SOCCER - JAPAN GET LUCKY WIN , CHINA IN SURPRISE DEFEAT .


AL-AIN , United Arab Emirates 1996-12-06


Japan began the defence of their Asian Cup title with a lucky 2-1 win against Syria in a Group C championship match on Friday .


But China saw their luck desert them in the second match of the group , crashing to a surprise 2-0 defeat to newcomers Uzbekistan .


China controlled most of the match and saw several chances missed until the 78th minute when Uzbek striker Igor Shkvyrin took advantage of a misdirected defensive header to lob the ball over the advancing Chinese keeper and into an empty net .


Oleg Shatskiku made sure of the win in injury time , hitting an unstoppable left foot shot from just outside the area .


The former Soviet republic was playing in an Asian Cup finals tie for the first time .


Despite winning the Asian Games title two years ago , Uzbekistan are in the finals as outsiders .


Two goals from defensive errors in the last six minutes allowed Japan to come from behind and collect all three points from their opening meeting against Syria .


Takuya Takagi scored the winner in the 88th minute , rising to head a Hiroshige Yanagimoto cross towards the Syrian goal which goalkeeper Salem Bitar appeared to have covered but then allowed to slip into the net .


It was the second costly blunder by Syria in four minutes .


Defender Hassan Abbas rose to intercept a long ball into the area in the 84th minute but only managed to divert it into the top corner of Bitar 's goal .


Nader Jokhadar had given Syria the lead with a well-struck header in the seventh minute .


Japan then laid siege to the Syrian penalty area for most of the game but rarely breached the Syrian defence .


Bitar pulled off fine saves whenever they did .


Japan coach Shu Kamo said : ' ' The Syrian own goal proved lucky for us .


The Syrians scored early and then played defensively and adopted long balls which made it hard for us . '


Japan , co-hosts of the World Cup in 2002 and ranked 20th in the world by FIFA , are favourites to regain their title here .


Hosts UAE play Kuwait and South Korea take on Indonesia on Saturday in Group A matches .


All four teams are level with one point each from one game .


RUGBY UNION - CUTTITTA BACK FOR ITALY AFTER A YEAR .


on Friday for their friendly against Scotland at Murrayfield more than a year after the 30-year-old wing announced he was retiring following differences over selection .


Cuttitta , who trainer George Coste said was certain to play on Saturday week , was named in a 21-man squad lacking only two of the team beaten 54-21 by England at Twickenham last month .


Stefano Bordon is out through illness and Coste said he had dropped back row Corrado Covi , who had been recalled for the England game after five years out of the national team .


Cuttitta announced his retirement after the 1995 World Cup , where he took issue with being dropped from the Italy side that faced England in the pool stages .


Coste said he had approached the player two months ago about a comeback .


" He ended the World Cup on the wrong note , " Coste said .


" I thought it would be useful to have him back and he said he would be available .


I think now is the right time for him to return . "


Squad : Javier Pertile , Paolo Vaccari , Marcello Cuttitta , Ivan Francescato , Leandro Manteri , Diego Dominguez , Francesco Mazzariol , Alessandro Troncon , Orazio Arancio , Andrea Sgorlon , Massimo Giovanelli , Carlo Checchinato , Walter Cristofoletto , Franco Properzi Curti , Carlo Orlandi , Massimo Cuttitta , Giambatista Croci , Gianluca Guidi , Nicola Mazzucato , Alessandro Moscardi , Andrea Castellani .


SOCCER - LATE GOALS GIVE JAPAN WIN OVER SYRIA .


AL-AIN , United Arab Emirates 1996-12-06


Two goals in the last six minutes gave holders Japan an uninspiring 2-1 Asian Cup victory over Syria on Friday .


Takuya Takagi headed the winner in the 88th minute of the group C game after goalkeeper Salem Bitar spoiled a mistake-free display by allowing the ball to slip under his body .


It was the second Syrian defensive blunder in four minutes .


Defender Hassan Abbas rose to intercept a long ball into the area in the 84th minute but only managed to divert it into the top corner of Bitar 's goal .


Syria had taken the lead from their first serious attack in the seventh minute .


Nader Jokhadar headed a cross from the right by Ammar Awad into the top right corner of Kenichi Shimokawa 's goal .


Japan then laid siege to the Syrian penalty area and had a goal disallowed for offside in the 16th minute .


A minute later , Bitar produced a good double save , first from Kazuyoshi Miura 's header and then blocked a Takagi follow-up shot .


Bitar saved well again from Miura in the 37th minute , parrying away his header from a corner .


Japan started the second half brightly but Bitar denied them an equaliser when he dived to his right to save Naoki Soma 's low drive in the 53rd minute .


Japan : 19 - Kenichi Shimokawa , 2 - Hiroshige Yanagimoto , 3 - Naoki Soma , 4 - Masami Ihara , 5 - Norio Omura , 6 - Motohiro Yamaguchi , 8 - Masakiyo Maezono ( 7 - Yasuto Honda 71 ) , 9 - Takuya Takagi , 10 - Hiroshi Nanami , 11 - Kazuyoshi Miura , 15 - Hiroaki Morishima ( 14 - Masayuki Okano 75 ) .


Syria : 24 - Salem Bitar , 3 - Bachar Srour ; 4 - Hassan Abbas , 5 - Tarek Jabban , 6 - Ammar Awad ( 9 - Louay Taleb 69 ) , 8 - Nihad al-Boushi , 10 - Mohammed Afash , 12 - Ali Dib , 13 - Abdul Latif Helou ( 17 - Ammar Rihawiy 46 ) , 14 - Khaled Zaher ; 16 - Nader Jokhadar .


FREESTYLE SKIING-WORLD CUP MOGUL RESULTS .


freestyle skiing moguls competition on Friday :


1. Jesper Ronnback ( Sweden ) 25.76 points


6. Jeremie Collomb-Patton ( France ) 23.87


1. Tatjana Mittermayer ( Germany ) 24.32


AL-AIN , United Arab Emirates 1996-12-06


Results of Asian Cup group C matches played on Friday :


Japan - Hassan Abbas 84 own goal , Takuya Takagi 88 .


Scorers : Shkvyrin Igor 78 , Shatskikh Oleg 90


Standings ( tabulate under played , won , drawn , lost , goals


CRICKET - PAKISTAN V NEW ZEALAND ONE-DAY SCOREBOARD .


one-day cricket international between Pakistan and New Zealand


Saeed Anwar run out 91 ( corrects from 90 )


Zahoor Elahi b Cairns 86 ( corrects from 87 )


Bowling : Wasim Akram 8.1-0-43-3 ( 9w , 1nb ) , Waqar Younis


6-0-32-2 ( 2w , 1nb ) , Saqlain Mushtaq 8-0-54-2 , Mushtaq Ahmad


Third one-day match : December 8 , in Karachi .


SOCCER - ENGLISH F.A. CUP SECOND ROUND RESULT .


Dutch forward Reggie Blinker had his indefinite suspension lifted by FIFA on Friday and was set to make his Sheffield Wednesday comeback against Liverpool on Saturday .


Blinker missed his club 's last two games after FIFA slapped a worldwide ban on him for appearing to sign contracts for both Wednesday and Udinese while he was playing for Feyenoord .


FIFA 's players ' status committee , meeting in Barcelona , decided that although the Udinese document was basically valid , it could not be legally protected .


The committee said the Italian club had violated regulations by failing to inform Feyenoord , with whom the player was under contract .


Blinker was fined 75,000 Swiss francs ( $ 57,600 ) for failing to inform the Engllsh club of his previous commitment to Udinese .


SOCCER - LEEDS ' BOWYER FINED FOR PART IN FAST-FOOD FRACAS .


Leeds ' England under-21 striker Lee Bowyer was fined 4,500 pounds ( $ 7,400 ) on Friday for hurling chairs at restaurant staff during a disturbance at a McDonald 's fast-food restaurant .


Bowyer , 19 , who was caught in the act by security cameras , pleaded guilty to a charge of affray at a court in London .


He was fined and ordered to pay a total of 175 pounds to two members of staff injured in the fracas in an east London restaurant in October .


Leeds had already fined Bowyer 4,000 pounds ( $ 6,600 ) and warned him a repeat of his criminal behaviour could cost him his place in the side .


Bowyer , who moved to the Yorkshire club in August for 3.5 million pounds ( $ 5.8 million ) , was expected to play against Middlesbrough on Saturday .


basketball championship after Thursday 's matches ( tabulate under


RUGBY UNION - LITTLE TO MISS CAMPESE FAREWELL .


Centre Jason Little will miss Australia 's end-of-tour fixture against the Barbarians at Twickenham on Saturday .


Little has opted not to risk aggravating the knee injury which ruled him out of a large chunk of the tour and is replaced by fellow Queenslander Daniel Herbert .


Owen Finegan has recovered from the knocks he took in last weekend 's test against Wales and retains his place in the back-row ahead of Daniel Manu .


The Wallabies have their sights set on a 13th successive victory to end their European tour with a 100 percent record but also want to turn on the style and provide David Campese with a fitting send-off in his final match in Australian colours .


The Wallabies currently have no plans to make any special presentation to the 34-year-old winger but a full house of 75,000 spectators will still gather in the hope of witnessing one last moment of magic .


Campese will be up against a familiar foe in the shape of Barbarians captain Rob Andrew , the man who kicked Australia to defeat with a last-ditch drop-goal in the World Cup quarter-final in Cape Town .


" Campo has a massive following in this country and has had the public with him ever since he first played here in 1984 , " said Andrew , also likely to be making his final Twickenham appearance .


On tour , Australia have won all four tests against Italy , Scotland , Ireland and Wales , and scored 414 points at an average of almost 35 points a game .


League duties restricted the Barbarians ' selectorial options but they still boast 13 internationals including England full-back Tim Stimpson and recalled wing Tony Underwood , plus All Black forwards Ian Jones and Norm Hewitt .


Barbarians - 15 - Tim Stimpson ( England ) ; 14 - Nigel Walker ( Wales ) , 13 - Allan Bateman ( Wales ) , 12 - Gregor Townsend ( Scotland ) , 11 - Tony Underwood ( England ) ; 10 - Rob Andrew ( England ) , 9 - Rob Howley ( Wales ) ; 8 - Scott Quinnell ( Wales ) , 7 - Neil Back ( England ) , 6 - Dale McIntosh ( Pontypridd ) , 5 - Ian Jones ( New Zealand ) , 4 - Craig Quinnell ( Wales ) , 3 - Darren Garforth ( Leicester ) , 2 - Norm Hewitt ( New Zealand ) , 1 - Nick Popplewell ( Ireland ) .


Australia - 15 - Matthew Burke ; 14 - Joe Roff , 13 - Daniel Herbert , 12 - Tim Horan ( captain ) , 11 - David Campese ; 10 - Pat Howard , 9 - Sam Payne ; 8 - Michael Brial , 7 - David Wilson , 6 - Owen Finegan , 5 - David Giffin , 4 - Tim Gavin , 3 - Andrew Blades , 2 - Marco Caputo , 1 - Dan Crowley .


GOLF - ZIMBABWE OPEN SECOND ROUND SCORES .


