(InfoWorld) - In search of new markets and customers, SAP AG is developing a new breed of hosted, on-demand products and looking at ways to make its complex business software easier to use. Vishal Sikka, SAP's chief software architect, talked about one of the company'sfirst on-demand offerings, its software-as-a-service philosophy, search functionalities in enterprise software, Web service standards and more in an interview. The interview comes ahead ofÂ next week's Cebit trade show where customers will have an opportunity to see a brief 15-minute demonstration of SAP's planned new suite of hosted, on-demand midmarket applications, known internally as A1S. The Walldorf, Germany, vendor hopes to launch the product later this year. IDGNS: What is so different about designing an on-demand product, such as your new CRM offering? Sikka: There are a few things that are fundamentally interesting. One is the better economics you can offer by hosting. This is more a function of how much you can leverage the underlying stack technologies -- the different hardware -- below the application layer. Another aspect is the time to get up and running. This a matter of how closely you can get the software to reflect the way customers do their business. A CRM on-demand solution for an insurance company in the U.S. is very different from a CRM on-demand solution for a company in Thailand. IDGNS: What specifically is so different in the design of an on-demand product? The level of prefiguration, number of functions, ease of use? Sikka: Exactly. What you see in our CRM on-demand offering is a significantly easier product to use through ways such as preconfiguration, fewer functions and taking massive advantage of underlying infrastructure. You'll see us do things that go far beyond Salesforce.com. You'll see us starting to work with some of the "cloud" platforms like Amazon and Google. We haven't yet announced any relationships but you'll start to see us doing things of this sort. IDGNS: What role will the software-as-service model play in SAP software across the board? Sikka: We look at it as another deployment option. When you look at SAP, the breadth of functionalities that we offer across our customers, industries and nationalities is very vast. One size doesn't fit all. We're using a wide variety of deployment options. For a certain class of processes, it is advantageous to offer that software as a service. For other processes, it may be better to offer our software as an on-premise model. IDGNS: Are there any limitations in designing software-as-a-service products? Sikka: You have to look at the trade-off between the ability to customize and share data. IDGNS: Will your vertical applications disappear as you move toward intelligent xApps? Sikka: No. Our xApps augment vertical applications. They give companies the ability to build the last mile; they're more narrowly defined applications that tend to leverage existing applications. IDGNS: What about your proprietary programming language ABAP? Will it fade away soon? Sikka: I want to take this opportunity to demystify something. In the age of the enterprise service-oriented architecture, the whole programming-language debate is a very big red herring. Programming languages are an area of constant innovation. Interestingly, what we find in our world is that applications live a lot longer than programming languages do. For instance, Sabre, the application used for airline reservations, is still written in Cobol, even though the last compiler was written over 20 years ago. IDGNS: So ABAP is here to stay? Sikka: You won't see ABAP going away anytime soon. Why? Because a lot of the application code that our customers use is in ABAP. It has a very, very reliable, high-performance underlying platform that is far better than anything we have seen in the market. You'll see ABAP for a long time, but you'll also see more Java because certain applications are best written in Java. And you'll see us using other languages. We do a lot of work in Microsoft programming models. Our approach toward programming languages is to make the programming language distinction irrelevant. IDGNS: How about enterprise search? Do you have any new developments in the pipeline? Sikka: This is an ongoing development. What you have seen from us so far is early thinking in this area. A lot more is to come. You will see enterprise search evolving around different fronts, such as contextual searching. We own the application so we know who the user is, what the user's role is and what the user is authorized to see. IDGNS: What about the cooperation between Microsoft and SAP? What are next steps with Duet and what are the challenges? Sikka: The challenges are always there when you bring two big companies together, like Microsoft and SAP. We have different development philosophies. Microsoft is much more volume oriented and more consumer focused. But we have a great relationship with them. The Duet product is an example. Over time, you'll see Duet expanding in many interesting ways to cover a much wider set of scenarios. You'll see us bringing it closer to our xApp composition platform, so it will be much easier for customers to add on to it. You'll see us working even more closely with Microsoft moving ahead. IDGNS: What about Muse. Any new developments on the user interface front? Sikka: This is an ongoing effort toward rethinking our UI approach. To understand the overall user experience and direction, you have to step back and look at the context in which customers use SAP applications. This is very broad. There are people who are on the factory floor. There are truck drivers, mobile phone users, notebook users and desktop users. We're reaching out to end-users in whatever context they're in. Duet is example. A lot of work happens inside Microsoft Office. Of course, a big area where SAP users -- whether a payroll clerk or an accounting manager -- spend a lot of time is in front of a SAP screen. We want to expose those users to a rich client. This is what Muse is. IDGNS: How are your efforts moving ahead to create a developer community as passionate as the one driving the development of open-source software? Sikka: Having a passionate developer community is something we're extremely interested in. The SAP ecosystem has been around for a long time. Thousands of companies have developed add-ons and we're encouraging this. Beyond that, we're extremely interested in developing efficiencies. We have distributed labs across the world. We have done a lot of thinking in how to optimize the benefits you get from a distributed, decentralized development network like the one we have. IDGNS: Do different regions bring different expertise to the picture? Sikka: Yes, across the board. We see a lot of Linux expertise in China, a lot of mobile expertise in India and Windows expertise in Israel. I don't want to stereotype areas but you see a natural coalescing of skills in different areas. It makes sense to have development in those areas. Â


December 1, 2004 -- THE MEN who run Notre Dame's athletic department had every right to do what they did yesterday, relieving a good man of the most impossible job in college football, ending a grand experiment, heading in a new direction.


Czech parliament rejects missile shield referendum

The Czech lower house of parliament rejected on Friday a leftist opposition proposal to hold a national referendum on hosting a part of a U.S. missile defense shield.


Bush and Kerry Locked in Dead Heat - Reuters Poll

Democratic Sen. John Kerry moved  into a dead heat with President Bush four days before a  cliffhanger White House election, according to a Reuters/Zogby  poll released on Friday.


Against a backdrop of war and squalor, Chechens voted Sunday for a replacement for their assassinated president, in a vote the Kremlin hopes will bring some stability to a region wracked by a decade of violence.


Colombia rebuffs Europe petition on hostage deaths

Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe on Saturday rejected a request by three European countries for an international probe into the killing of 11 hostages held by rebels for more than five years.


Far Fewer Jobs Were Added in November Than Forecast

The economy added 112,000 payroll jobs in November, far fewer than the month before and not enough to keep up with average increases in the adult population, the Labor Department reported on Friday.


Former Taiwan President Lee Leaves for Japan

Former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui left for Japan on Monday on a controversial visit that has sparked furious protests from China.


Shampoos, lotions may leave you 'stunned'

According to a University of Pittsburgh study,prolonged exposure to low levels of methylisothiazolinone (MIT) restricted the growth of axons and dendrites of immature rat nerve cells by blocking a key enzyme that is activated in response to cell-to-cell


Aiuto ho il posto fisso E tu, lavori scontento?

Indagine Ipsos: gli italiani sono in fondo alle classifiche Ue sul grado di soddisfazione in ufficio. Per il 92 per cento l'impiego non è fonte nÃ© di piacere nÃ© di orgoglio


Larry Page unweaves the rainbow his coloured balls

Dodgeballs AAAS Larry Page, the most reclusive of Google's ruling triumvirate gave a rare public speech at the AAAS meeting in San Francisco on Friday. During an hour long session he revealed an instinctive allergy to the firm's political significance.â¦


The EPA wants to increase the minimum amount of alternative fuels used in vehicles, but the bar is set below the industry trend.


Gov. Jeb Bush said Sunday he will not run for president in 2008 and defended his brother from critics who say the president refuses to acknowledge his mistakes.


Pizzonia and Heidfeld face a Jerez shoot-out

The battle for Williams' final race-seat for the 2005 season is going down to the wire with Antonio Pizzonia and Nick Heidfeld set to take part in a "shoot-out" at Jerez on Friday.


Everyone's wondering which DVD format adult studios will choose. But why? The future's about interaction and video-on-demand. Commentary by Regina Lynn.


The Office of Fair Trading may drop next year's High Court test case over bank overdraft charges, an official says.


HP studied spying on newsrooms: NY Times

Hewlett-Packard HPQ.N conducted   feasibility studies on placing spies in news bureaus of two   publications as part of an investigation into leaks from its   board, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.


Rescate writes "As reported by Reuters,Google is launching Google Print, which will show book excerpts next to regular Google search results.


The deaths of four cyclists prompt an MP to urge greater safety measures in a Westminster debate.


Purchased unit mulled bribes, says Halliburton

HOUSTON -- Halliburton Co. says an internal investigation has found that a consortium it later took over had once considered bribing Nigerian officials to win an energy contract.


James, Cavs come up short as Pistons win

Shooting or passing, LeBron James is having a hard time beating the Detroit Pistons. James missed a shot with 7.9 seconds left, allowing Detroit to escape again with a 79-76 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night and a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.


Web, reality TV help make porn pervasive

Porn used to be relegated to a video hidden in the bottom drawer, or a magazine under the mattress. Today, it's part of everyday life.


Arzano, pregiudicato colpito da piu' colpi arma da fuoco


Scottish decision threatens PFI contract secrecy

NHS Lothian and Consort ordered to disclose deal details The Scottish Information Commissioner has ordered a health board to disclose the details of a private finance initiative (PFI) hospital deal worth â¤1.2bn. The decision could have far-reaching consequences, says a freedom of information law expert.â¦


An Unlimited Catfish Harvest Definitely a Bad Idea

By Bryan Brasher  As you may have read last Sunday in The Commercial Appeal, five Democratic politicians have hatched a plot in the state legislature to do away with the Tennessee law that limits the harvest of catfish over 34 inches.


BANGKOK, Sept. 20 -- Thai army leaders deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a longtime ally of President Bush, using tanks and soldiers to seize the capital Tuesday night without firing a shot. The coup was the first in 15 years in a country where many people believed that military seizures...


Israeli strike kills three Fatah militants

JENIN: Israel fired a missile at a Palestinian car in the West Bank on Monday, killing at least three militants, Palestinian witnesses and medics said.


The much-maligned first-person shooter/sword-fighting title makes great use of the Wii controller, but the game design was clearly rushed to make launch day. In Game|Life.


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Blog: The new push e-mail software makes it easier to organize stuffed inboxes and adds security features that will make the IT guys happier.


The U.S. Senate easily gave final  congressional approval on Monday to a huge corporate tax bill  that aims to end a trade fight with the European Union by  repealing U.S. export tax subsidies that violate global trade  rules.


