The causes of breast cancer are still being researched, although it is known the a woman's lifetime exposure to estrogen and her age at the time of her first childbirth play an important role.


Fears remain high in N'Djamena and abroad that  the retreat is temporary and the bloodletting may be far from over


Judge Extends Microsoft Antitrust Supervision

Court agrees to keep tabs on two more years, noting lag in supplying documentation.


LONDON -- President Bush's official campaign website has blocked access to foreign surfers since Monday, an internet monitoring company said Wednesday.


As the Bush administration inches closer to its concluding months, more top aides are headed out to the private sector. Sara M. Taylor , the White House political director and microtargeting guru who has been with George W.  Bush from the outset of his first presidential campaign, is the latest...


Davis Cup semifinals men's tennis update - September 26

Fish was leading Karatchenia, 3-0, when play was stopped due to rain...The United States will meet Spain in the Davis Cup final from December 3-5.


Whatâs Online: The Greener Side of Recession

Tongue planted firmly in cheek â or maybe not â Fion MacCloud of the British site Finance Markets recently offered â10 Ways the Recession Can Help the Environment.â


The tone was light, but the dapper comedian's words were sobering as he outlined his vision for regime change in leftist Venezuela.


Colombian man pleads guilty to computer fraud

InfoWorld - A Colombian man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a 16-county indictment involving an identity theft scheme in which he installed keylogging software on hotel business center computers and Internet lounges in order to steal passwords, account data, and other personal information, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.


Scotland's main parties return to Holyrood to discuss their political goals ahead of next year's elections.


Six months after the U.S. invasion, Esam Pasha, a 30-year-old Iraqi artist and writer, proudly painted a mural called "Resilience" over a giant portrait of Saddam Hussein on the wall of a government building.


Dalí and the Surrealists, 'obsolete' contemporary art, and Christo's 'Gates' project.


Processo Sme, divampa la polemica politica

06.10: Al processo stralcio Sme a Milano, il pm Boccassini ha chiesto ieri una condanna a 8 anni di reclusione per Silvio Berlusconi, accusato di corruzione in atti giudiziari. Nella sua requisitoria il pubblico


Asian and European leaders on Saturday concluded their fifth ASEM summit here after reaffirming their desire to further push economic partnership, enhance cultural exchanges and


Lack of "good" cholesterol always poses heart risk

The amount of "good cholesterol" in the blood remains an important marker for heart disease regardless of how much "bad cholesterol" is lowered, researchers said on Wednesday.


European stocks show late firmness on strong US data

European share prices made a slight spurt in late trading in response to strong US household confidence data which boosted US stocks.


U.S. slump possible, not probable: Greenspan quoted

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan  Greenspan was quoted as saying on Thursday that a recession in  the United States is possible, though not probable this year as  inventory problems in the economy are being addressed quickly,  Bloomberg reported.


Oil Halts Slide on Iraqi Pipeline Attacks

Oil prices stopped a five-day slide on Friday on renewed supply concerns after fresh Iraqi pipeline attacks outweighed an end to a three-week uprising in the city of Najaf.


Roddick Has No Trouble with Henman at Masters Cup

Andy Roddick squeezed past Britain's Tim Henman, 7-5, 7-6, at the Masters Cup on Tuesday, giving his fellow Texans the win they came to see.


Bush Calls Kerry Health Plan Bureaucratic Nightmare

President Bush derided Democrat John Kerry's plan for reforming health care on Monday as a bureaucratic nightmare and contended it would cost $1.5 trillion.


BELFAST: More than 1,200 Northern Ireland families fled their homes last year because of intimidation from paramilitary groups or sectarian mobs, the housing authority said yesterday.


Deepest U.S. Reef Found Off Florida Coast

Marine researchers have discovered the deepest coral reef ever found in the United States in about 250 feet of water off the Florida coast.


Nepali King Appoints Ex-PMs as Loyalist Deputies

KATHMANDU, Nepal  - Nepali King Gyanendra named  two former royalist prime ministers as deputies of his ruling  council, state radio said on Monday, in a move seen as further  tightening his grip on power in the troubled Himalayan kingdom.


It demands a look. And a second look. And perhaps even a third. When 1.364 pops up in the on-base plus slugging category for the American League Championship Series, it brings to mind a true middle-of-the-order hitter. It brings to mind Manny Ramírez (a gaudy 1.491), or David Ortiz (1.225). But, no, that number belongs to Kevin Youkilis, ...


Power corrupts, says workplace bullying survey

Misuse of power is the biggest issue Two-thirds of UK managers believe that lack of management skills is the major factor contributing to bullying at work, according to new research. Misuse of power was listed as the most prolific type of bullying used within the workplace.â¦


Sundance founder's daughter debuts at festival

PARK CITY, Utah  - Whatever people may think, Robert Redford and his daughter Amy Redford say that her debut as director of "The Guitar" at the Sundance Film Festival was all Amy's doing -- no help from the Sundance Kid.


A bomb exploded near a political rally in southern Nepal on Wednesday, wounding 44 people, including the region's top administrator, officials said.


Muslim religious leaders accuse Pope Benedict XVI of quoting anti-Islamic remarks in a speech this week.


Forget the foam and make that latte skim, and sugar-free. Right now, Starbucks stock is really out of shape.


Anti-Missile System to Be Tested On Some American Airlines Jets

As many as three American Airlines passenger jets will be outfitted this spring with laser technology intended to protect planes from missile attacks.


Tories urged: show the party's soft side

The Tories will only win power by showing they have changed and they can do more than talk tough on crime, shadow cabinet minister Andrew Lansley said yesterday.


ANALYSIS-Saudi thwarts protests but reformists demand change

Saudi rulers may have breathed a sigh of relief when protests calling for change were thwarted this week but reformists, scholars and even royal family members say the challenge will not go away.


Builder.com.au: Generating PDF Files with PHP and FPDF

The Builder.com.au website has a new tutorial posted today that looks at the dynamic creation of a web standard (PDF files) inside of a PHP script.   An alternative way of generating PDF files with PHP is using FPDF, a free PHP class containing a number of functions for creating and manipulating PDFs. The key word here is free. You are free to download and use this class or customise it to fit your needs. In addition to being free, it's also simpler to use than PDFlib. The PDFlib needs to be installed as an extension in your PHP package, whereas FPDF can just be included in your PHP script and it's ready to use   They show how to use the FPDF library to make some simple files - setting the title, author, adding images and text, etc. There's even a little bit there at the end about adding new pages to make more complex documents simple.


Microsoft Office program manager Brian Jones, whose work has centered around the Open XML document format, now says the so-called format war with OpenDocument is officially over. The winner, he says, is both.


Raises prices to fuel staffing Anglo-Dutch firm LogicaCMG is stuggling to find the brains it needs to fulfill IT services demand in the West.â¦


Marsh & McLennan will pay customers back

Marsh & McLennan Cos.'s new chief executive said Tuesday the embattled firm will pay back any customers who were harmed by bid-rigging and other illegal activities uncovered by New York Attorney


A five-year-old girl from Derbyshire is thought to be the youngest British victim of the Sri Lanka tsunami disaster.


As Lebanon's government tries to maintain its shaky grip on power, sources tell TIME that Tehran and Damascus are shipping weapons to the militant Shi'ite group


House Republicans grapple with sex scandal

House of Representatives Republican  leaders, already facing a tough election fight to keep control  of the U.S. Congress, struggled on Monday to contain a  mushrooming sex scandal just five weeks before the November 7  vote.


L.A. judge rejects emergency DNA test on Smith

A Los Angeles judge on Friday refused to order an emergency DNA test on the remains of Anna Nicole Smith but ordered that her body be preserved until a February 20 hearing in the paternity case surrounding her baby.


Near 30, Swimmer Resumes Sport for the Young

Allison Wagner considers herself an altogether different person than the skinny, single-minded perfectionist who was 16 when she set a world record in the 200-meter individual medley.


A week after Showdown Saturday, only two games match ranked teams this weekend. Ohio State looks for payback against Penn State on Saturday, and Arizona State and California jockey for position in the Pac-10.


NL Wrap: Padres Ease Past Giants Despite Bonds Homer

Jay Payton's three-run homer led the San Diego Padres to a 5-1 win over the San Francisco Giants in National League play Saturday, despite a 701st career blast from Barry Bonds.


Bergamo, 13:44 - CALCIO, ATALANTA; DONI: RECORD DI GOL MI RIEMPIE DI GIOIA

Da domenica Cristiano Doni è il miglior goleador in campionato nella storia dell'Atalanta. Gi...


WASHINGTON -- Oil prices finished slightly above $70 a barrel yesterday as traders eyed the nuclear dispute between Iran and the West and after BP PLC officials said the company's Prudhoe Bay output could be restored earlier than expected.


Health officials link five North Carolina E. coli cases

RALEIGH, NC - Five people who attended last month's state fair had E. coli infections that stem from the same strain of bacteria, health investigators confirmed.


SC soldiers back at work after refusing order

The soldiers in an SC-based Reserve unit who refused an order to haul fuel across Iraqâs treacherous Sunni Triangle were back at work Monday.


Like their leader Ray Lewis, the Ravens were pushed around, punched and left bloodied. The Ravens' 27-24 loss to the previously winless Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night at


The Man Who Keeps Falling to Earth ; Werner Herzog's Other-Wordly Fantasy is Far From Being His First Sci- Fi Film - We Just Haven't Been Paying Enough Attention ++ Film ++ The Wild Blue Yonder ++ Werner Herzog 81 MINS, 15

By Jonathan Romney  The curious hybrid The Wild Blue Yonder is described in its opening titles as "A Science Fiction Fantasy by Werner Herzog". At first sight, this prospect seems as improbable as a high-school comedy by Michael Haneke, or James Ivory directing the next episode of Saw.


Cagliari, 19:13 - CALCIO, CAGLIARI; GIAMPAOLO: A REGGIO PER RISCATTARCI

L'allenatore del Cagliari Marco Giampaolo, incassata la fiducia del presidente Cellino, archivia def...


China: United Nations "not a board of directors"

BEIJING, Sept. 23 (Xinhuaent) -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said in Beijing on Tuesday that the UN Security Council was Â¡Â°not a board of directorsÂ¡Â± and its composition should not be decided


Shooting: 'Wrong Target' Drama Costs US Gold

American Matthew Emmons fired at the wrong target on the verge of victory in the Olympics men's 50-meter rife three-position target event to surrender an almost certain gold medal to China's Jia Zhanbo on Sunday.


Scotland now 16th in world for ecological impact

WHEN Scots turn up the heat the rest of the world dies a little, a report by an international conservation charity claimed yesterday.


Power.org Initiative to Advance Community of Electronics ...

