Sage grouse outlook found less than dire A decision announced Friday to not list the greater sage grouse as an endangered or threatened species still leaves open the possibility the approximately 1,000 birds remaining in Washington could be listed.


Wario Ware Touched! We get much deeper into Nintendo #39;s cool touch-screen continuation of its whacked-out series. December 03, 2004 - If you haven #39;t already noticed by now, the Nintendo DS has finally had its launch in the Japanese


Middle East emerges as prime growth market for graphic solutions ATI Technologies Inc. has announced that PCI Express (PCIe)-enabled graphics cards are set to account for 25 of the global graphics card market by year-end.


BATTLING WESTWOOD BACK IN CONTENTION Lee Westwood recovered from a nightmare start to his third round and reached the turn just one shot off the lead in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.


Nitties birdies closing hole to maintain Australian PGA lead COOLUM, Australia -- Former Australian amateur star James Nitties took the third-round lead in the Australian PGA on Saturday, closing with a birdie for a one-stroke advantage over American Bob Estes.


Del Ponte: Serbia must deliver The chief prosecutor at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Carla Del Ponte, has told the BBC that  quot;all possible measures quot; should be taken against Serbia over Belgrade #39;s reluctance to arrest those indicted for crimes in the former Yugoslavia.


U.S. Doping Watchdog to Question BALCO's Conte - IAAF  HELSINKI (Reuters) - U.S. anti-doping officials plan to  question Victor Conte after the BALCO head claimed he saw  sprinter Marion Jones taking banned drugs, world athletics body  the IAAF said Saturday.


Company to Sell Chinese Autos in U.S.  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Visionary Vehicles LLC, started by the  man who brought the Yugo to America in the 1980s, has agreed to  sell imported vehicles from China at bargain basement prices in  the United States, the company said on Monday.


Attorney: Barry Bonds Did Nothing Illegal OAKLAND, Calif. -- An attorney for Barry Bonds said he won #39;t acknowledge that Bonds used steroids and neither will Bonds. The San Francisco Giants star testified a year ago before a grand jury that has indicted


Colombian drug kingpin extradited to the US Bogota - Former drug kingpin Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, head of the powerful Cali drug cartel, was en route to the United States early on Saturday after being handed over to American anti-narcotics officials the night before, a Colombian official said.


Iran nabs another nuclear  #39;spy #39;: reports Iran #39;s intelligence ministry has announced the arrest of a  quot;spy quot; accused of setting up a fake nuclear company as part of a bizarre international plot to damage the Islamic republic #39;s reputation, press reports said Thursday.


Wal-Mart Still Sees Sales Up 1-3 Percent (Reuters) Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , the\world's largest retailer, said on Saturday it still expects a 1\percent to 3 percent increase in December sales at its U.S.\stores open at least a year.


The Tax Man May Take a Bite (Reuters) Reuters - Stocks may come under pressure next\week as investors sell shares at year's end to prepare for tax\season. But crude oil prices, earnings outlooks and moves in\the dollar will also be closely watched.


Stock Market Rally Fueled by Cheaper Oil (Reuters) Reuters - Oil is still king on Wall Street --\and if you don't believe it, just take a look at this year's\stock market charts.


Programs: a Checklist for Tuning Up Your PC You change the oil in your car every 5,000 miles or so. You clean your house every week or two. Your PC needs regular maintenance as well -- especially if you #39;re using


Wal-Mart Still Sees Sales Up 1-3 Percent  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT.N, the  world's largest retailer, said on Saturday it still expects a 1  percent to 3 percent increase in December sales at its U.S.  stores open at least a year.


The Tax Man May Take a Bite  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks may come under pressure next  week as investors sell shares at year's end to prepare for tax  season. But crude oil prices, earnings outlooks and moves in  the dollar will also be closely watched.


Stock Market Rally Fueled by Cheaper Oil  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil is still king on Wall Street --  and if you don't believe it, just take a look at this year's  stock market charts.


Company Spending Seen Conservative  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Corporate America is gun-shy about  making significant spending increases in 2005, as high fuel  costs, geopolitical concerns and memories of recent  overspending loom over budget plans for next year.


Vintage Cars Get Hot with Makeovers  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Car buyers, tired of designs that roll  off the assembly line, are shifting gears to decades past.


Ferrero replaces Nadal in Davis Cup final doubles match Spanish captain Jordi Arrese named Juan Carlos Ferrero Saturday to play doubles with Tommy Robredo, replacing 18-year-old Rafael Nadal.


England bag first Dubai Sevens title England won their first ever Dubai Sevens title last night, beating Fiji 26-21 in a nail-biter of a final. The visitors went behind early on at the Exiles Club with Kameli Ratuvou going over, but Mike Friday #39;s


Exclusion takes toll on players Duncan Fletcher admitted that the controversy surrounding Englands tour to Zimbabwe had affected their performance in their opening win Sunday.


Grotech Hopes to Repeat Success of Long John Silver's Grotech Capital Group Inc.  is getting back into the fish business.


Serbia sends general for war crimes trial Serbia yesterday signalled the start of greater co-operation with the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague, surrendering a former Bosnian Serb general whose troops held Sarajevo under siege during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.


5 jawans killed as ultras storm CRPF camp Five CRPF personnel were killed in a suicide attack on their camp at Sopore in north Kashmir today. We are going for a final assault to kill the militants inside the camp as all CRPF personnel who were


#39;Republicans holding up quest for peace #39;: Paisley The Republican movement is holding up progress in the search for a new peace process deal, Democratic Unionist leader the Reverend Ian Paisley claimed today.


Mbeki into new discussions in Ivory Coast, EU urges peace (AFP) AFP - South African President Thabo Mbeki started new peace talks with various Ivory Coast groups, as European Union delegates urged all parties to find a peaceful solution to the two-year crisis wracking the divided west African nation.


Telegraph used to warn trains on day of Halifax Explosion put on display (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - HALIFAX (CP) - The image of Vince Coleman frantically pounding on a telegraph key has become the symbol of the Halifax Explosion for a generation of Canadians.


Colombian Drug Kingpin in Miami Prison Cell  MIAMI (Reuters) - The former boss of Colombia's Cali  cocaine cartel was in a U.S. prison cell on Saturday after an  extradition that capped a 14-year investigation into his  multibillion dollar drug business.


Lycos Europe anti-spam Screensaver bites the dust! Although close on 100,000 people downloaded the free screensaver, it received a great deal of criticism. Many believed it lowered itself to the tactics of the spammers themselves and could have caused more problems than it solved.


Trade Groups, Firms Push to Ease Tough Federal Scrutiny Two-and-a-half years after Congress passed the most sweeping corporate reforms since the Great Depression, trade groups are maneuvering to revise them, arguing that they are too expensive, too time-consuming and too much trouble for small businesses.


IT Dabbles with Firefox, But Few Plan To Switch from IE One feature in Firefox is tabbed browsing, which allows users to load pages from multiple sites without having to open a new browser window for each one.


5 blasts hit Madrid FIVE blasts hit separate Madrid petrol stations yesterday, causing no injuries but snarling peak-hour traffic. The incidents followed a phoned warning from a caller claiming to represent the Basque separatist group ETA, police said.


Bombers target Iraqi security forces BAGHDAD - Two powerful car bombs exploded simultaneously Saturday near Baghdad #39;s most heavily guarded area, killing at least seven police officers and wounding 59 others.


Deal May Let Northern Ireland MPs Speak in Republic #39;s Parliament Northern Irelands MPs and MEPs are to be given the chance to take part in debates in the Irish Republics Parliament if a comprehensive peace process deal is struck in the coming week, it was claimed today.


Sudan 'considers' Turabi charges Sudan says it will decide next week whether to charge Islamist leader Hassan Turabi over an alleged coup attempt.


US officials to question BALCO chief  quot;Now Conte has broken his silence, they will be seeking him for further information. The IAAF will follow the situation, quot; he said.


The Week in College Football Description: NPR #39;s Michele Norris talks with Wall Street Journal sports reporter Stefan Fatsis about the latest news from the college gridiron.


Deliberations Begin in Air India Bomb Trial Nearly two decades after Air India Flight 182 exploded over the Atlantic Ocean killing 329 people, the fate of the two Sikh extremists charged with the bombing is finally in hands of a judge.


Napster Founder Heads In New Direction It is a licensed file-sharing service with almost an unlimited selection of tracks that will give record labels a degree of control over file-sharing.


ETA Bombs Put Radical Basque Party in Tight Spot (Reuters) Reuters - The armed Basque separatist group ETA\showed it was not a spent force with Friday's coordinated\attacks at five Madrid petrol stations, but it also further\isolated the guerrillas' closest political allies, Batasuna.


Russia woos Indian IT firms, call to jointly tap global markets (AFP) AFP - Russia said it wants to emulate India's success in information technology as it wooed Indian firms for joint projects and called on both nations to team up to tap global markets.


Irish recruits in holding pattern But Ponder, the head football coach at Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, said Nelson, the star wide receiver who committed to the Irish in July, could be re-thinking his commitment in the wake of Tyrone Willingham #39;s firing.


Ambrose wants hat-trick Motorsport crowned a new king in the V8 Supercars last night when Ford #39;s Marcos Ambrose swept to successive championship titles in the final round of the season at Eastern Creek.


Indicted Sarajevo Siege General Arrives in Hague (Reuters) Reuters - A Serb general accused of\sniping and shelling against the civilian population of\Sarajevo during the 1992-95 Bosnian war arrived in The Hague on\Friday to face charges of crimes against humanity.


Myskina, Safin Win Russia's Top Player Awards  MOSCOW (Reuters) - French Open champion Anastasia Myskina  has been voted Russia's female player of the year by the panel  of tennis journalists, coaches and officials.


Bono plans lifelong poverty fight Rock singer Bono pledges to spend the rest of his life trying to eradicate extreme poverty around the world.


Ambrose seals V8 title FORD driver Marcos Ambrose today sealed back-to-back V8 Supercar championships with victory in the 100km opening race at the series Grand Finale.


MLB owners approve Expos #39; relocation to Washington The owners of Major League Baseball #39;s 30 teams voted almost unanimously today to approve the relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington, the league reported Dec. 3 on its website.


Pakistan, India agree to resume 2nd rail link Pakistan and India agreed Friday to resume the second rail link between the two nations. According to a statement jointly issued by technical teams fromboth sides at the conclusion


Boeing Changes Management in Key Division Boeing Co. changed management of its commercial aircraft division yesterday, replacing the head of the sales team after losing several competitions to its European rival Airbus SAS.


Shawn Fanning Returns With New Music Service Not quite as strong (or as controversial) as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shawn Fanning is back -- in the music downloading game, according to MTV News.


