ICANN readies for next-generation Net International body in charge of doling out IP addresses is set to give out new IPv6 addresses.


Earnings reports hint at IP networking growth Juniper Networks sets tone for earnings season--analysts expect strong growth in IP networking.


Routing's rock star Tony Li helped develop some of the most sophisticated Internet Protocol routers in the world for Cisco and Juniper. Now he's ready to dish on his ex-employers.


Photo: Weather data to your desktop This WeatherBug Backyard weather station, dubbed the Wireless Vantage Pro2, streams meteorology data to a desktop.


Photo: XM's portable satellite radio XM Satellite Radio Holdings introduced a handheld portable version of its satellite radio.


Microsoft releases desktop search suite to testers Microsoft today joined the desktop search fray by releasing the beta-test version of a suite of tools designed to let users find information stored in their PCs.


3Com to buy TippingPoint for \$430M The deal will add TippingPoint's UnityOne line of network-based intrusion-prevention system hardware and software to 3Com's stable of enterprise security products.


IBM, AMD develop new use of strained silicon IBM and AMD have jointly developed a new method for implementing strained silicon technology on both positive and negative transistors, a technique they said could improve transistor speeds by as much as 24.


Software revenue pushes up Oracle's Q2 earnings Oracle reported second-quarter 2005 earnings that beat analyst expectations today, thanks to new software revenue and continued gains from license updates and product support.


Update: Oracle signs deal to buy PeopleSoft for \$10.3B Oracle has signed an agreement to acquire PeopleSoft for about \$10.3 billion, the companies said this morning.


HIPAA security guidelines being readied A working group made up of members from three organizations plans this month to release guidelines for complying with the data security requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).


US Air Flight Attendants Ready for Strike  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Flight attendants at bankrupt US  Airways Group Inc. UAIRQ.OB have authorized their union to  call a strike should a federal court allow airline management  to void their contract, the Association of Flight Attendants  said on Monday.


Microsoft MSN Desktop Search Out Today? Microsoft MSN Desktop Search Out Today?\\Microsoft's MSN division will be holding a teleconference today at 1 pm EST to announce their newest addition to the MSN network. Will it be that MSN Search Beta is going live and full blown? Did they find a new actor to play the butterfly? ...


Stocks: Shares gain as deals encourage investors NEW YORK US stocks rose Monday after the software maker PeopleSoft accepted Oracle #39;s buyout offer and data showed better-than-expected November retail sales, signaling an uptick in consumer spending.


A Pitcher Hopes to Hop Off the Injury Treadmill Jeff Zimmerman's recent baseball biography reads like a broken record, or in a more modern idiom, "Groundhog Day."


UPDATE 1-UAL sets salary cuts; aims for \$112 mln savings UAL Corp. (UALAQ.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) on Monday announced new cuts in employees #39; salaries as the parent of United Airlines looks to make \$112 million in annual savings and emerge from bankruptcy protection.


Virginia Tech Women Upset No. 17 Maryland (AP) AP - Carrie Mason had 16 points for Virginia Tech, which hung on to upset No. 17 Maryland 77-67 in the Hokies' Atlantic Coast Conference debut on Sunday.


IBM #39;s storage software owns all of EMC kit IBM has infiltrated deeper into EMC #39;s storage line with a new version of its SAN (storage area network) Volume Controller software.


Woods Wins Exhibition Tournament to End Slump American Tiger Woods has won the annual exhibition golf tournament he hosts, posting a two-stroke victory over Padraig Harrington of Ireland at the Target World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, California.


Real to finish bomb hoax match NO PLAYER will be able to claim that he is tired when the Spanish league match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad on January 5 goes into injury time, because the teams will have been playing for less than three minutes.


Patriots Outlast Bengals, Clinch Playoff Berth Corey Dillon faced his former team for the first time when it counted on Sunday in Foxboro. Dillon demanded to be let out of Cincinnati and backed up his actions with questionable behavior.


Titans Hold on for 24-19 Win Over Lions (AP) AP - The Tennessee Titans promised they wouldn't quit until the season ended. They certainly didn't. Billy Volek threw for 175 yards and a touchdown before being knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter, and the Titans held on for a 24-19 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Tennessee snapped its five-game losing skid.


Pinochet arrest warrant suspended A WARRANT placing former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet under house arrest on charges of murder and kidnapping has been suspended after an appeal by his lawyers.


White Sox Deal Lee to Brewers for Podsednik (Reuters) Reuters - The Milwaukee Brewers\have acquired slugging outfielder Carlos Lee from the Chicago\White Sox in exchange for speedy outfielder Scott Podsednik,\pitcher Luis Vizcaino and a player to be named later.


Columnists: Online Extortion Works Online extortion is quietly affecting thousands of businesses, for a very simple reason: it works. The big question then becomes, how will you and your company decide to respond?


Sexual Violence Hit 2 in 3 Liberians in War-Report (Reuters) Reuters - Fighters sexually assaulted some two\thirds of Liberia's population during more than a decade of war\and have not been punished more than a year after the conflict\ended, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.


Trip to New Orleans Tough for North Texas (AP) AP - Getting to the New Orleans Bowl was more difficult than ever for North Texas. The Mean Green open the bowl season against Southern Mississippi on Tuesday night in the Superdome, the culmination of a season that was a struggle on and off the field for the Sun Belt Conference champs.


Ex-Bush Campaign Official Pleads Innocent (AP) AP - President Bush's former New England campaign chairman pleaded innocent Monday to charges that he took part in the jamming of the Democrats' get-out-the-vote phone lines on Election Day 2002.


Bears LB Urlacher Injures Another Hamstring  LAKE FOREST, Ill. (Sports Network) - Chicago Bears  linebacker Brian Urlacher is expected to undergo an MRI exam  this week to determine the severity of a left hamstring injury  he sustained in this past Sunday's game against Jacksonville.


Sexual Violence Hit 2 in 3 Liberians in War-Report  DAKAR (Reuters) - Fighters sexually assaulted some two  thirds of Liberia's population during more than a decade of war  and have not been punished more than a year after the conflict  ended, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.


Are We Puppets or Free Agents? Interpretations of the insanity plea have changed through the ages, but advances in neuroscience promise to redefine free will and personal responsibility, and change the way we think about punishment. By Rowan Hooper.


More Questions for Florida An apparent whistleblower is generating buzz by saying a Florida official sought vote-changing software, but cautious observers say there's plenty of room for doubt. By Kim Zetter.


Playing the Dating Game, DS-Style Though Sprung offers clever dialogue and a unique premise, the repetitive, simplistic gameplay ends the honeymoon early. Chris Kohler reviews the new game for the Nintendo DS.


Count Calories on the Go Gadget-loving dieters will soon have no excuse for giving in to temptation while traveling. The big diet brands like Weight Watchers are coming out with calorie counters and nutritional guides for PDAs and mobile phones.


Chemo: Testing Who Will Benefit A new report says a genetic profiling test already on the market accurately predicts which breast cancer patients will benefit from chemotherapy -- and who won't. It could help 80,000 women a year make better choices about their treatment.


Chilean judge charges Pinochet Chile's former President Augusto Pinochet is charged with murder and kidnapping, but his house arrest is lifted.


Lebanese groups unite over Syria Lebanese opposition parties join forces for the first time to counter Syria's influence over Lebanese politics.


PepsiCo to Buy General Mills #39; European Snacks Stake (Update3) PepsiCo. Inc., the world #39;s No. 2 soft- drink maker, plans to buy General Mills Inc. #39;s stake in their European joint venture for \$750 million in cash, giving it complete ownership of Europe #39;s largest snack-food company.


MIT team aims to mend broken hearts Work could lead to patch for damaged tissue - MIT engineers are significantly closer to mending broken hearts. In a paper to appear the week of Dec 13 in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National


English Stars Out in Cold David Beckham, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard found themselves out in the cold tonight as the European Footballer of the Year award went to AC Milans Andriy Shevchenko.


Notre Dame firing Willingham doesn #39;t hold a candle to Kevin #39;s <b>...</b> That photo above is no longer accurate. I #39;ve shaven my head to protest the firing of ... Kevin from The Apprentice. Dude has a bachelor #39;s from Penn, an MBA from Emory and is working on a law degree from the


D-Rays add power arm A quick analysis of players picked in the major league portion of the 2004 Rule 5 draft held Monday. Each selection costs \$50,000.


Chilean judge charges Pinochet The former military ruler was indicted over the disappearance of nine opposition activists and the killing of one of them during his 17-year regime.


Oracle Buys PeopleSoft for \$10.3 Billion  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - PeopleSoft Inc. PSFT.O on  Monday agreed to a sweetened \$10.3 billion buyout by rival  software maker Oracle Corp. ORCL.O, relenting after a  18-month takeover saga marked by personal insults, courtroom  battles and the ouster of PeopleSoft's chief executive.


Oracle, PeopleSoft key facts NEW YORK, Dec 13 (AFP) - Following are key facts about Oracle, which is the number two global software company behind Microsoft, and PeopleSoft, a business software firm that agreed Monday to be bought after an 18-month battle.


DaimlerChrysler, GM in Pact on Hybrids FRANKFURT / DETROIT - DaimlerChrysler and General Motors Corp. will jointly develop new hybrid vehicle technology as they strive to catch up with Japanese rivals on the fuel-saving systems that reduce harmful emissions, the companies said on Monday.


Opposition chief's poisoning dominates Ukraine campaign (AFP) AFP - The poisoning of Ukraine's opposition icon Viktor Yushchenko overshadowed the country's presidential election campaign after the Western-leaning candidate accused the government of trying to kill him, and his pro-Russia rival denied any knowledge of the case.


Samsung Makes Smaller MMC Card for Cell Phones (PC World) PC World - Thumbnail-sized memory card's maximum capacity will be 128MB.


Computer-scouring software rivals Google tool The Redmond, Washington-based software allows the user to quickly locate files on personal computers -- just like Google #39;s two-month-old rival product.


IBM, AMD work on straining silicon IBM and Advanced Micro Devices have come up with a new way of straining silicon in a move that will allow them to make chips with better performance.


Mozilla #39;s Minimo Prepares to Challenge Opera Fresh from their recent successful launch of the open-source Firefox browser, Mozilla may be preparing to challenge Opera for dominance in the mobile browser market, according to a story appearing on ArsTechnica.


Heart  quot;Band-Aid quot; Developed Scientists may have discovered a way of patching injured hearts with manufactured tissue swatches that carry the same properties as actual cardiac tissue.


Temple Defeats No. 22 Rutgers 71-60 Rutgers #39; Nikki Jett (13) fouls Temple #39;s Cynthia Jordan (1) in the second half Monday, Dec. 13, 2004, in Philadelphia. Unranked Temple beat No.


