Smallest 'guitar string' to weigh atoms Scientists are hoping that "playing" a tiny guitar string will be able to help weigh molecules to find out what they are.


Flying cars swoop to the rescue As motorways become more and more clogged up with traffic, a new generation of flying cars will be needed to ferry people along skyways.


Dial 4-1-1 for Cell Phone Numbers? A proposal for a wireless phone directory raises concerns in Congress.


Shell to boost production Royal Dutch/Shell will invest \$15 billion (8 billion pounds) a year in 2004/06 to boost reserves and production, as it tries to draw a line under a reserves scandal that rocked the group.


West Indies v Pakistan Pakistan won the toss and unsurprisingly chose to bowl first as they and West Indies did battle at the Rose Bowl today for a place in the ICC Champions Trophy final against hosts England.


Glock in at Jordan, Pantano out Jordan have confirmed that Timo Glock will replace Giorgio Pantano for this weekend #39;s Chinese GP as the team has terminated its contract with Pantano.


Belgium #39;s Verhofstadt to Resume DHL Talks Following Car Crash Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt will resume discussions today on a plan to allow DHL Worldwide Express to add night flights from Brussels after suffering minor injuries in a car accident, his spokesman said.


Pardon request draws Chechens #39; ire MOSCOW - Amid rising ethnic tensions in the North Caucasus, thousands on Tuesday took to the streets of Grozny, the Chechen capital, to protest the proposed pardon of a Russian army colonel who murdered a young Chechen woman.


Activists Find More E-Vote Flaws More weaknesses appear in the Diebold electronic voting system that activists say could be used to rig the November election. The company says auditing procedures would catch any vote fraud. By Kim Zetter.


Uncle Sam Wants Your Airwaves Lawmakers believe the analog TV spectrum can be put to much better use and can generate billions in auctions to telecom companies. So Congress is considering paying Americans to ditch over-the-air analog TV and switch to digital. Michael Grebb reports from Washington.


Airlines Told to Cough Up Data The Department of Homeland Security is looking for some live data to feed its new Secure Flight watch-list system, so it will order airlines to fork over a months' worth of passenger itineraries. By Ryan Singel.


Refreshing Drinks of Fresh Air An army needs water to operate, but it's a pain to tote the stuff around. So Darpa is looking at ways to pull it out of thin air. By Noah Shachtman.


Blogging the Story Alive Bloggers force CBS News to admit to a serious mistake, and journalists recoil from the thought of so much scrutiny of their work. But isn't this exactly what we need to get better-quality news? Commentary by Adam L. Penenberg.


Remixing to Protest Sample Ruling Music fans are miffed about a court decision that says musicians must get permission to sample tunes even if the remix bears no resemblance to the original. An activist group is sponsoring a remix project based upon the clip in question. By Katie Dean.


Hack Attack Gums Up Authorize.Net A leading internet credit card processor is under siege by a denial-of-service attack, slowing its servers and leaving many customers high and dry. By Noah Shachtman.


Reports: Prosecutors, CA Reach Accord (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. Justice Department has agreed\to defer prosecution of Computer Associates International Inc.\ in its long-running investigation of accounting fraud at\the software maker, several publications reported on Wednesday,\citing unnamed sources.


Canada offers up to 500 observers for Ukraine election (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Canada is offering to send up to 500 observers to Ukraine for that country's re-run election Dec. 26.


U.S. Treasuries Drift Lower (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. Treasury prices drifted lower on\Wednesday but trade was subdued as the market pondered the\scale of interest rate hikes a day after the Federal Reserve\delivered its third straight rate increase.


Bush, Annan Spar Over Iraq War at U.N. (AP) AP - After two years, the United States and the United Nations had hoped to take the spotlight off the bitterly divisive war in Iraq. It didn't happen. At the opening of the U.N. General Assembly, President Bush and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan sparred over the war that can't escape the headlines.


Norwich Union moves jobs to Asia UK insurer Norwich Union announces plans to move 950 jobs to India and Sri Lanka  over the coming year.


General Mills posts loss but Wall St. firms fare well Higher ingredient prices and restructuring costs pushed General Mills #39; first-quarter earnings down 19 percent, the cereal giant reported Tuesday.


Aviva to move 950 jobs to Asia Britain #39;s largest insurer Aviva says it will move 950 jobs to low cost centres in India and Sri Lanka in 2005 and it plans to have up to 7,000 people working in offshore centres by the end of 2007.


Speed of glaciers #39; flow spurs concern Some Antarctic glaciers are flowing seaward five times faster than they did just two years ago, increasing concerns about rises in sea levels resulting from the warming of Earth #39;s polar caps.


Egyptians wanted pets to join them in paradise If you think Americans are pet-crazy, consider new research that finds ancient Egyptians embalmed their animals with as much care as they did humans.


Nvidia #39;s GoForce 3D 4500 for Phones Additionally, mobile devices powered by the new 3D WMP will be able to synthesize realistic environments with objects that behave according to complex physics and intelligent characters with true-to-life personalities.


Fire in hot pursuit of US Open title The Chicago Fire has won the US Open tournament three times in its first six seasons, and Jesse Marsch has been involved in all those titles.


Kerry says Bush trying to shift topic Democrat John Kerry said Tuesday that President Bush  #39; #39;didn #39;t talk reality at the United Nations #39; #39; and pressed him to answer questions about policies that Kerry said have made Iraq a violent mess.


Some 600 killed, 1,000 missing and presumed dead in Haiti: premier PARIS : Floods in Haiti have killed 600 people and left 1,000 others missing and presumed dead, Prime Minister Gerard Latortue told French radio.


Harvest time in Indonesia by our Internet desk, 22 September 2004. Former Indonesian security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his advisers are moving ahead with preparations to assume the presidency, discussing policy plans and


Belgium row over night flights Crisis talks to keep the European hub of international shipper DHL and thousands of jobs in Belgium have been thrown into chaos after Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt suffered injuries in a car crash.


Iran Calls on World to Recognize Its Atomic Rights (Reuters) Reuters - The world must recognize Iran's right to\enrich uranium for fueling power stations, Iranian President\Mohammad Khatami said on Wednesday, responding to a U.N. call\for Iran to suspend enrichment-related activities.


Lebanon Says Suspects Linked to Extremists (AP) AP - Terror suspects arrested for allegedly planning simultaneous bombings of the Italian Embassy and other targets in Beirut received funding from extremist cells in Europe, Lebanon's Interior Ministry said Wednesday.


Six family members hanged in Egypt over killing spree (AFP) AFP - Six members of the same family were hanged in Egypt after being convicted for the revenge-killing of 22 members of a rival family two years ago.


Pakistan win toss and bat against West Indies (AFP) AFP - Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq won the toss and elected to bat in their ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against West Indies at the Rose Bowl here.


Cowboys, Seahawks Look for Winning Edge (AP) AP - Who are the real Seattle Seahawks? The team that flattened opponents in the opening weeks of the season? Or the team that fell flat in last weekend's 38-9 loss to Buffalo? Coach Mike Holmgren can't say, but he knows it's time to get serious.


Wall St Set to Dip, Bank Results Dominate  LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. shares were seen opening a touch  weaker on Wednesday as markets mull the Federal Reserve's  cautious assessment of the economy and await third-quarter  results Morgan Stanley MWD.N and Bear Stearns BSC.N.


Iran Calls on World to Recognize Its Atomic Rights  TEHRAN (Reuters) - The world must recognize Iran's right to  enrich uranium for fueling power stations, Iranian President  Mohammad Khatami said on Wednesday, responding to a U.N. call  for Iran to suspend enrichment-related activities.


Insurer Aviva to Create 950 Jobs in India Aviva PLC, Britain #39;s biggest insurance company, said Wednesday it will create about 950 offshore jobs in India and Sri Lanka next year to service its UK operations.


PeopleSoft goes a bundle on IBM PeopleSoft will include free copies of IBM #39;s WebSphere middleware products with every set of its applications sold. Both companies will market the joint products and will collaborate to improve future interoperability.


Oil major eyes buybacks, \$10 billion in divestments LONDON (CBS.MW) -- Outlining an expectation for higher oil prices and increasing demand, Royal Dutch/Shell on Wednesday said it #39;s lifting project spending to \$45 billion over the next three years.


Disney board goes shopping for a CEO Los Angeles - Walt Disney #39;s board of directors on Tuesday said it will consider both external and internal candidates to replace outgoing chief executive Michael Eisner, and that it plans to find a successor by June 2005.


UPDATE: Investors Favor James Hardie Despite Findings SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Just one day after an Australian government inquiry handed down a damning report on James Hardie Industries NV #39;s (JHX) inadequate funding for victims


Can Cybertrust BeTrusted to keep your networks TruSecure? Following the announcement earlier this week that Betrusted and TruSecure are to merge, John Becker, chief executive of the resultant security services company, Cybertrust, talked to Jaikumar Vijayan.


Dozens killed in Baghdad car bomb More than twenty five people have died after a car bomb exploded in a busy commercial area outside a restaurant in west Baghdad. Husayn al-Shammari, an Iraqi journalist, told Aljazeera:  quot;A car bomb detonated


San extensions are top network priority, claims Cisco Cisco has lifted the lid on two remote backup and disaster recovery products targeted at the growing number of companies building long-distance links between datacentres.


Hamilton fails doping test Olympic cycling champion Tyler Hamilton, whose name has become synonymous with resilience and grit, could lose his gold medal and be banned for two years after blood tests showed evidence of banned transfusions.


2-run single by Bellhorn lifts Boston BOSTON - Mark Bellhorn singled in two runs in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday night as the Boston Red Sox rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, snapping a three-game losing streak.


South Korea completes deployment of 2,800 troops in Iraq SEOUL : South Korea #39;s defense ministry said it had completed the deployment of around 2,800 troops on a relief and rehabilitation mission to northern Iraq.


Report: Marlon Brando's Ashes Scattered LOS ANGELES - The ashes of legendary actor Marlon Brando were spread in Tahiti and Death Valley, according to a newspaper report.    A memorial service for Brando, who died of lung failure at age 80 on July 1, was held at the home of Hollywood producer Mike Medavoy and was attended by Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and Sean Penn, the Los Angeles Times reported in Wednesday editions...


Wall St Set to Dip, Bank Results Dominate (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. shares were seen opening a touch\weaker on Wednesday as markets mull the Federal Reserve's\cautious assessment of the economy and await third-quarter\results Morgan Stanley  and Bear Stearns .


Giants commit to Bonds for  #39;06 Barry Bonds will have two more seasons to break Hank Aaron #39;s career home-run record with the San Francisco Giants, who decided Tuesday to drop their right to void the final year of his contract.


