Delegates gather for Darfur peace talks ABUJA (AFP) - Sudanese rebels and government envoys began arriving here on Thursday to restart talks to end the conflict in their country #39;s western province of Darfur, as the African Union confirmed it will multiply its truce-monitoring force in the


EBay's Whitman topples Fiorina from top spot on Fortune list The title of most powerful businesswoman is going, going, gone, to eBay Inc.'s Meg Whitman.


New MyDoom offers 'how to' details "It's like they wanted to help us, which is weird," says one security expert of the latest bizarre twist in the worm's development.


Shearer stars at both ends London - Andy O #39;Brien #39;s own goal cancelled out Craig Bellamy #39;s first half strike as Newcastle was held 1-1 by Charlton on Sunday and failed to capture fourth spot in the Premier League.


Lions end record 24-game road losing streak vs. Bears Bracy Walker got one of the game balls and rightfully so. Needing intravenous fluids to fight off dehydration, Walker rescued the Detroit Lions from the NFL #39;s longest road losing streak Sunday.


Palestinians seek monitors for election JERUSALEM -- Palestinian officials appealed yesterday for international monitors to help with their presidential elections and urged Israel's unilateral plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip be folded into a stalled international peace plan.


How the toy industry is being outplayed by video games this <b>...</b> Left unfettered, Anthony Konieczka, 9, would happily thumb away at his Game Boy Advance or PlayStation2 from the minute he gets up to the moment he crawls into bed, 14 bleary-eyed hours later.


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


Gregan agrees Wallabies contract Australia captain George Gregan is set to sign a new three-year contract to take him through to the 2007 World Cup. Sydney #39;s Daily Telegraph newspaper claimed the 31-year-old scrum-half is ready to put pen to paper on the deal.


Google exceeds all expectations; can it sustain strong run-up? Sometimes when stocks soar, it has nothing to do with investors #39; genuine interest in the company #39;s prospects. They just buy because the stock is going up.


Intel evaluating India for chip manufacturing BANGALORE, INDIA -- Intelis evaluating India as a possible location for a new chip manufacturing facility, the company's chief executive officer, Craig Barrett, told reporters Thursday in Delhi.


HD-DVD group forms promotion unit Group to push development of HD DVD hardware and content, plus try to drive commercial adoption.


NASA telescopes find dust rings around For the first time, scientists have found rings of dust around planet-bearing stars - an important confirmation of theories about how planets form, NASA announced Thursday.


Hostile Takeover The battle moves to the political arena as Taipei and Beijing wrap up their wargames


DOJ Gets Tough on Cybercrime US Department of Justice said law-enforcement agencies have arrested or convicted more than 150 individuals in a broad initiative against cybercrime.


Export earnings weigh on Nikkei Tokyo #39;s Nikkei average slipped 0.85 percent to finish at a three-week closing low on Thursday as a fall in the dollar further weakened investors #39; confidence in company earnings, prompting selling of exporters such as Honda Motor.


Siebel looks to custom-built apps to boost bottom line In a bid to revive its flagging fortunes, Siebel Systems plans to create customized software packages designed to reach the 75 of the CRM market now unavailable to it.


FDA to Study Adult Antidepressant Effects WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration will examine clinical trial data for thousands of depressed adults to see if they, like children, suffered increased suicidal thoughts and behaviors while taking antidepressants.    Dr...


US job cuts exceed 100,000 again Job-cutting continued across the country at a breakneck pace in October, according to the monthly survey by Challenger, Gray  amp; Christmas Inc.


FA asks for Beckham #39;s explanation The English Football Association said on Friday it had asked England captain David Beckham for an explanation about his yellow card controversy at last weekend #39;s World Cup qualifier against Wales.


Swing and a hiss: Bellhorn sets mark Less than 24 hours after delivering one of the biggest walkoff hits of the season, Mark Bellhorn last night found himself answering more questions about his strikeout total than his substantial contributions to the Red Sox. Bellhorn, who ranks among the team's leaders in walks, runs, and RBIs, set the major league record for strikeouts by a switch hitter Tuesday ...


Stocks Open Lower; China Rate Hike Weighs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened lower on Thursday  on the heels of a two-day rally, with Wall Street looking  poised for a pull back, while China's interest rate hike adds  concerns that global economic growth may slow.


Report warns of larger impact on Arctic from human-made warming The Arctic is experiencing the effects of human-induced climate change, according to a four-year report commissioned by eight nations with territory in the region.


Athletics Edge Mariners 6-5 (AP) AP - Bobby Crosby's sacrifice fly with one out in the ninth scored pinch-runner Esteban German with the winning run in the Oakland Athletics' 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.


Beleaguered CNE hoping for banner summer as others long for days gone by (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Sweet-talking carnies wasted no time launching into their well-rehearsed patter Friday at the opening day of the Canadian National Exhibition, hoping to put the plagues of the previous summer behind them.


Canadians Fret as Americans Forget About Lockout When NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced on September 15 that the league had failed to reach a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and would lock out the players it drove an icy spike through the hearts of hockey-mad Canadians.


Activists Storm Parliament in Rebel Georgia Region  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Supporters of a candidate in a disputed  election in the separatist Georgian region of Abkhazia stormed  government buildings on Friday, Russia's Interfax news agency  reported.


Record Industry Sues 754 for Internet Song Swaps A recording industry trade group said Thursday that it has filed another wave of lawsuits against 754 people it suspects of distributing songs over the Internet without permission.


Move to license S African healers A bill to regulate South Africa's 200,000 traditional healers is to be debated in parliament.


Jags Win: Move into First Place in AFC South JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The Jaguars out offensed the NFL #39;s best offense and beat the Colts today at the RCA Dome 27-24.  quot;It #39;s not the kind of a game a defensive coach likes to see, quot; but Jack Del Rio will take it after a combined 800 yards of offense.


Storms leave at least 350 dead in Philippines The death toll from landslides and flash floods in the eastern Philippines jumped to nearly 350 with 150 others missing yesterday, most of them from a region still reeling from last week #39;s deadly typhoon.


Parliament speaker charges PM with disloyalty to Israel Israeli Knesset (parliament) Speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud Party) on Thursday charged Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and supporters of the disengagement plan withdisloyalty to Israel, Israeli Army Radio reported.


Google plans giant online library stack Well, boot up, bibliophile. That vision took a big step toward becoming reality this week, as Internet search-engine firm Google and five big libraries announced plans to create a giant online reading room.


Freddie Mac faces SEC action LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Freddie Mac, the No. 2 US mortgage finance company, said Wednesday it may face civil action from the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible violations of securities laws.


Georgia Crematory Manager Pleads Guilty and Gives Apology Nearly three years after hundreds of bodies were found scattered, stacked and left to rot at the Tri-State Crematory, its manager pleaded guilty on Friday to theft, fraud


FCC Backs Bells on Fiber Phone Line Sharing Limits  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Thursday said big  local phone companies will not have to share new fiber-optic  lines built for high-speed Internet and other services,  spurring one carrier to speed roll-out plans.


This Banks providing top interest Listen to the voice of wisdom:  quot;It's early. quot; The speaker? Marcus Banks. He appears to have learned quite a bit in a very short period.


Judge Dismisses Big Rights Suit on Apartheid A federal judge in New York dismissed a human rights suit yesterday against 35 major corporations that did business in South Africa under apartheid, dealing a blow to rights lawyers who have


Woodgate to Face Stringent Medical Jonathan Woodgate #39;s medical with Real Madrid is by no means a formality, despite the confidence of Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd.


Giants 8, Brewers 1 Barry Bonds barely missed his 700th homer, but JT Snow connected following yet another walk to the San Francisco slugger and the Giants beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-1 behind Brett Tomko #39;s four-hitter Wednesday night.


Terror Attacks Spur Israel Road Deaths Spike-Study (Reuters) Reuters - Fatal attacks in Israel cause a\direct increase in the number of deadly traffic accidents --\but not until three days later, researchers said on Monday.


US, Nigeria to hold joint military training next week The US navy will hold a joint training with the Nigerian army in the African giant #39;s oil producing Niger Delta region next week, Nigerian defense ministry said Thursday.


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


Titans #39; McNair released from hospital McNair spent the past two nights in the hospital after bruising his breastbone late in the Titans #39; 15-12 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday.


Pakistanis Freed from Guantanamo Land in Home Jail (Reuters) Reuters - Thirty-five Pakistanis freed\from the U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison camp arrived home on\Saturday and were taken straight to prison for further\interrogation, the interior minister said.


Pearson sells 743m stake in Spanish media group Pearson, the publishingand business informationgroup, insisted it remained committed to financialnewspapers in spite of its decision tosell a controlling stake


Intel, Clearwire Pair For WiMAX Intel scratches Craig McCaw #39;s back, while his Clearwire scratches Intel #39;s. In exchange for a  #39;significant #39; investment by Intel Capital, Clearwire has agreed to use Intel silicon products in its deployment of WiMAX networks.


Bus hijacked on outskirts of Athens A bus was hijacked today and shots were fired at police who surrounded it on the outskirts of Athens. Police did not know how many passengers were aboard the bus.


AT amp;T, Vonage cut prices on Internet calling AT amp;T (T) and Internet telephone provider Vonage said Thursday they are cutting prices for their residential Internet calling services by \$5 a month, the strongest signs yet of a price war in the nascent market.


Turmeric May Protect Against Leukemia -Scientist (Reuters) Reuters - Turmeric, a spice used extensively in\Asia as a key ingredient of curry, may be protecting children\against leukemia, a scientist said on Thursday.


Ramsey Owns Three Breeders' Contenders (AP) AP - Ken Ramsey likes to say he's been successful in practically everything he's taken on. That would sound like bragging coming from just about any other horse owner.


Disney #39;s Eisner: Ovitz Irritated Other Top Staff Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner on Tuesday said Michael Ovitz #39;s troubles were rooted in a sense of elitism, pointing to a corporate retreat at which


Union Sees Progress In Talks, Hotels Don #39;t Officials representing 14 major Washington hotels and Unite Here Local 25 yesterday gave mixed reports of progress in negotiations for a new contract for 3,800 hotel workers.


Pressure on Beckham David Beckham loves being the centre of attention and tonight the England captain is granted his wish. Steven Gerrard #39;s incapacitation means Beckham moves into the middle against Austria, setting


Athens Asides AUSTRIAN triathlon athlete Kate Allen passed Australia #39;s Loretta Harrop just seconds before crossing the finish line yesterday, completing a stunning race in which she passed over half the field during the final leg.