In a step sure to spark major innovation in the design of consumer electronics, networking, automotive, and IT systems, 15 companies today announced their intention to form Power.


Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice will have a minor surgical procedure on Friday while President Bush is away on a trip to Chile, her spokesman said.


In the Shadow of Horror, SS Guardians Frolic

Newly discovered snapshots donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum provide a stunning counterpoint to what up until now has been the only major source of preliberation Auschwitz photos.


I ribelli fuggivano alle truppe regolari afghane. La tragedia nel sud del PaeseImboscata contro un convoglio: 17 morti tra cui un soldato Nato e l'interprete                                            Afghanistan, naufraga barcone Affogati sessanta talebani                                                                                Il Sunday Telegraph svela: "La Gran Bretagna pronta a rafforzare l'impegno a Kabul"


Mezz'ora di colpi d'arma da fuoco nell'edificio della capitale SuvaLondra: "Il regime militare Ã¨ sospeso dal Commonwealth"                                            Fiji, spari nella caserma  a quattro giorni dal golpe                                                                                Il primo ministro Qarase Ã¨ stato spodestato martedÃ¬ scorsoE' il quarto colpo di stato negli ultimi venti anni nell'arcipelago


Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro and Hugh Grant join the line-up for a two-hour US TV tsunami benefit.


Vital Signs: Growing Pains: Many Parents Fail to See Obesity in Children

Among the parents of obese children ages 6 to 11, only 13 percent described their child as very overweight, according to a new study.


Auxerre, 22:39 - CALCIO: UEFA; AUXERRE-LIVORNO 0-1, AMARANTO QUALIFICATI

Il Livorno batte l'Auxerre 1-0 e si qualifica per i sedicesimi di finale, nella quinta e ultima gior...


Space station astronauts on last of three spacewalks

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida  - Two astronauts aboard the International Space Station left the outpost on Thursday for a spacewalk to pack up blankets and covers no longer needed to keep gear warm.


The Bowl Championship Series system is hated like the devil by many college football fans. So it should be no surprise that when asked why his team ran up the score this past weekend against


Mike Hargrove resigned as manager of the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, saying his "passion has begun to fade" for baseball even though his team is the hottest club in the majors.


Roma, 16:38 - CALCIO, MATARRESE: LIONE? NON LASCIAMOCI IMPRESSIONARE

Sorteggio ok per le italiane in Champions League. E' il parere del presidente della Lega, Antonio Ma...


Reggio Calabria, 18:55 - CALCIO, REGGINA; ARONICA: COL MILAN LA PARTITA DELL'ANNO

Domenica prossima la Reggina affronterà i neo-campioni d'Europa del Milan nell'ultima gara di...


Rice: U.S. not entirely safe from attack

The United States is safer now than it was before the Sept. 11 attacks, but must not relent in fighting terrorism in Iraq and elsewhere, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday. "I think it's clear that we are safe — safer — but not really yet safe," Rice said.


Johnson & Johnson (JNJ:NYSE - news - research) said Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration had approved its Charite artificial disc, the first such device for treating lower back pain.


ESPN acquired national TV rights to the Arena Football League on Tuesday and also will have a minority stake in the 19-team indoor league.


Dan Haren is pitching so well the Athletics hardly miss Barry Zito. Bobby Crosby homered off Zito, Mark Ellis also connected and Haren won his seventh straight decision, leading the A's past the San Francisco Giants 6-0 on Saturday.


Quotato 60,18 dollari al barile, venerdi' era a 59,60


Toronto holds style of '60s Baltimore for "Hairspray"

LOS ANGELES  - John Waters shot his "Hairspray," about the characters he knew in his misspent Baltimore youth of the early 1960s, in that Maryland city.


An unfinished tale by J.R.R. Tolkien has been edited by his son into a completed work and will be released next spring, the U.S. and British publishers announced Monday.


Women were urged not to panic today about the latest health warning over hormone replacement therapy. An American study involving almost 17,000 women aged


Blog: Men's-oriented video site introduces IP Intelligence technology to target videos, ads, etc.


Missy Elliot asks fans to name new album

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Missy Elliot is giving her fans the opportunity to name her upcoming album.


Henrik Sedin scored the tiebreaking goal 1:31 into the third period, Brendan Morrison added his second of the game 2:20 later, and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-4 Sunday night.


There are mixed reactions to a draft UN resolution on Lebanon, a German paper raises concerns over the future of free-to-air television, and a French daily welcomes tourists from emerging countries.


It was just one loss, of course, and teams can recover from one loss, especially one in September. But for Notre Dame, Saturday's 47-21 pounding by Michigan was so big it may have ripple effects at West Virginia, Auburn, and throughout the Southeastern Conference.


The United Nations is warning of impending chaos in Sudan's western Darfur region, with increasing violence and a breakdown of order.


Report: Calif economy will see growth in 2005, but danger looms

California's economy will experience solid growth next year, but the state's fortunes could change if the national economy falters amid rising consumer debt, a growing trade imbalance and bloated housing market, according to a


Nancy Grace is taking on her first prime-time acting role, though it shouldn't be a stretch for the CNN Headline News talk-show host.


Cuban Dance Troupe Asks for Asylum in U.S.

A Cuban troupe of 44 dancers, singers and musicians starring in a show in Las Vegas sought asylum in the United States on Monday in one of the largest mass defections by Cubans performing abroad.


Ousted Thai prime minister arrives in London

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra,   who was ousted in a bloodless military coup, arrived in Britain   on Wednesday, airport officials said.


A Holocaust survivor discovers how a new internet database is helping to record the names of death camp victims.


Iraq: italiano rapito, passaporto rilasciato ad Amman

ROMA - Il passaporto di Salvatore Santoro e' stato rilasciato dall'ambasciata italiana di Amman nel 2004. Lo hanno riferito fonti diplomatiche. Santoro, che non rinnovava il passaporto in Italia dal 1977, non


Un giornalista di "Repubblica" ha eluso controlli e perquisizioni anti-terrorismoUna lama di ceramica, piÃ¹ affilata di un rasoio. Nessuno se ne accorge neppure a bordo                                            Linate e Fiumicino, oltre il detector "Ecco come ho volato con il coltello"                                                                                A bordo con un'arma come l'11 settembredi MASSIMO LUGLI


The Anaheim Angels agreed to a $4.5 million, one-year contract with right-hander Paul Byrd on Tuesday, and traded pitcher Ramon Ortiz to the Cincinnati Reds for a minor league pitcher.


Demand Grows for Turf That 'Isn't Ugly Anymore'

By David Ranii, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.  Dec. 12--The synthetic turf market is growing like weeds.   Ron VanGelderen, president emeritus of the Synthetic Turf Council, an industry trade group, said hard sales data aren't available.


A battle royal shaping up between Barry Diller and John C. Malone over IAC/Interactive is not about their personal differences, despite the juicy material this provides.


Having generated record federal deficits with tax cuts in his first term, George W. Bush has promised that "fiscal restraint" is now in order.


Investors cheered President George W. Bush's re-election yesterday, but analysts caution that when the cheering stops, investors might refocus on real problems that could still hold back the economy and stocks.


Immigrati scoperti a Lampedusa, nel Ragusano e in Sardegna


Roma, 17:44 - CALCIO, JUVE; TARDELLI: SPERIAMO ARBITRATO CI TOLGA PUNTI

Nel corso della registrazione di 'Porta a Porta' in onda stasera, Marco Tardelli, da giugno scorso d...


The Motion Picture Association of America is expected to announce a tactical shift in its campaign against movie piracy at a press conference later today.


Controversial comic Bernard Manning dies

Controversial stand-up comedian Bernard Manning, known for his politically-incorrect humour and caustic wit, has died at age 76.


British estate agency firm Countrywide  is in talks to be acquired by U.S. buyout group Apollo Management, a source familiar with the situation said on Sunday.


Lawmakers accused the Bush administration Thursday of rushing a sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying Congress' role in approving arms sales had been compromised. Opponents acknowledged they could do little stop the $5 billion deal.


Omar escapes unhurt, one killed in Anantnag bomb blast:

[India News]: Srinagar, Oct 24 : National Conference president Omar Abdullah today escaped an attempt on his life when militants triggered a powerful blast as he reached a graveyard in Anantnag district to attend a ceremony for slain party leader.


Microsoft Office developer conference to get under way

InfoWorld - The 2008 Microsoft Office System Developer Conference this week focuses on the company's Office application suite as an application development platform in and of itself.


Public chicken pox immunization program reduces number of people ...

According to a new study, governments that pay for their children to be vaccinated against chicken pox save millions of dollars and have far fewer people being admitted to hospital.


Police are hunting an air rifle sniper who has targeted nearly three dozen motorists in County Durham.


Politicians and fishing leaders embark on the latest round of annual talks over catch limits.


The 66th Annual West Virginia State Conservation Camp took place at Camp Caesar near Cowen in Webster County from June 11 to June 16.  This year, 106 campers attended, including Nathan Carte, who represented Kanawha County.


Roma, 22:29 - Calcio, serie A: Lazio-Roma 3-1 nel posticipo

La Lazio ha battuto la Roma 3-1 (1-0) nel posticipo della 17/a giornata di serie A. Vantaggio bianco...


Suicide attack heightens fears for Pakistan polls

Pakistani police said on Sunday they suspected Islamist militants based in the tribal areas on the Afghan border were behind a suicide attack that killed up to 20 people at an election rally in the northwest a day earlier.


But the film does not have most of the answers.


New Suitor Ignites Battle for Ailing Mills Corp.

Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital Management are planning a $1.56 billion cash bid for the outlet mall developer Mills Corporation.


Wholesale prices rise modestly in August

Prices at the wholesale level edged up modestly in August, providing further evidence that inflation pressures are easing.


Milano, 13:19 - CALCIO, INTER; CRUZ: CHIVU? GIA' VINTO ANCHE SENZA DI LUI

Con il pre-ritiro in Sardegna inizia ufficialmente la nuova stagione dell'Inter. Julio Cruz non fiss...


Outside Manhattan, Many Oppose Congestion Plan

Everyone agrees that something needs to be done about Manhattan traffic, but nobody wants to have to pay for it.


London shares close lower as gaming losses take toll

Leading shares ended a volatile session lower as fears the on-line gaming sector could be rocked by a clampdown in the US offset M&A fuelled gains in heavyweight utilities.


Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) shares jumped as much as 16 percent on Monday, to their highest level in more than 4 years, after a Wall Street analyst nearly doubled his price target on the stock.


Ukraine President Vows Democracy on Trip to Europe

STRASBOURG, France  - Ukrainian President Viktor  Yushchenko, visiting the heart of Western Europe after a trip  to Russia, vowed Tuesday to do all he can to ensure that  democratic changes in his country are irreversible.


