Govt Signs Airbus Deal Government has signed a Declaration of Intent with a European aircraft manufacturer that will see Pretoria taking stock of between eight and 14 military airbuses between 2010 and 2014.


SE Asia Forges Closer Ties with China, Japan, S.Korea
\

 By Ed Cropley

 VIENTIANE (Reuters) - Leaders of 13 Southeast and Northeast\Asian states Monday underlined their determination to turn\growing economic power into political influence by establishing\a new summit-level grouping.


Thierry will put Zidane in shade Arsene Wenger today tipped Thierry Henry to overtake Zinedine Zidane as the world #39;s greatest footballer. With FIFA due to announce the shortlist for the world player of


Angels try to keep pace with A #39;s The Anaheim Angels will again try to grab a share of the division lead and further hinder the Texas Rangers chances of winning the West when the teams continue their four-game series at Ameriquest Field in Arlington.


FCC Approves BPL Despite Interference Concerns goosman writes  quot;The ARRL is reporting that the FCC has approved revised Part 15 (unlicensed services) rules to specifically regulate the deployment of broadband over power line (BPL) technology.


SGI Takes Off With NASA Supercomputer Forget the Earth Simulator and IBM #39;s Blue Gene/L, Silicon Graphics (SGI) (Quote, Chart) is laying claim to the fastest supercomputer in the world.


Andrew Kantor: CyberSpeak - Ultra-accurate clocks are all around us (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - It's not just cell phones taking advantage of a time standard. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colo., sends out a radio signal that any properly equipped device in much of North America can pick up and use to set itself to the proper time.


Rocket explodes at scrapyard, killing 10 GHAZIABAD: Thursday was just another working day for Santosh Khushwaha (22), a worker at Bhushan Steel #39;s plant in Sahibabad. Till about 3.20 pm.


In badminton, two deserving champions ATHENS As they lunged and lobbed with astonishing skill on Thursday, it was difficult to know whose personal journey had made them the worthier Olympic women #39;s badminton champion.


Priest Who Disrupted Olympics in Abuse Trial  LONDON (Reuters) - A former Irish priest famous for stunts  that disrupted the marathon at the Athens Olympics and  Britain's Grand Prix denied charges on Wednesday of indecency  with a schoolgirl.


Colo. bird population reported in sorry state By building homes on prairies, draining wetlands and clearing forests, humans are diminishing bird populations, according to a new National Audubon Society study.


Kerry Uses Bush's Own Words to Call Him Unfit (Reuters) Reuters - Democratic challenger John Kerry\turned President Bush's own words into a weapon on Thursday and\said it was the Republican incumbent who had jumped to\conclusions in Iraq, disqualifying him from being commander in\chief.


Passenger Leaves Hijacked Greek Bus  ATHENS (Reuters) - A passenger was seen leaving a hijacked  Greek bus Wednesday five hours after two foreign gunmen seized  the vehicle carrying 26 passenger in an Athens suburb, a  Reuters correspondent at the scene said.


Sox kick off road trip with win over A #39;s The Red Sox open a crucial seven-game West Coast road trip with an 8-to-3 victory over the Athletics in Oakland. David Ortiz hit a solo homer and had four RBI #39;s for Boston.


Putin: No Objection to Ukraine in EU President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia has no objection to Ukraine joining the European Union. If Ukraine wants to enter the EU and is welcomed there, then we can only be pleased, #39; #39; Putin


Lawyers file Abu Ghraib complaint BERLIN -- A group of American civil rights lawyers filed a criminal complaint in a German court yesterday against top US officials, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, for acts of torture committed at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.


US, economic allies disagree on debt relief for poorest countries The United States and its major economic allies struggled yesterday to resolve deep differences over how best to relieve the heavy debt burden for Iraq and the world #39;s poorest countries.


Young Mets Hurt Cubs in a Game They Needed Mets rookie Victor Diaz stroked a tying three-run home run with two out in the ninth and Craig Brazell won it in the 11th with his first major-league homer.


Slowly but Cheaply, a New Way to the Moon Time was you could get to the moon in a few days, and you can still do it if you have a really big rocket. But SMART-1, a washing machine-size spacecraft carrying an experimental engine, has taken the long way around.


UPDATE 2-Guidant says it wins appeal in patent case Medical device maker Guidant Corp. (GDT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said it won an appeal of a patent lawsuit against St.


Crude oil prices hit all-time high in after-hours trading Crude oil reached a new high in Asian trade Thursday, hitting \$52.38 US per barrel as the market took stock of reports of a possible strike in Nigeria and the sluggish revival of output in key Gulf of Mexico oil fields following hurricane


Apple Opens EU iTunes, Unveils iPod Photo Apple Opens EU iTunes, Unveils iPod Photo\\Apple is still leading the pack in taking a bite out of online music shopping search with the news that they have launched a European iTunes online music store. Shortly before Apple's special music event on Tuesday featuring Bono and The Edge from U2, ...


Microsoft #39;s Avalon Will Make Networked Applications Smarter Members of Microsoft #39;s Developer Network got a sneak peek at Microsoft #39;s Avalon windowing elements technology last week. Avalon, which will make the user interface much more than just a


Iraq extends weapons amnesty Iraq #39;s interim government says it will extend the weapons handover program for Sadr City, a Baghdad slum rife with anti-US sentiments, and will soon extend the arms amnesty program nationwide.


UN: Iraqi Nuclear-Related Materials Have Vanished (Reuters) Reuters - Equipment and materials that\could be used to make nuclear weapons are disappearing from\Iraq but neither Baghdad nor Washington appears to have\noticed, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency reported on Monday.


Change Is Good as Woods Shoots Day #39;s Best Score While Tiger Woods has been second-guessed many times recently, he has refused to second-guess himself. Woods has won only one tournament this year, he has dropped to No.


Tavarez's cap is plain dirty Baseball Julian Tavarez's baseball cap is dirty and grimy -- but not illegal, according to the man who now owns it. Gene McNary , who bought the cap for \$140 from the fan who caught it when Tavarez was ejected and tossed it into the stands, took the cap to St. Louis Testing Laboratories, where substances on it were analyzed. ...


Maine shuts out Wildcats Junior Jimmy Howard and freshman Matt Lundin combined to make 24 saves yesterday as Maine blanked New Hampshire, 3-0, in a Hockey East game before a sellout crowd of 5,641 at Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine.


Yasser Arafat #39;s unrelenting journey The world watches the unfolding drama as the man who has become the symbol for Palestinian nationalism seems to hover between life and death.


Iranian Leader Rules Out Halt in Uranium Enrichment Iran's supreme leader threatened Wednesday to pull out of negotiations if European countries press their demand for total suspension of uranium enrichment, as a new round of talks ended without an agreement to avert the possible threat of U.N. sanctions.


Milosevic says Serbs not guilty Ex-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic denies Serbs committed war crimes he is accused of orchestrating.


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 ...


UNITED #39;S PROFITS FALL Manchester United have announced a fall in pre-tax profits to 27.9million for the financial year ending July 31. Profits were down from 39.


How Safe Is a Roller Coaster in the Sky? (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Last week's nbsp;announcement nbsp;by the Zero \Gravity Corporation that it would be offering weightless flights to paying \customers was good news for thrill seekers. nbsp; Those who sign up for the \experience will be treated to several stomach-rolling climbs and drops. nbsp; \Although the planes used are slightly modified commercial planes, tests have \shown that they can manage the demanding maneuvers.


Time To Applaud Chelsea #39;s Football Chelsea are bad for football, it #39;s true; but they are also very good at it. Not something you could say about Titus Bramble, say.


Fans Flock to Buy Sci-Fi Epic 'Halo 2' There's a new media king, only he isn't on the radio or in the movies. His name? Master Chief. His role: Interstellar soldier and star of "Halo 2," one of the most anticipated video games ever. -AP


Oil Down \$2 as U.S. Winter Stays Mild  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices slid \$2 on Monday on  expectations that more mild U.S. weather at the start of the  New Year will limit heating oil demand.


Google #39;s ups and downs Google #39;s long-awaited public offering finally made it to the street, but the search is still on for Microsoft #39;s Windows update.


Snow to Remain Treasury's Chief, White House Says Treasury Secretary John W. Snow will remain in his job after weeks in which Republicans had talked openly about his impending departure.


Players have fun in new 4-on-4 league When Randy Gumbley called Rick Dudley last month, the founder of the Original Stars Hockey League asked the former NHL Florida Panthers general manager to be commissioner.


Assam flash floods toll mounts to 70 GUWAHATI: Nine bodies were recovered in Assam #39;s Goalpara district on Sunday morning taking the death toll in the current flash floods in the state to 70, official sources said.


Singapore aims to lift birth rate Singapore will give families financial incentives to boost record-low birth rates, new Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his national address.


Belgian GP, Race Jarno ninth and retirement for Fernando in an extremely disappointing result for the team in Belgium.


Market bomber kills five in Tel Aviv An apparent suicide bombing in a crowded Tel Aviv open-air market Monday killed at least five people and seriously injured more than 30 others.


Ten times two equals one NASCAR champ The Chase for the Nextel Cup will begin in earnest Sunday with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. It will be the first event of NASCAR #39;s


Oil Prices Hit \$48 a Barrel as Iraq Violence Flares Oil prices struck a fresh record today on violence in Iraq and evidence that strong demand growth in China and India has not slowed due to higher energy costs.


IBM, Cisco aim to protect networks The companies expand a security alliance to help businesses keep worms and viruses from getting onto their networks.


Auburn improves to 6-0 AUBURN, Ala. -- Jason Campbell passed for 201 yards and two touchdowns, including a school-record 87-yarder to Silas Daniels, leading No. 6 Auburn past Louisiana Tech, 52-7, yesterday.


Talks With Pakistan on Kashmir Making Progress: Manmohan NEW DELHI, 15 November 2004 - Talks with Pakistan on the dispute over Kashmir were progressing well and the two sides were working toward a mutually acceptable solution, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said yesterday.


Raptors answer coach #39;s rip, pound Knicks TORONTO (CP) _ A night after being called out by their coach, the Toronto Raptors were at their best.  quot;I think for ourselves we wanted to turn it around and play better, quot; Raptors star Vince Carter said Wednesday


Syracuse football player stabbed during fight Syracuse starting cornerback Tanard Jackson was released from the hospital Monday after being stabbed in the chest during a fight outside the campus student center.


