New Tricks for Palm Tungsten, Dell Axim The Tungsten T5 and the Axim X50v provide impressive extras for PDA fans who want more.


New Steganos Pro: Less Anonymity Than Expected In some instances, this privacy software may tell you that you're protected when you aren't.


AutoSketch Makes 2D Drawings Easier The AutoSketch 9 program supports powerful tools for drafting and other precise drawing.


Good Scans Made Slowly For low-volume users who don't plan to rely on their scanner to do extensive photo restoration work, Visioneer's Xerox 6400 has lots of appeal.


MyDVD 6: Better--but Not Best--Burning Sonic's latest version of its DVD burning software improves on its predecessor but still trails the latest offerings from Ahead Software and Roxio.


First Look: Netscape's New Browser Still in beta form, new browser allows you to view pages as they would appear in IE.


Democrats to oppose Telstra sale as search begins for a new CEO The Australian Democrats has not changed its position on the full sale of Telstra and will continue to oppose any moves by the federal government to sell its remaining 51.8 per cent stake in the telco.


US Airways goes to court to void labor contracts US Airways (UAIRQ.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) goes to court on Thursday to throw out labor contracts and union pension plans to save \$750 million annually and survive past January.


Drop in oil price lights fire under market The biggest one-day drop in the price of crude oil in more than three years ignited a rally Wednesday that sent the Dow Jones industrial average up by more than 160 points.


Are IRAs safe from creditors in bankruptcies? The US Supreme Court wrestled yesterday with a question of interest to millions of Americans mired in debt -- whether tax-deferred Individual


Gates: Microsoft To Test MSN Spaces Blog Thursday Vox populi, 2004 style. Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) on Wednesday said it will offer blogging to the online many-headed.


NTT DoCoMo Seals Deal with MmO2 for I-mode Launch DoCoMo and mmO2 said the service in Britain and Ireland would start in the second half of 2005. A similar service will begin in Germany in 2006.


The Future of Team Ninja Itagaki shares his thoughts on DOA Ultimate and reveals new info on Dead or Alive 4. December 01, 2004 - Dead or Alive Ultimate shipped in late October, proving itself to truly be among the ultimate fighting games on Xbox.


Barghouthi to contest poll RAMALLAH: The wife of jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi said last night she was registering him to run for president to succeed Yasser Arafat.


Macquarie Buys NTL #39;s Tower Assets for 1.27 Bln Pounds (Update1) A Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group-led consortium bought NTL Inc. #39;s antenna towers business in the UK for 1.27 billion pounds (\$2.47 billion).


There's No Accounting for Goodyear The world's largest tire maker delays filing annual financial reports -- again.


Microsoft Unleashes New MSN Services Late Wednesday, Microsoft announced three updated MSN services that are designed to make email, instant messaging (IM) and online sharing more integrated experiences.


Lycos Strikes Back At Spammers With DoS Screensaver com. Lycos Europe took the fight to the enemy Monday, by launching a screensaver that conducts a group denial-of-service (DoS) attack against sites selling products marketed via spam.


500,000 NDS #39; Sold With Nintendo DS sales moving faster than anticipated, some locations have reported sellouts, and Nintendo predicts the initial North American supply will be depleted within days.


Schalke trying to hold off Feyenoord in UEFA Cup Rotterdam, the Netherlands (Sports Network) - A top of the table clash between Schalke of the German Bundesliga and Dutch power Feyenoord highlights Matchday 4 of the UEFA Cup group stage.


TEST COMES SATURDAY Come Saturday, time to step it up. Coppin State, Ball State, Georgia State, all just bricks in the Kentucky wall. North Carolina is a Heel of a different color.


Knicks declaw Grizzlies Stephon Marbury made five three-pointers in the second quarter to help put the Knicks ahead for good, and New York received a fourth-quarter boost from Jerome Williams in a 90-82 victory Wednesday night over the Memphis Grizzlies.


For grandpa FULHAM fans would have been singing the late Elvis #39; hit  #39;The wonder of you #39; to their player Elvis Hammond. If not for Frank Lampard spoiling the party, with his dedication to his late grandfather.


Wizards 95 Nets 68 WASHINGTON Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison led Washington to its fifth victory in six games, a 95-to-68 blowout over New Jersey.


No. 22 Alabama Tops East Tennessee State Earnest Shelton scored 24 points and Ronald Steele had a school-record 18 assists to lead No. 22 Alabama to a 114-77 rout of East Tennessee State on Wednesday night.


No. 11 Ohio St. 107, Ohio 37 Ohio State matched the record for the most lopsided victory in the women #39;s program when the 11th-ranked Buckeyes defeated Ohio 107-37 Wednesday night.


Disney gives first dividend rise for six years Walt Disney, the US media and entertainment group, yesterday announced its first dividend increase in six years following sharply improved earnings.


A promising leader for UNC North Carolina would be foolish to let Erskine Bowles disappear into private life. He has far too much to offer the state. Though he would have made a fine US senator, maybe it #39;s just as well that Mr.


Celtics 101 Edge Bucks 101-100 Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, right, hangs on to Milwaukee Bucks center Zendon Hamilton (31) while fouling on a dunk in the second half in Boston, Wednesday Dec. 1, 2005.


Bush pushes for cooperation, stands ground President Bush on Wednesday outlined a second-term foreign policy that would make international cooperation his administration #39;s top priority but put responsibility


Americans are big underdogs in Spain SEVILLE, Spain - It #39;s been a very satisfying year for US Davis Cup Captain Pat McEnroe #39;s rapidly evolving team. Andy Roddick has been nails at No.


Dollar Crumbles to Record Low Vs Euro (Reuters) Reuters - The dollar sank to a record low against\the euro on Thursday and stood near a 12-year low versus the\pound after a round of robust U.S. economic data failed to\dispel souring sentiment on the U.S. currency.


Nikkei Up 1.6 Percent by on Wall St Jump (Reuters) Reuters - Japan's Nikkei average rose 1.62 percent\by midsession on Thursday as investors, cheered by a jump in\U.S. stocks, bought a broad range of shares including those\they had avoided recently due partly to doubts about U.S.\demand.


Dollar Crumbles to Record Low Vs Euro  TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar sank to a record low against  the euro on Thursday and stood near a 12-year low versus the  pound after a round of robust U.S. economic data failed to  dispel souring sentiment on the U.S. currency.


Nikkei Up 1.6 Percent by on Wall St Jump  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average rose 1.62 percent  by midsession on Thursday as investors, cheered by a jump in  U.S. stocks, bought a broad range of shares including those  they had avoided recently due partly to doubts about U.S.  demand.


Philips to Nearly Double China R D Staff  SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Dutch electronics firm Philips said on  Wednesday it plans to almost double its research and  development staff in China to 1,300 over the next 2 years,  underscoring the country's growing clout as a technology  center.


Oil Prices Steady Above  #36;45 a Barrel (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices steadied above  #36;45 a\barrel on Thursday, attempting to put a floor under a 7.4\percent tumble after a big increase in U.S. heating oil stocks\eased worries of a winter supply squeeze.


Ziggy #39;s Mission Impossible The chief executive officer of Telstra saw his tenure cut short this week amid preparations for the AU\$30 billion sale of the remainder of the telecommunications heavyweight, likely in early 2006.


Guest editorial: The holiday shopping season While economic policymakers like to chew over weighty issues like current accounts deficits and overnight funds rates, the truth is that the economy rests heavily on everyday


Giuliani looks to Wall Street Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani may have set aside any immediate Washington aspiration, concentrating instead on Wall Street.


Savings in bankruptcy at issue at court The US Supreme Court considered yesterday how much retirement savings people can shield when they file for bankruptcy, an important question as more Americans go into debt.


Microsoft Debuts MSN Spaces for Bloggers (AP) AP - Hoping to keep more Internet users in its branded universe, Microsoft Corp. has become the latest company to offer blogging to the masses.


Google Enhances Discussion Groups (AP) AP - Google Inc. is improving on the discussions its popular Web site hosts, hoping the upgrades will spur more online banter and make its market-leading search engine a richer destination.


REVIEW: Music Player Measures Running Pace (AP) AP - It's been a few decades since anyone recorded my mile splits as I bounded over hill and dale, immersed in running's intoxicating rhythm.


High-Tech Eye to Help Blind Cross Streets (AP) AP - Equipped with a tiny camera, a high-tech device that recognizes the white stripes of a pedestrian crosswalk and reads traffic lights could tell a blind person when it's safe to cross the street, researchers say.


EU takes over Bosnia peacekeeping from NATO (AFP) AFP - The European Union's biggest military operation began in Bosnia as the 25-nation-bloc takes over peacekeeping duties from NATO, nine years after the end of the bitter inter-ethnic war in the Balkan country.


'Blog' Most Popular Word on Web Dictionary (AP) AP - The most requested online definition this year was "blog"  #151; a word not even yet officially in the dictionary, Merriam-Webster says.


Kennedy jumble sale at Sotheby #39;s Nothing is too small or mundane when you attach the name Kennedy to it. Among the items listed in the latest Sotheby #39;s auction of the contents of the Kennedy family homes are a fibreglass kitchen tray, some old suitcases, chipped china and a few tumblers.


Computer Q amp;A: Latest action in music wars is down under For many of us, it seems like a long time since the battle of the bands was waged on the front pages of the media. It started with Napster, an illegal file sharing service that made it possible


Brazil Amazon Deforestation Jumps, Data Show An area of Amazon jungle larger than the US state of New Jersey has been destroyed this year and work on a new highway is mainly to blame, environmental group Friends


Online Holiday Shopping Starts with a Bang (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. consumer Web spending rose\30 percent on the Monday after Thanksgiving, which is\traditionally seen as the start of the online holiday shopping\season, comScore Networks said on Wednesday.


Apple opens iTunes Music Store in Canada (MacCentral) MacCentral - After announcing on Wednesday that the Canadian iTunes Music Store had been postponed, Apple Computer Inc. has quietly launched the store. Apple CEO announced the Canadian store would open in November at the iPod event in October that also launched the EU iTunes Music Store, which added Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain to the countries that already had the music store in Europe (United Kingdom, France and Germany).


Notre Dame #39;s firing isn #39;t case of black, white Now that Notre Dame has fired Tyrone Willingham, that #39;s how many black head coaches there are at America #39;s 117 Division IA universities.


No. 9 North Carolina 70, Indiana 63 North Carolina was ready for its test Wednesday night. Rashad McCants and Raymond Felton made sure the Tar Heels passed. McCants scored 19 points and Felton added 18 to lead the No.


Els makes intentions clear for Sun City Sun City - Ernie Els says the longer, toughened-up Gary Player Country Club course - venue for the Nedbank Golf Challenge beginning on Thursday - will not yield the low scores seen in the past in Africa #39;s  quot;Major quot;.