Erickson plans to stick with Niners for now Coach Dennis Erickson is in no hurry to leave the San Francisco 49ers just yet. Erickson responded to the circling rumors about his future Monday, saying he thinks he #39;ll still be employed by the 2-11 Niners at least until January.


Oracle Acquires PeopleSoft in  #36;10.3B Deal (AP) AP - Oracle Corp. finally scooped up bitter rival PeopleSoft Inc. after 18 months of legal and verbal strife, ending a nasty feud with a  #36;10.3 billion deal that promises to shake up the business software industry.


Calif. Lawmaker Seeks End of Bowl Series (AP) AP - The Republican leader of the California Senate has introduced a resolution calling for the dissolution of the Bowl Championship Series.


Chile #39;s Pinochet facing human rights charges A judge in Chile is once again trying to bring former dictator Augusto Pinochet to trial for humans rights abuses during his 1973-90 regime.


Aleutian Spill Shows Area's Vulnerability (Reuters) Reuters - Alaska's Aleutian Island chain, where\a broken cargo ship has been leaking fuel oil for five days,\needs the type of environmental protections that are given to\better-known areas, a marine wildlife activist said on Monday.


NASA Chief Sean O'Keefe Resigns (Reuters) Reuters - NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe\resigned on Monday after three tumultuous years at the U.S.\space agency, which were shadowed by the fatal break-up of\shuttle Columbia and its painful aftermath.


Oracle wins battle for PeopleSoft Oracle has signed a definitive agreement to acquire PeopleSoft for \$26.50 (13.79) per share, or about \$10.3bn. The transaction has been approved by both companies #39; boards of directors and is expected to close by early January.


Stocks End Up as Deals Spark Optimism US stocks rallied on Monday after software maker PeopleSoft Inc. (PSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) accepted rival Oracle Corp. #39;s (ORCL.


\$1.3bn LSE bid fuels acquisition fever ACQUISITION fever gripped markets on both sides of the Atlantic yesterday including a 1.3-billion-pound takeover approach for the mid-cap London Stock Exchange from its rival Deutsche Berse.


Unocal to Settle Myanmar Lawsuits Unocal Corp. (UCL) has agreed to settle two closely watched lawsuits accusing the US oil giant of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses that occurred during the


Permira links with Apollo to join Toys  #39;R #39; Us auction Permira, the private equity firm that owns New Look, has moved to increase its exposure to the retail sector by bidding for Toys  #39;R #39; Us, the struggling toy chain.


3Com to buy TippingPoint for \$430M DECEMBER 13, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - 3Com Corp. became the latest company to scoop up technology for preventing attacks on computer networks, announcing today that it is acquiring Austin-based TippingPoint Technologies Inc.


Icahn Files Suit vs. Mylan Laboratories Billionaire investor Carl Icahn filed a federal lawsuit against Mylan Laboratories Inc. and asset manager Richard C. Perry on Monday, accusing Perry of a vote-buying scheme intended to help Mylan acquire King Pharmaceuticals Inc.


Fiat dismisses GM threat that car unit might go bust Fiat threw down the gauntlet to General Motors on Monday when the Italian industrial group dismissed the political and legal efforts by the American carmaker to avoid buying Fiat Auto, its heavily lossmaking car division.


NASA: Mondays The Best Time To See Geminid Meteor Shower Stargazers can catch a spectacular sight if they turn their eyes to the sky tonight. NASA officials say the Geminids will provide the best meteor shower of the year.


Ellison talks about the acquisition Editor #39;s note: The following excerpts are from Oracle CEO Larry Ellison #39;s press conference Monday announcing an agreement to acquire PeopleSoft.


Oohs and ahs over Martian rocks and clouds NASA #39;s Mars rovers have returned new evidence for past water, pictures of Earthlike clouds seen for the first time from the planet #39;s surface, and a rock that doesn #39;t look like anything scientists have ever seen.


Cisco improves pricing for users Cisco Systems #39; prices have long been viewed as higher than those charged by its networking rivals. But some IT managers and analysts said this week that the pricing situation has improved modestly for Cisco users.


Institute offers data from atlas of mouse brain genome The Allen Institute for Brain Science has released a major chunk of data from its mapping of the mouse brain genome, hoping the information will help researchers understand how the human brain works.


NO CALL LIST FOR CELL PHONES? NEXT YEAR CELL PHONE COMPANIES WILL BEGIN RELEASING YOUR ONCE UNLISTED MOBILE NUMBER TO TELEMARKETERS. THAT #39;S THE WARNING FROM AN E-MAIL BEING CIRCULATED ON-LINE.


Woods looks on target for return to winning ways in 2005 TIGER Woods hinted that his victory at the Target World Challenge on Sunday was a sign that his old self may be set for a return in 2005.


Starters strike it rich As general managers stampeded toward the airport, and Pedro Martinez reflected on the beauties of Flushing Meadow, another edition of baseball #39;s winter meetings ended Monday.


Only Game in Town December 13, 2004 - Just when you thought ESPN Videogames was catching up, in one move, they #39;ve never been farther behind. Electronic Arts announced today an exclusive licensing agreement with the National Football League and Players Inc.


NHL plans to reject the players #39; latest proposal The NHL plans to reject the players #39; association #39;s latest collective bargaining agreement proposal today in Toronto, and the 2004-05 season appears destined for cancellation.


Angels agree to terms with Esteban Yan The Anaheim Angels added depth to their bullpen Monday by agreeing to terms of a two-year contract with right-hander Esteban Yan. Yan had a 3-6 record with seven saves and a 3.83 ERA in a career-high 69 relief


Temple 71, No. 20 Rutgers 60 Cynthia Jordan scored 20 of her 28 points in the first half to lead Temple to a 71-60 upset over No. 20 Rutgers on Monday. Temple (5-3) led by nine at halftime before Rutgers (5-2) cut the Owls #39; lead to five with 18:32 remaining.


Jefferson, Stoudemire named NBA Players of the Week Jefferson averaged 24.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in a 3-1 week to earn the Eastern Conference honor. He shot 52 percent from the field and scored 20 or points in all four games as the Nets put together their best week of the season.


Syria accuses Israel of bomb attack on Hamas official By Inigo Gilmore in Herzliya and Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor. Syria accused Israel last night of planting a bomb in Damascus in an attempt to kill a member of the Hamas militant group.


Britain offers sweeteners to win allies for Ankara Britain will this week offer a series of concessions to France and Germany to assuage their fears about Turkish membership of the European Union.


Pakistan, India talk missile tests but analysts say could do <b>...</b> ISLAMABAD : India and Pakistan will Tuesday thrash out an agreement to give each other notice of their ballistic missile tests, but analysts say the rivals are still far from being responsible nuclear powers.


Congo troops fighting near Rwanda border afrol News, 13 December - There are  quot;very alarming reports quot; from Congo Kinshasa #39;s North Kivu province of fights between different fractions of the Congolese armed forces, according to UN peacekeepers here.


EU, U.S. in Contact with Hamas, Group Leader Says (Reuters) Reuters - The United States and the European Union\are in contact with Palestinian militant group Hamas despite\having listed it as a terrorist organization, a Hamas leader\said in an interview broadcast on Monday.


Franklin Templeton Cos. to Settle Charges (AP) AP - Two companies that manage and market Franklin Templeton mutual funds have agreed to pay a total of  #36;20 million to settle federal regulators' charges that they failed to disclose their use of fund assets to pay brokerages for steering customers to the funds.


Americans to Attend Trade Talks in Cuba (AP) AP - Two years ago in December, fewer than 30 U.S. business representatives came to Havana to sign agreements with Cuban officials to export food to the Caribbean island. This week, Cuba expects more than 340 people  #151; primarily producers of American farm goods  #151; to attend the latest round of talks, in which communist officials hope to sign deals worth about  #36;100 million.


Philippines Mourns Poe, Film Star Who Ran for President (Reuters) Reuters - Filipinos mourned the death of movie\legend Fernando Poe Jr on Tuesday after the actor who nearly\unseated Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in May's presidential election\suffered a stroke at the weekend.


Inauguration for tallest bridge The world's highest traffic bridge is to be inaugurated in southern France by President Jacques Chirac.


Oracle #39;s earnings top forecasts NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Oracle Corp., posted a gain in fiscal second-quarter earnings Monday that beat Wall Street forecasts. The report was released three days earlier than originally scheduled because the


Mercedes and GM to develop hybrid cars General Motors and DaimlerChrysler have announced plans to join forces to develop a new generation of hybrid-powered vehicles, underlining the potential for environmentally friendly cars which use much less fuel.


Citigroup Says It Will Issue Amex Cards American Express, which fought for years for the right to sign deals with United States banks that issue cards on the Visa and MasterCard networks, said late yesterday that it had won


Desktop Search Tool Ups the Ante, Says Microsoft  quot;Our ambition for search is to provide the ultimate information tool that can basically answer any question you have, quot; says Yusuf Mehdi, vice president for the MSN Information Services and Merchant Platform division.


NASA Chief Resigns NASA #39;s top administrator Sean O #39;Keefe, who in the past three years has presided over some of the US space agency #39;s greatest failures and accomplishments, submitted his resignation to the White House on Monday, claiming a need to provide his children with


Tenth of all bird species  #39;to vanish #39; One in 10 of all bird species is likely to disappear by the end of the century, according to a study published today. A further 15 per cent of birds could be on the brink


Firefox surpasses 10 million download mark Firefox, the open-source alternative to browser heavyweight Internet Explorer has surpassed the 10 million download mark in the month that has passed since version 1.0 of the browser was released.


Coral grows as climate warms, study Rising sea temperatures will boost coral growth, according to Australian research that flies in the face of predictions that climate change could spell death for the world #39;s coral reefs.


Klitschko rematch tempts retired Lewis FORMER world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has hinted he could be tempted out of retirement by a mouth-watering rematch with WBC title-holder Vitali Klitschko.


Ace reportedly set to leave Red Sox for Mets The Red Sox are no longer in the negotiating stage with Pedro Martinez, their ace of the last seven seasons. Instead, they are bracing for the strong likelihood that Martinez


#39;Chaos in Iraq could produce another Hitler #39; The chronic instability and widespread feeling of humiliation in Iraq could give birth to an  quot;Iraqi Hitler quot;, the country #39;s president, Ghazi al-Yawar, said yesterday as


Fiat, GM CEOs Meet to Talk Possible Sale The heads of auto giants Fiat SpA and General Motors Corp. meet in Switzerland on Tuesday to discuss the possible sale of Fiat #39;s auto business.


All Madden, all the time Electronic Arts, the leading maker of sports video games, signed an exclusive five-year contract with the National Football League and the NFL Players Association, deals that will give the


Winning Paramount to New Notre Dame Coach (AP) AP - Charlie Weis promises to give Notre Dame an arrogant attitude and turn the Fighting Irish into an intelligent, hard-working, nasty football team.


