Jets, Seahawks Both Face Must-Win Game (AP) AP - If the New York Jets were in the NFC, they would probably have a playoff spot already. Instead, they still have a fight on their hands as they play host Sunday to Seattle, which has won two fewer games, but leads the NFC West.


Moore Leaps to Great Heights for Ravens (AP) AP - His wiry 6-foot-6 frame is better suited for basketball, except when it comes to reaching for a high pass in the end zone.


White Sox Sign Infielder Juan Uribe (AP) AP - The Chicago White Sox agreed to a  #36;9.75 million, three-year deal with infielder Juan Uribe on Thursday, avoiding arbitration.


A Big Beat for CardioDynamics The medical device maker receives FDA clearance for new heart monitoring technology.


Washington Mayor to Push Change in Baseball Bill  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony  Williams will try to get financing for a Major League Baseball  stadium back on the city council agenda next week after the  council added a deal-breaking provision to the original bill,  the mayor's spokesman said on Thursday.


Atlanta Braves, Smoltz Agree to New Deal  ATLANTA (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Braves announced  Thursday that the team has come to terms with longtime pitcher  John Smoltz to a new two-year contract with a club option for  the 2007 season. Per club policy, financial terms were not  disclosed.


Mississippi State Extends Croom Contract  STARKVILLE, Miss. (Sports Network) - Mississippi State has  extended the contract of head football coach Sylvester Croom,  keeping him with the university through the 2008 season.


Solich Takes Over at Ohio University  ATHENS, Ohio (Sports Network) - Ohio University named  former Nebraska coach Frank Solich as its new head football  coach during a Thursday afternoon press conference.


European round-up Real Madrid #39;s match against Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu was abandoned with three minutes left and the score at 1-1 after police received a warning that a bomb would explode.


Real abandoned after bomb threat Real Madrid #39;s Primera Liga match against Real Sociedad has been abandoned with the scores level at 1-1 after police received a warning that a bomb would explode at the stadium at 9 pm (8 pm British time).


Stadium evacuated after bomb threat MADRID: Some 70,000 people have been forced to evacuate Real Madrid #39;s Santiago Bernabeu stadium minutes before the end of a league match after a bomb threat in the name of ETA Basque separatist guerrillas.


Bomb threat mars Real Madrid game A bomb threat forced the evacuation of Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the 88th minute of a Spanish league game between host Real Madrid and Real Sociedad on Sunday.


Klitschko destroys Williams! 12.12.04 - By Marcus Wood: While many had predicted that Klitschko would beat Williams and just as many had predicted it would be by KO, few would have said Klitschko would shut Williams out from the first bell.


Klitschko targets political fight next Vitali Klitschko said he wants to join the political fight in his native Ukraine after an emphatic defense of his World Boxing Council heavyweight title against Danny Williams on Saturday.


Klitschko retains title VITALI Klitschko successfully defended his World Boxing Council heavyweight crown here on Saturday, stopping Britain #39;s Danny Williams one minute and 26 seconds into the eighth round of their scheduled 12-round fight.


Klitschko retains title Vitali Klitschko has knocked out Danny Williams in the eighth round to retain his WBC heavyweight crown and become the premier champion in the division.


Monty on Target to getting out of the Woods in singular style He is finding solace in the sunshine, the temperature in southern California this weekend climbing to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and making a glorious summer of what had been an autumn of discontent.


Explosion rips Israeli base at Gaza-Egypt crossing; 4 Israeli <b>...</b> Palestinian guerrillas blew up an Israeli army base at the Gaza-Egypt crossing Sunday by sneaking more than a tonne of explosives through a tunnel, killing four Israeli soldiers and wounding at least 10.


Israel #39;s Labour in talks on coalition The central committee of Israel #39;s Labour party on Saturday decided to open talks with the ruling Likud party of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon aimed at joining a national unity government, a spokesperson said.


#39;Bin Laden #39; tape urges oil attack An audio tape said to have been recorded by al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has called on his supporters to attack Gulf oil supplies.


Terror Warning Against Travel to Indonesia The Foreign Office tonight warned Britons against all but essential travel to Indonesia in the lead up to and during Christmas and the New Year.


Shoemaker Nike's Quarterly Earnings Rise  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nike Inc. NKE.N on Thursday said its  second-quarter earnings rose on strong demand for its namesake  athletic shoes and Converse sneakers.


Gartner issues 10 CIO resolutions for 2005 Reassess your role, embrace change and make a backup plan. That's the advice Gartneranalysts are giving to IT professionals on how to approach the coming year.


Summary Box: Symantec Snaps Up Veritas THE DEAL: Symantec Corp., best known for its Norton-branded software that fights computer viruses, is heading in a new direction with a \$13.5 billion acquisition of data storage and backup specialist Veritas Software Corp.


World crude oil market slips as supply fears ease NEW YORK (AFP) - World crude oil prices slipped, halting a price spike triggered by fears of tight energy supplies in the northeastern United States.


Update 1: AirAsia Opts for Airbus Aircraft Malaysian budget airline AirAsia will buy 40 A320 aircraft from Airbus at heavily discounted prices in a deal worth about US\$1.4 billion (euro1.05 billion) to kickstart its route-expansion plan, sources said Thursday.


UPDATE 1-US Airways, flight attendants in concession deal US Airways Group Inc. (UAIRQ.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) reached a tentative deal on Thursday with negotiators for the airline #39;s flight attendants union for


SEC Advises Fannie Mae to Restate Earnings Description: The head accountant at the Security Exchange Commission asks the mortgage giant to correct its books for the last three years.


Stuck in a Rundown Everyone surrounding the Nationals returned Wednesday to a question that has haunted the team since its days in Montreal: What do we do now?


Hudson Sent to Braves Tim Hudson is traded from the Oakland Athletics to Atlanta, a major deal that further bolsters the Braves' revamped rotation.


Cropp Has Bad Timing The time for Linda Cropp to show the city how tough she is was before Mayor Williams agreed to a deal.


Wenger fined and reprimanded for Man United comments LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been fined 15,000 pounds (\$NZ41,100) for improper conduct for comments he made after the champions #39; 2-0 defeat by Manchester United in October.


Langer outplays pace barrage PERTH, Dec. 16. - Justin Langer survived Shoaib Akhtars incisive opening pace barrage and retorted with his 21st Test ton, as Australia recovered from 78 for five to 357 for eight at stumps today on the


Demands of Tyneside showing on Souness IN THE face of mounting unrest, Graeme Souness remains determined to reverse the declining fortunes of Newcastle United, but he, like his predecessors, has quickly appreciated that management


World Stars lose 6-1 to Swedish Elite League club Goalie Dominik Hasek and the World Stars team of NHL barnstormers lost 6-1 Thursday to Swedish Elite League club Farjestad. Ray Whitney of the Detroit Red Wings scored the World Stars #39; goal before a crowd of 6,037.


Fox has winning formula for Panthers Players and co-workers marvel at the head coach #39;s consistency, a word applies to few other aspects of the Panthers season. As a result of his leadership and their steady work, the Panthers are


Australians head to Indonesia AUSTRALIANS are continuing to pack their bags and head to Indonesia for Christmas despite warnings terrorists are planning a bomb attack in the country.


Desktop Search wars heat up Google #39;s foray into the desktop search market has this week hit it #39;s first competition, as rival offerings have been launched by both Microsoft and Ask Jeeves.


HP Ships Itanium Team to Intel HP will continue to design Itanium chipsets and develop the market for its Itanium 2-based Integrity servers, which it has positioned as a replacement for PA-RISC systems.


Two Fidelity Employees Let Go Over Gifts Fidelity Investments on Thursday said two employees have been let go and 14 others have been disciplined for violating company policies covering gifts from brokers to the mutual fund giant #39;s traders.


Apple Sells 200 Million Songs on ITunes Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday said sales of songs bought from its market-leading iTunes online music store had topped 200 million, a figure that


Science Magazine Names Mars Discovery Breakthrough of the Year Before leaving Endurance Crater, Opportunity rovers panoramic camera, or Pancam, captured this view of  quot;Burns Cliff quot; at the base of the southeastern portion of the inner wall of the crater.


Kazaa could have bugs THE search mechanism used by the Kazaa file-sharing network could contain malicious code, the Federal Court heard yesterday. Counsel for the record companies, John Nicholas SC, said in recent years there had


IBM Unleashes New RFID Middleware In the increasingly competitive RFID arena, IBM on Thursday will release the first three products from its recently formed \$250 million S amp;A (Sensor  amp; Actuator) arm.


An all-new power walk WEARABLE solar panels that help charge mobile phones or music players are likely to come on sale within three years, the New Scientist says.


AMD: Feeling chipper In a rough year for semi stocks, Advanced Micro Devices has thrived. Is there more room to run? NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Tech stocks have had a nice year-end rally but that hasn #39;t been enough to pull the chip sector out of the red.


Families Try to ID Argentina Fire Victims Anguished families struggled Saturday to identify the bodies of relatives killed in a Buenos Aires nightclub fire that left at least 186 people dead, many after being trapped inside by locked emergency exits.


Oil price rise a cloud on Wall Street #39;s happiness on results US STOCKS vacillated yesterday as rising oil prices muted Wall Streets excitement over strong results from Lehman Brothers and Sprints \$35 billion acquisition of Nextel Communications.


Fannie Mae ordered to restate earnings The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered Fannie Mae, the nation #39;s largest buyer of mortgages, to restate its earnings over the last four years after


Google Virtual-Library Agreement Is Important First Step On 14 December 2004, Google announced an agreement with five major libraries - those at Stanford, Harvard, the University of Michigan and Oxford, as well as the New York Public Library -o create digital copies of books that can be searched using


Weighing The Desktop Search Pros And Cons The  quot;in quot; item for big four of the search industry (Google, Yahoo, MSN, and, Ask Jeeves) is Desktop Search utilities. By early next year, all the major search platforms will/should have a branded, functional


Sony #39;s PSP draws queues on 1st day About 200,000 of the sleek black devices, able to play movies, music and games, went on sale early Sunday morning as part of a drive by Sony to loosen rival Nintendo #39;s iron grip on the market for handheld game machines.


Microsoft acquires antispyware vendor Giant DECEMBER 16, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Microsoft Corp. has acquired antispyware vendor Giant Company Software Inc. in New York for an undisclosed amount.


NASA chief applies for job as chancellor of Louisiana State <b>...</b> NASA Administrator Sean O #39;Keefe is a top candidate for Louisiana State University chancellor after nearly three years leading the


NASA Chief Applies for Job at LSU NASA Administrator Sean O #39;Keefe will resign this week, a government official said Sunday, and a spokesman for Louisiana State University said O #39;Keefe is a leading candidate to become a chancellor there.