Martnez and Mets in Waiting Game As the Mets continued waiting for a counterproposal from the three-time Cy Young award winner Pedro Martnez yesterday, it became obvious that they may need more than money to lure him.


Former Pakistan captain Latif banned for six months over walk-out (AFP) AFP - Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has been handed a six-month ban from first-class cricket after walking out on a domestic match last week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.


Customers Win in Database Vendors' Race to Linux (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Opinion: Linux is profoundly shaking up the database market, hopefully to customers' benefit.


Jailed Palestinian Leader to Run for President The Palestinian political scene is in turmoil today after jailed uprising leader Marwan Barghouti, in a last-minute reversal, entered the race for president to replace Yasser Arafat, challenging the establishment candidate.


Microsoft, Sun tout progress on interoperability (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Microsoft and Sun Microsystems on Wednesday provided a progress report on their interoperability efforts, touting ongoing cooperation on Web services standardization, deployment of Windows on Sun boxes, and other areas.


Canadian iTunes Music Store postponed (MacCentral) MacCentral - Apple Computer Inc. confirmed for MacCentral on Wednesday that the Canadian iTunes Music Store has been delayed. Company representatives declined to comment on a specific timeframe for the store, but said in a statement that it would be very soon.


Humans Raise Risk of Europe Heatwaves -Scientists (Reuters) Reuters - Human activity has raised the risk of\more heatwaves like last year's, which gave Europe probably its\hottest summer since 1500, scientists said on Wednesday.


Brazil Amazon Deforestation Jumps, Data Show (Reuters) Reuters - An area of Amazon jungle\larger than the U.S. state of New Jersey has been destroyed\this year and work on a new highway is mainly to blame,\environmental group Friends of the Earth and the government\said on Wednesday.


Carbon to Blame for Pollution Heart Damage -Study (Reuters) Reuters - Air pollution clearly causes\immediate damage to the heart, including heart attacks, but its\short-term effects on asthma and other respiratory symptoms are\harder to document, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.


Mount St. Helens Is State's Top Polluter (AP) AP - Washington state's top polluter isn't a pulp mill, a power plant or refinery. It's the newly awakened Mount St. Helens.


Groups Alarmed Over Delta Water Plan (AP) AP - A proposed change in how the federal government measures water for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta has environmental groups alarmed and California officials concerned about potential harm to wildlife habitat.


Mount St. Helens Top Washington Polluter (AP) AP - Washington state's top polluter isn't a pulp mill, a power plant or refinery. It's the newly awakened Mount St. Helens. Since the volcano began erupting in early October, it has been pumping out 50 to 250 tons a day of sulfur dioxide, the lung-stinging gas that causes acid rain and contributes to haze.


Rogge hits out at 2012 bid rivals IOC president Jacques Rogge says the five cities bidding to host the 2012 OIympics must stop 'bickering'.


Bush Visits Canada On Fence-Mending Tour US President George Bush is visiting Ottawa today, his first stop on a fence-mending tour that takes him to Europe early next year. This is his first official visit to Canada since becoming president four years ago. He skipped Canada in favour of visiting Mexico at the start of his first term in office, and cancelled a state visit to Canada last year, after Canadians got vocal about their opposition to the Iraq conflict.  As CBC News reports, the purpose of this visit may be to smooth relations damaged by the war in Iraq and trade disputes over Canadian beef and softwood lumber. Bush is also expected to ask Martin for a stronger and longer commitment to peacekeeping in Afghanistan and help with organizing elections and rebuilding political institutions in Iraq. CBC News also speculates that Bush may offer a more definitive timetable for reopening the U.S. border to Canada's cattle.


Itanium inventor bobs to surface as chip's savior? Exclusive Secure64 to the rescue


Nintendo DS Game Player Draws Crowds on Japan Debut  TOKYO (Reuters) - Eager crowds and stores that opened three  hours early greeted the Japanese launch of Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s  DS video game player on Thursday, the latest entrant in an  increasingly cut-throat market.


XM CEO Sees Satellite Radio on Cell Phones  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.  XMSR.O chief executive officer Hugh Panero on Wednesday said  he expected satellite radio and cellphone services to  converge  within the next five years.


Google CEO Says Company Proud of Auction-Style IPO  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The chief executive of Google  Inc. said the Web search company was "proud" of its recent  auction-style initial public offering, but said he did not know  if it would change the way companies choose to go public in the  future.


ESPN to Launch Mobile Phone Service in Sprint Deal  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co.'s DIS.N ESPN  sports television network is launching its own brand of mobile  telephone service in a deal with Sprint Corp. FON.N catering  to sports fans with news and game highlights on a  next-generation network, the companies said on Wednesday.


Nintendo Sells 500,000 DS Handhelds in First Week  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nintendo Co. Ltd.7974.OS sold  500,000 Nintendo DS video game devices during the first week of  sales in U.S. stores for the new handheld featuring two screens  for game playing, the Japanese game maker said on Wednesday.


Headset Maker Plantronics Surfs on Games Wave  MILAN (Reuters) - Blockbuster video games and cheap  Internet phone calls are boosting demand for Plantronics'  PLT.N headsets, the chief executive of the world's leading  maker of phone headsets said on Wednesday.


Cingular Raises Profit Outlook Cingular Wireless, the largest U.S. wireless phone company, said Wednesday it expects to report a profit and positive cash flow in 2005, one year earlier than planned, following its \$41 billion purchase of AT #38;T Wireless Services Inc.


Nintendo sells 500,000 DS Handhelds in First Week Nintendo Co. Ltd. sold 500,000 Nintendo DS video game devices during the first week of sales in U.S. stores for the new handheld featuring two screens for game playing, the Japanese game maker said Wednesday.


Japan's NTT DoCoMo sees Europe embracing hi-tech mobile phones (AFP) AFP - Japan's top mobile operator NTT DoCoMo believes Europe will embrace hi-tech telephones and expects a major boost in subscribers on the continent of its i-mode Internet service.


Australian consortium buys UK broadcast business An Australian investment fund will spend more than \$3 billion buying into the broadcast operations of UK communications company NTL Incorporated.


Microsoft sees blogs for the masses The company that helped push word-processing and graphical computing into the mainstream wants to do the same thing with weblogs. Microsoft Corp.


Philips to Nearly Double China R amp;D Staff Dutch electronics firm Philips said on Wednesday it plans to almost double its research and development staff in China to 1,300 over the next 2 years, underscoring the country #39;s growing clout as a technology center.


Amid hype over Wake-Illinois backcourt duos, Head emerges as star CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The clock read 4 am Wednesday in their apartment when Illinois guard Dee Brown turned to his roommate, fellow guard Luther Head, and said,  quot;Do you know what #39;s going to happen tomorrow?


India set sights on victory Kolkata - South Africa were bowled out for 222 after 72 minutes of play on the final day to set a 117-run target for India to win the second and final Test here on Thursday.


Utah St. 71, BYU 57 Nate Harris scored 26 points and Spencer Nelson had 14 points and 11 rebounds in Utah State #39;s 71-57 victory over BYU on Wednesday night.


Gun battle erupts as Powell visits Haiti PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - An intense gun battle broke out just outside Haiti #39;s presidential palace, injuring eight people as US Secretary of State Colin Powell met with interim government leaders, authorities said.


Rwanda confirms Congo mission GOMA, Congo - Rwandan President Paul Kagame confirmed late yesterday that his country #39;s troops will begin an operation in pursuit of Rwandan Hutu rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after UN troops spotted about 100 purported Rwandan soldiers


The Search Engine Report - Number 97 Search Engine Watch editor Danny Sullivan recap of top search engine stories from November 2004.


Press Releases New Back Door To Search Engine Rankings Press Releases New Back Door To Search Engine Rankings\\Greg Jarboe, President and co-founder of SEO-PR revealed a blockbuster secret back door to top search engine ranking when he presented to a comparitively small share of attendees at WebMasterWorld.com World of Search #7 conference. Jarboe presented a case study of client ...


Google PageRank is for Entertainment Purposes Only Google PageRank is for Entertainment Purposes Only\\This is shocking news, I mean, we all knew PageRank was not something to look at too closely these days, but for Google to come out and say "The PageRank that is displayed in the Google Toolbar is for entertainment purposes only", kind of ...


Lycos Anti-Spam Make Love Not Spam Service Launched Lycos Anti-Spam "Make Love Not Spam" Service Launched\\Lycos has apparently been the target of spam attacks following the release of their anti-spam deny of service campaign. The BlogBloke reports on this new happening in the anti-spam wars "It's payback time! Lycos Europe is distributing (for free) a screensaver that targets ...


News: Hackers knobble Lycos anti-spam plan Lycos vigilante attack on spammers has been hit by a vigilante attack. Spammers are suspected.


Columnists: Closed Source Hardware Trust with hardware vendors for open source systems is becoming a one-way street, where in exchange for support they offer a closed source binary solution with no provision to audit security.


Hot Topic: Color Open your eyes to virtual color proofing. Explore the new pro/color site to learn how you can make your all-digital design workflow truly all digital. You #146;ll also discover what hues color the worlds of leading designers, tools and resources for achieving optimal color and more.  Dec 01


Mac OS X Tip of the Week: A Clutter-free Application In the last tip you learned how to instantly clean up your desktop using Expos #233;. Did you know that you can use this nifty feature of Mac OS X to clean up the windows within an application? This week #146;s tip shows you how. Dec 01


I Want My Moscow TV A lone inventor with a colorful past has come up with a way to let you tap into your home TV reception anywhere in the world.


High Rise, High Tech: Online Rant Control Complaints about apartment buildings have found a raucous new outlet as residents turn to online message boards to share gripes and gossip.


LG.Philips to Spend \$5.1 Billion on New Flat-Panel TV Factory The LG.Philips LCD Company plans to spend a record 5.3 trillion won, or \$5.1 billion, to build the world's largest plant for flat-panel sets.


Street Smarts: A Device to Help the Blind Find Crosswalks An electronic eye that can be fitted to a pair of glasses could help the blind cross roads more safely.


Nokia and Microsoft bet on India Nokia and Microsoft both announced new ventures in India on Wednesday, underscoring the country #39;s increasing allure for high-technology companies.


Web Positioning With Top Results Or The Ability To Attract More <b>...</b> If placing your website within the top search engine results, entering certain keywords in Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, or Alta Vista, has become your daily obsession, stop for a moment and reflect.


SuperSonics Beat Jazz 129-119 in OT (AP) AP - Ray Allen scored a season-high 38 points, including nine in overtime, and the Seattle SuperSonics overcame Carlos Boozer's career-high 36-point performance for a 129-119 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.


