Authentication startup Bharosa is growing up fast

(InfoWorld) - The United Nations last week became the latest organization to warn computer users about the dangers of relying on just passwords to protect online bank accounts and e-commerce shopping carts, according to Reuters The warning from the UNâs International Telecommunications Union came a little more than a year after the United Statesâ Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) released similar guidance calling for stronger user authentication for online banking customers.                                                     Those kinds of warnings are music to the ears of Jon Fisher, CEO of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Bharosa, which sells anti-fraud and multifactor authentication technology to banks, health care companies, and the government. Just three years old and with 50 employees, Bharosaâs been taking on security industry behemoths such as VeriSign and EMC/RSA on their own turf and, in some cases, winning. In the past year, Fisherâs company signed deals with Wells Fargo, National City, and the U.S. Air Force. A serial entrepreneur who sold his first company at age 23, Fisher spoke with InfoWorld Senior News Editor Paul F. Roberts about how the changing regulatory environment has been good for his company. InfoWorld: What is the core intellectual property that Bharosa has? Jon Fisher: We have a proprietary, gated methodology to screen for fraud in real time. The first gate manifests itself pre-log-in via an analysis of a host of data about the user and transaction. The second gate is at the first point of authentication: the user name and password. The third gate is manifest in session where transaction and document requests occur. The fourth gate is a score of third-party data, whether thatâs enterprise, legacy, or other data thatâs fed into our fraud detection engine. IW: What should enterprises know about software like Bharosaâs? JF: Fraud detection has a place not just in achieving FFIEC compliance, but also truly bringing together disparate legacy systems [that] enterprises have had in place for some time. IW: Are you talking about single sign-on, or something else? JF: Single sign-on is an application of that. But fraud detection [can make] a decision about what advanced forms of authentication to use based on the conditions, or what kinds of transactions will manifest in certain ways, like a document request or [bill payment].Â  IW: Arenât authentication and fraud detection ultimately just parts of a bigger architectural change that will tip the scales in favor of vendors who can take care of data security in addition to authentication and storage and the networking piece? JF: Iâve been an entrepreneur for a number of years. I know that if you want to start a company and run a good company, youâve got to do something well. Weâve selected a few things to focus on and do well. Theyâre things that, in aggregate, constitute more than just a point solution. But, yes, certainly less than the array of products in unrelated areas offered by competitors. In terms of how the competition in the space breaks out in the next few years, because of the importance of fraud detection â especially in the enterprise â some very large companies are looking at the space and deciding what their strategy will be. If you have a key product like [Bharosa] fraud detection thatâs embedded deep within some of the worldâs finest enterprises, no matter how much the space matures or develops and no matter what resources competitors have, you still have to work with Bharosa. IW: In the financial services space, how much of this is being driven by FFIEC guidance around single factor authentication? Where do things stand with adoption of FFIEC? JF: There are two answers. As an objective observer, Iâd have to agree that more than 50 percent of U.S. banks will technically not comply with FFIEC-related guidance by the end of the year. However, as a principle at Bharosa, Iâm finding that FFIEC compliance has served as rocket fuel for my relatively young company. Itâs been a key driver in our growth. Weâre very much looking forward to the second phase of FFIEC guidance in 2007. Weâre also looking for the effect this guidance will have on other markets. These mandates for enterprises to update security as a function of time are great environments to work in if youâre a software company.


Think the Red Sox have rotation issues? On the eve of tonight's Division Series opener with Minnesota, Yankees manager Joe Torre didn't know who will start Game 3 Friday or whether Orlando Hernandez even will be on the roster.


Barry Bonds simply shrugged when asked about one of the season's hot topics -- whether Major League commissioner Bud Selig should be in attendance if the Giants slugger surpasses Hank Aaron as home run king.


Singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani, whose 2004 album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." proved to be a breakout solo hit, is pregnant with her second child with husband Gavin Rossdale, according to several news reports on Tuesday.


Oggi si Ã¨ riunito il Patto di sindacato di Rcs

MILANO - Paolo Mieli Ã¨ il nuovo direttore del Corriere della Sera. Dopo aver ricoperto l'incarico dal 1992 al 1997, succede ora a Stefano Folli, che ha diretto il quotidiano di via Solferino da maggio 2003 fino ad oggi.


It's a-bout time as Bulls fight back, deck Wizards

The hope around the United Center is that the Bulls will show more fight this season. But they might have taken that a little too literally Monday night in a 100-95 comeback win over Washington.


Israel's cabinet agreed on Sunday to release 250 Palestinian prisoners in the latest attempt to strengthen Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after Hamas's seizure of the Gaza Strip.


Deere & Co  said on Wednesday its fiscal first-quarter earnings rose a better-than-expected 55 percent, as soaring crop prices boosted demand for agricultural equipment across the globe.


Viacom Extends THQ License, in Talks with Midway

Viacom Inc. on Monday extended its Nickelodeon licensing deal with video game publisher THQ Inc. through 2010 and said it is in talks with publisher Midway Games Inc. to develop Viacom properties into games.


PSV draws with Arsenal, advances to final 16

PSV Eindhoven drew 1-1 with nine-man Arsenal, advancing to the second round of the European Champions League on Wednesday. PSV remained atop Group E with 10 points, three ahead of Arsenal in second.


IBM unveils notebook with fingerprint reader

IBM on Monday introduced a biometric notebook computer with an integrated fingerprint reader,which it says can recognize the user of the computer.


The money saved will go towards an eighteenth and nineteenth grand prix next year -- in Britain and France. "A commercial deal with Bernie Ecclestone is done," Australian Stoddart revealed at the Hilton.


US Forces Pound Falluja Before Offensive

NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq  - U.S. warplanes pounded  Falluja Monday as ground troops battled guerrillas on the  outskirts of the rebel-held city that American and Iraqi forces  were poised to storm.


Washington, 19:37 - BASEBALL USA: ALLARME AL CONGRESSO, DOPING TRA GIOVANISSIMI

L'ex senatore George Mitchell, presidente della Commissione che per mesi ha indagato sul doping nell...


The Lib Dems will not trade "principled opposition for the sake of ministerial jobs", Sir Menzies Campbell says.


Pioneer files suit against Samsung on patents

Japan's Pioneer Corp. (6773.T) said on  Monday it filed a suit in the United States against South  Korea's Samsung SDI Co. (006400.KS) and Samsung Electronics Co.  Ltd. (005930.KS) for what it says are patent violations in its  plasma display panel technology.


Rio de Janeiro, 16:21 - CALCIO, ROMARIO: POSSIBILE RITIRO SE SQUALIFICA SARA' CONFERMATA

Se la squalifica per doping non sarà revocata, Romario potrebbe ritirarsi dal calcio professi...


Roma, 15:41 - CALCIO, ROMA; CURCI: SUL MIO FUTURO SPERO SI DECIDA PRESTO

"Il futuro? Speriamo che qualcosa si faccia perchè farebbe piacere a me, farebbe piacere a tu...


NOW Demands Thorough Inquiry of Attorney General Nomination

George W. Bush announced that he will nominate Alberto Gonzales, current White House counsel and a trusted advisor from his days in Texas, to replace John Ashcroft as the nation's top law enforcement official.


Clinton did not leave plans to fight al Qaeda: Rice

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza   Rice strongly disputed a claim by former President Bill Clinton   that he left a comprehensive plan to fight al Qaeda when his   term ended.


Microsoft and Facebook: The $240 million poke

The two companies confirm their partnership, with Microsoft taking a $240 million stake in Facebook as well as gaining the right to sell ads for Facebook internationally.


Alitalia unions not considering strike against rescue plan

Trade unions at the Italian state airline Alitalia agreed to continue discussions with management on its rescue plan for the struggling carrier and are not for the moment considering a strike, a top union official said.


TORONTO -- Canada's chief public health officer defended yesterday the right of the country's flu vaccine manufacturer to sell surplus supply to the United States.


Legali Speziale chiedono trasferimento processo


The senior US general in Iraq expresses concern about the ability of Iraqi forces to cope with election security.


Bush taps Condoleezza Rice to replace Colin Powell as secretary of ...

President George W. Bush turned to his most trusted foreign policy adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to lead US diplomacy during his second term, replacing Secretary of State Colin Powell, who often was out of step with more hawkish members of


ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A US bankruptcy judge threw US Airways a lifeline Friday, imposing a four-month, 21 percent wage cut on the floundering airline's 28,000 union employees.


Doc Rivers took advantage of an offday to make a quick trip to New York to see his son play in the Big East tournament. Wally Szczerbiak came through surgery fine. Delonte West came home from the hospital. Ryan Gomes might want to check his wardrobe.


The Indianapolis Colts were a winner in the ratings, too, with preliminary measurements showing the Super Bowl was watched by roughly the same number of viewers as last year's contest.


Mayor and Council Agree on Budget, Providing Breaks on Property and Sales Tax

The highlight is a 7 percent across-the-board cut in the property tax rate, more than Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proposed in January.


Carol Smillie and the MacDonald Brothers leave TV reality series Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor.


ARSENAL ended a turbulent week on a high by sweeping Charlton aside to move to within two matches of a phenomenal 50-game unbeaten run in the English Premiership overnight.


With Bush's speech today to the UN and Kerry's stern rebukes, candidates turn to the future of US involvement.


For the first time in recorded history Florida is being dealt itâs fourth hurricane in one storm season. Hurricane Jeanne has strengthened significantly in the past few hours as it batters the Bahamas.


Models younger than 16 should be banned from catwalks during London Fashion Week over fears that some girls are developing eating disorders because of their work in the industry, fashion experts have recommended.


Wall St set to enjoy stimulus package afterglow

Wall Street looked set for gains in an extended global stock bounce on Friday, soaking up the afterglow of a U.S. government tax stimulus package that has soothed recession fears.


Police say they are not assuming that a car driver committing suicide caused Saturday's rail crash.


Italian police arrest 14 people suspected of smuggling thousands of illegal immigrants from north Africa.


Kidnapped Italian freed in southern Philippines

An Italian volunteer worker kidnapped by an unidentified group in the southern Philippines hasbeen released, the Philippine military said Wednesday.


Talk of Changing Pension Math Raises Concern on Benefit Cuts

A proposal that would require companies to give a more accurate picture of their pension plans may result in companies deleting attractive features from their plans.


When Mark Winegardner was 12, he read Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" — a novel that was supposedly off limits to him. The local library felt books with a lot of sex and violence might leave too much of an impression on a young reader. In his case, it did.


TONY BLAIR will press George W Bush to join a new push to revive the Middle East peace process when he flies to Washington this week for his first face-to-face talks with the US president since his re-election.


