The top 10 underreported technology stories of 2007

We at InfoWorld.com? like to think that our coverage of the news and trends shaping the enterprise technology world is the best in the business. But not even InfoWorld (not to mention our competitors) can connect all the dots as they're forming ? the welter of news and the fast pace of events sometimes makes that difficult. That's why we've revisited the sea of dots to make those connections that weren't evident at first.[ Slideshow: 2007's top underreported tech stories ]                                                    Our staff reporters, editors and contributors have taken a hard look at 2007 and come up with a list of 10 stories that you need to know about as we enter what looks to be a challenging, fast-paced New Year.Application development? Java is becoming the new Cobol. Hardware and networking? A new generation of blade servers is moving into the small-to-medium market, and end-to-end Ethernet has finally arrived. We?ve looked at security issues and found that you need to worry more about Mac malware and less about e-mail attachments. And don?t neglect the changes in the open source business model (they could cost you money) and the surprising news about the importation of foreign workers to Silicon Valley.We think you?ll find these stories surprising, interesting and above all, useful. Have a great 2008.1.? Java is becoming the new Cobol 2.? Sun Microsystems is back in the game 3.? Hackers take aim at Mac OS X 4.? There are some threats you can worry less about 5.? Companies may have found a way around H-1B visa limits 6.? Open source?s new commercial strategy 7.? End-to-end Ethernet finally arrives 8.? Blade servers arrive for the masses 9.? BI is dead; long live BI 10. Balance of power shifts to software buyers


Corpses and weeping relatives filled morgues in Haiti after Tropical Storm Jeanne left more than 600 people dead, another tragedy for the Caribbean country in a year marked by revolts, military interventions and deadly floods.


UPDATE 1-Circuit City posts weak sales; shares fall

Circuit City Stores Inc. (CC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 2 US electronics chain, on Monday reported a surprise 4.3 percent drop in quarterly sales at stores open at least


Iraqi soldier shot dead two U.S. servicemen

An Iraqi soldier opened fire on U.S. troops during a joint patrol on December 26, killing two and wounding three others along with a civilian interpreter, Iraqi and U.S. officials said on Saturday.


At least 17 people were killed and dozens wounded by a wave of car bombings in central Baghdad on Monday, most of them in a predominantly Shi'ite district, police and witnesses said.


Next Ubuntu, 'Hardy Heron,' to get full support

Ubuntu 8.04 will be the second version of Canonical's Linux to get long-term support, the first since 'Dapper Drake' from 2006.


Ducks flying high but Stanley Cup ratings slump in U.S

ANAHEIM, California  - The Anaheim Ducks needed just 14 years to win their first Stanley Cup but are going to need more time to win over fans.


U.S. Violent, Property Crimes at 30-Year Low

Violent and property crime rates in  the United States remained at their lowest levels in 30 years  during 2003, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Sunday.


Russia's lower house of parliament is to vote on ratification of  the international treaty on climate change.


British army-approved UK Gear sneaker hits running shoe market

LONDON  - The British army is going into battle - for a slice of the sneaker market.


Historic YouTube debate gives voice to voters

The CNN-YouTube Democratic debate is under way  marking the first time that a journalist or a professional has not dictated what is asked of the candidates. The control is solely in the voters' hands -- and then candidates were asked about slavery reparations.


Ship Serves as Home and UFO Welcome Center

For extraterrestrials passing through rural Bowman on S.C. 36, the center - like any good welcome center - can't be missed. The giant saucers loom behind a rustic post and metal fence just across the road from a country home flying two American flags.


The UN Secretary General calls for efforts to end escalating violence in the Gaza Strip.


VMware bugs shine spotlight on virtualization security

VMware has patched critical flaws in its virtualization products.


Palestinian tensions high after Abbas election call

Hamas 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.


Roma, 23:41 - CALCIO, DERBY; ROSSI: VITTORIA DI FORZA E CONCENTRAZIONE

Comprensibilmente soddisfatto il tecnico della Lazio Delio Rossi dopo la vittoria nel derby. "Nel pr...


Human-To-Human Bird Flu Case May Be One-Off -WHO

The first probable case of one person  infecting another with bird flu, announced by Thailand on  Tuesday, may be a one-off event implying no new big threat to  human health, a World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman said.


South Korea probes sketchy reports on North Korea blast

SEOUL : South Korea has said it is investigating sketchy reports of a big explosion in North Korea last week but was unsure what triggered the blast near a secret underground military base.


VeriSign: Online shopping up 24 percent this year

U.S. holiday shoppers continue to turn to the Internet when searching for presents for family and friends, according to data released Thursday by VeriSign.


Bird flu outbreak: 36 may have been in contact

Public health officials probing a bird flu outbreak on a farm said Sunday that 36 people could have been in contact with the disease.


Google still waiting for social ad payoff

Google fourth-quarter financial results indicate that making a fortune on social ads may not be as easy as poking a friend.


Rapporto Censis 2004, contro il governo Ã¨ sceso in piazza il 70% ...

Ã un'Italia diversa dalle favole berlusconiane, ma piÃ¹ vicina alla realtÃ  quella descritta dal Censis nel suo 38esimo Rapporto sullo stato sociale del Paese. Un'Italia in cui ci si arrangia, in cui il caro


Chart: World's most competitive IT industries

Economist Intelligence Unit ranks and scores countries based on the strength of their information technology industries.


Wizardry of Polar Express gets in way of the magic

Robert Zemeckis' opulent big-screen rendition of Chris Van Allsburg's holiday best seller The Polar Express is so visually dazzling that it's the very definition of Christmas eye candy - and that's the problem.


WASHINGTON - The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in the spring, the government reported Wednesday...


Panel weighs unapproved drug-coated stent use

GAITHERSBURG, Maryland  - The broad use of drug-coated heart stents in unapproved patients came under scrutiny on Friday as U.S. advisers weighed the risks of the tiny tubes implanted in millions to keep arteries open.


Mahmoud Abbas, the new chief of the Palestine Liberation Organization, stood at the door of the Egyptian military helicopter and implored the frenzied crowd to move back.


Pictures Reveal Mercuryâs Tumultuous Past

The Messenger spacecraft that zipped past Mercury two weeks ago found more evidence of the innermost planetâs turbulent past.


Enron Sells Assets, Bankruptcy Plan Becomes Effective

Enron Corp. said on Thursday it has  canceled its nearly worthless stock three years after declaring  bankruptcy in a wave of accounting scandals in the latest move  toward liquidation.


Although the world seems more out of control than ever, it's reassuring to know one thing has retained its original essence: the soul-sucking, creativity-crushing, black hole of brain cells we call TV programming.


Secondo la banca 'del tutto corrette le operazioni compiute'


The US writers' strike could soon end with union leaders ready to put a deal to members, reports say.


Australian Retailer Urges Acceptance of Buyout Offer

The Coles Group advised shareholders to accept a takeover bid from Wesfarmers after several private equity firms withdrew from what stands to be the biggest deal in the countryâs corporate history.


CHARLIE NICHOLAS last night demanded the SFA power-brokers follow Berti Vogts out the door. The Scotland legend reckons the Hampden chiefs are at the root of the nation's dramatic fall from grace and branded


Since emerging from bankruptcy in May 2003, the company has undergone a dramatic turnaround, seen an almost eight-fold increase in its stock price and now plans to buy department store operator Sears, Roebuck (S:NYSE - news - research) for about $11


Angelina Jolie says she and Brad Pitt, who have three children including a newborn daughter, are planning to adopt another child. "Next, we'll adopt," Jolie tells CNN's Anderson Cooper in an interview to air Tuesday on "Anderson Cooper 360" (10 p.m. EDT).


Two Democratic presidential campaigns angrily accused the other of nasty politics on Wednesday over a Hollywood donor who once backed Hillary Rodham Clinton's husband but now backs her top rival.


Big Lead for Washington as Angelos Blocks Home

The Montreal Expos appear to be heading to a new home in Washington, but the most pressing concern is the negotiation to compensate Orioles' owner Peter Angelos.


In August in River Falls, Wis., it was raining. A feeling of unease came over Dick Vermeil. Coaches are sensitive to what others would regard as of little importance, none more so perhaps than the emotional Vermeil.


German Arrested Over Suspected Nuclear Arms Trade

A German man has been arrested on  suspicion of arranging the supply of nuclear arms equipment to  a foreign state, German federal prosecutors said Thursday.


Hamid Karzai's running mate in the Afghan presidential election narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by the Taliban yesterday in the latest bid to derail Saturday's poll.


In one mayor's indictment, a political parable

Civil rights icon Bill Campbell made Atlanta a beacon of change - and conflict - in New South.


Roma, 01:02 - CALCIO, CASSANO: NON DOVEVO LASCIARE LA ROMA

"Tornando indietro, non andrei via da Roma, ho fatto un grandissimo errore, ma la società mi ...


Un sondaggio di Telefono Rosa dopo l'aumento degli attacchi sessualiLa percezione Ã¨ quella di un fenomeno molto piÃ¹ diffuso e strisciante                                           Violenza sulle donne: non solo  stupri La paura Ã¨ anche tra le mura domestiche                                                                                "Un problema di sopraffazione quotidiana, casalinga e istituzionale" di CRISTINA NADOTTI


Blog: In a tiny mountain town, progress means that the general store is right next door to a place for disconnected travelers to chop off a little piece of the Internet.


Two Las Vegas schools are locked down after police say an armed teenager was spotted on campus.


Turkey wants the EU to ease its embargo on Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus. But Cyprus - an EU member since 2004 - will not agree to direct trade with the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , ...Comment


Here are some of the items the Democratic presidential candidates have purchased during their campaign:


The UK's growing sexual health crisis is to be tackled with a Â£300m investment for clinics and advertising.


PARIS - Millions of French students returned to school Thursday as a new law banning Islamic head scarves from classrooms goes into effect amid demands by Islamic radicals holding two French hostages in Iraq that the law be scrapped.    Muslim leaders in France, who had largely opposed the law, urged calm for the return to class...


A video posted Tuesday on a militant Islamic Web site in the name of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group showed what it claimed was a Japanese captive and threatened to behead him within


A roadside bomb blast killed an escort   of a senior Lebanese intelligence officer, who was among five   people wounded in the attack near Lebanon's southern city of   Sidon on Tuesday, police said.


Le borse saranno sempre piu' grandi e con colori freddi


Ukraine's presidential candidates are to debate live on TV, a week before the re-run of the contested ballot.


Strong sales of new vaccines and treatments help US drugs group Merck unveil a sharp rise in quarterly profits.


