United chief upbeat over Â£27.9m profits

Manchester United have today announced a pre-tax profit of Â£27.9m (â¬41.1m) for the financial year ended July 31, 2004. The figure represents a fall of Â£11.


Vietnamese officials release leading dissident Nguyen Vu Binh, who was convicted of spying in 2003.


A Darfur rebel group says it has seized two workers at an oilfield in Sudan operated by a Chinese company.


Poll: Vast majority of Canadians like Americans, but not George W. ...

Nearly two-thirds of Canadians had an unfavourable view of US President George W. Bush, even though most Canadians said they had a good opinion of Americans, suggests a poll done for The Associated Press.


Spain has ditched plans to build a  300-km motorway across the country's sun-baked plains because  it would have threatened the Iberian lynx, one of the world's  most endangered animals.


Violence erupts despite Kenyan rivals' handshake

At least seven people were killed in ethnic fighting in Kenya's Rift Valley overnight which sent tens of thousands of people fleeing and dealt a blow to hopes of ending weeks of unrest.


Host Depot Rolls Out Their Next Generation Dedicated Server Offering to Serve the SMB, VAR and ISV Market

Host Depot announced today that they are launching a new next generation dedicated server offering. The new products will be powered by Dells' new PowerEdge(TM) server line.


Monkey study hints at topical HIV protection

An international team of researchers reported that female monkeys whose vaginal surfaces were coated with an experimental drug shortly before exposure to the simian version of HIV were protected from infection.


Canmore, 23:02 - SCI NORDICO, CDM: VINCE PANKRATOV, SECONDO DI CENTA

Secondo posto per Giorgio di Centa nella pursuit di Canmore, prima tappa canadese della quattro gior...


Palestinians to get Arafat's medical chart

records would be given to Nasser al-Kidwa, Arafat's nephew and the Palestinian representative at the United Nations. The 75-year-old Palestinian leader died of an undisclosed illness at a French hospital on November 11.


Ferguson blames TV companies for disrupting Champions League plans

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has hit out at television companies for sabotaging his preparations for the crucial Champions League last 16 first leg trip to Lille.


During a visit to Saudi Arabia, President Bush urged OPEC to consider the impact high oil prices were having on the American economy, and promised to discuss the issue with the Saudi king.


Troy Brown didn't play any defense against Carolina in Saturday night's exhibition game. Thing is, he didn't play much offense or special teams, either.


Hackers Crash the Social Networking Party

Huge crowds in social networking sites draw money-minded malware authors.


Chief Justice William Rehnquist's health is shrouded in mystery, the extent of his thyroid cancer a closely guarded secret. Several coming events could give the public an idea about the seriousness of his condition.


Race to bury Asia's dead as toll soars near 60,000

Stricken Indian Ocean nations worked swiftly on Wednesday to bury thousands of bodies as experts warned disease could kill as many people as the 60,000 already dead from the violent crush of Sunday's tsunami.


PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia coach Ken Hitchcock signed a new three-year contract with the Flyers through 2008-09.


Chinese Vice-Premier Huang Ju, one of the most senior leaders in China, dies aged 68, official media say.


Cuba to Get Rid of Dollars After a Decade

Cubans rushed to change dollars into  local pesos on Tuesday as President Fidel Castro's communist  government prepared to pull the U.S. currency from circulation  more than a decade after it was legalized here.


WEDNESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDayNews) -- Canadian scientists have found cancer stem cells that seem to fuel the uncontrolled growth of malignant brain tumors.


Top seed Amelie Mauresmo reached the   second round of the U.S. Open a day later than originally   scheduled when she beat German qualifier Kristina Barrois 6-1   7-5 on Wednesday.


Google cookie expiration plans called 'worthless'

Although Google Inc. says privacy issues are behind its plan to shorten the life span of cookies placed on a user's computer, the move is being dismissed largely as hype.


Russia says no extradition for Litvinenko suspects

Any Russian citizen suspected in the poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko will be tried in Russia, not Britain, Prosecutor-General Yuri Chaika said on Tuesday.


Roma, 15:31 - CALCIO, ROMA; SPALLETTI: LAZIO SQUADRA SCORBUTICA

Non si fida della Lazio, Luciano Spalletti. ''L'ho vista giocare - ha detto l'allenatore della Roma ...


Stocks climb as Wall St ends strong quarter

Stocks rose on Friday after data showed strength in the economy while an inflation measure moderated, putting the stock market on track to end the quarter on a strong note.


Contact Centers Await Next-Generation Speech

IBM's (NYSE: IBM) donation of some US$10 million worth of software to the open-source community to help developers build speech applications was, of course, not completely altruistic.


Colorado school gunman kills girl, himself

An armed man took two girls hostage at a   Colorado high school on Wednesday, fatally shooting one of the   students and then himself when police stormed the classroom   where he was barricaded, authorities said.


Israeli troops raid Gaza, kill three militants

Israeli troops killed three Palestinian gunmen in separate clashes in the Gaza Strip on Friday as the army mounted raids into the coastal enclave, Palestinian medical and militant sources said.


Israel rebuffs call for talks on core issues

Israel ruled out on Tuesday negotiations "at this stage" over the boundaries of a future Palestinian state, rebuffing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and casting doubt on a renewed U.S. push to address the issue.


McLaren will decide on Friday whether to appeal against their Â£49.2m fine and the deduction of all their points from the constructors' championship.


Former major league general manager Bob Watson yesterday turned down the chance to become general manager of the franchise set to relocate to Washington in the spring.


Annika Sorenstam got off to a good start in the opening round of the State Farm Classic. Another Swede had an even better finish.


Discrimination against women is stopping economic and social development in the Arab World, the UN reports.


Oil prices held firm just above $47 a barrel on Friday, bolstered by a tightening outlook for market fundamentals and sliding U.S. temperatures.


Art Review | Jacob Lawrence: Visions of a People in Motion

âThe Migration of the Negro,â Jacob Lawrenceâs series of small pictures, is most effective when seen complete.


Amazon to invest more in China shopping website

US online seller Amazon said Thursday it will increase its investment in Joyo.com, one of China's leading online shopping websites.


American Express Profit Rises 14 Percent

American Express  on Monday said quarterly earnings rose 14 percent, matching analysts' expectations, as cardholder spending and borrowing increased while loan losses fell.