London higher as Bunzl confirms targets Londons main equity market opened in positive territory on Friday on a quiet day for corporate newsflow. On the senior index, gains from Bunzl, which confirmed it expected full-year results


Panasonic, Toshiba delve into alternative energy Among the planned offerings: a hydrogen-based home-heating system and a tiny fuel cell built to power an MP3 player for 20 hours.


NASA delays jet speed record test NASA has delayed the third and final test flight of an unmanned, hypersonic aircraft attempting to fly at 10 times the speed of sound.


Lebanon Arrests 10 Al-Qaeda Suspects, Foils Embassy Attack BEIRUT, 23 September 2004 - Lebanon arrested 10 members of a suspected Lebanese Al-Qaeda network, thereby thwarting a planned attack on the Italian Embassy in Beirut, Lebanese Interior Minister Elias Murr said yesterday.


SCO plans own Web site as alternative to Groklaw The SCO Group Inc. is setting up a Web site to cover the latest happenings in its many legal disputes and as an alternative to the Groklaw.net, a popular Web site that has been highly critical of the company.


Top Court Upholds Visa, MasterCard Ruling The Supreme Court let stand on Monday a ruling that the Visa and MasterCard credit card networks violated federal antitrust law by barring their member banks from issuing credit and charge cards on the rival networks of American


American cuts back Boeing orders American Airlines has delayed the deliveries of 54 Boeing Co. planes to save \$2.7 billion over the next six years. The agreement with Boeing lets AMR, which has lost \$6.9 billion since the end of 2000, delay


NCAA Clears Rick Neuheisel of Wrongdoing (AP) AP - Former Washington coach Rick Neuheisel was cleared of wrongdoing by the NCAA Wednesday for gambling in a college basketball pool, but the university had its probation extended two years.


Consumers Perk Up, So Do Wholesale Prices  CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. consumers cheered up in early  December, sending potentially good news to retailers during the  crucial holiday shopping season, a report showed on Friday.


MLB: Houston 8, St. Louis 3 Jeff Kent went two for four with four RBI Thursday night to give Houston an 8-3 victory over St. Louis. Mike Lamb added a home run as Houston remained two games behind San Francisco in the National League wild card race.


Antigay remarks spark EU row The European Parliament challenges conservative appointee Rocco Buttiglione.


U.S.: Hostage Tried to Escape Execution BAGHDAD, Iraq - Kidnappers beheaded British hostage Kenneth Bigley after twice releasing videos in which he wept and pleaded with Prime Minister Tony Blair for his life. A U.S...


Mikelsons: ATA Founder Has Grim Duty In Bankruptcy Filing As Delta Air Lines (nyse: DAL - news - people ) agonizes over whether to seek the shelter of Chapter 11, ATA Holdings (nasdaq: ATAH - news - people ) beat them to the punch.


Competitors to Apple #39;s iPod portable player face the Christmas <b>...</b> Lauren, 11, saunters nonchalantly past a Discovery Channel store and a Gymboree clothing store at the mall. Suddenly, the girl #39;s eyes light up and she pulls her mother into an Apple Computer shop.


LTTE kills Karuna #39;s brother Colombo: Four people including a top renegade Tamil Tiger rebel were shot dead Thursday in growing factional fighting in Sri Lanka despite efforts to revive the peace process, officials and a pro-rebel website reported.


Israeli Says Country Will Become Isolated (AP) AP - Israel is set on a collision course with the European Union and could turn into a pariah state, like South Africa during the apartheid years, if the Mideast conflict is not resolved, Israel's Foreign Ministry warns in a confidential 10-year forecast.


Nato Holds Key Talks with Israel and Arab States Nato has held unprecedented ministerial talks with Israel and six Arab nations aiming to strengthen ties with friends on the alliances volatile southern and south-eastern flanks.


Judge Clears Way for Pay Cuts at US Airways US Airways employees are earning less. A federal bankruptcy judge has given the troubled airline permission to cut the pay off its union employees by 21 percent immediately.


Burns Making Progress in Cancer Fight (AP) AP - New Jersey Devils coach Pat Burns says he's making good progress in his fight against colon cancer after finishing chemotherapy treatments this week.


Three Palestinians killed in northern Gaza violence Israeli troops shot at Hamas militants about to fire an anti-tank missile Saturday, setting off an explosion that killed one man and wounded three, the army and hospital officials said.


Henman Qualifies for Masters Cup as Rivals Withdraw From Paris Tim Henman of the UK qualified for the season-ending Masters Cup tennis tournament in Houston this month after Andre Agassi and David Nalbandian, his closest rivals in the rankings, withdrew from this week #39;s Paris Masters.


Clippers fall in double overtime The Clippers have seemed destined for overtimes in this young NBA season. On Monday night, they squandered a 14-point lead and again found themselves in overtime.


Next-Generation TV Streams Over Phone Lines  LONDON (Reuters) - Television junkies of the world, get  ready for "Friends," "Big Brother" and "The Simpsons" to phone  home.


New \$50 bill is colorized; the \$10 is next WASHINGTON -- A new \$50 bill with touches of red, blue and yellow will show up soon in banks, cash registers and wallets. A new \$10 also is in the works, the third greenback to get colorized in an effort to thwart counterfeiting.


Airport Screening System Touted as Improvement For months, homeland security officials have privately debated how to blunt criticism of their planned aviation screening system that passengers and airlines complained was overly intrusive.


US, Germany Agree On Iraqi Debt Write-Off Germany and the United States have agreed on a proposal to write off as much as 80 percent of Iraq #39;s debt, Germany #39;s finance minister said Saturday, following a months-long US push for debt forgiveness.


Researchers Say Microscope Can See Atoms (AP) AP - Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are peering into the atomic world with record clarity, developing an electron microscope image that can distinguish the individual, dumbbell-shaped atoms of silicon in a crystal.


Experts Fear Medicare Won't Work for Nursing Home Patients Many cannot easily shop around for the best bargains on their drugs, as other Medicare beneficiaries are supposed to do.


Pennsylvania Avenue walkable again (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - A redesigned pedestrian mall on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House opened to the public Tuesday.


Izenberg: American style of basketball can #39;t cut it on foreign <b>...</b> They were lucky to get the bronze. They came with one of the finest big men in all of basketball -- but with nobody to back him up.


Oil Holds at \$47 as Iraq Resumes Exports Oil prices held just below the \$47 mark on Monday as Iraq resumed exports from both its northern and southern outlets after lengthy disruption, despite fierce fighting in the holy city of Najaf.


Europe Defeats US by Record Margin in Ryder Cup Golf Europe has defeated the United States by a record margin in the 35th Ryder Cup team golf tournament. Lee Westwood of England ensured the Europeans would retain the trophy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with a 1-up victory Sunday over American Kenny Perry.


Iran Hosts Iraqi Official, Eyes Better Relations  TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih  said Sunday he brought a message of friendship to Iran which  has been angered by charges it is stirring up tension in Iraq,  the official IRNA news agency said.


Australia #39;s Andre Stoltz Wins First US PGA Event in Las Vegas Andre Stoltz won the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas by one stroke, the first career US PGA Tour victory for the 34-year-old Australian.


UN calls for sending international police to Darfur United Nations, Oct 1 (PTI) The United Nations has called for sending an international police force to stop abuses in Sudan #39;s trouble-torn region of Darfur where war crimes have probably occurred on large scale.


Taiwan to Close Its Markets a Second Day for Typhoon (Update1) Taiwan #39;s stock market, the fifth- biggest in Asia, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. the largest contract chipmaker in the world, will close a second day tomorrow as Typhoon


Iraq captors wanted US\$5 million ransom KUWAIT - The Kuwaiti newspaper that predicted the release of two Italian hostages in Iraq says the captors had originally demanded a US\$5 million (\$7.


Schedule displeases Smith Michigan State played a season opener Saturday on the road for the first time since 1994, when George Perles final season as coach started with a loss at Kansas.


49er #39;s last race A royal reception awaited the new 49er Olympic Champions as Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez stepped ashore after the last race of the regatta yestrday.


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


Titans Kinney leaves with left calf injury Titans tight end Erron Kinney strained his left calf in the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Kinney was hurt after Steve McNair threw an incomplete pass to the end zone for receiver Drew Bennett.


Blue Jays Snap Streak Toronto ends its five-game losing streak with a 6-4 win over the Yankees after a power outage delays the start for an hour Sunday.


Grid #39;s 6bn sale raises job and safety concerns National Grid Transco, the pipes and pylons company, yesterday announced a 6bn deal to sell half its gas distribution business. The move pleased the City but alarmed unions and consumer groups.


AOL Cutting More Than 700, Most in Virginia America Online Inc. is preparing to fire more than 700 employees in early December -- mostly at the company #39;s Northern Virginia headquarters -- a cost-cutting move tied to the firm #39;s continuing


Wintel, take 2? Companies partner on digital home Intel and Microsoft teamed up to create and tackle the PC world. Next up: the digital-entertainment world. The two companies will announce on Thursday a joint marketing campaign for television, print, cinema


Automakers Telling the Same Tale The top two U.S. automakers continue to deal with declining sales while the little guy grows.


NASCARS Finest Call Its sad to think that NASCAR has gotten so good at this. Weve watched their response to tragedy too many times not to recognize the seriousness of a situation.


Austin Relieved His Head Wasn't Shouldering a Problem Potomac Cannons right-handed pitcher Jeff Austin said he thought we was a head case after several horrendous outings with the  big league club in Cincinnati last May.


New Jersey Now Tries to Lure the Mets from NYC  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Jersey, which tried for years but  failed to win the Yankees baseball team from New York City, now  has set its sights on the city's other baseball team, the Mets,  who play in Shea Stadium in Queens.


CIA funds chatroom surveillance The CIA is quietly funding federal research into surveillance of Internet chatrooms as part of an effort to identify possible terrorists, newly released documents reveal.


UK #39;s Brown Says No Agreement Reached on Poor Nations #39; Debt UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said no deal has been reached on how to clear the debts of the world #39;s poorest nations, a debate that has divided the UK and US governments.


Weighing Outsourcing's Impact Key factors help determine if outsourcing benefits or hurts Americans.


Strange Bedfellows in E-Mail Case Civil liberties groups join the Department of Justice to protest a ruling that said ISPs can freely monitor e-mail. By Ryan Singel.


Robots set to get homely by 2007 The number of robots helping out and entertaining in the home is set to soar sevenfold by 2007, says the UN.


Coca-Cola H2 net to miss estimates Coca-Cola Co., said its second-half earnings will decline because of sluggish sales in North America and Europe. Its shares are traded at the lowest level since May 2003.


