"Missing link" stem cells may speed race for cures

Scientists have discovered a new type of embryonic stem cell in mice and rats that should speed up research into regenerative medicine and help in the hunt for cures to a range of diseases.


President Kibaki trails in Kenyan election: media

Opposition leader Raila Odinga pulled ahead of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on Friday in the race to lead east Africa's biggest economic power, according to early tallies by local media.


Beverly Hills may get Iranian-born mayor

A city councilman was hoping to become the first Iranian-born mayor of this tony Los Angeles suburb in elections held Tuesday, a sign of the growing clout of Persian immigrants here.


Pakistani electoral officials will decide on Tuesday whether to go ahead with a January poll, with up to a two-month delay widely expected in a country plunged into crisis by opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's assassination.


Oracle raises bid, sets Nov. 19 deadline

Oracle Corp. raised the stakes in its hostile bid for PeopleSoft Inc. Monday by increasing its offer to $24 per share, boosting the value of the proposed merger to $9.


Iraq ; Margaret Hassan calla upon Britain to quit Iraq

Iraq News, DUBAI - Iraqi-British hostage Margaret Hassan has again urged Britain to withdraw its troops from Iraq and also to free Iraqi women prisoners, Al Jazeera television reports.


PeopleSoft Inc., which is fighting a hostile takeover bid from Oracle Corp., on Tuesday announced an alliance with IBM that may help ease the worries of potential customers.


ClearSpeed plots 1 TeraFlop floating point pizza box

1U rocket ship IDF Floating point whiz ClearSpeed continues to round out its software play ahead of several major product upgrades.â¦


Vicina richiesta rinvio per 5 dei 22 indagati


Clashes break out in Najaf, but government says it hopes to ...

By Abdul Hussein Al-Obeidi, Associated Press, 8/22/2004 15:32. NAJAF, Iraq  Explosions and gunfire shook Najaf's Old City on Sunday in a fierce battle between US forces and Shiite militants, as negotiations


After 800 years, church leaders are still making bones over claim ...

Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians were last night locked in dispute over an 800-year-old war crime and a box of 1,600-year-old bones that was meant to have brought them a giant step closer to reunification.


The Miami Heat's NBA title defense  suffered another blow when forward Jason Kapono was sidelined  indefinitely with a sprained ankle, the NBA team said on  Tuesday.


Torakichi Nakamura, 92, Golf Pioneer, Is Dead

Mr. Nakamura helped fuel a post-World War II golf boom in Japan by winning the 1957 Canada Cup.


Description: Actor Jerry Orbach died Tuesday at age 69 of prostate cancer. Orbach spent years on the New York stage as a song man in hit musicals, but he was perhaps best known for his role as acerbic New


Poland to send 1,000 new troops to Afghanistan

Poland said on Thursday it would send  1,000 new troops to join its existing 100-strong contingent in  Afghanistan in response to NATO calls for reinforcements to  step up the fight against Taliban insurgents.


By GORDON WEIXEL  That clanging going on over by the Missouri isn't silver bells ringing in the new year; instead it's Lunda Construction driving piles for the west approach of the new Liberty Memorial Bridge.


Uomo schiacciato nel Riminese, anziano travolto in cantiere


Death Toll Rises in Russia School Standoff

BESLAN, Russia - More than 340 people, including 155 children, were killed in the violence that ended a hostage standoff with militants at a southern Russian school, a prosecutor said Saturday. President Vladimir Putin accused the attackers of trying to spark an ethnic conflict that would engulf Russia's troubled Caucasus Mountains region...


Microsoft enters consumer Web logging market

Microsoft's MSN division will launch a test version of a free Web logging (blogging) service aimed at consumers on Thursday, Microsoft's first foray as a provider of this increasingly popular Internet activity for the mass consumer market.


G8 to back new steps if Iran ignores U.N. demands

HEILIGENDAMM, Germany  - The Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations said on Friday it would back "further measures" against Iran if it does not comply with U.N. demands that it suspend its nuclear enrichment program.


Australian PM arrives in Indonesia for President inauguration

JAKARTA (JP): Newly re-elected Australian Prime Minister John Howard arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday to attend the inauguration of new Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.


NEW YORK  - Treatment with the anti-seizure drug gabapentin may improve the irritability seen in certain children with neurologic impairments, researchers report in the journal Pediatrics.


Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi replaced key ministers and ruling party leaders in a shuffle Monday aimed at solidifying his power and building momentum for his troubled reforms program.


LONDON -- American pilots can be heard cursing and weeping after finding out they just fired on a British convoy in southern Iraq at the beginning of the US invasion, according to cockpit video footage leaked to a British tabloid.


Stevie Wonder Bashes Eminem for Jackson Criticism

In a rare public outburst, Stevie Wonder has blasted Eminem for ridiculing Michael Jackson in a video, and suggested the rapper was hypocritical because he owed his success to poor and black people.


Russia's state-controlled gas giant Gazprom approved a plan to bid for Yukos' core production unit Wednesday amid reports that the company was negotiating to secure a $13 billion loan from a group of Western banks to support its offer.


David Lee Roth Trains to Become Paramedic

Rocker David Lee Roth, the former Van Halen frontman, is taking up a new trade.


The United States has reached an agreement with key European allies, as well as Canada and Australia, on a draft resolution on Iran's nuclear program, the State Department has said.


A letter bomb exploded Monday at a London company that controls the city's traffic congestion fee, fire officials said. One worker suffered minor injuries to her hand.


China nabs smugglers who mailed fossils abroad

Three Chinese who tried to smuggle fossils abroad by sending them through express mail have been arrested, the Xinhua news agency said on Friday.


There appear to be big shifts at work in Alpine skiing, starting with the slow fade of Austriaâs Hermann Maier, the most accomplished active racer in the world.


Ethiopia ONLF rebels say killed 250 troops

Ethiopia's Ogaden National Liberation  Front (ONLF) rebels said further fighting with security forces  in the nation's remote east had brought the number of  government soldiers killed to more than 250.


Torino, 19:17 - CALCIO, NOVELLINO A ZAMPAGNA: NON MERITA RISPOSTA

Il tecnico del Torino Walter Novellino replica sul sito della società granata alle dichiarazi...


In the mountains of western North Carolina, former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler talks about illegal immigration and the Iraq war as he tries to oust Republican Rep. Charles Taylor in one of the more competitive House races.


Nasa scientists have been giving details of a space mission to crash a projectile into a comet, peeling away its outer skin in order to look inside.


Maoists kill 13 police in India's Orissa state

BHUBANESWAR, India  - Hundreds of Maoist rebels in India's eastern Orissa state attacked police stations in a district close to the capital, killing 14 people and looting weapons, police and officials said on Saturday.


A member of the Guildford Four has called on Prime Minister Tony...

A member of the Guildford Four has called on Prime Minister Tony Blair to say sorry for wrongfully jailing him and his father before his elderly mother dies.


Finanziaria, scontro nella Cdl dopo stralcio norme

Lo stralcio di alcune norme dalla Finanziaria, chiesto dal presidente della commissione bilancio della Camera, il leghista Giancarlo Giorgetti e accordato da Casini, ha scatenato polemiche nella maggioranza Fini.


Aznar Denies Madrid Bombs Were Linked to Iraq War

Former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar  said Islamic militants tried to use the Madrid train bombings  to oust the pro-U.S. ruling party from power in Spain, but not  because of its support for the Iraq war.


Roma, 12:40 - CALCIO, COPPA ITALIA: ARBITRI RITORNO OTTAVI

Questi gli arbitri designati per le gare di ritorno degli ottavi di coppa Italia in programma mercol...


Newcastle manager Allardyce fears Owen exit

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce admitted Sunday that he fears Michael Owen will quit the Magpies.


Court Rules to Impose Lawyer on Milosevic

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The U.N. war crimes tribunal ruled Thursday it will impose a defense lawyer on Slobodan Milosevic, whose doctors say his heart condition could become life threatening if he continues to represent himself...


Pope-commissioned condom study passes first hurdle

A study commissioned by Pope Benedict on the use of condoms to fight AIDS has passed its first hurdle and is now being reviewed by top theologians for possible use in a Papal document, a cardinal said on Tuesday.


Update: Microsoft patches new Office flaw

(InfoWorld) - Microsoft has released its monthly set of security patches, fixing a critical flaw in Office. Attackers could exploit the bug by tricking Office users into opening a maliciously encoded .pub document, which would then allow attackers to run unauthorized software on a victim's PC. These .pub documents are created by Microsoft's Publisher software, an Office component used for designing print and online business publications. The flaw isÂ described here. Microsoft rates the bug as critical for Publisher 2000, but this warning has been downgraded to "important" for the Publisher 2002 and Publisher 2003 products. Although Publisher is the application being patched, Office users should also be mindful of the issue because Publisher is part of the Office Professional Edition suite, said Christopher Budd, a program manager with Microsoft's Security Response Center. Some security experts expected Microsoft toÂ fix a similar bug in Word, which has been used by online attackers over the past few weeks, but that problem remains unfixed. Microsoft acknowledged the Word problem last week but was unable to run a fix through its quality assurance tests in time for September's updates, according to Budd. "It was just not feasible from an engineering standpoint ... to get the quality testing in," he said. Both the Word and Publisher bugs rely on the same type of attack to work: an attacker e-mails a malicious document and somehow tricks the victim into clicking on the attachment. Security experts have been seeing more of these Office flaws exploited of late. "This is one of the trends that we have observed," said Amol Sarwate, director of the Qualys Inc. vulnerability research lab. "The growing number of client-side vulnerabilities where you have a malformed Publisher file or Word file or Excel file." Tuesday's patches also include less-critical fixes for two Windows components: the PGM (Pragmatic General Multicast) protocol used by Microsoft's Reliable Multicast Program software to transfer data, and the Windows Indexing service, which is used by the operating system's search engine. Microsoft's security bulletins offer more information. September may seem like aÂ bit of a reprieveÂ for harried system administrators who were given 19 updates to test and deploy over the past two months. Microsoft was forced toÂ reissue one of its August patchesÂ after it caused Internet Explorer to crash when working with a Web-based enterprise applications such as PeopleSoft and Siebel. But before Microsoft patchers get too relaxed, they should brace for the possibility of another patch later this month, Qualys said. Because attackers are actively exploiting the Word problem, Sarwate believes that Microsoft may issue an "out-of-cycle" patch for the problem, ahead of its next scheduled security updates, which are due Oct. 10. That prospect seems unlikely, however. Microsoft's Budd characterized the Word attacks as "very limited in terms of scope," saying, "at this point in time, we've not made any determination to do anything out-of-cycle."