Leading second round scores in the Zimbabwe Open at the par-72 Chapman Golf Club on Friday ( South African unless stated ) : 132 Des Terblanche 65 67 133 Mark McNulty ( Zimbabwe ) 72 61 134 Steve van Vuuren 65 69 136 Nick Price ( Zimbabwe ) 68 68 , Justin Hobday 71 65 ,


SOCCER - UNCAPPED PLAYERS CALLED TO FACE MACEDONIA .


Romania trainer Anghel Iordanescu called up three uncapped players on Friday in his squad to face Macedonia next week in a World Cup qualifier .


Midfielder Valentin Stefan and striker Viorel Ion of Otelul Galati and defender Liviu Ciobotariu of National Bucharest are the newcomers for the European group eight clash in Macedonia on December 14 .


Iordanescu said he had picked them because of their good performances in the domestic championship in which National Bucharest are top and Otelul Galati third . "


I think it 's fair to give them a chance , " he told reporters .


League title-holders Steaua Bucharest , who finished bottom of their Champions ' League group in the European Cup , have only two players in the squad .


Attacking midfielder Adrian Ilie , who recently moved from Steaua to Turkish club Galatasaray , is ruled out after two yellow-card offences .


Goalkeepers - Bogdan Stelea , Florin Prunea .


Defenders - Dan Petrescu , Daniel Prodan , Anton Dobos , Cornel Papura , Liviu Ciobotariu , Tibor Selymess , Iulian Filipescu .


Midfielders - Gheorghe Hagi , Gheorghe Popescu , Constantin Galca , Valentin Stefan , Basarab Panduru , Dorinel Munteanu , Ovidiu Stinga .


Forwards - Ioan Vladoiu , Gheorghe Craioveanu , Ionel Danciulescu , Viorel Ion .


SOCCER - BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS .


soccer championship semifinal , first leg matches on Thursday .


CRICKET - LARA ENDURES ANOTHER MISERABLE DAY .


Australia gave Brian Lara another reason to be miserable when they beat West Indies by five wickets in the opening World Series limited overs match on Friday .


Lara , disciplined for misconduct on Wednesday , was dismissed for five to extend a disappointing run of form on tour .


Australia , who hold a 2-0 lead in the five-match test series , overhauled West Indies ' total of 172 all out with eight balls to spare to end a run of six successive one-day defeats .


All-rounder Greg Blewett steered his side to a comfortable victory with an unbeaten 57 in 90 balls to the delight of the 42,442 crowd .


Man-of-the match Blewett came to the wicket with the total on 70 for two and hit three fours during an untroubled innings lasting 129 minutes .


His crucial fifth-wicket partnership with fellow all-rounder Stuart Law , who scored 21 , added 71 off 85 balls .


Lara looked out of touch during his brief stay at the crease before chipping a simple catch to Shane Warne at mid-wicket .


West Indies tour manager Clive Lloyd has apologised for Lara 's behaviour on Tuesday .


He ( Lara ) had told Australia coach Geoff Marsh that wicketkeeper Ian Healy was unwelcome in the visitors ' dressing room .


The Melbourne crowd were clearly angered by the incident , loudly jeering the West Indies vice-captain as he walked to the middle .


It was left to fellow left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul to hold the innings together with a gritty 54 despite the handicap of an injured groin .


Chanderpaul was forced to rely on a runner for most of his innings after hurting himself as he scurried back to his crease to avoid being run out .


Pakistan , who arrive in Australia later this month , are the other team competing in the World Series tournament .


CRICKET - AUSTRALIA V WEST INDIES WORLD SERIES SCOREBOARD .


limited overs match between Australia and West Indies on Friday :


Bowling : Reiffel 10-2-26-0 ( nb-3 ) , Gillespie 10-0-39-2 ,


Total ( for five wickets , 48.4 overs ) 173


Did not bat : I. Healy , P. Reiffel , S. Warne , J. Gillespie .


Result : Australia won by five wickets .


CRICKET - AUSTRALIA BEAT WEST INDIES BY FIVE WICKETS .


Australia beat West Indies by five wickets in a World Series limited overs match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday .


Scores : West Indies 172 all out in 49.2 overs ( Shivnarine Chanderpaul 54 ) ; Australia 173-5 in 48.4 overs ( Greg Blewett 57 not out ) .


CRICKET - WEST INDIES 172 ALL OUT IN 49.2 OVERS V AUSTRALIA .


West Indies were all out for 172 off 49.2 overs in the World Series limited overs match against Australia on Friday .


Score on the first day of the four-day Sheffield Shield match between Tasmania and Victoria at Bellerive Oval on Friday :


Tasmania 352 for three ( David Boon 106 not out , Shaun Young 86 not out , Michael DiVenuto 119 ) v Victoria .


CRICKET - LARA SUFFERS MORE AUSTRALIAN TOUR MISERY .


West Indies batsman Brian Lara suffered another blow to his Australian tour , after already being disciplined for misconduct , when he was dismissed cheaply in the first limited overs match against Australia on Friday .


Lara , who earned a stern rebuke from his own tour management after an angry outburst against Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy , scored five to prolong a run of poor form with the bat .


The West Indies vice-captain struggled for timing during his 36-minute stay at the crease before chipping a ball from medium pacer Tom Moody straight to Shane Warne at mid-wicket .


West Indies were 53 for two in 15 overs when rain stopped play at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after captain Courtney Walsh won the toss and elected to bat .


Lara 's outburst three days ago has clearly turned some of the Australian public against him .


As he walked to the wicket he was greeted by loud jeers from sections of the crowd .


On several occasions during his innings , the crowd joined together in a series of obscene chants against him .


Tour manager Clive Lloyd on Wednesday apologised for Lara 's behaviour in confronting Australia coach Geoff Marsh in the opposition dressing room to protest against his dismissal in the second test on Tuesday .


Lloyd did not say what form the discipline would take .


Lara , who holds the record for the highest score in test and first-class cricket , was unhappy about Healy 's role in the incident and questioned whether the ball had carried to the Australia keeper .


Australia went on to win the match at the Sydney Cricket Ground by 124 runs to take a two-nil lead in the five-test series after Lara failed in both innings .


Lara has yet to score a century since West Indies arrived in Australia five weeks ago .


Both West Indies and Australia team management have played down the incident , stressing that relations between the two sides have not been adversely affected .


Pakistan , who arrive next week , are the third team in the triangular World Series tournament .


CRICKET - WEST INDIES TO BAT AFTER WINNING THE TOSS .


West Indies captain Courtney Walsh elected to bat after winning the toss in the first match in the World Series limited overs competition against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday .


Australia - Mark Taylor ( captain ) , Mark Waugh , Ricky Ponting , Greg Blewett , Michael Bevan , Stuart Law , Tom Moody , Ian Healy , Paul Reiffel , Shane Warne , Jason Gillespie , Glenn McGrath 12th man .


West Indies - Sherwin Campbell , Robert Samuels , Brian Lara , Shivnarine Chanderpaul , Carl Hooper , Jimmy Adams , Junior Murray , Nixon McLean , Kenneth Benjamin , Curtly Ambrose , Courtney Walsh ( captain ) , Roland Holder 12th man .


Results in last of the group matches at the World Grand Prix badminton finals on Friday :


Chen Gang ( China ) beat Martin Londgaard Hansen ( Denmark ) 15-12 15-6


Dong Jiong ( China ) beat Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen ( Denmark ) 15-10 15-6


Indra Wijaya ( Indonesia ) beat Ong Ewe Hock ( Malaysia ) 5-15 15-11 15-11


Sun Jun ( China ) beat Rashid Sidek ( Malaysia ) 15-12 17-14


Hermawan Susanto ( Indonesia ) beat Soren B. Nielsen ( Denmark ) 15-8 15-2


Allan Budi Kuksuma ( Indonesia ) beat Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen ( Denmark ) 15-7 15-4


Budi Santoso ( Indonesia ) beat Hu Zhilan ( China ) 15-4 15-5


Semifinals ( on Saturday ) : Fung Permadi ( Taiwan ) v Indra


Wijaya ( Indonesia ) ; Sun Jun ( China ) v Allan Budi Kusuma


Gong Zhichao ( China ) beat Mia Audina ( Indonesia ) 11-2 12-10


Ye Zhaoying ( China ) beat Meiluawati ( Indonesia ) 11-6 12-10


Camilla Martin ( Denmark ) beat Wang Chen ( China ) 11-0 12-10


Susi Susanti ( Indonesia ) beat Han Jingna ( China ) 11-5 11-4 .


Semifinals ( on Saturday ) : Susi Susanti ( Indonesia ) v Camilla Martin ( Denmark ) ; Ye Zhaoying ( China ) v Gong Zichao ( China ) .


SOCCER - ARAB CONTRACTORS WIN AFRICAN CUP WINNERS ' CUP .


Result of the second leg of the African Cup Winners ' Cup final at the National stadium on Friday : Arab Contractors ( Egypt ) 4 Sodigraf ( Zaire ) 0 ( halftime 2-0 )


Aly Ashour 7 , 56 penalty , Mohamed Ouda 24 , 73


NHL ICE HOCKEY - STANDINGS AFTER THURSDAY 'S GAMES .


League teams after games played on Thursday ( tabulate under


won , lost , tied , goals for , goals against , points ) :


( Corrects headline from NBA to NHL and corrects team name in second result from La Clippers to Ny Islanders .


League games on Thursday ( home team in CAPS ) :


NFL AMERICAN FOOTBALL-COLTS CLOBBER EAGLES TO STAY IN PLAYOFF HUNT .


The injury-plagued Indianapolis Colts lost another quarterback on Thursday but last year 's AFC finalists rallied together to shoot down the Philadelphia Eagles 37-10 in a showdown of playoff contenders .


Marshall Faulk rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns and Jason Belser returned an interception 44 yards for a score as the Colts improved to 8-6 , the same mark as the Eagles , who lost for the fourth time in five games .


Paul Justin , starting for the sidelined Jim Harbaugh , was 14-of-23 for 144 yards and a touchdown for the the Colts , who played their last home game of the season .


Indianapolis closes with games at Kansas City and Cincinnati .


The Eagles were held without a touchdown until the final five seconds .


Philadelphia , which fell from an NFC East tie with the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins , go on the road against the New York Jets and then entertain Arizona .


The loss by Philadelphia allowed the idle Green Bay Packers ( 10-3 ) to clinch the first NFC playoff berth .


The Colts won despite the absence of injured starting defensive tackle Tony Siragusa , cornerback Ray Buchanan and linebacker Quentin Coryatt .


Faulk carried 16 times , including a 13-yard TD run in the first quarter and a seven-yard score early in the final period .


Justin made his second straight start for Harbaugh , who has a knee injury .


Justin suffered a sprained right shoulder in the third quarter and did not return .


Third-stringer Kerwin Bell , a 1988 draft choice of the Miami Dolphins , made his NFL debut and was 5-of-5 for 75 yards , including a 20-yard scoring strike to Marvin Harrison in the third period .


A 39-yard interference penalty against Philadelphia 's Troy Vincent set up Faulk 's first score around left end that capped an 80-yard march 5:17 into the game and the rout was on .


Eagles quarterback Ty Detmer was 17-of-34 for 182 yards before he was benched .