NASA Chief O #39;Keefe May Be Quitting WASHINGTON -- The Associated Press quotes a government official as saying NASA Administrator Sean O #39;Keefe will resign this week and a spokesman for Louisiana State University said O #39;Keefe is a leading candidate to become the university #39;s chancellor.


Illinois Governor Wants To Keep  #39;GTA, #39;  #39;Halo 2 #39; Out Of Kids #39; Hands That iconic black-and-white parental advisory sticker you see on CDs containing violent and/or sexually explicit content may soon be appearing on video games, if the governor from Illinois has his way.


Adobe pulls Acrobat 6.03 update Adobe has temporarily withdrawn its v6.03 update for Adobe Acrobat 6, which was posted earlier this week. Adobe #39;s download page for the update says,  quot;The 6.0.3 update is temporarily unavailable for Mac OS versions of Acrobat 6.0 Professional and Standard.


Worldstars routed Jesper Mattsson scored two goals as Farjestad, one of Sweden #39;s top clubs, trounced the Worldstars 6-1 on Thursday. Per Hallberg scored in the first period for Farjestad


Uefa Cup Thursday Preview There is everything to play for in Group B, with Steaua Bucharest the only team having qualified. Tonight, Parma (already out) host Besiktas (four points), while Standard Liege (four) entertain Athletic Bilbao (6).


Mystery  #39;British Charity #39; Worker Executed in Iraq The body of an Italian, who claimed to be with a British charity, has been displayed by Iraqi rebels who executed him after he crashed through a roadblock.


No Static Expected in Sprint-Nextel Deal Industry watchers don #39;t expect any trouble from regulators or competitors when it comes to the proposed Sprint (Quote, Chart) Nextel (Quote, Chart) merger.


New rule: Firms must expense options Companies must start expensing employee stock options in earnings statements next year, US accounting rule makers declared on Thursday, a move that could signal the end of a long-standing bookkeeping practice that many argued allowed


Rover Finds More Signs of Water in Mars #39; Past Gostar Klingelhofer of Johannes Gutenberg University reported that NASA #39;s Mars rover Spirit found a rock that had sizable amounts of an iron-containing mineral associated with water.


IBM adds RFID capabilities to WebSphere products DECEMBER 16, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - IBM today unveiled new software to help companies integrate radio frequency identification (RFID) capabilities into their IT systems, including a new server application that brings RFID benefits to existing IBM point-of


ICANN Stands To Reap Windfall from New Domain Fee In the short term, the tax could add US\$4 million annually to ICANN #39;s coffers, an amount that could skyrocket to more than \$30 million if it is extended to additional domains.


Postal Service Trying to Stay Competitive (AP) AP - From teaming up with a rock band to selling restaurant gift cards online, it isn't Ben Franklin's post office any more. The U.S. Postal Service is battling to keep its place in electronic America by going on the Internet.


Report: Linux Market Poised for Takeoff (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Linux continues to gain momentum in a Windows world, with global sales of the open-source software expected to surpass US #36;35 billion in the next four years, according to research conducted by IDC.


Many Now Worry AIDS Drug Will Be Halted (AP) AP - Doctors and AIDS activists in Africa are worried governments may halt use of an AIDS drug that has protected thousands of babies from HIV infection in reaction to new concerns about the drug's testing and effect on pregnant women.


Adobe 4Q Earnings Surge 36 Percent (AP) AP - Earnings at Adobe Systems Inc. increased 36 percent in the latest quarter as the company posted record revenue on strong sales of its graphics and imaging software.


IBM offers developers modeling transition tool (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Looking to enable transitions between application modeling platforms, IBM this week is making available the IBM Model Transformation Framework (MTF) on its alphaWorks site for previewing technologies.


Myanmar junta putting Aung San Suu Kyi's health, safety at risk: opposition (AFP) AFP - Myanmar's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party accused the military regime of endangering party leader Aung San Suu Kyi's life by restricting her access to a doctor and non-junta security.


Apple Sells 200 Million Songs on ITunes (Reuters) Reuters - Apple Computer Inc.  on\Thursday said sales of songs bought from its market-leading\iTunes online music store had topped 200 million, a figure that\was about in line with what some analysts had been expecting.


EU Wants More Mandatory Emissions Cuts, U.S. Opposed (Reuters) Reuters - The European Union, the\heavyweight in the fight against global warming, will push for\mandatory cuts in emissions after the Kyoto protocol expires in\2012 despite fervent opposition from the United States.


Chrysler Sees Big Savings from New Engine Venture (Reuters) Reuters - DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler division\on Thursday said it will save  #36;100 million a year from\production of a new jointly developed four-cylinder engine that\is more powerful, cleaner burning and far more advanced than\the one it builds today.


Some States Split With Bush on Emissions (AP) AP - Two sets of Americans have come here to talk global warming: the United States, opposed to controls on carbon emissions, and a bloc of united states, from Maine to Delaware, that plan to impose them.


AP: Astronaut Says Space Shuttle Safer (AP) AP - Legendary astronaut John Young said Thursday, on the verge of his retirement, that NASA has not changed its safety culture since the Columbia accident but has done all it can to improve the space shuttle and should return to flight as soon as possible.


Abbas Says Any Gaza Talks Must Follow 'Road Map'  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Presidential frontrunner  Mahmoud Abbas appeared on Thursday to reject coordinating with  Israel on a plan that means quitting occupied Gaza while  keeping large chunks of the West Bank.


Water, Robots on Mars Get Top 2004 Honors (AP) AP - The conclusive discovery by a pair of wheeled robots that Mars once had vast pools of water and possibly could have harbored life was chosen by the editors of the journal Science as the most important scientific achievement of 2004.


Ukraine in Crisis, Could Face Disaster, PM Says  KIEV (Reuters) - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, facing a  new election battle against a liberal challenger buoyed by vast  street protests, said on Thursday Ukraine had been cast into a  crisis which could turn to disaster after the new vote.


Big Crab Catch Sparks Overfishing Worries (AP) AP - San Francisco's quintessential meal is fresh Dungeness crab, a glass of chardonnay and sourdough bread. But now, local crab fishermen and connoisseurs worry that one of the city's most beloved delicacies is in trouble, a victim of too many boats pulling up too many crabs all at once.


Saddam Sees Lawyer, Forces Deployed to Kerbala  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein saw a lawyer hired by  his family on Thursday, his first contact with defense counsel  since U.S. soldiers captured him a year ago.


Women in China finally making a great leap forward Mao said 'women hold up half the sky.' But only today are urban women making big gains.


EU-Turkey talks set for October EU leaders agree at a summit in Brussels to begin membership talks with Turkey on 3 October next year.


Russia to release massacre files Russia agrees to allow Polish authorities to examine Soviet archives on what Poles call the Katyn Forest massacre of 1940.


Leapfrog withdraws  #39;04 outlook, gives no estimates Leapfrog Enterprises Inc. (LF.N: Quote, Profile, Research) executives said on Thursday its 2004 results will be  quot;significantly below quot; previous forecasts, withdrew its 2004 estimates


Illinois seeks game ban CHICAGO - Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is proposing to make it a misdemeanour for businesses to sell violent and sexually explicit video games to minors, a step that other states have tried with little success.


Zigbee (Almost) Arrives 802.14.5 is one of the many personal area network (PAN) standards around like Bluetooth and ultrawideband (UWB). Like most IEEE 802 standards, the wireless industry knew what the IEEE was doing (or didn #39;t do in the case of UWB) was not enough.


Cisco to Open Tokyo Research Center Internet networking giant Cisco Systems Inc. on Thursday said it plans to open a research and development center in Tokyo in February.


Magpies top UEFA group, Hearts out Newcastle ensured their place as top seeds in Friday #39;s third round UEFA Cup draw after holding Sporting Lisbon to a 1-1 draw at St James #39; Park.


Report: Mariners sign 3B Beltre to five-year deal It apparently didn #39;t take long for the Seattle Mariners to land a second free agent power-hitting corner infielder. According to a report, the Mariners have agreed to terms with third baseman Adrian Beltre on a five-year contract worth \$65 million.


Twins sign veteran Mulholland to minor league deal Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - The Minnesota Twins have come to terms with veteran pitcher Terry Mulholland on a minor league contract.


Connors to team up with McEnroe at BBC and LTA The notion of Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe working together conjures an image of a pantomime horse with the front end trying to shake off the rear.


Beltre Agrees to  #36;64M Deal With Mariners (AP) AP - Prized free agent Adrian Beltre and the Seattle Mariners agreed to a  #36;64 million, five-year deal Thursday, The Associated Press learned.


Sharon Expresses Optimism for Upcoming Year Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday that 2005 will be "a year of great opportunity" in which Israel will have unprecedented chances to make peace with the Palestinians and improve relations with the rest of the world.


EU Agrees to Start Membership Talks With Turkey European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to offer Turkey a date of Oct. 3, 2005 to begin negotiations on its membership of the bloc, said Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.


Colombia Sentences Irishmen for Rebel Aid A Colombian court has sentenced three IRA-linked men to up to 17 1/2 years in prison for training leftist rebels in terrorist tactics in a guerrilla stronghold in southern Colombia, according to court documents released Thursday.


Cuban M.D. Staying at Argentine Embassy A prominent Cuban doctor who was denied permission to travel to Buenos Aires to visit relatives was staying at the Argentine Embassy on Thursday, but her son said she does not plan to seek asylum in a case that has raised tensions between the two nations.


Higher oil pricing may be in store from OPEC OPEC oil production cuts, announced at a special meeting of that cartels representatives in Cairo, Egypt Friday, are part of a strategy to keep light sweet crude prices above \$40 a barrel.


Symantec in \$13bn Veritas merger Norton Antivirus software maker Symantec merges with Veritas Software in a \$13bn deal.


Missile team targets the Moon A US firm is proposing to use guided missile technology to make a precision landing on the Moon.


New Grand Theft Auto Video Game Heads to Xbox  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Video game hit "Grand Theft Auto:  San Andreas" is coming to the Xbox and personal computer  platforms next June, publisher Take-Two Interactive Software  Inc.TTWO.O said on Thursday.


Digital Cameras Sales to Hit \$24 Billion in 2004  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Digital camera sales worldwide  will reach \$24 billion in 2004 and rise 29 percent to reach \$31  billion in 2009, a research group said on Thursday.


Mexico Warms Up to Voice Over Internet Service  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - VoIP, or voice traffic over the  Internet, is headed for Mexico offering an opportunity for  upstart telecommunications companies but a headache for  traditional companies, who see pressure on their earnings as  the cost of long distance calls decline.