I magistrati verso lo sciopero: basta insulti ai giudici

Una denuncia della campagna di Â«insulti e delegittimazioneÂ» nei confronti dei magistrati e un appello ai presidenti di Camera e Senato perchÃ© si ripensi la riforma della giustizia attualmente in discussione.


Brief: Bot-net attacker gets three years for breaches

Bot-net attacker gets three years for breaches >> Advertisement <<  ALERT: "How A Hacker Launches A Blind SQL Injection Attack Step-by-Step"!" - White Paper  Blind SQL Injection can deliver total control of your server to a hacker giving them the ability to read, write and manipulate all data stored in your backend systems! Download this *FREE* white paper from SPI Dynamics for a complete guide to protection! https://download.spidynamics.com/1/ad/bsq.asp?Campaign_ID=701600000004c29


Florida event to make debut on 2007 PGA Tour

A new PGA Tour event will be held in Florida in late October, replacing the Running Horse Championship in Fresno, California, the Tour said on Thursday.


Plutonium from Chas. arrives in France for processing

(Cherbourg, France-AP) Oct. 5, 2004 - Nuclear industry officials say port crews unloaded plutonium from the United States from a British ship on Wednesday morning after it arrived in northwest France.


Gold hits another record high -- just shy of $900

Gold hit another record high above $898 an ounce on Monday on speculative buying as uncertainties in financial markets and expectations of aggressive U.S. rate cuts raised the metal's safe-haven appeal.


The Russian state-run company building a nuclear plant in Iran warned Wednesday that Iranian payment delays may cause "irreversible" damage to the project — another strong signal of Moscow's annoyance with Tehran.


Suppletive: alle ore 12 ha votato il 6,6% degli elettori

Nelle 7 circoscrizioni dove sono in corso le suppletive per la Camera, alle 12 ha votato il 6,6% degli elettori (49.055 votanti su 739.809). Alla stessa ora del 13 maggio 2001 (elezioni politiche) aveva votato il 23,4% degli aventi diritto.


Wedding cad comes clean over invite sale

A wedding guest who sparked a bidding frenzy when he offered for sale a pair of invitations to a wedding he did not want to attend has admitted that the bride was a former girl friend.


Arts & entertainment: The Turner Prize show has finally plucked up the courage to leave London - but with work that is banal.


Nearly half a million people across Africa will soon be able to make mobile calls in a bid to tackle rural poverty.


A $13,000 handbag and other items were snatched from "Spider-Man" star Kirsten Dunst's penthouse suite at a posh Manhattan hotel earlier this month, according to court records.


Uribe, A Bush Ally, Treads on Shaky Ground

As the U.S. President prepares to visit his counterpart in Colombia, that country's government is hit by a deep political scandal


Cervical cancer vaccine cost-effective: EU agency

The vaccine against the sexually  transmitted virus that causes the most cases of cervical cancer  is cost-effective and should be given to adolescent girls  before they start having sex, an EU agency said on Tuesday.


Kohl blames greed for disunity with east

economic troubles still plaguing reunited Germany on the 15th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's collapse. the Wall fell, also admitted in a public debate he had made errors that were contributing


Soft-Core Porn Film Maker Russ Meyer Dies in L.A.

Director Russ Meyer, whose soft core porn films, "The Immoral Mr Teas," "Vixen" and "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" earned him millions of dollars and the title of Hollywood's "King Leer," has died at age 82, his film company said on Wednesday.


Study: Hormone Therapy Raises Blood Clot Risk in Menopausal Women

A new US study highlights more negative health effects women might suffer if they take hormone supplements to combat the symptoms of aging.


The photo of a young Swedish father sobbing in his hospital bed in Thailand after he was reunited with his 2-year-old son following the death of his wife appeared in newspapers


Kidnappers seized six Egyptians and four Iraqis working for the country's mobile phone company, authorities said yesterday, and Muslim leaders in Britain announced plans to


The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, proposes a Â£3 hike to the congestion charge.


Kerry: U.S. Needs a President Who Can Multi-Task

Democratic challenger John Kerry blasted President Bush's handling of the U.S. economy and the war on terror on Tuesday and said Americans needed a leader who could do more than one thing at a time.


The Bank of Japan kept interest rates unchanged on Tuesday, but economists still expect the central bank to raise rates early next year.


Three sent for UK radiological tests after spy death

Three people have been sent to a special clinic for radiological tests following the death of a former Russian spy in London, a spokeswoman for Britain's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said on Monday.


Bob Dylan Tops Rolling Stone's Greatest-Song List

"Like a Rolling Stone," Bob Dylan's scornful, ironic ode to a spoiled woman's reversal of fortune, was named the greatest rock 'n' roll song of all time on Wednesday by Rolling Stone magazine.


Sempra to buy Indonesia gas from BP for North America

Sempra Energy LNG said Oct. 12 that it signed a 20-year agreement to purchase 3.7 million tons of liquefied natural gas per year from Indonesia for its proposed terminal just south of the US border from BP PLC and its partner Tangguh LNG.


Analysts say the Spring brand 'doesn't stand for anything'

New Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse has lots of choices as he takes over the ailing mobile carrier and looks for problems to start solving.Sprint, the third-biggest wireless operator in the U.S., is losing subscribers as it keeps working through the merger of Sprint and Nextel, which occurred in 2005. On Tuesday, Sprint announced Hesse is taking over immediately for Gary Forsee, who was forced out by the company's board in October. Hesse, 54, previously led Embarq, the local wireless carrier Sprint spun off as part of the Nextel deal.Sprint needs to both distinguish itself from competitors and get its own house in order, according to mobile industry analysts."They couldn't go on without someone who's willing to set a direction," said Avi Greengart of Current Analysis. Sprint could try to compete with Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless on price, or with more flexible terms of service, or bring out more innovative devices, but it's failed so far to choose, according to Greengart."Their brand right now doesn't stand for anything," he said.One thing the Sprint name has been associated with recently is disappointing customer service. Reporting on the quarter ended Sept. 30, the company blamed accelerating customer "churn" to other carriers in part on longer help calls and waits for those calls. The introduction of simplified bills, expected to continue until the middle of 2008, boosted the number of those calls, the company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Sprint also noted new handsets at rival carriers, clearly a reference to AT&T's Apple iPhone.Meanwhile, thanks to about 700,000 subscribers quitting the aging Nextel network, Sprint's subscriber base as a whole declined by a net 337,000 in the quarter. The carrier said it had about 54 million subscribers on Sept. 30.What could most set Sprint apart is also its biggest gamble, the WiMax wireless broadband network it plans to build across the U.S. at an estimated cost of US$5 billion. Though the WiMax network is likely to be in place first, set to reach 100 million people by the end of 2008, Sprint's main rivals plan to have their own high-speed data offerings using a similar technology, LTE (Long-Term Evolution). And WiMax won't fix Sprint's long-overdue need to harmonize its cellular operations, currently split between CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) and Nextel's older iDEN technology, Greengart said.If it goes ahead with WiMax -- interim CEO Paul Saleh said this month the business might be spun off -- Sprint will have to convince skeptical investors it's making the right move, said Yankee Group's Phil Marshall. It will also need to find a way for WiMax to truly complement the cellular business, Marshall said. So far, Sprint has painted WiMax as a mobile service distinguished from its conventional voice offerings by the promise of an any-application, any-device model. A better plan would be to push WiMax as an alternative to wired broadband that's bundled with Sprint's cellular service, Marshall said.However, in the short term, Hesse just needs to get the company to run its existing businesses better, Marshall said. Cleaning up customer service would be one key move, he added. Judging from Hesse's previous performance -- he once headed AT&T Wireless -- the new CEO is qualified to do this, according to Marshall."He's very pragmatic and systematic in his management style," Marshall said.


The official in charge of organising the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics is ready to quit, in a power struggle.


Anti-War Group Asks NY Judge for Central Park Rally Permit

A group opposed to the US-led war in Iraq asked a judge to order New York City to issue a permit to let 250,000 people attend a rally in Central Park on Sunday, the day before the start of the Republican National Convention.


Londra, 14:29 - CALCIO, RANIERI: NON HO ANCORA PARLATO CON IL CITY

Claudio Ranieri è tentato dall'Inghilterra ma non ha ancora preso una decisione. L'ormai ex t...


EarthLink pays $5 million to delay Houston Wi-Fi buildout

EarthLink will pay the city of Houston $5 million as a penalty for not meeting a deadline to sign a contract with the power utility that will provide the poles to install its Wi-Fi gear.


The retired British ex-pats who are soaking up the sun in their new lives on the Costa Blanca.


Ellen MacArthur sets a new solo fastest time to the equator in her round-the-world record bid.


Nepal PM orders probe into attack on mosque

KATMANDU: A shoot-on-sight curfew imposed in Kathmandu to prevent riots and violent protests over the killing of 12 Nepalese workers in Iraq entered its third day on Friday, as officials said they were trying to recover hostagesâ bodies.


Major storm lashes northern Europe - at least 13 dead, 2 missing

LONDON  - Powerful winds and heavy rain swept across northern Europe over the weekend, leaving at least 13 dead and two missing and disrupting air and sea transport. Hundreds of thousands of homes lost power.


Appeal Court judges refuse to stop a phone mast being built near schools in Harrogate.


A bat found in an alley tests positive for a strain of rabies which can also infect people, according to officials.


A strong storm surge in northeast China killed at least three people and did millions of dollars in damage to crops, the government said Friday.  The surge was the strongest in the area since 1969, Xinhua, the official government news agency, reported.


The number of Muslim guerrillas infiltrating Indian Kashmir from Pakistan has plunged 60 percent since construction of a border fence and a tighter vigil by frontier troops, India's home minister has said in a report.


Relazione del governatore della Banca d'Italia al ForexAppello sulle pensioni: "Occorre consapevolezza, come fu per la scala mobile"                                            Draghi: "Su previdenza sforzo collettivo" "Il fisco penalizza chi fa il proprio dovere"                                                                                "Il livello di imposizione tributaria in prospettiva va moderato""Le aggregazioni tra banche. Portino benefici ad azionisti e clienti"


Quake, Tsunami Hit South Asia, 3,100 Feared Dead

The world's fifth-largest quake in a  century hit southern Asia on Sunday, unleashing a tsunami that  crashed into Sri Lanka and India, drowning thousands and  swamping tourist isles in Thailand and the Maldives.


Barranquilla, 09:33 - CALCIO, COLOMBIA-ECUADOR 3-1 IN AMICHEVOLE

La Colombia ha battuto l'Ecuador 3-1 (2-1) in un'amichevole giocata a Barranquilla. In gol per i pad...