Chelsea display championship class Chelsea piled the pressure on to their Premiership title rivals with a 4-0 lunchtime demolition of Newcastle. Hustled out of their stride and on the back foot for much of the first half, Chelsea turned on


Bush Mum on Pakistan's Bin Laden Efforts (AP) AP - President Bush offered no criticism Saturday of Pakistan's role in the still-unsuccessful hunt for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, even though Pakistan's army is pulling back from the region where the terrorist mastermind is believed hiding.


Programs: a Checklist for Tuning Up Your PC (Reuters) Reuters - You change the oil in your car\every 5,000 miles or so. You clean your house every week or\two. Your PC needs regular maintenance as well -- especially if\you're using Windows and you spend a lot of time on the\Internet.


Bones Suggest Women Went to War in Ancient Iran (Reuters) Reuters - These days Iranian women are not even\allowed to watch men compete on the football field, but 2,000\years ago they could have been carving the boys to pieces on\the battlefield.


Miss Peru wins world beauty title Miss Peru beats off more than 100 beauty contestants to win the Miss World competition in China.


Salvation Army gets new leader Maj. George Polarek and Maj. Sharon Polarek didn #39;t have much time to settle in. The Polareks are embarking on their first holiday season as the new area coordinator and associate area coordinator of the Salvation Army Buffalo Area Services.


Stocks to Watch Monday  INGRAM MICRO INC. IM.N:


Marion mad at dope slur SPRINT queen Marion Jones says she will sue accused steroid peddler Victor Conte over his allegations that she received banned drugs before winning five medals at the Sydney Olympics.


Slick Nick on victory trail EIGHT years after his last win. The six-time Major winner fired a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 at the Hong Kong Open to stand in joint-second place after three rounds.


Putin denies opposing India #39;s veto power Russian President Vladimir Putin today said that he had been completely misinterpreted by the Indian press. Media reports had claimed that he was opposed to India #39;s right to get veto powers in the UN Security Council.


Middle East ; ElBaradei denies charges of collaboration with Iran ElBaradei was reacting to news reports that he had heeded Iranian demands to drop mentions of IAEA requests to visit the Parchin military site and Irans use of the sensitive material beryllium in a report he had made to the IAEA board in September.


Dollar Starts 2005 Firm, Awaits U.S. Data  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar started 2005 on a strong note  on Monday, gaining more than a cent from last week's record  lows against the euro as investor selling paused on  expectations of a firm batch of U.S. economic data this week.


Lawyers brawl over Pacers-Pistons suspensions New York, December 3 - Two weeks after the fact, lawyers for the NBA and the players #39; union had their own little brawl. Attorneys for the two sides fought before an arbitrator and in federal court Friday, arguing


Boston Celtics Team Report - December 4 (Sports Network) - The Boston Celtics picked up a victory on Friday evening against the Toronto Raptors. Mark Blount scored 22 points, Paul Pierce added 20, as the Celtics edged Toronto for a 91-89 victory at the FleetCenter.


Indian economy to grow 7.5 percent annually says PM (AFP) AFP - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India's economy would grow by 7.5 percent annually over the next decade and could be one of the world's biggest economies in the next generation.


Court Orders Milosevic Defense Lawyers to Continue  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Judges trying Slobodan Milosevic  rejected Tuesday a bid by lawyers appointed to defend the  former Yugoslav president to withdraw from the case.


Spain handed Madrid bomb suspect An Egyptian man suspected of playing a key role in the Madrid train bombings has been handed over to Spain.


DaVita Buys U.S. Kidney Clinics for \$3 Bln  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - DaVita Inc. DVA.N agreed to buy the  U.S. kidney-care clinics of Sweden's Gambro AB GAMBb.ST for  \$3.05 billion in a deal that would make it the top dialysis  services company in the United States.


Sprint Upgrades Wireless Network Wireless carrier Sprint has signed contracts with Lucent, Nortel and Motorola for network upgrades, including the development of high-speed Internet services.


Colgate-Palmolive announces 4,400 job cuts; plant shutdowns NEW YORK, December 7 (newratings.com) - New York based Colgate-Palmolive (CL.NYS) announced its plans today to cut its total workforce by 12 and close one third of its factories in an attempt to reduce costs and focus on the high-profit areas, such as


Update 4: Vivendi, Messier Are Fined \$1.35M Each France #39;s market regulator fined Vivendi Universal SA and its former boss Jean-Marie Messier on Tuesday for deceiving investors with a litany of inaccurate financial communications issued over a two-year period.


Black Notre Dame Alumni Question Firing (AP) AP - Some black Notre Dame alumni say the recent firing of football coach Tyrone Willingham will hamper the school's efforts to recruit and retain black students and teachers.


Nvidia to provide PlayStation graphics Nvidia, a video chip maker, is to provide the graphics engine for Sony #39;s next-generation PlayStation. Nvidia shares rose more than 8 per cent on the news as analysts forecast


Toshiba, Memory-Tech unveil new disc In an effort to ease the transition to higher-capacity disc technology, Toshiba and Memory-Tech have developed a dual-layer disc that supports DVD and HD DVD formats.


Trojan poses as Lycos Europe screensaver An identity-stealing e-mail Trojan horse that disguises itself as the Lycos Europe antispam screensaver is being distributed around the Internet, an antivirus company has warned.


Nintendo DS vs. Sony PSP As Fool Seth Jayson noted last week, Nintendo (OTC BB: NTDOY) had sold half a million of its portable Nintendo DS units within a week of their November 21 launch in the United States.


Apple Meets Oracle #39;s Storage Approval With Apple (Quote, Chart) by its side, Oracle will begin offering a flexible storage strategy catering to customers concerned about cutting the costs associated with saving data.


Syria frees political detainees It is reported to be the biggest single amnesty for three years. The official Sana news agency said it was part of an  quot;open and tolerant policy quot;.


Oil Falls to 3-Month Low on Mild Weather Oil prices fell more than a dollar to a three-month low on Tuesday as mild winter weather sapped demand in the heavy energy consuming US northeast.


Nortel Wins \$1 Billion Contract for Sprint Upgrades RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK - Sprint will invest more than \$2 billion to upgrade its wireless PCS network, and \$1 billion of that will go to Nortel.


ID Biomedical #39;s Shot in the Arm ID Biomedical (Nasdaq: IDBE) recently showed the importance of being in the right place at the right time, especially in the vaccine business.


Citigroup division ordered to pay fine, restitution for high-risk <b>...</b> Securities regulators have ordered a division of Citigroup Inc. to pay \$478,000 in a fine and restitution for allegedly recommending high-risk commodity futures funds to people who shouldn


Telecom Italia to buy mobile arm Telecom Italia is to borrow another 12bn (\$16bn) to fund a cash and shares deal worth more than 20bn for the 44 per cent of its mobile arm that it does not own.


Mozilla Launches Thunderbird 1.0 (PC World) PC World - Alternative e-mail client will compete with Outlook Express and Eudora.


Dell Cuts Prices on Enterprise Hardware (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) is giving its corporate customers a break, announcing price cuts on\hardware ranging from enterprise servers and workstations, to desktops\and notebooks for large business and institutional customers.


Will analysts stick with Apple this time? com. Apple Computers stock price continues to set post-Power Macintosh G4 Cube records, most recently last week with a closing price of \$68.44 per share on Monday, November 29.


EA working on new C amp;C Red Alert game Electronic Arts has revealed that it #39;s working on a new game in the Command  amp; Conquer: Red Alert series in an email sent to fan site operators by VP and executive producer Mark Skaggs.


Charges expected Wednesday from NBA brawl (AFP) AFP - Prosecutors here are expected to file charges Wednesday against National Basketball Association players and spectators who took part in a November 19 brawl.


IOC opens investigation LONDON The International Olympic Committee has opened an investigation into doping allegations against US athlete Marion Jones. IOC president Jacques Rogge (ROH #39;-guh) set up a disciplinary commission to look


German Welfare Cuts Kick In, Protests Limited  BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's sweeping welfare reforms went  into effect without a hitch Monday as labor offices cut  payments for a million jobless and qualifying tests got  tougher.


How Jose became most hated man in Porto Jose Mourinho #39;s Second Coming was not meant to be this way. The man who recently described himself as a  #39;God #39; in Porto has been transformed in some people #39;seyes to the Devil Incarnate.


Government Legislation: A Bad Idea for Baseball Following the revelation that Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi used steroids, some government officials began demanding that major league baseball adopt a stricter steroid policy.


Deputy: Charges likely in scuffle at high school game A fight between players and fans at a high school basketball game last week probably will result in charges against some of those involved, a sheriff #39;s deputy said Tuesday.


Four Palestinians, one Israeli soldier killed in Gaza Ezz Eddine al-Qassam groups, the military wing of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas claimed responsibility for the operation held today and resulted in killing one Israeli soldier and injuring other four to the east of al-Shuja #39;eya quarters in Gaza.


Dutch arrest alleged Saddam aide DUTCH police have arrested a 62-year-old chemicals dealer suspected of involvement in war crimes and genocide committed by the regime of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the Dutch national prosecutor #39;s office said today.


Outside View: Kofi Annan -- time to go UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is the uppermost utopian model of international public servants, a Nobel Prize laureate, a pride to his native Africa.


Ghana a Model for African Elections Urged to wield the power of the thumb, #39; #39; Ghana #39;s people exercised it in force Tuesday - pressing ink-moistened thumbs to ballots in an presidential election marking the


Sharon wins key backing for coalition JERUSALEM - Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave possibly crucial backing on Tuesday for Prime Minister Ariel Sharons plan to invite the opposition Labour Party into a unity government, a Sharon aide said.


What's Next for PeopleSoft? (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - To hear Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) tell it, PeopleSoft (Nasdaq: PSFT) users, as well as its stockholders, are becoming more comfortable with -- or at least resigned to -- the idea of Oracle's proposed acquisition of the enterprise software company.


Karzai sworn in as first popularly elected Afghan president (AFP) AFP - Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistan's first democratically elected president, promising to restore security to the war-shattered country exactly three years after the fall of the Taliban.


Will analysts stick with Apple this time? (MacCentral) MacCentral - Apple Computer #8217;s stock price continues to set post-Power Macintosh G4 Cube records, most recently last week with a closing price of  #36;68.44 per share on Monday, November 29. That #8217;s the company #8217;s sixth-highest closing price of all time; the watermark remains  #36;72.10 per share on March 22, 2000.


Fertilizer May Be Root of Big Colombia Coca Plants (Reuters) Reuters - Giant coca plants said to\resist herbicides and yield eight times more cocaine may be due\to extra fertilizer, not a drug cartel's genetic modification\program, a scientist said on Tuesday.


New Comet Now Visible to Naked Eye (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A comet discovered earlier this year has now moved close enough to be visible without binoculars or telescopes by experienced observers under dark skies. It is expected to put on a modest show this month and into January.