McNair Deactivated for Tennessee Titans (AP) AP - Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair missed a second straight start Monday night and his fifth this season because of his bruised sternum.


Hernandez, Indians Agree to One-Year Deal (AP) AP - Infielder Jose Hernandez and the Cleveland Indians agreed to a  #36;1.8 million, one-year contract Monday.


What went wrong four years ago The last time Deutsche Borse attempted a deal with the London Stock Exchange it was portrayed as a merger of equals. The two exchanges, both mutuals, in 2000 planned to join


Hilfiger fashions style pact Tommy Hilfiger, chairman and chief designer of the US fashion company, yesterday bought up clothing brands belonging to the stylist Karl Lagerfeld for an undisclosed sum.


Regional woes won #39;t stop Telstra sale, ALP says The Federal Opposition says a scoping study into the full sale of Telstra shows the Government is committed to the company #39;s complete privatisation, no matter what the level of service to regional areas.


Debate over Israeli army's role in school A controversial new program will have lieutenant colonels interact with high school students.


Philippines Mourns Poe, Film Star Who Ran for President Filipinos mourned the death of movie legend Fernando Poe Jr on Tuesday after the actor who nearly unseated Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in May #39;s presidential election suffered a stroke at the weekend.


Watchdog to clear Global chairman Gary Winnick, the former chairman of Global Crossing, is to be cleared by watchdogs of wrongdoing following the collapse of the once high-flying telecoms group.


NASA head will leave successor with much to resolve The space program Sean O #39;Keefe is leaving behind - probably before the second anniversary of the shuttle accident that will define his tenure - is far different from the agency he stepped into three years ago.


McNair inactive again; Volek gets nod Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair is listed as the team #39;s emergency quarterback for Monday night #39;s tilt against the Kansas City Chiefs because of a bruised sternum.


Motorola May Lose Big Customer If Nextel Merges Sprint's negotiations to buy Nextel have ignited fears that Motorola will lose its exclusive deal to supply phones and equipment to Nextel.


Bitter Takeover Saga Ends In \$10.3 Billion Deal _ Oracle Corp. finally scooped up bitter rival PeopleSoft Inc. after 18 months of legal and verbal strife, ending a nasty feud with a \$10.3 billion deal that promises to shake up the business software industry.


Jaguar workers vote against strike Jaguar workers delivered a snub to union leaders by rejecting plans to strike over Ford #39;s decision to stop car assembly at the Browns Lane plant in Coventry.


UHND.com - Frank Vitovitch Notre Dame, Ind (UHND) - It didnt take Charlie Weis to let people know his expectations at Notre Dame. Half way through his Monday morning press conference where he was introduced as the 28th head coach


Philippine leader mourns top movie star and fallen rival MANILA : Philippine President Gloria Arroyo Tuesday mourned the death of the country #39;s top movie star Fernando Poe, who almost unseated her in hotly-contested presidential elections in May.


Johnson to Yankees Has a Life of Its Own There is new life in their trade talks with Arizona for Randy Johnson, the left-hander who has not budged from his desire to be traded to the Yankees.


Mexico Has Repeat Champion Unam Pumas became the first team to win back-to-back titles in Mexico when they defeated Monterrey on Saturday in the second leg of the title series.


Dollar Inches Lower Ahead of U.S. Data  TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar edged lower on Tuesday as  traders bunkered down ahead of a U.S. interest rate decision  and, later in the week, current account data that could  underscore bearish sentiment on the currency.


Lloyds says IAS impact will be small Lloyds TSB yesterday reassured investors the new International Accounting Standards would have a minimal impact on its business, and said trading remained robust


Monday #39;s Canadian briefs The lack of standby rescue helicopters at CFB Moose Jaw was not a factor in the fate of two Snowbird pilots after their planes crashed on Friday, says Defense Minister Bill Graham.


Microsoft raises stakes in search war Microsoft yesterday res-ponded to rivals in the burgeoning search engine business by unveiling a test version of a free desktop search tool that will help computer users find information on the hard drives of their PCs.


Cisco Users See Some Pricing Relief DECEMBER 13, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - SAN JOSE -- Cisco Systems Inc. #39;s prices have typically been higher than those charged by its smaller networking rivals.


Electronic Arts Signs Exclusive NFL License Electronic Arts announced today that it has signed a five-year exclusive licensing deal with the National Football League and the NFL players association, giving EA the exclusive rights to the NFL teams, stadiums and players for use in its football


Suicide Bomber Kills 13 in Baghdad (AP) AP - An al-Qaida-linked suicide bomber blew up his vehicle Monday near cars waiting to enter the Green Zone, home to the U.S. Embassy and Iraq's interim government, killing 13 Iraqis on the anniversary of Saddam Hussein's capture.


In Autism, New Goal Is Finding It Soon Enough to Fight It Across the country, thousands of toddlers are joining studies that could signal new hope for a baffling childhood disorder.


Oracle wins 5.4bn fight PeopleSoft finally gave in yesterday and accepted a \$10.3bn (5.4bn) takeover proposal from its larger rival Oracle, ending a pursuit that has lasted 18 months and has been marked by bitter personal insults and a series of courtroom battles.


Kuwait  #39;to meet full oil supplies #39; Middle East producer Kuwait has told key crude oil lifters in Asia that it will supply full contract volumes in January despite OPEC #39;s latest agreement to curb excess supplies, traders said on Tuesday.


Honeywell makes \$1.5bn Novar bid Honeywell International stepped into the battle for control of industrial group Novar yesterday with a \$1.5bn (790m) agreed cash offer that some believe represents a knock-out blow.


Lloyds sets aside another 110m for misselling The move means Lloyds TSB has now salted away 360m for customers sold endowment mortgages. The products, designed to pay off home loans by investing in financial markets, were popular in the 1980s and 1990s


Jaguar workers say no to strike Workers at Jaguar #39;s Browns Lane plant have voted 55 to 45 against strike action over the company #39;s plans to move car production from the Coventry factory to Castle Bromwich in Birmingham as part of a restructuring programme which will mean the loss of


US firm regains TV Nova It has been a long and acrimonious road back, but six years after being forced out as owners of the first commercial television station in the Czech Republic, Central European Media Enterprises is back, spending \$642m (334m) in cash and shares for a


Pay cuts at United #39;s parent company Executives at the Illinois-based UAL Corp., parent of bankrupt United Airlines, will share airline employees #39; pain with pay cuts of 4 percent to 8 percent.


A quarter of bird species in danger of extinction, study warns By the end of the century one in 10 species of birds in the world will be extinct and a further 15 per cent will be on the brink of extinction according to one of the largest studies of avian biodiversity.


Grid pioneers launch company The creators of the Globus open source grid software formally launched software and services company Univa on Monday with the hopes of capitalizing on their work on grid computing.


Pinochet arrested on human rights charges The former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet was placed under house arrest on human rights charges yesterday after a judge in Santiago ruled he was mentally fit to stand trial.


Film star politician dies in Philippines The Philippine film legend who came close to defeating Gloria Arroyo in the presidential race in May died early today after suffering a stroke.


Hamas target of bomb in Syria A member of Hamas, the militant Palestinian organisation, survived an apparent assassination attempt yesterday when his car blew up in the Syrian capital, Damascus, a Palestinian source said.


Willingham and Weis Make It Official Notre Dame introduced its new coach, Charlie Weis, a few hours before Tyrone Willingham was introduced as the new coach at Washington on Monday.


EU says block Chinese textiles  quot;only if necessary quot; The EU on Monday welcomed Beijing #39;s measures to control its textile export growth after a global quota system expires on Jan. 1, and said legal steps to block Chinese imports should only be used if strictly necessary.


Grey Seen as Leading Paramount Candidate  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brad Grey, executive producer of the  hit television show "The Sopranos" and chairman of a top  Hollywood talent management firm, has emerged as the leading  candidate to succeed Sherry Lansing as head of Viacom Inc.'s  VIAb.N Paramount Pictures, the Wall Street Journal reported  on Sunday.


Wall Street Week Ahead: Data May Surprise  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Holiday sales data and a jobs report  this week will provide the first glimpse of the economy's  health going into 2005, and could give another boost to the  end-of-year stock rally, analysts said.


Hernandez, Indians agree to one-year deal The team and infielder Jose Hernandez agreed to a one-year, one-point-eight (m) million dollar contract today at the winter meetings in Anaheim, California.


Fernando Poe Jr., 65, Philippine Actor-Politician, Dies Fernando Poe Jr., the action film star and presidential candidate who refused to concede the election in May, died early Tuesday after suffering a stroke.


Iran optimistic over nuclear negotiations with EU TEHERAN - Iran said on Monday it was optimistic ahead of crucial talks with the European Union aimed at striking a long-term accord that would ease concerns over the countrys nuclear programme.


Game makers make play for adults The name of this game is who can capture the most adult gamers. Heading into the year-end shopping season, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.


US Space Agency Chief Resigns After Presiding Over Major Changes The head of the US space agency, NASA, has resigned after a tumultuous three years in office that included the loss of a space shuttle and its seven astronauts.


Coughlin Sticks With Manning Despite Woes (AP) AP - Despite horrific struggles in recent weeks, Tom Coughlin still believes that Eli Manning is going to be an outstanding quarterback for the reeling New York Giants.


Pedro would get his re\$pect from Mets, but they need more Get used to it, quick. The New York Mets are making a strong push to close on a deal with the marquee free-agent right-hander, with indications that a four-year guaranteed contract offer has all but delivered him.


NHL expected to reject union proposal Gary Bettman and the NHL return to the negotiating table with the players #39; association today in Toronto, but the league is expected to formally reject the offer made by the union last Thursday.


Electronic Arts Gets an Exclusive NFL Deal The video game maker Electronic Arts announced an exclusive five-year deal with the National Football League and its players yesterday to design games using the NFL brand, stadiums, player names and uniforms.


Mariners deal-less but hopeful A lineup makeover designed to produce more runs and wins next season looked more hopeful than fulfilled Monday evening, when the Mariners ended the Winter Meetings without a visible home run trot.


Pakistan Denies CIA Is There Seeking bin Laden Pakistani officials on Monday denied a report about the presence of a Central Intelligence Agency search mission for the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in


China detains high-profile political dissidents (AFP) AFP - China has detained two prominent intellectuals in what appears to be a renewed crackdown on dissent by authorities, family members and sources said.


Dutch consider infant euthanasia Doctors in the Netherlands call for new laws allowing the mercy killing of newborn babies under certain conditions.


Sharon Says Palestinian Leaders Must Halt Militants The Israeli prime minister Ariel said peace talks depend on whether militants are reined in.