Cosmic explosions could precede supernovae

A trio of powerful explosions emanating from three different regions in space could mean astronomers might see stars blowing up within days, scientists said on Friday.


Invitato Csm a provvedere su nomina a primo presidente


Island Fashion triumphs in Lady's Secret

Rebounding from an unsuccessful trip to Japan and a four-month layoff, Island Fashion won her second major stakes of the year in Sunday's $235,000 Lady's Secret Breeders' Cup Handicap.


Democrat Barack Obama has stepped up criticism of front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, sending Iowans a mailing noting that he opposed a measure that critics warn could lead to war with Iran and was supported by Clinton.


Ship spills oil onto southern English beach, covers seabirds

Oil from a stricken container ship leaked Friday onto a southern English beach and blackened seabirds in the latest mishap for a costly six-month-long salvage operation, officials said.


Science & environment: Scientists drop heather on peat bogs to halt dangerous emitter of carbon dioxide


iPhone hype has gadget geeks camping and drooling

With free wireless Internet, a hot  dog stand and a few friends, Daniel Eran Dilger calculates he  could survive for days outside a store in a dogged attempt to  grab the latest must-have consumer gadget.


Lofty oil prices may make the road ahead a little steeper, but the economy is on track to emerge from a recent soft patch intact, private-sector economists at a weekend retreat agreed.


(HealthDayNews) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:


ECONOMICS REPORT - Year in Economic News, Part 2

The Russian oil company, Yukos, continued its legal battle with the Russian government in two-thousand-four. The government reported this year that Yukos owed more than twenty-seven thousand million dollars in taxes.


J&J profit rises, helped by overseas demand

Johnson & Johnson  on Tuesday  said second-quarter profit rose on higher sales of medical  devices and prescription drugs, with especially strong demand  in overseas markets.


Con me tre senatori e quattro deputati, ma non fa nomi


Sprint to Buy Nextel in $36 Billion Deal

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK  - Sprint Corp. FON.N on  Wednesday said it will buy mobile telephone company Nextel  Communications Inc. NXTL.O for about $36 billion creating a  U.S. wireless carrier with nearly 40 million subscribers.


Network Rail and rail services firm Amey are fined Â£500,000 for the partial derailment of a high-speed train.


Michael Dell returns to CEO role at Dell

Dell Inc., battered by battery recalls and disappointing earnings, said Wednesday that Chairman Michael Dell will return to run the company he had built into one of the world's largest makers of personal computers. Dell's appointment is effective immediately. He replaces Kevin Rollins, who also resigned as a member of the board.


Women in the developing world are waiting to have a family and giving birth to fewer children, a UN report says.


Former CFL quarterback among Jets final cuts

Hempstead, NY (Sports Network) - Former CFL quarterback Ricky Ray was among the final cuts by the New York Jets on Sunday. Ray led the Edmonton Eskimos to the Grey Cup championships in 2003.


ROMA - Il Presidente della Repubblica Ã¨ stato ricoverato e gli Ã¨ stato applicato un pacemaker. Secondo i medici dovrebbe tornare al lavoro giÃ  da martedÃ¬. Il presidente della Repubblica, Carlo Azeglio


Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. PFE.N is under  investigation by state attorneys general from New York and  Connecticut in connection with improper promotion of drugs for  uses other than those approved by U.S. regulators, Pfizer said  in a regulatory filing.


Arafat Relative Attacked, Escapes Unhurt

Moussa Arafat talks to the media after being appointed the head of the national security forces for the West Bank and Gaza, at his office in Gaza City, in this Saturday July 17, 2004 file photo.


[TS] Sports of The Times: When Dreams Come True

It was Yael Averbuch's decision, not her parents, to sacrifice the parties and the proms to make North Carolina her destination of destiny, where she has blossomed into a soccer standout.


With the acquisition of the Netscape server software products from AOL Time Warner for $20.5 million, Red Hat gains directory and certificate servers, which the company said it will bring to the open-source community, most likely under the General Public


Online map of brain genes to be released

It has been billed as one of the most massive information-crunching, gigabyte-gobbling research endeavors in history -- which might explain why after a year's work, scientists have gotten through only about one-tenth of a mouse's brain.


Verizon Wireless to Buy NextWave Licenses for $3 Billion

The extra licenses will give Verizon Wireless, the country's second-largest mobile phone provider, room to grow in 23 markets.


Torino, 22:46 - CALCIO, JUVE: BLANC NON HA MAI PARLATO DEL FUTURO ALLENATORE

Con una nota ufficiale, la Juve ''precisa che l'amministratore delegato Jean Claude Blanc non ha mai...


California grocers, labor gloomy on contract talks

Labor unions and three major supermarket chains in southern California expressed doubts on Monday about reaching an agreement on a new contract as a union-imposed deadline expires later this week.


Ryan Giggs turns down the offer of a new contract from Manchester United.


Nokia plans one-stop content shop for mobile networks

Preminet is Nokia's name for a new delivery system for mobile content, such as games and other applications. Gathering together in to one master catalogue a whole range of Java and Symbian OS software, it


$136 billion business tax break package gets OK

Congress gave final approval Monday to a 10-year, $136 billion package of business tax breaks that represents the biggest change in the corporate tax code in two decades


CRAWFORD, Texas  - President Bush said on  Wednesday that a $35 million U.S. pledge for victims of the  Asian tsunami was only the beginning and any suggestions  America was stingy were "misguided and ill-informed."


Indice a quota 96,8 rispetto al 97,1 di ottobre


The parents of a disabled boy lose their High Court bid to challenge the closure of an A&E unit.


Ecofin teme rallentamento del risanamento dei conti pubblici


UPATE 1-Late Drogba strike gives Chelsea 1-0 win at Boro

Didier Drogba struck nine minutes from time to give Chelsea a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough on Saturday and prevent a third successive goalless Premier League draw for the Londoners.


Subprime Loans Going From Boon to Housing Bane

Minority homeowners are especially being hurt as rising interest rates make subprime loans even more expensive.


Injured Toe Will Keep Crawford Out 3 to 6 Weeks

The Knicks received devastating news yesterday when they learned that Jamal Crawford, their second-leading scorer, will be out three to six weeks because of an injury to his right big toe.


RICHMOND, Virginia  - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was solemn as he pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday in a dogfighting case almost certain to wreck his football career.


Global warming to multiply world's refugee burden

If rising sea levels force the people of the Maldive Islands to seek new homes, who will look after them in a world already turning warier of refugees?


Not that you'd ever need to do it, but if you had to disarm an atomic bomb, wouldn't you like to be prepared? By Patrick Di Justo from Wired magazine.


Chinese astrologers offer Year of the Rat stock tips

Forget about graphs, charts and economic forecasts. Wary investors in Asia are turning to feng shui masters to tell them which way the markets will head in the Chinese Year of the Rat.


Andras Schiff starts playing those sonatas, even the ones without nicknames.


US troops and helicopter gunships have killed 22 militants in southern Afghanistan in the latest violence ahead of historic elections.


TAMPA, Fla. -- A half hour after helping the Seahawks hold onto a 10-6 victory over Tampa Bay yesterday, defensive end Grant Wistrom sat at his locker half-dressed, constantly swatting a steady drip of sweat


CIA Rectifying Prewar Estimates on Iraq WMD

The CIA is publishing a series of classified reports revising its prewar intelligence assessments of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, an intelligence official said on Tuesday.


Torino, 15:06 - CALCIO, JUVENTUS: CONVOCATI ANCHE TREZEGUET E ZANETTI

Nel match che la Juventus disputerà domani sera contro il Cesena, torneranno in campo David T...


NEW YORK -- Free-agent center fielder Carlos Beltran will get to meet George Steinbrenner on Tuesday. Beltran will travel to Tampa, Fla.


Democratic U.S. presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton on Saturday won the endorsement of retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, a former NATO commander and 2004 presidential candidate.


Anybody remember "Gigot"? I can't see your hands, but I'm guessing there aren't many raised. "Gigot" is an obscure 1962 movie, a pet project that Jackie Gleason engineered to show off more


F.C.C. Clears Internet Access by Power Lines

The F.C.C. adopted rules that will enable utility companies to offer an alternative to broadband services now provided by cable and phone companies.


Cell phones don't raise cancer risk: study

A nationwide study in Danish says that using cell phones does not increase the risk of brain tumors or other types of cancer.


Chico Teixeiraâs languid, libidinous âAliceâs Houseâ is the best argument against marriage and motherhood to appear in many a year.


Microsoft has reached a $536 million legal settlement with Novell, resolving all outstanding antitrust claims by Novell against Microsoft involving NetWare and its other products.


Australians high on the Mile High Club: survey

Two in three Australian travelers are either members of the notorious Mile High Club or would like to be a member, a survey showed on Monday.


SLCC '07: Chicago is the metaverse's metropolis

Blog: The Windy City has more in common with 'Second Life' than you'd think. Also, nonprofits may be reaping the benefits of the virtual world better than their corporate predecessors could.


The graphics library, an alternative to Microsoft's DirectX, gets new features designed to add razzle-dazzle to PC games.


Tony Blair's office and party have played down newspaper reports that the prime minister may call an early election in February.


On 21A of Wednesday's paper, a headline appeared above an interview. The headline, "Abbas takes hard stance on refugees," should have been more visible.


The smaller of Colombia's two leftist rebel groups offered Tuesday to meet with a Mexican mediator to discuss possible peace talks with the government and reiterated its call for a bilateral cease-fire.


Top-ranked Florida finally fell into a hole it couldn't dig itself out of yesterday. Derrick Byars and Shan Foster each scored 24 points, and Vanderbilt snapped the nation's longest winning streak by upsetting the Gators, 83-70, in Nashville.


Schering-Plough Corp  reported on Monday that third-quarter profit and sales rose, but still fell short of estimates, sending shares down 13 percent amid concerns about its flagship cholesterol drugs.


More Flights Delayed in 2004 Than in 2003

Congested skies and bad weather last year resulted in more flight delays, more mishandled baggage and more complaints about airline service than in 2003, the government announced Thursday.


Illinois freight train derailment causes evacuations

Two locomotives and 21 cars of a Union Pacific railroad freight train derailed in southern Illinois on Monday, spilling a chemical that forced the evacuation of about 75 homes in bitterly cold weather, the railroad said.


Anche due donne sono decedute per gli stenti


A top Nato general urges member states to send more troops to Afghanistan, as clashes continue in the south.


It started early. Again. And all the Red Sox and their fans could do was wonder how bad it would be this time and if the outburst would subside enough to enable the Red Sox to make some noise in the American League Championship Series.