Sears' Stock Soars After Firm Buys Stake Sears, Roebuck and Co.'s stock shot up Friday on news that a New York-based real estate investment trust had purchased a 4.3 percent interest in the huge department store chain.


Australia omit MacGill, Symonds for India tour Leg spinner Stuart MacGill and all rounder Andrew Symonds were left out of Australia #39;s squad on Thursday for the tour to India in October and November after the selectors decided to go for fresh blood.


Politics of 'fear over vision' explored on British television Today's Terrorism and Security Daily Update: New documentary series says danger from Al Qaeda is 'dramatically overstated.'


Fed opens meeting, poised to raise interest rates WASHINGTON : US Federal Reserve policymakers opened a meeting, nearly certain to raise key interest rates amid signs of a resurgent American jobs market.


High-Resolution Cameras Set Out to Win the Megapixel Competition The latest trend in digital photography is ultra-high-resolution fixed-lens cameras. The digital-camera manufacturers are constantly trying to outdo one another, in much the same way that CPU


Tokyo Stocks Bounce Back, Led by Techs  TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's key Nikkei average rose 1.01  percent by mid-morning on Thursday as gains on Wall Street  encouraged investors to scoop up bargains including key  technology stocks following the market's nine days of losses.


Car bomber hits central Baghdad A suicide bomber blows up his car near the party headquarters of interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.


Digital Gear: Gadgets, Networks Go Mobile (PC World) PC World - A high-capacity cigar, keys to the Internet, disc repair tools, Bluetooth add-on kit, and more.


Letter reveals reason behind the Ambani feud NEW DELHI: The real reasons behind the discord between the two Ambani brothers are slowly coming to light. At the core is the agenda of a Reliance Industries board meeting that took place on July 27, 04, and


Group Warns on Consumption of Resources (AP) AP - Humanity's reliance on fossil fuels, the spread of cities, the destruction of natural habitats for farmland and over-exploitation of the oceans are destroying Earth's ability to sustain life, the environmental group WWF warned in a new report Thursday.


Answers in the Margins By just looking at operating margins, investors can find profitable industry leaders.


Artificial Spinal Disk Gains Approval From the F.D.A. Johnson   Johnson will be allowed to market an artificial spinal disk in the U.S. as a new form of treatment for people with severe lower back pain.


Grumbling Over the Greenback Financial markets and economic policymakers around the globe all were focused last week on the shrinking value of the dollar. The greenback fell to its lowest level in years against both the yen and the euro


#39;); //-- gt; Eye On Stocks Forest Laboratories (nyse: FRX - news - people ) said strong sales volume will propel fiscal second-quarter earnings higher than previously expected.


FBI Said to Lag on Translations of Terror Tapes Three years after the Sept. 11 attacks, more than 120,000 hours of potentially valuable terrorism-related recordings have not yet been translated by linguists at the


Three Picks For A Communications Rebound Deutsche Bank Securities said the communications-equipment sector is likely to report weak third-quarter results, though  quot;given the extent of negative sentiment among investors, we do not believe this will represent much of a surprise.


Schools Must Help in Fight Against Obesity By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter    HealthDayNews -- Health experts are trying to move the nation's battle of the bulge to an important new front: the schools.    Schools need to be more active in teaching heart-healthy behavior and they should offer more physical education and healthful meals, a new American Heart Association statement urges...


NCAA denies reinstatement request for Mike Williams The NCAA refused to reinstate Southern California All-American Mike Williams on Thursday, leaving the star receiver unable to rejoin the top-ranked Trojans after being shut out of the NFL draft by the courts.


Phelps's chase of Spitz mark? It's history This was the event Michael Phelps didn't really need to compete in if his goal was to win eight golds. He probably would have had a better chance somewhere else.


Clearwire Partners With Intel on WiMAX Networks Broadband wireless carrier Clearwire and Intel Corp. said they will join forces to develop and deploy WiMAX wireless broadband networks.


Genesis Capsule Slams Into Utah Desert (AP) AP - A daring plan to have helicopters snag a space capsule as it plunged toward Earth went awry Wednesday when its parachutes failed to open and it slammed into the desert floor.


Cuban bets on vice Billionaire Mark Cuban isn't content with owning the Dallas Mavericks and running a high-definition TV broadcasting company...


Wall Street gets lift from Ford outlook, shrugs off oil spike A better-than-expected profit outlook from Ford juiced up trading on Wall Street, with gains capped by a lackluster reading on consumer sentiment and a fresh rise in oil prices.


Rangers beat Celtic for first time in seven matches Rangers rallied to beat crosstown rival Celtic for the first time in seven matches Wednesday, with Shota Arveladze scoring in extra time for a 2-1 win in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals.


Sun to Introduce Newest Version of Solaris Today Sun Microsystems plans to unveil the latest version of its flagship Solaris operating system and offer a free version of the program to make it more attractive to corporate and academic computer users.


Cendant Acquires Two British Travel Cos. Cendant Corp. said Thursday it has agreed to acquire Gullivers Travel Associates and Octopus Travel Group Ltd. of Britain for about US\$1.1 billion (euro820 million) in cash.


Huskies are running with a limp Northeastern coach Rocky Hager has employed a running back by committee with some success this season. Yet when the Huskies host Villanova today in an Atlantic 10 showdown, Hager will be forced to take another approach -- running back by availability.


Radio Shack exec joins AMD board David Edmondson, president and COO of the retailer, has been elected to the board of the chipmaker.


With  #39;Scramjet, #39; NASA Shoots for Mach 10 They call it a  quot;scramjet, quot; an engine so blindingly fast that it could carry an airplane from San Francisco to Washington, DC, in about 20 minutes -- or even quicker.


Stocks Up on Earnings, Oil, Economic Data  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, getting a  boost from some strong retail earnings, lower oil prices and  two separate economic reports that showed inflationary pressure  was held in check and U.S. housing starts rebounded sharply in  July.


Aussie debutant, India #39;s smiling assassin shine on first day BANGALORE: Anil Kumble hardly shows his emotions on the field. The day offered an exception. Kumble allowed himself the luxury of an extravagant display of his jubilation.


Cards Score in Ninth to Top Reds 6-5 (AP) AP - Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds hit two-runs homers, and pinch-runner Reggie Sanders scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning on Joe Valentine's wild pitch to lead the St. Louis Cardinals over the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 Wednesday night.


Man U bid for teenage star Rooney Manchester United have made a bid for Everton #39;s star striker Wayne Rooney, the club said yesterday. United didn #39;t say how much the offer was worth, but it was believed to be around 20 million


Sony Debuts PSP To Challenge Nintendo Sony began selling the new PSP Playstation Portable yesterday in Japan. The company says it will ship 500,000 units of the console, which plays music, videos and games by the end of the year.


Putin Says Russia Working on New Nuclear Systems  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is working on new nuclear missile  systems that other powers do not have in order to protect  itself against future security threats, President Vladimir  Putin said Wednesday.


Howell Leads by One at Dunhill Links (AP) AP - England's David Howell capped his round with an eagle Friday to take a one-stroke lead over compatriot and Ryder Cup teammate Luke Donald after two rounds of the Dunhill Links Championship. Howell and Donald each shot 7-under 65 on the Old Course. Howell's second successive 65 was capped by an eagle-2 on a 105-yard sand wedge into the 18th hole. Donald was a stroke behind at 13-under 131.


Sehwag shines, Warne creates history Chennai, Oct. 15. - Virender Sehwag is happy to score a century, rather relieved to be back in form. It was tough coming out of a lean phase and be back in form.


Comair #39;s fate up in air For months, analysts speculated that Delta Air Lines might spin off its wholly owned subsidiaries -- locally based Comair Inc. and Atlantic Southeast Airlines -- to infuse cash into the ailing carrier.


Belgian PM in Hospital After Car Accident -Agency (Reuters) Reuters - Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt\was taken to hospital late on Tuesday after a car accident,\Belga news agency reported.


Indonesia presses Burma on Aung San Suu Kyi detention Indonesia has accused Burma of trying to avoid the issue of the ongoing detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Burma was asked at an Asia-Pacific summit this week to clarify media reports that


Lockyer inspires then frightens Australia Australia #39;s captain, Darren Lockyer, inspired them to a Tri-Nations victory over New Zealand at the second attempt, but they had to lift their game in the second half at a packed Loftus Road.


Egypt arrests five suspects over Sinai bombings (AFP) AFP - Egypt said it had arrested five suspects accused of carrying out a wave of deadly car bomb attacks in Red Sea resorts almost three weeks ago.


The Dollar Weakens Broadly The dollar weakened broadly on Thursday, reversing a short-lived rally on news that China had raised interest rates as the market decided Beijing #39;s move did not radically change dollar-bearish market fundamentals.


Dollar Rallies in Year-End Profit-Taking  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar gained broadly on Friday  for the third straight session, as strong U.S. economic data  gave traders additional reasons to take profits in other  currencies before the year's end.


S.Korea Probes DMZ But Some Doubt Defector Fled  SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea conducted a follow-up  investigation Wednesday into holes cut in fences in the  Demilitarised Zone border, but diplomatic sources questioned  whether a civilian defected to the North as Seoul has said.


Bush asked to nudge Musharraf on Pakistan's democratic future (AFP) AFP - US President George W. Bush should find out how Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf plans to restore civilian rule in his country during their talks this weekend expected to be dominated by terrorism, analysts say.


Bringing .Net rules to light Products give business people and programmers a shared language that helps them implement changes quickly.


US takes stock of Hurricane Ivan US authorities begin relief operations as south-eastern states continue to assess Hurricane Ivan's impact.


Writing on the  #39;wall #39; n Last edition of the Far Eastern Economic Review is shown on the streets of Hong Kong. The weekly news magazine is to fold in its current form with the loss of 80 jobs, the magazine #39;s publisher Dow Jones said yesterday.


Mitsubishi Elec to Stop Making Large LCD Panels (Reuters) Reuters - Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp. said on\Tuesday it would gradually stop making liquid crystal display\(LCD) panels for televisions and computers, instead focusing on\smaller LCD panels.


Nation shocked by hatred shown France flew home its nine dead soldiers from the Ivory Coast yesterday. The nine died in violence at the weekend that presented a bleak contrast to the long-cultivated image of the


IPod faces competition as MP3 player sales boom Sales of MP3 players are rocketing, fuelled by falling unit prices, integration of MP3 support into a wider range of devices and the creation of legal music download websites.


Chad being 'cheated of oil dues' Chad says a US-Malaysian consortium is  failing to pay market rates in royalties for oil it extracts.