Apple Sells 200 Million Songs on ITunes  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. AAPL.O on  Thursday said sales of songs bought from its market-leading  iTunes online music store had topped 200 million, a figure that  was about in line with what some analysts had been expecting.


iPod: The Gift That Keeps on Going Apple couldn't ask for a better dilemma -- with nine days left until Christmas, retailers are reporting a run on the popular iPod digital music player. -washingtonpost.com


For Nextel, Merger Is Time Of Trepidation As details of the rumored merger between Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. were being finalized behind closed doors late Tuesday, Miguel Avila, who heads Nextel's Hispanic marketing, summed up the mood of employees at the company's Reston headquarters.


BearingPoint Gets Subpoena in California BearingPoint Inc., a management-consulting firm, has received a subpoena from a grand jury in California regarding federal contracts going back to 1998, according to a regulatory filing Thursday.


Holiday Travel Tips for Stress-Free Flying Travel experts share timesaving advice for enduring airports on some of the year's busiest travel days.


Sprint: Nextel #39;s Savior NEW YORK - Just two months after the announcement that Cingular Wireless will acquire AT amp;T Wireless, Sprint has announced that it plans to buy Nextel Communications for \$35 billion.


Telstra Plans to Begin Cutting Middle Managers Next Year Telstra Corp., Australia #39;s biggest phone company, will next year begin cutting the number of workers among its 4,500 middle managers, spokesman Michael Grealy said.


But eye in the sky tracks pollution NASA launched a 24-hour global pollution monitoring service yesterday that will eventually allow scientists to give daily chemical forecasts from space.


Pirates acquire Santiago from Royals PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Shopping for a veteran catcher after trading Jason Kendall last month, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Benito Santiago from the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.


Smith Hints He Wants to Play Another Year (AP) AP - Fifteen seasons may not be not enough for Emmitt Smith.


Lack of Courtesy From ADs Miffs Osborne (AP) AP - Tom Osborne has been out of college football for seven years, and now he can't even get a phone call returned.


Hudson Traded to Braves  ATLANTA (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Braves have acquired  standout righthander Tim Hudson from the Oakland Athletics in  exchange for outfielder Charles Thomas, right-handed pitcher  Juan Cruz and left-handed pitcher Dan Meyer.


ABN AMRO to cut 4,000 jobs in restructuring AMSTERDAM: The Netherlands biggest bank ABN AMRO announced it was cutting more than 4,000 back office and information technology staff on Thursday as it aims to bring its cost base in line with its competitors.


Microsoft Buys Anti-Spyware Company Microsoft has purchased Giant Company Software of New York, which makes software to detect a common form of malicious software programs known as  quot;spyware, quot; the software giant says.


iTunes hits 200 million download mark com December 16, 2004, 3:01 PM PT. Apple Computer on Thursday said it has now sold more than 200 million songs through its iTunes Music Store--and it has new plans to keep the sales trend continuing upwards.


Turn on the charm if you want to woo Europeans, Turkey told TURKEY must do more to overcome popular hostility in the West, it was told yesterday, as Europes leaders met to take the historic decision to open talks on its membership of the European Union in October next year.


#39;Osama #39; tape tells Saudis: prepare for coup A MAN believed to be Osama bin Laden, speaking on a tape, urged his fighters to focus attacks on oil sites in the Gulf and Iraq and hailed the terrorists who attacked a US consulate in Saudi Arabia.


CIA confident that voice on tape is Bin Laden The CIA has  quot;high confidence quot; that the voice on a new audiotape praising anti-US attacks belongs to terror mastermind Usama bin Laden, intelligence officials told FOX News Thursday.


Pakistan ratifies Kyoto Protocol BUENOS AIRES: Pakistan has ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Climatic Change, Environment Minister Malik Khan said on Thursday. He said that Islamabad has notified UN authorities of ratification, which formally comes into effect in February 2005.


Iraq political launch marred BAGHDAD - A deadly bomb blast in the holy Shiite city of Karbala and furious criticism of Shiite politicians by Iraq #39;s defense minister cast a pall over the official launch Wednesday of Iraq #39;s election campaign, threatening to inflame sectarian tension


Pirates Finish Santiago Trade With Royals (AP) AP - Benito Santiago was traded Thursday by the Kansas City Royals to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have sought a veteran catcher since dealing Jason Kendall to Oakland last month.


Dow Ends Up on J J Deal  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips closed slightly higher  on Thursday, helped by Johnson   Johnson Inc.'s JNJ.N \$25  billion deal to buy Guidant Corp. GDT.N, but the broader  market fell, with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. GS.N dragging the  S P 500 lower after posting quarterly revenues that  disappointed Wall Street.


Symantec shares skid on deal SAN FRANCISCO Symantec, the computer security giant, reached final agreement Thursday to take over the storage and backup program maker Veritas Software, making Symantec the No.4 independent software company in the world.


Yukos CFO tells court of threats Yukos chief financial officer Bruce Mismore on Thursday testified that Russian authorities were threatening him with legal action and possible extradition


AirAsia choses Airbus over Boeing AirAsia, one of Southeast Asia #39;s biggest low-cost airlines, said Thursday it would buy 40 Airbus A320 aircraft and take options on 40 more.


Briefs: Southwest has top bid for ATA Southwest Airlines, the biggest and richest low-fare airline, was the apparent winner Thursday in the bidding war for ATA Airlines, another low-fare carrier that sought bankruptcy protection this autumn.


Parmalat is suing 45 more banks MILAN Parmalat, Finanziaria, the bankrupt Italian dairy and food giant, said Thursday that it was suing 45 banks to recover money paid to them in the year before it collapsed.


Governor Take Action On Video Games Governor Rod Blagojevich is taking a stand on violent and sexually explicit video games. He wants to keep them out of children #39;s reach.


Wenger fined for  #39;cheat #39; jibe ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger was fined  amp;pound15,000 (\$38,000) by the Football Association today for calling Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy a cheat.


Beltre leaving LA for Seattle CBC SPORTS ONLINE - The Seattle Mariners continued efforts to bulk up their anemic offence Thursday, signing free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre to lucrative contract.


Mulholland signed by Twins After the Twins acquired veteran pitcher Terry Mulholland from Seattle for a dollar in April, they certainly got more than their money #39;s worth.


Parma hits back to keep Italian hopes alive Parma hit back from an early goal down to beat Besiktas 3-2 on Thursday and maintain Italy #39;s hopes of winning a UEFA Cup championship it used to dominate.


Osborne upset about athletic directors not calling back Tom Osborne has been out of college football for seven years, and now he can #39;t even get a phone call returned. The Nebraska coach-turned-congressman on Thursday bemoaned the lack of response he received from


Vaughan plans verbal assault as England go in search of records Michael Vaughan intends to adopt the Australian tactic of  quot;sledging quot; during his attempt to become the most successful captain in England #39;s history.


Annan Tells Powell UN Will Aid Iraq Vote UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, fending off Republican demands for his resignation over alleged corruption, said Thursday he will expand UN support for Iraqi elections if need be.


14 arrested for anti-government rallies in Jeddah and Riyadh JEDDAH/RIYADH: Security forces detained about 14 people on Thursday in Saudi Arabias main cities of Jeddah and Riyadh, deploying in force to confront demonstrations called by a dissident Islamist group against the strictly conservative regime.


Colombian jail for Irish trio in IRA terror case THREE Irishmen acquitted by a Colombian judge of training Marxist guerrillas in IRA-style terrorist warfare were found guilty on appeal and sentenced to up to 17 years imprisonment yesterday.


Microsoft Wants to Resume Talks With EU (AP) AP - Software giant Microsoft Corp. hopes an impending court ruling on its five-year antitrust battle with the European Union will bring both sides back to the negotiating table, but EU regulators still balk at resuming direct negotiations, officials said Thursday.


Schoolgirl killer Homolka could quietly slip into any town in Canada: top cop (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Convicted Ontario schoolgirl killer Karla Homolka, considered a real danger to reoffend by the National Parole Board, could quietly slip into any community across Canada after her release next July.


UN troops surround Aristide house UN troops and Haitian police seal off a house in Port-au-Prince occupied by former members of the army.


Rules Change Requires Apple to Expense Options The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued a ruling that will require Apple, among other companies, to begin deducting the value of stock options from profits, starting in 2005.


Apple breeze past the 200 Million iTunes mark Apple have announced that their iTunes store has crashed through the 200 million song download mark, a mere five months since we reported on their breaking the 100 million milestone.


Midway sending an all-out Blitz New M-rated, non-NFL game will feature off-field political fallout, on-field unnecessary roughness, and post-play partying. At least one sports video game publisher in the industry isn #39;t bothered by the exclusive


At summit, a deal on membership talks BRUSSELS The European Union took a huge step towards its most controversial enlargement to date late Thursday night by agreeing to open membership negotiations with Turkey, although with strict conditions.


21 Neapli troops, 41 rebels killed Nepal #39;s army said it killed at least five Maoist guerrillas when it foiled an attack yesterday by hundreds of insurgents on a communications tower.


Fox Sports Net to Televise AFL Games (AP) AP - Fox Sports Networks will carry Arena League regular-season games on 11 of its regional networks in a deal announced Thursday.


Dutch bank to lay off 2,850 staff ABN Amro, the Netherlands #39; largest bank, is to cut 2,850 jobs as a result of falling profits. The cuts - amounting to 3 of the bank #39;s workforce - will result in a one-off charge of 790m euros (\$1.1bn).


Space Station Crew Told To Cut Back on Food A Russian-built cargo spacecraft, Progress 16, had been scheduled to deliver fresh food, water and other supplies to the ISS last month, but the mission was delayed until late December.


Royals trade Santiago to Pirates ahead of deal for Marrero On a busy day for the Royals, they also acquired outfielder-catcher Eli Marrero and cash from Atlanta for right-hander Jorge Vasquez.


US bankruptcy judge promises Yukos ruling this week Russian oil company Yukos, possibly making its last stand to prevent Russia from selling its main production unit in a tax dispute, asked a US bankruptcy judge Thursday to block a scheduled auction of the unit.


Stock option expensing required next year The independent body charged with setting US accounting standards on Thursday gave hard deadlines for companies to treat stock options as expenses in financial statements.


HP bullish on Itanium #39;s future On the surface, new announcements from Hewlett-Packard and Intel bode well for the future of the 64-bit Itanium platform, which should be good news for the channel.


New species of monkey described NEW YORK - A species of monkey previously unknown to science has been discovered in the forests of northeastern India. The Arunachal macaque has a dark face and is relatively large with a shorter tail than most macaques.


Customers Not Confident Of Oracle-PeopleSoft Integration <b>...</b> Nearly two-thirds of PeopleSoft customers  quot;not at all confident quot; Oracle will integrate products, survey finds. Half of Oracle feel that way.