Apple, Tesco 'most to blame' for music biz crisis

The great unbundling A new report suggests that Apple and Tesco, not P2P file sharers, should take the most blame for the woes of the British music industry.â¦


WHO Warns Shortfall of Key Malaria Drug Continues

The World Health Organization says a massive shortfall of a key malaria drug will last well into next year, leaving poor countries with about half of what they need to fight the disease.


Nike to eliminate excess overtime for workers by 2011

Nike Inc.  said on Thursday it would improve conditions for its 800,000 workers in factories that make its products by eliminating excess overtime by 2011.


Security forces in Nepal have been placed on high alert as a deadline set by rebels for business shut down ends on Tuesday.


Baazee CEO gets bail, company hails judiciary (update):

[Business India]: New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Tuesday granted bail to baazee.com CEO Avnish Bajaj, arrested for allegedly peddling a pornographic video clip on his auction portal, but prevented him from going abroad.


The Panthers overcome a 361-yard, two touchdown performance by Joey Harrington and an injury to Jake Delhomme to beat the Falcons, 27-20.


Dollar Firms as G7 Seen Neutral, Fed Eyed

The dollar firmed against the yen on  Monday after a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) industrial  nations on Friday offered no surprises and the market turned  its attention to upcoming speeches by U.S. monetary officials.


Microsoft adManager Selling Ask.com Sponsored Listings

Microsoft is now selling Ask.com Sponsored Listings via its Microsoft adManager search marketing service. In addition to the MSN adCenter sponsored search ads sold via Microsoft, its customers can now use the service to purchase and manage search campaigns throughout Ask.com. adManager helps you advertise your business to the right people—those already searching for what you [...]


French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner apologized Monday to Iraq's prime minister for saying he should be replaced — then suggested the embattled premier was already on his way out.


Newcastle United manager Graeme Souness has received a one-match touchline ban for improper conduct, the Football Association (FA) says.


Atrocities in East Congo Attributed to All Parties

NAIROBI, Oct. 23 -- A variety of armed groups, including the Congolese military, have routinely terrorized civilians across eastern Congo in the past year, with killings, massacres, rapes, abductions, looting and other brutalities perpetrated by all parties in the conflict, according to a report ...


Learn the pros and cons of these controversial beasts.


QB Jake Delhomme, Carolina He needs a healthy Steve Smith to be effective, and the difference between his first two games without Smith (38 of 72, 367 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT) and the last two with Smith (41 of 65, 441 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) is proof. More success will come against Cleveland and its 25th-ranked defense.


Fresh off wedding, Canadian Jason Bay wins NL rookie award in ...

(CP) - Canadian Jason Bay married longtime girlfriend Kristen on Saturday and picked up the National League Rookie of the Year Award on Monday.


Dow Jones in progresso dello 0,8%, Nasdaq sale dell'1,92%


Director Robert Altman, who revolutionized Hollywood filmmaking with an irreverent style that critics hailed as "American Art Cinema" has died at age 81, his production company said on Tuesday.


Hackers blamed for Illinois agency server hack

ID theft fears blow through Chicago property market Hackers rather than an inside job are being blamed for an attack on an Illinois state agency's server that left thousands of property market workers potentially exposed to identity theft.â¦


Homes Still at Risk on Sixth Day of Fires

While firefighters have gained the upper hand in some areas, details of the latest reports from fire officials show that the trouble is far from over.


By Mary Milliken BUENOS AIRES, Argentina  - A fire tore through aBuenos Aires nightclub packed with young New Year's revelersand killed at least 175 people as a stampeding crowd wastrapped by locked exit doors, officials said Friday.


Lee the hero as Hornets grab precious point

Richard Lee's goalkeeping heroics helped struggling Watford earn a precious point at Manchester City.


A majority of Americans say President Bush's next choice for an opening on the Supreme Court should be willing to uphold the landmark court decision protecting abortion rights, an Associated Press poll found.


U.N. chief arrives in Juba to push peace deal

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon  flew in to south Sudan's capital Juba on Tuesday to try to  speed implementation of the 2005 peace deal that ended Africa's  longest civil war.


Lawyers for record producer Phil Spector cannot immediately use what they claim are diary-like writings of a suicidal vision taken from the computer of the woman Spector is accused of murdering, a judge ruled Monday.


Protests mark Indonesia-ETimor vote hearing

Protesters called Tuesday for the disbanding of an Indonesia-East Timor commission looking into violence surrounding East Timor's 1999 independence vote, demanding justice for what happened.


Gunmen Seize Two Americans, Briton in Baghdad

Gunmen snatched two Americans and a Briton from a house in central Baghdad on Thursday, the latest in a wave of abductions of foreigners in Iraq.


Mariners ends 12-game road losing streak

Cha Seung Baek allowed one run over 6 2-3 innings as Seattle overcame a triple play to stop a 12-game road losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Saturday night.


Sono beati i laici italiani Marvelli e Suriano e il sacerdote ...

Giovanni Paolo II ha dichiarato beati i laici italiani Alberto Marvelli (1918-1946) e Pina Suriano (1915-1950), e il sacerdote catalano Pietro Tarres I Claret (1905-1950). Un grande applauso e' partito dalla


Interpol is urged to set up a database of those convicted abroad to stop them working with vulnerable people.


Firenze, 17:56 - CALCIO, CAGLIARI; SONETTI: SALVEZZA POSSIBILE, MANCANO TANTE PARTITE

"E' una situazione difficile e particolare. Abbiamo sperato in una reazione e fino al secondo gol, s...


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


The latest results from The Associated Press in states voting in presidential contests Tuesday.


A Green Energy Industry Takes Root Under the California Sun

Solar power is booming in California, the product of billions of dollars in investment and mountains of enthusiasm.


Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday warned the United States against a quick departure from Iraq, saying it would lead to instability in the region and undermine Washington's ability to deal with emerging threats.


European court refuses Microsoft request to suspend sanctions

A European court on Wednesday ruled against Microsoft in its long-running antitrust confrontation with the European Commission over the company's Windows software.


Blair vows to go within year, in bid to calm crisis

British Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed to resign within a year, in a drastic bid to calm a crisis threatening his government, but doubts remained whether he had quelled the protests.


U.S., Iran hold rare talks on Iraq violence

U.S. and Iranian officials began their most high profile talks in almost three decades on Monday to discuss Iraq's spiraling violence, which Washington says is fuelled by Iran.


After years of relative calm on the inflation front, Americans are being battered by $2-a-gallon gasoline, rising food prices and higher medical bills. And there are fears that price pressures could worsen in 2005.


Il rapporto della Direzione Nazionale Antimafia si concentrasulle nuove realtÃ  criminali in Italia provenienti dall'estero                                          Avanzano le mafie straniere Russi, cinesi e nigeriani prendono potere                                                                                Vogliono controllare prostituzione e immigrazione clandestinaMa i clan sono attivi anche nell'import export e immobiliare


Greek hijackers warn of deadly end if ransom not met

Two suspected Albanians armed with rifles and dynamite hijacked a packed passenger bus in Athens and warned they would "light the fuse" if tomorrow's deadline for payment of a $1 million (about R6 million) ransom was not met.


Firenze, 20:30 - CALCIO, FIORENTINA: CEDUTO LUPOLI AL TREVISO

La Fiorentina ha ceduto al Treviso l'attaccante Arturo Lupoli, 21 anni, con la formula del prestito ...


Missing Californian Adam Gadahn may be the man threatening al-Qaeda attacks in a recent video, US officials say.


Woods looks like he'll stay No. 1 _ for now

Stewart Cink was atop the leaderboard, and David Toms had the lead in the clubhouse. But with only 24 players completing second-round play in the rain-delayed NEC Invitational, it was hard to tell who had control.


NEW YORK  - TiVo aims to make life easy for its digital video recorder customers. But its journey to this potentially pivotal week was extraordinarily difficult.


Pennington Leads Jets to 26-11 Victory Over Texans

Chad Pennington threw for 286 yards and a touchdown in New YorkÂs victory over the Houston Texans, 26-11, on Sunday.


Chang Breaks 13-Year-Old NCAA Passing Mark

Hawaii's Timmy Chang became the most prolific passer in college football history Saturday night, surpassing Brigham Young's Ty Detmer.


Dublino, 22:02 - CALCIO, IRLANDA: TRAPATTONI IN CORSA PER PANCHINA NAZIONALE

Secondo l'emittente inglese Sky Sports, Giovanni Trapattoni sarebbe in trattativa per diventare ct d...


NFL Fines S Darius $75K for Ferguson Hit

Jacksonville safety Donovin Darius was fined $75,000 by the NFL on Tuesday for a hit across the neck of Green Bay's Robert Ferguson that left the wide receiver temporarily paralyzed.


Startup Launching Web-To-TV Video Service

The promise of Internet-based video has long been hamstrung by copyright and piracy worries, slow dial-up connections, technical challenges and consumer disdain for watching blotchy videos on their home computers. But a Silicon Valley startup is tackling those obstacles, hoping to become the first major provider of cinema straight from the Internet to the living room boob tube.


Yahoo's Profit Soars in Quarter on Ad Spending and Investments

Yahoo Inc. posted strong fourth-quarter profits, driven largely by strong advertising sales and a sizable windfall from sales of an investment.


When doctors in a remote African town warned a 20-something pregnant woman she was well past her due date, the Liberian patient agreed to have labor induced.


ThereÂs so much to look forward to at I.I.F.A. this year. The schedule received by this writer for this mega-event promise bigger and better events.


Marriott International Inc. said Thursday it will eliminate trans fats from the cooking oil used by its restaurants at more than 2,300 hotels in the United States and Canada.


NEC Electronics aims to shed around 500 staff

Restructuring Japanese microchip maker NEC Electronics Corp  said on Friday it may shed around 500 staff after announcing an early retirement program.


Indiana's Will Lumpkin returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown and Matt LoVecchio threw for two scores as the Hoosiers scored 23 unanswered points and upset No.


Former MemberÃ¢ÂÂs Bid Marks Latest Surprise in TexasÃ¢ÂÂ 22nd

No congressional race has had more twists and turns this year Ã¢ÂÂ perhaps in many years Ã¢ÂÂ than the contest in TexasÃ¢ÂÂ 22nd District, a suburban Houston constituency and the longtime bailiwick of Republican Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader who resigned his seat in June.


The season premieres of seven Fox Broadcasting shows will be offered on Apple Inc.'s iTunes store for free in the latest example of TV networks using the Web to create interest in their shows.


