 billion at the peak of dot-com mania, is poised to go out of business as a pauper.


Mass. Firm Offers Lifetime Phone Service for \$999  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For customers who either love to  plan ahead or hate monthly bills, a small Massachusetts  telecommunications firm has launched a \$999 offer of unlimited  Internet-based telephone service for life.


Bush's NASA directive clouds other missions (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - NASA's plans to send robots and people to the moon and Mars threaten long-planned science missions, a national science panel warns.


Stamps.com Cancels Investor Presentation (Reuters) Reuters - Stamps.com , which sells\postage over the Internet, said on Thursday its chief executive\canceled his appearance at the ThinkEquity conference in San\Francisco due to a scheduling conflict.


Pass Along Your Digital Music (PC World) PC World - New music sharing network allows users to amass points by referring buyers.


Turkcell signs deal for Iran mobile network, still to pay licence fee (AFP) AFP - Turkcell, Turkey's biggest mobile phone operator, said that it had signed a licence agreement with Iran to set up the first Iranian private mobile phone network conditional on paying a 300-million-euro (366-million-dollar) licence fee.


Open-Source Copyright Conflict Heats Up (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - A quick resolution to the Mambo open-source copyright dispute seems unlikely now that one of the parties has rejected an offer for mediation.


Israel Charges Iran Replaces Saddam as Terror Exporter (Reuters) Reuters - Israel charged on Thursday that\Iran had replaced Saddam Hussein as the world's primary\exporter of "terror, hate and instability."


British Hostage's Mom Pleads for His Life (AP) AP - The 86-year-old mother of a Briton held hostage in Iraq pleaded with his captors to free him Thursday, days after they beheaded two Americans kidnapped along with him.


Quotes From Allawi Speech (AP) AP - Reaction to Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's speech Thursday to a joint meeting of Congress:


US warns N. Korea against missile tests (AFP) AFP - US Secretary of State Colin Powell warned North Korea against carrying out any new missile tests, saying Washington would not be intimidated into changing its policy towards the Stalinist state.


U.S. Weighs Borrowing Oil From Stockpile (AP) AP - The Bush administration said Thursday it is weighing a request from several U.S. refiners to borrow crude oil from the nation's emergency stockpile to help offset supply disruptions along the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Ivan.


Allawi warmly welcomed in Congress but Democrats air doubts (AFP) AFP - When Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi promised US lawmakers elections in Iraq would be held on time in January, Republicans roared and Democrats politely clapped despite their doubts.


Berlusconi talks terrorism with Thai PM (AFP) AFP - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his Thai counterpart Thaksin Shinawatra held talks on international terrorism, the situation in Iraq and reform of the United Nations, his office said.


Israel Charges Iran Replaces Saddam as Terror Exporter  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Israel charged on Thursday that  Iran had replaced Saddam Hussein as the world's primary  exporter of "terror, hate and instability."


Science cracks killer bug's code Scientists have decoded the complete sequence of all DNA in the bacterium responsible for potentially deadly Legionnaires' disease.


Powell Expresses Concern Over Possible N.Korean Test  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell on  Thursday expressed concern after reports that North Korea might  carry out a new missile test but said it would not change the  U.S. effort to persuade Pyongyang through diplomacy to abandon  its nuclear ambitions.


International Space Station Crew Plans New Missions STAR CITY, Russia (AP) -- The next crew for the international space station said Thursday it will conduct experiments to research new AIDS vaccines and plant growth and work on new space vehicles that will help future missions to the moon and Mars.    Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov and U.S...


Chandra Eyes The Mouse That Soared Chandra X-Ray Observatory -- Astronomers have used an X-ray image to make the first detailed study of the behavior of high-energy particles around a fast moving pulsar.     The image, from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, shows the shock wave created as a pulsar plows supersonically through interstellar space...


Florida Court Rejects Law Keeping Comatose Woman Alive The court said that Gov. Jeb Bush violated separation of powers when he signed a law to keep Terri Schiavo alive.


UNCTAD releases annual world investment report FDI fell one-third in Central and Eastern European countries from 2002 to 2003. The  quot;skilled but relatively cheap workforce quot; in the eight new EU member countries did not pull in investment as strongly as expected


Future Economic Activity Gauge Falls A closely watched gauge of future business activity fell in August for a third consecutive month, evidence that companies and consumers continue to navigate an uncertain economic climate.


Halliburton to Restructure Subsidiary Halliburton Co. said Thursday it is restructuring its troubled engineering and construction subsidiary, and would consider selling or spinning it off should the division #39;s stock performance fail to improve once costly asbestos litigation is resolved.


B of A sets plans to move wealth management operation to Boston Bank of America Corp., following pressure from Massachusetts authorities to justify job cuts and movement of business lines out of state, today unveiled plans to locate its wealth-management business in Boston.


Review: New Computer Mice Cutting Edge (AP) AP - If you're still pointing and clicking with the factory-issued mouse that came with your computer  #151; or, heaven forbid, if you're still using your laptop's barbaric touch pad  #151; it's time to upgrade.


Scientists Make Phone That Turns Into a Sunflower  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Scientists said on Monday they have  come up with a cell phone cover that will grow into a sunflower  when thrown away.


More Authors Keeping Online Journals (AP) AP - Jennifer Weiner, author of the best-selling novels "Good in Bed" and "In Her Shoes," likes to spend three to four hours a day working on fiction. When she's done, time and family permitting, she updates her online journal.


Why did sea monsters have long necks? Scientists working in China have discovered an ancient swimming predator with a neck nearly twice as long as its body. Neck ribs line the reptiles 5.5-foot-long (1.


Antarctic glaciers slipping faster into the sea Antarctic glaciers are thinning and slipping ever faster into the sea, according to several new studies. Warmer air and sea temperatures are blamed, and the changes are expected to cause an appreciable rise in sea levels.


Dangerous Exploit Targets JPEG Flaw New computer code that exploits a recently disclosed hole in Microsoft #39;s Internet Explorer Web browser is circulating on the Internet and could allow remote attackers to take full control of vulnerable Windows machines, according to warnings from


Cingular reported to be close to DoCoMo partnership TOKYOJapanese telecommunications giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. is reportedly set to join Cingular Wireless LLC in a partnership designed to unify third-generation wireless technology, according to published reports in Japan.


Special to ESPN.com After a big win over Florida State a strong case could be made that the Miami Hurricanes have an outstanding chance to reach the BCS championship in the Orange Bowl, and when you look at their schedule there is no reason to believe they will fail to make


A little tweaking could do great things for the US Open Cup I was among the handful of media and announced crowd of 8,819 at Arrowhead Stadium on Wednesday night for the Championship Match of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.


Rutgers player suspended after pleading guilty in attack on <b>...</b> Rutgers basketball player Shalicia Hurns was suspended from the team after pleading guilty to punching and tying up her roommate during a dispute over painkilling drugs.


Danger of Image-Borne Viruses Looms (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Hackers are close to finding a way to spread harmful computer viruses just by getting people to open an e-mail message or visiting an infected Web site, computer security experts warned yesterday.


Turkey has no more obstacles for EU entry talks: official Turkey has no more obstacles on its path toward the European Union (EU) entry talks, said a senior EU official here Thursday. Speaking after talks with Turkish Prime Minister


NATO Reaches Agreement on Iraq The agreement was reached in Brussels on Wednesday after days of negotiations on the size and scope of the mission. In particular, France had refused to agree to the expanded NATO role in Iraq


Dangerous Exploit Targets JPEG Flaw (PC World) PC World - A software patch to protect your system is available from Microsoft.


Folded Ice Discovered Beneath Antarctica (AP) AP - Glaciers in Antarctica are thinning faster than they did in the 1990s and researchers have discovered an unexpected folded section deep beneath the ice cap, findings that may indicate the ice is less stable than had been thought.


Don #39;t write us off against Australia NEW DELHI: India #39;s cricket captain Sourav Ganguly said on Thursday that he was confident the switch from limited-day cricket to traditional five-day tests will change his team #39;s fortunes in next month #39;s home series against Australia.


Danger of Image-Borne Viruses Looms Hackers are close to finding a way to spread harmful computer viruses just by getting people to open an e-mail message or visiting an infected Web site, computer security experts warned yesterday. -washingtonpost.com


Cyber criminals step up the pace The last 12 months have seen a huge rise in the number of so-called phishing attacks, say security experts.


GE Settles with SEC Over Welch's Perks (Reuters) Reuters - General Electric  and\the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission settled the\industrial giant's failure to disclose former CEO Jack Welch's\lavish retirement package with a cease-and-desist order on\Thursday.


Bush Set to Open Oil Reserve Spigot  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With oil prices close to \$50 a  barrel, the Bush administration is set to allow oil refineries  to borrow crude from the government's emergency petroleum  stockpile to make up for supplies disrupted by Hurricane Ivan,  a congressional source briefed on the pending decision told  Reuters on Thursday.


