Israel feuds with with UN agency set up to aid Palestinians

For years, Israel has feuded with the UN refugee agency for Palestinians, and recently Israel thought it had found a smoking gun to press its case.


Arsenal's home clash against Portsmouth on Saturday will have former players in attendance in the figures of Sol Campbell and Tony Adams.


Poland wants more babies, hospitals can't cope

Heavily pregnant Karolina Mrowiec went  to a Polish hospital in an advanced stage of labor and was  surprised when the nurse asked her what was wrong.


Two weeks ago, there was concern about whether Mike Hampton would pitch again this season. Now the only question surrounding the southpaw is just where will he fit in the Braves' postseason rotation.


By Chelyen Davis, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va.  Mar. 1--RICHMOND -- Republican legislative leaders yesterday defended  their transportation plan and lashed out at Gov. Tim Kaine, who has said he  will substantially amend it and may veto it.


Three Britons die in 'friendly fire' in Afghanistan

Three NATO soldiers killed in southern Afghanistan were British and died "in what is thought to have been a friendly fire incident", the Ministry of Defence in London said Friday.


Mariners Notebook: Madritsch reaches out

Bobby Madritsch never lived on a reservation, but every time he sets foot on one, it feels a bit like home. When the Mariners right-hander showed up on the Tulalip reservation yesterday to speak to children


DENVER - A charter plane built by Canada's Bombardier crashed in Colorado Sunday, killing its pilot and co-pilot and injuring three other people, including the chairman of NBC Sports.


A council becomes the first in England to allocate secondary places by lottery prompting a debate over choice.


Hormone paradox may help explain teen moodiness

This might help explain why teenagers act like, well, teenagers.


Staples Inc. , the top U.S. office products retailer, on Tuesday reported a 26 percent jump in quarterly profit due to higher sales of furniture, back-to-school supplies and a strong performance in Europe.


A major UK study of genetically modified plants finds no evidence that they harm the environment.


A Serb raid, but pressure eases on war suspects

Recent NATO action can be seen more as a last-ditch effort than a stepped-up, organized campaign.


Two firms that conducted Election Day exit polls for major news organizations reported Wednesday that they found a number of problems with the way the polls were carried out last year, resulting in estimates that overstated John Kerry's share of the vote.


Ue, Prodi: ''Firma lungimiranza politica, non punto di arrivo''

La firma del Trattato europeo Ã¨ una ''prova di lungimiranza politica''. Lo ha detto Romano Prodi alla cerimonia della firma in Campidoglio. ''Oggi l'Europa riafferma la sua originale forma di organizzazione


In the Cubs' 7-2 rout of the Nats on Monday, the Alfonso Soriano reminded his former team of what they no longer have -- the charisma, firepower and confidence of a superstar.


Prosecutors dropped a murder charge against a man who claimed to have lured drug dealers to his remote western Missouri cabin, killed them and spread their remains across the property.


How much do all our devices in "standby" mode cost us in terms of electricity usage and real dollars?


Ferrell, HBO working out with "P.E." comedy

Will Ferrell's recently  launched production company is expanding into television with  "P.E.," a comedy for HBO.


Medic on trial for refusing Iraq mission

A U.S. Army medic and  self-described conscientious objector goes before a  court-martial in Germany on Tuesday for refusing to return to  Iraq with his unit.


ASIA/INDIA - 200 milioni di indiani soffrono la fame, il piÃ¹ alto numero di persone malnutrite di tutto il mondo, e la metÃ  dei bambini sono sottopeso Roma (Agenzia Fides) - Secondo il III Rapporto Nazionale Sanitario sulla Famiglia, nonostante il bilancio economico positivo degli ultimi anni, ogni giorno circa 200 milioni di indiani vanno ancora a dormire affamati e quasi la metÃ  dei bambini con m...


Comedian Cyril Fletcher, a regular on TV and radio shows such as That's Life and Does the Team Think?, dies at 91.


Iraq's government on Tuesday welcomed long-awaited testimony to Congress by the U.S. commander in Iraq and said it would have less need for foreign forces to carry out combat operations in the "near future".


MySpace moves into digital music business

MySpace, the wildly popular online  teen hangout, said on Friday it will make its first move into  the digital music business by selling songs from nearly 3  million unsigned bands.


Patent Ruling Strikes a Blow at Qualcomm

The U.S. International Trade Commission ordered a ban on Thursday of some imported cellphones with Qualcomm chips that infringe on a Broadcom patent.


Lo ha deciso la Giunta del Coni, vice Gigi Riva


One of Australia's most popular tourist trains derailed Tuesday in the remote Outback, but no one among the 82 people aboard was seriously hurt, a spokesman said.


At least four people drowned or were electrocuted over the weekend in the northwestern desert state of Rajasthan, bringing India's overall monsoon death toll to 177, officials said Monday.


NEW YORK/PHOENIX  - America Online, cable networks  and publishing are expected to lead 2005 revenue and profit  growth at parent Time Warner Inc._TWX.N, an executive said on  Tuesday.


Gazprom Head Orders Creation of Gazpromneft Company

Board chairman of the Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom , Alexei Miller, has signed an order to found the Gazpromneft company, the RIA-Novosti news agency reports.


Simpsons movie spotlights an enduring icon

In the Vermont town of  Springfield nestled in a mountain valley, a banner decorated  with images of pink doughnuts is festooned across Main Street,  welcoming visitors to the "Home of the Simpsons."


Brett Favre tied the NFL's career record for touchdown passes with a 57-yard strike in the fourth quarter to help the Green Bay Packers stay unbeaten with a 31-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.


Iran suspends its uranium enrichment programme

IRAN yesterday froze sensitive nuclear work, including uranium enrichment, in a move likely to thwart United States efforts to report the Islamic state to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions.


A roadside bomb kills two pro-government tribal elders in north-west Pakistan, officials say.


Bush, Republicans forge terrorism interrogation deal

President Bush bowed to pressure   from leading senators in his Republican party on Thursday,   revising a bill for interrogating terrorism suspects that   critics had said would allow abusive treatment.


A veteran weather forecaster was named the new director of the National Hurricane Center on Friday, filling the void left when his predecessor was removed after his comments about a satellite angered staffers.


Authorities and aid agencies in Sri Lanka are carrying out the relief effort using maps produced by a team of Britons.


Europe relieved as Poland's Kaczynskis lose grip

Many European leaders gasped with relief on Monday after Poland's Kaczynski twins suffered an election defeat that should swing the country's pro-Washington outlook more towards Brussels.


Options review over-shadows RIM sunny Q2

Backdating to the Future Research In Motion today placed a 'preliminary' tag beside its Q2s, warning that the results could restated, subject to an audit of option grants, also announced today.â¦


Picchiarono i no global a Genova, chiesto rinvio a giudizio per 28 ...

Sono 28 i poliziotti che potrebbero finire in carcere per i fatti di Genova durante il G8. Lo hanno chiesto i pubblici ministeri Enrico Zucca e Francesco Cardone Albini, in riferimento alla sanguinosa irruzione


CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Although the Blue Jays didn't win the Matt Clement sweepstakes, Toronto fans will still see plenty of the right-handed pitcher at SkyDome.


Sasser Worm Creator, Hired by Security Firm

The German teen who created the Sasser worm, has been hired by Securepoint, a computer security firm based in Lueneburg Germany. Eighteen year-old Sven Jaschan was responsible for infecting nearly 18 million


Suspected mercenaries may spill beans on Mann

And according to their lawyer, Alwyn Griebenow, they might spill the beans on their British recruiter, who allegedly plotted a coup in Equatorial Guinea.


The U.S. Tennis Association is making a multimillion-dollar investment in The Tennis Channel in hopes of promoting the sport, The Associated Press learned Sunday.


Prominent bloggers are trading barbs over whether their fellow pundits have been far too optimistic or pessimistic about the economy.


MSN Search Engine - Searching for ways to make Redmond rise again

What would you do if you were tasked with designing a new search engine? You have all the resources the world can offer and the certain knowledge that your project is so important to your employer that mountains


5 Pacers and 5 Fans Are Charged in Fight

Nearly three weeks after the brawl that left an indelible scar on the NBA, five Indiana Pacers and five Pistons fans were charged Wednesday with misdemeanor assault and battery.


Armed man holds woman hostage at Turkish Airlines

A Turkish Airlines employee armed with a gun was holding a female colleague hostage at the company's headquarters in Istanbul on Tuesday, a company spokeswoman told Reuters.


High Weedkiller Levels Found in River Checks

Atrazine, the second most widely used weedkiller in the country, is showing up in some streams and rivers at levels high enough to potentially harm amphibians, fish and aquatic ecosystems, according to the findings of an extensive Environmental Protection Agency database that has not been made...


Fannie Mae's Raines `Strongly' Disagrees With Regulator Report

Fannie Mae Chief Executive Franklin Raines will tell a US House panel the largest government- sponsored mortgage finance company ``strongly'' disagrees with a report by its regulator


Clothing retailer Limited Brands Inc. (LTD.N) on Thursday posted a sharply higher quarterly profit, lifted by a rise in sales at stores open at least a year.


U.S. duo win physics Nobel for backing up Big Bang

Americans John Mather and George Smoot won the 2006 Nobel prize for physics on Tuesday for spearheading a satellite program that added weight to the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe.


Israel Accelerates Settlement Drive As Sharon Pushes On With Gaza ...

The Israeli government was accelerating its settlement program Monday with plans to build hundreds of new homes in the West Bank, bolstered by a US softening of opposition to new construction projects.


Bush Defends Pursuit of Missile Defense System

RIDLEY PARK, Pa.  - President Bush defended his pursuit of a costly missile defense system on Tuesday and said those who oppose the idea do not understand the dangers the country faces in the 21st century.


Stars Arrive by Yacht at MTV Video Awards

MIAMI Aug. 29, 2004 - An already broiling Miami had even more sizzle on Sunday as MTV brought the annual party known as the Video Music Awards to the city for the first time in the awards' 21-year history.


Giovane accusa barista 61enne, violentata in uno scantinato


Lawyers for Australia's recording industry branded the popular Kazaa computer file-swapping network "an engine of copyright piracy to a degree of magnitude never before seen" as they launched a court battle Monday to shut down its activities.


AL Wrap: Orioles Celebrate Homecoming by Beating Twins

Daniel Cabrera pitched 7 1/3 strong innings to help the Baltimore Orioles mark their return to Camden Yards after a two-week road trip with a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins in the American League Monday.


Reading goalkeeper Federici aims to frustrate Man Utd

The little town of Nowra in New South Wales will be keeping a night-time vigil as their favourite footballing son stands between Manchester United and a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.