NFL great Reggie White died December 26, 2004 of a massive heart attack, ESPN reported. White, 43, the league's former all-time sack leader, put together a Hall of Fame career as a defensive end for the Philadelphia


Burma's Military Leader Consolidates Power as Ministers Retire

Burma's military government, in a weekend move, reshuffled its cabinet, with the foreign minister and deputy foreign minister stepping down.


He may be a New York native. But it's the Garden State that may own "The Donald" for eternity.


Report Offers 6 Keys to a More Successful Government

Federal managers looking for that road map to the future may want to check out a report, to be released today, on six trends that are keys to overhauling government operations and improving federal performance.


US Again Attacks Zarqawi Insurgents in Iraq

US forces are reported to have launched a second round of targeted bombing Saturday against Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terror network in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.


Thousands Line Up for Dwindling Flu Shots

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Seventy-year-old Homer Fink spent eight hours sitting next to a supermarket Halloween display for a flu shot that he wasn't able to get at five other places...


German prosecutors said Wednesday that they have issued arrest warrants for 13 suspected CIA agents who allegedly abducted a German citizen in an apparent anti-terrorist operation gone wrong.Comment


Protesters in London and Glasgow are to urge the return of all troops from Iraq and an end to the Trident nuclear missile system.


China arthouse films make waves on foreign shores

While audiences half way across the  world shower Chinese arthouse cinema with adulation and awards,  finding viewers at home can seem much harder.


Rage urges Big Easy residents to fight government

Reunited rock-rap group Rage Against The Machine brought its militant politics to New Orleans on Friday, and urged the citizens of the ravaged city to fight alleged government belligerence.


U.S. churches find financial transparency

The growth of megachurches in the United States has spawned mega revenues, leading many to find the financial light and embrace transparency to assure their congregations that their offerings are well spent.


Barry Bonds set a record Saturday night that no one cared to see. For the 199th time this season, he took ball four.


Bologna, 11:46 - BASKET, FERRARA: MICROFRATTURA ALLA MANO PER FOIERA

Nuovo problema per la Carife Ferrara. Charlie Foiera ha riportato un microdistacco parcellare alla b...


VATICANO - Assemblea Plenaria del Pontificio Consiglio della Cultura sulla secolarizzazione CittÃ  del Vaticano (Agenzia Fides) - Dal 6 allÂ8 marzo 2008, in via della Conciliazione nÂ° 5, il Pontificio Consiglio della Cultura celebra lÂAssemblea Plenaria, una riunione di Cardinali, Vescovi, sacerdoti e laici, in rappresentanza dei cinque cont...


Lawyer: FDA May Reassign Vioxx Whistleblower

A US Food and Drug Administration reviewer who criticized the agency's handling of Merck & Co. Inc.'s now-withdrawn Vioxx painkiller may be forced to another position


Third-Quarter Productivity Slows to 1.8%

The productivity of America's workers grew at a 1.8 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the slowest pace in nearly two years, the government reported Tuesday.


A Second Departure Near the Top of Goldman

Suzanne Nora Johnson, who as vice chairwoman is the highest-ranking woman at Goldman Sachs, is retiring from the firm.


A coroner tells the murder trial of music producer Phil Spector that  actress Lana Clarkson's death was homicide.


Former "Oz" actor charged with negligent homicide

Granville Adams, an actor who appeared  in the HBO prison drama "Oz," was arrested in connection with  the death of a man who fell down an elevator shaft during a  scuffle at a Manhattan nightclub, police said on Sunday.


Seven people are killed and 18 injured in a bomb blast in the  Indian state of Assam, police say.


The United Auto Workers union and General Motors Corp struck a groundbreaking deal on Wednesday, ending a two-day strike by agreeing to create a health-care trust fund that will reduce the automaker's costs.


Wal-Mart Sees 2-4% Sales Increase in September

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville said today that it expects Septemberâs same-store sales in the US to increase 2-4 percent, which is in line with the retail giantâs previously disclosed expectations.


General Motors to Cut 12,000 Jobs at European Units

General Motors Corp., the world's biggest carmaker, will cut as many as 12,000 jobs in Europe, almost a fifth of its workforce in the region, after $3 billion in losses in the past four years.


Government admits disc containing details of suspected foreign criminals was mislaid for a year


Tim Henman and Carlos Moya are tied at two sets all and 5-5 in their first-round match at Wimbledon.


China and India pledge more defence cooperation

China and India have agreed to deepen defence cooperation during a visit by Indian army chief NC Vij, Chinese state media have reported, a sign of warming relations between the giant neighbours and former foes.


âChuck Close,â about the painter, photographer and printmaker by the documentary filmmaker Marion Cajori, truly excels in its depiction of the physical process of making art.


Juan Pierre used all of Wrigley Field to stop Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.


It seems there more action in the Michael Jackson child molestation case. According to new reports, Michael Jackson voluntarily gave a DNA sample to investigators, but it's not clear how they plan to use it.


Car explodes at Scottish airport after London bombs

A four-wheel-drive vehicle rammed into Glasgow airport's main terminal on Saturday and exploded in flames in what police described as an attack, a day after a twin car-bomb plot was foiled in London.


They were giddy after a weekend of high school graduation parties, still reminiscing about their triumph at a national cheerleading contest, and were lining up a farewell summer of pool parties and sleep-overs before heading off to college.


A scandal over a U.S. Republican congressman sending sexually explicit e-mails to underage boys ratcheted up on Sunday with the FBI and a congressional ethics committee looking into the accusations.


Paris Hilton describes her 23-day incarceration in a Los Angeles prison as "traumatic" but a blessing in disguise.


Sprint Nextel to Buy Yet Another Affiliate

Sprint Nextel said yesterday it will acquire affiliate Northern PCS in a deal worth $312.5 million, the seventh such purchase for the wireless company in the past two years.


"Ghost" rides to No. 1 at foreign box office

LOS ANGELES  - Domestic champion "Ghost Rider" also led the weekend box office overseas, after earning $16.4 million from 25 markets.


Health stocks on merger, re-election roll

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Shares of health care insurers got another shot Tuesday, largely due to the expected merger of WellPoint Health Networks and Anthem.


Parigi, 13:09 - CALCIO, PORTOGALLO: UEFA PUNISCE SCOLARI, 4 GARE DI STOP

Luiz Felipe Scolari, ct del Portogallo, è stato squalificato per quattro gare dall'Uefa per i...


Today on the presidential campaign trail

Huckabee bags a pheasant in Iowa ... Some South Carolina ministers on Obama's list say they didn't endorse him ... Poll says George W. Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton are the man and woman most admired by Americans ... Edwards focuses on populist themes


A European judge's comments raise the prospect of EU students getting student loans in the UK.


Titolo chiude in rialzo del 4,30%, scambiato 4% capitale


Explosion Rips Through Okla. Factory, Two Missing

An explosion ripped through a  scrap metal plant in eastern Oklahoma on Tuesday night injuring  many employees and leaving at least two workers missing feared  dead, officials said.


EU cautions against early decision on Iran

The European Union presidency on Friday cautioned against an early decision to impose economic and other sanctions against Iran, saying that "for the EU, diplomacy remains the Number One way forward."


Joe Mauer hit a three-run, inside-the-park homer in the eighth inning to lift the Minnesota Twins to a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.


In a Jan. 2 story about the Writers Guild of America strike's impact on the Golden Globe Awards, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the Screen Actors Guild would advise its members to boycott the show.


Greggio scambiato a 94,17 dollari al barile


Beijing, China (Sports Network) - American Taylor Dent was one of only two winners on a rainy Tuesday at the inaugural $500,000 China Open.


Amnesty International calls for arms embargo on Khartoum

Amnesty International, just back from a fact-finding mission to Sudan, called for an international arms embargo to be slapped on Khartoum as a way to stop ongoing atrocities in the Darfur region.


Johnson & Johnson has agreed to buy Guidant Corp. for $25.4 billion in cash and stock, the companies said on Wednesday, giving the healthcare products maker a foothold


An urgent overhaul of US policy on Iraq is needed to stop "a slide towards chaos", says a major report.


Idaho cattleman not shaken by mad cow scare

POCATELLO - While it's certainly not welcome news, the government's announcement Thursday that it is investigating a possible new case of mad cow disease has not shaken the Idaho beef industry.


U.S. chases identity theft in biggest work raid ever

A day after federal agents netted 1,300 meat plant workers in the largest immigration sweep in U.S. history, federal officials pledged on Wednesday to continue a crackdown on illegal workers and identity theft.


The American astronaut charged with attempting to kidnap her love rival is sacked by Nasa.


Homeland Security IT chief blamed for cyberwoes

Top Democrat suggests CIO isn't fit to keep his job amid reports of security-related "incidents." CIO points to "significant progress."


A Milano, Cortina e Portofino, ma anche a Tokyo


U.S. nuclear envoy on surprise trip to North Korea

The U.S. envoy to nuclear talks with North Korea arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday to discuss the next steps under a disarmament deal, a surprise trip analysts said showed both sides were eager for swift progress.


La minaccia, ventilata da tempo, ora diventa realtÃ : dal 2008 partirÃ  un Mondiale parallelo a quello gestito da Bernie Ecclestone, organizzato direttamente dalle case automobilistiche. L'annuncio Ã¨ stato


NEW YORK, Oct 11  - World oil prices scaled record peaks Monday, rising on concern over disruptions to supply from strike-hit producers Nigeria and Norway.


Digital Assistants Continue to Lose Ground

Shipments of personal digital assistants declined for the third consecutive quarter as large vendors continued ceding the depressed market to smaller electronics makers, the research firm IDC said Wednesday.


What Lies Behind the Rash of Russian Poisonings?

Letter from Moscow: Nobody knows for sure, but the backdrop for the deadly turn Russian politics has taken in recent months is the slow onset of a succession struggle


Hopkins comes out of retirement to seek heavyweight crown

Just six months after retiring from the ring, Bernard Hopkins has decided he is not ready to hang up his gloves after all.


Warrants for Colombian Soldiers in Union Killings

BOGOTA, Colombia  - Colombian state prosecutors on  Monday ordered the arrest of three soldiers in connection with  the killing of union officials accused of being leftist rebels  last month, the state prosecution office said.


Space shuttle Discovery soars on second launch try

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida  - Space shuttle Discovery blasted off its seaside launch pad on Saturday, defying the odds of poor weather and ending the ban on night-time flights imposed after the 2003 Columbia disaster.