Mobs kill police in fraud row on eve of Kenya poll

Mobs in Kenya's opposition heartland beat up and killed at least three policemen accused of taking part in a plan to rig Thursday's elections in favor of President Mwai Kibaki, authorities said on Wednesday.


Ulster Unionist MLA Basil McCrea says his party should quit the power-sharing executive.


A delegation of senior Iraqi officials is holding high-level talks with the Turkish government in Ankara today to try to avert an incursion by Turkeyâs military into northern Iraq to fight Kurdish guerrillas.


As I listened to President Bush and Senator Kerry debate the war in Iraq, I felt I was hearing a variation on whether the beer "tastes great" or is "less filling.


Welcome to the Jersey Shore! Have a great time, but please don't dig too deeply in the sand in Surf City (you could get blown up), feed the seagulls in Ocean City (you could catch a disease), or draw dirty pictures in the sand in Belmar (it's rude).


Patients Travel to Hospitals on 'Angel' Wings

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine  - Ann Hayes says she is  surrounded by angels.


Women are being infected with HIV at increasing rates in all regions of the world, and their numbers are now nearly equal to men, according to the United Nations and World Health Organization's annual report on AIDS released Tuesday.


Pregnant Woman's Accused Killer Was In Custody Dispute

MARYVILLE, Mo. -- Days before Lisa Montgomery allegedly killed another woman and stole her unborn baby, an effort was under way to revoke custody of two of her own children.


Basketball Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden , the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, will undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery this week because of pain in his right knee. An MRI taken last week showed Oden may have some cartilage problems, general manager Kevin Pritchard said. A timetable for Oden's return will be set following the surgery, which will ...


Ricordi e rimpianti di Erin Moran, sorella di Richie nel celebre serial televisivo"Avevo fatto un provino, mia madre mi vietÃ² quel film. Il ruolo andÃ² a Linda Blair"                                            Joanie, la "piccola" di Happy Days "Nell'Esorcista dovevo esserci io"                                                                                Ha interpretato la figlia dei Cunningham per undici anniDopo vari tentativi e altri serial tv, ora fa soprattutto la moglie


Yankees 10, Red Sox 7: Just a typical chapter in unique rivalry

Another game, another postseason classic. It will be news if the Red Sox and Yankees ever play a yawner. Last night certainly does not qualify.


European Report Details Flights By CIA Aircraft

BRUSSELS, Nov. 28 -- Most days, the skies are quiet over the Szymany airport, a mothballed runway in rural Poland. So the airport director took note when strangers showed up on at least six occasions in 2002 and 2003, offering to pay large sums of cash to land planes from faraway places such as...


Four critical Windows fixes coming next week

InfoWorld - Microsoft will release six sets of security patches next Tuesday, four of which will fix critical flaws in the Windows operating system.


Crime and punishment The leader of one of the world's most prolific ID theft gangs was sentenced to six years imprisonment at a hearing in London's Harrow Crown Court on Wednesday. Two other members of the same gang have been jailed for five years and eighteen months respectively.â¦


Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to Remain in Job

Donald Rumsfeld, architect of the US plan to invade Iraq and a target of critics of the war, will remain in the cabinet, a senior administration official said.


Tour leader Fabian Cancellara takes an an amazing sprint victory in the third stage.


Shares Edge Higher as Price of Crude Oil Drops Sharply

By The Associated Press. A sharp drop in oil prices gave Wall Street some relief yesterday, with stocks edging higher on news that oil production soared in September.


BAGHDAD -- News that a US Army reservist had been sentenced to 10 years behind bars for physically and sexually abusing Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison drew scorn yesterday from Iraqis who thought he should have been tried in Baghdad and punished with death.


Broncos defense stifles Patriots in 17-7 win

FOXBORO, Massachusetts  - Jake Plummer hit Javon   Walker with two touchdown passes and the Denver defense stymied   New England on Sunday, leading the Broncos to a 17-7 victory   over the Patriots.


Stock Exchange faces foreign takeover after German bid

The London Stock Exchange last night looked likely to be taken over by one of its overseas rivals, after more than 300 years as one of Britain's key institutions.


Pounds 2m Tramp; Harry the Shack-Dweller Wins Squatter's Rights to a Prime Piece of Hampstead Heath

By JAMES MILLS HIS home is a rickety shack surrounded by junk. Yet this 70-year-old Irish tramp is the unlikeliest of property millionaires.


Danger's price tag: Reportedly $500 million

While it's no Yahoo, mobile phone maker Danger apparently fetched quite a steep price from Microsoft.


Bismillah, Abdul! It looks just the same as out the window Reporters trawling un-indexed FTP servers have recently been able to download large amounts of secret US military data, it has been revealed.â¦


European equity markets were volatile on Wednesday in the face of deepening US recession fears, which dragged Wall Street and Asian indices sharply lower.


US stocks futures tumbled on Thursday after drug company Merck & Co. (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) announced it was recalling a key drug, indicating the market would open lower.


Influence of Species Pool, Fire History, and Woody Canopy on Plant Species Density and Composition in Tallgrass Prairie1

By Milbauer, Michelle L Leach, Mark K  MILBAUER, M. L., AND M. K. LEACH (University of Wisconsin- Madison Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Highway, Madison, Wisconsin 53711). Influence of species pool, fire history, and woody canopy on plant species density and composition in tallgrass prairie. J.


Not Everyone Will Get Flu Vaccine This Year

October means Flu season is coming. But unfortunately for a lot of people, Flu vaccines are not. There's basically a 50-50 chance that your doctor won't have the vaccine.


Drape black bunting over the holiday decorations. Carve an ice sculpture of a pinstriped Satan. The Evil Empire has struck again. The Yankees last night inched


WRAPUP 1-Gibernau wins in Qatar after Rossi storm

Spaniard Sete Gibernau won a controversial inaugural Qatar MotoGP on Saturday after multiple world champions Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi were forced to start from the back of the grid.


Due to a drought in Utah, Glen Canyon is on its way back Â viewable in much of its former glory.


Ahead of announcement for Nobel Peace Prize, odds favour fight ...

Speculation on who will win the Nobel Peace Prize has been hotly focused on the battle against one of the great threats to world peace: weapons of mass destruction.


