Google Cuts IPO Price Range (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc., the Web search engine, on\Wednesday slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited\initial public offering to between  #36;85 and  #36;95 per share from\ #36;108 to  #36;135 per share.


Bank of America Plans Big Layoffs -Paper (Reuters) Reuters - Bank of America Corp. (BAC.N), plans\on Wednesday to lay off hundreds of tellers and other employees\at Fleet bank branches, and ask them to leave immediately, the\Boston Globe said on Wednesday, citing documents it obtained\and Fleet branch managers.


Oil Prices Hold Near \$47 on Iraq Threat  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices held steady near \$47 a barrel  on Wednesday a day after setting yet another record when the  United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, said inflation  had stayed in check despite rising energy costs.


Greek Sprinters Withdraw From Olympics (AP) AP - Top Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou withdrew Wednesday from the Athens Games, nearly a week after the duo missed a drug test and were hospitalized after a mysterious motorcycle crash.


Teixeira Hits for Cycle in Rangers' Win (AP) AP - Mark Teixeira needed only a single to hit for the cycle, and his Texas Rangers teammates wanted to see him make some baseball history.


De Bruijn Leads the Way in 100 Freestyle Heats  ATHENS (Reuters) - Triple Sydney Olympic champion Inge de  Bruijn, who lost her 100 meters butterfly title on Sunday,  posted the fastest heat time as she opened the defense of her  100 freestyle crown on Wednesday.


Mayo Likely to Miss Tour of Spain  MADRID (Reuters) - Leading Spanish cyclist Iban Mayo will  probably miss next month's Tour of Spain because of a suspected  viral infection, his team manager said on Wednesday.


China Detains Eight Roman Catholic Priests -Group  BEIJING (Reuters) - China has detained eight Roman Catholic  priests in northern Hebei province, continuing a crackdown on  those loyal to the Pope, a U.S.-based religious right group  said on Wednesday.


No SEC Decision on Google IPO Paperwork SAN JOSE, Calif. - Google Inc.'s plans to move ahead with its initial public stock offering ran into a roadblock when the Securities and Exchange Commission didn't approve the Internet search giant's regulatory paperwork as requested...


Eight Terror Suspects Face British Charges LONDON - Two of the suspects allegedly had surveillance plans of the Prudential Building in Newark, N.J., mentioned in the Aug. 1 U.S...


BHP Announces Record Annual Profit Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton on Wednesday announced Australia #39;s biggest ever annual net profit, US\$3.51 billion (euros 2.84 billion), thanks to soaring demand.


Nestle Profit Rises; Commodity Prices to Crimp Growth (Update4) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Nestle SA, the world #39;s largest food company, said first-half profit rose 2.1 percent, less than forecast, as sales in Western Europe declined and costs for sugar, energy and packaging materials increased.


CA acquires PestPatrol Over the past year, spyware has become an increasing problem. Every time that you visit a web site, you must run the gauntlet of a variety of pop-up adverts, any of which can be programmed to place spyware on your computer.


Greek duo quit Olympics The two Greek sprinters who missed drug tests prior to the start of the Athens Olympics today withdrew from the games.


Keller leads relay upset of Aussies ATHENS - Klete Keller says he likes to run with the bulls. Talks a little bull, too. But he doesn #39;t kid around in the water.


Americans bounce back Athens -- Allen Iverson scored 17 points, even with the broken thumb on his shooting hand, as the United States rebounded from a shocking opening-game loss to beat Greece 77-71 at the men #39;s Olympic basketball tournament yesterday.


Just 16 centuries later, we return to Olympia You remember, of course, Armenian Prince Varazdates and the spectacle of his boxing triumph. And who can forget Zopyros of Athens, wrestling-boxing his way to the junior pankration crown.


Selig to get 3-year extension Major League Baseball #39;s owners will convene in Philadelphia today for two days of meetings that will culminate with a coronation of sorts.


Downer up-beat on North Korean nuclear talks Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has offered an up-beat assessment at the end of talks in Pyongyang about the North Korean nuclear crisis.


Australian opposition leader hospitalised with pancreatitis CANBERRA : Australian opposition leader Mark Latham is in hospital with an inflamed pancreas, his office said.


US sweeps away slide in volleyball The United States had lost nine straight Olympic matches, dating to the Atlanta Games in 1996. Clay Stanley made sure it didn't continue.


Olympics sport solid ratings Gyms worldwide were dark in anticipation of the Olympic gymnastics competition, NBC's Al Trautwig said this week in a dramatic introduction -- and then the cameras pulled back to reveal row after row of empty seats in Athens.


Google Slashes IPO Price Range (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc., the Web search engine, on\Wednesday slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited\initial public offering to between  #36;85 and  #36;95 per share from\ #36;108 to  #36;135 per share.


Sprints More Fun Without Jones, Says Ferguson  ATHENS (Reuters) - With no clear-cut favorite, the women's  sprints at the Athens Olympics will be more exciting than they  were four years ago when Marion Jones dominated, according to  Caribbean sprinters Debbie Ferguson and Veronica Campbell.


Bomb found near Berlusconi villa Italy police defuse a  bomb  near Silvio Berlusconi's holiday villa, hours after a visit by the UK's Tony Blair.


Google Slashes IPO Price Range NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc., the Web search engine, on Wednesday slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited initial public offering to between \$85 and \$95 per share from \$108 to \$135 per share.


Prices drop in July WASHINGTON  Con-sumer prices in July fell nationally by 0.1 percent and in the New York metro region by 0.2 percent as gasoline prices dropped, the US Labor Department said yesterday.


Bank of America Plans Big Layoffs -Paper NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp. (BAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , plans on Wednesday to lay off hundreds of tellers and other employees at Fleet bank branches, and ask them to leave immediately, the Boston Globe said on Wednesday, citing ...


Air France raises ticket prices PARIS (Reuters) - French flag carrier Air France is raising its ticket prices by up to 12 euros (8 pounds) per flight leg, joining a number of other airlines in passing on higher jet fuel costs to passengers.


Netscape Revamped With Mozilla 1.7 Netscape Communications has released Netscape 7.2, successor to the older version 7.1, which was released in mid-2003. The new release is based on version 1.7 of Mozilla, the most recent version of the Mozilla Internet application suite.


Two golds make Phelps #39; day Michael Phelps showed no signs of either yesterday, swimming to two gold medals in the span of an hour at the Athens Olympic Games.


Olympia oozes Games history OLYMPIA, GREECE -- Great players will walk upon a historic stage today at the Ancient Olympia Stadium.


US choose Devers to replace Edwards Gail Devers and LaShaunte #39;a Moore will replace banned world champion Torri Edwards in the Olympic 100 and 200 metres races.


Top players need more rest, says Eriksson WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has urged the international soccer authorities to preserve the health of the world superstar footballers for major tournaments, who expressed his will in Slaley of England on Tuesday ...


Rae got what he deserved - Dadu The player kicked in the head by Alex Rae believes the five-match ban imposed on the Rangers midfielder was just.


Britain arrests 8 suspects linked to US terror alert Accused of conspiring to commit murder. Alleged Al-Qa #39;ida operative charged with possessing plans of US financial institutions ...


Israel #39;s Likud faces major vote after controversial settlement decision JERUSALEM : Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon #39;s Likud party votes on Sharon #39;s intention to bring the opposition Labour party into government, the day after he gave the green light to the construction of 1,000 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West ...


Police defuse bomb after Blair #39;s visit Police have defused a bomb near the Sardinian holiday home of Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, just hours after a visit by Tony Blair.


Girlfriend #39;s Family Welcome Backpacker Murder Trial The family of Joanne Lees today welcomed the announcement that a mechanic is to stand trial in Australia for the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio.


Euro Stocks Slip  LONDON (Reuters) - High oil prices weighed on investor  sentiment across financial markets on Wednesday as the price of  crude stuck stubbornly close to \$47 a barrel.


Arafat Says Palestinians Made 'Mistakes' (AP) AP - In a rare admission, Yasser Arafat suggested Wednesday that the Palestinian leadership has made "mistakes" and promised to correct them.


No New Closures of Japan Nuclear Reactors Needed (Reuters) Reuters - No more Japanese nuclear reactors need to\be closed for inspections, electric power companies said on\Wednesday after submitting reports ordered by the government\following a reactor accident that killed four workers last\week.


Invasion alert in DR Congo town Security is stepped up in the border town of Bukavu after Rwanda and Burundi said they could send troops into Democratic Republic of Congo.


Blair's 'Freebie' Summer Holidays Irk Britons (Reuters) Reuters - Two continents. Three luxury mansions\courtesy of friends. Endless sun and sea. And a front-row seat\for the Olympics to boot.


Karzai Promises Afghans Security for Election  KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai  promised Afghans greater security when they go to vote in the  country's first ever democratic election during an independence  day speech on Wednesday.


Blair's 'Freebie' Summer Holidays Irk Britons  LONDON (Reuters) - Two continents. Three luxury mansions  courtesy of friends. Endless sun and sea. And a front-row seat  for the Olympics to boot.


Medical Experts Fear Charley's Aftermath PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Bill Nylander survived Hurricane Charley, but the storm still managed to hurt him days after it cut a swath of destruction through his hometown...


BHP Billiton 2nd-Half Net Doubles on Commodity Prices (Update3) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- BHP Billiton, the world #39;s biggest mining company, more than doubled second-half profit as Chinese demand boosted commodity prices and said it may return as much as \$2 billion to investors, including through share buybacks.


Update 2: Philippine Shares Close Lower Philippine shares finished lower Wednesday on selling triggered by a clutch of negative financial news and the steep fall of blue-chip Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. #39;s American depositary receipts, traders said.


Qualcomm drops licensing suit against TI LOS ANGELES (Reuters)  Qualcomm has dropped an \$18 million claim for monetary damages from rival Texas Instruments for publicly discussing terms of a licensing pact, a TI spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.


Palm extends Wi-Fi range The PalmOne Wi-Fi SD card has finally arrived, but only for users with the most up to date models. The card is only compatible with two top of the range handsets, the Zire 72 and Tungsten T3.


Heavy fighting erupts in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Heavy fighting has broken out between US troops and Shi #39;ite militiamen in the Iraqi city of Najaf after a peace delegation failed to broker a truce to end nearly two weeks of clashes.


Making Free IPods Pay Off The FreeiPods.com website looks as phony as a \$3 bill. In fact, it's at the forefront of performance-based marketing, as advertisers discover it's more effective to spend \$50 million on gifts than to blow the cash on TV ads. By Leander Kahney.