2007 stem cell breakthrough is 'like turning lead into gold'

It was the kind of breakthrough scientists had dreamed of for decades and its promise to help cure disease appears to be fast on the way to being realized. Researchers in November announced they were able to turn the clock back on skin cells and transform them into stem cells, the mutable building blocks of organs and tissues.


Music greats share memories of Ertegun in PBS docu

Everyone from Ray Charles to James  Blunt chimes in on the life and loves of Ahmet Ertegun, the  late revered music executive, in the documentary "Atlantic  Records: The House That Ahmet Built," set to premiere in May on  PBS.


ZeroNines(R) Technology, Inc. Partners With Aubice, Inc. To Develop Secure Highly Available Compliance Product

CASTLE ROCK, Colo., Sept. 21  /PRNewswire/ -- ZeroNines Technology, Inc., a provider of information security and high availability solutions, announced today it has reached a definitive agreement with Aubice, Inc., a Colorado based company to co-develop a secure, high-available compliance product.


Week in Photos: November 10-November 16, 2006

See a roundup of the week's news and events, from dog-policy protesters to "pinball" supernovas and coal mine explosions.


IT IS possible to extend your life and avoid heart disease by regularly eating the "ideal healthy meal " , scientists revealed last night.


Rolle Arrested on Domestic Violence Charge

Titans cornerback Samari Rolle was arrested Tuesday on assault charges after a Valentine's Day altercation with his wife, authorities said.


Firefighters who lost colleagues on 9/11 in New York strongly criticise Republican presidential candidate Rudi Giuliani.


Karzai Close to Election Victory, Pending Fraud Investigations

Hamid Karzaiâs victory in Afghanistanâs first presidential election could be sealed within days, a top election adviser said today - unless investigators uncover major fraud.


La donna era stata sequestrata a febbraio da un gruppo islamicoI sequestratori chiedevano il ritiro delle truppe tedesche dall'Afghanistan                                            Iraq, liberata Hannelore Krause resta in ostaggio il figlio ventenne


2 Md. Counties Gain Verizon Fiber-Optic TV

The Montgomery and Prince George's county councils  approved agreements yesterday allowing Verizon Communications Inc. to begin selling its fiber-optic television service, ushering in competition and the possibility of lower prices for thousands of cable viewers in suburban Maryland.


Supplement Industry Hops on Low-Carb Trend

Stroll down any pharmacy aisle these days and you'll find that the low-carb craze has invaded the $20 billion dietary supplement industry.


Opening shop in India? Bring scissors to cut red tape.

Much has been done in the past decade to simplify business rules, but the challenges of giving India an economic makeover are vast.


Here comes the bride ... and her new baby

A bride walked down the aisle only 11 hours after giving birth to her first child.


Dr. John R. La Montagne, 61, deputy director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, died Nov. 2 after he collapsed while standing in an airport line in his native Mexico City.


NEC Supports Vista 'Downgrade' to Win XP

With NEC FlexLoad, buyers of Versa and Powermate systems can choose Win XP--but only in international markets.


BRDC: GP decision 'body blow' for UK motorsport.

The British Racing Drivers' Club's reaction to the latest axe to fall on the annual grand prix at Silverstone was to declare that losing the event would spell 'bad news for Britain'.


U.S. employers added a moderate   128,000 workers to their payrolls in August, in line with   expectations, according to a government report on Friday that   suggested the Federal Reserve may not need to raise interest   rates further.


Crude futures sold off sharply for a second day in a row yesterday, briefly dipping below $43 a barrel, as traders focused on rising fuel supplies and the lack of cold weather.


CBS Posts Profit of $335M in 4th Quarter

NEW YORK -- CBS Corp. swung to a profit in the fourth quarter from a year ago period that included a major charge to write down the value of its television and radio businesses, the company said Tuesday.


Japanese Stocks May Rise; Nintendo, AOC, JFE, NTT Seen Gaining

Japanese stocks may rise after companies including Nintendo Co. and AOC Holdings Inc. raised their full-year earnings forecasts. ``Expectations of a strong Christmas sale season are


Bush-Putin "lobster summit" turns to diplomacy

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine  - U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin held oceanside talks on Monday to try to ease tensions that have taken their countries' relations to a post-Cold War low.


On Italian Isle, Migrant Debate Sharpens Focus

Hundreds of migrants from Africa in rickety boats have landed in the last few days on Lampedusa, a tiny Italian island, and the Italian government is responding quickly and contentiously, sending most of them ...


The first maintenance release of our new, but already popular, Popup Calendar includes better navigation bar styling, the ability to clear read-only input fields and fixes a couple of minor problems missed the first time around. By Peter Belesis. 0916


As of Friday, Jan. 4, 2008, at least 406 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The department last updated its figures Dec. 29, 2007, at 10 a.m. EST.


Delta Sets Plan, Rejecting US Airways Offer

Delta Air Lines presented its own plan today to emerge from bankruptcy as a free-standing airline in the spring.


Mafia boss pleads guilty to racketeering

The admitted boss of the Genovese organized crime family's South Florida operations pleaded guilty Thursday to federal racketeering charges and could spend 20 years in prison.


MELBOURNE, Australia  - Andre Agassi was  considering his future after leaving the Australian Open  following a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final loss to defending  champion Roger Federer on Tuesday.


Microsoft Windows XP SP2 ready to auto-roll

NEOWIN TELLS us that Windows XP Service Pack 2 automatic delivery service is now to be launched on the 25th of August - that's tomorrow.


Bonds, Ruth Still Tied; Peavy Mows Down 16

Barry Bonds remained tied with Babe Ruth for another day, but at least the San Francisco star put his bat on the ball. The Atlanta Braves had a hard time just making contact against Jake Peavy.


The search for a serial killer who preys on prostitutes in eastern England intensified Tuesday with the discovery of two more bodies, and detectives warned sex workers "to get off the streets as soon as possible."


Maoist rebels lay siege to Nepalese capital

KATHMANDU -- Without setting up a roadblock or even making an appearance, Maoist rebels cut off the capital from the rest of Nepal by declaring a blockade yesterday, leaving Kathmandu with only a few days of food and cooking fuel.


The Sundance Film Festival opens on  Thursday with quirky comedy "Happy Endings," but for 20,000  people heading to the top U.S. event for independent film,  "Endings" is just the start of 10 days of packed screenings,  star-gazing and parties.


Altri a Bologna, Frosinone, Enna, Macerata e La Spezia


Life on Mars, Spooks and other BBC shows are made available to download from digital store iTunes.


A former Democratic congressman said on Thursday he dropped out of the crowded free-for-all race against Republican incumbent Rep. Henry Bonilla for a newly-drawn congressional district.


No one expects the moby-virus police Spanish police arrested a 28-year old man on Saturday they suspect of involvement with a mobile phone virus.â¦


Iraq minister survives bomb, 9 killed: police

Iraq's industry minister survived a double bomb attack on his convoy in central Baghdad on Wednesday that killed at least nine people and wounded at least 51, police and Interior Ministry sources said.


CSC takes over contracts worth Â£2bn Connecting for Health, the UK government agency running the Â£12.5bn National Programme for IT, has confirmed that two of its five main regional contracts are to change hands.â¦


President Bush sought support from congressional leaders of both parties Monday for his proposal to overhaul Social Security, which promises to be a hotly contested political issue during his second term.


Health Management profit off as bad debt rises

Health Management Associates , which operates 59 hospitals in the United States, reported a 59 percent drop in its third-quarter profit on Friday after an increase in uninsured patients and mounting unpaid bills for its services.


IBM's motive is not altruistic. By making the software open-source, IBM hopes that other programmers will make improvements, thus speeding the development of speech applications and allowing


The Attack of the Giant 4-Footers left defending United States women's champion Kimmie Meissner reeling last night as both 14-year-old Mirai Nagasu and 15-year-old Rachael Flatt finished ahead of the former global gold medalist in the short program at the Xcel Energy Center.


Los Angeles Dodgers Team Report - September 8

(Sports Network) - Odalis Perez threw five innings last Thursday against the Diamondbacks before leaving the game with tightness in his biceps.


SAN JOSE, Calif. - A Massachusetts businessman who resold Cisco Systems Inc. networking gear was arrested on charges he defrauded the technology company out of millions of dollars by cheating its program to replace broken or defective hardware.


Millions Hunt for Food as Tsunami Toll Over 80,000

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia  - Millions of people around  the Indian Ocean scrambled for food and clean water on  Thursday, with disease and hunger now the main threat stalking  survivors of the most devastating tsunami on record.


Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe picked veteran lawmakers for key posts in a reshuffled cabinet on Monday, but analysts questioned how much the changes would restore his popularity after last month's huge election defeat.


Turkey named a new military chief Monday who favors a tougher line against Kurdish rebels and negotiations on the secular Muslim country joining the European Union.


PM urges calm as Gaza factions clash again

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called on rival Palestinian factions to end violence on Friday as gunmen loyal to his Islamist Hamas movement clashed with Fatah fighters on the streets of the Gaza Strip.


Sony upbeat on electronics, sees larger game loss

Sony Corp (6758.T) said the operating  margin at its electronics operations is expected to beat its  target for the year to March, but operating loss at its  videogame unit will likely be double its initial forecast.


Are you Chicken? Genome study shows we share half their genes!

According to a recent study, a Chicken and a Human share half of their genes. Although the chicken genome contains considerably less DNA than the human genome, it has about the same number of genes.


t has been an uninspiring United States Open for the American men, who fell apart with remarkable alacrity in the first week of the tournament.


Time is quickly running out for Michael Jackson's accusers to gather their evidence to proceed with the case. To expedite their claims, authorities conducted a further raid on the Neverland


Kennedy Knickknacks to Go on the Block Next Year

Lovers of Kennedy lore will get a rare chance at owning some common possessions of late President John F. Kennedy and his family in an auction of art, furniture and other effects from their homes.


Il Milan fa festa con Crespo In attesa del derby d'Italia

ROMA, 28 NOVEMBRE 2004 - In attesa del big match Inter-Juventus di scena stasera a San Siro, il Milan dimostra di saper vincere anche senza Shevchenko. L'argentino Hernan Crespo infatti si sblocca anche in campionato e regala la vittoria ai rossoneri.


A video shown last week on Al-Jazeera reportedly by Osama bin Laden, has been posted on an Islamic web site. It warned of retaliation by Al-Qaeda, for Iraqis killed during the US-led invasion.


Torrential rain caused play to be abandoned at the China Open on Tuesday with American Taylor Dent and Noam Okun of Israel the only players to reach the draw for the second round.