Two Involved in H.P. Spying Are Summoned by Congress

The employees have been subpoenaed by a House committee to appear at a hearing after refusing invitations to testify.


Indonesian police arrest suspected JI suicide squad members

Indonesian police have arrested three men suspected of being members of a suicide squad belonging to the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah regional terrorist network, a senior officer said.


Hank Paulson, the new Treasury secretary, gave a splendid speech this week about the need to re-engineer the financial regulatory structure to make it more efficient and enhance the competitiveness of U.S. markets in the face of stiff new competition from London and Hong Kong.


Gunning for Nintendo, Sony Dell is gearing up to take on Nintendo's DS and Sony's PSP with a gaming-oriented handheld console of its own, the company has admitted. That said, it's keeping mum about the details.â¦


Londra, 18:05 - CALCIO, FA CUP: LIVERPOOL ELIMINATO CONTRO BARNSLEY

Clamorosa eliminazione del Liverpool negli ottavi di finale di FA Cup, la Coppa d'Inghilterra. I red...


XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. reported a wider net loss for the fourth quarter of 2004 on Thursday as the company bulked up on new subscribers, adding more than 700,000 in the latest quarter to top 3.2 million users.


Striking Screenwriters Dismiss New Proposals

The screenwriters called the proposals from producers a âa massive rollback,â and called on their members to continue their walkout.


BP gives green fuel research 500 mln dlrs

British oil giant BP announced an award of 500 million dollars for "Big Science" research into green energy.


Brits, Americans drive bounceback in Bordeaux wine sales

Exports of Bordeaux wine rose last year, making viticulturists in France optimistic about the prospect of a bounceback in the sector.


Has Creative capitulated to Apple and iTunes? If its new player is any indication, that answer may be yes. Its newest Zen player is the first from the company to support AAC music and iTunes Plus tracks from the iTunes Music Store.


Thousands of samples from the Genesis space capsule have arrived at the Johnson Space Center, where the project's curator must assemble a giant jigsaw puzzle that could hold clues to the origins of the solar system.


The age-long animosity between cat and mouse could be a thing of the past with genetically modified "fearless" mice that Japanese scientists say shed light on mammal behavior


Blasts in south India city kill 30: officials

About 30 people have been killed in two explosions, one of them due to a bomb, in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, a senior government official said on Saturday.


Web 2.0 moves into your neighborhood as firms vie to deliver local content to your cell phone


Romania appears headed for runoff vote in presidential election

BUCHAREST, Romania  - Exit polls indicated no clear winner in Romania's presidential election Sunday, forcing a runoff next month between a former ship's captain with a populist message and a political veteran whose party is associated with the country's communist past.


The Church of England is seeking legal action against Sony for featuring Manchester Cathedral in a war battle computer game.


BOSTON (Ticker) -- David Ortiz gave the Boston Red Sox a little life in the American League Championship Series, forcing a Game Five vs.


USDA sanctions Calif. meatpacker for not having prevented sick animals from entering food supply.


When bird flu infects people, the virus is more concentrated in the throat than the nose, the opposite of human flu. This finding may help doctors more quickly diagnose the bird flu in people.


Leader Uil: 'altrimenti si arriverebbe a serio scontro'


Hungary Socialists Pick Businessman for PM

The ruling Socialist Party chose one of Hungary's richest businessmen on Wednesday to become the new prime minister, resolving a split with a smaller party that had threatened to undo the center-left governing coalition.


Inkjet printers start cranking out microchips

Spray-on electronics can be mass manufactured, and a new factory in Austria is doing just that.


Belgian voters go to the polls in an election which is likely to see PM Guy Verhofstadt struggle to keep his job.


On Fed Payroll, Hackers Seek to Save America

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho  - Jason Larsen types in a few  lines of computer code to hack into the controls of a nearby  chemical plant. Then he finds an online video camera inside and  confirms that he has pumped up a pressure value.


Dow Jones sale di 17 punti, SP +1,7, Nasdaq +2,5 punti


Orphaned Lebanese pets getting new homes

They endured a summer of war, but now relief is coming for Lebanon's little known victims — cats and dogs abandoned when their owners fled the country during the early days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.


Wendy Seltzer asks, Which is more open: the Nokia N95 or the iPhone? Regardless of the answer, I'm wondering if there's an objective way to score openness... perhaps a kind of in-the-wild folksonomic list of deal-makers and deal-killers. Rather than bias the list, I thought I'd just put the idea out there to start with, and see what variables ya'll would like to see on the list.


Georgia's path to Nato is littered with roadblocks, says BBC's James Rodgers.


St Louis Rams owner Georgia Frontiere dies at 80

St. Louis Rams owner Georgia Frontiere, a former nightclub entertainer who became one of the few women to own a major U.S. sports franchise when she inherited the National Football League team from her husband, died on Friday.


ISN SECURITY WATCH (22/11/04) - At least 19 Maoist rebels and 10 security forces were killed in Sunday clashes as the Nepalese government entered its third day of an offensive launched against rebels in the Himalayan Kingdom.


Also: AOL's mobile ambitions. Read these stories and more from around the Web on News.com Extra.


EU Med states call for Mideast peace conference

The foreign ministers of France, Italy, Spain and seven other European states called on Monday for an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and said Israel should make more concessions for peace.


The town house of Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress was burglarized by three men accused of taking nearly $63,000 in jewelry, cash and other items before the team played the Buffalo Bills.


Congo rangers treat rare gorilla orphaned in shooting

National park rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are battling to save a 2-month-old gorilla found clinging to its dead mother, who was shot dead through the back of the head, conservationists said on Sunday.


US Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Implement 9/11 Commission ...

US lawmakers have introduced legislation that would implement recommendations of a bipartisan federal commission aimed at preventing another terrorist attack on the United States.


An Exhausting Season for an Implacable TV Cop

Vincent D'Onofrio, one of the stars of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," is not inhibited by television production etiquette.


Sharonâs tough measures are creating an opportunity for peace ...

ABBA EBAN, a former Israeli Foreign Minister, said of the UN General Assembly that: âIf Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the Earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164-13 with 26 abstentions.


Dismantling a Religion: The EFF's Faith-Based Internet

An Expert View The Electronic Freedom Foundation likes to portray the internet as under attack. But the activist group is doing more to imperil its future than any of its favourite targets.â¦


Torino, 20:19 - CALCIO, JUVE; C.GIGLI: ANCHE BUFFON MERITAVA IL PALLONE D'ORO

E' il presidente della Juventus Cobolli Gigli attarverso una nota ufficiale, il primo della squadra ...


Norwegian Air to offer in-flight phone service

Budget airline Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA   said on Tuesday it will offer mobile phone and  wireless Internet services on flights later this year.


A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Defense Department to stop requiring members of the armed forces to be vaccinated against anthrax without their consent.


SanDisk Introduces Sansa C200 MP3 Player With Color Screen, Card Slot and 2-Gigabyte Capacity for Under $100

SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced the Sansa c200 series, a stylish flash memory-based MP3 player that is loaded with high-end features -- such as a bright LCD color screen and a microSD expansion slot  and smashes the $100* price threshold for a 2- gigabyte (GB) player.


Bloccati per nuclei con redditi sotto i 27 mila euro


The European Commission on Friday suggested ways of revamping the EU's Stability and Growth Pact and said the proposed changes would restore the credibility of its much-flouted budget discipline rules.


Decreto CdM prevede riduzione del 20% delle tariffe


SAITAMA, Japan -- As practice wound down, Mike Krzyzewski approached LeBron James, who was shooting baskets alone on a side court.


PARIS -- US diplomats here respond to Jacques Chirac's continued Yankee-bashing following George W. Bush's re-election by saying the French president is out of step with his people, who are not nearly that anti-American.


Delta, Pilots Agreement May Help Avoid Bankruptcy

Delta Air Lines Inc., the third- largest US carrier, may avert a bankruptcy filing after winning agreement on wage and benefit concessions from its pilots union as part of an effort to reduce costs after losses widened.


Barry Larkin 's stellar 19-year career with his hometown team ended yesterday with a one-sided phone call. The Cincinnati Reds informed their captain they aren't interested in keeping him around for another season. The 40-year-old shortstop was at his home in Orlando, Fla., when general manager Dan O'Brien and manager Dave Miley -- a former teammate -- called with the ...


Tim Koschuetzki's Blog: Parsing XML With The DOM Library

Tim Koschuetzki has created and posted a new tutorial today that talks about working with XML documents with PHP's DOM Library (the PHP5 version) to create, query and update current documents.   The PHP 4 DOMXML extension has undergone some serious transformation since PHP5 and is a lot easier to use. Unlike SimpleXML, DOM can, at times, be cumbersome and unwieldy. However, it is often a better choice than SimpleXML. Please join me and find out why.   He breaks it out into a few different tasks - saving documents, using XPath queries, updating the contents of an XML file, working with namespaces and playing nice with SimpleXML.


Negotiations on $295 million in  concessions between US Airways Group Inc. UAIR.O and its  pilots union appeared back on track on Saturday although time  was running dangerously short for the carrier to strike a deal  with labor groups to avoid its second bankruptcy filing in two  years.


CareerBuilder.com Selling Contextual Advertising via Quigo After ESPN.com decided to halt the serving of Yahoo Contextual Ads on its site and replace its contextual advertising with an ‘in-house’ offering via Quigo AdSonar, I’m sure some other large publishers on the market are comparing their current contextual advertising partners with an alternative in Quigo.  One such large [...]


Serpents Island, Bystraya Canal, And Ukrainian-Romanian Relations

Relations between Bucharest and Kyiv have been strained for some time over their inability to reach an agreement concerning the delimitation of the continental shelf around Serpents Island (Zmiyinyy Ostrov) in ...


India formally invited for Champions Trophy hockey :

India News > New Delhi, Oct 12 : India Tuesday was formally invited to replace Olympic champions Australia in the Champions Trophy to be played at Lahore in December, the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) said.


Disney backs star after her apology for nude photo

Vanessa Hudgens, the star of the  wholesome, made-for-kids TV movie hit "High School Musical,"  apologized on Friday for a nude photo of her on the Web and  Walt Disney Co. said it was sticking by the performer.


Java flaw poses widespread security threat

Vulnerabilities in the Sun Java Runtime Environment are described by one security expert as being "as bad as it gets."


EU, US launch battle at WTO over Boeing, Airbus

ISN SECURITY WATCH (08/10/04) - The fierce competition between aerospace giants Airbus and Boeing is heating up, as the US and EU take their complaints to the World Trade Organization (WTO), protesting against what they call unfair subsidies for the two


Google Slashes IPO, SEC OK Expected Today

Google Inc. slashed the size of its  closely watched initial public offering nearly in half to less  than $2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has  been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.