Kim Back on Red Sox #39; Roster Kim Byung-hyun officially rejoined the Boston Red Sox for the stretch run on Tuesday and has a shot at making the teams post-season roster if he impresses on the mound over the final two weeks of the MLB season.


A bit of history The oldest annual US team sports competition that includes professionals is not in baseball, or football or basketball or hockey. It #39;s in soccer.


Shell to boost investment to replace missing barrels (AFP) AFP - Royal Dutch/Shell announced plans to boost investment in exploration and production, making the replacement of its reserves a top priority as it seeks to restore battered investor confidence.


Sharon Insists Gaza Pullout Will Go Ahead (AP) AP - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he will submit his Gaza withdrawal plan for parliamentary approval by early November, despite mounting opposition to his proposal to uproot thousands of Jewish settlers from their homes.


Takeover bid clouds PeopleSoft meeting (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - As PeopleSoft Chief Executive Craig Conway tried to rally customer support Tuesday, even he had to admit that Oracle's  #36;7.7 billion hostile takeover bid is haunting his company.


US Treasuries Up, Long-End Leads the Way  LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices crept higher on  Wednesday, with long-dated bonds benefiting from the view that  higher U.S. interest rates will help keep inflation under  control.


Dollar Struggles Up After Stumble  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar struggled up from a one-month  low against the euro on Wednesday after the U.S. central bank  raised interest rates, as expected, but indicated little rush  for more aggressive hikes in the coming months.


Federal Reserve raises rate again The Federal Reserve raised a key interest rate another quarter- percentage point Tuesday, continuing its campaign to gradually remove the cheap money stimulus that it used to help jump-start the recovery from the 2001 recession.


Shell seeks to reassure investors Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell will attempt to restore investors #39; faith in its strategy at a briefing for oil analysts on Wednesday.


Bob Carr takes aim at Hardie #39;s Bob Carr may be forced to appear at the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption this afternoon hoping he will be let off with a black mark and a spank over some intemperate


Plan for refuge would turn farmland back to marshes and mudflats NISQUALLY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, Wash. -- Farmland that was drained and diked more than 100 years ago would turn back into salt marshes and mudflats for migrating salmon under a 15-year plan for the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.


A #39;S NOTEBOOK Security makes its presence known Arlington, Texas -- The A #39;s didn #39;t request any additional security at Ameriquest Field on Tuesday, but there appeared to be extra security in place, anyway, a precaution after last week #39;s incident at the Coliseum in which Rangers reliever Frank Francisco


Govt defends visa checks The federal government has defended its visa checking processes after it was revealed that September 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was granted a tourist visa in 2001.


Google Ad Policies To Be Expanded Publicly Google's planning to greatly expand the editorial guidelines it publishes online, providing everyone a better idea of what it accepts on the advertising front.


Norwich Union moves 950 jobs to Far East Insurance giant Norwich Union has announced plans to move its business to India in a move which will lead to compulsory redundancies in Britain.


BBVA to Keep Laredo Chairman Jacobs and Back Expansion Plans Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA, which agreed to buy Laredo National Bancshares Inc. for \$850 million, plans to keep Chairman Gary Jacobs in place at the Texas- based lender and to back his expansion strategy.


GIANTS NOTEBOOK Bonds receives guarantee for  #39;06 Reworked contract <b>...</b> With one stroke of a white-out brush, Barry Bonds got the security he sought and the Giants ensured their marquee attraction will be around two more years.


S.Korea's Roh Says No Need to Rush North Atom Talks (Reuters) Reuters - South Korea sees no need to rush into a\further round of talks on the North's nuclear weapons\ambitions, President Roh Moo-hyun said on Wednesday.


Under security cover, trucks move into Manipur (Reuters) Reuters - Truckers drove into Manipur on Wednesday under troop protection, despite fears of attacks by protesters trying to impose a 16-day blockade, police said.


Kodak Reiterates Outlook  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eastman Kodak Co. EK.N on Wednesday  backed its near and long-term profit forecasts, saying sales of  digital products are growing faster than expected and helping  to offset rapidly declining sales of its traditional film  business.


US Stocks Set for Lower Open, Oil Weighs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. shares were seen opening slightly  weaker on Wednesday as oil prices held near the \$47 a barrel  level, while investors cooled to the Federal Reserve's   assessment of the economy.


Mortgage Applications Rise in Week  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for U.S. home loans  rose last week as 30-year mortgage rates eased to their lowest  level since early April, an industry group said on Wednesday.


Strike May Be Last Chance to Save Japanese Baseball  TOKYO (Reuters) - The story leads the TV news, and everyone  from schoolchildren to the prime minister is talking about it.


Iraqi Officials Say Prisoner Will Be Freed An Iraqi official today said the government will release one of two women scientists being held prisoner for working on Saddam Husseins chemical weapons program.


Interstate Bakeries files bankruptcy Interstate Bakeries Corp. (IBC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday filed for bankruptcy after struggling with more than \$1.3 billion in debt and weak demand for bread products


Aviva to move 7,000 jobs to Asia Britain #39;s largest insurer Aviva says it plans to have moved up to 7,000 UK jobs to low-cost centres in Asia by the end of 2007, the final figure in its controversial programme to shift jobs offshore.


Tech Briefs Chicago-based Braun Consulting #39;s shares soared Tuesday after news that the professional services firm will be acquired by Minneapolis-based Fair Isaac for \$30 million.


Total to take 25 stake in Russian gas producer Novatek PARIS : French oil group Total said it had signed an agreement to acquire a 25 percent stake plus one additional share in Russian natural gas producer Novatek, without disclosing the financial terms of the deal.


DOORNBOS HANDED JORDAN CHANCE Dutchman Robert Doornbos will drive Jordans third car in Friday testing for the rest of the season. He takes over from Timo Glock, who has replaced the axed Giorgio Pantano in one of the teams race seats (see separate story).


At Least Someone Wants to Play Here It #39;s not all bitterness and resentment in Raptorland these days. While Vince Carter has demanded to be traded, Rafer Alston was expressing his joy yesterday at being back in Toronto.


Turkish Opposition Party: Penal Code should be Ready by October 6 Turkey #39;s main opposition Republican People #39;s Party (CHP) called for the Turkish Parliament (TBMM) to convene for an emergency meeting on Septembers 28th to ready the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) by October 6th.


Brother sees 'glimmer of hope' for Briton held in Iraq (AFP) AFP - The brother of a British engineer held hostage in Iraq said there was a  quot;glimmer of hope quot; after the Iraqi justice ministry pledged to release a female Iraqi scientist, one of two women whose freedom had been demanded by the kidnappers.


Senate Panel Adds NASA Money to Spending Bill (Reuters) Reuters - A U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday\backed a  #36;94 billion 2005 spending bill which included an extra\ #36;800 million to fund space projects next year.


French budget to control deficit French finance minister Nicolas Sarkozy unveils a budget with a promise to bring the deficit under control and high-profile tax breaks.


Mobile users 'want cheaper calls' Price and coverage are the key issues affecting mobile users, a survey of European consumers finds.


Vodafone launches ten 3G sets Mobile phone giant Vodafone says it will introduce 10 new 3G handsets, many of which will be useable in both Europe and Japan.


Oil hits \$47 as supply worries LONDON - Oil prices hit \$47 a barrel yesterday, the highest level in a month, as China showed no let-up in its strong import growth and US Gulf producers reported damage to offshore rigs from Hurricane Ivan.


ADB downgrades India #39;s growth forecast to 6.5 percent NEW DELHI: Hit by high crude oil prices and poor monsoon, India #39;s economic growth is expected to slow down to 6.5 percent in 2004-05 fiscal, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report said on Wednesday.


Lucent eyes retiree benefit cuts Lucent Technologies Inc., one of the world #39;s biggest telecommunications equipment makers, is planning additional cuts in retiree health-care benefits, according to a published report Wednesday.


Slimmed-Down Playstation Launched Electronics giant Sony launched a slimmed-down version of its best-selling PlayStation 2 computer games console today. The new PS2 is half the weight


Cisco fabric switches optimized for SAN extension Cisco Systems has added two products to its award-winning Cisco MDS 9000 Family of Multilayer Intelligent directors and fabric switches optimized for transporting storage area network (SAN) traffic outside of the data center, which make them ideally


AMD, IBM extend chip-development deal Advanced Micro Devices and IBM will work together to devise chip-manufacturing technology for three additional years, a deal that will bring about a quarter of a billion to IBM over four years and give AMD access to cutting-edge chip inventions.


Nvidia launches graphics processor for mobile apps LONDON - Fabless graphics chip company Nvidia Corp. has launched a graphics processor intended for mobile applications. The  #39;GoForce 3D 4500 #39; performs geometry processing, has a 40-bit color processing pipeline


Jeanne kills nearly 700 in Haiti Tropical Storm Jeanne claimed at least 556 lives in Haiti over the weekend.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo). HAVANA, Sept. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- With the death toll in Haiti by Tropical Storm Jeanne rising to nearly 700


Syrian Troop Redeployment Said Meaningless Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reacted skeptically on Wednesday to a redeployment of Syrian troops in Lebanon, saying that the move did not mean any real change in Syrian policy.


Patriotic Provocation An initiative from the former top military commander in the Northern Caucasus, Ulyanovsks regional governor Vladimir Shamanov, to pardon Yuri Budanov, the convicted of murderer of a Chechen woman, has driven President Putin into an ideological and


Interest rates may rise in November The Bank of England #39;s Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to keep interest rates steady at 4.75 percent earlier this month, but analysts say another


Wireless data gamble  Kent Thexton  took a gamble when he crossed the Atlantic to become co-CEO of Seven. But the notion of the cell phone as gateway to the Internet  isn't the easy sell it was on the other side of the pond.


Yukos #39;s Theede Says Putin May Agree to Save Yugansk (Update5) OAO Yukos Oil Co., battling to avert bankruptcy, said the Russian government may be considering ways to settle a \$7.5 billion tax bill without taking over the company #39;s biggest oil-producing unit.


Kodak Reiterates Outlook  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eastman Kodak Co. EK.N on Wednesday  backed its near and long-term profit forecasts, saying sales of  digital products, such as cameras and medical imaging, are  growing faster than expected and helping to offset rapidly  declining sales of its traditional film business.


Mortgage Applications Rise in Week  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for U.S. home loans  rose, spurred by a rise in mortgage refinancings last week as  30-year mortgage rates eased to their lowest level since early  April, an industry group said on Wednesday.


Stocks to Watch on Sept. 22  The brokerage firm and investment bank will report its  third-quarter earnings before the market opens. The stock  closed at \$ 90.09 on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange.


Africa 'better in colonial times' The average African is worse off now than during the colonial era, says the brother of South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki.