Dascenzo: Willingham a victim of high demand for Meyer Urban Meyer is standing in what looks like an indoor football practice facility, I am assuming, somewhere on the campus of The University of Utah.


FACTBOX-Anil Kumble factbox Factbox on leg spinner Anil Kumble, who took his 434th test wicket to equal Kapil Dev #39;s India record in the second test against South Africa on Thursday.


No. 24 Virginia Nips Northwestern 48-44 (AP) AP - Elton Brown had 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 24 Virginia to a 48-44 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday night.


The only one we #39;ve got Like many organisations, the United Nations sometimes goes for clunky jargon and lowest common denominators when addressing important questions.


Reports show jump in distillates, including heating oil SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Crude futures closed under \$46 a barrel Wednesday for the first time since late September and heating-oil and unleaded gasoline prices dropped more than 6 percent following an across-the-board climb in US petroleum inventories.


Calpers Ouster Puts Focus on How Funds Wield Power The ouster of the president of California #39;s public pension fund has raised questions about whether pension funds, endowments and other big activist investors will be able to keep wielding influence in corporate governance campaigns.


Pencil in Illini for a No. 1 seed right now Seeing as how so many members of the NCAA Tournament selection committee are just good people, given how much they #39;ll have to squeeze into a single weekend next March, I thought it might be nice to take a little work off their hands.


JEROME WILLIAMS - Charles Wenzelberg It was shaping up to be another mundane evening in the back-to-back life of an NBA team. The Knicks, pushed to the limit by the lowly Hawks in Atlanta on Tuesday, clearly were going through the motions early on against Memphis last night at the Garden.


Clippers 88, Pacers 76 Elton Brand scored 27 points, Bobby Simmons added 20 and the Los Angeles Clippers barely held on to beat the short-handed Indiana Pacers 88-76 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory.


Men #39;s Basketball News Update BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Playing in its first-ever Big Ten/ACC Challenge game at Assembly Hall, the Indiana Hoosiers put up a fight, but fell on the short end, 70-63, to No.


E-Mails Provide A Glimpse Into 'Iron Triangle' "Everyone's nervous," Acting Undersecretary of Defense Michael W. Wynne warned in a confidential e-mail to Air Force Secretary James G. Roche on July 8, 2003.


Lawmakers Ask Fannie To Explain Tainted Funds Three House Financial Services subcommittee chairmen yesterday called on Fannie Mae to answer allegations  that the company failed to blow the whistle on a mortgage fraud scam and accepted \$6.5 million that it knew had been swindled from a government agency.


Md. Senate Panel Relents on Medical Malpractice Reform  A Senate commission studying Maryland's medical malpractice crisis gave some ground yesterday on legal changes sought by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) and endorsed the creation of a state fund that would subsidize doctors' insurance costs for the next four years.


Loudoun Schools Gird For Growth Superintendent cites parental pressure to compete with Fairfax in proposed 17 percent budget increase.


Warner, GOP Urge Funding Restraint  RICHMOND, Dec. 1 -- The coalition of Virginia interest groups that helped push through a \$1.5 billion tax increase this year received a blunt message Wednesday from Gov. Mark R. Warner and senior Republican legislators who control the purse strings: Don't expect the same gift twice.


Las Vegas Ads' Winning Streak  Inspiration is an unruly beast. One day in late 2002, advertising copywriter Jason Hoff and his writing partner Jeff Candido were noodling with some concepts for a new tourism-promotion campaign for their client, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. There was, decidedly, not much inspiration.


China keeps tight rein on credit China is planning to extend official policies clamping down on credit into 2005, to try to keep the economy from boiling over.


Oil costs send stocks rising Buying takes off after the price of crude falls to \$45.49, giving S amp;P and Nasdaq one of their best days. By Michael J. Martinez / Associated Press.


TiVo Untethered and Ready to Go A new portable service will allow people to transfer shows recorded by TiVo to PCs or laptops and take them on the road. But don't try sending programs over the web.


Kennedy set to make swift million from clearing out the clutter CAROLINE KENNEDY is staging the ultimate yard-sale. She is clearing out paintings, furniture, horseriding gear and a mysterious photograph of a nude woman by a swimming pool from the attics and cupboards of several family homes.


Eyewear to help you cross roads Crossing the road may soon be as straightforward -- and safe -- for blind and visually impaired people as it is for someone with good eyesight, thanks to a new device that acts as an  quot;electronic eye.


Willingham takes the blame Calm and composed as ever, Tyrone Willingham addressed his dismissal at Notre Dame on Wednesday. Willingham, fired as the school #39;s head football coach after three years on the job, didn #39;t lash out at his former employer.


No. 24 Virginia 48, Northwestern 44 EVANSTON, Ill. Northwestern tied the game with less than two-and-a-half minutes left, but lost to Number 24 Virginia 48-to-44 tonight.


COL BKB: North Carolina 70, Indiana 63 Rashad McCants produced 19 points Wednesday night to help No. 11 North Carolina outbattle Indiana, 70-63, for its fifth straight win.


Commonor's Remote Control Castle The automated life used to be the exclusive realm of the rich. Now home automation is coming to a subdivision near you. By Tom Vanderbilt from Wired magazine.


Massive task for Kallis and de Bruyn Master batsman Jacques Kallis #39;s ability to keep India at bay on Thursday seems likely to decide South Africa #39;s fate in the second test - and the series.


Pollock joins elite list of Test all rounders Calcutta, India - South Africa #39;s Shaun Pollock became only the fifth player in Test history to take 300 wickets and score 3 000 runs on the fifth day of the second and final Test against India on Thursday.


Serb chief defiant after foiled attempt on his life Following an apparent attempt on his life, Serbia #39;s President Boris Tadic said yesterday that no threats would prevent him from  quot;pursuing the mission of establishing democracy in the country quot;.


Microsoft Unveils New Communication, Blog Tools (Reuters) Reuters - Microsoft Corp.  unveiled on\Wednesday a new set of Web-based services allowing users of its\MSN service to publish and track each other's blogs, or online\journals.


IBM Gathers Asian Backers for Its Power Chip Push (Reuters) Reuters - IBM  plans to unveil on\Thursday a group of partners to promote its Power computer\chips in a range of electronics, seeking to bring the\community-minded innovation of Linux software to hardware.


Sharon Battles to Save Government from Collapse  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Reeling from a parliamentary defeat,  Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon prepared Thursday to open  coalition talks to save his shattered government and avoid  early elections that could stall his Gaza withdrawal plan.


Ukraine appears set for new poll It looks likely that Ukraine will hold a new election as it awaits a supreme court verdict on electoral fraud.


Prison confirmed for Lindh killer Sweden's Supreme Court rules the killer of politician Anna Lindh will serve life in jail, not in psychiatric care.


Music honour for Beach Boy Wilson Beach Boys star Brian Wilson is honoured by the US Recording Academy, the body which awards the Grammys.


Japan sentences web film pirate A businessman is sentenced to one year in jail in Japan for making a pirated film available on the internet.


Anxiety increases over Iranian nuclear program VIENNA -- A year ago, nonproliferation officials were jubilantly hailing the triumph of diplomacy in reining in Iran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions. But many now fear that efforts to negotiate with Tehran have descended into a perilous diplomatic quagmire.


In Mozambique, vote to bring change at top MAPUTO, Mozambique -- Mozambique's poor, many carrying small children, trudged along narrow dirt roads in oppressive heat yesterday to pick a replacement for the president who has ruled this downtrodden African country for the past 18 years.


Iraqi president throws support behind Jan. 30 election BAGHDAD -- President Ghazi al-Yawer of Iraq, an influential Sunni Muslim, threw his support yesterday behind holding the Jan. 30 election on time despite insurgent threats he said have paralyzed voter registration in some Sunni areas.


Samsung Faces Concerns Over Margins Concern over falling profit margins at Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. grew on Thursday as the company said it was spending more on handset marketing and a top broker issued a sell #39; #39; rating on its stock for the first time in years.


Update 2: Accountants Sift Aviation Oil #39;s Books Financial experts combed records Thursday at China Aviation Oil, the Singapore-listed jet fuel supplier that this week sought court protection from creditors after admitting crushing losses from speculative trading.


Macquarie buys TV towers for 1.27bn CABLE firm NTL has agreed to sell its broadcast infrastructure business to a consortium led by Australia #39;s Macquarie Bank in a deal worth 1.27bn, and could return the money to shareholders through a special dividend.


Calpers President Voted Out Sean Harrigan was ousted from his post as president of the \$177 billion California Public Employees #39; Retirement System. In a 3 to 2 vote in San Francisco, the California state Personnel Board pulled Harrigan


Yukos assets...ONGC may bid with Gazpromneft ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL) could emerge as the favored partner of Russian gas firm Gazpromneft in the latter #39;s bid for the assets of the beleaguered Russian oil giant Yukos.


Income, Consumer Spending Up Rocky Mountain vacation resorts said their advance ski season sales are up from a year ago, while Texas retailers reported a recent run on high-definition televisions.


Ford, GM report slow month; Japanese carmakers gain The nation #39;s two largest automakers said Wednesday they will reduce production in the first quarter of 2005 after reporting weak November sales.


Stocks soar on plunging oil prices The biggest drop in oil prices in three years lit a fire under stocks yesterday, boosting the markets near their 2004 highs. Crude plummeted \$3.64 to \$45.49 a barrel after the government reported


ESPN dials a cell deal Listen up sports fans, ESPN #39;s about to bring its news, stats, scores, and video - to cell phones. The Disney-owned cable TV powerhouse has inked a deal with Sprint to launch the first ESPN-branded cell phone.


Rudy tries investment banking The one-time federal prosecutor, who in the 1980s went after crooked deal-makers at investment banks, is starting one of his own. Dubbed Giuliani Capital Advisors Llc, the Times Square


Spanning the Globe Check out those electromagnetic dampers! A user's guide to the five coolest bridges on earth. By David Goldenberg from Wired magazine.


Stalking the Wild Wi-Fi Network Several devices on the market will help you find a Wi-Fi network, but the same price doesn't mean the same performance. Product review by Daniel Terdiman.


Posting Straight Facts on Cancer Parents who lost a son to cancer have built a website using their own funds to help other patients make sense of complicated treatment information. By Kristen Philipkoski.


All terror attacks use false passports, claims Interpol chief Please buy my international lost and stolen database


Sun may have captured other system #39;s asteroids The sun may have captured millions of asteroids from another planetary system during an encounter more than 4 billion years ago, astronomers report today.


Nintendo Says DS Selling Faster Than Anticipated #39; in US Nintendo Co., the world #39;s biggest maker of hand-held game machines, said US sales of its DS hand-held console were faster than anticipated #39; #39; in the first week.