Court Kings The familiar faces went their separate ways over the summer, the rivalry was declared dead more than a month ago, and all those years of accumulated magic came to a crashing end in the final minute Friday night.


SBC and Microsoft Plan IP TV Service  NEW YORK (Reuters) - SBC Communications SBC.N on  Wednesday said it reached a 10-year, \$400 million deal with  Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O to provide next-generation television  services.


Twinkies maker in crisis There #39;s an old saying in the business world when a sale seems all but assured: It was as easy as selling Hostess Twinkies. That may no longer be true.


Injury Forces Emmitt Out of Arizona Game  TEMPE, Ariz., (Sports Network) - Arizona Cardinals running  back Emmitt Smith left Sunday's 13-3 loss to the New York Jets  in the first half with a sprained ankle.


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


Film producer De Laurentiis takes over Napoli Film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis will buy financially troubled Napoli for 29.25 million (US\$35.3 million). De Laurentiis reached an agreement with an Italian court to buy the club


Apple zombies attack RealNetworks REALNETWORKS #39; attempt to get Steve Jobs to open up its proprietary eyePods is getting attacked by Apple #39;s fanatical supporters.


Dell, Microsoft make a patch pact for servers The industry heavyweights want to ease a major "pain point" for their customers, Dell's CEO says.


Brazil Starts to Crack Down on Counterfeit Goods Brazil stands to lose billions of dollars in trade benefits from the United States if it does not prove by the end of September that it is making progress in combating copyright piracy.


Donald up for Ryder challenge Luke Donald will tell Bernhard Langer next week that he is confident enough to be paired with any of his European team-mates in the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills.


U.S., Afghan Forces Attack Taliban Ahead of Vote (Reuters) Reuters - Afghan guards backed by U.S. helicopter\gunships raided a Taliban safe house, killing one man and\arresting 15, to prevent attacks during this week's\presidential election, officials said on Sunday.


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


China, Asean eye biggest free trade zone VIENTIANE - China and 10 South-east Asian countries signed historic trade pacts to pave the way for the world #39;s biggest free-trade zone by 2010, with a total population of nearly two billion people.


Hard Rock to display Virgin Mary sandwich The handover for the infamous Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich is to take place at 1 pm, Wednesday, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel  amp; Casino in Hollywood.


Five dead, three injured in weekend house fires in Detroit area WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. Two fatal home fires today in the Detroit area have left five people dead, including three children. In Waterford Township, 35 miles northwest of Detroit, fire killed a police officer, his wife and their ten-year-old son.


Update 2: Ex-Enron Treasurer to Testify at Trial Merrill Lynch  amp; Co. drafted a letter in mid-June 2000 instructing Enron Corp. to wire \$7.5 million to a specified account by the end of that month to buy out the brokerage #39;s \$7 million investment in three barges.


News Corp slashes jobs in printing arm move NEWS International, the UK newspaper unit of News Corp, is to cut its 1000-person production staff by two-thirds and move its London printing facilities from Wapping to Enfield, in north London.


Ole Miss Fires Cutcliffe After 4-7 Season (AP) AP - Mississippi coach David Cutcliffe was fired Wednesday after his first losing season in six years with the Rebels. Ole Miss officials informed Cutcliffe of the decision early Wednesday and Cutcliffe met with the team before an afternoon news conference.


UPDATE 2-Atkins hires turnaround firm amid low-carb glut The company behind the Atkins Diet said on Monday it had hired a turnaround specialist as it struggles with tough competition from rival food companies and waning consumer interest in low-carb diets.


PalmSource to buy China MobileSoft PalmSource entered in an agreement with a major Chinese mobile phone software company China MobileSoft Limited (CMS) to acquire its operations.


Google launches UK version of Froogle Google, the giant Internet search engine, is launching a British version of its shopping comparison site Froogle, the Guardian reported Wednesday.


Summit Addresses Greenhouses Gases' Impact (AP) AP - A new report on ecological damage from greenhouse gases dominated the sidelines of a U.N. conference on global warming Saturday as delegates from nearly 200 nations assembled to prepare for the launch next year of the Kyoto Protocol.


Antarctic Glacier-Melt Increasing Dramatically As early as the 1970s, several theorists and climate modelers predicted that global warming would cause ice shelves in the oceans around Antarctica to melt and release glaciers.


AMD: The Little Engine That Might One of these days AMD's going to take a bite out of Intel and not let go.


Magic Wins With Hill; Pacers Making Do (AP) AP - The Orlando Magic are seeing just what they missed when Grant Hill was sidelined by injury year after year. Without Ron Artest and a slew of injured players, the Indiana Pacers haven't missed a beat.


Romania Presidential Challenger Stolojan Quits Race  BUCHAREST, Romania (Reuters) - Romania's main opposition  presidential challenger Theodor Stolojan withdrew from the race  citing health reasons Saturday, dealing a severe blow to his  alliance ahead of next month's elections.


Bad Day for Drug Companies - and Patients Investors in pharmaceuticals were dealt a triple whammy on Friday as Pfizer Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and Eli Lilly and Co all shocked the market with bad news about key products.


Ferrero Win Boosts Spain to 1-1 Vs. France (AP) AP - Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Fabrice Santoro on Saturday 6-3, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in a match that was suspended the day before due to darkness, and lifted Spain to a 1-1 tie with France in the Davis Cup semifinals.


Firefox Burning Up Internet Explorer Market Share  quot;Firefox #39;s gains are clearly accelerating, quot; WebSideStory Chief Marketing Officer Rand Schulman said.  quot;Much of it has to do with the release of Firefox #39;s version 1.0 on November 9, after several months of offering a preview version.


Serbs in Dispute Over Darwin Vs. Divine (AP) AP - Charles Darwin's evolution theory is out of Serb schools. The Bible is in.


Another Turkish Driver Beheaded in Iraq Turkish driver Ramazan Elbu was decapitated in recent incidents in Iraq yesterday that led to over 30 deaths. In a video cassette issued on a website belonging to an illegal organization called the Ansar Al


IBM registers grid computing wins Claiming grid technology continues to expand outside its traditional scientific and research markets, IBM on Friday is announcing that several grid-based commercial projects built on IBM platforms have been launched, including one at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.


HELP FILE Q My computer #39;s hard drive died, and I had to replace it. All my songs are still intact on my iPod, but how do I get them back on the PC?


Rested Federer ready to put icing on cake Perfection is a hard act to follow and, after the most remarkable 11 months of his life, Roger Federer has much to live up to here this week.


Chrysler Sees Big Savings from New Engine Venture (Reuters) Reuters - DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler division\on Thursday said it will save  #36;100 million a year from\production of a new jointly developed four-cylinder engine that\is more powerful, cleaner burning and far more advanced than\the one it builds today.


NL Wrap: Patterson Homer Keeps Cubs in NL Wildcard Lead  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Corey Patterson clubbed a two-run  homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Chicago  Cubs a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the National  League (NL) Wednesday.


Lehigh and Lafayette Are Still Playing After All Those Years Lehigh and Lafayette on Saturday will meet for the 140th time, but for the first time with an automatic postseason bid on the line.


F.C.C. Takes on Oversight of Internet Phone Services The Federal Communications Commission seized regulatory control over Internet-based telephone services by issuing an order that sharply limited the role of state regulators.


A pregnable fortress The National Stadium in Karachi suddenly seems a less impregnable fortress. Sri Lanka won a Test in Faisalabad after starts of 9 for 3 and 0 for 1, to continue their unbeaten series run in Pakistan.


Eastman rebuffs Sendra jibe European middleweight champion Howard Eastman has stepped up his war of words ahead of his fight with Spain #39;s Jorge Sendra on 24 September.


GE to Buy SPX Fire Detection Unit General Electric Co. (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Monday said it would buy a fire detection systems business from SPX Corp.


Reed, Vincent Likely to Miss Jets Game (AP) AP - Buffalo Bills receiver Josh Reed and cornerback Troy Vincent are expected to miss Sunday's game against the New York Jets.


Virgin Mary Cheese Sandwich I am surprised this is still making news after so many days. However, if someone pays 28000 dollars for a grilled sandwich it is something.


Artest gets 30-game suspension, Wallace five The NBA reportedly has come down hard on the Indiana Pacers for their involvement in a brawl that broke out in the final minute of Friday #39;s win at Detroit.


Oil Holds Above \$46 Supply Worries Linger Oil prices held firm on Tuesday as China showed no let-up in its strong import growth and US Gulf producers reported damage to offshore rigs from Hurricane Ivan.


Anglicans in Africa Weigh Own Theology (AP) AP - African Anglican bishops said Monday that they were considering establishing a theology that conforms to the continent's culture, including prevailing beliefs against same-sex unions.


Stocks Are Up Despite Rising Oil Prices NEW YORK - Buyers put a positive spin on equities Wednesday, shrugging off rising crude futures as Google Inc. prepared to sell its stock in an initial public offering, albeit it at a far lower price than previously forecast...


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.


Mbeki on Ivory Coast peace trip BOUAKE, Ivory Coast -- President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa traveled yesterday to the rebel-held north of Ivory Coast, telling cheering crowds that his peacemaking efforts were designed to improve the life of all people in the former French colony and economic hub of West Africa.


Nigerian pipeline blast death toll rises to 60 (AFP) AFP - The death toll from an explosion at a fuel pipeline on the outskirts of the Nigerian city of Lagos has risen to around 60 as more bodies were recovered from the scene.


Kerry Legal Team Member Is Issued Citation (AP) AP - A member of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's national legal team received a citation on accusations he solicited a prostitute, but the aide said it was the result of a misunderstanding.


UEFA threatens Austria-Switzerland over Euro 2008 European soccer #39;s governing body threatened to remove the 2008 European Championships from hosts Austria and Switzerland, citing the Swiss for failing to build a new stadium in Zurich.


Story is too good for words Every once in a while an Oscar winner gets up there and wings an acceptance speech because  quot;I never thought I'd win, so I didn't prepare anything. quot;


Powell Scraps Plan to Attend Olympics Ceremonies  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell  abruptly canceled plans to attend the Olympics closing  ceremonies in Athens Sunday in part because of events in Iraq  and Sudan, the State Department said.


Beckham Shocked By Camacho #39;s Exit David Beckham admits he was very surprised by Jose Antonio Camacho #39;s decision to resign as manager of Real Madrid, but insists he was unaware of any problems between the coach staff and the players.


