To buy banks in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland Danske Bank on Tuesday said it agreed to buy two Irish banks from the National Australia Bank for 967 million pounds (\$1.93 billion) in cash.


Ex-Disney director: Eisner had no choice Former Walt Disney director Robert AM Stern said the company made a  quot;wise investment quot; when it fired Michael Ovitz in 1996 and paid his \$140 million severance to end his 15-month tenure.


Chilean Judge Charges Pinochet in Rights Case (Reuters) Reuters - A Chilean judge on Monday\formally charged Augusto Pinochet with homicide and kidnapping\in one of many pending cases related to human rights abuses\committed during his 17-year rule, and ordered house arrest for\the former dictator.


Hughes Leads Wizards Over Hawks  WASHINGTON (Sports Network) - Larry Hughes scored a  game-high 26 points to lead Washington over Atlanta, 104-101,  at the MCI Center.


Rovers find water-linked mineral, see frost and clouds on Mars NASA #39;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory says the Mars rover Spirit has found a mineral linked to water during its exploration of the Red Planet.


Kennison #39;s late catch carries Chiefs past Titans NASHVILLE, United States (AFP) - Trent Green tossed a touchdown to Eddie Kennison with 32 seconds left as Kansas City came from behind to defeat Tennessee 49-38 in a game featuring more than 900 yards of total offence.


Souness - handed one-match ban (Getty Images) Newcastle manager Graeme Souness has been handed a one-match touchline ban after being sent from the dugout during his side #39;s defeat at Fulham last month.


Players wary of settling There is no magic number except for that countdown to Christmas. There are no banners for league titles won in November and December.


Egypt Signs Trade Deal With Israel, U.S. (AP) AP - Egypt wants jobs. Israel wants a meaningful peace. And the nations plan to sign an agreement that they hope will fulfill both their goals.


US Army acknowledges eight deaths in military custody in Afghanistan (AFP) AFP - The US Army acknowleged that eight prisoners have died in US military custody in Afghanistan since US-led forces toppled the Taliban regime, two more than previously disclosed.


Blast rocks central Baghdad A cloud of smoke was seen rising close to the Green Zone government and diplomatic compound. US Military officials said a suicide bomber had struck at the same spot where a similar attack killed at least seven Iraqis a day before .


Nine Iraqis die in car bombing A suicide bomber steered a car full of explosives into the western gate of the protected compound that houses the interim government and embassies here on


Clinton suggests revolutionary vision for peace The Arab world needs a revolutionary vision, like that of Dubai, to achieve lasting peace, security and prosperity in the Middle East, said former US President Bill Clinton.


Indian Train Crash Kills 25, Over 250 Injured  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - At least 25 people were killed and  more than 250 injured Tuesday when two trains collided in the  northern Indian state of Punjab, police said.


Strong Quake Hits Northern Japan's Hokkaido  TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary  magnitude of 5.8 jolted the northern Japanese island of  Hokkaido Tuesday but there were no reports of injury or major  damage.


Nikkei Up 1 Pct, Blue Chips Rally on Data  TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average closed over one  percent higher on Tuesday after positive U.S. retail sales data  eased concern about demand in Japan's main export market and  spurred buying of blue chips such as Sony Corp.


Oracle deal puts Microsoft partner in rival #39;s hands Oracle #39;s acquisition of PeopleSoft will create a bigger competitor for Microsoft and put one of the Redmond company #39;s largest industry partners in the hands of a rival.


GM, DaimlerChrysler to develop hybrid engines Financial terms of the agreement between GM, the world #39;s largest automaker, and its German-American rival weren #39;t disclosed yesterday, but Tom Stephens, GM #39;s group vice


Merger #39;s effect on SpectraSite likely  #39;not a major negative #39; SpectraSite isn #39;t in the room, but the Cary company could have much at stake in the merger talks between Nextel and Sprint. The two mobile-phone companies are discussing a


US Airways Flight Attendants Authorize Strike WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Flight attendants at US Airways overwhelmingly authorized their union to engage in CHAOS(TM) strike-related activities should a federal bankruptcy court permit management


Microsoft debuts desktop search tool Microsoft Corp. yesterday made its debut in the suddenly ultracompetitive market for helping people find elusive files and information on their computer hard drives.


Belichick still confident in Weis, offense FOXBORO, Mass.  Bill Belichick took a few minutes Monday to convey his congratulations to his offensive coordinator on becoming Notre Dame #39;s head coach.


Titans get 542 yards, 38 points - and a loss to Chiefs Two of the league #39;s most disappointing teams put on quite a show in prime time. And after all the wild plays and big offensive numbers last night, a phantom penalty, followed by a 9-yard touchdown catch by


New York gets Pedro, Pavano On Nov. 18, 1997, the Red Sox sent a young minor league pitching prospect named Carl Pavano to the Montreal Expos in exchange for Pedro Martinez.


Bryant, Allen have a score to settle Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers hope to put yet another controversy behind them as they begin a two-game road trip against the Seattle SuperSonics.


Roddick splits with coach Gilbert Andy Roddick today announced the end of an 18-month association with coach Brad Gilbert which earned the American his first grand slam title and established him among the heavyweights of men #39;s tennis.


Rising Suns: Phoenix off to best ever start with fifth straight <b>...</b> Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Quentin Richardson hit six of Phoenix #39;s 13 three-pointers on his way to a 26-point effort, as the Suns ran away from the Orlando Magic, 121-100, at America West Arena.


Pinochet under house arrest in Chile ELEANOR HALL: To South American now, where one of the world #39;s most notorious dictators finally looks set to face trial for murder and human rights abuse.


Pakistan ; India, Pakistan hold talks on nuclear CBMs Pakistan News, Islamabad,Pakistani and Indian experts began talks here Tuesday on confidence building measures (CBMs) aimed at averting any accidental outbreak of hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbours.


Oil Prices Hold Around \$41 a Barrel  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices held around \$41 a barrel  on Tuesday on forecasts of colder temperatures in the U.S.  Northeast, a supply cut by top OPEC producer Saudi Arabia and  disruptions to Iraqi crude exports.


Internet boom for gift shopping Online shopping has become hugely popular among Britons in the run-up to Christmas, research suggests.


EA in exclusive NFL games deal Computer games giant Electronic Arts signs exclusive agreements with the US National Football League.


Sony and Samsung to Cross-License Patents  TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics said  on Tuesday they had agreed to share patents on basic technology  to speed up product development and avoid adding to a growing  number of cross-border patent disputes.


European Shares at New 29-Month Highs  LONDON (Reuters) - European stock markets hit fresh  29-month highs on Tuesday, tracking gains in New York and after  HBOS said it will beat forecasts as well as buy back shares.


Software Should Not Be Copyrighted -- Lawsuit  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Computer software should not be  protected by copyright laws designed for music, literature and  other creative works, according to a lawsuit filed in a U.S.  court in San Francisco.


NYSE Traders Go Wireless to Fight Computer Rivals  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Stock Exchange traders  shouting buy and sell orders -- the faces of capitalism in  action -- have been fighting off extinction as the rise of  computer market-making systems have marginalized their role.


Oracle finishes deal for PeopleSoft Oracle Corp. finally scooped up rival PeopleSoft Inc. after 18 months of legal and verbal strife, ending a nasty feud with a \$10.3 billion deal that promises to shake up the business software industry.


China to impose textile-export tax The prospect that Chinese exports will soon overwhelm the worldwide clothing market was thrown into doubt yesterday after Beijing announced it will tax its shipments of textiles and apparel once the global market is liberalized Jan. 1.


Canada #39;s Bombardier fires chief executive Yesterday #39;s immediate dismissal of Paul Tellier is a move analysts say increases investor uncertainty over the company #39;s direction.


Honeywell agrees to pay \$1.7 billion for Novar PLC LONDON  Honeywell International Inc., the New Jersey aerospace and high-tech manufacturer, has agreed to buy the British industrial holding company Novar PLC for about \$1.7 billion, the companies said Monday.


Danske Bank to Buy Irish Banks for 967 Million Pounds (Update2) Danske Bank A/S, the Nordic region #39;s second-largest lender, agreed to buy two Irish units from National Australia Bank Ltd. for 967 million pounds (\$1.86 billion) to expand outside Scandinavia.


Pearson sells out of Spanish business for 743m Pearson said on Tuesday it had agreed to sell its controlling stake in Spanish media group Recoletos for 743m to a consortium of Spanish investors.


Bolden on list to lead NASA Columbia native and former astronaut Charles Bolden is on the short list to replace Sean OKeefe, who resigned Monday after three tumultuous years running the nations space program.


MSN unveils search software Microsoft #39;s MSN division yesterday unveiled software that searches files stored on a computer, improving what had been a ponderous and time-consuming task while at the same time laying groundwork for future battles with rivals Google and Yahoo!


Ten percent birds disappear by 2100: study BEIJING, Dec. 14 -- Ten percent of all bird species are set to go extinct by the end of this century, US researchers said on Monday.


Hollywood fights illegal downloads by targeting servers Hollywood #39;s major studios intend to escalate their battle against illegal movie downloading by targeting the popular BitTorrent network and those who operate


Pedro served his purpose here He is gone, and that is unfortunate, but it is not tragic or disastrous or catastrophic. Pedro Martinez stats, news was worth every cent the Red Sox stats, schedule


WACA expects day one sellout ENCOURAGINGLY for the cash-strapped Western Australian Cricket Association, all but about 300 public seating tickets for day one of the first Test against Pakistan at the WACA Ground have been sold.


Clippers fall in double overtime The Clippers have seemed destined for overtimes in this young NBA season. On Monday night, they squandered a 14-point lead and again found themselves in overtime.


Sun blaze Magic 121-100 BEIJING, Dec. 14 -- The Phoenix Suns continued to blaze brightly as they beat Orlando Magic 121-100 and kept their leading position at the NBA.


Jets' Martin No. 4 on NFL Rushing List (AP) AP - New York Jets running back Curtis Martin passed Eric Dickerson and Jerome Bettis on the NFL career rushing list Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, moving to fourth all-time.


Judge declares Pinochet fit to stand trial Judge Juan Guzman yesterday indicted former General Augusto Pinochet for his involvement in the Condor operation, while he had Chile under military rule between 1973 and 1990.


Two Marines, one soldier killed in Iraq Two Marines were killed in Iraq #39;s volatile Anbar province, the military said today. A military statement said two Marines assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary


Damascus Bomb Misses Hamas Target A member of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas escaped unhurt on Monday when a bomb blew up his car in the Syrian capital Damascus, a Palestinian source said.


Tellier clashed with owners The abrupt ousting of Bombardier Inc. chief executive Paul Tellier yesterday was the culmination of 23 months of growing differences and frustration between him and the controlling shareholder, the Bombardier family, industry sources say.