Military focuses on development in Africa

In Djibouti, US forces combat terrorism with civil affairs work. Will this be a model for a future US military command in Africa?


Pakistan elect to bat against South Africa

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik won the toss and elected to bat in the second one-day international against South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium here.


Property Rights Law Brings Call for Waivers: Critics Say City, County Efforts to Avert Lawsuits Tread Fine Line

By Erica Meltzer, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson  Feb. 12--Proposition 207 aimed to expand property rights in Arizona. If the government changed the rules for how you could use your land, you could ask for compensation for any lost value.


The country house market staged a recovery during the first half of the year following a revival of City bonuses and increasing confidence in the economy, figures showed today.


Big U.S. food, drink cos to limit child ads: reports

Some of America's largest food and drink companies, such as Coca-Cola Co. and General Mills Inc., will adopt stricter controls on advertising aimed at children under 12, according to media reports on Wednesday.


Newcastle hat-trick hero Alan Shearer tonight stressed his determination to bring a trophy to St Jamesâ Park. The former England striker netted three times in Newcastleâs 5-1 defeat of Bnei Sakhnin tonight, sealing a 7-1 aggregate success.


Acer's 3Q Net Profit Plummets 63 Percent

Acer Inc., the world's fifth-largest computer company, said Friday its third-quarter net profit fell 63 percent from the same period last year in part because of investment losses from affiliates.


To be Padma Lakshmi right now, who has seemed to appear at all places and all times during Fashion Week, is undeniably "very heaven."


BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Michigan  - U.S. Ryder Cup  captain Hal Sutton's smile returned to his face when his team  mounted a strong fightback on Saturday after an opening-day  drubbing at Oakland Hills.


The weather intervenes as England prepare to take on South Africa in the fifth Test in Centurion.


Comcast Cable and Bridges TV Make Historic Announcements, Unveil Groundbreaking New Television Shows

DETROIT, Sept. 11  /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast Cable (http://www.comcast.com/), the nation's largest cable operator, and Bridges TV (http://www.bridgestv.com/), the first 24x7 English language network bridging the West with the Muslim World, will make announcements regarding historic new developments.


In a small town of Yunnan Province, a group of drug users were attentively listening to a class teaching them how to prevent themselves from contracting HIV/AIDS.


Drugmakers should disclose U.S. doctor perks: experts

Drugmakers vying to entice physicians to use their products with trips to exotic locales and other perks should be required to disclose such gifts, experts told a congressional panel on Wednesday.


Yanks Send Lofton to Phillies for Reliever

The New York Yankees began reshaping their roster Friday, sending outfielder Kenny Lofton and cash to the Philadelphia Phillies for setup man Felix Rodriguez and nearing a trade to reacquire Mike Stanton from the Mets.


Golden Globes a bust for everyone in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK  - Here is the cold, hard reality of the 65th annual Golden Globe Awards that will be handed out Sunday at the Beverly Hilton: A lot of people are going to lose a lot of money.


State workers reach agreement on health-care costs

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- State employee unions negotiating with representatives of Gov. Gary Locke have reached a tentative agreement on health care costs.


After 9/11 Remembrances, A Return to the Campaign

President Bush marked the third anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackings by plugging his Iraq policy in a live broadcast yesterday from the Oval Office, and Sen. John F. Kerry followed a


President Bush has chosen his campaign manager, Ken Mehlman, as Republican national chairman, the White House said Monday. The selection puts Mr.


Dubai's investment in DaimlerChrysler appears to be about more than the automaker's long-term prospects.


Code morpher Transitive dives into Red Hat Exchange

Proprietary chums meets open sourcers Red Hat added a peculiar name to its Exchange software store by picking up OS morphing code from Transitive.â¦


PITTSBURGH -- The Washington Redskins only wish they were getting as much offense from their starters as the streaking Pittsburgh Steelers are from their backups.


It's hard to feel sorry for a celebrity who turns up at an awards show looking like a fashion "don't."


Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt is found guilty of involvement in the 1993 bombings in the Indian city of Mumbai.


Japanâs embattled defense minister resigned over his comments suggesting the 1945 atomic bombings Hiroshima and Nagasaki were inevitable.


Newell to sell Little Tikes to MGA Entertainment

Newell Rubbermaid Inc. NWL.N on   Monday said it planned to sell its Little Tikes toy and play   equipment business to MGA Entertainment Inc., the privately   held maker of Bratz dolls, as it focuses on higher-growth   businesses.


Police found the body of a 16-year-old skier who had suffocated after a bad fall in deep snow Monday, bringing the death toll from weekend avalanches and skiing accidents to eight.


LIBRI/ Il pamphlet contro il "grande attore" dell'anarchico Bernerila nuova ricostruzione dell'omicidio dei fratelli Rosselli, il genocidio di Etiopia                                            Stragi, delitti e miserie I fantasmi di Mussolini                                                                                Tra le novitÃ  anche un saggio sulla politica estera del regimequando al petrolio iracheno, il duce preferÃ¬ l'espansione verso il nulla


EU to declare UK free of foot and mouth disease

European Union (EU) vets agreed on Tuesday to declare Britain free of foot and mouth disease from November 9 and allow all exports of British meat, dairy and live animals from then, the EU executive said.


Pregnant women and those trying for a baby should avoid alcohol completely, the government advises.


Taiwan Markets, Businesses Close for Typhoon Aere

Taiwan's financial markets and most businesses in the capital Taipei are closed for the day as Typhoon Aere approaches with torrential rain and winds of up to 165 kilometers (102 miles) an hour.


US forces tried unsuccessfully twice to rescue an Englishman and two US citizens being held hostage, CNN reported Tuesday. Both efforts were guided by intelligence and led US forces to separate sites in Baghdad, officials said.


Reuters Poll: Bush Takes One-Point Lead Over Kerry

President Bush moved into a slim one-point lead over Democratic Sen. John Kerry in a tight White House race, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Thursday.


Her charms are meant to keep away the devil. Little black leather pouches hanging around her neck, worn down by years of being rubbed between her fingers.


IRVING, Texas -- Terrell Owens warmed up for practice Friday, then went to see a trainer about his injured ankle.


Two Italian Aid Workers Kidnapped in Baghdad

Two Italian woman aid workers and two Iraqis were kidnapped in broad daylight in central Baghdad Tuesday in a brazen raid that will alarm foreigners already edgy from widespread kidnappings.


Manchester United supporters have reacted angrily to news that the club could be bought out by Malcolm Glazer. The club confirmed on Monday it had received a takeover approach, thought to be from the American businessman.


Australia welcomes arrest of embassy bomb suspects

The Australian Government has welcomed the arrests of four key suspects in the bombing of Australia's embassy in Jakarta in September.


Airbus nudges ahead of Boeing for new orders

European plane maker Airbus has booked more orders this year than US rival Boeing, figures showed Monday, a sign that demand remains strong for the group's aircraft despite recent production and design problems.


PLANOTexas - The traps are out as a Plano family waits to see if a bobcat's kittens take the bait. The mother bobcat was captured Wednesday, and one of three kittens was captured Friday morning.


Gamers may be some of the first to appreciate high-definition content.


Deloitte to settle Delphi investor suit for $38 mln

Deloitte & Touche LLP has agreed to pay $38.25 million to settle an investor lawsuit over alleged accounting improprieties at bankrupt auto parts maker Delphi Corp , plaintiffs' lawyers said on Thursday.


Teresa Heinz Kerry said Monday that President Bush is unwilling to change, a character flaw that shows "inattention and indifference" rather than strength.


Through its acquisition of Healthology, the company's bottom line should gain strength.


Books of the Times: Families Lost, and the Ties That Fray

Two new story collections explore young deaths, sexual infidelities, and unraveling marriages.


Government to open talks with "forgotten victims" of tainted blood ...

OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government says it will open negotiations on compensating the forgotten victims of the tainted blood scandal - those infected with hepatitis C before 1986 or after 1990.


Two Friends Will Tangle With a Title at Stake

When Byrd (37-2-1) walks across the ring at Madison Square Garden tonight to defend his International Boxing Federation heavyweight title against McCline (31-3-3), the fighters will see more than just a dangerous opponent.


DaimlerChrysler Posts $1.18B Quarterly Profit

Automaking giant DaimlerChrysler AG said Thursday it earned 951 million euros ($1.18 billion) in the third quarter on good performances from its financial services division and its U.S. Chrysler arm, rebounding from a 1.7 billion euro loss a year ago when it had a large one-time write-off.


Roundup: Vogts resigns as Scotland coach

Berti Vogts resigned as coach of Scotland's national team on Monday with his side standing virtually no chance of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.


The sale of a Highland estate is halted until it is decided  whether local people can make an offer.


No discussion of war in Iraq - Thursday night's presidential debate included - would be complete without a headmaster's scolding of the arrogant and trigger-happy US government.


China's trade surplus has surged to an almost record level in February, official state figures show.


Judge rules jury in Merrill Lynch-Enron case can see some ...

Jurors in the case of four former Merrill Lynch & Co. executives and two former midlevel Enron executives on trial for fraud and conspiracy will be allowed to see salaries of three Merrill Lynch defendants, a judge ruled Wednesday.


Bench players help Bobcats upstage Detroit

Reserves Sean May and Matt Carroll combined for 33 points off the bench as the Charlotte Bobcats ended the Detroit Pistons' eight-game winning streak with a 97-89 win in Charlotte on Sunday.


A shark ripped off part of a 15-year-old tourist's leg on Saturday as he swam at a beach in Australia's remote southwest, officials said.


A 17-year-old youth is being questioned by police after a man is found dead in north Belfast.


Backed by air power, U.S. forces targeting militants believed to be responsible for the kidnapping of two coalition soldiers raided the main Shiite district in Baghdad on Sunday.


E' stato un grande direttore d'orchestra e compositore


Former president Alberto Fujimori testified Monday that advisers told him a 1993 report on a military death squad from a dissident army general was false, backing claims he had no knowledge of its bloody operations.


NASA's  newest astronaut candidates experienced their first taste of zero gravity and are now preparing to make their first jet flights without the company of instructors.


Iraqi, US Fallujah Offensive Begins With Thousands of Troops ...

Officials say at least 42 insurgents have been killed so far. Two US Marines were killed in a vehicle accident. The American and Iraqi forces are trying to take back the city -- from insurgents


One of French aid workers in Chad who denies abducting children tells a court they were misled by intermediaries.


Two men are held after shots are fired at a police officer conducting a surveillance operation.


Washington court will hear autism-vaccine suits

A special court that will pit scientists against activists in the debate over whether vaccines have caused autism in many children begins hearings on Monday with the first test case, involving a 12-year-old Arizona girl.


Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan promises his side will get better after his first game in charge ends in a 0-0 draw with Bolton.


Open source browser juggernaut rolls on Firefox hit a significant milestone on Friday as it crossed the 400m download mark.â¦


SANZAR signs five-year deal with News Limited

The southern hemisphere's three major rugby unions have signed a $323 million five-year contract with News Limited and South Africa's SuperSport to secure the financial future of the expanded Tri-nations and Super 14.


Kodak Plans to Cut Up to 3,000 More Jobs

NEW YORK -- Eastman Kodak Co. said Thursday it is cutting as many as 3,000 more jobs as it completes a historic, four-year transformation this fall into a digital-imaging company focused on consumer photography and commercial printing.


Public consultation begins on proposals to extend protection for marine life around Britain.


New Zealand Business Confidence Falls as Rates, Currency Rise

New Zealand business confidence fell for a third month in October as rising interest rates slow construction and a stronger local dollar crimps the incomes of farmers and exporters.


European stocks lifted by fall in oil prices

European stock markets got off to a flying start as investors cheered a plunge in crude oil prices and fresh post-election gains on Wall Street.


Dozens of fans arrested after London Cup clashes

British police arrested 34 people when rival football gangs clashed in one of the most affluent parts of London after Chelsea's FA Cup clash with Tottenham, officers said Monday.


Indonesia leader seen ousted in landslide

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesian voters, frustrated by pervasive corruption and economic malaise, ousted President Megawati Sukarnoputri in a runoff election yesterday, awarding her former chief security minister a landslide victory, according to a projection by a local research institute.


Gold Fields shareholders reject Canadian merger

The management of Gold Fields, the South African gold producer, was dealt a blow on Tuesday after shareholders voted against a proposed reverse takeover of Canadian gold group Iamgold.


Reporter to Write Book About Being Hostage

Micah Garen, an American journalist held hostage in Iraq last summer by Shiite militants, is writing his memoirs. Simon & Schuster expects to publish the book, currently untitled, in the fall of 2005.


Jillian Searle knew she could not hold on to both her children during Sunday's tsunami - and had to let go of one of them.


NBA, NBRA Approve Collective Bargaining Agreement

NEW YORK (Sports Network) - The NBA has entered into a new  five-year collective bargaining agreement with the National  Basketball Referees Association (NBRA), thus eliminating the  possibility of having replacement officials work the upcoming  season.


G.M. Workers Begin Walkout Over Contract Impasse

The first national strike against G.M. by the auto workers union since 1970 began today after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a contract.


Cosmologists may have to reassess their understanding of the evolution of the early Universe after surprising new data from the Hubble Space Telescope.


One wounded as Somali troops evacuate compound

Somali government troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers shot a man on Friday, wounding him as they cleared a former defense ministry compound in a crackdown on near-daily attacks in Mogadishu, residents said.


Just in time for the Olympics The British government is delaying the roll out of the national ID card scheme to UK citizens, according to leaked documents obtained by the Tory party.â¦


Bank Agrees to Buy Troubled Loan Giant for $4 Billion

Bank of America will pay in stock for Countrywide Financial, the lender that became a symbol of the excesses that led to the subprime mortgage crisis.


Trends in Iraq seem to be moving in two different directions these days. The guerrilla war between the United States and insurgents continues, with mounting clashes and casualties.


By Robin Fitzgerald, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.  Feb. 23--BILOXI -- Motorists using Interstate 110 near Biloxi are encouraged to drive cautiously as roadwork continues this afternoon.


As telltale odors of hydrogen sulfide warn geological surveyors of the impending eruption of Mount St. Helens, students who hail from the Northwest said yesterday they are following the news with interest from 3,000 miles away.


Palermo, 19:03 - TENNIS, ATP PALERMO: DI MAURO KO AL PRIMO TURNO

Alessio Di Mauro è stato eliminato al primo turno del torneo Atp di Palermo (340.000 euro, te...


Karzai's rival demands probe into alleged fraud in Afghan election

A Karzai's rival in the landmark Afghan presidential election Hajji Mohammad Mohaqiq Sunday termed the poll as a fraud and called upon the United Nations to investigate.


EU nations back police mission to Kosovo

The European Union gave the final approval Saturday for the deployment of a 1,800-member policing and administration mission in Kosovo.


European stocks fall, pressured by high oil prices

European stock markets struggled in early trading as record high oil prices above 53 dollars weighed on sentiment.


MLB: Selig says McCain's help OK on steroids

In Phoenix, the players' union chief sees progress in talks for tougher drug standards, but no deal yet. PHOENIX - As players gathered here for their annual union executive board meeting, baseball commissioner


Holiday Attacks Target IE Browser, PHP Servers

Ziff Davis - Over the Christmas weekend, security hackers taunt Microsoft's security efforts with a new Windows proof-of-concept exploit that takes advantage of several unpatched bugs. And a new version of the Santy worm targets PHP scripts.


Kodak to Buy Creo for About $980 Million

Eastman Kodak  on Monday said it would buy printing technology firm Creo Inc.  for about $980 million in cash, to bolster its strategy to push more aggressively into the commercial printing business.


Eben Moglen, chairman of the Software Freedom Law center and one of the people putting the finishing touches on version 3 of the GNU General Public License, said at a speech Tuesday that service providers have a moral imperative, if not a legal one, to contribute back to the free software community.


Bush's Budget Proposal Would Cut Medicare Spending

MONDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- President Bush's new budget proposal would cut $196 billion over five years from both Medicare and Medicaid -- programs that provide health care to millions of poor and elderly, federal officials announced Monday.


Heathrow Launches RFID Trial to Track Luggage

The U.K.âs busiest airport is starting to affix radio chips to the luggage of passengers as part of an experiment aimed at reducing lost bags.


Azienda alimentare incorpora societa' controllate


JACKSON, Wis. - Jon Sanford takes good care of his hair, washing it regularly and conditioning it occasionally. Now he might break a record for that hair - on his arms.  One particularly long strand measured 4.1 inches.


Arrestato bandito benefattore dopo mesi latitanza


Baghdad: Iraqi judges questioned one of Saddam Hussein's most infamous lieutenants as they began investigative hearings of top officials of his ousted regime.


Jets quarterback Chad Pennington tests his shoulder Wednesday with light throwing for the first time since straining his right rotator cuff on Nov. 7.


PepsiCo to build $170 mln Russia snack plant

PepsiCo International   said on Saturday it would build a snacks production  plant in the Russian town of Azov and invest $170 million over  five years in the project.


Goergl Wins First Race and Pushes Miller Second

Austrian Stephan Goergl won his first World Cup Alpine ski race with victory in a super-G on Thursday, pushing American favorite Bode Miller into an unaccustomed second place.


NEW YORK - Nearly three years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Republicans hold their national convention here this week aiming to show President Bush as a war president with determination and


'E' soverchiata dall'economia', dice 'a titolo personale'


Heart scare won't stop Berlusconi in politics: aides

Italy's Silvio Berlusconi was given a clean bill of health on Tuesday after fainting at a rally this weekend, and the ex-prime minister planned to get straight back into the political fray after his discharge due on Wednesday.


Mayor Traian Basescu was ahead in the Romanian presidential runoff, according to official partial results released Monday.


Dutch political leader cites 'arrival of jihad'

The government vowed tough measures yesterday against what a leading politician called ''the arrival of jihad in the Netherlands" after


The judge in the Scott Peterson murder trial denied defense motions Monday for a new jury and a new venue, and rescheduled the penalty phase of the case to begin November 30.


GOP Adds Anti-Gay Marriage Plank to Platform

Republican activists sharpened their party's opposition to gay marriage Wednesday only hours after Vice President Cheney defended such unions.


Researchers probe Southern Ocean's icy depths

Here be monsters, me biodiverse buckaroos Researchers from Australia, France and Japan have returned to port from the Southern Ocean following a two-month jaunt to probe the icy depths, which yielded some impressive footage of the abyss as well as a range of hitherto-unknown Antarctic sea monsters.â¦


Palestinian group Hamas pours scorn on former UK PM Tony Blair's appointment as Middle East peace envoy.


Udine, 17:36 - CALCIO, UDINESE; LEONARDI: QUAGLIARELLA RESTA CON NOI

Il direttore generale dell'Udinese Pietro Leonardi ha ripetuto per l'ennesima volta che non intende ...


Londra, 18:25 - CALCIO, PREMIER LEAGUE: POKER DEL LIVERPOOL

Nella 17/a giornata di premier league, aperta dalla vittoria del Manchester United nel derby con il ...


Crackpot technologies that could shake up IT

InfoWorld - It doesn't take a genius to catch on to the fact that in IT, innovation is a mandate. Push the envelope of what's possible, or find yourself relegated to wayside. But, to borrow a favored David St. Hubbins Spinal Tap aphorism, there's a fine line between clever and crackpot when it comes to making good on technological breakthroughs in the enterprise.


Siena, 17:35 - CALCIO, SIENA: BERETTA RESCINDE CONTRATTO

Mario Beretta ha rescisso il contratto con il Siena. Lo annuncia una nota del club toscano, che ''es...


Australian Al Qaeda Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

U.S. NAVAL BASE, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba  -  Australian al Qaeda suspect David Hicks, formally charged on  Wednesday with war crimes by a U.S. military tribunal, pleaded  not guilty and then walked out of the courtroom smiling.


Winter storms across key parts of the United States helped bring on a surge in new applications for jobless benefits, the government said on Thursday, while other data showed some strength in the manufacturing sector.


Three years ago today, the terrorists who struck at the United States changed America forever. Now, a similarly profound change is taking place in another country: Russia.


Despite a pre-debate âmemorandum of understandingâ between the Bush campaign and the Kerry campaign that there would be no televised âcutawaysâ or reaction shots, more than sixty-two million Americans watched George W. Bush appear to come unglued


Clinton holds narrow Nevada lead on Obama: poll

Democrat Hillary Clinton holds a narrow 5-point lead on rival Barack Obama in Nevada on the eve of the state's presidential nominating contest, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Friday.


Israel cautious on West Bank moves ahead of summit

Israel is reluctant to remove roadblocks and other West Bank restrictions to boost Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's new government until he does more to curb militants, officials said ahead of a summit on Monday.


Gore Shares Peace Prize for Climate Change Work

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Al Gore and to a United Nations panel for their work on global warming.


La Zubia, 19:20 - CICLISMO, A CIONI PRIMA TAPPA DEL GIRO DI ANDALUSIA

Dario Cioni si è aggiudicato oggi la prima tappa della 53.ma edizione del giro ciclistico And...


Would it be rude to suggest that Tomas Berdych got sick looking at his sickly forehand, a shot that meekly found shelter in the net?