Ricky Watters , who leads the NFC in rushing , left the game after getting kneed to the helmet after gaining 33 yards on seven carries .


NBA BASKETBALL - STANDINGS AFTER THURSDAY 'S GAMES .


Basketball Association teams after games played on Thursday


( tabulate under won , lost , percentage , games behind ) :


NFL AMERICAN FOOTBALL-STANDINGS AFTER THURSDAY 'S GAME .


standings after Thursday 's game ( tabulate under won , lost ,


tied , points for and points against ) :


NFL AMERICAN FOOTBALL-THURSDAY 'S RESULT .


League game on Thursday ( home team in CAPS ) :


NCAA AMERICAN FOOTBALL-OHIO STATE 'S PACE FIRST REPEAT LOMBARDI AWARD WINNER .


Ohio State left tackle Orlando Pace became the first repeat winner of the Lombardi Award Thursday night when the Rotary Club of Houston again honoured him as college football 's lineman of the year .


Pace , a junior , helped Ohio State to a 10-1 record and a berth in the Rose Bowl against Arizona State .


He was the most dominant offensive lineman in the country and also played defensive line in goal-line situations .


Last year , Pace became the first sophomore to win the award since its inception in 1970 .


Pace outdistanced three senior finalists -- Virginia Tech defensive end Cornell Brown , Arizona State offensive tackle Juan Roque and defensive end Jared Tomich of Nebraska .


The Lombardi Award is presented to the college lineman who , in addition to outstanding effort on the field , best exemplifies the characteristics and discipline of Vince Lombardi , legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers .


SOCCER - DUTCH FIRST DIVISION RESULTS / STANDINGS .


Standings ( tabulate under played , won , drawn , lost , goals


SOCCER - GERMAN FIRST DIVISION RESULTS / STANDINGS .


Standings ( tabulated under played , won , drawn , lost , goals


Lens 0 Nantes 4 ( Japhet N'Doram 7 , Claude Makelele 42 , Jocelyn


Gourvennec 67 , Christophe Pignol 72 ) .


Paris St Germain 1 ( Bruno N'Gotty 2 ) Nancy 2 ( Paul Fischer


SOCCER - DUTCH FIRST DIVISION SUMMARIES .


RKC Waalwijk 1 ( Starbuck 76 ) Willem II Tilburg 2 ( Konterman 45 ,


division after Friday 's matches ( tabulate under played , won ,


drawn , lost , goals for , against , points ) :


SOCCER - GERMAN FIRST DIVISION SUMMARIES .


Summaries of matches played in the German first division on Friday :


Bochum 2 ( Stickroth 30th pen , Wosz 89th ) Bayer Leverkusen 2 ( Kirsten 18th , Ramelow 56th ) .


Werder Bremen 1 ( Bode 85th ) 1860 Munich 1 ( Bormirow 8th ) .


Karlsruhe 3 ( Reich 29th , Carl 44th , Dundee 69th ) Freiburg 0 .


Schalke 2 ( Mulder 2nd and 27th ) Hansa Rostock 0 .


TENNIS - GRAND SLAM CUP QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS .


Quarter-final results at the $ 6 million Grand Slam Cup tennis tournament on Friday : Goran Ivanisevic ( Croatia ) beat Mark Woodforde ( Australia ) 6-4 6-4


Yevgeny Kafelnikov ( Russia ) beat Jim Courier ( U.S. ) 2-6 6-4 8-6


SOCCER - WEAH HEAD-BUTT DEPRIVES PORTUGAL OF COSTA .


Portugal called up Porto central defender Joao Manuel Pinto on Friday to face Germany in a World Cup qualifier in place of injured club colleague Jorge Costa , who is still nursing a broken nose after being head-butted by Liberian striker Georg Weah .


Costa has not played since being struck by the AC Milan forward after a bad-tempered European Champions ' League game on November 27 .


Portugal lead European qualifying group nine with seven points from four games , one more than Ukraine and three more than Germany , who have only played twice .


The Portuguese host Germany on December 14 .


Goalkeepers - Vitor Baia ( Barcelona , Spain ) , Rui Correia ( Braga ) :


Defenders - Paulinho Santos ( Porto ) , Sergio Conceicao ( Porto ) , Joao Manuel Pinto ( Porto ) , Oceano Cruz ( Sporting ) , Fernando Couto ( Barcelona ) , Helder Cristovao ( Deportivo Coruna , Spain ) , Dimas Teixeira ( Juventus , Italy ) , Carlos Secretario ( Real Madrid , Spain ) :


Midfielders - Rui Barros ( Porto ) , Jose Barroso ( Porto ) , Luis Figo ( Barcelona ) , Paulo Bento ( Oviedo , Spain ) , Jose Taira ( Salamanca , Spain ) :


Forwards - Antonio Folha ( Porto ) , Joao Vieira Pinto ( Benfica ) , Paulo Alves ( Sporting ) , Rui Costa ( Fiorentina , Italy ) , Jorge Cadete ( Celtic Glasgow , Scotland ) .


SOCCER SHOWCASE-BETTING ON REAL MADRID V BARCELONA .


Spanish first division match between Real Madrid and Barcelona :


To win : 6-5 Real Madrid ; 7-4 Barcelona


40-1 Carlos Secretario 28-1 Sergi Barjuan


SOCCER SHOWCASE-FANS FACE BREATHALYSER TESTS , PAPER SAYS .


Spanish police will breathalyse fans at the gates of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium and ban drunk supporters from Saturday 's big Real Madrid-Barcelona game , the Madrid daily El Mundo said on Friday .


Although there are no known precedents in the country , the action is envisaged in Spanish legislation governing sports events .


Tickets for the game stipulate that supporters will be barred if they are " under the effects of alcohol " .


SOCCER - SPANISH FIRST DIVISION STANDINGS .


division ahead of this weekend 's games .


( tabulate under games played , won , drawn , lost , goals for ,


SOCCER - SPAIN PICK UNCAPPED ARMANDO FOR WORLD CUP CLASH .


Spain coach Javier Clemente has added uncapped Deportivo Coruna midfielder Armando Alvarez to his squad for the World Cup qualifier against Yugoslavia on December 14 .


I thought it was a joke , " said Armando who replaces injured Atletico Madrid playmaker Jose Luis Caminero .


SOCCER - FIFA BOSS HAVELANGE STANDS BY WEAH .


FIFA chairman Joao Havelange said on Friday he would personally present AC Milan George Weah with world soccer 's fair play award despite the striker 's attack on Porto captain Jorge Costa .


In an interview with the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport , he was quoted as saying Weah had been provoked into the assault which left Costa with a broken nose .


" FIFA has named the Liberian for its 1996 Fair Play award and it is not going to change its decision , " Havelange said .


" A reaction , provoked , cannot erase 10 years of loyalty everywhere and in every competition .


" I will be happy to give him the award personally on January 20 in Lisbon and I 'm confident that Costa himself will be there beside me on that day to shake his hand . "


Weah was suspended for one match by UEFA , European soccer 's governing body , pending a fuller investigation .


The incident took place in the players ' tunnel after a European Champions ' League match on November 20 .


Weah has admitted head butting Costa but said he reacted to racist taunts .


He has offered to apologise if Costa acknowledges the provocation .


Costa , who needed surgery on his nose , has not accepted the offer and was reported to be considering suing Weah .


Weah served out his suspension during Milan 's 2-1 home defeat by Rosenborg of Norway on Wednesday .


The defeat put the Italians out of the Europoean Cup .


GUNMEN WOUND TWO MANCHESTER UNITED FANS IN AUSTRIA .


Two Manchester United soccer fans were wounded by unidentified gunmen on Friday and taken to hospital in the Austrian capital , police said .


" The four Britons were shot at from a Mercedes car at around 1 a.m. , " a spokeswoman told Reuters .


The two men were hit in the pelvis and leg .


Police said their lives were not in danger .


The fans , in Austria to watch their team play Rapid Vienna last Wednesday , may have been involved in a pub brawl earlier , the spokeswoman said .


SOCCER - ITALIAN FIRST DIVISION MATCHES THIS WEEKEND .


Italian Serie A games to be played on Sunday ( league positions in parentheses , all kick- off times GMT ) :


Along with leaders Vicenza , fourth-placed Bologna represent the biggest surprise of this Italian autumn .


Led as usual by Swede Kennet Andersson and Russian Igor Kolyvanov in attack , Bologna can expect a tough home match against a Piacenza side still exultant after a 3-2 league win over AC Milan last Sunday .


Cagliari start favourite in this relegation scrap following draws with Napoli and Inter in last two outings but will be without suspended Swiss defender Ramon Vega .


Bottom team Reggiana are also without a suspended defender , German Dietmar Beiersdorfer .


Fiorentina will be without three suspended players -- defenders Daniele Carnasciali and Lorenzo Amoruso and midfielder Emiliano Bigica -- for a difficult home match against unpredictable , attack-oriented Perugia led by in-form Croat striker Milan Rapajic and the experienced Fausto Pizzi .


Poor man 's Roman derby in what has been a miserable season for both Rome teams , already eliminated from the Italian and UEFA Cups .


Lazio have injury doubts about striker Pierluigi Casiraghi , Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved and defender Paolo Negro , while Roma present a full strength side led by Argentine Abel Balbo , Marco Delvecchio and Francesco Totti in attack .


Following their midweek Champions ' League elimination by Norwegian side Rosenborg , a morale-boosting win is badly needed .


Liberian striker George Weah makes a welcome return for Milan alongside Roberto Baggio , with Montenegrin Dejan Savicevic in midfield .


Good news for Milan is that Udinese 's German striker Oliver Bierhoff is out through injury .


In-form Napoli should prove too strong for second from bottom Verona despite the absence of their suspended Argentine defender Roberto Ayala .


Verona 's slim chances have been further reduced by a knee injury to their experienced midfielder Eugenio Corini .


Parma may field new signing , Croat midfielder Mario Stanic , in an attempt to lift a miserable season which has seen them go without a win since a 1-0 triumph over Cagliari eight weeks ago .


Parma 's French midfielder Daniel Bravo and defender Fabio Cannavaro are suspended while Argentine Nestor Sensini is out through injury .


Atalanta look to Filippo Inzaghi , scorer of eight goals .


All-conquering Juventus field their most recent signing , Portuguese defender Dimas , while Alessandro Del Piero and Croat Alen Boksic lead the attack .


The new world club champions may prove too strong for a Sampdoria side led by captain Roberto Mancini but missing injured French midfielder Pierre Laigle .


Vicenza ( 1 ) v Internazionale ( 2 ) 1330


Not exactly a clash of the titans but an intriuguing match nonetheless .


Full strength Vicenza , led by Uruguayan Marcelo Otero , may continue their surprise run at the top against an Inter side that has been less than impressive in three successive home draws .


Inter will be without suspended French defender Joceyln Angloma and injured Chilean striker Ivan Zamorano .