NeuStar acquires Followap for $139 million

Telephone number and area code clearing firm NeuStar, Inc.  said on Monday it acquired Followap, Inc., a UK-based provider of mobile instant messaging products, for $139 million in cash.


Cisco, Fujitsu team on high-end networking

Fujitsu has joined the networking parade by agreeing to sell Cisco's high-end routers and switches in Japan. It should come as no surprise as the market for high-end routers heats up.


Afghan militants release video of 3 UN hostages

Militants holding three foreign UN staff members in Afghanistan released a videotape Sunday showing their hostages, and they said the three would be killed if demands


Two killed, dozen injured in two blasts in Indiaâs northeast ...

GUWAHATI, India - At least two policemen were killed and a dozen people injured Monday in two powerful blasts in Indiaâs restive northeastern state of Assam, police said.


Uno scambio di persona all'origine dell'omicidio di Los RoquesRientrato dal Venezuela il marito ferito, martedÃ¬ i funerali                                            La turista uccisa per sbaglio era incinta i killer volevano punire l'albergatore


The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 5.25 percent on Thursday and signaled that it would keep it at that level for some time.


Kazaa Owner Cheers File-Swapping Decision

The distributor of file-swapping giant Kazaa welcomed a U.S. court's ruling that two of its rivals are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works shared online by their users.


Diabetes in Midlife Linked to Later Dementia

NEW YORK  - Middle-aged people with  diabetes are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia  in old age than people without diabetes, according to a new  study.


Pharmacist speaks at hospital death inquest

WINNIPEG - A pharmacist at St. Boniface General Hospital says she did not send any special instructions on how to dilute a vial of potassium acetate prescribed to an 83-year-old woman.


Straw Again Rules Out Bigley Kidnap Negotiations

The British government is ready to listen Ken Bigleyâs kidnappers but will not enter into negotiations with them for the hostageâs release, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said in Baghdad today.


Willis McGahee hasn't lost his swagger, an attribute that should allow the newly acquired running back to fit into a Baltimore Ravens locker room known for its brash talk.


Fashion recluse Yves Saint Laurent fell in a Paris street on Friday and lay motionless in


Boeing wins big US border security contract

The Department of Homeland Security  on Thursday said Boeing Co.  won a multibillion


Retailers should thoroughly check their premises before closing for the Christmas break, police warn.


Insured losses from Hurricane Jeanne are estimated at $6 billion to $8 billion, according to Eqecat Inc., a risk-modeling firm. The hurricane made landfall early Sunday at Hutchinson Island, on Florida's East


Don King filed suit in a state court in Florida, saying that an ESPN program last May defamed him by calling him a "snake-oil salesman" and "shameless" huckster.


Bill Thompson loooks at how the social web is transforming friendships and the way we view the world.


In Harlem, Baby Talk and the Art of Diplomacy

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, the renowned child specialist, still gives workshops despite turning 90 in May.


Conn. Man Charged with Selling Secret Windows Code

A Connecticut man was arrested on  Tuesday on charges that he illegally sold a secret source code  used for Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000  programs, federal prosecutors said.


Art: A Cosmopolitan Cubist With a Wandering Eye

Charles G. Shaw belongs to a generation of abstract painters who remain for the most part stubbornly lost.


Patients in trials of drug treatments are being left in the lurch when the research finishes, doctors say.


Fed to hold Tues meeting on mortgage rule change

The Federal Reserve Board said on Friday it has scheduled an open board meeting on December 18 to discuss proposed rule changes on mortgage lending to address unfair and deceptive lending practices.


"The Next Great Champ" had to fight in court just to get on the air, but the boxing reality series couldn't survive a battering in the ratings.


Buttiglione bocciato due volte: ecco i motivi. Tutti italiani

La commissione del Parlamento europeo davanti alla quale si Ã¨ svolta l'audizione di Buttiglione che ha suscitato critiche da parte di alcuni gruppi Ã¨ presieduta dal francese Jean-Louis Bourlanges, del gruppo dell'alleanza dei liberaldemocratici (Adle).


A millionaire paedophile who once boasted of beating his own "record" of abuse, is given a life sentence.


DHS head: Cybersecurity remains a concern

(InfoWorld) - Fixing cybersecurity problems in the U.S. is a top priority at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said the agency's leader, but lawmakers didn't focus on the issue during a hearing in Congress Wednesday. Cybersecurity is a "very big issue" that DHS remains concerned about, said DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, testifying before the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. Chertoff didn't go into details because much of the department's cybersecurity efforts are classified, he said. "I can assure you that we are working with other elements of the federal government and giving highest priority an enhanced strategy with respect to cybersecurity," he said. Cybersecurity threats have "enormous potential to do damage to the United States in years to come," Chertoff added. Chertoff testified before the committee in a hearing titled, "Holding the Department of Homeland Security Accountable for Security Gaps." But while cybersecurity problems continue inside and outside of the U.S. government, lawmakers focused on other issues during the hearing, including the hiring of border agents, training of bomb-sniffer dogs, and the scanning of airline cargo. Just this week, the U.S. Department of Defense acknowledged a successful attack on an unclassified e-mail system earlier this year. While not focusing on cybersecurity, committee chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said DHS needs to improve in several areas. Thompson has criticized the department's cybersecurity efforts in the past, but cybersecurity issues were not on Thompson's list of top priorities for Chertoff in the remaining 16 months of U.S. President George Bush's administration. Instead, Thompson called on Chertoff to fill vacancies at DHS, to finish regulations for container security at ports, and to implement a biometric air passenger screening program. "We owe the American people security," Thompson said. "We owe them accountability. And most importantly, we owe them freedom from fear." Other than the short Chertoff statement on cybersecurity, the issue did not come up again in more than 90 minutes of questions from lawmakers. Representative Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican, used part of his question time to complain to Chertoff that many bomb-sniffing dogs used by DHS came from overseas. Rogers urged Chertoff to find ways to breed bomb-sniffing and cadaver dogs in the U.S. "I'm concerned that we are increasingly relying on foreign imported dogs," he said.


Nokia shines as Europe's losses clawed back

Nokia was a leading gainer Wednesday as European stock markets clawed back some of the steep losses from the previous session.


U.S. agents smashed a Mexican drug trafficking network by arresting more than 400 people and seizing over 18 tonnes of narcotics, authorities said on Wednesday.


A Christian group sued Hastings College of the Law in federal court here Friday, seeking recognition as an official campus organization.


Paris just placed more than 10,000 bikes around the city as part of ‘‘an ambitious bike-sharing system.’’ The goal? Change the way people move around the city, reduce pollution, and promote exercise. Pick up a bike from one of the 750 self-service points for just 1 euro per day with no cap on the number of rides.


Turkey's EU Bid Back on Course After Damaging Row

Turkey's bid to join the European Union was back on course Thursday after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan backed down in a row with the bloc over attempts to ban adultery in his Muslim nation.


Thai officials admitted today that at least 78 protesters in their custody were suffocated or crushed to death after being put into trucks following a riot amongst Muslims in Thailand's troubled far south.


Server makers show first Barcelona systems

(InfoWorld) - Server makers are showing their first systems based on Advanced Micro Devices'Â upcoming quad-core Opteron chip, known as Barcelona. Barcelona servers from Supermicro Computer, Tyan Computer, and Uniwide TechnologiesÂ are on show at Taipei's annual Computex exhibition, which started Tuesday. The appearance of the chips, which are scheduled to ship later this year, signals they are getting closer to the market. Detailed specifications of the chips and servers on display were not immediately available. AMD is counting on Barcelona to boost its sales, and market share, in the face ofÂ heated competition from rival Intel. Barcelona, which is manufactured using a 65-nanometer process, contains four processor cores on a single piece of silicon. By comparison, Intel's quad-core chips use two pieces of silicon, each containing two cores, strapped together inside a single package. AMD claims its design gives Barcelona a significant boost in performance -- as much as 50 percent to 80 percent -- over its current Opteron chips. Uniwide and Supermicro are showing Barcelona systems that take advantage of a power-saving feature of the chip. Called Dual Dynamic Power Management, this allows the processor cores and on-chip memory controller to draw power separately, which AMD said allows better performance and power management. AMD also promised an easy upgrade path for existing Opteron customers. Motherboards that support current Opteron chips can be upgraded for the quad-core chips by updating the BIOS. Dual-core chips can then be swapped for quad-core Barcelona processors, which use the same chipsets and processor sockets. Tyan and Asustek ComputerÂ are among the companies making upgradeable motherboards.


A Fight for Life Consumes Both Mother and Son

The writer Susan Sontagâs death, as set out in a short and immensely disturbing account by her son, David Rieff, must rank as one of the worst ever described.


A network of well-established Taleban bunkers is found by a British-led force in southern Afghanistan.


Louisana elects Jindal, first Indian-American governor

Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal was  elected governor of Louisiana on Saturday to become the first  Indian-American to lead a U.S. state.


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.


U.S. Pounds Iraq Shi'ite Rebels, Car Bomb in Baghdad

NAJAF, Iraq  - U.S. warplanes and artillery  pounded Shi'ite militia positions around a shrine in the Iraqi  city of Najaf, trying to break the will of rebels who have  defied the interim government for three weeks.


The radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was reported last night to have accepted a peace deal that could end the violent two-week uprising in Najaf and see his militia leave the city's Imam Ali Shrine.


Saudi women can now stay in hotels alone

Women in Saudi Arabia can now stay in a hotel or a furnished apartment without a male guardian according to decision by the Ministry of Trade, reported the local press Monday.


Petraeus grilled over Bush's Iraq strategy

Democrats and President George W. Bush's Republicans grilled the top U.S. commander in Iraq on Tuesday, questioning whether security gains were significant enough to keep U.S. troops in the war zone.


Oops! Pop star Britney Spears did it again and got married for the second time this year -- this time to dancer Kevin Federline in a low-key ceremony Saturday at a private home in Studio


SOUTH African alleged mercenary leader Nick du Toit admitted yesterday that he had recruited personnel and taken charge of logistics for a coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea.


Shares Rise as Vonage Settles Fight Over Patent

Shares of Vonage, the Internet telephone provider, rose sharply after it announced it had settled a patent dispute with Verizon and would have to pay a maximum of $120 million.


Israeli troops detain a top commander of the Palestinian presidential guard, known as Force 17, Palestinians say.


Austria Goes One Up as Koubek Upsets Henman

After a day's delay due to rain, play got underway in Portschach on Saturday with Stefan Koubek upsetting world No. 4 Tim Henman to win the first point of the tie for the hosts.


Prisoner Release Key to Summit Success - Palestinians

Palestinian officials were working with  Israeli counterparts on Saturday to resolve a dispute over the  release of Palestinian prisoners that threatens to cloud a  summit seen as crucial to ending over four years of violence.