The US Vice-President, Dick Cheney, warns Iran it will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.


Dry southern California produced parched sales this winter.


Attacks fall sharply on oil pipeline to Turkey thanks to new security measures.


Pakistan strike ends lean time in al Qaeda hunt

A missile strike that killed senior al Qaeda leader Abu Laith al-Libi in Pakistan this week marked the first big success the United States has notched in the region against Osama bin Laden's group for over two years.


Lucent Doubles Its Chief Executive's Pay

Lucent Technologies Inc. more than doubled the total compensation of its top executive to $13.6 million in 2004, a year in which the telecommunications-equipment maker posted its first profit in four years, according to a regulatory filing Thursday.


Rumsfeld to Meet Foreign Defense Chiefs on Iraq

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was set to meet defense chiefs from about 18 nations aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Gulf Saturday as the United States looks to improve the security situation in Iraq with January elections looming.


October jobs boom may keep US rates rising to the end of 2004

WASHINGTON, Nov 7  - The discovery of life in the American jobs market may keep the Federal Reserve raising interest rates until the end of 2004, analysts said.


ATHENS - Homeland favorite Fani Halkia of Greece, cheered on by her compatriots in Olympic Stadium, roared to victory in the women's 400 meter hurdles Wednesday night, taking the gold medal in a time of 52.


Bank earnings fall slightly in 1st quarter

Earnings at U.S. banks fell slightly in the first three months of the year amid a continuing housing slump and tightening credit standards, a banking regulator said on Thursday.


Microsoft's Zune may nudge into upgrade market, survey says

Microsoft Corp.  may have  an opening with its recently launched Zune digital music player  to gain market share against the iPod, as a Reuters survey  showed that among consumers expressing interest in the Zune 35  percent of them were upgrading from an existing player.


Investigator Returns To Stand In Peterson Trial

Defense attorney Mark Geragos wrapped up his cross-examination of Amber Frey Tuesday by getting her to acknowledge that Peterson never told her he loved her.


Scores of passengers safe after bad weather ferry drama

A coastal rescue team saved 34 passengers and two crew from a ferry in Devon that broke free of its guide cables in bad weather and began drifting out to sea, the coastguard said.


The dollar dawdled at the lower end of  recent ranges on Friday after soft U.S. manufacturing data  fueled a view that the Federal Reserve may slow or even  temporarily halt its tightening campaign.


POLITICAL MEMO For Kerry, a Few Words That May Be Debatable

Senator John Kerry and President Bush devoted four and a half hours and nearly 45,000 words to three detailed and substantial debates.


Knicks beat Rockets 93-92 Rockets with buzzer 3-pointer

Jamal Crawford of the New York Knicks hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to hand the Houston Rockets their sixth loss this season at 93-92 on November 18.


American Economist Expected to Win Nobel

Americans have dominated the annual Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences five years running, and it may not surprise Nobel watchers if the trend continues.


Over 30 Killed in Iraq attacks, 20 Americans wounded

More than 30 people were killed and more than 60 wounded in a rash of suicide car bombs and mortar and rocket attacks in the Sunni Triangle on Saturday as US Marines


Lebanon to bury anti-Syrian MP killed by car bomb

Lebanon prepared to bury anti-Syrian legislator Walid Eido on Thursday, a day after he was killed in a car bomb attack his allies blamed on Damascus.


Playlist: Dark, Quiet Bebop and Folkish Metal

New releases of works by the Miles Davis Quintet, Gil Coggins, Helen Sung and High on Fire.


Rod Stewart non-plussed by long-awaited Grammy win

It was a long time coming and veteran British rock star Rod Stewart was not sure how to react to winning his first Grammy award in 14 tries.


Peru's Shining Path Founder Guzman Appears in Court

Abimael Guzman, the founder of the Shining Path, a Maoist guerrilla movement in Peru, appeared in public for the first time in 12 years as his retrial on terrorism charges began in Lima before a three-judge panel.


ISM: Service-Sector Growth Slows in Jan.

The service sector of the economy showed slower growth in January, as the rate of expansion in both employment and inflation pressures softened, the Institute for Supply Management said Thursday.


Users of Microsoft's Hotmail, most of whom are accustomed to getting regular sales pitches for premium e-mail accounts, got a pleasant surprise in their inboxes this week: extra storage for free.


CVC to acquire Samsonite for $1.1 billion

Luggage maker Samsonite Corp. , a company on the verge of bankruptcy only four years ago, agreed to be bought on Thursday by private equity firm CVC Capital Partners  for $1.1 billion in cash.


International aid officials and development experts are voicing concern that the outpouring of generosity from the world's governments may deplete resources for other pressing needs in much poorer countries.


Auburn Converts Second Chance to Stun L.S.U.

Jason Campbell hit Courtney Taylor for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute 14 seconds to play and No. 14 Auburn got two chances to kick the winning extra point.


Australia tighten their grip on the third Test and the series after dominating India on day two in Nagpur.


After a weekend marked by too many downbeat dramas and comedies-in-name-only, the Sundance Film Festivalâs flock of film buyers finally began seeing movies they could take to the multiplexes.


F.D.A. Panel Votes Against Sale of Statins Over Counter

The panel said that while Americans could benefit from taking a Merck cholesterol-lowering drug, they should not begin such a regimen without a doctor's advice.


Local authorities and recycling companies could be penalised for selling green waste to farmers and gardeners following changes to rules governing green waste.


David Beckham's axing from the England team for Wednesday's friendly against Switzerland at Wembley has borne witness to manager Fabio Capello's rugged approach but the former England captain said he "totally" respected the decision.


Clinton Library Recalls Good, Bad and Monica

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  - Bill Clinton will open his  presidential library in his native Arkansas on Thursday, where  memories of Whitewater, welfare reform and Monica Lewinsky will  all reside under one roof.


US retaliates after 8 Marines killed in Fallujah

US forces have launched air strikes on Fallujah after eight US Marines were killed in weekend clashes with Iraqi rebels in Al-Anbar province, despite claims the insurgency was being defeated.


Hotel owners, developers, brokers and consultants are almost uniformly shrugging off any doom-and-gloom ideas about the year ahead.


Palestinians forming cmte. to run affairs while Arafat recovers

Three senior Palestinian officials formed a special committee early Thursday to run Palestinian affairs while Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat recovers, according to a Palestinian official in Arafat's office.


United States Department of Energy  Sava


Women lawyers force big rights gains in Uganda

This spring, a small group of lawyers helped overturn laws that gave men more rights than women.


Spitzer Denies Wall Street Journal Report

New York Attorney General Eliot  Spitzer, who is suing insurance broker Marsh & McLennan Cos.  MMC.N on fraud and bid-rigging charges, said on Thursday  negotiations with the company have just begun and no settlement  value has yet been discussed.


U.S. military starts freeing Iraqis for Ramadan

The U.S. military began releasing Iraqi detainees on Thursday to mark the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Iraqi and U.S. officials said.


The Toyota 4Runner pulled to a stop on the country road and a tinted window rolled down. Passers-by gawked, then broke into a run, screaming "president!" when they realized Hugo Chavez was at the wheel. "I love you!" cried a middle-aged woman with tears in her eyes, thrusting a fistful of flowers into the car.


Risks: Lax Catheter Policies Seen at Many Hospitals

Despite the well-established danger from urinary catheters, a new study finds that hospitals are doing very little to reduce the risks of infection.


There was good news and bad news for the Celtics last night at the FleetCenter.


Emraan Hashmi is all set to lose his title of the voracious kisser in Bollywood to the dashing hunk Dino Morea.


Germany floats Trojan for terror suspects

Baldrick-style cunning plan German politicians have defended plans to email Trojan horse software to terror suspects in the hopes of monitoring their conversations. The measures have sparked a fierce civil liberties debate. The dubious efficacy of the wheeze is yet to come under serious consideration.â¦


PHNOM PENH: Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk has abdicated, sick and dismayed at political infighting in his impoverished country as it tries to recover from the "Killing Fields" era, his son says.


Sport: Football: Fabio Capello admits to 'pride and honour' at being appointed England manager


EUROPA/ITALIA - LÂAgorÃ  dei giovani: un percorso triennale di attenzione ai giovani italiani per sostenere il loro maggiore impegno nella missione della Chiesa e nel cammino della Chiesa italiana Roma (Agenzia Fides) - ÂCi vedremo dunque nelle Marche, a LoretoÂ ha detto il Santo Padre Benedetto XVI ai Vescovi ed ai fedeli delle Marche convenuti il 14 febbraio a Roma, prima di recitare con loro, per la prima volta, la preghiera intitolata ÂCon...


EU commission overshadowed by dispute on commissioner's conviction

As the new European Commission (EC) started to take up office on Monday, it was still overshadowed by quarrels over French European Commissioner Jacques Barrot's conviction.


Myanmar fishermen rescued after 3 months in sea

Three Myanmar fishermen who say they spent nearly three months adrift at sea in a raft after their boat was destroyed in a cyclone were rescued off the east Indian coast on Wednesday, police said.


Verra' sostituita dal numero 1 del gruppo, Mark Hurd


A university study shows the population of a tiny endangered owl in northern Mexico has declined by an estimated 26 percent over the last seven years, a finding that environmentalists said bolsters their arguments for greater protection for the bird in Arizona.


Marquette coach Tom Crean promised to bring a megaphone next time his team plays at the Allstate Arena. That way, he said, maybe the referees will be able to hear his cries for a timeout.


RAMALLAH: Palestinian prime minster Ahmed Qurie has asked France to provide him with a medical report detailing the cause of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death, his office said last night.


EU to spend 98 mln euros on mad cow disease tests

The European Commission will spend nearly 100 million euros ($123.9 million) next year on cattle testing across the 25-nation bloc to try to stop the spread of mad cow disease to humans, it said on Friday.


Nick Markakis scores the go-ahead run on an error, part of a five-run 10th inning, as the Orioles topple Texas, 6-3, on Thursday night.


Lo dice, gelando gli operatori finanziari, David Rosenberg


New orders at U.S. factories fell 4.7 percent in October, the biggest fall in more than six years and marking the third drop in four months, while inventories rose again suggesting growing slack in the economy, a government report said on Tuesday.


Former US President Bill Clinton's foundation and Indian drugs companies in new deal to help HIV children.


Police fire tear gas as Kenya election campaigns end

Kenyan police fired teargas to disperse stone-throwing supporters of the country's main presidential contenders on Monday after the candidates made a final push to win votes in a race deemed too close to call.