Italy launches anti-mafia raids Police make about 100 arrests in a major operation against mafia gangs in Italy.


Enron Side Deal With Merrill Lynch Was A Sham, Prosecutors Allege _ An alleged side deal between Enron Corp. and Merrill Lynch  amp; Co. in 1999 shows how Enron was willing to employ suspect financial practices to meet lofty earnings targets, prosecutors said.


Kodak Reaffirms Earnings Outlook Eastman Kodak Co., the world #39;s largest maker of photographic film, said Wednesday it expects sales of digital products and services to grow at an annual rate of 36 percent between 2003 and 2007, above prior growth rate estimates of 26 percent between 2002


PeopleSoft reveals alliance with IBM PeopleSoft Inc., which is fighting a hostile takeover bid from Oracle Corp., on Tuesday announced an alliance with IBM that may help ease the worries of potential customers.


Mitsubishi Motors bids to revive financing unit TOKYO Mitsubishi Motors, Japan #39;s only unprofitable automaker, is seeking a partner to revive a finance unit that was responsible for more than half of a record operating loss in North America in the year to last March.


First Islamic Bank Opens for UK Muslims The Islamic Bank of Britain, which will give the UKs 1.8 million Muslims access to a British bank which is operated in accordance with the principles


Interstate Bakeries Files for Bankruptcy (Reuters) Reuters - Interstate Bakeries Corp.  on\Wednesday filed for bankruptcy after struggling with more than\ #36;1.3 billion in debt and weak demand for bread products,\brought on by the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets.


Kodak Reiterates Outlook (Reuters) Reuters - Eastman Kodak Co.  on Wednesday\backed its near and long-term profit forecasts, saying sales of\digital products, such as cameras and medical imaging, are\growing faster than expected and helping to offset rapidly\declining sales of its traditional film business.


Israel's Sharon: Arafat Will 'Get What He Deserves' (Reuters) Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon\on Wednesday renewed his threat to remove Yasser Arafat, saying\the Palestinian president would "get what he deserves."


FedEx Quarterly Earnings More Than Double (Reuters) Reuters - FedEx Corp., the world's top\air-express shipper, on Wednesday said quarterly earnings more\than doubled on strong revenue growth in its international,\ground and freight services.


Can IM morph into  #39;instant music #39;? As Internet giants step into the crowded online music arena, some are banking on a new weapon to help attack market leader Apple Computer: instant messaging.


Sun has its head in the clouds Sun has a laudable vision of the future of utility computing, where organisations with extra processing power can sell it back to a computing grid in the same manner that homes with solar panels can sell power back to the electrical power grid.


Russia Plans Space Station Launch on Oct. 11 Russia will launch a three-man crew to the International Space Station on Oct. 11, two days later than initially scheduled due to problems with the docking system, Itar-Tass news agency reported on Wednesday.


NASA pumps \$400m into nuclear space probe NASA has awarded Northrop Grumman a \$400m contract to co-design the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (Jimo) space probe - slated for a rendevouz with Jovian moons Callisto, Europa and Ganymede some time after 2012.


Button hearing adjourned to October 16 Jenson Button #39;s Formula One future looks likely to be decided by a meeting in Milan on October 16, the Williams team said on Wednesday.


Giants closing in on Dodgers Forget this wacky, complicated wild-card puzzle. The Giants ought to go for the whole kit and caboodle now and make things simple.


US rosters set for swimming world meet INDIANAPOLIS - Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps, Aaron Peirsol, Natalie Coughlin and Amanda Beard head US rosters released Tuesday for next months short course world championships.


Dollar Recovers Footing After Fed (Reuters) Reuters - The dollar fought back from one-month\lows against the euro and Swiss franc on Wednesday as investors\viewed its sell-off in the wake of the Federal Reserve's\verdict on interest rates as overdone.


Haiti Storm Death Toll Soars as Bodies Pile-Up Bodies remained in the streets and in growing piles outside morgues in a Haitian city that has been devastated by floods that have torn apart families and left hungry crowds mobbing truckloads of aid.


Sharon: Syria trying to deflect US pressure Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday dismissed Syrian moves towards redeployment in Lebanon.  quot;We are not seeing any significant change in the Syrian position, quot; he told Israel Radio.


US ignoring root causes of terror So began an interview of Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf, who took time out to speak to ABC #39;s Peter Jennings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last night.


Car Bomb Rocks Western Baghdad Iraqi authorities say at least six people were killed and more than 50 others wounded in a car bomb explosion in a commercial district in western Baghdad Wednesday.


PM faces tough nut to crack in Brussels Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and EU executives, when they meet in Brussels tomorrow, will test each other #39;s limits in a row over Turkey #39;s delay in reforming its penal code prompted by the premier #39;s insistence on criminalizing adultery.


EU tentatively agrees to lift embargo on Libya (AFP) AFP - European Union (EU) officials agreed in principle to lift an arms embargo on Libya after pressure from Italy.


Zee takes cricket TV rights fight to Supreme Court (Reuters) Reuters - A row over Indian TV rights, which threatens a test series next month with world champion Australia, is heading back to court after jilted broadcaster Zee Telefilms filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.


SingTel poised to launch first 3G service in Southeast Asia (AFP) AFP - Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) said it will commercially launch its high-speed third generation (3G) mobile service within months, putting it at the forefront of Southeast Asian telecoms firms looking to roll out the technology.


FedEx Quarterly Earnings More Than Double  NEW YORK (Reuters) - FedEx Corp., the world's top  air-express shipper, on Wednesday said quarterly earnings more  than doubled on strong revenue growth in its international,  ground and freight services.


Texas grand jury indicts fundraisers with DeLay ties (Chicago Tribune) Chicago Tribune - A Texas grand jury on Tuesday indicted three political fundraisers with ties to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) for allegedly funneling illegal corporate campaign donations to Republican candidates for state office.


Dollar Recovers Footing After Fed  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar fought back from one-month  lows against the euro and Swiss franc on Wednesday as investors  viewed its sell-off in the wake of the Federal Reserve's  verdict on interest rates as overdone.


ConAgra Profit Falls as Prices Rise  CHICAGO (Reuters) - ConAgra Foods Inc. CAG.N on Wednesday  posted lower quarterly profit due to higher ingredient costs  and the sale of its chicken and agricultural products  businesses.


Morgan Stanley Quarterly Earnings Fall  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley on  Wednesday said quarterly profit fell amid reduced trading  revenue, reflecting the impact of sluggish markets this summer.


Oil Holds Near \$47  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices hovered below \$47 a barrel on  Wednesday, awaiting U.S. data that was expected to show a big  drop in fuel stocks after Hurricane Ivan disrupted operations.


Israel's Sharon: Arafat Will 'Get What He Deserves'  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  on Wednesday renewed his threat to remove Yasser Arafat, saying  the Palestinian president would "get what he deserves."


U.S. Orders Airlines to Release Fliers' Data TSA will collect domestic passenger records for June 2004; data will be used to test program aiming to hunt for terrorists. -The Washington Post


Tax credit compensation nears 1m The Inland Revenue pays out nearly 1m compensation to people who have suffered because of tax credit errors or delays.


US Steel Returns to Homestead Works United States Steel Corp. will return to the former site of the historic Homestead Works steel plant, once the epicenter of labor-management relations that exploded more than a century ago when Pinkerton agents


Murder charges in Gujarat trial Sixteen Hindus are charged with the murder of 12 Muslims in one of the most notorious incidents in riots in India two years ago.


Giants Beat Astros to Keep Wild Card Lead Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants can reach the playoffs two ways. They certainly boosted both chances Tuesday night...


Minn. Trooper Writes 205 Mph Ticket WABASHA, Minn. - With a State Patrol airplane overhead, a motorcyclist hit the throttle and possibly set the informal record for the fastest speeding ticket in Minnesota history: 205 mph...


Rate Hike May Push Stock Market Lower NEW YORK - Stocks are seen moving lower at the open Wednesday as investors come to grips with the Federal Reserve hiking its key rates by a quarter point to 1.75 percent.    Dow Jones futures fell 14 points recently, while Nasdaq futures were down 2.50 points and S P futures dropped 1.80 points...


Iraq Turns Over Decapitated Corpse to U.S. BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials recovered a decapitated corpse in western Baghdad on Wednesday and turned it over to the United States, which was investigating if it was the body of kidnapped American Jack Hensley - purportedly slain the day before by al-Qaida-linked militants.    The discovery came as Iraq's Justice Ministry promised to release one of two high-profile women prisoners...


Iraq Officials to Free Woman Prisoner The Iraqi government said it would release one of the female prisoners whose freedom is being demanded by Islamic militant kidnappers who are threatening to kill a third Western hostage.


10 Afghans Released From Guatanamo Bay At least 10 Afghans, including a nomad leader who fought with the Taliban, have been released from a U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, officials said Wednesday.


Regional Bank Forecasts Stronger Growth for Developing Asian <b>...</b> A new report says developing Asian economies are expected to enjoy stronger growth despite high oil prices. However, the report warns, a slowdown in China could hurt its neighbors.


FedEx Meets 1Q Wall Street Estimates Express shipping giant FedEx Corp. on Wednesday reported that first-quarter earnings more than doubled on sharply higher revenue and average daily package volumes to meet Wall Street expectations.


Norwich Union axes 950 jobs Norwich Union is to offshore 950 jobs to India and Sri Lanka next year, with the loss of work in Norwich and York. The insurance giant said it will do all it can to minimise compulsory redundancies by redeploying staff to alternative jobs.


Shell sets \$45B investment program But stock of major oil company falls on disappointment it did not extend stock buyback program. LONDON (Reuters) - Scandal-hit oil company Royal Dutch/Shell said Wednesday it will invest \$15 billion a year


Vodafone #39;s New Handsets To Beat Rivals Vodafone has increased the competition ahead of Christmas with plans to launch 10 handsets before the festive season. The Newbury-based group said it will begin selling the phones in November.


Total to buy 25 stake in Novatek for about \$1 bn LONDON, September 22 (newratings.com) - Total SA (PFP.PSE) is planning to acquire a 25 stake plus one share in the largest privately held Russian gas company, Novatek, in a deal expected to be valued at about \$1 billion.


AMD and IBM spread the love AMD and IBM are extending a deal which has seen them co-operating on chip-making technology since 2002. The deal was due to end next year it will now run until December 2008.


Telecast rights: Zee files writ petition in SC Zee TV today filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking quashing of BCCI #39;s decision to set aside the cricket telecast rights given to it.


Musharraf May Remain as Pakistan #39;s Military Chief Pakistan #39;s President Pervez Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999 on the grounds he could provide stable democracy, is strongly hinting he will not step down as army chief at the end of this year as promised.