Result of a EuroLeague basketball match on Thursday :


Charleroi ( Belgium ) 75 Estudiantes Madrid ( Spain ) 82 ( 34-35 )


Charleroi - Eric Cleymans 18 , Ron Ellis 18 , Jacques Stas 14


Estudiantes - Harper Williams 20 , Chadler Thompson 17 , Juan Aisa 14


Partizan Belgrade ( Yugoslavia ) 78 Kinder Bologna ( Italy ) 70 ( halftime 44-35 )


SQUASH - EYLES WITHIN SIGHT OF FIFTH TITLE OF YEAR .


World number two Rodney Eyles moved within sight of his fifth title of the year on Friday when he hurried in only 40 minutes to the final of the richest squash tournament outside the World Open , the $ 105,000 Mahindra International .


The Australian brushed aside unseeded Englishman Mark Cairns 15-7 15-6 15-8 .


Top-seeded Eyles now meets titleholder Peter Nicol of Scotland who overcame Simon Parke of England 15-7 15-12 15-12 .


Nicol was full of praise for his opponent who has battled testicular cancer to return to the circuit . "


He 's a remarkably courageous player , " said Nicol .


SQUASH - MAHINDRA INTERNATIONAL SEMIFINAL RESULTS .


Results of semifinals in the Mahindra International squash tournament on Friday :


Peter Nicol ( Scotland ) beat Simon Parke ( England ) 15-7 15-12 15-12 Rodney Eyles ( Australia ) beat Mark Cairns ( England ) 15-7 15-6 15-8 .


GUNMEN KILL FOUR IN S.AFRICA 'S ZULU PROVINCE .


At least four people have been shot dead in two suspected political attacks in South Africa 's volatile Zulu heartland , police said on Friday .


A police spokesman said two youths believed to be supporters of President Nelson Mandela 's African National Congress ( ANC ) had been killed when unknown gunmen opened fire at the rural settlement of Izingolweni on KwaZulu-Natal province 's south coast on Thursday night .


The victims were 18 and 20 , he said , adding one other youth had been wounded in the shooting .


In another attack , also on the province 's south coast on Thursday night , two men were shot dead near Umkomaas .


" We suspect that these killings are linked to politics , " spokesman Bala Naidoo told Reuters .


The killings came just hours after violence monitors said they were not optimistic of a peaceful festive season in KwaZulu-Natal and pointed the south coast region where 18 people were massacred last Christmas as one of potential hot spots .


They said the recent lull in political feuding could be upset as thousands of migrant workers , some tense with grudges brewed in the cities and keen to settle old scores , flock back to their home villages .


More than 14,000 people have lost their lives in over a decade of political turf wars between the ANC and Zulu Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi 's Inkatha Freedom Party in the province .


HAVEL PRAISES CZECH NATIVE ALBRIGHT AS FRIEND .


Czech President Vaclav Havel on Friday welcomed the appointment of Madeleine Albright , who is of Czech extraction , as the United States ' first woman Secretary of State .


In a statement Havel , who is recovering from cancer surgery , said : " Madeleine Albright is a distinguished friend , a tested diplomat , and a true American of fine origins . "


" I look forward to continuing our good relations ...


with the United States and with the first woman ever to hold the position of Secretary of State .


I wish her well , " Havel said in a statement to Reuters .


Havel , who helped lead the " velvet revolution " that ousted the Communist regime in Prague in 1989 , invited Albright , then working for a private foreign policy think tank , to advise his new democratic government in 1990 .


Havel had a small malignant tumour removed from his lung on Monday and is recovering in hospital .


Albright , born Marie Korbelova to a Czechoslovak diplomat in 1937 , fled with her family to the United States after the Communists came to power in a coup in 1948 .


As an academic , Albright studied and lectured on Europe 's 20th century problems before becoming U.S. ambassador to the United Nations .


Czech diplomats , seeking to have their country included in the expected expansion of NATO , praised the selection of Albright , known to be a strong supporter of alliance 's integration of former Soveit-bloc countries .


is a clear signal that one key of the lines of foreign policy will be the strengthening of the trans-Atlantic cooperation , a creation of strategic partnership between Europe and the US , " Foreign Minister Josef Zieleniec told Reuters .


" ( Albright ) is a convinced advocate of NATO enlargement and of stabilisation of security structures . "


Czech ambassador to the United Nations , Karel Kovanda , told the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes that Albright " is a little light in our diplomatic heaven , " but warned against expecting her to exert any influence in favour of the Czechs .


RADIO ROMANIA AFTERNOON HEALINES AT 4 PM .


* The Democratic Convention signed an agreement on government and parliamentary support with its coalition partners the Social Democratic Union and the Hungarian Democratic Union ( UDMR ) .


The ceremony was attended by President Emil Constantinescu .


* The three parties in the government coalition have committed themselves to a real reform of Romania 's economy , Constantinescu said after the ceremony .


* The UDMR wants to contribute to social reform and economic revival in Romania , union leader Marko Bela said .


* The international airport in Timisoara and the domestic airports in Arad , Oradea and Sibiu were closed due to fog .


CZECH VICE-PM SEES WIDER DEBATE AT PARTY CONGRESS .


Saturday 's national congress of the ruling Czech Civic Democratic Party ( ODS ) will discuss making the party more efficient and transparent , Foreign Minister and ODS vice-chairman Josef Zieleniec , said on Friday .


" Modernisation and more profesionalism of the party 's structure , having financing of the party be more transparent ...


are absolutely fundamental , " Zieleniec , who is also vice-premier in the government , told Reuters .


He said after June general elections in which the ruling three-party coalition lost its parliamentary majority , the ODS executive , led by Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus , had developed proposals on these subjects to present at the congress on Saturday in the Czech second city Brno .


" I am convinced , that the congress will tackle these proposals , " he said .


The ODS , a party in which Klaus often tries to emulate the style of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , has been in control of Czech politics since winning general elections in 1992 .


Zieleniec in the summer led calls for the party and its leadership to listen to more diverse opinions , a thinly-veiled criticism of Klaus who has spearheaded the country 's post-Communist economic reforms .


The party , led by the vigorously-confident Klaus , took 32 of 81 seats after late November runoff elections to the new upper house of Czech parliament .


But after the first round vote a week before , the ODS had the potential to win as many 79 seats .


Klaus and his coalition lost its majority in parliament in June lower house elections after the left-wing opposition consolidated , putting the centre-left Social Democrats in a strong second-place position .


POLAND GOT MONEY FROM POST-WAR SWISS ACCOUNTS .


Poland said on Friday that Swiss bank accounts , which in many cases belonged to Polish Jews who died in the Holocaust , were used in debt settlements between the two countries after the World War Two .


Foreign Minister Dariusz Rosati , unveiling first findings of a special government commission , said that in 1970s the then communist Poland received 460,000 Swiss francs from the accounts .


" In 1970s , Poland received from unclaimed accounts in Switzerland a sum of 460,000 francs .


What was its right ( to the money ) ...I do not know , " Rosati told a news conference .


Switzerland stands accused by Senator Alfonse D'Amato , chairman of the powerful U.S. Senate Banking Committee , of agreeing to give money to Poland from unclaimed bank accounts of Polish citizens , as part of an accord on compensating Swiss nationals whose assets had been seized in communist Poland .


Many of these citizens were Jews murdered during the war , when Nazi German invaders killed most of Poland 's 3.5 million Jews .


Rosati did not say whether the payment in 1970s was part of the 1949 agreement between Warsaw and Switzerland on compensation to Swiss citizens whose assets were seized by the Soviet-imposed communists authorities after World War Two .


" I expect that the commission will finish gathering information within two to three weeks and then more details will be provided , " Rosati said .


Rosati confirmed that the 1949 agreement had provided for granting Switzerland about 53 million francs and most of this sum was repaid with coal exports .


He said , however , that Switzerland did get about 16,000 francs from the so-called " dead accounts " as part of the compensation .


" About 16,000 francs were seized from accounts of four or five Polish citizens , whose data we do not precisely know .


The issue is of moral and legal nature , because its financial significance is small , " Rosati said .


Under pressure from international Jewish organisations , Swiss government has devised a plan to pay out millions of dollars in unclaimed bank accounts as a conciliatory gesture toward Holocaust victims .


The conservative Radical Democrats ( FDP ) have said they would ask parliament next week to order Swiss banks to put some 40 million Swiss francs ( $ 31 million ) in dormant wealth into a fund earmarked for Jewish groups and charitable organisations .


But Swiss banks and the country 's Jewish community voiced doubts whether the plan would work .


INTERVIEW-ZYWIEC SEES NO BIG 97 NET RISE .


Polish brewer Zywiec 's 1996 profit slump may last into next year due in part to hefty depreciation charges , but recent high investment should help the firm defend its 10-percent market share , the firm 's chief executive said .


Company President Jean van Boxmeer told Reuters in an interview on Friday that the firm , whose net profit fell 77 percent in the first 10 months of 1996 despite a 30-percent rise in sales , might only post slightly better profits in 1997 before having a chance to make a more significant turnaround .


So far this year Zywiec , whose full name is Zaklady Piwowarskie w Zywcu SA , has netted six million zlotys on sales of 224 million zlotys .


It has produced 1.5 million hectolitres .


Van Boxmeer would not say how much higher 1997 profits or market share could be but said sales of leading Polish brewers should rise as the country 's young urban professionals gradually switch from vodka to beer .


" The perspective on growth is such that reasonably we can think that somewhere between 65 and 80 litres per year is certainly reachable , " van Boxmeer said on Polish per-capita beer consumption , currently around 40 litres .


He said the 65-80-litre level could be reached in the next ten years and make Poland , with its 40-million population , Europe 's third largest beer market after Germany and Britain .


Van Boxmeer said Poland 's top five brewers , which produce about 55 percent of the country 's beer , could all raise market share as some of the numerous small brewers fall to competition from the large brewers with foreign investors .


Zywiec is 31.8-percent owned by Heineken while Carlsberg has the same amount in Okocim .


Earlier this year South African Breweries Ltd ( SAB ) bought strategic stakes in the unlisted Lech and Tychy brewers , which together hold more than 20 percent of the market , and Australia 's Brewpole BV has a controlling stake in Poland 's larges t brewery , Elbrewery Company Ltd. ( EB ) .


Van Boxmeer said the tough competition had prevented Zywiec from raising prices in line with inflation , which had added to the pressure on the firm 's margins .


He said advertising costs would also increase in the fight for market share .


But he said the company 's investment of more than $ 100 million already this decade , largely in production , would help position it to compete with such competitors as brewers from the neighbouring Czech Republic .


Some analysts say cheaper but high-quality Czech imports could invade Poland once tariffs for CEFTA countries are lifted in 1998 , but van Boxmeer says such a threat might be exaggerated despite the Czech beer market 's overcapacity .


" I think Polish consumers in general are quite proud of their beers -- and I 'm speaking about all the brands -- and as we make good beers ...


I think that this fidelity to our beers is a factor which can limit the Czech beers , " he said .


Van Boxmeer said Zywiec had its eye on Okocim , which has said it would start producing Carlsberg beer next year , but that Zywiec 's potential production of Heineken was a medium-term possibility rather than a short-term one .


He said his firm would be better off concentrating on its leading brand , Zywiec Full Light , which accounts for 85 percent of sales and is the country 's largest-selling brand .


" You will not win the war of the Polish beer market with imported international brands , " van Boxmeer said , adding that Heineken would remain an up-market import in Poland .