Unocal strikes deal with Myanmar villagers over alleged slave <b>...</b> LOS ANGELES: US-based Unocal Corp. will pay to boost living conditions and protect villagers near Myanmar #39;s Yadana gas pipeline under the settlement of a key human rights abuse case, the parties said.


LSU hopeful O #39;Keefe praised for turning NASA around Sean O #39;Keefe, who resigned Monday as the head of NASA to pursue his application to become chancellor of Louisiana State University, is credited with helping restore the space


Chiefs Defeat Titans 49-38 Two of the league #39;s most disappointing teams put on quite a show in prime time. And after all the wild plays and big offensive numbers Monday night, a phantom penalty, followed


Seven killed, 13 wounded in Baghdad suicide attack A suicide car bomber killed seven people when he struck a checkpoint at Baghdad #39;s Green Zone early Tuesday, the second attack in two days at the district that houses Iraq #39;s interim government and foreign embassies, officials said.


Google plans index for five major libraries Google Inc. has launched an effort to establish an online reading room for five major libraries by scanning stacks of hard-to-find books into its widely used Internet search engine.


Tokyo Stocks Rise, Dollar Lower (AP) AP - Tokyo stocks rose Tuesday as investors bought blue chips and issues of consumer electronics makers following Wall Street's overnight rally. The U.S. dollar inched down against the Japanese yen.


New Orleans Bowl Who: North Texas (7-4)vs. Southern Miss. (6-5) When and where: Tonight, 7:30,at New Orleans. TV: ESPN. Last meeting: Southern Mississippi won, 22-0, in 1981. Comments: North Texas freshman running back Jamario Thomas led the Sun Belt in rushing with 1,709 yards in just nine games. He rushed for more than 200 yards four times and scored 17 touchdowns while leading ...


Return up in the air Carson Palmer might be back Sunday, Eli Manning will start Saturday, and Jeff Garcia won't be back this season. Another quarterback, Denver's Jake Plummer , likely will be fined for making an obscene gesture toward the stands.


Nib Employs 800 People in the Republic of Ireland, While Northern <b>...</b> Danske Bank chief executive Peter Straarup said he planned to expand NIBs branch network in the Republic. The economy of the Republic of Ireland continues to outperform other European economies, and


Jays give Koskie \$17M over three years TORONTO -- Roy Halladay never liked Corey Koskie -- never liked facing him that is.  quot;I never liked him -- Koskie, Doug Mientkiewicz and Torii Hunter, they always gave me problems, quot; the Toronto Blue Jays #39; former


15 killed as trains collide in India The crash happened along a rural stretch of track between the cities of Pathankot and Jalandhar, in India #39;s northern Punjab province, about 180 miles north-west of New Delhi.


PM to attend crucial EU summit this week Lawrence Gonzi will at the end of this week lead a Maltese team at a crucial EU summit marking the end of the six month Dutch presidency.


Dollar Steadies Before Fed Meets  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar held steady against major  currencies on Tuesday as markets awaited the assessment of the  economy from the Federal Reserve after an expected interest  rate rise later in the session.


Govt. Seeks to Seize Rigas Systems - WSJ  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Justice Department has asked a  judge to enter a \$2.53 billion judgment against two Rigas  family members in a bid to seize some cable systems run by  Adelphia Communications Corp., the Wall Street Journal reported  on Tuesday.


Danske buys two banks from NAB Denmark's largest bank is to buy a Belfast-based and Dublin-based bank from National Australian Bank for 967m.


Fashioning a new strategy What do women want? Luciano Manganella, the owner of the trendy Boston women's boutique JasmineSola, has a pretty good idea. And now after 34 years in business, he's plotting a major expansion.


Oracle victorious in quest for PeopleSoft It #39;s finally over. Business-software maker PeopleSoft (PSFT) agreed to be acquired by rival Oracle (ORCL) for \$10.3 billion Monday, ending 18


GM, Daimler to cooperate on hybrids General Motors and DaimlerChrysler announced plans yesterday to collaborate on fuel-saving hybrid gasoline-electric propulsion systems, which analysts said could reduce the costs of their


Dim outlook for new hires The new year may be a slow one for job seekers, as few area employers expect to be hiring in the first quarter of 2005, the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey showed.


Crime dive lifts Mike #39;s spirits In what could have passed for a campaign kickoff, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday touted fresh statistics that show crime in the city continued to plunge this year.


Report: Delta to Slash Fares  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc. DAL.N, the No.  3 U.S. carrier which has been restructuring in efforts to avoid  a bankruptcy filing, is expected to slash fares and remove  restrictive rules such as Saturday-night stays, Time magazine  reported in its online edition on Sunday.


MSN forced to offer search software. After Google announced their search software utility and Yahoo! told the world they are working on a similar program. MSN is now beta testing their software.


Firefox Gains Ground WebSideStory, a provider of on-demand Web analytics, in its latest independent study has said that in the one-month period from November 5 to December 3, 2004, Firefox #39;s online usage share has grown from 3.03 percent to 4.06 percent in the US alone.


Toshiba launches HDD with new recording technology and sets record Toshiba Corporation announced the first hard disk drives (HDD) based on perpendicular recording, boosting the capacity of a single 1.8-inch hard-disk platter to 40 gigabytes.


Grid researchers go commerical The researchers who spawned the idea of grid computing will launch a company on Monday to commercialise what so far has been a very academic software project for sharing computing resources.


Congo Says Its Troops Are Fighting Rwandan Forces (Reuters) Reuters - Congo's government spokesman denied\Tuesday that rival army factions were fighting each other in\the east of the country and insisted the clashes were between\Congolese and Rwandan forces.


Kobe upset by Malone #39;s alleged come-on to wife Kobe Bryant has accused Karl Malone of making a pass at his wife, Vanessa, at a game last month. She told him that Malone made inappropriate comments to her Nov. 23 at Staples Center.


Globus Toolkit Creators Form Grid Software Company (TechWeb) TechWeb - The creators of the Globus Toolkit, an open source grid infrastructure software, have formed a new company, Univa, to provide commercial software, services and support for Globus software.


No sightings of bin Laden, Pakistan says ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan said Monday that there was no evidence Osama bin Laden is hiding in the country and denied it allowed CIA agents to set up bases along the border to search for the al-Qaida leader.


France Bans Hizbollah Satellite TV as Anti-Jewish A French court ordered a prompt end to satellite television broadcasts to Europe by Lebanon #39;s Hizbollah guerrilla group on Monday on grounds they were clearly anti-Semitic and a potential threat to public order.


Bourses start higher on late Street rally (FT.com) FT.com - Europe's bourses opened higher after Wall Street climbed late on on confirmation of the PeopleSoft/Oracle merger. In the early evening European time, the US Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by a further quarter of a percentage point.


Antarctic Penguin Chicks Face Starvation (AP) AP - A remnant of the largest iceberg ever recorded is blocking Antarctica's McMurdo Sound, threatening tens of thousands of penguin chicks with starvation and cutting off a supply route for three science stations, a New Zealand official said Tuesday.


No plans to trade Ramirez ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Losing Pedro Martinez to the Mets is one thing. But sending Manny Ramirez to Shea Stadium is something the Red Sox have no plans to consider, despite reports that the Mets inquired about trading for the 2004 World Series MVP.


Another victory for Miller World Cup leader Bode Miller won the slalom yesterday at Sestriere, Italy, to join Marc Girardelli as the only men to win races in all four disciplines in a season. Miller, of Franconia, N.H., won for the sixth time in 10 World Cup races by finishing two runs down the 2006 Olympic course in a combined 1 minute 39.03 seconds. ...


Today's schedule College basketball: MEN -- Harvard at Fairfield, 7 p.m.; UMass-Lowell at Stonehill, 7:30 p.m.; WOMEN -- Harvard at Boston University, 7 p.m.


UK customers get your skates on Cash'n'Carrion Last order date tomorrow


Google to scan famous libraries The libraries of some of the world's most important academic institutions are to be digitised by Google.


France shows off tallest bridge The world's tallest bridge, higher even than the Eiffel Tower, is being inaugurated by the French president.


UK Court Backs Probe Into Iraqi's Death (Reuters) Reuters - A British court on Tuesday backed\demands by relatives of a dead Iraqi hotel worker for an\independent probe into claims he was unlawfully killed and\abused by UK troops detaining him.


US space agency chief resigns The head of the US space agency (Nasa), Sean O'Keefe, resigns after three years in the post.


Indian Train Crash Kills 25, More Than 250 Injured  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two passenger trains collided in  northern India Tuesday, killing at least 25 people and injuring  more than 250, police said.


UK Court Backs Probe Into Iraqi's Death  LONDON (Reuters) - A British court on Tuesday backed  demands by relatives of a dead Iraqi hotel worker for an  independent probe into claims he was unlawfully killed and  abused by UK troops detaining him.


Seven killed in Baghdad suicide attack BAGHDAD A suicide car bomber killed seven people when he struck a checkpoint at Baghdads Green Zone early Tuesday, the second attack in two days at the district that houses Iraqs interim government and foreign embassies, officials said.


Congo Says Its Troops Are Fighting Rwandan Forces Congo #39;s government spokesman denied Tuesday that rival army factions were fighting each other in the east of the country and insisted the clashes were between Congolese and Rwandan forces.


DaimlerChrysler, GM in ioint hybrid plan BEIJING, Dec. 14 -- General Motors and DaimlerChrysler will jointly develop a gasoline-electric powered car to match Toyota and Honda in so-called hybrid vehicles that save fuel and cut emissions.


Fischer on Iran: Step by step forward on basis of realism Brussels, Dec 13, IRNA -- German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Monday that so long Iran #39;s voluntary suspension of enrichment activities continues, the EU commitments also remain valid.


Transport costs fuel UK inflation Rising fuel costs and high air fares push up UK inflation during November, according to official figures.


Google to scan famous libraries The libraries of five of the world #39;s most important academic institutions are to be digitised by Google. Scanned pages from books in the public domain will then be made available for search and reading online.


Toshiba unveils 80GB  #39;iPod drive #39; Toshiba today paved the way for 80GB iPods when it said it will ship an 80GB 1.8in hard drive in Q3 2005 - a year after it introduced the 60GB version that can currently to be found inside the iPod Photo.


Eight More Bodies Found in Mosul (AP) AP - U.S. troops discovered eight more bodies in the restive northern Iraqi city of Mosul, bringing the number of bodies found there since Nov. 10 to more than 150, the U.S. military said Tuesday.


Red Bull boost for Coulthard LONDON (AFP) - McLaren discard David Coulthard looks set to be offered a way back into Formula One for the 2005 season as a driver with the new Red Bull Racing team.


20 Killed in India Train Collision (AP) AP - Two passenger trains collided head-on on a stretch of rural track in northern India on Tuesday, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens of others, officials said.