Justin Merriman/Tribune-Review Adam Striegel, a 23-year-old senior at the University of Pittsburgh, went on a field trip this past spring to study rocks. This week, Striegel revels in the fame that comes with discovering the skull of a


Specter, Opponents Press Senate Leaders (AP) AP - Sen. Arlen Specter is working the phones and embarking on a media blitz in an attempt to cement his standing as future chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the face of demands from conservatives that he be passed over.


Palestinian factions determined to keep unity, order if Arafat <b>...</b> GAZA CITY, Nov 5 (AFP) - Palestinian officials and leaders from armed factions closed ranks Friday in a bid to ensure security and keep a lid on any instability should Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat die in a French hospital.


Microsoft Asks Judge to Suspend Penalties  LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp told a judge on  Thursday that the European Commission must be stopped from  ordering it to give up secret technology to competitors.


* Prospects of tighter monetary policy played down Japan #39;s central bank yesterday predicted the economy would shift into inflation for the first time since 1997 during the next fiscal year, though it strongly signalled that this would not trigger a tightening of monetary policy.


Creditors Wrap Up Sale of Hynix Chip Unit to Citigroup  quot;All administrative work has been completed to sell Hynix #39;s non-memory chip unit to Citigroup Venture Equity Partners LP, quot; Hynix #39;s primary creditor bank said.


Leiter talks crawl as pitcher closer to free agency Now that Willie Randolph has been hired as manager, the Mets have plenty of other business to keep them occupied as they prepare for next week #39;s general manager meetings, and another issue


Kings 113 Suns 111 PHOENIX Chris Webber had a season-high 28 points and ten rebounds as the Sacramento Kings shook off their worst loss of the early season and beat the Phoenix Suns 113-to-111.


Namibia votes to elect new leader Voting starts in Namibia's presidential poll, which will elect a successor to veteran leader Sam Nujoma.


Networkers' Crowding Achievement (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - It was something of a back-to-school night for the crowd of entrepreneurs, marketing officers and venture funders who showed up in droves at the high-end networking club at Tysons Corner.


Wal-Mart Sees Nov. U.S. Sales Up 2-4 Pct (Reuters) Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , the\world's largest retailer, said on Saturday that it still\expects a 2 percent to 4 percent increase in November sales at\its U.S. stores open at least one year.


Arsenal hit by Vieira injury blow Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira is set to miss Sunday #39;s trip to Manchester United as well as the Champions League game with Panathinaikos.


Australia  amp; New Zealand Allen Lew, managing director of SingTel Optus Pty #39;s mobile unit, and Andy Reeves, chief technology officer at Vodafone Group Plc #39;s Australian unit, speak on a teleconference from Sydney


Twins would be better off with best-of-one If every postseason game were an opener, the Metrodome would be filled with World Series banners. Eight times in a row, Minnesota has won the first game of a playoff.


Parks strike helping Alta. town business The rotating strike by workers at Canada #39;s national parks is having an unexpected impact in some places: it #39;s helping -- not hurting -- business.


New Images of Titan Show Early Earth-Like Conditions Scientists say new images from the US-European Cassini spacecraft support the view that Saturn #39;s giant moon, Titan, has conditions similar to that of early Earth before life appeared.


Controversial Swiss culture show abroad sparks domestic storm (AFP) AFP - An exhibition at Switzerland's cultural centre in Paris, which sheds the more common image of orderly Swiss society in favour of political rebellion and a vomiting actor, triggered an uproar in Switzerland.


Cape Ann teams set for collision The battle for the Cape Ann League begins tomorrow. With four teams undefeated in league play and three boasting 6-0 overall records, the final four weeks of the season will pit prolific offense against immovable defense. The fight for supremacy begins as Wilmington (6-0) travels to Pentucket at 2 p.m.


Google Conforms to Chinese Censorship (AP) AP - Google Inc.'s recently launched news service in China doesn't display results from Web sites blocked by that country's authorities, raising prickly questions for an online search engine that has famously promised to "do no evil."


Smith expected to be unveiled by Scotland The SFA have tried to play down speculation Smith (right) had been offered the job on Monday but his appointment would come as little surprise.


NZ PRESS: Telecom Denies AAPT Consumer Unit Is For Sale WELLINGTON (Dow Jones)--Telecom Corp. (TEL.NZ), New Zealand #39;s biggest fixed line phone company, has denied its AAPT consumer business in Australia is on the market, the New Zealand Press Association reported.


Big Gulp? Neck ribs may have given aquatic beast unique feeding <b>...</b> The fossilized neck bones of a 230-million-year-old sea creature have features suggesting that the animal #39;s snakelike throat could flare open and create suction that would pull in prey.


Greek Police Surround Hijacked Bus Near Athens  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek police surrounded a bus carrying  26 passengers that was seized by two armed hijackers along a  highway from an Athens suburb on Wednesday, police said.


Chechens See Old Hostilities in New Moscow Policy Description: Tensions between Russia and Chechnya escalated with the rebel seizure of a school in Beslan earlier this month. Chechen separatists claim the violence stems from decades of abuse by Russian authorities seeking to take control of the region.


iPod and iPod mini win Which? praise Despite Consumer Association accusations that Apple overcharges for iTunes tracks in the UK, its monthly magazine, Which?, continues to celebrate Apple #39;s iPod.


American Phillips wins men #39;s long jump gold (with results) Dwight Phillips of the United States proved he is the best long jumper in the world this year, winning the men #39;s final tonight with a massive first leap of 8.59 meters at the Olympic Games here on Thursday.


What to Eat on the Way to Mars Think it's tough figuring out what to whip up for dinner? Try figuring out what to eat during a two-and-half-year trip to Mars and back. Food scientists have some solutions on the plate. By Karen Lurie.


Greenback gains broadly ahead of Fed meeting CHICAGO (CBS.MW) - The US dollar #39;s biggest gain came against its Canadian counterpart on Friday, as Canadian inflation data raised doubts about the scope of interest-rate hikes there.


Caps' Witt Wins Arbitration Washington Capitals defenseman Brendan Witt was awarded \$2.2 million for the 2004-05 season in his arbitration hearing on Tuesday.


Meteor show will reach peak Monday night One of the year #39;s best meteor showers reaches a peak Monday when, weather permitting, you can expect to see dozens of meteors an hour shooting across the sky.


THECHAT <em>  Gene Simmons and his tongue came to Richmond International Raceway last weekend to promote three KISS-themed NASCAR vehicles and a line of die-cast collectible replicas.</em>


Ecclestone to sue Stewart The fight to save the British Grand Prix is getting bitter. The most powerful man in Formula One, commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone, issued libel proceedings yesterday


For Graphic Artists, Back to the Barricades This is a big year for protest graphics, one of the oldest art forms in the United States and one that is booming thanks in part to the Internet.


Bush Vows to Work on WTO Compliance, Blasts Airbus (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush pledged on\Friday to work with Congress to comply with a WTO ruling in a\row over payment of anti-dumping duties to U.S. companies, and\said he expected the trade body to hold Europe to account over\"unfair" subsidies to aircraft maker Airbus .


No. 21 Purdue Defeats No. 15 DePaul 69-61 (AP) AP - Katie Gearlds scored 21 points for No. 21 Purdue, which handed 15th-ranked DePaul its first loss of the season, 69-61 Thursday night.


Japan urged to repeal Lee visit China strongly demanded Japan immediately repeal its decision to issue a visa to former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui, warning that if Tokyo allows the visit it will harm bilateral relations.


NASA urged to send shuttle to Hubble Astronauts, not robots, should fix the Hubble Space Telescope, says a new report by the US National Research Council (NRC). That conclusion is directly at odds with NASA, which is opposed to a human mission


Sun shaded by Mystics Four players scored in double figures for the Mystics, whose defense stymied the Connecticut Sun for a 67-59 victory yesterday in Washington in Game 1 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.


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


Fix-income deals hurt earnings at JPMorgan NEW YORK JPMorgan Chase, the second-largest US bank, has surprised Wall Street with a sharp drop in third-quarter earnings. The bank, which reported the result on Wednesday, attributed the weaker performance to poor results in fixed-income trading.


The Plot Thickens: Testing European Tolerance BRUSSELS: The killing of controversial Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh by a suspected Islamic extremist and the subsequent spate of retaliatory attacks on Muslim targets are a damaging blow to relations between European Union #39;s 15 million Muslims and their


Stockland Buys Lensworth From Foster #39;s for A\$825 Mln (Update1) Stockland bought the Lensworth property development business from Foster #39;s Group Ltd. for A\$825 million (\$624 million), becoming Australia #39;s biggest residential property developer.


Issing says EU growth will pick up soon European Central Bank chief economist Otmar Issing has said the slowing of euro zone economic growth in the third quarter was temporary and he expects growth rates to pick up again.


Australian opposition leader to win campaign but lose election: analysts (AFP) AFP - Australian Labor Party leader Mark Latham may be tipped to lose Saturday's election but he is being seen as a winner regardless of the outcome after a strong campaign performance marked him out as one of the leading politicians of his generation.


IBM Adds Downtime Safety To WebSphere IBM has added a new feature to WebSphere Application Server designed to help safeguard Internet business applications against outages.


E-Mail ID Working Group Shuts Down Without Consensus The Internet Engineering Task Force closed its working group Wednesday after it failed to agree on an e-mail authentication standard.


U.S. Troops Reinforce After Falluja Air Strike  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops cut roads and reinforced  positions around Falluja Tuesday after an air strike aimed at  Arab militants said to roam the rebel-held city.


Kodak wins patent lawsuit against Sun A federal jury in New York has ruled that Sun violated several patents held by Eastman Kodak when it developed its Java technology.


Hockey: Australia win first men #39;s gold ATHENS - Australia won the Olympic men #39;s hockey title for the first time in history on Friday, beating defending champions the Netherlands 2-1 with a golden goal.


The Architect Behind Kmart #39;s Surprising Takeover of Sears About 10 days ago, Edward S. Lampert placed a call to his newest hire, Aylwin B. Lewis, whom he had installed as the chief executive of Kmart only a week earlier.


Federated Hurt by Hurricane Jeanne Federated Departments Stores Inc. said Monday that Hurricane Jeanne will hurt third-quarter earnings by 1 cent to 2 cents per share, further lowering an outlook already cut because of lost sales from Hurricane Frances.


Top Nuclear Scientist Raja Ramanna Is Dead Mumbai, Sept. 24 (NNN):One of India #39;s most eminent nuclear scientists and the scientific mastermind behind the country #39;s first atomic test, Dr Raja Ramanna, passed away in Mumbai early this morning after a cardiac arrest.