Modem fraud forces Irish call ban Direct dial telephone calls from Ireland to 13 other countries are to be blocked because of an internet fraud.


PeopleSoft Defies Oracle Bid, Pursues IBM
\

 By Spencer Swartz

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - PeopleSoft Inc. will push ahead\with a new marketing alliance with IBM and other initiatives\despite a recent court ruling that bolstered Oracle Corp.'s\\$7.7-billion hostile bid to acquire the company, PeopleSoft's\CEO said on Tuesday.


Lucent Cutting Retiree Benefits Again For the second time in a year, telecommunications equipment maker Lucent Technologies Inc. is reducing benefits promised to thousands of its retirees.


Jabil Posts Profit on Stronger Demand
\

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Contract electronics manufacturer\Jabil Circuit Inc. <JBL.N> on Tuesday posted a quarterly profit\that more than doubled on stronger demand for computers,\cellphones and other electronic products.


Adelphia Plans to Sell Assets in Clusters Adelphia Communications Corp., the nation's fifth-largest cable television operator, plans to sell its assets in seven geographic clusters as it emerges from bankruptcy.


Revamped EMusic Targets Indie Market Nearly a year since it was sold by Vivendi Universal to private investors, online retailer eMusic has undergone a facelift that includes a panel of music critics to help users comb its trove of independent music.


Space Technology Creates New Era in Cosmetics European Space Agency -- Cool your product from 22 C to 2 C in just two minutes with no electricity, simply by 100 natural evaporation, using an advanced simulation technique from Europe's Ariane launcher.     "We have managed to develop a controlled fast cooling system, without the use of outside energy, where the temperature drops 70 times faster than in a standard refrigerator," says Fadi Khairallah, founder of Thermagen, the company behind this innovation...


Coping with Contamination in the Search for Life Drilling is a messy business. Drilling fluid is anything but sterile. For most drilling applications, that's no problem. But when astronauts drill for life on Mars, they need to be sure that the bacteria they find really do come from underground.


Companies Expand Services for Working Mothers General Mills is among a host of companies that have expanded services for working mothers beyond just maternity leave and flexible hours, according to Working Mother magazine, which released its 19th annual list Tuesday of the 100 best companies for working mothers.


Reports: CA may escape charges in DOJ deal Computer Associates International Inc. (CA) has reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice under which the company will pay compensation to shareholders and open its accounts to monitoring by an independent third party, in return for the DOJ deferring prosecution in its investigation of accounting fraud at the company, U.S. newspaper reports said Wednesday.


Electronic Payments Surpass Checks Americans made more payments electronically than with checks in 2003, making it the first year electronic transactions surpassed paper payments, according to studies released Monday by the Federal Reserve #39;s financial services policy committee.


Microsoft tests online radio station People have been listening to music on their computers for a long time now - but not quite like this. Microsoft is test-marketing a new Web-based radio service that sounds almost like a local radio station - except without all the interruptions.


Sun Microsystems Sets Sights on Low-End Market By MATTHEW FORDAHL    SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- After years of battling Microsoft Corp...


Gold Fields to Shrug Off Harmony #39;s Voting Bid HARMONY has voted its 10,8 of Gold Fields shares against a planned reverse-listing of Gold Fields assets outside southern Africa into IAMGOLD of Canada, Harmony director Ferdi Dippenaar said yesterday.


Sun Sets Sights on Low-End Market (AP) AP - After years of battling Microsoft Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc. has set its sights on Linux vendors, seeking to jump into a low-end but high-volume market it's been accused of ignoring.


Software Co. PeopleSoft Tightens IBM Ties (AP) AP - Business software maker PeopleSoft Inc. strengthened its ties with technology giant IBM Corp. on Tuesday, hoping to boost its recently sagging sales as it continues to fight Oracle Corp.'s  #36;7.7 billion hostile takeover bid.


Stocks Seen Lower as Oil, Cisco Weigh  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. shares were seen opening weaker  on Wednesday as oil prices held near \$47 a barrel, while a  brokerage downgrade on technology bellwether Cisco Systems Inc.  CSCO.O could hurt technology shares.


Iranian MPs back investment veto Iran's conservative-dominated parliament votes to give itself a veto over foreign deals struck by reformist President Mohammad Khatami.


Haiti floods spark disease fears There are warnings of a serious outbreak of disease in Haiti following the recent devastating floods.


Human Cells Make Morphine By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter    HealthDayNews -- Morphine, a potent painkiller typically derived from the opium poppy plant, appears to be made by the human body as well.    Small amounts of morphine have been found in animal tissue before, but researchers had assumed these traces came from environmental contamination, such as a diet...


Nintendo aims high with low-cost console Nintendo hopes to hold its advantage over Sony in the handheld game console market, by selling its DS model for half the price of the new PlayStation Portable.


Aviva to hire 3,300 in India, Lanka for offshoring biz Aviva Plc, the fifth largest insurer globally, will hire about 3,300 more people in India and Sri Lanka by 2007, as part of its strategy to outsource some of its life and non-life services.


Ireland bars South Pacific in rogue dialler crackdown Ireland is to block direct dialling to 13 countries, mostly in the South Pacific, to combat the growing menace of rogue autdiallers.


Mars rovers given six more months NASAs Mars rovers have had their missions extended by a further six months after weathering the Martian winter solstice, NASA announced on Tuesday.


Strong sales forecast for digital audio players Sales of portable digital audio players like Apple Computer Inc. #39;s trendy iPod are booming and are expected to generate \$58 billion in revenue worldwide by 2008, according to a research report released Tuesday.


AT amp;T forms VoIP interop program BEDMINSTER, NJ - In a move its IP voice services forward, AT amp;T announced Tuesday (Sept. 21) that is has formed an Innovation and Interoperability Program to foster development of applications and systems for its voice-over-IP (VoIP) network.


Windies skittle Pakistan Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq gambled and lost as his team were routed by West Indies for 131 from 38.2 overs in the second Champions Trophy semi-final.


Roma punished for ref incident AS Roma was punished on Tuesday for last week #39;s incident in which referee Anders Frisk was hit on the head by an object thrown from the crowd during a match against Dynamo Kiev, local newspapers reported Wednesday.


EU officials back Libya arms embargo end European Union officials have agreed to recommend lifting the bloc #39;s arms embargo on Libya following pressure from Italy, which wants to help the North African country tackle illegal migrants, an EU diplomatic source says.


Canadian woman missing for 2 weeks rescued in northern Iraq by U.S. forces (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - A Chicago-based National Guard unit ferried a Canadian woman to freedom Tuesday after she said she was missing for 16 days in northern Iraq, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday.


Interstate Bakeries Files for Bankruptcy  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Interstate Bakeries Corp. filed for  bankruptcy on Wednesday after struggling with more than \$1.3  billion in debt and weak demand for bread products amid the  popularity of low-carbohydrate diets.


Kodak: Digital Imaging Growing Faster  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Photography company Eastman Kodak Co.  EK.N on Wednesday raised its growth forecast on digital  products and services, such as cameras and medical imaging, key  areas it is depending on to offset rapidly declining sales in  its traditional film business.


Stocks Set for Lower Open, Earnings Weigh  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were seen opening lower on  Wednesday after investment bank Morgan Stanley MWD.N said  quarterly profit fell, while a brokerage downgrade on  bellwether Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO.O could hurt technology  stocks.


Lebanon 'thwarts al-Qaeda plot' The Lebanese government says it has arrested an al-Qaeda cell planning to bomb Italy's embassy in Beirut.


Ice collapse speeds up glaciers The collapse of an Antarctic ice shelf two years ago has accelerated the flow of glaciers into the nearby Weddell Sea.


Fed puts up US interest rates again THE US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates for the third time this year in spite of a renewed surge in oil prices. The widely expected move took the funds rate up a quarter-point to 1.75 per cent, following similar moves in August and June.


Oil prices rise again over Yukos fears Crude oil futures rose in New York to trade near a one-month high on concern that Russian exports will be disrupted after utilities cut some power supplies to OAO Yukos Oil Co.


Update 1: FedEx Meets 1Q Wall Street Estimates FedEx Corp. said Tuesday that its first-quarter earnings more than doubled, helped by a strengthening worldwide economy and expansion of its international express and ground shipping businesses.


Kodak: Digital Imaging Growing Faster Photography company Eastman Kodak Co. (EK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday raised its growth forecast on digital products and services, such as cameras and medical imaging, key


Shell to boost investment to replace missing oil reserves LONDON : Royal Dutch/Shell announced plans to boost investment in exploration and production, making the replacement of its reserves a top priority as it seeks to restore battered investor confidence.


Phone fraud crackdown cuts off 13 countries In an effort to stop internet dialler scams - where unwitting surfers are put onto premium rate connections - Ireland is going to block calls to 13 countries.


House takes aim at identity thieves Most IT Managers won #39;t question the importance of security, but this priority has been sliding between the third and fourth most important focus for companies.


Two Powerlifters Test Positive For Banned Substances _ Two powerlifters from Azerbaijan have tested positive for banned substances in initial doping tests and are banned for life from the Paralympics, officials said Wednesday.


Suicide attacker detonates car bomb in central Baghdad A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb in a commercial district in western Baghdad today, killing at least six people and injuring more than 50, authorities said.


3 firms here are best for mothers Working Mother magazine has named three Cincinnati-based companies among its 100 best to work for in 2004. Health care provider TriHealth made the list for the first time, joining Procter


Helicopter Carrying Politicians Crashes in East India (Reuters) Reuters - A helicopter carrying eight\people, including a government minister and two lawmakers,\crashed in mountainous northeast India on Wednesday, a police\officer said.


FedEx Earnings More Than Double  NEW YORK (Reuters) - FedEx Corp. FDX.N, the world's top  air-express shipper, on Wednesday said quarterly earnings more  than doubled on strong growth in its international, ground and  freight services.


Splenda Is Splendid The world's sole manufacturer of sucralose reports that demand far outstrips supply.


Crime detection figures on slide The Home Office reveals fewer crimes were solved by police in England and Wales last year.


UPDATE 3-Morgan Stanley profit falls 34 pct, shares drop US investment bank Morgan Stanley (MWD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said quarterly profit dropped 34 percent amid reduced trading revenue, falling well short of Wall Street #39;s already-lowered expectations after a


Top 10 Portfolio Pitfalls Whatever problems you encounter in your own portfolio, you #39;re not alone. Plenty of other investors trip over the same stumbling blocks.


Ice collapse speeds up glaciers The Larsen B ice shelf probably blocked the glaciers #39; progress before its collapse in 2002, but now they are able to deposit their loads more freely.