Van Boxmeer also said Zywiec would be boosted by its recent shedding of soft drinks which only accounted for about three percent of the firm 's overall sales and for which 7.6 million zlotys in provisions had already been made .


HAVEL HAS TRAECHEOTOMY AFTER CONDITIONS WORSENS .


Doctors performed an emergency tracheotomy to help Czech President Vaclav Havel breathe after cancer surgery on his lungs earlier this week , a spokesman said on Friday .


He said that the procedure to insert a device into Havel 's throat , done after his breathing worsened on Thursday , had helped , and the president 's condition significantly improved .


" A worsening in the president 's lung functions took place yesterday , " presidential spokesman Ladlislav Spacek said in a statement .


" A tracheotomy was performed and supportive breathing was installed through the help of a breathing device , " he said . "


After these steps , the president 's condition signigicantly improved . "


Havel has been recovering from surgery on Monday which removed a small malignant tumour and half of his right lung .


Doctors after the operation said that they had caught the cancer early , and that Havel could fully recover from the surgery within six weeks .


His spokesman said on Thursday that Havel , 60 and a heavy smoker , had also developed a slight case of pneumonia in the left lung .


UK-US open skies talks end , no date to restart .


The UK Department of Transport on Friday said that the latest round of " open skies " talks with the U.S. had ended with no deal on liberalising the transatlantic flight market and no date set for when talks would restart .


A spokesman for the DOT told Reuters " We have had talks towards concluding a new air service agreement which would produce liberalisation ...


useful progress was made on a number of issues , but not all .


No date has been set for further talks . "


PT Tambang Timah closed at $ 15.575 per GDR in London on Friday .


It recorded the day 's low of $ 15.475 and the day 's high of $ 15.725 .


One Global Depository Receipt represents 10 common shares .


PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia ( Telkom ) closed at $ 35 in London on Friday .


It recorded the day 's low of $ 34.475 and the day 's high of $ 35.375 .


Its previous close on Thursday as $ 35.63 .


One ADS represents 20 ordinary shares -- Jakarta newsroom +6221 384-6364 .


Woman charged over N. Ireland arms find .


A woman was charged on Friday with terrorist offences after three Irish Republican Army mortar bombs were found in a Belfast house , police said .


Police said the bombs were found hidden with incendiaries and ammunition that were blocked up behind a kitchen wall .


The 35-year-old woman was charged with possession of explosives with intent to endanger life and making a house available for the purpose of terrorism , police said .


Security forces said the bombs may have been intended for use in a pre-Christmas bombing campaign by the guerrilla group that is battling to oust Britain from Northern Ireland .


Britain sets conditions to clear American alliance .


The British government warned Friday that it would refer the proposed trans-Atlantic alliance between British Airways Plc and American Airlines to Britain 's Monopolies and Mergers Commission unless the carriers complied with a number of conditions .


Trade and Industry Secretary Ian Lang added that even if the conditions were met by both airlines , final clearance would hinge on an open skies deal between Britain and the United States to liberalise trans-Atlantic air traffic , which would create greater competition on the routes .


Lang said he supported conditions proposed by Britain 's Office of Fair Trading , which was asked to examine the case last month .


" I agree ... that without suitable undertakings the alliance would be likely to lead to a significant loss of actual and potential passengers , on those routes where BA and AA currently compete and for all passengers on the trans-Atlantic market route between the UK and U.S. , " he said .


His comments came just minutes after the latest set of open skies talks ended in London with no deal signed .


Industry sources said there was no new date for fresh talks and blamed the deadlock on uncertainty over whether the British Airways-American deal would be cleared .


The conditions for clearance of the alliance were that British Airways and American drop 168 slots at London Heathrow airport , the busiest in Europe .


American 's parent , AMR Corp. , said it did not view the terms as a " deal breaker . "


However , it called the conditions " more severe " than those imposed by other regulatory authorities on similar airline alliances .


British Airways 's initial response was that " unconditional divestiture of slots is unprecedented and if done it must be on the basis of fair market value . "


It added that it would be " prepared to take reasonable steps to assist the introduction of additional competition . "


The government also wants British Airways to drop a clause in its agreement with USAir that bars it from competing on trans-Atlantic routes , and said both British Airways and American should be prepared to reduce services on the London to Dallas-Fort Worth route in the event that a new entrant wishes to enter .


It also suggested losing some slots on the London-to-Boston route .


The Office of Fair Trade called for British Airways / American to allow third-party access to their joint frequent flyer programme where the applicant does not have access to an equivalent programme .


Lang said responses should be made to the Office of Fair Trading by Jan. 10 , 1997 .


Med oil products mostly lower as Elf strike ends .


Mediterranean oil products were steady to mostly lower on Friday after Elf refinery workers voted to end their nine-day strike .


Gas oil erased Thursday 's gains , plunging $ 5.50 a tonne in line with the screen .


Volume was very thin and market remained long , with premiums down $ 1 at about high cif quotes +$0.50 basis Genoa . "


The sharp moves on the screen make everyone nervous , " a trader said .


Trades were discussed in 0.2 , 0.5 and one percent heating oil into Syria and Lebanon and there were fresh inquiries from France and Spain for low sulphur diesel .


Interest remains focussed on a tender by India for a second purchase of high speed diesel for January delivery .


Fuel oil lost ground sharply with weaker crude , but also suffered from some pricing pressure .


High sulphur cracked fuel lost about $ 3 to $ 109-111 fob Med with several cargoes threatening to overhang the market .


The chance of material heading north , talked earlier this week , may be in jeopardy now since American fuel oil is expected to head transatlantic following outages at two coking units in the U.S .


Up to 165,000 tonnes of fuel will have to find a new home and with the arbitrage from the U.S. to Europe open Rotterdam is a prime candidate .


Low sulphur prices were lower with cif Med pegged in the mid to low $ 140s .


Gasoline prices fell after striking Elf refinery workers voted to go back to work , traders said .


But an open arbitrage to the U.S. and tight Italian supplies after Elf scooped up Med material over the last week , continued to underpin prices into next week .


A boy has died from meningitis and a girl from the same school has contracted the disease in the second such scare to hit Britain in as many weeks , health authorities said on Friday .


The 16-year-old who attended Sale Grammar School in the northern England city of Manchester died less than a day after becoming ill .


The 15-year-old girl is also suffering from the disease and hospital officials described her condition as serious .


" At the moment there is no evidence the two cases are linked .


However , we are assuming they are as a precaution for the time being , " a spokeswoman said .


The more than 1,260 students at the school are being given antibiotics as a precaution .


Wales grappled with its own cluster of meningitis cases on a university campus in Cardiff .


At least two people have died and hundreds have been vaccinated in an effort to contain the virus .


In Scotland , eight people have died and hundreds more are fighting a widespread food-poisoning outbreak .


A health authority spokeswoman said 78 people suspected of having the disease , including 64 confirmed cases , were still being treated .


More than 290 people have reported symptoms in Lanarkshire county , the worst-hit area , since the outbreak first came to light after people ate tainted meat pies at a pensioners ' lunch .


Major 's office-Conservatives still have majority .


British Prime Minister John Major 's office said on Friday that rebel Conservative MP Sir John Gorst had not " resigned the whip " ( quit the parliamentary party ) and the government still had a majority in the 651-seat parliament .


" He ( Gorst ) isreserving the right not to cooperate , but he has not resigned the whip .


The government still has a majority , " a spokesman from Major 's office in Downing Street said .


Gorst 's office said later the MP would not feel himself obliged to vote with the government .


He said at one point during a press conference : " I have seen my whip ( party manager ) for next week which , of course , does n't mean very much to me now . "


Before Gorst 's statement , Major had a one-seat majority in the 651-seat House of Commons lower house of parliament .


In his formal statement , Gorst said : " I am today withdrawing my cooperation from the government and shall not treat the " whip ' as either a summons to attend the House of Commons or as placing me under any obligation to vote as advised . "


Gorst resigned over a hospital closure in his constituency .


Electronic Data bags flight data contract .


Information technology firm Electronic Data Systems said on Friday it had bagged a contract for the first air traffic control project being funded under the Private Finance Initiative .


In a statement , EDS said the contract would be in the region of 50 million stg .


The contract involved upgrading the flight data processing system at the Oceanic Control Centre in Prestwick in south west Scotland for National Air Traffic Services Ltd ( NATS ) , subsidiary of the Civil Aviation Authority .


The system is responsible for the control of aircraft flying transatlantic routes from Europe and North America .


The system , which would use satellite technology , is scheduled to enter service in 2000 .


RTRS - Cricket - Play restarts in Australia-West Indies match .


Play restarted in the first World Series limited overs match between West Indies and Australia after a rain delay of 50 minutes on Friday .


West Indies resumed their innings on 53 for two with opener Sherwin Campbell on 25 and Shivnarine Chanderpaul 10 .


Rain earlier delayed the start of play by 30 minutes .


Cricket - Pakistan beat New Zealand by 46 runs .


Pakistan beat New Zealand by 46 runs on Friday to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match one-day series .


Scores : Pakistan 277-9 , New Zealand 231


Manitoba Pork forward contract PM prices - Dec 6 .


Manitoba Pork closing forward contract prices in Canadian dollars per hundred lbs ( Cwt ) for Dec 6 including minimum guaranteed price --


CONTRACT PREVIOUS CLOSE PM CLOSE PM CLOSING RANGE


Note : Manitoba Government Price Index ( C$ per cwt ) -


Manitoba 's Hog Price Range : 84.00-86.00 per cwt


CAN / U.S. DOLLAR EXCHANGE RATE : 1.3570


Canadian West Coast Vessel Loadings - CWB .


The Canadian Wheat Board reported six ships loading , 10 waiting and four due at the Canadian West Coast , as of Friday .


The longest wait to load on the West Coast was 13 days .


Two ship loaded in Thunder Bay , one waited and seven were due .


Two ships loaded on the East Coast , three waited to load , six were due .


No new fixtures reported from New York .


New York coal / ore / scrap fixtures - Dec 6 .


ORE - Maritime Queen 70,000 tonnes Dampier / Kaohsiung 20-30/12 $ 5.25 fio 35,000 / 30,000 China Steel .


Clean tankers fixtures and enquiries - 2321 GMT .


Danila 28.5 16/12 Caribs / up W224 Mobil .


-- New York Commodities Desk , 212-859-1640


Dirty tanker fixtures and enquiries - 2317 GMT .


Thai Resource 264 31/12 Ras Tanura / Red Sea W46.50 Mobil .


Lula I 85 25/12 Sidi Kreir / Augusta W100 Exxon .


Spetses 139 17/12 Sidi Kreir / Augusta W97.50 Exxon .


Mesipia 77.5 17/12 Bajaia / Fos W105 Exxon .


NYC Jan refunding has its 1st Euro floating rate .


New York City on Friday said that it planned a $ 775 million refunding for January that will include its first floating rate issue of taxable debt for European investors .


A city official , who declined to be named , explained that Goldman , Sachs , which this summer was demoted to the second tier of the syndicate , proposed the floating rate issue and as a result was promoted to book runner for this offering .


By selling the floating rate debt , the city hopes to establish a benchmark , the city official said , adding that it needed a large deal to accomplish this objective .