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


Moyes: Everton now genuine title contender Everton boss Dave Moyes insists his team are now genuine title contenders after yesterday #39;s 1-0 win over Merseyside rivals Liverpool.


Perry Says Sweeping Reforms In Store For CPS Gov. Rick Perry told the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute Friday that it is the responsibility of a conservative and compassionate government to protect the most vulnerable in society.


Oracle Refreshes PeopleSoft Offer While it waits for a federal court to rule on its hostile bid for PeopleSoft, Oracle (Quote, Chart) is keeping the deal in play. The database giant extended its previously announced tender offer of \$21 for


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


SERIES NOTEBOOK: St. Louis hopes Busch friendlier ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals returned to Busch Stadium on a warm, sunny autumn Monday after two straight World Series losses in cold, rainy Boston.


Japan nuclear firm shuts plants The company running the Japanese nuclear plant hit by a fatal accident is to close its reactors for safety checks.


Google introduces wireless service Google Inc. on Thursday launched a beta test version of Google SMS, a new service that lets users of wireless devices query Google for specific information, such as business or residential phone listings, product prices and word definitions, the company announced.


Blair Sees England's Cozy Pubs as a Smoke-Free Zone By time-hallowed tradition, the English pub evokes an image of low beams, warm ales and the toxic swirling smog of tobacco smoke. But not, perhaps, for much longer.


Blatter Blasts Beckham over Booking FIFA president Sepp Blatter has strongly condemned David Beckhams decision to seek a yellow card during Englands clash with Wales on Saturday.


Firm Cashes in on Google Warrants By CHRISTOPHER WANG    NEW YORK (AP) -- Executive search firm Heidrick   Struggles International Inc. (HSII) on Friday said it bagged nearly \$130 million by selling Google Inc...


AT T Wireless to Sell Stake in Venture (AP) AP - Canada's largest cable company, Rogers Communications Inc., said Monday it will pay  #36;1.33 billion for the 34 percent stake in Rogers Wireless Communications Inc. owned by longtime American partner AT amp;T Wireless Services Inc.


1,540 Pounds of Cocaine Hidden in Squid Peruvian anti-drug agents seized almost 1,540 pounds of cocaine destined for the Mexico that was hidden inside of a shipment of squid, police said Monday.


Martinez wins Clemente Award CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners won the Roberto Clemente Award for community service on Tuesday. Martinez, 41, is the first Puerto Rican so honoured.


Barroso Nears EU Revamp as Latvia Replaces Nominee (Update1) European Commission President- designate Jose Barroso came a step closer to ending the stalemate over his leadership team when Latvia bowed to pressure to replace its commissioner.


Goosen Forges One-Shot Lead at Grand Slam of Golf South Africa #39;s Retief Goosen fired a seven-under-par 65 to take a one-shot lead over the season #39;s other three major winners after the first round of the 36-hole PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Kauai, Hawaii on Tuesday.


Microsoft still hopes to settle with EC, exec says CANNES, FRANCE -- Microsoft Corp. still hopes to settle with the European Commission over the sanctions ordered against it to correct its anticompetitive behavior, even as its appeal of the case winds its way through the legal channels, a senior company executive said Monday.


Spitzer Suit on Insurance Names Broker in California The New York attorney general #39;s investigation into abuses in the insurance industry escalated yesterday with a lawsuit accusing a California broker of fraudulent practices that led to higher


AT #38;T Unit to Build Network for Treasury  AT #38;T Government Solutions said yesterday it has won a contract worth as much as \$1 billion to provide a high-speed communications network to the Treasury Department.


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


Anticipated  #39;Halo 2 #39; Leaves Gamers Panting  quot;Halo 2 quot; continues the story of Master Chief, a genetically enhanced soldier who is the only human ever to successfully defy the Covenant-a coalition of alien races on a murderous march toward Earth.


Valley resident falls to 51st at LPGA Q-school DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. -- Caryn Wilson of Rancho Mirage shot a 4-over par 76 on Friday and is tied for 51st place after three rounds of the LPGA Tour Qualifying School.


Compensation plan for 27,000 Pinochet victims Chile #39;s government is to seek congressional approval to compensate more than 27,000 victims of political imprisonment and torture at the hands of the country #39;s rightwing military regime, which ruled from 1973 to 1990.


Microsoft to offer XP Special Edition to huge impoverished group EARLIER WE TOLD YOU about Microsoft #39;s launch of Media Center 2005 at retail, but there is another surprise MS announcement coming a little later on.


Scott Peterson Convicted of Murdering Wife Scott Peterson was found guilty of murder today by a California jury for killing his wife, Laci Peterson, and the couples unborn child.


For Bonds, It's 700 Gone and 56 to Go Barry Bonds became only the third player in Major League Baseball history to tally 700 career home runs, a milestone no one had reached in more than three decades.


Howard Stern to Join Sirius Satellite Radio Top-ranked shock jock Howard Stern says he is leaving Infinity Broadcasting Corp. to join Sirius satellite radio, beginning in January 2006, where he'll get the national audience he has coveted.


Hitting Finch a cinch? The Olympics have produced many terrific showdowns through the years. Nancy Kerrigan vs. Tonya Harding . Rulon Gardner vs. Alexander Karelin . Michael Phelps vs. Ian Thorpe . Now comes one that will knock the glasses right off the top of Bud Greenspan's head.


Samsung, Philips Partner for Cell-Phone Payments (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Samsung Electronics and \Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG) have formed an alliance to put near-field communication (NFC) technology in future \cell phone models from Samsung, giving users the ability to use their \mobile phones to make credit-card or debit-card payments. The companies said that Samsung plans to incorporate NFC in other devices as well.


Security Vendor Refuses To Detail SP2 Flaws Although Finjan Software has detected ten flaws in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, it refuses to divulge any technical details.


Returns are in, and Merrimack looks like a winner With a 90-59 record in five years at Merrimack , Ann McInerney has set some high standards.


FIFA investigates racist heckling at soccer games TONY EASTLEY: There #39;s a debate raging within the world of international soccer following last week #39;s racist heckling by Spanish fans of black players in the English team.


PeopleSoft Rejects Oracle Bid PeopleSoft (PSFT:Nasdaq - news - research) Wednesday publicly rejected Oracle #39;s (ORCL:Nasdaq - news - research) \$24-a-share takeover offer, saying the \$8.


Embezzlement seen widespread in China KAIPING, China -- In this city and many others in China, senior officials are embezzling tens of millions of dollars and fleeing overseas with their families.


NAM boycott stirs sanctions fears in Israel Measures adopted by the Non-Aligned Movement to boycott Israeli settlers and firms building the West Bank barrier have stirred real worries in the Jewish state of a broader sanctions campaign.


Stargazers Enjoy Total Lunar Eclipse The full moon turns red and orange as it passes the Space Needle in Seattle during a total lunar eclipse Wednesday evening, Oct. 27, 2004.


Who were Veerappan #39;s political patrons?: India News: In normal circumstances, no news media, no matter how low-browed and given to dressing up the most mundane of events with a dash of masala to cater to the vicarious instincts of the public, would have lavished so much coverage on the gory


Dutch Mourn Murdered Filmmaker Amid Revenge Fears  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands mourned the outspoken  filmmaker killed a week ago by a suspected Islamic extremist,  while Dutch Muslims rallied to urge reconciliation on Tuesday  after a wave of apparent revenge attacks on mosques.


Human rights activist to stand in Egyptian presidential election (AFP) AFP - Egyptian-American sociologist and human rights activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim said he is planning to stand in the process to elect Egypt's next president that kicks off in May.


7-Eleven Adopting Wireless Technology Sherry Neal checked the refrigerated shelves of her 7-Eleven store, touched the screen of a small handheld computer and got an instant four-week sales history on turkey sandwiches.


MetLife plans debut sterling bond -leads MetLife Inc. (MET.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 1 US life insurer, plans to issue a debut sterling-denominated bond, joint bookrunners Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland said on Thursday.


Rates Mean End of Low Interest Costs  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite record federal deficits, the  Bush administration has benefited from historically low  interest payments, but as rates continue to rise, the era of  cheap debt service may be over.


Google Buys Digital Mapping Company Google Inc. has bought digital map maker Keyhole Corp., extending the search engine leader's bid to fend off rivals with a toolbox that can catalog almost anything in the world.


Line of Scrimmage: Week 14 - Peyton Will Own All QB Records When Peyton Manning breaks the single- season NFL record for passing touchdowns, an event that will likely occur this Sunday, I won #39;t go nuts celebrating the man.


Factory, Construction Data Show Growth US factory growth stayed strong in September, according to reports on Friday, while construction spending hit a record high in August for a seventh month in a row, showing the economy #39;s expansion remains solid.


N. Korea cloud not seen as N-test WASHINGTON -- The United States has received indications North Korea might be trying to test a nuclear weapon, but there is no evidence that a large mushroom cloud that reportedly billowed up from North Korea Thursday was linked to the communist nation's suspected nuclear weapons program, a senior Bush administration official said yesterday.


Ganguly #39;s growling list of woe With the NatWest Challenge a thing of the past, Cricket365 scours the papers to bring our readers what the Indian media are saying about their players.


Patriots Sign First-Round Pick Watson (AP) AP - The New England Patriots signed first-round draft pick Benjamin Watson on Monday, ending the tight end's lengthy holdout.


Usual suspects could be challenged The pressure on IRL IndyCar Series championship leaders Tony Kanaan and Buddy Rice is beginning to increase with the end of the 2004 season just eight weeks -- or five races -- away.


Airbus boost to defence giant BAE BAE Systems sees profits rise as sales of aircraft at Airbus, in which it owns a stake, increase in the first half of 2004.


Space station crew to search for AIDS vaccine The next crew of the International Space Station (ISS) is to contribute to the Russian search for a vaccine against AIDS, Russian cosmonaut Salijan Sharipov said on Friday.


A Matter of Trust (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - There is more to corporate performance than what you see in the earnings reports. Could an investor have anticipated the trouble at companies like Enron, Adelphia, WorldCom and Tyco by looking more closely at how they were governed and how they kept their books? Their problems, to be sure, are far more visible in hindsight, but nonetheless each left telltale signs that all was not well. Robust reported earnings growth at both Enron and WorldCom was not supported by hard cash. The Adelphia board was stacked with company insiders who turned a blind eye to self-dealing by company executives. ...