Attenborough family in shock as granddaughter is killed in tsunami

LORD Attenborough, the eminent actor and director, who regards the Isle of Bute as his home, is among those grieving after his 14-year-old granddaughter, Lucy, was killed in the Asian tsunami disaster.


A newspaper is calling for a change to chart rules to allow Prince's free CD giveaway to enter the album charts.


DEVELOPMENT REPORT â UN Urges More Aid for Womenâs Health

The United Nations says that developing nations have made great improvements in reproductive health and womenâs rights. But it says that rich counties have given only half of the six thousand


Lexmark is recalling 39,400 laser printers because of a potential short circuit that could create an electric shock hazard. The printers, priced at about $200, were sold under the Lexmark, IBM and Dell brand names starting in May 2004.


A man was subjected to a so-called tarring and feathering attack in south Belfast on Sunday.


LG.Philips profit hits record on supply, price

Flat screen maker LG.Philips LCD Co Ltd  reported its strongest ever quarterly profit on Monday, rebounding from a year-ago loss, as solid demand and tight supplies kept screen prices firm.


Jonny Wilkinson is set to miss England's first two Six Nations games with a knee injury.


India's Reliance approves share buyback as family ownership row deepens

The board of India's biggest private enterprise, Reliance Industries, approved a share buyback, ignoring objections from the vice-chairman who is battling with his brother for control over the firm.


Tory leader Michael Howard has spoken of his frustration at Tony Blair's ability to steal his party's policies.


Woodgate out 10 more weeks; Beckham hopeful

Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Real Madrid and English international defender Jonathan Woodgate will be out at least 10 more weeks due to a troublesome thigh injury.


Television's "Dr. Phil" McGraw says he regrets talking about Britney Spears' mental health after visiting her in the hospital, but didn't violate the family's trust.


InfoWorld - Nokia has added new features to its mobile mapping application, with a revamped user interface and a status indicator to alert users when they're connected to a GPS satellite.


Filling Big Hiking Boots at an Early Age

Discovery Kids pins some hopes on a chip off the crocodile hunter.


Paralympics Scrap Closing Celebrations After Crash

The Athens Paralympics canceled celebrations at its closing ceremony after seven schoolchildren traveling to watch the event died in a bus crash on Monday.


Catania, 19:57 - CALCIO, CATANIA: DANUCCI VA AL TARANTO

Il Catania ha ceduto in prestito al Taranto (C1) il centrocampista Ciro Danucci. (Nic. Api) ...


Pakistan, Afghanistan to tighten boarder security

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to increase cooperation against Islamic militants operating along their border. The agreement was reached at talks in Islamabad between Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai.


NBC and MTV band together to promote "quarterlife"

Television networks NBC and MTV unveiled an unusual plan on Thursday to promote a new TV show, "quarterlife," that will premiere on MTV, but air weekly on competitor NBC.


McCain, Romney lead in Florida race as Giuliani lags

Republican presidential hopefuls John McCain and Mitt Romney are running neck-and-neck in Tuesday's key Florida primary, as ex-New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani struggles to stay in the make-or-break race.


Â£800 cheque in post for every mail worker

EVERY postal worker in the country is in line for a windfall of at least Â£800 after the Royal Mail announced today it was making profits of Â£1 million a day.


New York, 13:09 - BASKET, ALL STAR GAME NBA: WALLACE AL POSTO DI GARNETT

Sarà Rasheed Wallace, ala dei Detroit Pistons, a prendere il posto di Kevin Garnett nell'All ...


Londra, 14:40 - RUGBY, INGHILTERRA: ROBINSON SI DIMETTE DA CT

Andy Robinson non è piÃ¹ il commissario tecnico della nazionale inglese di rugby.


Beijing says lights out early to ease power crunch

Beijing, in solidarity with millions of people facing the Lunar New Year without power, will turn off thousands of "holiday lights" lining the capital's main streets each night an hour earlier than usual.


Michael Johnson now a teacher, motivator

Before the Olympics, the five gold medals and the world records, Michael Johnson was a skinny kid who almost quit his high school track team because he didn't think he was good enough. Now he wants to turn youngsters into better athletes with equipment and coaching that wasn't around when he went to Dallas Skyline High.


Flights set to be stuffed over Thanksgiving

The first stuffing that millions of Americans will encounter over the U.S. Thanksgiving Day weekend will likely be on an airplane.


Suspected Car Bomb Kills at Least Five in Baghdad

A suspected car bomb exploded outside the Education Ministry in central Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least five people and wounding four, a Reuters witness said.


Berlino, 09:52 - CALCIO, BUNDESLIGA: NORIMBERGA ESONERA MEYER

Il Norimberga, terzultimo nella Bundesliga tedesca con 16 punti, ha esonerato il tecnico Hans Meyer....


Plucky Casey Dellacqua captivated Melbourne Park on Friday night, filling local hearts with pride by downing former world number one and 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo to reach the Australian Open's last 16.


Swedes Ponder Whether Killer Can Be a Doctor

A prestigious medical school was tipped off that one of its students had been a Nazi sympathizer, released on parole after being convicted in 2000 of a murder.


Palestinian Rocket Kills 2 in Israeli Town

JERUSALEM Sept. 29, 2004 - A Palestinian rocket hit an Israeli town near the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing two people, according to Israeli media.


Binge and purge The old guard executive purge at Rackable continues at pace.â¦


News: U.S. Air Traffic Control Found Vulnerable

In the wake of last month's air traffic communications failure, investigators report that computer security issues haunt the FAA's most critical systems.


Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average Rises; TDK, Honda Motor Gain

Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 10.96, or 0.1 percent, to 11,365.55 as of 9:21 am in Tokyo. The broader Topix index lost 0.37 point to 1141.


Science & environment: Hundreds of German scientists put to work at government ministries after second world war.


A judge ruled Tuesday that a 16-year-old cancer patient who has refused conventional medical treatment does not have to report to a hospital as previously ordered and scheduled a trial to settle the dispute.


SpinVox Offers Voice Updates to Facebook

Users will be able to update social networks Facebook, Jaiku and Twitter by a phone call.


India among top four FDI destinations in Asia

NEW DELHI - The United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD) on Wednesday placed India among the top four Asian foreign direct investment (FDI) destinations and said it will get more foreign investment flows as the global economy rebounds


Alicia Markova, Britain's first great ballerina, has died. She was 94. Markova, only one of a handful of artists acknowledged as "prima ballerina assoluta," died Thursday in a Bath hospital the day after her ...


Brown increases terror checks on skilled migrants

Security checks on skilled migrants such as NHS workers will be stepped up in wake of the London and Glasgow car bomb plots, PM says.


Trend Micro Offers New Mobile Security for Mobile Phones and PDAs

Trend Micro has announced the up coming availability of Trend Micro Mobile Security for UIQ in January 2005, with a free trial to June.


In his 20-year career as a soldier, 1st Sgt. Michael McElveen has missed a lot of important moments with his family &#151; birthdays, anniversaries, holidays.


Microsoft warns of poisoned picture peril

The old bromide that promises you can't get a computer virus by looking at an image file crumbled a bit further Tuesday when Microsoft announced a critical vulnerability in its software's handling of the ubiquitous JPEG graphics format.


The 43rd All-American Dairy Show will run Sept. 16-21 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg.           Called the largest dairy cattle show in the world by organizers, it boasts more than 3,700 head of cattle exhibited by participants from 25 states.


Stiff elbow sidelines Rivera for weekend

Mariano Rivera's stiff elbow will keep the Yankees' star closer off the mound all weekend.


Germany and the United States have agreed on a proposal to cancel 80 percent or about $33 billion of the debt owed by Iraq to a group of creditor nations known


Burma's government appeared to have cut public Internet access and troops occupied key Buddhist monasteries on Friday, witnesses and diplomats said, in an effort to end demonstrations against the ruling junta


Lima, 10:08 - TENNIS, COPPA DAVIS: PERU'-SPAGNA 0-2

Spagna in vantaggio 2-0 in PerÃ¹ dopo la prima giornata della sfida valida per il primo turno di Copp...


PARIS: A French police officer was injured slightly and two aides to one of Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi's sons were in custody after a high speed car chase that ended in fisticuffs in central Paris yesterday.


AT&Tâs Overstuffed iPhone Bills Annoy Customers

For the last several weeks, iPhone users have been by turns amused or enraged over the sheer heft of the bills they are receiving from AT&T.


Visibilmente commosso l'arcivescovo della citta', Sepe


Children who attend daycare or other preschool programs seem to have a sharply lower risk of developing Hodgkin's disease, a common childhood cancer, according to a new study.


Strikebound, the Globes Scale Back Awards

The festive awards dinner will be replaced on Sunday night by a news conference to announce the prize winners.


Israel Plans 530 Settler Homes with U.S. Acquiescence

HAR GILO, West Bank  - Israel plans to build 530  new settler homes in the occupied West Bank after Washington  softened its opposition to growth in Jewish enclaves, a policy  shift Palestinians say will make peace impossible.


China forges landmark free trade pact with Southeast Asian nations

Rising power China moved Monday to expand its influence in a region long dominated by the United States, signing an accord with Southeast Asian nations aimed at creating the world's largest free trade area by 2010 â- sprawling


Youth was served in a big way for the Cardinals at Miller Park on Thursday afternoon. Rookies Yadier Molina and Hector Luna combined for six hits and all four RBIs as St.


Palermo, 16:13 - CALCIO, PALERMO; ZAMPARINI: TIFOSI NON FATEVI PROVOCARE

Il presidente del Palermo, Maurizio Zamparini, lancia un appello ai sostenitori rosanero, dopo gli s...


LOS ANGELES  - Art imitates life, and life imitates art, and sometimes it's hard to tell which is which.


The FBI is investigating whether Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu paid so-called straw donors to send campaign contributions to presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other candidates, a law enforcement official said Monday.


Seeking to enforce their policy prohibiting ticket resales, the New England Patriots have obtained the names of 13,000 people who sold or bought the team's tickets using the online site StubHub Inc.


British troops sent to Afghanistan will die, says Taliban commander

A leading Taliban fighter in southern Afghanistan has warned British Prime Minister Tony Blair against sending troops to his country, saying they will be killed there.


Blair cabinet to consider Iraq troop decision

A reconnaissance team has studied the prospects for British troops moving north from their relatively calm base. Until now, the British were concentrated in Basra.


FDA needs more teeth, says GSK head Jean-Pierre Garnier

Jean Pierre Garnier, head of GlaxoSmithkline, says the FDA should have stronger powers - forcing pharmaceutical companies to carry out further tests on already approved drugs.


Adviser: Cheney has nothing more than a cold

Vice President Dick Cheney, back home after a brief hospital visit, has nothing more than a cold and his heart is fine, an adviser said Sunday.