Pinochet Indicted on Human Rights Charges A Chilean judge, known for pursuing human rights violators, indicted former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet on Monday on charges of kidnapping nine political dissidents and killing one of them during his 17-year military regime.


Oracle to Acquire PeopleSoft for \$10.3 Billion, Ending Bitter <b>...</b> The Oracle Corporation announced early yesterday that it would acquire PeopleSoft for \$10.3 billion, ending a bitter takeover fight that had lasted more than 18 months.


Lloyds TSB adds 110m to reserves for policies The new reserves come on top of 300 million earmarked last year to pay compensation for failing endowment policies and mis-sold precipice bonds.


Fed rate hikes getting to be a habit Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and his central bank colleagues are widely expected to raise short-term interest rates for a fifth and final time this year Tuesday.


Grey Seen as Leading Paramount Candidate (Reuters) Reuters - Brad Grey, executive producer of the\hit television show "The Sopranos" and chairman of a top\Hollywood talent management firm, has emerged as the leading\candidate to succeed Sherry Lansing as head of Viacom Inc.'s\(VIAb.N) Paramount Pictures, the Wall Street Journal reported\on Sunday.


Microsoft Releases a Desktop Search Tool Microsoft has released a preliminary version of its search tool for finding documents, e-mail messages and other files stored on personal computer hard drives.


1 in 10 bird species could vanish within 100 years By 2100, about 10 of all bird species probably will be extinct, killed off by habitat loss, hunting and climate change, conservation biologists estimate.


Microsoft delays WinFS even more WinFS is perhaps one of the most awaited feature from the Microsoft stable after Longhorn was announced. Microsoft says that it has been their dream to come out with something like WinFS and completely change the way file system works.


Mets Are on Verge of Signing Martnez as Boston Bows Out Before Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein left baseball #39;s winter meetings on Monday afternoon, he told executives from other teams that Boston had lost Pedro Martinez


Giants set to welcome Matheny CBC SPORTS ONLINE - The San Francisco Giants plan to announce the signing of free-agent catcher Mike Matheny late Monday. Matheny, 34, reportedly will receive \$9 million US over three years.


French lawyer asks Red Cross to look into reports of Saddam <b>...</b> PARIS A French lawyer is asking the Red Cross to check into reports that Saddam Hussein has begun a hunger strike. The attorney says he represents Saddam and that there are indications from Iraq that the former


DUP to Meet Blair for Talks The Rev Ian Paisleys Democratic Unionists will meet Tony Blair at Downing Street today as efforts continue to resolve the impasse over IRA disarmament.


Mets Are on Verge of Signing Martnez as Boston Bows Out The Mets are close to signing Pedro Martnez to a four-year contract for \$56 million, according to a person involved in the negotiations.


Nets' Owner Staying a Stormy Course Bruce Ratner now spends his time trying to convince fans not to abandon a team that abandoned Kenyon Martin in a series of jumbled decisions last summer.


Oracle to Acquire PeopleSoft for \$10.3 Billion, Ending Bitter Fight The merger is another step in the consolidation of the information technology industry as it matures.


Bangladesh Is Surviving to Export Another Day Garment makers in poor countries have been dismayed over the upcoming abolition of trade quotas, but the outlook is not as bleak as many experts had thought.


Rivals Join To Develop Hybrid-Car Technology General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG are throwing their combined weight behind a new hybrid technology for cars and trucks, setting the stage for what had been a niche product to spread to the mainstream for American consumers.


Howard Says Full Sale of Telstra This Term Isn #39;t Guaranteed Australian Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday #39;s invitation for proposals from investment banks on how to sell the government #39;s A\$32 billion (\$24 billion) stake in Telstra Corp.


Ravens Win, Watch The Ravens hold on to a 30-23 victory over the Miami Dolphins after building a 20-point lead and now need losses by Denver and Jacksonville to make the postseason.


Heat Win 5th Straight, Beat Wizards 106-83 (AP) AP - Shaquille O'Neal scored a season-high 40 points, and the Miami Heat overcame the loss of leading scorer Dwyane Wade to beat the Washington Wizards 106-83 Monday night for their fifth straight win.


MozSource Now Offers Technical Support for Key Mozilla Products MozSource, the independent company that operates the Mozilla Store and the Netscape Store, has announced the launch of its new high-quality, affordable technical support service for Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird and Mozilla 1.7.


Cassini has another successful Titan flyby The Cassini spacecraft completed a successful rendezvous with Saturn #39;s moon Titan today. This was the last pass before the European Space Agency #39;s Huygens probe is sprung loose from Cassini on Christmas Eve.


NHL to reject players #39; latest offer: TSN TSN has obtained a memo showing the NHL will reject the latest offer from its players.  quot;In sum, we believe the Union #39;s December 9 CBA proposal, while offering necessary and significant short-term financial


Patriots loss is Notre Dame #39;s gain For some people, it #39;s going to the dentist or even the doctor. For others, it #39;s a bumpy plane ride or even something more down to earth, like that household chore which comes around a little too often.


Oracle Reaches Takeover Deal With PeopleSoft Software maker PeopleSoft Inc. announced Monday that it had agreed to be acquired by Oracle Corp. in a \$10.3 billion deal, ending one of the longest and nastiest takeover battles in recent corporate history.


US Quiet on China Trade Tax China #39;s promise to impose new taxes on some textile exports will do little to sway the administration as it debates whether to limit the expected flood of Chinese


High oil prices predicted for next 20 years Although the recent flurry of record oil prices might be temporary, government analysts said Thursday that \$30-a-barrel oil should be expected for decades to come.


Sprint #39;s Planned Nextel Deal Builds on Wireless Strength When Gary D. Forsee took over as chief executive of Sprint Corp. 20 months ago, the phone company was reeling from the telecom bust, burdened by debt and grappling with bigger


China Aviation Oil Unit Procures Jet Fuel A new subsidiary of troubled China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corp. has begun procuring jet fuel amid a criminal investigation into huge trading losses at the Singapore-listed firm, as well as demands for repayment from creditors.


Citi and Amex: Plastic Fantastic? The financial titans hope their co-branded cards win over better-heeled, prompt-paying consumers. It may not be so simple, however.


AMD and IBM develops new technology for processors AMD and IBM in collaboration have developed a new technology that can lead to massive increase in processor power. They call it strained silicon transistor and tests have shown it resulted in a 24 increase in performance.


Geminid Meteor Shower Peaks Monday Night Viewing conditions could be just right to try and catch a meteor shower Monday night. Some scientists say the best shooting star show of the year will peak Monday night.


Marvel-ous deal for Mforma: mu Earlier today, Mforma and Marvel Enterprises announced the mobile entertainment industry #39;s largest content licensing deal to date.


NFL Wrap: Steelers End Bills' Playoff Hopes  ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (Sports Network) - Jeff Reed kicked five  field goals and James Harrison returned a fumble for a  touchdown, as the Pittsburgh Steelers completed the best season  in franchise history and knocked the Buffalo Bills out of  playoff contention with a 29-24 victory at Ralph Wilson  Stadium.


Coughlin to Simplify Manning #39;s Tasks The image of Eli Manning standing on the Giants #39; sideline Sunday, wearing a look of utter dejection, may end up as the defining portrait of a season going down the tubes, a rookie quarterback helpless to stem the downward swoosh.


No. 6 Wake Forest 67, Temple 64 With two starters on the bench, Wake Forest had a different look at the start of its game against Temple. The postgame celebration wasn #39;t quite the same, either.


Bengals Uncertain Of Palmer #39;s Status Cincinnati Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis said yesterday that he expects quarterback Carson Palmer to play again this season, but he doesn #39;t know if it will be this week.


Two US marines killed in Iraq TWO US Marines were killed in Iraq #39;s Baghdad province, the marines said in a statement which gave no further details. The deaths followed the killing of eight marines over the weekend in the restive western Al-Anbar province.


Sinn Fein slams Unionist #39;s refusal to resume peace talks BEIJING, Dec. 14 -- In Northern Ireland, hopes of reviving stalled talks between nationalist and unionist political parties have been dealt a blow by an Irish Republican Army refusal to deliver photographic proof of disarmament.


For Brazil's Economy, the Doctor Is In Antonio Palocci, a doctor from Brazil's farm belt, has found himself presiding as the country's finance minister during the most robust economic expansion in a decade.


Rivals Join  to Develop  Hybrid-Car Technology General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG are throwing their combined weight behind a new hybrid technology for cars and trucks, setting the stage for a spread to the mainstream.


Global Crossing Ex-Chief Cleared The Securities and Exchange Commission has rejected a staff recommendation to bring civil charges against former Global Crossing Ltd. chairman Gary Winnick, his lawyer said Monday.


AMD and IBM work together to improve chip performance Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and International Business Machines (IBM) have developed a new technology that they claim will deliver higher performance margins, from their latest microprocessors, with dual stress liner technology.


Opportunity leaves Endurance Crater A frame from Opportunity #39;s front hazard avoidance camera shows the rover #39;s farewell glance at Endurance Crater. Credit: NASA/JPL.


NBA ROUNDUP O #39;Neal Scores 40; Wade Hurt By The Associated Press. Shaquille O #39;Neal scored a season-high 40 points, and the host Miami Heat overcame the loss of Dwyane Wade, its leading scorer, to beat the Washington Wizards


Report: Mets about to get Pedro Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - It looks as if Pedro Martinez is about to become a member of the New York Mets. The Boston Herald reported Monday afternoon that Martinez has agreed to a four- year, \$56 million


Cavaliers 92, Grizzlies 86 LeBron James punctuated a 31-point performance with a slam in the closing seconds and finished with eight assists and seven steals, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 92-86 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.


#6/5 WAKE FOREST ESAPCES WITH 67-64 WIN OVER TEMPLE PHILADELPHIA - As sophomore Dustin Salisberys desperation three-point attempt with two seconds remaining sailed awry, so did the hopes of a Temple upset over #6/5 Wake Forest , who escaped with a 67-64 win on Monday night at the Liacouras Center .


Romanians hope for new era In BUCHAREST story please read in fifth paragraph ... Prime Minister Adrian Nastase ... instead of ... Prime Minister. By Mirela Roman and Radu Marinas.


Prep Banned From IAC Georgetown Prep's football team will not be allowed to play in the Interstate Athletic Conference, not because the Little Hoyas broke any rules, but because they're too good.


Deacons Silence Owls Trent Strickland makes sure No. 6 Wake Forest avoids a loss to Temple Monday night by scoring nine points in the last nine minutes in the Demon Deacons' 67-64 win.