Explosion Hits Iraq Foreign Ministry (AP) AP - A large explosion hit central Baghad on Wednesday close to a convention center where a key national gathering of political, religious and civic leaders entered its final day.


Maoist Rebels Block Land Routes to Nepali Capital  NAGDHUNGA, Nepal (Reuters) - Maoist rebels, fighting to  topple Nepal's constitutional monarchy, cut off all land routes  to the Himalayan kingdom's capital on Wednesday, disrupting  food and supplies to the city of 1.5 million people.


Google Slashes IPO Price Range  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc., the world's most popular  Web search engine, on Wednesday slashed the price range on its  eagerly awaited initial public offering (IPO) to between \$85  and \$95 per share from between \$108 and \$135 per share.


Arafat Urges Palestinians to 'Correct Mistakes' (Reuters) Reuters - Palestinian President\Yasser Arafat, under pressure to enact anti-corruption reforms,\said on Wednesday that some officials had misused their posts\and urged efforts to correct "all the mistakes."


Two bombs discovered in Sardinia after Berlusconi-Blair meet (AFP) AFP - Police discovered two bombs near the Sardinian villa of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, just hours after he met his British counterpart Tony Blair on the island.


Global miner BHP Billiton posts record net profit as demand soars (AFP) AFP - Global mining giant BHP Billiton posted the biggest net profit in Australian corporate history as soaring commodities prices and strong demand from China pushed net profit up 83 percent to 3.51 billion US dollars.


Arafat Urges Palestinians to 'Correct Mistakes'  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President  Yasser Arafat, under pressure to enact anti-corruption reforms,  said on Wednesday that some officials had misused their posts  and urged efforts to correct "all the mistakes."


China Detains Eight Priests and a Living Buddha -Groups  BEIJING (Reuters) - China has detained eight Roman Catholic  priests in a crackdown on those loyal to the Pope and arrested  a "Living Buddha" for arousing superstition at the re-opening  of a temple, U.S. groups said on Wednesday.


Walker Slam Leads Cardinals Past Reds (AP) AP - Larry Walker has learned quickly that St. Louis Cardinals' fans know how to celebrate.


Fighting Rages in Najaf After Peace Bid Fails  NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Heavy fighting broke out between  U.S. troops and Shi'ite militiamen in the Iraqi city of Najaf,  where Iraq's interim defense minister said he expected a  "decisive battle" to take place on Wednesday.


Crypto researchers abuzz over flaws ZDNet UK: Encryption circles are buzzing with news that mathematical functions embedded in common security applications have previously unknown weaknesses.


UA #39;s Beard swims to silver in medley debut ATHENS - American swimmer Michael Phelps collected two more gold medals Tuesday, but even he knew he wasn #39;t the story of the day from the Summer Olympics in Athens.


Celebrating human spirit, in all its impurity What if the Olympic Games --started here 2,780 years ago, right in this fertile, ancient town in the western Peloponnesus some 200 miles from Athens -- really mean something? ...


Security tightened after fan takes a plunge More security will be placed around the fields of play at the Olympics after a man who wanted to send  #39; #39;a loving message to his wife #39; #39; jumped into the diving pool, the Athens Organizing Committee said.


Labor determined to reopen children overboard inquiry Labor says there appears to have been pressure from the Prime Minister #39;s office on a public servant and it #39;s reaffirmed its determination to reopen the Senate inquiry into the matter.


4 killed, 2 missing as Typhoon Megi hits western Japan TOKYO, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Four people were killed and two others missing as Typhoon Megi hit west Japan #39;s Kagawa and Ehime prefectures on Wednesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.


Wall Street Set to Open Down (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. shares were expected to open lower\on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high overnight,\while Web search engine Google Inc. dented sentiment as it\slashed the price range on its initial public offering.\In a statement posted on its IPO Web site, Google said it had\cut the range on its IPO to  #36;85- #36;95 per share from  #36;108- #36;135\previously, a 26 percent reduction at the mid-point of the\range.


U.S. Crude Sets New Record  #36;47 a Barrel (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. oil futures set a new record  #36;47.01\a barrel on Wednesday after a new threat against Iraq's oil\sector by rebel Shi'ite militia.  U.S. crude traded up 26 cents\to set a new high in the 21-year history of the New York\Mercantile Exchange contract.


First Look at Microsoft Money 2005 This Web-savvy update syncs with MSN accounts, but you'll want to be aware of some functionality requirements and service limitations.


Google slashes IPO price range NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google, the world #39;s most popular Web search engine, has slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited initial public offering to between \$85 and \$95 per share from between \$108 and \$135 per share.


Canada begins probe of Nortel #39;s accounting TORONTO -- Shares of Nortel Networks edged lower yesterday after Canadian officials said they were opening a criminal investigation into accounting practices at the telecommunications equipment maker.


PalmOne Wi-Fi card: a first look Want to add Wi-Fi connectivity to your PalmOne Tungsten T3 or Zire 72 handheld? Your wait is almost over.


Kenteris and Thanou Quit Games After an hour of interrogation by a three-man IOC disciplinary panel at the Hilton Hotel this morning, Kenteris emerged amid chaotic scenes to declare that in the national interest he would not be defending the 200metres title he won in Sydney four ...


Bomb found near Berlusconi villa Italian police today said they had defused a bomb near the Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi #39;s Sardinian holiday villa, only hours after a visit by the prime minister, Tony Blair.


Burundi Urges Sanctions on Rebels Over Massacre DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Burundi will urge regional leaders at a summit on Wednesday to impose sanctions against the rebel Hutu Forces for National Liberation (FNL), blamed for the slaughter of more than 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees in ...


Australian foreign minister ends  #39;productive #39; North Korea talks Australia #39;s foreign minister, Alexander Downer, has wrapped up talks in North Korea on the stand-off over the country #39;s efforts to develop nuclear weapons.


Australian terrorist seeks deal to testify in foreign trials SYDNEY : Australia #39;s first convicted terrorist, who confessed to conspiring with Al-Qaeda to blow up the Israeli embassy in Canberra, wants a deal in exchange for testifying against terror suspects in foreign courts.


Wall Street Set to Open Down  LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. shares were expected to open lower  on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high overnight,  while Web search engine Google Inc. dented sentiment as it  slashed the price range on its initial public offering.


Google reduces IPO price range; SEC approval awaited NEW YORK, August 18 (New Ratings)  Google Inc has reportedly reduced its expected IPO price range to \$85-\$95 per share, from the previously expected price range of \$108-\$135 per share. The company is unlikely to price its shares until the market closes ...


Crude Oil Prices Climb to Record Before US Inventory Report Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil prices rose to a record in New York before a government report that #39;s expected to show the third straight weekly drop in US crude oil inventories.


Phelps #39; gold rush ATHENS, Greece - The night before, Michael Phelps had stood by the pool with a strained smile and a bronze medal, his quest for Olympic immortality dashed, his million-dollar bonus lost, his gold medal count stuck on one.


Games go eons back in time today ATHENS, Greece  The slogan for these Olympics is,  quot;Welcome Home. quot; But the Games really go home today, when the men #39;s and women #39;s shot put are held in the excavated stadium of ancient Olympia, which started all this madness in 776 BC ...


NHL: No progress in talks With less than a month remaining before the current collective bargaining agreement expires, representatives for the NHL and the Players #39; Association met for nearly 4 1/2 hours yesterday without making any progress on a new CBA.


Fighting Rages in Najaf After Peace Bid Fails NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Heavy fighting broke out between US troops and Shi #39;ite militiamen in the Iraqi city of Najaf, where Iraq #39;s interim defense minister said he expected a  quot;decisive battle quot; to take place on Wednesday.


Internet pharmacies get go-ahead The government gives the green-light to internet-only pharmacies in England.


Karzai urges neighbours to stop militants crossing borders (AFP) AFP - President Hamid Karzai has called on neighbouring countries to prevent militants crossing into Afghanistan through poorly monitored borders and cooperate in the "fight against terror."


Poll: Kerry Continues to Hold Edge in Pa. (AP) AP - Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry is maintaining a slight lead over President Bush in the battleground state of Pennsylvania with crucial support from veterans and military families, according to a poll released Wednesday.


Najaf clashes as truce talks fail Fighting resumes in the Iraqi city of Najaf between US troops and Shia militias after an abortive peace bid.


N Korea food prices 'rocket' Changes in North Korea's economy have led to spiralling food prices many people cannot afford, the UN says.


Two die in South Ossetia fighting Clashes with separatists in the breakaway region of South Ossetia kill two Georgian soldiers.


Iraq Won't Send New Delegation to Najaf BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's National Conference refused Wednesday to send a second delegation to the holy city of Najaf to negotiate an end to fighting between U.S. troops and loyalists of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a day after he rebuffed their demand for a meeting...


A DIFFERENT SPIN (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - As surely as CDs followed vinyl, there was bound to be a successor to the DVD spinning around in research labs.


Sex spam clogs summer in-boxes Summer is associated with romance and spammers are trying to cash in by bombarding inboxes with porn.


US children 'abandoned in Africa' Texas authorities are investigating claims that a US mother left her seven adopted children in Nigeria and went to work in Iraq.


Pakistan issues \$1m al-Qaeda list Pakistan offers rewards totalling more than \$1m for the capture of six top al-Qaeda suspects.


Sex spam clogs summer in-boxes Summer is traditionally associated with romance and spammers are trying to cash in by bombarding inboxes with porn.


Update 14: Google Lowers Its IPO Price Range In a sign that Google Inc. #39;s initial public offering isn #39;t as popular as expected, the Internet search giant lowered its estimated price range to between \$85 and \$95 per share, down from its earlier prediction of \$108 and \$135 per share.


Oil hits new record on fresh Iraq threat LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices have surged to a new high of \$47 a barrel after a new threat by rebel militia against Iraqi oil facilities, and as the United States says inflation has stayed in check despite rising energy costs.


Halliburton gets more time to justify bills to US Army NEW YORK, August 18 (New Ratings)  The Halliburton Company (HAL.NYS) has reportedly gained more time to justify its bills to the US Army, regarding the company #39;s contract to provide logistic services to the US troops in Iraq.


Swisscom Confirms Possible Merger Talks Telecommunications companies Swisscom AG and Telekom Austria AG are in talks over a possible merger, Swisscom said in a statement late Tuesday.


AOL releases Netscape browser update Version 7.2 is the first update since mid-2003. The new release is based on version 1.7 of Mozilla, the most recent version of the Mozilla internet application suite.