Captain Ordered Off UK Warship and Sent Home  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's defense ministry has taken the  highly unusual step of ordering a navy captain to leave his  ship and return to the UK to face an investigation.


Sub Leads Wake Forest to Win Over Temple (AP) AP - Trent Strickland didn't demand the ball. He wanted to guard the player who had it. Strickland scored all nine of his points over the final 9 minutes and played solid defense down the stretch, leading No. 6 Wake Forest to a 67-64 victory over Temple on Monday night.


Antarctic Penguin Chicks Face Starvation A remnant of the largest iceberg ever recorded is blocking Antarctica #39;s McMurdo Sound, threatening tens of thousands of penguin chicks with


Airlines Expect \$5 Bln Loss in '04 --IATA  GENEVA (Reuters) - International airlines are heading for a  near \$5 billion loss this year, largely due to the oil price  rise, the chief economist of the industry's global body IATA  said on Tuesday.


Oracle case moot (TheDeal.com) TheDeal.com - Lawyers were cordial after PeopleSoft agreed for the enterprise software company to acquire it for  #36;26.50 a share.


Microsoft releases desktop search beta Two months after Google opened up a whole new market with its desktop search tool, Microsoft has joined the party with the release of its own beta test version.


NASA chief resigns, cites college costs CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The departure of NASA #39;s boss comes at a challenging time as the space agency struggles to ditch the mentality that lost Columbia and get its remaining shuttles flying again, while aiming for the moon and Mars.


10 percent of birds will be extinct by 2100: World News: Washington, Dec 14 : A new futuristic study by researchers at the University of Stanford is predicting that by the time the next century rolls around, a number of bird species that we take for granted today will become mere pictures in bird


Google, 5 big libraries team to offer books Google Inc. has partnered with five of the world #39;s leading libraries, including those at Stanford and Harvard, to digitally scan their collections so that the books can be searched, and in many cases read, online free of charge.


Gamers rush to buy new Sony PSP Gamers have bought almost all of the first batch of Sony #39;s new PlayStation Portable (PSP) games console, which went on sale in Japan on Sunday.


Spirit claims Mars water prize Robot Mars rover Spirit has so far been eclipsed in its mission by its  quot;twin quot; Opportunity, which found rich evidence of a wet history at its landing site.


MPAA to serve lawsuits on BitTorrent servers The Motion Picture Ass. of America (MPAA) will today launch a legal attack on BitTorrent users in a bid to prevent ripped DVDs being shared across the network.


Go-ahead for new internet names The internet could soon have two new domain names, aimed at mobile services and the jobs market. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) has given preliminary approval to two new addresses - .


IBM claims virtualisation victory over EMC IBM is claiming a storage management victory over EMCand has said it can control its entire line of storage arrays with the latest version of its San Volume Controller appliance.


Texas Tops Michigan Dusty Mangum kicks a 37-yard field goal as time expires and No. 6 Texas, behind quarterback Vince Young, edges No. 13 Michigan, 38-37.


Decision to Place Pinochet Under House Arrest Suspended A Chilean court has suspended the order to place former Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet under house arrest for crimes he committed during  quot;Operation Condor quot;, aiming to remove his opponents in Latin America, between 1970 and 1980 at the request of his


Airlines Expect  #36;5 Bln Loss in '04 --IATA (Reuters) Reuters - International airlines are heading for a\near  #36;5 billion loss this year, largely due to the oil price\rise, the chief economist of the industry's global body IATA\said on Tuesday.


Sluggish holiday sales leave retailers uneasy (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - The holiday shopping season is hurtling toward its close, but demand remains soft and inconsistent. With just 11 days before Christmas - and heading into the last full weekend of shopping - retailers have been steadily easing prices. But a burst of late spending  has yet to materialize.


Rain, Flooding Hinders Asia's Tsunami Relief  BANGKOK (Reuters) - Heavy rains and fresh floods disrupted  aid to Asia's tsunami-hit villages on Sunday as the U.N.  refugee agency started a 400-ton airlift as part of a \$2  billion relief operation to save millions struggling to  survive.


US Shares Poised to Start Slightly Weaker  LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. shares were poised to start  slightly weaker on Tuesday as investors look past potential  merger activity to a Federal Reserve that is expected to raise  borrowing costs.


Israel accused over Syria blast Syria has blamed Israel for a car bomb which exploded in its capital Damascus, wounding three people. The bomb went off soon after a Palestinian man got out of the car with his wife and daughter.


Dollar Holds Fire Ahead of Fed  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar held steady against major  currencies on Tuesday as markets waited to see what the Federal  Reserve says about the U.S. economy after an expected interest  rate rise later in the session.


Fiat and GM to mull car unit fate Fiat will meet car giant GM on Tuesday in an attempt to reach agreement over the future of the Italian firm's loss-making auto group.


Powell Not Interested in Political Office (AP) AP - As he prepares to end his tenure as secretary of state, Colin Powell is ruling out a run for political office.


Microsoft takes on desktop search Microsoft has entered the desktop search fray, releasing a test version of its tool to find documents, e-mails and other files on a PC hard drive.


Samsung, Sony agree to share patent Seoul, December 14: South Korea #39;s Samsung electronics and Sony of Japan on Tuesday singed an agreement to share patents for digital technologies in major products, Samsung said.


Sudan committed to peace in south and pursuing solution to Darfur crisis (AFP) AFP - Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir reiterated his commitment to implementing peace accords with southern rebels and to pursuing a settlement to the Darfur conflict.


Google to scan books from UM, other big libraries ANN ARBOR, Mich. Google is trying to establish an online reading room for the University of Michigan library and four other major libraries.


Technology ; Sony and Samsung to cross-license patents Sony and Samsung started negotiations on the cross-licensing deal in December 2003. The agreement is broad, covering 94 percent of Sony #39;s 13,000 US registered patents, and a similar percentage of Samsung #39;s 11,000 US registered patents.


Samsung, Sony sign extensive cross-licensing agreement LONDON - After a year of negotiations two of the world #39;s giants of consumer electronics, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Sony Corp.


Toshiba Leads Industry in Bringing Perpendicular Data Recording to <b>...</b> TOKYO --(Business Wire)-- Dec. 13, 2004 -- Perpendicular Recording Technology Achieves 1.8-Inch Drive That Holds the Industry Largest 80-Gigabytes of Information.


IBM Rounds Out EMC Support IBM Friday said it has filled out gaps in its virtualization portfolio, adding support for EMC #39;s remaining Clariion systems. The company added Clariion 300, 500 and 700 systems support for its SAN Volume Controller


Shevchenko wins top Euro award PARIS: AC Milan #39;s Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko, right, was last night named European footballer of the year for 2004. The 28-year-old becomes the third Ukrainian to win the award after Oleg Blockhin


Danske makes 1bn Irish acquisition Denmark #39;s biggest financial group, Danske Bank, has agreed to purchase Northern Bank in Northern Ireland and National Irish Bank in the Republic of Ireland from National Australia Bank for 967 million.


Proud France Inaugurates World's Highest Bridge (Reuters) Reuters - President Jacques Chirac\inaugurated the world's highest bridge Tuesday, a creation\taller than the Eiffel Tower, longer then the Champs Elysees\and designed to end a traffic bottleneck in southern France.


Sean O #39;Keefe #39;s Watch This week, NASA has concerned itself with the fact that the astronauts aboard the international space station are running out of food.


Toshiba pushes iPod limits to 80GB with new drive Toshiba has announced an 80GB version of the 1.8in hard drives used in the iPod. The drive sets a new capacity record for its size and combines several developments including a new magnetic disk structured


Google to digitize millions of books (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - Google is launching an ambitious effort to make digital copies of some of the world's largest university library collections and will incorporate the texts into its vast Web index, apparently the largest project of its kind ever attempted.


Microsoft, Ask Jeeves unveil desktop search tools (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - Microsoft and Ask Jeeves both announced tools Monday that allow users to search their desktop computers, adding their names to a crowded field of Internet search companies that are focused on helping people more effectively scan their own hard drives for files and e-mail messages.


Oracle Reaches Takeover Deal With PeopleSoft (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 13 -- Software maker PeopleSoft Inc. announced Monday that it had agreed to be acquired by Oracle Corp. in a  #36;10.3 billion deal, ending one of the longest and nastiest takeover battles in recent corporate history.


Oracle victorious in quest for PeopleSoft (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Business software giant Oracle announced Monday that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire rival PeopleSoft after sweetening its offer by 10 to approximately  #36;10.3 billion.


Caucasus gunmen kill four in raid Suspected Islamists kill four and seize dozens of weapons from a drug control body in Russia's North Caucasus.


Kraft Macaroni and Cheese It's that time of year when the K5 community shares its culinary secrets with each other by inundating the queue with a flood of recipes sectioned under culture.  #160;However, many of them may seem too difficult for the beginning chef.  #160;So I present to the novice cook a good starter project for the gourmet chef to be.  #160;It's a classic dish that will provide you with plenty of calories without offering too much nutrition.


Microsoft takes on desktop search Microsoft has entered the desktop search fray, releasing an initial version of software to scour a PC hard drive.


Gamers snap up new Sony PSP Japanese gamers buy almost all of the first batch of Sony's new PlayStation Portable handheld console.


Go-ahead for new internet names The internet could soon have two new domain names, aimed at mobile services and the jobs market.


Europe Uses Grid to Create New Megacomputer  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - European research institutes are  linking together four supercomputers to create the world's  fourth most powerful megacomputer, without having to spend the  money it would normally cost to build such a monster.


Pakistan and India in talks to avert nuclear 'havoc' (AFP) AFP - Pakistan and India held talks to hammer out an agreement on giving advance warning of ballistic missile tests and other steps to avert any accidental launch of nuclear weapons.


NASA Administrator Steps Down Sean O'Keefe quit Monday to pursue a job as chancellor of Louisiana State University Baton Rouge campus.


The Year Shoppers Left the Mall Behind Online  buying continues to snowball, according to the results of a recent America Online survey. This year, for the first time, Americans who regularly use the Internet for shopping -- researching or buying products at least once a month -- will do more shopping online than at shopping malls and stores, from catalogues and by phone, the survey found.


Fed to Boost Rate by a Quarter-Point With a fall in oil prices easing inflation concerns, the Federal Reserve is expected to continue its easy-does-it approach to raising interest rates, boosting a key rate by a moderate quarter-point today.


Memoir Takes Holy War Into Cyberspace A jailed Indonesian militant's autobiography urges fellow Muslim radicals to attack U.S. computers, with the particular aim of committing credit card fraud.


Choosing Babies' Sex Gives Birth to Debate More couples are selecting the sex of their children, using techniques developed to help couples who are infertile or at risk for having babies with genetic diseases.


Oracle to Pay \$10.3 Billion to Acquire PeopleSoft AccountingWEB.com - Dec-14-2004 - After an emotional and often bitter 18-month battle, PeopleSoft Inc. agreed to be acquired by Oracle Corp.