Report: Palestinians, Israel Back Peace Plan  CAIRO (Reuters) - Palestinians and Israelis have agreed in  principle to proposals aiming to end their conflict, Egypt's  official news agency MENA reported Tuesday.


Goodall Says Environment at 'Crossroads' (AP) AP - Biologist Jane Goodall brought her trademark message to Singapore on Tuesday: human beings and chimpanzees are more alike than one would think.


NASA's Return to Flight on Track, Shuttle Officials Say (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - NASA is close \to nbsp;meeting all nbsp;of the return-to-flight safety requirements set by \Columbia accident investigators and should be able to launch a shuttle by May \2005, shuttle program officials said today.


Excavators Discover 20 Mummies in Egypt (AP) AP - Excavators discovered 20 gilded mummies in the Bahariya oasis in western Egypt, the government's council of antiquities said Tuesday.


Md. Researchers Growing Blue Crabs in Lab (AP) AP - More than 1,600 wriggling blue crabs, so young that their shells are still soft and see-through, are taken from gurgling tanks and dropped one at a time into coolers filled with nets. Minutes later, they are loaded onto trucks, driven to two tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and dropped into the water.


New Calif. Agency Begins Stem Cell Project (AP) AP - Californians voted by a wide margin last month to pass a landmark  #36;3 billion initiative to fund stem-cell research. That may have been the easy part.


New media battle for Bafta awards The BBC leads the nominations for the Bafta Interactive Awards, including for the Radio Times site.


Clever Shopping Trolley Helps E-Tail Come of Age  LONDON (Reuters) - Cheryl Samuel-Todd completes her round  with seconds to spare, despite having a journalist and a public  relations officer in tow.


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


Lenovo May Be in Acquisition Talks With IBM China's biggest computer maker said Tuesday it is in acquisition talks with a major international technology company, a disclosure which comes amid reports it might buy IBM Corp.'s personal computer business.


Experts Push for More Computer Security Efforts Computer-security experts, including\former government officials, urged the Bush administration on\Tuesday to devote more effort to strengthening defenses against\viruses, hackers and other online threats. -Reuters


Court Hears Interstate Wine Sales Case State laws barring people from buying wine directly from out-of-state suppliers should be struck down as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court was told Tuesday, as it heard arguments in a case that could lead to sweeping changes on how alcoholic beverages are regulated and sold.


How green are UK carbon trading plans? As UN climate change talks begin in Buenos Aires, we examine Britain's proposals to cut greenhouse gases.


Russian call for Mars volunteers Scientists are selecting subjects to be locked in a self-sufficient capsule to test plans for a trip to Mars.


Honeywell internal documents point to 5,000 jobs exported Honeywell documents reveal plans to move 5,000 jobs overseas


At Inauguration, Karzai Pledges 'New Chapter' for Afghanistan Kabul was calm amid massive security for Hamid Karzai's inauguration ceremony, but overnight attacks provided a reminder of threats.


Kanye West Leads Grammy Nominations With 10 Alicia Keys and Usher received 8 Grammy nominations each today and Ray Charles, who died in June, received 7.


OpenWorld Notebook: Database, grid control boosted SAN FRANCISCO -- Oracle at the OpenWorld conference here on Tuesday is making several product rollouts, including a new version of its database and grid computing enhancements.


Intel sheds light on 2005 desktop strategy Intel's products for the digital home and digital office in 2005 will give consumers and IT managers more capabilities than just raw performance, and the company plans to highlight those products as it did with its Centrino mobile technology, Intel executives said Tuesday.


BEA hails app server upgrade SAN FRANCISCO -- Not to be outdone by rival Oracle's conference being held a block away, BEA Systems on Monday unveiled Version 9.0 of its WebLogic Server application server, code-named Diablo.


Siemens sets wireless speed record with OFDM German electronics manufacturer Siemens has set what it claims to be the fastest-ever wireless connection.


Industry group forms to track and thwart IM threats A group of Internet security and instant messaging (IM) providers have teamed up to detect and thwart the growing threat of IM and peer-to-peer (P-to-P) viruses and worms, they said Tuesday.


Thunderbird 1.0 takes on Outlook Express, Eudora Weeks after the launch of its Firefox 1.0 Web browser, the Mozilla Foundation on Tuesday is set to release version 1.0 of its Thunderbird e-mail client.


Dutch businessman faces genocide charges for selling chemicals to <b>...</b> A Dutch businessman will face genocide charges for allegedly supplying Saddam Hussein #39;s government with chemicals used to make poison gas that killed thousands of


What Does the Future Hold for Flat TVs? Seiko Epson will commercialize OLED TVs by 2007, the company says.


Group Formed to Track, Thwart IM Threats Users will receive free warnings of worms and viruses targeting their chat client.


Mozilla Launches Thunderbird 1.0 Alternative e-mail client will compete with Outlook Express and Eudora.


First Look: MusicMatch Jukebox's Impressive Version 10 Free software helps organize large music collections.


Is Your Web Browser Putting You At Risk? Is Your Web Browser Putting You At Risk?\\It's free, it comes with Windows and it's used by approximately 94 of the Internet population. It also poses an unacceptable security risk. What am I talking about? If you guessed Internet Explorer, you're right on the money. So, is your web browser ...


Lycos Europe Cans Anti-Spam Effort Lycos Europe Cans Anti-Spam Effort\\Lycos Europe attempted to get back at the leading spammers of the world through an initiative called MakeLoveNotSpam. The move was applauded by the ordinary user of the web considering more than a lakh users downloaded the screensaver from the official website. However, many ISPs and ...


Copernic Desktop Search for Mozilla Firefox Copernic Desktop Search for Mozilla Firefox \\Copernic today announced the availability of a new version (1.2) of its Copernic Desktop Search (CDS) product that fully supports the Mozilla Firefox Web browser. Copernic claims to be the first desktop search tool which works with Mozilla Firefox.CDS 1.2 also features up to ...


Shopping Cart Abandonment Shopping Cart Abandonment\\A thread at Search Engine Watch forums named Let's talk about shopping cart conversion discusses real people's experience with shopping cart abandonment rates. As mentioned in the thread, on average, the "75 of online shoppers abandon their shopping carts". What is even more shocking is that "47 of ...


News: Fake Lycos screensaver harbours Trojan Virus writers have begun distributing their wares in emails that pose as Lycos's abandoned "Make love not spam" screensaver.


Oracle Uses Xserve RAID Ina Fried reports for cnet News.com,  #147;Apple Computer #146;s rack-mounted storage system received a vote of confidence Monday, with database giant Oracle endorsing the Xserve RAID as part of an initiative to cut storage costs  #133; Additionally, Oracle is using the Xserve RAID in its own technology department to store e-mail, voice mail and calendar information  #133; Meanwhile, Apple also said Oracle is moving ahead with previously announced plans to offer its 10g software for the Mac sometime before the end of the year. #148; Dec 07


Israel's Sharon Raises Prospect of Early Elections  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  may call early elections if an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party  fails to join a coalition for his Gaza pullout plan this week,  he said in an interview published on Monday.


Nvidia Leaps To PlayStation Platform From Xbox Standard  amp; Poor #39;s Equity Research raised the price target on Nvidia (nasdaq: NVDA - news - people ) after the company announced it was jointly developing a custom graphics processing unit with Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ).


Threat Center Targets SPIM, P2P Viruses Waltham, MA-based IMlogic, Inc. today announced the formation of the IMlogic Threat Center, a resource set up to combat threats that propagate over instant messaging (IM) and peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing services.


Nintendo DS Sales Get Good Start in US, Japan Nintendo has played down the threat from Sony, saying that Nintendo #39;s strength lies in software and the ability to make games that are easy and fun.


Command  amp; Conquer: Red Alert 3 en camino A las puertas del lanzamiento de El Seor de los Anillos: The Battle for Middle-Earth, algunos fans del clsico C amp;C han recibido un email de Mark Skaggs, productor ejecutivo de Electronic Arts, confirmndoles que ya estn manos a la obra con un nuevo


Porto fans target Mourinho Porto fans have pledged a warm welcome for Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in Tuesday #39;s Champions League clash. Mourinho, who led Porto to the Champions League title last season, was spat on at the Stamford


Study: 27 of 56 bowl teams graduate less than half their players Twenty-seven of the 56 schools with bowl-bound football teams graduated less than half their players, a study released Tuesday shows.


Putin casts doubts over viability of Iraq polls Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has cast doubts over the viability of holding free and fair elections in Iraq, saying he  quot;cannot imagine quot; how an occupied country can go through a meaningful electoral exercise.


Rumsfeld sees Iraq pullout by 2008 US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says he expects US troops to withdraw from Iraq within four years, conditions permitting, the New York Times said.


J J in Talks to Buy Guidant - Sources  CHICAGO/PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Health care and consumer  products maker Johnson   Johnson is in negotiations to acquire  medical-device maker Guidant Corp., sources familiar with the  situation said on Tuesday.


Vivendi, Ex-CEO Fined 1 Mln Euros Each  PARIS (Reuters) - French regulators fined Vivendi Universal  EAUG.PA and former Chief Executive Officer Jean-Marie Messier  1 million euros (\$1.34 million) each on Tuesday after a probe  into allegations that they misled investors when a costly media  acquisition spree went wrong.


U.S. Stocks Fall, Led Lower by Oil Sector  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Tuesday as shares of  major oil companies tumbled after the price of crude fell more  than a \$1 a barrel to a 3-month low.


Mystery Bidder Obtains Internet Patents A lawyer for an anonymous bidder acquired a set of patents covering important aspects of commercial Internet transactions for \$15.5 million.


Lucent, Nortel get big Sprint contracts WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - Lucent Technologies and Nortel Networks on Tuesday won contracts totaling \$2.5 billion to help Sprint upgrade its wireless network to offer high-speed service.


Rookie Jones Has Dallas Feeling Good Again (AP) AP - The Dallas Cowboys can only imagine how different their season might be had Julius Jones been healthy the whole time.


Goodall Says Environment at  #39;Crossroads #39; Dr Jane Goodall of England, world-acclaimed conservation biologist and pioneer for her work on chimpanzees in Africa, delivers her keynote speech entitled  quot;Reason for Hope quot; Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2004 in Singapore


Egypt Sees Move Towards Israel-Palestinian Peace  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Egypt's official news agency said  Tuesday significant progress had been made in international  efforts to end Israeli-Palestinian violence, but both sides to  the conflict termed talk of a deal premature.


International Olympic Committee opens investigation into doping <b>...</b> The BALCO scandal could cost Marion Jones her five medals from the Sydney Olympics. The International Olympic Committee opened an investigation Tuesday into the doping allegations against the American track star.


Study: 27 of 56 bowl teams graduate less than half their players ORLANDO, Fla. A new study shows 27 of the 56 schools with bowl-bound football teams graduated less than half their players. The study by the Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of


Garrison extended; King retires as Fed Cup coach White Plains, NY (Sports Network) - Zina Garrison was given a one-year contract extension to remain captain of the American Fed Cup team, while the legendary Billie Jean King retired as a coach for the squad.