PeopleSoft's board recommends shareholders reject Oracle takeover bid (AFP) AFP - Senior executives at business software group PeopleSoft unanimously recommended that its shareholders reject a 8.8 billion dollar takeover bid from Oracle Corp, PeopleSoft said in a statement Wednesday.


World Cup of Hockey 2004 - semifinal games, St. Paul and Toronto The scoop: Finally! For the first time in this championships, the team that scored first did NOT win the game. Nursing a 1-0 lead starting the third period, the USA surrendered two third-period goals and lost


Tomball City Council approves budget Tomball City Council approved a \$40.5 million budget Tuesday that entails utility rate hikes and pay raises but no increase in the property tax rate.


Lions hand Falcons first loss ATLANTA -- The Detroit Lions have learned to win on the road. Michael Vick still is trying to get a handle on the West Coast offense.


USC could hold key to opponent Third-ranked Auburn became a media darling Monday, but despite picking up ground in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, No. 2 Oklahoma remains in a better position to make the Orange Bowl.


Google Adds POP3 Support to Gmail Google has announced plans to beef up its Gmail service with POP, or post office protocol, over the next couple of weeks. The feature, announced yesterday, will allow users to use other


U.S. Stocks Up, Technology Leads Way  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Technology stocks climbed near a  2-month high on Monday, as investors seeing value in a battered  group bought software and semiconductor shares, while higher  crude oil prices limited blue-chip gains.


Islamic cleric in France to see Arafat CLAMART, France - A senior Islamic cleric arrived in France on Wednesday to visit the bedside of the ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Palestinian officials said.


Vodafone tests Chinese mobile phone equipment Vodafone Group, Europe's largest mobile phone operator, is testing several network systems from Chinese manufacturers with the intention of purchasing equipment within the next few years.


EU to go it alone on nuclear project, if no deal with Japan (AFP) AFP - EU countries reiterated that they intended to press ahead with the construction of a pioneering nuclear energy project in France if talks with Japan, which also wants to host the facility, fail to reach a conclusion, EU sources said.


Alleged Leader of ETA Is Captured in France The alleged political leader of the armed Basque separatist group ETA and his partner were arrested Sunday along with 19 other accused ETA members during a police sweep in southwestern France, Spanish authorities said.


China insists bird flu in pigs does not threaten epidemic BEIJING : China Tuesday insisted that although a highly lethal strain of the bird flu virus had been found in pigs, it did not constitute an epidemic.


So you want to be a cyber-crook... Some Web sites are now offering surfers the chance to download free  quot;phishing kits quot; containing all the graphics, Web code and text required to construct the kind of bogus Web sites used in Internet phishing scams.


Expos #39; move given conditional approval Baseball owners took another step toward moving the Montreal Expos to Washington next year, giving conditional approval Friday but hinging their decision on the September agreement that did not cap the cost of a new stadium.


HK conglomerate Hutchison #39;s first half net profit up 106 percent HONG KONG : Hutchison Whampoa, the ports-to-telecoms conglomerate owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, reported its first half net profit rose 106 percent to HK\$12.5b (US\$1.6b).


WFP Says Sudan #39;s Army Blocks Access to Camps The World Food Program reports the Sudanese army Tuesday surrounded two refugee camps near Nyala in southern Darfur province, denying access to humanitarian groups.


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


Music company EMI reports loss for first half but says sales on way back up (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - LONDON (AP) - EMI Group PLC, one of the world's Big Three music companies, reported a fall in sales and a net loss for the first half of its fiscal year Friday but said it expected an improvement in the second half when its album release schedule kicks in.


Pakistan cannot sideline Kashmir, says Kasuri ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri on Friday vowed that Pakistan would never neglect or sideline the Kashmir issue and that it would be resolved according to the wishes of Kashmiris.


MSN Desktop Search Beta tested WITH GOOGLE nipping at its heels, Microsoft has just released a beta edition of its new MSN Desktop Search application. Like Google #39;s very similar product, Desktop Search builds an index of documents and e


With Renteria, Boston Finally Makes a Big Deal Trying to counter the loss of Pedro Martnez and their failures in other contract negotiations, the Red Sox have reached an agreement shortstop Edgar Renteria.


Offensive To Watch The coaches can defend Mark Brunell and the offense all they want, but it's a unit that hasn't yet scored 20 points in a game.


UN calls bird flu  #39;world crisis #39; Two UN agencies have warned that bird flu is set to remain a serious threat to animal and human life worldwide in the near future.


A PC That Packs Real Power, and All Just for Me A new computer should deliver about 10 times the performance of a desktop personal computer.


Economic Agenda Europe at mercy of a bank driving blind IT IS said that there are three kinds of organisation: those that make things happen; those that watch things happen; and those that wonder what happened.


Libya Seems Honest About Nuke Program -- UN Report (Reuters) Reuters - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said\in a confidential report circulated Monday that Libya appears\to have been telling the truth in its declarations on the\covert atomic weapons program that it agreed in December to\abandon.


Soaring toward extinction The next century definitely will not be for the birds as the changing world takes a toll on many species. By 2100, about 10 percent of all bird species probably will be extinct, killed off by habitat loss, hunting


Two US soldiers killed, 16 wounded in mortar barrage on US base A mortar attack Sunday killed two US soldiers and left 16 wounded one critically at a base west of the Iraqi capital. Maj. Richard Spiegel of the Army #39;s 13th Corps Support Command said the


Cisco, Wells Fargo face new security breaches Cisco Systems and Wells Fargo found themselves this week again responding to security breaches nearly identical to ones the two companies faced only months earlier.


In our view: Violence in sports not acceptable Commissioner David Stern has drawn a line on unacceptable behavior by players in the National Basketball Association. Whether he can keep it from being blurred or erased by the players union or a court decision remains to be seen.


AIG Target of Justice Department Probe Insurance giant American International Group Inc. on Wednesday said its financial products unit is being investigated by the Department of Justice over possible violations of securities laws.


AT T woos international markets with VOIP projects AT T Corp. Wednesday announced a number of VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) initiatives, such as a program to develop common standards for the technology and an expansion of its international VOIP remote worker pilot project. But as the company tries to draw more corporate users to VOIP, its own research, also published Wednesday, showed that concerns about the quality of service continue to dog the market as a whole.


Letters Target the abusers of legal weapons We can all share the outrage, expressed by columnist Steve Bailey (''Summer Sizzler, quot; Aug. 11), at the killings in the city's poor neighborhoods. But there's no need to share his ignorance. He argues for renewal of the so-called assault weapon ban, claiming that otherwise, ''UZIs and AK-47s could again be flooding the streets. quot; His ...


Standoff Continues with Militant Cleric in Najaf Fighting continues in Najaf even though Iraq #39;s Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has made a final call to Shi #39;ite militants to lay down their weapons and leave the holy Imam Ali shrine in Najaf. Militants threaten to kill a Turkish hostage and missing American ...


Government Warns Americans of Iraq Travel (AP) AP - The State Department reminded Americans Friday of the dangers of traveling in Iraq, a day after two American construction workers were kidnapped from their home in Baghdad.


Syria ready for talks with Israel without conditions ISN SECURITY WATCH (25/11/04) - Syrian President Bashar Assad told a top UN envoy on Wednesday he was ready to resume peace talks with Israel  quot;without conditions quot;.


Dollar takes another slide Here #39;s another good reason to finish your holiday shopping early: The US dollar reached a new all-time low against the euro Friday for the fourth straight day, raising the strong possibility that US consumers will pay much more for imported goods as the


IBM chip chief now managing intellectual property High rate of patents, open-source age increase importance of intellectual property issues.


Jarvis facing collapse as debts mount CRISIS-rocked rail and road contracting firm Jarvis sent its shares crashing again yesterday when it gave warning it faced collapse within weeks if it could not reschedule debt-repayments with its banks.


NBA teams play first exhibition game in China SHANGHAI - Playing in his home town before an adoring crowd that chanted his name, Yao Ming had the jitters. He missed his first two shots and allowed Brad Miller to score against him repeatedly early in the first quarter.


Japanese bank to control future ticket sales and media rights (OfficialWire) -- 10/23/04 -- So incensed are fans of Manchester United football club over the prospect of American Malcolm Glazer buying control of  #39;their club #39; that


Brawl after Bashir arrest cleared A BRAWL broke out at an Indonesian court yesterday after the arrest and detention of alleged Jemaah Islamiah head Abu Bakar Bashir was found to be legal, clearing the way for his trial under tough anti-terror laws.


Train driver  #39;not to blame #39; for accident The driver of the train which crashed into a car on a level crossing killing him and six others had just two or three seconds to stop, an official report has found.


Chiefs Lose Boerigter Kansas City Chiefs backup wide receiver Marc Boerigter will miss the season after injuring his right knee in last week's exhibition loss to Cleveland.


No. 9 Utah Thumps UNLV in 63-28 Blowout (AP) AP - Morgan Scalley returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and Alex Smith threw for three TDs and ran 70 yards for another, leading No. 9 Utah past UNLV 63-28 Saturday night.


Panel Nixes NASA #39;s Hubble Fix NASA #39;s plan to send a robot to do an astronaut #39;s job is too expensive, technically risky and too time-consuming to develop, said a scientific panel that


Update: Judge rules for Oracle in PeopleSoft case NEW YORK - The judge presiding over the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) attempt to block Oracle Corp.'s proposed takeover of rival software maker PeopleSoft Inc. ruled in Oracle's favor on Thursday, removing one obstacle preventing the hostile acquisition.


Red Cross volunteer joins Florida efforts John Souza, a volunteer with the Boone County chapter of the American Red Cross, is the second Columbia resident to join efforts to assist people who were affected by Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley.


Singletary Wins Breeders #39; Cup Mile Jockey David Flores, right, celebrates his win aboard Singletary in the Net Jets Breeders #39; Cup Mile turf race over jockey Jamie Spencer and Antonius Pius (7) in Grand Prairie, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2004.


Linux distributors team up to push standardization Four major Linux players are to unite their distributions around a common core based on the Linux Standard Base (LSB) 2.0, in an effort to push Linux standardization to a new level. MandrakeSoft of France, Conectiva of Brazil, TurboLinux of Japan, and Progeny Linux Systems of the U.S. say the venture, called the Linux Core Consortium (LCC), has broad industry support from companies such as Red Hat, Novell, and Hewlett-Packard.