Attachmate Heightens Security, Centralises Management and Brings Microsoft Usability to Host Access with EXTRA! ... Specialist in productivity-enhancing host access, Attachmate, today announces the launch of  #39;next generation #39; emulation with EXTRA! Mainframe Server Edition version 8.0 for Windows XP. EXTRA! Mainframe Server Edition offers: 1) complete security framework ...


Save The Whales! Then What? AP DE BON DESIR, Quebec, Aug. 11 - A few miles from this spit along the pink granite coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, there is a sheltered cove that has witnessed the full span of the human relationship with whales.


Sprinters #39; Withdrawals Lift Cloud Over Games ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece #39;s top two sprinters pulled out of the Olympics on Wednesday after inflicting six days of embarrassment on their country over a hide-and-seek contest with anti-doping enforcers.


Shot put history in Olympia ANCIENT OLYMPIA (Reuters) - American Kristin Heaston launched the shot 16.41 metres to become the first woman to compete at Olympia in the first athletics meeting in the tree-lined grove since the ancient Games were abolished in AD 393.


Bomb found near Berlusconi villa POLICE defused a bomb near Premier Silvio Berlusconi #39;s villa on the island of Sardinia early today following a tip-off from a radical leftist group, shortly after a visit by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.


Three Georgian servicemen killed in South Ossetia MOSCOW, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Three Georgian servicemen were killed while five others were wounded in overnight fighting in Georgia #39;s breakaway province of South Ossetia, Russian news agencies reported, citing Georgian officials.


OPEC: 'Very Small' Impact from Surge  LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC producers have said they see little  impact on economic growth so far from oil's relentless price  surge, which Wednesday racked up yet another record high.


Pakistan Mobile Phone Firms Vie for Pent-Up Demand (Reuters) Reuters - Tens of thousands of Pakistanis\endured hours of stifling heat this week to accept an offer of\free mobile phone connections, a sign of the pent-up demand in\a country where cell phone usage has remained low.


Pakistan Mobile Phone Firms Vie for Pent-Up Demand  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Pakistanis  endured hours of stifling heat this week to accept an offer of  free mobile phone connections, a sign of the pent-up demand in  a country where cell phone usage has remained low.


Huge waves erode British coast Waves over 20m high are getting bigger, more frequent and are eroding Britain's Atlantic coast, experts say.


Chinese Official Sentenced to Death (AP) AP - An official once in charge of guarding cultural relics has been sentenced to death in China's biggest antiquities theft case since the start of communist rule in 1949.


Iraq Won't Send New Delegation to Najaf Iraq's National Conference refused today to send a second delegation to negotiate an end to fighting between U.S. troops and loyalists of Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr.


Google Sharply Reduces IPO Share Price Google, Inc. significantly cut the expected share price for its initial public stock offering this morning, signaling lower-than-anticipated demand for the most highly publicized new stock since the late 1990s.


Stocks Are Seen Off a Touch at Open US stocks are seen off a touch at the open Wednesday as the price of oil continues to plague investor sentiment.


Bank Of America Announced Layoffs BOSTON (AP) -- The layoffs are a result of Bank America #39;s merger with FleetBoston Financial Corporation.


Cassini finds two little Saturn moons The two newly spotted, faint moons are about 3 miles and 4 miles across, and roughly 200,000 kilometres from Saturn #39;s centre.


IBM #39;s New Midrange Server Allows Multiple OS Environments IBM #39;s new eServer allows users to run multiple OS environments at the same time to increase efficiency. Customers can purchase the machine based on the processing power they need. The server comes in configurations from one to four-way and ...


Phelps Advances in 200-Meter Medley ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps, seeking his sixth medal of the Athens Olympics, advanced in the 200-meter individual medley Wednesday with a conservative swim.


Ump says Ozzie threw spitter According to White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, umpire Hunter Wendelstedt filed a claim that said Guillen spat on him during an Aug. 9 argument, a big reason Guillen was dealt with so severely by Major League Baseball.


Najaf truce offer rejected Militia fighters loyal to the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr today continued to battle US soldiers in Najaf, hours after a delegation from Iraq #39;s national conference had left the city empty-handed when its truce offer was turned down.


Bomb Found on Island Hours after Blair Visit Police defused a bomb near Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi #39;s villa in Sardinia early today shortly after Tony and Cherie Blair ended a visit to the Italian leader.


Don #39;t use Pearl as electoral pawn, family tells politicians The family of the murdered journalist Daniel Pearl has appealed to American politicians not to use his name in their election campaigns.


Mortgage Applications Jump in Aug 13 Week (Reuters) Reuters - New applications for U.S. home loans\rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage\interest rates fell to their lowest level in over four months,\an industry group said on Wednesday.


Mortgage Applications Jump in Aug 13 Week  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for U.S. home loans  rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage  interest rates fell to their lowest level in over four months,  an industry group said on Wednesday.


High oil prices not hurting German economy: Schroeder (AFP) AFP - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said that the hike in oil prices was not currently hurting the eurozone's biggest economy but that he was closely watching the cost of crude.


Rocket Slams Into Iraqi Market, Killing 5 (AP) AP - A rocket slammed into a busy market in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Wednesday, killing at least five civilians, a U.S. military spokeswoman said.


Google Sharply Reduces IPO Share Price Google, Inc. significantly cut the expected share price this morning for its initial public stock offering, signaling lower-than-anticipated demand for the most highly publicized new stock since the late 1990s.


E-passports to put new face on old documents Countries begin test programs--get ready for a facial scan the next time you take an overseas flight.


Eight to appear in London court on terror plot charges (AFP) AFP - Eight men arrested in anti-terrorist raids two weeks ago were set to appear in a high-security court in London on charges of conspiracy to murder and plotting radioactive, chemical or explosive attacks.


Arafat admits 'mistakes' to MPs Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat makes a rare admission that "unacceptable mistakes" have been made under him.


Stocks Are Seen Off a Touch at Open NEW YORK - U.S. stocks are seen off a touch at the open Wednesday as the price of oil continues to plague investor sentiment...


Arafat Admits Palestinians Made Mistakes RAMALLAH, West Bank - Yasser Arafat acknowledged Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority had made mistakes, but the rare admission appeared to be aimed more at deflecting criticism about his corrupt government than making real changes.    In a decade at the helm of the Palestinian Authority, Arafat has resisted attempts to get him to fight official corruption, reform the security services and relinquish some of his near-absolute powers...


Google Slashes IPO Price Range NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc., the world #39;s most popular Web search engine, slashed the price of its share offering Wednesday, as what had been touted as the hottest dot-com listing in years fell prey to worry about a slump in ...


Nortel shares down on news of criminal probe News of an RCMP criminal investigation of Nortel Networks and its financial accounting practices sent the company #39;s shares down slightly on Tuesday.


Florida may be insurance bellwether The palm trees that narrowly missed Leo Berard #39;s pondside condominium in Naples, Fla., when they toppled Friday spared him from major repairs on his second home.


Taxing bodies must approve lawsuit GALESBURG - Knox County State #39;s Attorney Paul Mangieri, discussing a lawsuit he plans to file against Maytag Corp., said Tuesday he was shocked when the company announced in October 2002 it was closing the Galesburg Refrigeration Products ...


Spammers in bed with virus carriers The majority of viruses intercepted by MessageLabs since January have the potential for spam distribution, according to a report by the e-mail security firm. It suggests that the virus authors are now making money by collaborating with spammers.


Microsoft unveils mainframe integration tool Microsoft has unveiled Host Integration Server (HIS) 2004, claiming that the legacy integration application will lower the cost of integrating existing IBM mainframe and midrange systems with Windows.


Sewage waters a tenth of world #39;s irrigated crops A tenth of the world #39;s irrigated crops - everything from lettuce and tomatoes to mangoes and coconuts - are watered by sewage. And much of that sewage is raw and untreated, gushing direct from sewer pipes into fields at the fringes of the developing ...


Ford scraps Oracle-based purchasing system Car giant Ford is reportedly abandoning a \$200m web-based purchasing project because it can #39;t get the software to work properly.


Sprinters Withdraw from Olympics Amid Swirling Controversies Two of Greeks most adored athletes have pulled themselves out of their host country #39;s Olympics. Sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou missed an International Olympic Committee mandatory drug test last week. Thanou and Kenteris were then involved ...


Tarnished silver for US women ATHENS, Greece -- The American women #39;s gymnasts were in contention for the team gold medal Tuesday night, needing a big finish to beat the Romanians. Courtney Kupets, who had to be replaced on the balance beam because of a pulled hamstring, decided to ...


Preview: England-Ukraine With 17 days to go before their World Cup qualifying campaign begins, England are back in action with plenty to prove after the disappointment of Euro 2004 elimination.


USA gets silver in kayak singles Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - American Rebecca Giddens captured the silver medal today in the Women #39;s K1 kayak singles competition at the Summer Olympics in Athens.


Bomb defused after Blair #39;s Italy visit ROME (Reuters) - A bomb has been defused overnight near the Sardinian holiday villa of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi hours after a visit by Tony Blair, Italian police say.


Downer upbeat after North Korea meetings MARK COLVIN: The Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, has met North Korea #39;s Foreign Minister and the President of the Supreme Peoples #39; Assembly in Pyongyang. As one of the few Western nations with diplomatic relations with the isolated totalitarian state, ...


Nepal #39;s Maoist Rebels Blockade Paralyzes Kathmandu Nepal #39;s capital, Kathmandu, has been paralyzed by Maoist rebels, who have imposed a virtual blockade of the city.


Pakistan Offers Bounties on Six Wanted Terror Suspects Pakistan has announced bounties and published photographs of six wanted terrorist suspects, including a senior al-Qaida operative accused of masterminding two attempts to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf.


Home users get key Windows update Microsoft is making its important security update for Windows XP available on auto-update servers today.


BioVeris Still May Lose Its Investment  BioVeris Corp. stands to lose most or all of its \$41.2 million investment in a joint venture with its chief executive's son if he doesn't raise money to keep it operating, the company said yesterday in its quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


3 Georgian Soldiers Slain in South Ossetia (AP) AP - Three Georgian peacekeepers were killed in overnight shooting in South Ossetia, officials said Wednesday, while Russia scoffed at Georgia's appeal for foreign mediation in the breakaway region where daily exchanges of gunfire have stoked fears of war.


Slavery's Harsh History Is Portrayed in Promised Land At the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, slavery's evil becomes palpable; so does a sense of progressive enlightenment.