Bucks place Strickland on injured list Milwaukee Bucks guard Erick Strickland will miss at least two weeks after being placed on the injured list Thursday with a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee.


Heath: Check the oven, Cowboys are done including this week #39;s road game against mighty Philly - to have any kind of shot at the sixth playoff spot in the NFC. Even if


Turkish PM eyes last-minute compromise on Cyprus Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated Thursday that he expects to reach a compromise with the EU on the vexed issue of Cyprus before the end of a two-day Brussels summit.


SADDAM MEETS LAWYER FOR FIRST TIME Saddam Hussein has had his first meeting with a lawyer in preparation for his trial which will investigate charges of crimes against humanity.


Sportsview: Selig   Co. Hear 'Chin-Music' (AP) AP - Linda Cropp just became my favorite baseball player. The chair of the Washington, D.C., city council doesn't own a uniform, won't ever set foot inside a batter's box, and probably couldn't break an egg if she had to throw it off a mound.


Many Now Worry AIDS Drug Will Be Halted (AP) AP - Doctors and AIDS activists in Africa are worried governments may halt use of an AIDS drug that has protected thousands of babies from HIV infection in reaction to concerns about the drug's testing and effect on pregnant women.


Boobirds Batter Symantec-Veritas Updated from 12:51 pm ESTWithin hours of the announcement that antivirus maker Symantec (SYMC:Nasdaq) and software storage vendor Veritas (VRTS:Nasdaq) would merge, skeptical investors shaved about a billion dollars off the value of the all-stock deal.


Continental cuts \$22 mln more in wages, benefits Continental Airlines (CAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday finalized details of wage and benefits cuts for reservations and food service workers that the airline said


Birminghams Gronkjaer going to Spain MADRID: Atletico Madrid is close to signing Denmark #39;s Jesper Gronkjaer (pic) from Birmingham City, the Spanish club #39;s president said on Wednesday.


Germany score easy win over Japan YOKOHAMA: Germany started their three-game Asia tour with a 3-0 victory in Japan yesterday to shake off some recent World Cup ghosts.


Blair holds key as EU opens door to Turkey Tony Blair is on course to take charge of historic negotiations designed to pave the way for Turkish membership of the EU after European leaders last night gave the green light to accession talks.


Bin Laden tape put online A new audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden was put on the internet yesterday, praising gunmen who attacked a US consulate in Saudi Arabia last week and blaming the royal family for unrest in the kingdom.


Iraqi militants claim Italian aid worker was murdered as a  #39; <b>...</b> Iraqi militants took journalists yesterday to the body of a murdered man they claimed to be an Italian aid worker, Salvatore Santoro, who formerly lived in Britain.


Sudan orders halt of fighting in Darfur but rebels say attacks <b>...</b> Sudan said yesterday it ordered the military to stop fighting in the bloodied Darfur region even as rebels alleged new attacks and said they #39;d uphold a boycott of stalemated peace talks.


UHaiti Gov #39;t Negotiates With Ex-Soldiers With hundreds of UN troops and Haitian police at the ready, government negotiators met Thursday with ex-soldiers who have seized the abandoned estate of ousted President


Fidelity Disciplines 16 Workers Over Gifts (AP) AP - Fidelity Investments on Thursday disciplined 16 employees for violating the mutual fund giant's conflict-of-interest policies covering gifts from brokers to Fidelity's traders.


Anlaysis: Yukos seeks legal asylum in US Over the years Russia #39;s embattled oil company Yukos has morphed into a respected corporate citizen of the world and is seeking bankruptcy protection in the United States on the


US approves high-flying broadband US DOMESTIC air travellers could be surfing the web by 2006 via government-approved technology that allows people access to high-speed internet connections while they fly.


Sepracor Shares Rise on Insomnia Drug OK Drug maker Sepracor Inc. has won federal approval for a prescription insomnia medication the company is counting on to challenge larger rivals in the fast-growing \$2.1 billion-a-year sleep aid market.


Wall Street's Designs on '05? A Boom in Merger Activity After years of self-doubt and housecleaning in the wake of Enron, corporate America has gotten a bit of swagger back in its step.


What #39;s all the fuss about desktop search? Unless you live under a rock the size of Canada you #39;ve heard or read something this week about desktop search. Google sparked considerable interest with its Desktop Search launch in October, and the past few


Violent video games get shot again. After being in the news more times than I have actually watched the news, the discussion about how bad are violent video games for minors, is back in session.


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


Linux To Ring Up \$35B By 2008 For a theoretically free operating system, Linux is -- and will continue to be -- a cash cow. A research firm sees a bright financial future for the OS.


Microsoft posts critical configuration patch Microsoft released a  quot;critical quot; fix on Thursday for a security issue left unresolved by the Windows XP Service Pack 2. The configuration change closed a hole in the Windows firewall settings that could open


ICANN Institutes New Annual Fee If you own any domain names ending in .net, you will be required to pony up an extra \$0.75 per year per .net domain name, courtesy of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).


21st-century Langer gives Australia edge The opener Justin Langer became Test cricket #39;s highest run-scorer this year with a fighting century in Perth to give Australia, at one stage 78 for five, the upper hand in the first Test against Pakistan.


Smoltz agrees to new two-year deal with Braves John Smoltz was part of some talented starting rotations in Atlanta before becoming the team #39;s closer. Now he #39;s back as a starter, and with the addition of Tim Hudson on Thursday, the rebuilt


Parma late show secures UEFA Cup survival PARIS (AFP) - Italian Serie A strugglers Parma gave Pietro Carmignani a reason to smile on his return to his old job with a 3-2 win over Besiktas which guaranteed them a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.


Atletico Madrid complete deal for Birmingham #39;s Gronkjaer Birmingham managing director Karren Brady and Gronkjaer #39;s agent, Vincenzo Morabito, were both in Madrid to finalise terms with Atletico officials.


Cropp Wants Deadline Extension  Thomas Boswell: In the coming days, Washington and its disingenuous DC Council must make a simple decision.  Michael Wilbon: Now is not the time for Linda Cropp to show the city how tough she is.


Germany beats Japan 3-0 YOKOHAMA - Germany spoiled Zico #39;s Christmas as second-half goals from Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack gave the 2002 World Cup finalists a comfortable 3-0 win in an international friendly at International Stadium Yokohama on Thursday.


Ex-Nebraska coach Solich hired to turn around Ohio University Former Nebraska coach Frank Solich was introduced on Thursday as Ohio #39;s new football coach, returning to the state where he grew up and promising to rebuild a program that went just 11-35 in the past four years.


Pittsburgh #39;s Burress out Sunday; Staley is doubtful Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress #39; injured hamstring will prevent him from playing in Saturday #39;s game against the New York Giants.


Quit or be toppled, bin Laden tells Saudi elite Saudi riot police chased anti-royalist demonstrators through Jeddah yesterday and arrested more than a dozen as a tape recording, purportedly by Osama bin Laden, called


Greek Albanians #39; woes fester The Athens bus hostage drama involving two armed Albanians has thrown the spotlight on Greece #39;s Albanians, who form the country #39;s largest minority, estimated at nearly one million.


Quinn may leave hospital tomorrow The pregnant former lover of David Blunkett who has been receiving treatment for stress-related complications may be released from hospital tomorrow, according to her husband.


Bush vows pension fund shake-up The US president says he plans far-reaching reforms to the Social Security system which funds pensions.


Nike's 2nd-Quarter Earnings Jump  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nike Inc. NKE.N on Thursday said its  second-quarter earnings rose a surprisingly large 46 percent on  strong sales in the United States and in emerging markets like  China, while a weaker dollar beefed up profits in Europe.


Solich to Coach Ohio Former Nebraska coach Frank Solich was introduced as Ohio's new football coach Thursday, returning to the state where he grew up and promising to rebuild a program that has gone 11-35 over the past four seasons.


NHLPA Disputes Claims The NHLPA said on Thursday that its 24 percent salary rollback would produce a \$275.5 million profit for teams as opposed to a \$568.5 million loss, as stated by the NHL.


Bush Says Social Security Plan Would Reassure Markets President Bush continued to lay the groundwork for a strong effort by the White House to overhaul Social Security.


Update 1: Thursday #39;s Commodities Roundup Precious metals settled lower Thursday as the US dollar staged a reversal and edged higher on better-than-expected US economic data.


Water of life and other scientific highlights of 2004 The scientific Breakthrough of the Year awards are less glitzy than the Oscars, but the discoveries they honour are as spirit-stirring as anything to come out of Hollywood.


Braves have a Schuerthing This isn #39;t good news for the Phillies, who thought they had beefed up their pitching staff, or for the Marlins, who felt their offense gave them an edge.


Israel says it will back Blair peace conference By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor and Inigo Gilmore in Herzliya. Israel threw its weight yesterday behind Tony Blair #39;s plans to hold an international Middle East conference in London in February, but left


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


Australian zone widens  #39;deputy sheriff #39; net Australia #39;s plans to create a maritime surveillance zone reaching into Indonesian waters is an example of its insensitivity to Asia and will bolster the view of Australia


Teenage surfer ripped in half by pair of sharks An Australian teenager was killed by a pair of great white sharks yesterday in the country #39;s second shark fatality in less than a week.


Philips sells PC screens arm to TPV Technology By Francesco Guerrera in Hong Kong and Ian Bickerton in Amsterdam. Philips, the Dutch electronics company, on Thursday said it had sold its personal computer screens business to the Taiwanese group TPV Technology


Governor Pledges to Ban Violent Video Games for Minors Governor Rod Blagojevich wants Illinois to be the first state to make it illegal to sell violent video games to minors. Currently the law does not prohibit selling or renting violent and sexually explicit games to children younger than 18.


The Undiscovered Monkey: Researchers Identify New Species of <b>...</b> Scientists in India have found what they believe to be a new species of macaque monkey. The simian was first observed on Aug. 19, 2003 in the extreme northeastern area of India s Arunachal Pradesh territory


A #39;s Trade Pitcher Tim Hudson to Braves Oakland Athletics pitcher Tim Hudson smiles during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles, Aug. 23, 2004, in Oakland, Calif.


Manning Helps in Developing Giant Game Plan As if the last four weekends have not been disheartening enough for Eli Manning, along comes another rookie quarterback, only this one has a terrific record and has charmed an entire city.


Hudson Joins Braves, Mariners Sign Beltre (AP) AP - The Atlanta Braves made another huge pitch for success, getting Tim Hudson from Oakland. And the Seattle Mariners added another slugger, grabbing Adrian Beltre off the free-agent market.


Call for Demonstrations Falls on Deaf Ears JEDDAH, 17 December 2004 - A call by London-based dissident, Saad Al-Faqih, to his followers to stage anti-government demonstrations across the Kingdom fell on deaf ears yesterday.