Apple opens Canadian iTunes store Apple missed its own deadline by a day or two, but nonetheless Canadians yesterday will awake today to find their local iTunes Music Store up and running.


Sun and Microsoft bury the hatchet Taking an intentionally cautious tone, Microsoft and Sun executives said Wednesday that the first eight months of their 10-year partnership have yielded small, but significant progress.


Microsoft Sues Software Pirates This week Microsoft launched nearly 80 lawsuits against resellers it claims were distributing used or fake certificates of authenticity.


Historic flight will take off from Salina A two-mile runway, favorable weather and a central location make Salina the best place for the Global-Flyer #39;s early January record attempt, participants say.


CE Players Unveil Broadband on a Chip Four consumer electronics companies are moving into production of a new 64-bit chip for non-PC devices in a bid to address the next generation of broadband services piped into the home.


Microsoft squeezed by contract law Microsoft has been dropped from a \$3.6m contract in China because the government broke strict procurement rules, designed to give national firms an edge in securing software deals.


3G phones 'bad value' says Which? Consumer group Which? warns against buying 3G handsets in the UK due to a limited network.


Head to Head They were not supposed to be in direct competition, but Robin van Persie and Kieran Richardson spent much of the night niggling at each other in the kind of spat that has


It #39;s all downhill for Bode Miller There are few athletes as sure of their ability as Bode Miller. Now that nobody in the world is as fast as Miller -ot after three World Cup races, anyway


Jol: Fredi ruined our Euro dream Martin Jol today blamed Fredi Kanoute for costing Tottenham their best chance of silverware this season. The striker conceded a penalty with an extraordinary handball during


No. 5 Illini hammer No. 1 Demon Deacons Illinois #39; lead peaks at 32 points as it extends home streak to 35 victories over nonconference opponents. The Atlantic Coast Conference has won its five previous challenges with the Big Ten by an aggregate 27-17 record.


NBA ROUNDUP: Suns win ninth in row Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash and Quentin Richardson each scored 21 points, and the host Phoenix Suns -- off to their best start in 24 years -- won their ninth in a row with a 120-101 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.


Uganda wants peace talks abroad President Museveni says talks with rebels should only take place outside Uganda after a unilateral ceasefire ends.


Samsung sees higher mobile profit Korean mobile maker Samsung says it expects profits to grow in 2005, but brokers warn that harsh competition could mean narrower margins.


Diplomats back Annan after resignation calls Diplomats from several countries have expressed support for the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, after a call for his resignation over the UN role in the Iraq Oil-for-Food programme.


Sharon faces new rebellion Israeli PM Ariel Sharon #39;s coalition faces possible collapse over a vote likely to force him to remake his government or call elections that would imperil his Gaza withdrawal plan.


#39;Yes #39; camp claims victory in French Socialists #39; vote on EU <b>...</b> France #39;s opposition Socialist Party voted in favor of the European Union #39;s new constitution, party leaders said Thursday, boosting the chances of success for a national referendum and drawing jubilant praise from pro-EU forces across the continent.


Skepticism warranted on Iran #39;s nuclear pact Iran has agreed to a plan by the UN #39;s atomic agency, saying it will halt uranium enrichment work. But the world must remain vigilant about that nation #39;s plans.


Hassan #39;s fate still remains uncertain Sydney - Doubts over the fate of British aid worker Margaret Hassan, kidnapped in Iraq in October, increased on Wednesday after a newspaper reported that her dental records did not match a mutilated body believed to be hers.


Chissano hopes legacy is Mozambique peace, prosperity Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano said on Thursday he was happy to quit as Mozambique #39;s leader and hoped to be remembered for securing peace and rapid economic growth in the once war-torn country.


Bleidt maps out his trail of deceit In the hours before Bradford C. Bleidt's life unraveled, he attempted to tie up all his loose ends. In neat stacks of paper, topped with handwritten notes, he gave authorities a roadmap of his years of deceit. And in a tape to his wife, he tried to make sense of why their marriage had become so troubled.


Wireless plan irks telecom giants A tiny Pennsylvania telecommunications company is raising the hackles of giants Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless LLC, offering consumers unlimited cellphone calls for a \$10 monthly premium by exploiting the carriers' unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling plans.


Group: Most charities sell donor lists Most of the nation's charities are attempting to raise additional funds by selling the names of donors to marketing organizations or swapping mailing lists with other nonprofits, a charity watchdog group said yesterday.


Mild weather forces oil price down The price of crude oil falls by more than a dollar in New York, as mild weather in northern US states eases demand for heating oil.


At holidays,shop talk is ever-present Faster, Pussycat! Buy! Buy! That's a play on the title of one of schlockmeister Russ Meyer's most famous movies, ''Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! quot; But it might as well be the generic title for any number of Christmas retail stories pouring into the nation's newspapers, magazines, and television news shows at this time of year.


Calpers replaces activist president Sean Harrigan, a longtime union official and one of the nation's most outspoken advocates for corporate governance reform, was ousted yesterday from his post as president of the \$177 billion California Public Employees Retirement System.


Nintendo DS Game Player Makes Strong Japan Debut  TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s DS video game player  saw strong sales on its debut in Japan on Thursday, kicking off  what is expected to be a fierce fight with rival Sony Corp.'s  Playstation Portable.


Economy picking up steam The US economy is gaining momentum, bolstered by home building, shipping, and even the beleaguered manufacturing sector, the Federal Reserve said yesterday in a newly upbeat assessment.


Cereal-only restaurant looks to milk new format How's this for thinking outside the box: a cafe with jammies-clad servers pouring cereal day and night, topping it off with everything from fruit to malted milk balls, and serving it in  quot;bowls quot; resembling takeout Chinese containers.


Defense giant to increase its dividend Raytheon Co. said it plans to increase its dividend and repurchase \$700 million in shares. The Waltham-based aerospace and defense giant increased its annual dividend 10 percent to 88 cents a share from 80 cents, starting with the first quarter of 2005. Raytheon said its board also authorized \$700 million in share repurchases, which it expects to complete over 18 ...


TAP agrees to \$150m settlement TAP Pharmaceutical Products has agreed to pay \$150 million to consumers and private insurers to settle claims they overpaid for its drug Lupron because the company artificially inflated the price.


IBM Gathers Asian Backers for Its Power Chip Push  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - IBM IBM.N plans to unveil on  Thursday a group of partners to promote its Power computer  chips in a range of electronics, seeking to bring the  community-minded innovation of Linux software to hardware.


FDA panel backs drug from firm to be acquired by Genzyme Genzyme Corp.'s not-yet-completed \$1 billion acquisition of Ilex Oncology Inc. appeared to pay off yesterday when an advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration recommended the agency approve Ilex's experimental cancer treatment for children with certain types of leukemia.


Microsoft Unveils New Communication, Blog Tools  SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O unveiled on  Wednesday a new set of Web-based services allowing users of its  MSN service to publish and track each other's blogs, or online  journals.


Microsoft's Cut-Down Windows Set for More Markets  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O said on  Thursday it will begin shipping a low-cost version of its  Windows XP operating system to three Asian countries and Russia  within weeks, tapping developing markets as growth slows  elsewhere.


Winning, attitude Celtics coach Doc Rivers said  quot;there really was no issue, quot; downplaying a heated exchange with Paul Pierce late in the fourth quarter. Pierce said nothing, atypically avoiding reporters after Boston defeated Milwaukee, 101-100, last night at the FleetCenter.


Triple crown When Bode Miller sped down the Lake Louise course 14/100ths of a second faster than Hermann Maier last Sunday, it was a race for the record books. Not only had the Franconia, N.H., resident beaten Austria's famous ace and won on a course where he always has had trouble, but he also became the first male ...


What's in the cards for this ace? To ante up, or not to ante up? That would appear to be the question for the Red Sox as they make an attempt to re-sign Pedro Martinez.


Jets QB passes test, return near On his first day back under center with the first-team offense, Chad Pennington went for it all.


On this night, Blount pays off There may have been times this season when you wondered if Mark Blount really was worth all the fuss, not to mention the \$38 million. Sunday night (6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 fouls, 18 minutes) might have been one of those times. Last night was not.


Tech Firm to Acquire Intelligence Contractor SI International Inc. announced plans Wednesday to purchase for \$30 million in cash a Columbia company that specializes in technology work for defense intelligence agencies.-The Washington Post


No. 5 Illinois storms past No. 1 Wake Forest Roger Powell Jr. scored 19 points, Dee Brown and Luther Head added 16 each, and No. 5 Illinois made No. 1 Wake Forest look more like a nonconference patsy in a 91-73 rout last night at Champaign, Ill.


Tonight on TV Toledo (8-3) vs. Miami (ohio) When, where: Tonight, 7:30, at Ford Field, Detroit. TV: ESPN.


'Tis the season to be greeted with silliness It is called, appropriately,  quot;the silly season. quot; You'd be hard pressed to look at what's been going on in the world of pro golf and not break into a smile. Silly stuff, indeed.


Title work to do Put on the hard hats, get the electricity flowing, and prepare to watch two games that have been works in progress for a while.


Oil Price Drop Fuels Europe Stocks Gains (Reuters) Reuters - European shares opened higher on\Thursday, encouraged by Wall Street's powerful performance\overnight on the back of a slump in oil prices, while Swiss\Life  rose after posting solid growth in premium income.


Strobl top of heap in Cup run Austria's Olympic champion Fritz Strobl upstaged teammate Hermann Maier and American Bode Miller in yesterday's second training session for this week's men's World Cup downhill race.


First lessons leave lasting impressions As I was having a romp with my 8-month-old grandson the other day, simultaneously being head-butted, drooled upon, and having tiny but sure-grip fingers working to rip out my eyeball, I had the sudden thought that in another winter -- oh, maybe two -- with any luck at all I'll have a hand in starting another little boy in a ...


Dollar Plumbs New Lows Versus Euro, Yen  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar sank to a record low against  the euro and fell to its lowest level since January 2000 on the  yen on Thursday as the market tested how far Japan and Europe  would tolerate yen and euro gains on dollar weakness.


Pistons ban two from arena Two men were banned from events at The Palace for what the Detroit Pistons say is their involvement in last month's NBA brawl. John Green and Charlie Haddad were sent letters informing them of the ban, which also includes events at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Pistons spokesman Matt Dobek said yesterday. The Clarkston site ...


UPS to Pay \$100 Million for China Network  BEIJING (Reuters) - United Parcel Service Inc. said on  Thursday it will pay \$100 million to take over most of the  international express delivery operations of its Chinese  partner, Sinotrans.


Samsung Faces Concerns Over Margins  SEOUL (Reuters) - Concern over falling profit margins at  Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. grew on Thursday as the company  said it was spending more on handset marketing and a top broker  issued a "sell" rating on its stock for the first time in  years.