Alain Robbe-Grillet, an avant-garde author who dispensed with conventional storytelling as a pioneer of the postwar "new novel" movement in France, died Monday. He was 85.


NASA says it has joined with Red Planet Capital Inc. of San Mateo, Calif., to gain access to new and innovative scientific technologies.


Iran on Tuesday defied international calls for it to stop enriching uranium, a day before a U.N. deadline for it to back down.


Williams Scotsman Agrees to $1.24 Billion Buyout

Williams Scotsman International, a Baltimore-based provider of mobile storage containers for the construction industry, agreed yesterday to be bought by the parent company of Algeco, a privately held French modular construction firm, for about $1.24 billion.


Catholic Church slams free Brazil Carnival condoms

Catholic bishops criticized on Friday Brazil's plan to hand out millions of free condoms in the world's largest Catholic country when its famously bacchanalian Carnival begins next week.


A courageous documentary shows kids trying to escape Calcutta brothels. Some make it, some don't


The lobbying arm of the film studios files lawsuits against the operators of sites and servers that help users of file-sharing networks locate movies and songs. By Xeni Jardin.


Phishers now leasing the Storm worm botnet

Domains of several new phishing sites are cropping up with known Storm worm domains. F-Secure researchers think phishers are leasing parts of the larger botnet.


The United States, Germany and France called Friday for presidential elections in Lebanon to be free, based on the constitution and staged without foreign intervention, a


IAEA Says Tons of Powerful Explosives Missing from Iraq

The International Atomic Energy Agency says several hundred tons of high explosive material have disappeared in Iraq. The agency says a lack of security has led to looting from several sites.


Software Disasters are Often People Problems

By MATTHEW FORDAHL     SAN JOSE, Calif.  -- New software at Hewlett-Packard Co...


Mantova, 12 ottobre 2004 - L'Italia under 21 ha battuto a Mantova i pari eta' della Bielorussia per 2-1 nella quarta giornata del Gruppo 5 di qualificazione alla fase finale degli Europei di categoria. Primo


No. 4 Cal overcomes a 14-point defecit to keep their BCS bowl hopes alive with a 28-27 triumph over the Oregon Ducks on Saturday.


Litvinenko suspect says British spies real killers

The man charged by Britain with murdering former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko denied involvement on Thursday, saying British intelligence and a self-exiled Russian multi-millionaire were far more likely suspects.


A trial offers hard evidence to back the assumption that the opiate morphine can calm a long-standing cough.


Mind control, game announcements, and graphics cards--the gaming elite flocks to the annual Game Developers Conference to discuss what you'll play in 2008.


Two Pakistani journalists killed in ambush in tribal area

Two Pakistani journalists were killed and two others including an AFP reporter were injured when gunmen opened fire on their car in the turbulent tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said.


The fishermen in this southern Lebanese port city are back at work now that the Israeli sea embargo has been lifted. But so far their catch has been disappointingly small, and some of them contend their nets are often filled with bombs and missile parts.


Winkler testifies in John Ritter lawsuit

Actor Henry Winkler has described for a Los Angeles court what happened the last time he saw deceased actor John Ritter.


Music industry clamps down on song-swapping

London - The piracy-battered music industry said on Thursday it will sue British, French and Austrian music fans as it intensifies its legal crackdown on Internet song-swappers.


Pope changes rules for electing successor

Pope Benedict announced on Tuesday he had changed the rules to elect his successor, in a move meant to ensure that future pontiffs have broad support before white smoke rises again from the Sistine Chapel.


Architecture: Amnesty Plan for Relics of the Raj

Although the works of Edwin Lutyens in New Delhi can serve as reminders of imperialism, some architects want to rescue his vision from looming destruction.


Microsoft steers 'R2' server for '05 release

com October 18, 2004, 9:58 AM PT. This fourth priority's main focus has been enterprise directories as organizations spawn projects around identity infrastructure.


All the world's a web page as the Bard goes online

The earliest editions of Shakespeare's plays provide a fascinating insight into how the playwright reworked his masterpieces over time, but until now, due to their age and


Evolving View of Dangers of Atrial Fibrillation

Once considered relatively harmless, doctors now recognize that atrial fibrillation may make patients more prone to heart attacks and strokes.


The CIA ran secret jails in Poland and Romania to interrogate key terror suspects, shackling and handcuffing inmates, keeping some naked for weeks and reducing contact with the outer world to masked and silent guards, a European investigator said Friday.


Duesseldorf, 12:11 - CALCIO, GERMANIA: KLOSE SALTA AMICHEVOLE CON SVIZZERA

Miroslav Klose non giocherà l'amichevole che la Germania disputerà questa sera contro ...


Minnesota ranked among top in readiness for health terrorism

A new report ranks Minnesota as one of the top states in being prepared for a health-related terror attack. The Trust for America's Health places Minnesota among the top six states in the


Aussie high-speed train derails, 79 people hurt

SYDNEY - At least 79 people were injured, two of them seriously, when a high-speed train carrying more than 160 passengers and crew derailed in eastern Australia early today, police said.


With Arsenal set to meet Manchester United in the quarter finals of the Carling Cup, the Football Association is keen for the two clubs to call a truce following their fiery league game last month.


Montana prison escapees spotted in creek

The search for two escaped convicts, one of whom was once accused of plotting to kidnap David Letterman's son, focused Wednesday on an area where the duo apparently had been camping. Authorities said the men are considered armed and dangerous, but they might not have much to wear.


World military budget tops Cold War record: Oxfam

Global military spending is   expected to hit $1.06 trillion this year, topping the record   set during the Cold War era, an international aid agency   reported on Friday.


Iraqi militant group frees abducted Bangladeshi driver: family :

World News > Dhaka, Dec 10 : A Bangladeshi truck driver, who was abuducted by an Iraqi militant group nearly two months ago, has been freed, his brother said today.


China Stocks May Fall After Government Takes Over 4 Brokerages

China shares may decline after the government took over Hantang Securities Co. and three brokerages controlled by failed investment company Xinjiang D'Long Group Co.


Intel gave its Centrino laptop package a speed boost this week with the release of a new, faster Pentium M processor. The Centrino package includes a Pentium M processor, a PC chip set, and a WLAN (wireless LAN) chip set.


Hong Kong Legislators on Canadian Visit Call for Support for Democracy

TORONTO (CP) - Two members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council are calling for international support for the democratic movement in their region.  Albert Ho and Margaret Ng are both representatives of democratic opposition parties in Hong Kong.