The city in late June sold its first issue of Euronotes , a strategy that it says saved it $ 500,000 in interest costs , and it has been trying to build on this strategy of expanding the pool of potential investors since then .


In November , New York City said it became the first U.S. municipality to offer bonds for sale in European markets by competitive bidding as it listed taxable bonds on the London Stock Exchange .


The refunding planned for January also includes a $ 475 million tax-exempt offering .


No specific date in January has been selected for the debt sale , the official added .


USDA gross cutout hide and offal value .


The hide and offal value from a typical slaughter steer for Friday was estimated at $ 9.54 per cwt live , dn 0.05 when compared to Thursday 's value .


Wall St speculates about Santa Fe savior .


Homestake Mining Co tops Wall Street 's list as the most likely white knight buyer for Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corp if Santa Fe rejects unsolicited suitor Newmont Mining Corp .


Santa Fe is so far mum on the more than $ 2 billion stock swap takeover proposal from Newmont , announced Thursday .


Wall Street , since the bid , has speculated that any deal between Newmont and Santa Fe would be a " bear hug , " or a reluctantly negotiated agreement where the buyer is not necessarily a friendly suitor .


Newmont said the companies have had previous contact , though declined to detail the encounters .


Analysts predict Santa Fe will go to the highest bidder , and that if a rival buyer is found , Newmont may not be able to match its offer .


They said the Santa Fe deal , which includes desirable Nevada mining territory , would only payoff for Newmont longer term .


Newmont , in fact , will not benefit from the Santa Fe acquisition on an earnings basis for at least two years , which also limits its capacity to raise its offer .


Any deal , friendly or hostile , would almost assuredly be a stock swap , which is necessary to preserve the tax-free , pooling-of-interest accounting , they said .


Analysts and arbitrageurs immediately ruled out Barrick Gold Corp and Bre-X Minerals Ltd as Santa Fe saviors because they are locked in negotiations over their splitting Indonesia 's Busang vast gold deposit .


Placer Dome Inc too was considered unlikley because it is focusing on geographic expansion in areas that do match Santa Fe 's Nevada , South America and Central Asia presence , they said .


A Homestake spokesman was not immediately available to comment on speculation that it tops the list .


Homestake , based in San Francisco , operates gold mines in the United States , Australia , Chile and Canada .


Earnings in 1995 were $ 0.22 per share , or $ 30.3 million , on revenues of $ 746.3 million .


Santa Fe is headquartered Albuquerque , N.M. and reported 1995 earnings of $ 0.30 per share , or $ 40 million , on revenues of $ 350 million .


Santa Fe has mining and exploration operations in Nevada , California , Montana , Canada , Brazil , Australia , Chile , Kazakstan , Mexico and Ghana .


PaineWebber analyst Marc Cohen said he lowered his rating on Newmont to neutral from attractive today because if Newmont merged with Santa Fe , investors would have to wait until the second half of 1998 to realize earnings accretion .


" I think Homestake could come in as a white knight , but how much is someone willing to come in above the Newmont number .


One would have to outbid by at least 15 percent , but there is going to be a ( Santa Fe ) deal with someone , " he said .


" Longer term , two to three years out , ( a Newmont-Santa Fe deal ) is positive , it does all the right things .


But in the near-term it is , at worst , neutral , " the analyst added .


Newmont proposed to Santa Fe a stock-swap merger at a ratio of 0.33 Newmont shares for each Santa Fe shares .


In Friday New York Stock Exchange trade , Newmonth was off 1/2 to 46-5/8 while Santa Fe added 1/4 to 15-1/8 .


" Newmont said it wants to discuss a friendly deal with Santa Fe , which is almost always a euphemism for ' We have more money in our pocket , ' " said an arb , referring to a possible sweetened bid from Newmont .


Two other arbs called Newmont 's move a " a 32 cent bid " because there is no formal tender offer , only the proposal letter " mailed " to Santa Fe 's board .


Russ Berrie president to retire in July .


Russ Berrie and Co Inc said on Friday that A. Curts Cooke will retire as president and chief operating officer effective July 1 , 1997 .


Cooke will provide consulting services to the company through July 1 , 1998 , and will continue to serve as a director , the toy and gift maker said .


Zimbabwe hanged a convicted murderer on Friday , bringing to eight the number of executions carried out in the past year .


A statement said Piniel Sindiso Ncube was hanged at dawn .


President Robert Mugabe 's government has resisted pressure from local and international human rights groups to abolish the death sentence .


Multinational commander going back to east Zaire .


The Canadian general in charge of a multinational force for eastern Zaire said on Friday he was going back to Zaire for more information about the plight of about 165,000 Rwandan refugees adrift in the countryside .


Lieutenant-General Maurice Baril told a news conference in Nairobi his main concern was for a large group of about 150,000 refugees living off the land in a valley about 65 km ( 40 miles ) west of the eastern city of Goma .


If he decided it was necessary and safe for the aircrew , he would not hesitate to order airdrops of food for the refugees , even against the wishes of the government in Kinshasa and the Zairean rebels who control much of eastern Zaire , he said .


" Tomorrow I 'm going into Rwanda and my intention is to go across into eastern Zaire and try to find out for the second time what the situation is on the ground , " he said .


General Baril saw rebel leader Laurent Kabila in Goma last week but the rebels told him the crisis was over because most of the Rwandan refugees have already gone home .


The rebels do not want the multinational force to deploy on the ground , for fear it might help the Zairean army regain control of the area .


Kinshasa opposes airdrops , apparently because the food could fall into the hands of the rebels and their local supporters .


Canadian Defence Minister Doug Young said on Thursday that the multinational force would probably not have to make food airdrops or intervene militarily in any major way .


" It does n't look as though they ( airdrops ) are going to be required in any significant way because the NGOs ( non-governmental organisations ) are in that area on the border between Zaire and Rwanda , " Young told reporters .


But General Baril said it would be premature to rule out any course of action until he had more information .


" We hope that if the front moves forward or stabilises then we will have access ( to the large group of refugees ) with reconnaissance or humanitarian agencies .


" If they ca n't move because they are too weak , then we will probably consider very seriously using air delivery means ( airdrops ) ...It 's complex , it 's dangerous for the air crew that fly in there and it will have to be absolutely necessary .


If it is necessary , I wo n't hesitate to use it , " he said .


Asked if he would disregard the objections of the Zairean government , he said : " It would have to be in the last resort .


It would have to mean that tens of thousands of lives are in danger .


Do you think that I would have a conscience problem doing it or not at that time ?


And my mandate is also under Chapter Seven to operate in eastern Zaire . "


Under Chapter Seven of the U.N. charter , the Security Council has wide powers to preserve peace and security .


" I know their ( the Zairean government 's ) position and I know it 's very delicate and we are very sensitive to their position also , " the general added .


He denied that his contacts , criticised by Kinshasa , with the Zairean rebels amounted to negotiations .


I coordinate with those who are holding ground and that 's a wise thing to do .


When we do n't know where the front is , we do n't know what the risk is . "


Baril said that apart from the group of 150,000 , U.S. and British reconnaissance plans had tracked two much smaller groups of refugees -- one of up to 1,000 north of the town of Masisi and one of up to 8,000 on the road from Bukavu west to Kindu .


The Kisangani office of the medical charity Medecins sans Frontieres said on Friday that more than 100,000 refugees were trekking northwest from the Goma-Bukavu area and many of them were now in the town of Walikale .


The general did not mention these refugees , who are on the outer limit of the strip the planes have been checking .


Mauritian authorities put the Indian Ocean island on cyclone alert on Friday .


The weather services office said the centre of the intense tropical cyclone Daniella was 570 km ( 310 miles ) north by northwest of the island on Friday afternoon and was moving south by southwest at eight km an hour ( four knots ) .


Although not threatening Mauritius directly , it is coming closer to the island and could change direction , it added .


Winds up to 75 km an hour ( 40 knots ) could blow over Mauritius during the night of Friday to Saturday , it said .


The weather in the capital Port Louis was heavily cloudy on Friday afternoon with occasional showers .


The northeastern coast of the nearby island of Madagascar has also gone on alert .


U.N. evacuates staff from Central African Republic .


The United Nations evacuated its staff in the Central African Republic on Friday because of mounting violence in a two-week-old army mutiny in the capital , a U.N. official said .


The official from the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said a chartered plane had picked up the staff from Bangui and was heading for Abidjan , Ivory Coast .


Senegal proposes foreign minister for U.N. post .


Senegal 's President Abdou Diouf said on Friday he was proposing his foreign minister Moustapha Niasse for the post of United Nations secretary-general .


Diouf announced his intention to reporters when he returned from the Franco-African summit in Burkina Faso where an African successor to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali was discussed .


The United States has vetoed a second term for the Egyptian but left the door open for another African candidate .


" If Africa does not wish to lose its turn we have to act fast , " Diouf said . "


Some of my brother heads of state asked me if I would n't nominate Moustapha Niasse .


I see in him the profile of a secretray-general of the United Nations and I have given my endorsement . "


Ex-minister , son killed in Central Africa unrest .


A former cabinet minister in Central African Republic and his son were abducted from their home and murdered in growing ethnic violence in the capital Bangui , a government minister said on Friday .


With violence spiralling out of control , France voiced backing for the elected Bangui government but said its troops based in the former colony under defence pacts would not help it combat army mutineers .


" France cannot be involved in the domestic political debate , " President Jacques Chirac told a news conference at the end of a Franco-African summit in Burkina Faso .


" French troops may only take part in maintaining order to avoid major abuses and protect foreign communities , " he said .


Public Service Minister David Dofara , who is the head of the national Red Cross , told Reuters he had seen the bodies of former interior minister Christophe Grelombe and his son , who was not named .


Witnesses said they had been seized by troops loyal to President Ange-Felix Patasse at dawn on Thursday when they clashed with soldiers staging a mutiny since November 16 .


Grelombe is from the Yakoma tribe to which most of the rebel soldiers belong .


The uprising began over pay demands but has turned into a campaign to topple Patasse , sparking ethnic violence and dividing the capital .


The former minister and his son had been taken from their home close to the presidential palace , which is guarded by loyalist soldiers backed by French troops based in Bangui .


The bodies were found on Thursday in an open field about two km ( one mile ) further away , said Dofora and other witnesses .


The men were seized as loyalist forces and French troops fought gunbattles with mutineers who fired rockets into the city centre .


A French-owned hotel was slightly damaged .


Yakomas are hounded in stronghold districts of Patasse 's Baya people while other tribes have fled areas in rebel hands .


Roadblocks have been erected in city districts while central Bangui , which is patrolled by French troops with tanks , is deserted .


Shops and businesses have remained shut this week .


The Franco-African summit decided to send a mission Bangui to seek ways of containing the mutiny and a threat of civil war .


Chirac said Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore would visit Bangui " in the coming hours " with the heads of state of Gabon , Mali and Chad to try and establish dialogue between authorities and rebels .


The mutiny forced Patasse to miss the summit .


His spokesman had predicted the meeting to send an assessment mission .


Patasse , who won Central Africa 's first multi-party elections , refuses to resign .