Toys R Us Fights to Stay Afloat in Toy Business

Despite fierce competition from dominant of discount chains like Wal-Mart and Target, Toys R Us Inc. is betting its survival on low prices, strong inventory and good customer service.


More Testing of Seafood to Address Mercury Concerns

Some restaurants and retailers around the country have started testing the fish they sell in response to concerns about the amount of mercury in seafood.


News Corp Seen Getting Nod in Vote for U.S. Move

News Corp. Ltd. shareholders are expected to approve next week the $45 billion media empire's plan to shift to the United States, but there is a slim chance fund managers could scupper the move at the last minute.


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

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


Indonesians Defy Damage to Pray on Muslim Feast

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia  - Survivors in tsunami-hit  Aceh crowded battered mosques to pray during an Islamic  festival on Friday as aid workers found many toddlers in  Indonesia were likely among the 225,000 killed by the Indian  Ocean wave.


Kent peace summit fails but Paisley upbeat

THERE was fresh hope last night that Sinn Fein and the DUP could finally seal a deal this week, after yesterday's collapse of the Leeds Castle summit.


Serbs Don't Vote in Kosovo Democracy Test

PRISTINA, Serbia and Montenegro  - Serbs shunned a  general election in the U.N. protectorate of Kosovo on  Saturday, but an overwhelming Albanian majority bent on winning  independence next year shrugged off the minority boycott.


West African leaders meet in Nigeria to discuss the crisis in Ivory Coast, where elections have been postponed.


The US military is having trouble recruiting local Arabs to help with training by manning 'Iraqi villages.'


Music: Tristan and Isolde Go to La Scala: The Video

The elaborately edited high-definition video, with riveting close-ups, was assembled from the opening night of âTristan und Isoldeâ and later performances at La Scala.


Israeli police indict four on charges of running huge antiquities ...

Four Israeli antiquities collectors and dealers were indicted Wednesday on charges they ran a sophisticated forgery ring that spanned the globe and produced a treasure trove of fake Bible-era artifacts, including some that were hailed as


In the aftermath of last week's tsunami disaster, the Internet is a tool for good and bad ... but mostly good. -washingtonpost.com


U.S., Shiites Fight in Baghdad; 5 Killed

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shiite militants and U.S. forces battled throughout the Baghdad slum of Sadr City, and a mortar barrage slammed into a busy neighborhood in the capital in a new wave of violence Saturday that killed at least five people and wounded dozens of others...


Training Fire to Be Set Near Sacramento-Amador County Lines

By Ramon Coronado, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.  May 30--A training fire will be set Wednesday on Highway 104 near the Sacramento and Amador county lines.


TiVo said its subscribers will soon be able to select video from the Web for playback on televisions through its digital video recording service.


Analysts: IBM selling PC business makes sense

IBM is considering pulling out of the personal computer business it founded - a sign of a big change in the way companies buy computers and a shift of power in the PC industry.


Roccaraso, il Csm vuole vederci chiaro, il parroco accusa e la politica si divide

Il Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura ha richiesto un'informativa alla Procura generale dell'Aquila. È questa l'ultima novità - tra l'altro preannunciata - della vicenda giudiziaria relativa al suicidio di Camillo Valentini, sindaco di Roccaraso, ...


Hundreds of plaintiffsâ lawyers who claim that people were injured or killed by the painkiller Vioxx, plan to meet next week to lay the groundwork for a nationwide legal assault against the drugâs maker, Merck.


Oracle makes 'final offer' for PeopleSoft

ORACLE chief executive Larry Ellison has increased his companyâs offer for rival software company PeopleSoft, and set a deadline for the first time since the hostile takeover bid began in June 2003.


Annual Fortune magazine ranking has just one IT firm in top 10, compared with three last year.


Boys locked up after fatal attack on pensioner

Five boys aged between 12 and 14 were each sentenced to two years' youth detention by a judge Friday over the death of a pensioner they attacked as he was playing cricket with his son.


FCC Seeks $1.18 Million Fine Over Fox Marriage Show

The Federal Communications  Commission on Tuesday sought to fine 169 Fox television  stations a total of $1.18 million for violating decency  standards when they aired an episode of "Married by America."


Artie Shaw, the clarinetist and bandleader whose recording of "Begin the Beguine" epitomized the Big Band era, died Thursday at his home. He was 94.


Hamas Islamist fighters and looters ransacked the blood-spattered Palestinian presidential compound in Gaza on Friday, rejoicing at the rout of their well-armed, secular rivals from the president's Fatah faction.


Court of Appeal Upholds Ontario's Right to Negotiate With Six Nations Protesters

TORONTO (CP) - The province's court of appeal is upholding Ontario's right to negotiate with Six Nations protesters who continue to occupy a former housing development site in Caledonia.


Youths protesting attacks by Kurdish rebels in Turkey clashed with baton-wielding police Wednesday in Brussels, leaving 10 policemen injured. Police said more than 100 demonstrators were detained.


The new Palestinian PM says his cabinet has a "credibility problem" but is still the only legitimate administration.


H&R Block cuts 575 Option One mortgage jobs

H&R Block Inc , the largest U.S. tax preparer, on Tuesday said it will eliminate 575 jobs at its Option One Mortgage Corp subprime lending unit, on top of 615 job losses announced on May 15.


PalmOne, Microsoft in deal on mobile e-mail

Longtime foes palmOne and Microsoft on Tuesday announced a licensing deal that will allow the next generation of palmOne's Treo smart phones to work directly with Microsoft's Exchange e-mail system.


George Bush's real political enemy now isn't so much John Kerry as it is the flow of the news. Not long ago, Kerry's decision to attack the president as commander-in-chief (remember


Il 24/1 in Italia per esaminare prospettive 2008


Hurricane Watch Issued for Gaston Off S.C.

A hurricane watch was issued for the South Carolina coast Saturday as forecasters predicted Tropical Storm Gaston would make landfall near Charleston on Sunday night.


Garko Lifts Indians Over White Sox in Extras

Ryan Garko hits a game-tying pinch-hit home run in the ninth and singles home the winning run in the 11th to give Cleveland a 6-5 win Tuesday night over Chicago.


Bush Gets Endorsement of NYC Firefighters

Within minutes of arriving in his GOP convention city, President Bush was embracing New York firefighters — human symbols of the Sept. 11 attacks that defined his first term and are a main focus of his re-election campaign.


L.A. Lakers owner arrested for drunk-driving

The owner of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team was arrested near San Diego on Tuesday on suspicion of drunk driving, authorities said.


Madrid, 18:04 - F1, MANAGER ALONSO: NESSUN MATRIMONIO ALLE MALDIVE

Il manager di Alonso ha smentito il matrimonio del pilota spagnolo. ''Fernando Alonso e Raquel del R...


JOE HAWK: Busch learns what it takes to be a real hero

First, he had to stretch a folded firehose, extending it 100 feet and around a sharp corner. Then he had to lift a 15-foot extension ladder off the ground and place it against a wall.


Savor Those Curly Fries: Planet Hollywood Is Back

Planet Hollywood has stood as a cautionary tale about the perils of celebrity and hype. But its founder, Robert Earl, hopes a new casino will be the crown jewel of its resurrection.


Scientists identify gene mutation in autism

French scientists have identified genetic mutations in a small number of children with autism which could provide insight into the biological basis of the disorder.


Karzai wins mandate for offensive on warlords and drugs trade

Hamid Karzai has been officially named winner of the Afghan election, becoming the country's first leader to be elected by the people and putting him in a strong position for a confrontation


African Union Urges Sudan, Rebels Overcome Impasse

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia  - The African Union urged  Sudan's government and Darfur rebels to remain engaged in peace  talks Monday, after negotiations foundered over what the U.N.  has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.


British music group EMI said it has received an informal takeover approach but did not name the suitor.


Livorno, 13:18 - CALCIO, LIVORNO: PRESTO STADIO APERTO A TUTTI

Stadio di Livorno aperto solo agli abbonati per la gara di domani contro l'Inter. ''Spero che dalla ...


Authorities urge East Timor rebel leader Alfredo Reinado to surrender, as Australian troops close in on his hideout.


Confident Bush Outlines Ambitious Plan for 2nd Term

President Bush said he would begin work immediately on his proposal to overhaul Social Security.


Forty years later, defeats and disappointments continue to shape the lives of Palestinians and Israelis


More than 100 journalists and media employees have been killed so far this year, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).


Annan meets with Kenya's Kibaki over crisis

Former U.N. boss Kofi Annan met Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on Thursday to try to end a political crisis that has fuelled weeks of bloody unrest.


Altroconsumo, aumenta la benzina, cala l'elettronica


US Rejects Ukraine Vote Result, Sees Consequences

Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday rejected the results of Ukraine's disputed presidential election and warned the authorities of "consequences" if they do not investigate the alleged fraud.


Thousands of well-wishers send messages of support to singer Marc Almond as he recovers from an accident.


What exactly is a family film, anyway? The rating doesnât always tell the story.


Group Releases Video of Missing Soldiers' Belongings

A radical group linked to al-Qaeda released a video today that includes images of the military identification cards and other personal effects of two missing U.S. soldiers, as well as footage of a May 12 ambush in which the pair and a third American were abducted.


Cracked rock points to more martian water

A cracked rock called Escher is helping NASA scientists reconstruct the history of water on Mars. They say that the crater currently being explored by the Opportunity rover may have been shaped by a second


The rights to TV programme Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? have been sold as part of a Â£106m deal.


Ivorian warring sides agree to four peace proposals: Mbeki

All sides in Cote d'Iviore's conflict have agreed to four proposals to revive a long-stalled peace plan, South African President Thabo Mbeki said here Monday.


Big ISPs File Second Round of CAN-SPAM Suits

Top Internet service providers began a second coordinated legal blitz against spammers yesterday, filing seven lawsuits under the CAN-SPAM Act.


Opener Andrew Strauss says it is important England grab the initiative in the Ashes opener in Brisbane.


The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will investigate the disappearance of $22 million worth of equipment, computers and other items from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Il testo del provvedimento contro la violenza: 15 pagine e 13 articoliNiente calcio negli stadi non a norma. Chiusi San Siro e il San Paolo. I presidenti protestano                                            Ecco il decreto: confermate le porte chiuse Vietato anche il possesso di petardi                                                                                La flagranza di reato allargata a 48 ore, pene piÃ¹ gravi (15 anni) per resistenzaPer tutto febbraio le partite si potranno giocare solo alla luce del soledi FULVIO BIANCHI


A popular view that the Triassic dinosaur Coelophysis was a cannibal may be misplaced, a study concludes.