Stations Get E-Mails to Oust Dan Rather NEW YORK - Station managers at several CBS affiliates said Thursday they appear to be a target of a national e-mail campaign placing pressure on the network to oust Dan Rather as anchorman of the "CBS Evening News."   The anger stems from Rather's role in a "60 Minutes" report on President Bush's service in the National Guard. CBS has apologized for reporting on documents critical of Bush's service, widely assumed now as fakes, and appointed a panel to investigate what went wrong in the report...


In remote India, guarding land of ancestors tops lure of oil WOKHA, India -- The Nagas of northeastern India, warriors for centuries, launched the country's oldest insurgency nearly five decades ago -- a few years before their last tribe gave up headhunting. They have been poor for much longer, but they are in no hurry to tap the oil riches lying roughly a mile beneath their feet. Protecting the land their ...


VeriSign speeds up registry updates VeriSign said Thursday it will update its domain name system servers every few seconds, instead of twice a day. With this  quot;rapid updates quot; policy, the Internet domain name registry said, people who seek new


Little hotel venture now takes care of millions Not long ago, a Saga holiday seemed synonymous with a coachload of ancient aunts with Thermos flasks heading for the coast. Now the company that has made a fortune out of the  quot;grey pound quot; is


Terps #39; speed overwhelms Memphis The 13th-ranked Terps ran No.25 Memphis into submission 84-61 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic at Springfield Civic Center.


Scientist fears samples of soil or rock might harbor hostile <b>...</b> Decades after Hollywood first made the leap between alien life and the threat of contamination, a scientist has issued a similar warning.


ANZ, Royal Group Join on Bank in Cambodia Australian bank ANZ and Cambodia #39;s Royal Group have teamed up in a \$18 million venture that will bring electronic banking to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, company officials said Tuesday.


Dow at Year Low as Oil Hits Record  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow Industrial average fell to a  new low for the year on Friday as oil prices jumped to a fresh  record and tech bellwether Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O weighed on  stocks after its revenue forecast lagged Wall Street  expectations.


Before-the-Bell: Wal-Mart Edges Lower  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT.N  ticked lower on Monday after the world's largest retailer cut  its August sales forecast.


Peace Corps Opens Office in Mexico The Peace Corps has opened its first office in Mexico, staffed largely with a new breed of volunteers -- older people with expertise in computers, engineering and business, Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez said Tuesday.


Survey Says Political Parties Seen as Most Corrupt Institutions Political parties are seen as the institutions most afflicted by corruption, according to a survey released by a non-governmental organization that monitors corruption.


Britain #39;s Black Watch Back in Basra, Will Leave Iraq This Month Britain #39;s Black Watch regiment, deployed to back up US forces outside Baghdad since the end of October, has returned to its base in Basra in southern Iraq, said a UK defense ministry spokesman.


Holtz bids farewell as Spurrier waits in wings COLUMBIA, SC ---- As South Carolina coach Lou Holtz left the game he #39;s cherished for 33 seasons, he couldn #39;t resist poor-mouthing himself one last time.


NL Wrap: Maddux, Sosa Lead Cubs to Victory Over Expos  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Greg Maddux tossed seven innings of  shutout ball and helped his own cause with a pair of singles as  the Chicago Cubs downed the Expos 5-2 in National League action  in Montreal Monday.


Credit Suisse to Move to One Brand Name (Reuters) Reuters - Credit Suisse will eventually use one\brand name only and drop the First Boston moniker from its\Credit Suisse First Boston investment banking arm, the bank's\head said on Tuesday.


Hiroshima group plans 'people's tribunal' over US atomic bombings (AFP) AFP - Japanese anti-war campaigners said they planned a "people's tribunal" over the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that could symbolically hold the United States responsible for war crimes.


Skype readies business telephone offering New service will feature SkypePlus voicemail and expanded conference calling, as well as let users get calls from the traditional phone network.


US Air, Delta target executives for new cuts Washington, Sep 30. (PTI): Embattled American airliners US Airways and Delta Airline have announced that they are targeting executives for new cuts.


Cott Signs Major #39; Customer; Analyst Says It #39;s Target (Update2) Cott Corp., the world #39;s biggest maker of store-brand soft drinks, will supply a major mass merchandiser #39; #39; in the US under a new contract, Chief Executive John Sheppard said.


Geminid Meteor Showers Alarm Area Residents Bright flashes in the sky had residents in the Washington region calling 911 Saturday night for what was actually the annual Geminid Meteor Shower.


Frances Damages NASA Space Center (AP) AP - Hurricane Frances did more damage to the Kennedy Space Center than any other storm in history, tearing an estimated 1,000 exterior panels from the Vehicle Assembly Building and leaving a checkerboard of holes, officials said Monday.


Before-the-Bell: Decode Genetics Falls  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Decode Genetics Inc.  DCGN.O fell 19 percent before the market open on Friday, a  day after the company said PriceWaterhouseCoopers resigned as  its accounting firm.


On Advertising: Grey sale marks end of an era LONDON Edward Meyer, the 77-year-old chairman of Grey Global Group, was philosophical last week when asked why he had decided to sell the company to WPP Group, one of the sprawling, publicly traded holding companies that increasingly dominate the


Microsoft Set to Deliver New Windows Service Pack Beta Microsoft is poised to deliver a new interim build of its Windows Server 2003 SP1 (Service Pack 1) to testers. Windows Server 2003 SP1 is the server complement to the recently released Windows XP SP2 (Service


GEO WASHINGTON WAKE FOREST WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Ticker) -- With its highest preseason ranking in school history, No. 2 Wake Forest opens up a highly-anticipated campaign with a Preseason NIT first-round matchup at home vs.


EMC hires former IBM veteran as CTO EMC last week said it has hired former IBM veteran Jeffrey M. Nick as chief technology officer for the storage vendor. Nick, who left IBM in June following 24 years with the company


MOFA denies dollar diplomacy claim Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (  ) yesterday denied allegations that the ministry was conducting dollar diplomacy under the guise of foreign aid to Costa Rica.


Wall Street stocks end mixed amid another rise in oil prices Wall Street stocks were mixed Tuesday as crude oil prices again topped 50 dollars per barrel, while brokerage downgrade hurt technology stocks.


Spain Seeks Terror Suspect's Extradition (AP) AP - Spain asked Switzerland on Friday to extradite the suspected ringleader of an alleged plot to kill Spanish judges investigating Islamic terror cases, but it could take months for him to be handed over, officials said.


Radcliffe Ready to Take Bite Out of Big Apple  NEW YORK (Reuters) - World record holder Paula Radcliffe  will race back into the spotlight at the New York Marathon  Sunday when she returns to action for the first time since her  stunning collapse at the Athens Olympic Games.


Hurricanes Hit Office Depot Profit  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Office Depot Inc. ODP.N on Tuesday  warned of weaker-than-expected full-year profit because of the  string of hurricanes in Florida and poor sales across North  America and Europe, sending its stock down nearly 8 percent.


Blair aiming for  #39;opportunity and security #39; Tony Blair paid tribute to the chancellor #39;s handling of the economy today and made a pre-election promise to hand more power to the British people.


Spain without Helguera and Puyol for England friendly David Beckham expects to lead England against his Real Madrid clubmates at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday, although he will not face two familiar faces on Spain #39;s lineup.


Workplace beware THE LABOR Department #39;s trumpeting of its new regulations governing overtime, which go into effect next week, sounds a little tinny.


Leading economic indicators slow again in September OTTAWA - An indicator that gives an early look at Canada #39;s economic situation showed more signs of slowing in September, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.


Kremlin Choice Wins in Chechnya Election GROZNY, Russia - The Russian government's candidate to lead warring Chechnya easily won a presidential election held in the wake of last week's terrorist destruction of two airliners, election officials said Monday. The opposition charged voting was tainted by fraud...


Alitalia plan to avoid bankruptcy The management of Alitalia is today due to present to its unions a rescue plan which holds the key to whether the state-controlled airline receives a government-guaranteed loan to avoid bankruptcy.


AMD sneaks strained silicon into chips The design twist will let the company increase the performance of its processors.


Vendors seek certification for application security tools Four small security software vendors have teamed up to develop a set of technical criteria for tools designed to secure Web applications. They also invited Cisco and other large IT vendors to take part in the certification program.


Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Has Loss Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.(MSO) reported a much wider quarterly loss on Thursday as its founder #39;s criminal conviction on charges of lying to investigators continued to weigh on the business.


Yahoo! Enters Desktop Search Realm December 10, 2004. Making clear its intention to stay a player in the search wars, Yahoo! announced plans this morning to introduce a free, high-speed desktop search tool after the first of the year.


Rockies Pitcher Frets Health, Not Baseball (AP) AP - The blood clots that went from Aaron Cook's shoulder to his lungs might threaten his career.


Stocks Finish Higher on Retail Report Wall Street closed its third straight winning week with another rally Friday, advancing as a new retail sales report and a consumer sentiment reading showed that Americans are growing more confident about the economy.


Helpful hits lift Indians He #39;s done just fine when the Indians have scored a lot of runs. The five-game winning streak from July 20 through Aug. 14, when the Tribe scored 60 runs, and that 22-0 victory over the Yankees on Aug. 31 come to mind.


Only Drills, but Houston Looks Ready to Return Allan Houston, the Knicks' veteran, hopes to play as soon as next Saturday in Charlotte, when the Knicks open a four-game road trip.


Oracle in Merger Talks Beyond PeopleSoft (Reuters) Reuters - Oracle Corp.  on Thursday\said it is in merger talks with other technology companies as\it pursues its  #36;9.2 billion hostile takeover bid for rival\software maker PeopleSoft Inc. .


Patriots Take On Puzzling Chiefs On Monday _ The New England Patriots might have a better chance of winning their 24th game in 25 tries Monday night if they were 1-8 instead of 8-1.


Crude oil futures start heading down NEW YORK - Crude oil futures in New York have plunged 7.6 per cent in their biggest weekly decline in a year, because of reduced concerns about supply disruptions in Iraq.


Airport Investment  #39;Two Fingers to Doom-Mongers #39; A 240 million US dollars (126.75 million) investment by budget airline Ryanair in the west of Ireland sticks two fingers up to the doom-mongers who said Shannon Airport would not work, it was claimed tonight.


Oklahoma Balances Offense With Rushing (AP) AP - Kejuan Jones ran left, ran right and ran himself ragged.


Dalmiya authorised to take any action With a long-drawn legal battle looming over the contentious telecast rights, the Cricket Board today rallied behind its President Jagmohan Dalmiya authorising him to take necessary action in all matters.