Becks and co get the grief as Real boo boys vent frustrations The freekick was majestic, but the performance was not and if Real Madrid thought their bumpy start to the season was over with the slender win over Osasuna the supporters #39; verdict rang in their ears via regular bursts of booing.


Sharon hints at Arafat assassination Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday hinted at a possible assassination of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.


US Frees 11 Afghan Prisoners at Karzai #39;s Request The United States has released 11 Afghans held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba on suspicion of Taliban links after a request from President Hamid Karzai, an Afghan official said on Wednesday.


Disappointing Earnings Send Stocks Lower Disappointing earnings from Morgan Stanley and a new spike in oil prices sent stocks lower in early trading Wednesday as investors #39; worries over third-quarter earnings increased.


Aviva to shift 950 jobs to India, Sri Lanka London, September 22: Britain #39;s leading insurance company Aviva on Wednesday announced plans to shift another 760 jobs to India, in addition to the 3,700 jobs already created in the country.


Computer Associates Set for Criminal Arraignment (Update3) Computer Associates International Inc., the software maker under investigation for a \$2.2 billion accounting fraud, is scheduled to be arraigned in US criminal court today, and former


Rovers Get Six More Months To Explore Mars As communications with Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity improves because the planet has emerged from behind the sun (from Earth #39;s view), NASA has extended the robots #39; mission.


Voda plays Santa with 3G bonanza Vodafone is putting its substantial weight behind a 3G push by offering ten handsets in the run up to Christmas. From November the firm will sell handsets from manufacturers including Samsung, Sharp, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, NEC and Nokia.


Serena edges out Safina Beijing - Top seed Serena Williams advanced to the China Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, edging past Russia #39;s Dinara Safina for a thrilling 6-4 3-6 6-3 win.


Button contract squabble delayed Jenson Button should learn his Formula One fate prior to the final race of the season in Brazil. The Contracts Recognition Board has adjourned its hearing into the messy contract affair between BMW-Williams


US, Iraqi troops clash with insurgents in Sadr City US aircraft and tanks attacked Shiite militia positions in fierce fighting early Wednesday in Baghdad #39;s Sadr City slum, killing 10 people and injuring 92 others, hospital officials said.


Norwich Union to move thousands of jobs abroad The insurance giant Norwich Union today announced plans to move 7,000 jobs abroad by 2007. Aviva, which owns Norwich Union, announced the transfer of the jobs - servicing its UK businesses - to an angry response from unions.


China economy seen growing 8.8 in 2004: ADB China #39;s economy will expand 8.8 per cent in 2004 and eight per cent in 2005, but growth next year may slow to 7.2 per cent if oil prices stay at around \$40 a barrel, the Asian Development Bank said on Wednesday.


Insurer Aviva to move 950 more jobs to India, Sri Lanka LONDON : British insurance giant Aviva announced plans to export 950 more jobs to India and Sri Lanka next year, with a total of 7,000 staff expected to be offshored by the end of 2007.


US Airways reaches giveback deal with dispatchers Bankrupt US Airways (UAIRQ.OQ: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday reached a tentative agreement on concessions with the union representing dispatchers, the company said.


NASA funds extension of Mars rovers mission NASA has funded another extension of their mission -- an additional six months, if they last. Word from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is that NASA has regained reliable contact with the rovers Spirit and Opportunity


Sun intros pay-per-use grid computing Sun Microsystems yesterday introduced what it claims to be the industry #39;s first pay-per-use pricing model for grid computing architectures.


ESPN-Star threatens legal action against Zee #39;s Chandra New Delhi, Sept. 22 (PTI): Threatening legal action, ESPN-Star Sports today demanded a  quot;public apology quot; from Zee Telefilms chief Subhash Chandra, for his remarks alleging collusion between the BCCI and the sports broadcaster.


West Indies set 132 to win Pakistan were skittled out for a paltry 131 in 38.2 overs in the second semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday.


Tennis: Sharapova slams Panova in Beijing BEIJING : Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova scorched Russian compatriot Tatiana Panova 6-1, 6-1 to kick-start her campaign at the China Open and book a place in the quarter-finals.


Soccer: Beckham gives Real a slender victory MADRID David Beckham struck with a free kick to win back some support from a furious Bernabu crowd and give Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Osasuna in its first match since its coach, Jose Antonio Camacho resigned.


GERRARD ALLAYS FEARS Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has played down fears that he could be sidelined for up to three months after fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.


Globetrotters wave \$1 mil at Argentina The Trotters have challenged Argentina, which defeated the United States en route to winning the gold medal, to a \$1 million winner-take-all game that would be shown on pay-per-view TV, Bloomberg news service reports.


Iran atom stance firm TEHRAN As the European Union warned that it would not tolerate an Iran with nuclear weapons, its president, Mohammad Khatami, said Wednesday that the world must recognize its right to enrich uranium for power stations.


Sharon Again Threatens Action Against Arafat Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has again threatened to take action against Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In an hour-long interview with Israel Radio he also expressed doubts about Syria #39;s planned troop redeployment in Lebanon.


EU to end Libya arms embargo The European Union has agreed to lift an arms embargo on Libya after pressure from Italy, which said the North African country needed better equipment to tackle illegal migrants.


Terror mastermind #39;s  #39;Australian plans #39; SEPTEMBER 11 terror mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - who got a visa to Australia the month before the 2001 attacks - was planning to visit alleged terror sympathisers here.


JOE FACES TOUGH CALLS ON JASON, ESTEBAN Yankee manager Joe Torre has some tough decisions upcoming, starting with whether to use Jason Giambi against Toronto left-hander Ted Lilly tonight.


Morgan Stanley Profit Falls 34 Percent (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley\ on Wednesday said quarterly profit dropped 34 percent\amid reduced trading revenue, falling well short of Wall\Street's already-lowered expectations and pushing the company's\shares down more than 8 percent.


Bear Stearns Profit Falls (Reuters) Reuters - Brokerage Bear Stearns Companies\ on Wednesday said quarterly profit fell 10 percent hurt\by lower investment banking revenue and higher expenses.


U.S. Questions Fannie Mae Accounting (Reuters) Reuters - A U.S. government review into the\nation's No. 1 mortgage finance company, Fannie Mae ,\charges it with inappropriate accounting practices and called\into doubt past financial results, the company's board said on\Wednesday.


France Probes Radicals Fighting in Iraq (AP) AP - Prosecutors have opened an investigation into suspicions that French Islamic radicals have gone to Iraq to fight alongside militants there, judicial officials said Wednesday.


EU set to lift arms embargo on Libya (AFP) AFP - The European Union (EU) agreed in principle to lift an arms embargo on Libya after pressure from Italy.


Cambodia, US to take first steps towards FTA: commerce minister (AFP) AFP - Cambodia and the United States have agreed to start negotiations that could lead to a free trade agreement after US elections this year, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said.


Dow, Nasdaq, S P 500 Drop 1 Percent  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks extended their losses on  Wednesday after investment bank Morgan Stanley said quarterly  profit fell, casting doubt on corporate earnings growth, while  a brokerage downgrade on Cisco Systems Inc. hurt tech stocks.


Interstate Bakeries Runs Low on Dough  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Interstate Bakeries Corp. IBC.N,  maker of Hostess Twinkies and Wonder Bread, filed for  bankruptcy on Wednesday after struggling with more than \$1.3  billion in debt, high costs and weak demand for bread products  amid the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets.


3 DeLay Workers Indicted in Texas (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - AUSTIN, Sept. 21 -- Three top political aides to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) were indicted Tuesday on charges of illegally raising political funds from corporations in 2002, much of which was funneled into the Republican takeover of the Texas legislature.


U.S. Questions Fannie Mae Accounting  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. government review into the  nation's No. 1 mortgage finance company, Fannie Mae FNM.N,  charges it with inappropriate accounting practices and called  into doubt past financial results, the company's board said on  Wednesday.


Bear Stearns Profit Falls  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brokerage Bear Stearns Companies  BSC.N on Wednesday said quarterly profit fell 10 percent hurt  by lower investment banking revenue and higher expenses.


ConAgra Profit Falls  CHICAGO (Reuters) - ConAgra Foods Inc. CAG.N on Wednesday  posted lower quarterly profits due to higher ingredient costs  and the sale of its chicken and agricultural products  businesses.


Shell Plan Disappoints Investors  LONDON (Reuters) - Scandal-hit oil giant Royal Dutch/Shell  will invest \$45 billion over three years to boost reserves and  production but its shares fell on disappointment it did not  extend a stock buyback program.


Financial Warning Sounded on Fannie Mae A long running regulatory examination of Fannie Mae has found accounting and other problems at the giant government-chartered mortgage company that raise doubts about "the quality of its management supervision" and the company's "overall safety and soundness," Fannie Mae reported this morning.


Losses continue for Thomas Cook Tour operator Thomas Cook makes a         196m (286.7m euro) loss in the first nine months of the year but says its overall financial position has improved.


Suicide bomber strikes Jerusalem A Palestinian suicide bomber blows herself up in Jerusalem, killing at least one other person.


Inquiry into card interest rates The Competition Commission's inquiry into store cards, will investigate interest rates, the body announces.


Regulators Question Fannie Mae's Accounting A government review into the nation's No. 1 mortgage finance company charges it with inappropriate accounting practices, the company's board said today.


Bridging Hip-Hop Consumers and Suits Music entrepreneur Steve Stoute has emerged as one of Madison Avenue's surest guides to the world of young consumer spending, hip-hop style.


FactSet Knows Cash Flow As long as you keep customers happy, the subscription business can be a cash cow.


Iraq Turns Over Decapitated Corpse to U.S. BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials recovered a decapitated corpse in western Baghdad on Wednesday and turned it over to the United States, which was investigating if it was the body of kidnapped American Jack Hensley - purportedly slain the day before by al-Qaida-linked militants.    The discovery came as the U.S...


Suicide Bomber Kills 1, Wounds 3 in Jerusalem A female Palestinian suicide bomber blew herself up at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing one person and seriously wounding at least three others, Israeli authorities said.


Get a PALight Workman for just  #163;9 Cash'n'Carrion Budget LED torch with no compromise on quality


Fannie Mae Financial Reports Questioned Home mortgage lender Fannie Mae on Wednesday said the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight uncovered accounting inaccuracies that raise doubts about the company #39;s previous financial reports.


Browsing at Google Now that Google #39;s (Nasdaq: GOOG) IPO has come and gone, with differing opinions of the relative success of the Dutch auction model, it #39;s been relatively quiet over at the search engine #39;s Mountain View, Calif.


NEWSMAKER-Cycling- #39;Other American #39; risks losing Olympic gold Waking up on the morning after he won Olympic gold in Athens, Tyler Hamilton leaped out of bed to check no one had stolen the medal from his suitcase.