Kobe Bryant had 34 points and eight rebounds, Lamar Odom just missed a triple double, and the Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs, 106-99, last night in Los Angeles for their fifth win in six games.


Dried apples preserved with a cancer-causing chemical.


I funerali di Simone Cola a Ferentino, forse martedi'


Capeggiato da boss Palermiti arrestato il 2/10


The European Union has proposed that car advertisements shown in member countries carry tobacco-style labels warning of the environmental impact they cause.


Costo del lavoro in forte aumento +6,6%, si attendeva +3,2%


Paula Radcliffeâs response to those who doubted her ability to bounce back from her Olympic disasters could not have been more emphatic on Sunday when she triumphed in a thrilling New York Marathon.


Millions of children live in poverty in Eastern Europe and Central Asia despite economic growth there, a UN report says.


Londra, 10:10 - CALCIO, LIVERPOOL: PRONTI 20 MLN EURO PER BABEL

Secondo la BBC, il Liverpool è ad un passo da Ryan Babel, 21enne talento offensivo dell'Ajax....


World Business Briefing | Europe: Germany: Blackstone Sells Stake

The Blackstone Group sold the majority of its property holdings in Germany to institutional investors for about 1.6 billion euros ($2.1 billion), the company said yesterday. Blackstone said it had sold a majority stake in its Vitus subsidiary to a consortium including Round Hill Capital and Morley Fund Management, the wealth-management unit of the British insurer Aviva. Blackstone bought Vitus, which has more than 31,000 apartments, from a German holding company, WCM, at the end of 2004.


La conferma dell'Eliseo dopo le indiscrezioni


Israel seizes Hizbollah stronghold in Lebanon

MARJAYOUN, Lebanon  - Israel ousted Hizbollah   guerillas from a stronghold just inside Lebanon on Saturday   after several days of fierce fighting, the army said, as it   bombarded targets across the south of the country.


Japan's parliament elects Shinzo Abe as the country's new prime minister, replacing Junichiro Koizumi.


Appeals court cuts punitive damages in tobacco suit to $50 million

LOS ANGELES Punitive damages of 100 (m) million dollars awarded to the family of a man who sued tobacco giant Philip Morris have been slashed in half by a state appeals court in Los Angeles.


A Chechen crime boss and career officers from the police and intelligence services were among those arrested for roles in the contract killing of Anna Politkovskaya.


U.S.-led air raid kills seven Afghan children

Seven Afghan children have been killed in a U.S.-led coalition air strike, the coalition said on Monday, the latest civilian deaths by foreign troops amid rising anger in Afghanistan.


US, S Korea Agree to Increased Defense Cooperation

US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and South Korean Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung agreed to establish a Strategic Policy Initiative (SPI) to discuss long-term alliance tasks, during the annual Security Consultative Meeting at the Pentagon on Friday


France is ready to launch a military operation in Chad against rebels if necessary, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday.


PARIS, Nov 30  - The French economy is set for growth in the next two years and unemployment should begin to fall once oil prices ease, the OECD said here Tuesday.


An orange flag marks where Gary Lisle planned to put up a 33-foot windmill behind his house. But that's about as far as his green idea got in this Dallas suburb.


The Internal Revenue Service has been auditing more high-income taxpayers but may not be effectively going after one of the biggest problems — wealthy people who evade taxes by reporting too little business income or overstating business expenses.


Italiane rapite: alle 15 conferenza stampa di "Un ponte per

ROMA - E' prevista per oggi pomeriggio alle 15, nella sede di "Un ponte per..." in piazza Vittorio a Roma, una conferenza stampa sul rapimento delle due operatrici italiane dell'Ong, Simona Torretta e Simona Pari.


Ai mondiali francesi, gli azzurri cercano di dimenticare il disastro con gli All BlacksMercoledÃ¬, a Marsiglia, la prima partita che si puÃ² e si deve vincere                                            Rugby, l'Italia pensa alla Romania Bergamasco: "SarÃ  uno scontro fisico"                                                                                Esordio senza problemi per Sud Africa, Galles e Scozia


US health officials are checking shipments of toothpaste from China for a potentially lethal chemical.


Prosecutor and accused cup-tosser meet again

PONTIAC, Mich. The man accused of sparking a brawl at an NBA game is no stranger to the man who brought charges against him today.


Proof that there still is more to do. On Saturday I got an email from Sylvia saying that a friend of mine had bought her first iPod. It took me a few minutes to figure out that she was talking about herself. Funny, I had never thought about whether she had an iPod or not, but I have been on her case to get a digital camera. So she brought her iPod over, it's one of the new "fatty" nanos with video. It was so funny to see it through her eyes, and even cooler to read her story. I didn't realize that there was a reason she had never gotten an iPod. Sylvia: Sliding into song. I seek out experiences like this. Stones I can turn over that reveal a rich experience, an eye-opener, a bright horizon that doesn't take much time or effort to achieve.


Bombings killed seven U.S. soldiers in Baghdad and a southern city, the U.S. military said Sunday


McKesson harnesses HP's SOA for quality assurance

Medical software developer uses Web services to answer the call to do more with less.


Lord Coe will take part in a televised debate with rival bid leaders in the campaign to win the 2012 Olympics.


'Cultura e divertimento con 400 spettacoli e 1.000 artisti'


Mobile Phone Proliferates, a Hallmark of New India

India has become the fastest-growing cellular market in the world, adding 5.9 million subscribers in August and outstripping ChinaÂs increase of 5.19 million subscribers.


France is approaching a crossroads on the painful and devious road to economic and social reforms.


This year has been one of the warmest globally since reliable records began, a preliminary analysis concludes.


Steven Gerrard will join Jamie Carragher on the sidelines Tuesday as Liverpool bid to reach the Champions League group stages.


Taxation Knowledge of Bulgarian Journalists Tested

Bulgaria in Brief: 15 February 2005, Tuesday. Bulgarian journalists willing to test their knowledge in the country's taxation system were gathered at the Sofia Central Taxation Directorate on Tuesday.


Cheetah Fast ; New Technologies Require Unbelievable Speeds, Massive Storage

By JONATHAN SIDENER Copley News Service  If you asked most Americans in 1985 whether they had any use for a PC with a modem and a hard drive, you would have met with a lot of laughter and blank stares.