Engineers: 122 levees at risk of failing

One hundred twenty-two levees from Maryland to California are at risk of failing, according to a list released Thursday by the Army Corps of Engineers.


The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, calls for tighter controls on immigration.


Reputed Cocaine Boss Arrested in Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia, Sept. 10 -- A reputed cocaine kingpin who is on the FBI's Most Wanted list was captured Monday in an army operation that government officials hailed as a major blow against drug trafficking in this Andean country.


The kingdom is placing Saudis in jobs traditionally held by foreigners, betting that greater economic opportunities will counter the rising militancy challenging the royal family.


Workers at Chrysler Narrowly Approve Contract

Members of the United Automobile Workers approved a four-year contract with Chrysler, clearing the way for talks to accelerate at Ford.


Mindy Roberts watches as two scientists draw water samples into a long, clear tube while a 25-gallon aquarium is lowered upside down onto the bottom of an inlet in Puget Sound.


The software giant quietly raised the curtain for its MSN Music Web site, which offers song downloads for 99 cents. The store also has a home in Windows Media Player 10, which is slated to launch on Thursday.


The New York Yankees donated $1 million on Wednesday to a fund to aid the healing process at Virginia Tech following the mass killings last month.


Sri Lanka President's brother escapes bomb blast

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's brother Gothabaya, who is also the island's defense secretary, narrowly escaped a suspected suicide bomb attack in the island's capital on Friday, officials said.


Record in prime time per Sky con il 12,5% di share


NEW YORK -- Another August sweep of the Boston Red Sox put the New York Yankees in prime position for a September playoff run. Chien-Ming Wang took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning, Robinson Cano homered twice off Curt Schilling and the Yankees beat Boston 5-0 Thursday for their third straight...


American Taliban Asks Bush To Commute 20-Year Sentence

SAN FRANCISCO -- John Walker Lindh asked President Bush on Tuesday to commute his 20-year prison sentence for aiding the Taliban. His lawyer, James Brosnahan, said Lindh was a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time.


By MATTHEW BARAKAT ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A section of the obsolete Woodrow Wilson Bridge was brought down early Tuesday, the planned demolition set in motion by a longtime commuter who won a contest for the honor.


AFC Enterprises to Sell Church's Chicken

AFC Enterprises Inc. Monday said it agreed to sell its Church's Chicken brand to a private investment firm for $390 million. Atlanta-based AFC, which also franchises and operates Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits


Cia, crollano acquisti di pane, pasta, frutta e vino


Japan reports 0.1% Oct.-Dec. economic shrinkage: third straight down quarter

TOKYO  - Japan's economy shrank 0.1 per cent during the quarter ended Dec. 31, the government said Wednesday, as numbers were revised to show three straight quarters of contraction.


Did a Pentagon analyst pass secrets to an Israeli lobby group?


Two babies left in hospital "baby hatch"

Two babies have been left in a controversial "baby hatch" for unwanted newborns at a Japanese hospital over the past week, bringing to three the number of children left there since it opened in May, media said on Sunday.


French police arrest nine on a housing estate near Paris where two policemen were beaten up.


They reached for a star ... and touched a generation

As if to deny it is not over until the fat lady sings, there is not an extra ounce on the US soccer team. But as they sang the anthem, we came to realize that it is over, and it is gold, and it is too bad.


Testaverde is a crowd-pleaser in the end

The Cowboys finally got the big, come-from-behind victory that had been so elusive this season, snatching a 13-10 win away from division rival Washington Redskins in the final seconds of Sunday's game.


Complaint filed against Redskins RB Portis

Ashburn, VA (Sports Network) - Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis apparently hasn't come through on a jersey-number deal he made with former teammate Ifeanyi Ohalete, who filed a complaint in Maryland District Court.


German Opposition Leader Backs Senior Aide

Germany's opposition leader gave her backing to a senior aide in a dispute over payments he received from his former employer, a utility company.


Orbetello, 17:52 - CICLISMO, GIRO GROSSETO: ARRIVO PERICOLOSO, NIENTE VOLATA

Singolare protesta dei ciclisti alla seconda tappa del Giro di Grosseto. Il gruppo ha ritenuto tropp...


Directors to lobby for a smarter workforce

THE Institute of Directors is to lobby government to recruit more teachers and reduce classroom sizes to improve education standards.


Three lawmakers launch bids to lead Japan's ruling party, kicking off the race to succeed PM Junichiro Koizumi.


U.S. sees progress on new Iran sanctions: official

Major powers made progress on Thursday on agreeing on new sanctions on Iran and hope to have their U.N. ambassadors begin drafting a formal U.N. Security Council resolution next week, a senior U.S. official said.


TierneyLab: Smart Elevators, Dumb People

Now that Donald Norman and Lab readers have analyzed the water faucets in the office building of the future, let us contemplate an even more important topic: the elevators. Dr. Norman, the Northwestern cognitive scientist and illustrious techno-critic, had no trouble dealing with the elevators in the New York Times new headquarters, but that's because [...].


Spain legalises gay marriages, sparks Church anger

The Spanish government approved a bill to legalise homosexual marriages, which will make it only the third country in Europe to condone same-sex marriages -- but the move sparked fury within a still influential ...


Marsh to Pay $850 Million to Settle Charges by Spitzer

The largest insurance brokerage company in the U.S. was accused of taking payoffs from insurance companies to send them clients.


The US civilian who formerly governed Iraq after the coalition invasion says the United States did not have enough troops there. Paul Bremer, administrator for the US-led occupation government until the handover


The new TV network from the founders of Digg will be unveiled tonight. We


U.S. military prepares Haditha murder case charges

The U.S. military is expected to charge at least five U.S. Marines in the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, and the charges could include murder, defense officials said on Wednesday.


'Madden' Week No. 1 Game Sales Top 1.3 Million

"Madden NFL 2005," the latest version of Electronic Arts Inc.'s pro football video game franchise, sold more than 1.3 million copies in its first week, giving a strong kick-off to one of EA's top sellers, the company said on Thursday.


BAGHDAD A senior aide to the rebel Iraqi cleric Moktada al-Sadr was released from US detention on Thursday, said an aide to Sadr, Sheik Mahmoud Sudani.


Bush said to have been specially treated during National Guard ...

New-found documents suggest that US President George W. Bush received favorable treatment during his time in the National Guard, media reports said Thursday.


German Police Detain 10 Neo-Nazis Before Hess March

German police detained 10 neo-Nazis on Saturday before a march marking the anniversary of the death of Adolf Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess.


No longer behind bars, a British citizen who spent 20 years on Ohio's death row was set to complete his long journey home Tuesday.


Airbus "superjumbo" roll-out puts Boeing in Europe's slipstream

The biggest passenger airliner the world has ever seen will roll out of its hangar for the first time next week to proud smiles from European leaders who backed its construction -- and a scowl from the US company Boeing, whose king-of-the-skies status has been lost.


Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist held hostage in Gaza, was freed and handed over to Palestinian officials early on Wednesday after a late-night deal with the al Qaeda-inspired group that kidnapped him in March.


There are four states holding presidential primaries on March 4, with 370 Democratic and 256 Republican delegates up for grabs.


Group including Mansell says it has deal to save British GP

A group that includes former Formula One champion Nigel Mansell said Thursday it had reached a deal with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to promote the race.


Authorities cancelled all horse races in four Australian states on Saturday after the country's first outbreak of equine influenza, which has set off fears of massive financial losses.


An Arabic language television station broadcast video Monday showing three hooded gunmen threatening to behead a Turkish hostage within three days unless the Americans release all Iraqi prisoners and all Turks leave Iraq.


Curl up with Apple TV and enjoy a romantic movie

From Breakfast At Tiffanyâs to Once to Shakespeare in Love, youâll find plenty of perfectly romantic titles to rent from iTunes. And now that the Apple TV software update is available, you can browse, choose, and rent your Valentineâs evening movie right from a cozy corner of your sofa. Come see how easy it is to update your Apple TV.


Bush says Kosovo to be independent, delights Albania

U.S. President George W. Bush said on Sunday the United Nations should grant independence quickly to the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo, and if Russia continued to block it then the West would act.


Elseneer revelation shows tennis is clean : ATP

The governing body of men's tennis has dismissed suggestions that corruption is rife in the sport after Belgian Gilles Elseneer said he was offered 100,000 euros ($141,600) to throw a first-round Wimbledon match in 2005.


EADS launches plan to keep military transport plane on track

Faced with "significant" challenges to its new military transport plane, aeronautical and defence group EADS has announced an "action plan" in an attempt to stick to its delivery timetable.


He's well into his 80s now, but the work continues for avant-garde filmmaker Jonas Mekas. His latest project: Producing one film each day in 2007, blending new footage with his enormous archive of film shot during the heyday of the underground New York art scene. A Wired News interview by Jason Silverman.


Eberharter Announces Retirement from Competitive Skiing

Four-time Olympic medalist Stephan Eberharter of Austria has announced his retirement from competitive skiing. Eberharter told reporters in Vienna that 20 years of the sport is enough for him.


National security adviser Condoleezza Rice said yesterday it is still unclear whether Iraq attempted to procure tens of thousands of aluminum tubes for a nuclear weapons program or a conventional


THE administration of US President George W Bush will agree to write off the $US4.1 billion ($5.4 billion) worth of debt Iraq racked up during the regime of Saddam Hussein.


ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - The founding pastor of a second Colorado church has resigned over gay sex allegations, just weeks after the evangelical community was shaken by the scandal surrounding megachurch leader Ted Haggard.


The dollar moved in narrow ranges against the yen on Monday as option-related and exporter selling capped the U.S. currency and traders awaited the Bank of Japan's key corporate sentiment survey.


Pakistani Arrested in N.C. Pleads Innocent

A Pakistani man arrested while videotaping the city's skyline pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal court to six nonterrorism-related charges.


Livorno, 18:37 - CALCIO, LIVORNO; CAMOLESE: RIPRENDERE LA MARCIA POSITIVA

Prima della partenza per Palermo, dove domani si gioca l'anticipo delle ore 18, il Livorno di Camole...


Police should only be allowed to keep the DNA of people convicted of a crime, a UK bioethics group says.


Kobe Bryant scores 27 points and the United States cruises into the semifinals of the FIBA Americas tournament as the No. 1 seed by beating Argentina, 91-76.


Iran is arming Taliban, U.S. diplomat says

The United States has "irrefutable evidence" that Tehran is transferring arms to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, a top U.S. diplomat told CNN Wednesday, noting that NATO forces have intercepted some of the arms shipments.


The Minnesota Twins insisted they were a far better team than the one steamrolled out of last year's division series by the New York Yankees. And they might have been.


The chairman of Kenya's Anti-Corruption Advisory Board has resigned, accusing President Mwai Kibaki of interfering in the board's work.