No. 15 Vanderbilt Beats Troy 78-50 (AP) AP - Ashley Earley scored 22 points  #151; 12 straight in the second half  #151; as No. 15 Vanderbilt defeated Troy 78-50 Sunday for its 48th straight nonconference homecourt victory.


Pearson to Sell Stake in Spanish Publisher British publisher Pearson PLC said Tuesday it plans to sell its 79 percent stake in Spanish media group Recoletos in a deal worth euro743 million (US\$990 million).


Google pens agreement with libraries New York: Popular internet search engine Google has reached an agreement with four universities and one public library to scan their books and make them available the digitised contents of the same, aiming to challenge competitors Yahoo and Microsoft.


Rovers #39; findings confirm water was on Mars On one side of Mars, NASA #39;s Spirit rover has found a mineral that solidly points to water activity. Meanwhile, the Opportunity rover has found confirmation


Firefox heats the browser market. Mozilla #39;s Firefox is gaining ground, and fast. In the beginning of this year, Microsoft Internet Explorer was almost fully controlling the market on its own.


Rain, Flooding Hinders Asia's Tsunami Relief (Reuters) Reuters - Heavy rains and fresh floods disrupted\aid to Asia's tsunami-hit villages on Sunday as the U.N.\refugee agency started a 400-ton airlift as part of a  #36;2\billion relief operation to save millions struggling to\survive.


Linux: Fewer Bugs Than Rivals An analysis of the 5.7 million lines of Linux source code shows that it contains fewer bugs per thousand lines of code than commercial counterparts. By Michelle Delio.


Lamprey May Offer Paralysis Cure Researchers are studying the spinal cord of the eel-like sea lamprey in hopes that a machine based on its structure could someday enable paralyzed people to regain control of their legs. By Karen Lurie.


Chess Conspiracy Unconvincing Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine, a film about the historic 1997 chess match between Garry Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue, focuses on whether humans interceded on the computer's behalf but fails to convince. By Jason Silverman.


Oil Eaters Slurp Up Spills Advances in biotechnology are limiting the damage oil spills inflict, as scientists supercharge bacteria to devour petroleum. By John Gartner.


NASA Chief Resigns The space agency's top administrator, Sean O'Keefe, says he wants to ensure that his children can go to college without incurring debt. His plan? Applying for a \$500,000-per-year job at Louisiana State University. By Amit Asaravala.


A Patch for Broken Hearts Researchers at MIT are one step closer to creating patches for damaged hearts: They've used rat cells to construct a beating slice of cardiac tissue about the size of a dime. By Kristen Philipkoski.


Challengers Want Ohio Vote Review A coalition of groups that do not believe the Ohio presidential election was conducted accurately asks the Ohio Supreme Court to review the swing state's voting results.


James Doesn't Practice, May Play Tomorrow (AP) AP - LeBron James was fitted with a mask to protect his broken left cheek and might play in the Cleveland Cavaliers' next game even though he only shot during practice Sunday.


Microsoft enters desktop search fray Following the lead of Google and Yahoo!, Microsoft has announced a  #39;beta #39; version of a desktop search tool, the  #39;Toolbar Suite #39;.


Sony, Samsung agree to share toys Sony and Samsung have entered into a far-reaching technology licensing agreement that opens stacks of each company #39;s intellectual properties to the other.


Toshiba Sets Record With New HDD Recording Technology Perpendicular Recording has been promoted as the technology to carry us through the superparamagnetism limit. In conventional longitudinal recording, the magnetization in the bits on a disc is flipped between


Red Bull target Coulthard Red Bull Racing say they want to sign David Coulthard so that they have an experienced driver for their first Formula One season next year.


Wizards Edge Hawks 104-101 (AP) AP - Reserve guard Juan Dixon scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter Sunday to lead the Washington Wizards to a 104-101 victory over Atlanta for the Hawks' fourth straight loss.


Egypt signs trade deal with Israel, US amid criticism and <b>...</b> Egypt wants jobs. Israel wants a meaningful peace. On Tuesday, they signed an agreement that they hope will fulfill both their goals and maintain the momentum for revitalized Mideast peace negotiations.


Japanese snap up 200,000 PSP video-game consoles in two days (AFP) AFP - Japanese video game fans have bought nearly all 200,000 PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld video-game machines launched on Sunday by Sony, the company said.


Fourteen 'Executed' Bodies Found in Iraq's Mosul  MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - The bodies of six young men, all  shot in the head as if executed, were discovered in the  northern Iraqi city of Mosul Tuesday, bringing the total of  such corpses found to 14 in two days.


China Rounds Up Three Intellectuals in Crackdown  BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese author who was briefly  detained by police overnight along with two other intellectuals  said Tuesday the authorities appeared to be trying to build a  case against him as part of a crackdown on government critics.


Indian Train Crash Kills 27, More Than 50 Injured  MUKERIAN, India (Reuters) - Two passenger trains collided  in northern India on Tuesday, killing at least 27 people and  injuring more than 50, officials said.


Update 1: US Dollar Down Slightly Against Euro The dollar was marginally down against the euro and slightly higher against the yen Tuesday as the market awaited new US trade data and a US Federal Reserve meeting at which the central bank was expected to raise interest rates a quarter point.


Zurich Financial gains on nursing home settlement LONDON (CBS.MW) -- Zurich Financial (ZZ:001107539) gained 2.6 percent in Swiss trade after agreeing to settle US nursing home litigation by paying \$47.5 million.


US interest rate rise expected US interest rates are expected to rise for the fifth time since June following the US Federal Reserve #39;s latest rate-setting meeting later on Tuesday.


MSN joins desktop search fray Microsoft #39;s MSN has unveiled desktop-search technology, entering a hotly contested race to dominate information access on the PC.


Global bird populations face dramatic decline in coming decades Ten percent of all bird species are likely to disappear by the year 2100, and another 15 percent could be on the brink of extinction, according to a new study by Stanford University biologists.


Google gets pally with Oxford and Harvard SEARCH ENGINE megagiant Google is to digitise a substantial number of volumes held in the libraries of Harvard and Oxford Universities.


Penguin Chicks Face Starvation as Iceberg Blocks Food Route Tens of thousands of Antarctic penguin chicks could starve to death in the next few weeks as a huge iceberg blocks access to coastal feeding grounds, a New Zealand official said today.


Stocks Seen Opening Lower; Fed Awaited  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower  market open on Tuesday ahead of an expected U.S. central bank  interest rate hike, with investors pulling back from Monday's  rally.


Oracle finally has its prize For the past 18 months, Oracle has been locked in a battle to acquire rival PeopleSoft involving courtroom drama, poison pills, personal enmity and, recently, the departure of PeopleSoft #39;s CEO Craig Conway.


Oil price in suspense about the impact of OPEC output cuts Crude oil futures begin to factor in colder weather in the US Northeast and OPEC decision to cut production to keep the prices high.


Blockbuster to Stop Charging Late Fees Blockbuster Inc., the world #39;s largest video rental chain, said Tuesday that as of Jan. 1, 2005, the company won #39;t charge late fees on any movie or game rental at its more than 4,500 company-operated and franchised stores in the United States.


Update 1: Airline Industry Could Break Even in 2005 The global airline industry, battered by record fuel costs, could break even in 2005 if oil prices drop to an average of US\$36 a barrel, the industry #39;s trade group said Tuesday.


Afghan Forces Catch Mullah Omar's Security Chief (Reuters) Reuters - Afghan security forces\have captured Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar's personal\security chief as he traveled in a van to the southern city of\Kandahar, provincial officials told Reuters on Tuesday.


BNP leader detained on racism-linked charge (AFP) AFP - British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin was arrested on suspicion of incitement to commit racial hatred.


Iraq War Crimes Trials to Begin Next Week (AP) AP - War crimes trials against Iraq's former Baath Party leaders will begin next week, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Tuesday. He didn't say whether Saddam Hussein would be among them.


Japanese snap up 200,000 PSP video-game consoles in two days TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese video game fans have bought nearly all 200,000 PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld video-game machines launched on Sunday by Sony, the company said.


Google to digitize  #39;U #39; libraries Soon anyone will be able to browse the University library, whether he is in Ann Arbor or Europe or anywhere in between. The University announced a partnership with Google


Toshiba to make 80GB 1.8-inch drives Toshiba Corp. is close to commercializing a new data storage technology that could significantly increase the capacity of hard-disk drives, it said Tuesday.


Chiefs top Titans in shootout NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Kansas City scored two touchdowns in the game #39;s final 32 seconds to cap a wild 49-38 victory over Tennessee last night.


Egypt raises Suez transit fees by three percent in 2005 (AFP) AFP - Egypt has decided to increase transit fees for ships using the Suez Canal by an average of three percent next year, the canal authority revealed.


Jailed Palestinian Leader Drops Out of Race to Replace Arafat Marwan Barghouti, the leader of the Palestinian uprising now imprisoned in Israel, withdrew today from the Palestinian race for president.


DR Congo 'fighting Rwanda troops' The DR Congo government says its troops are battling Rwandan soldiers and not Congolese rebels, as earlier reported.


Israel coalition talks 'impasse' Israel's ruling Likud party and opposition Labour struggle to agree over the state budget,  according to reports.


Madonna 'tops tour takings chart' Madonna made more money from touring than any other star in 2004, with \$125m, Billboard magazine says.


Chain Store Sales Rise in the Latest Week (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. chain store retail sales rose in\the latest week after sizable back-to-back declines, as\consumers took to the stores for holiday shopping, a retail\report said on Tuesday.


Vodafone Drops on Report It Supports Bid for Sprint (Update3) Shares in Vodafone Group Plc, the world #39;s largest mobile-phone operator, dropped after The Wall Street Journal said the company is considering bidding with US partner Verizon Communications Inc.


Fiat cash from GM for option would be modest-S amp;P Any cash that Italy #39;s Fiat (FIA.MI: Quote, Profile, Research) may gain from agreeing to scrap an option to sell its loss-making car unit Fiat Auto to General Motors Corp.


Microsoft launches desktop search Microsoft has launched a set of toolbars under the MSN brand. Plugging into Windows, Outlook and Internet Explorer, they index documents and email in the background and allow fast querying.


World #39;s top libraries just a click away A global virtual library is one step nearer today after Google, the internet search group, announced it is working on a project to digitally scan the collections at seven libraries and make them available online.


Tiny memory card for mobiles launched Samsung has developed a cut-down version of the multimedia memory card (MMC) that it hopes to see deployed in future mobile phones.


Mateschitz: Coulthard will lead Red Bull. David Coulthard will lead the Red Bull Racing team next season, according to quotes attributed to new owner Dietrich Mateschitz. Although the team has yet to issue official confirmation of a deal with the


FACTBOX-Australia v Pakistan factbox Head-to-heads: The two teams have met 49 times since 1956-57. Australia hold the advantage with 21 victories while Pakistan have won 11, with 17 draws.