A's Trade Pitcher Tim Hudson to Braves (AP) AP - Tim Hudson was traded from the Oakland Athletics to Atlanta, a blockbuster deal Thursday that further bolstered the Braves' revamped rotation.


Cuban M.D. Staying at Argentine Embassy (AP) AP - A prominent Cuban doctor who was denied permission to travel to Buenos Aires to visit relatives was staying at the Argentine Embassy on Thursday, but her son said she does not plan to seek asylum in a case that has raised tensions between the two nations.


Alleged Bin Laden Tape Praises Attack (AP) AP - A man identified as Osama bin Laden, speaking on an audiotape posted on an Islamic Web site Thursday, praised the men who attacked a U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia earlier this month and called on militants to stop the flow of oil to the West.


Competition in sight for Clement The Red Sox are one of seven teams that have an offer on the table to righthander Matt Clement , who came up in the Padres' system with Theo Epstein and remains one of the most attractive pitching options left on the market despite a career record under .500.


Mariners, Beltre reach agreement com. One day after signing a right-handed hitter with two 45-home run seasons on his resume, the Mariners are on the verge of signing the current Major League home run champion.


19-year veteran slated to get bulk of action in 2005 com. The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired veteran catcher Benito Santiago on Thursday from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league right-hander Leo Nunez.


16 die in fresh Nepal clashes Sixteen Maoist rebels were killed in clashes with Nepalese security forces Thursday in the western district of Dailekh, Royal Nepal Army spokesman Deepak Gurung has told CNN.


Symantec to Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion Symantec Corp., the top global security software maker, on Thursday said it will buy data management software company Veritas Software Corp.


Philips sells PC monitor and flat TV manufacturing unit Taiwan #39;s TPV Technology Ltd. has agreed to buy the unbranded computer monitor and entry-level flat-screen television manufacturing operations of Dutch consumer electronics giant Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV.


Goldman #39;s record revenues fail to meet expectations Goldman Sachs yesterday reported record full-year earnings, following record results from Lehman Brothers earlier in the week and setting the pace for the rest of Wall Street.


Software Giant Buys Giant Software Microsoft today announced that it will buy Giant Company Software, a developer of anti-spyware and Internet security offerings. The Redmond, Washington, firm will use technology from the acquisition


#39;Pirate #39; network can block porn: court A COMPANY involved in the Kazaa file-sharing system approached the FBI with a proposal to block child pornography from being distributed on the network, the Federal Court has heard.


Edu waves goodbye to Highbury Arsenal midfielder Edu has confirmed he will leave the Premiership champions next summer and move to La Liga. Edu, whose contract with the London club expires at the end of the season, says he has yet to make


Ask Vic: Philly #39;s pass-happy philosophy The Eagles have a shifty back with a nose for the end zone in Brian Westbrook, but it seems like they pass on every down, even when they #39;re up big.


Twins sign Mulholland to minor league deal MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Twins and 41-year-old left-hander Terry Mulholland agreed to terms Thursday on a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.


Annan pledges to cooperate in oil-for-food probe United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, making his first trip to Washington since members of Congress called for his resignation over allegations of fraud in


SA orders destruction of killer shark The South Australian Government has authorised police and wildlife officers to destroy the shark which killed 18-year-old Nick Petersen off West Beach in Adelaide yesterday.


Three linked to IRA jailed in Colombia Three Irishmen linked to the IRA have been given long prison sentences in Colombia, having their had earlier acquittals overturned for supplying explosives training to anti-government guerrillas.


Saddam allowed to meet with lawyer AMMAN - Saddam Hussein, Iraq #39;s jailed former dictator, was allowed to meet with a lawyer on Thursday for the first time since his arrest a year ago.


N.Koreans Seek Refuge at Japan School in China (Reuters) Reuters - Seven people claiming to have defected\from North Korea sought refuge in a Japanese school in Beijing\on Friday, Japanese government officials said.


N.Koreans Seek Refuge at Japan School in China  TOKYO (Reuters) - Seven people claiming to have defected  from North Korea sought refuge in a Japanese school in Beijing  on Friday, Japanese government officials said.


Bush Immigration Plan Meets GOP Opposition (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - President Bush's plan to liberalize the nation's immigration laws to allow millions of undocumented workers the opportunity for legal status appears to be on a collision course with newly aroused sentiment among House Republicans pushing for a crackdown on illegal immigration.


Newcastle Tops UEFA Cup Group, Parma Advances to Round of 32 Newcastle drew 1-1 against visiting Sporting Lisbon to finish atop its group in European soccer #39;s UEFA Cup, while two-time champion Parma won its final match to advance to the next stage of the competition.


Iran, Syria and the Iraqi quagmire: rein in manipulation before <b>...</b> On Wednesday, Iraqi interim Defense Minister Hazim al-Shaalan accused Iran and Syria afresh of supporting the insurgency against both the interim government in Baghdad and US-led occupation forces.


After Looking Up to Sky, a Star Is Transplanted After his introductory news conference with the Mets, Pedro Martnez appeared as vulnerable as any man who had just bought a house or entered a marriage.


Martnez's Value Goes Beyond Mound The Mets are hoping to use Pedro Martnez as a tool for marketing, recruiting free agents and expanding their appeal in the Caribbean and South America.


Yankees See New Chance to Make Deal for Johnson Two agents said that the Yankees were on the verge of acquiring Randy Johnson from the Arizona Diamondbacks.


Symantec to Buy Veritas Software in Deal Worth \$13.5 Billion Symantec, a leader in security software, will acquire Veritas, a maker of data storage programs, to create the world's fourth-largest software company.


What's Wrong With Jets? Not Enough Points Frustrated members of the Jets' offense have been venting all week about their shortcomings after Sunday's 17-6 loss to Pittsburgh.


3 Years After Enron, Resistance to New Rules Grows The issue that is contentious is a rule that is meant to assure that if an investor offers to buy a share for \$25, no stock will be sold for less until his order is filled.


Judge in Grasso Trial Was Suggested for Post at Big Board A headhunter for the judge who will preside over Richard A. Grasso's trial sent a copy of the judge's resume to the stock exchange promoting him as a possible board candidate.


Trade Data Show Another Record Deficit The broadest measure of the country's trade and investment flows registered a record deficit of \$164.7 billion in the third quarter.


Symantec to Buy Veritas Software in Deal Worth \$13.5 Billion The Symantec Corporation, a leader in security software and one of Silicon Valley #39;s oldest companies, announced early Thursday that it would acquire Veritas Software


Goldman Sachs Says Earnings Rose 23 for Quarter Goldman Sachs reported a 23 percent increase in earnings for the fourth quarter, driven by robust gains in investment banking, asset management and trading.


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


US Airways flight attendants OK possible strike The more than 5,000 US Airways flight attendants represented by the Association of Flight Attendants overwhelmingly voted in favor of possible strikes against the carrier.


Uefa optimistic over quota system UEFA, European footballs governing body, remains confident of success in its efforts to introduce a revolutionary quota system that would transform the face of football by forcing clubs to


Pitino might bring back Farley Louisville announced Wednesday night that the little-used Farley had been dismissed but did not specify the reason. Farley had only seen six minutes of action in two games this season.


Report: Solich lands Ohio job BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) - It appears that Frank Solich #39;s hiatus from coaching will be one year. According to an ESPN.com report Wednesday night, Solich - who was fired from Nebraska despite going 9-3


French Court Jails 10 for Al-Qaeda-Linked Plot in Strasbourg A Paris court gave 10 suspected Islamic terrorists jail terms of up to 10 years for a plot to bomb Strasbourg #39;s cathedral and the city #39;s Christmas market in December 2000, a clerk of the court said.


AU pledges to increase ceasefire observers in Darfur The African Union (AU) pledged Thursday to increase its ceasefire observers from the current 1,000 to 3,320 in the troubled western Darfur region of Sudan.


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


Israeli Forces Launch New Gaza Operation (Reuters) Reuters - Israeli tanks rumbled into the\northern Gaza Strip on Sunday to try to stop cross-border\rocket attacks described by front-running Palestinian\presidential candidate Mahmoud Abbas as useless.


Kidde succumbs to 17m  #39;sweetener #39; By Alistair Osborne, Associate City Editor (Filed: 17/12/2004). United Technologies Corporation clinched the acquisition of Kidde yesterday after sweetening its 165p-a-share offer for the fire protection group with a final dividend of 2p per share.


Adobe patches Acrobat Reader Security flaws in Adobe Acrobat Reader that could allow an attacker to take over a user #39;s system have been dealt with, as Adobe has patched the software.


Gronkjaer to wear number 11 with Atletico Madrid Danish midfielder Jesper Gronkjaer is about to join Atletico Madrid from English premier league side Birmingham next week, the Spanish club announced on Thursday.


FA punish Wenger with record 15,000 fine Arsenal made an ignominious piece of history yesterday when Arsne Wenger was fined 15,000 - a record for a manager - and severely reprimanded by the Football Association


A #39;s Trade Pitcher Tim Hudson To Atlanta Braves Gone from the 2004 East Division winning Braves are Jaret Wright, Paul Byrd, and Russ Ortiz. The voids have been filled with a couple of former 20-game winners.


Montreal Expos Will Not Move to Washington Major League Baseball #39;s plan to move the former Montreal Expos franchise to Washington DC appears to be falling apart. Washington Mayor Anthony Williams said Wednesday the deal was almost dead after the city


Lack of Courtesy From ADs Miffs Osborne Tom Osborne has been out of college football for seven years, and now he can #39;t even get a phone call returned. The Nebraska coach-turned-congressman on Thursday bemoaned the lack


Albanian Bus Hijacking Raises Unpleasant Issue for Greeks Television viewers around the world watched a drama unfold in Athens on Wednesday morning, when two unknown hijackers took hostage 26 Greek bus passengers and threatened to detonate the bus.


BoSox Game 4 Lineup Card Draws Record Bid (AP) AP - The Boston Red Sox lineup card from Game 4 of the 2004 World Series brought a site-record bid of  #36;165,000 on MLB.com.


William   Mary QB Wins Payton Award (AP) AP - William  amp; Mary quarterback Lang Campbell won the Walter Payton Award on Thursday night as the top offensive player in Division I-AA.


Wrapping Up  #39;National Assets #39; Recent developments in Russia all point in one direction: The Kremlin #39;s energy sector policy has shifted to more aggressive efforts of direct control.


New head coach clear on goals for Rebels New Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron, speaking for the first time since his hiring, made clear the goal of his football program.  quot;The goal of this program will be to go to the Sugar Bowl, quot; Orgeron said.