Ivory Coast Peace Push May Be Last Chance-UN Envoy  ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Mediation efforts by South African  President Thabo Mbeki may be the last chance to stop Ivory  Coast falling into a deeper crisis, the outgoing head of the  U.N. mission in the West African country said Tuesday.


Russia supports Iraq in restoration of order Meeting with visiting here Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to support all Iraqi steps aimed at restoring order


Musharraf Says Moderates Must Fight Terrorism Pakistan #39;s President Pervez Musharraf is appealing to moderate Muslims to stand up and confront Islamic extremists who are promoting terrorism.


Yawar Warns Iran Against Meddling in Iraq Iraq's interim president warned today against Iranian meddling in Iraqi politics ahead of elections next month and said his countrymen must reject religious government.


Update 1: Witness: Eisner Had Authority to Fire Ovitz A Walt Disney Co. director testified Tuesday that he believed Disney chief executive Michael Eisner had the authority to fire Michael Ovitz as the entertainment giant #39;s president.


High-Def DVD Formats Fight for Dominance from LPs to compact discs and from VHS to DVD, quot; says Jeff Joseph of the Consumer Electronics Association.  quot;High definition


Viduka redeemed MARK Viduka was a relieved man after ending his 12-match English Premiership goal drought yesterday with a double which inspired Middlesbrough to a 3-2 home victory over Manchester City.


J J in Talks to Buy Guidant - Sources (Reuters) Reuters - Health care and consumer\products maker Johnson   Johnson is in negotiations to acquire\medical-device maker Guidant Corp., sources familiar with the\situation said on Tuesday.


US: Heating Bills Not as High as Feared (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. consumers still face sharply\higher home heating bills this winter, but prices will be\somewhat lower than earlier feared due to milder weather and\easing prices, the government said on Tuesday.


US firms announce 104,530 job cuts in November, survey shows (AFP) AFP - US employers announced plans in November to step up job cuts, with the total exceeding 100,000 for the third month in a row, an industry survey showed.


Stocks Fall as Energy Shares, J J Weigh  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks slipped on Tuesday as a sharp  drop in oil prices hurt energy shares and health-care company  Johnson   Johnson JNJ.N fell following a report of a possible  \$24 billion takeover of Guidant Corp. GDT.N.


Oil Falls to 3-Month  Low Oil prices fell 3.5 percent to a three-month low Tuesday as mild winter weather sapped heating oil demand in the U.S. Northeast.


Spin the Medicine Bottle Is a new MS drug going to be a top seller or a bottom-dweller? Here's how to find out.


America's Car-Mart's Diversity The used-car retailer stabilizes results with an all-in-one strategy.


Stanley Swaps Doors for Locks Stanley Works tries to keep growth going by focusing on businesses that keep baddies out.


ID Biomedical's Shot in the Arm ID Biomedical appears well-positioned for the coming years, but it may be best to stay cautious on the company.


Nintendo DS vs. Sony PSP With backwards compatibility, first-party games, and a cheaper price, Nintendo DS is the portable system to beat.


GM to Boost Incentives in 'Red Tag' Sale (Reuters) Reuters - General Motors Corp. , coming off\two straight months of disappointing sales, told dealers on\Tuesday it will launch new U.S. sales incentives later this\week.


Credit Suisse shares drop as bank reportedly prepares CSFB job <b>...</b> ZURICH (AFP) - Shares in the Swiss banking group Credit Suisse fell on the eve of an investors meeting which will reportedly unveil drastic changes at its US investment banking arm, Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB).


Toyota Vehicles to Offer Satellite Radio DETROIT - Toyota Motor Corp. will offer XM Satellite Radio as a factory-installed option in Toyota and Lexus vehicles beginning in 2006, but customers also will be able to order rival Sirius Satellite Radio at Toyota dealerships starting next year.


High court hears dispute over interstate wine sales WASHINGTON The US Supreme Court was told today that state laws barring people from buying wine directly from out-of-state suppliers should be struck down as unconstitutional.


Rescue Choppers Cheered in Aceh, Children Suffer  BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - U.S. helicopters shuttled  the injured and the homeless, many of them children, out of  some of the worst-hit parts of tsunami-devastated Aceh province  on Monday, as reports surfaced of trafficking in orphans from  the disaster.


Nortel gets US\$1B share of new Sprint contracts Sprint Corp., the third-largest wireless phone company in the US, doled out US\$3 billion worth of contracts Tuesday to long-time suppliers Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks and Motorola.


Stocks Close Lower as Energy, J J Weigh  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday as a drop  in oil prices pulled down shares of energy companies and  health-care giant Johnson   Johnson JNJ.N slipped following a  report that it is in negotiations to take over Guidant Corp.  GDT.N.


GM to Boost Incentives in 'Red Tag' Sale  DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. GM.N, coming off  two straight months of disappointing sales, told dealers on  Tuesday it will launch new U.S. sales incentives later this  week.


HP Board Pondered Breaking Up the Company  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The board of Hewlett-Packard Co.  HPQ.N discussed breaking up the No. 2 computer maker three  times in the past, yet each time decided to keep it intact,  Chief Executive Carly Fiorina said on Tuesday, defending her  strategy for the company.


Microsoft Seals  #39;Windows #39; in Server 2003 Microsoft (Quote, Chart) has issued significant security enhancements to its operating system software, making the Windows Server 2003 SP1 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) available for download.


Oracle readies major app server upgrade DECEMBER 07, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - SAN FRANCISCO -- Oracle Corp. tomorrow is set to introduce Oracle Application Server 10g Release 2, which is being characterized as a significant upgrade offering improvements


Sony Uses Russian Cargo Jets to Fix Christmas-Time PlayStation <b>...</b> Sony Corporation, the worlds second largest consumer electronic maker, was forced to use Russian cargo planes to fly the new version of its PlayStation 2 games console to Europe after an incident in the Suez Canal disrupted its schedule of Christmas


IBM expands virtual resources for business partners DECEMBER 07, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - IBM yesterday announced virtual resources to help business partners more quickly build and deploy on-demand business applications tailored to customer requirements across all vertical industries.


Government would back move to punish Jones THE Australian Government said yesterday it would support any moves from the IOC to strip US sprint queen Marion Jones of the five medals she won at the Sydney Games if she was found guilty of a doping offence.


Sprewell suspended for one game for vulgarity directed at female <b>...</b> Latrell Sprewell was suspended for one game by the NBA on Tuesday for yelling a sexual vulgarity at a female fan during a game. The Minnesota Timberwolves swingman #39;s comment to a heckler was picked up by a


Seattle burned again by fourth-quarter collapse Seattle #39;s young defense hasn #39;t been the same since collapsing in the fourth quarter of an October loss to St. Louis. For good measure, the Seahawks did it again against the Dallas Cowboys.


Florida won #39;t let Zook coach Gators in Peach Bowl Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong will coach the Gators in the Peach Bowl, taking a spot left vacant because Ron Zook is leaving for Illinois and Urban Meyer wants to coach Utah through its postseason game.


Three high-profile coaches out of Ole Miss picture OXFORD, Miss. - Three high-profile coaches are no longer being considered to fill the football coaching vacancy at the University of Mississippi.


Figo doubt for Rreal REAL MADRID #39;s Luis Figo is in doubt for tomorrow #39;s (Australian time) crucial Champions League match with AS Roma.  quot;His left foot is very painful and it is premature at this time to say if Figo will play, quot; said Real #39;s doctor, Alfonso Del Corral.


NBA All-Star Returns to Houston HOUSTON, Dec. 7 -- For the second time in the events history, Houston has been selected as the host city for NBA All-Star. The 55th annual All-Star Game will be played at the Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets on Feb. 19, 2006.


Dodgers sign Ledee to two-year deal The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Ricky Ledee to a two-year contract Monday, giving them a left-handed pinch-hitter and more depth in the outfield.


Putin casts doubt on Iraq elections Russia #39;s President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he has grave doubts regarding Iraqs plans for January elections. He told Iraq #39;s interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi at the Kremlin he could not see


Thais Order Kin of Foreigners Away from Morgues  PHUKET, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai police ordered foreign  families and friends on Monday to stay away from tsunami-hit  areas, including temporary morgues in Buddhist temples where  they have searched for missing loved ones.


Law and order collapsing in Darfur - UN Despite peace deals, Sudan #39;s Darfur region is lapsing into chaos, with rebels attacking police and the government ignoring brutal tribesmen they once armed, according to a United Nations report released on Monday.


Fox fires Mexico City police chief Vicente Fox, Mexico #39;s president, on Monday fired Mexico City #39;s police chief and the commissioner of the federal police force charged with crime prevention, in response to the


Rumsfeld confirms will stay on, vows transformation of US military KUWAIT CITY, Dec 6 (AFP) - US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday he would devote himself to transforming the military and bringing American troops out of Iraq as he confirmed he would remain in President George W. Bush #39;s administration.


Ex-Vivendi Boss Is Fined 1 Million Euros  PARIS (Reuters) - French regulators fined Vivendi Universal  EAUG.PA and its former CEO Jean-Marie Messier one million  euros each on Tuesday for allegedly misleading investors about  the media group's finances during its ill-fated expansion.


Colgate Plans to Cut Work Force by 4,400 and Close Plants Pressured by global competition, Colgate-Palmolive announced today that it would cut jobs and close plants to increase profit margins.


Vivendi and its former boss fined The French media giant and its former chief executive Jean-Marie Messier are each fined 1m euros for misleading the public and investors.


NASA Shuttle Plans Lack In-Orbit Repair NASA is counting on a series of preventative measures to get the space shuttle back into flight after the Columbia tragedy in 2003, including tight limits


Microsoft Ships Windows Server 2003 SP1 Release Candidate Microsoft on Monday debuted an almost-finished version of the first service pack for its Windows Server 2003 software, and like October #39;s SP2 for the desktop Windows XP OS, stressed security in the update.


FindWhat.com: A Year Later Plus, Amazon blacks out, a sad day for Colgate, and profiting from questions.


Kroger Is King Nation's leading supermarket operator posts 29 rise in third-quarter earnings, strong same-store sales.


Lemons Ripen Faster than Plums A venture capitalist in the nano sector is finding some nice pickings.


More flu vaccine available from Germany, but deal with Canada <b>...</b> More flu vaccine, this time from Germany, will be available to help alleviate the US crunch, but that still will leave the country with just two-thirds of what was initially expected.


Update 5: Vivendi, Messier Are Fined \$1.35M Each French regulators fined Vivendi Universal SA and its former boss Jean-Marie Messier nearly \$1.4 million each on Tuesday for deceiving investors with a litany of inaccurate financial communications issued over a two-year period.