Brookstone Posts a Narrower Loss (Reuters) Reuters - Brookstone Inc. (BKST.O), a retailer\specializing in gadgets and personal electronics, on Wednesday\posted a narrower quarterly loss on strong Father's Day sales\and raised its profit forecast for the full year.


Stocks to Watch on Wednesday, August 18  APPLIED MATERIALS INC. AMAT.O:


U.S. Men Qualify for Final in Shot Put (AP) AP - Two U.S. men advanced to the final of the shot put Wednesday, hoping to make even more history at the ancient site that gave birth to the Olympics 2,780 years ago.


Garda quiz two over African death Police in Ireland question two men arrested in Dublin in connection with the murder of the daughter of Malawi's chief justice.


Complaints follow Haiti acquittal The US and rights groups condemn the acquittal in Haiti of an ex-paramilitary leader accused of murder.


Unanimous vote to raise British interest rates: official minutes (AFP) AFP - The Bank of England's nine-member monetary policy committee voted unanimously to raise interest rates by 25 basis points to 4.75 percent earlier this month, official records showed.


Talbots Profit Meets Lowered Forecast (Reuters) Reuters - Clothing retailer Talbots Inc. (TLB.N)\on Wednesday posted a slight increase in quarterly profit,\meeting its lowered forecast, as it sold more merchandise at\full price and recorded a tax benefit.


High oil costs hit more airlines Air France becomes the latest major airline to raise ticket prices in response to higher fuel costs.


Million more in broadband's reach BT is lifting distance limits on broadband enabled exchanges, so that 1m more can get high-speed net.


Google Lowers Price Range The search-engine giant, which was expected to go public as early as Wednesday, instead has slashed the deal #39;s expected price range and cut the number of shares being sold by existing shareholder in half. The new parameters suggest a newly public Google ...


Pentagon flipflops, will pay Halliburton fully WASHINGTON - The US army said it had suspended its decision to partially withhold payments to Halliburton, the biggest US contractor in Iraq.


Report: Bank of America to lay off Fleet workers BOSTON A published report reveals that Bank of America plans to lay off hundreds of tellers and other branch employees at Fleet banks today.


Applied doubles revenue Applied Materials, the world #39;s largest manufacturer of chip-making tools, said on Tuesday that its third-quarter revenue doubled, leading to \$441 million in profit.


Sony Develops New Chip for More Real and Refined High Definition Video  quot;DRC quot; was developed in 1997 as a technology that changed a standard television signal format to a high-definition signal format, based on the concept of establishing a higher definition signal format from scratch. The foundation of this technology was ...


Athletes Return to Olympia Home After 1,611 Years (Update3) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Olympia, home of the Olympics for more than 12 centuries, hosted a track and field event for the first time in 1,611 years when the shot-putters of the Athens Games arrived at Greece #39;s most sacred sporting site.


Dampier headed to Mavericks? Longtime Warriors center Erick Dampier could be on the verge of finding a new home, 2 1/2 months after becoming a free agent.


SI.com LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Wilson Alvarez continues to pitch his best when the Los Angeles Dodgers need it most.


Rwanda, Burundi threaten with Congo invasion afrol News, 18 August - The governments of Rwanda and Burundi may again send troops into Congo Kinshasa (DRC) if Kinshasa does not finally take action against the militias still slaughtering Tutsis. Both claim Friday #39;s massacre was masterminded by ...


Soldier Killed in Action Named A British soldier killed after clashes with militia forces in the southern Iraqi city of Basra was today named as Lance Corporal Paul David Trevor Thomas.


Seiyu posts first half net loss on slower sales, higher costs (AFP) AFP - Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu, controlled by US retail giant Wal-Mart, said it incurred a net loss in the first half to June on the back of slow sales and early retirement costs.


Dollar Fights to Keep Off August Lows  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar struggled to pull away from  August lows on Wednesday as investors wondered whether the  Federal Reserve would raise interest rates next month after  another round of weak U.S. data in the previous session.


Japanese bank taps RFID for document security NEC Corp. has signed a contract with a Japanese bank for an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) -based document management system, the company said Tuesday in a statement.


Google drops target price, extends auction to Wednesday Google Inc. lowered the target price per share for its initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, and asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to give buyers additional time to reconsider their bids, according to a notice on the company's IPO Web site.


Summer storms lash Europe, deaths in France (AFP) AFP - Freak storms packing howling winds and heavy rain that lashed Britain and France this week were set to continue after already causing significant destruction and the deaths of at least four people.


Before-the-Bell: Taser Climbs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Taser International Inc.  TASR.O rose before the bell on Wednesday after the company  said it had received five orders totaling more than \$741,000  for its stun guns.


Google slashes target stock launch value (AFP) AFP - Internet research engine giant Google Incorporated slashed billions of dollars from the target launch valuation of its stock in a major upset for the biggest technology flotation since the dot.com bubble burst four years ago.


Singapore Suspends Some Poultry Imports (AP) AP - Singapore said Wednesday that it has suspended the import of all poultry and poultry products from neighboring Malaysia after avian influenza was discovered at a farm there.


Religion Experts Ask How Jesus Would Vote (AP) AP - Just a few miles from George W. Bush's former office at the state Capitol, a panel of religious experts weighed a question with relevance to many people of faith: How would Jesus vote?


Oil tops \$47 a barrel Crude oil prices reached a record high of \$47.04 (US) a barrel in pre-market trading Wednesday in New York on lingering concerns about supply from Iraq and Russia.


Refinancings soar 21 as rates slump Demand for new home loans and refinancings jump as interest rates slide amid weak economic reports. NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for US home loans rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage interest rates fell to their lowest ...


High oil costs hit more airlines Air France and KLM ticket prices are to rise after the carriers imposed further surcharges to counter high fuel costs.


Nestle Reports First Half Net Profit Nestle, the world #39;s biggest food and drink company, on Wednesday posted a first-half net profit of \$2.28 billion, up 0.02 percent on the year-earlier figure of \$2.03 billion.


Georgia Power wins ruling on research study Georgia Power and Savannah Electric will not have to pay for new research into energy-efficiency programs, the state Public Service Commission ruled Tuesday.


Home users get key Windows update From today home users will be able to get hold of Microsoft #39;s long-awaited update for Windows XP. The version of the SP2 security update for the Home Edition of XP has become available via its auto-update service.


This information has been provided by the State Statistics Committee The Cassini spacecraft has discovered two new moons at Saturn that may be the smallest bodies seen so far around the ringed planet, according to a NASA press release.


Greek sprinters #39; withdrawals lift cloud over Games ATHENS, Greece -- Greece #39;s top two sprinters pulled out of the Olympics today after inflicting six days of embarrassment on their country over a hide-and-seek contest with anti-doping enforcers.


Germany #39;s Schroeder confirms adopting Russian toddler German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder confirmed on Wednesday that he and his wife have adopted a child, reported to be a girl from a Russian orphanage, but has called on the media to respect his family #39;s privacy.


Before-the-Bell: Taser Climbs (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of Taser International Inc.\(TASR.O) rose before the bell on Wednesday after the company\said it had received five orders totaling more than  #36;741,000\for its stun guns.


Dillard's Posts Narrower 2nd-Quarter Loss (Reuters) Reuters - Dillard's Inc. (DDS.N) on Wednesday\reported a narrower quarterly loss as the department store\operator cut costs.


Gartner revises PC market forecast, warns of downside (MacCentral) MacCentral - The PC market won't grow as fast in 2004 as originally predicted by Gartner Inc. analysts, as concerns about the overall health of the U.S. economy weigh on the market, the market research company said.


Medical Experts Fear Charley's Aftermath PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Until the electricity hums again and the debris is cleared, health officials are worried that there could be more deaths and injuries in Hurricane Charley's aftermath than during the storm itself...


8 Terror Suspects Appear in British Court LONDON - Eight men accused of plotting to commit murder and cause mayhem with radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals or explosives appeared in court Wednesday in a case linked to a U.S. terror alert this month...


Greek Sprinters Withdraw From Olympics ATHENS, Greece - Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou pulled out of the Athens Games on Wednesday, nearly a week after they missed a drug test and were later hospitalized following a suspicious motorcycle crash.   "I'm withdrawing from the Olympics," Kenteris said after meeting with the International Olympic Committee's disciplinary commission...


Google Cuts Its IPO Price Range SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign that Google Inc.'s initial public offering will not be as hot or big as expected, the Internet search giant reduced the number of shares to be sold by insiders and slashed its estimated per-share price range...


Google Slashes Price of Shares in Initial Public Offering Google cut the price of its share offering today as the new listing fell prey to worry about a slump in demand.


How Old is the Milky Way? Observations by an international team of astronomers with the UVES spectrometer on ESO's Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory (Chile) have thrown new light on the earliest epoch of the Milky Way galaxy.


Google Lowers IPO Price, Limits Shares Google Lowers IPO Price, Limits Shares\\Google's IPO wasn't as popular as expected, apparently not as many fish bit at the Dutch Auction bait.  Google will be lowering its estimated price range to between \$85 and \$95 per share, down from its earlier prediction of \$108 and \$135 per share ...


American Swimmers Fired Up by Relay Win  ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. swimming team was slow off the  blocks but is heading for home at full speed propelled by  Tuesday's dramatic relay victory, U.S. women's head coach Mark  Schubert said on Wednesday.


U.S. Rowers Advance Americans Aquil Abdullah and Henry Nuzum row their double scull furiously down the stretch to cross the line in a dead heat with Norway on Wednesday, winning both teams a spot in a rare seven-boat final.


Google Confounds European Investors (Reuters) Reuters - Web surfers from Beijing to Berkeley\have made Google their search engine of choice, but some of\Europe's institutional investors have gone sour on the dot-com\on the eve of its initial public offering.


Home users get Windows update Microsoft is making its important security update for Windows XP available on auto-update servers today.


Assam strike over rebel attacks A general strike called by students in the state to protest against rebel bombings brings life to a standstill.


Google Slashes the Size of Its IPO NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its closely watched initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.


Yukos sells gas stake YUKOS has sold a 56 per cent stake in a Siberian natural gas company to the Anglo-Russian joint venture TNK-BP to pay off its crushing tax bill, Western oil sources and media reports said today.


Futures point lower US stock futures pointed to a weaker start Wednesday as rising oil prices and a major price cut for Google Inc. #39;s highly anticipated initial public offering raised investors #39; eyebrows.


Airlines under pressure from soaring fuel price PARIS (Reuters) - Europe #39;s largest carrier Air France-KLM has joined rivals in raising its ticket prices to offset soaring jet fuel costs, but a leading bank has questioned how effective the surcharges will be in protecting airline profits.