Sharon gives Blair #39;s Middle East summit an unexpected boost Israel is prepared to back a Middle East conference convened by Tony Blair early next year despite having expressed fears that the British plans were over-ambitious and designed


Law Lords blow to anti-terror rule The indefinite detention without trial of foreign nationals under emergency terror laws is incompatible with European human rights laws, the Law Lords have ruled.


PM sets up Blunkett return who quit as Home Secretary on Wednesday evening -fter next Mays General Election. Sources say he could return as


Violence greets Iraq election campaign. Baghdad: An Italian hostage was reported killed in Iraq, adding to the violence around the start of campaigning for the first post-Saddam Hussein elections, while for the first time since his capture a year ago the ousted president met his family


Braves Acquire Hudson; Beltre and Mariners Agree The Braves added pitcher Tim Hudson and the Seattle Mariners improved their offense when Adrian Beltre agreed in principle to a five-year, \$64 million deal.


The Smaller the Better Division I transfer quarterbacks Justin Rascati and Craig Ochs will lead James Madison and Montana, respectively, in the I-AA final Friday.


Big Unit Deal in Works Randy Johnson was on the verge of joining the Yankees in a three-team, megadeal that also includes Shawn Green and Javier Vazquez, a source told the AP on Thursday.


Kremlin Reasserts Hold on Russia's Oil and Gas A judge in Houston tried to temporarily halt Russia's planned auction of the most profitable unit of oil giant Yukos.


Regulators Adopt Tighter Rules on Accounting for Stock Options Accounting regulators adopted rules yesterday requiring publicly traded companies to treat the stock options they give to employees as normal business expenses.


Fidelity Disciplines 16 Traders Over Gifts From Brokers The mutual fund giant Fidelity Investments disciplined 16 traders yesterday, two of whom have left the firm, as part of an extensive investigation into whether employees improperly accepted gifts and entertainment from brokers.


Panel Sees Shuttle Flights Resuming Soon NASA should be able to meet all requirements for resuming space shuttle flights next spring, but some solutions, like repairing damage to heat shields, will be open


Australia #39;s Dish ready to for another brush with fame For Australians, the  quot;Dish quot; as they like to call the giant antennae of the Parkes radio telescope is nearly as well known as the Sydney Opera House.


BT to offer Blackberry-enabled Siemens handsets British telco BT has reached agreements with German mobile handset maker Siemens and Canadian wireless solutions provider Research In Motion (RIM) to offer UK corporate customers the Siemens SK65 handset with Blackberry Built-In technology.


Almost done: Johnson to Yankees, Green to Arizona, Vazquez to <b>...</b> Randy Johnson was on the verge of joining the New York Yankees in a three-team, megadeal that also includes Shawn Green and Javier Vazquez, a source told The Associated Press on Thursday night.


Braves Acquire Hudson; Beltre and Mariners Agree It had become obvious for several weeks that the Oakland Athletics would trade Tim Hudson, but when and where remained a mystery until yesterday.


Receiver expected to miss game Pittsburgh Steelers: Wide receiver Plaxico Burress (hamstring) was downgraded from questionable to out for Saturday #39;s game at the Giants.


Europe Invites Turkey to Hold Membership Talks Next October Despite widespread public opposition, the European Union #39;s political leaders said late Thursday that Turkey had made sufficient progress in political and economic reforms


UK Verdict May Jeopardize Blair #39;s Terror Policies British Prime Minister Tony Blair #39;s security strategy, a central plank in his re-election bid, looked in trouble on Friday after a landmark legal ruling against a vital part of his anti-terror policy.


Iceland Offers Asylum to Jailed Fischer TOKYO, Dec. 16 -- Iceland has agreed to offer asylum to Bobby Fischer, the former chess champion who is being held in a Japanese jail while fighting extradition to the United States, Iceland #39;s Ambassador to


Italian President Vetoes Justice Reform (AP) AP - Italy's president dealt a blow to the center-right government Thursday by vetoing one of its centerpiece reforms, an overhaul of the justice system.


Saddam Meets Lawyer, Aides Due in Court (AP) AP - Saddam Hussein met with a defense lawyer Thursday for the first time since his capture a year ago, days before several of his top aides are due to appear in court for hearings on alleged war crimes.


Seven presumed North Koreans seek refuge in Beijing Japanese school (AFP) AFP - Seven people believed to be North Koreans rushed into a Japanese school in Beijing seeking refuge, the latest in a steady stream of defectors from the Stalinist state.


Yukos seek US court order to block forced sale in Russia The crisis-hit Russian oil company Yukos sought refuge in a United States bankruptcy court yesterday, telling the presiding judge it had no recourse within Russia #39;s judicial system.


J amp;J takes heart from 13bn deal Johnson  amp; Johnson announced a \$25.4bn (13.1bn) deal yesterday to buy Guidant Corporation, giving the healthcare company a stake in the fast-growing market for devices that regulate heartbeats.


Oil futures stabilize above US\$44 a barrel after jump in prices Oil futures stabilized Thursday after a jump in prices the previous day that reflected a drop in US crude and heating oil stocks even as demand was rising with cold weather spreading across the US Northeast and Midwest.


UTC to buy Kidde in 1.4bn deal Kidde, the UK fire and safety products company, said yesterday it had accepted a cash offer from United Technology Corporation that values the group at 1.442bn.


Turkey Keeps EU Waiting for Reply on Talks Offer  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkey's Prime Minister kept the EU  waiting on Friday on whether he would accept the terms of its  historic offer to start accession negotiations, leaving  late-night talks with the bloc's presidency without a deal.


Zafi virus hits e-mail by di-ve.com. The latest e mail virus to hit local Internet users is cleverly masked as a Christmas Greeting -- unfortunately, unsuspecting users who open the e mail attachment, end up infecting their computer with a virus, known as Zafi.


NASA Spacecraft Tracks Global Air Pollution A NASA spacecraft has begun the first-ever daily tracking of how air pollution moves across the globe, a scientist at NASA #39;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said on Wednesday.


Three-way deal in making that finally sends  #39;Unit #39; to Yanks The endgame of Randy Johnson #39;s maneuvering to be traded to the New York Yankees, an issue in Arizona since June, is close to being written in blockbuster-trade fashion.


Mets challenge intrigues Martinez The former Red Sox ace formalized a 53 (m) million dollar, four-year contract with the New York Mets today (Thursday) and embraced the idea of helping rebuild a team that has fallen on hard times.


Pistons Top Cavaliers 81-69 (AP) AP - Richard Hamilton scored 21 points and the Detroit Pistons held Cleveland to a six-point third quarter and almost held LeBron James scoreless in the second half in an 81-69 win Thursday night.


S.Korea and Japan Keep Up Summit Shuttle on North  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun was  leaving for a two-day official visit to Japan on Friday for  summit talks that will focus on the North Korean nuclear  problem and Japan's deteriorating ties with the communist  state.


A Couple of Davids Team Up in Queens For 43 years, the Mets have been a relatively white team reflecting the suburbs. Now, with Omar Minaya and Pedro Martinez, talent and desire speak Spanish.


Guard Reports Serious Decline in New Recruits The Army National Guard has failed for two months to meet its recruiting quotas, falling about 30 percent below its overall target.


Indian, Twice Removed Indo-Caribbeans, who have not felt particularly embraced by Indians in Flushing and Elmhurst in Queens, have cobbled together their own community in Richmond Hill.


NASA spacecraft tracks global air pollution A NASA spacecraft has begun the first-ever daily tracking of how air pollution moves across the globe, a scientist at NASA #39;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said on Wednesday.


Report: Yanks acquire Big Unit in three-team trade New York, NY (Sports Network) - According to a published report, the New York Yankees have finally landed ace lefthander Randy Johnson.


Turkey on brink of joining EU EU LEADERS were poised last night to open accession talks with Turkey, giving a massive boost to Ankaras four decade long bid to join the European Union.


Hussein Sees Attorney Before Aides' Hearings Saddam Hussein met with a defense attorney Thursday for the first time since the former Iraqi president was captured a year ago and days before several of his top aides are due to appear in court for hearings on alleged war crimes.


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


NBA ROUNDUP Yao Leads Early All-Star Voting By The Associated Press. Shaquille O #39;Neal, who was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Miami Heat in the off-season, leads the Eastern Conference in early voting for the All-Star Game, and Yao Ming is No.


Colombia Won't Extradite Top Warlord (AP) AP - President Alvaro Uribe pledged Thursday not to extradite the country's top right-wing paramilitary leader to the United States to face drug trafficking charges provided he ceases all illegal activities and stays in peace talks.


Update 4: Companies Told to Start Expensing Options The nation #39;s accounting rulemaker decided Thursday that companies will have to begin deducting the value of stock options from their profits next year, reigning in a cheap way to compensate workers that had been abused by executives and clouded earnings.


Microsoft Consumes Little Giant Strange that it should take so long for something like this to happen. After all, it #39;s been years since those of us using Microsoft #39;s (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows OS have had to put up


IBM steps up grid partner plan WALTHAM, Mass.--IBM is ramping up its recruitment efforts with application companies in an effort to make an emerging distributed computing technology, called grid computing, pervasive in corporations.


Tabloid tales and the downfall of a minister 14 AUGUST: The News of the World reveals he is having an affair with a married woman. 15 AUGUST: The Sun names the married woman as Kimberly Fortier - who has since changed her name to Quinn.


World stars support Asian tsunami charity match (AFP) AFP - Cricket's world stars signalled their support for victims of the overwhelming Asian tsunami by agreeing to play in the first of two benefit matches in Melbourne next week.


Nikkei Up 1.61, Buying in Futures Noted  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average rose 1.61 percent  by midsession on Friday on a wave of short-covering after some  players bet the country's economic slowdown wouldn't last long  and bought stock futures while selling bond futures.


FASB Orders Options Counted as Expenses Accounting standards setters yesterday issued a long-awaited plan requiring companies to treat stock options as expenses on their books, even as lobbyists vowed to derail the initiative before it takes effect in June.


US Airways, Flight Attendants Closer to Deal The lead negotiators for US Airways flight attendants reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that will save the carrier about \$94 million a year, officials from both sides said yesterday.


3Com Posts Wider-Than-Expected Loss 3Com Corp. (COMS.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday posted a wider-than-expected second-quarter loss, amid stiff competition from Cisco Systems Inc.


Microsoft enters anti-spyware fray Computer users already associate Microsoft Corp. software with spyware and viruses. But the company hopes to someday be better known for eradicating them, not attracting them.


New species of monkey discovered in Northeastern India : India News  gt; Hyderabad, Dec 16 : A species of monkey previously unknown to science has been discovered in the remote northeastern region of India, according to the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).