Vitali Klitschko vs. Danny Williams: Nothing to lose for Williams! 07.12.04 - By Marcus Wood: July 30th 2004 Danny Williams knocked out Mike Tyson in the fourth round in Louisville, USA. Fast forward four months and Danny Williams is preparing to fight reigning WBC world champion Vitali Klitschko as a direct result.


United to call on youngsters Manchester United are set to name a second string side to face Fenerbahce in the Champions League. United have already sealed their path into the knockout stages of the competition and manager Sir Alex Ferguson


Rugby-Oxford triumph 18-11 in 123rd Varsity match Oxford finally got their hands on the silverware by beating Cambridge 18-11 in the 123rd Varsity rugby union match at Twickenham on Tuesday.


Ledee and Dodgers agree to two-year contract Outfielder Ricky Ledee and the Dodgers agreed Monday to a \$2.5 million, two-year contract, giving Los Angeles a left-handed pinch-hitter and more depth in the outfield.


Israeli Soldier Is Killed as Palestinian Agent Sets Trap An Israeli soldier was killed and four were wounded today when a Palestinian double agent lured the troops into a booby-trapped chicken coop in Gaza City, the Hamas movement said.


The birth of modern Arab politics? Forget for the moment the White House spin about Iraq being the place where Arab pluralistic democracy will be born and from where it will spread throughout the region.


Fox pledges Mexico police clean-up, challenges mayor President Vicente Fox vowed to clean up Mexico #39;s police on Tuesday after violence that has shocked the country, and he told the capital #39;s left-wing mayor, his main political rival, to do the same.


Ivory Coast Peace Push May Be Last Chance-UN Envoy Mediation efforts by South African President Thabo Mbeki may be the last chance to stop Ivory Coast falling into a deeper crisis, the outgoing head of the UN mission in the West African country said Tuesday.


Madagascar drops Malagasy franc Madagascar completes the phasing out of its Malagasy franc currency with the pre-colonial Ariary.


Seattle Burned Again by 4th-Qtr Collapse (AP) AP - Seattle's young defense hasn't been the same since collapsing in the fourth quarter of an October loss to St. Louis. For good measure, the Seahawks did it again against the Dallas Cowboys.


US government needs to step up cybersecurity: industry group (AFP) AFP - The US government is falling short in cybersecurity efforts and should take immediate steps to protect the country's technological resources, an industry group said.


Houston to Host 2006 NBA All-Star Game (Reuters) Reuters - The NBA announced on Tuesday\that the 55th annual All-Star Game will be played in Houston's\Toyota Center during the 2006 season.


Boise State Coach Hawkins Signs Extension (AP) AP - Boise State coach Dan Hawkins signed a five-year,  #36;2.6 million contract extension on Tuesday that could keep him with the Broncos through the 2009 season.


Sportsview: Time for Haas to Pay His Dues (AP) AP - Bill Haas never imagined playing anywhere but the PGA Tour, and he couldn't hide his frustration after coming up two shots short of a tour card at Q-school.


Sprewell Suspended Over Fan-Directed Obscenities  NEW YORK (Sports Network) - Minnesota Timberwolves guard  Latrell Sprewell has been suspended one game without pay for  directing obscenities toward fans.


Honda Gets the 'Greenest' Award (Reuters) Reuters - Japanese automakers produce the\cleanest-burning vehicles and they were led in the 2003 model\year by Honda Motor Co., while General Motors Corp. placed dead\last, a U.S. environmental group said on Tuesday.


Groups Seek to Address Voting Troubles (AP) AP - Despite President Bush's clear margin of victory in the 2004 presidential race, voting and civil rights advocates say the election did not go as smoothly as Americans might think.


Houston to Host 2006 NBA All-Star Game  HOUSTON (Sports Network) - The NBA announced on Tuesday  that the 55th annual All-Star Game will be played in Houston's  Toyota Center during the 2006 season.


Details of Congress'  #36;388B Bill to Bush (AP) AP - Congress sent President Bush a  #36;388 billion legislative package Tuesday that covers the spending of every federal agency but the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.


U.S. Defends Global Warming Strategy (AP) AP - The United States, facing international criticism for its rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, argued Tuesday it spends billions of dollars seeking new technologies to cut emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.


US rules out joining Kyoto treaty The US tells a UN conference on climate change it has no intention of joining the Kyoto Protocol in the near future.


Niger president wins second term Niger's president is elected for a second term after comfortably winning a run-off vote, officials say.


Sri Lankan opposition MP jailed A leading Sri Lankan opposition politician is given a prison sentence for defaming the supreme court.


Sprewell Suspended Latrell Sprewell was suspended for one game by the NBA on Tuesday for yelling a sexual vulgarity at a female fan during a game.


Two Churches Bombed as Violence Persists in Iraq Major attacks have continued in recent days, including several apparent efforts to sow divisions between groups.


Mideast Initiatives Follow Arafat's Death The death of Yasser Arafat has brought a flurry of diplomatic initiatives in the Middle East by Arab, Palestinian and Israeli leaders aiming to revive long-stalled peace negotiations on several fronts.


Embratel Shares Plunge in Brazil, N.Y. Shares in Embratel Particapoes SA, Brazil's largest long-distance carrier, plunged more than 10 percent in Sao Paulo and almost 14 percent on Wall Street Tuesday after the company announced it would issue \$704 million in new shares but divulged few details about the plan.


LATEST FUTURES NEWS Oil prices fell 3.5 percent to a three-month low on Tuesday as mild winter weather sapped heating oil demand in the US Northeast. US light crude settled down \$1.52 at \$41.46 a barrel


High court weighs direct wine shipment WASHINGTON - State laws barring people from buying wine directly from out-of-state suppliers should be struck down as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court was told Tuesday, as it heard arguments in a case that could lead to sweeping changes on how


HP Board Pondered Breaking Up the Company The board of Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) discussed breaking up the No. 2 computer maker three times in the past, yet each time decided


Europe Stocks Start 2005 at 30-Month High (Reuters) Reuters - European shares got off to a sparkling\start of the New Year, rallying to a 30-month high on Monday\after a broad rebound of the dollar lifted exporters such as\car giant DaimlerChrysler.


Mozilla #39;s Thunderbird 1.0 Shows Promise Mozilla appears to have another winner on its hands. Its free Thunderbird e-mail client reads e-mail from Web and POP accounts, accesses RSS feeds, and offers significant flexibility.


Report: Baseball and Union discuss steroid policy New York, NY (Sports Network) - Officials from Major League Baseball and the players #39; union have reportedly discussed a new drug testing policy that could go into effect for the 2005 season.


Garrison Gets New Contract; King Retires WHITE PLAINS, NY Dec 7, 2004 - Zina Garrison was given a one-year contract to stay on as US Fed Cup captain, while Billie Jean King retired Tuesday as a coach for the team.


Karzai thanks India for aid in reconstruction Kabul, Dec 7 (UNI) Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, sworn-in today as the first democratically elected head of his state, praised India #39;s role in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.


UN chief rejects calls for resignation over alleged corruption <b>...</b> UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan rejected on Tuesday calls by some US congressmen for his resignation over an alleged corruption scandal surrounding the UN-run Iraqi oil-for-food program.


Former Foes Russia, Turkey Eye Era of Warmer Ties Russia and Turkey, putting to rest lingering Cold War tensions, said Monday it was time their political ties caught up with their booming economic links.


Toyota Vehicles to Offer Both XM, Sirius Satellite Radio Toyota Motor Corp. will offer XM Satellite Radio as a factory-installed option in Toyota and Lexus vehicles beginning in 2006, but customers also will be able to order rival Sirius Satellite Radio at Toyota dealerships starting next year.


'GM cocaine grown in Colombia' Drug growers in Colombia are using genetically modified plants to dramatically boost cocaine yields, officials say.


Dollar Off, But Climbs vs Canadian Dollar  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar edged lower on Tuesday,  although it rose against the Canadian dollar after Canada's  central bank signaled its strong currency would eventually  affect domestic demand and prevent rate hikes.


Macheads alive and reading Mac fans, known for their devotion to buying the latest and greatest from Apple Computer, are also apparently interested in themselves as well.


Commerce One patents auctioned for \$15.5 million About 40 patents owned by bankrupt software vendor Commerce Onewere auctioned for \$15.5 million in a San Francisco bankruptcy court Monday.


Dell slams expected IBM-Lenovo deal IBMexecutives looking for a buyer for their company's PC business most likely did not spend time in Round Rock, Texas. Speaking at a press conference at OpenWorld on Tuesday, Dell founder and Chief Executive Officer Michael Dell said that his company's U.S. facilities give them an edge against other North American vendors.


Is an Internet Phone Right for You? VoIP services are cropping up all over the place. We answer your questions about this new breed of phone services.


Ex-Vivendi Boss Is Fined 1 Million Euros French regulators fined Vivendi Universal (EAUG.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and its former CEO Jean-Marie Messier one million euros each on Tuesday for


UPDATE 8-Telecom Italia approves 21 bln euro TIM buyout Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday offered to buy out minority shareholders in its mobile arm TIM in a 21 billion


Houston to host 2006 NBA All-Star Game Houston, TX (Sports Network) - The NBA announced on Tuesday that the 55th annual All-Star Game will be played in Houston #39;s Toyota Center during the 2006 season.


Strong to Coach Gators in the Peach Bowl (AP) AP - Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong will coach the Gators in the Peach Bowl, taking a spot left vacant because Ron Zook is leaving for Illinois and Urban Meyer wants to coach Utah through its postseason game.


Link Popularity and Search Engine Ranking Pitfalls Link Popularity and Search Engine Ranking Pitfalls\\As we all know Google uses their PageRank technology to measure link popularity by counting the number of inbound links to your web pages, and it is one of the many factors influencing your ranking. Most website owners do not utilize properly what PageRank ...


Whats in a Name - More Google? Lost Goggles! What's in a Name - More Google? Lost Goggles!\\Remember MoreGoogle, the Google IE add on which wasn't not related to Google in any way other than it merged into the Google results when searched from Internet Explorer? Well, recently they had to drop their Google oriented name and have come ...


Filter Corporate Email Through Gmail Filter Corporate Email Through Gmail\\Shawn Hogan from DigitalPoint actually started filtering his various corporate email accounts through the gmail mail server. Shawn used many types of spam detection and filtering systems, including Spam Assassin, which I am happy with, to block unwanted email. But for some reason 2,000 spam emails ...


Google Now Indexing Up to Six Url Variables Google Now Indexing Up to Six Url Variables\\Some great news for those stressing over whether Google will be able to spider their very long dynamic urls. Appears in the last couple weeks Google has been pushing the envelope in terms of spidering urls that contain more than 5 variables and ...


Athletics: IOC Disciplinary Commission To Investigate Allegations <b>...</b> A disciplinary Commission has been set up to investigate recent allegations of doping against Marion Jones, Jacques Rogge, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announced today.