Dollar Rebounds; Tone Cautious on U.S. Jobs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rebounded on Monday after  last week's heavy selloff, but analysts were uncertain if the  rally would hold after fresh economic data suggested the  December U.S. jobs report due Friday might not live up to  expectations.


Sony Chases Rivals in Image Chip Race  TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp., the world leader in video  equipment, finds itself in the unusual position of playing  catch-up in the next battleground for technology used in  cameras, video recorders and phones.


Germany wins bronze ATHENS, Greece - Womens World Cup champion Germany settled for bronze at the Olympics, beating Sweden 1-0 Thursday on Renate Lingors goal and a spectacular game from goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg in her 100th international appearance.


Stocks rally, end above 10,000 Stocks rose sharply yesterday, extending their rally for a second session as investors expressed relief over plummeting oil prices following a government report that showed an increase in crude inventories. The Dow Jones industrial average had its second straight triple-digit gain, pushing back above the 10,000 mark.


Stem-cell policy moderately wrong Why didn #39;t Bush outright prohibit the research, if he truly believed destroying embryos is killing? BY RAMESH PONNURU. Ramesh Ponnuru is a senior editor at the National Review.


Romney calls for Turnpike chairman to resign in wake of Big Dig Gov. Mitt Romney called on Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman Matthew Amorello to resign on Friday, citing ongoing management troubles


Arena on MU campus now just Mizzou Arena The University of Missouri Board of Curators today voted unanimously to rename the former Paige Sports Arena on the Columbia campus to Mizzou Arena.


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


National League Game Summary - Los Angeles at Arizona Arizona leftfielder Quinton McCracken left the game with a strained right groin after chasing after a foul ball in the first inning...Bautista extended his hitting streak to eight games...Los Angeles first baseman Hee-Seop Choi is mired in an 0-for-12


JP Morgan To Take Back Tech Work Outsourced to IBM Undoing a technology outsourcing deal set in late 2002, JP Morgan Chase on Wednesday said it would take back 4,000 of IBM #39;s employees who have been providing the Wall Street firm with an array of technology support services.


Three Foreigners Kidnapped in Afghanistan  KABUL (Reuters) - Three foreign election workers were  kidnapped by armed men in the Afghan capital Kabul on Thursday,  government officials said.


Results are in: They #39;re not same old Lakers Jeffrey Osborne sang the national anthem before a Lakers home opener for the 22nd straight year, the sellout crowd cheered loudest in the pregame introductions for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers


Microsoft Sues Spammers The software giant, Microsoft, has filed lawsuits against seven companies for violating the CAN-SPAM  quot;Brown Paper Wrapper quot; rule.


Victorious Wright has a nod and wink for Trinidad Ronald  quot;Winky quot; Wright confirmed his status as the world #39;s No1 light-middleweight when he scored a majority points verdict to retain the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council versions of the title against Shane Mosley at the Mandalay Bay in Las


F.D.A. Strengthens Warning on the Abortion Pill Federal drug regulators strengthened the warning label on the pill, RU-486, after the death of a woman who took the pill.


Penalty miss allows Arsenal off the hook ARSENALS recent stumble continued when they were held to a draw by Panathinaikos in the Champions League last night, and the Greeks may have won had Angelos Basinas not missed a second-half penalty.


Scientists left to pick up the pieces over the \$250m can that fell <b>...</b> Stunned British and American scientists watched a seven-year dream fall to Earth yesterday at 150mph, potentially smashing the fruits of a \$250m mission.


Angry fans in gymnastics protest They were expressing their frustration at what turned into the latest of several Games gymnastics judging controversies. In a surreal scene unlike anything gymnastics veterans had ever encountered, jeers and


Mass grave reveals remains of Iraqi women and children The horrific secrets of a mass grave in northern Iraq emerged yesterday as American officials accused Europeans of failing to help in the search to uncover Saddam Hussein #39;s atrocities.


MPAA Introduces P2P  #39;Spyware #39; The Motion Picture Association of America has opened a second front in its war against online sharing of movies, offering a free program that will detect the presence of peer-to-peer file-sharing software and downloaded songs or movies.


NetApp eases storage provisioning pain Network Appliance Inc. has unveiled the next version of its operating system, DataOntap 7G, which includes two significant new features that improve provisioning and capacity utilization within its filers.


Sources: Doctors suspect Arafat has leukemia Palestinian sources tell the Associated Press that doctors who specialize in the blood disease are examining Arafat. The 75-year-old Palestinian leader has been sick for the past two weeks.


Purdue's Orton Shines Kyle Orton throws four touchdowns, including a 97 yarder to Taylor Stubblefield, to lead the No. 15 Purdue Boilermakers to a 41-16 victory over Notre Dame.


Expos to move Nov. 30 The Montreal Expos have received legal notice from Major League Baseball that the team will move Nov. 30, TQS television reported yesterday.


Job Growth Is Well Below Wall Street Forecasts The economy added 112,000 payroll jobs in November, the Labor Department reported today, far fewer than the month before and not enough to keep up with average increases in the adult population.


Intel acquires chip designers from HP SAN JOSE, Calif. Intel has reached an agreement to hire hundreds of Hewlett-Packard engineers who helped design the Itanium microprocessor.


Hit bears  #39;hallmark #39; of Israelis The killing of a Palestinian resistance activist in Syria on Sunday bears all the hallmarks of an Israeli hit. Tel Aviv has yet to claim responsibility for the assassination of Izz


NVidia to power Sony #39;s Playstation 3 Sony and nVidia are to co-develop a graphics engine to power graphics cards and entertainment consoles. The chip will be used in nVidia #39;s GeForce cards which will power forthcoming consumer devices from Sony


Microsoft trials piracy lock on Download Centre Microsoft is testing a new feature on its Download Centre website that can lock out pirated copies of Windows. During the test period, users of Download Centre can opt to have the Windows software installed on their PCs validated as genuine.


Apple 21st-Century strategy emerging but the UK has emerged as the company #39;s strongest European market, reports the Sunday Times. The Sunday Times Business section yesterday published


Texas grand jury indicts fundraisers with DeLay ties (Chicago Tribune) Chicago Tribune - A Texas grand jury on Tuesday indicted three political fundraisers with ties to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) for allegedly funneling illegal corporate campaign donations to Republican candidates for state office.


US Request For British Redeployment Poses Dilemma For London The United States has made a controversial request to Britain to re-deploy some of its troops in Iraq. The request would involve moving hundreds of British troops from their relatively calm zone in southern


Bills RB Henry Knocked Out in Preseason (AP) AP - Bills running back Travis Henry bruised his ribs in Saturday night's preseason game against Tennessee.


Food Short on Space Station NASA officials said yesterday that the international space station is running so low on food that its two crewmen have had to cut back on their eating and may have to abandon the orbiting


S.E.C. Is Investigating Morningstar Over Data Morningstar is under investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission for taking too long to correct inaccurate data it published regarding a single mutual fund.


Fear keeps Darfur people in camps or town, says UK minister (AFP) AFP - A junior British minister said that people living in camps after fleeing their villages because of conflict in Sudan's Darfur region lived in fear of leaving their temporary homes despite a greater presence now of aid workers.


Pompey #39;s Yakubu Gets The Better Of Spurs Portsmouth deservedly beat Tottenham 1-0 at Fratton Park on Monday night as their forwards Yakubu and Lomana LuaLua came out on top against the previously watertight Tottenham defence.


Rights Group Chides Mexico's Congress on Torture  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch urged Mexican  lawmakers on Wednesday to overhaul a justice system that breeds  torture and feeds notorious rights scandals like the murders of  hundreds of women near the U.S. border.


Mobile aid for diabetes patients A UK team is developing a way to use mobile phones to make lives of diabetics easier.


Artest Expresses Regret Over Brawl with Detroit Fans (Reuters) Reuters - Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest\has admitted that he regrets charging into the stands to fight\Detroit Pistons fans last Friday, sparking an ugly brawl that\led to his suspension for the rest of the season.


Anwar thanks Malaysian PM for release The former deputy prime minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, has addressed hundreds of supporters who gathered outside his home after he returned from surgery in Germany.


Canada considers curbs on emissions Under pressure to reduce greenhouse gases, top Canadian officials are pushing for the government to follow California #39;s sweeping plan to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from cars and trucks.


Spinach could power better solar cells An electronic device that uses spinach to convert light into electrical charge has been developed by US researchers. Shuguang Zhang at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, and research collaborators


Davenport remains on title streak Top-seeded Lindsay Davenport claimed her fourth consecutive championship on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over second-seeded Vera Zvonareva in the Western and Southern Women #39;s Open in Mason, Ohio.


Souness Disappointed With Indiscipline Graeme Souness felt his Newcastle United side failed to cope with Bnei Sakhnin #39;s tactics during a 2-0 first leg Uefa Cup victory at St James Park that saw Nicky Butt and Abbass Swan of Bnei Sakhnin sent off and five visiting players booked.


Karzai turns to war on drugs and insurgents Freshly installed Afghan Pres-ident Hamid Karzai was gearing up yesterday to address tribal leaders on the need to eliminate this war-ravaged country #39;s booming drug trade, an aide said.


Standing firm, Arafat seen to counter his critics Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat appears to have faced down the biggest challenge to his leadership in years without giving ground on demands


Royals Score 26, Shut Out in Same Day (AP) AP - Jeremy Bonderman brought the Kansas City Royals back to earth in a hurry. After Kansas City set a team record for runs in a 26-5 victory in the first game of a doubleheader Thursday, the Detroit right-hander shut down the Royals in the nightcap, allowing six hits in eight innings in the Tigers' 8-0 victory.


AskJeeves #39;s Butler Trying To Do It Better The search engine (www.ask.com) made its fame toward the end of the last millennium by encouraging Web surfers to enter  quot;natural language quot; questions, rather than search terms -- instead of


Viacom, Disney Settle with FCC  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Children's cable TV channels owned  by Viacom Inc. VIAb.N and Disney Corp. DIS.N have agreed to  settle allegations they violated federal advertising  restrictions for children's programing, U.S. regulators said on  Thursday.


Henman progresses at Swiss Indoors AP - Second-seeded Tim Henman of Britain overcame fatigue to beat Anthony Dupuis of France 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round of the \$US1.


Osmond buys life funds for 1bn Hugh Osmond, the entrepreneur better known for investing in the food and drink sector, on Thursday night sealed the UK #39;s largest closed life assurance deal with the


US-Iraqi forces launch major operation against insurgent <b>...</b> More than 3,000 US and Iraqi forces launched a major operation Tuesday against insurgent strongholds just south of Baghdad, their second


World-Klinsmann encouraged by brave draw with Brazil New Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann said he was encouraged by his team #39;s brave 1-1 draw with world champions Brazil in a friendly international on Wednesday.