Oil and precious metals rose on supply concerns on Monday in thin holiday trade in Asia, while the few stock markets that were open, such as South Korea and Australia, unraveled on fear the credit crunch would spread further.


Mobiles can upset hospital equipment A new study published in Critical Care indicates that the signal generated by mobile phones can interfere with hospital equipment, even to the point of inhibiting its function, from a range of up to three meters.â¦


Fall: African country in bleak situation

The Central African Republic is veering toward disaster, a senior United Nations official said Tuesday, a day after rebels captured a northern town and said they were headed to the country's southern capital.


U.S. first lady Laura Bush picked vegetables and handed out mosquito nets in this West African capital Tuesday to emphasize that fighting AIDS in Africa also means tackling some of the continent's even more widespread afflictions — malnutrition and malaria.


Army bomb disposal experts defuse a pipe bomb which is found outside a house in County Down.


Ont. doctors to average pay hikes of 24 per cent

TORONTO - It appears the new agreement between Ontario's 21,000 doctors and the province's Liberal government is far more lucrative than the government will admit to.


GM accord, Bear Stearns report boost indexes

Stocks rose on Wednesday as a labor agreement at General Motors Corp  promised to lower costs for Detroit's automakers, while a report that Bear Stearns may sell a stake to outside investors boosted brokerage stocks.


Agenti sarebbero intervenuti prima della marcia anti-islam


Lehtonen shuts out Caps, lifts Thrashers

Kari Lehtonen had 36 saves in his third shutout of the season, and the Atlanta Thrashers beat the Washington Capitals 2-0 Saturday night despite playing without leading scorer Ilya Kovalchuk and mustering only 13 shots on goal.


Owners Lock Out Players Over Contract Dispute

National Hockey League owners carried out their threat to lock out players on Wednesday, shutting down the league after the two sides were unable to reach a new labor deal.


Post Launches Site With African American Focus

The Washington Post Co. plans to launch a Web magazine today called The Root that aims to be a "Slate for black readers," according to one of its founders, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.


Microsoft: In case you thought we had a clue on open source, surprise!  We don't!

Blog: Microsoft wants to declare its independence from one of open source's biggest licenses, the GPL.  Here's why it will fail.


What do Clarence Thomas and Anthony Kennedy lack that the other seven Supreme Court justices have in abundance?


LaCie Golden Disk 500GB external hard drive

Shiny shiny? Review LaCie has been making a selling point out of designer external hard-drives for years, but as many of its rivals have adopted a similar strategy - those not slugging it out on price, that is - the French company been forced to up the ante with ever more outlandish products.â¦


Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have discovered one of the fastest stars ever seen--a "cosmic cannonball" that is challenging theories to explain its blistering speed.


'Farooqi's killing a blow to Al Qaeda': Osama is alive - Musharraf

THE HAGUE, Sept 27: President Pervez Musharraf has said the killing of top Al Qaeda militant Amjad Farooqi is a serious blow to the terrorist network.


Immigration no threat to English use in U.S.: study

U.S. citizens concerned that Latino   immigrants will have them singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in   Spanish can rest easy, according to an academic study published   on Wednesday.


THE US said today that Iran's missile program is a serious threat to the Middle East and US interests which is compounded significantly by its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons.


Israel's prime minister says he hopes to meet the Palestinian leader for a summit in the coming days.


EU's Kroes denies vendetta against Microsoft

EU antitrust chief Neelie Kroes on   Tuesday rejected an accusation she was pursuing a vendetta   against U.S. software giant Microsoft MSFT.O and said she   suspected a "coordinated campaign" to discredit her agency.


Zimbabwe's white farmers face uncertain future

White Zimbabwean farmers face uncertainty about their future after the elapse of 45-day eviction notices.


US report plays down benefits of drug imports

WASHINGTON The Bush administration is saying that commercial importation of some low-cost prescription drugs from Canada might be feasible, but the savings to consumers would be small, and the federal government would have to spend several hundred million


Rowling angered as NYT reviews last Potter

LONDON/NEW YORK  - The New York Times and the Baltimore Sun published reviews of the final Harry Potter book on Thursday before it went on sale, drawing a stinging response from author J.K. Rowling.


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Italian President Giorgio Napolitano is to begin crisis talks after the resignation of PM Romano Prodi.


Justin Langer hits 215 and Australia hold a 521-run lead over New Zealand.


Microsoft's latest and supposedly greatest operating system, Vista, appears to be falling fall short of sales goals, but CEO Steve Ballmer says it's all in how you interpret the info. In Game|Life.


John Mellencampâs music still has the three-chord twang and gritty vocals he learned from the Rolling Stones, country and Motown. But he has traded a young manâs bravado for grown-up disenchantment, wary determination and minor keys.


Florida to Replace Missing Election Ballots

New absentee ballots will be sent to voters in one of Florida's most populous counties to replace thousands that disappeared in the run-up to Tuesday's US elections, an election official said on Thursday.


2008 IT forecasts: XP lives and the greening of tech

The predictable flood of 2008 IT prognostications has rolled in over the past few weeks, and we have listened to analysts, vendors, consultants, and our geek friends, accepting some forecasts and rejecting others. Turns out we did pretty well culling the wheat from the chaff last year and gazing ahead, though maybe we weren't bold enough in our declarations. So this year, we'll stretch a little and predict:


Search giant is looking to hire engineers and other workers at facilities in Bangalore and Hyderabad.


Presidential pair in London - Euro-scepticism and a visit to the tomb ...

President Vaclav Klaus with his wife Livia in London, photo: CTK It is the first visit.


The president of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games has decided to resign saying he no longer has the support of the Italian government.


BOSTON - In keeping with the family motif established by Pedro "Who's Your Daddy?" Martinez, the Boston Red Sox must now address another relative question.


Diesels are competitive with hybrids in fuel economy, so Honda will cover its bases by offering both types of vehicles. In Autopia.


4 killed as Gaza military operation continues

GAZA STRIP - Israel's offensive in Gaza could continue for weeks, a senior military officer said after four more Palestinians were killed in a helicopter strike Monday.


'Idol' attraction coming to Disney World

Disney World is about to get a little pitchy, dawg.


It has been a bad quarter for the SCO Group in more ways than one.  The company experienced legal setbacks in its suit against  IBM and Linux users. Then there was the matter of its one-time stalwart financial backer, BayStar, looking very much as though it might bolt from the relationship at one point, due to differing opinions on SCO's overall strategy.


Testosterone Patch Hailed As Female Viagra

Menopausal women had more sex and were happier about it when using an experimental hormone patch hailed by some as a possible female equivalent of Viagra, doctors reported Tuesday.


Trying to save the famed Hubble Space Telescope with a robot would cost $2 billion with just a 50-50 chance of success, an aerospace research group is advising NASA in the coming days.


A charge of death by dangerous driving faced by a driver after three people were killed is found not proven.


Crude decline in wake of build up of US stocks

Rarely has the oil price fallen so far so fast. Crude futures have dropped more than 15 per cent in only four sessions sending prices to three month lows.


Siena, 18:33 - CALCIO, SIENA: SI ALLENANO I NON CONVOCATI PER IL CHIEVO

Allenamento solo per alcuni giocatori del Siena, precisamente per quelli non convocati per la gara c...


An accounting change that could cost schools and libraries an estimated $1 billion in aid drew fire Tuesday from senators who said they were blindsided by the move.


A Singapore Airlines plane flying from Frankfurt to New York has been diverted to Manchester following a bomb threat. The plane made a safe landing at 1100 BST without a military escort, and is being searched by police.


The third season of Project Runway has only just begun its   strut down the catwalk and already controversy has reared its ugly   head.


Beagle Is Top Hound at Westminster Dog Show

On Monday, a nearly 3-year-old, 15-inch-tall beagle named Uno took one small step toward the coveted title for his breed by winning the hound group, the first beagle to do so since 1939.


Food for Thought, or Why You Might Skip That Steak

Anders Thomas Jensen's film about the cannibal business is neither high flying enough for the art house nor low down enough for the cult-video shelf.


Proximity linked to vivid 9/11 memories, study finds

A study of people who were in Manhattan on September 11 indicates that personal involvement may be crucial in forming a "flashbulb memory," a memory of a shocking, public event, researchers said on Monday.


Obama: I'm Not a Muslim! Forward This to Everyone You Know

Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's campaign attempts to defuse false rumors by encouraging supporters to send debunking e-mail blasts to everyone in their contact lists. But the plan could backfire, according to professors who've studied urban myths.


Mexico Gang Members Sentenced in Slayings

Ten alleged gang members were convicted Thursday in the killings of 12 women, some of the hundreds who have been found slain in this border city in recent years.


Metabolic Syndrome on the Rise in U.S. Adults

NEW YORK  - The prevalence of the metabolic  syndrome is increasing among U.S. adults, and will likely lead  to increases in diabetes and heart disease, results of a study  published in the October issue of Diabetes Care suggest.


Unsustainable levels of the predatory fish are harvested for its jaws, teeth and fins, according to delegates from Australia and Madagascar.


Pilgrim's Pride Quarterly Earnings Surge

Pilgrim's Pride Corp. ,the No. 2 U.S. poultry producer, on Monday said earnings increased nearly five-fold in its fiscal first quarter on strong chicken sales, cheaper feed and an acquisition.


Fondi Usa chiedono piu' flessibilita' dal governo


Dubai, 20:14 - TENNIS, WTA DUBAI: HENIN E MAURESMO AI QUARTI

Justine Henin e Amelie Mauresmo si sono qualificate per i quarti di finale del torneo Wta di Dubai (...


Sri Lankan troops take control of a key area in the north-east held by Tamil Tiger rebels, the military says.


US and Russia strike deal to close AllofMP3.com

Russia has agreed to U.S. demands to close the popular music website Allofmp3.com. The U.S. wants the site closed to fight music piracy, and Russia has agreed to improve its chance of gaining membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO).


Quirinale: situazione di particolare complessita'


Casual Fans Are Driving Growth of Video Games

The $13 billion video game industry is counting on new customers this Christmas, as gaming growth is coming largely from outside traditional demographics.


The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan jolted the race for the White House on Thursday, sending candidates in both parties scrambling for political advantage while condemning the attack.


L'analisi: viene messo in rilievo il legame fra Berlusconi e l'avvocato di fiduciaIl verdetto: "Corruppe i giudici". E per Forza Italia si tratta di una persecuzione                                           Lodo Mondadori, Previti condannato La Cassazione conferma la sentenza d'appello                                                                                di GIUSEPPE D'AVANZO


Waubonsee appoints three new staff members

Waubonsee Community College appointed Al Bota of Woodridge to the position of construction superintendent on July 22.