Blue Chips Drop, Oil Reaches \$49 a Barrel  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue-chip stocks fell  on  Thursday and crude oil prices touched \$49 a barrel as traders  saw a possible oil loan from U.S. government reserves as too  small to make up for supply disruptions caused by Hurricane  Ivan.


Treasuries Down After Upbeat Fed Minutes  CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices fell on Thursday  as an upbeat ring to the Federal Open Market Committee's August  minutes offset support from rising energy prices, which could  act a drag on economic growth.


Ex-CA CEO Pleads Not Guilty to Fraud  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Computer Associates  International Inc. CA.N Chief Executive Sanjay Kumar pleaded  not guilty on Thursday to charges of securities fraud and  obstruction of justice after a two-year investigation into  accounting fraud at the company.


Anti-spam screensaver scrapped A controversial campaign by Lycos Europe to attack websites run by spammers has been shut down.


Halliburton Says It May Separate KBR Unit Halliburton Co. said Thursday it would restructure its KBR unit and may shed the\business if the company's stock performance continues to lag behind peers.


SEC Says GE Violated Law Over Welch Perks General Electric Co. violated the law by failing to fully disclose to investors substantial perks paid to its retired chief executive Jack Welch, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced Thursday.


Heavy cost of Hurricane Frances Insurance payouts for Hurricane Frances look set to reach \$4.4bn, making it the fourth most expensive storm in US history.


Hubble Approaches the Final Frontier: The Dawn of Galaxies Hubble Space Telescope -- Hubble Space Telescope -- Detailed analyses of mankind's deepest optical view of the universe, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF), by several expert teams have at last identified what may turn out to be some of the earliest star-forming galaxies.     Astronomers are now debating whether the hottest stars in these early galaxies may have provided enough radiation to "lift a curtain" of cold, primordial hydrogen that cooled after the big bang...


Weather's Fine at Dress Barn Dress Barn turns in good, not great, results and still blames the weather.


AT T's VoIP Venture After hanging up on long distance, the carrier dials for profits through Net telephony.


Microsoft tweaks volume-licensing program Among other changes, the software giant has established a Web site designed to make it easier to understand what the program's rules are.


Briefly: Microsoft updates home PC package roundup Plus: LookSmart buys Furl.net...Pentagon expands access to voting site...Ad campaign touts multimedia cards...T-Mobile sells Sidekick II.


Mandrake in contract to boost Linux security Linux seller gets piece of \$8.6 million French contract after exiting bankruptcy protection.


Microsoft updates home PC package The new version of Works Suite includes Word 2002 plus updated editions of several other tools.


Dangerous Exploit Targets JPEG Flaw A software patch to protect your system is available from Microsoft.


Crude oil regains strength, thanks to Ivan CALGARY - Oil prices rose to their second-highest closing price on record yesterday, a final gift from Hurricane Ivan, which ravaged the US Gulf Coast last week, cutting oil imports south of the border and destroying key production facilities.


Hostage Crises Rivet Britain And Italy, But No Solutions In Sight Britain is ruling out negotiations with the captors of Kenneth Bigley, the only surviving member of the trio of American and British contractors taken hostage in Iraq last week.


UN Nuclear Watchdog Battles Brazil on Checks at Resende Plant The UN nuclear watchdog agency says it is still negotiating with Brazil concerning inspections at a uranium enrichment plant. An International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, spokesman says a team of experts will


Halliburton may shed KBR Unit, a big operator in Iraq, will be separated if it doesn #39;t perform after restructuring. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Halliburton Co.


Cognos tops forecasts; Midnight Oil merger New York (CBS.MW) - Canadian stocks put in a mixed performance by midday, with the major indexes little changed on the session. Free!


Monty still smiling at Woburn A birdie-eagle finish had Colin Montgomerie smiling yet again when he returned to the European Tour after his Ryder Cup heroics. Montgomerie was seven shots adrift of the first-round leaders in The Heritage


Contact Centers Await Next-Generation Speech (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - IBM's (NYSE: IBM) donation of some US #36;10 million worth of software to the open-source community to help developers build speech applications was, of course, not completely altruistic.


Microsoft Issues First Patch for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has issued its first patch for Service Pack 2, which has been on the market for just a month and a half. The patch fixes a flaw in the VPN, or virtual private \network.


Groups Challenge Rules on Pesticides (AP) AP - Environmental groups went to court Thursday against Bush administration rules that allow the use of new pesticides with fewer checks on how they affect endangered species.


Ryder Cup stars return with a bump (AFP) AFP - Colin Montgomerie, who sank the winning Ryder Cup putt last weekend, returned to the European Tour with a bump with only a late flourish keeping him in contention on the first day of The Heritage tournament.


Iraq Beheadings: Medium Becomes Message (AP) AP - For centuries, it has been one of humanity's most graphic, gruesome ways to end a life: sever the head, home to thoughts, dreams and that most personal of features  #151; the face. Decapitation by hand, with sword or knife, smacks of ugly yesterdays  #151; things the West prefers to think it has left behind.


US warns N. Korea against missile tests, urges return to nuclear talks (AFP) AFP - US Secretary of State Colin Powell warned North Korea against carrying out any new missile tests, saying Washington would not be intimidated into changing its policy towards the Stalinist state.


'A Massive Experiment' In Voting On Nov. 2, some 6 million Washington-area voters will use touch-screen machines, a key test of a new technology that will play a major role in deciding what promises to be a very close presidential election. -washingtonpost.com


Graham defends U.S. missile plan, but won't say for sure if Canada's joining (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's possible entry into the U.S. missile-defence program still hinges on talks with the Americans, says Defence Minister Bill Graham.


Bush Shrugs Off Bad Polls on Iraq Outlook (AP) AP - President Bush on Thursday shrugged off polls that suggest most Iraqis see Americans as occupiers not liberators. "I saw a poll that said the right track-wrong track in Iraq was better than here in America," he told reporters.


Pentagon Restores Voting Web Site Access (AP) AP - The Pentagon has restored access to a Web site that assists soldiers and other Americans living overseas in voting, after receiving complaints that its security measures were preventing legitimate voters from using it.


House Blocks Court on Pledge Case Rulings WASHINGTON - The House passed legislation Thursday that would prevent the Supreme Court from ruling on whether the words "under God" should be stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance.    In a politically and emotionally charged debate, Democrats said majority Republicans in the chamber were debasing the Constitution in order to force a vote that could hurt Democrats in the election...


Bush: Terrorists May Plan More Attacks WASHINGTON - Standing beside Iraq's interim leader, President Bush contended Thursday that insurgents could "plot and plan attacks elsewhere, in America and other free nations," if the United States pulled out. He said his top commander there has not asked for more troops but if he did, "I'd listen to him."   After meeting with interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, Bush said he expects violence in Iraq to escalate as the country moves toward elections scheduled for January...


Stevens Returns to U.K. After Detention LONDON - Puzzled and angry at being barred from the United States, Yusuf Islam, the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, returned to London on Thursday vowing to find out why.    Surrounded by a throng of reporters at Heathrow Airport, Islam said it was ludicrous that he's on Washington's no-fly list, suspected of ties to terrorists, and said he would challenge the decision to block him from entering the country...


Hamilton Will Keep Cycling Gold Medal GENEVA - Tyler Hamilton will keep his Olympic cycling gold medal because a backup drug test was inconclusive, the International Olympic Committee said Thursday.    Hamilton tested positive for signs of blood doping in the initial sample Aug...


Mo. Man Legally Changes His Name to 'They' BRANSON, Mo. - A Branson man has put a face to the anonymous references people often make to "they" by changing his name to just that: "They."   The former Andrew Wilson, a 43-year-old self-employed inventor, was granted legal permission last week by a circuit judge to change his name...


Stocks Mixed on Slow Economy, Oil Prices NEW YORK - A slowdown in economic growth and oil prices climbing to near record highs renewed Wall Street's fears of disappointing third-quarter earnings Thursday and pushed stocks mostly lower. Only the Nasdaq composite index managed a minimal gain...


Briefly: Jail time for California swappers? roundup Plus: Microsoft updates home PC package...LookSmart buys Furl.net...Microsoft tweaks volume-licensing program...Pentagon expands access to voting site.


Orange Unveils 3G Phones in Long-Delayed Launch  LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Orange unveiled its  third-generation (3G) mobile phones in a long-delayed  commercial launch, with seven new handset models aimed at its  key French market and at least four at Britain in time for  Christmas.


Update 2: Judge OKs Interstate Bakeries #39; Financing A federal bankruptcy judge approved a \$50 million loan to Interstate Bakeries Corp. on Thursday so the maker of Wonder Bread and Hostess Twinkies can continue operating for another month.


TV deal sends Martha Stewart Living shares soaring NEW YORK - Shares of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia jumped to a two-year high Thursday on word that she has signed a TV deal with the producer of Survivor.