370,000 Doses Of Flu Vaccine Headed To Florida

Doctors, nursing homes and other private health care providers in Florida can expect about 370,000 new doses of flu vaccine to arrive soon.


Frightening, fun 'Snicket' one terrific yule ticket

The great and gloomy Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events is going to start a lot of unfortunate discussion about whether it's too dark for our little holiday moppets.


Famed German library restored after fire

The restoration of Germany's famed Anna Amalia Library, a UNESCO World Heritage List site gutted by fire three years ago, has been completed, and the building will reopen next week, officials said Thursday.


Romance film "Atonement" tops Golden Globes

BEVERLY HILLS, California  - Two movies set against different wars, "Atonement" and "Charlie Wilson's War," dominated Golden Globe nominations on Thursday with "Atonement" earning seven nods, including one for best drama, to lead all film contenders.


No Joke, Bulb Change Is Challenge for U.S.

When 2012 hits, stores will no longer be able to sell the cheap but inefficient incandescent light bulbs that are fixtures in most homes.


U.S. stocks rose on Friday after robust results from software maker Oracle Corp  brightened the outlook for technology, helping the Dow and S&P turn in their best weekly performance since March.


N.F.L. Tries to Turn Globalization Into a Team Sport

In the wake of American sports investorsâ incursion into English soccer, the powerful N.F.L. arrived in London talking about globalizing and branding and showcasing the sport.


Live Nation Slips Past Secondary Sellers

TicketNews.com announces its exclusive Weekly Top 10 Primary and Secondary Live Event Ticket Sellers Rankings for the week ending 6/19/07.


Czech mobile phone penetration exceeds 100 percent in 2004

The number of mobile phones in use in the Czech Republic is greater than the population with one million more SIM cards being sold last year alone, the operators said.


La produzione di bestiame mondiale Ã¨ responsabile di piÃ¹ gas dell'intero sistema dei trasportiIl consumo di carne raddoppierÃ  entro il 2050, se non varieremo l'alimentazione                                          La bistecca fa male alla Terra l'effetto serra ci cambia la dieta                                                                                di MARK BITTMAN


THE brother of British hostage Ken Bigley said last night he had received information that he is still alive. Paul Bigley said he had received news which gave him cause for hope.


ComunitÃ  di SantÂEgidio: Giornata di studio il 27 giugno su il Âcaso zingariÂ Roma (Agenzia Fides) - MercoledÃ¬ 27 giugno alle ore 15.30 presso la sede della Provincia di Roma, Sala Luigi Di Liegro, Palazzo Valentini, Via IV Novembre, 119/a, si svolgerÃ  una Giornata di studio sul tema: il Âcaso zingariÂ. Presiede: Mario Marazzi...


Rich Countries Poach Doctors From Africa

Lagos Island Hospital lost two of its best surgeons and several nurses to Gulf nations, Europe and America last year, leaving it in a dire situation shared by hospitals across the developing world.


A handful of Web sites have taken amateur restaurant critiquing to new levels, and chefs are taking notice.


ASIA/MYANMAR - Nonostante le campagne informative registrato il primo caso umano di influenza aviaria nel paese Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) - Una epidemia di influenza aviaria tra i volatili dello stato birmano orientale di Shan, al confine con la Tailandia, ha fatto registrare il suo primo caso umano. Si tratta di una bambina di sette anni contagiata in seguito a...


AN acoustic guitar made for Johnny Cash has sold for $US131,200 ($189,000) at an auction of the music star's estate. The buyer, Sharon Graves, already has an extensive collection amassed by her husband, Terry


Stock futures pointed to a weak start on Wednesday as investors waited for a Federal Reserve statement on the potential direction of interest rates and for earnings from heavyweights such as Boeing .


Correction: When Balance Sheets Collide With the New Economy

The Re:Framing column last Sunday about accounting for intangible assets referred incorrectly at one point to the Social Venture Technology Group, which specializes in developing nonfinancial valuation methods. It is known as the S.V.T. Group, not the S.V.P. Group.


Indonesia's quake survivors wait patiently for help

Muddin gently tries to lift  his injured two-year-old daughter from the hospital trolley she  shares with her injured mother and five-year-old brother.


Georgetown men's basketball coach John Thompson III signs a six-year contract extension, which will keep him at the university through 2013.


Egypt frees cleric at center of CIA kidnap case

Egyptian authorities have released a Muslim cleric kidnapped in a suspected CIA operation in Italy and handed to Egypt, the cleric's lawyer said on Sunday.


Bearsâ Confidence in Grossman Takes Another Hit

After three games, Bears quarterback Rex Grossmanâs numbers are unsightly: 1 touchdown, 6 interceptions, 9 sacks and a 45.2 passer rating.


Bits : Google Thinks It Knows Your Friends

Google automatically expands the list of friends that users of Google Reader share some blog posts with, and some users donât like it one bit.


Bangladesh created history at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, beating India by 15 runs in the second match of the three-match one-day international series.


Indiana guard Reggie Miller broke a bone in his left hand in the Pacers' preseason finale Friday night, a 98-79 loss to the Denver Nuggets.


Trains into London's Paddington station are suspended due to a fire near the line in Berkshire.


There are reports that British hostage Kenneth Bigley was killed after he attempted to flee his captors in Iraq.


Dow Jones to meet with Ron Burkle: source

Dow Jones & Co. , which has  been in talks for a takeover by News Corp. (NWSa.N), will meet  with supermarket magnate Ron Burkle as Dow Jones explores its  options, a source familiar with the situation said on Sunday.


Private Loans Deepen a Crisis in Student Debt

As tuition has soared past the limits on federal aid, more students are relying on barely regulated private loans.


Attorney: Barry Bonds Did Nothing Illegal

OAKLAND, Calif. -- An attorney for Barry Bonds said he won't acknowledge that Bonds used steroids and neither will Bonds. The San Francisco Giants star testified a year ago before a grand jury that has indicted


Release of IRA gang part of N. Ireland peace deal, says Irish PM

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said any deal between rival Protestant and Catholics in Northern Ireland would include the release of the Catholic IRA paramilitary killers of an Irish policeman.


By DYLAN T. LOVAN  LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With a dozen people dead from weekend flooding in the Midwest and South, residents were busy shoveling mud from homes and businesses that were inundated with water.