Dollar down on intervention doubt Fading hopes for intervention by European and Japanese central banks depress the dollar to new lows against the euro, yen and pound.


Shopping Search Around the World Although U.S. based shopping search and product comparison services receive the lion's share of traffic, other services are emerging throughout the world that serve specific regions and countries with more localized information.


Dollar Sets New Low Mark Against Euro The dollar dropped to a new record in European morning trading against the euro, which rose to \$1.3379 despite the threat of international intervention to stop the US curreny #39;s slide.


Samsung Faces Concerns Over Margins Concern over falling profit margins at Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. grew on Thursday as the company said it was spending more on handset marketing and a top broker issued a  quot;sell quot; rating on its stock for the first time in years.


Telstra to pick CEO, time sale TELSTRA #39;S board, not the Federal Government, would decide who would replace Ziggy Switkowski as its new chief executive, Prime Minister John Howard said today.


Tariff ruling aids shrimpers WASHINGTON - The Commerce Department on Tuesday upheld a preliminary decision that Chinese and Vietnamese companies are dumping shrimp on the US market below cost.


Schuettler First Seeded Casualty in Madras  MADRAS, India (Reuters) - Germany's Rainer Schuettler  became the first seeded casualty at the \$400,000 Chennai Open  on Monday, knocked out by unfancied Frenchman Olivier Patience  in the first round.


Crude oil prices tumble the largest single-day decline in more than three years -- after the US government reported large increases in the


UPS to buy out local partner #39;s share in China joint venture? <b>...</b> US express mail operator United Parcel Service Inc. will take direct control of a large share of its joint venture operations in China next year, the company said Thursday.


From blogs to insurgents, 2004 #39;s most looked-up words follow the <b>...</b> SPRINGFIELD, Mass. The most asked for definition on Merriam-Webster #39;s Web site is for a word that #39;s not even in the dictionary.


Van Persie Looks in the Clear Sir Alex Fergusons request for the Football Association to look at Robin van Persies alleged elbow at Kieran Richardson is set to be denied.


Notre Dame #39;s Willingham just had too many bad Saturdays There has been much talk over the past 36 hours about how Notre Dame and its football program are now no different from any number of other college football  #39;factories #39; littering the landscape.


Searing Suns torch Cavs Suns managing owner Robert Sarver keeps finding out just how much Suns Chairman Jerry Colangelo knows about basketball. Before the season, when Phoenix was a borderline playoff team at best to many, Colangelo


Jazz fails to unlock Key Twenty-four hours earlier, Danny Fortson was bickering his way toward a couple of technical fouls and an ejection, which he admitted cost his team a victory.


Safin Pays Price for Late Arrival at Hopman Cup  PERTH (Reuters) - Marat Safin paid the price for his  later-than-scheduled arrival at the Hopman Cup as top seeds  Russia suffered a shock defeat to Germany in their opening  match on Monday.


Australia #39;s Macquarie Commun Infrastructure Trading Halt SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Australia #39;s Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group (MCG.AU), which is bidding in a consortium for NTL Inc.


Security Council to Discuss Growing Congo Crisis The UN Security Council is to meet behind closed doors today on the crisis threatening to reawaken central Africas devastating six nation war in Congo, Africas third-largest nation.


Body found in Falluja not Hassans ISN SECURITY WATCH (02/12/04) - The body of a Western woman found in Falluja was not that of Margaret Hassan, the director of CARE in Iraq who was abducted in mid-October and believed to have been executed a month later, the British Foreign Office said


Can the US bring a viable democracy to Iraq in the next two years <b>...</b> The fighting in Fallujah, and daily terrorist attacks by Saddam loyalists and Islamist extremists, paint a grim picture of today #39;s Iraq.


Sun Might Have Exchanged Hangers-On With Rival Star The Sun may have captured thousands or even millions of asteroids from another planetary system during an encounter more than four billion years ago, astronomers are reporting.


Evidence on Cold Fusion Remains Inconclusive, New Review Finds In a new review of cold fusion - the claim that energy can be generated by running electrical current through water - the Department of Energy released a report on Wednesday that says the evidence remains inconclusive.


For Wildlife With Wanderlust, Their Own Highway A corridor of the wild through the high country of North America - Yellowstone to Yukon - is becoming a reality.


Isidore Edelman, 84, Columbia Scientist Who Led Genome Center, Dies Dr. Isidore S. Edelman was a versatile scientist and administrator who directed and helped found the Columbia Genome Center at Columbia University.


More Evidence That Internet Marketing Is Hot Again In another consolidation in the hot-again business of Internet advertising, Web video specialist Viewpoint has agreed to buy Unicast Communications.


Pennsylvania Limits Cities in Offering Net Access In a victory for Verizon Communications, a law will make it harder for cities to build Internet networks that compete with major telecommunications providers.


Sharon Says Will Seek Coalition with Labor (Reuters) Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon\said Thursday he would seek a coalition with Shimon Peres's\Labor Party and pledged to press ahead with a planned Gaza\pullout.


Flood-Hit Filipinos Seek Safety as Typhoon Nears (Reuters) Reuters - Residents of flood-hit\Philippine towns scrambled to higher ground Thursday as the\most powerful typhoon this year threatened to cause more\destruction after floods and landslides killed up to 600\people.


German Unemployment Rises in November (AP) AP - Germany's unemployment rate rose to 10.3 percent in November as the country's economy continued to plod along with near-zero growth, the government said.


Philly Folly on Packers' Minds (AP) AP - So much of the Green Bay Packers' season has been predicated on fixing what went wrong on their infamous fourth-and-26 failure in Philadelphia.


Brown Players Relieved After Davis Leaves (AP) AP - With music blaring in the suddenly upbeat Cleveland locker room, Browns defensive end Kenard Lang and other players called coach Butch Davis' resignation a welcome change.


Report: Giambi Testified He Used Steroids (AP) AP - New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi injected himself with human growth hormone in 2003 and also used steroids for at least three seasons, according to his grand jury testimony reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle.


Philippine Flood Victims Lose Hope as Storm Nears (Reuters) Reuters - The tides of mud carved a random trail of\destruction through Philippine towns, robbing already\impoverished residents of children, houses and hope.


Passenger sues Qantas, British Airways over DVT, stroke (AFP) AFP - A Sydney businessman brought a landmark case against Qantas and British Airways claiming compensation for deep vein thrombosis he developed on board a flight and which led to a stroke.


Locke May Stay Longer As Wash. Governor (AP) AP - Lame-duck Gov. Gary Locke may not be limping off into the sunset. If the slugfest between Republican Dino Rossi and Democrat Christine Gregoire doesn't produce a new governor by the scheduled Jan. 12 inauguration, Locke may have to stick around.


Flood-Hit Filipinos Seek Safety as Typhoon Nears  REAL, Philippines (Reuters) - Residents of flood-hit  Philippine towns scrambled to higher ground Thursday as the  most powerful typhoon this year threatened to cause more  destruction after floods and landslides killed up to 600  people.


Heavy Rain, Low Turnout Overshadow Mozambique Poll  MAPUTO (Reuters) - Heavy rains and apparent low turnout  cast a shadow over Thursday's second day of Mozambican  elections for a successor to veteran President Joaquim  Chissano.


Mortar Blasts in Baghdad Kill One, Wound Several  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Guerrillas fired a mortar barrage into  central Baghdad Thursday, killing at least one Iraqi and  wounding 11, police at the scene of the blasts said.


UK MP wins Saddam libel case MP George Galloway wins libel case against the Telegraph over claims he took money from Saddam Hussein.


Sluggish economy hits German jobs Unemployment in Germany rises for the tenth straight month as growth remains sluggish despite a revival in domestic demand.


Russian minister against Gazprom buying Yukos unit: reports MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia #39;s economy minister German Gref is trying to halt plans for the Gazprom monopoly to bid for the main production unit of embattled Yukos, but is unlikely to succeed, analysts said.


NTL to sell masts in 1.3bn deal Britain #39;s largest cable company, NTL, is to sell its network of communication masts and towers in a deal worth almost 1.3bn, it was announced today.


Retailers seek to block textile limits A coalition of US retailers including Liz Claiborne and JC Penney filed a lawsuit Wednesday to block the Commerce Department from imposing curbs on imports of textiles and clothing from China.


IBM to Power China IBM this week pitched its Power processor family as a de facto standard for consumer electronics, cars, communications kit and computers by launching a consortium to promote the platform to Far Eastern manufacturers.


Ferguson upset at Van Persie elbow Alex Ferguson has urged the FA to punish Arsenal #39;s Robin van Persie for throwing an elbow during last night #39;s Carling Cup quarter-final.


Irish players support Ty, rip firing SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Despite voting to play in the Insight Bowl, the Notre Dame football players didn #39;t mask their shock and outrage over the sudden firing of coach Tyrone Willingham after only three seasons.


Deng, Bulls wear down Bryant, get a home win When Kobe Bryant scored 9 consecutive points early in the fourth quarter, it looked as though the Bulls had no hope of beating the Lakers on Wednesday night.


Same story for Wildcats After a game about as artful as a dime-store novel, Virginia coach Pete Gillen turned to literature to express the trying time his No.


Garcia brings Christmas to Sun City It #39;s always a festive time of year at Sun City when the Nedbank Golf Challenge gets underway, and defending champion Sergio Garcia, always an enthusiastic participant in South Africa #39;s premier golf tournament, joined the spirit of proceedings with a


Six Are Charged in Finnish Telecom Probe (AP) AP - The former chief executive of Sonera and five other people were charged Monday with gross violation of Finland's communications secrecy laws, following an investigation into the telecommunications company.


Sharon says will seek coalition with Labour Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he will seek a governing coalition with Shimon Peres #39;s Labour Party and pledged to press ahead with a planned Gaza pullout.


Serb Not an Assassin, Just an Angry Driver What was first believed to be an assassination attempt against President Boris Tadic of Serbia on Tuesday night was actually a case of road rage by a driver


EU to begin peacekeeping mission in Bosnia The European Union is beginning its biggest ever military operation when it takes over peacekeeping duties in Bosnia from NATO. Some 7,000 soldiers from more than 30 countries, including non-EU states Canada


NI deal  #39;possible soon #39; A political agreement in Northern Ireland could be reached by the middle of next week, the leader of the moderate Alliance Party has said.


UN Lacks Right to Inspect Sites in Iran -- Diplomats (Reuters) Reuters - Inspectors from the U.N. nuclear\watchdog would like to visit a secret military site in Iran\that an exile group said was a nuclear weapons site, but they\lack the legal authority to go there, U.N. diplomats told\Reuters.