Costco Tests Casket Market NEW YORK (Reuters) - From the cradle to the grave. You can buy baby food, groceries, computers, furniture and a whole host of things at Costco -- now you can even find caskets at some of its stores.


Global miner BHP Billiton posts record net profit as demand soars SYDNEY : Global mining giant BHP Billiton posted the biggest net profit in Australian corporate history as soaring commodities prices and strong demand from China pushed net profit up 83 percent to 3.51 billion US dollars.


Nestle Net Rises 2.1, Less Than Forecast, on Costs (Update6) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Nestle SA, the world #39;s largest food company, said first-half profit rose 2.1 percent, less than forecast, as sales in Western Europe declined and costs for sugar, milk and packaging increased.


China Mobile increases earnings 7.8 HONG KONG China Mobile (Hong Kong), the world #39;s largest cellphone operator by customers, said Wednesday that first-half profit rose 7.8 percent from a year earlier after the company won more new customers than China Unicom by offering cheaper services.


Cassini-Huygens discovers two new Saturnian moons The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, a joint project of the US space administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency (ASI), has discovered two more small moons orbiting the planet Saturn, bringing the total to 33.


Greek Sprinters Withdraw From Olympics ATHENS, Greece Aug. 18, 2004  Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou pulled out of the Athens Games on Wednesday, nearly a week after they missed a drug test and were later hospitalized following a suspicious motorcycle crash.


Can the peace in Najaf be achieved? Delegates to the Iraqi national conference in Baghdad are holding an unscheduled fourth day of talks.


Georgian, South Ossitian Forces Continue Fighting Officials in Georgia say at least two soldiers have been killed and five wounded in the latest battles with separatist fighters in the breakaway region of South Ossetia.


China battles for North Korea nuclear talks  quot;We believe the six parties have the willingness to continue to promote the procedure of peaceful talks, quot; China #39;s Foreign Ministry said.  quot;We ...


Nepal rebels cut off routes to capital in first-ever blockade KATHMANDU : Maoist rebels cut off routes to Nepal #39;s capital Kathmandu in their first blockade of the city since they launched their insurgency to overthrow the constitutional monarchy eight years ago.


Annan: Burmese Democracy Will Fail Without Participation By Opposition UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says the Burmese military government #39;s plan for democracy will fail without input from the opposition National League for Democracy.


Philippine Rebels Free Troops, Talks in Doubt PRESENTACION, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine communist rebels freed Wednesday two soldiers they had held as  quot;prisoners of war quot; for more than five months, saying they wanted to rebuild confidence in peace talks with the government.


Stocks Set to Open Lower as Oil Hits High  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks are set to open lower on  Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high overnight and  Google Inc. slashed its initial public offering price, which  appeared to dampen investor sentiment.


Zoo Separates Baby Rhino from Clumsy Mother (Reuters) Reuters - Vets at a Berlin zoo have been forced to\separate a baby rhino from his mother for fear she may\accidentally trample him to death, zoo officials said on\Tuesday.


Hong Kong Politician's Detention Condemned (AP) AP - Human rights activists on Wednesday condemned the detention of a Hong Kong pro-democracy politician for allegedly having sex with a prostitute, and his sentencing without trial to six months of "re-education through labor."


Dillard's Loss Narrows But Off Estimates  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dillard's Inc. DDS.N on Wednesday  reported a narrower quarterly loss as it cut costs, but a drop  in same-store sales caused the latest results to miss Wall  Street's estimates by a wide margin.


Eurozone inflation rate falls in July BRUSSELS, August 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Eurozone annual inflation fell from 2.4 percent in June to 2.3 percent in July 2004, the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), reported on Wednesday.


US Sighs with Relief But Basketball Concerns Linger ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States men #39;s basketball team could breathe a sigh of relief on Wednesday after its first win but lingering concerns over a lack of outside shooting and team defense have coach Larry Brown scrambling for ...


Zijlaard-van Moorsel wins women #39;s road individual time trial ATHENS, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Dutch legendary cyclist Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel won women #39;s road individual time trial at Athens Olympics with a time of 31:11.53 on Wednesday, ahead of Deirdre Demet-Barry of United States and Karin Thuerig of ...


Najaf militants given hours to surrender or face lesson BAGHDAD, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraqi Defence Minister Hazem al-Shaalan on Wednesday demanded Shiite militants in the holy city of Najaf surrender within hours, or the Iraqi troops would launch a large-scale attack on them.


Burundi Summit Expected to Focus on Massacre African regional leaders gather Wednesday, in Tanzania for a summit on Burundi #39;s peace process, but the recent massacre of Congolese Tutsi in a UN refugee camp is expected to be high on the agenda.


Monsanto Says Justice Dept Closes Inquiry (Reuters) Reuters - Monsanto Co. (MON.N) on Wednesday said\the U.S. Justice Department has closed an inquiry into\potential antitrust issues regarding a key ingredient used in\its Roundup herbicide.


Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent (Reuters) Reuters - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (BWS.N) on\Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt\by slack sales from its children's unit, Bass wholesale\business and Naturalizer chain.


Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. BWS.N on  Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt  by slack sales from its children's unit, Bass wholesale  business and Naturalizer chain.


SAP users warned of false support calls German business software vendor SAP AG issued a warning to customers not to provide confidential information on the phone to people claiming to be company support staff.


Five killed in Kashmir violence Separatist militants kill four members of a Muslim family while police shoot dead a senior militant leader in Kashmir.


U.S. Men Qualify for Final in Shot Put ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - Two U.S. men advanced to the final of the shot put Wednesday, hoping to make even more history at the ancient site that gave birth to the Olympics 2,780 years ago...


Google Cuts Its IPO Price Range SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign that Google Inc.'s initial public offering will not be as hot or big as expected, the Internet search giant slashed its estimated per-share price range and reduced the number of shares to be sold by insiders...


Oil Prices Surge to a New High Today Oil prices surged to a new high above \$47 a barrel spurred by concern for the safety of oil facilities in Iraq.


Iraqis Decline to Send 2nd Peace Mission to Najaf The decision was made today after the rebel cleric Moktada al-Sadr refused to meet with its first peace team on Tuesday.


Google lowers price range, number of shares, for its IPO When Internet search engine company Google, Inc., of Mountain View, begins to sell shares to the general public -- something expected to happen later this week -- the initial price is expected to be between \$85 and \$95 per share. The company had earlier ...


China Mobile Reports Jump in Profits China #39;s largest cell phone service provider, China Mobile (Hong Kong) Ltd., reported a 7.8 percent jump in first-half profits Wednesday as its number of subscribers rose by 23 percent.


Intel delays HDTV market debut Intel has delayed its planned entry into the widescreen high-definition television (HDTV) market until next year.


Script kiddies join forces with spammers The firm #39;s E-mail Security Intelligence report, which covers the first half of 2004, highlights the worrying trend of virus writers linking up with spammers; together they are creating a more refined threat to e-mail security.


Microsoft readies Host Integration Server 2004 Microsoft has announced the imminent availability of Host Integration Server 2004 in a bid to compete with IBM #39;s WebSphere.


Cryptography break threatens digital signatures Researchers in the field of cryptography have been successfully breaking the hash functions that are used to secure the privacy of electronic communications, threatening the integrity of digital signatures, according to a report on Slashdot.


Endurance swimmers short-changed at Olympics: Hackett Australia #39;s Olympic 1,500 metres champion Grant Hackett says long-distance swimmers are being robbed of their chance to shine at the Athens Games.


Oil at New Record  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices surged to a new high above  \$47 a barrel on Wednesday on evidence from major economies that  energy costs are not substantially slowing the economic growth  that fuels oil demand. Fresh threats by rebel militia in Iraq  against oil facilities helped underpin price gains.


Radiation and Drug Combo Help With Prostate Cancer By LINDSEY TANNER    CHICAGO (AP) -- Men with prostate cancer that doesn't appear to have spread have better survival chances when they get short-term hormone treatment along with standard radiation, rather than radiation alone, a small study found.    Almost five years after treatment, six men in the radiation-only study group died of prostate cancer; none of the men who got combined treatment died of prostate cancer...


Medical Experts Fear Hurricane Charley's Aftermath By MIKE SCHNEIDER     PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) -- Until the electricity hums again and the debris is cleared, health officials are worried that there could be more deaths and injuries in Hurricane Charley's aftermath than during the storm itself...


Malaysia's Sea Turtles Are in Trouble (AP) AP - Several species of sea turtles in Malaysia could vanish in a few years, largely due to illegal poaching of the creatures and their eggs, scientists warned on Wednesday.


Future Flyers: Pushing Forward for Personal Aircraft (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Ask science fiction fans about the future and no doubt they'll tell you it's full of flying cars.


Twisted Physics: How Black Holes Spout Off (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Black holes are complex beasts. Among their mysterious traits are intense jets of matter that sometimes shoot out from the rotational poles at nearly light-speed.


Kerry to Attack Bush Troop Withdrawal Plan (Reuters) Reuters - Democrat John Kerry on Wednesday\planned to attack President Bush's proposal to withdraw 70,000\American troops from Europe and Asia as a threat to national\security that could blunt the war on terror, campaign aides\said.


Google Cuts IPO Price by a Quarter to \$85-\$95 a Share (Update7) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., on the eve of pricing the second-biggest Internet initial public offering, slashed the value of the sale almost in half amid the worst market for US IPOs in almost two years.


Supply worries push oil to record Oil prices have continued their record-breaking run on Wednesday, busting through the \$47-mark amid concerns that demand will outstrip supply.


8/17/04 - Us Concerned About Yukos US officials have expressed concern about the fate of Yukos, the Russian oil company. Yukos shares have dropped sharply in value since the Russian government demanded it pay nearly three and a half billion dollars in back taxes. Russian authorities accuse ...


Dillard #39;s Posts Narrower 2Q Loss Dillard #39;s Inc. posted a narrower second-quarter loss Wednesday due to cost cutting, but missed Wall Street expectations by a whopping 15 cents per share.


Stocks Open Lower NEW YORK (Reuters) - US stocks fell at the open on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high and Google Inc. slashed its initial public offering price, which appeared to dampen investor sentiment.


E*Trade Says Customer Trading Dipped in July NEW YORK (Reuters) - E*Trade Financial Corp. (ET.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , a major online broker, on Wednesday said customer stock trading for the month of July dropped 1.6 percent from June as investors curbed their enthusiasm for trading stocks.


Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (BWS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt by slack sales from its children #39;s unit, Bass wholesale business and Naturalizer chain.