Shares of media company CNET  Networks Inc , currently battling dissident  shareholders who want to expand its board, soared more than 7  percent on Friday, on speculation that Google Inc   might be interested in acquiring a stake in it.


Turkey Lauded for Curbing Torture But Doubts Remain

Mustafa still remembers his 63 days in solitary confinement as if it were yesterday.


Police bust pair for growing pot in Palermo park

Two brothers have been arrested on charges  of growing a marijuana plantation in one of the biggest public  parks in Palermo, Sicily, Ansa news agency reported on  Wednesday.


Imagine defending US Open champ Andy Roddick reaching his peak eight years from now. Unfathomable. Roddick playing better as a 30-year old than at 22?


Nasa does a U-turn and sends  Atlantis back to its pad to ride out Tropical Storm Ernesto.


US Fallujah Strike Kills 12 'Wedding Party Guests', Hostage Said ...

A US airstrike on a suspected terrorist safehouse in the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah has killed at least 12 people and wounded 17 others.


Bob Knight steps down as Texas Tech coach

Bob Knight, the all-time wins leader among men's college basketball coaches, resigned on Monday as the Texas Tech University coach, the university said on it's Web site.


Another aide has left Fred Thompson's presidential campaign-in-waiting.


Indian President APJ Kalam is concerned over rising prices, but says the government is working to check them.


Jack Steadman, a member of the Kansas City Chiefs' front office since their founding in 1960 as the AFL's Dallas Texans, announced his retirement Tuesday.


Expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation were on the agenda for talks Monday between visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh.


Milano, 19:36 - CALCIO, LEGA: CONVOCATA IL 9 MARZO L'ASSEMBLEA STRAORDINARIA

E' stata convocata per venerdÃ¬ 9 marzo un'assemblea generale straordinaria di Lega Calcio, All'ordin...


Former presidential aspirant Fernando Poe Jr.'s condition has deteriorated, his spokesman, Rep. Francis Escudero, said Monday.


Lindsay Lohan Sued By DUI Chase Passenger

The woman being chased by Lindsay Lohan before the star's notorious DUI arrest last July wants her day in court.  According to papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in late December and obtained by the Associated Press, Tracie Rice was in a vehi...


Artie Shaw, the jazz clarinetist and big-band leader, successfully challenged Benny Goodman's reign as the King of Swing in the late 1930's.


The race to succeed Japanese Prime  Minister Shinzo Abe shaped up on Friday as a fight between  71-year-old lawmaker Yasuo Fukuda, an advocate of warm ties  with Asian neighbors, and hawkish former foreign minister Taro  Aso.


I AM hugely excited - like everyone else at Manchester United - that Wayne Rooney has signed for us. As I've said before in this column, I think Wayne is an exciting, top-quality player and somebody that will really improve us as a side.


Best Buy teams with Mydeo on video service

Electronics retailer Best Buy Co   launched an online service in partnership with video  hosting site Mydeo on Tuesday, through which its customers can  store and share home movies and videos via the Internet.


Petrolio a passo spedito Nuovi record a Londra e New York

Il greggio del Mare del Nord tocca il suo massimo storico a 51,23 dollari. Nuovo massimo anche per il Wti, che tocca i 55,35$. A far impennare i prezzi ha contribuito il dato sulla crescita del Pil in Cina (+9,1% nel terzo trimestre). Milano.


Have weak first-quarter earnings pulled the plug on this party?


Several major forces in the music industry changed their tunes this week, as industry giants and niche players alike try to stay on top of the fast-changing market.


On February 11, 2005, President Yushchenko met a delegation of the US ...

On February 11, 2005, President Yushchenko met a delegation of the US Congressmen headed by Republican Senator John McCain.


Price Comparison for Drugs Is Put on Federal Web Site

Over objections from some drug companies, the Bush administration unveiled a new feature on the Medicare Web site comparing prices for similar brand-name drugs.


Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. cell  phone provider, said on Monday that it was expanding its  wireless service offerings at discount retailer Wal-Mart Stores  Inc.  to boost its distribution.


Lawsuit Challenges Anti-Piracy Technology

Copy protection technologies used to prevent CDs from being pirated online are facing a legal challenge in France, where a judge began a formal investigation of record label EMI Group PLC for using them.


Holiday-Shopping Season Remains Sluggish

U.S. shoppers have kept a tight grip  on their wallets this holiday season with indices on Tuesday  showing sluggish sales in the second week of the season.


Democrats new challenge to Bush over Iraq

Leading U.S. Democrats vowed on Sunday a push to revise President George W. Bush's 2002 authorization to wage war in Iraq, as a way to raise pressure for a change in strategy.


Seattle SuperSonics, who lost their opener by 30 points to the Clippers, took a second straight victory at home Sunday night after downing the San Antonio Spurs 113-94.


The Church of England's highest-ranking cleric has warned of a crisis of modern childhood due to fierce pressures at school and from increasingly aggressive advertizing.


Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard tells Football Focus the chance to damage Man Utd's title hopes will add "extra spice" on Saturday.


Accelerating from 0 to 60, then slowing down for a stop light is no problem for an ordinary automobile. But if you were piloting a rocketship, it wouldn't be so easy. Most rocket engines are designed to burn full-on or full-off with no in-between. And that can be a problem--namely, how do you land this thing?


Adobe builds web conferencing into Acrobat

Rounds up the collaboraters with V.8 Adobe's cash cow, Acrobat, gets a makeover in November, upgrading a version number to 8.0, and gaining a new companion.â¦


"I can't make them quick enough"  The summer plowing season in Flanders Fields is a good time for Ivan Sinnaeve. Known as "Shrapnel Charlie," he keeps alive memories of one of history's bloodiest battles by melting down the World War I shells ... via The Oregonian


The decision by internet bank Egg to withdraw credit cards from 161,000 customers has triggered an angry backlash.


Daschle: Obama has 'unlimited potential'

Sen. Barack Obama has "almost unlimited potential" and could be a contender against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle said.


Clinton's Iraq vote haunts her on campaign trail

It is the vote that will not die, no matter how often Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton explains, defends or takes responsibility for her 2002 decision to back the use of military force in Iraq.


The Australian government takes control of 50% of benefits paid to people in an Aboriginal community.


Medtronic Must Pay Inventor $109 Million, Jury Says

A US jury told Medtronic Inc., the world's biggest maker of spinal implants, to pay at least $109 million to an inventor for violating contracts and infringing his patents.


Gates Tops Forbes List of Richest in U.S. -- Again

The Nasdaq may be well off its highs  of the dot-com era, but tech tycoons still top the list of the  wealthiest Americans.


(WebMD) It sounds a little like science fiction, but researchers in the Netherlands report they were able to preserve fertility in a 29-year-old cervical cancer patient by removing her ovary prior to treatment and placing it inside her upper arm.


Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon is pregnant with twin boys.


Torino, 15:30 - CALCIO, JUVE: RANIERI VUOLE COPPA ITALIA, POCO TURNOVER

Poco turn over nella Juve impegnata domani contro l'Empoli nel ritorno degli ottavi di Coppa Italia....


What: MIAA Division 2A Super Bowl. Where: Curry College in Milton. When: Saturday at 4:15 p.m. Last meeting: Schools have never met.


Former CBS news anchor Dan Rather sued the network on Wednesday for $70 million, saying CBS violated his contract by depriving him of air time and made him a scapegoat to "pacify the White House."


Rispetto al gennaio del 2006, lo comunica l'Istat


Hollywood Says Loses $718 Mln Due to Piracy in Asia

Rampant movie piracy in the Asia-Pacific region cost western film producers more than $718 million in lost revenue in 2003, up from $574 million in 2000, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) said on Friday.


Il presidente della Camera all'assemblea costitutiva del nuovo soggetto"Una forza nuova non si fa solo con la ragione ma anche con la passione e i sentimenti"                                          Bertinotti alla Sinistra europea "L'unitÃ  non Ã¨ piÃ¹ rinviabile"


The CD will stay the most popular music format until at least the end of the decade, according to a new survey.


A few years ago, my life was roadworthy but lonely.


Omnifone reveals mobile music download service

(InfoWorld) - Omnifone wants to put a new face on mobile phone music downloads with its MusicStation service. Built around a software client that runs on a wide range of phones, MusicStation links to a subscription-based online music store and allows users to build and share playlists, follow news about their favorite bands, and play and download music on their mobile for a fixed weekly fee, said CEO Rob Lewis. The MusicStation application lets subscribers download music over the air using GPRSÂ or 3G mobile networks. The software runs on phones with Symbian's OS or other phones that can run Java applets. Omnifone, based in London, hopes to challenge Apple's forthcoming iPhone, offering users a similarly easy-to-use music service from around three-quarters of phones currently sold, but giving network operators a slice of the revenue, Lewis said. The MusicStation platform charges music directly to the customer's phone bill and doesn't require customers to use a credit card. The company has reached agreements with 23 mobile network operators to use its music download platform to sell music from major record labels, including Universal Music Group. It has also partnered with Musiwave, a mobile music services provider that's part of Openwave Systems, to distribute the MusicStation system. Scandinavian operator Telenor and South African network VodacomÂ are scheduled to launch MusicStation first, by June. Omnifone will name four more customers in Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region by June, it said at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona on Monday. Omnifone said consumers don't need a computer or broadband Internet connection to use MusicStation, although downloaded music can also be transferred to a user's computer with a premium subscription. MusicStation is priced as a weekly subscription; in the U.K., the price will be Â£1.99 per week ($3.87) or â¬2.99 ($5.82) throughout Europe. The premium service will be Â£2.99 in the U.K. and â¬3.99 throughout Europe. The platform supports DRM (digital rights management) technology, which limits how the music can be used, and tracks will be sold in the eAAC+ (enhanced advanced audio coding), Omnifone said. On 3G networks, they are encoded at 48Kbps, and on GPRS networks at 32Kbps to shorten download times. On phones with limited memory capacity, MusicStation monitors which tracks are played most often and deletes little-used tracks to free up space. They can, however, be downloaded again later as long as the user remains a subscriber, Lewis said. Peter Sayer in Paris, contributed to this report. Â


US search engine Google.com launches a new search service, Google Print, Wednesday (Oct. 6). The service will allow users to search books and help publishers promote their books online for free.


NATO led criticism on Monday of President Vladimir Putin's latest attack on a planned U.S. missile shield, but Western reaction was generally muted ahead of a Group of Eight (G8) encounter with Putin this week.


Slovaks and Czechs reject French minister's suggestion over EU ...