Dollar losing streak continues as euro hits new highs (AFP) AFP - The dollar tumbled to new all-time lows against the euro, a 12-year nadir against sterling and a near five-year trough against the yen, buckling under the weight of the US twin deficits.


Israel Vows Mideast Peace Unless Provoked (AP) AP - Israel will not launch attacks or raids against Palestinians if the situation remains calm and it is not provoked, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday.


Experts Examine China Aviation Oil Books (AP) AP - Financial experts combed through records Thursday at China Aviation Oil, the jet fuel supplier that sought court protection from creditors this week after admitting losses of US #36;550 million (euro414 million) from speculative trading.


Australia-led consortium to buy ntl's broadcast business (AFP) AFP - An Australian-led consortium said it would buy the broadcast business of communications and entertainment group ntl Inc for 1.27 billion pounds.


Oil Slides Another Dollar to 11-Week Low  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled to an 11-week low  below \$45 a barrel on Thursday, deepening a dramatic slide  after an increase in U.S. heating oil stocks eased worries of a  winter supply squeeze.


Sharon Rejects Talks with Syria for Now  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  said Thursday he opposed peace talks with Syria while it  continued to host Palestinian militant groups in Damascus.


Sharon Says Will Seek Coalition with Labor  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  said Thursday he would seek a governing coalition with Shimon  Peres's Labor Party and pledged to press ahead with a planned  Gaza pullout.


UN Lacks Right to Inspect Sites in Iran -- Diplomats  VIENNA (Reuters) - Inspectors from the U.N. nuclear  watchdog would like to visit a secret military site in Iran  that an exile group said was a nuclear weapons site, but they  lack the legal authority to go there, U.N. diplomats told  Reuters.


Calpers president voted out Sean Harrigan was ousted as president of the \$177 billion California Public Employees #39; Retirement System (Calpers). In a 3-2 vote in San Francisco, the California state personnel board pulled Harrigan from Calpers where he had served for five years.


Guest columnist Administration #39;s salmon approach has been tried <b>...</b> AS the Pacific Northwest debates the Bush administration #39;s recent proposal to count hatchery fish alongside wild fish in applying the Endangered Species Act - and its new plan to cut


Canadian iTunes Music Store Delayed Apples popular iTunes music service, for use with Apples insanely popular iPod music player, will not be today as planned. Company officials are stressing it will be available very soon though


Saturn Mission to Benefit Earth: UK Technology Will Help <b>...</b> UK technology that will safely guide a spacecraft to Saturns largest moon is being adapted to land aeroplanes, help emergency services reach accidents quickly and improve safety on our roads.


India rely on spin trick to clinch series win India relied on their spin trumpcard Harbhajan Singh #39;s guiles to clinch their first home series win in two years with a facile eight-wicket victory over South Africa in the second cricket Test here today.


No. 9 Tar Heels top Indiana North Carolina was ready for its test Wednesday night. Rashad McCants and Raymond Felton made sure the Tar Heels passed. McCants scored 19 points and Felton added 18 to lead the No.


Despite effort, Cavs get Sunburn -- The Cavaliers #39; re match against the Phoenix Suns was similar to the previous meeting last month. That #39;s when the Cavs fell behind by 19 but rallied and won in overtime.


Galloway wins libel case Former Labour MP George Galloway has won his libel action against the Telegraph and won 150,000 in damages. He is also expected to get his costs - the court case is estimated to have cost around 1m.


French Socialist vote boost for EU constitution France #39;s pro-European Socialists are jubilant after a party referendum on the EU constitution produced a solid majority for the treaty, boosting its chances to win approval in a national plebiscite next year.


Report: Giambi Admits to Using Steroids  SAN FRANCISCO (Sports Network) - According to a report, New  York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi claimed in his grand  jury testimony that he took a human growth hormone in 2003 and  also used steroids for at least three seasons.


College Basketball: Illinois Defeats Wake Forest  CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Sports Network) - Roger Powell Jr. scored  19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead fifth-ranked  Illinois to a lopsided 91-73 win over No. 1 Wake Forest in the  ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Assembly Hall.


MoveOn.org Moves on to New Battles (AP) AP - After President Bush won re-election, many political observers expected MoveOn.org to move into retreat. The sentiment surrounding the liberal online powerhouse was neatly summed up by the satire publication The Onion in its spoof headline: "MoveOn CurlsUp InCorner."


Americans Rely on Team Spirit for Davis Cup Final  SEVILLE, Spain (Reuters) - Facing a battalion of sturdy  Spanish baseliners and a partisan, vocal crowd, the United  States will rely on team spirit as it fights for the Davis Cup  this weekend.


Florida governor turns to US Supreme Court in euthanasia case (AFP) AFP - Florida's Governor Jeb Bush asked the US Supreme Court to intervene to keep a comatose woman alive, over the wishes of her husband, who wants to disconnect the feeding tube that has sustained her for 14 years.


Ford and GM struggle as sales slip DETROIT Despite a crop of new car models and a generous supply of rebates, sales fell for Ford Motor and General Motors in November.


Pre-Budget Report Two years ago in his Pre-Budget Report, Gordon Brown bit the bullet and admitted that he had got his borrowing forecasts badly wrong, revising them sharply higher.


Samsung ousts Motorola from No.2 spot, but the profit margin <b>...</b> Samsung Electronics, Asias largest technology firm with a market cap of \$67 billion, outstripped Motorola ousting the American company from the No.


Update 1: Cingular Sees Merger Savings Above Plan Cingular Wireless, the nation #39;s largest wireless carrier following the company #39;s merger with AT amp;T Wireless, said Wednesday that it has completed integration activities ahead of schedule and now expects merger-related cost savings to exceed prior estimates


Telstra CEO to leave early Communications giant Telstra Corp announced yesterday that its chief executive Ziggy Switkowski would step down early as Australia #39;s largest corporation prepared for its full privatization.


Gazprom  #39;united #39; on Yukos bid, but doubt is reported MOSCOW Directors at Gazprom, the world #39;s biggest natural gas company, are united and ready to vote on a proposed bid for Yukos #39;s main production unit, Yuganskneftegaz, officials at the gas company said on Thursday, as the company seeks to create an oil


Greece fiddled euro entry GREECE fiddled its way into the European single currency and should not have been allowed to join, according to the European Commission and other members of the euro.


Jobless Claims Rise More Sharply Than Expected The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose 25,000 last week to 349,000, a government report showed on Thursday, with some analysts citing the US Thanksgiving holiday as distorting the data.


Albertsons 3Q profit up 21 Grocer says sales rose 15, helped by acquisitions, puts full-year earnings at low end of forecast. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Albertsons Inc.


Sears Nov. Same-Store Sales Above Views Sears, Roebuck  amp; Co. on Thursday said comparable domestic store revenue rose 2.8 percent in November, surpassing analysts #39; expectations for a decline of 0.3 percent.


UPS to buy out China partner SHANGHAI United Parcel Service, the world #39;s biggest express courier, said Thursday that it would pay \$100 million to take direct control of its operations in China as it expands to compete with FedEx and other rivals in the fastest-growing market for


New Ukraine Election Looks Likely Way Out of Crisis  KIEV, Ukraine (Reuters) - A new Ukrainian poll of some sort  looked increasingly likely as parliament and the Supreme Court  pressed ahead on Thursday with efforts to resolve a national  crisis over a disputed presidential election.


Bin Laden Contacted Indonesia's Bashir, Court Told  JAKARTA (Reuters) - Fugitive al Qaeda leader Osama bin  Laden once invited Indonesian preacher Abu Bakar Bashir to live  in Afghanistan, a young militant jailed over the bombing of a  Jakarta hotel told the cleric's terrorism trial on Thursday.


U.N. Says It May Have Spotted Rwandan Troops in Congo  KINSHASA (Reuters) - The U.N. mission in Congo said on  Wednesday it had spotted 100 soldiers, thought to be Rwandan,  in the east of the vast Central African country but Kigali  declined to say whether its troops had crossed the border.


U.S. Ambassador Calls on Taliban to Lay Down Arms  KABUL (Reuters) - The United States called on Taliban  guerrillas to lay down their arms Thursday, saying Afghans had  voted against violence and those who gave up their insurgency  would not be punished unless they were guilty of major crimes.


Ten Candidates to Run in Palestinian Election  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Ten candidates will run in  the Palestinian Authority's presidential election to replace  Yasser Arafat, officials said on Thursday after finalizing the  list of contenders for the Jan. 9 race.


Microsoft introduces weblog service Microsoft #39;s MSN division has launched a test version of a free blogging service aimed at consumers, its first attempt to provide this popular activity for the mass consumer market.


Apple Brings iTunes Music Downloading to Canada at Lower Price Apple Computer Inc., whose iTunes Web sites make up world #39;s largest online music store, said it opened a version of the service for Canadian customers.


Sun Might Have Exchanged Hangers-On With Rival Star The Sun may have captured thousands or even millions of asteroids from another planetary system during an encounter more than four billion years ago, astronomers are reporting today.


Microsoft patches month-old IE flaw Microsoft has released an update to Internet Explorer to fix a security flaw that was discovered a month ago and has since been exploited to attack users.


Microsoft files seven new spam lawsuits The seven lawsuits were filed on Wednesday in Washington State Superior Court in King County against John Doe defendants who have yet to be identified.


Making peace with a rival Sun Microsystems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are poised to flesh out the details of the historic truce they signed earlier this year, ending years of bitter sniping between the two technology giants.


IBM opens up on Power processors IBM has formed an industry consortium, called Power.org, to open up the process of building Power processors. Power.org is intended to give IBM #39;s partners better access to the Power technology so that they


ATI Raises Performance Bar Once Again with New Additions to RADEON <b>...</b> ATI Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYT)(TSX:ATY), the global leader in PC graphics, has broadened its offerings for PC gamers and extended its performance lead with the introduction of a family of powerful new graphics processors.


Search Isnt All About Google Anymore Webmasters that stick to the old ways and focus entirely on Google are missing out on a lot of search traffic these days if they are not also well ranked by Yahoo and MSN.


Can Smith work Scottish wonders? The worst kept secret in Scottish football was revealed on Thursday when Walter Smith was named as the new national manager. From the moment Berti Vogts #39; miserable tenure in charge of Scotland ended, the former


Van Persie sweet with FA THE Football Association today rebuffed Sir Alex Ferguson #39;s call for action to be taken against Arsenal forward Robin van Persie over his alleged attempt to elbow Kieran Richardson during Manchester United #39;s League Cup quarter-final victory at Old Trafford


Kenteris and Thanou charged A statement on the IAAF website said the governing body #39;s Doping Review Board had conducted an extensive three-month inquiry and had concluded that evidence exists that the three committed doping violations.