Doornbos is Jordans third driver in remaining 2004 Grand Prix Jordan Ford announces that Robert Doornbos will be the teams third driver and will drive the teams third car (39) at the Grands Prix of China, Japan and Brazil 2004.


Gerrard: I #39;m back soon Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has rejected newspaper reports that he will be ruled out until Christmas. Gerrard broke a bone in his foot during Monday night #39;s defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford


India await beaten Aussies AUSTRALIA will arrive in Mumbai tomorrow night for their pivotal Test showdown with India jarred by the disappointment of their heaviest one-day loss for two years.


Briefly: Hello, halitosis roundup Plus: House takes on piracy, 'video voyeurism'...Verizon sets up Iobi Home...Sun makes financial pitch...PeopleSoft-Oracle trial delayed.


Ireland blocks calls to 13 countries to thwart Net scam Ireland's telecom regulator said this week that is taking "extraordinary" measures to protect Internet users from rogue autodialer programs that hijack their modems and run up long-distance phone charges by suspending direct dialing to 13 countries, most of which are South Pacific islands.


Shell unveils \$15bn recovery plan The Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell today sought to draw a line under its reserves scandal by announcing plans to spend \$15bn (8.4bn) a year to replenish reserves and develop production in its oil and gas business.


Video game giants roll out products Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp. made separate product announcements Tuesday that the video game giants hope will attract more customers ahead of the highly competitive holiday shopping season.


Twinkies maker files for US bankruptcy protection KANSAS CITY, MO. - Interstate Bakeries, the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread in the United States, filed for bankruptcy protection early Wednesday.


New Issue - Fannie Mae sells \$10.5 billion in bills Fannie Mae (FNM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 1 US home funding company, said on Wednesday it sold \$8 billion of three-month benchmark bills due Dec. 22, 2004


US Airways off the Nasdaq, has 1 labor agreement Less than a year after US Airways Group Inc. listed its stock on the Nasdaq National Market, the airline #39;s shares have been delisted, a result of its second bankruptcy filing.


Judge grants Stewart request NEW YORK - A federal judge Tuesday granted Martha Stewart #39;s request to go to prison as soon as possible, ordering her to report by 2 pm Oct. 8. In an order signed Tuesday, US District Court Judge Miriam Cedarbaum


Sun to rent CPU time on server farm Sun #39;s COO Jonathan Schwartz has outlined a new direction for his company in the form of a cycle farm. Such a farm would rent out CPU time by the hour for a nominal charge - 99 cents for the use of a dual CPU


No channel for series INDIA #39;S cricket chiefs began a frenetic search today for a broadcaster to show next month #39;s home series against world champion Australia after cancelling a controversial \$US308 million (\$440 million) television deal.


Williams, Sharapova win opening Beijing matches Wimbledon rivals Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova reached the quarter-finals of the 585,000-dollar China Open on Wednesday, with top seed Williams scraping past a tough challenge from a teenage Russian.


West Indies, Pakistan to clash WEST Indies may just have what it takes to make it to the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. Going into the second semi-final of the Championship, the West Indies have played with a quiet assurance which has been lacking for a long time.


CRB Button hearing adjourned Motorsport.com. The Contract Recognition Board (CRB) hearing of the Jenson Button/BAR/Williams case has been adjourned until October 16th.


EU officials back Italy and Malta to lift sanctions on Libya 1540CET-- The European Union ambassadors have agreed to recommend lifting the EU bloc #39;s arms embargo on Libya following pressure from Italy and


Korean troops arrive safely in north Iraq The Ministry of National Defense said yesterday 2,800 South Korean troops sent to aid the US-led occupation of Iraq have arrived safely in the Kurdish north of the country.


Fagoogle - Search Engine Supports Gay Community A new search engine tool has been released this week which is based on the Google search engine - but with a twist. Fagoogle.com supports homosexuality and actively sponsors programs aimed at educating people about the gay lifestyle. Released this week, Fagoogle.com aims to generate well needed money for the ...


Get or Give Gmail Invites With GMailOMatic Get or Give Gmail Invites With GMailOMatic\\I heard about this last week, but when I tried to send it a couple invitations, it didn't work. It worked yesterday so I'll mention it. GmailOMatic allows people to submit Gmail invitations and request Gmail invitations.\\So if you've got a couple invites left ...


Dow, Nasdaq, S P 500 Drop 1 Percent (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. stocks extended their losses on\Wednesday after investment bank Morgan Stanley said quarterly\profit fell, casting doubt on corporate earnings growth, while\a brokerage downgrade on Cisco Systems Inc. hurt tech stocks.


Palestinian Suicide Bomber Hits Jerusalem (AP) AP - A Palestinian suicide bomber blew herself up near a crowded bus stop in Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing one other person and wounding at least 14 others, Israeli authorities said.


New Substances Added to WADA's Banned Drugs List  LONDON (Reuters) - A medical product used to treat both  male hair loss and prostate problems has been added to the list  of banned drugs for athletes.


UK rate hold move was 'unanimous' Members of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously against a sixth rate rise in nine months.


Twinkies Maker Seeking Ch. 11 Protection KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Interstate Bakeries Corp., the nation's largest wholesaler baker whose products include Twinkies and Wonder Bread, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection early Wednesday...


Sun Sets Sights on Low-End Market After years of battling Microsoft Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc. has set its sights on Linux vendors, seeking to jump into a low-end but high-volume market it's been accused of ignoring.


CA to face arraignment in probe update Computers Associates International is facing arraignment in federal court Wednesday on criminal charges stemming from a two-year investigation into the software company #39;s accounting practices.


Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns Say Fiscal 3rd-Qtr Profit Declined Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns Cos. said fiscal third-quarter earnings fell, their first declines in more than a year. The results sparked concern that Wall Street profits are slowing, and shares of many securities firms dropped.


Retailers expect moderate 2004 holiday sales growth That #39;s the early forecast from the National Retail Federation, which sees sales escalating at a  quot;moderate quot; 4.5 percent clip over last year #39;s robust results.


Hello, halitosis ZDNet #39;s survey of IT professionals in August kept Wired  amp; Wireless on top for the 18th month in a row. Siemens Mobile is developing the first mobile phone that will alert people when their breath stinks, the company said Tuesday.


Mozilla could form base of a Google browser Analysts agree that it would be of little benefit for Google to create a browser from scratch, but it could add value by adding components onto the open-source browser Mozilla.


Hostage #39;s Family Confirms Body Was His The family of American hostage Jack Hensley has received confirmation that the headless body handed over to US officials in Iraq is his, a family spokesman said Wednesday.


Addressing UN Assembly, Annan urges nations to restore respect for <b>...</b> Decrying what he described as  quot;shameless quot; disregard for the rule of law around the globe, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday urged world leaders gathered at the General Assembly to do everything within their power to restore respect for


Suicide bombing in Jerusalem kills 1 A female suicide bomber set off a blast Wednesday in the French Hill section of Jerusalem killing one person, police and emergency services said.


Is US Rhetoric Fuelling Iran #39;s Nuclear Program? As Iran announces it is resuming its nuclear program, we speak with Iranian-born author and former diplomat Mansour Farhang about the increasing tensions in the United States towards Tehran.


Floods kill more than 600 people in Haiti, hundreds left homeless Rescuers dug through mud and ruined homes for bodies Tuesday, expecting the death toll of more than 600 from tropical storm Jeanne to rise even further as flood waters receded in this crowded northern city after devastating winds


Paralympics a TV success story in Europe and Asia, but not in US (AFP) AFP - More and more broadcasters across the world, especially in Europe and Asia, are putting the Paralympics into the spotlight, but the major sporting tournament for people with disabilities remains off screen in the world's biggest television market -- the United States.


Charlotte Bobcats Pick Up Option on Ely (AP) AP - The Charlotte Bobcats picked up the option on center Melvin Ely for the 2005-06 season.


Gerrard promises speedy comeback from broken foot (AFP) AFP - Steven Gerrard has moved to allay Liverpool fans' fears that he could be out until Christmas after breaking a metatarsal bone in his left foot.


You Can Pay for College (The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - Did you know that September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month? Well, it is. It's also National Head Lice Prevention Month. But perhaps of most interest to us financially minded Fools, it's College Savings Month -- so says the College Savings Plan Network (CSPN) of the National Association of State Treasurers.


Zimbabwe Denies Reports of Food Shortage (AP) AP - Zimbabwe's government on Wednesday dismissed reports of dozens of deaths linked to malnutrition as lies peddled by detractors and insisted the nation has more food than it needs.


BCCI plans own telecast of Australia series (Reuters) Reuters - The Indian cricket board said on Wednesday it was making arrangements on its own to broadcast next month's test series against Australia, which is under threat because of a raging TV rights dispute.


Oil Holds Firm After Big Fuel Stocks Draw  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices held firm, close to \$47 a  barrel on Wednesday after U.S. data showed the disruption  caused by Hurricane Ivan had eaten into fuel stocks.


Election is turning into a duel of the manly men (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Political analysts say they've never seen anything quite like the tough-guy competition between President Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry. They point to two reasons: millions of hunters and fishermen live in the battleground states each candidate needs to win, and voters everywhere are haunted by 9/11.


Politicans Killed in Indian Chopper Crash  GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - Ten people, including a state  government minister and two lawmakers, were killed in a  helicopter crash in India's mountainous northeast on Wednesday,  officials said.


MP3 Player Sales To Hit \$58 billion By 2008 SAN FRANCISCO - In one of those good news, bad news stories, think tank IDC said sales will explode for Apple Computers extremely popular iPod music player this decade, but the huge market is attracting several portable jukeboxes based on 1-inch or


Olympic champion Hamilton fails test Tyler Hamilton, the American who won the time trial gold in Athens last month, faces being stripped of his medal after testing positive for blood doping.


Captain Thomas Muster hopes for Austrian win Austria hopes to capitalize on its home-court advantage and tough preparations to defeat Britain in this week #39;s Davis Cup World Group playoffs captain Thomas Muster said Wednesday.


EU agrees to lift Libya arms embargo BRUSSELS - The European Union agreed on Wednesday to lift its arms embargo on Libya after pressure from Italy, which wants to help the North African country tackle illegal migrants, an EU diplomatic source said.


IBC files for bankruptcy early today Financially struggling Interstate Bakeries Corp. early today filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in the US Bankruptcy Court in Kansas City.


Plexus to close Seattle-area plant; will cut 160 jobs Neenah-based Plexus Corp. plans to close a Seattle-area plant, resulting in the layoff of about 160 employees, in an effort to save about \$2 million a year, the company said Wednesday.