Chinese Investors Weigh in on Microsoft's Yahoo Bid

Alibaba, partly owned by Yahoo, is said to want greater participation in debate on the potential acquisition.


Tribunale riesame minorenni ripristina l'ordine restrittivo


People in the UK are spending more time and money going digital, says communications watchdog Ofcom.


Mobile operators team up against child abuse

Access denied Mobile operators across Europe are teaming up against the use of mobile internet services to distribute child pornography images.â¦


Kathmandu gets first snowfall in 63 years

Snow fell on Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, for the first time in 63 years on Wednesday, stirring excitement and curiosity among residents and their children.


Headless Bodies Found at Mysterious Mexico Pyramid

The discovery of a tomb filled with  decapitated bodies suggests Mexico's 2,000 year-old "Pyramid of  the Moon" may have been the site of horrifically gory  sacrifices, archeologists said on Thursday.


Three men in Taiwan are charged in connection with the shooting of President Chen Shui-bian.


Singh on Top of Pile Again in Pennsylvania

World number one Vijay Singh fired an eight-under-par 64 to take a three-shot lead when the first round was suspended for the day at the $4.


Immatricolazione aumentano in Francia +1,5% e Giappone +0,5%


Markets question when Fed will pause on rate hikes

WASHINGTON : With little doubt about the Federal Reserve's plans for a quarter-point rate hike, financial markets were focusing on another question: When will the Fed stop?


Watching you, watching them -- CCTV closing in

When English soccer fans take to the  terraces next season, there's every chance they won't just be  watching the game, they'll be being watched watching the game  too.


Tribune Co. said last night it would unwind partnerships with its biggest shareholder, the Chandler family trusts, and look for ways to lift the stock price.


Sony, Nintendo sued in console controller patent clash

Up to a point, Lord Copper A US company has filed a lawsuits against both Nintendo and Sony, alleging that the controllers that go with the companiesâ games consoles trample over its intellectual property rights for console to controller connection.â¦


Microsoft Beleases Hyper-V Virtualization Tech Beta

Microsoft released its Windows Server 2008 virtualization technology Hyper-V ahead of schedule.


Just when tourists thought it was safe to go back to the Princess Diana memorial fountain, the mud has struck.


Britney may still be Miss Spears after leaked papers seem to prove her wedding was a fake. The singer and boyfriend Kevin Federline are thought to have staged their nuptials in a


His head dropped, his eyes welling with drops of disappointment, his shoulders heavy with disbelief.


Books by aging rockers spice up holidays

For those rock 'n' roll fans on your gift list this holiday season, there are plenty of new offerings to keep their heads bopping along happily into the new year.


Genova, 16:49 - CALCIO, SAMP; MAROTTA: TROPPI ATTACCANTI, QUALCUNO SARA' CEDUTO

La Sampdoria ha troppi giocatori nel reparto offensivo. E' l'opinione del direttore generale doriano...


'Jackal' Accomplice Acquitted of Bombings

A German court acquitted the suspected right-hand man of international guerrilla "Carlos the Jackal" Monday of charges that he took part in deadly bomb attacks in France more than 20 years ago.


Las Vegas, 09:11 - BASKET, QUALIFICAZIONI OLIMPICHE: USA TRAVOLGONO PORTO RICO

Risultati della seconda giornata della seconda fase del torneo di qualificazione alle Olimpiadi di P...


Cheney warns terrorists may hit US if Kerry wins

Vice President Dick Cheney said that the United States risked suffering another terrorist attack if voters make "the wrong choice" in the November 2 presidential election.


Carl and Clarence Aguirre, the 2-year-old twins who were joined at the head until five weeks ago, should be walking by Christmas, their pediatrician says.


Roma, 18:44 - CALCIO, ROMA; SPALLETTI: DIFFICILE RIPAGARE I NOSTRI TIFOSI

"Questa gente è eccezionale - ha detto l'allenatore giallorosso - ci vuole bene e noi le abbi...


Five U.S. soldiers die in Baghdad bomb, RPG attack

Five U.S. soldiers were killed and seven others wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their combat patrol in southern Baghdad, the U.S. military said Friday.


MONDAY, Jan. 3 (HealthDayNews) -- A major advance in using saliva to detect oral cancer is outlined in a study funded by the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.


Tim Henman suffers a straight-sets defeat to Latvia's Ernests Gulbis in the first round at Roland Garros.


The steroid known as "the clear," which in recent days has been linked to Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Marion Jones and is at the center of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) scandal


Parkinson's researchers inject human stem cells into primates for the first time, with promising results.


NEW YORK -- Ghostzapper, by a neck. In a thrilling stretchlong duel down the middle of the track, a gallant Ghostzapper held off Saint Liam and won yesterday's $500,000 Woodward Stakes, one of three Grade I races at Belmont Park leading up to the Breeders' Cup Oct. 30.


UK.gov on Galileo: We can't stop it, just sign the cheque

Orbital gravy train off the rails The British government has responded to MPs' concerns regarding the ongoing Galileo Euro sat nav programme. In the view of Her Majesty's ministers the scheme can't be stopped, so there isn't much point arguing about it.â¦


Edwards slams war on terrorism as "bumper sticker"

The U.S.-led war on terrorism is "a bumper sticker, not a plan" that has weakened Washington's global standing, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said on Wednesday as he unveiled his defense policy plans.


Paul Byrd pitched his best game of the season without his best stuff.


Device acts like support hose to help weak hearts pump blood

A study finds a polyester mesh stocking pulled up over the wide bottom of a weak heart can help it pump better and even shrink back to a more normal size.


CIA agents to stand trial for kidnapping

A Milan judge on Friday ordered 26 Americans, most of them thought to be CIA agents, to stand trial with Italian spies for the kidnapping in 2003 of a terrorism suspect, who was flown to Egypt where he says he was tortured.


How the Space Race Has Become a Truly International Affair

By Brian McIver THE world's superpowers have always dominated the space race. But with companies and agencies all rushing to attract tourists and commercial passengers to the heavens, Europe and Britain are now leading the way.