Schumacher wins Japanese Grand Prix: Sports India: Tokyo, Oct 10 : Michael Schumacher on his Ferrari breezed to a sixth victory of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka Sunday.


Soyuz docks with space station A Russian Soyuz spacecraft brought a new crew to the International Space Station Saturday morning, the Interfax news agency reported.


UPDATE 4-Circuit City same-store growth misses estimates Circuit City Stores Inc. onTuesday reported a 2.9 percent gain in quarterly same-store sales, but its growth lagged estimates due to a calendar shift and reduced spending through August.


Diverging Fortunes, Tied to the Dollar Europe fears its exports will be choked off by the dollar's decline, while American manufacturers are rejoicing.


Worldwide pants: trade flap between US and China Beijing this weekend urged Washington, DC, not to limit imports of Chinese cotton slacks. The Ministry of Commerce said such a restriction would violate World Trade Organization principles and hurt trade relations.


So What Happened in That Election, Anyhow? No consensus exists among Democrats about why John Kerry was defeated, and the party is locked in a battle of interpretation over just what went wrong.


Cranes rain down as peace gesture Millions of origami paper cranes yesterday rained down upon Thailand #39;s three violence-torn southern provinces in an extravagant government-sponsored gesture aimed at bringing peace to the predominantly Muslim region.


Iran Defiance Threatens Euro Bid to End Nuclear Row Iran again vowed to continue enriching uranium, in a potential setback to a European plan to ease the nuclear standoff with Tehran by offering sales of nuclear fuel and a trade deal as incentives.


Election Losses Further Erode Once Mighty Democratic Base In the new Congress, only 4 of the 22 senators from the 11 states of the old Confederacy will be Democrats.


Smith saves Man United from defeat at Blackburn Manchester United needed a controversial equaliser from striker Alan Smith in the fourth minute of stoppage time to snatch a 1-1 at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.


Eagles' McDougle Has Irregular Heartbeat (AP) AP - Philadelphia defensive end Jerome McDougle missed practice Friday because of an irregular heartbeat and was doubtful for the Eagles' game this weekend against Cleveland.


Spurs Hang On To Beat Pistons The Spurs led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, but the Pistons stayed aggressive and San Antonio got sloppy. In the end, despite Detroit #39;s valiant comeback, the Spurs hung on for a 80-77 victory.


Progress on Eurostar strike talks Eurostar describes talks with the RMT union aimed at averting strike action as "very constructive".


Berlusconi Accused of Using Bill to Save Buddy  ROME (Reuters) - The Italian government on Wednesday sped  up parliamentary approval of a law that could overturn the  corruption convictions of a close friend of Prime Minister  Silvio Berlusconi, sparking fury among opposition politicians.


Ottawa provides \$1.5B in loan guarantees for Bombardier OTTAWA - The federal government has approved loan guarantees to a maximum of \$1.5 billion to allow Air Canada to buy up to 45 regional jets from Bombardier Aerospace.


Hyatt to buy AmeriSuites Hyatt Corporation, the hotel operator owned by the Pritzker family, yesterday said it would buy the AmeriSuites chain from Blackstone, the private equity group, in a deal believed to be worth about \$600m.


Will Graves: Laettner has learned to live with the labels Christian Laettner knows what #39;s coming. He braces for it every time he sees an article with his name in it. Somewhere in the middle of the story - usually past the part where it talks about Laettner #39;s remarkable


Sun releases JDS for Solaris SAN FRANCISCO - Sun Microsystems Inc. last week quietly released a version of its Java Desktop System (JDS) software based on the Solaris x86 operating system, a move the company is calling the first step in a long-term strategy to unify the user interface for Sun's Linux and Solaris products, Sun officials said Thursday.


Japan needs qualification The current pressing task for Japan should be to work harder to qualify itself for a seat on the United Nations (UN) Security Council but not to hurriedly squeeze the country into the body, said a Xinhua News Agency commentary.


Mars rover enjoys mysterious power boost Not only are NASA #39;s seemingly unstoppable Mars rovers continuing their progress half a year beyond their design lifetimes, but Opportunity has recently shown an unexplained increase in its solar-cell power output, NASA has revealed.


Vietnam vets back troubled unit CUMBERLAND, Md. -- When Army reservists from the 372d Military Police Company are welcomed home Friday at a belated public ceremony, the loudest cheers will probably come from the local chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, who say they're heeding their vow to never again let one generation of veterans be shunned by another.


13 dead in Japan quakes A BARRAGE of powerful earthquakes and aftershocks has thundered across northern Japan, killing at least 13 people, knocking down buildings and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes for safety.


Bonds most comfortable on the field Now, of course, the question jumps right off the page: Is it possible for a player to continue to excel while plying his trade directly in front of a sign that compares him with the immortals of his industry?


Irish coach not thrilled with defense in victory Notre Dame had one of its best offensive games of the past two seasons. Coach Muffet McGraw still wasn #39;t completely happy. She was pleased to see six players score in double figures for the 10th-ranked Irish


Australia #39;s Challenger Reports Loss Of A\$235.4M -2- SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Challenger Financial Services Group Ltd. (CGF.AU) on Monday reported a net loss of A\$235.4 million for the period Nov. 6 to June 30.


Davenport Could Steal No. 1 Ranking This Week at WTA Moscow Five of the Top 6-ranked players on the WTA Tour compete this week at the Tier I stop in Moscow, though that could change with the possible withdrawal of top seed Amelie Mauresmo, who sustained a muscle pull in her leg Sunday, forcing her to pull from the


Carter Endorses Chavez Win in Venezuela CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez survived a referendum to oust him, according to results Monday, and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and other election observers urged the opposition to accept the vote, deflating claims of fraud...


Cobb County tells its side of evolution flap A metro Atlanta school district under fire for putting evolution disclaimers in biology books is making its case today for why the stickers should stay.


It #39;s best to keep firewalls from competing Q: I understand that Microsoft #39;s Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, a new update, includes improved firewall protection. I currently use Norton Personal Firewall; will any incompatibility result when both firewalls are installed?


San Antonio Spurs SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- The San Antonio Spurs are using quick starts to finish off their foes. Bruce Bowen fueled another early surge as the Spurs jumped to a big lead and coasted to their third straight win, a 109-76 victory over the Utah Jazz .


Judge in Grasso Trial Was Suggested for Post at Big Board A headhunter for the judge who will preside over Richard A. Grasso's trial sent a copy of the judge's resume to the stock exchange promoting him as a possible board candidate.


Everton has rejected three bids already LONDON -- Manchester United has made a second bid for England striker Wayne Rooney in excess of 23.5 million pounds (\$42.23 million), the teenager #39;s club, Everton, said Saturday.


Belarus Opposition Streams to Kiev (AP) AP - "Today Ukraine, tomorrow Belarus!" read a banner strung up this week in a tent camp for opposition protesters.


U.S. Company Hiring Seen Up from Year Ago (Reuters) Reuters - The pace of hiring for U.S. companies\in the fourth quarter is expected to be consistent with the\solid employment activity of the past six months, and much\improved from a year ago, according to Manpower Inc. .


NYC Mayor Says Hotels Full During Convention Time (Reuters) Reuters - New York City's hotels are full for\the last week of August, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on\Friday, boosting his claim that next week's Republican National\Convention will provide an economic boom to the city.


Oracle's PeopleSoft Bid Deadline Nears  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oracle Corp. ORCL.O on Friday  won the backing of two more key public pension funds in its  \$8.8-billion hostile bid for PeopleSoft Inc. PSFT.O as the  17-month takeover battle between the two California-based  business software makers neared a key deadline.


Sir Alex Ferguson manages Manchester United for the 1000th time <b>...</b> 1000 up and still counting. Sir Alex Fergusons achievement is quite remarkable given the fickle nature of football fans and more importantly football boards in the modern game.


Regulators Probe Fund Trades at Bank of NY (AP) AP - Bank of New York Co. Tuesday said regulators are looking into mutual-fund transactions that were cleared by the company's Pershing LLC unit.


Stoudemire Scores 50 Points in Suns' Win (AP) AP - Amare Stoudemire scored 50 points to lead Phoenix to a 117-98 win over Portland on Sunday night.


Unfortunate Canadian Whale Speared by Cruise Ship (Reuters) Reuters - It wasn't until the U.S. cruise ship had\pulled into port in Atlantic Canada that those on board made a\gruesome discovery -- the body of a large whale was impaled on\the vessel's bow.


Major League Baseball Notes: DC official pleads for more time WASHINGTON - Washington DC Council chairman Linda Cropp challenged Major League Baseball officials Thursday to extend the deadline for the city to approve a stadium financing package for a few months so the city can find private money to add to the deal.


Shuttle Enterprise Takes Center Stage, at Last (Reuters) Reuters - Space shuttle Enterprise was\born to be an astronautical bridesmaid, never a bride.


Ivan Remnants Turn Fatal Along East Coast WHEELING, W.Va. - Remnants of Hurricane Ivan made a violent mark across the Southeast and the Appalachians, where several people were killed by falling trees and floods that washed away scores of roads...


Email worm clogs accounts AP - At least one new variant of a worm spread rapidly from Asia and Europe to US computers, filling up people #39;s email accounts, but otherwise causing little apparent damage.


Cornice countersues Seagate Cornice has countersued hard drive rival Seagate, the maker of micro hard drives said yesterday. In a complaint filed with the US District Court for Delaware, the Cornice asked the court not only to determine that certain Seagate patents are invalid but ...


Even in victory, Bryant #39;s a loser He has torn apart his team, his life and the world that revolves around him. Now that the latest bullet has whizzed past Kobe Bryant #39;s head, you have to wonder if he can see the smoldering ruins of what he #39;s left behind.


Report asserts Kazaa makes the rules Setting aside Sharman Networks #39; objections, an Australian judge accepted last Friday an affidavit with potentially damaging assertions about Kazaa #39;s handling of copyrighted material.


Kazakh Party Offices Hit Two months after elections that were criticized as falling short of international standards, two explosions shook the offices of President


Ellison tells court Oracle may lower bid for PeopleSoft Oracle Corp. chief executive Larry Ellison testified yesterday that the business software maker is leaning toward lowering its \$7.7 billion bid for rival PeopleSoft Inc. , a shift that might create another snag in the takeover tug-of-war.