South African prosecutors bring corruption charges against Jacob Zuma, leader of the governing ANC party.


Russia Counts Cost of Bloody End to School Siege

Russia began counting the cost on Saturday at the end of siege of a school captured by Chechen gunmen which killed at least 200 people and cast


Music Review: Working Hard to Make the Old Numbers, Familiar and Otherwise, Sound New

Pianist Bill Charlap, who performed with his trio at Dizzyâs Club Coca-Cola on Tuesday, seems less interested in stylistic eras of jazz than its ever-relevant ideal of melody and efficacy.


The state of California has warned residents that their personal data may have been stolen from computers at the University of California, Berkeley, after a database used by researchers there was compromised by hackers.


Automated orders push U.S. trading capacity limits

As automated trading bombards equities markets, the networks connecting U.S. market centers are being tested by overwhelming volume.


Unheralded Larrabee plots AMD and Nvidia takedown

Intel by any other name A shadowy organization called Larrabee Development Group has set a most ambitious goal: unseating AMD/ATI and Nvidia as the largest producers of high-end graphics chips. And it might just succeed.â¦


Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has described the current situation in Iraq as "dire".


Wounded Mexican police appear day after 9 people found shot near ...

Two federal police agents were discovered wounded but alive on Friday near Cancun, a day after nine other people in the area were found slain in what appeared to be drug-related violence.


Honest Realtor Offers Gruesome Apartment

A Norwegian real estate investor tired of glowing but inaccurate property advertisements opted for blunt honesty in offering an apartment for sale.


American Zombies Blamed for Bulk of Spam

Sophos attributed the US's ranking to the prevalence of high-capacity broadband Internet connections there. Small offices and home users with such connections are attractive targets that increasingly


I'm sorry to see that my blog entry on recent controversies over freedom turned into a thread about TiVo. But since TiVo seems to be such a hot button, I would like to address that issue directly. I made the point in the discussion that TiVo did not license its hardware under the GPL (duh, GPL is a software license, after all), or even a GPL-like license.  So all the fuss about what rights you have with respect to TiVo hardware is nonsense.  Sure, you have the right to modify the hardware because you bought it.  But you will void your warranty, and TiVo is under no obligation to provide you with the schematic, BIOS, or anything else to make it easy to modify the hardware.  Having said that, let's cut through all the posturing about what rights we have, and get to the real issue here, which is what motivated TiVo to use a digital signature, and what would motivate people to modify the TiVo software and run the modified version on a TiVo box.


Alcoa Inc. AA.N, the world's biggest  aluminum producer, posted only slightly better quarterly  earnings  on Thursday, as higher metal prices were offset by  sky-rocketing costs of labor disruptions and damage from  Hurricane Ivan.


EU relaunch as leaders end two years of constitutional limbo

The European Union ended two years of limbo at the weekend by agreeing new guidelines for the 27-member club's future and throwing off the shackles of the failed constitution.


HSBC to get $1.5 bln from Taiwan to take over bank

HSBC (0005.HK) will receive  T$47.5 billion ($1.5 billion) in Taiwan government funds and  make a major cash infusion to rescue the failed Chinese Bank,  in the latest Taiwan acquisition by a major foreign bank.


The scandal-hit former head of the Organisation of American States is arrested in his native Costa Rica.


Economy Grows at 3.7 Percent Annual Rate

The economy grew at a 3.7 percent annual rate in the third quarter _ a pace slightly better than in the spring but not as strong as many analysts expected.


The government is considering a reduction in the current number of  district councils from 26 to seven.


Oslo - Per rubare due capolavori di Munch, Il grido e la Madonna, non hanno esitato ad usare le armi. I banditi, due, pistola in pugno e mascherati, fotografati casualmente da un turista, hanno fatto irruzione


Move over Netflix, VOD services; here comes Apple

Apple has taken the online movie rental business to a new level by signing deals that enable iTunes to offer first-run films.


An Italian man who has broken out of a string of prisons escapes from jail in northern Italy in his fourth escape.


EU to move Kosovo away from U.N. if no deal: Solana

BRUSSELS/PRISTINA, Serbia  - Seeking to raise pressure on Russia, the European Union said on Thursday it could withdraw the issue of Kosovo's final status from the U.N. Security Council if Moscow does not accept a resolution soon.


Fifa unanimously agrees to drop the World Cup rotation from 2018.


The Sporting News - 1. Neither starting pitchers -- Boston's Jon Lester and Colorado's Aaron Cook -- have started a postseason game in the majors. Whoever can conquer his nerves gives his team the best shot at winning. Given that Lester will be pitching with a 3-0 series lead and staff ace Josh Beckett is in line for a Game 5 start, if necessary, Lester has more reasons to relax and let it go.


Deepa Mehta's Water loses out to The Lives of Others in the best foreign film category at the Oscars.


Lo ha reso noto l'Azienda di trasporti milanese


The Protestant extremist who triggered a dramatic evacuation of the Northern Ireland Assembly was charged Saturday with attempting to murder five people, including Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.


Without the Wall, emptying of eastern Germany gathers pace

Wall or no wall, eastern Germany's best and brightest still want to get out. Since 1991, the first full year of Germany unity, 2 million people have migrated to the economically sounder west of Germany and ...


The wife of British hostage Kenneth Bigley has begged his captors to show mercy and set him free. Sombat, who has been married to the civil engineer for seven years, said he is an ordinary, hard-working family man.


This is a boomtown, but it is also scattered with signs of bust — namely, homeless people. And the city is taking a hard line against them.


For Stimulus Package, Devil Is In Details

The White House is stalling on unveiling its economics plan. Smart move.


Mibtel +0,01%, SP/Mib invariato, All Stars +0,17%


Iran president says Bush confrontational

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that President Bush sent a "message of confrontation" during his recent Mideast trip.


An international conference aimed at supporting the Iraqi political process begins in Egypt.


Instant messaging worm exploits JPEG flaw

Security experts have spotted the first attempts to create an Internet worm that propagates using instant messages and exploits a recently disclosed flaw in Microsoft software.


Channel bids to win back trust from viewers following the spate of recent 'TV fakery' scandals.


Hydro-Quebec had the right to cut power at house of delinquent account holder

OTTAWA (CP) - Hydro-Quebec had the right to cut power at the home of clients who refused to pay the utility money from another building they own, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday.


(CBS/AP) Defying a key demand set by 35 nations, Iran announced Tuesday that it has started converting raw uranium into the gas needed for enrichment, a process that can be used to make nuclear weapons.


Northern rivers are pouring more fresh water into the Arctic Ocean, UK researchers say.


P&G Offers $54 Bln in Stock for Gillette

Procter & Gamble Co. is near a deal to  buy Gillette Co. for more than $54 billion in stock, creating a  dominant consumer products manufacturer with unprecedented sway  over retailers, sources familiar with the situation said on  Thursday.


Doubts aired on how all Iraqis can vote, and who will protect them

Top US officials differed Friday over key details of planned Iraqi elections in January, including the unresolved issue of whether all Iraqis will be able to vote and who will protect them from their country's worsening violence.


Man Utd manager attacked at London train station

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has been attacked at a north London railway station.


Emerald Isle gets IPTV Italian media magnate Silvio Scaglia is to set up the international headquarters of his new internet broadcasting service in Dublin.â¦


US House reluctantly passes Iraq war budget

The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a 120 billion dollar Iraq war budget, after Democrats reluctantly agreed to President George W. Bush's demands to strip it of troop withdrawal dates.


Stocks rose on Tuesday after forecast-topping earnings from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc  calmed investors' fears about the recent credit turmoil as investors anticipated an interest rate cut.


Charm in hand, superstitious Kerry hopes luck will pull him through

John Kerry will have lunch at one of former president John F. Kennedy's favorite restaurants. The superstitious Democratic presidential candidate, who is clinging to his lucky charms, is hoping fate finds him a new home in the White House.


Indonesia's Suharto has multiple organ failure

Indonesia's former president Suharto has suffered multiple organ failure and is on a ventilator, doctors said, while the Vice President had been summoned to his bedside to witness the 86-year-old's death.


The first TB vaccine to be developed in more than eighty years has passed safety trials in the UK.


The handful of grain Abiye Omar clutches in her skinny hand has traveled a long way from the fertile fields of midwestern America to this desolate Somali seaside town.


Blair speech kindles speculation over EU presidency

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair  kindled speculation he was running to be the first president of  the European Union by praising the bloc in a speech in Paris as  France prepares to oversee the appointment process.


Five new bluetongue cases prompt the extension of control zones in East Sussex and East Anglia.


Venezuelan official detained in New York

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro was detained Saturday at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, according to a spokeswoman for the country's U.N. mission.


War crimes team unearths Iraq's 'killing fields'

US-led war crimes investigators in Iraq yesterday unearthed a mass grave containing the bodies of men, women and children they hope will provide evidence to help convict Saddam Hussein of human rights atrocities.


Yanks lose 2-1 at Toronto on Thomas' hit

Even before he stepped on the mound in Toronto, rookie Ian Kennedy was thinking about his first trip to Fenway Park with the New York Yankees.


Zarqawi Group Kidnaps Japanese Man in Iraq -TV

A group led by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said it had taken hostage a Japanese man in Iraq and gave the Japanese government 48 hours to withdraw its forces from the country, Al Jazeera television said on Tuesday.


KANSAS CITY, Mo.  - Agriculture products company  Monsanto Co. MON.N on Monday said it will buy vegetable and  fruit seed company Seminis Inc. for about $1 billion from a  private equity firm to capitalize on the trend toward healthier  eating and enhance its seed portfolio.


More and more Americans are waking up Christmas morning to find Santa's presents nestled under the plastic branches of an artificial tree.


Arts & entertainment: Radio 3 DJ pleads guilty to drink-driving and breaching an order banning him from approaching his ex-girlfriend.


South Africa's justice ministry on Monday began studying a request from Equatorial Guinea to question Mark Thatcher who has been charged with bankrolling an alleged coup plot to topple the government in Malabo.


South Korea's first woman PM to run for president

South Korea's first woman prime minister announced on Monday that she would stand in December's presidential election, seeking to represent left-leaning forces.


A PROPOSAL to settle a lawsuit brought last year by PeopleSoft shareholders has failed to clear court, after a judge found it unfairly cut off their right to sue over the company's resistance to a takeover by Oracle.


Occhi su Swisscom che potrebbe lanciare un'opa


Citigroup Is Said to Be Planning 1,000 Job Cuts

Citigroup plans to eliminate about 1,000 jobs at its corporate and investment bank, according to a person close to the company, the latest signal that the company is placing a renewed emphasis on cutting costs and bolstering shareholder returns.