President Bush said Sen. John Kerry had "election amnesia" that caused him to shift his stance on Iraq, as the president sought to fire up his conservative base


Doctor confirms Berlusconi hair transplant

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will win the battle against baldness after a hair transplant earlier this month, the doctor who performed the surgery has said in an interview.


Forse uccisi da ossido di carbonio da una stufa difettosa


Milano, 18:11 - CALCIO, INTER: MOLTE NOVITA' A ISTANBUL

Molti cambi in corso nell'Inter in vista della gara di mercoledÃ¬ a Istanbul con il Fenerbahce. Centr...


Hundreds of thousands of chanting protesters swamped Beirut on Sunday in a Hezbollah-led rally that marked a leap forward in the opposition's drive to unseat Lebanon's Western-backed government.


The announcement was made as the mobile industry gears up for one of its biggest U.S. trade shows, CTIA.


Gulf Arabs Want Polls to Lead to Broad-Based Iraq

Pro-Western Gulf Arab states meeting for a summit in Bahrain hope that Iraq's elections will produce a broad-based government, their host said Monday.


Roma, 11:06 - VELA, MONDIALE RSX: SENSINI IN TESTA DOPO 4 PROVE

Seconda giornata di regate in Nuova Zelanda, dove prosegue il campionato del mondo 2008 del windsurf...


Snow overnight gave way to rain on Sunday in the New York City area, even as much of the Northeast was hit by snowstorms that delayed air travel and caused traffic accidents.


LOS ANGELES Oct. 6, 2004 - Rodney Dangerfield knew "I don't get no respect" was funny when it cracked up New Yorkers, notorious for being tough.


Singer Stephen Stills Becomes Proud Papa

Musician Stephen Stills, of the legendary band Crosby, Stills & Nash, and his wife Kristen are the proud parents of a baby boy.


Iran Seeks Compromise at Paris Talks with EU Trio

Tehran hoped to reach a compromise at talks on Saturday over its nuclear program with Britain, Germany and France, which are trying to persuade it to stop enriching uranium, an Iranian negotiator said.


Decaying Pig Corpses Reveal Forensic Secrets

Decaying pig corpses deposited in secret locations around London are providing scientists with forensic information that may help them solve crimes.


NASA's moonbase plan tackles lunar cement and inflatable living quarters; Virgin America planes play Doom; Novell could be banned from selling Linux. In Gadget Lab.


Cagliari, 16:44 - CALCIO, CAGLIARI: INGAGGIATO L'ATTACCANTE MATRI

L'attaccante Alessandro Matri, quest'anno in forza al Rimini, disputerà la prossima stagione ...


Police in Londonderry are optimistic a loyal order parade in the city will pass off without any major problems.


WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Wednesday that the turbulence that has hit financial markets will take some time to be resolved, especially in the area of subprime mortgages.


His new acquisition - taking his holding from 25.3% to 27.63% - has heightened speculation he will soon make a definite takeover bid.


Rare Sparrow Halts Lancaster Housing Development: Presence Blocks Building of $6 Million in Homes

By Sandra Tan, The Buffalo News, N.Y.  Jun. 20--The Henslow's sparrow prefers to stay hidden. But the threatened species has been found in Lancaster, and its presence has stopped a developer from moving forward with its plan for a major housing development.


Curry feels pinch of immigration restrictions

One of Britain's most popular dishes, the curry, is under threat from government restrictions on low-skilled immigrants that may hit Bangladeshis hard


Sluman Fires on All Cylinders at Chrysler

PALM HARBOR, Florida  - Jeff Sluman shot a  course-record nine-under-par 62 on Thursday to lead after the  first round of the $5 million Chrysler Championship.


WASHINGTON - The Army is investigating reports that several members of a reservist supply unit in Iraq refused to go on a convoy mission, the military said Friday. Relatives of the soldiers said the troops considered the mission too dangerous...


The limousines have been charged up, the hairdressers and stylists have worked their magic and the stars are ready to stroll down the red carpet in dresses that have been begged, borrowed or -- perish the thought -- bought.


Wsj, per assenza presidente Nazarbayev in visita in Cina


In the 1970s, Yasser Arafat's PLO reigned supreme in Lebanon. Today, the guerrillas are confined to a dozen Palestinian refugee camps across the country.


British wholesale prices up 0.1 percent in November

British wholesale prices, or the cost of goods at the factory gate, rose by 0.1 percent in November from October.


King-sized chocolate bars are to be taken off the shelves by Birmingham-based Cadbury's in a bid to tackle Britain's obesity crisis.


U.S. Senate votes to extend Iran sanctions

The U.S. Congress agreed on Saturday to extend sanctions on Iran set to expire this weekend that are aimed at choking off funds that could aid Iran in developing nuclear weapons.


Janet Jackson's breast flash costs CBS $930,000

WASHINGTON - Airing a glimpse of pop singer Janet Jackson's right breast during the nationally televised Super Bowl football game earlier this year will cost 20 CBS television stations a record total of US$550,000 (S$933,000) for violating indecency rules


Bush Seeks Canada's Help in Iraq, Mideast

President Bush asked Canadians on Wednesday to move beyond their deep opposition to the Iraq war and get behind his vision of democracies blooming from Baghdad to the West Bank.


Venezia: barca affonda nell'Adriatico, un pescatore disperso

VENEZIA - Una barca e' affondata ieri nel mar Adriatico con a bordo due pescatori partiti nel pomeriggio da Piave Vecchio, non distante da Jesolo, in provincia di Venezia. Uno risulta ancora disperso nonostante


U.S. troops find ID cards of missing soldiers in Iraq

U.S. troops found the identity cards of two U.S. soldiers missing for nearly a month in a raid on an al Qaeda safe house north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said on Saturday.


Key logging app exposes child abuse offender Keylogging software helped a UK mum warn police about a US-based predator who was grooming her 15-year-old son for child abuse.â¦


Nokia and T-Mobile Team Up to Bring the Benefits of S60 Software to Mainstream Consumer Markets

ESPOO, Finland, February 8  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nokia today announced a collaboration to strengthen T-Mobile's capabilities to bring core services to market and improve the capability of S60 licensees to develop devices for T-Mobile.


Six Southeast Asian nations meeting at the ASEAN summit have agreed to speed up efforts to create a free trade zone in the region, the BBC reported Monday.


Stoned.Angelina socks it to 'em A batch of laptops pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium was found to have been infected with a 13-year-old boot sector virus.â¦


Lista unitaria, iniziato il vertice con Prodi ei leader

Il primo ad arrivare e' stato il presidente Ds, Massimo D'Alema, l'ultimo il presidente della Commissione europea, Romano Prodi. Con il professore si e' dato il via al vertice della lista unitaria all'ex Hotel Bologna a Roma.


US Officials Checking Evidence Cited by Powell

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell shared information with reporters Wednesday about Iran's nuclear program that was classified and based on an unvetted, single source who provided information


Arsonists destroy Jewish center in Paris

PARIS -- Arsonists destroyed a Jewish community center in eastern Paris before dawn yesterday, leaving behind red graffiti with anti-Semitic messages such as "Jews get out."


Newcastle star Barton arrested in assault probe

Controversial Newcastle and England midfielder Joey Barton has reportedly been arrested in connection with an allegation of assault in Liverpool.


GOP Ceding Mass., Heading to Maine, N.H.

Massachusetts Republicans loyal to President Bush are packing their bags and heading north.


Mexican cement company Cemex said on  Monday it had spent about 432 million pounds ($780 million)  buying an 18.8 percent stake in RMC Group RMC.L as part of  its planned takeover of its British rival.


Scotland's Children's tsar calls for teachers accused of offences against pupils to remain anonymous.


Russian bookmaker hackers jailed for eight years

Losing wager A trio of Russian hackers convicted of running denial of service attacks against UK bookies have each been sentenced to eight years imprisonment and fined $3,700.â¦


Compromise in Works Over Fly: ; Proposal Lets Calif. Community Develop on; Acreage, Purchase Other Habitat for Insect

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS  COLTON, Calif. - This city lives in the shadow of a 1-inch fly that slurps nectar and zooms around like a hummingbird.   The Delhi Sands flower-loving fly is the only fly on the federal endangered species list.


In the privacy of her Boulder office, women anywhere from their 20s to their 60s quietly confess that their sex drive just isn't what it once was, and shrug their shoulders as if that's just the way it has to be.


(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of Thomson CenterWatch:


NEW YORK - Now that digital music players have evolved beyond the ability to store 20 gigabytes worth of music, storage capacity memory is no longer the only factor to consider before buying.


In attesa dei dati sull'occupazione Usa a febbraio


Basque guerrillas ETA vowed on Sunday to keep up bomb attacks on the Spanish state, saying last year's peace talks showed there was no point in negotiating with the Socialist government.


Societa' non teme restare esclusa da integrazioni


Erano in fuga dalla Somalia su 4 imbarcazioni di trafficanti


$150,000 mortgage for only $610/month. Lower your mortgage - free quotes.


The owner of a recording studio made famous by Eminem's Slim Shady LP is found shot dead.


Update 2: GE to Sell Stake in Global Outsourcing Unit

General Electric Co. will sell a majority stake in its global outsourcing business to two US-based equity firms in an all-cash deal totaling $500 million, the industrial, financial services and media conglomerate said Monday.


Worldwide shortages of doctors a 'perfect storm' for Canada, says ...

TORONTO (CP) - A shortage of homegrown physicians, combined with the aggressive recruitment of Canadian doctors by other countries, is a "perfect storm" that threatens Canada's health-care reforms, the president of the Canadian Medical Association said


Casini 'benvenuto in politica', Giordano (Prc) preoccupato


All'esame taglio Irap, pacchetto welfare e costi politica


CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida  - Clocks at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida began ticking down on Saturday toward Tuesday's planned launch of the space shuttle Discovery on a construction mission to the International Space Station.


Motorola: Apple will not open the iPhone

Nix to Napster CTIA The senior director of entertainment products at Motorola questions whether Apple will truly "open up" the iPhone.â¦


NASCAR Says Crash Caused by Water in Fuel Supply

NASCAR says water got into the fuel supply of multiple cars during Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, leading to a crash that took out several contenders.


Montoya wins Brazilian Grand Prix, Raikkonen second and ...

Juan Pablo Montoya won in his final race for Williams-BMW on Sunday, beating future McLaren teammate Kimi Raikkonen to capture the Brazilian Grand Prix.


South Korea says has proof of North diverting aid

South Korea has evidence that rice aid intended for the hungry in destitute North Korea has been diverted to the communist state's powerful military, a South Korean defense ministry official said on Thursday.