Update 1: Proposed Bailout of Trump Casinos Shelved Donald J. Trump may have a new project for his apprentices - helping him try to figure out how to take his troubled casino company private after a proposed bailout fell through.


Stocks mixed, tech sector gets minor boost as oil prices near <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - Stock markets were mainly lower Thursday afternoon as oil prices inched toward record levels and investors dealt with lacklustre economic data.


Rodriguez Wins His Fourth Stage in Spain (AP) AP - Spain's Javier Pascual Rodriguez edged Colombia's Ivan Parra at the finish Thursday to win the 18th stage of the Spanish Vuelta, his fourth win of the race.


Mystics Make Surprising Run to Playoffs (AP) AP - Throughout the WNBA, the question this week has been: How on earth did the Washington Mystics make the playoffs without Chamique Holdsclaw?


Roddick to open US Davis Cup bid against Belarus US world number two Andy Roddick will face Belarus #39; Vladimir Voltchkov in the opening singles tie of their Davis Cup semi-final on Friday.


UPDATE 2-Ryder Cup quartet trail McDowell, O #39;Hern, Lara Briton Graeme McDowell, Australian Nick O #39;Hern and Spain #39;s Jose Manuel Lara shared the Heritage first round lead on Thursday as four members of Europe #39;s victorious Ryder Cup team returned to action.


Waters rewarded with two-year extension PISCATAWAY, NJ -- After winning 20 games in a season for the first time in 21 years and reaching the NIT championship game, Rutgers rewarded men #39;s basketball coach Gary Waters with a two-year extension.


Bears' Secondary Forced to Play Hurt (AP) AP - Bears cornerback Todd McMillon just laughed when asked if he could guess what the Minnesota Vikings were thinking about the injuries that have devastated Chicago's secondary.


UK hostage mother appeals captors to show mercy The 86-year-old mother of British hostage Kenneth Bigley held in Iraq joined on Thursday appeals made by his family for his safe release, as the British government made clear that it would not deal with the kidnappers.


Part 1 of 2: The evolution of Indonesian democracy Although it is yet to be officially announced, it now seems certain that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) will become Indonesia #39;s next president.


Terror cell arrests rise to 12 SECURITY forces had arrested two more people, bringing to 12 the number of suspects held after authorities broke up an al-Qaeda cell plotting to blow up Italian and Ukrainian embassies and kill Western diplomats, a judicial official said today.


Court Denies New Trial for Hockey Death (AP) AP - The state appeals court Thursday declined to allow a new trial for a father convicted of beating a man to death at their sons' hockey practice.


Rutgers Player Suspended on Guilty Plea (AP) AP - Rutgers basketball player Shalicia Hurns was suspended from the team after pleading guilty to punching and tying up her roommate during a dispute over painkilling drugs.


Robby Gordon Put on Probation for Rest of Year  Welcome, N.C. (Sports Network) - Robby Gordon was placed on  probation Thursday for the rest of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup  Series season by Richard Childress Racing.


Roddick to Open U.S. Davis Cup Bid Against Belarus  CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - U.S. world number  two Andy Roddick will face Belarus' Vladimir Voltchkov in the  opening singles tie of their Davis Cup semi-final Friday.


Ryder Cup Quartet Trail McDowell, O'Hern, Lara  WOBURN, England (Reuters) - Briton Graeme McDowell,  Australian Nick O'Hern and Spain's Jose Manuel Lara shared the  Heritage first round lead Thursday as four members of Europe's  victorious Ryder Cup team returned to action.


New, dangerous Microsoft JPEG exploit released New computer code that exploits a recently disclosed hole in Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer Web browser is circulating on the Internet and could allow remote attackers to take full control of vulnerable Windows machines, according to warnings from antivirus companies and Internet security experts.


WiMax wings into the wild world of wireless Tired of new wireless technologies? Then stop reading. Because here's a story about a new wireless system that could someday eclipse the Wi-Fi service you've just begun to understand.


Oil Prices Rise as Supply Concerns Linger  NEW YORK (Reuters) - World oil prices rose on Thursday as  concerns over a supply shortage after Hurricane Ivan persisted  despite news the U.S. will loan some oil from its reserves to  refineries to make up for lost production.


Scientists Reverse Paralysis in Dogs (AP) AP - Dogs with paralyzed hind legs regained the ability to walk after getting a shot of a chemical cousin of antifreeze that helped repair nerve cells in their damaged spinal cords, scientists reported.


Blue Chips Drop, Oil Reaches \$49 a Barrel  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue-chip stocks fell on Thursday  and crude oil prices touched \$49 a barrel as traders saw a  possible oil loan from U.S. government reserves as too small to  make up for supply disruptions caused by Hurricane Ivan.


Pre-Dinosaur Reptile Discovered -- Long-Necked Hunter The ancient reptile had short and broad limbs with relatively few bones in the wrist and ankle joints, an indication that it was more adapted to an aquatic lifestyle than other protorosaurs.


PeopleSoft Offers Incentives In a move to retain and attract new customers, PeopleSoft has announced a new promotion that includes a free technical upgrade to all users, and a free first quarter of application management services following go-live from PeopleSoft Global Services.


Montgomerie enjoys another grandstand finish Another grandstand finish earned Europe #39;s Ryder Cup talisman Colin Montgomerie a standing ovation from the 18th green gallery, this time at the Duke #39;s Course in The Heritage tournament on Thursday.


Wild Thing, I Think I Love You Last season, when the Boston Red Sox clinched the wild-card spot in the baseball postseason, the players staged a frenzied celebration on the field at Fenway Park.


Haiti Storm Death Toll Could Reach 2,000 Hungry, thirsty and increasingly desperate residents attacked each other in a panic to get scarce food and water Thursday as workers struggled to bury hundreds of corpses six days after the city was struck by Tropical Storm Jeanne.


3 Palestinians Shot Dead After Killing 3 Israeli Soldiers Relying on a dense fog for cover, three Palestinian gunmen reached an Israeli Army outpost in the Gaza Strip early today and shot dead three soldiers before the attackers were themselves killed.


Scientists Test Organic Waste Technology (AP) AP - Lycoming County officials and scientists are testing technology they hope will turn organic waste into profitable byproducts.


Scientists Seek Limit on Shark Killings (AP) AP - An international decision that it's illegal to cut the fins off of a shark and then dump the carcass is a great first step, but more is needed to protect sharks, experts say.


Brokers Dip As AG Edwards Misses Brokerage stocks fell for the second straight day Thursday after regional firm AG Edwards Inc. blamed sluggish equity markets as the main reason it missed Wall Street expectations for its fiscal second-quarter earnings.


Putnam to Disclose More About Fees Mutual-fund firm Putnam Investments announced it will provide more information about its fees, brokerage commissions and executive pay as part of an effort to regain footing in the wake of the mutual-fund trading scandals.


Human Stem Cells Show Potential for Eye Repair Corporate researchers working outside controversial federal restraints said on Thursday they had engineered human stem cells that they believe could be used to repair eyes.


Study: Government data limited on offshoring A new report from Congress #39; research arm about  quot;offshoring quot; sheds little light about the controversial practice of sending services work abroad.


Ireland Cracks Down on Internet Fraud (AP) AP - Ireland has become the first country on earth to cut off direct-dialed calls to entire nations in a bid to crack down on Internet-based fraud.


Ancient Sea Reptile Explains Long Neck The fossil of a sea reptile with a neck twice as long as its body is solving the mystery of how some ancient reptiles used their long appendages.


Ireland Cracks Down on Internet Fraud Ireland has become the first country on earth to cut off direct-dialed calls to entire nations in a bid to crack down on Internet-based fraud.


Montgomerie has strong finish at The Heritage Ryder Cup star Colin Montgomerie had a birdie and eagle on the last two holes Thursday, shooting a 1-under-par 71 Thursday that left him four strokes behind the leaders after the first round of The Heritage.


North vs. South baseball wars, California style With apologies to the Mamas and Papas, California isn #39;t just dreamin #39; about the baseball playoffs as the regular seasons winds down.


Braves try to clinch 13th straight division title Bobby Cox has guided the Braves to a record 12 consecutive division crowns. On Thursday, Atlanta can extend that streak to 13 with a win coupled with a loss by the Florida Marlins.


Calif. Panel Weighs Greenhouse Gas Plan for Cars (Reuters) Reuters - A plan to require automakers to\cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks by about 30\percent is expected to be approved on Thursday by the\California Air Resources Board, backers and opponents said.


New Way to Help Find Quake Survivors -Sniffer Rats (Reuters) Reuters - Sniffer rescue dogs trained to find\explosives or earthquake survivors buried in rubble may soon\have some competition -- rats.