Microsoft, Viacom agree to $500M advertising pact

Microsoft and entertainment broadcaster Viacom have agreed to a five-year deal to share content and partner on advertising initiatives, the companies announced Wednesday.It's the latest agreement between content and technology companies seeking to make money by mixing premium content with advertising on the Web. The two companies valued the deal at $500 million.Microsoft will have a nonexclusive license to use TV programs and other content from Viacom, which owns MTV Networks, Comedy Central, BET (Black Entertainment Television) and Paramount Pictures, among others. The content will appear on Microsoft's MSN Web site, as well as through its Internet-connected XBox 360 games system.Viacom will also use Microsoft's Atlas AdManager digital advertising technology for its U.S. Web sites. The technology came from Microsoft's $6 billion acquisition of aQuantive, which was completed in August. AdManager can serve graphical and video ads on Web sites and has ad reporting and management features.Microsoft will also have an exclusive right to sell some display advertising inventory on Viacom's sites, and both companies will share the revenue.Microsoft and Viacom previously worked together on MTV's Urge digital music store, which was closed in August after low interest.In March, Viacom filed a $1 billion suit against Google's YouTube video service for displaying clips the network owns that were posted by users without permission.


Better Life Technology has developed unique roll-out garage flooring that beautifies in minutes and protects floors for years. Sizes up to 10' wide available. Helps prevent concrete damage.


Afghanistan, Iran, Blair's legacy: experts mull British Iraq withdrawal

The withdrawal of 1,600 British troops from Iraq follows military advice but also shows Tony Blair's desire to minimise the damage the conflict has caused his premiership, analysts said Wednesday.


Calif. Air Board Adopts Vehicle Emission Cuts

California air-quality regulators on Friday adopted the nation's first-ever rules to reduce car emissions linked to global warming, an action likely to prompt tough pollution standards in other states and a legal challenge by the


Bear Stearns earned a big slice of Wall Street's growing pie.


Sean Penn links dark Nixon film to anger with Bush

His sunglasses were heavy and so was the theme when Sean Penn met the press at the Toronto International Film Festival after screening a dark look at the Nixon era that


Carbo to Take Gautier Position: Planning Director Takes Over Sept. 18

By Vivian Austin, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.  Sep. 5--GAUTIER -- George Carbo said he is looking forward to working with city employees and residents to help bring Gautier back after recovery efforts of Hurricane Katrina.


Kylie Minogue, la principessa compie 20 anni di carriera

Il Sun omaggia la cantante australiana che quest'anno festeggia due decenni di successo, con una immagini che la ritraggono Kylie dall'87


PC Makers to Adopt Chips Used in MacBook Air

Processors specially developed by Intel for Apple's new MacBook Air laptop will soon be used by other PC vendors in systems, possibly creating competition for what Apple calls the world's lightest and thinnest notebook.


Tony Blair rejects Tory claims that he went to war without a comprehensive plan to restore normality in Iraq.


SLM, the parent of Sallie Mae, which for years profited from placing large bets on its own stock going up, now faces a possible loss of more than $1 billion.


Got Grapefruit? It May Help You Lose Weight

Eating half of a grapefruit three times per day before meals appears to help people shed unwanted pounds, according to new study findings reported this week.


Ivorian Rebel Leader Arrives for Talks with Mbeki

Ivory Coast rebel leader Guillaume  Soro arrived in South Africa Saturday for talks with President  Thabo Mbeki on ending renewed fighting that has sent thousands  of foreigners fleeing the West African country.


OPEC to make first oil output cut since 2004

OPEC will take one million barrels of oil a day off oversupplied world markets as soon as possible with its first output cut in more than two years, OPEC officials said on Thursday, sending oil prices back above $60.


â¢ 2004-11-22 â¢ Oracle has won a key victory in its battle to acquire PeopleSoft, with PeopleSoft's investors agreeing to sell Oracle 60 per cent of PeopleSoft's outstanding shares.


Europe's first mission to the Moon is about to start. The unmanned, solar energy driven SMART-1 spacecraft has entered the orbit around the Moon.


Forget about the Curse and all that nonsense. The real ongoing issue with the Boston Red Sox is the fact that they are eternally held hostage by what we shall call "Gilda's Law." (OK, Roseanne Roseannadanna's.)


BAGHDAD: The general who gained notoriety as Chemical Ali for the gassing of thousands of Kurds and once regarded as one of Saddam Husseinâs most feared cohorts, looked haggard and leaned on a cane while facing a judge on Saturday, in the first


Yahoo to Cut 1,000 Jobs, and Warns on Growth

Despite the disappointing outlook, the company said it planned to invest aggressively in advertising technology as it tries to capture a larger share of online ad dollars.


Democrats Could Win Republican Seat in Colorado Race

Democrats could have a chance at seizing a crucial Republican U.S. Senate seat in Colorado in a neck-and-neck battle pitting a brewing magnate against a Hispanic from humble origins.


Africa's Great Lakes nations in talks to tackle insecurity

Foreign ministers from Africa's Great Lakes nations gathered Sunday to discuss regional insecurity following weeks of fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern region.


Poor town planning which limits opportunities for children to take exercise has been blamed for fuelling an increase in obesity.


WASHINGTON - The White House released memos Wednesday night saying that George W. Bush was suspended from flying fighter jets for failing to meet standards of the Texas Air National Guard...


Middlesbrough were denied the point they needed to move into the knockout stage of the Uefa Cup by a classy Villarreal side. A defensive Boro were soon on the back foot and keeper Mark Schwarzer made three fine first-half stops.


Concerti e manifestazioni di celebrazione a Roma


Neo-segretario di Stato si insedia nel suo ufficio


The ex-Iraqi general known as Chemical Ali, accused of using poison gas to kill thousands of Kurds, will be the first official in Saddam Hussein's deposed government to stand trial next week, a government official said yesterday.


AMD launches ATI RS690 chipset at long last

Radeon X1200-based integrated 690G arrives AMD today introduced its first chipset products to be released only under its own brand rather than ATI's: the integrated 690G and 690V.â¦


Well, not every agency can be popular with the public.


Update 7: FDA Wants More Safety Data on Merck Drug

The Food and Drug Administration told Merck & Co. that it requires further safety and efficacy data before it will approve its successor drug to now defunct pain reliever Vioxx, the pharmaceutical maker announced Friday.


Bush says won't discuss CIA tapes as slams critics

President George W. Bush insisted on Thursday he did not learn until recently that the CIA destroyed videotapes of harsh interrogations, and said he would not speak any more in public about the issue currently under investigation by the administration and Congress.