Church-led meadiation attempts hit deadlock over rebel demands for his departure .


Soldiers staged mutinies in April and May , with French troops stepping in with tanks and helicopters to quell the more serious second uprising .


Patasse offered concessions and amnesty to rebels before the May rebellion ended after rebels looted the city centre .


Rebels accuse Patasse of tribalism and of arming his civilian supporters and hired guns from Sudan and Chad .


Mutineers have vowed to disarm all civilians and to chase out the foreign forces knwon as Codos .


Hospital sources and witnesses said about 10 people were known to have been killed in the more than two weeks of fighting , including two rebels killed in Thursday 's clashes .


An undetermined number of people are reported to have been abducted and killed outside the town by tribal vigilante groups .


In Thursday 's fighting , French troops fired back as mutineers trying to break out of their strongholds rained mortar shells on the city centre .


Five die as SAfrican crop plane hits pickup .


Five people were killed when a crop-spraying plane preparing for takeoff crashed into a light delivery vehicle in South Africa 's North West region , state radio reported on Friday .


The freak accident occurred in Mafikeng on Thursday .


The pilot survived the crash , but the driver and passengers of the van were killed .


WEATHER - Conditions at CIS airports - Dec 6 .


No weather-related closures of CIS airports are expected on December 7 and 8 , the Russian Weather Service said on Friday .


Skinheads attack Bratislava Rabbi - police .


Four skinheads attacked and insulted the rabbi of Bratislava , Baruch Meyers , in the city centre on Friday , but he escaped unharmed , a police spokesman told Reuters .


" A group of four skinheads attacked the rabbi , one kicked him in the hand but caused no injury , " the spokesman said .


" All four attackers were apprehended and two have been detained , " the spokesman added


" The further procedure is now in the hands of the local police investigator , " the spokesman said .


It was the second attack by skinheads in two years on Meyers , an American .


Albanian jailed for threat of bomb suicide .


An Albanian court on Friday sentenced a man who threatened to blow himself up outside President Sali Berisha 's office to 13 years in jail for guerrilla action and illegal possession of arms .


Buza last April said he would blow himself up outside the presidential palace unless he was allowed to speak to Berisha , who was at the time meeting Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro .


Buza was overpowered by riot police less than one hour after he began his action .


" Evaluating all the conditions of the case the court thinks the sentence should be lower than the minimum ( 15 years ) , " Tirana judge Qazim Gjonaj added .


The defendant denied the charges , saying his action was intended to urge the authorities to give him a $ 20,000 loan .


Medical experts had concluded Buza was mentally unstable but fully responsible for the act he had committed , Gjonaj said .


Polish ex-communist president to visit Pope .


Poland 's ex-communist President Aleksander Kwasniewski is likely to visit Polish-born Pope John Paul in early 1997 despite uneasy relations between the Vatican and Warsaw , the foreign minister said on Friday .


" President Kwasniewski plans to visit Italy on a invitation from President Oscar Scalfaro .


A meeting with the Pope is also planned , " Dariusz Rosati told a news conference .


Rosati said that the atmosphere of the meeting , if it takes place , would largely depend on the progress in talks on ratification of a treaty between Warsaw and the Vatican .


The ratification of the treaty , which was signed in 1993 by the then right-centrist government , is being delayed by an ex-communist party , which won parliamentary elections in the same year and now dominates parliament .


The party , the Democratic Left Alliance , says the agreement would give the Catholic Church too much influence over life in Poland and could infringe on rights of other religious groups and non-believers .


The relations with the Vatican have also been soured by a recent relaxation of Poland 's anti-abortion rules , which Kwasniewski signed into law last month .


Russia warns Norilsk , not expected to liquidate it .


Russian Finance Minister Alexander Livshits warned financially-troubled Norilsk Nickel on Friday that it must pay overdue taxes , but analysts said the firm would not be liquidated or that its would assets would be frozen .


" Norilsk really is a big debtor , both to the federal and regional budgets , " said Konstantin Chernyshev , equities analyst at Moscow brokerage Rinaco Plus and a Norilsk watcher . "


Livshits 's words are an attempt to put pressure on the company . "


The official Itar-Tass news agency quoted Livshits as telling parliamentary deputies that RAO Norilsky Nikel 0#NKEL.RUO had to pay its tax arrears and that bankruptcy procedures applied to the metals group .


" If it was an unsolicited statement and a bolt out of the blue , then it obviously means something , " said Christopher Granville , chief economist at United City Bank in Moscow .


" But if it was a response to a deputy 's question that was essentially loaded , then it was the only answer he could have given . "


Russian tax and cabinet authorities , under pressure from the International Monetary Fund to boost tax revenues as a condition for receiving payments of a $ 10 billion , three-year loan to Moscow , have been striking fear into the hearts of some of Russia 's most prominent industrial firms by saying they must pay up or face liquidation .


" They could freeze metal , but it 's not a long-term solution to the problem and would n't put money in the budget , " Chernyshev said . "


Entire social infrastructures in the icy Far North where Norilsk is based depend on the company , and Moscow has said it has no finances to resettle hundreds of thousands of people -- an expenditure which could far outstrip Norilsk 's debts .


Analysts said the government , while anxious about Norilsk 's debts , is highly unlikely to bring the nickel , copper , cobalt , platinum and platinum group metals producer to its knees or take measures that could significantly affect output .


But it also wants Norilsk , the world 's second-largest nickel producer , to clean up its act .


" The procedure of bankruptcy will be applied , " Tass quoted Livshits as telling Duma deputies about Norilsk .


It indirectly quoted him as saying Norilsk should first pay salary arrears , which in the past have led to worker strikes .


" It is unlikely that Norilsk will pay these debts in the near-term -- the company will remain a debtor in the near future , " Chernyshev said .


He estimated the company 's regional debts at least one trillion roubles and said 30 percent of the giant Krasnoyarsk regional budget was fuelled by Norilsk money .


Norilsk 's new majority shareholder , Russian commerical bank Uneximbank , has said it is reorganising metal exports through Interrosimpex in order to boost revenues .


But the changes have yet to improve significantly Norilsk 's situation .


" Uneximbank has inherited a mountain and whether or not they climb out and over it remains to be seen , " said one metals source .


Norilsk said in September that it total debts , including unpaid salaries to workers , were 13 trillion roubles .


The company said last month that it had worked out a tax payment schedule with authorities , after regional tax officials threatened to seize some nickel and copper assets .


Estonian Tallinna Pank 11-mo net 46.6 mln kroons .


Tallinna Pank , one of the largest banks in Estonia , made a 11-month 1996 net profit of 46.6 million kroons , the bank said on Friday .


It said in a statement that it made profits of 4.5 million kroons in November .


The bank made a profit of 20.1 million kroons in the first half of the year .


Tallinna Pank said its assets rose 17.8 million kroons to 1.84 billion kroons .


Demand deposits rose to 855.8 million kroons from 834.6 million kroons and time deposits increased to 295.1 million kroons from 285.3 million kroons .


Russia ready for constructive work with Albright .


Russia said on Friday it expected a constructive relationship with Madeleine Albright , nominated by U.S. President Bill Clinton to be Secretary of State .


Interfax news agency quoted First Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov as saying Moscow was ready for " most active and constructive " work with Albright .


But he noted that policy would be shaped by Clinton and President Boris Yeltsin .


Clinton and Yeltsin are due to meet next March for their first summit since both were re-elected .


" Our countries ' leaders have agreed to meet in March , 1997 .


The Russian foreign ministry believes the new directions in the development of Russian-U.S. relations will be worked out there , " Ivanov told Interfax .


Interfax , outlining Albright 's biography , pointed out that she had defended Washington 's interests fiercely as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and that this had included actively supporting NATO 's plans to expand eastwards .


Russia opposes NATO 's plans to take in countries of eastern and central Europe which used to be part of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact , saying such moves would threaten its security .


Yeltsin plans return to Kremlin for Dec 25 - speaker .


Russian President Boris Yeltsin , who had heart bypass surgery a month ago , plans to return to work on December 25 , the head of the upper chamber of parliament told Interfax news agency on Friday .


" Today he is a mobile , energetic man with lots of colour in his cheeks , " said Yegor Stroyev who met Yeltsin , 65 , on Friday at a country residence . "


He told me that he had lost 20 kg ( 44 lbs ) which is natural after such an operation . "


December 25 , a normal working day in Russia , is the fifth anniversary of Yeltsin 's arrival in the Kremlin .


He took over there , and took control of the red button controlling nuclear arms , in December 1991 when Mikhail Gorbachev resigned , marking the end of the Soviet Union .


Yeltsin has been shown a few times on television since his quintuple bypass on November 5 but has yet to deliver any major television or radio address to the nation .


Surgeon Renat Akchurin who led the operation , told Itar-Tass news agency Yeltsin was working up to four hours a day at his residence .


Bomb explodes outside home of expelled Slovak MP .


A bomb exploded on Friday outside the home of a Slovak politician expelled from parliament after he quit the ruling party , complaining of a lack of democracy in the country .


The official TASR news agency said the explosion blew out all ground floor windows of Frantisek Gaulieder 's family home in Galanta , western Slovakia , and damaged the main entrance , but no-one was injured .


Gaulieder , formerly a member of Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar 's ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia , was stripped of his parliamentary mandate on Wednesday after leaving the party last month in protest over what he said was a lack of democracy in the country .


He said he had been receiving anonymous death threats since making the move .


" This was an act of terrorism and now I fear not only for my own life , but also of that of my wife and children , " he told TASR .


Gaulieder 's family was sleeping in a bedroom at the back of the house and were unharmed by the blast .


It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast .


Bomb explodes at mosque in central Bulgaria .


A bomb exploded on Friday at a mosque in the central Bulgarian town of Kazanluk , causing damage but no injuries , state radio said .


Violent crime has soared since the collapse of communism in 1989 as Bulgaria moves to a market economy .


Bombings are often carried out by criminals to settle scores but the motive in this case was not immediately clear .


Some residents of the Kazanluk area are Moslems who converted to Islam during Ottoman Turkish rule .


The majority in Bulgaria are Christians .


The radio quoted police as saying the blast broke windows and shattered the door of the mosque .


Hungary o / n rates end up before Dec 10 tax payment .


Hungarian overnight interest rates closed higher on Friday as market liquidity tightened before the December 10 social security contribution payment deadline , dealers said .


" The banks are already preparing for the December 10 tax payment , " said Budapest Bank 's Sandor Tolonics . "


They expect a larger-than-average payment . "


The overnight market opened at 22.00 / 22.75 percent , then substantial money was taken up at 22.5 percent .


But later , rates dropped and closed at 22.00 / 22.25 as a large bank finished borrowing money .


On Thursday , overnight rates moved between 21.625 and 22.125 .


Dealers said liquidity could tighten further early next week as the social security contribution payments date approaches .


Mexico stocks off lows but still hit by Greenspan .


Mexican stocks closed sharply lower Friday , but had made a tentative recovery as initial panic and volatility abated .


Then once we saw the Dow ( Jones industrial average ) was not about to crash , some buyers stepped in , " said a trader , referring to Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan , whose comments that assets were " irrationally exhuberant " upset financial markets worldwide .