Bush Set to Open Oil Reserve Spigot  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With oil near \$50 a barrel, the Bush  administration is set to allow oil refineries to borrow from  the government's emergency petroleum stockpile to make up for  supplies disrupted by Hurricane Ivan, a congressional source  briefed on the pending decision told Reuters on Thursday.


Blue Chips End Lower After Oil Hits \$49  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue-chip stocks declined to the  lowest level in more than a month on Thursday as crude oil  prices touched \$49 a barrel and renewed concerns that high fuel  costs will erode corporate profits.


Ex-CA Chief Pleads Not Guilty to Fraud  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Computer Associates  International Inc. CA.N Chief Executive Sanjay Kumar pleaded  not guilty on Thursday to charges of securities fraud and  obstruction of justice after a two-year investigation into the  company's accounting practices.


Tyler Hamilton Cleared to Keep Olympic Gold - IOC  LONDON (Reuters) - Olympic time trial champion Tyler  Hamilton has been cleared of any doping offence at the Athens  Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on  Thursday.


Grey-Thompson Takes 10th Paralympic Gold  ATHENS (Reuters) - Britain's Tanni Grey-Thompson bounced  back from a disappointing show in the 800 meters to take gold  in the T53 100 meters Thursday.


Some Soldiers May Be Due Insurance Refund Many of the young soldiers at Fort Benning thought they were purchasing an investment product after they listened to the agent #39;s spiel, but they really bought term life insurance at less-than-bargain rates.


Beacon Roofing Leads Day of IPO Gains Shares of Beacon Roofing Suppler Inc. shot up as much as 26 percent in its trading debut Thursday, edging out bank holding company Valley Bancorp as the biggest gainer among a handful of new stocks that went public this week.


Nokia guns for PDA, home surveillance rivals Reviving its tradition of finally putting a sensible keyboard onto a phone - once all the alternatives have been exhausted - Nokia launched its 6670 model today.


Immersion wins patent-infringement suit v. Sony Federal court finds that PlayStation hardware infringed on San Jose firm #39;s patents, awards \$84 million in damages. This week, a federal jury awarded San Jose-based Immersion \$82 million in a patent infringement suit that the firm had brought against Sony.


Adobe Premiere Elements Excellent titling and chroma key features. Fine stepping-stone for learning Premiere Pro. Good integration with Photoshop Elements.


Roddick and Fish lead US Davis Cup effort Charleston, SC (Sports Network) - Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish will play singles for the United States in this weekend #39;s Davis Cup semifinal matchup against Belarus.


For better or worse, college football needs Fighting Irish to be <b>...</b> Those Domeheads hungering for further indication that their Notre Dame heroes are marching back toward prosperity needed only to check in on Fighting Irish head coach Tyrone Willingham #39;s weekly press conference to learn that things indeed are heading in


Mayorga misses rape case hearing Former champion Ricardo Mayorga missed a rape case hearing because he is training for a bout in New York, and a new hearing was set for Oct. 6. Mayorga was to appear Wednesday for an initial hearing following a complaint by a 22-year-old woman.


Public Exploit For Windows JPEG Bug Khoo writes  quot;A sample program hit the Internet on Wednesday, showing by example how malicious coders could compromise Windows computers by using a flaw in the handling of a widespread graphics format by Microsoft #39;s software.


MLB Meets on Expos A panel of baseball owners met in Commissioner Bud Selig's office Thursday to discuss the fate of the Montreal Expos and the franchise's possible move to Washington.


Ky. Students Brace to Dissect Deer Hearts (AP) AP - Gene Snyder's eighth-grade science students are supplying their own specimens for a dissection project in the spring.


Halliburton to Restructure KBR Unit  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Halliburton Co. HAL.N on Thursday  said it would restructure its embattled KBR unit and may shed  the business if the oil services company's stock performance  keeps lagging its peers.


Cyberonics Gets FDA OK for Small Study  CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. regulators, who rejected  Cyberonics Inc.'s CYBX.O device to treat depression in  August, cleared the therapy for use in a small study, the  company said on Thursday.


Groups Meet to Discuss Climate Change (AP) AP - The search for new strategies to confront global warming takes center stage in Buenos Aires on Monday as thousands of environmentalists and government policy-makers gather for an international conference on climate change.


No Shine to Home Furnisher Bed Bath   Beyond's stock looks ripe for a fall, even though the numbers are good.


Study: Government data limited on offshoring New report from Congress reveals little on extent of shipping IT and other services work abroad, as debate on the trend heats up.


Scientists to study termites for building tips Sub-Saharan bug builds huge, self-cooled nests. Research involves energy efficiency for skyscrapers.


Cisco to invest more heavily in Asia The networking giant announces plans for its first research center in China and for a venture investment program in India.


US leading economic index fall for third straight month in August The Conference Board reported Thursday that the Leading Economic Index fell for a third consecutive month in August, suggesting slower economic growth ahead amid rising oil prices.


Hamilton Won #39;t Lose Gold in Doping Case, IOC Says (Update1) US cyclist Tyler Hamilton will keep his gold medal from the Athens Games even though a test found illegal blood doping, the International Olympic Committee said.


Giants look to take lead in NL West The San Francisco Giants need Jason Schmidt to bounce back from his recent struggles as they try to catch the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and hold off the Chicago Cubs in the wild-card race.


Bettman stands ground Toronto Sun. Gary Bettman proved as elusive a target as Jean Chretien for Peter Mansbridge and a town hall crowd on The National last night during a segment devoted to hockey #39;s lockout.


Microsoft files suits against 'bulletproof' Web hosts BOSTON - Microsoft Corp. filed nine lawsuits against individuals and companies alleged to be involved in the distribution of spam, the company said Wednesday.


Microsoft taps European expertise in research BRUSSELS - European researchers lead the field in a number of key areas for the future development of computer science and play a crucial role in Microsoft Corp.'s research activities, according to senior company staff speaking at an innovation fair here on Thursday.


Microsoft Files More Spam Suits New lawsuits include one against a Web hosting company that called itself "bulletproof."


First Look: Apple's Slim New IMac G5 Beautiful display and plenty of power, but what's up with the nonadjustable base?


'Autopsy' Showcases Scientists' Research (AP) AP - Two University of New Mexico doctoral students will star in the Discovery Channel's new show "Mummy Autopsy."


Slower economy, high oil prices push stocks mostly lower Investors extended their blue chip selloff Thursday as oil prices neared their all-time highs, renewing Wall Street #39;s concerns that high energy costs would deflate third-quarter earnings.


SEC says General Electric violated law over Welch perks General Electric Co. violated the law by failing to fully disclose to investors the many perks lavished on its retired chief executive Jack Welch, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday.


Sony to support MP3 - shock SA MP3 market ready to take off <nobr>ITWeb</nobr>


Did Triassic monster use suction to feed? A newly discovered Triassic reptile that has a neck much longer than its body is reopening a question long thought settled: what good is a long neck?


Sony fined \$82 million p2pnet.net News:- Sony Computer Entertainment and its US subsidiary may have to pay touch feedback technology firm Immersion Corp - which says it  quot; brings feeling to Microsoft Windows and the Internet quot; - \$82 million for patent infringement.


As More Exploits Emerge, Security Groups Prep for JPEG Attack The Internet security community is preparing for a working virus or worm attack based on the Microsoft JPEG exploit revealed last week.


ISS crew to help search for Aids vaccine Moscow - The next crew of the International Space Station (ISS) is to contribute to the Russian search for a vaccine against Aids, Russian cosmonaut Salijan Sharipovthe said on Thursday.


DoCoMo Looking for Cingular Deal? According to press reports in Japan, NTT DoCoMo is locked in talks with US mobile giant Cingular aimed at unifying the pair #39;s 3G mobile phone services.


Ad campaign touts multimedia cards com September 22, 2004, 5:04 PM PT. With the economy slowly turning up, upgrading hardware has been on businesses radar in the past 12 months as their number two priority.


Faulk rejoins Pats after mother #39;s death Having returned to the New England Patriots on Tuesday after a three-week absence, running back Kevin Faulk acknowledged the obvious.


Push and pull While expressing anger at calls to halt its uranium enrichment activities, Iran still found a way to keep the door open for dialogue.


Sri Lanka #39;s Tamil Tigers Kill Renegade Leader Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka have killed four people, including a leader of a renegade guerilla faction, in growing factional violence that is threatening the country #39;s fragile cease-fire.


Google Founders Honored By Marconi Foundation Google Founders Honored By Marconi Foundation\\Google's founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who as Stanford graduate students successfully created the Google search engine, have been named the 2004 Fellows of the Marconi Foundation at Columbia University. The two award winners will join a select cadre of 32 of the world's ...


GE settles with SEC over Welch retirement package General Electric Co. on Thursday entered into a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve allegations the company failed to disclose to investors the scope of the retirement package of former President and CEO Jack Welch.