Senate Panel Recommends Funding Boost for NASA WASHINGTON -- NASAs vision for space exploration received a boost in the Senate Sept. 22 when a budget panel approved \$16.38 billion for the agency for next year, \$200 million more than the White House requested.


Teenage worm whiz gets IT security job A young German man believed to be responsible for writing 70 per cent of all computer viruses received in the first half of this year has been given a job in IT security.


Security Watch: Bots March In Last week, Microsoft released a security bulletin reporting vulnerability in the graphics subsystem in Windows and a wide range of Microsoft products.


Zero G Flights Could Bolster Space Tourism, Research Industries Floating free above Earth and carrying out an experiment in space has long been the preserve of orbiting travelers, but at taxpayers expense.


SportsNetwork Game Preview (Sports Network) - The New York Yankees can clinch a playoff berth tonight, and they can do it with a pitcher who is still unbeaten this year.


Arafat #39;s  #39;demise #39; up to us: Israel PM ARIEL Sharon warned yesterday he would bring about the demise of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat  quot;when the time is ripe quot;.


US, Japan Apart on Need for Beef Study-Koizumi (Reuters) Reuters - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro\Koizumi said on Wednesday that he and U.S. President George W.\Bush "see eye to eye" on the need for a quick resumption of\their bilateral beef trade, but Japan wants more mad cow safety\studies.


PeopleSoft's Knightly Quest (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Oracle may be breathing fire down its neck with an ongoing hostile takeover effort, but PeopleSoft is trying to withstand the siege and stay independent. The business software company has struck a pact with IBM to woo customers and bolster its business, although there's plenty of debate over whether Big Blue will pull off a dramatic rescue.


Morgan Stanley Profit Drops by a Third  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley  MWD.N on Wednesday said quarterly profit dropped by a third  on sharply lower bond trading revenue and higher expenses,  falling well short of Wall Street's low expectations and  pushing the company's shares down as much as 8 percent.


U.S. Faults Fannie Mae Accounting  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. government review of the  nation's No. 1 mortgage finance company, Fannie Mae FNM.N,  charges it with using improper "cookie jar" accounting to  smooth earnings and calls into doubt past financial results,  the company's board said on Wednesday.


GM Likely to Cut Jobs in Europe  DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. GM.N, in the  midst of reassessing its unprofitable European operations, is  not ruling out closing a plant there and is likely to cut some  jobs, a GM spokesman said on Wednesday.


Quattrone Seeks Bail Until Appeal Ruling  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former investment banker Frank  Quattrone on Wednesday requested a court order that would allow  him to remain free on bail while he appeals his obstruction of  justice conviction.


EU Agrees to Lift All Sanctions on Libya  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union has agreed to  implement last year's U.N. decision to lift economic sanctions  on Libya as well as ending its arms embargo on the North  African country, diplomats said on Wednesday.


D.C. Close at the Plate Yes, we've been down this road before, but it looks as though the economic and political factors are now aligned in favor of baseball in the District -- although precariously.


Former Belgium coach Goethals dies at 83 Former Belgium coach Raymond Goethals, who took his country to third place at the European Championship in 1972, died on Monday aged 83.


Olympic Champion Hamilton Suspended by Phonak Team  ZURICH (Reuters) - Olympic time trial champion Tyler  Hamilton has been suspended by his Phonak team after they were  informed he had failed dope tests.


UPDATE 5-Morgan Stanley profit tumbles, shares drop US investment bank Morgan Stanley (MWD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said quarterly profit dropped by a third on sharply lower bond trading revenue


Japanese PSP Price Rele Manfred Gerdes, SCEE German Managing Director, may have made a blunder. He recently confirmed that Sony #39;s Playstation Portable (PSP) will launch in Japan with a price tag of 33,000 yen.


PeopleSoft #39;s Knightly Quest Oracle may be breathing fire down its neck with an ongoing hostile takeover effort, but PeopleSoft is trying to withstand the siege and stay independent.


Quattrone Seeks Bail Until Appeal Ruling Former investment banker Frank Quattrone on Wednesday requested a court order that would allow him to remain free on bail while he appeals his obstruction of justice conviction.


\$616m for Coles will silence the doubters JOHN Fletcher yesterday claimed Coles Myer #39;s \$616.5 million profit was  quot;the kind of result every CEO actually dreams about quot;.


NASA extends Mars rover mission for another six months PASADENA, Calif. NASA thinks its Mars rovers just might keep going and going and going. The space agency has funded another extension of their mission, for an additional six months, if they last.


Sun Offers Pay-for-Use Grid Computing Sun Microsystems has introduced a pay-for-use pricing model for grid computing, enabling customers to gain access to computing cycles on an on-demand basis.


Input predicts growth in knowledge management A new report predicts that the federal market for knowledge management solutions will grow by almost one-third in the next five years to more than \$1.


IDC Sees Pressure on Apple #39;s iPod Dominance; Flash Player From <b>...</b> Market research firm IDC is forecasting Apple Computers dominance in the portable jukebox market of MP3 players with the iPod and iPod mini will see increased


BCCI blames Zee, ESPN-Star sports; will arrange telecast The Cricket Board today said it was trying its  quot;level best quot; to arrange for live telecast of the India-Australia series, while blaming both ESPN-Star Sports and Zee Telefilms for creating an impasse which forced the board to cancel the entire tendering


Purdue, Minnesota can be Rose runners If this humble voter were filling out his ballot today, though, it would look like this: 1. Purdue 2. Minnesota 3. Ohio State, 4. Michigan 5. Iowa 6. Wisconsin 7. Michigan State 8. Northwestern 9. Penn State 10.


Killer B #39;s The Indians got just what the doctor ordered Tuesday night -- an updated version of the 1960s TV show  quot;Ben Casey quot;. Ben Broussard hit a three-run homer to get Cleveland back in the game and Casey Blake singled


No release for Iraq women, says US Two high-profile women prisoners in American custody will not be released immediately, the US embassy said in Baghdad, despite an earlier announcement by Iraqi authorities.


Press caution over Syria Lebanon move Newspapers in the Arab world and Israel have reacted with caution to Syria #39;s decision to redeploy some of its troops in Lebanon away from the capital Beirut.


Fighting Blocks Aid Workers In Darfur From Reaching 100,000 <b>...</b> The United Nations says fighting and other strife is preventing aid workers from reaching 100-thousand people in Darfur who need help.


But what about the economy? Latham needs to realise he can #39;t implement dramatic social reform without dramatic economic reform, writes Kenneth Davidson. Arguably, Mark Latham has won the substantive election debates on national security, taxation, health and education.


Update 1: Kodak Sees Digital Expansion in Future Eastman Kodak Co., in the midst of its strengthening its position in digital imaging, Wednesday said it now expects sales of digital products and services to increase by about 36 percent between 2003 and 2007.


Britain #39;s first wholly Sharia #39;a bank opens in London The first branch of Britain #39;s only wholly Islamic bank - which will operate strictly in accordance with Shariaa principles -as been opened in London today.


Jobs Fears as Insurer Offshores Operations to Asia Britains biggest insurance company sparked a fresh row today over work being lost to India when it unveiled plans to create almost 1,000 jobs in Asia.


Blow for ALH as hopes of rival Coles bid recede Shares in the pub and bottle shop owner Australian Leisure  amp; Hospitality Group slipped yesterday after Coles Myer chief executive John Fletcher gave his strongest indication yet that the retailer #39;s


Cingular, AT amp;T and Triton to exchange certain operations Cingular Wireless, AT amp;T Wireless and Triton PCS have an agreement that would give Cingular expanded wireless service in Virginia and Triton PCS added coverage in North Carolina as well as entry into the Puerto Rico MTA.


Mars Rovers #39; Break Time Over NASA #39;s robotic explorers are back at work on Mars following an extended siesta that had left mission managers with only hope and optimism that the rovers


Despatches from the frontline of the war against PC viruses The IT industry #39;s war against virus writers has seen battles won on both sides this year. Sven Jaschan, the 18-year-old German responsible for spreading 70 per cent of viruses in the first six months of 2004


Betrusted and TruSecure merge The merged company CyberTrust will service 4,000 clients worldwide and says it expects to have annual revenues of USD160 million. The firm will also employ 1,000 people globally, including 49 in Dublin in its identity management division.


EMC Unveils E-mail Storage For Microsoft Exchange EMC Corp. has unveiled a Microsoft Exchange server-based e-mail storage product called EMC Express Solution for E-Mail. EMC said the automated policy management software enables mid-sized organizations


Detroit Tigers Team Report - September 22 (Sports Network) - The Detroit Tigers continue their three-game series with the Cleveland Indians in tonight #39;s rubber match at Comerica Park.


Quelling the fire Close your eyes. Imagine that Byrd Stadium is filled with people. Only these are not regular Terps fans. These are mainly men and boys uprooted from their villages - and they #39;re dead.


Zarqawi Cleric Ally Killed in U.S. Strike -Family  AMMAN (Reuters) - The spiritual mentor of al Qaeda ally Abu  Musab al-Zarqawi, a Muslim cleric who justified Zarqawi's  beheading of hostages in Iraq, has been killed in a U.S. air  strike, associates and relatives said on Wednesday.


EU agrees to lift Libya sanctions The European Union agrees to lift its embargo on the sale of arms to Libya.


Unions end Israeli general strike Unions in Israel end a damaging two-day general strike, which saw public services brought to a standstill in a row over unpaid wages.


This phone blooms into a flower Toss that old cell phone into the dirt and you may return a few weeks later to find a flower. Scientists say they have come up with a phone cover that will grow into a sunflower when thrown away.


Brazil School Bus Accident Kills 16 (AP) AP - A school bus swerved off a narrow road and plunged into a reservoir early Wednesday, killing at least 16 children in southern Brazil, a firefighter said.


U.S. Soldier Killed in Afghanistan (AP) AP - An attack on a patrol killed an American soldier, the third U.S. fatality this week in Afghanistan, the military said Wednesday, amid a flurry of attacks that wounded over a dozen Americans in the run-up to the Oct. 9 presidential election.


Oil Tops \$48 After U.S. Inventories Dive  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped more than a dollar,  climbing above \$48 a barrel Wednesday after U.S. data showed  the disruption caused by Hurricane Ivan had eaten into fuel  stocks.


Error of Judgment The FBI alleges that a veteran U.S. diplomat met with agents from Taiwan. What were they up to? \


Mobile brain help claim dismissed Experts have dismissed a suggestion that mobile phone radio waves could help children think more clearly.


Survey: Artists Embrace Internet for Ideas Nearly all of the 2,755 musicians who participated in a recent survey reported using the Internet for ideas and inspiration, with nine out of 10 going online to promote, advertise and post their music.