Tallest bridge in world spanning clouds across southern France MILLAU, France French citizens and officials are celebrating a roadway bridge considered to be the world #39;s tallest. One of the Millau bridge #39;s pillars reaches more than eleven-hundred feet into the air, making


War Crime Trials Against Saddam to Start Next Week Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announced that proceedings would begin against former Baath Party leaders.


M.T.A. Spent \$15 Million on Officers' Overtime A third of the M.T.A.'s police officers were paid more than \$100,000 last year, and some officers doubled and even tripled their base salaries by working overtime.


Army Reprimand Reported in Slaying One of four U.S. military officers in Afghanistan alleged to have murdered a local man they believed was following their movements was issued an official reprimand.


OAS Reproaches U.S., EU Over Colombia The Organization of American States has reproached the United States and the European Union for refusing to participate in Colombia's peace process with right-wing paramilitary groups despite what it called impressive progress.


Google to Digitize Some Library Collections Five prestigious university and public libraries have reached agreement with Google Inc. to digitize millions of volumes in their collections and make portions of the text available for free to computer users online, the search giant plans to announce today. -The Washington Post


Danske pays \$1.86B for Irish banks No. 2 Nordic bank eyes stronger EPS in  #39;06; shares fall 4.2 due to deal #39;s size, reduced buybacks. MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Denmark #39;s Danske Bank has bought two Irish banks from National Australia Bank (NAB) for


Zurich Financial Services, US Settle Insurance giant Zurich Financial Services said Tuesday it had reached a US\$47.5 million (euro35.8 million) settlement in the United States to end litigation over the bankruptcy of a nursing home chain.


Business cost of climate control As the UN climate conference meets in Argentina, a new report questions the economic sense in tackling greenhouse gases so vigorously now.


Stocks Seen Lower, Fed Meeting on Tap  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower  open on Wall Street on Tuesday as investors take profits  following Monday's rally and before the Federal Reserve is  expected to raise interest rates.


Chain Store Sales Rise in the Latest Week  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. chain store retail sales rose in  the latest week after sizable back-to-back declines, as  consumers took to the stores for holiday shopping, a retail  report said on Tuesday.


Before the Bell: Sprint, Veritas Rise  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Sprint Corp. FON.N rose  5.4 percent before the bell on Tuesday after the Wall Street  Journal reported that Verizon Communications VZ.N has gained  the backing of partner Vodafone Group VOD.L to bid for  Sprint.


Delta to Slash Fares, Cut Restrictions (Reuters) Reuters - Delta Air Lines Inc., the No. 3 U.S.\carrier which has been restructuring in efforts to avoid a\bankruptcy filing, is expected to slash fares and remove\restrictive rules such as Saturday-night stays, Time magazine\reported in its online edition on Sunday.


Microsoft desktop search tool launched Microsoft Corp launched the beta version of its new MSN Toolbar Suite on Monday, with what it calls is  #39;breakthrough desktop search functionality #39; that will help users quickly find virtually any type of document, media file or e-mail message on their


Samsung and Sony sign patent agreement Samsung and Sony have signed a five-year cross-licensing agreement covering a wide range of patents for digital products. The agreement should reduce the potential for disputes


Utah Says Goodbye to Meyer With Win (AP) AP - Urban Meyer paused a few times to collect himself. Saying goodbye was hard enough. Doing so after a 12-0 season was almost too much. The fifth-ranked Utes sent Meyer to his new job at Florida with one last nearly perfect performance, beating Pittsburgh 35-7 Saturday night in the Fiesta Bowl.


Deadly Anniversary In Iraq (CBS/AP) The first anniversary of Saddam Hussein #39;s capture was marked by violence across Iraq, including a suicide car bombing that killed 13 people in Baghdad and a report that seven US Marines died in combat in western Iraq.


Head-on train crash leaves 15 to 20 dead in India: minister JAMMU, India : Two trains collided head-on in the northern Indian state of Punjab Tuesday, killing 15 to 20 people, the railway minister said.


Turkeys Parliament Approved Legislation Sought by the EU Turkey #39;s parliament approved on Monday a final piece of legislation sought by the European Union before a Dec. 16-17 summit at which EU leaders will decide whether Ankara is now ready to begin long-delayed entry talks.


Syria, Hamas: Israel tried to assassinate a movement #39;s cadre in <b>...</b> In separate statements both Syria and the Islamic resistance movement Hamas accused Israel of being responsible for the booby trapped car explosion which took place Monday evening in Mezze in Damascus.


Former Restaurant Inspector Loses Lawsuit (AP) AP - A former restaurant inspector for France's famed Michelin Red Guide  #151; fired for revealing how it awards its coveted stars to the nation's best chefs  #151; lost a lawsuit Tuesday alleging wrongful dismissal, a Michelin lawyer said.


Survey: Political Parties Seen As Corrupt (AP) AP - Political parties are the public institutions most marred by corruption, an international watchdog group said Thursday in a new global survey marking the United Nations' first International Anti-Corruption Day.


Ask Jeeves to Launch Desktop Search On the heels of a series of desktop search releases, Ask Jeeves Inc. is set to launch an application to scour users #39; hard drives for e-mails and files.


Portable playstation a hit in Japan The new PlayStation Portable (PSP) portable game console reportedly sold out at Tokyo electronic retailers within hours of its debut on Sunday.


Anniversary marked with fire and blood BAGHDAD: A suicide car bomber linked to al-Qaeda killed 13 people in Baghdad yesterday, the first anniversary of Saddam Hussein #39;s capture.


World #39;s tallest bridge opens in France Jacques Chirac, the French president, opened the bridge which is in the Tarn Valley in the south west of the country. The four-lane bridge is taller than the Eiffel Tower at 343 metres high and 1.5 miles long.


Saddam officials #39; trials to begin The trials of former members of Saddam Hussein #39;s Iraqi regime will begin next week, interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has said.


Holt First With Five 1,300-Yard Seasons (AP) AP - Torry Holt of the St. Louis Rams became the first player in NFL history with five straight 1,300-yard seasons when he caught a 44-yard touchdown pass near the end of the first half against the New York Jets on Sunday.


Trade Deficit Swells to Record \$55B America's trade deficit swelled to an all-time high of \$55.5 billion in October as imports  --  including those from China  --  surged to the loftiest levels on record.


US trade gap balloons The US trade deficit widens to fresh record levels after higher oil prices raise the cost of imports.


Egypt and Israel seal trade deal Egypt and Israel sign a trade protocol with the US, allowing Egyptian goods made with the support of Israel free access to American markets.


Vodafone Says It Isn #39;t Discussing Bid for Sprint With Verizon Vodafone Group Plc, the world #39;s largest mobile-phone operator, said it #39;s not in talks with US partner Verizon Communications Inc.


DALE JEWETT  Automotive News General Motors and DaimlerChrysler are joining forces to develop a new hybrid powertrain that they claim is more efficient and flexible than current hybrids.


US trade deficit hits another record WASHINGTON - The US trade deficit continues to swell to new records, hitting \$55.5 billion US in October. The US Commerce Department said Tuesday that the trade deficit grew by 8.9 per cent from September, even


Humana buying CarePlus Health Plans The health insurer expects the proposed \$408M acquisition to boost its offerings of Medicare plans. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Health insurer Humana Inc.


Blockbuster Dumping Late Fees (CBS/AP) Blockbuster Inc., plans to eliminate late fees on games and movies as of Jan. 1. But there is plenty of fine print, which suggests that the nation #39;s biggest movie rental company is still struggling


Pier 1 Shares Up Home furnishings retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc. (PIR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday posted a sharp fall in third-quarter earnings, but its share price jumped as analysts had feared worse news.


Merck to Cut About 5,100 Jobs by Year #39;s End Merck  amp; Co., under siege because of lost revenues from its recalled blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx, will cut about 5,100 jobs by year #39;s end, more than originally planned, and will slash hundreds of millions of dollars in spending, Chairman Raymond V


Pearson Agrees to Sell Spanish Publisher Recoletos Britain #39;s Pearson agreed on Tuesday to sell its 79 percent stake in Recoletos to a management-led consortium offering 941 million euros (\$1.25 billion) for the entire Spanish media group.


S amp;P 500 Rises as Veritas Advances on Report; Gains Are Limited The Standard  amp; Poor #39;s 500 Index rose, spurred by gains among computer-related shares after the New York Times reported Symantec Corp.


UPDATE 2-ProQuest buying education company, stock jumps Electronic publisher ProQuest Co. (PQE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it would buy privately held Voyager Expanded Learning, a reading curriculum provider, for \$360


Heat Puts 14-Game Streak to Test (AP) AP - Seattle and Miami are among the NBA's four winningest teams so far this season, ranking just behind Phoenix and San Antonio. Yet when the Heat put their 14-game winning streak on the line Monday night against the SuperSonics, Miami won't be looking at the matchup as a potential NBA Finals preview or a measuring stick to see where it ranks against one of the Western Conference's elite clubs.


Microsoft Launches Desktop Search Microsoft debuts a preview of its long-anticipated desktop search as part of a toolbar suite that integrates with Windows, Internet Explorer, and the company #39;s Outlook e-mail client.


Google to Offer Libraries #39; Books to Lure Web Surfers (Update4) Google Inc., the most-used Web-search service, will scan books and documents from four universities and the New York Public Library, offering access to material unavailable on Yahoo!


Study: 10 of all bird species could be extinct in 100 years (National-NBC) Dec. 14, 2004 - Conservation biologists say ten percent of all bird species could be extinct in the next 100 years.


Firefox Keeps Slicing Into IE #39;s Share Firefox #39;s share of the US browser market grew by more than a third in the last month. Firefox #39;s share of the US browser market grew by more than a third in the last month, a Web metrics firm said Monday.


Samsung, Sony Enter Cross-License Agreement Two of the world #39;s consumer electronics giants, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Sony Corp., have signed a cross-license agreement detailing mutual usage of patents across major product lines owned by the two companies.


Report: Hollywood steps up piracy fight Major movies studios to announce fresh crackdown on illegal downloads, according to a news report. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The Motion Picture Association of America is expected to announce a new campaign aimed


Rock-solid signs of early water on Mars Spirit, one of the two rovers exploring Mars, has discovered the first rock on the planet that scientists say could have formed only in water - - but whether the water was flowing, or lay like a shallow sea that came and went, remains unknown, the mission


Samsung launches tiny memory card for mobiles In a flash, Samsung has unveiled its latest removable storage product, and it #39;s only a quarter of the size of a standard multimedia memory card.


Heart Patch Pulses Like the Real Thing - Study Pulsing transplanted heart cells with electrical current helps them grow into mature cardiac cells, bringing doctors closer to a grow-your-own heart patch, US researchers said on Tuesday.