Five years ago, after two NASA missions to Mars were doomed by elementary mistakes - a software glitch and a mix-up between English and metric units - the space agency devised more elaborate


E' successo su nave Grimaldi, operazione riuscita a Genova


Barack Obama listened intently Wednesday as 65-year-old Sandra Burt poured out her troubles, a recent retiree and her husband without the money to cover a $2,900 monthly drug bill or even a full load of kerosene for heat.


Chicago-area factories shed jobs in  December for the first time in six months, a survey showed on  Thursday, and a separate report indicated a slowdown in  help-wanted ads across the nation last month, suggesting  weakness in next week's U.S. employment numbers.


(InfoWorld) - Believing current software testing approaches are antiquated, FedEx is working with the University of Memphis to take testing to its next steps. The package delivery company has commissioned the university to research a number of topics pertaining to the matter, through the FedEx Institute of Technology program at the school. The testing project, called the Systems Testing Excellence Program (STEP) could result in the largest testing organization in the country. Specifically, FedEx seeks methodologies to make testing processes shorter while ensuring that applications are high-quality. Current testing practices are basically the same as they were in the 1980s, said Dave Miller, vice president of information technology at FedEx. Code is written and then turned over to unit testing; testers look for defects and send that detail back to the development team, Miller said. Determinations are made on whether an issue actually is a defect or requirements shortcoming. "We sort of believe that testing as a discipline has probably not kept up pace," with other areas of IT, Miller said. FedEx's focus is on testing of large, complex, integrated software systems, on both mainframe and distributed systems. "We want to make sure we're in the forefront of the testing space," Miller said.Â  Research areas being studied include: * Risk-based testing process, featuring risk assessment * Multi-stage system testing model, for fault-tolerance and debugging-free software * Managing software testing in projects that involve offshore vendors * Engaging testers earlier in the lifecycle * Skill acquisition by testers * Gauging employee personality and cultural characteristics as they pertain to software test projects * Development of decision models for the best use of software testing resources * Systems Testing Expert System * Improving test benefits through the software development lifecycle * Knowledge transfer mechanism for skills acquisition in software testing * Applying a knowledge management approach to testing * Network Infrastructure Test Suite, to automate detection of network vulnerabilities University students who stand out during the project may even be hired by FedEx. The project has been under way since last summer. FedEx plans to hold a summit meeting in Memphis in May to discuss findings. Companies and organizations such as Borland, the Eclipse Foundation, Mercury Interactive, and Microsoft are expected to be invited, as will others from academia. Invitations also will be extended to Indian-based companies such as RelQ, which does software testing, Miller said. FedEx and the university also are developing a systems certification intended to arm graduates with proof that they are experts in the testing field.


Oracle Income Grows on Database Software Sales

Oracle on Tuesday announced a 16 percent increase in its first-quarter net income, attributing the gain to demand for its database software, Oracle Database 10g.


Usher, Keys, OutKast, Kayne â win 27 Billboard awards.

R&B singer Usher has won 11 awards at Wednesday night's Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. Other big winners included Alicia Keys with 7, OutKast with 5 and Kanye West with 4. Chart-bursting singer, Usher


The Independent Parent: 'We'd like a quiet, sunny holiday with our baby'

Q. I have been ill since the birth of our baby but hope to be well enough to go on holiday with my husband and our seven-month-old in January or February.


To some, Deputy Superintendent Robert E. O'Toole Jr. is a cop's cop, a 36-year police veteran who commands respect from his troops. To others, he's a rogue cop with a temper.


Head Cooling May Reduce Brain Damage in Infants

Cooling the head with a special cap may help reduce brain damage in infants with neonatal encephalopathy, a serious neurologic condition that occurs in the first days of life, new research shows. This treatment seems to work for most infants, provided their condition is not too severe.


Thrustmaster unveils Wii peripherals kit

Whoopee Wii Gaming peripherals manufacturer Thrustmaster claims to have created the worldâs first programmable and vibrating wireless gamepad, which is also compatible with GameCube and Nintendo Virtual Console games played on the Wii.â¦


Reservist pleaded guilty to prisoner abuse

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An US Army reservist's lawyer said his client avoided several other charges with today's guilty plea in the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.


Elephant fatally crushes circus worker in Australia: police

A elephant crushed a circus worker to death in Australia Thursday as it was being unloaded from a truck, police said.


The US Senate added piles more political woe on President George W. Bush Thursday, derailing a landmark immigration bill he hoped would boost his legacy, likely killing reform efforts on an issue splitting American politics until at least 2009.


Surgeons carry out the first full face reconstruction, including the nose, using a single flap of skin.


Unruly Oil Markets to Overshadow China's G7 Debut

Soaring oil prices once again  threaten to hijack Friday's meeting of finance chiefs from the  world's top economic powers, overshadowing China's debut in the  G7 spotlight.


The next best thing to an invitation to the World Economic Forum in Davos is an invitation to one of its posh cocktail parties. Alorie Gilbert reports from Davos, Switzerland. In more news from Davos, YouTube says it'll pay for content.


Moore Books Deal to Publish Soldiers' Letters

"Fahrenheit 9/11" director Michael Moore has signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to publish a collection of letters sent to him by U.S. troops stationed in Iraq.


Twin expeditions light up British sporting summer

LONDON: Two expeditions crossing the equator in opposite directions will illuminate the 2005 British sporting summer.


BOSTON -- The memory of my first visit to Fenway Park was a little bit hazy, so I picked up the phone and called my father. He started to laugh.


America's gas price guru on what's to come

Trilby Lundberg is publisher of the Lundberg Survey, a national survey of gas prices quoted regularly by major news organizations, including CNN.


Manmohan Singh kicks off his eight-day foreign trip with a meeting with Tony Blair in London.


Former first lady Johnson dies: spokeswoman

Former first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, has died in Texas at the age of 94, less than two weeks after leaving hospital, a family spokeswoman said on Wednesday.


La figlia dell'ex premier: "Ero imbarazzata, capÃ¬ e non chiese nulla"L'estorsione pagata probabilmente con un bonifico a Fabrizio Corona                                          Barbara Berlusconi: "Ã stato papÃ   Silvio ad acquistare le foto"


'Shark Tale' Hooks Movie-Goers With $49.1M

LOS ANGELES - The animated fish story "Shark Tale" swamped the competition, opening as the top weekend movie with $49.1 million and potentially breaking the record for best October debut. John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix's firefighting adventure "Ladder 49" premiered in second place with $22.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday...


WASHINGTON - An investigation into the deaths of two Afghan prisoners in a military detention center in 2002 has concluded that 28 US soldiers should face charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to dereliction of duty, Army officials told NBC News


The vast tree-covered Shawangunk Ridge stretches across the horizon, rising in the distance to pale cliffs topped by a crenellated stone tower.


Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, under fire from conservatives because of his views supporting abortion rights, appeared last night to


Ethnically driven violence intensified in Kenya on Sunday, and police officials said at least 19 people, including 11 children, were burned to death in a house by a mob.


ASIA/FILIPPINE - Rompere gli indugi e tornare a camminare verso la pace: lÂappello della Conferenza Vescovi-Ulama delle Filippine Davao (Agenzia Fides) - Rompere lÂimpasse in cui si trova il processo di pace e tornare a incamminarsi sulla via del riavvicinamento, del negoziato e della riconciliazione definitiva: Ã¨ questo lÂintento della Conferenza Vescovi-Ulama di Mindanao (ÂBi...


NASA links growth with climate A warmer climate could disrupt the marine food chain, new research from NASA suggests, potentially damaging fisheries and other marine ecosystems.â¦


To Everything (Churn, Churn, Churn) Thereâs Techno

With a sound partly inspired by heavy metal, the French D.J. duo Justice aims to bring a bruising energy to the dance floor.


How Much in Personal Liability Insurance?

Don't under-protect yourself, or you may end up very sorry.


Taiwanese leader urges Chinese peace talks

Taiwan's President has used his National Day speech to urge China to begin peace talks so that the two rivals can avoid war. "Because we can't communicate, there's a lot of misunderstanding," Chen Shui-bian said.


Dominant Woods seals 62nd PGA Tour victory

SAN DIEGO, California  - Tiger Woods shrugged off three consecutive bogeys while cruising to an eight-shot victory at the Buick Invitational on Sunday for his 62nd PGA Tour title.


Gary Cavalli, executive director of the Emerald Bowl, said his game could extend the Midshipmen an invitation to come to San Francisco for the Dec. 30 game if they beat Rutgers on Saturday.


Study: Italian Teens Frown on Binge Drinkers

Getting drunk may be considered a normal  part of having fun for youngsters in northern Europe, but not  so in Italy where teenagers look down on friends who drink too  much.


The World Trade Organization was expected Friday to approve stiff sanctions on US exports ranging from almonds to ski jackets intended to punish Washington for failing to repeal the so-called Byrd amendment.


Gaza Gunmen Shoot Palestinian Intelligence Chief

Gunmen ambushed the commander of the  Palestinian intelligence service in the Gaza Strip on  Wednesday, wounding him, killing two bodyguards and fueling  fears of spreading chaos.


Stakes high as Mass. fights Comcast on taxes

With the Patrick administration campaigning to close what it calls corporate "tax loopholes," the Massachusetts Department of Revenue is battling Comcast Corp. over an estimated $250 million in taxes the state says it is owed.


Per salario,democrazia sindacale, contro destrutturazione PA


When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved implanting microchips in humans, the manufacturer said it would save lives, letting doctors scan the tiny transponders to access patients' medical records almost instantly. The FDA found "reasonable assurance" the device was safe, and a sub-agency even called it one of 2005's top "innovative technologies."


North Korean officials deny leader's portrait removed

North Korean officials have angrily denied reports that portraits of the country's leader are being taken down. There has been speculation about major changes at the top of North Korean politics.


By Soule, Alexander  For a status check on whether the time is right for yet another travel-related Web company, Rob Kost doesn't need to compare notes with Farecast, a hot Seattle startup whose site is used by travelers to predict the optimal times to buy airline tickets.


The PGA Tour announced last week that it had teamed up with the Tiger Woods Foundation to run an event in July. It will mark the third event in which Woodsâs foundation is the primary beneficiary.


Japan's Nikkei stock index tumbles 4% to its lowest level in 17 months on worries over the strong yen and high oil prices.


Dow Jones perde 6 punti, SP -0,9, Nasdaq cede 0,75


Altri 27 immigrati, tra cui 5 donne, soccorsi a Capo Passero


Nuclear test means now we can talk: North Korea

North Korea is prepared to return to six-country talks on its nuclear weapons program at any time now that it has "gained a defensive position" with a nuclear test, a senior envoy of the communist state said on Tuesday.


Netflix Inc. and TiVo Inc. made official Thursday their deal to create a service that will use high-speed Internet connections to pipe DVD-quality movies into the homes of their mutual subscribers.