Geico Wants To Restrict Google Ads Geico Corp. yesterday urged a federal judge in Alexandria to issue an injunction prohibiting Internet giant Google Inc. from selling ads based on searches using the Washington insurance giant #39;s


IBM, AMD speed chips IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) and Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) said Monday that they have developed a strained silicon transistor technology aimed at


Rovers Find More Evidence That Mars Was Once Home to Water More evidence of past water on Mars may help answer the questions  quot;How wet? quot; and  quot;How long? quot; At a news conference here at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical


Bears #39; Urlacher hurts hamstring CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher hopes an MRI will determine the severity of a left hamstring injury sustained in this past Sunday #39;s 22-3 loss at Jacksonville.


For Oracle, price is finally right SAN FRANCISCO - Oracle Corp. finally scooped up rival PeopleSoft Inc. after 18 months of legal and verbal strife, ending a feud with a \$10.3 billion deal that promises to shake up the business software industry.


Daimler and GM gear up for transmission revolution Carmakers DaimlerChrysler and General Motors are to co-operate on developing a new type of transmission-based system to compete with Toyota and Honda in the growing hybrid market.


Blog Creation, Readership Rises in 2004 (AP) AP - Readership of online journals known as blogs grew significantly in 2004, driven by increased awareness of them during the presidential campaign and other major news events, according to a study released Sunday.


Ukraine Seeks to Control Yushchenko Probe (AP) AP - Ukraine's outgoing government sought Monday to control the inquiry into the poisoning of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, with officials close to the government taking charge of both investigations into who tried to harm or kill the leader of the "Orange Revolution."


COLEMAN TIPS CHELSEA FOR TITLE Fulham boss Chris Coleman on Monday backed neighbours Chelsea to be crowned Barclays Premiership champions after Manchester United slipped up at Craven Cottage.


UN suspends aid operations in South Darfur after killing of workers (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - The United Nations has suspended its humanitarian operations in Sudan's troubled South Darfur area following a shooting that killed two aid workers, the agency said Monday.


NBA Wrap: O'Neal Pours in 40 Points as Miami Wins (Reuters) Reuters - Shaquille O'Neal scored a season-high\40 points and added 12 rebounds and five blocked shots to drive\the host Miami Heat past the Washington Wizards 106-83 Monday.


Giants Agree to 3-Year Deal With Matheny (AP) AP - The San Francisco Giants and catcher Mike Matheny agreed to a  #36;10.5 million three-year contract Monday, the latest move to upgrade the team's defense.


EU Works on Turkey Membership Talks (AP) AP - The European Union edged closer Monday to giving Turkey the green light on membership talks, but jitters over bringing the relatively poor Muslim nation into the fold prevented a decision on a starting date.


WTO approves membership talks with Iraq, Afghanistan The World Trade Organization (WTO) has approved requests by Iraq and Afghanistan to begin membership negotiations, but Iran #39;s bid for such talks was again blocked by the United States.


India, Pak to discuss CBMs Islamabad, Dec 14 - Experts from Pakistan and India are meeting today and tomorrow in Islamabad to discuss nuclear and conventional confidence building measures (CBMs).


Add 'Podcasts' To Your Tech Terms Playlist (Investor's Business Daily) Investor's Business Daily - Just as you can download music to an iPod, some folks are doing the same with a new form of talk radio.


Wake Forest Holds Off Temple; Mississippi State Wins  PHILADELPHIA (Sports Network) - Eric Williams scored 17  points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field to lead sixth-ranked  Wake Forest to a 67-64 win over Temple at the Liacouras Center.


Late Bouba Diop Strike Denies United  LONDON (Reuters) - A late equalizer from Pape Bouba Diop  gave Fulham a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United on Monday  and prevented Alex Ferguson's team from moving back into to the  thick of the Premier League title race.


Chavez Allies Name Supreme Court Justices President Hugo Chavez's allies in Congress appointed 17 new justices to the supreme court Monday as opposition parties accused the leader of stacking the nation's highest court with government-friendly magistrates.


Oracle Buys PeopleSoft for \$10.3 Billion  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - PeopleSoft Inc. on Monday agreed  to a sweetened \$10.3 billion buyout by rival software maker  Oracle Corp., relenting after a 18-month takeover saga marked  by personal insults, courtroom battles and the ouster of  PeopleSoft's chief executive.


Citigroup Says It Will Issue American Express Cards American Express, which fought for the right to sign deals with banks that issue cards on the Visa and MasterCard networks, said that it won a contract with Citigroup.


Grid pioneers launch company SAN FRANCISCO - The creators of the Globus open source grid software formally launched software and services company Univaon Monday with the hopes of capitalizing on their work on grid computing.


Samsung Makes Smaller MMC Card for Cell Phones Thumbnail-sized memory card's maximum capacity will be 128MB.


FOMC rate calls may get more interesting next year WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - The Federal Open Market committee is meeting behind closed doors on Tuesday and the most that financial markets can muster is a collective yawn.


Jaguar workers vote against strike action Jaguar workers have voted against strike action in protest at the axing of car production in Coventry. Although the switch from Browns Lane to production facilities at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham forces


MSN Desktop Search Debuts With the launch this week of new toolbars, Microsoft wants to make it as easy to find lost files on your desktop as it is to search the Web.


HP targets Chinese market with AMD powered PC China with its large population provides a big market for the PC Manufacturers. However, it is the local computer makers who rule the Chinese PC Market.


Google to Digitize Some Library Collections Five prestigious university and public libraries have reached agreement with Google Inc. to digitize millions of volumes in their collections and make portions of the text available for free


White Sox deal C. Lee to Brewers for Podsednik, Vizcaino ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Hoping to add more power to their lineup, the Milwaukee Brewers acquired outfielder Carlos Lee from the Chicago White Sox for center fielder Scott Podsednik, reliever Luis Vizcaino and a player to be names later on Monday.


Finance: the Point of No Returns (Reuters) Reuters - (Linda Stern is a freelance writer who covers personal\finance issues for Reuters. Any opinions in the column are\solely those of Ms. Stern. You can e-mail her at\lindastern(at)aol.com.)


Filipinos mourn the death of movie legend The actor, who nearly unseated Gloria Arroyo in May #39;s presidential election, suffered a stroke at the weekend. News of Mr Poe #39;s illness and death has gripped the nation, pushing aside reports about a bomb


US military denies Saddam on hunger strike Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was not on a hunger strike, the US military said Sunday. File video footage released on December 14, 2004 shows Saddam Hussein having his


Cavs Edge Grizzlies LeBron James has a stellar all-around game with 31 points, eight assists and seven steals to lead Cleveland over Memphis, 92-86.


Electronic Arts Gets an Exclusive N.F.L. Deal The video game maker Electronic Arts announced an exclusive five-year deal with the National Football League to design games using the N.F.L. brand.


Cardinal Health to Cut Costs by Eliminating 4,200 Jobs Cardinal Health, the drug wholesaler, said Monday it would cut 4,200 jobs, or 7 percent of its work force, and close 25 manufacturing and distribution locations as part of a plan to reduce costs.


World Prize Still Within Henry #39;s Grasp Thierry Henry might find some consolation in the fact that the European Player of the Year has gone on to be crowned the worlds best only once in the last four years.


Oil Prices Extend Gains Above  #36;41/barrel (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices extended gains above  #36;41 a\barrel on Tuesday on forecasts of colder temperatures in the\U.S. Northeast, a supply cut by top OPEC producer Saudi Arabia\and disruptions to Iraqi crude exports.


US Air Flight Attendants Ready for Strike (Reuters) Reuters - Flight attendants at bankrupt US\Airways Group Inc.  have authorized their union to\call a strike should a federal court allow airline management\to void their contract, the Association of Flight Attendants\said on Monday.


Survey: Local hiring to remain flat/12-14 The majority of employers in Hamilton and Fairfield dont plan to hire over the next three months, according the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.


Bomb Kills 7 Iraqis, Year After Saddam's Capture (Reuters) Reuters - A suicide car bomber killed at least\seven Iraqis outside Baghdad's government compound on Monday,\the first anniversary of Saddam Hussein's capture.


Microsoft launches software for searching desktops SEATTLE - Microsoft has become the second tech-industry giant to offer software for searching through computer desktops, a technology it claims is superior to that launched by Google two months ago.


Google adds major libraries to its database Google, the operator of the world #39;s most popular Internet search service, plans to announce an agreement Tuesday with some of the nation #39;s leading research libraries and Oxford


Yahoo Names Its First Chief Data Officer Yahoo has named Dr. Usama Fayyad as Chief Data Officer and senior vice president of the Strategic Data Solutions group. Fayyad will be responsible for Yahoo!


Oracle Launches New Real-Time Collaboration Suite Oracle today announced its Oracle(r) Collaboration Suite 10g with new real-time collaboration tools and enterprise content management capabilities.


NBA Wrap: O #39;Neal Pours in 40 Points as Miami Wins Shaquille O #39;Neal scored a season-high 40 points and added 12 rebounds and five blocked shots to drive the host Miami Heat past the Washington Wizards 106-83 Monday.


Weis Finds New Home With Notre Dame While hes spent the past several seasons in New England winning two Superbowl championships and looks poised to a third, Weis may have hoped that success would have lead to an NFL head coaching job.


No. 20 Mississippi St. 74, New Orleans 59 Once Mississippi State started rolling, New Orleans was no match for the 20th-ranked Bulldogs. Shane Power scored 17 points and Mississippi State extended its road winning streak to 13 games


Eight US Marines among 24 killed in Iraq BAGHDAD: At least 24 people, including eight US Marines, were killed in Iraq suicide bombing and fighting. An al-Qaeda-linked suicide bomber blew up his vehicle on Monday near cars waiting to enter the Green


#39;Israel should coordinate Gaza pullout with Palestinians #39; Israel is prepared to withdraw troops from Palestinian areas well ahead of a planned pullout from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank next summer, Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said.


Google Announces Search Deal with Seven Libraries Web search leader Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said late on Monday it is working on a project to digitally scan the collections at seven libraries and will make


No. 19 Louisville Tops Tennessee St. (AP) AP - Francisco Garcia matched his career-high with 29 points, including eight straight during a 27-4 run, and No. 19 Louisville pulled away for a 98-64 victory over Tennessee State on Sunday.


MSN Toolbar Suite Beta The MSN Toolbar Suite combines several great programs that speed up your search tasks and help you surf the Web. There #39;s now an MSN Toolbar for Microsoft Office Outlook, the MSN Deskbar in the Windows taskbar


Google Partners with Oxford, Harvard  amp; Others to Digitize <b>...</b> Google has announcing five new content partners and a massive scanning project that will bring millions of volumes of printed books into the Google Print database.


Phishing is a problem for all Internet browsers Take heart, Internet Explorer users. Now it appears that virtually every Internet browser program - not just yours - poses a security risk.