Automakers Attack Proposal to Address Global Warming Automakers on Wednesday attacked a California plan to regulate automotive emissions of global warming gases. The state #39;s proposal  quot;clearly goes far beyond what is reasonable


Internet Ranks Ahead Of Other Media com. Among 18-54 years olds, 45.6 percent chose the Internet as their preferred media according to a new study released by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) comparing consumer attitudes toward different media.


Smith also had marijuana in his system DENTON, Texas -- A University of North Texas quarterback who died in a head-on collision with an 18-wheeler last month was legally drunk and had traces of marijuana in his system, an autopsy report shows.


Calif. Regulators Weigh Smog Restrictions (AP) AP - California air regulators on Thursday took up the world's most ambitious rules to reduce car emissions that contribute to global warming  #151; an effort that could have a sweeping effect on how the country fights vehicle pollution.


India's Kashmir Govt to Fight Ban on Shahtoosh Wool (Reuters) Reuters - India's Jammu and Kashmir state\plans to fight a global ban on the trade in super-fine\shahtoosh wool, which environmentalists say is produced by\killing a rare Tibetan antelope.


Wal-Mart Sued for Racial Discrimination (Reuters) Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is being sued in\a federal court by a job applicant who says it discriminates\against black employees seeking work as truck drivers,\according to court documents filed on Wednesday.


Wal-Mart Sued for Racial Discrimination  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is being sued in  a federal court by a job applicant who says it discriminates  against black employees seeking work as truck drivers,  according to court documents filed on Wednesday.


Stocks Drop on \$49 Oil, Slowing Economy  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue-chip stocks fell  on  Thursday to nearly a five-week low as crude oil touched \$49 a  barrel, close to the record set last month, and a key gauge of  future economic activity fell for a third straight month.


The Cigarette Mafia The federal government seeks \$280 billion from the tobacco companies, using laws designed to combat the Mafia.


Stock Markets Fall as Oil Nears \$50 a Barrel NEW YORK, Sept. 22 -- A surge in oil prices and a disappointing earnings report from Morgan Stanley were cited as factors in significant stock market losses Wednesday.


Stamps.com Falls on Concern Over Product Test Shares of Stamps.com (STMP.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , which sells postage over the Internet, fell 11 percent on Thursday on concerns that its PhotoStamps service, which allows the creation of personalized stamps, might be


Cisco invests \$32 million in china R amp;D center September 23, 2004 Beijing -- Cisco Systems #39; president and CEO John Chambers today announced the company #39;s intent to open a research and development center in Shanghai, China.


Plenty At Stake - Wednesday 22, September-2004 SOUTHHAMPTON - West Indies want to redeem a disappointing summer with a place in the Champions Trophy final while Pakistan are equally as eager to continue its resurgence under new coach Bob Woolmer.


Blair urged to act on Bigley Efforts to help save the life of Kenneth Bigley held captive in Iraq, intensified when Irish politicians made an appeal to Bigley #39;s captors.


Cybersecurity overhaul legislation DOA in Congress A bill to transfer the nation's cybersecurity director from the Department of Homeland Security to the White House is "dead on arrival," according to sources.


WiMax wings into the wild world of wireless WiMax is winning over lots of followers while quickly gaining momentum on the standards front -- despite high-profile skeptics such as Texas Instruments, according to experts at this week's Broadband World Forum in Venice.


New, dangerous Microsoft JPEG exploit code released The new code is more dangerous than the exploit that appeared earlier this week, since it allows malicious hackers to run their own code on vulnerable machines, according to the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center.


PeopleSoft pushes upgrade sweeteners PeopleSoft's NOW program, unveiled this week at Connect 2004, will allow World, Enterprise and EnterpriseOne customers a free technical upgrade, management services and training.


BSA now pushing 700 software piracy probes in the U.S. The chief enforcement officer for the Business Software Alliance told attendees at a Gartner asset management conference yesterday that software audit raids with federal marshals and court orders against enterprise customers are rare.


E-vote critics urge changes to system With less than six weeks to go before the Nov. 2 presidential election, voting activists said officials still have time to set up a paper trail as a counterweight to an e-voting system they portrayed as wide open to manipulation.


XP SP2 distribution accelerated; VPN problem fixed Microsoft is accelerating the distribution of Windows XP Service Pack 2 to reach its goal of updating 100 million PCs through Automatic Updates by Oct. 18, and it has released an update to correct a VPN problem.


French Defense Ministry commissions high-security Linux The French Ministry of Defense has awarded an \$8.6 million contract to a consortium of companies, including Linux vendor Mandrakesoft, to develop a highly secure version of Linux for business, defense and government uses.


A Thorn in Halliburton #39;s Side The Kellogg Brown  amp; Root unit is putting a big hurt the stock. Is a parting of the ways likely? Chief Executive David J. Lesar might be right when he describes Halliburton Co.


Cisco to invest more heavily in Asia Networking giant Cisco Systems this week announced plans for increased investment in Asia, including a new research and development facility in China and a venture investment program in India.


Cyberonics Sends More Data to FDA Medical device maker Cyberonics Inc. said Thursday that it filed additional data with the Food and Drug Administration for its VNS therapy system designed to treat depression.


Sony #39;s Major Strategic Shift: MP3 Format Support Support for MP3 will first appear in solid state players based on flash memory Sony plans to release this year. Sony has long insisted its digital music players support only its proprietary ATRAC format, but


LookSmart buys Furl.net com September 23, 2004, 9:53 AM PT. There #39;s no doubt the Internet will continue to make its mark in the world of business and technology.


Irish talk of softening schedule a little which bows to no conference commissioner, has its own network and grazes from coast to coast for prestigious opponents -- could be changing its scheduling philosophy.


Kyoto in Sight, U.N. Talks Begin in Better Climate (Reuters) Reuters - A U.N. conference on\climate change opened on Monday with delegates looking for any\change in U.S. opposition to the Kyoto protocol after President\Bush's re-election and Russian ratification of the agreement.


Scientists Make Phone That Turns Into a Sunflower (Reuters) Reuters - Scientists said on Monday they have\come up with a cell phone cover that will grow into a sunflower\when thrown away.


AOL Places Classified Listings in Search Engine Results AOL Places Classified Listings in Search Engine Results\\Although AOL has yet to launch their AOL InStore into their search engine results, according to AuctionBytes, AOL is now testing the inclusion of AOL Classified Ads into their normal Google powered search listings. The classified listings are now being tested in AOL ...


Google Adwords And The Lost Art Of Copywriting Google Adwords And The Lost Art Of Copywriting\\Tens of thousands of businesses, large and small, use Google Adwords and Overture Match (from Yahoo!) to advertise their products and services on the Internet. An entire industry, loosely known as "Search Engine Marketing" (SEM for short) has grown up to support this ...


MIT Works to Power Computers With Spinach (AP) AP - "Eat your spinach," Mom used to say. "It will make your muscles grow, power your laptop and recharge your cell phone... "


Officials Say Iraq Elections on Track (AP) AP - Defense officials are not ruling out the possibility that they will need more U.S. troops to secure January's elections in increasingly violent Iraq, but believe Iraqi and perhaps international troops may be able to do the job instead, a top general said Wednesday.


IBM in Voice Services Deal With Lloyds (AP) AP - International Business Machines Corp. said Monday it will provide voice and data services to British financial-services company Lloyds TSB Group PLC for seven years in a deal worth  #36;971.6 million.


Russian Ministries Start Agreeing to Kyoto Approval  MOSCOW (Reuters) - At least one Russian ministry has signed  letters agreeing to Moscow's approval of the Kyoto Protocol, a  spokesman said Thursday, in what could be a final step in the  lengthy tussle to bring the global pact into force.


Musharraf Rebuffs Pleas for Pakistan Troops in Iraq  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Pakistani President Pervez  Musharraf on Thursday ruled out sending troops to help restore  stability in Iraq, rebuffing pleas from the Iraqi interim  government and the United States.


N.Korea May Be Preparing Missile Launch -Sources  TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States and Japan have detected  signs North Korea is preparing to launch a ballistic missile  capable of reaching almost anywhere in Japan, Japanese and U.S.  government sources said on Thursday.


Edge Dynamics launches new breed of enterprise app (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Enterprise software takes an evolutionary step forward as Edge Dynamics and Tibco Software develop software that combines elements of both ERP and BI applications.


Turkey's EU Bid Back on Course After Damaging Row  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkey's bid to join the European  Union was back on course Thursday after Prime Minister Tayyip  Erdogan backed down in a row with the bloc over attempts to ban  adultery in his Muslim nation.


Powell Appeals to Arafat to Step Aside  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell  appealed to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Thursday to  step aside for the sake of achieving his lifetime goal of a  Palestinian state.


Nazi holiday camp sold at auction A section of a 4.5km-long hotel complex built by the Nazis as a holiday camp is sold at auction.


Missing Airport Uniforms Pose No Threat, Canada Says  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada reported Monday that its airport  screening staff had lost more than 1,100 pieces of clothing and  identification this year but insisted the missing items posed  no threat to security.