NEW DELHI, Aug. 25. - Kuwait has promised to leave âno stone unturnedâ to ensure the safe return of the three Indians who were taken hostage in Iraq.


Portavoce, mai messa in dubbio la risposta di Veltroni


Ruling prince of Liechtenstein hands power to son

Prince Hans-Adam II formally handed over day-to-day governing powers to his son Crown Prince Alois on Sunday - and then invited all 33,000 of Liechtenstein's people to a garden party.


The chief of Boeing Co.'s  commercial airplanes unit said on Wednesday the company's hot-selling 787 Dreamliner, which is crucial to Boeing's financial prospects, is on schedule for its first test flight next year and first customer delivery in 2008.


Rattay prospects for Bears growing dimmer

Time, they say, heals all wounds, with the possible exception of Tim Rattay's ailing right forearm. As this week began, San Francisco 49ers coach Dennis Erickson


Lions coach Steve Mariucci said Saturday he was contacted by Notre Dame about its coaching vacancy but decided to stay with Detroit.


Methanex Sets Safety Record; Achievement More Notable in Its Risky Environment

THE word accident has been the main casualty at Waitara's Methanex plant for the last seven years.  "We have outlawed the word," says director of corporate resources Jayne Francis. "It has connotations of an act of God, of something that cannot be avoided.


US to Purchase More Doses of Flu Vaccine

WASHINGTON - The government is purchasing additional doses of flu vaccine from a foreign manufacturer to help relieve the US shortage.


Roche net profit up 34 pct on cancer drug sales

BASEL, Switzerland  - Net profit at Roche Holding AG  rose 34 percent to 9.17 billion Swiss francs ($7.33 billion) in 2006 due to strong sales of cancer treatments Herceptin and Avastin, just ahead of analysts' expectations.


Top 5 Trends in Service Level Management - 2007 Survey Results

(Source: Oblicore) Service Delivery Management, once thought of as the domain of early adopter companies, has clearly become more mainstream. Read the Oblicore survey results for a detailed analysis of these adoption trends.


Shares in China's biggest airline Air China close up 8% after making their debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.


Storage vendor Network Appliance said Thursday it plans to buy Onaro, a Boston company that develops storage management software.


Ambitious Gerrard in threat to quit Anfield

STEVEN GERRARD last night revealed he may quit Liverpool at the end of this season if the club cannot compete at the highest level.


Israel seeks funds for separate Arab roads

Israel is pressing foreign donors to finance the construction of a web of roads through the occupied territories - made necessary by the building of the vast "security" barrier and Jewish settlements in the West Bank.


Top singer Elton John gave a free charitable concert on Kiev's Independence Square on Saturday in a bid to draw attention to the AIDS problem in Ukraine.


An Iranian officer accused of smuggling powerful roadside bombs into Iraq was arrested Thursday in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said.


Charles Warren and Kevin Sutherland shared a one-stroke lead in front of a record opening-round crowd of 83,657 on a crisp, clear Thursday at the FBR Open.


President Vladimir Putin said he valued the partnership of President George W. Bush, but voiced suspicion the US might be behind what the Kremlin sees as efforts to isolate Russia and even destabilize it.


UPDATE 3-Vivendi raises 2004 forecast after strong quarter

France's largest media company, Vivendi Universal (EAUG.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) , raised its 2004 earnings forecast as it reported a 19 percent increase in third-quarter underlying operating profit, buoyed by a rebound in


Freescale sells itself for $17.6bn cash â or more

Who knows, maybe something better will come along Freescale Semi has accepted a $17.6bn offer from private-equity investors to buy the company. But there is a peculiar twist: the chip maker has reserved the right to seek a higher offer from other suitors over the next 50 days.â¦


Chancellor Gordon Brown is to announce the UK will write off its share of debts owed by the world's poorest countries to the World Bank.


For years, Shawsheen Tech and Greater Lowell have battled for the William J. Collins Cup on Thanksgiving Day.


Video game makers name "Gears of War" best game

Epic Games and Microsoft Game  Studios'  alien shooting video game "Gears of War" on  Wednesday took home three honors at the Game Developers Choice  Awards, winning best game as well as awards for technology and  visual arts.


Plans found on NYC plot suspect's computer

Lebanese authorities found maps and bombing plans on the personal computer of an al-Qaida suspect accused of plotting to attack New York train tunnels, a senior Lebanese official said.


Dalle Marche l'idea di fondare una societÃ  pubblica. Oltre 40 i paesi coinvoltiL'iniziativa porterÃ  a prezzi molto bassi internet veloce nei centri non raggiunti                                            Comuni contro il digital divide "L'Adsl? Per noi Ã¨ come l'acqua"                                                                                Dopo l'esperienza di Verrua Savoia si moltiplicano le iniziative in tutta Italiadi DANIELE SEMERARO


In a leap forward for stem cell research, three independent teams of scientists reported Wednesday that they have produced the equivalent of embryonic stem cells in mice using skin cells without the controversial destruction of embryos.


Signs of ancient eruptions indicate a planet geologically active and may suggest presence of simple life forms. By Peter N. Spotts | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor.


Nike Co-Founder Knight Steps Down as CEO

Philip Knight, the co-founder of  Nike Inc. NKE.N, is stepping down as chief executive officer,  the athletic shoe company said on Thursday.


Domani vertice Opec a Vienna, attesa produzione invariata


Arsenal miss two penalties but score two extra-time goals to beat Bolton and set up an FA Cup fifth round tie with Blackburn.


In Wide-Open Big East, Rutgers Still Has Chance

After a weekend in which Rutgers beat South Florida and Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati, the Big East standings are a jumble.


Pro baseball is urged to keep focus on antidrug policies

George Mitchell of the Mitchell Report, testifying in Congress Tuesday, warns against a witch hunt.


Build a web application in minutes NetBeans and Ruby, part 2 Having limped along in the wake of Eclipse, Sun Microsystems' NetBeans is getting its second wind. One thing that's helping is a fresh focus on scripting, particularly around Ruby on Rails.â¦


One of the world's biggest carnival celebrations opens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.


The 86-year-old mother of a Briton held hostage in Iraq tells his captors: "Send him home to me alive".


Parallel computing pitches at the mainstream The more things stay the same, the more things are likely to change, and clear evidence of that could be seen today at the announcement of the latest Top500 Supercomputers league tables at the International Supercomputer Conference in Dresden.â¦


The Minnesota Twins and reliever Jesse Crain agreed to a $3.25 million, three-year contract Tuesday.


BALTIMORE -- Maryland General Hospital's laboratory has corrected major problems, federal regulators have found, and is again in compliance with conditions for participating in Medicare.


Australian swimmer Brooke Hanson will be chasing her sixth gold medal at the World Short Course Championships in Indianapolis later this morning.


Martha Stewart Eyeing Reality TV Comeback

LOS ANGELES  - Martha Stewart is making  big plans to return to the small screen next year following her  five-month gig in a West Virginia prison.


Boeing and IBM join forces to gain edge at DOD

To nab network-centric work at the Defense Department, Boeing Co. and IBM Corp. today announced a 10-year alliance. The two companies estimate that DOD will spend $200 billion for ground- and space-based systems for net-centric operations.


No sign of life where Brazilian jet crashed

BRASILIA, Brazil  - Military searchers parachuted down on Saturday to the wreckage of a Brazilian passenger plane that crashed a day earlier in remote Amazon jungle with 155 people on board.


A car burns in Mosul, Iraq after exploding next to a convoy of US forces Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004. There were no immediate reports of injuries.


U.S.-Led Forces Hold Central Falluja - Residents

FALLUJA, Iraq  - Fighting eased in Falluja on  Tuesday after U.S. forces reached its center and consolidated  positions there, less than a day after starting an offensive to  tame Iraq's most rebellious city.


DevShed: Introducing Static Members and Methods in PHP 5

DevShed has posted the first part of a two part series today looking at the use of static members and methods in classes in your PHP5 scripts.    Static properties and methods can be quite useful in a range of situations, not merely for constructing a Singleton class. This article, the first in a two-part series, introduces the basic concepts of static properties and methods, using plenty of hands-on examples.   Hopefully, by the end of this series you should be equipped with a decent knowledge of how to include static members and methods within your PHP applications with minor difficulties.    They start with a simple example of using both in a class before moving on to using the Singleton pattern working up to making a Factory for creating static objects.


Barry Diller and IAC are going to launch something called “AskCity” next week, which will be a consolidated local offering under the Ask brand: The new Web-based city guides, due out on December 4, will be followed later in December by a redesign of IAC’s Ask.com search service, a small but fast-growing rival to Google Inc. [...]


Thailand confirms woman has bird flu, second case in latest ...

A woman was confirmed Monday to be suffering from avian flu, the second known human victim of the disease in Thailand since July, but officials said there is no evidence it was the result of human-to-human transmission.


Tigers don't offer contract to Munson, sign Inge, Sanchez

DETROIT The Detroit Tigers won't renew the contract of infielder Eric Munson, making him a free agent. The club also says it has agreed to terms on one-year contracts with utility player Brandon Inge and outfielder Alex Sanchez.


BAGHDAD, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraq's radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr refused to meet a delegation of Iraqi political and religious leaders in the holy city of Najaf, CNN reported.


Perfectmatch.Com(R) Launches TV Advertising Campaign

SEATTLE, Feb. 27  /PRNewswire/ -- Perfectmatch.com(R) (http://www.perfectmatch.com/), a leading online dating and relationship service for serious adults, announced today their plans for a series of new television advertisements in 2007.


An aggressive squirrel attacked and  injured three people in a German town before a 72-year-old  pensioner dispatched the rampaging animal with his crutch.


Bush Aims to Push N. Korea on Nuke Talks

President Bush is trying to build international pressure on North Korea to return to high-stakes nuclear talks at the same time he reassures Asian leaders about the tough U.S. approach.


Nokia is adding Secure Digital (SD) memory card capabilities to its range of mobile phones. It already uses MultiMediaCards (MMC) to add in games and third party software on its phones.


Chadian troops are sent to intercept rebels who are advancing on the capital after seizing a key town.


Players rejected the U.S. Soccer Federation's offer to send their labor dispute to arbitration and instead proposed on Monday that mediation be used in an effort to get the regulars on the field for next month's World Cup qualifier at Trinidad and Tobago.


At least 29 people are feared dead in Uttaranchal state after being swept away by flood water.


Doubts remain on international monitoring of Iraqi elections

US officials in Washington and Baghdad said at the weekend they were confident Iraq's parliamentary and local elections would take place on January 30


Given our love affair with high-priced luxury goods, and their association with status and power, itâs possible that weâve come to experience cerebral delight in response to things that promise that cachet.


Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offers neighbouring states the option to pay for oil with local produce.


Valencia, 12:22 - VELA, LUNA ROSSA: NUOVO CERTIFICATO DI STAZZA

Luna Rossa Challenge ha richiesto e ottenuto un nuovo certificato di stazza. A renderlo noto &egrave...


Governatore Bankitalia, manca ancora scatto produttivita'


Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko celebrated his insurmountable lead Monday in the re-run of Ukraine's presidential election, thanking protesters who spent weeks camped out in the capital's frigid streets for helping secure his win and the nation's


Awe, Disdain for Christo's New York 'Gates' Art

"The Gates," the huge, quirky art work  by Christo and Jeanne-Claude that was unfurled in Manhattan's  Central Park on Saturday, drew oohs, ahs and oh-nos from  visitors on the debut of its 16-day run.


Ichiro goes 5-for-5, needs 35 hits to break record

Ichiro leads the majors with 223 hits, 34 short of the all-time single-season record. He has 27 games remaining to reach the record of 257 hits, set by George Sisler in 1920 with the St.


"It would have been the final tombstone for this temple"  Italian police have recovered an ancient Greek temple dug up in southern Italy by a construction crew who had dumped or looted the prized artifacts and begun to pour cement over the ruins, authorities said Tuesday.After receiving information about the discovery during construction work on a tourist resort on the coast of southern Calabria, police used helicopters to locate the site near the town of Crotone, said art squad officials from the Carabinieri paramilitary police.More than 50 artifacts, including columns and mosaics, had been excavated from the site and used to decorate another hotel complex nearby, while other pieces had been placed in a dump to be reused as construction material. Read more


By The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.  Mar. 13--Commercial fishing for spring chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River is on hold for at least another week.


Cheney-Edwards Debate Draws 43.6 Million Viewers

Nearly 44 million Americans tuned in to see Vice President Dick Cheney square off against Sen. John Edwards in the most watched debate between nominees for the No. 2 spot on the presidential ticket since 1992, ratings showed on Wednesday.


After Sanjay Dutt, it is now jail for Salman Khan and the Hindi film industry is feeling the pinch. Dutt's jail term had put Rs.1 billion (Rs. 100 crores) worth movie projects on hold and on Friday( Aug 24) Salman Khan's possible incarceration would stall projects in the pipeline worth another Rs.750 million.


Visiting my neighbor Max Faget at his home on the banks of Dickinson Bayou here in rural Galveston County, Texas, was like a trip into a space museum.


Nintendo to Bring Music, Video to DS Game Machine

Nintendo Co. will begin selling an adaptor for its DS and Game Boy Advance handheld game players to allow them to play music and video, the company said, matching a popular feature on Sony's portable game machine.


Sony sets the pace with Japan launch in hand-helds

Sony yesterday fired the first salvo in its challenge to Nintendo's dominance of the hand-held video games market with the launch of Play-Station Portable (PSP) throughout Japan.


MIAMI -- You might say that this time, eBay melted in the resolve to ban the online sale of part of a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich.


IBM offers $745 million for buy software developer Telelogic.


Here's a market mantra from which any investor can profit.


Body Shaving May Up 'Superbug' Risk for Athletes

NEW YORK  - Body shaving and "turf burns"  seem to be two of the factors that raise football players' risk  of contracting an increasingly common antibiotic-resistant skin  infection, U.S. health officials report.


The Supreme Court sided with a university Tuesday in a fight with a researcher over who owns human cancer tissue.


Kerry blasts Iraq invasion as 'historic' failure

Democratic presidential contender John Kerry accused President George W. Bush of creating a "crisis of historic proportions" as infighting over Iraq dominated the US election campaign.


Bits: Yahoo Wants China Torture Case Dismissed

The company says a suit over its cooperation with Chinese authorities is really something that should be sorted out in China.


Iran vows to pursue atom program despite deadline

Iran vowed on Wednesday to press on with its nuclear fuel program, ignoring a U.N. deadline to freeze uranium enrichment or face broader sanctions, but offered to guarantee it would not try to develop atomic weapons.


T.O. looks like a go for the season opener. Terrell Owens got in plenty of work during practice Monday, then stayed late to run some extra routes for quarterback Drew Bledsoe. He came away sounding confident that he'll be over his hamstring injury and in the starting lineup when the Dallas Cowboys face the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Sunday.


Under a New Watch, Miramax Still Homes in on Awards

Miramax may be a smaller and calmer organization under Daniel Battsek, but the studio has nonetheless remained in the thick of the awards race.


Somali leader barely escapes deadly blast

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- The transitional president of Somalia narrowly escaped assassination yesterday when a car bomb exploded as he left a converted grain silo that serves as the nation's makeshift Parliament.


The Japanese cabinet approved an agreement with Washington to pull 8,000 US troops out of the country but faced renewed domestic criticism that the withdrawal did not go far enough.


Citigroup Inc., the world's largest bank, was forced to close its private banking operations in Japan after the nation's financial regulator reported it had found "serious" breaches.


Palestinian tensions high after Abbas election call

Hamas has accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of launching a coup after he announced a plan for early elections in an attempt to break a political deadlock and have crippling international sanctions lifted.


Business & money: Figures show sharpest fall for almost two years as trouble in the US housing market starts to spread and weigh down on consumer spending.


Israel Battens Down Hatches for Volatile Gaza Vote

Israel's parliament took  extraordinary security steps Wednesday for a vote next week on  a Gaza pullout plan expected to spark Jewish settler protests  and heighten death threats against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.


No Stranger to Controversy, Jason Calacanis Starts a New Venture

Jason Calacanis has founded two successful companies -- Silicon Alley Reporter and Weblogs Inc. Now he's back, with a search engine called Mahalo.


Casey Blake and Victor Martinez hit first-inning homers off Nate Robertson and the Cleveland Indians beat the Tigers, 7-4, last night in Detroit.


ROME Sept. 12, 2004 - Italian media grumbled Sunday over the failure of a hometown film to win big prizes at the Venice Film Festival, where the British movie "Vera Drake" by director Mike Leigh grabbed the best-picture award.


The match on Sunday ended with United's 2-0 win. Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney scored. However, Van Nistelrooy will face a three-match ban for his foul on Arsenal's Ashley Cole after he was charged by the Football Association on Monday.


Hotels and travel agents in Thailand have asked the government to clarify the status of bird flu to reassure tourists. The Thai travel industry wants worldwide distribution


Paris ends security program after mishap

PARIS -- French police yesterday ended their practice of hiding plastic explosives inside air passengers' luggage to train bomb-sniffing dogs after one such bag got lost, possibly ending up on a flight out of Charles de Gaulle airport.


Naomi Campbell Goes Public About Her Drug Addiction

Supermodel Naomi Campbell, who won a  legal battle against a tabloid newspaper over her right to  privacy after revelations about her drug addiction, is to talk  about her drug battles on a national TV chat show.


Canon to address 1D Mark III autofocus in August

Blog: The leading digital SLR maker could answer worries about autofocus issues raised last month with its new high-end EOS-1D Mark III camera.


Hardline Northern Irish Protestant group pledges to end all violence

Northern Ireland's main pro-British paramilitary group, The Ulster Defence Association (UDA), pledged to end all violence and work towards complete disarmament.


Upstaged by MySpace, MTV will introduce Virtual Laguna Beach, where fans can immerse themselves in virtual versions of the showÂs hangouts.


By Les Mahler  STOCKTON -- If Todd Burnett had his way, Tracy trash would stay in Tracy instead of being trucked across San Joaquin County to the Linden landfill.   In fact, the Lodi resident said he wants county supervisors to look to the Tracy foothills as a possible disposal site.


Kudrow Making 'Comeback' in HBO Universe

LOS ANGELES  - Former "Friends" star  Lisa Kudrow is mounting a "Comeback" at HBO.


China's "Go West" policy has mixed result

CHONGQING, China  - If you build it, they will come -- except perhaps to China's vast, untapped western frontier.


Residents Keen to Retain Council Representation

Waitaki residents' desire for continued regional council representation has been shown with more than 300 submissions on representation.   Environment Canterbury (Ecan) reported that of 360 representation review submissions more than 300 came from the Waitaki constituency.


Miguel Tejada got his wish Â albeit a couple of years later than he wanted. Tejada was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Houston Astros for five players on Wednesday, giving the 2002 AL MVP a fresh start on a team looking to boost its lineup.


Indian police kill country's 'most wanted' bandit

Police in southern India say they have killed the country's most wanted bandit, Koose Muniswamy Veerappan, in a shootout. Veerappan, who is believed to have had ties with Tamil militants and accused of more


Mugabe launches Robert Mugabe intelligence academy

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has launched an intelligence academy named after him, saying it would produce officers able to counter growing threats from Western powers, state media reported on Friday.


Federal regulators plan to vote Wednesday whether to allow air travelers wireless high-speed Internet access. And they plan to talk about, without a vote, whether to end the cell phone ban.


The Security Council calls for foreign troops to leave Lebanon -  a move aimed at reducing Syrian influence.


Autopsy Planned for Boy Who Died at Camp

By Stan Finger, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.  May 30--An autopsy is scheduled today to determine why a 12-year-old boy died at Camp Hyde in southwest Sedgwick County on Tuesday.


Bush, Martin pledge to improve trade relations but no promises on ...

OTTAWA (CP) - George W. Bush said he understands Canadian ranchers' frustrations but the president suggested the lumbering US bureaucracy has to sign off before the border can re-open to Canadian cattle.


Atlantis Astronauts Begin First Spacewalk

HOUSTON, Sept. 12 -- Space shuttle astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper stepped out into open space for the first time this morning, looked around and exclaimed, "Aaah. Wonderful."


Blair to Have Heart Procedure, Will Serve 3rd Term

British Prime Minister Tony Blair will go into hospital Friday for a procedure to correct heart palpitations but will be fully functioning and back at work next week, his office said in a statement.


Secondo Vermeulen, Rossi finisce solo quarto, mentre Capirossi e Hayden sono costretti al ritiro. CosÃ¬ l'australiano della Ducati ipoteca il titolo mondiale                                            MotoGp Stoner incanta a Laguna Seca E Melandri, terzo, batte Pedrosa                                                                                di VINCENZO BORGOMEO


Scientists say they have developed an effective vaccine against malaria that could be ready in six years.


Burma's deputy foreign minister tells Reuters that political prisoner Win Tin is on a list of people to be freed.


By AnnMarie Cornejo, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif.  Feb. 8--The Pismo Beach City Council voted unanimously to ban smoking at parks, sports fields, beaches, and at the pier at Tuesday night's city council meeting.