Howell Altered Swing Just Hours Before Ryder Cup  WOBURN, England (Reuters) - Britain's Ryder Cup debutant  David Howell, lauded for his fine performance with Paul Casey  in the morning fourballs Saturday, altered his swing just hours  before the start of the match against the United States.


Will Putin's Power Play Make Russia Safer? Not if you believe his critics, who say the new measures are all about politics


FedEx Quarterly Earnings More Than Double  NEW YORK (Reuters) - FedEx Corp. FDX.N, the world's top  air-express shipper, on Wednesday said quarterly earnings more  than doubled on strong growth in its international, ground and  freight services.


Cozying up to Syria Despite Bush Administration rhetoric, the U.S. sits down with Syria's leadership


Cisco Targets Triple Play on the Move Capabilities With <b>...</b> RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK - Cisco Systems is targeting a so-called triple play of the move strategy as part of its strategy to drive sales to service providers.


PeopleSoft's Knightly Quest Oracle may be breathing fire down its neck with an ongoing hostile takeover effort, but PeopleSoft is trying to withstand the siege by striking a deal with IBM. -washingtonpost.com


How They Would Fix It Bush and Kerry both talk about providing health care for the uninsured. Here's how they would do it


EMC debuts e-mail consolidation ZDNet #39;s survey of IT professionals in August kept Data Management as the seventh in rank for the past two months. EMC announced on Wednesday e-mail management and storage targeted at midsized companies.


Royal Dutch-Shell to boost spending Anglo-Dutch energy company Royal Dutch-Shell will boost capital spending to \$15 billion a year during 2004-06 to build proven reserves.


PeopleSoft  amp; IBM Sign Landmark Pact PeopleSoft Inc. and IBM announced recently that they will establish the most significant enterprise applications alliance in the history of the two companies.


Quattrone asks to stay out of prison pending appeal _ Former star investment banker Frank Quattrone asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to let him stay out of prison while he appeals his conviction on obstruction-of-justice charges.


Coles hits a record \$576.5m COLES Myer chief John Fletcher yesterday declared the company on track to reach \$800 million in annual profit by 2006 after handing down the highest result in the company #39;s history, with all key divisions firing.


Update 1: ConAgra Reports Drop in 1Q Earnings ConAgra Foods Inc. reported a 30 percent drop in first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, citing sales lost from discontinued operations and higher costs for materials.


Broken oxygen generator threatens space station A UK space scientist has warned that a broken oxygen generator could spell disaster for the International Space Station (ISS). The Elecktron unit, which converts waste water into hydrogen and oxygen gases, broke


Tennis: Muster rolls out clay carpet for Britain VIENNA : Austrian Davis Cup captain Thomas Muster has warned Britain not to underestimate them in this weekend #39;s World Group play-off on the slowest clay courts the Austrians have found.


El Duque seeks to stay unbeaten for Yanks NEW YORK - Orlando Hernandez will try to continue his unbeaten season when the AL East-leading New York Yankees close out a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays.


Putin #39;s Chechnya envoy urges end to corruption President Vladimir Putin #39;s new envoy to Chechnya on Wednesday urged local officials to end corruption, while troops swept towns and villages hunting for rebels.


West Indies survive Lara scare to book final place (AFP) AFP - The West Indies survived an injury scare to captain Brian Lara to beat Pakistan by seven wickets and earn a place in the ICC Champions Trophy Final.


Oil Tops \$48 After U.S. Inventories Dive  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped more than a dollar,  climbing above \$48 a barrel on Wednesday after U.S. data showed  the disruption caused by Hurricane Ivan had eaten into fuel  stocks.


Stocks Fall Sharply, Fannie Mae Weighs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were knocked lower on Wednesday  after a U.S. government review questioned home finance company  Fannie Mae's FNM.N accounting methods, while  investment bank  Morgan Stanley MWD.N reported a drop in quarterly profit.


Tobacco Firms: No Conspiracy Over Smoking  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A lawyer for the tobacco industry  told a federal court on Wednesday that cigarette companies have  never engaged in a conspiracy to mislead the public about the  dangers of smoking.


Woman Suicide Bomber Kills 2 in Jerusalem  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian woman suicide bomber  blew herself up near a hitch-hiking post in Jerusalem on  Wednesday, killing two people and wounding 15 in the first such  attack in the city in seven months.


After U.S., EU Agrees to Lift Sanctions on Libya  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Libya took another big stride out of  diplomatic isolation on Wednesday when the European Union  agreed to lift all sanctions on the North African country.


US rates won #39;t hit home THE decision by the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates for the third month in a row would have little effect on the Reserve Bank of Australia #39;s deliberations on monetary policy, economists said yesterday.


JP Morgan Loses a Veteran Dina Dublon, chief financial officer of JP Morgan Chase (JPM ), announced on Sept. 21 that she would be leaving by yearend. Considered one of the most powerful women on Wall Street, Dublon #39;s departure is a


Antarctic Glacier-Melt Increasing Dramatically As early as the 1970s, several theorists and climate modelers predicted that global warming would cause ice shelves in the oceans around Antarctica to melt and release glaciers.


Senate Panel Backs Subsidies for Digital TV The US Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved a measure that would provide up to \$1 billion to ensure consumers can still watch television when broadcasters switch to new, crisp digital signals.


Apple iMac G5 It has been a good year for Apple. Since the beginning of 2004, I #39;ve discussed GarageBand, AirPort Express and the latest iPod.


English star David Beckham enjoys free-kick revival in soccer David Beckham thanks better enforcement of the 10-metre rule and a slice of good fortune for the recent return of his free-kick prowess.


Cricket-Lara forced off after being hit by Shoaib  Cricket-Pakistan crumble to West Indies 09-22-2004, 13:18 SOUTHAMPTON, England (AFP) - Pakistan had a morning to regret after Inzamam-Ul-Haq had won the toss, chosen to bat in overcast conditions and then seen his side shot out by the West Indies for


Oakland Athletics Team Report - September 22 (Sports Network) - Barry Zito has been in excellent form over his last few starts, and the Oakland Athletics need him to continue in that direction tonight when they battle the Texas Rangers in the middle test of an important three-game series at


Israel urges sanctions again Iran for nuclear program Israel urged the United Nations on Wednesday to move toward sanctions against Iran because Tehran is never going to abandon its alleged quest for nuclear weapons.


US says won #39;t bow to kidnappers and  quot;Mrs Anthrax quot; by US forces, would not be released soon.  quot;The two women are in legal and. including the two women, remained in US legal custody.


EMC debuts e-mail consolidation The product is designed to let companies manage years of e-mail messages on a single networked storage system.


Ireland launches phone fraud crackdown Regulators are trying to prevent scams caused by software that computer users may not even know is on their PCs.


AT T woos international markets with VOIP projects AT T Corp. Wednesday announced a number of VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) initiatives, such as a program to develop common standards for the technology and an expansion of its international VOIP remote worker pilot project. But as the company tries to draw more corporate users to VOIP, its own research, also published Wednesday, showed that concerns about the quality of service continue to dog the market as a whole.


US baking giant Interstate files to restructure The innocuous Twinkie is one of many high-carb treats that has proved the downfall of US wholesale baking giant Interstate Bakeries Corp.


GM Likely to Cut Jobs in Europe General Motors Corp. (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , in the midst of reassessing its unprofitable European operations, is not ruling out closing a plant there and is likely to cut some jobs, a GM spokesman said on Wednesday.


Lara floored as Windies make final SOUTHAMPTON, England -- West Indies captain Brian Lara had to quit after being struck on the neck by a bouncer as his side beat Pakistan by seven wickets to reach the Champions Trophy final.


Jerusalem Suicide Bomber Kills Two, Injures 14 (Update1) At least two bystanders were killed and 14 injured in an explosion set off by a female suicide bomber at an intersection in northern Jerusalem, police said.


Suicide bomb targets police recruits Iraqis inspect some of the burned-out cars near the site of the latest car-bomb blast outside a restaurant in a commercial area of Baghdad.


Israeli Labor Union announces end to public sector strike The Israeli Labor Federation Histadrut announced an end to the nationwide public sector strike Wednesday noon and ordered strikers to return to work.


Politicans Killed in Indian Chopper Crash Ten people, including a state government minister and two lawmakers, were killed in a helicopter crash in India #39;s mountainous northeast on Wednesday, officials said.


LookSmart Adds Porn Free Search to Net Nanny LookSmart Adds Porn Free Search to Net Nanny\\LookSmart today announced the release of Net Nanny 5.1, an updated version of its Internet filtering software, and the first version to include family-safe Web search. Net Nanny 5.1 has a suggested retail price of \$39.95 for new buyers of Net Nanny and ...


Morgan Stanley Profit Falls, Shares Drop  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley  MWD.N on Wednesday said quarterly profit dropped by a third  on lower bond trading revenue and higher expenses, falling  short of Wall Street's low expectations and pushing its shares  down as much as 8 percent.


RSC unveils Stratford revamp plan The Royal Shakespeare Company reveals plans to refurbish its main theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.


Corning's Crystal-Clear Future The company will continue to capitalize on the growth in LCD TV sales.


Big Tobacco Disputes Conspiracy Claim WASHINGTON - A lawyer for the tobacco industry on Wednesday rejected the government's claim that cigarette companies conspired for decades to mislead the public about the dangers of smoking and should forfeit \$280 billion generated by the alleged fraud.    To win the case, the government must prove the scheme existed and is likely to continue...


Passenger Cat Stevens to Be Deported WASHINGTON - Homeland Security officials said Yusuf Islam - formerly known as singer Cat Stevens - will be deported Wednesday after being denied entry to the U.S. for being on a government watch list...


CBS Names Panel to Probe Bush Guard Story NEW YORK - CBS News appointed former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and former Associated Press chief executive Louis Boccardi to investigate what went wrong with its story on President Bush's service in the National Guard...


Computer Associates Will Account The IT vendor agrees to pay more than \$200 million to avoid criminal prosecution in an accounting scandal. Also: PeopleSoft strengthens ties with IBM   hellip;. eMusic gets a facelift   hellip;. and more.


Stocks drop; Dow off more than 100 points Disappointing earnings from Morgan Stanley (MWD) and oil prices topping \$48 per barrel sent stocks sharply lower Wednesday as investors moved to protect their recent gains.


Update 6: Prosecutor Says Enron Cheated, Lied An alleged side deal that wiped out the legitimacy of Enron Corp. #39;s sale of equity in three barges to Merrill Lynch  amp; Co. in late 1999 lies at the heart of the first criminal trial to emerge from the bankrupt energy company #39;s scandal.


Wonder Bread maker files Chapter 11 Interstate Bakeries Corp., parent company of the Wonder Bread plant in downtown Columbus, on Wednesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.