Cassini Craft Spies Saturn Moon Dione The Cassini spacecraft #39;s close flyby of Saturn #39;s mysterious moon Titan this week revealed clouds that will give clues to its weather, but the pass left scientists still puzzled about its surface.


IBM Launches New RFID And Sensor Software The software, developed by IBM #39;s new Sensors and Actuators business unit, is designed to help businesses collect and act on data from RFID and other sensor-based technology.


CMU grad hopes to turn Skype #39;s fast-growing Internet phone service <b>...</b> To say that Skype may be one of the fastest-growing software programs in history may sound like a lot of dot.com hype, but consider this: Since the program that turns


Yankees reportedly to get Johnson in blockbuster trade LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The New York Yankees are poised to add five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson to their rotation in a blockbuster three-team trade, New York Newsday reported on its website.


McLeish on wrong side of the thin blue line TWO weeks ago, Alex McLeish was posing for the photographers at Murray Park with the Bank of Scotlands Manager of the Month award for November, savouring a period which had turned Rangers season around and seemed to have discarded any short-term


Hudson sent to Braves with Meyer, Thomas, Cruz going to the <b>...</b> Tim Hudson was traded from the Oakland Athletics to Atlanta, a blockbuster deal yesterday that further bolstered the Braves #39; revamped rotation.


Cavs smothered by Pistons #39; defence AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- Ben Wallace and the Detroit Pistons displayed the type of suffocating defense that led them to the NBA title last season.


Revealed: why refs get it wrong A STUDY has confirmed what football fans have suspected for years - referees get offside decisions wrong because they cannot see whats happening on the park.


Wizards: A Magical Season or an Illusion? Don #39;t look now, but the Washington Wizards have one of the best records in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association, with 12 wins and 8 losses.


Thai Tsunami Survivors Pray for Dead, Look Ahead (Reuters) Reuters - A week after a deadly tsunami\swept away thousands of lives along Thailand's tropical\coastline, people prayed for the victims in special church\services Sunday and spoke of putting the tragedy behind them.


UK Home Secy rules out release of terror suspects Taking a tough stance, the new British Home Secretary Charles Clarke ruled out release of 12 overseas terror suspects, even after Law Lords ruled detention without trial as a breach of human rights law.


Italian hostage among 12 killed in Iraq BAGHDAD: At least 12 people, including an Italian hostage, were killed in Iraq on Thursday as violence continued. An Islamist group claimed that it had killed an Italian hostage identified as Salvatore Santoro


Internet calls can trim festive costs ONE Christmas ritual should be a lot cheaper this year for anybody with broadband. Calling friends and relatives just about anywhere in the world now costs nothing, or just over 1p a minute (0.02 to be exact


Judge Orders Halt to YUKOS Unit Auction  HOUSTON (Reuters) - A U.S. bankruptcy court on Thursday  stepped into the battle between YUKOS and the Russian  government, issuing an order to block Sunday's auction of the  company's main oil-producing arm for 10 days.


Oil Creeps Higher, Eyes New US Cold Front  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices resumed this week's upward  march on Friday, driven by worries that a new U.S. cold spell  might erode already low winter fuel inventories.


Nikkei Up 1.5 Pct, Year-End Rally Eyed  TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo stocks posted strong rises by  Friday afternoon as hopes for a seasonal year-end rally and the  imminent inclusion of oil and gas developer INPEX Corp. into  the TOPIX index, spurred buying in a wide range of stocks.


Adobe Profit Up, Shares Fall on Outlook  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Software maker Adobe Systems  Inc.ADBE.O on Thursday posted a quarterly profit that rose  more than one-third from a year ago, but shares fell 3 percent  after the maker of Photoshop and Acrobat software did not raise  forecasts for fiscal 2005.


3Com Posts Wider-Than-Expected Loss  CHICAGO (Reuters) - 3Com Corp. COMS.O on     Thursday posted  a wider-than-expected second-quarter loss, amid stiff  competition from Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO.O and others in the  telecommunications networking market.


FASB Orders Options Counted as Expenses Accounting standards setters Thursday issued a plan requiring companies to treat stock options as expenses, while lobbyists vowed to derail the initiative.


Radio One Considers Return to D.C. Radio One Inc.'s chief executive said Thursday he is lobbying District officials to support a plan to move his company's headquarters from Maryland to the District.


US Airways, Flight Attendants Closer to Deal  The lead negotiators for US Airways flight attendants reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that will save the carrier about \$94 million a year, officials from both sides said yesterday.


New Rule May Help Business-Lobby PACs  A  rule change  proposed by the Federal Election Commission yesterday could substantially enhance the clout of the nation's business lobbies, campaign-finance lawyers said.


Housing Starts Took Plunge in November  The number of housing units on which builders began work plunged 13.1 percent in November from the previous month, the biggest monthly drop in nearly 11 years, according to the Commerce Department.


Merger Activity Hits Record High Johnson   Johnson's \$25.4 billion takeover of Guidant Corp. and the \$35 billion union of Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. are leading the busiest quarter for mergers in more than four years. -The Washington Post


Auxerre puts Rangers out of UEFA Cup Scottish giants Rangers bowed out of the UEFA Cup in humiliating fashion on Wednesday as they went down 2-0 at home to French side Auxerre with Bonaventure Kalou grabbing a double to ensure the visitors progressed to the last 32.


NBA Wrap: Hamilton Guides Pistons to Win Over Cavs (Reuters) Reuters - Richard Hamilton posted 21 points to\propel the Detroit Pistons to an 81-69 triumph over the\Cleveland Cavaliers at Auburn Hills, Michigan Thursday.


NBA Wrap: Hamilton Guides Pistons to Win Over Cavs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Richard Hamilton posted 21 points to  propel the Detroit Pistons to an 81-69 triumph over the  Cleveland Cavaliers at Auburn Hills, Michigan Thursday.


Yankees Nearing Deal to Acquire Johnson Two agents said that the Yankees were on the verge of acquiring Randy Johnson from the Arizona Diamondbacks.


The Collapse of Kobe Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers' star guard, got everything he wanted. Isn't that what everyone said last summer?


Martnez's Value Goes Beyond Mound The Mets are hoping to use Pedro Martnez as a tool for expanding their appeal in the Caribbean and South America.


Notebook: Burress, Kriewaldt ruled out for Sunday Steelers receiver Plaxico Burress (hamstring) and linebacker Clint Kriewaldt (hamstring) have been downgraded from questionable to out for Saturday #39;s game at the New York Giants.


Powell Says UN Is Doing Enough for Iraq Elections (Reuters) Reuters - Secretary of State Colin Powell said\on Thursday that U.N. plans to help with the upcoming election\in Iraq appeared to be on track, despite months of pressure for\the world body to increase its staff.


U.N. Says Bugging Device Found at Its Geneva HQ (Reuters) Reuters - The United Nations said on Thursday a\secret listening device had been found in a posh meeting room\of its European headquarters in Geneva.


Teamster Death Probe Sought in El Salvador (AP) AP - International union and activist groups published an ad Thursday in a Salvadoran newspaper calling for an independent investigation into the death of a U.S. union leader who was shot in the back while working here.


Shark That Killed Australian Teen Hunted (AP) AP - Authorities said Friday they would kill the shark that tore apart a young surfer near a popular south Australian beach as his friends reportedly tried to save him by beating the animal with oars.


Bhutan forbids all tobacco sales A ban on the sale of all tobacco products comes into force in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.


Big Pharma #39;s Rx to Rise and Shine Investors and insomniacs can rest easy: The Food  amp; Drug Administration approved Lunesta, Sepracor #39;s (SEPR ) new drug for sleeplessness, on Dec. 15.


Latest worm attack prompts call for increased antivirus vigilance Online security experts urge computer users to update their systems #39; antivirus measures, after a wave of attacks by the Zafi.d worm that have swamped thousands of e-mail servers.


NBA Wrap: Hamilton Guides Pistons to Win Over Cavs Richard Hamilton posted 21 points to propel the Detroit Pistons to an 81-69 triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Auburn Hills, Michigan Thursday.


Rice finally stops Lamar It takes an audacious arrogance to persevere through the kind of shooting slump Rice senior guard Brock Gillespie endured in the first half Thursday night against Lamar.


quot;Bin Laden quot; tape slams Saudi govt BEIJING, Dec. 17 -- An Islamic Website has posted an audiotape message, attributed to terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, bitterly criticizing the Saudi government.


Guard Reports Serious Drop in Enlistment The Army National Guard has failed for two months to meet its recruiting quotas, falling about 30 percent below its overall target.


Colombia Won't Extradite Top Warlord President Alvaro Uribe pledged Thursday not to extradite the country's top right-wing paramilitary leader to the United States to face drug trafficking charges provided he ceases all illegal activities and stays in peace talks.


Nikkei Surges to Highest Close in 4 Weeks  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average surged to its  highest close in four weeks on Friday as hopes for a seasonal  year-end rally and the imminent inclusion of oil and gas  developer INPEX Corp. into the TOPIX index spurred buying in a  wide range of stocks.


Houston court rules on suspending sale of Yukos subsidiary Russia #39;s oil giant Yukos requested to block the auctioning off of its main production unit Yuganskneftegaz in Moscow on Sunday.


Cell phones in the air: Convenience or curse? Just when air travel seems to have become our national gripe, along comes a possibility to make us appreciate flight as we now know it: A cabin full of people talking, loudly and simultaneously, on their cell phones.


SEC Orders Fannie Mae to Restate Securities and Exchange Commission chief accountant Donald Nicolaisen has requested that the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) restate its financials from 2001 through mid-2004 to eliminate the use of hedge accounting.


eBay buys Rent.com for \$415 million eBay announced late Thursday that it had acquired the apartment rental service Rent.com for \$415 million, the latest move in its expansion beyond Internet auctions.


Carey #39;s Career-High Carries Longhorns DENTON, Texas -- Texas coach Jody Conradt told Jamie Carey to shoot more, and it worked out very well. Carey scored a career-high 30 points to lead the fourth-ranked Longhorns to a 79-54 victory Thursday night over North Texas.


For These Quarterbacks, The Smaller the Better The starting quarterbacks in tonight #39;s NCAA Division I-AA football championship at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga thought they would be playing for a trophy on a much bigger stage.


Mary Hardin-Baylor, continuing rapid rise, poised to win first <b>...</b> Make no mistake. The players and coaches on the Mary Hardin-Baylor football team are making every effort to win Saturday #39;s NCAA Division III championship game in Salem, Va.


Saddam has first meeting with his lawyer Preparations to put Saddam Hussein on trial intensified on Thursday with a first meeting between the ousted Iraqi president and a member of the defence team appointed by his family.