Sudan rebels hit outside Darfur Rebels launch an attack outside the western Sudanese region of Darfur, killing eight people, officials say.


S African TV in beheading blunder Public broadcaster SABC apologises after news bulletin shows footage of American beheaded in Iraq.


Gorbachev calls for terror talks The former Soviet leader tells BBC's Newsnight terrorism can only be tackled by political means, just weeks after the Beslan school seige tragedy.


Ill Winds Improve the View There's an old truth about hurricanes: they take out the trees that gardeners don't have the heart to cut down.


U.S. Worries Over Election Terror Threat WASHINGTON - As the election draws nearer, U.S. officials are increasingly concerned al-Qaida terrorists will mount a devastating attack to try to disrupt the political process...


NHL Lockout's First Week Produces No Talks NEW YORK - It's been a week without progress in the NHL lockout. So far, there have been no overtures from the league or the players to resume talks to save a season that is already starting to slip away...


Stations Get E-Mails to Oust Dan Rather NEW YORK - Station managers at several CBS affiliates said Thursday they appear to be a target of a national e-mail campaign placing pressure on the network to oust Dan Rather as anchorman of the "CBS Evening News."   The anger stems from Rather's role in a "60 Minutes" report on President Bush's service in the National Guard. CBS has apologized for reporting on documents critical of Bush's service, widely assumed now as fakes, and appointed a panel to investigate what went wrong in the report...


Slow Economy, Oil Prices Send Stocks Down NEW YORK - Investors extended their blue chip selloff Thursday as oil prices neared their all-time highs, renewing Wall Street's concerns that high energy costs would deflate third-quarter earnings. Only the Nasdaq composite index managed a minimal gain...


Linux Camp Takes New Tack on Kernel (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - With a common goal of providing a more constant, smoother and faster development cycle, new technologies are being put directly into Linux kernel 2.6.x.


PeopleSoft pushes customers to upgrade Under threat of hostile takeover, PeopleSoft offers freebies to customers that migrate to latest software release


Ariz. Schools to Get Solar Energy Systems (AP) AP - Six local schools will have solar energy systems installed over the next year. The systems are expected to lower utility bills and teach students about renewable energy.


Fraud charges rock CA US regulators yesterday levelled fraud charges against three former executives of Computer Associates (CA), including Sanjay Kumar, the US software companys former head.


Interstate Bakeries gets OK for funding Bankrupt Interstate Bakeries Corp., maker of Hostess Twinkies and Wonder Bread, received court approval Thursday for financing that will allow it to keep paying employees and vendors while it seeks to reorganize.


Halliburton, Seeking to Boost Value, May Shed KBR (Update2) Halliburton Co. said it may sell its KBR unit, which is being investigated for possible overcharges on a US Army contract in Iraq and alleged bribery at a Nigerian venture, to boost its share price.


Stamp Co. Bars Images of Adults, Teens You can still get your baby, your dog, even your prized  #39;65 Mustang on a sheet of postage stamps and immortalize them in letters to your friends.


Trump end talks Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, trying to restructure US\$1.8 billion in debt, has ended talks that would have resulted in the company receiving a US\$400 million lifeline.


Cybersecurity overhaul legislation DOA in Congress SEPTEMBER 23, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - WASHINGTON -- New legislation expected to be introduced in the House today that would move the nation #39;s director of cybersecurity from the Department of Homeland Security to the White House is apparently already dead


PeopleSoft pushes upgrade sweeteners SEPTEMBER 23, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - SAN FRANCISCO -- Embattled PeopleSoft Inc. is offering a sweetener to customers to migrate to the latest versions of its products, hopefully allowing it to close more sales


Website sued over illegal film downloads The Motion Picture Association of America says it has sued a company that sells Internet downloads of current movies like  quot;I, Robot quot; and  quot;Spider-Man 2 quot; without permission.


Credit-Card Processor Hit by DDoS Attack Credit-card transaction processing firm Authorize.Net has been hit by a series of distributed denial-of-service attacks that have caused temporary disruptions in service to some of its customers.


Long-necked dinosaur could have been first stealth hunter A newly discovered fossil may be the remains of one of the first stealth hunters, a swimming dinosaur that could use its long neck to sneak up on prey and strike without warning.


Ireland cracks down on Internet fraud Ireland has become the first country on earth to cut off direct-dialed calls to entire nations in a bid to crack down on Internet-based fraud.


Blocking JPEGs no defence against Windows vulnerability One of the standard security tactics enterprises apply won #39;t work when defending PCs against threats posed by the image processing flaw found last week in Windows and numerous applications, according to security experts.


Payoffs alleged in school computer program Representatives of IBM Corp. and two other vendors offered to pay commissions to an educators group for any business that its members sent to them under a national program


FIFA aims to help players prepare for 2006 World Cup FIFA is looking at ways to help players prepare better for major international tournaments starting with the 2006 World Cup. The Football Committee and Technical and Development


Appeal from Family of Kidnapped Briton in Iraq The family of Ken Bigley, the Briton kidnapped in Iraq, have released a statement through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office appealing for his safe release.


LEBANON NAILS ITS AL QAEDA RINGLEADER September 23, 2004 -- BEIRUT, Lebanon - The Lebanese government announced the arrest of the country #39;s top al Qaeda operative, and said yesterday he and another Lebanese suspect plotted homicide attacks on Western embassies and recruited insurgents to


Iraqi group says it freed Canadian hostage; victim #39;s family says <b>...</b> FALLUJAH, Iraq (CP) - A group calling itself the Brigades of the Victorious Lion of God said Thursday it was responsible for the kidnapping of Canadian Fairuz Yamulky and claimed it set her free only after her company pledged to withdraw from Iraq.


Montgomerie Has Strong Finish at Heritage (AP) AP - Ryder Cup star Colin Montgomerie had a birdie and eagle on the last two holes Thursday, shooting a 1-under-par 71 that left him four strokes behind the leaders after the first round of The Heritage.


Paralympics: Angourakis Increases Greece's Medal Haul  ATHENS (Reuters) - Christos Angourakis added his name to  Greece's list of Paralympic medal winners when he claimed a  bronze in the T53 shot put competition Thursday.


Brazil Coach More Worried About Venezuela Than Germany  RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil coach Carlos Alberto  Parreira is more worried about playing rank outsiders Venezuela  than the likes of Germany or Argentina.


US to Provide Limited Oil to Refineries The Bush administration announced Thursday it would provide US refineries with limited quantities #39; #39; of crude oil from the nation #39;s emergency stockpile to help offset supply


New Sony players modified to play MP3s Sony #39;s new generation of digital music players play both its Atrac format and MP3s, allowing Japan #39;s electronics giant to better compete with Apple #39;s iPod.


MIT Works to Power Computers With Spinach  quot;Eat your spinach, quot; Mom used to say.  quot;It will make your muscles grow, power your laptop and recharge your cell phone...  quot;. OK. So nobody #39;s Mom said those last two things. But researchers at the Massachusetts


Mission extended for Mars robots NASA has announced that its Mars robots Spirit and Opportunity would work six months longer than expected. NASA made the decision after re-establishing radio contact with the twin rovers, which had spent 12 days behind the Sun.


The West Indians were highly charged up On top one day and completely down in a matter of two days. That is the story of Pakistan cricket. What a show they put up against the Indians the other day, only to collapse in a heap against the West Indies.


Brazil Coach More Worried About Venezuela Than Germany Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is more worried about playing rank outsiders Venezuela than the likes of Germany or Argentina.


British Hostage #39;s Mom Pleads for His Life LONDON Sept. 23, 2004 - The 86-year-old mother of a Briton held hostage in Iraq pleaded with his captors to free him Thursday, days after they beheaded two Americans kidnapped along with him.


Indonesia as a Beacon In just six short years since the dictator Suharto was ousted, the world #39;s fifth most populous nation has seen three presidents, three major terrorist bombings by a group linked to Al Qaeda, three separatist uprisings, a 40 percent unemployment rate, and


Rein in militias, UN tells Sudan THE top UN envoy to Sudan said today it #39;s the responsibility of the Sudanese government to rein in the Arab militias in Darfur and Khartoum should not hesitate in seeking foreign assistance in that effort.


Nepali gov #39;t officially invites insurgents for talks The High-level Peace Committee (HPC) headed by Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, in its first meeting held in Kathmandu, has officially invited the anti-government insurgents for peace talks.


Nokia Phone Adds Virus Protection (PC World) PC World - Upcoming smart phone will feature a mobile version of F-Secure's antivirus software.