Residents on both sides of the   Lebanese-Israeli border braced on Saturday for a dramatic spike   in violence after Hizbollah's chief declared open war on Israel   following its bombardment of his Beirut home and stronghold.


Hurricane Ivan blows price of oil higher

US crude leapt about $1.50-a-barrel yesterday as petroleum giants evacuated thousands of workers from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Ivan.


Rising textbook sales and strong growth in international bond ratings at its Standard & Poorâs unit helped lift earnings to $452 million, the company said.


New report says last-minute changes to the tax code are causing serious problems.


Russia will pay a $10 million reward for information on the killers of five Russian Embassy staff workers in Iraq, the head of the KGB's successor agency said Friday.


Gap to close Forth & Towne, 550 jobs to be affected

Apparel Retailer Gap Inc.  said it will  close its Forth & Towne store concept after an 18-month pilot,  and it would affect about 550 employees.


Customers, Not Brokers, Profited in an Odd 2007

The brokersâ customers did reasonably well. The brokers did not. How could that happen?


Her name is Mary Cheney. She is the bright, loving, sensitive daughter of Lynne and Dick Cheney. In the presidential debate Wednesday, John Kerry referred to her as the vice president's lesbian daughter.


The Senate debate over legalizing millions of immigrants is on hold as lawmakers brace for political blowback from unhappy liberals and conservatives.


PRESIDENT NOMINATES ALBERTO GONZALES TO BE ATTORNEY GENERAL

"His sharp intellect and sound judgment have helped -- shaped our policies in the war on terror, policies designed to protect the security of all Americans while protecting the rights of all Americans," the president said, adding that Gonzales has been "a


U.S. General Warns Army Reserve Is Being 'Broken'

The U.S. Army Reserve, tapped heavily to provide soldiers for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is "degenerating into a 'broken' force" due to dysfunctional military policies, the Army Reserve's chief said in a memo made public on Wednesday.


The initial U.S. Embassy report on a Sept. 16 shooting incident in Baghdad involving Blackwater USA, a private security firm, depicts an afternoon of mayhem that included a car bomb, a shootout in a crowded traffic circle and an armed standoff between Blackwater guards and Iraqi security forces b...


Scenes of enslaved Maya Indians building temples for a violent, decadent culture in Mel Gibson's new film "Apocalypto" may ring true for many of today's Mayas, who earn meager wages in construction camps, building huge tourist resorts on land they once owned.


Head Cooling May Reduce Brain Damage in Infants

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


27/09/2004 - A recent study in Canada has given weight to the assumption that adding folic acid to food can dramatically reduce the incidence of birth defects - suggesting that Europe should follow the example set by North America and start to fortify its


A diary and another document seized during U.S. raids show some al-Qaida in Iraq leaders fear the terror group is crumbling, with many fighters defecting to American-backed neighborhood groups, the U.S. military said Sunday.


Kazakhstan shuts down opposition Web sites

Kazakhstan has blocked access to a  number of opposition Web sites in a move Internet users  condemned on Wednesday as a crackdown on freedom of speech.


LeBron James' run of futility in South Florida is over. The misfortune of the Miami Heat continues.


"I'd give anything in the world, except my family at this point, right now to still be retired." -- Trey Junkin, New York Giants long snapper, Jan. 5, 2003.


PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The PGA TOUR announced Tuesday the schedule for the 2005 season, with 48 official money events. The TOUR opens its season in Hawaii, Jan. 3-9, with the Mercedes Championships in


Non preoccupano Usa e Giappone dove e' 4% fatturato


HSBC Holdings Plc , Europe's biggest bank, said on Friday that it would close its U.S. subprime mortgage unit, cutting 750 jobs and taking $945 million in charges and write-downs, because the business is no longer sustainable.


CDW Corp. on Tuesday announced that the distributor of hardware, software and technology accessories has agreed to be acquired by a private equity company in a $7.3 billion deal.


OPEN SOURCE champion Microsoft is expanding its programme to give government organisations some of its source code. In a communique from the lair of the Vole, in Redmond, spinsters have said that Microsoft


The c-c-cold couldn't stop Herb Kochon, who took as many pictures as he could at his first game at Lambeau Field. Kochon, a lifelong Packers fan from Atlantic Highlands, N.J., said he made the pilgrimage to Vince Lombardi's grave in nearby Middletown and had the photos to prove it.


Firenze, 19:56 - CALCIO, SERIE C: GLI SQUALIFICATI DI C1 E C2

Il giudice sportivo Pasquale Marino ha squalificato 23 giocatori in C1 e 45 in C2. In C1 due turni a...


Putin claims the right to re-nationalise Yukos

The Russian president on Thursday hit out at the flawed privatisations of the early 1990s and argued that the state had every right to make amends by re-nationalising Yukos's core assets.


France intensified efforts Tuesday to save two journalists held hostage in Iraq, convening crisis talks in Paris and around the Arab world as a 24-hour execution deadline set by militants neared.


The first step of the nightclub ladder is hustling for models to attend a party during Fashion Week.


Tony Blair has given himself until the spring of 2006 to win round a sceptical British public to a new European constitution, which was signed amid pomp


Morti in un rogo causato dalle candele usate per illuminarela casa. I genitori non avevano i soldi per pagare l'elettricitÃ                                                   Chicago, tragedia della povertÃ  sei fratellini uccisi dalle fiamme


Rallies, Specials Planned For World AIDS Day

The stigma and discrimination that shadow AIDS victims are major obstacles to effective prevention and care, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.


Said the accused violated the "CAN-SPAM" federal law requiring e-mail containing sexually explicit images to be clearly identified.


Guardasigilli andra' domani a Vasto alla festa dell'Idv


Boeing trumpets 'relevant battlefield laser' raygun

Copes easily with aggressive sitting ducks, barrels of fish Monster US arms'n'aerospace outfit Boeing is pleased as punch this week to announce that it has "successfully demonstrated" its new Humvee-mounted raygun, the Laser Avenger - intended to prove "that directed energy weapons are relevant to today's battlefield, and ready to be fielded".â¦


NASA Ames' 'Second Life' Blends Cyberspace with Outer Space

DALLAS, Texas - Taking a step into the new frontier, NASA Ames Research Center, under the direction of Simon "Pete" Worden, has launched an island in Second Life, an online 3-D virtual world created, shaped, and owned by its participants.


It's reacting to the decision by the Federal Communications Commission to fine 20 TV stations owned by CBS a record amount -- 550-thousand dollars -- over the Super Bowl halftime show.


Microsoft Patent Could Hamper E-Mail Authentication Group

With intellectual property issues already causing defections from its Sender ID proposal, Microsoft Corp. is sparking fresh concerns that IP could even undermine alternatives.


Jet crashes on way to pick up ex-president Bush

HOUSTON - A private jet heading to Houston to pick up former US president George HW Bush crashed in thick fog Monday, killing all three people aboard.


A powerful typhoon has also hit Japan's southern islands, injuring 21 people, and the Meteorological Agency warned the storm could bring heavy rains and mudslides to areas hit by the temblors.


Gunmen elude police assailing Spanish consulate in Bern

Three armed men entered the Spanish consulate in Bern, injuring a guard and briefly holding two people hostage, but escaped before Swiss police mounted a massive security cordon around the building.


If you use shared or public computers, you have a new privacy risk to consider: Google Desktop Search. Announced last week and currently available in a beta version, Google Desktop Search allows you to scour


Business Objects provides BI software on-demand

InfoWorld - Business Objects has started to roll out a full suite of business intelligence (BI) software in the form of an online service, initially for customers using Salesforce.com applications.


Â«SarÃ  processato per il suo presunto coinvolgimentoÂ»

La decisione presa dal giudice Guzman. L'ex dittatore Ã¨ accusato di essere il mandante di nove sequestri e un omicidio. SANTIAGO DEL CILE - Il giudice Juan Guzman ha stabilito che l'ex dittatore cileno Augusto


Helicopters Land to Evacuate Arafat to France

RAMALLAH, West Bank  - Helicopters landed in  Yasser Arafat's West Bank compound on Friday to fly out the  ailing Palestinian leader for medical treatment in France,  witnesses said.


NEW YORK - Stocks drifted higher Monday, brushing aside another record high for oil prices amid hopes the impending tide of third-quarter profit reports will override worries about a struggling economic recovery.


Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf on his visit after the landmark presidential polls in Afghanistan congratulated his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai for his victory Saturday afternoon.


Healthy pregnant women who take iron supplements may increase blood pressure risks, a study claims.


Salma Hayek engaged, pregnant: spokeswoman

Mexican-born actress Salma Hayek is  pregnant and engaged to a French businessman whose firm owns  Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, her spokeswoman said on Friday.


Senior interior ministry officials are due to meet in Dhaka amidst a souring of ties between India and Bangladesh.


U.S. postpones Guantanamo building plans

The Pentagon will not try to use emergency powers to build a compound to hold war crimes trials at Guantanamo Bay, according to a member of a Senate panel that oversees funding for military construction projects.


Valuta ingresso in America latina, Est Europa, Cina e India


Detenuti Al Qaida sottoposti a simulazione annegamento


French President Jacques Chirac is to go to Libya on Wednesday, for the first such visit since 1951.


Underwater relay team cross the English Channel

Six men and one women became the first people to swim across the English Channel from Britain to France in an underwater scuba relay.


Top 5 Movies of the Week (As on October 28th, 2004)


In my Firefox series last week, I overlooked one of the browser's most powerful search functions: An 'always on' find as you type feature.


Feel Free to Shout at the Visitors From Japan

Kabuki has always been theater for the rowdy masses, as audiences can discover when Heisei Nakamura-za opens a weeklong engagement at the Lincoln Center Festival.


Optical technique promises terabyte disks

A novel method of optical data storage could soon be used to hold a terabyte of data on a disk the size of a normal DVD, say researchers at Imperial College London, UK.


Sudan's ex-Guantanamo prisoners demand payout

A group of Sudanese released from the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay demanded cash payouts and an apology from the United States on Saturday, for mental and physical torture suffered during years spent in jail there.


Stuart Broad is included by England in a squad of 13 for Thursday's first Test against India amid doubts over Steve Harmison's fitness.


Actor George Clooney buys the rights to The Innocent Man, John Grisham's first non-fiction book.


Members of the audience dash off suddenly during his show. Others talk on cell phones, read novels or wolf down sandwiches.