Football: Shevchenko named Footballer of the Year The poll conducted by European football journalists from 52 countries organised by France Football magazine, voted for the 28-year-old Ukrainian for his outstanding scoring record for Milan since he joined the Italian side in 1999.


Red Bull want to give Coulthard wings Red Bull Racing are still hopeful of signing David Coulthard for the 2005 formula one season - but admit the chances of getting their man are just  quot;50-50 quot;.


Old Firm pair hit with suspensions Celtic #39;s Henri Camara and Nacho Novo of Rangers have been suspended for offences missed by the referee in last month #39;s explosive Old Firm match.


France unveils its motorway in the clouds Taller than the Eiffel Tower and longer than the Champs Elysee, the Millau viaduct was today opened by President Jacques Chirac to acclaim as marvel of art and architecture.


Iran may negotiate with US over nukes Iran is willing to talk with the United States about a nuclear program that Washington alleges is aimed at secretly acquiring the bomb, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Monday.


Hizbollah TV stops broadcasting to France PARIS - The television channel run by Lebanon #39;s Hizbollah guerrillas and banned in France as anti-Semitic has agreed to stop its satellite broadcasts here immediately, France #39;s broadcasting authority said on Tuesday.


Ex-PM  #39;erased #39; Madrid blast files SPAIN #39;S Prime Minister has accused the government he succeeded of ordering the destruction of all computer records on the March 11 Madrid train bombings in an attempt to influence the outcome of the election held three days later.


SF accuses Paisley of holding gun to Ahern and Blair Sinn Fin has accused DUP leader Ian Paisley of effectively holding a gun to the heads of the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister on the issue of photographic proof of IRA decommissioning.


Trade Gap Swells More Than Expected (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. trade deficit widened\nearly 9 percent in October to a record  #36;55.5 billion as\sky-high oil prices helped propel imports into new territory,\the government said on Tuesday.


Coffee Prices Perking Up 14 Percent (Reuters) Reuters - Coffee lovers are digging deeper into\their pockets for their daily fix of the black brew.


Verizon: No Imminent Plan for Sprint Bid (Reuters) Reuters - Verizon Communications Inc. has\eyed a potential acquisition of Sprint Corp. , but has\no imminent plans to make a bid, people familiar with the\situation said on Tuesday.


U.S. Stocks Flat, Bonds Fall Ahead of Fed (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. stocks hovered around the\break-even mark, bonds fell and the dollar recovered a bit on\Tuesday just hours before the Federal Reserve was expected to\raise U.S. interest rates for the fifth time this year.


U.S. Trade Deficit Swells to Record  #36;55.5B (AP) AP - America's trade deficit swelled to an all-time high of  #36;55.5 billion in October as imports  #151; including those from China  #151; surged to the loftiest levels on record. Skyrocketing crude-oil prices also contributed to the yawning trade gap.


Pier 1 Shares Up (Reuters) Reuters - Home furnishings retailer Pier 1\Imports Inc.  on Tuesday posted a sharp fall in\third-quarter earnings, but its share price jumped as analysts\had feared worse news.


Fifth rate hike expected from US Fed Federal Reserve officials are set to jack up interest rates tonight for a fifth time this year, confident the US expansion is self-supporting and no longer in need of rock-bottom borrowing costs for a boost.


A Holiday M A Party Despite a lowered outlook for 2005, investors gave a thumbs-up for Honeywell's recent deal.


Bristol-Myers' Smart Moves Although problems still hang over the company, Bristol-Myers is paving the way for recovery.


Verizon: No Imminent Plan for Sprint Bid Verizon Communications Inc. has eyed a potential acquisition of Sprint Corp. (FON.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , but has no imminent plans to make a bid, people familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.


US trade deficit hits new record 55.5 billion dollars WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US trade gap unexpectedly shot to a record 55.5 billion dollars in October as Americans sucked in more imports, particularly from China, and oil prices sizzled.


Act of desperation The nations largest video chain says there will be no more late fees charged on any movie or game rental at its more than 4,500 US outlets, starting Jan. 1. Blockbuster (BBI, news, msgs) said it spilled


Microsoft launches desktop rival to Google The battle for search-technology supremacy extended to new front today when Microsoft launched a tool for finding files stored on personal computers.


Google plans to put millions of books online Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the founders of search giant Google, have long had a dream of putting all the world #39;s information on the Internet, free for the world to browse.


Thunderbird, Firefox, and Transitional Applications  quot;These last few months have been extremely exciting for the talented developers at the Mozilla project. Their Firefox browser has re-ignited the browser wars and done what no one thought possible -- taken


Celtic go three points clear in Scotland (AFP) AFP - Celtic went three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League with a 2-1 win at home to Livingston.


Fernando Poe Jr. Dies; Filipino Film Star, Presidential Hopeful Fernando Poe Jr., 65, the Filipino action film star and presidential candidate who refused to concede May #39;s election, died just after midnight Dec. 12 US time at a hospital in Quezon City after a stroke.


India, Pak officials discuss nuclear CBMs India and Pakistan on Tuesday held talks on nuclear confidence building measures aimed at reducing the risk of accidental war and promoting strategic stability.


Israel, Egypt Sign US-Backed Trade Agreement In the latest sign of a thaw in Israeli-Egyptian relations, Israel and Egypt on Tuesday signed a US-backed economic pact hailed as the most important agreement between the two countries in two decades.


Abbas calls for end to armed Palestinian uprising JERUSALEM - The armed uprising against Israel was an error and should end, interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said in a rare public condemnation of the four-year-old intefadeh that has killed hundreds of Israelis.


Trade Deficit Swells to Record \$55B America #39;s trade deficit swelled to an all-time high of \$55.5 billion in October as imports -- including those from China -- surged to the loftiest levels on record.


Md. Judge Strikes Down Anti-Spam Law (AP) AP - A judge has ruled that Maryland's anti-spam law  #151; the first state law to penalize senders of junk e-mail  #151; is unconstitutional because it seeks to regulate commerce outside the state's borders.


Report lays part of blame for Concorde crash on Continental Airlines (AFP) AFP - A French legal inquiry into the July 2000 Concorde crash outside Paris that killed 113 people presented findings Tuesday that put part of the blame on the US airline Continental.


AOL Canada makes the leap into VoIP AOL Canada Inc. will announce plans today to enter the burgeoning market for providing telephone service over the Internet. The on-line service company has beaten its US parent Time Warner Inc


Worldwide PC Market Seen Doubling by 2010 (Reuters) Reuters - The number of personal computers\worldwide is expected to double to about 1.3 billion by 2010,\driven by explosive growth in emerging markets such as China,\Russia and India, according to a report released on Tuesday by\Forrester Research Inc.


Verizon wins Vodafone backing for Sprint bid - report (AFP) AFP - Verizon Communications has reportedly gained the backing of its wireless partner, Vodafone Group, for a potential bid for Sprint Corp, clearing a major hurdle to such a deal.


Insecurity Cuts Off 360,000 of Darfur's Needy-WFP (Reuters) Reuters - About 360,000 needy people in\Sudan's Darfur region are out of reach of the World Food\Program because of fighting, officials said on Tuesday.


Gaudi's Cathedral Gets Help from Dassault, IBM (Reuters) Reuters - Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi's\unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral is nearing completion\faster with the help of software from France's Dassault\Systemes and IBM, Dassault said on Tuesday.


Conservatives say they'll move to protect traditional definition of marriage (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - The federal Conservatives are girding for a same-sex battle with Paul Martin's Liberals, saying they will move to protect the traditional definition of marriage.


Media 100 HD video editing system released for Mac (MacCentral) MacCentral - Optibase Ltd. subsidiary Media 100 on Tuesday announced the release of Media 100 HD for Mac OS X, providing Mac-based video professionals with another option for manipulation 10-bit uncompressed Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) digital video.


Montenegro MPs Oppose Plan to Flood Tara Gorge (Reuters) Reuters - The parliament\of Montenegro on Tuesday opposed government plans to build a\dam that would flood part of the Tara River canyon, the deepest\and longest canyon in Europe.


Democrat May Be Leading in Wash. Race (AP) AP - Through all the counting and recounting in the closest governor's race in state history, Republican Dino Rossi has held the slimmest of margins over Democrat Christine Gregoire  #151; even picking up a few votes here and there as a tedious hand recount grinds on.


Israel responds to massive tunnel blast ISN SECURITY WATCH (14012/04) - The Israeli army has responded to a massive explosion that killed five Israeli soldiers on Sunday by launching an attack on two buildings in Gaza City allegedly being used by Palestinian militants to manufacture weapons


Proud France Inaugurates World's Highest Bridge (Reuters) Reuters - President Jacques Chirac\inaugurated the world's highest bridge on Tuesday, a creation\taller than the Eiffel Tower, longer than the Champs Elysees\and designed to end a traffic bottleneck in southern France.


Military Will March Front and Center at Inaugural Festivities (Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles Times - WASHINGTON  #8212; As he leaves the Capitol after taking the oath of office Jan. 20, President Bush is expected to exercise a familiar presidential prerogative  #8212; reviewing the troops.


High Court Upholds Inmate's Death Penalty (AP) AP - The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Florida death row inmate should not automatically get a new trial because his lawyer conceded the man's guilt without his consent.


One in 10 avian species  #39;extinct by end of century #39; By the end of the century one in 10 species of birds in the world will be extinct and a further 15 per cent will be on the brink, according to one of the largest studies of avian biodiversity.


Mixed Report for Math, Science Grades (AP) AP - U.S. eighth-grade students are improving in science and math compared with international peers, but the nation's fourth-graders have stagnant scores and are slipping behind in both subjects, according to a study of achievement across the globe.


Study Says Dolphins Are Too Thin (AP) AP - One-third of the bottle-nose dolphins swimming off Israel's Mediterranean coast are too thin, apparently due to a lack of food from overfishing, researcher said Tuesday.


Abbas Calls for End of Armed Uprising The armed uprising against Israel is a mistake and must end, interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview published Tuesday, signaling his determination to change direction after Yasser Arafat's death.


At Least 27 Dead, 36 Injured in India Train Crash Two passenger trains collided head-on in northern India Tuesday, killing at least 27 people and injuring 36, officials said, blaming the accident on communications problems between stations.


Employers To Ring In New Year With More Jobs In its latest quarterly survey, the staffing firm Manpower contacted 16,000 US companies, and about 25 percent of them said they expect to have more openings in the first three months of the new year.


Update 1: Groups: Holiday Shoppers Not in Rush With less than two weeks until Christmas, consumers don #39;t seem to be in a big rush to finish their holiday shopping, evidence from two groups that track sales confirmed on Tuesday.


Heart Tissue Is Grown From Rat Cells CAMBRIDGE Dec 14, 2004 - Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have used rat cells to grow dime-sized swatches of heart tissue that twitch like a beating heart when an electrical current passes through.