Ministri del commercio firmano quattro accordi


Wal-Mart grabs stake in China's Bounteous

Wal-Mart , the world's largest  retailer, said on Monday it acquired a 35 percent stake in  Chinese supercenter operator Bounteous Company Ltd., expanding  its presence in the world's most populous country.


Microsoft Shakes up Online and Windows With Eye on Yahoo

Microsoft shook up its executive ranks Thursday, bringing together a triumvirate of managers to take over its troubled online-services operations and shaking up management of Windows Mobile and Vista.


Societa' friulana aveva lanciato offerta giudicata ostile


Firenza, 15:20 - CALCIO,FIORENTINA;JORGENSEN E SEMIOLI INDISPONIBILI PER EMPOLI

Martin Jorgensen e Franco Semioli salteranno l'esordio in campionato della Fiorentina, impegnata nel...


Giuliani reports $18.3 million on hand for W.House run

Republican presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani reported on Friday that he had more than $18.3 million on hand at the end of June, after spending just over $11.2 million during the second quarter.


Sen. Daniel Akaka faces a challenge in Saturday's Democratic primary from a congressman who wants voters to dump the 82-year-old lawmaker in favor of younger blood.


Morocco jails German for trying to convert Muslims

A Moroccan court jailed a German tourist for six months for attempting to convert Muslims in the southern resort of Agadir, officials said on Wednesday.


Sharon sets date for Parliament vote on disengagement plan

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon vowed on Monday to put his Gaza withdrawal plan to a parliamentary vote on Oct. 25 but rejected his army's request to scale back its Gaza offensive.


Your PC May Be Less Secure Than You Think

Most users think their computer is safe from adware and spyware--but they're wrong.


Stocks & Bonds: Despite Oil, Shares Rise in Wild Ride

The price of crude oil hit another record high yesterday, capping a wild week on Wall Street, punctuated by widespread rumors and violent market swings.


Palestinian woman shot dead in West Bank city

Israeli troops patrolling the West Bank city of Nablus shot and killed a 19-year-old Palestinian woman Friday, witnesses and hospital officials said.


Bollywood's Saif in hospital after chest pains

Top Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has  been admitted to a Mumbai hospital after complaining of chest  pains, the hospital spokeswoman said on Monday.


Off the Stripper Pole and Into the Movies

She no longer dances naked, but the first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody is still exposing herself.


Facebook privacy chief: Data portability dangers overlooked

The launch of Facebook's Beacon advertising system in November put the social networking site in the middle of a controversy over privacy, as Beacon was criticized for being too aggressive and stealthy in collecting and broadcasting information about users' activities online. For that reason, few people right now would probably envy the job of Chris Kelly, Facebook's chief privacy officer and the person most responsible for explaining the site's policies to the public.IDG News Service recently caught up with Kelly for a telephone interview. He answered questions about Beacon, saying the company is happy with it now after some revisions but acknowledging that the work isn't over, so we may yet see further modifications that address remaining privacy concerns.He also tackled other hot topics, such as the company's efforts to protect minors from sexual predators as well as data portability, or the ability for users to move their data between different social networking services. Kelly said Facebook is in favor of data portability in principle but wary of it in part because of concerns about user privacy. That might surprise the critics who raised red flags over Beacon, but Kelly said there are legitimate concerns about privacy -- and security as well -- with data portability.The following is an edited transcript of the conversation:IDGNS: There has been a lot of talk recently about data portability, specifically about letting users of social networks export their data to other sites and applications. What's your take on data portability?Chris Kelly: We've made it clear that we don't have a philosophical problem with data portability. The problem comes in because there are all sorts of privacy and security worries [related to it], and there are a whole bunch of people out there who would gladly attempt to exploit somebody else's personal information if they could get one point of entry into a network, for instance, and try to export as much data as possible.So we want to make sure there are rules and controls around that to minimize the possibility of something going off. That is a critical part of all of the discussions, and it's something that, in a rush to call for data portability, most proponents haven't effectively considered. We're trying to make sure that everyone considers that. We joined the Data Portability Workgroup because we want to show that we're serious about having that conversation. But to just say that you can have a completely open system ignores that there are serious privacy and security challenges about that.IDGNS: So given the privacy, security, and legal considerations that need to be taken into account, is a satisfying solution to data portability even possible?Kelly: Any system needs to reflect the actual preferences of the end-user of the data, and the end possessor of the data is the data subject. At Facebook, we've obviously invested a great deal in building a preference-capturing system around that, and any portability scheme needs to reflect that type of information. We'll press for any data portability scheme to reflect the preferences of data subjects. That's a very important part of building an effective data portability setup.IDGNS: What's your current position regarding Beacon, which has been such a big source of controversy?Kelly: We've gotten Beacon to a point where it gives users control over the information they're bringing into Facebook from third-party Web sites and sharing with their friends. The users are coming to understand the technology better. As Mark [Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder and CEO] has said, we made some mistakes in the launch, but we think we've gotten Beacon to a very good point. We think users will have a great deal of comfort with how they share or don't share -- based on their own preferences -- actions on third-party Web sites off Facebook.IDGNS: Mark Zuckerberg has indicated in recent interviews that Facebook continues to work on and refine Beacon to further address lingering privacy concerns. Is that your understanding?Kelly: Yes, we learn a lot from user feedback and are constantly working to make the site more effective for our users.IDGNS: Could you articulate the importance of the bill that New York's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders are pushing and that Facebook, among others, is backing?Kelly: It's very important because it allows us to have unique identifiers that focus on sex offenders that we want to exclude from our site. We've been asking for this type of help from Attorney General Cuomo and some of the other attorneys general. State legislatures are listening right now and trying to make it required that when people register as sex offenders, they record any Internet and online IDs [they have] and to make it a crime to access the Internet using anything besides those identifiers. This is a big assistance to us because it lets us easily check if anybody is trying to sign up with those addresses.IDGNS: How effective is that, considering you can get an e-mail address anytime without any verification as to who you are? Isn't this a cat-and-mouse game?Kelly: This is where the social factor of Facebook's real-name culture comes in and the privacy controls that we have. Those are very effective in protecting people from those who might attempt to misrepresent themselves. But we also want to make sure that anyone who would do our users harm is easily excluded, and this bill will help with that quite a bit.IDGNS: How feasible is it to come up with a tool or technology that lets social-networking site operators verify people's ages, in particular to identify -- and thus more closely protect -- underage users?Kelly: You can have effective indicators of whether or not someone is actually a member of a community, like a high school. Facebook has always had technology to try to determine whether someone is a member of a network or not and has restricted access to their information based on that. That has a great effect in pushing towards a type of proxy age verification. It's not perfect, though, and a lot of the discussions of age verification have focused on attempting perfection in determining whether or not someone is of a certain age, and that type of perfection can't be legislated effectively.IDGNS: A couple of weeks ago, MySpace and almost all state attorneys general announced an initiative outlining safety guidelines for social networking sites. Is that something Facebook plans to sign on to?Kelly: That agreement substantially reflected an agreement we had previously reached with Attorney General Cuomo, and we're very glad that MySpace has stepped up in this effort. We think that going forward, there will be a variety of principles agreed upon among certain leading Internet sites.IDGNS: Is it fair to say that the relationship between U.S. state attorneys general and social networking companies has significantly improved in recent months? It used to be quite adversarial and contentious.Kelly: At Facebook, we've always tried to maintain a very open and honest dialogue with all the attorneys general and law enforcement agencies, and I think we're getting to a very good point with these law enforcement agencies and the industry in a broader way.IDGNS: How realistic is it to expect a site like Facebook, which has about 60 million active users, to properly monitor what so many people are doing to prevent inappropriate or illegal behavior?Kelly: We use very sophisticated social designs in terms of limiting access to people's information based on networks that they share in their real-world lives, and further, we use technology to look for anomalous behavior, things that may be concerning. It helps to keep our users safer and also to prevent spam and to create a more comfortable environment for our users. We have a pretty large customer service team that deals with both reports and with the potentially anomalous behavior highlighted by the technology.IDGNS: Have you improved your response times when members report complaints about content or actions on the site? That seemed to be a big complaint Attorney General Cuomo's office had with Facebook at some point.Kelly: Yes, absolutely.IDGNS: Does Facebook do enough to make sure its average member understands how to manage the very granular privacy settings you offer?Kelly: I think the average Facebook user understands very well that we take privacy extraordinarily seriously. There's always a balance to be struck between the ease of use and completeness in providing privacy control. We try to strike that balance very well, but we always listen to user feedback about that in terms of how we give them more control over what information they share and with whom.IDGNS: How much monitoring do you do of, say, photos or videos uploaded to the site? Do those go through automated screening, or do you depend more on members manually flagging stuff they see?Kelly: Most of the automated tools we've tested in terms of recognizing inappropriate images and things like that are ineffective. We've found that users are some of the best reporters on that, and our reporting infrastructure is extraordinarily effective in removing inappropriate content quickly and in holding those users who attempt to post them responsible by cutting off their account.IDGNS: As chief privacy officer, what are some of your goals for this year?Kelly: As the site and the Internet as a whole evolve, we want to continue giving people a great deal of control over what personal information they share and with whom. We want to continue to reflect the social graph very accurately, and privacy is a critical part of that, so we'll continue to bake it into the design of the site and provide people with the most effective privacy controls on the Internet.


MANHATTAN BEACH  Missing man found near LAX  A Texas man who was reported missing Nov. 26 in Manhattan Beach was found early Friday near Los Angeles International Airport.


The Taleban are not a threat in Afghanistan, President Karzai says, as the militants vow to step up attacks.


Painkiller Combo Cut Post-Surgery Morphine Need

NEW YORK  - Women undergoing hysterectomy  who are given two types of painkiller around the time of the  surgery experience less postoperative pain, and this means they  need less morphine, Canadian researchers report.


Australian police seize record ecstasy haul

SYDNEY : Australian police said on Sunday they had intercepted the country's largest ever shipment of the party drug ecstasy, hidden in commercial kitchen equipment sent from Poland.


P. Diddy Takes Vote Drive to Swing States

Hip-hop mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is following the lead of President Bush and Sen. John Kerry by taking his get-out-the-vote campaign to the swing states.


Official: Castro Will 'Continue Leading'

HAVANA, Dec. 1 -- Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro was not well enough to attend the closing ceremony Friday for his 80th birthday, but Cuba's vice president said he was getting better and would continue leading the communist island.


West sets deadline for Iran to freeze uranium enrichment

Four western countries set the scene yesterday for a showdown with Iran by demanding that it freeze its uranium enrichment activities immediately.