Cendant Steals Home Cendant #39;s (NYSE: CD) got many revenue streams, and apparently they all lead home. So perhaps it #39;s understandable to see the multifaceted company pull back from the pending sale of its mortgage business. Last month Cendant revealed that it was in talks to ...


Malaysia turtle nesting sites at risk -scientists KIJAL, Malaysia, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Malaysia, once a major breeding ground, is in danger of losing its ocean-roaming leatherback turtles as humans eat their eggs, trap them in fishing nets and encroach on nesting sites, scientists said on ...


American Swimmers Fired Up by Relay Win ATHENS (Reuters) - The US swimming team was slow off the blocks but is heading for home at full speed propelled by Tuesday #39;s dramatic relay victory, US women #39;s head coach Mark Schubert said on Wednesday.


Dope scandal athletes withdraw Greek Olympic 200 metre champion Costas Kenteris, the focus of an Olympic doping scandal, has withdrawn from the Athens Games  quot;out of a sense of responsibility quot;.


Renewed focus ends nightmare ATHENS, Greece  It began with Allen Iverson  The Answer, the captain, the leader of Team USA  forgetting about the fractured bone in his right thumb and courageously hitting the floor against Greece in full regalia.


Not quite good as gold THENS - The critical eye, firm hand and warm embrace of Bela Karolyi have molded women #39;s gymnastics for the past three decades, producing the perfection of Romania #39;s Nadia Comaneci in 1976 and the sparkle of America #39;s Mary Lou Retton in ...


Burundi police fire tear gas at massacre protest BUJUMBURA, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Police in Burundi #39;s capital Bujumbura fired tear gas at crowds on Wednesday, protesting against the massacre of at least 160 Congolese Tutsis at a United Nations refugee camp in the west of the country.


BellSouth:  #36;3.3 Bln Rise in Benefit Costs (Reuters) Reuters - BellSouth Corp. (BLS.N) said on\Wednesday its new labor contract had triggered a  #36;3.3 billion\increase in its estimates of future retiree medical costs,\reducing fourth-quarter earnings by 3 cents to 4 cents a share.


Crude Oil Prices Surge Again Crude oil prices surged again Wednesday, rising above \$47 a barrel amid lingering concerns in supply from Iraq and Russia.


UK challenge of India outsourcing The High Street bank could be facing legal action over the transfer sensitive customer data overseas to call centres in India.


Google, Set for Offering, Cuts Share Price by About a Quarter Google cut its price range to between \$85 and \$95 a share, down from \$108 to \$135, valuing the company at as much as \$25.8 billion.


Windows XP Security Update Delayed Microsoft Corp. has delayed automated distribution of a major security upgrade to its Windows XP Professional operating system, citing a desire to give companies more time to test it.


New PC Is Created Just for Teenagers This isn't your typical, humdrum, slate-colored computer. Not only is the PC known as the hip-e almost all white, but its screen and keyboard are framed in fuzzy pink fur. Or a leopard skin design. Or a graffiti-themed pattern.


Violence Tackled at Online Gaming Parlors Six days a week, teens crowd the Blue Screen Gaming cybercafe to hunt each other down with assault rifles inside virtual computer worlds. In these video game halls, nobody gets hurt. But real-life violence has flared around some of these businesses, prompting municipal crackdowns.


Web Site Shows New York Drug Prices New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who has sued many big-name drug makers for bilking the government with their drug prices, on Tuesday unveiled a Web site that allows consumers to compare prices at pharmacies in the state.


U.S. Broadband Growth Slows - Analyst

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. telephone and cable companiessaw the growth of high-speed Internet services slow in thesecond quarter to the lowest rate in a year, an industryresearch firm said on Tuesday.


Google Slashes Its IPO Price Range In a sign that Google Inc. (GOOG)'s initial public offering will not be as hot or big as expected, the Internet search giant slashed its estimated per-share price range and reduced the number of shares to be sold by insiders.


GB badminton duo make final Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms reach the final of the badminton mixed doubles.


Bomb Found in Town Near Berlusconi Villa (AP) AP - Police defused a bomb in a town near Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's villa on the island of Sardinia on Wednesday shortly after British Prime Minister Tony Blair finished a visit there with the Italian leader.


Just Keep It Peaceful, Protesters; New York Is Offering Discounts In a bid to keep protesters from disrupting the Republican National Convention, the Bloomberg administration is offering "peaceful political activists" discounts.


Huge boost to Darfur aid effort The World Food Programme is starting to airlift almost 100 more tons of food a day to Sudan's troubled Darfur region.


Google, Set for Offering, Cuts Share Price by About a Quarter oogle today cut the estimated price range of its initial stock offering by about a quarter, to between \$85 and \$95 a share, valuing the Internet search engine company by as much as \$25.8 billion.


BHP profit rises 78 on Chinese demand BHP Billiton on Wednesday reported its highest profit ever as it beefed up production to meet rising demand from China that bolstered prices for its copper, zinc, silver and lead.


BellSouth: \$3.3 Bln Rise in Benefit Costs WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BellSouth Corp. (BLS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday its new labor contract had triggered a \$3.3 billion increase in its estimates of future retiree medical costs, reducing fourth-quarter earnings by 3 cents to 4 ...


Military flipflops, will pay Halliburton fully WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has hastily reversed a decision to partially withhold payments to Halliburton, the biggest US contractor in Iraq.


Dillard #39;s misses estimates, shares plunge NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Dillard #39;s Inc. (DDS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday reported a narrower quarterly loss even after it cut costs, but a drop in same-store sales caused the latest results to miss Wall Street #39;s estimates by a wide ...


Barclays to Buy CIBC Credit Card Unit for \$293 Mln (Update1) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc, the UK #39;s third- biggest bank, agreed to buy Juniper Financial Corp. from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for \$293 million in cash to help expand its credit card business in North America.


Applied Materials Applied Materials (AMAT: news, chart, profile) shares were off two cents to \$16.05 in trading before the bell Wednesday and had wavered around break-even in late trading Tuesday after the results were announced.


Nestle #39;s 1st Half Net Profit Hits \$2.28B Nestle, the world #39;s biggest food and drink company, on Wednesday posted a first-half net profit of 2.84 billion Swiss francs (\$2.28 billion), up 0.02 percent on the year-earlier figure of 2.78 billion francs (then \$2.03 billion).


Ringtones are music to record labels #39; ears Rock bands have long prospered by living - and selling - images of hard living and brash poses. But sex, drugs and rock  #39;n #39; roll are no longer enough. The definition of cool for some acts now includes mobile phone ringtones.


Malaysia #39;s Sea Turtles Are in Trouble KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Several species of sea turtles in Malaysia could vanish in a few years, largely due to illegal poaching of the creatures and their eggs, scientists warned on Wednesday.


Kenteris and Thanou Withdraw; Thorpe Targets 3rd Gold (Update2) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Olympic sprint medalists Kostas Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou withdrew from the Athens Games, overshadowing the fifth day of competition in which Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe will compete for his third gold.


LeBron, USA Slide By Greece ATHENS, Greece -- Things are clearly far from perfect for the US Olympic men #39;s basketball team. But now, perfection isn #39;t important. Victories are. Against anybody.


US women crush South Korea for third straight blowout win ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Looking for answers to an offense that seemed out of synch, the United States finally found them.


Canadian tutu man gets five months for Olympic plunge A tutu-clad Canadian who jumped into the Olympic diving pool after a competition was convicted Wednesday of interrupting the games and sentenced to five months in jail. He was released pending an appeal.


Howard stands by overboard account PRIME Minister John Howard yesterday said his personal staff witnessed and backed his version of a sensitive phone call with former ministerial adviser Mike Scrafton over the children overboard affair.


Weak Ice Cream Sales Melt Nestle's Profit (Reuters) Reuters - Higher raw material costs and lower ice\cream sales in Europe ate into Nestle's (NESN.VX) first-half\results, sending shares in the world's largest food group down\over five percent on Wednesday amid concerns about its\long-term profitability.


Weak Ice Cream Sales Melt Nestle's Profit  ZURICH (Reuters) - Higher raw material costs and lower ice  cream sales in Europe ate into Nestle's NESN.VX first-half  results, sending shares in the world's largest food group down  over five percent on Wednesday amid concerns about its  long-term profitability.


ING to Withdraw \$5 Bln from Janus Funds  NEW YORK (Reuters) - ING U.S. Financial Services said it  will withdraw about \$5 billion from Janus Capital Group Inc.  funds by year-end.


Tech Goes for Gold in Athens The success of this year's Olympic games in Athens rides on the fruits of high-tech labor, no matter whether it's the security system, events results or studying sharkskin to build a better swimsuit. -washingtonpost.com


Hilton Offers Reward for Lost Chihuahua LOS ANGELES - It's been a rough month for hotel heiress Paris Hilton. First, her Hollywood Hills home was burglarized and now her pet Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, has disappeared...


Arafat Admits Palestinians Made Mistakes RAMALLAH, West Bank - Yasser Arafat acknowledged Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority has made "mistakes," but the rare admission appeared to be aimed more at deflecting criticism about his corrupt government than making real changes.    In a decade at the helm of the Palestinian Authority, Arafat has resisted attempts to get him to fight official corruption, reform the security services and relinquish some of his near-absolute powers...


Air Canada Stock Plunges on Review  MONTREAL (Reuters) - Shares of Air Canada  AC.TO fell by  more than half on Wednesday, after the Toronto Stock Exchange  said it was reviewing the company's stock to determine if it  meets listing requirements.


Pentagon Backs Off Halliburton The Pentagon backed off its threat to withold its monthly payment of about \$60 million a month from a Halliburton subsidiary, which provides services for troops.


Rival Targets Apple's iTunes Customers (AP) AP - For more than a year, Apple Computers Inc. enjoyed singular success selling songs exclusively to users of its iPod portable music player. Now, it's got rival RealNetworks Inc. trying to lure iTunes customers away.


Air Canada Stock Plunges on Review (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of Air Canada  (AC.TO) fell by\more than half on Wednesday, after the Toronto Stock Exchange\said it was reviewing the company's stock to determine if it\meets listing requirements.


U.S. Shooter Wins Gold American Kim Rhode rallied in the final rounds to win the gold medal in double trap Wednesday, staking a unique claim as the first and last winner of the Olympic event.


US says "getting nowhere" with crisis in Darfur (AFP) AFP - The international community is "getting nowhere" with the crisis in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, the US ambassador to the United Nations, John Danforth, said.


Utah's Smith Sets Sights on Heisman Award (AP) AP - So much has changed in Alex Smith's life the past two years, he's still trying to sort through it all.