France, Belgium Delay NATO Iraq Agreement (AP) AP - France and Belgium, two of the most vocal critics of the U.S. war in Iraq, would not agree Friday to a planned expansion of NATO's military training mission in Iraq, but officials were confident that a deal could be reached within coming days.


Goodyear sharpens focus as it sells plantation unit Goodyear Tire  amp; Rubber, the biggest North American tiremaker, has agreed to sell its 95 percent stake in an Indonesian rubber-plantation unit to Bridgestone to end production of natural rubber and focus on tires.


Federer, Henman Advance at US Open NEW YORK Sept. 6, 2004 - Top-seeded Roger Federer and No. 5 Tim Henman became the first men to reach the quarterfinals at the US Open on Monday, Federer on a walkover over Romanian Andrei Pavel and Henman


Canadians Felicien and Whyte advance to 100-metre hurdles final on <b>...</b> ATHENS (CP) - Perdita Felicien of Pickering, Ont., and Angela Whyte of Edmonton each advanced to the 100-metre hurdles final. Felicien, one of Canada #39;s best hopes for a medal in Athens, won her heat in a time of 12.


Server Sales Favor Linux Linux servers are on the rise again thanks in part to low-end and x86-64 based servers, according to a new survey by market research firm Gartner.


Two Words from Bill Gates: Computer Science It wasn #39;t  quot;Plastics quot; as Dustin Hoffman was advised in the movie The Graduate, but computers that Bill Gates told a college audience would be the ticket to a good career in the near future.


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


Amazon Burning Makes Brazil a Leading Polluter  BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Burning of the Amazon and  other forests accounts for three quarters of Brazil's  greenhouse gas emissions and has made the country one of the  world's leading polluters, a long-delayed government report  showed on Wednesday.


Rejuvenated Hughes leads Australian Masters by four strokes Two-time winner Bradley Hughes, boosted by a new relaxed approach to his game, led the Australian Masters by four strokes after completing rounds of 64 and 66 on Friday for a 14-under-par 130.


Piggyback developers in a bind over IE com October 7, 2004, 9:50 AM PT. This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been improving or obtaining CRM and ERP software for the past year and a half.


Mobiles track down wi-fi hotspots Fans of wireless internet access can now find their nearest wi-fi hotspot using their mobile phone.


Wolfensohn May Step Down From World Bank (AP) AP - James Wolfensohn said Sunday he anticipates bowing out in 2005 as World Bank president and not serving a third five-year term, but would do whatever shareholders ask of him.


Qualcomm plans to phone it in on cellular repairs com October 25, 2004, 3:59 PM PT. Wired  amp; Wireless continues its reign at the top spot among IT priorities due to widespread IP telephony and wireless deployment.


Ukraine Leader Rejects Election Reform Demands  KIEV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine's outgoing President  Leonid Kuchma Monday rejected reform of the country's election  laws on terms set by the opposition ahead of a re-run of the  ex-Soviet state's rigged vote later this month.


Karzai takes lead in Afghan presidential polls The incumbent Afghan president HamidKarzai has taken lead in the presidential polls as he had secured 77 percent of the votes counted so far, a spokesman of the joint UN-Afghan election commission said Saturday.


Britain Proposes Debt Relief to Nations Britain will provide more debt relief for the world #39;s poorest countries and challenge other rich countries to do the same, Prime Minister Tony Blair #39;s government said Sunday.


Judge Says MCI Broke Pay Rule A federal judge yesterday threatened sanctions against MCI Inc. for apparently violating a court order requiring approval of expenditures for lawyers and consultants while it was in bankruptcy protection.


Too Far: Jamal Lewis should have his sentence lengthened Toward the end of last week, we heard that Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis had reached a plea bargain in regard to a drug distribution ring he and a childhood friend got going in 2000.


Developing Giants Under Pressure on Climate Change (Reuters) Reuters - While developing\nations China, Brazil and India grow at break-neck pace with\their burgeoning industry and farming, industrialized countries\want them to clean up the dirty practices that have made them\some of the world's biggest polluters.


Loonie trades above 80 cents US for the first time in more than a <b>...</b> OTTAWA (CP) - The Canadian dollar on Friday eclipsed the 80-cent US mark for the first time in more than a decade, as a jump in job-creation last month pushed unemployment down to the lowest rate in three years and built the case for the Bank of Canada to


Fregosi wants to guide a winner The ex-Phillies skipper, 62, doesn #39;t want to manage a team that #39;s five years away. By Don Bostrom. That #39;s what the Phillies might decide to do if they hire Jim Fregosi for a second tour of duty as their manager.


Former PGA Champion Harper passes away Among the players Harper beat at the PGA Championship, which was contested in match play at the time, were Dick Metz, Bob Toski, Lloyd Mangrum and Jimmy Demaret.


30 killed in insurgent attacks in Baghdad; Two US soldiers die in <b>...</b> In the deadliest insurgent violence in weeks, militants stormed two police stations and a mosque in Baghdad on Friday, killing 30 people.


Checks to clear faster than they can float soon Under new federal legislation called the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, also called Check 21, the time taken for checks to clear will be much quicker than in the past.


Digitized And Brought To Life Digital technology is radically changing the 165-year-old photography industry, creating turmoil and excitement as people buy digital cameras at rates far exceeding industry projections. -The Washington Post


Film unit helps Sony post profit TOKYO Sony on Thursday reported a 61 percent jump in net profit for the most recent quarter as  quot;Spider-Man 2 quot; pulled in money for the company #39;s movie division, helping to conceal slides in its consumer electronics and video game businesses.


Red Hat Names CFO After Restatements Red Hat Inc. , a Linux software distributor that in July said it would restate three years #39; of financial results, on Thursday named Charles Peters as chief financial officer.


Typhoon Songda Hits Japan, South Korea A powerful typhoon is battering parts of Japan and South Korea with heavy rains and high winds, killing at least two people and injuring more than 300.


Toshiba seeks damage against Hynix TOKYO (CBS.MW) -- Japan #39;s Toshiba Corp. said Tuesday it has field suit against South Korea #39;s Hynix Semiconductor Inc. in Japan and the United States, alleging infringement of Toshiba #39;s semiconductor flash memory patents.


Thomas Boswell Phil Mickelson took cash over country. Lefty rolled the dice. It may prove the worst gamble of his risk-taking career. Of course, with about \$80 million of Callaway Golf #39;s money under his pillow, maybe Phil will sleep like a baby.


IBM To Put Open-Source Sybase Datebase Software on Servers Sybase said today that it has struck a deal with IBM in which Big Blue will market and distribute Sybase #39;s Linux database management software.


Russian Firms Head List of Oil Buyers from Saddam Russian firms bought about 30 percent of the oil sold under Iraq #39;s now-defunct oil-for-food program, according to a UN investigator #39;s extensive list of companies that did business with Saddam Hussein #39;s government.


Microsoft Adds New Hotmail Fee Microsoft will start charging for a Hotmail feature that allows users of the Web-based e-mail service to access their e-mail using the Outlook e-mail client.


Axe-wielding man attacks pilots OSLO (dpa) - Two pilots and a passenger on a Kato Air flight to Bodo airport in northern Norway were attacked and injured by an axe-wielding passenger Wednesday, reports said.


Saved from the jaws of death DOLPHINS saved a former St Ives man and his daughter from a shark attack as they swam off the northern New Zealand coast. The bottlenose dolphins surrounded Rob Howes, 47, his daughter Niccy, 15, Helen Slade


Sun refreshes development tools line Refreshing its development tools arsenal, Sun Microsystems on Tuesday revealed plans for upcoming versions of Java Studio Creator and is unleashing upgrades to the NetBeans open source platform and Java Studio Enterprise.


Crude Oil Prices Surge Past \$55 Per Barrel SINGAPORE - Crude oil prices surged past an unprecedented \$55 per barrel Monday as uncertainty swirls over production, high demand and tight global supplies ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter.    Crude for November delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange hit \$55.33 per barrel around noon in Asia, up 40 cents from its Friday settlement price...


PM talks up Indonesia ties PRIME Minister John Howard today reassured Indonesia that Australia was unlikely to launch a pre-emptive attack on its nearest neighbour to take out a terrorism target.


Can Skype Cash In On Free? NEW YORK - Skype Technologies made a name for itself providing a free Internet telephone program to users around the world. Now it #39;s time to cash in.


Lehmann: I don #39;t know how to take being axed Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has admitted that he was shocked to find out that he had been dropped from the Arsenal side on Saturday.


Australian Official Travels to Iraq (AP) AP - Defense Minister Robert Hill traveled to Iraq Saturday to meet with some of the 900 soldiers Australia has stationed there as part of the U.S.-led coalition, the ministry said.


Political Debate at Minn. School Gets Ugly (AP) AP - Three high school students, one allegedly armed with a bat, were charged with attacking a pro-President Bush classmate after he reportedly said only gays would support Sen. John Kerry.


House Democrats Set Goals, Seek Return to Power (Reuters) Reuters - In a scene reminiscent of the 1994\"Republican Revolution" that turned the U.S. Congress upside\down, Democrats on Wednesday set ambitious goals for the nation\and urged voters to finally put them back in charge.


Cyprus planes to destroy locusts Cyprus begins aerial spraying to eradicate swarms of crop-destroying locusts that have arrived from Africa.


Turkish Opposition Party: Penal Code should be Ready by October 6 Turkey #39;s main opposition Republican People #39;s Party (CHP) called for the Turkish Parliament (TBMM) to convene for an emergency meeting on Septembers 28th to ready the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) by October 6th.


Update 1: Ex-Disney Director Testifies About Eisner A former Walt Disney Co. director testified Monday that Disney chief executive Michael Eisner told her in a December 1996 telephone conversation that then-Disney President Michael Ovitz was being fired and was eligible for a large severance package.


Kidd Makes His Return on Monday Night When the Toronto Raptors visit Continental Arena on Monday, Jason Kidd is expected to be in the Nets' lineup for the first time this season.


Shoppers Hospitalized After Pepper Spray Police were reviewing video camera footage to find out who discharged pepper spray inside an elevator at Toys R Us #39; crowded flagship store, sending at least three people to the hospital, authorities said.


Kastor takes bronze in marathon; Japan #39;s Noguchi wins American Deena Kastor crosed the finish line crying as she captured the bronze medal in the marathon Sunday. She finished the course in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 19 seconds.


Venetica Buy Pushes IBM #39;s On-Demand Agenda IBM #39;s planned purchase of Venetica provides Big Blue with one more piece in its on-demand computing strategy. The challenge will be to seamlessly meld Venetica #39;s unstructured-data expertise with structured-data management.