1,400-year-old mosaic restored in Israel

Experts have restored a 1,400-year-old glass mosaic glowing in gold, recovered from a site next to the Sea of Galilee, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Monday.


An investigation is under way after a man and a woman die in a fire at a semi-detached property in Lincolnshire.


Fighting resumes in Palestinian camp in Lebanon

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon  - Heavy fighting erupted on Friday between Lebanese troops and al Qaeda-inspired militants entrenched in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, witnesses said.


A woman was convicted Monday of murdering her Marine husband with arsenic so she could cash in on his $250,000 life insurance policy, which friends said she used to throw wild parties and have her breasts enlarged.


Sharon to seek rival Labor's aid on Gaza plan

Fresh from a painful parliamentary defeat, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel said yesterday he will turn to his old rivals in the Labor


Report on D.C. health issues shows one in five residents has no regular source of health care.


On the heels of plans by the New York Philharmonic to perform in North Korea comes word that the 120-member North Korea State Symphony Orchestra is to play two concerts in England. The Guardian of London reported that after three years of planning and organizing, that orchestra will perform in September at the Royal Festival Hall in London and in Middlesbrough in northeast England. The visit was described as the âbrainchildâ of the opera singer Suzannah Clarke, who, in 2003, became the first British singer to perform in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. The newspaper said that she had suggested that her hosts invite other foreign musicians to North Korea and send its orchestra abroad. Ms. Clarke comes from Middlesbrough.


The rare corncrake is starting to return to England, but several other birds are still in serious trouble.


The Ministry of Justice is granted a court injunction against a national strike by thousands of prison officers.


Eagles' Watchful Eyes Are on Lake Brandt

By lORRAINE AHEARN  He is no fair--weather friend.  In fact, this is his time, a late February day in the most stark, most naked stretch of winter. It is when he was hatched, as were the 10 broods he sired since he was first spotted high above the frozen edge of Lake Brandt.


Guerrillas bombed a Baghdad shopping street full of police recruits and fired on a police van north of the capital Tuesday in attacks that killed at least 59 people and struck at the heart of the U.S. strategy for fighting Iraq's escalating insurgency.


Cartoon legend Joseph Barbera dies at 95

Legendary Hollywood animator Joseph  Barbera, whose characters Fred and Wilma Flintstone and  Scooby-Doo made generations of people laugh, died on Monday at  age 95, the Warner Bros. film studio said in a statement.


C'e' buona notizia, Cipro e Malta entreranno nell'euro


Clinton tells AP she's not a big gambler

Here's a good bet. If Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton decides to do some gambling in Nevada, check out the blackjack table. "I'm not much of a gambler, but I have gambled," the New York senator said in a brief interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, adding that her favorite game probably is blackjack.


Troubled singer Winehouse arrested: police

Troubled singer Amy Winehouse was arrested as part of an investigation into perverting the course of justice, police said.


By Sheikh, Imran; Lovins, Amory B  THE STRATEGIES USED BY CHEMICAL ENGINEERS TO ACHIEVE EFFICIENT DESIGNS may vary, but they probably reflect the methodologies we learned in engineering school. So, it is only natural that we use them almost intuitively in the work place.


Police confirm replica pistols and rifles were removed from a primary school in Easterhouse, Glasgow.


Proprietary MSN Search Beta launches tomorrow

Tomorrow, Microsoft finally releases the beta version of its proprietary search engine. For over a year, webmasters and SEOs have seen evidence of MSNbot spidering their sites as MSN-Search gathered information and compiled its database.


While a jury will not decide Kobe Bryant's future, a jury of a different sort - voters - will decide District Attorney Mark Hurlbert's.


United Nations officials report security breaches in internally displaced people and refugee camps in Sudan's embattled Darfur region and neighboring Chad.


The hit road comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" and the acclaimed drug-addiction drama "Half Nelson" led the list of contenders on Tuesday for the Independent Spirit Awards, the American art-house world's version of the Oscars.


Police free a man at a hotel in Milton Keynes after he was taken hostage in the Limehouse area of London.


Methane and water vapour are concentrated in the same regions of the Martian atmosphere, say scientists studying data from Europe's Mars Express orbiter.


Some highlights of preliminary data from exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks in the Louisiana presidential primaries Saturday:


Roma, 15:22 - CALCIO, PANCALLI: DIRIGENTI, PIU' SPORT E MENO POLEMICHE"

"Occorre che tutti facciano la loro parte: i dirigenti devono saper misurare le proprie dichiarazion...


Iran, Venezuela try to forge anti-U.S. front at summit

Iran, Venezuela and other states opposed   to U.S. policy sought to forge a common front on Friday at a   Non-Aligned summit that Cuban leader Fidel Castro was too ill   to chair.


TV networks enjoy solid start to fall season

CBS on Tuesday claimed victory as   the most watched television network in prime-time during last   week's fall premieres, but more people tuned in overall than   last year, giving each network victories to tout.


Suicide Car Bomb in Baghdad; U.S. Pounds Falluja

A suicide car bomber killed at least eight people in an attack on a police checkpoint in Baghdad Friday, after a night of U.S. air strikes around the rebel-held city of Falluja that killed scores.


Iceland Offers Shelter to Fugitive Chess Player Fischer

Fugitive chess master Bobby Fischer has been offered a new home in Iceland, where he won a classic victory in 1972, but it is unclear whether he will be able to make the move from his detention in Japan.


Inaugurazione il 6 settembre al Teatro Filarmonico


Ore contate per il killer, ripreso da una telecamera. Si cerca nell'estrema destraRicostruita l'aggressione di venerdÃ¬ sera: gli ultrÃ  erano armati di spranghe  e bastoni                                            Poliziotto ucciso, la svolta da un filmato Gli inquirenti: "Il cerchio si Ã¨ ristretto"                                                                                dal nostro inviato FRANCESCO VIVIANO


Hamas gunmen attack Fatah HQ in Gaza City

Hamas gunmen stormed a Fatah security headquarters in Gaza City on Tuesday, moving Palestinians closer to civil war, minutes after the Islamist group's deadline for its rival to quit key strongholds expired.


The British and Irish prime ministers are due in Northern Ireland as hopes fade of a deal to restore devolution.


La mostra e' stata inaugurata a Istituto Italiano di cultura


Two new moons orbiting between Mimas and Enceladus, discovered by the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, may be the smallest bodies so far seen around the ringed planet.


GI Pleads Guilty to Deserting to North Korea

An American GI pleaded guilty at a US court martial in Japan Wednesday of defecting to North Korea four decades ago and "aiding the enemy" by teaching English to North Koreans.


Rodney Harrison, take it away. Eight of your teammates were named to the Pro Bowl yesterday, a group comprised of quarterback Tom Brady; receiver Randy Moss; offensive linemen Matt Light, Logan Mankins, and Dan Koppen; outside linebacker Mike Vrabel; nose tackle Vince Wilfork; and cornerback Asante Samuel. Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, it ties a team record for ...


Informal talks have eliminated the major roadblocks to a new contract, people briefed on the situation said.


The Iranian Government has begun a new round of nuclear experiments, raising fears of United Nations weapons inspectors and the Bush Administration that it plans to develop nuclear weapons.


Led Zeppelin reunion opens with Communication Breakdown

Website goes down like a...oh The clamour for tickets for Led Zeppelin's reunion gig at the O2 in London in November has overloaded the registration website, frustrating thousands.â¦


Wall Street looks to start flat to slightly higher

Shares on Wall Street looked set for a  flat to slightly higher start on Thursday with key economic  data ahead constraining trade.


Why the Russia-Georgia Spat Could Become a U.S. Headache

Analysis: Moscow wants to rein in its pro-NATO neighbor, and a spy scandal may have provided an opening


Napoli, 22:35 - BASKET, SERIE A: BUCCHI A NAPOLI PER ALTRI TRE ANNI

Piero Bucchi ha rinnovato di due anni, fino al 2010, il contratto con la Eldo Napoli. Lo ha annuncia...


The Iraqi interior minister promises the families of six murdered Red Caps he will try to bring their killers to justice.


OSIA Dismisses Gartner Linux Piracy Claim

The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. There should be an MS tax, no there shouldn't... (Score:2, Insightful). OK, colour me not


Malaysia arrests seven Taiwanese over text message scam

Malaysian police have arrested seven Taiwanese nationals over an international mobile phone text messaging scam, a senior police officer said Tuesday.


Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to seek a permanent UN Security Council seat for India in a speech in New York.


Pakistani security forces fired a series of "warning blasts" before dawn near Islamabad's radical Red Mosque on Thursday, stepping up pressure on hundreds of militant students inside to surrender, a security official said.


Opposition leads in slow Kenya vote count

Kenya's opposition challenger Raila Odinga on Saturday led in the race to govern east Africa's largest economy, in a tight contest that has seen a dozen government ministers thrown out.


Tony Blair will consider a bold personal move to boost London's chances of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.


Microsoft will change Vista to meet EU requirements

(InfoWorld) - As Windows VistaÂ appeared in computer stores worldwide, Microsoft said Tuesday that part of the design of the new operating system is the work of the European Commission. "Following discussions with European Commission, Microsoft committed to make a number of changes to the Windows Vista operating system prior to release," the software maker said in a statement, pointing to three functions of the operating system: security, search, and fixed document formats. Windows Security Center (WSC), which looks like a dashboard, gives the user an overview of what security software is running on the system and the status of checks and upgrades of firewalls and antispyware protection. Rival security software firms and the Commission suspected this could give WSC an unfair advantage. Microsoft said it agreed to develop a new set of APIsÂ for release in the first service pack, scheduled for later this year, which can be invoked by third-party security programs to turn off the alerts presented by WSC. Similarly, PatchGuard -- software that protects against the modification of the kernel of the operating system -- has been added to Vista. Some security vendors have in the past made modifications to the kernel as part of the implementation of their security software. PatchGuard prevents such modifications in the 64-bit version. Microsoft is now working with vendors to develop new kernel-level APIs that will provide programmatic access to the kernel to address this issue, Microsoft said. The APIs will be available in Windows Vista 64 with the first service pack, scheduled for later this year. Regarding search, Microsoft has changed the way default settings are made for Internet search within both Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7 (IE7). "These changes now ensure for users that they are able -- through a series of windows and options -- to make a clear, conscious, and open decision on their default search provider. Furthermore, users will retain at all times the ability to change this and all further defaults in the operating system at will," Microsoft said. Microsoft's own fixed document format software is known as XPS. "In response to the Commission's concerns, the company has made fundamental changes to the licensing structure of the XPS fixed-format technology and has committed to submit the technology to an international standards body for adoption as an open industry standard," Microsoft said. The XPS standard will be made available under licensing terms that do not exclude any industry or licensing model including the GPL (general public license), it said. "In response to Commissioner Kroes' letter of March 2006, Microsoft created a singleÂ API so that independent software developers can create applications to allow users to save documents in XPS or other formats, such as Adobe's PDF," Microsoft said. Microsoft said it has also disclosed through a licensing program the relevant information to enable the implementation of XPS technology on competing client and server operating systems. Microsoft has also responded to a further Commission demand to submit XPS (as well as future extensions) to a standards-setting body. Microsoft will submit XPS to the Ecma International. Microsoft said it will also enable the implementation of XPS under an open-source business model (GPL) through use of a covenant not to sue -- a model that Microsoft has applied to Web services and open XMLÂ  document formats and that has, it said, "been welcomed by the open-source community." European customers and OEMs will be able to buy a version of Vista that has Microsoft's Media Player stripped out. This unbundled version of the operating system complies with the 2004 European antitrust ruling, which ordered the company to offer two separate versions of both the home and professional versions of the operating system. "In compliance with the European Commission's decision of March 2004, home and professional editions of Windows Vista without Media Player functionality will be released in Europe on the same schedule as the Windows Vista general availability launch," Microsoft said. These are called the 'N' versions -- denoting "no media player," the company said.