Wal-Mart to be ESPN Monday Night Football sponsor

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's   biggest retailer, is ready for some football.


Does where you live influence what you eat? A new study says ZIP codes are surprisingly accurate predictors of obesity.


Mortgage Applications Rise as Rates Ease

New applications for U.S. home loans  rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage  interest rates fell to their lowest level in over four months,  an industry group said on Wednesday.


An Arab-Israeli television producer for CNN was abducted at gunpoint by a group of Palestinians yesterday after being pulled from a network van in Gaza City.


UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who recently angered the United States by calling the war in Iraq "illegal," has weighed in again with a letter to President Bush, British Prime Minister


This is your city -- how will you power it?

If you ran a city, what energy source  would you use -- cheap coal, or costly but environmentally  friendly solar power?


Pope aims for reconciliation on Turkey trip

Pope Benedict left on Tuesday for a delicate four-day trip to Turkey, saying his visit would be an opportunity for reconciliation and dialogue between Christians and Muslims.


Il film di Sofia Coppola ispira lo stilista


Squirrel-like creature thought 1st mammal in air

NEW YORK -- During the age of dinosaurs, tiny squirrel-like creatures climbed trees and jumped into the darkness. Then they spread their limbs and glided away -- the first known mammals to take to the air, a new report says.


Bonanni nega netta contrapposizione a reintroduzione ticket


Campaigners hope to have secured the future of the aquatic warbler after buying a key breeding site in Poland.


A police investigation is under way after a man is found with serious head injuries in County Londonderry.


Spain's Basques, the French working week and German unemployment top the agenda in Wednesday's European papers.


Dance: Alvin Ailey Company Flexes New Muscle

The company has transcended the trauma of its founderÂs death and has forged into the future with a strong roster of dancers and a steady touring schedule.


Update 1: China to Tighten Speculation Controls

China is expected to tighten controls on its companies' financial dealings abroad after the Singapore arm of China's biggest jet fuel supplier suffered massive losses trading risky energy derivatives, state media said Friday.


Fiji military head aims to appoint gov't

A military commander threatening to topple Fiji's government said Sunday he was planning to appoint an interim civilian administration and that elections would be held sometime later to restore democracy.


Panel recommends approval of cancer drug

WASHINGTON The first new cancer drug in ten years that is specifically designed to help children is a step closer to approval. An advisory panel at the Food and Drug Administration is recommending the use


Maryland Faces Georgetown With a Freshman Goalkeeper

Freshman goalie Brian Phipps is reaping the benefits of injuries to Maryland's top two goalkeepers as he prepares to make his third start when the Terps host Georgetown on Saturday afternoon.


By Brandon Loomis  Bloomis@adn.Com, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska  Jun.


Off the Stripper Pole and Into the Movies

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


Week in Review: Items of Interest From Feb. 12 to 17

By The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.  Feb. 18--Raleigh wants more from Cree   Two months after Raleigh installed energy-efficient light fixtures in a parking deck downtown, officials want to expand the program citywide.


Portiamo voti, pronti a riconoscere spirito innovatore Pd


By Hamidah Atan  PUTRAJAYA: First, there were 16. Now, there are 30.


Clinton slams "shameless" pro-Obama ad in Nevada

ELKO, Nevada  - Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton called on her chief rival Barack Obama on Friday to denounce ads being run on Spanish-language radio that accuse Clinton of not respecting Hispanic people.


Kenya govt ready for new vote if ruled by court

Opposition protests in Kenya subsided on Friday and the government said it was ready to accept a re-run of a disputed election which unleashed a wave of violence if a court ordered it.


Roma, 10:34 - CALCIO, UDINESE; POZZO: PROCLAMI NON SERVONO A NULLA

Giampaolo Pozzo, patron dell'Udinese, parla del caso Rossi e dell'Udinese a Radio Anch'io. Sulla pos...


All-Girl Swedish Team Tackles Video Games

At first glance, Les Seules might look like an all-girl rock band — complete with sassy attitudes and fawning male groupies — but the Swedish septuplet doesn't play instruments. They play competitive video games.


France's Chateau De Versailles Evacuated

The Chateau de Versailles, one of France's most popular tourist attractions, was evacuated Tuesday due to an electrical failure, France Info radio reported.


Tributes are being paid and flags are at half-mast after 14 UK troops were killed in a plane crash in Afghanistan.


Spring, TX (Sports Network) - Wayne Levi, who won last week's Constellation Energy Classic, and Walter Hall fired matching rounds of eight-under-par 64 on Friday to share the first-round lead of the inaugural Adminstaff Small Business Classic.


DARPA seeks flexible ion-drive tech for spy sats

Nippy yet economical astro-peepers wanted The Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Pentagon death-boffin hothouse where ideas don't have to be mad to get funding but it doesn't hurt either, has issued a new request for proposals.â¦


Spain Holds Syrian, Alleges Militant Islamist Links

A Spanish judge leading the probe into the Madrid train bombings on Saturday ordered a Syrian man to be held pending trial on suspicion of involvement with a militant Islamist group, court documents showed.


Bookmakers have slashed the odds on the possibility of a White Christmas for several parts of the UK.


It appears Al Leiter is through pitching in Flushing, with the Bronx the veteran southpaw's most likely destination. GM Omar Minaya arrived at the mutual decision to explore other options with


Â· Police call for crackdown on cheap alcoholÂ· 'Feral' gang had been on seven-hour drinking binge


Lisa Minnelli countersues, faces sex claims

As previously reported, M'hammed Soumayah filed a suit against Minnelli last month for "money damages arising from personal injuries.


A five-alarm fire raged in a 45-story building in Chicago's downtown Loop district Monday night, trapping people inside and prompting firefighters to launch a massive fire-and-rescue operation.


Il Pontefice a giovani: abbiate il coraggio dell'umilta'


A division of Dole Food Co. issued an international recall of bagged salad Monday after a sample taken from a store in Canada tested positive for E. coli, the company said.


New Underage Drinking Law Holds Parents, Adults Accountable for Underage Drinking House Parties

To: FAMILY EDITORS  Contact: Michelle Blackston of Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, +1-301-755-2444, Mobile: +1-301-523-9921, mblackston@pire.org   WASHINGTON, Feb.


Global Rise Seen in Antidepressant Use Among Kids

Children throughout the world are increasingly prescribed antidepressants and other drugs designed to calm or stimulate their brains, according to a new study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.


Spanish Bank Santander Central Hispano intends to cut about 3,000 jobs at Britain's Abbey National if its proposed acquisition of the British bank is completed.


1 in 10 bird species could vanish within 100 years

By 2100, about 10% of all bird species probably will be extinct, killed off by habitat loss, hunting and climate change, conservation biologists estimate.


2 Senators Want Pension Agency to Get a Checkup

The senators want to know whether the federal agency that insures private pension plans has enough money and the right approach to do its job.


Ask Jeeves Inc. on Tuesday joined competitors in announcing plans to release a desktop search application that would list information from a user's PC along with web-search results.


Manchester City stand firm to deny United in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.


Keeler: Twins fail again to find jugular

Minneapolis, Minn. - When the throat of the New York Yankees is under your foot, dig in until you hear the neck snap. When a deciding Game 5 in your grasp, you hang on like you're Homer Simpson and it's the last frosted doughnut in the box.


Pierre Salinger, JFK Press Secretary, Dead -Post

Pierre Salinger, who was press  secretary to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson,  died of a heart attack on Saturday at a hospital near his home  in Le Thor, France, his wife told The Washington Post.


Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, an outspoken critic of war in rebel Chechnya, was shot dead on Saturday at her apartment block in central Moscow.


Tradito da esame dna. Inquirenti, e' molto collaborativo


New Vaginal Gel May Protect Women From HIV

A chemical specially designed to thwart how the AIDS virus invades during sex offers scientists a new lead in the long quest for a vaginal gel that women could apply to protect themselves when men don't use a condom.    The experimental drug isn't ready for human testing yet, but it provided potent protection to female monkeys exposed to large amounts of an AIDS virus, researchers reported Thursday in the journal Science...


Capcom undecided on Resident Evil cross-platform strategy

The news of Resident Evil 4's conversion to the PS2 threw up more questions than answers this morning; most obviously whether the end of its GameCube exclusivity deal would open the floodgates to the brand making a belated appearance on a slew of other


Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim has overtaken Bill Gates to become the world's richest person, a website says.


Conflicting accounts about the possible release of Iraqi detainees -- among them the woman known as "Dr. Germ" -- were issued by the US and Iraqi governments Wednesday.


NEW YORK -- With the stock market having jitters after a strong run-up in the past year, some investors might want something more low-key.


Paul Newman will make his debut as a theater director when he stages a production based on John Steinbeckâs novella âOf Mice and Men.â


CDC: Chlamydia Testing Disappointingly Low

THURSDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDayNews) -- The great majority of sexually active young American women enrolled in health plans are ignoring repeated recommendations that they get routine screening for chlamydia, the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease, a new report says.


Egypt's top Muslim clerics say Islam does not regard the practice of female genital mutilation as mandatory.


November 19, 2004 was a big day for Aishwarya Rai.ItÂs exactly ten years since she was crowned Miss World.


Acclaimed movies eye Oscar, box office gold

Tales of tragedy and struggle will  vie for Oscar attention on Tuesday as an unusual awards season  overshadowed by the Hollywood writers strike heads into its  final stretch.


Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, yesterday evaded an apparent assassination attempt, when a rocket attack missed his helicopter.


"Atonement," "Sweeney Todd" win Golden Globes

BEVERLY HILLS, California  - Film romance "Atonement" and movie musical "Sweeney Todd" claimed the top honors at the strike-plagued Golden Globe Awards on Sunday in a bare-bones news conference that lacked the usual Hollywood glamour.


CHICAGO -- Boeing Co., the world's No. 2 commercial airplane maker, said Wednesday that it posted its best profit in nearly four years as its third-quarter earnings climbed 61 percent because of higher commercial airplane deliveries and growth in its defense business.


U.S. Cycling Gold Medalist Denies Blood Transfusions

Tyler Hamilton, who won a gold medal in the time trial in Athens, is being investigated for possible blood doping.


Schumacher in testacoda partirÃ  dall`ultima fila

E` sempre della Ferrari la pole-position anche del Gran Premio di Cina che si disputerÃ  domenica sulla pista di Shanghai. Questa volta perÃ², a chiudere con il miglior tempo Ã¨ stato Rubens Barrichello. Al


MEMPHIS, Tennessee  - Venus Williams put the seal on her comeback after more than four months out through injury as she crushed Israeli top seed Shahar Peer 6-1 6-1 on Saturday to win the Memphis International.