Microsoft Sues Web Hoster, Others Over Spam (Reuters) Reuters - Microsoft Corp. filed nine new lawsuits\against spammers who send unsolicited e-mail, including an\e-mail marketing Web hosting company, the world's largest\software maker said on Thursday


Microsoft Sues Web Hoster, Others Over Spam  SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. filed nine new lawsuits  against spammers who send unsolicited e-mail, including an  e-mail marketing Web hosting company, the world's largest  software maker said on Thursday


Trump Optimistic on Scuttled Casino Deal  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A scuttled deal to rebuild Donald  Trump's casino empire on Thursday left the star of "The  Apprentice" optimistic he could forge a new agreement, but bond  analysts were wary of the prospects for the money-losing  gambling company.


Take-Two Sees Higher Sports Prices for New Consoles (Reuters) Reuters - Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.\ on Monday said that prices for its sports video games\will likely return to higher levels once new game consoles\arrive in late 2005 or 2006.


Campbell's Chairman Retires in November  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Campbell Soup Co. CPB.N, the  world's biggest soupmaker, on Thursday said its chairman,  George Sherman, will retire in November.


Bush Said to Be Ready to Open Oil Reserve Spigot The Energy Department is reviewing requests for oil loans from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve following the recent hurricanes, the government said today.


Briefly: TiVo hires marketing chief roundup Plus: Jail time for California swappers?...Microsoft updates home PC package...LookSmart buys Furl.net.


Gov #39;t Set to Make Oil Loans to Refiners With oil near \$50 a barrel, the Bush administration said on Thursday it will negotiate with refineries that want to borrow oil from the federal emergency stockpile to offset supplies disrupted by Hurricane Ivan.


Oracle again extends tender offer for PeopleSoft Oracle Corp. (ORCL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , the world #39;s second-biggest software company, on Thursday said it again extended its \$7.


Automakers rip Calif. emission rules The California Air Resources Board opened a two-day meeting Thursday to set a final plan to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 30 percent before 2016.


Nokia Breaks into Home Security Market The Nokia Remote Camera works by combining a digital camera, GSM transceiver and MMS technology. All it needs is a regular main power supply and access to a GSM network, so it does not require


Microsoft Sues Web Hoster, Others Over Spam Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) filed nine new lawsuits against spammers who send unsolicited e-mail, including an e-mail marketing Web hosting company, the world #39;s largest software maker said on Thursday.


TechLove With Mr. Roboto Q: I recently installed Service Pack 2 on my Windows XP machine, and now the system #39;s gone all screwy: Internet Explorer won #39;t display animations right, I can #39;t play WarCraft III, and Yahoo Instant Messenger is toast.


UPDATE 1-Barca turn on style to join Valencia at summit Barcelona delighted their fans with a sparkling display at the Nou Camp to come from a goal down and seal a 4-1 win over Real Zaragoza in the Primera Liga on Thursday.


Cardinals reach 100 victories Youth was served in a big way for the Cardinals at Miller Park on Thursday afternoon. Rookies Yadier Molina and Hector Luna combined for six hits and all four RBIs as St.


Suzuki close to breaking one of baseball #39;s oldest records A few years ago, Ichiro Suzuki spent three days on his own wandering around the Hall of Fame, hoping to learn about the history of baseball in America.


Hopkins wants piece of Roy Jones NEW YORK - One thing Bernard Hopkins knockout of Oscar De La Hoya hasnt changed for the middleweight champion: he still needs to beat Roy Jones to feel fulfilled.


Apathy grows as lockout enters second week Peter Forsberg signs with MoDo of the Swedish Elite League while Rick Nash and Joe Thornton have an auspicious debut with HC Davos of the Swiss Elite League.


Iraqi group says it freed Canadian hostage FALLUJAH, Iraq - A group calling itself the Brigades of the Victorious Lion of God said today it was responsible for the kidnapping of Canadian Fairuz Yamulky and claimed it set her free only after her company pledged to withdraw from Iraq.


TiVo hires marketing chief Also: company announces it exceeded 2 million subscribers over Labor Day weekend. \


Healthy Forecast for 2005 Ad Spending (Reuters) Reuters - Advertising spending will climb\faster than the global economy in 2005, two leading forecasters\said on Monday, driven by marketing battles in competitive\sectors and increases in online and interactive ads.


Ex-CA boss Kumar pleads not guilty Former Computer Associates (CA) CEO Sanjay Kumar pleaded not guilty on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, N.Y., to charges of securities fraud and obstruction of justice involving a multi-billion dollar accounting scandal.


Nokia Phone Adds Virus Protection Upcoming smart phone will feature a mobile version of F-Secure's antivirus software.


Afghanistan's Karzai to be sworn in with hardest challenges ahead (AFP) AFP - Hamid Karzai will seek to rebuild Afghanistan after his inauguration as the devastated country's first freely elected president by tackling the twin scourge of drugs and warlords, his spokesman said.


PalmSource Falls After Weak Forecast (AP) AP - Shares of PalmSource Inc., the former software arm of organizer-maker Palm Inc., fell 10 percent in post-market trading Thursday after it provided a weak revenue forecast.


Turkey's EU Bid Back on Course After Damaging Row (Reuters) Reuters - Turkey's bid to join the European\Union was back on course Thursday after Prime Minister Tayyip\Erdogan backed down in a row with the bloc over attempts to ban\adultery in his Muslim nation.


Powell, Libyan FM meet in sign of improved ties (AFP) AFP - US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelraham Shalgham met here in the highest-level contact between the two countries in decades amid a sharp improvement in ties between Washington and Tripoli.


Democrat Edwards Courts Women Voters (AP) AP - Democrat John Edwards said Thursday that President Bush has done too little to make the nation safer, reaching out to women voters who have said in surveys they believe Bush would do a better job than the Democrats of protecting the country.


Many setbacks on road to an effective Iraqi force Pressure is rising to establish an Iraqi military capable of securing the country by January elections.


Musicians Sing Different Tune on File Sharing (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - We know what piracy debaters Lars Ulrich and Chuck D think of file sharing. But aside from the few who speak out publicly, musical artists typically sit out the rhetorical crossfire over copyright protection. This silent majority is the central focus of a new survey on Internet file-sharing, which discovered a significant sentiment: Most artists don't view unauthorized swapping of music and movies as a threat to their livelihood, even if many think it should be illegal.


China's new wealth clashes with party-boss influence Quiet efforts are afoot in the southern city of Shenzhen to thwart corruption by professionalizing the civil service.


Top Cleric Calls for On-Time Vote in Iraq BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. warplanes blasted insurgent positions in Sadr City, and American ground troops pushed into the sprawling Baghdad slum Thursday in a new operation aimed at disarming the militia of a renegade anti-U.S...


U.S. Worries Over Election Terror Threat WASHINGTON - As the election draws nearer, U.S. officials are increasingly concerned al-Qaida terrorists will attempt to mount a devastating attack to disrupt the political process...


Kerry: Allawi's Take on Iraq Unrealistic COLUMBUS, Ohio - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Thursday that Iraq's Ayad Allawi was sent before Congress to put the "best face" on a Bush administration policy that has gone wrong.    Shortly after Allawi, the interim government's prime minister, gave a rosy portrayal of progress toward peace in Iraq, Kerry said the assessment contradicted Allawi's own statements as well as the reality on the ground...


Delta to sell planes, spare engines to FedEx Delta Air Lines (DAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday said it reached a deal with FedEx Express to sell eight McDonnell Douglas MD11 aircraft and four spare engines for delivery in 2004.


AT amp;T Decries California Rate Hikes AT amp;T Corp. said Thursday that California #39;s decision to raise wholesale telephone rates will decrease competition between local carriers.


Yankees Clinch 10th Straight Playoff Spot (AP) AP - Derek Jeter hit a leadoff home run, Jon Lieber pitched into the eighth inning and the New York Yankees clinched their 10th consecutive trip to the postseason with a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Thursday.


Sony to support MP3 in future players Sony #39;s apparently gotten the message: Some of its new MP3 player models will feature direct support for MP3 in addition to its proprietary ATRAC format.


Exploit Threat Ratchets Up On Windows Vulnerability A recently detected exploit code foreshadows a likely worm-style attack on Windows machines plagued with the JPEG vulnerability made public last week, security experts said Thursday.


Applied Micro Sees 2Q Revenue Below 1Q Applied Micro Circuits Corp., a communications chip maker, on Thursday said it expects lower second-quarter revenue compared to its first quarter, based on soft sales in Asia and lower orders.


Senate committee approves wireless spectrum bill The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved a bill that sets a 2008 deadline for clearing broadcasters from wireless spectrum promised to public safety agencies.


Qualcomm Opens a Window to Video Wireless giant Qualcomm (Quote, Chart) has inked a licensing deal with Microsoft (Quote, Chart) it claims will make it easier to play audio and video on its handsets.


Report: CEOs Stagnant on Security CEOs aren #39;t doing enough to address the myriad IT security threats that loom large. At least that #39;s what Ernst  amp; Young concluded from survey results it released today.