Toshiba Announces iPod-Ready 80GB Mini Drive Toshiba Corp. announced Tuesday a 80 gigabyte (GB), 1.8-inch hard drive that will set off speculation of a new, higher capacity Apple iPod models later in 2005.


Let #39;s Talk About VoIP Are we ever sick of talking on the phone. (Sorry, Mom!) After trying out six VoIP services on both cable and DSL lines, on workdays and weekends, while surfing the Web or staring at the


Kraft Raises Coffee Prices by 14 Percent Following a surge in the price of coffee beans, Kraft Foods will hike the price of a 13-ounce can of Maxwell House coffee by 14 percent to \$2.29, the company said Tuesday.


Schilling says he likely won #39;t be ready by Opening Day Red Sox ace Curt Schilling said his right ankle isn #39;t recovering from surgery as quickly as he expected and he doesn #39;t think he #39;ll be ready to pitch by Opening Day.


U.S. Fed Set to Nudge Interest Rates Up  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Federal Reserve officials  gathered on Tuesday for their final policy meeting of the year  and were widely expected to nudge interest rates up to stay  ahead of inflation amid a steady economic expansion.


Merck Cuts More Jobs as Earnings Decline  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Merck   Co. Inc. MRK.N, whose  earnings are being hurt by the withdrawal of its arthritis drug  Vioxx, said on Tuesday it has increased the number of jobs to  be cut by year-end to 5,100 from 4,400.


Price of Maxwell House Coffee Up 14 Pct.  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kraft Foods Inc. KFT.N said Tuesday  it raised the price of its Maxwell House coffee brand by 28  cents per 13-ounce can, becoming the second major U.S. roaster  to boost prices in a week.


BT denies fiddling prices on Advent Calendar sales promo URL 'manipulation' yields unpublished discounts


Colder Weather Keeps Oil Above \$41  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices held firm above \$41 a barrel  on Tuesday as colder weather in the U.S. brought temperatures  more into line with seasonal norms, spurring heating oil  buying.


Treasury Prices Lower Before Fed Meeting  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Treasuries prices were under pressure  on Tuesday just hours before the Federal Reserve was expected  to raise U.S. interest rates for the fifth time this year.


Blockbuster Ends Late Fees, Sees Flat 2005  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Blockbuster Inc. on Tuesday said it was  ending late fees on movies and games from Jan 1. as it battles  to reverse falling rental demand, and forecast operating income  would be flat in 2005.


Sony and Samsung to Cross-License Patents  TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp. 6758.T and Samsung  Electronics 005930.KS said on Tuesday they had agreed to  share patents on basic technology to speed up product  development and avoid adding to a growing number of  cross-border patent disputes.


Google -- 21st Century Dewey Decimal System College kids may never darken the library's door again, thanks to Google's move to digitize the vast holdings of several prestigious university libraries. -washingtonpost.com


Judge Rejects Maryland Spam Law A Montgomery County judge has ruled that Maryland's anti-spam law -- one of the first attempts to control junk e-mail advertising -- is unconstitutional because it seeks to regulate commerce outside the state's borders.


Microsoft Unveils Software to Find Files Microsoft Corp. on Monday joined the battle for supremacy in so-called desktop search, introducing software for quickly locating files on personal computers that challenges Google's two-month-old rival product.


Microstrategy President and CFO Resigns MicroStrategy, which makes business\intelligence software, said Tuesday that Eric Brown resigned as\president and chief financial officer in order to become CFO at\McAfee Inc. which makes system security products.


Vodafone not in talks with Verizon about Sprint British-based mobile phone giant Vodafone Group said Tuesday that it was not in talks with US partner Verizon Communications about a possible bid for US rival Sprint.


Shoppers Getting Into the Holiday Spirit US shoppers are starting to get into the holiday spirit, with indices on Tuesday showing sales picking up with only 10 shopping days until Christmas.


Google under pressure over desktop search Analyst firm Gartner has put out a statement warning businesses to steer clear of Google #39;s desktop search tool until a more robust, enterprise-ready version is released.


PSP Japanese Launch Impressions Last week #39;s Japanese launch of the Nintendo DS was a fairly low-key affair, with short lines, piles of available stock, and boringly high salesover 500,000 units in Japan to date, with


Samsung Introduces Tiny Flash-Memory Cards com. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced a line of flash-memory cards that are smaller than a thumbnail, as the firm said it had defeated the nagging problem of high power consumption.


Symantec near \$13bn deal to buy Veritas Symantec is close to sealing a deal worth about \$13bn to acquire Veritas in one of the largest ever mergers between two software companies.


Tentative Contract for United Pilots Reached Negotiators for United Airlines and its pilots' union have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, the union said Tuesday. Details were not disclosed


Symantec may buy Veritas for over \$13 billion Security software company Symantecis negotiating to buy storage software vendor Veritas Softwarefor more than \$13 billion, according to a report published Tuesday by The New York Times.


Edify gets VoiceXML certification Edify on Tuesday is announcing that its Edify Voice Interaction Platform (EVIP) 9.0 system for deploying speech activation applications has received VoiceXML 2.0 Certification from the VoiceXML Forum.


ICANN enters negotiations on .mobi, .jobs domains Two new top-level domain names moved closer to approval this week, as the body charged with overseeing the Internet's technical matters moved into negotiations with the companies applying to set up and run the ".mobi" and ".jobs" domains.


IBM, AMD detail new use of strained silicon IBMand Advanced Micro Devices(AMD) have jointly developed a new method for implementing strained silicon technology on both positive and negative transistors, the companies said Monday.


PARC signs multiyear research deal with Fujitsu Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), the legendary Xeroxinstitution that pioneered graphical user interfaces, Ethernet and laser printing, is set to announce on Tuesday a multiyear research and development agreement with Fujitsu.


Report: Symantec May Buy Veritas Antivirus vendor may pay \$13 billion for the storage software company.


Toshiba Boosts Hard Drive Capacity New perpendicular recording technology could lead to thinner, lighter, 80GB IPods.


Google Works with Libraries to Search Book Collections Google Works with Libraries to Search Book Collections\\Google is taking its searchers away from the bookstore, and back to the library. Google today announced that it is working with the libraries of Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan, and the University of Oxford as well as The New York Public ...


Microsoft MSN Desktop Search Is Out In Beta Microsoft MSN Desktop Search Is Out In Beta\\As expected, Microsoft has finally released a beta of their Desktop Search software. It is integrated with their Browser Toolbar set and is now labeled MSN Toolbar Suite Beta.\\The download size is huge compared to Google Desktop Search at 4.8megs and you would ...


News: Gait advances in emerging biometrics Retinal scans, finger printing or facial recognition get most of the publicity but researchers across the world are quietly labouring away at alternative types of biometrics.


News: Tunable surfaces prevent Wi-Fi leaks Last year a man in Canada was arrested for downloading child pornography onto his laptop, but he used someone else's wireless access point to access the illegal material.


How to Pay for College Richard Gibbons offers a simple strategy to ensure that your child can go to college.


Merck Cuts More Jobs as Earnings Decline Merck  amp; Co. Inc. (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , whose earnings are being hurt by the withdrawal of its arthritis drug Vioxx, said on Tuesday it has increased the number of jobs to be cut by year-end to 5,100 from 4,400.


Google Puts Library Collections Online including out of print volumes -- soon will become part of the vast Google database. Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan, the University of Oxford, and the New


Beware! Sand in This Physics Lab May Eat You Alive Scientists have shown that it is possible to vanish into a pile of completely dry sand just as easily as traditional quicksand.


Iran says US could join nuclear program talks TEHRAN, Iran - Iran is willing to talk with the United States about a nuclear program that Washington alleges is aimed at secretly acquiring the bomb, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Monday.


Google To Scan, Index Four Great Libraries MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Google is trying to create an online reading room for five major libraries by scanning stacks of hard-to-find books into its Internet search engine.


FireFox Up 34 Use of FireFox climbed a staggering 34 percent in November, reports WebSideStory, a web analytics company. The report comes just hours after FireFox 1.0, the browser #39;s first official version release, reached its 10 millionth download.


Toshiba launches 80 GByte 1.8-inch harddrive Perpendicular recording technology allowed Toshiba to reach a new record level of 133 Gbit per square inch storage density for its new pocket-sized harddrives.


#39;Madden NFL #39; maker scores exclusive football deal Video game publisher Electronic Arts on Monday said it had signed an exclusive agreement with the National Football League and the marketing arm of its players #39; union, giving EA the sole rights to put NFL players, stadiums and teams in its games.


PLO chief urges end to armed intifada West Bank: New PLO chairman Mahmud Abbas called for an end to the armed uprising, as Israeli tanks Tuesday rolled into Gaza in the aftermath of the most lethal Palestinian attack since Yasser Arafat #39;s death.


Blockbuster killing late fees on videos, games TORONTO - Blockbuster Inc., the world #39;s biggest video rental company, plans to eliminate late fees on movies and games in the new year.


Symantec, Veritas Reportedly In Talks Oracle #39;s (nasdaq: ORCL - news - people ) \$10.3 billion blockbuster acquisition of PeopleSoft (nasdaq: PSFT - news - people ) is already yesterday #39;s news.


Challenges await next NASA chief The abrupt resignation of Sean O #39;Keefe will saddle NASA #39;s next admnistrator with unfinished business: struggling to return


Hornets Guard Garcia Out for Season New Orleans Hornets forward PJ Brown practices at the Charlotte Bobcats Training Facility in Fort Mill, SC, Monday, Dec. 13, 2004.


Cycling champion sues former assistant Lance Armstrong is suing a former personal assistant who claims the six-time defending Tour de France champion owes him \$500,000. In a lawsuit filed Monday, Armstrong and his personal service company, Luke


U.S.: One-Child Abuses Rampant in China (AP) AP - Despite some changes, China's one-child family planning program remains a source of coercion, forced abortions, infanticide and perilously imbalanced boy-girl ratios, State Department officials said Tuesday.


Democrats Say They'll Assume Watchdog Role Complaining about G.O.P. oversight of taxpayer money, Senate Democrats said they would hold hearings of their own.


Samsung, Sony ink licensing pact Samsung Electronics Co. and Sony Corp. have signed a licensing agreement to share 24,000 basic standard patents necessary for product development, Samsung officials said yesterday.


Eagles #39; Thomas out 3-to-6 weeks; Owens sore Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Hollis Thomas is expected to miss 3-to-6 weeks with a dislocated left elbow.


Armstrong sues former personal assistant Lance Armstrong is suing a former personal assistant who claims the six-time defending Tour de France champion owes him \$500,000. In a lawsuit filed Monday, Armstrong and his personal


Chirac inaugurates world #39;s tallest bridge in France MILLAU, France (AFP) - As air force jets screamed overhead, French President Jacques Chirac inaugurated the world #39;s tallest bridge, a stunning masterpiece of engineering that will carry drivers 270 metres (885 feet) above ground.