The Slovak and Czech governments Monday rejected a proposal by French Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy to axe structural funds for new EU members whose taxes were lower than the European average.


Advance your career with the online degree program that's meant for you! We feature hundreds of courses, degrees and certificates from accredited colleges and universities.


Two Welsh police forces say later licensing hours has not created the problems some opponents had predicted.


French centre-right presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy praises his host Tony Blair during a visit to London.


Crescita eccezionale della pay tv, 2,32 miliardi


As the Senate moved toward passage of the first increase in the minimum wage in 10 years, Democrats in the House and Senate were trying to reconcile differences between their two bills.


Brief Communication: Sleep Curtailment in Healthy Young Men Is ...

Background: Total sleep deprivation in rodents and in humans has been associated with hyperphagia. Over the past 40 years, self-reported sleep duration in the United States has decreased by almost 2 hours.


Pope Condemns Same Sex Union as Attack on Society

Pope John Paul on Saturday  condemned same sex marriage as an attack on the fabric of  society and called on Catholics to combat what he said was  aggressive attempt to legally undermine the family.


Revlon meets lenders, seeks to amend credit pact

Revlon Inc. REV.N met with its   lenders on Tuesday to seek an amendment to its bank credit   agreement, a day after it cut jobs, warned of weak financial   results and discontinued a highly-touted brand.


By Benjamin Spillman  By BENJAMIN SPILLMAN  REVIEW-JOURNAL  A hotel-casino that was supposed to become "the anchor of the downtown market" remains shuttered almost one year after its owners closed the property and displaced nearly 700 workers.


A court denies singer Britney Spears' latest bid to regain the right to visit her two children.


Burt Rutan, the man who designed and masterminded the X-Prize winning SpaceShipOne, says the craft will only be used for people, not experiments.


RAMALLAH, West Bank  - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in his first speech since Islamist Hamas took over the Gaza Strip, said on Wednesday there could be no reconciliation with a group he described as "traitors".


RadioShack Corp. , the No. 3 U.S consumer electronics chain, said on Wednesday it expects 2005 earnings per share growth of as much as 21 percent as it improves customer service and expands implements new growth initiatives.


The Celadon Collection: Investing in Elegance

A serial entrepeneur, Roy Caro has launched a handful of flourishing business on three continents. For his latest endeavor, Caro revisited his familyâs heritage when he launched the Celadon Collection, an elegant furniture boutique in downtown Montreal, Canada. And his thriving business runs completely on an elegant collection of Mac computers. âA revelation, crucial to our rapid success and development,â Caro attributes that success to the accessibility of the Mac, the availability of such excellent business tools as the intutive Xsilva Lightspeed POS software, and âall the Apple software I now use in every single aspect of my business.â


CINISI (PALERMO) - Â«Dopo la morte di Peppino l'andavamo a trovare una o due volte a settimana, ci faceva accomodare in salotto e parlavamo per ore del figlio. A un certo punto ci indicava il balcone di Tano


Insurgents launch deadliest attack on US base in Iraq, killing ...

An explosion ripped through a mess tent at a military base near Mosul where hundreds of US troops had just sat down to lunch Tuesday, and officials said more than 20 people were killed and at least 60 were wounded.


Prosecutors summon Yukos lawyer in latest move against the oil giant

MOSCOW  - Prosecutors tightened the screws on Yukos on Monday, calling in the oil giant's top in-house lawyer for questioning after searching his office and apartment on the same day the company challenged a freeze on its subsidiaries' bank accounts.


Blasts, Clashes in Central Baghdad Kill at Least 22

Strong explosions shook central Baghdad  at dawn Sunday and heavy fighting erupted in a street notorious  as a rebel stronghold, in violence that killed at least 22  Iraqis, the U.S. army and witnesses said.


I Strongly Raised Cross-Border Terrorism At Meet: PM

New York, Sept. 25 (NNN): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asserted that he strongly raised the issue of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir during his one-to-one encounter with Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf here on Friday.


Medical products company Abbott Laboratories said Monday it agreed to buy nutrition products company EAS Inc. in a cash-for-stock deal worth about $320 million.


Saddam appeals controversial Iraqi death sentence

Lawyers for Saddam Hussein and two former aides sentenced to death lodged appeals on Sunday, the Iraqi chief prosecutor said, following a trial slammed by some human rights experts as unfair and flawed.


Pope-commissioned condom study passes first hurdle

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


Indonesia will begin deploying 1,000   troops to southern Lebanon this month as part of a U.N.   peacekeeping mission, Indonesia's foreign minister said on   Saturday.


The Anglo-Australian mining giant unveils record profits of $3.4bn, helped by soaring demand from China.


South Korea's Ban Ki-moon is sworn in as the next United Nations secretary general at a ceremony in New York.


Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. GT.N, the  largest U.S. tiremaker,  on Friday said it would report a  third-quarter profit, reversing a year-earlier loss, on higher  prices for its products and stronger sales.


Police marksmen shoot a number of pigs after an animal transporter bursts into flames in County Durham.


What's the best way to record your holiday memories? Most people would instantly think of the digital camera: eminently portable and fantastically convenient, the only drawback is what to do when you run out of space on your memory cards.


Next version of Windows to be 'fundamentally different'

Blog: So many cores, so little support. Microsoft's Ty Carlson knows the software industry has lots of work ahead to satisfy future multicore processors.


Yahooâs board may decide that selling to Microsoft is the best course, given Yahooâs recent troubles and its sagging share price. But what if it doesnât?


No more reality TV for Ozzy: been there, done that

Rome, November 19: Ageing rocker Ozzy Osbourne may have made his comeback by starring in one of MTV's most popular reality TV shows to date, but he's had enough.


Berlusconi gets on early election footing

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has put his centre-right government on an election footing by announcing a cut in income tax in a bid to win back voters' confidence, with polls still 18 months away.


Dollar bounces off low against the euro after ECB complaints

The dollar bounced back from a new all-time low against the euro after stern comments from European Central Bank president Jean-claude Trichet about the greenback's slide.


The first commercial flight from the United States to Vietnam since the war nearly 30 years ago has taken off from San Francisco. The new service to Ho Chi Minh City, run by United Airlines, will fly daily.


Jane Martin, Steppenwolf, U.S. and NYC Premieres Punctuate 59E59 Fall Season

Playbill - 59E59 Theaters' artistic director Elysabeth Kleinhans and executive producer Peter Tear announced fall programming for their cluster of Off-Broadway venues on East 59th Street.


Two more soldiers die in fighting at Lebanon camp

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon  - Two Lebanese soldiers were killed in fresh battles on Wednesday between army units and Islamist militants at a Palestinian refugee camp, security sources said.


"Prison Break" actor Lane Garrison should be charged with felony gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs for a solo car crash that killed a teenage passenger and injured two others, police said Wednesday.


US troops injured in Iraq have required limb amputations at twice the rate of past wars, and as many as 20 percent have suffered severe head and neck injuries, according to new data giving the


International mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia and Motorola have halted the rapid rise of local rivals in the crucial Chinese market, a victory won largely by revamping distribution chains and introducing new handset designs, market analysts and foreign industry executives said.


President's party claims victory in Kazakhstan poll

President Nursultan Nazarbayev's party claimed victory in parliamentary elections in the central Asian state of Kazakhstan, the party's deputy chairman said.


Meth abuse may speed age-related brain degeneration

NEW YORK  - Young people who abuse methamphetamines may put themselves at risk of parkinson-like movement disorders later in life, a new animal study suggests.


Siena, 18:59 - CALCIO, SIENA: 8-0 NEL TEST CON LO STAGGIA

Amichevole infrasettimanale per il Siena contro i dilettanti dello Staggia. La squadra di Beretta si...


Notre Dame's search for a football coach appears to have turned from Utah eastward toward Kentucky, where sources familiar with the process said the Irish


Scientists Show Off Supercomputer Projects

They help predict the path of weather halfway around the world or in space, shed light on the death of dinosaurs and train pilots to fly in Alaska. They're supercomputers, capable of high-speed calculations that would take people trillions of years to do.


Freddie Mac (FRE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 2 US mortgage finance company, on Monday said it will restructure its securities and sales trading group as part of an effort to streamline its business operations.


Pro-Pakistan rebels claim Kashmir attack

A pro-Pakistan rebel group has claimed responsibility for a landmine attack that has killed 11 people in Kashmir. The Current News Service reports that Hizbul Mujahedin also claims to have snatched six AK


Race disparity in medical care persists: study

Blacks were far less likely than whites to get specialized procedures after a heart attack and were more likely to die within a year, according to a study showing persistent racial disparities in U.S. medical care.


Network Appliance, EMC refine security strategies

InfoWorld - Network appliance will announce this week additional capabilities and partnerships for its NetApp NetCache line of Internet security appliances. Meanwhile, EMC will unveil a major upgrade to its ILM (information life cycle management) product line with a focus on adding application-aware components.


Fossil and Sony Ericsson are developing timepieces that tell you who's calling your cell phone.


Sportingbet a Big Loser As Boss Heads for Court in US

SHARES in Sportingbet plunged today as City traders had their first chance to express their alarm at the state of the international online gambling market.   The shares returned to trading after last Thursday's suspension following the arrest in New York of chairman Peter Dicks.


Bush: Economic stimulus package to be "robust"

President George W. Bush insisted on Wednesday that the economic stimulus package he is working on with Congress will be robust enough to help the U.S. economy.


Sony Group Set to Buy MGM; Time Warner Drops Its Bid

A consortium led by Sony reached a tentative agreement to buy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the Hollywood studio for about $4.9 billion.


Sarkozy party heading for landslide in French parliament

French President Nicolas Sarkozy looked set to gain a resounding mandate for his programme of reforms Monday, after round one of legislative elections delivered a large majority for his right-wing political party.


Europe May Ban Imports of Some Biofuel Crops

If approved, the law would prohibit the importation of fuels derived from crops grown on certain kinds of land â including forests, wetlands or grasslands.


Pentagon Revs Up Drive For Wearable Power

The military needs the power to run electronic gear such as radios, night vision goggles and satellite-navigation tools.


Fourteen Palestinians Killed as Sharon Defends Gaza Pullout

JERUSALEM, Oct 25 (MASNET & News Agencies) - Fourteen Palestinians were killed in a major Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israel's premier defended his fiercely contested pullout plan of the occupied territory at the start of a crunch debate in


President Bush used a Monday trip to Des Moines to sign into law an extension of tax benefits that he said will ensure 94 million Americans continue paying lower tax bills next year.


Future smokers may be programmed in womb

Future smokers may be programmed in the  womb to take up the habit later in life, research published on  Tuesday said.