The blue-chip IPC index ended down 1.29 points , or 43.56 percent , at 3,333.05 .


Volume was regular at 74.7 million shares traded .


Mexican stocks were also hurt by U.S. long bond rates which had begun to rise before Greenspan 's comments and were inflated by employment data released before trade began in Mexico .


Yields on U.S. 30-year Treasury bonds were 6.51 percent when stock trading closed in Mexico , unchanged from Thursday .


On the broad market , 107 stocks changed hands , of which losers well outnumbered winners by 75 to 13 .


Traders noted the lack of blue chips or stocks traded at significant volume among the gainers .


Simec , the steelmaking arm of the debt-ridden Sidek group headed the losers , off 7 centavos ( 1 cent ) at 1.40 pesos ( 18 cents ) .


Sidek fell 4 centavos ( 1 cent ) to 95 centavos ( 12 cents ) .


Traders also remarked that Mexican ADRs suffered in New York .


Heavyweights Telmex and Televisa ended off 25 cents and 75 cents , respectively , at $ 31.125 and $ 25.875 .


" Falling share prices in New York do n't hurt Mexico as long as it happens gradually , as earlier this week .


It 's a sudden plunge that takes its toll , " said Carlos Ponce , research director at Santander .


Traders and analysts differed as to how firm the relative recovery on Friday was .


" Some buyers stepped in , but the market was not very convinced .


Volume was lackluster , " said one trader .


" The market 's very healthy , we 're buying , " said another trader .


Ponce said shares were certainly attractively priced in Mexico , but would not appreciate until foreign buyers stepped in , which they had yet to do . '


Plastic surgery is booming , especially among men , as Brazilians spend much of their new-found wealth on the latest beauty treatments , said the organisers of a four-day international plastic surgery conference that opened on Friday .


The number of plastic surgeries in Brazil has jumped 30 percent to an estimated 150,000 this year since an anti-inflation plan was introduced in July 1994 , Farid Hakme , the president of the Brazilian Plastic Surgery Society ( SBCP ) , said .


The number of operations on men increased even more -- by 80 percent , from 8,000 in 1994 to 15,000 in 1995 , he said .


" Brazil ranks right at the top for plastic surgery with respect to the number of surgeons , the number of patients , number of operations , number of conferences .


Our statistics are the highest for everything , " Hakme said .


" We believe the increase in plastic surgeries for men results from the difficulties in the job market .


People need to have a more youthful look to compete in the job market , given the profound changes in Latin America 's economy . "


A controlled exchange rate , trade liberalisation and tight monetary policies have also dramatically curbed inflation , making more money available for cosmetic surgery .


Brazil has been at the forefront in plastic surgery for decades and is home to one of the most famous surgeons , Ivo Pitangy .


There are 6,000 plastic surgeons there , of which 4,500 have qualified to be members of the SBCP .


Every year , 500 new plastic surgeons graduate in Brazil and medical students from all over the world come to study there .


Hakme attributes Brazil 's fascination with plastic surgery not to excessive vanity but to the country 's mix and match of different races , which can create physical disharmonies . "


What happens is the nose sometimes does n't match the mouth or the buttocks do n't match with the legs , " he said .


Brazil 's most sought-after beauty treatment is liposuction in which fat is sucked away from areas of the body , with about 30,000 operations a year at a cost of $ 3,000 to $ 4,000 each .


Stomach tucks and breast operations are also popular since the tropical climate calls for flesh-baring fashions , but unlike women elsewhere Brazilians tend to have breast reductions and buttock implants .


" The women who want to reduce their breasts here would probably want to increase them in the United States , " SBCP Vice-President Oswaldo Saldanha said . "


Beauty ideals and cultures are different in every country . "


Plastic surgery scares like the case in which Brazilian model Claudia Liz fell into a coma after being anaesthetised for a liposuction in October are not much of a deterrent .


Saldanha said operations fell 30 percent immediately after that case but the rate was back to normal now .


Daily Argentine grain fixings - Camaras Arbitrales .


Buenos Aires Quequen Rosario Bahia Blanca


Mexican daily port , shipping update for Dec 6 .


All major ports were open as of 1000 local / 1600 GMT , the Communications and Transportation Ministry said in a daily update .


Tampico port authorities said fishing restrictions were in place in an area adjacent to the port because of a geophysical study being carried out in deep waters of the region from the ship Kenda .


The ministry updated port conditions and shipping warnings for the Gulf of Mexico , Caribbean and Pacific Coast .


Light rains along the coast of southern Baja California and Sinaloa , with the rest of the coast seeing clear skies .


Winds from the northeast of 10 to 15 knots ( 19 to 28 kilometers / 11 to 17 miles per hour ) .


A new front is seen emerging during the course of Friday , affecting the north of the Baja California peninsula and Sonora state , bringing lower temperatures , light rains and waves up to six feet .


Cold front bringing light rains to the coast of Tamaulipas , but with the rest of the Gulf in clear skies .


Winds from the northeast at 10 to 15 knots ( 19 to 28 kilometers / 11 to 17 miles per hour ) .


Tropical air carrying sporadic light rains over the coast of Quintana Roo state .


Winds from the northeast at 10 to 15 knots with waves three to five feet high .


-- Chris Aspin , Mexico City newsroom +525 728-7903


Brazil exam cheats caught using " pager " watches .


Brazilian students have been caught cheating in university entrance exams by using digital watches which gave the correct answers to test questions , a newspaper said on Friday .


Rio de Janeiro state university officials discovered students were paying 15,000 reais ( $ 14,563 ) for the special watches , which operated like a telephone pager to receive correct answers , O Globo said .


Seventy-seven students were found with the watches and disqualified , O Globo said .


Chile , Mexico to seek to broaden trade deal .


Chile and Mexico will start negotiations next year to broaden their free trade agreement to include services and investments , Finance Minister Eduardo Aninat said .


Chile hopes to broaden the treaty signed in 1994 beyond reduction of tariffs on imports and exports and add provisions covering services and investment codes , said Aninat .


Both areas tend to more laden with friction in free trade negotiations than tariff reduction .


' ' In January or February , we 'll have some very close contacts with Mexico to add the issue of services and advance on the issue of investments , ' ' Aninat told reporters after signing a free trade deal with Canada .


' ' We want to give the treaty between Mexico and Chile greater depth and coverage than it has now .


It 's very good now , but it practically only covers trade in goods , ' ' he said .


Aninat also said he was confident the Chilean Congress would ratify the treaty with Congress quickly .


' ' The reactions from business and unions which I have seen have been almost unanimously positive , so I do n't see any problem , ' ' he said .


-- Roger Atwood , Santiago newsroom +56-2-699-5595 x211


Indonesia 's Belo leaves for Nobel award ceremony .


East Timorese Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Belo left Dili on Friday on his way to Norway for the awards ceremony as co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize .


Witnesses said Belo left the territory for the Indonesian capital Jakarta accompanied by five other people .


It was not immediately known when he would arrive in Oslo .


The bishop will jointly receive the Nobel award next Tuesday with East Timorese-born activist Jose Ramos Horta , who lives in self-exile in Australia .


The Indonesian government has condemned the inclusion of Ramos Horta in the award , and Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said on Friday that Indonesia would not be represented officially at the ceremony in the Norwegian capital .


" I sincerely believe that this unfortunate choice in giving the honour to such a controversial figure as Ramos Horta ...


will exacerbate the problem in finding a solution ( to East Timor ) , " Alatas said on Friday .


He was responding to questions at a news conference called to discuss next week 's ministerial meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference ( OIC ) in Jakarta .


Ramos Horta has been a vocal leader of the opposition to Jakarta 's rule in the territory .


Belo and Ramos Horta were awared the prize for their efforts to secure a peaceful solution to the issue of East Timor , a former Portuguese colony which Indonesia invaded in 1975 and annexed the following year .


The United Nations has never recognised Jakarta 's move .


Alatas said the government 's position on the Nobel Peace Prize would have been different if it had been awarded solely to Belo .


Asked if the Indonesian ambassador to Norway would have attended the ceremony if only Belo had been involved , Alatas replied : " Probably , yes , but that is a hypothetical question . "


Alatas said on Tuesday that on his way back from Oslo , Belo would visit the Vatican to see the Pope , and would also meet German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in Bonn .


Kohl had wanted to meet Belo during the chancellor 's official visit to Indonesia last month , but the bishop was too busy in East Timor to come to Jakarta .


China to open port in Hainan to foreign ships .


China 's State Council , or cabinet , has given a port in the southern province of Hainan permission to open to foreign vessels , the Xinhua news agency said on Friday .


Xinhua did not say when Qinglan port in Wenchang city would be opened to foreign vessels .


Wenchang has built a berth for 5,000 deadweight-tonne container ships at the port and invested 34 million yuan ( $ 4.1 million ) to dredge the harbour , Xinhua said .


Government disperses protest with water cannons .


Burmese troops and riot police moved in to disperse a student street protest at a suburban road junction near the Ranyon ( Rangoon ) University early on Saturday , witnesses said .


They said police and troops used water cannons from fire engines to subdue about 120 university students sitting in at the centre of the junction at about 3 a.m. before they moved in to round them up .


The students , who had staged an 11-hour protest at the junction in northern Rangoon , were taken away in three vehicles .


The witnesses said some of the students were hit with batons while they were herded onto the vehicles and it was believed they were taken to the Insein prison in suburban Rangoon .


The protesting students , mostly from Rangoon University , were demanding the right to organise independent unions on campuses and the release of about 80 student leaders currently in jail .


They were among 500 students who started demonstrating at the intersection on late Friday afternoon .


The protest was the second major one in five days in the capital .


Burmese students march briefly out of campus .


About 200 Burmese students marched briefly from troubled Yangon Institute of Technology in northern Rangoon on Friday towards the University of Yangon six km ( four miles ) away , and returned to their campus , witnesses said .


Seven truckloads of armed riot police and three fire engines were on standby at one of the junctions near the institute .


" They are now back in the YIT campus , " an institute official who declined to be identified told Reuters by telephone .


One of two roads leading to the University of Yangon from the institute had been closed by authorities .


But about 300 university students were still gathered outside the gates of their campus , witnesses said .


On Monday and Tuesday , students from the institute and the university launched protests against what they said was unfair handling by police of a brawl between some of their colleagues and restaurant owners in October .


On Tuesday and Wednesday , opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was restricted to her home by the military government to prevent her from being drawn into the protests .


She was allowed to move freely on Thursday .


The protest culminated at dawn on Tuesday with several hundred students being detained briefly by police in central Rangoon .


The street protests were the biggest seen in the capital since the student-led pro-democracry demonstrations of September 1988 when the junta crushed the uprising .


Earlier on Friday some of the students , who were held briefly by police during the protests earlier this week , said they were still dissatisfied with the military government .


They told Reuters they were unhappy that the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council ( SLORC ) had not heeded their calls for the right to organise independent unions on campus .


" We still want government answers to our demands .


We want police punishment to be published in newspapers , " one student said .


But the students stressed their protests were non-political and they had no contact with Suu Kyi 's National League for Democracy ( NLD ) .


Suu Kyi , a Nobel laureate and daughter of independence hero Aung San , and key NLD officials have also denied any link with the students .