Il commissario straordinario individua siti vecchi e nuovi dove trasferire i rifiuti. Ed Ã¨ protestaIl vicepremier in tv difende Bassolino ma non il ministro. Insorgono i Verdi: "Esterrefatti"                                          Rifiuti, arriva il piano De Gennaro intanto Ã¨ scontro Rutelli-Pecoraro


The new card transfers at 4MB per second, with capacity to hold thousands of images.


Ready to Start, Rookie Now Waits on Giants

The Giants have not announced whether first-round pick Aaron Ross would supplant either Sam Madison or Corey Webster at corner back when the Giants play at Washington on Sunday.


Al-Zarqawi's group calls for release of CARE executive Margaret ...

CAIRO, Egypt There's been a call for the release of the CARE International director in Iraq, Margaret Hassan, and it purportedly comes from the terrorist group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (AH'-boo MOO'-sahb zahr-KOW'-ee).


YIWU, China - For more than three years, Khaled Rasheed and his family spent the nights huddled in fear as bombs exploded near their home in Baghdad. Like generations of would-be emigrants before him, he dreamed of a better life elsewhere. But where?


Violenti temporali, in particolare su regioni tirreniche


U.S. and Iraqi troops backed by attack aircraft clashed with suspected Shiite militiamen before dawn Thursday in Baghdad, bombing houses and battling more than a dozen snipers on rooftops. Residents and police said at least 14 people were killed.


Sweet Gene Steers Kids Away From Vegetables

MONDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- If you couldn't get enough of sweets when you were young, chances are your child will share your palate's passion.


Sono buone le condizioni del neonato lasciato nella culla del Policlinico CasilinoGli Ã¨ stato dato il nome del dottore che lo ha curato. Avviate le pratiche per l'adozione                                            Mistero sul bimbo nella ruota degli esposti probabilmente Ã¨ italiano, si chiamerÃ  Stefano


Yahoo buys ad firm BlueLithium for $300 million

InfoWorld - Yahoo continued its pursuit of online ad rivals with a $300 million purchase of private online advertising firm BlueLithium, the Internet giant announced Wednesday.


A disorderly intoxication charge against David Faustino was dropped, but the man who played Bud Bundy on "Married with Children" still faces a drug charge.


Guinea's army chief partially lifts the curfew allowing people to go out between midday and 1800.


Hackers target hole in BrightStor backup software

Symantec issued an alert after exploit code was posted to the Securityfocus Web site. The alert raised the urgency and severity of an earlier warning about the security holes in ARCServe Backup versions 9.01 through 11.5 SP1, as well as CA's Business Protection Suite software.


Pigeon lovers set for the battle of Trafalgar

Pigeon lovers are set to take London Mayor Ken Livingstone to court to force him to let them continue feeding the birds he calls "flying rats" in the capital's Trafalgar Square.


Alabama town uses "Mockingbird" to learn from past

MONROEVILLE, Alabama  - When Harper Lee wrote "To Kill A Mockingbird" she could not have known it would be hailed as a classic, much less that it would shape the way her hometown viewed its past.


Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said Friday the head of the Justice Department's voting rights division should be fired for saying voter ID laws hurt the elderly but aren't a problem for minorities because they often die before old age.


Gore completes renovations to Tenn. home

Al Gore, who was criticized for high electric bills at his Tennessee mansion, has completed a host of improvements to make the home more energy efficient, and a building-industry group has praised the house as one of the nation's most environmentally friendly.


Swedes in danger of loving crayfish delicacy to death

Swedes worship crayfish, holding large parties every summer to celebrate the little red shellfish in a feast that is as important for its rituals as its gastronomic delight.


Sporadic Clashes in Najaf, Handover Talks Hit Snag

NAJAF, Iraq  - Fighters loyal to Iraqi cleric  Moqtada al-Sadr clashed sporadically with U.S. troops in Najaf  Saturday after talks with religious authorities to end a siege  at the city's holiest shrine ran into difficulties.


'Blue Monday' Kicks Off Online Shopping Season

Though U.S. consumers spent the weekend setting records at brick-and-mortar stores for Black Friday, they returned to work on Monday to set "Blue Monday" shopping records online.


Rock star Ozzy Osbourne tells of his struggle with a burglar who escaped with jewellery from his mansion.


Difesa di due funzionari di polizia deposita memoria


Colgate-Palmolive Co. CL.N on Monday  issued its first formal profit warning in almost a decade,  citing higher marketing spending and raw-material costs,  sending its shares down 11 percent to a four-year low.


India's "Untouchables Queen" gains power, enemies

For a leader dubbed the  "Untouchables Queen" who runs one of India's poorest states, it  was indeed a birthday bash fit for royalty.


Links to this week's topics from search engine forums across the web: Click-Fraud Said to be 50% of Clicks - PPC [Pay Per Click] And Affiliate Marketing, Will It Last? - Press Releases for Link Development - New Adwords Traffic Estimator - AdWords: Is Broadmatch Really Bad? - Marketing Tactics with Shopping Search Engines - How To Optimize PDFs


Ford will inject Â£534m into Jaguar, after the UK car maker had to cover a writedown on its investments following a drop in production.


Ranbaxy withdrawal of drugs worries Health Ministry

FOLLOWING Ranbaxy Laboratories' decision to withdraw all its anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs from the World Health Organisation (WHO) list, the Health Ministry is concerned about this development and is likely to ask the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI


Losing an Edge, Japanese Envy Indiaâs Schools

Suffering a crisis of confidence these days about its ability to compete with its emerging Asian rivals, Japan is in the midst of a growing craze for Indian education.


Big Spending Bills Become Congressal Habit

Ronald Reagan, in his 1988 State of the Union address to Congress, hefted a 1,000-page, 14-pound spending bill and warned lawmakers against sending him more "behemoths" like this. "And if you do, I will not sign it."


Why earn 0.5% on your money when you could get 5% or 10%?


Rice: Israel Must Decide on Peace Process

The United States will ask Israel to make "hard decisions" as it moves toward peace with the Palestinians, and both sides must live up to their promises, Condoleezza Rice said Sunday during her first trip to the Middle East as secretary of state.


George Clooney and a companion were injured on Friday when their motorcycle collided with a car on a narrow road across the Hudson River from New York City.  Clooney suffered a broken rib and scrapes while his passenger, Sarah Larson, broke he...


Democrat Joe Biden charged Tuesday that President Bush's policies in Iraq are designed to confuse voters and ensure that a chaotic end to the war is delayed until after he leaves office.


Yushchenko, Yanukovich Agree on Working Group, Third Round in ...

The candidates in Ukraine âs disputed presidential election, after mediations that lasted nearly three hours Friday, agreed to set up a working group for further talks and declared the official poll results, which handed victory to pro-Moscow Prime


Medical Research Council saddened by death of Christopher Reeve

âWe were saddened to hear of the death of Christopher Reeve. He has been such an effective advocate of stem cell research, as well as being an extremely courageous individual who never lost hope that the


Washington University researchers are the first to grow a common cause of diarrhea, vomiting and other stomach problems in a lab, a move that a North Carolina expert said could speed along development of a vaccine, the university said Monday.


TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran said Saturday that it would continue its nuclear program but provide "guarantees" not to build atomic weapons, and warned Washington that the United States cannot stabilize neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan without Tehran's help.


Hockey Player Suspended After Mooning Fans

A minor league hockey player sitting in the stands was suspended after dropping his pants to fans in the crowd.


Belarus to implement Global AIDS Fund project against AIDS spread

Belarus began implementing a project on preventive measures and AIDS treatment in the republic that is financed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.


Sony Reports 25% Rise in Profit, but Lowers Its Forecast

Sony said its profit rose in the final three months of 2007, aided by robust sales of televisions and computer games.


Study finds U.S. bias against women in science

Women are being filtered out of   high-level science, math and engineering jobs in the United   States, and there is no good reason for it, according to a   National Academies report released on Monday.


Lanes' New Portola Valley Conservation Easement is Intended to Protect Home Site's Open Space After Original Stewards Are Gone

Bill and Jean Lane are using a well-established open space conservation  tool in a new way that they hope others may pick up.  Bill Lane, the former publisher of Sunset Magazine and former  U.S.


Australian soldier kills 1 in East Timor

An Australian soldier opened fire on a group of East Timorese attacking him with steel arrows on Friday, killing one of the youths and critically wounding two, government and hospital officials said.


Israel's PM appears to come close to admitting it has nuclear arms, but officials deny a change of policy.


Souness to Quit as Blackburn Coach, Join Newcastle, Sky Says

Blackburn Rovers coach Graeme Souness told his players he is quitting the Premiership soccer club, fueling speculation that he's set to join Newcastle United, Sky Sports reported, without saying where it got the information.


The end of an era as AOL officially retires Netscape

As we bid adieu to 2007 and prepare to enter the new year, AOL is also saying goodbye to memories: the company has finally killed off the Netscape Web browser - or what was left of it, anyway.


Q&A: Explorer prepares for Arctic expedition

Pen Hadow, who's preparing for a months-long trek across the Arctic, speaks on climate change, how technology has changed the life of an explorer, and the dangers of swimming with bears.


Two prominent lawmakers call a controversial program that assigns risk scores to international travelers secret and unlawful. The Bush administration disagrees, saying it's talked about the program repeatedly. In 27B Stroke 6.


Snow says strong dollar "foundation" of US policy

WASHINGTON  - US Treasury Secretary John Snow said a strong dollar is the "rock solid foundation" of US policy, but its value is best set in open currency markets.


A leading Democratic lawmaker lashed out at the former leaders of Germany and France, calling former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder a `political prostitute.'


A union leader at Alitalia says for the first time that he may consider job losses to help secure the future of the troubled Italian carrier.


Mobile operator expands roaming price cuts for regular voice services--but not data--across Europe.


For Values-Based Produce, a Heroic Seafaring Quest

âThe Pirates Who Donât Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movieâ is a rather ordinary film with faith at its core.


Disease Risks Rise After Philippine Typhoon

REAL, Philippines  - Flood waters receded in the  northern Philippines on Friday in the wake of a typhoon, but  thousands of people remained cut off from help, hungry and at  risk of disease after a week of severe flooding.


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


Fiamme divampate in pochi secondi, altri due molto gravi


Iran fiercely denies executing juvenile criminals or stoning people to death.


Kodak Updates Its Brownie to Compete in a Digital Age

To reorganize its digital camera product line, Kodak hired anthropologists and other social scientists to study how people used cameras.


Japan scientists find gene linked to heavy smoking

A team of Japanese scientists have found a gene closely linked to nicotine addiction, which could lead to more effective ways for smokers to kick the habit, a Japanese daily said on Wednesday.


Bank of England policymakers voted 9-0 to cut UK interest rates to 5.5% earlier this month, minutes show.