No. 4 Texas Defeated by UCLA Noelle Quinn scored the go-ahead basket with 16.7 seconds remaining and finished with 27 points yesterday, helping host UCLA rally from an early 17-point deficit and beat fourth-ranked Texas, 63-60.


Scientist Envisions Small-Scale Hydropower (AP) AP - A scientist says the United States could more than double its hydropower supply by harnessing the energy of smaller streams.


Treasuries Fall as Oil Retreats (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. Treasury debt prices fell on\Monday as investors focused on a pullback in oil prices from\record highs and largely shrugged off dismal results from a\regional manufacturing survey.


Blues held by Spurs, Toffees win again Tottenham has held Chelsea to a 0-0 draw, while Everton beat Middlesbrough 1-0 and Newcastle downed Southampton 2-1. Chelsea dominated the contest at Stamford Bridge, but with England goalkeeper Paul Robinson


Next step towards military  #39;normality #39; APART from the decision to relax the 1976 military exports embargo, Japan #39;s National Defence Program Outline is not a revolutionary document.


Stocks Look to Open Weak as Oil Firms  NEW YORK (Reuters) -  Stock futures slipped on Wednesday,  pointing to a weak market open, as firming oil prices and a  wide-reaching investigation into the insurance and health  industry cast a shadow over Wall Street.


Hosts kick off 2006 finals They will will play the opening match on June 9, 2006, in Munich, although Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann had wanted to leave that honour to another team, preferably defending champions Brazil, provided they qualify.


Groups Join, Seek Action on Global Warming (AP) AP - More than a dozen conservation and public health advocacy groups joined on Tuesday to throw their collective support behind further legislative action to prevent global warming.


US indict 19 on ID theft charges FEDERAL authorities have indicted 19 people in the United States and abroad on charges related to a website investigators claimed was one of the largest online centers for trafficking in stolen identity information and credit cards.


Software Enables Wireless Push E-Mail E-mail platform vendor Visto said Monday that it has released software that enables wireless operators to provide real-time e-mail service similar to that provided by Good Technology and Research In Motion #39;s BlackBerry platform.


Oil prices hit new high - and more to come Crude oil prices will top \$US50 (\$A69) a barrel for the first time this week, despite a slight fall in New York on Friday night, some analysts have predicted.


Treasuries Up in Post-Fed Rollercoaster  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices seesawed on  Tuesday after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a  quarter-percentage point and signaled further hikes were on the  way.


US to tap oil reserve to boost production NEW YORKWorld oil prices rose yesterday as concerns over a supply shortage after Hurricane Ivan persisted despite news the United States will lend some oil from its reserves to refineries to make up for lost production.


The day Hardie #39;s sums didn #39;t add up DENNIS Cooper is too much of a soft-spoken gentleman to publicly express anger, but the professional conflict between him and Peter Macdonald goes back a long way to a day in May 2001.


Windows XP SP2 Help Certainly you know by now that Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) has been released. As anticipated, some systems have had problems after installation of the new service pack. But many people report that their installations have been successful and without ...


Nobel Winner Maathai Sounds Alarm Over Planet (Reuters) Reuters - Saying the planet is at risk from human\activity, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai urged\democratic reforms and an end to corporate greed when she\collected the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.


Sony To Begin Mass Production of Full-Color OLED Displays OLED or Organic LED is not made of semiconductors. It #39;s made from carbon-based molecules. That is the key science factor that leads to potentially eliminating LEDs #39; biggest drawback - size.


Anime Freaks Now Have a Guide Fans of Japanese animation get a travel book tailored to their interests. With Cruising the Anime City: An Otaku Guide to Neo Tokyo, geeks can pursue the ultimate pop-culture fix. By Chris Baker.


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


Struggling Bucs Best Dismal Bears, 19-7 (AP) AP - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found a tonic for their sputtering offense in the Chicago Bears' porous run defense.


#39;Sharon is a butcher #39; Jabaliya - Palestinians on Saturday surveyed the widespread devastation inflicted by Israeli troops during an 18-day military operation in the northern Gaza Strip, after the troops redeployed overnight - comparing the scene to the aftermath of an


Search Engine Forums Spotlight Links to this week's topics from search engine forums across the web: Live from SES Chicago 2004 - White Hat/black Hat SEO Panel - So Now You Can Search Videos - Google Wins Major Legal Victory vs. Geico - Google Suggest Beta - The Dark Side of Exchanging Reciprocal Links


Asian Development Bank President to resign in 2005 The President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Tadao Chino, Tuesday announced that he would resign on 31 January 2005, more than six years after he took the position.


Government Uses Color Laser Printer Technology to Track Documents Practice embeds hidden, traceable data in every printed page.


Roundup: Vioxx News; Weight And Your Heart; Benefits Of Being <b>...</b> The Wall Street Journal has reported that pharmaceutical company Merck knew as far back as 2000 that its arthritis medication, Vioxx, was linked to an increased risk of heart attack.


Sorenstam #39;s lead follows birdies Annika Sorenstam birdied four of the last five holes Thursday, twice with a 7-iron into greens surrounded by trouble, giving her a 6-under-par 66 and a one-shot lead after the first round


OSDL introduces improved Linux kernel development tool Open Source Development Lab has upgraded a key Linux kernel development tool, the Scalable Test Platform, with new features to improve simulations of enterprise data centers on the Linux kernel.


August jobless rate dips The US unemployment rate fell slightly and 144,000 more people found work in August, providing both the Bush and Kerry campaigns ammunition in their battle for the presidency.


Embedded Wi-Fi Market Undergoing Major Shift SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- One of the hottest technology markets, Wireless LAN (WLAN), or Wi-Fi, is undergoing a fundamental shift, according to In-Stat/MDR (http://www.


EC vows to pursue Microsoft for abusing its position The European Commission (EC), which fined Microsoft a record 497 million euros (US\$625.50 million) this year for abusing its dominant position, on Monday vowed to continue pursuing the US software group through the courts for anti-competitive behavior.


Skulls trojan targets Symbian smartphones A new trojan on the internet attacks the Nokia 7610 smartphone and possibly other phones running Symbian Series 60 software.  quot;We have located several freeware and shareware sites offering a program, called


San Francisco at San Diego, 10:05 PM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- The San Francisco Giants resume their fight for a playoff spot in the second game of their series with the San Diego Padres, who are on the verge of being eliminated from the race.


Joint Irish-Palestinian appeal for release of kidnapped aid chief (AFP) AFP - A joint appeal for the release of Dublin-born humanitarian aid worker Margaret Hassan kidnapped in Iraq was issued by the Irish and Palestinian foreign ministers.


Olowokandi jailed for nightclub incident Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Minnesota Timberwolves center Michael Olowokandi spent Wednesday night in jail after police needed a stun gun to compel him to leave a nightclub.


Militants fire rockets at Baghdad hotel Militants fired rockets at a hotel housing foreigners in the heart of Baghdad last night, causing minor damage, while US officials said two American soldiers


Sunspot Grows to 20 Times Size of Earth (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A sunspot group aimed squarely \  at Earth has grown to 20 times the size of our planet and has the potential \  to unleash a major solar storm.


Australia red-faced BUOYANT New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was relieved to have enlivened a dormant summer after his Black Caps conjured a stunning four-wicket win against Australia in the opening


United Airlines to Cut 68 Planes and Add to Foreign Flights United Airlines said today that it would cut 68 airplanes from its fleet, shift more responsibility for domestic routes to its regional carrier, and expand international flying.


Brighter Previews for Your Pictures (PC World) PC World - Epson's Photo Fine technology promises vivid, crisp colors on digital\  camera LCDs.


Japan's flat-screen TV makers under pressure to cut costs: analysts (AFP) AFP - Falling prices may be making flat-screen televisions more appealing to consumers who covet the latest in technology, but analysts warn companies producing them will have to adjust quickly or risk losing out.


It's SQL, but not as you know it Site Offer Save a whopping 50 on definitive MySQL guides


Three jockeys held in race fixing probe THREE jockeys and a trainer were arrested today in a probe into alleged fixing of horse races. More than 130 officers raided 19 addresses across Suffolk, North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire and arrested 12 people for conspiracy to defraud.


Coach Dave Leitao agrees to six-year contract extension at DePaul CHICAGO - DePaul men #39;s basketball coach Dave Leitao has agreed to a six-year contract extension, the university announced Friday.


Radcliffe #39;s real test goes far beyond the pain It was the morning after the night before, and Paula Radcliffe was pondering the big decision -  quot;probably the biggest decision she will have to make in her running life quot;, the Independent on Sunday described it at the time.


Intel Acquires Chip Designers From HP Intel Corp. has reached an agreement to hire hundreds of Hewlett-Packard Co. engineers who helped design the Itanium microprocessor, a massive joint project between the two technology companies since the early 1990s.


Royals' Stairs Signs Contract Extension (AP) AP - Kansas City outfielder Matt Stairs signed a one-year contract extension Wednesday that will keep him under contract with the Royals through 2005.


IBM Supercomputer Again Claims Record (AP) AP - A  #36;100 million supercomputer being built to analyze the nation's nuclear stockpile has again set an unofficial performance record  #151; the second in just over a month.


Oracle further extends PeopleSoft offer Oracle Corp. has again extended its \$7.7 billion cash offer for PeopleSoft Inc. Shareholders now have until Oct. 8 to tender their shares, Oracle said Thursday.


Be Careful with Google Desktop Search Be Careful with Google Desktop Search\\Google Desktop Search like most Google products makes an awesome first impression. I have tried other desktop search tools, but none of them can match the convenience that Google Desktop Search comes with. It is just a 450K download and it integrates in Google Search ...


Stealing movies: Why the MPAA can afford to relax Analysis Spinning the exploitation cycle


UN war crime tribunal calls first witness in Milosevic defense <b>...</b> The International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Tuesday called the first witness in the defense case of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic


Palestinians ask Israel to withdraw before election Palestinian officials are urging Israel to curb military operations as they begin to register candidates to run in an election to replace Yasser Arafat as Palestinian Authority president.


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


India Cricket Bd:Sony TV To Televise Matches Vs Australia NEW DELHI (Dow Jones)--India #39;s cricket board late Thursday said Sony Entertainment Television Ltd. will telecast four home matches against world champion Australia starting next week.


Security for Internet Users Deemed Weak (AP) AP - Internet users at home are not nearly as safe online as they believe, according to a nationwide inspection by researchers. They found most consumers have no firewall protection, outdated antivirus software and dozens of spyware programs secretly running on their computers.