BENTON, Ill. -- In 2004, as a state legislator running for the U.S. Senate, Barack Obama came to this small town 300 miles from Chicago to pledge support for southern Illinois' struggling coal country.


JACKSONVILLE Â· Ever since the Atlantic Coast Conference added Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College through its controversial expansion, the league and its schools have reaped the benefits.


With one swing of the bat, Lance Berkman revived the Houston Astros' playoff hopes — and gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a much-needed reprieve. Berkman hit a three-run homer off Dustin Hermanson, highlighting a five-run ninth inning that sent Houston to a 7-3 win over San Francisco on Thursday night.


Iran Completes `Strategic Missile' Test, State News Agency Says

Iran, the Middle East's second- largest oil producer, has successfully completed testing of a ``strategic missile,'' the country's official news agency reported, citing Iran's defense minister.


Itochu, Uny Jointly Develop New Clothing Brand, Sell Items at Uny Shops

By Kyodo News International, Tokyo  Sep. 6--TOKYO -- Major trading house Itochu Corp. and supermarket chain  operator Uny Co. announced Wednesday they have developed a new women's  clothing brand.


A woman has officially denied stalking and making threats against movie star Catherine Zeta-Jones. Dawnette Knight pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to one charge of stalking and 24 of making criminal threats.


Schwab pays fine to settle allegations of improper trades

CHICAGO _ Discount brokerage Charles Schwab Corp. on Tuesday settled regulators' allegations that it allowed scores of improper mutual fund trades, agreeing to pay a $350,000 fine.


CIA says hackers pulled plug on power grid

Recently declassified documents under discussion at this months SANS SCADA and Process Control Summit indicate that extortionists have been able to cut power to several cities over the Internet.


Dell promises 'radical,' two-year metamorphosis

Angst removal for fun and profit Analysis IBM has its On Demand, we'll-service-the-hell-out-of-you thing. HP has its Business Technology, we'll-ink-the-hell-out-of-you thing. Sun Microsystems has its Participation Age, red-shifting, we'll-network-the-hell-out-of-you thing. And now Dell has the we're-tired-of-direct-modeling-the-hell-out-of-you Dell 2.0.â¦


DealBook Blog: E*Trade Rises on Modest Sales Loss

The online brokerage said that it sold $3 billion of mortgage-backed securities and municipal bonds, with a modest realized loss of $5 million.


Beckham scores, breaks rib in England victory

David Beckham scored on a curling, 25-yard shot to lead England past Wales 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier Saturday in which he wound up with a suspension and broken rib.


U.N.'s Ban hopeful on Kosovo at Bush-Putin meet

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon expressed hope on Monday that meetings between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin would lead to a breakthrough over Kosovo's independence.


Just need a reminder People will choose to eat healthily if given the option, researchers in Australia have found. An experiment involving 497 people shopping for groceries online found that, when prompted, people are very happy to swap an unhealthy food item for a lower fat alternative.â¦


College Sports Television announced distribution deals with cable operators Cox and Charter Communications on Monday that could make the channel available in more than 65 million households.


Ex-Firefighter Charged in Fake 911 Calls

STOWE, Vt. - A former volunteer firefighter is facing charges that he made a series of false 911 calls so he could watch fire engines race toward fabricated emergencies.


ADV: Trade Shares and Currencies Commission-Free

GCI offers commission-free online trading in shares, indices and major currencies. Register today for a free demo account - including charts, quotes and internet trading software.


Bin Laden Video Makes No Specific Threat - Official

The videotape of Osama bin Laden  broadcast in the United States on Friday did not appear to  contain a specific threat, but officials said they were taking  its appearance four days before the U.S. election very  seriously.


Shares of Sprint Nextel Corp  rose over 3.5 percent on Friday as investors reacted to market speculation the No. 3 U.S. mobile service could be sold to Britain's BT Group , but analysts were skeptical.


Prince Harry has apologised following the publication of a photo showing him wearing a swastika armband to a fancy dress party. Send us your comments.


In Monday's national briefs, learn how some kinds of fat are worse for us than others, find out which movies are topping the box office, and get an update on the major league baseball play-offs.


FEATURE-Rich reward for Singh after arduous journey

The journey has been long and often arduous but the rewards in 2004 have been priceless for world golf number one Vijay Singh. The globe-trotting Fijian, who


Si cercano modelli per campagna primavera-estate 2008


Top spies threaten to leave the fold over CIA reform

THE CIAâs top spies are on the brink of revolt seven weeks after the arrival of President Bushâs new Director. Porter Goss and his newly imported aides have had a series of bruising showdowns with established


Analysis: Election Could End in Landslide

The presidential race is too close to project a winner right now, but that doesn't mean it will be too close on Election Day to prevent a landslide.


âThe Comebacksâ is one of those parody movies that presume that merely making reference to another film constitutes a joke.


Ex premier pakistana ferita a morte durante raduno


Tactics are being reviewed by the Black Watch after the battle group suffered its fourth fatality in the past five days. The dead soldier's been named as twenty seven year old private Pita Tukatukawaqa.


Greenspan criticizes Bush policies in memoir

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan sharply criticizes President George W. Bush's administration and Republican congressional leaders in his memoir for putting political imperatives ahead of sound economic policies, several newspapers reported on Friday.


Londra, 14:34 - CALCIO, DROGBA: VOGLIO ANDARE VIA DAL CHELSEA

Didier Drogba ha ribadito di voler lasciare il Chelsea: ''Dico quello che penso - ha detto l'attacca...


Nine school children are among at least 17 people killed in a bomb attack on a bus in Sri Lanka, the Catholic church says.


Memo outlines converting four divisions into two, as company refocuses.


Rumors are rife in France that the beleaguered bank SociÉtÉ GÉnÉrale will be acquired by a hostile rival


Vioxx: an unequal partnership between safety and efficacy

Last weekâs dramatic withdrawal of the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib (Vioxx) is discussed in this weekâs lead editorial in THE LANCET, which comments that more vigilant drug licensing is vital to prevent the endangering of patientsâ health.


The Vioxx scandal: damning Senate testimony reveals drug company ...

Several scientists testifying before the Senate Finance Committee on November 17 provided substantial evidence that the drug company Merck and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) knew of


15 schoolchildren released from hostage school: Report

Fifteen children have been allowed to leave a school at the centre of a hostage crisis in Russia, according to media reports. Armed men and women have occupied the school in the Russian region of North Ossetia.


Troubled US Airways owes state nearly $1m

Troubled airline US Airways owes the Massachusetts Port Authority nearly $1 million, money that specialists watching the bankruptcy say the agency is unlikely to recover in full.


Palestinian Leaders Prepare Post-Arafat Security Plan

Palestinian leaders have agreed on a plan to provide security in Gaza and the West Bank as Yasser Arafat remains in serious condition in a Paris hospital.


DANIA BEACH, Florida  - A Florida medical examiner began an autopsy on the body of former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith on Friday as her mother said drugs may have contributed to her daughter's sudden death.


Abolizione dello scalone nel programma dell'Unione


Chicken hawker Tyson Foods drops guidance, but is the sky really falling?


Lake Highlands Town Center Receives Approval for Zoning and TIF Funding From Dallas City Council

Developer Prescott Realty Group announced that its Lake Highlands Town  Center project received both zoning and Tax Increment Financing (TIF)  approval from the Dallas City Council on Wednesday, June 13, 2007.


Gov't to Pay for Scans to Diagnose Alzheimer's

Elderly patients who show signs of  Alzheimer's will be able to get brain scans under the  government's Medicare program, U.S. officials said on Thursday,  a step which could lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment.


Turner Gill would rather not talk about race. The first-year football coach at Buffalo would like to be considered "just another guy."


Sudan coalition government to reunite on Dec. 27

Sudan's former southern rebels will rejoin the national government on December 27, a presidential spokesman said on Tuesday, formally ending the crisis which threatened to tear Africa's largest country apart.


Il cantante a Latina per il riconoscimento della salma del fratellomorto ieri pomeriggio nello schianto di un aereo ultraleggero                                          Jovanotti: "RicorderÃ² Umberto in tutte le mie canzoni"


- UMPIRES: Home,Andy Fletcher; First, Tim Welke; Second, Gary ...

- Lew Ford flied out to right. None on with one out and Jacque Jones due up. - Jacque Jones grounded out to second. None on with two out and Torii Hunter due up.


The first British navy rescue ship reached the stricken Canadian submarine Chicoutimi Wednesday in rough seas with 25-foot waves west of the Irish coast.


Heath Ledger's family return to Australia

The family of Hollywood actor Heath Ledger, found dead in his New York apartment two weeks ago, returned home to Australia on Tuesday ahead of a private funeral expected later this week.


Gadget lovers are carrying the equivalent of 10 trucks full of paper in weight, a study has found.


Hopes fade for 15 miners trapped in Polish mine

RUDA SLASKA, Poland  - Hopes of saving 15 miners trapped for more than 24 hours in a Polish coal mine faded on Wednesday after life-threatening conditions forced rescue crews to suspend work.


Umpire Darrell Hair sues world cricket's governing body and the Pakistan Cricket Board for racial discrimination.


Labadie Journal: Amid the Woe, a Haitian Paradise Beckons

A resort in Labadie, Haiti, is a world away for most people in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.