Oracle Redefines Enterprise Content Management With Launch of <b>...</b> To help companies increase productivity, reduce risk and better meet regulatory compliance guidelines through improved management of unstructured data, Oracle announced the launch of its enterprise-class content management technology, Oracle Files 10g.


Baghdad and Kabul approved for WTO talks The World Trade Organisation gave approval on Monday for Iraq and Afghanistan to begin negotiations to join the 148-member body - but the US again blocked the opening of accession talks with Iran.


Bomb kills 13 in Iraq BAGHDAD: An Al Qaeda-linked suicide bomber blew up his vehicle yesterday near cars waiting to enter the Green Zone, home to the US embassy and Iraq #39;s interim government, killing 13 Iraqis on the first anniversary of Saddam Hussein #39;s capture.


N. Korea Extends Isolation by Refusing Nuclear Talks, US Says North Korea is prolonging its isolation by refusing to return to six-nation talks aimed at dismantling the country #39;s nuclear programs, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.


China, US move on textile quotas The United States and China have both taken steps to control an expected flood of cheap Chinese textiles and clothing into the world market after a decades-old quota system expires on January 1.


Deutsche Boerse courts the LSE for tie-up More than four years after burying their ambitious iX merger project, the Frankfurt and London stock exchanges had returned to the negotiating table to discuss a possible tie-up


Nextel and Sprint: New Partners? The cellular telephone industry #39;s game of musical chairs has started again, and the music may soon stop with one less chair. Nextel Communications is in advanced talks to merge with Sprint, according to executives involved in the negotiations.


Google to Scan Books From Big Libraries (AP) AP - Google Inc. is trying to establish an online reading room for five major libraries by scanning stacks of hard-to-find books into its widely used Internet search engine.


Mavericks Edge Bulls 94-93 (AP) AP - Michael Finley capped his 27-point night with a 17-foot jumper with 3.2 seconds left to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 94-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.


Shevchenko is European footballer of the year PARIS (AFP) - AC Milan #39;s Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko was yesterday named European footballer of the year for 2004. The 28 year-old becomes the third Ukrainian to win the award after Oleg Blockhin in


League memo snubs proposal by players A confidential eight-page memo sent from the NHL to its 30 member clubs indicates the league and its players #39; union remain far apart with negotiations scheduled to resume today.


Roethlisberger vs. Manning - No comparison Ben Roethlisberger needed less than a season to close the considerable gap between himself and Eli Manning, the top choice in this year #39;s draft.


Google Announces Search Deal with Seven Libraries (Reuters) Reuters - Web search leader Google Inc.\ said late on Monday it is working on a project to\digitally scan the collections at seven libraries and will make\the pages available to Google users over the coming years.


Democratic Rep. Bob Matsui Dies at 63 (AP) AP - Democratic Rep. Robert T. Matsui of California, who spent time in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans as an infant during World War II and went on to serve 26 years in Congress, has died of complications from a rare disease, his family said Sunday.


Chile #39;s Pinochet under house arrest London - Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was on Monday placed under house arrest on human rights charges after a judge in Santiago ruled he was mentally fit to stand trial.


Mars Rovers See Water-Linked Mineral (AP) AP - The Mars rover Spirit found a mineral linked to water during its exploration of the Red Planet, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said Monday.


Navy commander ordered back to UK The captain of a Royal Navy warship is removed during a tour of duty to the Gulf amid allegations of bullying.


Oracle, PeopleSoft Merger Approved Software maker PeopleSoft Inc. announced Monday that it had agreed to be acquired by Oracle Corp. in a \$10.3 billion deal, ending one of the longest, nastiest takeover battles in recent corporate history. -The Washington Post


Sprint, Nextel to Build on Wireless Strength Proposed merger would create the country's third-largest wireless unit, and the new company could be a very formidable competitor given Nextel's prized customer base. -The Washington Post


Geico Corp. Wants to Restrict Google Ads Geico urged a federal judge Monday in Alexandria to issue an injunction prohibiting Internet giant Google Inc. from selling ads based on searches using the Washington insurance giant's name, arguing the practice infringes on its trademark. -The Washington Post


Computer Sciences Sells DynCorp Units Computer Sciences Corp. is selling parts of Reston-based DynCorp it acquired last year, saying the units, which provide security to foreign leaders and train international police, do not fit with its information technology focus.


Oracle buyout gets mixed reviews from PeopleSoft customers Today's announcement of Oracle's \$10.3 billion buyout of PeopleSoft Inc. isn't drawing rave reviews from the installed based of customers about to be acquired in the deal.


Review: New Microsoft beta good but security still an issue Microsoft announced the release of its MSN Desktop Toolbar Suite beta yesterday, including a new desktop search capability aimed at making it faster and easier for Windows computer users to find the information on their local systems.


AMD, IBM develop silicon transistor technology to improve <b>...</b> Microprocessor maker AMD and IBM have developed a strained silicon transistor technology aimed at improving processor performance and power efficiency.


UNITED HELD LONDON: Papa Bouba Diop smashed in a stunning late equaliser to give Fulham a deserved 1-1 home draw with Manchester United in the Premiership early this morning.


Davidson: He was maestro on the mound in Boston The Red Sox and the Indians were tied, 8-8, in the fifth and deciding game of the 1999 Division Series when Pedro Martinez was summoned from the bullpen.


Shaq #39;s 40 help Heat dominate Wizards MIAMI - Playing without his sidekick for more than a half Monday, Shaquille O #39;Neal resembled the player who has been unstoppable for most of his 14 years in the NBA.


Man who brought Americans the Yugo now plans on importing Chinese cars to U.S. (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - DETROIT (AP) - The man who brought the Yugo and Subaru to the United States and built a gull-wing sports car in Canada bearing his name now has a new project - selling Chinese-made cars in the United States.


Explosion Rocks Baghdad, Smoke Near Green Zone A loud explosion rattled central Baghdad on Tuesday and a cloud of smoke could be seen rising close to the Green Zone government and diplomatic compound.


Climate change threatens China food production BUENOS AIRES: Climate change could cut China #39;s food production 10 percent by 2050, said an official report at a major UN conference here.


Google Partners with Oxford, Harvard   Others to Digitize Libraries Google has announcing five new content partners and a massive scanning project that will bring millions of volumes of printed books into the Google Print database.


Update 7: Unocal Settles Rights Cases in Myanmar Human rights groups lauded the announcement by lawyers that an agreement in principle has been reached to settle human rights lawsuits against oil giant Unocal Corp.


Players #39; offer likely to be rejected Bob Goodenow, executive director of the NHL Players Association, created a lot of suspense when he submitted a dramatic contract proposal to the league last week.


Diamondbacks call Yankees anew on Johnson The Arizona Diamondbacks called the New York Yankees again Monday in an effort to restart trade talks on Randy Johnson. Jeff Moorad, the Diamondbacks #39; incoming chief executive officer, called Yankees president


Sprint bid to acquire Nextel on tap Sprint and Nextel Communications could unveil their \$36 billion merger within a few days, but speculation has intensified about the emergence of a rival bid.


The Year Shoppers Left the Mall Behind Online buying continues to snowball, according to the results of a recent America Online survey. This year, for the first time, Americans who regularly use the Internet for shopping -- researching


Israeli Forces Raid Northern Gaza (Reuters) Reuters - Israeli tanks moved into the northern Gaza\Strip on Sunday to try to stop cross-border rocket attacks that\front-running Palestinian presidential candidate Mahmoud Abbas\said could achieve nothing.


Microsoft Debuts Desktop Search Tool Microsoft Corp. released its long-awaited desktop search technology yesterday, entering a crowded race to dominate information access on Windows-based PCs.


Sony, Samsung Sign Licensing Agreement TOKYO - Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday that they have signed a licensing agreement, but the deal won #39;t cover the Asian electronic companies #39; key technologies.


Supreme Court hears file sharing case The US Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider a case likely to have a significant impact on the music, video and electronics industries.


Apple #39;s iTunes now accepting PayPal Customers at Apple Computer #39;s iTunes store will now be able to pay for their songs, albums and gift certificates using PayPal, a virtual-wallet technology owned by eBay.


Chiefs Defeat Titans 49-38 Tennessee Titans cornerback Michael Waddell (36) intercepts a pass intended for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Eddie Kennison (87) in the second quarter Monday, Dec. 13, 2004 in Nashville, Tenn.


Shevchenko European Footballer of the Year Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko of AC Milan has been named European Footballer of the Year. In a poll conducted by a French football magazine Monday, the 28-year-old was rewarded for his outstanding scoring


Owners are likely to vote no During a negotiating session today in Toronto, NHL owners are expected to turn thumbs-down on last week #39;s proposal from the NHL Players Association.


Weis #39; Irish eyes are smiling as he takes Notre Dame post About seven or eight years ago, Harry Shatel had that conversation with Charlie Weis about the future. Shatel, the Morristown High School baseball coach, doesn #39;t remember the exact date


Yankees reportedly seek 3-way deal for Unit The New York Yankees haven #39;t given up improving their pitching rotation yet, and they appear to be making moves with a certain tall left-hander in Arizona in mind.


Suicide Car Bomber Hits Baghdad Checkpoint Again A suicide car bomber struck at an entrance to Baghdad #39;s Green Zone government compound on Tuesday, 24 hours after an almost identical attack on the same checkpoint, a US military spokesman and Iraqi police said.


Pinochet to stand trial for murder A JUDGE today ordered Chile #39;s former dictator Augusto Pinochet to stand trial for murder and kidnappings under his iron-fisted rule between 1973 and 1990.


Surprise victory for Basescu in Romania Traian Basescu, a sea captain turned politician, won a surprise victory in Romania #39;s presidential run-off election held on Sunday, according to final results announced yesterday.


Hamas: Israel behind Damascus bombing The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas is accusing Israel of responsibility for the bombing attack on one of its members in the Syrian capital Damascus.


Indo-Pak officials begin talks on nuclear CBMs, Sir Creek Islamabad: India and Pakistan on Tuesday began separate talks here on nuclear confidence building measures and to work out modalities to conduct joint survey of pillars at Sir Creek area of the Gujarat coast.


Public to get virtual access to 7 million books Harvard, Oxford and others also will go online in the first deal of its kind. By Nick Bunkley / The Detroit News. By the end of the decade, anyone around the world will have instant access to 7 million volumes


British firms plan to increase hiring British companies plan to hire more new employees in the first three months of next year compared with plans made for the first quarter of this year, employment agency Manpower says.


When a Utility Saves Money, Who Benefits? Customers of investor-owned electric utilities must cover all the expenses of these legal monopolies in the rates they pay. But what happens when a utility owner


UAL plans non-union pay cuts SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- UAL Corp, parent of United Airlines, said late Monday it will cut pay of salaried workers and management beginning Jan. 1 as part of its goal to emerge from bankruptcy.