Champions League: Arsenal through Arsenal eased into the knock-out stages of the Champions League after beating Rosenborg of Norway 5-1. The Gunners scored four times before half-time to take complete control of the game, although they won #39;t be happy with the goal they conceded.


Boise State Coach Hawkins Signs Extension BOISE, Idaho - Boise State coach Dan Hawkins signed a five-year, \$2.6 million contract extension on Tuesday that could keep him with the Broncos through the 2009 season.


Karzai promises new era for Afghanistan KABUL, DECEMBER 7: Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistans first popularly elected President on Tuesday, promising to bring peace to the war-torn nation and end the economys dependence on narcotics.


Oil Prices Tumble to a Three-Month Low  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell 3.5 percent to a  three-month low on Tuesday as mild winter weather sapped demand  in the U.S. Northeast, the world's largest heating oil market.


EU backs Lamy for trade position The European Commission is to back former EU trade commissioner Pascal Lamy to become the next head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).


BC company kills deal to export flu shots VANCOUVER - Vancouver-based ID Biomedical has decided not to sell 1.2 million flu shots to the US after all - and will keep the vaccine in Canada, at the request of the federal government.


Intel bullish on technology direction at Fall analysts #39; meeting NEW YORK - Sounding anything other than a company that has had its share of missteps in recent months, outgoing Intel chief executive Craig Barrett expressed confidence and even a bit of cockiness at the company #39;s Fall analysts #39; conference in New York


Group accuses Honeywell of planning to export jobs update An alliance of technology workers on Tuesday accused conglomerate Honeywell International of planning to move thousands of jobs to low-cost regions over the next five years--a charge that Honeywell denies.


Media General expects fourth, full-year earns to top expectations Media General Inc. said Tuesday it expects fourth-quarter and full-year earnings to exceed Wall Street estimates, primarily due to the robust performance of its broadcast division.


BEA readies  quot;Diablo quot; server BEA Systems said it will release a test version of its latest WebLogic Server software later this month and detailed product delivery plans for next year.


IM Threat Center Formed IMlogic has joined with leaders in the instant messaging and security community to create a new IM Threat Center. The center claims to be the first broad-based initiative to help IM users protect themselves against malware threats.


IBM Perks Up Memory, Transistors IBM is tweaking its semiconductor technology to help extend the performance of its servers and enterprise PCs, the company said Monday.


Oracle readies major app server upgrade Oracle on Wednesday will introduce Oracle Application Server 10g Release 2, which is being characterized as a significant upgrade to the product with improvements in Java, Web services, and identity management and the addition of RFID backing.


Dell Cuts Prices On Corporate Hardware Dell on Monday dropped prices on select servers, workstations, desktops, and laptops aimed at corporate customers, saying it was passing along lower component costs to buyers.


Arsenal cruise into knockout stage Arsenal have cruised into the knockout stage of the Champions League with an effortless 5-1 win over shambolic Norwegian champions Rosenborg Trondheim to win Group E at Highbury.


Boise State #39;s Hawkins latest off the market BOISE, Idho - Boise State coach Dan Hawkins signed a five-year, \$2.6 million contract extension on Tuesday that could keep him with the Broncos through the 2009 season.


Steelers place Riemersma on IR Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Steelers placed tight end Jay Riemersma on injured reserve on Tuesday. Riemersma has a ruptured Achilles which he suffered in Sunday #39;s game against Jacksonville.


Karzai vows to bring Afghan peace Cheney and Rumsfeld are two of the most hawkish members of President George W. Bush #39;s cabinet and key architects of the. Washington-backed war that overthrew the Taliban in the wake of the


Soldier, 4 Militants Die in Renewed Gaza Fighting Four Palestinian militants and an Israeli soldier were killed Tuesday in the heaviest Gaza fighting since Yasser Arafat #39;s death, raising the prospect that renewed violence could complicate a vote for his successor.


Musharraf sees 15 options for Kashmir solution LONDON, December 08 (Online): President General Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday said that 15 options could be discussed between India-Pakistan to settle the Kashmir dispute, however no solution will be acceptable against the will of the people of the valley.


Memo: Workers Threatened Over Prison Abuse (AP) AP - U.S. special forces accused of abusing prisoners in Iraq threatened Defense Intelligence Agency personnel who saw the mistreatment, according to U.S. government memos released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union.


Government changes rules that restricted help for spouses of some veterans (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Gloria McKenna had given up on the home she'd shared with her husband for decades and was looking for a smaller, more affordable place to live before the government changed a key program Tuesday.


Many Ask if Intel Bill Will Prevent Attack (AP) AP - For all the changes in the intelligence bill, many question whether it will help prevent another terrorist attack and make the major improvements promised by ardent supporters.


Colombia's poor inherit drug estates President Alvaro Uribe has accelerated a program that redistributes land confiscated from narcotraffickers.


Ukraine shifts focus to polling booth Parliament failed Tuesday to agree on constitutional changes and election reforms.


Football: Arsenal 5-1 Rosenborg Arsenal ease into the knockout stages of the Champions League with a comfortable win over Rosenborg.


Colgate Plans to Cut Work Force by 4,400 and Close Plants Colgate-Palmolive said today that it would close about a third of its 81 factories and cut more than 4,400 jobs over the next four years in a major effort to increase profit margins pressured by global competition.


Oracle and Friends To Work on Data Center Plan Oracle president Charles claimed that PeopleSoft customers would be able to take advantage of Oracle #39;s global reach for better support and development prospects if its controversial hostile takeover bid succeeds.


Intel Firms Up Dual-Core Plans Intel Corp. updated its 2005 product plans at its analyst meeting in New York Tuesday, including a timetable for its so-called  quot;Ts, quot; the processor technologies that are beginning to take precedence over clock-speed increases.


Stocks Close Lower as Energy, J amp;J Weigh US stocks fell on Tuesday as a drop in oil prices pulled down shares of energy companies and health-care giant Johnson  amp; Johnson (JNJ.


Gilbert Reaches Deal to Buy Cavaliers (AP) AP - Detroit mortgage magnate Dan Gilbert has reached agreement with owner Gordon Gund to buy the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have risen from the NBA's depths to unprecedented popularity since the arrival of star LeBron James.


mmO2 Plans Europe #39;s Fastest 3G Wireless Network British mobile telecom operator mm02 will launch a high-speed mobile broadband service in 2005. Users will be able to download videos and music, and send large e-mail attachments at speeds


NFL: Dallas 43, Seattle 39 Julius Jones scored on a 17-yard run with just 32 seconds left Monday night as Dallas beat Seattle, 43-39. It was the first time in the history of Monday Night Football a team


UPDATE 1-Martins double secures top spot for Inter Inter Milan made sure of top spot in Group G of the Champions League on Tuesday, two goals from Nigerian Obafemi Martins helping them to a comfortable 3-0 win over Anderlecht.


Russia #39;s Putin Skeptical About Iraq Election Russian President Vladimir Putin says he cannot imagine how Iraq could hold its elections (planned for next month) as long as the country remains under what he called foreign occupation.


Egypt heralds Mideast peace  #39;breakthrough #39;, eyes return of <b>...</b> CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt raised the prospect of a framework for a Middle East peace deal and said it could soon return an ambassador to Israel, a move that would revive full diplomatic ties after a four-year break.


Cisco: Wall St. Revenue View Reasonable (Reuters) Reuters - Cisco Systems Inc. , the\biggest maker of gear to direct traffic over the Internet, on\Tuesday said it was on track to meet Wall Street's fiscal 2005\revenue growth estimates, but signaled that profit margins were\under pressure.


Best Buy Co. Retail President Steps Down (AP) AP - Best Buy Co. has lost another executive closely involved with its effort to focus on its most profitable customers.


Treasuries Take Breather from Big Rally  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury debt prices were stuck  in neutral on Tuesday as momentum from a red-hot two-day rally  waned ahead of a pair of debt auctions this week.


Rocky Shoes' Knockout Punch Rocky Shoes and Boots makes an accretive acquisition -- and gets Dickies and John Deere as part of the deal.


Update 1: Texas Instruments Narrows 4Q Guidance Semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments sharpened its forecast for fourth-quarter sales and profits Tuesday while staying within the boundaries of its previous forecasts.


Chipmaker says tech transitions on track for 2005, 2006 SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Following a year of execution missteps, Intel #39;s two top executives sought to reassure analysts on Tuesday that the world #39;s largest chipmaker can successfully navigate the tricky and costly processes of making smaller, faster


Tech CEOs Issue Cyber-Security Recommendations A group representing technology industry chief executives on Tuesday warned that the Bush administration has failed to follow through on its two-year-old strategy for protecting the nation #39;s


Mmo2, Lucent to deploy converged fixed-mobile network on Isle of <b>...</b> UK mobile operator Mmo2 and US telecoms equipment maker Lucent Technologies are to deploy a converged fixed-mobile network for Mmo2 #39;s subsidiary, Manx Telecom, on the Isle of Man.


Group: Robotic Rescue Mission Uncertain Trying to save the famed Hubble Space Telescope (news - web sites) with a robot would cost \$2 billion with just a 50-50 chance of success, an aerospace


IOC probe Jones drug allegations  quot;The allegations made by Mr Conte are extremely serious and the IOC is fully committed to bringing to light any elements that will help the truth prevail, quot; the IOC said on its website on Tuesday.


Champions League: Arsenal reaches last 16 with 5-1 victory Arsenal qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League with a 5-1 beating of Rosenborg on Tuesday. Support your favorite team with official Champions League gear from the FOX Soccer Shop!


Experts Push for More U.S. Computer Security Efforts (Reuters) Reuters - Computer-security experts, including\former government officials, urged the George W. Bush\administration on Tuesday to devote more effort to\strengthening defenses against viruses, hackers and other\online threats.


Italian Police Make Arrests in Mob Raids (AP) AP - Italian police raided scores of homes in the Naples area Tuesday and arrested 52 suspected mobsters, the largest single offensive in the state's bid to end a bloody organized crime war that has terrified this southern Italian city.


Texas Instruments Narrows Forecast (Reuters) Reuters - Texas Instruments Inc. , the\world's largest maker of chips for cell phones, on Tuesday said\it expects fourth-quarter revenue and earnings per share at the\mid range of its previous estimates, as order trends remain\soft.


Italian Police Make Arrests in Mob Raids Italian police raided scores of homes in the Naples area Tuesday and arrested 52 suspected mobsters, the largest single offensive in the state #39;s bid to end a bloody organized crime war that has terrified this southern Italian city.


Arm Injury Pushed Leinart Into Football (AP) AP - Matt Leinart was quite a baseball prospect growing up, showing so much promise as a left-handed pitcher that scouts took notice before high school.