EU Expects Turkey to Initial Deal on Cyprus Friday  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union expects Turkey to  initial an accord Friday giving Cyprus de facto recognition and  sign it before Ankara opens EU membership talks on Oct. 3,  2005, a draft summit statement said Friday.


Euthanasia seeker dies in India A terminally-ill Indian chess champion who has been the focus of a euthanasia debate, dies in hospital.


Irish trio 'have fled Colombia' Three Irishmen convicted of training rebels in Colombia have fled the country, its attorney general tells Reuters.


Agreement offers flexibility and cash to bankrupt airline SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- ATA Holdings, the bankrupt parent of ATA Airlines, took a key step Thursday toward salvaging more of its struggling operations.


No. 6 Stanford Advances To NCAA Championship With 3-1 Win Over <b>...</b> Senior Ogonna Nnamani leads the team with 33 kills, 21 digs and five blocks on the night. Long Beach, Calif. - Senior outside hitter Ogonna Nnamani had 33 kills, 21 digs and five blocks to lead the sixth-ranked


7 North Koreans take refugee at Japanese Embassy in North Korea BEIJING -- Seven men and women, apparently North Korean defectors, sought refugee at a Japanese school early Friday morning. Japanese diplomats in Beijing said that they were two men, four women and a girl.


Property Fund Says to Hold YUKOS Auction (Reuters) Reuters - Russia's Federal Property Fund said on\Friday it intended to go ahead with an auction of oil major\YUKOS' main unit Yuganskneftegaz despite a U.S. court decision\to freeze the state-imposed sale.


Property Fund Says to Hold YUKOS Auction  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Federal Property Fund said on  Friday it intended to go ahead with an auction of oil major  YUKOS' main unit Yuganskneftegaz despite a U.S. court decision  to freeze the state-imposed sale.


EBay to Buy Rent.com for \$415 Mln in Cash and Stock (Update2) EBay Inc., the world #39;s largest Web auctioneer, agreed to buy privately held Rent.com for \$415 million in cash and stock to expand in the online real-estate market.


Microsoft Software to Remove Spyware (AP) AP - Microsoft Corp. disclosed plans Thursday to offer frustrated users of its Windows software new tools within 30 days to remove spyware programs secretly running on computers. But it might cost extra in coming months.


AN AMAZIN #39; DAY What you realized very quickly yesterday was that this was not just the celebration of a marquee signing or pristine ace. What you realized was that the new face of the Mets arrived yesterday.


UNIT ABOUT TO LAND IN BRONX If LA #39;s Shawn Green waives a no-trade clause and agrees to land in Arizona and Johnson gives his OK to work in The Bronx, the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Yankees will have put together a blockbuster


Controversy continues to follow Bryant Seldom has someone insisted on privacy more while behaving in ways that guaranteed him less. There are places we #39;re not supposed to go, but we #39;re continually being dragged


Lakers 115, Kings 99 When the Lakers were dismantled last summer, the Sacramento Kings thought their biggest rivalry was finished. Turns out Kobe Bryant and his new teammates are ready to start it up again.


Apple's IPod in Short Supply at Holidays (AP) AP - Retailers expected Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod music player to be a hot item this holiday season but are still struggling to keep up with demand.


Computer Users Sued for Swapping Music (AP) AP - Recording companies filed copyright infringement lawsuits against 754 computer users Thursday, the latest round of legal action in the industry's effort to squelch unauthorized swapping of music online.


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


Alabama Troopers Issue Electronic Tickets (AP) AP - Alabama state troopers are getting on the information highway. Fifty state trooper cars are already equipped with laptop computers, scanners and printers that allow them to issue traffic tickets electronically, and the goal is to have the equipment in all 325 patrol cars within two years, state Public Safety Director Mike Coppage said Thursday.


After Merger, Gradual Changes (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Cell phone shoppers looking for new deals and features didn't find them yesterday, a day after Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. announced a merger that the phone companies promised would shake up the wireless business.


Adobe Profit Up, Shares Fall on Outlook (Reuters) Reuters - Software maker Adobe Systems\Inc. on Thursday posted a quarterly profit that rose\more than one-third from a year ago, but shares fell 3 percent\after the maker of Photoshop and Acrobat software did not raise\forecasts for fiscal 2005.


Cassini Craft Spies Saturn Moon Dione (AP) AP - The Cassini spacecraft's close flyby of Saturn's mysterious moon Titan this week revealed clouds that will give clues to its weather, but the pass left scientists still puzzled about its surface.


Wash. Orcas Get Feds' 'Threatened' Status (AP) AP - Two years after denying Endangered Species Act protection to killer whales that live much of the year near Washington's San Juan Islands, the federal fisheries agency said Thursday it plans to list the struggling population as a threatened species.


EU Expects Turkey to Initial Deal on Cyprus Friday  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union expects Turkey to  initial an accord on Friday giving Cyprus de facto recognition  and sign it before Ankara opens EU membership talks on Oct. 3,  2005, a draft final summit statement said on Friday.


Los Alamos Laser to Be Launched to Mars (AP) AP - A laser developed by a Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist will be aboard the Mars Science Laboratory to be launched to the red planet in 2009.


Group Urges Doable Shuttle Repair Method (AP) AP - NASA needs to supply astronauts with a "reasonable, doable and practicable" way to plug space shuttle holes in orbit before resuming launches, an advisory group said Thursday.


Nikkei Surges to One-Month High  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average rose to its  highest close in four weeks on Friday as hopes grew for a  seasonal year-end rally.


More Thumbnails Please \\Using images to denote context has been within UIs for year.\\When Internet Explorer ipmlemented support for favicons I was really impressed.\Gravatars  provide images for users and even FOAF provides support for\associating an image with a profile.\\Rojo has a cool feature where we thumbnail blogs that don't provide images\within their RSS feed.\\Here are two examples:\\My question is why can't I have Linux show me a thumbnail for processes while\I'm switcing between them with Alt-Tab in KDE?  \\OS X can do it!  Windows XP can do it!\\


Nikkei Surges to Highest Close in 4 Weeks Japan #39;s Nikkei average surged to its highest close in four weeks on Friday as hopes for a seasonal year-end rally and the imminent inclusion of oil and gas developer INPEX Corp.


Young counters O #39;Keefe, saying the culture at NASA hasn #39;t changed A day after outgoing NASA Administrator Sean O #39;Keefe said the space agency #39;s broken safety culture has vastly improved since the Columbia accident, legendary astronaut John Young begged to differ.


Marion Jones wants BALCO founder to take lie detector Continuing efforts to clear her name that includes a \$25 million lawsuit filed this week against Victor Conte, Olympic sprinter Marion Jones on Thursday challenged the Bay Area Laboratory


Johnson bound for Yankees: report CBC SPORTS ONLINE - The Arizona Diamondbacks, who made a big splash before and during baseball #39;s winter meetings, soon could be facing life without the Big Unit.


NBA Game Summary - LA Lakers at Sacramento Sacramento, CA (Sports Network) - Kobe Bryant tallied 31 points, 12 assists and six rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 115-99 victory over the Sacramento Kings at ARCO Arena.


Stanford wins, to play for title Long Beach -- Stanford will make its third appearance in the NCAA women #39;s volleyball final in four years after defeating Pacific-10 Conference #39;s champion Washington 3-1 Thursday night.


Colombia judges order arrests, but whereabouts of trio linked to <b>...</b> A court on Thursday convicted three IRA-linked men of training Colombian rebels in terrorist tactics and sentenced them to up to 17 1/2 years in prison.


Gaza Strip Mortar Attack Injures 11 Israeli Soldiers (Update3) A mortar attack on an Israeli military post in the southern Gaza Strip injured 11 soldiers, the Israel Defense Forces said. Israeli troops hours later raided the Khan Younis refugee camp, the Haaretz newspaper reported.


U.S. Army Aims to Halt Paperwork with IBM System  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - No more passing the buck.


Gradual Changes to Come for Sprint, Nextel Cell phone shoppers looking for new deals and features didn't find them Thursday, a day after the phone companies announced a merger that they promised would shake up the wireless business. -The Washington Post


Settlement Includes Tight Controls for AOL America Online Inc.'s settlement with the Justice Department imposes a strict new set of controls on the company, including requirements that the Internet giant hire a corporate monitor and disclose serious wrongdoing discovered internally to the government. -The Washington Post


Merger Activity Hits Record High Johnson   Johnson's \$25.4 billion takeover of Guidant Corp. and the \$35 billion union of Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. are leading the busiest quarter for mergers in more than four years.
 -The Washington Post


BearingPoint Warns of Continued Turmoil, Acknowledges Subpoena  BearingPoint Inc. disclosed more troubles yesterday, saying that it will take a restructuring charge of as much as \$67 million and may not be able to report that it has adequate procedures in place to prevent accounting fraud.


Russia to Hold YUKOS Auction  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday it would go ahead  with an auction to sell the key asset of embattled oil company  YUKOS YUKO.MM despite a U.S. bankruptcy court decision to  block it for several days.


Microsoft fixes 'critical' XP firewall issue Microsofthas quietly released an update to Windows XP to fix a potentially serious configuration problem in the firewall that ships as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).


Borland folding CBuilder into Delphi Borland Software in 2005 plans to fold its CBuilder developer tool line into the companys Delphi IDE tool family for Windows application development, thus answering the question about what the company had planned to do with the technology.


Legal questions dog Microsoft antispyware buy With the ink barely dry on Microsoft's acquisition of antispyware company Giant Company Software questions have arisen about the ownership of the antispyware code Microsoft bought.


P-to-P backers propose new distribution models WASHINGTON - A complete rewrite of the U.S. copyright system was just one proposal aired Thursday during a contentious series of panel discussions at a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) workshop on peer-to-peer technology.


Multicore designs might force Intel off its bus As Intel moves in step with the rest of the chip industry toward the multicore design era, it is preparing to overhaul the memory bus architecture that has served it well for so many years, according to company executives and analysts.


RIAA files 754 new file-trading lawsuits The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed 754 new lawsuits against alleged file-traders using peer-to-peer services, the trade group announced Thursday.


HP drops Itanium development SAN FRANCISCO - Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) is getting out of the chip-making business. The Palo Alto, California, company on Thursday announced that it reached an agreement with Intel Corp. that would see HP's Itanium processor design team move to Intel in January. The agreement effectively puts an end to the last microprocessor development effort within the company.


W3C publishes Web architecture The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) this week published a final version of its Architecture of the World Wide Web, Volume 1 document, looking to set forth codified principles for the Web itself.


More questions than answers in Symantec, Veritas deal Security company Symantec's acquisition of Veritas Softwarehas the potential to benefit customers and shareholders of both companies, but details of the \$13.5 billion deal leave some important questions unanswered, according to interviews with executives and industry experts.