Rod Stewart on Track to Top U.S. Pop Charts

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - When Rod Stewart and Clive Davis  decided to inaugurate the singer's J Records deal with a  collection of gems from the Great American Songbook, did you  ever imagine that repertoire would become a franchise for the  British rocker? Now Stewart's third such album in three years  is on the verge of being his first No. 1 album in 25 years.


Despite a fall in sales of up to 40% Bernard Matthews - at the centre of a bird flu crisis - pledges to bounce back.


TIGER Woods will lock horns with the man who replaced him as world No. 1 when he plays his first tournament as a married man in the US PGA Tour Championship starting in Florida tomorrow.


Microsoft Debuts Own Web Search Technology

Microsoft Corp. finally debuted its own Web search technology on Thursday, hoping to challenge Google Inc.'s long dominance of the field with results tailored to a user's location and answers from its Encarta encyclopedia.


FRANCIA: EMESSO UN MANDATO DI CATTURA PER CESARE BATTISTI

(Asca-Afp) - Parigi, 30 ago - La Corte d'appello di Parigi ha emesso oggi un mandato di cattura nei confronti di Cesare Battisti, l'ex terrorista italiano che da dieci giorni ha fatto perdere le sue tracce.


A Hawaiian company specializing in streaming video claims to have developed a $50 software emulator that allows a Windows PC to run Apple Computer's Mac OS X. Maui X-Stream on Tuesday announced CherryOS, a virtual PC that mimics the hardware of a G4 Mac.


At Irvine, $99 Proves a Small Price for Success

In 1999, students at the University of California Irvine agreed to pay extra money to start a baseball program. Eight years later, the team is trying to make it to the College World Series.


Cheney's Influence Lessens in Second Term

Mistrustful of North Korea and its willingness to keep promises, Vice President Cheney worked hard in President Bush's first term to prevent talks aimed at halting that country's push to develop a nuclear bomb. At one point three years ago, he even bypassed the State Department to intervene in...


Spettacolo dimostra affinita' fra musica cantautore e danza


Mantova, 17:25 - CALCIO, MANTOVA: 20 CONVOCATI PER BRESCIA

Allenamento per il Mantova in vista della gara di Brescia, con il tecnico Tesser che al termine ha d...


Microsoft today made new versions of its dominant desktop programs, Windows and Office, available to business customers.


Crows as Clever as Great Apes, Study Says

While crows have a reputation for being clever birds, research now suggests they could be as intelligent as great apes.


Analysis: Lieberman loss poses challenge

Sen. Joe Lieberman's primary defeat Tuesday night came at the hands of Democratic voters angry over the war in Iraq and demanding that lawmakers stand up to President Bush rather than stand with him.


Malaria, drug-resistant TB flourish in Myanmar

MAE SOT, Thailand  - Simmering civil war, fake drugs and a non-existent health service in Myanmar are creating the perfect breeding ground for new, drug-resistant strains of killer diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.


COPENHAGEN, Denmark  -- Eight men with alleged links to leading senior al-Qaida terrorists were arrested in the heart of Denmark on Tuesday, the country's intelligence service said, claiming to have thwarted a bomb plot.


ABU DHABI - Opec vowed yesterday to do what it can to deflate record high oil prices that have soared above $53 a barrel, and top exporter Saudi Arabia promised to keep the world supplied with as much oil as it needs.


An elderly driver ran off the highway and was trapped and injured in her overturned car for nearly two days before a trooper saw skid marks and found her.


Sorenstam Is AP Female Athlete of the Year

She won early and often, and often by overwhelming margins. She won on four continents — in Australia, Sweden and Japan and in six of the 50 United States. She won a major, the most money and a remarkable 10 times in just 20 starts worldwide.


Bush Visits Hurricane Victims in Florida

FORT PIERCE, Fla. Sept. 8, 2004 - Hurricane-ravaged Florida struggled to replenish its fuel supply and keep emergency distribution centers stocked with basic supplies Wednesday as millions of hot and weary


European ministers are to discuss the death of the former Russian agent, Alexander Litvinenko.


Free-market Muslims speed Turkey's march West as leaders declare ...

As a devout Muslim, Celal Hasnalcaci believes women should cover their hair and dress modestly, as the Koran teaches. As


The man responsible for selling portions of Microsoft's (Quote, Chart) Windows NT and 2000 source code earlier this year was charged with one count of unlawfully distributing a trade secret by the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan Tuesday.


A UN official who branded the United States "stingy" with aid backed down yesterday as the Bush administration more than doubled its contribution to nations devastated by Sunday's tsunamis.


A homeless man arrested in the city's biggest fire in a decade will not be sent to prison. Under an agreement with prosecutors, Leszek Kuczera admitted to no crime in the 10-alarm blaze at a historic warehouse complex in Brooklyn. He will go to an alcohol-treatment program for about eight months.


Tony Blair meets Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to talk about Turkey entering the EU.


U.S. stocks rose slightly after the open on Wednesday on news computer maker Dell Inc.  reported better-than-expected preliminary earnings, boosting technology shares.


United Nations forces move in to one of the most violent slums in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.


Hamas leader targeted before Likud convention

GAZA, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- At least three people were killed and 12 others wounded in a blast ripping through the home of a senior Hamas militant in Gaza early Wednesday, hospital sources said.


Congress's Analysts See Worsening Deficit

The U.S. budget deficit will balloon  to $2.29 trillion over the next decade, congressional analysts  said on Tuesday, a worse outlook than previously forecast and  one likely to stir election-year debate about President Bush's  economic policies.


South Africa rebuffs Equatorial Guinea envoys

South Africa scrapped a planned meeting with prosecutors from Malabo seeking to question Mark Thatcher about his alleged involvement in a coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.


A record producer has sued rappers 50 Cent and Lil' Kim and two record companies for $2 million, claiming they failed to pay him royalties on a song that sold 2 million copies.


Manchester, England (Sports Network) - Malcolm Glazer, the owner of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is apparently preparing a new takeover offer for English soccer powerhouse Manchester United.


Harry: No Apology over Paparazzi Scuffle

Prince Harry will definitely not apologise to the paparazzi photographer over their scuffle outside a nightclub, the communications secretary to The Prince of Wales said today.


Santander sells stake in Royal Bank of Scotland

LONDON, September 9 (New Ratings) - Santander Central Hispano (BSD2.FSE) has indicated that it is selling a 2.51% stake in Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, in an attempt to seek regulatory approval to acquire UKâs Abbey National Plc.


Serena Williams set up a potential quarter-final meeting with fellow American Jennifer Capriati at the US Open by brushing aside Swiss seed Patty Schnyder.


German police detain 110 people at a march to mark the death of Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess.


Trial highlights deaths in women's prisons

Â· Former lecturer stages 26 protests outside UK jailsÂ· Howard League calls for alternative punishments


Business & money: Shakeup after Â£11.1bn takeover by private equity group KKR and former deputy chairman Pessina.


Rice pushes "roadmap" as Turkish troops enter Iraq

KIRKUK, Iraq  - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on a visit overshadowed by a Turkish incursion into northern Iraq, called on Iraqi leaders on Tuesday to urgently implement a national reconciliation roadmap.


Watson suspended by research lab after race row

DNA pioneer denies allegations of racism James Watson, the Nobel prize-winning scientist who caused an uproar earlier this week with his comments to a Sunday newspaper has been suspended by his research laboratory.â¦


Despite the Golden Globe Awards being reduced from a swanky dinner party to a no-frills news conference because of the writers' strike, gift suites remain in full swag.


US military to 'wind down' Indonesia quake work by late February: Malaysia

The United States military has indicated that it will wind down its relief operations in tsunami-hit Indonesia towards the end of February, Malaysia's Defence Minister Najib Razak said.


[TS] Sports of The Times: With New Face at Quarterback, Parcells Is Back to Same Old Self

Bill Parcells sounded like himself again on Wednesday Â the Jersey guy with a street-corner philosophy who softens his sarcasm with a smile.


9:26 am: Rival Palestinian factions force shutdown of West Bank ...

A standoff between rival Palestinian factions shut down a West Bank university on Monday, reflecting the growing state of chaos plaguing the Palestinian territories.


Police in St Petersburg find explosives, detonators and a gun in a city cinema closed for repairs.


Fears for Aung Suu Kyi after Burmese moderate is ousted

The Burmese junta has sacked Prime Minister Khin Nyunt and arrested him on corruption charges after a purge of the military intelligence headquarters in Rangoon.


At least 18 people were wounded in bomb attacks on two mosques in western India today, sparking clashes in which six policemen were hurt by an angry mob, police said.


Grim hunt for hundreds killed in Philippine typhoon

Distraught survivors  searched piles of bodies for the faces of their loved ones in  the central Philippines on Saturday after landslides triggered  by Typhoon Durian left hundreds dead.


com. If the Braves sweep their doubleheader against the Mets at Turner Field on Tuesday, Braves manager Bobby Cox will become the ninth manager in history to record 2,000 career wins.


Voters lured to neo-Nazi parties in German elections

NEO-NAZI parties made sweeping gains in vital regional elections in Germany last night to further tarnish the countryâs image and plunge Chancellor Gerhard SchrÃ¶derâs ruling coalition party into fresh crisis.


Mary Poppins, Producers Lead Race for UK Oliviers

"The Producers" and "Mary Poppins" went head-to-head Thursday when nominations were announced for the Laurence Olivier Awards, Britain's top theater honors.


A man accused of murdering 29 people in the Omagh bombing is due to go on trial in Northern Ireland.


Armed attackers have seized a school in town in southern Russia, and Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency says about 400 people, including 200 children, are being held.


FTSE 100 benefits from strong gains in US tech stocks

Leading shares closed higher as gains among Wall Street technology issues added to sentiment already buoyed by Johnson Matthey's reassuring trading update.


Afghan troops have foiled an attempt to blow up a fuel truck in the city of Kandahar in what the governor says could have been a "catastrophic" attack to disrupt a landmark election.


Lost in Notre Dame's disappointing 20-17 loss to Brigham Young last week was the surprise start of sophomore Tom Zbikowski at strong safety.


The first minister concedes that job cuts are inevitable in efforts to cut public sector costs in Scotland.


Unusually apathetic response from Google to 'sharing' complaints

An experiment started two weeks ago by Google to leverage its Talk application as a way of sharing news feeds from Google Reader, has been met with some derision. What may be more surprising, though, is the company's response.


L.A. judge sides with "Borat" against frat boys

As the esteemed Kazakh television journalist Borat Sagdiyev might say: "High Five. Sexy Time. You Lose."


Blair to discuss trade ties, Iran with Chinese PM

Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was set to hold talks with his British counterpart Tony Blair including on strengthening trade ties, energy policy and resolving the Iran nuclear crisis.