Birds of Prey kicks off today With the completion of the week #39;s halved downhill training runs on Wednesday (Tuesday #39;s run was canceled due to too much snow), the four-races-in-four-days men #39;s World Cup stop at Beaver Creek will officially commence today with the super-G at 11 am The


Meyer can leave Utah without buyout Notre Dame officials will meet with Utah coach Urban Meyer on Thursday, a source with knowledge of the discussions told the New York Times.


Illini a 4-star hoops power CHAMPAIGN -- ESPN #39;s Jay Bilas said Deron Williams, the Big Ten #39;s Preseason Player of the Year, wouldn #39;t rank in the top 10 in the ACC.


CORRECTED - Sun City course leaves players guessing In SUN CITY item, please read in second para... quot;with a \$1.2 million first prize etc etc... quot; instead of... quot;with a \$2 million first prize... quot; (correcting first prize). By Craig Ray. SUN CITY, South Africa, Dec


Blogs Have Overtaken 8 Million Americans, 57 Are Male Blogs Have Overtaken 8 Million Americans, 57 Are Male\\After being pounded in the blogging stakes by rampant female blogging last year, men have flocked back to the blogosphere in increasing numbers, safe in the knowledge that once more, the Pew Internet and American Life Project would restore what many of ...


Powerball Jackpot Reaches \$127 Million UNITED STATES - (PRESS RELEASE) -- There were no Powerball jackpot winners Saturday but 649,059 players across the nation won a total of more than \$4.4 million in prizes in America #39;s Game.


Pennington practices, questionable for Sunday Hempstead, NY (Sports Network) - New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington made it through a full practice Wednesday for the first time in nearly a month as he seeks to return from a rotator cuff injury.


Sharon Seeks to Broaden Coalition With Labor, Religious Parties Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will seek to bring Labor and other parties into his government to avoid early elections after dismissing a coalition partner who voted against the budget.


Galloway clears his name and wins libel case MP George Galloway has won a libel battle and damages totalling 150,000 against the Daily Telegraph over claims he accepted money from Saddam Husseins #39;s government.


Haiti prison riot and shootings kill at least 11 after visit by US <b>...</b> PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti_U.N. peacekeeping forces circled Haitis capital Thursday, a day after sporadic violence marred US Secretary of State Colin Powells visit.


Rwanda denies army in Congo Rwanda has denied it has pushed troops into Democratic Republic of Congo hours after UN peacekeepers said they had compelling evidence that some had entered the vast country.


Mortar barrage kills one, wounds several in central Baghdad A mortar barrage hammered the heavily fortified Green Zone and elsewhere in central Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least one person and underscoring the vulnerability of even Iraq #39;s best-protected areas ahead of national elections.


Iran Blinks, Sort Of I ran now has backed off from a demand that had stalled an agreement worked out by France, Britain and Germany to freeze all of Iran #39;s uranium processing activities.


Sri Lanka shuts rebel border Sri Lanka #39;s army has closed off entry points to areas controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels for the first day since a 2002 ceasefire after Red Cross officials said they feared for their safety amid sporadic violence.


War fears after Rwanda 'invasion' The UN Security Council is set for emergency talks to discuss the incursion of Rwandan troops in eastern DR Congo.


Pinochet faces murder case probe A Chilean court strips former ruler Augusto Pinochet of his immunity over the murder of his predecessor as army chief.


Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites A screensaver targeting spam-related websites appears to have been too successful.


US revokes visa for key Moi ally One of Kenya's most powerful politicians under President Moi, Nicholas Biwott, is denied entry to the US.


Europe to Sue Over Data Greece Gave on Economy The European Commission said it would sue Greece for submitting incaccurate deficit figures before joining the euro zone in 2001.


Retailers' Nov. Same-Store Sales Rise (Reuters) Reuters - Major U.S. retailers reported modest\gains in November sales on Thursday, as discounting lured\customers, but high energy prices and nagging concerns about a\soggy job market kept buying in check.


US Jobless Claims Rise More Than Expected (Reuters) Reuters - The number of Americans filing new\claims for jobless benefits rose 25,000 last week to 349,000, a\government report showed on Thursday, with some analysts citing\the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday as distorting the data.


Retailers Post Disappointing Nov. Sales (AP) AP - The nation's retailers had a disappointing start to the holiday season, reporting sluggish sales for November as a much hoped-for surge in Thanksgiving weekend business failed to materialize.


Retailers' Nov. Same-Store Sales Rise  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Major U.S. retailers reported modest  gains in November sales on Thursday, as discounting lured  customers, but high energy prices and nagging concerns about a  soggy job market kept buying in check.


US Jobless Claims Rise More Than Expected  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new  claims for jobless benefits rose 25,000 last week to 349,000, a  government report showed on Thursday, with some analysts citing  the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday as distorting the data.


US Stocks Lower After Jobless Claims Rise  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened lower on Thursday,  with investors taking a breather after Wednesday's rally amid  lackluster monthly sales figures from retailers and  higher-than-expected jobless claims.


ECB Rates Unchanged  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - European Central Bank President  Jean-Claude Trichet kept up his anti-inflation rhetoric on  Thursday, warning of short-term risks to the inflation outlook  even as growth prospects are deteriorating.


Dollar Off; Trichet Leaves Euro Unfazed  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar slipped against the euro on  Thursday after European Central Bank President Jean-Claude  Trichet reiterated that recent moves in currency markets were  unwelcome, but did not use strong enough rhetoric to deter the  euro from strengthening, currency traders said.


U.S. Oct Factory Orders Up  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Booming orders for new military  aircraft boosted overall orders to U.S. factories by 0.5  percent to a seasonally adjusted \$371.51 billion in October,  the government reported on Thursday, though demand was flat  when defense was excluded.


Sony Goes Ultra-Upscale If you had to ask what "Qualia" is, you probably weren't supposed to know about it.


Euro rates on hold for 18th month The European Central Bank keeps the cost of borrowing unchanged at 2 for the 18th straight month, despite the risk posed by the soaring euro.


Brown shrugs off economy worries Gordon Brown outlines to MPs plans to freeze fuel duty, minimise Council Tax rises and boost childcare.


Word of The Year: Blog The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and other papers this morning ran a story stating that blog was the most common word visitors to Merriam Webster #39;s online site sought a definition for throughout 2004.


Older Windows OSes need critical patch Microsoft releases critical Explorer patch <nobr>VNUNet.com</nobr>


Lycos Europe Anti Project disturbs Spammers Lycos Europe took a bold step by starting the  #39;Make love not spam #39; project. They can publicly backfiere some of the biggest spammers of the world.


Microsoft Fights to Keep China Business Microsoft (Quote, Chart) is fighting to hold onto a multi-million dollar deal with the municipal government of Beijing. On Nov. 17, Microsoft beat domestic software developers to snag a \$3.6 million, three


Broadband fuels online expression Having an always-on, fast net connection is changing the way Britons use the internet, research suggests.


Greek sprinters charged with doping violations CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou were charged by track and field #39;s world governing body Thursday for missing a series of mandatory drug tests.


Els, Goosen and Westwood Share the Lead in South Africa European Tour Members Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Lee Westwood share the lead with Australian Stuart Appleby after the first round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa.


Estes #39; long journey is reaping rewards GIVE professional golfers a sunny day with no wind, combine that with receptive greens and you have a recipe for low scores. Such were the conditions that greeted the players at Coolum for the PGA Championship


All out for 29  SA in crisis SOUTH Australian cricket will send an SOS to batting legends Steve Waugh and Barry Richards after the Redbacks #39; capitulation for 29 against New South Wales at the SCG yesterday.


NCAA Game Summary - San Jose State At Santa Clara Santa Clara, CA -- Doron Perkins scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Santa Clara Broncos to a 73-60 victory over the San Jose State Spartans in a non-league affair.


Big Unit Breakdown Between Yankees and D #39;Backs New York, NY (Sports Network) - Published reports out of New York indicate the Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks have halted trade talks involving five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson.


AMD Chips in For Portable Video Players New chip will cut the time required to transfer content onto those devices.


EU Takes over Bosnian Peacekeeping The European Union began its biggest-ever military operation today, formally taking over Natos peacekeeping mission in Bosnia with 7,000 troops.


Mortars rock Baghdad #39;s Green Zone Mortars crashed Thursday into the heavily-guarded Green Zone in central Baghdad where government headquarters and Western embassies are located.


Witness: Bashir Contacted by Osama bin Laden A jailed Islamic militant testifying in the Jakarta terrorism trial of Abu Bakar Bashir says the Muslim cleric was once invited by Osama bin Laden to live in Afghanistan.


Sharon opposes peace talks with Syria for now Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday that he wouldn #39;t recommend to open negotiations with Syria when terror groups are operating there, Jerusalem Post reported.


Score one against activism? The removal of the president of California #39;s largest public pension fund has raised questions about whether pension funds, endowments and other big activist investors can keep wielding clout in corporate governance campaigns.


Alltel closes deal with US Cellular on heels of Cingular <b>...</b> Alltel Corp. on Tuesday said it has completed its \$144 million summer deal with US Cellular and TDS Telecom, only days after announcing it plans to acquire wireless properties


Air China: No Impact From China Aviation Oil Debacle HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Air China Ltd. (0753.HK), the mainland #39;s largest commercial airline, Thursday said the China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corp.


NTL sells broadcast business for 1.27bn Cable firm NTL today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its broadcast business for 1.27bn. A consortium led by Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group and other third


Lacy: Sears Sales Show Holiday Surprise Christmas came early for some retailers: While Wal-Mart Stores (nyse: WMT - news - people ) and Limited Brands (nyse: LTD - news - people ) were having a slow start to the holidays, Sears, Roebuck  amp; Co.


Price will be right for checking credit report Here #39;s a great way to better manage your finances in 2005: Get a free copy of your credit report. Beginning in March, Illinois residents will be entitled to one free credit report from each of the three major


Report: Giambi Admits to Using Steroids (Reuters) Reuters - According to a report, New\York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi claimed in his grand\jury testimony that he took a human growth hormone in 2003 and\also used steroids for at least three seasons.


Scotland Hires Smith As Soccer Coach (AP) AP - Walter Smith was hired Thursday as the national soccer coach of Scotland, which failed to qualify for the Euro 2004 championship and stands little chance of making it to the 2006 World Cup.


Fish, Roddick Set for Davis Cup Final (AP) AP - American Mardy Fish will play Spain's Carlos Moya on Friday in the opening singles match of the Davis Cup final.


IBM's PC unit lost money from 2001 onwards IBM's personal computer business racked up \$965 million in losses between Jan. 1, 2001, and June 30, 2004, the company said last week in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, detailing the planned sale of the business to China's Lenovo Group.