Suzuki Near One of Baseball's Oldest Marks (AP) AP - A few years ago, Ichiro Suzuki spent three days on his own wandering around the Hall of Fame, hoping to learn about the history of baseball in America.


Brown Has Chance for Rookie Run Record (AP) AP - Eddie George left Tennessee with a bunch of team rushing records. In just his third NFL start, Chris Brown now has an opportunity to do something George never could.


Rockies Beat D-Backs 7-1 to Open Twinbill (AP) AP - Jeff Francis pitched six strong innings and the Colorado Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-1 Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader.


South Carolina's 'Pops' Cleared to Play (AP) AP - "Pops" has gotten the green light from the NCAA to play football at South Carolina.


Roddick to Lead U.S. Against Belarus (AP) AP - Andy Roddick and the rest of the U.S. Davis Cup team figure it's about time the country reclaimed the championship.


Injured Arrington Out Linebacker LaVar Arrington is likely to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery, Joe Gibbs said, and would be sidelined two-to-four weeks.


Storage Decisions show parades new products IT managers may need more storage to handle all the storage announcements that occurred at this week's Storage Decisions show in Chicago as well as several other independent announcements.


Blue Chips Fall on  #36;49 Oil, Economy Index (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. blue-chip stocks fell  on\Thursday to nearly a five-week low as crude oil flirted with\last month's record high and a key gauge of future economic\activity fell for a third straight month.


Blue Chips Fall on \$49 Oil, Economy Index  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue-chip stocks fell  on  Thursday to nearly a five-week low as crude oil flirted with  last month's record high and a key gauge of future economic  activity fell for a third straight month.


Columnists: Online Theft Identity theft meets the global virus epidemic, enabling fraud that finally gets people's attention.


Sven Doesn #39;t Rule Out Real Switch Sven-Goran Eriksson has insisted he hasn #39;t had any contract from Real Madrid, but crucially didn #39;t rule out the chance of him leaving England to take charge of the Spanish giants.


Glen Johnson: More Than  quot;The Other Guy quot; Fighting Roy Jones <b>...</b> In any aspect of life you would like to think that eventually - in some way, shape or form - that justice will be done, that the right thing would happen to the right people.


Powell Appeals to Arafat to Step Aside Secretary of State Colin Powell appealed to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Thursday to step aside for the sake of achieving his lifetime goal of a Palestinian state.


Britain backs UN Security Council seats for Brazil, Germany, India, Japan (AFP) AFP - Britain backs bids by Brazil, Germany, India and Japan for permanent seats on the UN Security Council, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said.


Barclays takes look at Absa Barclays said Thursday that it was in  quot;early stage quot; talks about buying control of South Africa #39;s Absa Group for at least \$3 billion in what would be its largest purchase outside Britain.


Halliburton may shed KBR unit Halliburton, beset by controversy over its work in Iraq, said Thursday that it would sell its KBR engineering and construction unit if the oilfield services company #39;s share performance did not measure up to sector rivals.


US Airways #39; pilots union to oppose wage cuts US Airways #39; pilots union said Thursday that the airline plans to file a motion in bankruptcy court on Friday seeking immediate cost reductions, including pay cuts, from US Airways #39; labor unions.


GE settles with SEC over disclosure of Welch perks General Electric said Thursday that it had reached a settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations that the company failed to disclose perks like cars and an apartment for Jack Welch, its former chief executive.


Insiders Weigh Prospect Of Wireless Spam A law banning spam delivered to wireless devices goes into effect next month. But is it necessary? By Thomas Claburn. In less than a month, it will be illegal to send commercial messages to any Internet domain


Golf: Singh Hoping for 8th PGA Tour Win World number-one Vijay Singh of Fiji hopes to win his eighth PGA Tour event this year as he competes in the 84 Lumber Classic golf tournament beginning Thursday, in Pennsylvania.


Montgomerie finds it tough after highs of Ryder Cup Famously, now, there was no scoreboard at the 18th green at Oakland Hills so Colin Montgomerie had no idea his putt was for the Ryder Cup.


Los Angeles at San Diego, 10:05 PM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- The San Diego Padres look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive Thursday by completing a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.


Kings president fined by NHL Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Los Angeles Kings president Tim Leiweke was fined an undisclosed amount by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman for radio comments he made last week regarding the league #39;s labor situation.


Jones sees Memphis fight as  #39;getting back up #39;  quot;It starts right here, quot; Jones said of Saturday #39;s fight, adding he has no thoughts of retirement at age 35.  quot;I #39;m too good for that, quot; he said.


Kutluay lit up US Olympic team Seattle SuperSonics: The Sonics signed Turkish shooting guard Ibrahim Kutluay, who lit up the United States Olympic team in a pair of exhibition games this summer.


Redskins #39; Arrington Likely Out for Two-to-Four Weeks Linebacker LaVar Arrington is likely to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery, according to Coach Joe Gibbs, and would be sidelined two-to-four weeks.


Islamic group says it has beheaded two Italians A shadowy Islamic organisation yesterday claimed it had decapitated two Italian women kidnapped in Baghdad a fortnight ago, promising to show the event on the internet.


Yudhoyono confirmed as winner JAKARTA - Official results have confirmed former army general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the winner of Indonesia #39;s first direct presidential election, while incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri urged her nation Thursday to wait for the official announcement


Germany, France back permanent seat for Japan on Security Council NEW YORK - Both Germany and France in their speeches before the 59th General Assembly session on Thursday supported Japan #39;s ongoing effort to secure a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.


Odd attack damages art BERLIN A woman doing handsprings hurled herself into an art installation at the exhibition of a collection belonging to the billionaire heir of a Nazi-era arms supplier, damaging two pieces, organizers said Thursday.


Koizumi says N Korea unlikely to test-fire missile TOKYO - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday that North Korea is unlikely to test-fire another ballistic missile.  quot;I think the possibility of launching one is low, quot; Koizumi told reporters.


Incendiary device found on Sydney jet SYDNEY - Australia promised swift action to plug gaps in its air security yesterday after an incendiary device was found on a jet operated by domestic airline Virgin Blue.


Montenegro quits Hague panel in protest LJUBLJANA, Slovenia The Montenegrin members of a Yugoslav government panel set up to improve relations with The Hague resigned Thursday to protest what they described as Serbia #39;s failure to hand over suspected war criminals to the international war crimes


Musharraf Snubs Pleas for Pakistani Troops in Iraq  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Pakistani President Pervez  Musharraf on Thursday ruled out sending troops to help restore  stability in Iraq, rebuffing pleas from the Iraqi interim  government and the United States.


Russian Ministries Move to Approve Kyoto Treaty  MOSCOW (Reuters) - At least one Russian ministry has signed  letters agreeing to Moscow's approval of the Kyoto Protocol, a  spokesman said on Thursday in what could be a final step on the  long road to bringing the global pact into force.


Dogs 'sniff out' bladder cancer Dogs can be trained to sniff out bladder cancer, scientists say they have proven for the first time.


Dreamworks trio in US wealth list Founders of Dreamworks film studio  feature on Forbes' 2004 list of the richest 400 people in America.


AL Wrap: Texas Completes Sweep of Oakland (Reuters) Reuters - David Dellucci's two-run double in the\bottom of the ninth inning helped the Texas Rangers complete a\three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics with a 5-4 win in the\American League at Arlington Thursday.


Rongen Named Coach of MLS Expansion Team (AP) AP - Thomas Rongen, who guided D.C. United to the 1999 Major League Soccer championship, was hired Thursday as coach of Club Deportivo Chivas USA, an expansion team set to begin play in April.


AL Wrap: Texas Completes Sweep of Oakland  NEW YORK (Reuters) - David Dellucci's two-run double in the  bottom of the ninth inning helped the Texas Rangers complete a  three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics with a 5-4 win in the  American League at Arlington Thursday.


U.S. to Support Limiting Shark Trade (AP) AP - The United States will join with Australia and Madagascar in arguing that great white sharks need to be protected through new global trade restrictions.


New UN Talks Bid to Save Fish, Plants and Timber (Reuters) Reuters - Long a forum for protecting endangered\species like whales or tigers, a U.N. meeting in Bangkok next\month will seek a wider role in regulating the billion-dollar\trade in timber, fish and medicinal plants.


California Curbs Cruise Ship Pollution Near Shore (Reuters) Reuters - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed\legislation on Thursday that would ban cruise ships from\incinerating trash or dumping used shower and sink water within\three miles of the California coast.


Russian Ministries Move to Approve Kyoto Treaty (Reuters) Reuters - At least one Russian ministry has signed\letters agreeing to Moscow's approval of the Kyoto Protocol, a\spokesman said on Thursday in what could be a final step on the\long road to bringing the global pact into force.


Woman Gives Birth After Tissue Transplant (AP) AP - The first baby conceived after an ovarian tissue transplant was born Thursday in Belgium in a procedure that could one day allow women to delay motherhood beyond menopause.