Indian, British scientists working on drug to fight malaria At least 27 people are reported to have died of malaria in Alindra, India and 293 are seriously ill with the disease which broke out after the heavy rains and floods.


Ex-Hearts boss Levein unveiled at Leicester Levein informed Hearts players at training yesterday that he and Peter Houston would be joining Leicester. The former Scottish international replaces Micky Adams at The Walkers Stadium following his departure earlier this month.


Unisys cuts 1,400 jobs The Blue Bell, Pa.-based company said it will close some of its facilities and reduce its employee head count.


Two hurt in suicide attack on Black Watch force TWO British soldiers were fighting for their lives last night after being wounded in a suicide car bomb attack as a state of emergency was declared in Iraq.


Motorola Acquires MeshNetworks (AP) AP - Motorola Inc. is acquiring MeshNetworks Inc., developer of a technology that makes it easy to set up and expand wireless networks, in a deal expected to help the world's No. 2 cell phone maker win more government business.


Nation #39;s first hydrogen fuel pump opens The dilemma: Auto manufacturers have been reluctant to build fleets of hydrogen-powered vehicles before the existence of public hydrogen stations in the United States, while fuel


Mayfield wins pole in Dover Jeremy Mayfield won the pole in qualifying Friday at Dover International Speedway, putting behind him a wreck that seriously damaged his championship hopes in the Nextel Cup series.


Real v Roma: Clash of the down and outs Two clubs seemingly vying to make theirs the most miserable start to a season - Real Madrid and AS Roma -ill meet on their return to Champions League duty.


Sri Lanka probes concert bombing The Sri Lankan authorities have promised a full investigation into a bomb blast during a concert in Colombo on Saturday which killed two people.


Iraq #39;s Sunni president backs election Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi met Iraqi Sunni tribal leaders in neighboring Jordan, trying to drum up support for the election, seen as vital for building a democratic government in Iraq.


Cisco beefs up broadband offering Networking giant buys start-up P-Cube, a maker of software for controlling, monitoring and billing for IP services.


Duke women take life out of Gamecocks, crowd The place known as much for its  quot;airball quot; chants as the winning basketball that is played there was silent when Shanika Freeman #39;s shot failed to hit the rim Wednesday night.


VIEW: Europes new dawn Jan Peter Balkenende The Constitutional Treaty firmly enshrines fundamental rights in law and makes the EU more democratic, more transparent, and more effective.


Top Researchers Ask Web Users to Join Science Grid  NEW YORK (Reuters) - IBM and top scientific research  organizations are joining forces in a humanitarian effort to  tap the unused power of millions of computers and help solve  complex social problems.


Iraq ; Iraq looks to world for approval Iraq News, The two-day conference in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh will start with a meeting of the foreign ministers of Iraq, its six neighbours and Egypt.


Asia-Pacific partners fight terror, nuclear spread, trade barriers SANTIAGO (AFP) - US Secretary of State Colin Powell and partners in the Asia-Pacific axis converge here Wednesday to thwart North Korea #39;s nuclear arms ambitions, press the  quot;war on terror quot; and rip away trade barriers.


China's October industrial output up 15.7 percent (AFP) AFP - China's industrial output growth in October slowed to 15.7 percent year-on-year after a 16.1 percent gain in September, suggesting government lending curbs are cooling the economy.


Santa Clara Shocks 4th-Ranked North Carolina OAKLAND, Calif. (Sports Network) - Travis Niesen scored a career-high 26 points, Kyle Bailey added 20 and Santa Clara shocked No. 4 North Carolina with a 77-66 victory in a Pete Newell Challenge game at The Arena.


NEC Shoots to Regain Supercomputer Title (PC World) PC World - SX-8 system estimated to be almost twice as fast as IBM titleholder.


Oil Falls; OPEC Says Market Well-Supplied
\

 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices eased further on Tuesday, as\the head of OPEC cartel said that markets were well-supplied\with crude and traders continued to take profits from this\year's 40 percent rally.


NASA Announces May 2005 For Shuttle Flight Summary - (Nov 1, 2004) Grounded since the Columbia disaster, the space shuttles are tentatively expected to return to flight as early as May 2005, according to NASA officials.


Iraq: Tonnes of explosives missing Nearly 380 tonnes of deadly explosives, powerful enough to shatter air planes, demolish buildings, make missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons, are missing from one of Iraq #39;s most sensitive former military installations, the interim government has


Dollar Sinks to New Lifetime Low Vs. Euro  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar sank to a new lifetime low  against the euro on Tuesday after a warning by European  officials on the euro's rise went unheeded by investors  determined to dump the U.S. currency.


M S starts share buyback Marks   Spencer begins buying back more than a quarter of its shares in a move that will return 2.3bn (\$4.2bn) to shareholders.


Gough gets Livi job Troubled Bank of Scotland Premier League side Livingston today appointed Richard Gough as their new manager. Gough emerged as the leading candidate for the post after captaining Rangers, Scotland and Everton


World horrified at bloody end to Russian hostage crisis (AFP) AFP - World leaders expressed horror at the bloody end to the Russian hostage crisis, calling it a tragedy which resulted from a  quot;nauseating quot; and  quot;barbaric quot; terrorist attack.


Vogts backs depleted side Scotland manager Berti Vogts believes he will still be able to field a strong team against Norway, despite a series of call-offs due to injury or illness.


Mayfield in for Chase, Kahne out Jeremy Mayfield last night earned a spot in NASCAR #39;s new Chase for the Championship the old-fashioned way. Down to his last chance and with the pressure on, the former Fairgrounds


FRENCH RAIDER MAY PUSH FOR HAVAS SALE The stakes are getting higher for one of the advertising industry #39;s biggest holding companies. With talk of a sale or breakup of France #39;s Havas, reports emerged yesterday


Oracle Opens Legal Attack on PeopleSoft (AP) AP - PeopleSoft Inc.'s board fired Craig Conway as chief executive after hearing him explain why he deceived industry analysts about the business software maker's sale prospects while fighting rival Oracle Corp.'s  #36;7.7 billion takeover bid.


Stover's Field Goal Lifts Ravens Over Jets Matt Stover kicked a 42-yard field goal with 7:39 remaining in overtime to lift the Ravens to a 20-17 victory over the Jets on Sunday.


Delta bankruptcy appears certain Several analysts gave Delta Air Lines slim chances of averting bankruptcy after Cincinnati #39;s dominant airline reported a whopping \$646 million loss and an alarmingly low \$1.


Hu rejects China political reform President Hu Jintao says China would be led into a "blind alley" by  copying Western political systems.


NFL Wrap: Manning Wins MVP Battle as Colts Beat Titans Peyton Manning threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns to win his showdown with fellow co-MVP Steve McNair as the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans 31-17 at Nashville on Sunday.


Rent-A-Car Cos. Expanding to Face Rivals (AP) AP - It's part of an intensifying car rental rumble: As Enterprise Rent-A-Car increases its visibility at airports, longtime airport leader Hertz is muscling into America's neighborhoods, Enterprise's closely guarded turf.


Els Sweats Out American Express Victory THOMASTOWN, Ireland - The majors over, Ernie Els got a consolation prize Sunday by capturing his first World Golf Championship. Els outlasted Thomas Bjorn in a brilliantly played duel at Mount Juliet, making a 6-foot birdie on the 17th hole for a cushion he desperately needed and closing with a 3-under 69 to win the American Express Championship by one shot...


Packers place Pederson on IR The Green Bay Packers placed backup quarterback Doug Pederson on injured reserve Thursday, ending his season. Pederson broke a rib, cracked a bone in his back and tore a muscle in his side in a 14-7 loss Sunday to the New York Giants.


Air and Space museum expands offerings once again CHANTILLY, Virginia - Yesterday, the Smithsonian took the wraps off a new hangar where visitors can get close to a space shuttle. The space shuttle Enterprise is now on exhibit, the museum #39;s second-largest artifact after the Concorde.


Cisco Systems Earnings Rise, Stock Falls  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc., the biggest maker  of equipment that directs data over the Internet, on Tuesday  said quarterly earnings rose 29 percent on stronger demand for  its networking gear.


GM, Ford offering safer SUVs NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are expanding the use of anti-rollover technology on their popular sport/utility models, addressing a major safety risk for the vehicles.


Austria #39;s Walchhofer fastest in training at Lake Louise CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Austrians Michael Walchhofer and Hermann Maier finished 1-2 Thursday in training for this weekend #39;s season-opening World Cup downhill race in Lake Louise, Alta.


SPACE PROGRAM NASA #39;s Shuttle Hanger Badly Damaged by Storm The gigantic hangar where the space shuttle is prepared for its missions sustained much more damage from Hurricane Frances than initially believed, NASA officials said Tuesday.


Arsenal manager Wenger dismisses Real link Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reconfirmed his commitment to the English premier league club on Friday, saying that he would sign a new contract before the end ofthe year.


Maradona Gets Cuban Check-Up and Castro #39;s Support Former Argentina captain Diego Maradona was having medical examinations in Cuba on Tuesday and received a message of support from President Fidel Castro for his latest


Virgin Boss Plans Private Space Flights LONDON - The founder of Virgin Atlantic Airlines is spreading his wings. No longer content with conquering the skies, Richard Branson has set his sights higher-- much higher.


NHL, Players #39; Union Reject New Proposals TORONTO Dec 14, 2004 - The NHL moved a step closer to losing the season Tuesday, when the league and players #39; association rejected proposals for a new collective bargaining agreement.


Report: Blair Warned of Iraq Chaos in '02 (AP) AP - The government was accused Saturday of misleading the British public over plans for postwar Iraq after a newspaper reported that Prime Minister Tony Blair was warned a year before the invasion that postwar stability would be difficult.


Online Trading Tips (The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - Those nice folks at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), charged with (among other things) looking out for the interests of individual investors, never stop trying to help us out. Their sec.gov website, for example, offers a bunch of tips for those of us who trade stocks online.


Update 1: ADM #39;s Earnings Skyrocket; Stocks Soars Archer Daniels Midland Co., the agribusiness giant, reported a 77 percent increase Friday in its first-quarter earnings, citing significant gains in oilseed and bioproducts processing and feed and ingredient sales and a major improvement in inventory


Astronomers give Milky Way an age Astronomers have estimated the age of our galaxy at about 13,600 million years old.


Leading Vendors Back Competing Systems-Management Specifications The WS-Management spec is part of the effort to improve Sun-Microsoft system interoperability. But IBM is taking a different road.