The Dallas Cowboys are taking their distinctive hole-in-the-roof design with them to their $1 billion new stadium.


Service Guards Kids' Cell Phones from Predators

'Radar' tracks usage, limits calls, and alerts parents to possible danger.


A few diabetics have been able to give up their daily insulin shots after getting transplants of pancreas cells, according to the broadest study of this experimental treatment. But for most patients, the results fell short of the cure researchers have been seeking.


Despite the losing record, there is plenty of optimism surrounding the Bentley College men's hockey team.


The Boston public school system won the nation's largest prize in public education Tuesday, earning $500,000 in college scholarships for making steady gains in the classroom.


U.S. recession may benefit Indian outsourcers

Close on the heels of the appreciation of the Indian rupee against the dollar, Indian outsourcing companies are grappling with a new problem -- uncertainty among U.S. companies about a recession has made these companies delay finalizing their IT budgets.As a result many large deals between U.S. clients and Indian outsourcers will not be finalized in the first half of this year, said Sudin Apte, senior analyst and country head for India at Forrester Research.Business will however pick up for Indian outsourcers by the fourth quarter, particularly if the U.S. economy is in mild recession, Apte said."Our experience is that if the IT budgets of U.S. customers are marginally impacted in a recession, then there is an increase in business offshore, to cut costs," Apte said. If the cuts are too large, whole projects can however get canned, he warned.The U.S. is the largest market for Indian outsourcers."We believe that the recessionary nature of today's economic climate will promote the adoption of increased outsourcing," said Siddharth Pai, a partner at outsourcing consultancy firm, Technology Partners International Inc. (TPI) in Houston, Texas.TPI does not as yet see a cut in either discretionary or non-discretionary spending on IT by companies.Forrester said Monday that the IT services and outsourcing market will increase by 4 percent this year to $162 billion from a growth rate of 6 percent a year earlier. The research firm forecast slowing growth this year for purchases of IT products and services in the U.S.National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom), a trade organization in Delhi, however remains optimistic about the growth of India's outsourcing industry. The industry is optimistic of achieving its target of $60 billion in software and services exports by March, 2010, the association said Monday.In the fiscal year to March 31, the industry expects export revenues of $40.3 billion, up by 29 percent from export revenue in the previous year.Problems for India's outsourcing industry could get however compounded as its customers abroad have seen a drop in overall satisfaction and a drop in value for money from offshore outsourcing to India, according to a Forrester survey. India is still preferred as an offshore destination because it is the only country where foreign companies can hire staff in the thousands, Apte said.


By Marie McCullough, The Philadelphia Inquirer  Jan. 31--Silicone-gel breast implants are back.


Max McGee, the free-spirited Green Bay Packers receiver who became part of Super Bowl lore after a night on the town, died when he fell while clearing leaves from the roof of his home. He was 75.


The tech move upward was led by Intel, which rose by 1.3 percent after announcing its longtime president and COO would move up to CEO next May.


Blair and Bush Promise Push for Middle East Peace

By James Lyons and Andrew Woodcock, PA Political Correspondents. President George Bush and Tony Blair tonight vowed to make a renewed push for Middle East peace following the death of Yasser Arafat.


THE US Government has moved for the first time to block unsolicited circulation on the Internet of spyware, a type of software that can inundate web users with pop-up ads, secretly take control of their computers and spy on their online activities.


How Companies Unload Unwanted Subsidiaries

The desperate corporations that will do anything to unload unwanted subsidiaries.


Israel Says West Bank Troop Pullback Possible Soon

Israel is likely to pull back its  troops from several West Bank cities within days, Defense  Minister Shaul Mofaz said Sunday, in a further sign of  cooperation with a new Palestinian leadership.


Jermain Defoe's controversial penalty earns Tottenham a narrow victory over Portsmouth.


Rincon City Council Approves Water-Usage Fines

By Eric Curl, Savannah Morning News, Ga.  May 31--The Rincon City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday  night establishing fines for violating set water-usage restrictions.


Canada threatens to pull soldiers from Afghanistan

Canada will pull its 2,500 troops out of Afghanistan early next year unless NATO sends in significant reinforcements, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Monday, signaling Ottawa has lost patience with what it sees as foot-dragging by allies.


Pádraic Brady's Blog: Complex Views with the Zend Framework - Pt 5: The Two-Step View Pattern

Pádraic Brady is back today with the latest installment (part 5!) of his look at complex views in the Zend Framework. This time, her focuses on something called the Two-Step Pattern - a pattern similar to the Layouts pattern.   Part 5 of our series takes a small time-out from approaching a Composite View solution to reusable Views to take a peek at a simpler approach useful for simpler types of web applications. As we've discussed previously Composite Views allow the nesting of reusable View elements, effectively building a View based on a hierarchy of Views. But often there are simpler solutions to simpler problems. One such solution is the Two-Step View pattern, sometimes called Layouts if implemented in a specific way (as we do below!).   He gives the example of a simple website that needs a header and footer on every page. Rather than having to duplicate the header/footer calls across all of the pages, the Layout (Step-Two) pattern defines a single template that contains the header and footer but also uses a "main" area where the content is dynamically inserted.   He includes a full code example to help illustrate the point - a class, Zps_View, that is fed the path to the layouts and the layout files to use before rendering.


Vodafone targets Japan with 3G offensive

Cell phone giant Vodafone Group sought on Wednesday to restore faith in its phones as it unveiled plans for 10 new third-generation (3G) handsets for Christmas to help shore up its struggling Japanese unit.


U.S. soldiers fought with suspected insurgents using a building as a safe house in Ramadi on Tuesday, killing one Iraqi man and five females, ranging in age from an infant to teenagers, the U.S. military said.


Putin promises 2bn dollars to subsidize medicines under Russian ...

Russia is to allocate 2bn dollars to reduce prices of medicines within the framework of the implementation of the monetary benefits programme, [Russian] President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with representatives of India's business circles in


Firenze, 15:54 - CALCIO, FIORENTINA: FRANCHI APERTO AGLI ABBONATI

Porte aperte agli abbonati per Fiorentina-Empoli di domano. Il via libera è arrivato dopo l'o...


Is HIV a time bomb under the mining industry?

From Africa to Russia, from Peru to China, mining companies face a problem: the workers who haul up the earth's riches are coming down with AIDS, and it is hampering operations at a time of booming demand for minerals.


DaimlerChrysler AG DCX.N  DCXGn.DE said on Thursday the U.S. Securities and Exchange  Commission has opened a probe into the automaker's compliance  with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which includes  anti-bribery provisions.


Survivors Face Hunger as Muslim Festival Nears

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia  - Hunger stalked some  tsunami survivors in outlying villages of Indonesia on Thursday  as the death toll from the Indian Ocean disaster soared above  226,000.


I "nuovi ladri" si vestono e si comportano come manager. Ogni anno i reati sono oltre 11 milaPiÃ¹ 30 %, i ladri colpiscono soprattutto in prima classe. La Polfer: "PiÃ¹ agenti a bordo"                                            Arsenio Lupin viaggia in Eurostar   Boom di furti e rapine sui treni                                                                                di CATERINA PASOLINI


Empoli, 17:31 - CALCIO, EMPOLI: SOPRALLUOGO A STADIO PER ADEGUAMENTO UEFA

Si è svolto in mattinata un incontro tra l'assessore allo sport del Comune di Empoli Maurizio...


Gunmen fire several shots into a taxi they had just got out of in the mainly loyalist Shankill area of west Belfast.


Some 28 people are arrested in a global operation against a website allegedly involved in identity fraud.


Version 8 of Microsoft Works, the company's low-cost productivity suite, has been released and will ship this month. Works includes a word processor, spreadsheet and database applications, along with e-mail tools. The new release adds an improved calendar, PowerPoint viewer and a new stand-alone dictionary. Works 8 will retail for $49.95 USD, with a $10 rebate available to some customers. But Microsoft's academic version of Office remains a better deal for most households.


Russian officials remain baffled after examining the black boxes from Tuesday's mystery double air crash.


Lampert, who kept industry observers guessing, guided Kmart-Sears ...

DETROIT - For the last year and a half, industry observers have speculated about Kmart Holding Corp. chairman Edward Lampert's plans since the troubled retailer emerged from bankruptcy.


Company Making Fake Urine for Researchers

In Kevin Dyches' mind, the future is yellow. Dyna-Tek Industries, a company Kevin and his wife, Sandra, bought five years ago, has developed synthetic urine for the research industry.


Anxious Russians probe twin air crash tragedies

Russian investigators labored yesterday to determine whether terrorism caused the near-simultaneous crashes of two jetliners, killing all 89 people aboard and spreading


Hundreds of Metropolitan Police officers have to retake their promotion exams after mistakes by examiners.


Rise of German far right a rebuke to Merkel

SCHWERIN, Germany  - A far-right anti-foreigner   party has embarrassed German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a   regional election in her home state and delivered a wake-up   call to her 10-month-old government.


Consumer Prices Surged 0.6 Percent in October

Pushed by higher energy prices, US consumer prices rose in October, the Labor Department said today. The seasonally adjusted consumer price index rose 0.6 percent in October, the largest gain since May.


Rapper Prodigy off to prison, rapping in tongues

As rapper Prodigy prepares to begin  a three-and-a-half-year prison term for illegal gun possession,  he is using a creative marketing approach for his new solo  album, "H.N.I.C. 2," due March 9.


VATICANO - Cammino di preghiera per la Quaresima -  La I stazione della Via Crucis: GesÃ¹ Ã¨ condannato a morte CittÃ  del Vaticano (Agenzia Fides) - Proponiamo alla riflessione ed alla meditazione, la I stazione della Via Crucis secondo lo schema usato il 25 marzo 2005, VenerdÃ¬ Santo, per il rito celebrato al Colosseo.   Preghiera iniziale Nel nome del Padr...


âSarah Landon and the Paranormal Hourâ swan-dives into the tween-teenage market dominated by the behemoths Disney and Nickelodeon.


Wildlife delegates endorse plan to end Africa's illicit ivory ...

By DANIEL LOVERING Associated Press Writer BANGKOK, Thailand . The African elephant has a new line of defense against poachers after a global wildlife conference approved measures aimed at wiping out the continent's illegal ivory trade.


Bush Soc. Sec. Plan to Allow Tax Diversion

The Bush administration is focusing on a Social Security proposal that would allow younger workers to invest nearly two-thirds of their payroll taxes in private accounts, with contributions limited to about $1,000 to $1,300 a year, an administration official said Tuesday.


Roma, 18:30 - CALCIO, TOTTI E LA SENSI CREANO LA 'FONDAZIONE ROMA 1927'

Rosella Sensi, amministratore delegato dell'A.S. Roma e il capitano giallorosso Francesco Totti, han...


Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, who failed to appear at a bond hearing Wednesday in San Francisco, was taken into custody in Grand Junction, Colorado, Thursday evening, the FBI and local police said.


FDA panel's safety concerns have sidetracked P&Gs Intrinsa.


Sony says global sales of PS3 to top 11 million

Worldwide sales of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 are expected to reach 11 million by the end of this fiscal year, a senior executive said in an interview published Saturday.


More than 150 cabin crew and ground staff at two London airports have called a new hotline to report bullying and abuse.


Apple introduces an iPod capable of storing and displaying photos in an effort to stay ahead in the market for digital music players.


The Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks in upstate New York brings the outdoors in.


AMD rolls out low-cost online-access device in India

US chip maker Advanced Micro Devices has unveiled a low-cost Internet access device that could cost just a few hundred dollars, aimed at first-time technology users in the developing world.


Little Room for Shorter Players on the Beach

Six years after the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour shrank the court, the small player has not vanished, but there are more taller athletes.


The new iPhone ad depicting a pilot, Bryce is making some people cry foul.


Detroit Red Wings star Chris Chelios and other members of the NHL Players' Association asked a federal court Monday to help them oust the union's executive director and award them millions of dollars in damages.


Chasing Bugatti: Two Upstart Carmakers Race to Beat the King

A top speed of 253.2 mph makes the Bugatti Veyron the fastest production car in the world. But times they are a-changin' as two rivals enter the scene boasting insane horsepower figures and ground-gripping aerodynamics.


A vehicle crashed into a school bus in heavy fog early Friday, injuring more than two dozen students, five of whom were taken to hospitals, the Ionia County sheriff's office said.


U.K. slams Russian decision on spy murder suspect

Britain said on Tuesday that Russia's refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoy, the main suspect in the murder of Russian emigre Alexander Litvinenko, was "unacceptable".


U.S. Soldier Sentenced to 8 Years for Prison Abuse

A U.S. military judge sentenced Staff  Sergeant Ivan Frederick to eight years in prison on Thursday  for sexually and physically abusing detainees at the Abu Ghraib  jail in Baghdad.


Sun starts bidding adieu to mobile-specific Java

As hardware gets more powerful, Sun expects the desktop version of Java to gradually replace the stripped-down mobile version. Will it un-fragment Java for gadgets?


Update 4: Kmart, Sears to Merge in $11 Billion Deal

The discount retailer Kmart Holding Corp. is combining with one of the most venerable names in US retailing, Sears, Roebuck & Co.


The United Nations recently predicted that the use of robots around the home by consumers is set to surge sevenfold by 2007 as more and more people get robot-mania, CBSNews.


Marxist Colombian rebels kept three hostages waiting to be released on Monday as leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez worried that more delays could derail the hand-over he had negotiated with the guerrillas.


Portraying shark bait concentrates actors' attention

Daniel Travis spent many long hours swimming next to dozens of real sharks to make Open Water, this summer's scariest movie. But he doesn't consider it his most dangerous encounter with Mother Nature.


U.S. Treasury prices sagged on  Wednesday as a rebound in regional manufacturing stoked  speculation the sector as a whole could be doing better.


A lawyer for a Harvard graduate student accused of stabbing a teenager to death said Monday the scholar was defending himself from an "unrelenting" beating, but prosecutors called him a drunken aggressor who had his knife out even before the fight began.


Milano, 17:04 - CALCIO, SERIE C1/A: PRO SESTO-CITTADELLA 0-2

Pro Sesto-Cittadella 0-2 nell'anticipo della 24/a giornata del campionato di serie C1/A. Il Cittadel...


Indian stock markets rebound after falls triggered by concerns about plans to curb foreign investment in shares.


McClatchy Reports 9.5 Percent Decline in Profit

A sharp falloff in real estate advertising in California and Florida hurt the newspaper publisher, but the second-quarter results still came in ahead of expectations.


The EU imposes a record 992m euro fine on four lift and escalator firms it found operated a price-fixing cartel.


Associate of Black savages report, as media feeds on tycoon's fall

VANCOUVER : A top ally of Conrad Black savaged a report into alleged looting of the tycoon's media empire, as the Canadian newspaper world feasted on the downfall of a man it once feared.


Cassini radar lifts the veil from Saturn's Titan

WASHINGTON - The first radar images of Titan, the cloud-shrouded moon of Saturn, revealed a relatively young, active surface, NASA said Friday (Oct. 29).


Oil prices slip as US jobs data fans economic worries

Oil prices slipped Friday after a shockingly weak US employment report fanned worries about recession and demand in the world's biggest energy consumer.


Lachlan Murdoch and the gambling magnate James D. Packer have made an offer of 3.3 billion Australian dollars ($2.9 billion) to buy Consolidated Media Holdings.


By the time the Tar Heels had finished scoring 21 straight points, spanning 6 minutes 14 seconds of the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, the display truly dramatized the best North Carolina had to offer. And it left Boston College with no chance of upsetting the No. 4 team in ...


Europe Nuke Deal Offers Iran Reactor Aid --Officials

European powers will offer this week to support Iranian construction of a light-water nuclear reactor, as part of a deal to persuade the Islamic republic to stop enriching


Run-Up in Home Values Runs Down in Fairfax

A six-year run of double-digit percentage increases in Fairfax County home assessments came to an abrupt end yesterday, as notices mailed to taxpayers showed that their properties have lost value for the first time since 1998.


After Ben Gordon scored a career-high 48 points yesterday, he was being compared to some pretty impressive company in the Chicago Bulls' locker room.


Bank regulators agree on subprime rules: sources

Bank regulators have agreed on new standards for subprime mortgage loans and are prepared to release it Friday, several sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.


US Senate to vote on controversial embyronic stem-cell bill

The US Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on a controversial embryonic stem-cell research measure already approved by the House of Representatives, raising the prospect of a veto by President George W. Bush for the first time.


Stars Align for 'Alias' in New Wednesday Slot

LOS ANGELES  - For "Alias" fans, it has  been a long summer and fall with no new adventures with Sydney  Bristow and her covert cohorts. But they're all coming back in  a big way at 9 p.m. Wednesday in the spy-fi drama's two-hour  fourth-season premiere.


Searching the skies with quasars Galaxy-hunting astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have turned up 14 previously undiscovered starburst galaxies, thanks to a new searching technique.â¦


Treasuries Lower Despite In-Line CPI Data

U.S. Treasuries prices limped to a  second session of losses on Friday as technical selling weighed  on a thin and weary year-end market.


Milano, 15:00 - CALCIO, MORATTI: CELLINO BUGIARDO, SUAZO HA FIRMATO PER L'INTER

Massimo Moratti, presidente dell'Inter, non ci sta e attacca Milan e Cagliari che stamattina hanno a...


…. history has the tendency to repeat itself over and over again. No, humans do not learn from past mistakes of their ancestors. They might learn from their own past mistakes, but that will be gone and forgotten by the next generation already. I wouldn’t be surprised if this little introduction raised an eyebrow or two [...]


Mexican State Recruits Cats to Fight Rats

Health authorities in the northern state of Chihuahua said Tuesday they are recruiting hundreds of cats to fight hundreds of thousands of rats.


Islamic group says it has beheaded two Italians

A shadowy Islamic organisation yesterday claimed it had decapitated two Italian women kidnapped in Baghdad a fortnight ago, promising to show the event on the internet.


Good feelings at India-Pakistan summit, but road to peace long ...

NEW DELHI: The leaders of India and Pakistan have brightened South Asia's peace hopes with a feel-good first meeting but skirted away from tough issues such as their half-century old conflict over Kashmir, analysts say.


Chelsea show temperament to get results at every level

This would have reminded Jose Mourinho of his years with Porto. The opposition came and did their best, which was never going to be enough, and an


U.S.: Cutting Funds Key to Cutting Terror

The international community must step up the financial war on terrorism and choke off funding for extremist groups, U.S. Treasury Undersecretary John Taylor has told a gathering a finance ministers in London.


The federal judge handling lawsuits against the nation's telecoms rules the companies have to answer spying allegations. But the real point is to force the feds to show their cards. In 27B Stroke 6.


Ditching the Suit, the Vest Struts Its Stuff

The vest has divorced itself from the three-piece suit.


NBA Wrap: Hamilton Leads Way, Pistons Shoot Down Nets

Richard Hamilton scored 37 points as  the Detroit Pistons out-scored the New Jersey Nets 13-3 in  overtime, leading the Pistons to a 100-90 win in Auburn Hills  Monday.


Clearwater, Fla.: Scientology stronghold

Sure, says Mayor Frank Hibbard. It can be a little unsettling sometimes — throngs of Scientologists wandering Clearwater's streets in their blue or khaki trousers and crisp dress shirts.


A leap in gasoline prices pushed the overall rate of inflation higher last month, but consumer prices nationwide generally appear to be increasing at a consistently slower rate.


The surges produced by the earthquake off Indonesia hit east Africa and the islands off its coast.


Taglio dei prezzi approvato ieri da Cda Agenzia del farmaco


Iran offers Russia cash to unblock nuclear plant

Russia warned Iran on Friday that the  Bushehr nuclear plant could face further delays unless Tehran  moved to resolve a payment row after days of talks ended with  no resolution to the dispute.


Presidential election frontrunner Mahmud Abbas said on Sunday that the Palestinians can only achieve independence through peaceful means and not with the use of weapons.


There is something almost spectral about the vision of the new bridge across the Tarn Valley at Millau. It is almost as though it is not connected to the normal laws of gravity.


After three decades as a prominent reporter in Ethiopia, the arrests and jailings -- punishment for articles deemed critical of the government -- became too much for Mulugeta Lule. He fled his country and now works for a District parking company.


ANOTHER COUNTRY is to be offered Microsoft's Windows XP Starter Edition, according to Associated Press. India - a country of over one billion souls - will be offered the cut down version of Windows XP using one of its official languages, Hindi.


Critics writing their lists, checking them twice

The awards race is on.  Not the race to position films for year-end awards  consideration -- that dance has been going on since at least  the September trifecta of the Telluride, Venice and Toronto  film festivals, if not before. No, the current race is the rush  by film organizations and critics' groups to be among the first  to anoint the best films of 2006.


The permanent Palestinian envoy in France, Leila Shahid, confirmed on Monday that Arafat does not have leukaemia or any other life-threatening illness.


Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi visits Berlin to secure a German boost for his country's  reconstruction.


The Palestinian militant group Hamas has urged its supporters to boycott next month's election of a new leader of the Palestinian Authority.


Man Attacks East China Kindergarten, Wounds 28

Twenty-eight children in eastern China  are in hospital a day after a man wielding a long knife and  homemade bombs attacked them in a kindergarten, officials and  state media said on Sunday.