Fernando Alonso, R24-07, 58 laps Franck Montagny, R24-08, 156 laps


NJ Dad Charged in U.S. Court for Laser Prank

NEWARK, N.J.  - A New Jersey man faced charges in  court on Tuesday for temporarily blinding the pilots of a  private aircraft and a police helicopter with a small laser --  a prank he earlier blamed on his 7-year-old daughter.


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Truth be told, Tom Brady would rather toss a Super Bowl touchdown pass to almost anyone but Mike Vrabel. At least that's the way Vrabel described their relationship last night after the Patriots linebacker cameoed as a receiver and snagged a touchdown pass from Brady in a second straight Super Bowl.


Apple says its much-anticipated iPhone product will hit US stores on 29 June, at a cost of $499 for the entry product.


US investigators blame pilot error for 2001 Airbus accident

WASHINGTON : US government accident investigators blamed pilot error for the crash of an American Airlines Airbus A300 in New York in November 2001 that left 265 people dead, officials said.


More effort should be put into simple falls-prevention measures to stop fractures among the elderly, experts say.


Milano, 14:03 - CALCIO, MILAN; GATTUSO A 'EL PAIS: UN ANIMALE DENTRO DI ME

Lunga intervista a El Pais di Rino Gattuso. Il centrocampista del Milan e della nazionale racconta u...


Stars make New Year pledges to improve life

What is Brand Bollwyood's New Year's pledge? Little touches that add value to their lives and to the industry in general, say the stars.


Ortiz to Stay in Hospital Until Thursday

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Red Sox slugger David Ortiz will remain at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston until Thursday as a precaution and for further tests on his heart.


Israeli helicopters attack targets in Gaza

Hours after a tunnel blast by militants in Gaza killed five Israeli soldiers, Israeli helicopters early Monday fired six missiles at targets in Gaza City.


High-level climate-change summits this week reveal a supportive environment for action.


In discesa anche il Nuovo mercato: Numtel -0,58%

MILANO - Chiusura in calo alla Borsa valori di Milano. L'indice Mibtel Ã¨ sceso dello 0,16% a 20.847 punti. In discesa anche il Nuovo mercato, il cui indice Numtel ha perso lo 0,58% raggiungendo 1.208 punti. Mib30: -0,19% a 27.781 punti.


U.S. Alerts Military Units for Iraq, Afghan Rotation

The Pentagon notified U.S. military  combat units based in seven states on Tuesday that they are  likely to be part of next-year's planned rotation of American  forces into Iraq and Afghanistan.


A Pakistani-British man suspected of involvement in an al Qaeda plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners over the Atlantic has escaped from custody in the Pakistani capital, a senior official said on Sunday.


Russia's Putin Orders Crackdown After School Siege

BESLAN, Russia  - President Vladimir Putin ordered  a crackdown in southern Russia after a school siege killed at  least 250, and warned Chechen sympathizers on Saturday they  would be seen as "accomplices of terrorism."


I remember sitting in the ICC at the Spain table at the Office of International Programs' study abroad fair.


DuPont reiterates forecast, cost savings on track

Chemicals maker DuPont Co.  said on Wednesday it expects its 2007 earnings per share to be about $3.15, in line with its prior forecasts for 10 percent annual increases.


European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana was optimistic Friday about progress in talks to persuade Iran to bring its nuclear program into line with international demands.


Once again the elitist left-wing media is attempting to make Americans feel guilty for achieving excellence. Paul Hamm followed the rules, performed a brilliant high-bar routine and won the gold medal fair and square.


The FA will not be bringing charges over  the tunnel row before Arsenal met Man Utd.


Five killed, 12 injured in Kashmir clashes, explosion

Three Islamic militants and two Muslim civilians were killed and 12 others injured in fresh clashes and a militant grenade attack in Indian Kashmir, police said.


Here are my keys for a Gator football victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the Peach Bowl; you can hear all the live action on AM 850 beginning with the "First And Ten" pregame show at 4:30pm.


In Europa lieve flessione per Londra e Parigi


Gannett Co. Inc. , publisher of USA Today, said on Wednesday its fourth-quarter earnings would likely be in line with Wall Street forecasts.


The US Open plays host to two Russia v America clashes when the women's semi-finals get underway on Friday. Fifth seed Lindsay Davenport, the highest-ranked player still in the tournament, takes on Russia's ninth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.


Adsl, informazioni sbagliate si puÃ² avere il rimborso

Se il call center della compagnia telefonica fornisce dati non corretti sui contratti, promozioni comprese, si ha diritto al risarcimento


European stocks were broadly steady on Friday morning in the truncated final session of 2004 in holiday-hit trade, but markets were set to end higher for the second year in a row and the outlook for 2005 remains firm.


Bush Record: New Priorities in Environment

The Bush administration's approach to environmental issues has challenged the status quo by revising the traditional public-policy calculus on decisions.


Russia wants more clarity on U.S. anti-missile plan

Russia wants more concrete reasons from Washington as to why it plans to build an anti-missile system in Poland and the Czech Republic, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.


Britain deporting failed asylum seekers from Zimbabwe: rights groups

Britain has begun deporting failed asylum seekers from Zimbabwe, rights groups said, claiming that at least 10 people had been expelled since last month when the government lifted a ban blocking enforced deportations to the southern African country.


New York fashion elites split over red carpets

As hope grows the Oscars will escape the Hollywood writers' strike, experts at New York Fashion Week are split among some saying the industry needs red carpet events and others not bothered by their absence.


Pechino, 09:39 - TENNIS, WTA PECHINO: HENIN NON CI SARA'

Justine Henin, numero uno del mondo e vincitrice dell'ultimo Us Open, non prenderà parte al t...


Nearly five months into the NHL lockout, the players' association still won't accept the league's demand for a salary cap. The league says it's too late to talk about alternatives. And now time is about to run out on the hockey season.


Circolazione ancora ferma sulla Salerno-Reggio CalabriaFiocchi sulla capitale, qualche ritardo all'aeroporto di Ciampino                                                  A3 bloccata per la neve Roma si sveglia imbiancata


Michael Jackson to Invite Visitors to Neverland

Michael Jackson is throwing the  gates of his Neverland Valley Ranch -- the place where he is  accused of molesting a young boy -- open to a group of visitors  on Friday.


Charges were dropped Thursday against a pregnant woman arrested and forced to the ground by Metro Transit Police for allegedly talking too loudly on a cell phone.


Airstrips Key for Tsunami Aid, Disease Fears Rise

Aid workers cleared landing strips in  Asia's flooded tsunami-hit regions to start flying food, clean  water and medical staff to hungry and injured survivors, but  the global relief operation continued to struggle on Tuesday.


Christmas Eve is supposed to be a time for family, friends and faith, but this year the NFL has added a fourth "F" : football.


The new biopic revisits dith Piaf's tragic life and explores how it affected her art.


A Kenyan marathon runner was fatally shot with an arrow, the second international athlete to die as Kenya struggles with postelection chaos, a sports official and a fellow athlete said Tuesday.


IRAQ: 48 ORE DI TEMPO E UN RISCATTO PER I REPORTER FRANCESI

DUBAI - Un gruppo iracheno in un comunicato diffuso su un sito internet chiede un riscatto di cinque milioni di dollari per i due giornalisti francesi presi in ostaggio in Iraq e da' un ultimatum di 48 ore.


German woman mistakes stuffed toy for masked crook

Armed police went into action in the German city of Wuppertal after a woman reported seeing a masked criminal -- but having rushed to the scene, they were surprised to find not a crook, but a large stuffed toy.


Missing iPhones not Really Missing, Says Analyst

Analyst agrees that a high number of unlocked phones would affect Apple profits, but isn't sure that's the point.


Public transport grinds to a halt in the Netherlands as workers strike against the government's planned welfare cuts.


The US envoy to Iraq warns against an over-hasty pullout of troops amid policy pledges by Democratic hopefuls.


Judge Rules the Barnes Can Move to Philadelphia

A judge ruled that the Barnes Foundation could move its fabled art collection from a cozy suburb to downtown Philadelphia.


A gaggle of geese runs riot in the Hof van Delft Park. They honk, they hiss, they harass and — it's hard not to notice — they scatter droppings everywhere. Soon, a lanky young man comes to impose order on the chaos.


Schilling's Prognosis Is Like Boston's: Not Good

The Red Sox said Curt Schilling would not start a potential Game 5, more disturbing news for a team that is nearly 0 for 86 seasons in trying to win a World Series.


Oil prices dipped below $46 on Tuesday in a third day of falls as a more optimistic Iraq export picture helped unwind some of the supply worries that have lifted the market to historic levels.


Dozens of tornadoes sliced across southern US states ripping apart homes and shopping malls, killing at least 52 people and injuring hundreds more, officials and US media said Wednesday.


Londra, 16:42 - CALCIO, INGHILTERRA: SI PENSA A GARE DA GIOCARE ALL'ESTERO

La Premier League pensaa di emigrare. Secondo quanto riporta la BBC, i 20 club della Premier League ...


Parents of missing Madeleine return to Britain

British couple Kate and Gerry McCann, named as suspects in the disappearance of their four-year-old daughter Madeleine in Portugal, flew home on Sunday insisting they were innocent.


Opposition politician wins libel suit against Taiwan's president

James Soong, chairman of Taiwan's minor opposition People First Party, won a libel suit over President Chen Shui-bian's claims that he had met secretly with a Chinese official.


Firenze, 15:21 - CALCIO, FIORENTINA; DONADEL: CON LA ROMA DATO IL MASSIMO

Marco Donadel, centrocampista della Fiorentina, commenta cosÃ¬ la gara contro la Roma terminata 2-2. ...


Fewer guns, but tensions persist in Liberia

Extortion attempts are just one of the unintended consequences of Liberia's disarmament program.


British officials are trying to get two girls suspected of drug smuggling in Africa moved to better accommodation.


Commission proposes 2005 fisheries quotas

The EU Commission has put forward proposals for next year's fishing quotas, setting the stage for tough talks among member states later this month.


Women from more deprived backgrounds have a lower breast cancer survival rate, research suggests.


Former Pakistani PM in tense return home from exile

Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif returned home on Monday from seven years in exile, leaving his aircraft after a tense 90-minute standoff with authorities.