Sports Focus: Radio/television You can tear up Keith Jackson #39;s invitation to your friendly local Friends of the Fighting Irish pub. News of Tyrone Willingham #39;s ouster after three years at Notre Dame barely had hit the airwaves Tuesday when  quot;Mr.


US Treasuries Cut Losses on Job Woes Hint  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Treasuries trimmed early losses on  Monday as evidence of sluggish hiring by U.S. manufacturers   suggested little need for the Federal Reserve to be more  aggressive in hiking interest rates.


Violence flare in east DRC, locals flee Thousands of civilians were on Thursday fleeing clashes near the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Goma between Rwandan Hutu rebels and unidentified opponents, a senior UN official told AFP.


Two Suspect Iranian Sites Pose Headaches for IAEA Iran may be hiding equipment bought by its military that could be used to make nuclear-weapons-grade uranium despite its recent agreement to freeze all such programs and place them under UN supervision, diplomats said Thursday.


Rising Chinese business star hit by RM2.09 billion loss SINGAPORE: The career of a fast-rising Chinese expatriate businessman once listed among Asia #39;s future leaders has been brought to a halt after his Singapore-based firm lost 550 million US dollars (RM2.09 billion) speculating in the volatile oil market.


quot;Blog quot; takes #1 word of 2004 The folks at Merriam-Webster (publishers of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary) have released their Top Ten list for 2004. Topping the list is the word  quot;blog, quot; which most of us know all about from firsthand experience.


Anti-spam plan overwhelms sites A plan to bump up the bandwidth bills of spammers seems to be getting out of control. Earlier this week Lycos Europe released a screensaver that bombards spam websites with data to try to increase the cost of running such sites.


Bhopal disaster: Your views Friday 3 December marks the twentieth anniversary of the world #39;s worst industrial accident in Bhopal, India. Nearly 3,000 people died after a gas leak at a chemical factory owned by the US company Union Carbide.


Pongolle keeps his cool to send Liverpool through Florent Sinama Pongolle converted two penalties to send Liverpool into the semi-finals of the Carling Cup. The striker had ensured a shootout with his 117th-minute penalty and then decided


No sign season will get started During the NHL work stoppage in 1994, Doug Wilson worked for the players #39; association and was intimately involved in the process of getting a new deal.


Nokia reclaims mobile phone market share The Finnish company sold approximately 51 million handsets in the third quarter, or 30.9 per cent of sales worldwide, after falling below 30 per cent for the last two quarters.


Telstra shares up on Ziggy #39;s exit Shares in Telstra rose slightly following the news chief executive Ziggy Switkowski would step down - but the focus remains on who will step up to take the job.


UPS to Pay \$100 Million for China Network United Parcel Service Inc. said on Thursday it will pay \$100 million to take over most of the international express delivery operations of its Chinese partner, Sinotrans.


UPDATE 1-Pathmark loss widens, hires investment bank Pathmark Stores Inc. (PTMK.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , the Northeast grocery chain beset by falling sales and increased competition, on Thursday reported a wider quarterly loss


Software helps users fight spammers THE spammed can now hit back at the spammers with new software from Lycos called Make Love, Not Spam. The software sits on your PC and when the machine is not in use, it generates traffic on the sites of known


I #39;m going nowhere - Neville Manchester Uniteds Phil Neville is determined to tough it out at Old Trafford and win back a regular place in the team. The 27-year-old made only his fifth start of the season when he captained the side


League Cup still last on Benitez #39;s trophy list Liverpool may have battled back from the brink of defeat to book a League Cup semi-final berth but a penalty shoot-out win against Tottenham did nothing to alter manager Rafael Benitez #39;s view of a competition his club have won a record seven times.


Willingham surprised, but takes blame for firing South Bend, IN (Sports Network) - Tyrone Willingham admitted he was surprised at his sudden firing as Notre Dame head coach, but at a news conference Wednesday took blame for the Irish #39;s shortcomings in his three seasons.


Stat attack: Kumble better than Kapil The assassin has done it again, equaled the great all-rounder Kapil #39;s record of 434 wickets. It doesn #39;t get better than that!


College Basketball: Illinois Defeats Wake Forest CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Sports Network) - Roger Powell Jr. scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead fifth-ranked Illinois to a lopsided 91-73 win over No.


Mubarak predicts Abbas winning Palestinian elections: TV Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Thursday that Mahmoud Abbas would probably win the upcoming Palestinian presidential elections, Egyptian television reported.


Thousands flee Congo clashes: UN Thousands of civilians are fleeing clashes between Rwandan Hutu rebels and unidentified opponents near the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) town of Goma, a senior UN official says.


Mugabe Urges Party Unity Amid Succession Struggle Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe called for unity on Thursday amid rare public jostling within his ruling ZANU-PF party over who will eventually succeed the controversial 80-year-old leader.


China Aviation seeks rescue plan Collapsed jet fuel supplier China Aviation Oil launches a rescue plan after running up \$550m in trading losses.


USA: Wal-Mart posts 8.7 rise in November sales US retail titan Wal-Mart has reported an 8.7 increase in total company sales for November. The company said sales for the four weeks to 26 November were US\$23.5bn, compared to \$21.7bn in the corresponding period of the previous year.


Diplomats: U.N. Lacks Right to Inspect Sites in Iran (Reuters) Reuters - Inspectors from the U.N. nuclear\watchdog would like to visit a military complex in Iran that an\exile group said housed a nuclear weapons site, but they lack\the legal authority to go there, U.N. diplomats said.


Report: Notre Dame Contacts Meyer (AP) AP - Notre Dame has contacted Utah coach Urban Meyer about its coaching vacancy and was to meet with him Thursday, The New York Times reported.


Bin Laden Contacted Indonesia's Bashir, Court Told (Reuters) Reuters - Fugitive al Qaeda leader Osama bin\Laden once invited Indonesian preacher Abu Bakar Bashir to live\in Afghanistan, a young militant jailed over the bombing of a\Jakarta hotel told the cleric's terrorism trial on Thursday.


Brown Makes Season Debut for Wizards (Reuters) Reuters - Former No. 1 overall pick\Kwame Brown returned from an off-season foot injury in\Washington's 95-68 rout of New Jersey Wednesday night.


Conviction of American in Peru Upheld (AP) AP - The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has upheld the conviction of an American woman imprisoned in Peru for terrorist collaboration with Marxist guerrillas, President Alejandro Toledo confirmed Thursday.


DR Congo vice president warns Rwanda over rebels (AFP) AFP - Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Vice President Azarias Ruberwa accused neighbouring Rwanda of deploying troops in the eastern DRC to flush out Hutu rebels and demanded their withdrawal.


Missouri Pulls Video Games From Prison (AP) AP - Prison officials are no longer allowing Missouri's most violent criminals to have access to video games with titles like "Hitman: Contracts."


MS moves to can more spammers Microsoft announced today that it has filed seven lawsuits against spammers who failed to label their junk mail as sexually explicit - in contravention of the US #39;s CAN-SPAM law.


Off-piste action After waiting an entire summer for the snow to fall and Beaver Creek to finally open, skiers from around the planet are coming to check out the Birds of Prey World Cup action Dec. 1 - 5. Although everyones


Sinama-Pongolle Wants Repeat Liverpools Carling Cup hero Florent Sinama-Pongolle has urged manager Rafael Benitez to stick with the youngsters for next months semi-final against Watford after the Reds rookies sent Tottenham crashing last night.


Bhajji scripts 1-0 Test series win against Proteas Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh took seven crucial wickets to guide India to an 8-wicket win over South Africa today in Kolkata. With the first Test having ended in a draw, India won the Test series 1-0.


Apple iTunes to Carry New Band Aid Single (AP) AP - The new Band Aid charity single will be sold on Apple's popular iTunes online music service, with the company subsidizing the retail cost of the track.


Clarion to integrate iPod with car stereos (MacCentral) MacCentral - Clarion Corp. is the latest aftermarket automobile entertainment system manufacturer to step up to the plate with iPod support. The company announced Thursday plans to unveil a new in-dash DVD player/monitor for automobiles that will feature full iPod integration. Clarion also announced plans to introduce a new CD receiver with similar capabilities. Both new products will debut at the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada in January.


Verizon deal lets Philadelphia move with wireless plan (MacCentral) MacCentral - The city of Philadelphia has reached an agreement with Verizon Communications Inc. that will let the municipal government deploy a citywide Wi-Fi network, but a carrier-backed bill that would let incumbent carriers block such projects has been signed into law by Pennsylvania's governor.


Mozilla Previews Thunderbird E-Mail App (PC World) PC World - Final version is expected this month; software will compete with Outlook express.


Telegraph surrounded story with  #39;blizzard #39; of comment The Daily Telegraph applied  quot;spin quot; to its presentation of documents alleging that the ex-Labour MP George Galloway was in the pay of Saddam Hussein and its coverage went beyond mere reporting, a high court judge ruled today.


Zimbabwe #39;s Mugabe rules out regime change; slams Britain HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe ruled out any regime change in this southern African country as his ruling ZANU-PF party held a congress to renew the party #39;s leadership.


Microsoft Issues Special Patch for IE Hole (PC World) PC World - Users should install the critical fix as soon as possible, software giant says.


IBM discloses details of chip (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - When IBM gave a sneak peek at its new Cell microprocessor this week, it was short on specifics about what it calls a supercomputer on a chip. But details are leaking out thanks to a recent patent awarded to IBM and Big Blue's own disclosures for an upcoming conference.


Heatwave Study May Fuel Global Warming Lawsuits (Reuters) Reuters - A study of a 2003 heatwave in Europe may\give Pacific islanders and environmentalists new ammunition for\legal cases blaming the United States for global warming,\advocates said on Thursday.


Panel Calls for Sweeping U.N. Reform (AP) AP - A high-level panel called for sweeping reform of the United Nations in the wake of bitter divisions over the U.S.-led war in Iraq, with proposals to expand the Security Council and to give the powerful body clear guidelines for authorizing preventive military attacks.


Putin Critical of New Ukraine Vote Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday sharply criticized the Ukrainian opposition's proposal to hold a repeat of the nation's disputed presidential runoff, telling Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma that a revote "would yield nothing."


Calpers President Voted Out   Sean Harrigan was ousted from his post as president of the \$177 billion California Public Employees' Retirement System. In a 3 to 2 vote in San Francisco, the California state Personnel Board pulled Harrigan from Calpers, where he had served for five years. Elected as Calpers board president in February 2003, Harrigan is a longtime union official and an advocate for corporate governance reform. He persuaded institutional investors to withhold votes for Walt Disney's Michael D. Eisner as board chairman, and he led a drive to withhold votes for Safeway chief executive Steven A. Burd while the union was on strike against the company. Ron Alvarado will succeed Harrigan beginning Jan. 1, a board spokeswoman said.