Economies Not Yet Dented by Oil Prices  LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC oil producers and Chancellor  Schroeder of Germany, which is a prominent consumer, agree that  the remorseless rise in the price of crude has so far had  little impact on global economic growth.


Stocks Up; Investors Bottom Fishing  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were higher on Wednesday  as investors bought beaten-down shares, even as the price of  oil jumped to new 21-year record highs.


England reach for the painkillers as World Cup qualifiers loom (AFP) AFP - England's marketing men must have been tempted to approach the manufacturers of Alka Seltzer, the country's favourite hangover remedy, about sponsoring the international friendly with the Ukraine.


Delegate: Al-Sadr Agrees to Withdraw (AP) AP - Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has accepted a peace plan drafted by the Iraqi National Conference, which would include laying down arms and withdrawing his militia from a holy shrine in the city of Najaf, a delegate told the conference Wednesday.


Shanghai's Economy Grows 14.7 Percent (AP) AP - Shanghai's economy grew at a blistering 14.7 percent in the first seven months of the year, seemingly defying efforts to cool off China's economy amid fears of overheating.


Web giant Google cuts IPO prices GOOGLE, the web search engine, has slashed the price range on its eagerly awaited initial public offering to between 47 and 52 per share from 59 to 74 per share.


Record \$4.7bn profit for BHP BHP Billiton #39;s record-breaking profit was driven by China #39;s seemingly insatiable demand for commodities. Picture:Bloomberg ...


Insurers #39; Storm Swirls Around Chubb As hurricanes go, Charley stirred up a lot of trouble. The storm will go down as one of the most destructive in history. But it also stirred up trouble on Wall Street, igniting controversy about whether or not it #39;s a good time to look at insurers.


Dillard #39;s Posts Narrower Loss in 2Q Dillard #39;s Inc. reported that its loss narrowed in the second quarter to nearly half of what it was a year ago, but it was still far more than Wall Street expected as the chain was dragged down by sluggish sales.


Cox Hires Advisers on Parent Bid The Cox Communications (COX:NYSE - news - research) board formed a special panel to consider a take-private bid from the company #39;s controlling shareholder.


Is Upgrading to Windows XP SP2 Worthwhile? Users of Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition are scheduled to begin receiving Service Pack 2 via automatic update starting today. But delivery of the Professional Edition has been delayed at least a week while Microsoft and its users grapple ...


Google cold shoulder confounds European investors LONDON (Reuters) - Web surfers from Beijing to Berkeley have made Google their search engine of choice, but some of Europe #39;s institutional investors have gone sour on the dot-com on the eve of its ...


A Nokia Smartphone With An Edge NEW YORK - It #39;s a little early to tell which camera phone features will resonate with US users in the long term. Americans may never embrace picture and video messaging to the same degree that consumers in South Korea and Japan have.


Microsoft wants Web designers to use content tagging Microsoft is urging Web designers to take more responsibility for content filtering, after forming a partnership with ICRA (the Internet Content Rating Association).


US comes in second in women #39;s cycling The Dutch rider, who was injured in a crash in the women #39;s road race on Saturday and was unable to defend her Olympic title from Sydney, climbed triumphantly to the top of the podium on Wednesday.


Alonso Next in at Anfield Rafael Benitez #39;s Anfield revolution gathered pace today when the Liverpool manager unveiled one new signing and revealed he was close to completing a deal for another.


Let the Games (and parties!) begin ATHENS  As the delay-plagued build-up to the Olympics illustrated, the Greeks aren #39;t exactly known for organization and punctuality. But now that stadiums, new metro lines, beautified city squares and a vast ...


Wilkinson Ready To Take Next Step Along Road Back Jonny Wilkinson #39;s comeback schedule is set to intensify next week with the England World Cup hero targeting two games in six days.


Berry misses cut at US Amateur AMARONECK, NY - Following a opening round 73 Monday, Barden Berry had a rough day, shooting an 83 in the second round of the US Amateur Championships on the West course at Winged Foot Golf Club.


Bomb Found in Town Near Berlusconi Villa ROME -- Police defused a bomb in a town near Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi #39;s villa on the island of Sardinia on Wednesday shortly after British Prime Minister Tony Blair finished a visit there with the Italian leader.


Downer positive over North Korea talks TONY JONES: On a rare visit to North Korea, Australia #39;s Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today he #39;s held productive talks on efforts to end the reclusive nation #39;s nuclear program.


Hong Kong pro-Beijing politicians accuse opponents of misleading public over sex scandal Human rights activists on Wednesday condemned the detention of a Hong Kong pro-democracy politician for allegedly having sex with a prostitute, and his sentencing without trial to six months of  quot;re-education through labor. quot; ...


Iran retaliation threat to Israeli N-plant Iran will strike the Israeli reactor at Dimona if Israel attacks the Islamic republic #39;s nuclear facilities, a commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards has said.


N. Ireland deal hinges on IRA disarmament (AFP) AFP - British and Irish Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern were preparing to head to Belfast, hopeful of a breakthrough in the protracted deadlock over power-sharing in Northern Ireland.


Cisco Gets New Partner, Clients, Product in the Core Cisco forged a partnership with Fujitsu wherein the Japanese company will market Cisco #39;s CRS-1 core router to carriers and large enterprises in Japan.


Sportsview: Bills Get Playoff Hunger (AP) AP - Pat Williams is a big man with a big heart and appetite. So imagine his dilemma when the Buffalo Bills were back to their bumbling selves at the start of this season.


Creating Compelling Search Engine Ads and Landing Pages Effective search engine advertising goes far beyond simply bidding on keywords.  With both ads and landing pages, you have scant seconds to capture the imagination and clicks of a searcher.


Iraq Delegates Say Sadr Agrees to End Najaf Crisis  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi delegates to a conference  choosing a national assembly said Wednesday that radical  Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had agreed to demands to end an  uprising in the holy city of Najaf.


Europe Urged to Continue China Arms Sales Ban Europes leaders were urged today to continue a ban on arms sales to China in protest against torture and human rights abuses. The call came on the eve of an


Militants, Israeli Troops Battle in Gaza A period of relative calm in the Gaza Strip was broken by a nearly hour-long battle between Palestinian militants and Israeli troops that left at least one Israeli soldier and one militant dead.


THE UNITED NATIONS The Campaign against Kofi The secretary general of the United Nations fights a war on many fronts in his crusade to bring human rights and peace to the world.


Hamas Militants Kill Israeli Soldier Hamas militants broke three weeks of relative calm in Gaza on Tuesday, setting off a bomb in what they said was an elaborate scheme that included a tunnel and a double agent.


US oil stockpiles drop NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - US stockpiles of crude oil fell by 1.3 million barrels last week, the government reported Wednesday, sending prices to another record high.


Barclays Move Towards US Credit Card Market Banking group Barclays today took the first steps towards establishing its Barclaycard operation in the United States credit card market.


Ford dumps \$200m Oracle system Ford has ditched Oracle #39;s online purchasing system eVEREST, because of flaws in the software. The car manufacturer has reportedly spent more than \$200m trying to get the system to work since it bought it in 2000.


Japan firm unveils world #39;s lightest flying micro-robot TOKYO, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan #39;s Seiko Epson Corp. said Wednesday it has developed a 12-gram flying micro-robot, the world #39;s lightest.


China Unicom cuts ties with 45 ISPs to curb web porn  BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- China Unicom announced Wednesday that it has severed ties with 45 Internet service providers (ISP) involved in the use of cell phones in pornographic business in the past month.


Fighting Resumes In Al-Najaf After Peace Mission Fails 18 August 2004 -- There has been renewed fighting in the Iraqi city of Al-Najaf between US and Iraqi troops and Shi #39;a militiamen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.


What #39;s behind Israeli construction permits? Timing of new building in West Bank linked to political survival instincts of Ariel Sharon. In a move that caught both the international community and the Bush administration by surprise, the government of Israel Tuesdayissued contract proposals for 1,001 ...


Chirac and Schroeder to meet with Putin MOSCOW, Aug 18 (AFP) - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at his Black Sea resort residence at the end of the month, Interfax quoted the top Kremlin spokesman as saying ...


UN concerned by lack of Darfur progress on ground KHARTOUM, Aug 18 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday it was very concerned by Sudan #39;s lack of practical progress in bringing security to Darfur, where more than a million people have fled their homes for fear of militia ...


Get them caught, get 6 crores Pakistan on Wednesday offered huge rewards totalling Rs 6.5 crore for information leading to the capture of six most wanted terrorists linked to al-Qaeda, including a member of the banned Jash-e-Mohammad who is accused of masterminding two suicide attacks ...


Economies Not Yet Dented by Oil Prices (Reuters) Reuters - OPEC oil producers and Chancellor\Schroeder of Germany, which is a prominent consumer, agree that\the remorseless rise in the price of crude has so far had\little impact on global economic growth.


SEC Bars Some Mutual Fund Fees (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. Securities and Exchange\Commission barred U.S. mutual funds on Wednesday from\channeling brokerage commissions toward Wall Street firms based\on their promotion of the funds' shares.


Google Slashes IPO's Size  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its  closely watched initial public offering nearly in half to less  than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has  been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.


SEC Bars Some Mutual Fund Fees  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange  Commission barred U.S. mutual funds on Wednesday from  channeling brokerage commissions toward Wall Street firms based  on their promotion of the funds' shares.


Stocks Open Lower in Moderate Trading Stock prices are lower in moderate trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 23 points in today #39;s early going. Losing issues on the New York Stock Exchange hold a 5-3 lead over gainers.


BellSouth Sees Higher Benefits Expense ATLANTA (AP)--Telecommunications firm BellSouth Corp. said Wednesday that the new terms of its tentative labor agreement will change how the company #39;s contribution to retiree medical benefits is calculated and will boost benefit expenses by \$3.3 billion.


McDonald #39;s tests MasterCard PayPass NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - McDonald #39;s Corp. announced Wednesday it would launch later this year a new  quot;contactless quot; payment option called MasterCard PayPass, which lets customers simply wave or tap the card to complete a quick transaction.


Chinese boom pays off for BHP BHP Billiton has delivered the biggest profit ever achieved by an Australian company - a \$US3.38billion (\$4.73billion) whopper, up 78 per cent on last year.


Real v Apple music war: iPod freedom petition backfires Hostilities started in late July, when Real cracked Apple #39;s FairPlay code, meaning songs bought from the RealPlayer Music Store could be played on the iPod - a move that went down very badly over at Apple. Real then decided to ratchet up the pressure by ...