SAS man makes phone-based publicity lunge

McNab in booky attention grab Ex-SAS man and action author Andy McNab's latest book is going to be promoted with a short-code that responds with a link to the first chapter of the book, free to your mobile phone - but unlike previous promotions of this type the chapter is also available in spoken form.â¦


Unlike GM, Chrysler touting all-electric cars

The Zeo runs purely on batteries. It's a direction the other big makers are not so keen about.


London equities shrugged off news of a EU5bn fraud at Société Générale to close sharply higher on Thursday, supported by steady morning trade on Wall Street.


Age, eating habits catch up with Clinton

Bill Clinton is a man close to 60, with a little pudge and a longtime love of junk food. That fits the stereotype for heart disease.


Microsoft tries to clear confusion over SP2

A week after releasing Windows XP Service Pack 2 to enterprises, Microsoft is trying to quell confusion over an apparent security flaw and applications that won't work without adjustments.


com. A plane belonging to Smyrna-based Corporate Airlines crashed Tuesday night, flying from St. Louis to Kirksville, Mo. The flight had 13 passengers and two crewmembers aboard.


Joe Torre won't pick sides between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, the former New York Yankees strength coach who accused the Rocket of using performance-enhancing drugs.


Will it be a matter of "one-and-done" for Alan Greenspan & Co. at its Sept. 21 policy meeting? Since a quarter-point rate hike at the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on that date seems a fait accompli


Hungary's ruling Socialist Party dumps PM

BUDAPEST, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Hungary's ruling Socialist Party said Thursday that it accepted Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy's resignation and has named a candidate for the post.


Sharon Stone Faces Off ‘People’ Plastic Surgery Story

Fashion Wire Daily - Fashion Wire Daily August 23,2004-Los Angeles-Has Sharon Stone had a face lift, as reported in ‘People’ magazine?


All three of the newly promoted sides are still searching for a first win of the season after a day of predictable results gave the Premiership table an all too familiar look, reported Shenzhen Daily on Monday.


Your Money: If Itâs Tuesday, It Must Be Spanish

An increasing number of American parents want their children to be bilingual if not multilingual.


Bullets and bomb that killed Benazir Bhutto have also put country's future in jeopardy, writes Julian Borger


LOS ANGELES -- This is not the ultimate goal, that much is clear. The Cardinals have a much higher aspiration than winning one postseason series.


West complains to IAEA chief over Iran atom remarks

U.S. and allied envoys met the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief on Friday to complain about remarks they saw as undercutting efforts to shut down Iran's uranium enrichment program, diplomats said.


A 61,65 dollari al barile, oggi riunione Opec in Nigeria


Obese people have double the risk of losing their sight, a report has warned.


The Lebanese government justified Hezbollah's launching of a drone into Israeli air space, saying no other steps, including appeals to international bodies, have been effective at stopping Israeli incursions into Lebanese airspace.


Langer's unbeaten century leads Australia's recovery against ...

Justin Langer weathered Shoaib Akhtar's pace barrage Thursday and counter-punched with his 21st Test hundred to guide Australia from 78 for five to 357 for eight on the first day of the series opener against Pakistan.


Suit Could Shed Light On Actions Of Patriots

The former Rams player and three fans are claiming that the Patriots gained an unfair advantage by allegedly taping a Rams practice the day before the Super Bowl six years ago.


Blogger book craze could fizzle from overkill

Bloggers are scoring rich paydays by  turning their online diaries into books, but some publishers  say the craze could fizzle out with a glut of new titles  destined to yield disappointing sales.


Nicaraguan prosecutors on Wednesday filed an appeal to the country's Supreme Court to overturn the acquittal of a U.S. man on charges of killing his Nicaraguan girlfriend, blocking efforts to win his release.


Sharon Rejects Settler Demands Over Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, flanked by Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, left, and Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon, right, begins his weekly cabinet meeting, at his office, in Jerusalem, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2004.


Udine, 18:29 - CALCIO, UDINESE-REGGINA: LA PRIMA CON LA MOVIOLA IN CAMPO

Svolta storica domenica prossima in Udinese-Reggina: per la prima volta  ci sarà una moviola ...


Obese Children Prone to Heart Attacks and Stroke as Adults

World Heart Day is focusing on life-threatening risks of obesity in children. The World Health Organization and World Heart Federation warn, overweight children are three-to-five times more likely to suffer


Longest Tour de France stage another chance for Boonen

GHENT, Belgium  - Former world champion Tom Boonen gets another chance to win his first Tour de France sprint in two years when the third stage takes the peloton over 236.5 km from Waregem to Compiegne on Tuesday.


Errore senza precedenti commesso nel carico dell'Air Force


Mexican border towns fear U.S. crackdown

Patricia Lopez's journey toward a better life in the United States ended with a nighttime robbery, a twisted ankle and a Border Patrol escort to the frontier &#151; where she was dumped at dawn without a peso in her pocket, 1,575 miles from home.


Call the Bowl Championship Series flawed. Call it a bogus way of crowning a national champion. Call it nasty names that can't be mentioned here.


Catholics Slam Bloggers Hired by Edwards

By NEDRA PICKLER  WASHINGTON - Two bloggers hired recently by Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards were criticized Tuesday by a Catholic group for posts they had written elsewhere on the Internet.


Bah Humbug! No Buyer for Famed Christmas Poem

A rare autographed copy of the poem  known as "'Twas the night before Christmas," which was  estimated to fetch at least $200,000, failed to find a buyer at  an auction on Friday, Sotheby's said.


Dopo l'acquisto di un'ulteriore quota da parte di Gemina


THE Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh has ruled out any âredrawing of bordersâ with Pakistan. He said he had made this clear to the President of Pakistan, Gen Pervez Musharraf.


Israel to boycott Blair's peace conference

Tony Blair will take on the role of go-between for the Israelis and Palestinians as he tries to keep up the momentum of the Middle East peace process on a two-day visit to the region starting today.


LOS ANGELES  - An animated series is redrawing the lines of television mega-deals. The eye-popping $75 million pact announced Monday by Comedy Central and the creators of "South Park" may be the most prominent example of the Internet as a bona fide backend window alongside syndication and DVD. The duo of Matt Stone and Trey Parker will get a 50-50 ad split on digital platforms but not on television.


A Food and Drug Administration panel tomorrow will consider one of the most urgent questions in medicine: what to do about the risk of blood clots caused by drug-coated stents, tiny medical devices implanted in the arteries of millions of people.


China's vast countryside boosts Nokia cellphone sales

Nokia saw sales soar in China last year as the world's largest maker of mobile phones started tapping the nation's huge rural market, according to state media.


The seemingly nonstop pummeling of Florida during the past month has been the result of a highly active hurricane season mixed with two unusually stubborn high-pressure ridges funneling the storms in a track directly over Florida.


A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island Thursday, sending panicked residents fleeing from their homes and briefly triggering a tsunami warning.


LOS ANGELES  - As the writers strike entered its third day Wednesday with no end in sight, Fox said it would not air "24" this season.


Senate shields phone companies from spy lawsuits

Civil liberties groups bash vote as "get-out-of-jail-free card" for AT&T and others accused of illegally opening their networks to the feds.


A Queens man who became an overnight multimillionaire when he hit the $149 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot has yet to quit his day job.


A New Orleans doctor who rode out Katrina and is working to rebuild the cityâs health care system talks about the challenges and rewards of practicing medicine in the devastated city.


NORTON -- Several players said yesterday they were thrilled to hear that the Deutsche Bank Championship has committed for two more years at TPC Boston.


After analyzing a variety of common e-mail scams, a psychology professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara reports that even world-wise, skeptical computer users can be fooled.


Ethiopian farmer Fekadu  Asfaw stood defiantly before an angry veterinarian, having just  beaten his four severely malnourished donkeys.


Polizia Torino batte tutte piste, cade ipotesi amico-omicida


Thousands of Indians to get colour TVs -- for free

The government of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu said on Tuesday it would float a global tender for colour television sets that will be given free to tens of thousands of poor people.


Roma, 12:36 - CALCIO VIOLENTO: CONCLUSA RIUNIONE OSSERVATORIO

La riunione dell'Osservatorio permanente sulle manifestazione sportive che si è svolta stamat...


Ambitious Phelps to swim six events at World Short Course ...

Michael Phelps is attempting a racing schedule nearly as ambitious as what he did at the Olympics. But this time he won't be swimming as far.


BBC hits back at claim that Peel died of overwork

THE BBC has rejected claims from one of its DJs that John Peel was âworn outâ and felt marginalised by the corporation before his death from a heart attack.


Italian Tenor Recovering From Kenya Attack

Italian tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano is slowly recovering from serious injuries he suffered in an attack at his family's villa in Kenya, hospital officials and news reports said.


Authentic flavor of Greece embodied in feta cheese

The Olympics may be over, but you can always recapture a taste of Greece with feta.


Three hundred Eagle County residents who showed up for jury duty Friday for the Kobe Bryant rape case were asked to describe their feelings on


Roma, 18:10 - CALCIO, ROMA: DIFFERENZIATO PER TOTTI E TADDEI

Allenamento pomeridiano per la Roma in vista della gara di Siena. Unico assente il portiere Curci. T...


Salesforce.com to resell Google advertising

Salesforce.com Inc. ,  which has been working with Google Inc.  to make its  Web-based software applications meld with Google's own software  push, said on Tuesday it is enabling its customers to sell  Google advertising through Salesforce business software.


NEW YORK - Stocks moved slightly higher Friday as investors tried to uncouple share prices from skyrocketing oil costs, even as crude reached new highs and flirted with $50 per barrel.    A barrel of light crude was quoted at $48.90, up 20 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange after setting a new intraday record earlier in the session at $49.40...


Calif. urges more conservation as heat wave eases

California again urged customers to conserve power on Friday even though electricity demand for air conditioning should decline as temperatures along the coast continue to ease and many businesses shut early for the weekend.


Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar is called to testify before the panel investigating the Madrid bombings.


Blair in Israel, launching "Mission Impossible"

Tony Blair landed in Israel on Monday for his first visit as an international envoy, hoping to help end 60 years of peacemaking failure since Britain handed Palestine to Jews and Arabs who are still fighting over it.