Today's schedule Pro baseball: Red Sox vs. Toronto at Fenway Park, 7 p.m.; Atlantic League -- Nashua vs. Camden at Holman Stadium, Nashua, 6:30 p.m.; International League -- Pawtucket vs. Buffalo at McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, R.I., 7 p.m.; Eastern League: Portland vs. New Britain at Hadlock Field, Portland, Maine, 7 p.m.; Northeast League -- Brockton vs. New Haven at Campanelli Stadium, Brockton, ...


Jacques Villeneuve, Schumacher, other Formula One stars arrive in <b>...</b> World champion Michael Schumacher arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday, along with a host of other Formula One stars, as preparations got underway for the debut of the Chinese Grand Prix.


Pre-Election Tensions Mount in Florida (AP) AP - Pre-election tensions mounted Thursday in Florida amid claims of voter intimidation, promises that absentee ballots will reach the Broward County citizens who are missing them, and concerns that Republicans will question the authenticity of thousands of votes on Election Day.


Quantum Astronomy: The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - This is the second article in a series of four articles each with a separate explanation of different quantum phenomena. Each article is a piece of a mosaic, so every one is needed to understand the final explanation of the quantum astronomy experiment we propose, possibly using the Allen Array Telescope and the narrow-band radio-wave detectors being build by the SETI Institute and the University of California, Berkeley.


Pouring It On, Yanks Cool Off Sox With the offense rumbling and Jon Lieber in command, the Yankees walloped Boston at misty, wind-whipped Yankee Stadium.


Artificial heart maker seeking OK to sell device After 22 years of experimentation, the maker of the nation's first self-contained artificial heart yesterday asked the federal government for permission to begin selling up to 4,000 of the devices each year as a last-chance treatment for people with irreversible heart failure.


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


Germany in EU dock over Volkswagen law The European Commission has begun legal action against Germany over the so-called  quot;Volkswagen law quot; which protects the carmaker from hostile takeovers.


Congolese Massacre Victims in Burundi Mourned  GATUMBA, Burundi (Reuters) - Mourners covered their faces  to block the smell of disinfectant and death on Monday as they  buried more than 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees burned, hacked  and shot in an attack on their camp in western Burundi.


Tiger Pounces to Win Tiger Woods finishes a disappointing 2004 season with his second straight championship, closing with a 5-under 66 to win the Target World Challenge.


SourceLabs Receives Venture Funding SourceLabs will use the venture capital for ongoing research and development and to expand its sales and marketing. Ignition Partners was founded by Microsoft veterans -- including


Rison Can Leave Jail With  #36;10K Payment (AP) AP - Former Pro Bowl receiver Andre Rison was given the option of paying  #36;10,000 to get out of jail after spending almost a month locked up for failing to pay child support for more than two years.


Backyard telescope helps find new planet With the help of a modified backyard telescope, astronomers have discovered a giant planet orbiting another star. It is the first extrasolar world found with such modest equipment.


Catching Spammers May Cost Big Bucks Putting a bounty on spammer #39;s heads, as proposed in the CAN-SPAM Act, could be an expensive undertaking, according to a report from the Federal Trade Commission.


IAEA Chief in South Korea for Nuclear Talks The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, arrived in Seoul Sunday to discuss South Korea #39;s nuclear experiments after last month #39;s two intrusive inspections.


Panel: Keep sage grouse off endangered list A panel of biologists with the US Fish and Wildlife Service says sage grouse should not be listed as an endangered species. The recommendation has environmental groups threatening to sue.


Google patches new hole Google says it has patched a hole in its search engine that could have allowed hackers to modify the content of the Google search results page, reports PC World.


Britain appeals for hostage help The Foreign Office has appealed on Al Arabiya television for any information from Iraqis on Kenneth Bigley, a British engineer taken hostage with two Americans last week.


Mickelson Says Equipment Change Won #39;t Hurt Him Phil Mickelson reiterated Wednesday that his performance at the Ryder Cup would not suffer because of his recent switch to using some Callaway golf equipment.


Microsoft Previews Avalon for Developers Microsoft on Friday released a new preview of the presentation subsystem of its upcoming Longhorn version of Windows. The Redmond, Wash.


US Bond Market Begs to Differ with Fed Optimism The Federal Reserve may be fairly confident the economy #39;s soft patch is fading away, but the bond market is stubbornly betting the central bank is off the mark.


AOL Launches Comparison Shopping Site America Online has launched an online shopping site it says will provide an easy and fast way to compare products from thousands of online merchants.


European Economies: Orders and Retail Sales Decline (Update2) German factory orders dropped more than economists expected in August and a gauge of European retail sales fell for a second month in September, adding to evidence that economic growth may be slowing amid record oil costs.


WWI bodies are found on glacier The preserved remains of three Austrian soldiers are found on an Italian glacier, 86 years after they died.


Microsoft #39;s MOM goes out the door Microsoft #39;s main Windows server administration console is slated for release by the beginning of October and will be in a planned management suite next year.


Stern #39;s broadcast, salary go sky-high Shock jock Howard Stern, a lightning rod for furors over broadcast standards, won #39;t have to take network heat much longer. The trash-mouthed provocateur is ditching over-the-air radio to claim his future in orbit: via satellite radio.


Gerrard makes Liverpool quit ultimatum Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has admitted he could quit Anfield at the end of the season. Skipper Gerrard, who almost joined Chelsea last summer, said:  quot;If the club is moving forward and doing well, I won #39;t have to be looking anywhere else.


Software maker launches remote-access tools Among new products from 3am Labs is a free tool for accessing a PC via any device with a browser.


China continues internet crackdown Fines worth more than \$12 million US were imposed on those establishments that allowed children to play violent or adult-only games and for other violations.


Georgia crematory operator pleads guilty to dumping more than 300 <b>...</b> Former crematory operator Ray Brent Marsh pleaded guilty Friday to dumping 334 bodies and giving the families of the deceased cement dust instead of ashes.


Music firms win 'pirates' ruling The UK music industry is granted a court order forcing ISPs to reveal the names of alleged illegal file-sharers.


Three foreign UN hostages released in Afghanistan (AFP) AFP - Three United Nations hostages have been freed after almost four weeks in captivity in Afghanistan, with kidnappers claiming that Taliban prisoners were due to be released in exchange.


Two golds again in new judging debacle? Not this time A grand judging goof at the Athens Olympics cheapened American gymnast Paul Hamm #39;s historic gold and gave South Korea another good reason to cry robbery at the games.


Intel Bets on WiMax Intel dips into its coffers and lends its weight to a wireless broadband service provider. During the CTIA IT  amp; Entertainment conference in San Francisco, Intel and Clearwire announced that they have partnered


T-Mobile trials Flash-OFDM in the Netherlands MAIDENHEAD, United KingdomT-Mobile International said it has deployed a trial of Flarion Technologies FLASH-OFDM system for its mobile broadband services in The Hague, the Netherlands.


U.S. Accuses U.N. of Dragging Feet Over Locusts (Reuters) Reuters - The United States accused the U.N.\agriculture body Friday of mismanaging the locust crisis\afflicting vast swathes of West Africa.


Russia #39;s Yukos seeks protection in US Russia #39;s Yukos oil company has filed for bankruptcy in a Houston court to halt a Kremlin-driven liquidation of the nation #39;s biggest crude oil producer.


Right now, it #39;s not good to be the Kings The names and the faces are pretty much the same. They look like the Sacramento Kings, wear the same uniforms, and Rick Adelman is still their coach.


Tornado fighters escort jet to Stansted after bomb scare A jet bound for New York made an emergency landing at Stansted airport yesterday after repeated warnings that a bomb was on board.


Microsoft Readies Five Security Bulletins Outside security researchers say Windows Service Pack 2 has security vulnerabilities, but no confirmation from Microsoft. By George V. Hulme.


Kabul kidnappers release three UN workers The Afghan government denied making a deal with the kidnappers who released three UN hostages after four weeks in captivity yesterday.


Pak bombs Al-Qaida hideouts, 50 killed At least 50 people were killed and several injured when Pakistan #39;s fighter planes bombed hideouts of Al-Qaida militants today in the tribal region close to the Afghanistan border.


Chico's The Man The leading specialty women's clothier trounces expectations and sees more opportunity in the future.


55 Killed In Chinese Plane Crash Beijing, Nov. 22 (NNN) : All the 53 people on board and two on the ground were killed as a plane crashed into a frozen lake in northern China.


Spanish Scientists Discover Fossil of Ancient Ape Description: The fossil remains of an ancient Spanish ape may help explain a key event in evolution. Scientists say the skeleton offers clues about how our ancestors stopped swinging from trees and started walking upright.


Almost a million Dell notebook adapters to be recalled The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firms named below, have announced the voluntary recall of the following consumer product.


IBM, Fla. university look to autonomic computing research IBM will supply Florida International University with hardware and software so the university can do research on how technology can be used to better protect patient privacy and reduce waiting room time.


Apache Rejects Microsoft #39;s Sender ID Standard The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), creator of the open-source Apache Web server, noted that it will not support the proposed antispam standard, called Sender ID, because Microsoft #39;s


Microsoft Previews Visual Studio Team System Microsoft (Quote, Chart) released a Community Technology Preview of the framework and software development kit for building custom visual designers based on the modeling technology in Visual Studio 2005.


Foreign investment welcome in banking: PM MUMBAI, OCTOBER 6 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the foreign direct and portfolio investments were welcome in various sectors of economy, including the banking sector.


Bomb Kills Venezuela Prosecutor, Gov't Swipes at US

 By Patrick Markey

 CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - A Venezuelan prosecutorprobing a 2002 coup against President Hugo Chavez was killed bya car bomb that the government blamed Friday on radicalopponents it said were training in the United States.


Schwarzenegger Signs California Anti-Spyware Bill  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold  Schwarzenegger signed an anti-spyware bill on Tuesday banning  unauthorized installation of deceptive software that hides in  personal computers and secretly monitors user activity.


Toys R Us Posts Second-Quarter Profit  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Toys R Us Inc. TOY.N, which is  considering getting out of the toy business, on Monday posted a  second-quarter profit as it works to restructure its toy  stores.


'Mean Creek': A familiar flow (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - This tiny shot-on-video downer hits theaters at the same time as a more deluxe home version of Martin Scorsese's career-making melodrama Mean Streets comes to DVD. The timing is probably coincidence, because Creek's anti-urban setting (largely a boat in rocky waters) has far more in common with several other well-known movies, which is part of its problem.


Scandal claims a tearful Blunkett THE revenge of an ex-lover has forced the resignation of British Home Secretary David Blunkett, dealing a blow to Tony Blair less than six months before an expected general election.