Samsung, Sony to share patents TOKYO (CBS.MW) - Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Sony Corp. on Tuesday signed a cross-licensing agreement, allowing mutual sharing of a number of patents across major product lines held by both companies.


MIT grows beating heart tissue Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported yesterday that by using cells harvested from rats, they have grown dime-size swatches of


Hewlett-Packard Unveils Low-Priced PC For Chinese Market Hewlett-Packard Co. has moved aggressively into the PC market in China by introducing a \$483 machine, a price point which is in the same ballpark as other lean PCs announced earlier in the year by Lenovo Group.


Pedro set to sign with Mets For days, Omar Minaya was hedging and bluffing, trying to carefully hide his intentions. Finally, he just threw his cards on the table and came up with an ace.


Knicks: From the outside, they #39;re looking in Lenny Wilkens isn #39;t taking for granted what practically everyone else is -- that a healthy Knicks team will make the postseason.


Wake Forest edges Temple PHILADELPHIA -- Trent Strickland scored all nine of his points in the last nine minutes, and No. 6 Wake Forest made 5 of 6 free throws in the last two minutes to hold off Temple, 67-64, Monday night.


Anchoring Turkey in the European family Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey #39;s prime minister, has been travelling so much recently that most Turks have to turn on their television to find out where he is.


S Asia rivals hold nuclear talks The meeting in Islamabad is part of wider efforts to improve relations between the South Asian rivals. Officials from both sides will discuss putting in place safeguards to avert a possible nuclear conflict.


Clinton predicts Arab world #39;s future Former US President Bill Clinton has ruled out the possibility of reaching a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue and the the Arab-Israeli conflict within the next


Ukraine Speaker: Keep Poisoning Out of Campaign (Reuters) Reuters - Ukraine's influential parliament speaker\called on Monday for a scandal over the poisoning of opposition\leader Viktor Yushchenko to be kept out of the country's\presidential election campaign.


Fergie fuming as United blow catch-up chance (AFP) AFP - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was left seething at his side's inability to cash in on the draw between English Premiership favourites Arsenal and Chelsea.


Deputy minister complains about ethics investigation to languages commission (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - The federal deputy Immigration minister filed a complaint against the ethics commissioner Monday with the Official Languages Commission over testimony being conducted only in English.


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


Small Business Optimism at 20-Year High  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Optimism at U.S. small businesses  rose in November to the highest point in more than 20 years on  expectations of faster economic growth and stronger sales, the  National Federation of Independent Business said on Tuesday.


Suicide Car Bomber Hits Baghdad Checkpoint Again  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber struck at an  entrance to Baghdad's Green Zone government compound on  Tuesday, 24 hours after an almost identical attack on the same  checkpoint, a U.S. military spokesman and Iraqi police said.


New blast hits Iraq Green Zone A car bomb explodes at a US checkpoint in Baghdad -  a day after an almost identical attack there killed seven.


Taiwan's Chen quits party post President Chen resigns as DPP chairman in Taiwan, in a move which could signal a new drive to find consensus.


Finley Dumps Bulls The Mavericks' Michael Finley nails a jumper with 3.2 seconds left to lift Dallas to a tough 94-93 victory over Chicago on Monday.


Google to scan books from big libraries SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. is trying to establish an online reading room for five major libraries by scanning stacks of hard-to-find books into its widely used Internet search engine.


Unocal to pay villagers, fund improvements to settle rights case LOS ANGELES - Unocal Corp. will settle a human rights case filed over a pipeline in Southeast Asia by paying villagers and funding improvements to living conditions along the project route, lawyers on both sides said Monday.


Samsung Develops Thumbnail MMC High performance with low power, the removable memory card which is smaller than the size of a thumbnail, is expected to revolutionize cell phone designs.


HP cuts prices for China HP, the world #39;s number two PC maker, said on Friday it has launched a \$483 (about 250) computer in China, turning up the heat in the intensely competitive market.


Yahoo names chief number-cruncher Web portal Yahoo on Monday appointed Usama Fayyad as its chief data officer and senior vice president of the strategic data solutions group.


Chiefs Down Titans In Exciting Finish NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Trent Green found Eddie Kennison for a go- ahead nine-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining as the Kansas City Chiefs pulled out a thrilling 49-38 victory over the Tennessee Titans in a back-and- forth contest at the Coliseum.


Shevchenko nets European Footballer of Year award Paris, France (Sports Network) - AC Milan and Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko was named the European Footballer of the Year Monday.


Diamondbacks make a splash First Troy Glaus, then Russ Ortiz, and the Arizona Diamondbacks say they aren #39;t finished.  quot;This is the second day of the new Diamondbacks, quot; Arizona managing partner Ken Kendrick


Baghdad Suicide Bomb Attack Kills at Least 7 Iraqi authorities say a suicide car-bomb blast in central Baghdad killed at least seven Iraqis and wounded 19 other people Monday - the anniversary of Saddam Hussein #39;s capture by US forces.


Two US Marines killed around Baghdad Two US Marines were killed Monday around the Iraqi capital, the US. military said in a statement on Tuesday. The two Marines of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force died within


United Airlines imposes wage cuts America's second largest airline announces widespread pay cuts as it strives to emerge from bankruptcy.


Oracle acquisition of PeopleSoft leads flurry of deals NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- US stocks closed higher Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending at its best level in more than nine months amid better-than-expected economic data and merger-related optimism.


Business ; Canada Government Says Won #39;t Let Bombardier Die Earlier, federal Transport Minister Jean Lapierre said the sudden resignation of Bombardier #39;s chief executive, Paul Tellier, on Monday would have no impact on the subsidies negotiations.


Cardinal Health to cut 4,200 jobs, shut 25 offices in <b>...</b> Cardinal Health Inc., a medical products and services company based in Dublin, Ohio, plans to cut 4,200 jobs, or about 7 percent of its work force, and close 25 offices as part of a three-year restructuring plan, the company said Monday.


Two Internet domain names get preliminary approval The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number, the organization named by the US government in 1998 to oversee policies over Internet addresses, gave a preliminary nod Monday to domain names targeting mobile services and the jobs


Chelsea still tops for Coleman Chris Coleman still believes Chelsea will win the Barclays Premiership this season after watching his side put a further dent in Manchester Uniteds own title aspirations at Craven Cottage last night.


Weis accepts Notre Dame job Notre Dame said New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis has signed a six-year year contract to coach the Irish. The 48-year-old Weis returns to the school he graduated from in 1978.


Overreaction to 'distraction' The guy to whom everything is a potential and dreaded  quot;distraction, quot; now must try to convince his team that the defection of its offensive coordinator is, well, not a distraction. So when is a distraction not a distraction? When Bill Belichick says so?


Oracle seals PeopleSoft takeover SAN FRANCISCO -- Ending 18 months of hostility, Oracle Corp. has raised its takeover bid for rival PeopleSoft Inc. by 10 per cent to seal a \$10.3-billion US deal that will create the world #39;s second-largest maker of business applications software.


Verizon gets Vodafone OK for Sprint bid: WSJ Verizon Communications has gained the backing of partner Vodafone Group to bid for Sprint Corp in a move that could thwart Sprint #39;s potential \$35 billion bid for Nextel Communications, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.


TOMMY TUNES UP Embattled Tommy Hilfiger Corp., desperate to acquire an upscale brand to help re-ignite its growth engine, will buy designer Karl Lagerfeld #39;s small business and roll


SONY BID COULD #39;VE SAVED DISNEY \$ A former Walt Disney Co. director testified that CEO Michael Eisner hoped that Sony Corp. would take Michael Ovitz off his hands and save Disney a  quot;bundle quot; in severance pay.


Sean O #39;Keefe #39;s legacy It was a tumultuous three years in which the future of NASA seemed to die a tragic death, and then rise from the ashes to focus on a historic new goal.


Chiefs beat Titans in offensive display It wasn #39;t quite as dramatic or significant as the Music City Miracle. The Kansas City Chiefs will take it just the same. The Chiefs didn #39;t need a long lateral on a controversial kickoff


Chargers' Brees and Tomlinson Inactive (AP) AP - With the AFC West champion San Diego Chargers already having clinched the AFC's fourth playoff seed, Pro Bowlers Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates were held out of Sunday's game against Kansas City.


Return to Nuclear Talks Tricky, N.Korea Daily Says North Korea will find it difficult to return to nuclear talks if the United States keeps insisting that Pyongyang renounce peaceful as well as military atomic activities, the North #39;s main newspaper said on Tuesday.


NBA Wrap: O'Neal Pours in 40 as Heat Subdue Wizards  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shaquille O'Neal scored a season-high  40 points and added 12 rebounds and five blocked shots to drive  the host Miami Heat past the Washington Wizards 106-83 Monday.


Vodafone 'OKs Verizon Sprint bid' US telecoms firm Verizon is reported to have won the backing of mobile partner Vodafone for a bid for US rival Sprint.


Google to index works at Harvard, other major libraries Google Inc. is expanding its territory from bytes to books. The world's largest Internet search engine said yesterday it will soon begin a program to index books and bound periodicals in the libraries of Harvard University.


Cash from the past? Many of them have been extraordinarily patient; some died waiting. A few are relative newcomers sensing an opportunity.


Historic building may yet see a new day Mayor Thomas M. Menino is going ahead with redevelopment of the historic Ferdinand Building in Dudley Square, even though the state has dumped a plan to relocate 1,000 or so employees there.


Businessman takes fight over Pats tickets online A Connecticut businessman took his quixotic crusade against the New England Patriots to the Internet yesterday, launching a website to build support among season ticket holders for arbitration in ticket revocation disputes and the ability to transfer tickets to a friend or family member.


Fed seen raising key rate 0.25 With a fall in oil prices easing inflation concerns, the Federal Reserve is expected to continue its easy-does-it approach to raising interest rates, boosting a key rate by a moderate quarter-point at its final meeting of the year today.


GM, DaimlerChrysler to develop hybrid engines General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG are teaming up to develop fuel-saving hybrid engines in hopes of cashing in on an expanding market already dominated by hybrid leaders Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co.


3Com buys Texas Web security company 3Com Corp., the Marlborough maker of computer-networking equipment, said it agreed to buy a Texas maker of antihacker security systems, TippingPoint Technologies Inc., for \$430 million in cash. TippingPoint makes so-called intrusion-prevention systems for businesses, government agencies, colleges and universities, and telecommunications service providers and systems. TippingPoint has 125 employees at its Austin headquarters. The \$47-per-share purchase price offered owners ...


Honeywell to buy Novar in \$1.7b deal New Jersey-based Honeywell International Inc. , the aerospace and high-tech manufacturer, has agreed to buy the British industrial holding company Novar PLC for about \$1.7 billion, the companies said yesterday.