Paris Hilton to give Larry King post-jail interview

Hotel heiress and reality TV star Paris Hilton will give her first post-jail interview on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Wednesday, the show's spokeswoman said on Saturday.


This season, it's been Duxbury domination in lacrosse. After the boys clinched another state title, the girls were seeking their first yesterday. They got their wish.


A 29-year-old man is charged with manslaughter after a man was killed in Newtownabbey earlier this week.


The 20-year-old rookie struck out a career-high nine in his fourth major league start, leading the Tampa Bay Devil Rays over the Boston Red Sox and Pedro Martinez 5-2 Tuesday night.


Since rebel groups in the Darfur region of western Sudan took up arms against the government nearly two years ago, the violence has resulted in what the United Nations says is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.


Stolen Home Depot laptop exposes employee data

Laptop with employee information stolen from Home Depot manager's car.


Americans' supply of flu vaccine was cut in half Tuesday as Britain abruptly shut down a major supplier just as flu season is about to begin. Facing a record shortage, U.S. health officials scrambled to reserve remaining shots for the elderly and others at highest risk from influenza.


Global warming worries to boost renewables

Three decades after former U.S. President Jimmy Carter experimented with solar panels on the White House roof, grim U.N. warnings about climate change may kick-start wider global use of renewable energy.


Police and customs officials search for seized items missing from a "secure depot" in Coventry.


US troops pounded Fallujah with airstrikes and tank fire Sunday as the Iraqi government appealed to residents to expel "foreign terrorists" to prevent an all-out attack.


Ubisoft's darker iteration on the Prince of Persia franchise comes to light on multiple consoles December 2; was originally dated for mid-November.


UNITED NATIONS, Nov 19  - The UN staff union on Friday passed a resolution highly critical of the world body's senior management while declining to pin the blame directly on Secretary General Kofi Annan.


Huge Car Bomb Kills Former Lebanese Prime Minister

A huge car bomb Monday killed Lebanon's  former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, a billionaire who  masterminded the country's reconstruction from its 1975-90  civil war.


Man Questioned About Camp Counselor Deaths

A 21-year-old man who recently left his Wisconsin home to roam California has contacted police after learning from media reports that he was a potential witness in the mysterious shooting deaths of two Christian camp counselors.


Yahoo to run on millions of Windows Mobile phones

Yahoo Inc.  has added  mobile phones running Microsoft's  Windows Mobile  software to a growing list of handsets from device makers who  feature its services on their phone screens.


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.


At a time of economic uncertainty and growing federal deficits, President Bush and John Kerry are expected to use their final debate tonight to portray each other as irresponsible fiscal stewards of the government.


Steep decline in oil production brings risk of war and unrest, says new study

Output peaked in 2006 and will fall 7% a year while a decline in gas, coal and uranium is also predicted.


Police break up protest vigil at church slated for closure

NATICK, Mass. Police have broken up a protest vigil at a parish that's being closed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.


New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn signed a five-year contract extension Thursday, giving him a second chance to rebuild the NBA team.


A think tank has tapped several heavyweight security experts to staff a commission that will advise the president.


Telstra Australia welcomes 1 million broadband customers

Written by Net 4 Nowt Telstra achieves broadband milestone Telstra today announced that more than one million broadband customers had been connected to its network across Australia.


Suicide Bomber Kills 1, Wounds 3 in Jerusalem

A female Palestinian suicide bomber blew herself up at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing one person and seriously wounding at least three others, Israeli authorities said.


Colo. Senator Wears Indian Chief Regalia

Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the Colorado Republican known for his ponytail and bolo ties, made a bolder style statement Tuesday, wearing a full chief's regalia to the Senate floor to manage an appropriations bill.


Briton Robert Murat questioned for second successive day over disappearance of four-year-old.


EU justice chief says being gay is a sin

The European Union's new justice chief, Rocco Buttiglione, has come under fire from MEPs challenging his disapproval of homosexuality and his support for setting up migrant gateways outside the bloc.


Australian police charge a man over his alleged involvement with attempted bombings in London and Glasgow.


How would the top movies this year — or any year — have looked if they used different actors?


Bush Touts Plan to Help High School Students

CRAWFORD, Texas  - President Bush on Saturday  touted his plan to boost aid for high school students amid  criticism from his Democratic opponent that the president has  undercut his own efforts to fix schools.


Viewers Can Catch Up on 'Jericho' With Recap, Online

By Christopher Lawrence  If you're thinking about checking out that other serialized drama dealing with life after a nuclear blast - I'll stick with "24," thanks - you're in luck: CBS is airing an hour-long recap to get you up to speed on "Jericho" (8 p.m. Wednesday, KLAS-TV, Channel 8).


Apple cuts iPhone price and revamps iPods

Apple Inc sharply cut the price of its iPhone on Wednesday and revamped its full iPod line, including adding a model with a touch screen that can browse the Web and buy songs wirelessly.


Stocks Lower on Coke, Tech Downgrade, Oil

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday after a  profit warning from Coca-Cola Co. KO.N renewed concern about  corporate profits and a Goldman Sachs survey revealed softening  corporate spending on technology.


JABALIYA, Gaza StripâThe harvest of death in this most dispossessed of refugee camps continued yesterday as the Israeli army finished its first week in a grim, open-ended manhunt for Palestinian militants, killing 10 people and wounding at least nine.


Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams have split after three years together, a source confirms to PEOPLE.  "It was rocky for awhile," says a source close to the couple. "They did what they could to make it work."  The source says the split was amicabl...


Sunday Halloween Irks Some in Bible Belt

NEWNAN, Ga. - Across the Bible Belt this Halloween, some little ghosts and goblins might get shooed away by the neighbors - and some youngsters will not be allowed to go trick-or-treating at all - because the holiday falls on a Sunday this year...


Activists who target firms linked to animal research could face five years in jail  under new plans.


Honour guard greets body of Lieut. Saunders

HALIFAX - Family members, politicians and military brass held a ceremony for Lieut. Chris Saunders in Halifax Sunday afternoon, after the submariner's body arrived from Ireland.


Heat-Lakers Game Sets New Ratings Mark for ABC

The much-heralded Christmas Day matchup between Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers and Shaquille O'Neal's Miami Heat was the highest-rated regular season basketball game on television in nearly seven years, broadcaster ABC said on


Singer Britney Spears' father has been given the power to fire her business manager, according to court papers.


Starbucks first quarter profit up 18 percent

Starbucks Corp.  said on  Wednesday first quarter earnings rose 18 percent, meeting  analysts' estimates, as it opened more than 8 stores a day and  attracted customers with lunch offerings and gift cards.


Iraqi militia leader calls truce after fighting with rival Shia Muslim group in Kerbala left more than 50 dead.


Associazioni chiedono al Governo di tagliarli del 5%


With a sparse economic calendar and a Federal Reserve interest rate decision a week away, the avalanche of earnings reports may be foremost on tradersâ minds.


Slew of Lawsuits Will Target Vioxx Maker

Throngs of lawyers who represent people allegedly hurt or killed by the withdrawn painkiller Vioxx will gather in California and Las Vegas next week to discuss preparing class-action lawsuits against the drug's maker, Merck & Co.


Firenze, 20:13 - CALCIO, FIORENTINA: ALLENAMENTO A PORTE CHIUSE

Allenamento a porte chiuse per la Fiorentina alla presenza del presidente Andrea Della Valle. A disp...


Lazio's low cost bid for success crumbles

When Lazio faced Olympiakos Piraeus in an  important Champions League tie in November, Italian daily  Gazzetta dello Sport published a photograph of their 2000-01  squad.


Approvato il decreto legge in Consiglio dei ministriMisure di tutela per chi vuol cambiare subito senza incorrere in aggravi                                          Mercato elettrico, via alla liberalizzazione Da luglio si potrÃ  scegliere l'operatore


Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.  on Thursday named former Viacom Inc. President Mel Karmazin as its chief executive, in the latest migration of a mainstream radio heavyweight to the fledgling satellite industry.


The NI assembly must have "meaningful functions" even if talks fail to reach a deal, an ex-minister says.


Michael Keaton Never Expected to Be the Director

Movie actors making their directorial debuts often do it as a labor of love. For Michael Keaton, directing âThe Merry Gentlemanâ was a bit of a daredevil adventure.


The tsunami catastrophe in south Asia  is likely to have wreaked economic damage of more than 10  billion euros ($13.6 billion), compounding what was already the  most expensive year in history for insurers, the world's  largest reinsurer said.


Scotland's medical schools are given Â£4.4m to identify the risks of developing genetic diseases.


Servira' a controllare e monitorare la spesa pubblica


Your (semi-) daily defense-industry news roundup.


Oracle yesterday raised its hostile takeover offer for rival software company PeopleSoft by 14%, to $8.8bn (Â£4.37bn), and for the first time set a deadline for acceptance of the bid.


Japan to provide non-project grand aid to Laos

VIENTIANE (Laos), Nov. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan has decided to provide 4.5 million US dollars Non-Project Grand Aid to Laos, according to a press release Sunday.


"Quinceanera" waltzes into Latino life in the US

The low-budget, Sundance  award-winning film "Quinceanera" may teach Americans more about  Latino life in the United States than any other movie -- and  they will have two white men who don't speak Spanish to thank.


Brazil Upset in Ecuador; China Eliminated

Ecuador upset Brazil 1-0 Wednesday to send the World Cup champions to their first loss in qualifying for the 2006 tournament, and China was eliminated on the fifth tiebreaker despite a 7-0 victory over visiting Hong Kong.


'Shark Tale' Chews Up 'Team America' at Box Office

In a surprise at the North American  weekend box office, the fishy gangsters of reigning champion  "Shark Tale" easily dispatched the frisky marionettes of the  much-hyped satire "Team America: World Police."


Afp, chieste alcune decine di migliaia di dollari


Putting Your Own Stamp On All Your Parcels

Fido the Stamp is here. Well, he could be -- all it takes is for one dog owner to snap a digital photo of his beloved pooch, submit it to the Stamps.com Web site and order personalized postage. -Leslie Walker


KYOTO, Japan His fingers muscled from almost a century of weaving, Yasujiro Yamaguchi worked the humming loom in his private workshop. Patiently lacing golden threads through a warp of auburn silk, he fashioned a bolt of kimono fabric blooming with an autumn garden in shades of tea green, ginger and...


The World Series ball is gone, and Jonathan Papelbon has an excuse: My dog ate it. Farfetched or not, that's what the Red Sox closer insists happened to the souvenir from the final out of Boston's sweep this year.


Top-ranked Roger Federer faces two-time major champion Marat Safin in the third round at Wimbledon today. Federer needed only 11 minutes to complete his rain-suspended match against Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 for his 50th straight win on grass.