Forgetful? Scientists say stress is a cause

How many people have gotten home after a blindingly stressful day and realize they've forgotten something important? Well, now at least there's a scientific explanation for the oversight.


Salesforce Sees Higher Revenues On New ISV Program

TechWeb - In an effort to spur sales of its products, Salesforce is launching a program to give third-party software vendors marketing help in exchange for a cut of sales.


Boselli: per i 50 anni della Camera Nazionale Moda Italiana


Economy has not been Daisuke Matsuzaka's strong suit during his short major league career and last night was no exception in throwing 110 pitches over six innings in a 9-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.


CA shareholders back management over bonuses issue

AUGUST 26, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Computer Associates International Inc. avoided a revolt at its annual meeting yesterday, when shareholders voted down a proposal requesting that the company's board adopt


BAGHDAD: Two rockets slammed into the Sheraton hotel in central Baghdad last night, temporarily overshadowing a pledge by a Shi'ite militia to disarm.


When I ordered Christmas presents last week from L.L. Bean's 295-page holiday catalog, I visited the Web site because I thought it might offer bargains and be as quick as a phone call.-washingtonpost.com


This year, the World Economic Forum is actually going to be about the world economy. Which is not to say that there wonât be fun.


German research firm Heise Security has issued an advisory for a pair of security flaws in Microsoft's (Quote, Chart) recently shipped Windows XP Service Pack 2 with a warning that attackers could launch malicious files from an untrusted zone.


Inhaled steroids protected 9/11 firefighters: study

As New York City firefighters struggled to find survivors in the haze and rubble of the World Trade Center collapse, the fire department's chief doctor was thinking about how to keep them safe from toxins in the air.


Howard Stern once worried on the air that a marriage to longtime girlfriend Beth Ostrosky would only mess up a good thing.


Iverson Fractures Thumb But Aims to Play

U.S. point guard Allen Iverson has a  fractured thumb on his shooting hand but is expected to play on  Tuesday night against Greece, a U.S. basketball spokesman said.


Trap, drown, smash, poison: Indian rat catcher hard at work

MUMBAI -- Behram Harda was a dancer in the Bollywood films of the 1970s, gracing the screen with his twist and his cha-cha. Then he became a rodent assassin.


Author Chris Balish will join Michelle Singletary for a discussion about his book, "How to Live Well Without Owning a Car."


Three Britons and German swept to deaths trying to save children from treacherous sea currents.


UNICEF spokesperson Paula Claycomb speaks in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004. Claycomb expressed hope that the meeting of the United Nations security council in Nairobi, to begin Thursday, would encourage a comprehensive peace deal in Sudan.


People struck down by a stomach bug sweeping the UK have been urged not to go back to work for 48 hours.


Eminem Races by Britney on U.K. Album Chart

LONDON (Billboard) - Despite having been released on  Friday, Eminem's new album "Encore" went straight to the top of  the U.K. charts Sunday.


CHICAGO -- Torii Hunter homered, Jason Kubel hit a grand slam, and the Minnesota Twins handed Jon Garland one of the worst beatings of his career while outscoring the Chicago White Sox 20-14 in the first game of Friday's day-night doubleheader.


No, says Wall Street, which expects ever-increasing growth. Yet there are plenty of ways for Eric Schmidt and company to stumble.


California co. expands beef recall due to E. coli

Southern California meatpacker United Food Group LLC expanded a recall to include 5.7 million pounds of fresh and frozen beef that may be contaminated with the potentially deadly E. coli bacteria, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Saturday.


Regan lawyer vows suit over her "unfair" dismissal

Publisher Judith Regan, whose book by O.J. Simpson on how he would have killed his ex-wife was scrapped, intends to sue HarperCollins for firing her and then launching a "smear campaign" painting her as an anti-Semite, her attorney said on Tuesday.


Unemployment a Top Concern of Arab Youths

Clutching an envelope containing his high-school diploma, Khleif al-Onaizi headed to one of the scores of employment centers the government has set up nationwide in a drive that began last week to help Saudis find jobs.


At least one person is killed and several others are injured in an explosion in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, police say.


IBM aims for midmarket with BI appliance server

IBMÂ hopes to bring BI to a wider audience of midmarket customers with a new software stack developed in partnership with Business Objects SA, industry sources said.


An ancient version of global warming may have been to blame for the greatest mass extinction in Earth's history.


Scrambling for safety California is on the brink of introducing privacy laws to safeguard personal data stored on radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in government-issued documents and identification cards.â¦


Blog: Failure to file quarterly earnings reports while the company investigates potential refile over accounting errors has resulted in a repeat notice of possible Nasdaq delisting.


UPDATE 1-Mutu to continue career in England or Italy

Romanian striker Adrian Mutu, dismissed by English Premier League club Chelsea for taking cocaine, said on Tuesday he would continue his career in England or Italy after completing a seven-month ban.


Photographer Carl Mydans Dies; Covered War and the Depression

Carl Mydans, 97, who died of a heart ailment Aug. 16 at his home in Larchmont, NY, was one of the most celebrated war photographers and roaming journalists of the past century. He often worked in tandem with his wife, the writer Shelley ...


Suspected Islamic militants drove an explosive-laden car into a military convoy and detonated a roadside bomb in northwestern Pakistan Friday, killing six soldiers and wounding five more, officials said.


Il presidente della commissione Ambiente della Camera sui dati relativi ai fiumi italiani forniti dalla Protezione civile: piogge scarse e poca neve sui monti                                          "Situazione critica in molti bacini" Realacci lancia l'allarme acqua                                                                                "Il Po ha una portata analoga a quella della siccitÃ  dell'estate  2006L'Arno Ã¨ al 50% della media stagionale, mentre il Tevere Ã¨ ancora piÃ¹ basso"


Crohn's disease may be caused by a bacterial infection responsible for a similar bowel disorder in cattle, sheep and goats, researchers say.


Riforme istituzionali, Ciampi chiede coerenza

ROMA - Â«Eâ indispensabile che la piÃ¹ attenta cura sia posta nellâadottare soluzioni che assicurino la coerenza e la funzionalitÃ  del quadro costituzionale nel suo insieme e in tutte le sue parti...Â».


The Australian foreign minister vows to catch those who planted a bomb at Australia's embassy in Indonesia.


E' stato accusato da Societe' Generale di truffa


Space shuttle grounded until May or even later

NASA has abandoned plans to resume flying the space shuttle next March because of the impact of four hurricanes on space agency centers and work schedules, officials said Friday.


Iraq. Rumsfeld: possibile il ritiro delle truppe prima della ...

Il ministro della Difesa statunitense, Donald Rumsfeld, non ha escluso un ritiro delle truppe americane dall'Iraq anche prima della pacificazione del Paese. Lo ha detto al termine di un incontro al Pentagono


AU says U.N. officer killed by robbers in Darfur

A U.N. military officer deployed to Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region to support African Union peacekeepers has been killed by robbers at his residence in el-Fasher, an African Union spokesman said on Saturday.


McCain: Current Iraq plan is best option

Republican presidential candidate John McCain, comparing the U.S. effort in Iraq to military campaigns like the Normandy invasion, said Saturday the current plan is the only decent option.


Sheehan challenges Pelosi to back Bush impeachment

Cindy Sheehan, who became a leading anti-war activist after her son died in Iraq, said on Monday she will run against House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi if the Democratic leader fails to seek the ouster of President George W. Bush within the next two weeks.


Photos: Greatest arcade games of the '80s

Your mission is to travel back to the '80s, the golden age of arcade games, and play your favorite one.


Darfur Talks to Seek Political Pact Amid Fighting

Sudanese officials and Darfur rebels arrived in Nigeria on Friday for talks on a political deal to end two years of conflict in the vast desert region which observers say is slipping deeper into chaos.


Man held in custody over Gold Coast seige

Police last night cleared a Gold Coast apartment building of explosive devices, following a 17-hour stand-off with police. A 43-year-old man from Coombabah on the Gold Coast has been charged over the incident.


The Lede Blog: Race and the Spotlight in Small-Town Louisiana

A rally in Jena, La., over the prosecution of six black high school students is attracting national attention.


Congress Calls on Clemens and 4 Others to Testify

The star pitcher Roger Clemens, his former trainer Brian McNamee and three others will be asked to testify under oath before a Congressional committee on Jan. 16.


Johan Santana rarely has it this easy. The two-time Cy Young Award winner pitched a four-hitter — with only one strikeout — for his first shutout in nearly two years, and the Minnesota Twins took advantage of four early errors Tuesday night in a 9-0 rout of the New York Mets.


The leader of Algeria's second largest Islamic rebel group has been arrested, the Interior Ministry said Monday, dealing a fresh blow to radical Muslim militants fighting the secular government.


Islamist sites say to show capture of 3 Americans

Web sites often used by al Qaeda-linked groups said on Monday they would soon show the abduction of three Americans, apparently referring to three U.S. soldiers who went missing in Iraq last month after a clash.


People have long gazed at the sky and wondered if there were other worlds—Earths—in orbit around the distant stars.  Since the 1992 announcement of pulsar planets by Alex Wolszczan, more than 130 giant (Jupiter and Saturn size) planets in orbit about nearby stars have been discovered using ground-based telescopes. In 2007, NASA's Kepler Mission will begin the space-based search for extrasolar planets. Over its planned observing lifetime, Kepler is likely to discover many hundreds of extrasolar planets both large and small. ...


It's not all hearts and flowers for bowl matchmakers

The language is on Page 3 of the official Bowl Championship Series handbook: "The Bowl Championship Series is a five-game arrangement for post-season college football that is designed to match the two top-rated teams in a national championship game and to create exciting and competitive matchups among eight other highly regarded teams in four other games."