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


N. Korea missile said poised for launch JAPAN N. Korea missile said poised for launch TOKYO -- The United States and Japan have detected signs that North Korea is preparing to launch a ballistic missile capable of reaching almost anywhere in Japan, Japanese and US government sources said yesterday. The preparations were detected after the reclusive communist state declined to participate in a fourth round of six-party ...


Google Ogles Your Hard Drive The company's Desktop Search utility is an impressive way to find information on your computer.


Crown hasn't proven case against accused Air India bomber:lawyer (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - VANCOUVER (CP) - The Crown's case against accused Air India bomber Ajaib Singh Bagri lacks any hard and trustworthy evidence, one of his lawyers argued Monday.


Israel Destroys Refugee Homes, Kills One A day after a mortar round killed an Israeli-American woman in a nearby settlement, the Israeli army charged into a Palestinian refugee camp Saturday, killing one person and tearing down 20 homes, witnesses said.


Schumacher's 2004 Ferrari to Be Auctioned Off  LONDON (Reuters) - The Ferrari that Michael Schumacher  drove to victory in the first five races of the 2004 Formula  One season is to auctioned off at the Italian team's Maranello  headquarters in May.


Fed raises key overnight lending rate by 25bps to 1.75 NEW YORK, September 21 (newratings.com) - The US Federal Reserve raised the interest rates by a quarter percentage point today, in-line with the broad expectations.


Jakarta Embassy Bomb Attack Kills Nine, Wounds 182  JAKARTA (Reuters) - A powerful car bomb exploded outside  the Australian embassy in Jakarta on Thursday, killing at least  nine people and wounding 182 in an attack Indonesian police  blamed on Islamic militants linked to al Qaeda.


Brookfield Buys Rosslyn, Virginia, Office Tower for \$106 Mln Brookfield Properties Corp., which owns 48 commercial sites including the World Financial Center in New York, bought a 19-story office tower in Rosslyn, Virginia, from Deutsche Immobilien Fonds AG for \$106 million.


Virginia Tech 19 (6) West Virginia 13 BLACKSBURG, Va. Virginia Tech turned West Virginia into title pretenders by beating the sixth-ranked Mountaineers 19-to-13. Mike Imoh had 115 rushing yards in his first career start.


Late Inter strikes deny Juve Late goals from Christian Vieri and Adriano brought Inter from two down to grab a point with a 2-2 draw against leaders Juventus on Sunday.


Aussies qualify for Confederations Cup AUSTRALIA confirmed its berth in the Confederations Cup last night with a 6-0 win over the Solomon Islands at Sydney #39;s Aussie Stadium.


Golf: Cool-head Luke up for the cup LUKE DONALD will tell Bernhard Langer next week he is confident enough to be paired with any of his European team-mates in the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills.


China Reports Births of Two Giant Pandas BEIJING - For pandas, it's practically a baby boom. Two giant pandas were born this week, and mothers and cubs were doing fine, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday...


Gates, Brees power Chargers past Saints SAN DIEGO - These clearly are not the San Diego Chargers of the recent gloomy past. They can pass. They can catch. They can play defense.


ST Telemedia and Telekom Malaysia buy Idea stake Singapore Technologies Telemedia and Telekom Malaysia are paying US\$390m-equivalent to acquire a 48 per cent stake in Idea Cellular, India #39;s fifth-largest mobile operator, after conducting due


Update 2: JC Penney Taps Former Macy #39;s, LVMH Head JC Penney Co. Inc. named a former chairman and chief executive of both Macy #39;s and luxury retailer LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, to lead the department store company, replacing Allen Questrom.


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 said on Tuesday.


NCAA ruling makes Mike Williams a football star without a team Mike Williams is a terrific wide receiver -- an All-American at Southern California last season who will probably be a star in the NFL someday.


Iranian Judoka Who Refused to Fight Israeli Handed \$125,000  TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran have given judo world champion  Arash Miresmaeili a \$125,000 reward, saying he sacrificed a  gold medal at the Athens Olympics by refusing to fight an  Israeli, a sports official said on Tuesday.


Patriots' Running Man Both Corey Dillon and the Patriots are quite happy with the offseason trade that brought the running back from Cincinnati to New England.


Williams happy with silver in 100 Nesterenko, a Belarusian who had never broken 11 seconds before the Olympics but did it in all four rounds here, won gold in 10.93 seconds.


Lawmaker Upset by World Bank Aid to Iraq (AP) AP - With its ample resources and a professional staff numbering 10,000 people, the World Bank seems like an ideal instrument for getting Iraq back on its feet.


Europeans have plenty pedigree, insists Monty COLIN Montgomerie believes the strength in depth of the European Ryder Cup team will give captain Bernhard Langer more flexibility than any of his predecessors when the 2004 match begins next week.


Japanese Officials Assure Recovery (AP) AP - Japanese financial officials tried to play down worries Friday that a planned revision in calculating growth may show the economy shrank instead of grew slightly in the quarter ended Sept. 30.


The Browser Wars Are Back? jpkunst writes  quot;ZDNet UK reports and PCWorld.com report that, according to Netscape founder Marc Andreessen, whose comments came during a discussion with Yahoo Chief Operating Officer Dan Rosensweig at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday


No More QB Controversy in Miami: Fiedler Goes on IR  MIAMI (Sports Network) - Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay  Fiedler was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a herniated  disk in his neck, ending his 2004 season.


Hungarian central bank cuts key interest rate by half a point (AFP) AFP - Hungary's central bank again lowered its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points, from 10.5 to 10 percent, the bank said.


Bush seeks allied help in dealing with Iran, North Korea SANTIAGO, Chile - President Bush used his first trip abroad since re-election to press allies Saturday for help in hemming in the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran, nations he considers part of an  quot;axis of evil quot; threatening global security.


Europe's bourses seen starting higher (FT.com) FT.com - Europe's bourses are expected to track the climb on the Nasdaq overnight and open slightly firmer. Ericsson though is likley to suffer following a disappointing update and VW will be in focus after rejecting an union pay cuts offer as insufficient.


British Mercenary May Head to African Jail (AP) AP - From special forces commander to soldier of fortune, Simon Mann's colorful career reads like a thriller. Born to a world of wealth and privilege, the British mercenary made a fortune in some of Africa's bloodiest wars  #151; and even enjoyed a stint in the movies.


Controlling  #39;The Sims #39; Instead of genre staples such as lobbing grenades or casting spells, the game asked players to get excited about tasks such as personal hygiene and interior design.


British hunters seek to end fox-hunt ban Defeated in Parliament, supporters of fox hunting went to court Friday to try to overturn a legislative ban on their more than 300-year-old sport and vowed a campaign of civil disobedience


Haitians go to church after Jeanne passes Surrounded by the devastation of a storm that killed hundreds of their countrymen, Haitians took time to groom themselves for church Sunday, braiding little girls #39; hair and polishing shoes.


Hubble Finds Most Distant Galaxies Yet US scientists working with images from the Hubble Space Telescope have identified what may turn out to be some of the earliest star-forming galaxies.


Eriksson seems to have strength in depth in all positions England are sitting pretty and well on the way to World Cup qualification after beating Wales - and with the added bonus of new options opening up for Sven-Goran Eriksson all the time.


Study Raises Concern Over Safety of Pfizer Painkiller Celebrex Pfizer said today that it had found an increased risk of heart troubles in some people taking higher dosages of Celebrex.


All Options Open for OPEC Meeting - Iran All options, including cutting quotas, are up for discussion when OPEC ministers meet in Cairo this week to plan their response to a sharp fall in prices


Beckham injury concern for Poland Captain David Beckham emerged as England #39;s main injury concern ahead of Wednesday #39;s World Cup qualifier against Poland. Beckham was forced to leave training here early Monday after picking up a rib injury in Saturday #39;s 2-2 draw against Austria.


NASA engineer Faget dead at 83 Faget designed the original spacecraft for Project Mercury and played a role in the design of every US human spacecraft from Mercury to the space shuttle.


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


Nasas scramjet breaks speed record at 7000mph An unmanned Nasa jet screamed into the record books high over the Pacific Ocean by reaching speeds of almost 7000 mph, brightening hopes that humans might one day be able to fly across a continent in minutes instead of hours.


Pfizer, AstraZeneca Pummel Drug Stocks Another shock hit the drug sector Friday when pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. announced that it found an increased heart risk to patients for its blockbuster arthritis drug Celebrex.


Hong Kong chokes under thick smog \Hong Kong's government warns people with heart and respiratory problems to stay in as smog chokes the territory.


Microsoft trots out MSN Search beta A beta version of the search engine Microsoft Corp. is developing went live Thursday, offering users an interface and a set of features that make the product begin to resemble established search engines from competitors Google Inc., Yahoo Inc., Ask Jeeves Inc. and America Online Inc. (AOL).


PayPal Problems Persist for Fifth Day (AP) AP - Despite furious repair efforts, intermittent service outages at the online payment service PayPal continued Tuesday for the fifth consecutive day, affecting payments, log-ins and account creations.


Microsoft Sets 2006 Target for Next Windows Version  SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O said on Friday  it will ship the next version of Windows in 2006, but  scaled  back plans to include a new system for finding and storing  information in its flagship operating system.


Ray of hope for solar mission NASA scientists said yesterday they had recovered some intact materials from the wreckage of the Genesis space capsule that fell to Earth this week and were hopeful the mission to gather solar atoms could be salvaged.


Corel Corporation acquires Jasc Software Corel Corporation has expanded its software portfolio with the acquisition of Jasc Software, which produces the Paint Shop family of image editing and digital photography programs.


Veritas to buy maker of e-mail storage tools In KVault Software, Veritas is getting the No. 1 maker of e-mail retrieval tools, an analyst says.


Chittagong cleared for second Test The Ministry of External affairs has cleared Chittagong as venue for the second Test between India and Bangladesh after the assesment by the Indian security delegation.


16 Killed in Algerian Rebel Raid MEDEA, Algeria, 24 October 2004 - Suspected Algerian militants killed 16 people in the first attack on civilians since the start of the holy month of Ramadan , officials said yesterday.


West Indies win toss London - West Indies captain Brian Lara won the toss and put England in to bat in cool, cloudy conditions in the final of the Champions Trophy one-day tournament at the Oval on Saturday.


Fast checks of regular fliers extended The test program that allows pre-screened travelers to zip through airport security is being extended. The Registered Traveler Program had been scheduled to run for 90 days at each of five big airports.


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