The arguments for and against the Brussels Process have almost become secondary to the effect that debate is having on the one commodity a small community like ours cannot afford to lack.


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chad Pennington returned from a three-week absence and directed three second-half touchdown drives to lift the New York Jets to a 29-7 victory over the Houston Texans yesterday.


Serra: corteo non partira' con persone con volto coperto


Stocks Open Higher After CPI, HP Earnings

U.S. stocks opened higher on Wednesday  after news that core inflation rose only slightly more than  expected last month. Strong earnings from computer maker  Hewlett-Packard Co. HPQ.N and a major retail merger also  lifted Wall Street's mood.


Gas Price Up Near $1.88 a Gallon -Survey

The average U.S. retail price of gasoline rose slightly over the last two weeks to almost $1.88 a gallon -- the first increase reported since late May, according to the nationwide Lundberg survey of about 8,000 gas stations.


European leaders told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that a unity government must clearly recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept interim peace deals for sanctions to end, Abbas aides said on Sunday.


North Korea committed to disarmament pact: IAEA

North Korea is committed to a disarmament pact reached in February but wants sanctions against it lifted first, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday on his return from a trip he said had cleared the air.


A 15-year-old runaway girl and a male companion were arrested in Nebraska on Thursday, ending a two-day chase by police that prompted schools to cancel some activities.


Mark Wahlberg remained invincible at the box office over the long Labor Day weekend. Disney's "Invincible," with Wahlberg as a pro football rookie who makes the team in open tryouts, was the No. 1 movie for the second straight weekend, taking in $15.2 million from Friday through Monday, according to studio estimates. The movie lifted its 11-day total to $37.8 million.


The CBS-TV shows "Joan of Arcadia" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" took top family-friendly TV honors during Wednesday night's presentations at the 6th Annual Family Television Awards.


Caisha Gayles graduated with honors last month, but she is still waiting for her diploma. The reason: the whoops of joy from the audience as she crossed the stage.


OJ Simpson charged with kidnapping, armed robbery

O.J. Simpson, the former American football star acquitted of double murder in 1995, was charged on Tuesday with kidnapping, armed robbery and assault in a dispute over sports memorabilia at a Las Vegas hotel.


The Memphis Grizzlies waived guard Eddie Jones on Tuesday after agreeing to a buyout of his contract.


Armitage Says He, Powell Sought Influence

Baring one of Washington's worst-kept secrets, Secretary of State Colin Powell's deputy said he and Powell sometimes went public with their dissenting views to try to influence Bush administration policy.


London parties in the sun at Notting Hill Carnival

Dancers dolled up in feathers, flamboyant performers and elaborate floats filed through west London Monday as Europe's biggest street party pumped up the volume on its Caribbean rhythms.


Maoist rebels in Nepal impose restrictions on two key highways linking the capital to the rest of the country.


F-35 fighter safety completes first test flight

The Pentagon's costliest acquisition project, the F-35 Lightning 2 Joint Strike Fighter, safely completed its first test flight Friday, advancing a $276.5 billion program co-financed by the United States and eight nations.


Condono al voto in Senato, incidenti in Aula

Sospesa per due volte la seduta per le proteste dei Verdi. Espulsi Cortiana e altri senatori censurati da Pera. ROMA - Seduta sospesa al Senato durante le dichiarazioni di voto sulla fiducia posta dal governo


Martin puts 'cards on the table' in talks with Libyan leader ...

TRIPOLI, Libya (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin said he "put the cards on the table" about such issues as respecting human rights during two meetings Sunday with Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi in Tripoli.


Cosenza, ragazzi fumavano spinelli durante le lezioni


Physics Nobel Goes to 'Theory for Everything' Trio

David Gross, David Politzer and Frank Wilczek won the 2004 Nobel physics prize Tuesday for explaining how the basic building blocks of nature, quarks, interact to make a coin spin or build the entire universe.


Lo ha deciso la Capigruppo, martedi' voto su ddl Mastella


Alleged U.S. Deserter Jenkins Surrenders

CAMP ZAMA, Japan - Saluting and standing at attention, accused U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins surrendered to U.S...


New stackable Gig and fan-less switches are all-PoE Cisco has announced a bunch of Gigabit and Power-over Ethernet (PoE) switches at its annual Networkers beanfest in Cannes.â¦


Since acquiring Crystal Decisions in 2003, Business Objects has been working to integrate Crystal Reports into its business intelligence suite. Crystal is now part of BusinessObjects Enterprise XI, but it also continues to be available separately. And Crystal Reports XI is no mere rebranding â itâs a significant advancement in the Crystal reporting world. Crystal XI has several new features that make it not only easier to author, but also to manage and view reports.


Expert explains grilled cheese ``miracle''

Brace yourself. There may be a less-than-miraculous explanation for that image of the Virgin Mary a Florida woman says appeared in her grilled cheese sandwich.


Ryan Palmer came from five shots behind with a magnificent 62 to earn his maiden PGA Tour tournament victory at the Funai Classic on Sunday.


A drug now used to treat breast cancer could help men with advanced prostate cancer live longer, say scientists.


DaimlerChrysler plans North American layoffs

DaimlerChrysler AG   could lay off up to 4,000 in North American truck operations next year, Andreas Renschler, a member of the automaker's board of management who heads its truck operations, said on Monday.


Iran's new envoy to Sweden submits credentials ...

Iran's newly appointed ambassador to Sweden, Hassan Qashqavi, submitted his credentials to Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds in Stockholm on Saturday, Iran's Official News Agency (IRNA) reported.


Space station crew does some repair work

The two-man crew of the international space station went outside again for more repair work. Gennady Padalka and Mike Fincke spent five and a half hours plugging in new antennas and replaced a worn-out piece of cooling equipment.


Former US President Carter Proposes Audit of Venezuelan Recall Election Results

In Venezuela, former US President Jimmy Carter and Organization of American States Secretary General Cesar Gaviria say election officials have agreed to conduct a sample audit of the vote in Sunday's recall referendum. This follows a meeting with ...


Cheaper, easier to get, harder to police: Britain's drug problem

The war on drugs is high on Labour's latest agenda. A new report will make sobering reading. By Sophie Goodchild and Andrew Johnson.


Super Soaker inventor touts solid state heat-2-leccy

Ex-NASA boffin could kill off wind and tidal A former NASA engineer, most famous for inventing the noted "Super Soaker" squirtguns, may be on the track of a radical new energy technology which could have important implications for power generation.â¦


Equipment rental company United Rentals said it had accepted a $4 billion takeover bid from private equity fund Cerberus Capital Management.


ASIA/FILIPPINE - ÂSognando la pace a JoloÂ: cristiani e musulmani insieme per la riconciliazione Jolo (Agenzia Fides) - Far sÃ¬ che il sogno di una pace duratura diventi realtÃ . EÂ questo lÂauspicio e lÂimpegno espresso nel recente incontro islamo-cristiano tenutosi sullÂisola di Jolo, nellÂestremo Sud delle Filippine, organizzato dal nuovo Centr...


Oil prices slipped on Monday but held above $49 a barrel as easing concerns about a winter supply crunch pulled the market further away from record highs set two weeks ago.


WIMBLEDON, England -- "God Made Roger Federer." That sign, white block letters on a dark background, stands in front of a church in Wimbledon village, about a 20-minute walk from the All England Club. Told about it, Federer appreciated the sentiment.


Chemotherapy treatments for children with brain tumours reduces long-term damage, say researchers.


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


One of Judaism's holiest sites - the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem - has been visited by pop singer Madonna. She has been joined by her British filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie on a spiritual mission to Israel.


Pakistan says no unilateral concession on Kashmir

Pakistan is ready to show flexibility to resolve the Kashmir dispute with India, but will not make any unilateral concession to its nuclear-armed rival, Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri said on Thursday.


BOSTON ENGLISH Coach: Keith Parker (25th year, 119-124-5). Last year's record: 2-7. Returning starters (17): N'K Paye, FB-LB, 5-10, 195, Sr.; Demar Powell, C-DT, 5-11, 215, Sr.; Jose Pizzaro, TE-DE, 6-1, 180, Sr.; Jose Curet, OT-DT, 6-0, 240, Sr.; James Bruce, QB-CB, 5-9, 165, Sr.; Jean Arcene, OT-DT, 6-2, 245, Sr.; Yosief Wolday, WR-S, 6-0, 170, Sr.; Phillip Jackson, OT-DT, ...


Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - Two-time champion Serena Williams blew past Swiss Patty Schnyder on Sunday to reach the quarterfinals at the US Open.


China on Thursday announced it would hike interest rates for most deposits and loans by 0.27 percentage points, the first rise in nine years.


Most analog cellular to fade away on Monday

Most analog cellular networks in the U.S. will be shut down on Monday, following a longtime FCC plan.


IBB, Yemen  - At least 15 people were killed and   more than 70 injured in a stampede on Tuesday in a Yemeni   stadium where President Ali Abdullah Saleh was holding a   pre-election rally in the southern province of Ibb.


Citigroup Resets $1.18 Billion Credit for Cinram International

Citigroup Inc. refinanced a $1.18 billion credit facility for Cinram International Inc., the world's second-biggest maker of digital video disks, that will reduce the company's borrowing costs, the company said.


Musharraf To Shed Off Military Uniform By Year End: US

Washington, Sept. 19 (NNN): The United States strongly believes that Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf will step down as countryâs Army Chief by the end of 2004.


The mother of a 16-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber who blew himself up in an Israeli market has condemned the militants that sent her son on his deadly mission.


Restrain the presses. In a new poll, the Canadian Medical Association found declining public satisfaction with medicare. Released one month before Prime Minister Paul Martin sits down in Ottawa to talk about the health-care system with the premiers, it ...


Ralph Nader is back on Florida's ballot — probably for good this time.


CELTIC legend Henrik Larsson may be living the high life in Barcelona - but he is pining for a little village in Lanarkshire.


Many Counties Failing Fine-Particle Air Rules

About a third of all Americans live in counties that do not meet standards for particles of pollution that cause thousands of premature deaths a year, the E.P.A. said.


Supporters of Zimbabwe's opposition leader gathered outside court on to hear the verdict in his treason trial, which could see him sentenced to death.


The Miami Dolphins have appointed former Dallas Cowboys assistant coach Tony Sparano as their new head coach, the NFL team said on Wednesday.


Hospitals are no refuge as abductions of Sunnis rise

BAGHDAD -- In a city with few real refuges from sectarian violence -- not government offices, not military bases, not even mosques -- one place always emerged as a haven: a hospital .


Top seeds David Nalbandian and Nicolas  Massu were beaten in the quarterfinals of the Vienna Trophy  Friday.


A holiday week where TV networks essentially took a vacation provided stark evidence of who's hot and who's not this season.