Mexico Steps Up Battle Against Illegal Logging (Reuters) Reuters - Mexico is cracking down harder on\the illegal loggers who are razing the nation's forests,\including a prized butterfly reserve that draws thousands of\tourists each year.


Cubs Agree to Terms with Garciaparra  CHICAGO (Sports Network) - The Chicago Cubs Tuesday agreed  to a contract with shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. As per team  policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.


Boise State Extends Contract of Football Coach Hawkins  BOISE, Idaho (Sports Network) - Boise State coach Dan  Hawkins signed a five-year, \$2.6 million contract extension  Tuesday. The deal keeps Hawkins under contract through the 2009  season.


Punxsutawney Phil at Center of Pork Debate (AP) AP - The world's most famous groundhog was drawn into a Capitol Hill fight Tuesday over political pork as officials defended  #36;100,000 in funding for a Pennsylvania weather museum.


Group: Robotic Rescue Mission Uncertain (AP) AP - Trying to save the famed Hubble Space Telescope with a robot would cost  #36;2 billion with just a 50-50 chance of success, an aerospace research group is advising NASA in the coming days.


House Nears Vote on Bill Overhauling Intelligence After more than two weeks of delay, the G.O.P.-controlled House planned a final vote on the package late today.


Tentative Deal Is Reached on Easing N.Y. Drug Sentences Negotiators reached a tentative deal today to ease some of the mandatory prison sentences under former Gov. Nelson Rockefeller's name.


Experts Push for More U.S. Computer Security Efforts  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Computer-security experts, including  former government officials, urged the George W. Bush  administration on Tuesday to devote more effort to  strengthening defenses against viruses, hackers and other  online threats.


Tech Execs Outline 'Net Security Agenda Hoping to guide policy in President Bush's second term, the Cyber Security Industry Alliance today called for higher-profile leadership within the Dept. of Homeland Security. -washingtonpost.com


Dollar gets no help from talk, sinks to fresh low (AFP) AFP - The dollar got little relief from strongly worded expressions from European Union finance chiefs, falling to another low against the euro.


Stocks Drop as J J, Energy Shares Weigh  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks tumbled on Tuesday as oil  prices hit a 3-month low, hurting energy companies, and   Johnson   Johnson JNJ.N slipped on a report it may be  planning a major acquisition of a medical device maker.


Top U.S. drug-addiction research warns against decriminalizing marijuana (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - VANCOUVER (CP) - A top American clinical researcher in the field of drug addiction warned Tuesday that decriminalizing marijuana could lead to increased abuse of the drug.


Texas Instruments Narrows Forecast  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Texas Instruments Inc. TXN.N, the  world's largest maker of chips for cell phones, on Tuesday said  it expects fourth-quarter revenue and earnings per share at the  mid range of its previous estimates, as order trends remain  soft.


Phone-bound film At a time when most Americans can't get local movie listings on their cell phone screens, an Indian carrier is putting an entire film onto wireless phones. Missing Links


Justices Hear Arguments on Laws Limiting Interstate Wine Sales The justices appeared unmoved by arguments in defense of laws that prohibit the direct shipment of wine from other states.


BEA hails app server upgrade BEA Systems yesterday unveiled Version 9.0 of its WebLogic Server application server, code-named Diablo, with the promise of simplified development of service-oriented applications.


Intel sheds light on 2005 desktop strategy Company says that instead of just performance, customers now want manageability features and lower power consumption.


Experts want more government focus on cybersecurity The Bush administration should spend more on cybersecurity research, share threat information with private-sector security vendors and set up an emergency computer network that would continue working during Internet blackouts, a computer security trade group said today.


Oracle pushes on apps business again Oracle is taking the wraps off the next generation of its database and business application products at the Oracle OpenWorld 2004 user conference this week, even as it continues its quest to buy out rival PeopleSoft.


IBM expands virtual resources for business partners IBM has unveiled virtual resources to help business partners more quickly build and deploy on-demand business applications tailored to customer requirements across all vertical industries.


Oracle readies major app server upgrade Oracle plans tomorrow to introduce Oracle Application Server 10g Release 2, a significant upgrade with improvements in Java, Web services and identity management, as well as support for RFID technology.


IMlogic unveils IM, P2P threat-detection network IMlogic and several partners today unveiled a threat center network to provide a central place for detecting and analyzing IM and peer-to-peer threats, including IM-borne viruses, worms, spam over IM and malicious code.


Lenovo, IBM may soon reveal PC unit deal China's largest PC maker could announce as early as today that it is buying control of IBM's PC-making business for up to \$2 billion.


Oracle pushes on BI Oracle unveiled Business Intelligence 10g at OracleWorld this week, surprising some of its customers with its entry into the BI market.


Thunderbird 1.0 takes on Outlook Express, Eudora The Mozilla Foundation today is set to release Version 1.0 of its Thunderbird e-mail client, an open-source application aimed at competitors, including Microsoft's Outlook Express and Qualcomm's Eudora.


Pixar, Disney delay release of  #39;Cars #39; Companies say they are postponing release of the new animated film to June 2006 from November 2005. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Walt Disney Co.


IOC Sets Up Probe Into Marion Jones Allegations International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge announced December 7, 2004 he had set up a disciplinary commission to investigate allegations made against US sprinter Marion Jones by BALCO chief Victor Conte.


Champions League: AC Milan tops its group after 0-0 draw at Celtic AC Milan held host Celtic to a 0-0 draw in its final Champions League group match on Tuesday and finished at the top of the Group F standings.


Cubs agree to terms with Garciaparra Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - The Chicago Cubs Tuesday agreed to a contract with shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. As per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.


Classy Arsenal progress with big win Arsenal cruised into the knockout stage of the Champions League with a comfortable 5-1 win over a shell-shocked Rosenborg side at Highbury.


Salmans century guides Pakistan to tour victory PERTH: A dashing century by opening batsman Salman Butt thrust him into pole position for a Test opening berth as Pakistan notched up their first tour win with a 43-run victory over a Cricket Australia Chairmans XI at the Lilac Hill ground here Tuesday


Psychology professor gets key athletics job LONDON: Britains track  amp; field association is turning to a psychology professor to help prepare elite athletes for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.


Empty stadium won #39;t affect Real, says Samuel Walter Samuel says Real Madrid will not be affected by playing their decisive Champions League match against AS Roma behind closed doors at Rome #39;s Olympic Stadium on Wednesday.


Texans Safety Marcus Coleman Out for Year (AP) AP - Texans safety Marcus Coleman will miss the rest of the season with a right shoulder injury,


MAFIA ARRESTS AFTER NAPLES RAIDS More than 50 Mafia suspects have been arrested in the southern Italian port-city of Naples after dawn raids carried out by hundreds of police and paramilitary Carabinieri forces.


Pasqualoni Stays On Syracuse football coach Paul Pasqualoni has received a vote of confidence from athletic director Jake Crouthamel, and Chancellor Nancy Cantor announced Monday night that Pasqualoni would return in 2005 for his 15th season as head coach.


Cubs sign shortstop CHICAGO The Chicago Cubs have come to terms on a one-year contract with shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. He joined the Cubs in a mid-season trade from Boston; it was part of a four-team deal.


Middlesbrough hold on for vital win Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink found their touch in front of goal to fire Middlesbrough to victory over Manchester City. The Australian produced two exquisite finishes nine minutes into either half


Comment was picked up by courtside microphone MINNEAPOLIS -- The NBA suspended Timberwolves swingman Latrell Sprewell on Tuesday for one game without pay after reviewing comments he made to a female heckler during Minnesota #39;s overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.


Miami Dolphins player pleads innocent to airport assault BURLINGTON, Vt. - Miami Dolphins wide receiver David Boston pleaded innocent Tuesday to striking a ticket agent at the Burlington International Airport.


House Expected to Pass Intelligence Bill This Evening The vote would send the intelligence overhaul bill to the Senate, which is expected to pass it on Wednesday.


Kanye West Leads Grammy Nominations Alicia Keys and Usher received eight Grammy nominations each on Monday and Ray Charles, who died in June, received seven.


Colgate to cut about 4,400 jobs NEW YORK - Colgate-Palmolive Co, which makes consumer products like Colgate toothpaste and Ajax detergent, plans to cut its work force by about 4,400 jobs as part of a restructuring plan aimed at boosting its sales and profits around the world.


IBM to Sell PC Business to Lenovo? Lenovo Computers, Chinas largest computer maker, said it is in acquisition talks with a major technology company - at the same time that IBM says it is in talks with a major Chinese player to sell its PC making business.


China Aviation May Face Liquidation Suit in Singapore Court China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corp. faces a liquidation application as early as tomorrow unless it pays debt owed to Standard Bank London Ltd.


Intel CEO: Company recovered from product missteps SANTA CLARA, Calif. Intel chief executive Craig Barrett says his company has  quot;recovered quot; from product missteps that plagued the chip maker during the first half of the year.


Sprint and Lucent sign 3G network agreement Lucent Technologies and Sprint announced a contract renewal agreement - expected to exceed \$1.5 billion over three years - to enhance Sprint #39;s nationwide PCS wireless network and support the deployment of 3G CDMA2000 1xEV-DO technology.


Group will fight IM threats with honeypots IMlogic and other security vendors announced a consortium Tuesday to fight IM and P-to-P (peer-to-peer) viruses, worms and unwanted spam.


Summary Box: Saving Hubble will be costly OUTLOOK FOR HUBBLE: The newest report on a plan to save the popular, aging space telescope by repairing it with a robot says it would cost \$2 billion and have just a 50-50 chance of working.


Nintendo DS Sells Well in Japan Nintendo announced today that it has sold roughly half a million units in Japan, bringing global sales of its new handheld over its goal of one million units.


Microsoft Nears Release of 64-bit Windows December 07, 2004 - CNet reports that Microsoft is almost ready with the final release candidate of Windows 64. Here #39;s a clip: The company said it has reached the  quot;release candidate quot; stage for Service Pack 1 of Windows Server 2003.


Filtering still flawed, expert says NO filtering system could ever completely stop the trade in pirated music on the Kazaa file sharing system, an expert witness for the recording industry has admitted.


Jones maintains innocence as IOC begins BALCO probe SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Marion Jones again denied taking banned drugs to help win five gold medals at the 2000 Olympics, her latest statement coming hours after the International Olympic Committee announced a steroid probe.


Werder #39;s Valdez Victorious In Valencia German champions Werder Bremen squeezed Spanish counterparts Valencia out of the Champions League after an absorbing and sometimes fractious clash at the Mestalla on Tuesday evening.


Ronaldo told to make friends Cristiano Ronaldo might be the world #39;s second-most expensive teenage footballer - after team-mate Wayne Rooney - but the Portugal international was also reminded that if he wants


Red Sox offer arbitration to Martinez, Varitek, six others The Red Sox are offering arbitration to pitcher Pedro Martinez and seven other free agents, General Manager Theo Epstein said Tuesday, meaning the club would receive draft choices if they sign with another team.