Falcons RB Duckett Sidelined with Knee Injury (Reuters) Reuters - Atlanta Falcons\running back T.J. Duckett is expected to undergo minor\arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday and will miss\this Saturday's home game against Carolina.


Gucci Group Unveils Sales Growth Plan (AP) AP - Luxury goods retailer Gucci Group NV said Tuesday that it plans to increase sales by 10 percent a year by doubling the size of its core brand and turning around unprofitable units.


Nasdaq planning \$100m-share sale The owner of the Nasdaq index, an icon of the internet boom, is planning to sell \$100m of shares to the public and list itself on the market it operates.


Hollywood Wants BitTorrent Dead The lobbying arm of the film studios files lawsuits against the operators of sites and servers that help users of file-sharing networks locate movies and songs. By Xeni Jardin.


Business News for Technology Leaders DaimlerChrysler, GM Team Up <b>...</b> DaimlerChrysler plans to offer hybrids in many of its vehicles but says the technology initially will be used in its Dodge Durango, following implementation in General Motors #39; SUVs.


Federal Reserve opens meeting, tipped to raise rates WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Federal Reserve policymakers met, poised to raise key interest rates to remove some of the cheap-money stimulus washing through the economy.


You can keep it late -- but if you keep it too late, you own it DALLAS Blockbuster is eliminating late fees on games and movies, but there #39;s a catch: If you keep it too long, you #39;ve bought it.


Humana to Acquire CarePlus Health Plans Health-care insurer Humana Inc. on Monday said it agreed to acquire CarePlus Health Plans of Florida for about \$408 million in a transaction expected to give a solid boost to 2005 earnings.


ProQuest to buy Voyager Expanded Learning ANN ARBOR, Mich. ProQuest in Ann Arbor has agreed to buy Voyager Expanded Learning in a 360 (m) million dollar cash and stock deal.


Eagles Defensive Tackle Thomas Injured (AP) AP - Philadelphia defensive tackle Hollis Thomas could miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season, this time with a dislocated elbow.


Barkley Visits With Justice Thomas (AP) AP - The Supreme Court's solemn atmosphere was broken Tuesday as usually subdued workers snapped to attention, riveted by a guest in the cafeteria.


Firefox Grows Browser Share 34 Percent in One Month Microsoft #39;s Internet Explorer #39;s usage share continues to fall in the United States. Between November 5 and December 3, Internet Explorer #39;s share dropped 1.09 percentage points to 91.80 percent, according to WebSideStory.


Toshiba #39;s iPod-Class Drive To Hit 80 GB In 2005 Toshiba Corp. said Tuesday that it plans to offer an 80-Gbyte version of its 1.8-inch hard drive, a storage platform that could be used in a next-generation Apple iPod.


Arrests of writers raise fears of crackdown against dissident <b>...</b> (WiPC/IFEX) - On the afternoon of 13 December 2004, three prominent dissident intellectuals - literary critic Liu Xiaobo, writer Yu Jie and political theorist Zhang Zuhua - were arrested in Beijing and held for 12 hours, before being freed on the morning


Blockbuster move: biggest video and game renter eliminating late <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - Blockbuster Inc., the world #39;s biggest video rental company, has presented a promise to eliminate late fees on movies and games in the new year.


Merck looks to cut jobs, trim spending Drug giant Merck, stung by its handling of the recall of the arthritis drug Vioxx, says it will cut about 51-hundred jobs by the end of the year.


Fiat, GM struggle to settle row over Fiat Auto sale option MILAN (AFP) - Top officials from Fiat of Italy and General Motors were conferring in a bid to settle differences on Fiat #39;s option to sell its loss-making car operation to the US auto giant, a dispute that threatens their four-year-old collaboration.


Seattle Post-Intelligencer A rectangular box, embedded in a preview version of MSN Messenger 7.0, is a search field. Users will be able to launch Internet searches from that field, automatically opening a Web browser to display results on an Internet search site.


Stanford and Google to Make Library Books Available Online STANFORD, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Dec. 14, 2004 -- Stanford University today announced an ambitious plan to cooperate with Google Inc.


Hollywood Wants BitTorrent Dead Hollywood movie studios on Tuesday launched new legal action against operators of sites that help connect people to movies on two major peer-to-peer filesharing networks.


Samsung, Sony cross-license their patents com December 14, 2004, 10:45 AM PT. Samsung and Sony have entered into an extensive cross-licensing agreement that will help them fill gaps in their patent portfolios and potentially stem off lawsuits.


Yahoo announces mobile deal with Nextel Yahoo on Tuesday said it will provide mobile Internet services to Nextel Communications, a deal that gives Yahoo relationships with all five leading mobile carriers in the United States.


Golden Ball for Shevchenko AC Milan striker Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko won the Golden Ball awardas as the best European footballer in a poll of journalists from 52 countries.


Gordon Strachan touted as Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp made the jump from Portsmouth to Southampton. Is Gordon Strachan about to move in the opposite direction? Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric said Tuesday he plans


Egypt, Israel Ink Trade Deal with US Israel, Egypt, and the United States signed a trade agreement that a senior US official called the most significant trade pact between Egypt and Israel in the past 20 years.


Trains collide in India: 38 killed At least 38 people died Tuesday when two trains collided in northern India, officials said, revising downwards a previous death toll of 50.


Anti-Terror Chief Encourages Fans (AP) AP - The possibility of terrorist attacks at sports events should not stop fans from going to stadiums, Europe's anti-terror chief said Tuesday.


Googling Libraries Google is trying to create an online reading room for five major libraries by scanning stacks of hard-to-find books into its Internet search engine.


Justice Dept. Seeks  #36;2.5 Bln from Rigas (Reuters) Reuters - The Justice Department has asked a\judge to enter a  #36;2.53 billion judgment against two Rigas\family members, citing the amount it claims the Adelphia\Communications Corp. founders obtained illegally, court\documents released on Tuesday show.


Google to scan books from big libraries Taking a trip to the library may take little more than a computer #39;s Web browser. Working with major libraries, Google is hoping to scan millions of books and periodicals into its popular


Next step for iPod: 80GB? com December 14, 2004, 11:07 AM PT. Toshiba, whose tiny hard drives power Apple Computer #39;s hit iPod music players, announced that it has produced an 80GB model.


Samsung Debuts Thumbnail Mobile Phone Memory Card At just 12 x 14 x 1.1mm, Samsung #39;s MMCmicro device is one-third the size of reduced-size multimedia cards currently in use. The MMCmicro can read at 10 Mbps and write at 7 Mbps.


Green reports shun supply chain A growing number of companies are reporting on their social and environmental impact  but many neglect the environment footprint of their supply chain.


General Mills' Latest Trix The packaged food outfit is taking some important steps that should contribute to improved results down the road.


RedEnvelope's Early Gift Great expectations have lifted the company's shares -- but is it time to cash out?


Revenge of the Nerds Desktop search tools from Microsoft and Ask Jeeves show just how shallow Google's moat really is.


Holiday Shopping Season: Retailers Have One Last Chance To Get It Right (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - The holiday shopping season is entering the home stretch. And with some retailers depending on seasonal spending for half or more of their sales, the stakes are high.


Source: Hollywood to Sue Server Operators LOS ANGELES Dec 14, 2004 - The US film industry is preparing to sue computer server operators in the United States and Europe who help relay digitized movie files across online file-sharing networks, a source familiar with the movie studios #39; plans said


Soccer: The season to forget teams and reward stars There are probably turkeys with a shrewder idea about the meaning of Christmas than there are ex-professional soccer players who truly know their game.


Olmert: Egyptian QIZ agreement will weather political storms The Israeli-Egyptian-US qualifying industrial zone agreement creates a basis for stable relations between Israel and Egypt. It will weather diplomatically difficult periods, Minister of Industry, Trade


Top Sunni Party Among 79 Blocs to Contest Iraq Poll (Reuters) Reuters - Iraq's main Sunni Muslim party, which\had threatened to boycott Iraq's first free election on Jan.\30, is among 79 parties and blocs that have registered lists\for the poll, election officials said.


US raises interest rates to 2.25 The US Federal Reserve raises interest rates to 2.25, the fifth increase this year.


Fed Raises Interest Rates for 5th Time This Year While making the expected move, the Federal Reserve suggested that more rate increases are in order in the months ahead.


Blockbuster to eliminate late fees TORONTO (CP) -- Blockbuster Inc., the world #39;s biggest video rental company, has presented a promise to eliminate late fees on movies and games in the new year.


Desktop Search Is the New Search Engine Battlefield Yesterday, in a teleconference planned for the same day as the Chicago Search Engine Strategies conference, Microsoft announced their new Toolbar Suite, a Desktop Search tool which is loosely based on the Look Out technology purchased by Microsoft last


Mateschitz wants Coulthard Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has thrown his support behind David Coulthard gaining a seat in his team in 2005. The former McLaren driver has impressed in testing and while Mateschitz, the man behind


Marshall Linebacker Wilson Suspended (AP) AP - Marshall linebacker Dionte Wilson has been suspended for the Fort Worth Bowl for an unspecified violation of team rules.


Oracle-PeopleSoft Buyout May Push Middleware Vendors Into A Corner The combination of PeopleSoft applications with Oracle #39;s database and middleware products could lead to a closer relationship between IBM and SAP.


Fed Raises US Rates for Fifth Time This Year The Federal Reserve raised US interest rates on December 14, 2004 by a quarter-percentage point for the fifth time this year and said it will keep gradually lifting them from rock-bottom levels as the economy grows.


World Airline Losses Near \$5 Billion in 2004 The global airlines body IATA said on Tuesday the industry was heading for a near \$5 billion deficit on international operations this year, pushing its total losses since 2001 to a massive \$35 billion.


Brin: Google Turns Libraries Into Latest Weapon Vs. Search Rivals Such electronic instant-gratification devices as television and videogames are cited for boosting obesity among America #39;s youth.


MPAA targets core BitTorrent, eDonkey users com December 14, 2004, 11:46 AM PT. The Motion Picture Association of America launched a new legal campaign Tuesday targeting the BitTorrent and eDonkey file-swapping networks, two technologies widely used to trade movies online.


Zafi Worm Hides Behind Christmas Cheer A new version of the Zafi e-mail worm is spreading Christmas wishes along with its malicious code, according to antivirus software companies.


Falcons RB Duckett Sidelined with Knee Injury  FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (Sports Network) - Atlanta Falcons  running back T.J. Duckett is expected to undergo minor  arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday and will miss  this Saturday's home game against Carolina.


Afghan Forces Catch Mullah Omar's Security Chief  KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan security forces  have captured Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar's personal  security chief as he traveled in a van to the southern city of  Kandahar, provincial officials told Reuters on Tuesday.