Troops cleared the streets of central Yangon on Thursday, telling protesters they had 10 minutes to go home or be shot, as the Myanmar junta intensified its two-day crackdown on the largest uprising in 20 years.


Longtime Red Sox fan hangs on team's fortunes

(October 26, 2004) - Barb Babiarz's love affair with the Boston Red Sox began in 1967, the year Carl Yastrzemski led an unsung team to the American League pennant.


It's that time of the year when you celebrate at your fullest Â Diwali.


NIH Scientist Pleads Guilty in Accepting $285,000 from Pfizer

A senior government scientist who was a focus of a congressional probe into conflicts of interest in medical research admitted in federal court yesterday that he improperly failed to disclose payments of $285,000 he received as a consultant for the pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer Inc.


Germany Arrests U.S. Translator on Spying Charges

A U.S. translator suspected of trying to sell military documents to a non-NATO country was arrested when visiting her parents in Germany, officials said on Friday.


Catania, 16:38 - CALCIO, CATANIA; LO MONACO: BAUDO PENSI AL SUO LAVORO

E' dura la reazione di Pietro Lo Monaco, intervenuto a Radio Goal su Kiss Kiss Napoli, alle parole d...


Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney compared himself favorably to two of his Republican White House rivals on Monday yet made no mention of a third, underscoring his strategy for next week's Florida primary.


Tv, ascolti record per l'Isola: 11 mln di spettatori

Ennesimo record all'Isola dei Famosi con quasi 11 milioni di spettatori (10.977.000 ovvero il 46,02% di share) che hanno seguito ieri sera su Raidue la puntata finale del programma condotto da Simona Ventura che ha coronato vincitore lo spagnolo Sergio


Hamm Pleads Case as the One and Only Champ

is Olympic gold medal safe in his parents' Wisconsin farmhouse, lovingly tucked into a white gym sock, the gymnast Paul Hamm had one goal in mind when he boarded a plane for Europe last week: to remain the Olympic all-around champion.


A French anti-nuclear protester was killed Sunday in eastern France when his leg was severed by a train carrying radioactive waste to Germany, a police official said.


The Silverstone-based team were left without an engine supplier when Ford put Cosworth up for sale earlier this year and needed frantic discussions in Brazil, at the final grand prix of the season, to secure their future.


Getty returns more antiquities to Greece to end row

Greece on Monday declared an end to an 11-year dispute with the J.P. Getty Museum on Monday after the U.S. institution agreed to return two ancient artifacts.


Pakistani Courts Overwhelmed by War on Terror

KARACHI, Pakistan  - For all the breakthroughs  Pakistan made against al Qaeda and homegrown militant groups in  2004, its war on terror risks sliding into a morass due to  abuse of the court appeals process by lawyers for terror  convicts.


Iran reformists criticize Ahmadinejad's policies

A coalition of Iranian reformists on Friday criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his hardline policies and said they were worsening a crisis with the international community.


FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Falcons  have extended the contract of star quarterback Michael Vick  through the 2013 season.


Outside a Brooklyn art gallery, Kristy Knight threw her arms in the air in exasperation when she was asked about the war in Iraq, which has her angry, frustrated and flatly disbelieving President Bush.


Apple Rocks with U2, Rolls Out iPod Photo

Apple Computer Inc. has hooked up with Irish rock band U2 to launch the iPod U2 Special Edition, a black edition of its popular digital music player that holds up to 5,000 songs.


Television gearing up for post-strike return

With a deal taking shape to end a three-month walkout by Hollywood writers, the strike-hobbled television industry is scrambling to get back on its feet and salvage what remains of the broadcast season.


The pace of sales of pre-owned homes fell slightly in July but the inventory of unsold properties soared to the highest level in over 15 years as troubles in the subprime mortgage market continued to wreak havoc on the housing sector.


China urges Iran dialogue as powers meet

China said on Thursday it hoped a crisis   over Iran's nuclear program could be resolved through dialogue   as senior diplomats from six world powers prepared to meet to   discuss next steps, including possible sanctions.


Zayed-Urmila's new film is a frame to frame copy of the Hollywood film, Cellular. Only, this one is much, much worse.


Google calls on governments and business to agree a set of global standards to protect internet privacy.


European bourses seen opening little changed

European stock markets looked likely to open little changed on Tuesday as investors awaited the return of their US counterparts after the previous session's Labour Day holiday.


Green limo line at Oscars gets longer and sexier

From a plug-in hybrid car to the sexy electric Tesla Roadster, celebrities wanting to make a green statement on the way to the red carpet of the Oscars will have plenty of environment-friendly rides this Sunday.


BEIJING -- China's shoddy record in product safety took another hit yesterday after Japanese importers recalled toothpaste containing a chemical used in antifreeze.


Sinus and Migraine Headaches Often Go Together

New research indicates that migraines are fairly common among patients with sinus headache.


The longest winning streak in high school football history came to a crushing end late Saturday night. De La Salle High School, which had fashioned 12 consecutive undefeated


In Britain, drivers pay nearly three times what Americans do for gasoline at the pump, and the high taxes that cause the huge difference have never managed to achieve one of the government's main goals: reducing the number of cars on the road.


Tenn. Man's 5-Day Dive Sets World Record

HAMPTON, Tenn. - A Tennessee man beat his own record for staying underwater with scuba gear after five days in a lake - complete with recliner, a checkerboard, music and good friends to keep him company...


The last broadcast of an Open University programme takes place in the early hours of Sunday morning.


32 years and counting for kidney transplant

Like other 18-year-olds, Mary Ann Foco was listening to Elton John and Al Green and putting her hopes in a college degree. But her seemingly healthy body was quietly failing her.


Coroner: Alcohol Poisoning Killed Student

A 19-year-old Colorado State University student found dead in a fraternity house died of accidental alcohol poisoning, the county coroner said Friday.


Five EU countries sign a deal to link their power grids and make it easier to trade electricity across their borders.


SAP to offer hosted Business One in India

(InfoWorld) - SAP AG will announce a partnership shortly to offer a hosted version of its Business One applications to small businesses in India, a spokesman for SAP India said on Monday. This will be the first time that Business One has been offered as a hosted service, according to the spokesman. The service will be rolled out elsewhere in the world if the offering in India is successful, he said. SAP expects to announce a partnership in two weeks with an undisclosed Indian mobile services operator who will offer the hosted service, the spokesman said. The service will be offered on a subscription basis, he added. Hosted services aim to help companies save on their IT infrastructure costs, and offering Business One in this way will allow SAP to reach small customers in rural parts of India so long as they have an Internet connection, the spokesman said. Business One is designed to be an integrated, affordable set of business management applications for small businesses. It is a single system for running business operations such as sales, finance, purchasing, inventory, and manufacturing. All the components of Business One will be available in the hosted version, the spokesman said. SAP is also working on a brand new suite of on-demand applications, code named A1S, that's due to be launched next year. That service will target the lower mid-market, while the hosted version of Business One is aimed at small businesses, the spokesman said.


Father says autopsy showed rare disease was not found in ...

KINGSTON, NY -- An autopsy on one of five Ulster County residents believed to have died from the brain disorder Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease found that the disease was not present in the woman's brain, her father said.


A 65-year-old retired truck driver who was attacked by a vicious pit bulldog during a neighborhood walk choked the dog to death as he defended himself.


Fallujah Fighting Worrisome For Local Military Father

The fierce fighting for control of Fallujah is underway and Hoosier troops are there, trying to take over the Sunni stronghold through urban warfare.


Students at the University of Glamorgan have the highest debts in Wales while those in Swansea borrow the least, says a new guide.


Tasso recidiva non e' cresciuto dopo provvedimento clemenza


NKorea unlikely to abandon nuclear arms: Bush human rights envoy

North Korea is unlikely to abandon its nuclear weapons before US President George W. Bush leaves office in January 2009, his special envoy said Thursday, calling for a revamp of six-party talks to end the crisis.


Nuclear reactors across the Southeast could be forced to throttle back or temporarily shut down later this year because drought is drying up the rivers and lakes that supply them


MIAMI - The dissapointment in the Florida State locker room following Friday night's loss to Miami was palpable. Most players seemed in disbelief of what had just happened, and then there were others who had been there too often; they had enough.


UK's EMI Says to Face Music Industry Probe in U.S.

LONDON/NEW YORK  - EMI Group PLC, the world's  third-largest music company, on Friday said it and other music  companies faced a New York probe into how music companies  influence what songs are played on the radio.


Pakistan troops comb mosque for holdouts

Pakistani troops cornered holdout Islamic militants and combed the warren-like Red Mosque complex for booby traps Wednesday after assaulting the compound and killing its pro-Taliban cleric, the army spokesman said.


Cards edge D-Backs; Webb gets quick heave

ST. LOUIS - Brandon Webb didn't intentionally hit Cardinals starting pitcher Woody Williams with a pitch on Friday. Williams got nailed, and even he disagreed with home plate umpire Jerry Layne for ejecting


A Pioneer in Brazil Finds That Itâs Hard to Keep Pace

Ronaldo da Costa, who was celebrated nine years ago for one of the most surprising performances in marathon history, is hopeful that his distance running career is not entirely over.


IBM to pay $320M to partially settle pension case

IBM Corp. said Wednesday it will take a US$320 million charge this quarter to settle some claims and cap its liability on others in a long-running class-action dispute about changes made in the 1990s to its pension plan.


Putin pledges effective response to U.S. anti-missile plan

President Vladimir Putin criticized Washington's plans for an anti-missile system in Central Europe and said on Thursday Russia would come up with a "highly effective" response.


US stock futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Wednesday, as investors take a breather after Tuesday's run-up, with a lightly staffed Wall Street awaiting oil inventory data for some direction.