Petrino tries to end rumors, says he #39;s staying at U of L Trying to put rumors about his candidacy for other coaching jobs to rest and quiet speculation among recruits that he wouldn #39;t be at U of L much longer, Petrino Tuesday afternoon issued his most definitive statement yet about the situation.


Veteran signs one-year deal to remain in Seattle com. The last link to the Mariners #39; first playoff team is returning for at least one more season. Catcher Dan Wilson agreed to a one-year contract on Tuesday, several hours before the Mariners


Texas Instruments Cuts Forecast  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Texas Instruments Inc. TXN.N, the  world's largest maker of chips for cell phones, on Tuesday said  it expects fourth-quarter revenue and earnings per share at the  mid range of its previous estimates, as order trends remain  soft and an inventory correction continues.


Cheney:  #39;We #39;re going to get it done #39; in Iraq With a low-profile, tightly secured arrival at Bagram Air Base, Vice President Dick Cheney became the highest-ranking United States official to visit Kabul since the Taliban #39;s overthrow.


Hamas attack kills Israeli soldier, ends lull in Gaza violence Egypt has brokered an understanding to halt Israeli-Palestinian violence and move toward a peace accord, the official Egyptian news agency said Tuesday.


Charles Jenkins arrives in Japan, says last chapter in his life is <b>...</b> SADO, Japan The American who deserted the Army and spent four decades in North Korea says today marks the next and last chapter in his life.


Unit killed Iraqi civilians: marine A FORMER US Marine said today his unit killed more than 30 innocent Iraqi civilians in just two days, in graphic testimony to a Canadian tribunal probing an asylum claim by a US Army deserter.


The suicidal left In late 1991, then-prime minister Yitzhak Shamir appeared to be drifting a bit to the left. After many years in which the Labor Party had called for an international conference to be held, Shamir gave his consent.


Traumatised tsunami survivors to take years to heal (Reuters) Reuters - Millions of people may have survived the deadliest tsunami in living memory, but many are so deeply traumatised it will take years for them to heal, if ever, medical experts said on Monday.


Seagate Hikes Profit, Sales Outlook  SEATTLE (Reuters) - Seagate Technology STX.N on Tuesday  raised its quarterly revenue and profit forecasts for the  December quarter on strong seasonal demand for newer products,  surpassing analysts' forecasts and sending its shares up more  than 12 percent.


Baseball Puts Bonds Homer Campaign on Hold (AP) AP - Baseball's plans to market Barry Bonds' pursuit of the home run record have been put on hold, fallout from the release of his grand jury testimony about steroids.


Garciaparra Re-Signs With Chicago Cubs (AP) AP - Nomar Garciaparra enjoyed his brief stay with the Chicago Cubs so much he's coming back.


Soccer: Ugly scenes overshadow Bremen triumph in Spain VALENCIA : German champions Werder Bremen booked their place in the last sixteen of the Champions League with a 2-0 triumph over Valencia on Tuesday but the match was overshadowed by a series of ugly scenes in the final minute.


Celtic exit Europe after Milan draw GLASGOW (AFP) - Celtic crashed out of European competition for another season with a goalless draw at home to AC Milan leaving them bottom of Group F in the Champions League.


Psychologist to step up at UK Athletics British athletics is set to spring a major surprise today by naming a virtually unknown psychologist as its new performance director.


M #39;s sign Dan Wilson to one-year deal Only hours before Dan Wilson might have become an ex-Mariner today, Seattle re-signed the veteran catcher to a one-year contract. Financial figures were not released, nor was any word about the status of ongoing


AWOL US soldier seeks refugee status in Canada TORONTO - A US soldier who walked out on the 82nd Airborne Division and fled to Canada rather than fight in Iraq is seeking refugee status.


Barghouti: A High Profile Expression of Rift in Fatah As if the Palestinian Authority was the pinnacle of good governance, with a shining proud record of the all-encompassing democracy, fiscal transparency and national unity, until Marwan Barghouti, the spoiler emerged from his prison cell and wickedly


Chemicals exporter faces genocide charges AMSTERDAM A Dutch businessman will face genocide charges for allegedly supplying Saddam Hussein #39;s government with chemicals used to make poison gas that killed thousands of Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s, prosecutors said Tuesday.


African Union Forces to Deploy Fully in Darfur by Yearend KHARTOUM, 5 December 2004 - African forces should be fully deployed to Sudans troubled Darfur region by the end of the year despite some delays in building the infrastructure to house them, the new head of the African Union mission said yesterday.


Vancouver man is victim of shoddy FBI investigation: lawyer (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - VANCOUVER (CP) - A Vancouver man wanted by the U.S. for the 30-year-old murder of an American Indian Movement activist is being persecuted based on a faulty FBI investigation and the word of a troubled drug addict, says the lawyer defending his so-called partner in crime.


Candidates Officially Request Ohio Recount (AP) AP - With support from John Kerry's campaign, two third-party candidates for president officially asked on Tuesday for a recount in Ohio, the state that put President Bush over the top in November.


Giambi's Agent Breaks Silence In the days after the report that the Yankees' Jason Giambi admitted to using steroids in testimony before a federal grand jury, Giambi's agent, Arn Tellem, was silent.


Ukraine in election law deadlock Ukrainian MPs will make a new attempt on Wednesday to agree reforms ahead of the election re-run.


Former EU Trade Chief Lamy Wins Backing for WTO Job Under WTO rules, candidates for the organization #39;s top job must formally submit their bids before January, with the 148-nation WTO expected to select Supachai Panitchpakdi #39;s replacement by the end of June.


Hub spoke at OracleWorld com December 6, 2004, 2:13 PM PT. This priority jumped up two spots into second place as CRM returns into the spotlight among top software initiatives alongside directory services and open source.


Johnson  amp; Johnson May Buy Guidant for \$24 Billion, People Say Johnson  amp; Johnson, the world #39;s biggest maker of medical devices, may buy defibrillator maker Guidant Corp. for \$24 billion, people familiar with the situation said today.


Sprint unveils \$3bn plan to roll out 3G Sprint, the third largest US mobile phone network operator, has announced details of its plan to spend \$3bn over the next three years to upgrade its network infrastructure and roll out third-generation services.


Texas Instruments Narrows Its 4th-Qtr Sales Forecast (Update2) Texas Instruments Inc., the world #39;s biggest maker of mobile-phone processors, narrowed its fourth- quarter sales forecast because industrial customers for its chips continue to reduce inventory.


Zook Not Going to Bowl Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong will coach the Gators in the Peach Bowl, taking a spot left vacant because Ron Zook is leaving for Illinois and Urban Meyer wants to coach Utah through its postseason game.


How a safe haven could help save Hubble An out-of-the-box plan to put a new space habitat in orbit could be a leading contender for saving the Hubble Space Telescope, private-sector analysts say in a proposal being prepared for NASA.


Mozilla Releases Thunderbird 1.0 Mozilla has released Thunderbird 1.0, an open-source e-mail client that complements its Firefox Web browser. Mozilla says the e-mail program will help users avoid spam and viruses, and


BEA Systems Dances At Oracle #39;s Party BEA Systems Inc. chose the opening day of competitor Oracle #39;s annual user conference in San Francisco to talk about its next version of the BEA WebLogic Application Server platform.


IBM Extends Chip Performance with Germanium Layering Technique IBM today said it has demonstrated a technique that triples the performance of a standard semiconductor transistor with a process that is compatible with conventional CMOS technology.


Dell cuts prices on many corporate products While taking a back seat to software and security efforts, hardware is still a big time concern according to our survey. Organizations are taking the opportunity to consolidate their environments as they replace


Man held over Iraq gas deaths A businessman wanted by the US for allegedly shipping thousands of tonnes of chemicals to Saddam Hussein has been detained by police in Holland and accused of complicity in the poison gas attacks that killed thousands of Kurds in the late 1980s.


Tuesday #39;s Sports Transactions Dec 7, 2004 - ATLANTA BRAVES Named Tim Conroy special assistant to the general manager-major league scout. CHICAGO CUBS-Agreed to terms with SS Nomar Garciaparra on a one-year contract.


REVIEW: 'EverQuest', 'Warcraft' Polished (AP) AP - If my experiences with two new massively multiplayer online role-playing games have taught me one thing, it's that if I really wanted, I'd never have to interact face-to-face with another person again. I have all the friends and enemies I can handle thanks to "EverQuest II" and "World of Warcraft."


Sprint upgrades mobile network NEW YORK - Sprint Corp. said on Tuesday it would spend \$US3 billion (\$NZ4.2 billion) over the next three years to upgrade its mobile network including the development of high-speed Internet services.


Crude slumps below \$42 OIL prices fell more than a dollar to a three-month low yesterday as mild winter weather sapped demand in the heavy energy consuming north-east of the United States.


Dating Site Seeks Lasting Impression (AdWeek.com) AdWeek.com - Euro RSCG 4D executive creative director Arthur Ceria is joining OgilvyOne's San Francisco office, which opened last Tuesday to service the Yahoo! online advertising account, a new assignment, the agency said.


Update: OpenWorld Notebook -- database, grid control, integration improved (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Oracle at the OpenWorld conference on Tuesday is making several product rollouts, including a new version of its database and grid computing enhancements.


Dell Touts Grid Computing Over Proprietary Systems Michael Dell has seen the future and it #39;s a 128-node  quot;MegaGrid quot; running the Linux operating system on Dell servers at Dell #39;s lab in Austin, Texas.


Two NCSSM Students Win National Team Science Competition DURHAM, NC -- Two students from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics will split \$100,000 in scholarship money. The award is a prize for their cancer research.


Trend Micro Offers Virus Scanning for Smart Phones Amid reports of Trojans and worms squirming through mobile devices, Trend Micro Inc. says it will roll out anti-virus and anti-spam protection for users of data-centric smart phones.


Euro's Kemp Sees 'Challenge' At BBDO (AdWeek.com) AdWeek.com - Marcus Kemp said his new job as vice chairman and chief creative officer at BBDO in Atlanta "has all the challenges in our industry"--including building a brand with the shop's largest account (Cingular) following a major acquisition (AT T Wireless).


Preparing athletes for Beijing 2008 is academic DAVE Collins, a professor at Edinburgh University, has been charged with the task of preparing Britains elite athletes for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.


Durham provides Dark Blues masterclass Oxford, the pre-match favourites, reclaimed the MMC Trophy in one of the better Varsity matches for some time here yesterday. But this, the 123rd staging of the annual amateur


Garciaparra stays with Cubs short time I was there, #39; #39; he said. I just felt Chicago is the best place for. me. I #39;m looking forward to going out there and, hopefully, turning this into a. 182 home runs and 710 RBIs.