Security Watch Letter:New MyDoom Piggybacks More Dangerous Worm On Wednesday August 25, Microsoft is rolling out the Windows XP Service Pack 2 to the new Windows Update site so the public can update automatically. For the majority of home users, it #39;s a case of Just Do It. The SP2 update adds security ...


IBM Offers New POWER5 eServer i5 550 IBM has unveiled today a new POWER5 system, the eServer i5 550, aimed at mid-sized businesses. The eServer i5 550 features a new Solution Edition, an offering now available with select software vendors. The new eServer i5 also delivers new capabilities ...


Marriage between security, business needs KUALA LUMPUR: Computer Associates International Inc (www.ca.com) has announced a new technology model that aligns security management with business needs.


Life of Reilly: Athens style Forget democracy, sport and Grecian Formula 16. There #39;s so much more we need to steal from the Greeks -- immediately and maybe sooner. Cheese pies, for instance. Our No. 1 priority should be getting these cheese pies. Lovely, flakey pastries with the ...


Springboks targets scrum THE South Africans have called the Wallabies scrum cheats as a fresh round of verbal warfare opened in the Republic last night.


Dyer up for sale on ebay The 23-year-old midfielder has been all over the back pages this week, following a reported bust-up with Sir Bobby Robson - and one supporter had has enough.


Chicago White Sox Team Report - August 18 (Sports Network) - Jose Contreras tries to stay perfect in a Chicago uniform this evening when the White Sox continue their three-game set against the Detroit Tigers at US Cellular Field.


Iraqi Delegates Say Sadr Agrees to End Najaf Crisis BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi delegates to a conference choosing a national assembly said Wednesday that radical Shi #39;ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had agreed to government demands to end an uprising in the holy city of Najaf.


Howard defiant as attacks mount PRIME Minister John Howard conceded yesterday a fresh inquiry into the children overboard saga would find he had lied.


6 dead in typhoon deluge At least six people died in Shikoku after heavy rains from Typhoon Megi pounded the western Japan island on Tuesday and Wednesday, officials said.


Health hurdle for Latham #39;s campaign MARK Latham #39;s campaign to become prime minister has suffered an unexpected setback after the Labor leader was rushed to hospital suffering stomach cramps, forcing him to cancel all public engagements until next ...


AT amp;T team wins \$1bn network deal AT amp;T, the US telecoms group, and a team of subcontractors have won a contract valued at up to \$1bn to design, build and manage a secure IP-based global network for the US government


Profit Takers Ambush Treasuries  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasuries turned tail on  Wednesday as recent hefty gains attracted a wave of  profit-taking in an otherwise featureless market.


Steel boom boosts Iscor's profits Shares in Africa's biggest steel producer surge to a record high on the back of strong interim profits


Boy Escapes Cougar Near Canada's Jasper Park (Reuters) Reuters - Canadian wildlife\officials warned visitors to Jasper National Park on Tuesday to\be on the alert for cougars after one the animals attacked a\five-year-old boy.


Tiffany  amp; Co. selling stake in Aber Diamond TORONTO - Aber Diamond Corp. said Tuesday that world-renowned retailer Tiffany  amp; Co. has sold its 8 million shares of Aber, and the companies have ended their discount sales agreement .


Intel Says It's Recovered from Missteps (Reuters) Reuters - Intel Corp.  will  miss\its 2004 product cost reduction targets because of a widely\publicized string of product delays and problems, but those\missteps are largely behind it now, the world's largest chip\maker said on Tuesday.


Illini Hope To Reinvigorate Football Program With Zook _ Illinois confirmed Tuesday it is turning to Ron Zook to reinvigorate its struggling football program. The school scheduled an afternoon news conference to introduce the former Florida


Zeeland #39;s Kaat to be considered for Hall The Zeeland native made the final ballot of 25 players to be considered by the Veterans Committee. The results will be announced March 2. Kaat, who could not be reached for comment, won 283


Athletes cheat way to fame and fortune Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of major league baseball players have taken steroids in the last few years. Yet no player has ever been suspended for steroid use.


Cisco-Fujitsu Deal Highlights Japan #39;s Internet Dominance Cisco, the largest maker of computer-networking equipment, formed an alliance with Fujitsu to increase sales to Japanese telephone carriers.


Citigroup faces regulatory probe The UK's Financial Services Authority launches a formal investigation into Citigroup's "unusual trading activity".


eCOST.com Cuts IPO Price to  #36;7 a Share from  #36;9- #36;11 (Reuters) Reuters - Online discount retailer eCOST.com\said on Wednesday that it expects its planned initial public\offering will price at  #36;7 per share, a reduction from its\previously stated range of  #36;9 to  #36;11 per share.


OPEC Hawks Want to Keep Prices High Raise prices. Ease production. For weeks ahead of this week #39;s OPEC meeting, hawks in the organization have been talking tough about the need to keep oil revenues high - and lowering output.


Google Slashes IPO #39;s Size NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its closely watched initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.


Update 3: Russia: China to Cover Yukos #39; Rail Fees China has agreed to step in and pay Russian rail fees to ensure that it continues to receive Yukos oil if the company is unable to cover the transport costs, officials at Russia #39;s rail transport monopoly said Wednesday.


Iraqi official: cleric agrees to withdraw forces from Najaf shrine BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A delegate at Iraq #39;s National Conference in Baghdad says a militant Shiite cleric has agreed to disarm and pull his forces from a shrine in Najaf.


SEC Seen Making Google IPO Effective  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange  Commission is expected to declare the initial public offering  registration of Google Inc. GOOG.OQ effective after 4 p.m.  (2000 GMT), sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.


Stocks Gain as Oil Ease from New High  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were higher on  Wednesday  as investors bought beaten-down shares and oil prices eased  from the new 21-year record high hit earlier in the session.


Deere's Color Is Green With big tractors, big sales, and big earnings, Deere's hoeing a profitable row.


Linux wins heart of global SAP user Switzerland's EndressHauser (International) Holding AG, a global supplier of process control systems, has migrated all its business applications from SAP AG to a mainframe running the open-source Linux operating system.


Compuware Accuses IBM of Ambush Tactics (AP) AP - Compuware Corp. is accusing IBM of attempting to "sandbag" it with new evidence just three months before the software company's piracy claim against the technology giant is to go to trial.


PA minister: Barghouti will drop candidancy Palestinian Authority Minister of State Kadoura Fares said on Tuesday that jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti may abandon his plan to run in the January 9 lection for the presidency of the PA.


SEC Seen Making Google IPO Effective  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange  Commission is expected to declare the initial public offering  registration of Google Inc. GOOG.OQ effective after 4 p.m.,  sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.


Cheney, Rumsfeld Say Terror Remains Threat Two of the Bush administration #39;s chief architects of the war on terror offered words of caution along with congratulations on Tuesday, a historic day for this one-time al-Qaida haven.


SEC Seen Making Google IPO Effective WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to declare the initial public offering registration of Google Inc. (GOOG.OQ: Quote, Profile, Research) effective after 4 pm (2000 GMT), sources familiar with the matter said on ...


Download a Song for 49 Cents Real is in a running battle with Apple, whose iTunes download store dominates with about 70 percent of legal downloading and whose iPod device for music storage is hugely popular. The iPod and iTunes were designed to work exclusively ...


RCMP initiates Nortel investigation The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have launched a criminal investigation into the financial accounting practices of network gear maker Nortel Networks Corp. just days before the company is set to release some of its restated financial results.


Profit climbs at Talbots womenswear chain, helped by tax gain HINGHAM, Mass. (AP) - Talbots Inc. said Wednesday its profit for the latest quarter edged up five per cent, boosted by higher sales and an income-tax gain.


Citigroup Bond Trading Investigated by UK Regulator (Update1) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc., the world #39;s biggest bank, is being investigated by the UK market regulator over unusual trading activity #39; #39; in European government bonds earlier this month.


Fund managers raise cash-asset level, says survey WASHINGTON, August 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Fund managers this month boosted the proportion of assets held in cash to the highest level since March 2003 when a global stocks rebound began, said the Washington Post on Wednesday.


Court approves St. Paul \$502.5 mln asbestos accord NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Insurer St. Paul Travelers Companies (STA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said a bankruptcy court approved a \$502.5 million asbestos settlement for all pending asbestos court actions against its Travelers Property ...


Epson builds lightest, smallest micro-flying robot EPSON HAS ANNOUNCED that it has developed a successor to the FR  the world #39;s smallest and lightest micro-flying robot. The FR-II uses micromechatronics technology, and features Bluetooth wireless control and independent flight. It #39;ll go on show at the ...


Norton #39;s 2005 security line-up Norton AntiVirus 2005 #39;s claim to fame is that its Worm Protection feature borrows from firewall technology to block inbound ports so that you can protect yourself against worm attacks such as MSBlast. Its new QuickScan feature also scans your whole system ...


Samsung streams on Sprint with MM-A700 Samsung #39;s latest phone offers streaming video and audio, including from major old media companies, along with a megapixel camera.


Greek heroes quit Games ATHENS All of Greece expected to see Costas Kenteris crowning its Games with a laurel wreath on his brow, his barrel chest swelling in his blue and white athletic singlet, atop the podium in the Olympic Stadium after successfully defending his 200- meter ...


Germany Paddles to Bronze The men #39;s single slalom canoe race ended with balled fists and shouts of joy for Stefan Pfannmller. But for Germany #39;s women, there was nothing to celebrate.


Dutch cyclist #39;s fairytale comeback Vouliagmeni, Greece - Watch Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel, think Hermann Maier. Awful crash, unlikely fightback, gold within days. Instant Olympic lore.


Hamilton takes gold in time trial ATHENS, Greece - The United States took gold and bronze in the men #39;s Olympic cycling individual time trial on Wednesday with Tyler Hamilton topping the podium and his team Bobby Julich finishing third.


Sadr agrees to accept Iraq peace mission demands BAGHDAD : Shiite militia leader Moqtada Sadr has agreed to disarm and quit a holy shrine in Najaf as demanded by Iraq #39;s key national conference, one of the organisers of the meeting said.


UK Terrorist Suspects Have Case Sent to Old Bailey (Update2) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The case against eight men charged with conspiracy to commit murder and carry out terrorist attacks was referred to the Old Bailey, London #39;s central criminal court.


US ; Japanese-born teen youngest US chess champ since Bobby <b>...</b> US News, NEW YORK - A teenager from New York state, who just became the youngest US national chess champion since Bobby Fischer in 1958, says he is more sane than his troubled predecessor.