Oil prices top \$41 as traders weigh production, weather Crude oil futures rose above \$41 a barrel yesterday as traders focused on OPEC's planned production cutback and colder weather in the United States.


Strike threat hits US Airways Flight attendants at bankrupt US Airways Group Inc. have authorized their union to call a strike should a federal court allow airline management to void their contract, the Association of Flight Attendants said yesterday.


Rates mixed on T-bills Interest rates on short-term Treasury securities were mixed in yesterday's auction. The Treasury Department sold \$19 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 2.200 percent, down from 2.210 percent last week. An additional \$17 billion was sold in six-month bills at a rate of 2.425 percent, up from 2.380 percent.


MIKE WENDLAND: UM #39;s entire library to be put on Google Google, the ubiquitous Internet search engine, is taking the University of Michigan #39;s library from Ann Arbor to the world. BY THE NUMBERS.


Looking for a rare read? Soon, you #39;ll just Google it Google Inc. is trying to establish an online reading room for five major libraries by scanning stacks of hard-to-find books into its widely used Internet search engine.


Fewer employers plan to hire in early 2005 Companies #39; hiring plans could cool early next year, according to a new survey by Manpower Inc. Some local job experts, though, question the employment agency #39;s findings.


New Internet domains in the works com December 13, 2004, 3:26 PM PT. The Internet may soon see two new top-level domains: .jobs and .mobi. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN ) said


NHL: League expected to reject union #39;s offer The NHL reportedly will reject the latest proposal from the players #39; union that was meant to put an end to the lockout and salvage the season.


Johnson to Yankees Has a Life of Its Own Brian Cashman wore a sweatshirt and blue jeans as he cruised the emptying lobby of the Anaheim Marriott on Monday. He grabbed a pizza.


Suicide attack kills 13 near Baghdad Green Zone Smoke rises from a spot where a car bomb exploded in Baghdad, Iraq, December 13. A suicide bomber killed 13 people in an attack Monday near to the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad.


US blocks WTO entry talks with Iran The World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreed on Monday to begin accession talks with Iraq and Afghanistan, but the United States again blocked any such negotiations with Iran, diplomats said.


Resolution in row between Ahern  amp; Paisley The row between the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and the DUP over IRA decommissioning appears to have been resolved. Yesterday, the DUP announced it was withdrawing all contact from the Government after Mr Ahern


Govt wants to slow global warming The Federal Government says it is interested in slowing global warming, even though it has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.


Sprint's Planned Nextel Deal Builds on Wireless Strength (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - When Gary D. Forsee took over as chief executive of Sprint Corp. 20 months ago, the phone company was reeling from the telecom bust, burdened by debt and grappling with bigger competitors on three fronts: local, long-distance and wireless calling.


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


NYSE to use custom IBM palm PCs (FT.com) FT.com - IBM has developed an order management and messaging system dubbed "TradeWorks" for the New York Stock Exchange designed to support the growing number of shares traded on the exchange.


American Diplomatic Drive Comes Up Short (AP) AP - Bush administration persistence in using diplomacy to solve a nuclear weapons crisis with North Korea is coming up short as the insular regime bobs and weaves away from resuming negotiations.


Martinez's years in Boston A chronology of highlights and lowlights from Pedro Martinez's seven years (1998-2004) as a Red Sox pitcher:


NIH was warned in '02 on AIDS drug for Africa WASHINGTON -- Weeks before President Bush announced a plan to protect African babies from AIDS, top US health officials were warned that research in Uganda on the key drug was flawed and may have underreported severe reactions, including deaths, government documents show.


Pakistan reports no sign of bin Laden, denies CIA bases ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan said yesterday that there was no evidence Osama bin Laden is hiding in the country, and denied it allowed CIA agents to set up bases along the border to search for the Al Qaeda leader.


Centrist victorious in Romania BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romanian centrist Traian Basescu scored an upset presidential win yesterday and vowed to replace the ruling ex-communists with a reformist team in the run-up to European Union entry in 2007.


Ukraine aims to control poison probe KIEV -- Ukraine's outgoing government sought yesterday to control the inquiry into the poisoning of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, with officials close to the government taking charge of both investigations into who tried to harm or kill the leader of the Orange Revolution.


Paisley breaks with Dublin on IRA disarmament DUBLIN -- Northern Ireland's major Protestant party broke off relations with the Irish government yesterday after Prime Minister Bertie Ahern indicated he had accepted the IRA's refusal to provide photographs of disarmament.


Warsaw makes rare Hanukkah observance WARSAW -- Jewish community leaders and Warsaw officials lighted the candles of a large menorah in the center of the capital yesterday for Hanukkah, a rare public observance of a Jewish holiday in Poland. Israel's chief rabbi, Yona Metzger, chanted Hebrew prayers as he and Warsaw Deputy Mayor Andrzej Urbanski were lifted by an industrial crane to the top of ...


Residents anxious to return HABBANIYA, Iraq -- As winter sets in, Iraqi families who fled the US-led attack on Fallujah for a lakeside resort upriver wish their holiday there would come to an end.


Yawer demands help from UN for elections BAGHDAD -- Interim President Ghazi al-Yawer demanded more help from the United Nations ahead of the country's Jan. 30 elections, saying yesterday that poor security was no excuse for the world body to stay away.


As Kurds return to oil-rich city, a fragile detente KIRKUK, Iraq -- Hassan Mohammed Amin brought his seven children to a 200-square-yard patch of mud and set up home on the edge of this city in August as part of an ambitious attempt to reverse Saddam Hussein's ethnic cleansing.


Iraqi president warns a 'Hitler' could emerge LONDON -- Iraq's interim President Ghazi al-Yawer warned in an interview published yesterday that long-term instability and violence in his country could create the conditions for an ''Iraqi Hitler quot; to emerge.


At Least 25 Dead in Indian Train Collision -- TV (Reuters) Reuters - At least 25 people were feared killed\Tuesday in a collision between two passenger trains in northern\India, television stations reported.


Sony and Samsung in patent deal Japan's Sony and South Korea's Samsung agree a deal to share patents on new technology.


Hilfiger to Acquire Lagerfeld Trademarks NEW YORK - Tommy Hilfiger Corp. - whose once-hot preppy clothing business has cooled - is making a play to rekindle growth by buying luxury brand Karl Lagerfeld.


Producing for the region For the first time in years, manufacturing may be one of the best places to look for a job in Northwest Indiana. Durable goods manufacturing and services will have the best job prospects in


Danske Bank Group acquires NIB  amp; NB The Danske Bank Group has signed an agreement with National Australia Bank to purchase Northern Bank (www.nbonline.co.uk) in Northern Ireland and National Irish Bank (www.


Dixon Carries Wizards Juan Dixon takes advantage of some rare playing time by scoring 15 fourth-quarter points to help the Wizards beat the Hawks, 104-101.


Samsung Develops Tiny Memory Card Samsung Electronics has developed an ultra small, fingernail-sized digital imaging flash memory card that is less than one-third the size of existing memory cards.


Chiefs outlast Titans, 49-38 nfl roundup NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A phantom penalty and a nine-yard touchdown catch by Eddie Kennison on Monday night lifted the Kansas City Chiefs past the Tennessee Titans, 49-38.


Team will work on its coordination The cone of silence surrounding Notre Dame #39;s courtship of Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was lifted from Gillette Stadium yesterday


NHL rejects NHLPA offer Based on an eight-page memorandum the NHL has sent to all teams, mysteriously obtained by TSN, the NHL has rejected the NHLPA offer and is poised to issue its own counter-offer at a 1 pm meeting with the NHLPA on Tuesday.


Celtics outlast Clippers Evidently the Celtics didn #39;t think five games were enough on this West Coast journey, so they performed a basketball cover of Southside Johnny #39;s I Don #39;t Want to Go Home #39; #39; and stayed around for two extra periods last night.


Two Cavs on AP All-America team Brown, a senior guard, and Miller, a junior tight end, made Virginia one of four schools with at least two players on the first team.


Two high-profile black coaches for Huskies Tyrone Willingham and Lorenzo Romar are recognized as accomplished college coaches, the biggest reason Washington administrators are glad to have them working the sidelines.


A second explosion rocks Baghdads Green Zone Another car bomb struck at a checkpoint leading to Baghdad #39;s Green Zone government compound early Tuesday, 24 hours after a similar attack on the same checkpoint, a US military spokesman and Iraqi police said.


Pinochet fit to stand trial, judge rules A judge in Chile has said that the country #39;s former military ruler, General Augusto Pinochet, is fit enough to be tried for alleged human rights abuses in the 1970s.


Pakistan says India arms complaints  quot;disturbing quot; A day before the nuclear-armed rivals were due to discuss confidence building steps, Pakistan said it objected to India raising Islamabad #39;s conventional arms purchase plans as an issue given its own active buying programme.


A Species in a Second: Promise of DNA 'Bar Codes' If it works as promised, DNA bar coding will assist in the urgent task of cataloging unknown species before their ranks are decimated by extinction.


We Love Them. We Hate Them. We Take Them. The relationships we all have with those little pieces of matter, our pills, are becoming ridiculously tangled.


Can Strep Bring On an Anxiety Disorder? Scientists know so little about a disorder that links a strep infection with obsessive-compulsive disorder in children that some question whether it even exists.


If I Only Had a Voice: A Humble Wish Upon a Drumstick Now that the DNA that makes a chicken a chicken had been sequenced, I'm hoping we'll learn why chickens can't sing.


Swedes Burn Candles in Memory of Tsunami Dead  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Candles burned in many windows across  Sweden on Sunday in memory of the victims of Asia's deadly  tsunami, as the government offered its distraught population  hope by cutting the number of missing by one-fifth.


Microsoft Enters the Desktop Search Wars Microsoft today introduced MSN toolbar Suite. The software will allow users to search the contents of their hard drive, including Microsoft Outlook e-mail, calendar items, contacts and Office documents.


Sony and Samsung in patent deal Sony Corporation and Samsung Electronics have agreed to share patents on technology used in the development of new products. The agreement will involve a wide range of commercial licenses but will not include


Miller claims sixth win in 10 races SESTRIERE, Italy - World Cup leader Bode Miller won a slalom Monday to join Marc Girardelli as the only men to win races in all four disciplines in a season.


Willingham takes over Huskies While Tyrone Willingham was being introduced as Washington #39;s 22nd football coach yesterday, Lorenzo Romar leaned against a wall and took the scene in, knowing that reporters would shortly drift his way with a predictable array of questions.


GM and DaimlerChrysler team up on hybrid engine General Motors and DaimlerChrysler are collaborating on development of fuel- saving hybrid engines in hopes of cashing in on an expanding market dominated by hybrid leaders Toyota and Honda.