Software AG: The XML - oops - SOA company

(InfoWorld) - Software AG has built a global customer base over 35 years by being an early mover in a couple of major technology trends. The company introduced one of the first databases, Adabas, in the 1970s, a platform-independent computer language, Natural, in the 1980s and an XML (Extensible Markup Language) server, Tamino, in the 1990s. In an interview with IDG News Service, Peter KÃ¼rpick, member of the Software AG executive board responsible for research and development, talked aboutÂ the company's evolutionary moveÂ from XML servers and integration to new products and services needed to build an SOA (service oriented architecture) infrastructure. IDGNS: How did Software AG enter the middleware market? KÃ¼rpick: In the early 90s, our founder Peter Schnell realized a need to connect various systems so that information flows would not be confined to one system. He started a project, the message broker, which is known today as our enterprise service bus. This technology allows you to connect systems of different kinds to exchange information. IDGNS: And then the Internet came along. What happened then? KÃ¼rpick: In the mid-1990s when Internet gained momentum, Software AG detected a need for companies to standardize application tools. The standard was XML and became a core business. We tagged ourselves The XML Company. But that tag is going to disappear soon as XML is now pretty much a given in the industry; it's nothing special anymore. IDGNS: So if you're not going to be The XML Company any longer, what do you want to be? KÃ¼rpick: What we're doing now with SOA is a natural extension of what we've done for the last several years. SOA is a concept of loosely coupling systems and generating new applications based on highly standardized technologies, such as Web services and business process management. We've decided to bring a technology stack to the table that covers all the basic components of SOA. This includes opening up and connecting any kind of system. We have a toolset to connect to those systems. And once you've connected to three or four systems, you'll want to orchestrate a new process that takes data from system "a" to system "b" and beyond. This is where our enterprise service bus comes into play. IDGNS: How does AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) fit into this? KÃ¼rpick: We use this technology to develop enterprise screens, or "mashups," that companies can deploy on top of their systems to have an integrated view of data being generated by a variety of applications. This is what our crossvision suite is all about. IDGNS: How do you make customers understand what SOA is all about? KÃ¼rpick: We tell customers they need one central place, an SOA registry/repository. Here they register all their metadata, or SOA "artifacts," which describe interfaces, business processes, Web services and more. The repository is a library of sorts where users store all the ways they connect systems, providing a map of their IT landscape. It allows them to govern and manage their SOA infrastructure. IDGNS: So this is your interpretation of SOA -- to work through this repository? KÃ¼rpick: We say that an SOA registry/ repository is a must. It allows businesses to govern the life-cyle of SOA components, such as services, processes and policies. IDGNS: Is this repository approach unique to you? KÃ¼rpick: There are only two companies in world doing this right now: Software AG and Hewlett-Packard, via an acquisition.Â HP acquired Mercury Interactive, which owned Systinet -- the only competitor with a similar approach. IDGNS: Are there other interpretations of SOA with the library? KÃ¼rpick: You really can't run a large scale SOA landscape without a central library. As with any library, you need to know where the books are. With SOA, you need to know where all the services are you want to link and how to link them. IDGNS: And you help with your own proprietary technology? KÃ¼rpick: Our technology is entirely based on open standards. We see ourselves as a neutral player in the integration space. We're not biased toward SAP or Oracle or any other vendor of business applications for that matter. Our mission is to integrate heterogenous IT landscapes. Businesses prefer to enable new processes on what they already have. They don't want to embark on huge conversion programs. IDGNS: When companies follow a SOA path, do they need to invest heavily in consultants? KÃ¼rpick: They need some level of consultancy. SOA is a learning process. We can guide businesses and help them avoid interruptions. Our technology is based on standard ways of doing things -- for instance Eclipse as a development environment or Java as a standard way of developing code. Large companies can do much in-house. So it's really a question of how large you are and how much you want to do in-house. IDGNS: So no more XLM -- SOA is the future. But SOA can go away too, right? KÃ¼rpick: SOA is an architectural concept and I expect it will be around for at least the next 10 years or longer. The concept is really only at the beginning.


A Do-It-Yourself Kit for the US Elections

Want to be an armchair analyst and guess the results of the American presidential election on Nov. 2, polling day, before anyone else?


Volkswagen 'Nazi' Subpoena Points Up Social-Networking Privacy Policies

Volkswagen files a subpoena for the identity of a YouTube user who posted a Nazi-themed parody of a recent VW Golf commercial. The move highlights the privacy risks for users of video-sharing and social-networking sites, and no law requires the sites need to notify users of those subpoenas.


Ivar Ingimarsson's first-half header hands Reading victory over Man City at the Madejski Stadium.


It is now legal to purchase many kinds of semiautomatic weapons that were for sale only to the military and police in the United States for the past ten years.


Convincing case for a car-free existence

She kept tight reins on me and my whereabouts by requiring that she drive me to most of the places I had to be. I went to just three dances in my entire high school career. The ring dance, junior prom, and senior prom.


Google's growth may be chaotic, but will it help the company take over the world?


New orders at U.S. factors rose a  smaller-than-expected 1.2 percent in June as orders outside  transportation and defense were weak, a government report  showed on Thursday.


Bush seeks allied help in dealing with Iran, North Korea

SANTIAGO, Chile - President Bush used his first trip abroad since re-election to press allies Saturday for help in hemming in the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran, nations he considers part of an "axis of evil" threatening global security.


The UK office: hotbed of net smut addiction

'Wacking' menaces British economy Any bosses among you who are wondering why your male employees' productivity has declined of late are directed to a highly suspect survey by moneysupermarket.com, which claims they're probably ogling some quality internet pornography rather than knuckling down to that mission-critical PowerPoint presentation.â¦


England midfielder Owen Hargreaves will join Manchester United from Bayern Munich on July 1, the English Premiership champions said Thursday.


The last time Tony La Russa managed a postseason series against the Dodgers, his club was an Oakland juggernaut that dominated the regular season with 104 victories.


Finkelstein: Regis CEO Sees 'Earnings Growth' In Hair Club Buy

There's no thinning of this company's expansion plans. Regis (nyse: RGS - news - people ), the world's largest operator of hair salons, has cut a $210 million deal to buy Hair Club for Men and Women.


Blast Heard in Central Baghdad - Witnesses

A blast echoed over central Baghdad on  Saturday and white smoke rose from the direction of the Green  Zone housing Iraqi government offices and the U.S. and British  embassies, Reuters witnesses said.


Sam Allardyce admitted he felt robbed by Salomon Kalou's controversial late winner as Chelsea piled more pressure on the beleaguered Newcastle manager.


The last active leader of Peru's Shining Path guerrillas proposes to stop fighting in return for an amnesty.


One of seven young people arrested over the gun killing of 11-year-old Rhys Jones is released on bail.


New rules that come into force on Wednesday should make it easier to switch broadband supplier.


Ashley Cole says he joined Chelsea because the Arsenal board "did not give a damn about keeping me".


YouTube Offers Concession to Japanese Group

Copyright holders say reply is 'not satisfactory,' but are willing to keep working on a solution.


Former Sen. John Edwards said at a  Hurricane Katrina conference he would propose what he called  "Brownie's Law" requiring that qualified people, not political  hacks, lead key federal agencies.


Presidential race heads toward 2000 redux

WASHINGTON - The US presidential race headed toward the chaos of 2000 with President George W. Bush grabbing a firm lead, Democrat John Kerry refusing to concede and the possibility of no winner for days or weeks.


Can General Motors Design a Better Future?

Style and design are not the only issues filling the days of Robert A. Lutz. Increasingly, much of his attention has been focused on the cost side.


The ongoing civil trial involving P2P file sharing network Kazaa highlights the risks corporates face by not locking down employees' desktop applications, say security experts.


Sleep pillow plus exercise best for neck pain

NEW YORK  - Sleeping with a neck support pillow and doing neck exercises can help ease chronic neck pain, Canadian researchers report.


Russia to take control of gas giant Gazprom

Russia moved to bolster its role in the strategic energy sector as gas giant Gazprom said it would acquire state oil firm Rosneft, handing the government control of the world's largest gas producer.


Croatia Removes Nazi-Era Leaders' Plaques

Under heavy police security, Croatia removed two plaques commemorating Nazi-era officials on Friday in the first such action since independence in 1991.


Ricky Martin to do anti-trafficking PSAs

Ricky Martin will appear on Dominican television and radio for the next six months to warn people about human trafficking and sexual exploitation.


Lawyers for the former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif filed a petition threw down a legal challenge to Pakistanâs president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.


Mark Latham re-elected Australian Labor Party leader

Mark Latham was re-elected leader of the Australian Labor Party, one of Australia's biggest political parties, here Friday. Jenny Macklin was returned to the deputy's position.


Fed Debates Policy for Post-Greenspan Era

Battle lines are drawn at the Federal Reserve between those who favor formal inflation goals and those who don't, and the debate is heating up ahead of the coming retirement of Chairman Alan Greenspan.


Putin arms threat may steal headlines at G8 summit

Group of Eight leaders  seeking to focus on climate change and Africa at their summit  this week may find it hard not to be distracted by the Russian  bear glowering in the room.


English social realist ken loach has been doing his best work in Scotland recently.


-Buy gifts that are perhaps more useful to people, such as a bottle of wine. -Avoid the displays and tables at the front of stores and at the check-out counters.


Merck stock plummets on news of Vioxx recall

Shares of Merck plunged nearly 27 percent yesterday on news that the pharmaceutical giant was pulling the popular arthritis pain medication Vioxx off the market in the largest drug withdrawal in US history.


Anti-gay church: Thompson agreed with us

Members of the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church are urging Fred Thompson to support their stance on homosexuality Â a position on which they say the Republican presidential candidate once "saw eye to eye" with them.


Russian officials demanded up to $10 billion in additional taxes from Yukos and its soon-to-be-sold main unit on Monday, pushing the debts of Russia's embattled No.


Serbian PM opposes European Union agreement

Serbia's prime minister denounced  plans on Tuesday to sign a political accord with the European  Union as a trick intended to trap the former Yugoslav republic  into accepting the independence of breakaway Kosovo.


Ranbir launches book on grandfather Raj Kapoor

Legendary Bollywood showman Raj Kapoor's grandson Ranbir launched the Hindi version of "Raj Kapoor", a compilation of memoirs on the icon's personal and professional life, authored by his aunt Ritu Nanda at a function Tuesday in the capital.


Finding Little Relief In the Drug Market

And so we said goodbye this year to an illusion -- that the drugs we need will be waiting for us when we need them, safe and sound.


People in the News: R. you ready for this?: No minors!

We can't believe we're saying this to anyone other than Paris Hilton, but here goes: Hey, R. Kelly! Stop having sex in front of cameras.


TSMC, the world's largest contract chip maker, said Thursday its sales fell in September for the first time in 7 months and warned they could continue to drop as demand falters amid a broad industry slowdown.


Country music awards set for three-way showdown

The Country Music Association awards  are a three-way showdown between Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and  Kenny Chesney, while the Dixie Chicks were snubbed again with  not a single nomination on Wednesday.


At least 22 people have been killed in back-to-back bombings in Egyptian resorts packed with Israeli tourists, and Israel says it appears to be the work of al Qaeda.


Soyuz Capsule Lands on Kazakhstan Steppe

American astronaut Mike Fincke, front , and Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Shargin, third, get off a plane at the Chkalovsky airport, just outside Moscow, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2004, while heading to Moscow's Star City, the home-base of Russia's space program.