(InfoWorld) - Hackers appear to have stepped up their efforts to trick corporate executives into downloading malicious software programs that can steal company data over the past year, according to new data released Monday. MessageLabs, a security vendor that offers e-mail filtering services to catch spam and malicious attachments, caught an average of 10 e-mails per day in May targeted at people in senior management positions, up from just one a day a year prior, said Mark Sunner, chief security analyst. Those 10 e-mails are a very small percentage of the 200 million e-mails that MessageLabs scans every day, but the composition of those messages is what's alarming, Sunner said. Many of the e-mails contained the name and title of the executive in the subject line, as well as a malicious Microsoft Word document containing executable code. The hackers are trying to trick the victim into thinking the messages comes from someone they know, in the hope that the victim will willingly install, for example, a program that can record keystrokes. MessageLabs won't reveal what companies have been targeted of late, but it has contacted executives who have been targeted and heard their family members have also received messages on their own, non-corporate e-mail accounts, Sunner said. Those methods suggests that hackers may be researching victims and culling data from social networking sites such as Linked In, MySpace, or Facebook, Sunner said. "If you really want to work out somebody's background ... you can actually find out a lot," Sunner said. Tricking a relative into installing malicious code would offer the hacker another way to collect sensitive data, if an executive decides to do some work on a home computer, Sunner said. During June, MessageLabs picked up more than 500 of these targeted messages, with some 30 percent aimed at chief investment officers -- a position that can include handling acquisitions and mergers. Other positions targeted include directors of research and development, company presidents, CEOs, CIOs, and CFOs. Another danger is that the targeted messages are often just single messages sent to a single person, rather than a mass spam run. When hackers send out millions of messages, security companies often either update their software or change their spam filters to trap the bad messages. But single messages have a higher chance of slipping through, although Sunner said MessageLabs' filtering service catches the messages by analyzing the e-mail's attachment and determining whether it is potentially harmful. Other security companies catch malware by updating their software with indicators, or signatures, to detect harmful code or block code from running based on what it does on a computer, a technology called behavioral detection. Tracing where the messages come from is difficult, since the sender's name is always fake, Sunner said. The IP address from which the messages were sent indicate computers that are located around the world. Hackers often use networks of computers they already control, called botnets, to send e-mails. "Certainly, people need to raise the level of vigilance," Sunner said.


The center of Tropical Storm Ernesto   moved over land late on Thursday near Long Beach, North   Carolina, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.


Penny-pinching or 'essential maintenance' for ex-Pipexers? Thousands of ex-Pipex customers have been suffering unexplained interruptions in their broadband service in recent weeks, as their new provider Tiscali stealthily works to cut costs.â¦


Sibling Heart Attack a Sign You're at Risk, Too

If you have a brother or sister who had a heart attack at an early age, start paying attention to your own arteries because you're at increased risk for heart trouble, a new study finds.


Counseling Can Prevent Depression Recurrence

NEW YORK  - After being treated with  standard medications, patients who undergo a type of counseling  called cognitive behavior therapy have a much lower rate of  relapse compared with those who receive standard follow-up  care, new research shows.


Hambali's Brother Convicted in Indonesia

An Indonesian court on Tuesday sentenced the younger brother of alleged Southeast Asian terror leader Hambali to four years in jail on charges of helping finance last year's bombing of the J.W. Marriott hotel in Jakarta.


PLANTATION, Fla. -- Pete Rose owes almost $1 million in federal back taxes, but he is making monthly payments on the debt, his representative said yesterday.


Nepal: More Violence on Day Six of Rebel Blockade of Capital

There is more violence in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, on the sixth day of an economic blockade imposed by Maoist rebels on the city.


A bookmaker stops taking bets on the next James Bond after several large wagers on actor Dougray Scott.


Bertinotti e Marini: prioritario tutelare la sicurezza nei luoghi di lavoroIn Umbria Cgil, Cisl e Uil proclamano un'ora di sciopero per lunedÃ¬                                          Cordoglio e rabbia nel mondo politico e sindacale per la tragedia nell'oleificio                                                                                Il Comitato per la difesa del Clitunno parla di "disastro ecologico annunciato"e denuncia l'inadeguatezza degli interventi: "Nel fiume gettate balle di fieno"


Power Shift In China Raises Hope of Better Living Standards, But ...

Chinese President Hu Jintao's accession to full power and the final retirement of former President Jiang Zemin is being hailed as the start of a new era in Chinese politics.


Newark, NJ OKs Arena for Devils Hockey Team -- Paper

Newark, New Jersey's City Council has  approved plans for a $310 million hockey arena for the New  Jersey Devils, local newspapers said on Thursday.


Climate experts and politicians  will discuss policies they believe may be needed beyond the Kyoto Protocol.


French president promises 'new hope' for riot-hit suburbs

President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged "new hope" to France's riot-hit suburbs on Friday with a nationwide plan to give jobs and training to 100,000 youths, root out racial discrimination and slash drug crime.


Bene gli arresti preventivi ma non va abbassata la guardia


wGulf prankster at issue in Iran dispute

Sailors in the Persian Gulf have known him for years: a radio operator who taunts and insults passing ships. The rants are heard and logged, then mostly forgotten.


Shares fall on Oracle, Circuit City results

U.S. stocks slipped on Tuesday as disappointing results from tech bellwether Oracle Corp.  hurt the Nasdaq, and an unexpected quarterly loss from electronics retailer Circuit City  prompted fears about a weaker-than-expected holiday shopping season.


ECB sees eurozone inflation falling below two pct in second quarter 2005

The European Central Bank is unhappy with the current level of inflation in the eurozone but expects it to fall below the two percent in the second quarter of next year, its chief economist Otmar Issing said.


A 16-day blockade begins in the north-east Indian state as activists push for the repeal of a controversial law.


Sirius Satellite Radio: Jewtopia Comics on "Radio Playbill" Oct.

Special guests on "Radio Playbill" Oct. 25-Nov. 7 are Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson, the authors and stars of the new Off-Broadway comedy, Jewtopia, which arrived in New York after a record-setting run in Los Angeles.


Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has fallen 13 points since November and is now tied with Mitt Romney nationally in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday.


Six GIs Killed in Iraq Bombings, Crashes

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Explosions hit five churches in Baghdad, and two U.S. Army helicopters crashed elsewhere in the capital, killing two American soldiers and wounding two others, as violence flared while Iraqi Muslims began marking the holy month of Ramadan...


Importante collaborazione tra varie istanze pubbliche


Mare mordi e fuggi quest'anno anche a giugno


Roma, 13:17 - CALCIO, VIOLENZA; ABETE: RIPRENDIAMO PERCORSO VERSO NORMALITA'

Giancarlo Abete ha definito l'incontro al Viminale sulla sicurezza ''molto positivo. Abbiamo avuto n...


West Bank town unites amid Palestinian divisions

SHYOUKH, West Bank  - Life is booming in one hilltop West Bank town despite a year of crippling Western sanctions against a Hamas-led government and recent bloodshed elsewhere between rival Palestinian factions.


Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday that Russia was concerned by the West's attempts to influence the situation in Ukraine, where allegations of vote fraud have sparked a political crisis that has brought the rival candidates' supporters into the streets.


Two statewide polls show the governor's race between Democratic incumbent Joe Kernan and Republican challenger Mitch Daniels remains tight one week before Election Day.


A French director faces a Â£100,000 bill after offering free screenings of his critically panned film.


Pace-setters Cardiff maintain their momentum

Cardiff moved five points clear at the top of the English Championship with a 4-0 rout of Wolverhampton.


Dai legali dei familiari delle sette vittime del rogo


Sports fans rejoice. ESPN announced today that next year it will become a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and launch ESPN Mobile, a mobile phone service specifically targeted to hardcore sports fans.


Lead poison symptoms may confuse doctors - report

Lead poisoning can be a slow, agonizing process or a swift killer with symptoms ranging from vomiting to bulges in the skull that can fool doctors, a report released on Monday said.


Initial U.S. jobless claims surged  unexpectedly last week by 43,000, taking claims to their  highest level since late September, a government report showed  on Thursday -- but an official noted there were seasonal  adjustment difficulties.


Google Slams Autonomy Over Search Claims

Google says Autonomy's white paper contains "significant inaccuracies" about its Search Appliance.


U.S. Cities Eye Ocean Waves for Power Supplies

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK  - Since ancient times  poets have revered the power of the seas. Now energy companies  and coastal cities like New York and San Francisco are aiming  to tap ocean waves and tidal currents as abundant sources of  electricity.


Torino, 18:53 - CALCIO, NAPOLI: FESTA-PROMOZIONE ANCHE A TORINO

Tifosi naoletani in festa per la promozione anche a Torino. Fan azzurri hanno creato caroselli con l...


Greek government pilloried as fires rage

KRESTENA, Greece  - Frantic Greek villagers fled as fire engulfed their homes, farms and forests on Tuesday in an inferno that has killed 63 people and prompted public outrage at the government's handling of the crisis.


Two national polls have shown the race between President George W Bush and Democrat John Kerry is deadlocked as Bush's convention bounce faded, although the president has made headway in key swing states.


Sharon Doesn't Plan to Follow 'Road Map'

JERUSALEM - Israel will not follow the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan and could remain in much of the West Bank for an extended period after it withdraws from the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in a newspaper interview published Wednesday.    Sharon's comments were his most detailed yet on his long-term vision for the region...


UK's Brown makes fact-finding visit to Iraq

Britain's next prime minister, Gordon Brown, arrived in Iraq on Monday for a fact-finding visit as he weighs Britain's future involvement in a four-year-old war that has angered voters and led to calls for a speedy pullout.


WASHINGTON: Abu Musa al-Hindi, one of the principle terror suspects charged with plotting to attack US financial institutions, has been identified as India-born Dhiren Barot. British police on Tuesday charged Barot, 32, of gathering surveillance plans of ...


England's Rugby World Cup heroes receive their honours from the Queen.


At Gazaâs Edge, Israelis Fear Rocketsâ Whine

Sderot, Israel, a working-class town less than two miles from Gaza, has been repeatedly hit with rockets.


Egyptian billionaire 'double agent' found dead in London

A billionaire son-in-law of a former Egyptian president who reportedly spied for Israel in wartime has been found dead in London, media reports said on Thursday.


Olympic ice dancing hopefuls Loren Galler-Rabinowitz and David Mitchell of the Skating Club of Boston will be sidelined for the remainder of the season because of a shoulder injury to Mitchell that will require surgery.


A third of people trying to lose weight find they actually end up piling on the pounds, a survey finds.


Australia's Seven Chmn: No Plans To Sell 43% Stake -2-

MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Seven Network Ltd. (SEV.AU) chairman and biggest shareholder Kerry Stokes said Friday he has no intentions of selling his 43% stake in the Australian television broadcaster.


Hamm Goes for More Gold Amid Controversy

Despite the controversy surrounding his gold medal in the all-around, Paul Hamm has a chance to win two more golds Sunday. The American will compete in the finals of the pommel