(InfoWorld) - The Eclipse Foundationâs Eclipse World 2006 made its way to Cambridge, Mass., in early September, with foundation executives touting the success of the open source application development project in attracting developer interest and support from big-name players such as IBM. InfoWorld Editor at Large Paul Krill caught up with The foundationâs Executive Director Mike Milinkovich to talk about the organizationâs accomplishments, competition with Microsoft and Sun, respecting Java and the road ahead. InfoWorld: How much money would you estimate is being generated by Eclipse-based software, or is the main attraction to Eclipse still that itâs all free? Mike Milinkovich: I wish we actually had good numbers on trying to estimate the size of the Eclipse ecosystem. Iâm quite confident that itâs in the billion-dollar range and probably more, but we just donât have the hard numbers. But what you said about the attraction to Eclipse being free -- the economics of the Eclipse model is a little bit different than that, because the Eclipse community as a whole is almost uniquely focused on enabling a commercially profitable ecosystem around the free platform. So yes, we do provide open source tools and frameworks from Eclipse, and those are provided for free. But we definitely are motivated across the Eclipse ecosystem to see people and companies make money from the Eclipse platform. IW: I just met with a company thatâs basing its technology on Eclipse, and it has no salespeople. Do you see that as a trend where software companies, particularly open source software companies, donât have salespeople because they donât see the need? MM: Historically enterprise software has been sold through [a] direct salesforce channel. I do believe over time, weâre starting to see success in open source software products in areas which have been traditionally the realm of the direct sales force. Iâm thinking of things like Sugar CRM and CompiereÂ  [ERP] and open source products like this. Those environments or those products have very, very low cost of sales, so as customers get more used to that, I think that over time, yeah, there are going to be fewer and fewer software salesmen. IW: Is anything going on as far as Sun joining Eclipse or merging NetBeans and Eclipse? MM: Nope, absolutely not. Theyâve made it pretty clear that theyâre not really interested in doing anything other than continuing to push their NetBean strategy. IW: What do you think of their being two kind of rival camps? Is it good for competition? MM: Well weâre certainly not shy of competition, and frankly weâre winning. IW: Sun seemsÂ  to say differently. MM: Oh, good for them. Iâve got the numbers, they donât. IW: Who do you see as your main rival, NetBeans or Windows .Net? MM: We clearly and have always felt that Eclipse is about enabling competition with Microsoft. IW: And how have you fared there? MM: Actually, we started five years ago, and I would say that starting from zero the growth of Eclipse over the past five years has been absolutely phenomenal. IW: Is Eclipse de-emphasizing Java and refocusing on some of the other languages that we talked about? Some of the scripting languages as well as .Net? MM: I wouldnât say weâre de-emphasizing Java. As Eclipse is growing and thereâs more projects joining the folds, thereâs more resources to take on more languages and more platforms. Now almost every Eclipse project writes its code in Java. So weâre clearly heavy users of Java. But in terms of Java being the only platform or language that we support within Eclipse, thatâs never been the vision for Eclipse. Itâs always been about supporting as many languages and as many platforms as we can find people willing to work on projects for. IW: Where is Eclipse headed and what new technologies are on the horizon? MM: A couple of things come to mind. First is continued growth and adoption around our Rich Client Platform (RCP). More support for multiple languages. Within Eclipse, in the next quarter weâre planning on having the first release from the PHP IDE project, which we think is really exciting. Because PHP is a really important language both for enterprise development, but Web development in general, and having Eclipse tooling available for PHP is something that weâre pretty excited about.


BAGHDADâKidnappers released two Italian aid workers and three other hostages yesterday, raising hopes for at least 18 foreigners still in captivity.


McDonald's (MCD) newly appointed Chief Executive Jim Skinner said Friday that there would be no change in strategy at the fast-food chain and a recent physical showed he is in good health.


Samsung to mass-produce 14in OLED TVs in 2010

Will Toshiba get there first? Sony may be about to ship the world's first commercial OLED TV, but don't expect anything bigger than the telly's 11in screen until 2010.â¦


Sea Horse: SET Probe Hurts Financing Efforts

By Nuntawun Polkuamdee, Bangkok Post, Thailand  Mar. 6--Sea Horse Plc executives say pressure from the Stock Exchange Of  Thailand regarding its ethanol investment project has undermined the firm's  efforts to seek financing and investors.


Gerber steps in to help Senators tame Panthers

Goaltender Martin Gerber stood in for the suspended Ray Emery and made 28 saves on his way to a first shutout of the season as the red-hot Ottawa Senators recorded a 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.


Power lines endanger history sites, group says

SHARPSBURG, Maryland  - Two bronze cannons at Antietam battlefield lurched with a thunderous boom, enveloping gunners in Civil War garb with a cloud of smoke and drawing a titter of surprise and excitement from tourists watching the artillery demonstration.


Lewis Hamilton posts the fastest time in final practice for Sunday's French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours.


Tainted Food on the Menu Throughout the Far East

By MARGIE MASON  By Margie Mason  The Associated Press  HANOI, Vietnam  As Nguyen Van Ninh needles his chopsticks through a steaming bowl of Vietnam's famous noodle soup, he knows it could be spiked with formaldehyde.


Oracle to PeopleSoft: The pink slip's in the mail

Thousands of PeopleSoft workers await termination letters via express mail--a cold and unusual way to handle layoffs, experts say.


Lo rende noto l'Istat. A dicembre crescita del 3,3%rispetto allo stesso mese dell'anno precedente                                                  Retribuzioni, piÃ¹ 2,9% nel 2004 Ã¨ l'aumento record dal 1997                                                                                E a ottobre boom degli scioperi: a pesare soprattutto i settoridel credito, dei trasporti e della pubblica amministrazione


A carjacker who knocked down and killed a grandmother in a car stolen from her sister is jailed for life.


Oracle stretches deadline to speed PeopleSoft buy

Falling just short of the 90 percent stake needed to expedite the deal, Oracle gives investors two more days to tender shares.


Beshir appears to challenge Darfur peacekeeping deal: UN

Sudanese president Omar al-Beshir's reply to a UN request to deploy UN peacekeepers in strife-torn Darfur "seems to challenge" an agreement reached last November, a UN spokeswoman said Friday.


A car bomb explodes near a police checkpoint in the Iraqi Shia city of Najaf, killing at least eight people, police say.


World Leaders Debate Tsunami Debt Relief

A day before Thursday's Jakarta meeting of leaders on tsunami aid, debate is flying over whether offering affected countries debt relief is effective.


Time Warner readies for accounting fallout

NEW YORK Time Warner, the largest US media company and owner of America Online, said Wednesday that its third-quarter profit fell 7.8 percent as it set aside money to pay for potential penalties stemming from a government inquiry into its accounting


The search outfit boasts of making all the information in the world just a click away. These days that doesn't seem to apply in China.


Mass Kurdish graves found in northern Iraq

KIRKUK, Iraq  - The remains of 80 people, believed   to be Kurdish victims of Saddam Hussein's regime, were   unearthed in two mass graves near the northern Iraqi city of   Kirkuk on Monday, a Kurdish security official said.


Nintendo says Wii shortages hurt planning

REDMOND, Washington  - Nintendo Co Ltd   is having trouble planning for the coming months because of  shortages of its Wii video game console, and the company is  also seeing signs of higher-than-expected demand for its DS  handheld device, a top U.S. executive said on Monday.


Comedian Ricky Gervais is to direct and star in a film about a world where no-one lies, according to reports.


Roma, 17:03 - CALCIO, NAPOLI E GENOA PROMOSSE IN SERIE A

Napoli e Genoa hanno conquistato la promozione in serie A al termine dell'ultima giornata di campion...


Olympics-Night of Pure Gold for El Guerrouj and Holmes

Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj and  Britain's Kelly Holmes, living proof that self-belief can work  wonders, lit up the Olympic stadium to claim historic doubles  on a night of pure athletics gold.


Chancellor Alistair Darling comes under fire from the Tories and Lib Dems over his handling of Northern Rock.


Sox hope to ring in next year with the Yankees

-- More than the Curse is at stake for the Red Sox, who would love to have bragging rights after getting bullied by their New York brethren for so many decades.


Radio microphones used in the entertainment industry could be under threat from plans to sell off airwaves.


Cancer Fight Goes Nuclear, With Heavy Price Tag

A push by medical centers to turn nuclear particle accelerators into weapons against cancer reflects the best and worst of Americaâs health system, experts say.


Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri , left, arrives at the the presidential palace to submit his resignation to President Emil Lahoud Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2004.


Kidnapped Italian soldiers freed in Afghanistan

Two Italian soldiers kidnapped in Afghanistan were freed on Monday during a raid by NATO-led troops, Italian officials said.


Young South African Haig wins playoff in Thailand

PHUKET, Thailand  - South African Anton Haig kept his cool in scorching heat to win the Johnnie Walker Classic after a three-way playoff on Sunday.


InfoWorld - VeriSign, a vendor of cybersecurity products and operator of the .com and .net top-level domains, has replaced CEO Stratton Sclavos with a member of its board of directors.


NATO to take over in Afghanistan on Thursday

NATO will assume responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan from Thursday when it takes command in the east from U.S.-led coalition forces, a senior NATO official said on Tuesday.


American sprinter Maurice Greene very publicly proclaimed a few months ago that he would prove at these Olympics that he is the greatest of all time, the best 100-meter dash man ever.


NASA Seeks Methods to Repair Shuttles in Flight

NASA is hoping techniques that would enable a crew to repair damages to a space shuttle in flight will be ready for the shuttle's planned May 2005 return to space, officials with the agency said on Monday.


Zend Developer Zone: PHP and your domain model with Doctrine ORM

On the Zend Developer Zone, jonwage has posted about an ORM (Object-Relational mapping) he came across that can help abstract out your interface with your backend database - Doctrine.   One of its key features is the ability to optionally write database queries in an OO (object oriented) SQL-dialect called DQL inspired by Hibernates HQL. This provides developers with a powerful alternative to SQL that maintains a maximum of flexibility without requiring needless code duplication.   The project's page gives the full details on the features it offers and has links to the latest downloads so you can try it out for yourself. There's even a blog you can subscribe to to keep up to date.


Milano, 20:23 - CALCIO, SAMUEL: MATERAZZI UOMO IN PIU' INTER MA NON LASCIO NIENTE

Walter Samuel avverte Marco Materazzi: ''Quando rientrerà Materazzi sono pronto a lasciargli ...


ANKARA: The European Commission is widely expected to give Turkey the green light to start EU entry talks in a progress report due to be published on Wednesday.


QUITO, Ecuador  - Ecuador's leftist Rafael Correa, an ally of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, was headed for victory after Sunday's run-off for the country's eighth presidency in a decade, three exit polls showed.


Gene Variant Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk

A variation in a gene that regulates inflammatory activity is associated with susceptibility to prostate cancer, Swedish researchers have shown.


College campuses are stirring back to life, and Eric Hoplin's vote machine is ready to spring into action.


Fed starts policy meeting, rate hike expected

Federal Reserve policy-makers  started a two-day meeting on Wednesday that markets expect will  yield a quarter-percentage point rise in the overnight federal  funds rate to 5.25 percent.


Families of British dead in Iraq protest as nation remembers ...

The families of British troops killed during the Iraq war protested the deaths as the nation remembered Thursday those who died fighting for Britain during thetwo world wars.


Savi Networks and Emprevi 'Go Live' With Automated Network That Secures and Tracks Colombian Cargo Shipments

BOGOTA, Colombia, June 27  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- During ceremonies yesterday sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, Savi Networks and Emprevi Ltda.


Two small planes collided during an acrobatic display at an air show in Poland on Saturday, killing both pilots, authorities said.