ITALIAN mobile phone users appeared to set a global trend when they raised â¬11 million ($19.40 million) for tsunami victims through a donation scheme driven by text messaging.


Kraft Foods "market perform," estimates reduced

NEW YORK, November 16  - Analysts at Wachovia Securities maintain their "market perform" rating on Kraft Foods (KFT.


Shaan and KK to recreate Dus Bahane magic in Rafoo Chakkar

The hit pair of Shaan and KK who had given is the superhit track 'Dus BahaneÂ from Dus are now getting back to sing another song after a long gap.


Economy posts surprise growth: 6.2% in 2nd quarter

ELECTION spending and increased usage of cellular phones allowed the Philippine economy to grow by 6.2 percent in the April-June quarter despite the government's fragile fiscal position, official data showed Monday.


A French-American reporter is released by kidnappers in Iraq but three European journalists remain missing.


Choi, Appleby go three clear at Congressional

BETHESDA, Maryland  - K.J. Choi and Stuart Appleby fired three-under-par 67s to charge three shots clear at the midway point of the Tiger Woods-hosted tournament at Congressional Country Club on Friday.


The extraordinary news that JosÃ© Antonio Camacho offered up his resignation on the Sunday after the Espanyol defeat was a fitting end to a fascinating week in La Liga.


Two of six men acccused of plotting to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Paris denied on Wednesday that they had links to an alleged al-Qaida leader.


IPSE: GASPARRI, NOSTRO OBIETTIVO EQUILIBRIO DI MERCATO

(AGI) - Roma, 27 dic - "Noi faremo attenzione a cio' che attiene alla gestione delle frequenze, che riguarda l'equilibrio del mercato. Gli aspetti finanziari e fiscali della vicenda sono di competenza del


Scontri tra l'esercito e i ribelli delle Tigri Tamil


Labour MPs criticise Tony Blair and Gordon Brown amid new speculation of a rift.


Manette scattate in Germania per luogotenente boss Coluccia (ANSA) LECCE, 28 DIC- Arrestato in Germania Luigi Antonio Riezzo, 58 anni, latitante da circa 10 mesi, ritenuto luogotenente dei boss della Scu, i fratelli Coluccia.L'uomo e' stato bloccato dai


Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber noted yesterday the first-day sale of David Beckham jerseys with the Los Angeles Galaxy had surpassed the first-day numbers of Beckham shirt sales at Real Madrid four years ago. More than 250,000 Galaxy shirts with Beckham's name and No. 23 have been ordered at $80 each, a good start on gaining ...


UPDATE 1-Blackburn chance too good to miss, says Hughes

New Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes says the chance to take over at the Premier League club was simply too good to pass up. Appointed late on Wednesday, the Wales


Strong East Timor quake triggers tsunami warning

The Indonesian meteorology agency  issued a tsunami warning on Wednesday after a quake measuring  6.6 on the Richter scale struck offshore East Timor, but there  were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.


By Lindell Kay, The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C.  Jun.


U.S. concert business slumps despite reunion tours

High-priced reunion tours by the Police, Van Halen and Genesis failed to prevent the North American concert industry from posting its worst year since 2004, according to a music industry trade publication.


Muscling a Web Site Into a Social Movement

Illegal immigrant ice cream vendors might be spreading leprosy in Manassas. Prince William County has been infiltrated by "unassimilated marxist radicals." Manassas Park police covered up the predations of five Hispanic men who gang-raped a woman in the street in June.


NYSE Euronext in Deal for American Stock Exchange

NYSE Euronext said on Thursday that it had agreed to acquire the American Stock Exchange for $260 million in stock.


Palermo, 14:55 - CALCIO, ZAMPARINI: KUZMANOVIC? CI SONO DS SCIACALLI

Cosa pensa il presidente del Palermo, Maurizio Zamparini, sul passaggio di Kuzmanovic alla Fiorentin...


Would-be hacker vandalizes Vietnam Memorial site

A person or persons claiming to represent Turkish interests have defaced a Vietnam War memorial site run by vets. "Turk Defacer" left messages attacking the U.S., Israel, Armenia and the Kurds, the latter two of which have been targets of Turkish genocidal efforts.


Stalled Immigration Reform 'High Priority' for Bush

Revamping US immigration laws to let more Mexicans work legally in the United States is a high priority, Secretary of State Colin Powell said, although a skeptical Congress could still block the plan.


Skype woos sysadmins with FaceTime software

Corporate control Skype is to integrate's FaceTime security management tools into its software, giving system administrators easier access to, and control of, corporate users.â¦


La relazione del procuratore generale della Cassazionealla presenza del presidente della Repubblica                                                  Si inaugura l'anno giudiziario "Necessarie riforme condivise"                                                                                Favara: "Ci vogliono leggi moderne per un sistema di giustizia efficace e tempestiva". L'allarme: "Processo penale vanificato"


Stilian Petrov scored one goal and set up the other on Sunday as Celtic regained its four-point lead over traditional rival Rangers in the Scottish title race after a 2-0 victory at Hearts.


In Restless Pursuit of Craigslistâs Success

Kijiji is trying to capitalize on eBayâs clout to compete with the Webâs most spectacularly successful underdog, Craigslist.


Using a computer day after day for hours at a time may be linked to the degenerative eye disease glaucoma, Japanese researchers reported in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.


Harriet Harman is the Labour Party's new deputy leader, after a seven-week contest to replace John Prescott.


Moneta unica sopra 1,42 dollari e 165,85 yen


Clinton campaigns for Kerry weeks after heart surgery

Former US president Bill Clinton campaigned for Democratic Senator John Kerry on Monday, seven weeks after undergoing heart surgery, saying Kerry would make America "the Comeback Country.


Marine Faces Trial in Iraq Prisoner Death

Nagem Sadoon Hatab, an Iraqi POW, suffocated last year at a holding facility near Nasiriyah, the first death of an Iraqi prisoner to be acknowledged by the U.S. military. Reserve Sgt. Gary Pittman, of New York, is one of three men charged in the June 2003 death.


Bollywood starlet jailed for 5 years for forgery

HYDERABAD, India  - An Indian court sentenced a   former Bollywood actor to five years in jail on Friday for   passport forgery and cheating in a high-profile case involving   an underworld leader.


More Women Allege Harassment By William Kennedy Smith

CHICAGO (CBS 2) Audra Soulias, 28, filed a civil suit against William Kennedy Smith on Tuesday, five years after she says he forced her into his home, and sexually assaulted her.


European PC buyers should win from falling US dollar

(InfoWorld) - The declining value of the U.S. dollar should allow PC vendors to offer bargains to people living in the euro zone, while U.S. consumers probably won't feel much of a pinch, according to a leading economist. The U.S. currency has suffered from a decision by the Federal Open Market Committee to lower the federal funds rate 50 basis points to 4.75 percent. That's the rate financial institutions charge each other for overnight loans and it has a big impact on overall interest rates in a country. The lower rate hurts the dollar because it causes investments to flow out of the U.S. to find higher interest rates elsewhere, such as England where the rate is 5.75 percent, or Australia where it is 6.5 percent. The Fed said it reduced the rate to stave off credit problems associated with theÂ bad-loans crisis in the U.S. housing market. A negative side affect for people in the U.S. is that the falling currency is leading to higher prices for some commodities. The price of oil, for example, rose to a record $83 a barrel on Thursday, largely due to the cut in the federal fund rate, according to Robert Mundell, professor of economics at Columbia University and the 1999 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in economics. Oil is traded globally in U.S. dollars, but oil traders have bid the price per barrel higher to offset the declining value of the U.S. dollar. Higher oil prices raise fuel costs for consumers, including heating oil and gasoline, and potentially mean higher prices for airplane tickets and shipping rates. The situation is far different for computer components, despite the fact they are also bought and sold in U.S. dollars around the world. While oil producers have the power to raise prices in order to compensate for the weaker dollar, makers of computer parts, for which the market is far more competitive, do not have the same type of leverage. The good news for people in the euro zone is that the euro rose to a record high against the dollar after the Fed's rate decision, so people in countries that use the euro should see bargains for a number of IT items. Currency traders bid the price of the euro to $1.41 on Friday, up from $1.37 at the beginning of September and $1.39 a day ahead of Tuesday's Fed rate cut. By comparison, the euro bought only $0.82 at its low point in October 2000. The stronger European currency should bring more bang for the buck, so to speak, unless retailers take advantage of better exchange rates to boost their own profits. For Americans, the news isn't bad. Despite the decline in the currency, component prices probably won't rise, Mundell said, because most of the computer industry is located in the U.S. and Asia. "Asia is a U.S. dollar area," he said, during a briefing with reporters in Taipei on Friday. Computer components are bought and sold in the U.S. currency, and nations in the region generally tie their currencies to the U.S. dollar. In addition, manufacturers are constantly working to lower costs, and these reductions are valued in U.S. dollar terms. One example of a computer component traded globally in U.S. dollars isÂ DRAM, where prices have fallen dramaticallyÂ this year. The contract price of the most widely used DRAM, 512Mb DDR2 (double data rate, second generation) chips that run at 667MHz, dropped to $1.75 each as of Thursday, down 70.5 percent since the beginning of the year, according to DRAMeXchange Technology, which runs an online trading site for the chips. The chip prices are falling because producers are churning out too many chips and causing a glut on the market.


Bernanke says globalization benefits face threats

The current  "unprecedented" pace of global economic integration could raise  living standards and cut poverty, but those benefits are at  risk from geopolitical tensions and protectionism, Federal  Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Friday.


Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar on Friday announced final terms of a settlement over abusive trading practices at the defunct Invesco Funds Group and its sister company AIM Investments.


National Foods Says Shares Worth as Much as A$6.65

National Foods Ltd., Australia's biggest publicly traded dairy company, said Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd.'sA$1.3 billion ($1 billion) takeover offer is ``grossly inadequate'' and offered


Gemellini morti, avevano una malformazione cardiaca

Alessio e Antonio, i gemellini di Foggia morti giovedÃ¬ scorso in una baraccopoli alla periferia della cittÃ , avevano una malformazione cardiaca. Questo disturbo el'infezione in atto sarebbero la causa dell


Birmingham City climbed away from the Premiership relegation zone with a 2-1 derby win against Aston Villa.


By LARKIN, Juliet  THIS year's campaign to attract people into dairy farming is already showing pleasing results, according to Dairy InSight management.


Voting is due to being in Hungary on a double referendum on citizenship rights and the health care system. Voters are being asked whether to offer citizenship to about 5 million ethnic Hungarians living outside Hungary.