By Siti Syameen Md Khalili  COME on, Malaysians. It is our country's 50th anniversary of independence and Visit Malaysia Year 2007.


Three killed as Myanmar troops battle protests

Seething crowds of Buddhist monks and civilians filled the streets of Myanmar's main city on Wednesday, defying warning shots, tear gas and baton charges meant to quell the biggest anti-junta protests in 20 years.


Well this explains all those animal noises reportedly emanating   from Angelina Jolie's African abode last year. Apparently, she was just   getting into character.


British antiterror chief says battle may take 15 years

LONDON -- Britain's new security chief warned yesterday that the battle against domestic militancy could take up to 15 years and said Britons must start sharing information about neighbors they suspect of involvement in terrorism.


Burma has been ruled by a repressive military junta for the last decade and a half, prompting economic stagnation and international condemnation.


Intrepid Society marks 11 years of celebrating Canadian spymaster

WINNIPEG (CP) - As a Second World War spymaster, Sir William Stephenson was right at home with his life of secrecy and discretion.


Goergl ends Miller's winning streak at World Cup Super-G

Austrian Stephan Goergl of Austria won a World Cup Super-G race, ending American Bode Miller's three-race winning streak Thurday in the Colorado Rockies.


La protezione civile: "Limitare gli spostamenti". Nevicate intense sulle autostrade anche a bassa quotaBloccata la A14 a Termoli. Chiuso l'aeroporto di Bari, a Trieste la bora supera i 100 km                                          Neve e ghiaccio, disagi sulle strade Un incidente mortale in Puglia


Four men who stole $100 million from a security depot in Britain's largest cash robbery were sentenced Tuesday to at least 15 years in prison. A fifth was ordered to serve 10 years.


The value of Canadian factory shipments  dipped unexpectedly in December in another sign that the once  booming economy is starting to weaken under the weight of a  strong currency.


Loyalty Prevails Over Money in Guggenheim Showdown

A showdown between the museum's chairman, Peter Lewis, and the director, Thomas Krens, resulted in Mr. Lewis's departure.


Teen drug users know better than to cross paths with police officers walking the beat or school principals roaming the hallways. Now there's a new enemy in the generational war on drugs: drug testing-parents.


I had lunch last Friday with Ian White, CEO of Urban Mapping. The genesis of Urban Mapping is a fascinating story of perseverance and timing — starting from a printed map of New   York. At any rate, Urban Mapping is a technology and B2B data provider that is collecting and normalizing huge amounts of [...]


Cardin Is the Likely Winner in Maryland Democratic Senate Race

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin has opened up a sizable lead in the Democratic Senate primary in Maryland, and appears likely to win his partyÃ¢ÂÂs nomination to succeed retiring five-term Democratic Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes.


Arabs: Support for Israel taints reform efforts

Arab leaders rebuked the United States yesterday for its policy toward Israel, saying US efforts to curb Muslim extremism and promote democracy in the Middle East could


Vista is "dramatically more secure than any other operating system released", Bill Gates tells BBC News.


Workers at the Millennium Hotel where Alexander Litvinenko held a meeting test positive for polonium-210.


Russia's president, on a state visit to India, arrived in Bangalore Saturday to talk with the area's information technology executives.


Firefox attack a 'stand up comedy routine' Two presenters razzed developers of the open source Mozilla browser this weekend at the ToorCon hacking convention in San Diego with claims that the browser's Javascript implementation is flawed, but the lecture appears to have been more stand-up comedy routine than substantiative research.â¦


GPLv3 is either manna from heaven or fire and brimstone, depending on the survey you read.


Houston court rules on suspending sale of Yukos subsidiary

Russia's oil giant Yukos requested to block the auctioning off of its main production unit Yuganskneftegaz in Moscow on Sunday.


TOKYO - NEC Electronics Inc. restarted production at its Yamagata, Japan, factory on Monday evening after a series of strong earthquakes over the weekend halted manufacturing. However, two factories near the epicenter of the quakes remain off-line and the companies that operate them have no estimate for when they will be back online.


School Children Among 22 Killed in Indian Blasts

GUWAHATI, India  - Separatist rebels killed 22  people, many of them school children, in India Sunday and  wounded dozens in bomb and grenade attacks on independence day  ceremonies in the troubled northeast and disputed Kashmir.


Israeli-Palestinian talks hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ended on Monday with little sign of progress on reviving long-stalled peace negotiations beyond a vague promise to meet again.


Veteran Davis Cup player Todd Woodbridge says the introduction of synthetic grass courts has been a "cancer" on Australian tennis.


Virginia Tech officials might have saved lives if they had acted sooner after the first shootings, a report says.


FAA: Flight-Reduction Deal Set for O'Hare

WASHINGTON Aug. 18, 2004  Federal officials have reached a temporary agreement to ease congestion at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that calls for a reduction of 37 daily arrivals by United Airlines and American Airlines, officials said ...


I riconoscimenti verranno assegnati stasera a Roma


Rice Brings Incentives to End Kenya Violence

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Kenya promising American help if the crisis can be resolved.


WASHINGTON -- Just three weeks after becoming secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice is moving quickly to put her stamp on US foreign policy for Iraq and the Middle East, establishing a new coterie of senior advisers who report directly to her.


Del Monte profit falls on acquisition costs

Del Monte Foods Co. DLM.N on Thursday   posted lower quarterly profit, hit by costs related to recent   acquisitions and higher prices for fuel and the steel used in   its packages.


EU lawmakers accuse EU govts on secret CIA flights

STRASBOURG, France  - European governments and secret services accepted and concealed secret U.S. flights of terrorism suspects across Europe, the European Parliament said on Wednesday.


Attack in Iraq shows troops' vulnerability

American troops in Iraq must work around a wide range of vulnerabilities: soft-skinned tents instead of concrete buildings, a shortage of body armor and open or unprotected vehicles.


Tim Duncan dominates and San Antonio's stingy defense turns a close game into a rout Tuesday night, leading the Spurs to a 116-89 victory over the Pacers.


Parties Allowed to Contact Absentee Voters

Like fishing in a stocked pond instead of an ocean, politicians are trying to catch votes by targeting phone calls and fliers at voters who have already applied for absentee ballots.


Peters, who was a restricted free agent, is coming off his rookie season in which he had 151 penalty minutes, second highest among first-year players and 17th in the NHL.


Champions AC Milan, embarrassed by a home defeat to promoted Messina, risk falling further behind early pacesetters Juventus when they face Lazio in Rome on Sunday (1830 GMT).


Georgia, South Ossetia trade shelling as ceasefire violated again

Intensive shooting and shelling took place overnight in the breakaway, pro-Russian Georgian region of South Ossetia, violating a fragile ceasefire for the second night in a row, officials said.


A Napoli, con marchio Made in Italy contraffatto


Jets Quarterback Pennington to Have Shoulder Surgery

New York Jets quarterback Chad  Pennington will have surgery next month for a torn rotator cuff  in his right shoulder, the team announced Tuesday.


The social worker responsible for the welfare of murdered eight-year-old Victoria Climbie appeals against her sacking.


Chavez: Peruvian a 'lap dog' of the U.S.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reignited a war of words with Peruvian President-elect Alan Garcia on Friday, calling him a "lap dog" of the United States.


Los Angeles, 30 ago. (Adnkronos) - I rapper Jay-Ze gli Outkast hanno dominato gli Mtv Awards, vincendo 4 premi ciascuno. La cerimonia si e' tenuta ieri sera a Miami. Due riconoscimenti ciascuno sono andati a Usher e ai No Doubt.


New bin Laden Tape Appears on Al Jazeera TV

CAIRO, Egypt - Osama bin Laden, sporting a long gray beard, wearing traditional white robes, a turban and a golden cloak, addressed Americans this afternoon, through Al Jazeera television.


Hizbollah guilty of war crimes, Amnesty says

Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah   committed war crimes in its conflict with Israel by targeting   civilians with rockets packed with metal ball bearings, rights   group Amnesty International said on Thursday.


The closing ceremony of the Athens Paralympics will be stripped of its celebrations after seven Greek schoolchildren were killed in a bus crash on their way to the competition, organisers said on Monday.


CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Suspended Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest will take the first steps in hopes of saving his NBA season next week.


British Airways cancels 966 flights in next three months

British Airways said it planned to cancel almost 1,000 flights in the next three months.


The dollar edged up on Tuesday, pulling  away from a five-year low against the yen as the market began  to return its attention to the attraction of rising interest  rates in the United States.


The IMF warns that the global credit crunch will lower economic growth next year, with the US hardest hit.


Assemblea generale dell'Onu. Bush propone un fondo per l' ...

E' il problema della legalitÃ  internazionale al centro del discorso di apertura del segretario generale Kofi Annan alla 59ma assemblea delle Nazioni Unite, apertasi alla presenza di 64 capi di Stato, 86 ministri degli Esteri e 15 capi di governo.


RUSAL said the move was part of an effort to build a globally competitive Russian metals and mining company.


VATICANO - Papa Benedetto XVI ad Assisi - ÂFrancesco Ã¨ un uomo per gli altri, perchÃ© Ã¨ fino in fondo un uomo di Dio. Voler separare, nel suo messaggio, la dimensione ÂorizzontaleÂ da quella ÂverticaleÂ significa rendere Francesco irriconoscibileÂ Assisi (Agenzia Fides) - Nella Cattedrale di Assisi, dedicata a San Rufino, il Santo Padre Benedetto XVI ha incontrato, nel pomeriggio di domenica 17 giugno, i sacerdoti, i diaconi, i religiosi, le religiose, i superiori e gli alunni del Pontificio S...


Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, through Sunday's highly dubious constitutional referendum, has predictably succeeded in removing the last impediment to his absolute and unlimited rule -- scrapping ...


T-Online Launches No-Frills Internet Brand

Germany's dominant Internet service provider, Deutsche Telekom unit T-Online International, has launched its no-frills brand Congster in a fight back against German low-cost rivals.


David Ortiz banged his powerful paw into a stiff, black first baseman's mitt in the visitor's clubhouse at Coors Field. So, how does it feel? "Brand new." The Red Sox designated hitter Â make that former Red Sox designated hitter Â will play first base when the World Series resumes on Saturday night in the home of the Colorado Rockies. Boston leads two games to none.


Strong results from Barclays (NYSE:BCS) on Tuesday offset news of further writedowns at Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS), while a strong open on Wall Street helped European euqities to a second session of gains.


Stuart Davisâs drawings, as seen at Hollis Taggart Galleries, are prosaic but precious elements arranged in an ordered alternate world.


European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso urges Britain not to hold an EU referendum.


Care for people with chronic disease must be improved, a manifesto published by leading health organisations says