Partiti deboli, sede decisioni restano le istituzioni


"Thursday Next: First Among Sequels" (Viking, $24.95, 400 pages), by Jasper Fforde: "Thursday Next" is an invigorating romp for all lovers of literature.


Alaska resumes aerial wolf-control program

Aerial hunters have claimed the first wolf kills of the season as Alaska officials renew predator-control efforts to boost moose and caribou populations.


Denver Nuggets coach George Karl had nothing else to say to his team. So before yesterday's game against the Celtics, he chose to show the Nuggets what is driving him crazy.


Chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, Iran's main contact with the West over Tehran's atomic program, has resigned, the government said on Saturday.


Gates Endorses Pause in Iraq Troop Withdrawals

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates endorsed the concept of a pause in troop withdrawals from Iraq this summer.


Guadagnano i minerari trainati da oro, argento e platino


Major international expansion to roll out nine local services for countries including the UK and Ireland.


CBS News Anchor Dan Rather Resigns After 24 Years

Veteran newsman Dan Rather, embroiled in a pre-election scandal over a story challenging President Bush's military service, said on Tuesday he will step down as the CBS television network's top news anchor.


Arafat's wife says leaders aim to 'bury him alive'

PARIS -- Yasser Arafat's wife accused Palestinian leaders hoping to travel to France today to visit her critically ill husband of plotting to ''bury him alive."


08.2004. Last night, Scotland's Franz Ferdinand picked up the prestigious 2004 Nationwide Mercury Prize for its debut self-titled LP in a ceremony held at the Grosvenor House hotel in Central London.


The wood furniture maker uses a niche strategy to work around industry problems.


Kerry Scoffs at Bush's 'Tough' Talk on Terror

Democratic challenger John Kerry on Friday scoffed at President Bush's tough talk on terror and said if he had been in the White House he would have used U.S. troops to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.


A Guernsey GP who had affairs with patients pleads to be struck off the medical register.


Tolkien Heirs Sue New Line Over Millions From âRingsâ

The Tolkien Trust joined a private family trust of Tolkien heirs and the British arm of HarperCollins Publishers in suing New Line Cinema for breach of contract.


Internet Betting Executive Is Allowed to Leave U.S.

Peter Dicks, chairman of the online gambling site Sportingbet, resigned after a court ruling that he could leave the United States.


Qantas, Air NZ look at other cooperation

Qantas Airways Ltd and Air New Zealand Ltd have abandoned their proposed alliance in its current form after it was stymied by New Zealand authorities.


Some Israelis would like Egypt to take ongoing responsibility for the Palestinian territory.


United Air ups domestic fares $6 round-trip

UAL Corp, parent of United Airlines, said on Friday it raised fares for domestic flights by $3 each way -- $6 round-trip -- to offset the cost of jet fuel.


Cosa accade a Scarlett l'altra faccia della diva

Il corpo piÃ¹ sexy del mondo, ovvero quello della Johansson, sembra aver subito qualche cambiamento. Look infelice per la musa di Allen


An online role-playing game is to be built by a community of ordinary gamers.


Death toll in Kazakh mine blast rises to 41

SHAKHTINSK, Kazakhstan  - The death toll from an   explosion on Wednesday in a mine owned by Mittal Steel in   Kazakhstan rose to 41, a Mittal official said.


Mosca, 20:29 - CALCIO, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: CSKA MOSCA-INTER 1-2

Cska Mosca-Inter 1-2 (1-0) in un incontro valido per la terza giornata del gruppo G della fase a gir...


West Ham manager Curbishley hands Ashton an FA Cup incentive

West Ham manager Alan Curbishley has insisted there are no problems with his relationship with Dean Ashton and hinted the striker could be recalled for Saturday's FA Cup clash with Manchester City.


Il leader leghista: "Andremo avanti anche da soli, lo Stato ci porta viaquello che produciamo. Maroni sarÃ  presidente". E sui Dico appoggio al Papa                                          Bossi attacca, la Lega torna alle origini "L'Italia Ã¨ schiavista:  Parlamento del Nord"                                                                                Un sacerdote benedice i lavori a Vicenza: "Il vostro Leon principio della civiltÃ  cattolica"


After the FDA voices safety concerns about certain Chinese exports, some Americans are beginning to look more closely at restaurant selections.


Arthur C Clarke lists three wishes on 90th birthday

Would like a call from ET ASAP Famed sci-fi writer Sir Arthur C Clarke took a detour into the fairytale genre at his 90th birthday party this week, detailing his three wishes.â¦


Hobart, 11:31 - Tennis, Hobart: finale Jie Zheng-Dulko

La cinese Jie Zheng e l'argentina Gisela Dulko sono le finalist del torneo Wta di Hobart (cemento, m...


The banking company is holding up in a tough market.


Apple Announces New iMac That Breaks Design Barriers

âJust like the iPod redefined portable digital music players, the new iMac G5 redefines what users expect from a consumer desktop,â Schiller told the audience.


Emmanuel Adebayor scores the winner as Arsenal beat Man Utd at Old Trafford to earn their first Premiership win of the season.


Britney Spears avoided a criminal hit-and-run trial by paying for damages in a fender-bender but still faces a charge of driving without a license, a court commissioner ruled Thursday.


La coppia  annuncia la separazione: 'Ci lasciamo in maniera amichevole'. Erano sposati da  4 anni


By Sam Lagrone, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.  Feb. 9--On a recent trip to my local game-monger, I noticed something odd  in the window: PlayStation 3s for sale.   No line, no hysteria, no clawing, no unwashed people waiting for days.


These Lakers were no match for the Detroit Pistons, either. Rasheed Wallace had 23 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, and the Pistons routed Los Angeles 103-81 Thursday night in the first meeting of last year's NBA finalists.


Lo ha annunciato Kofi Annan, mediatore dell'Unione Africana


Finally Healthy, Louisville Feeling Better About Itself

After being plagued by injuries since moving to the Big East last season, the Louisville Cardnials are finally all healthy and looking forward to hosting No. 22 Georgetown on Wednesday night.


Earthquakes in Japan kill at least 13, hurt 700

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan - A series of earthquakes and aftershocks rattled northern Japan yesterday, killing at least 13 people. More than 700 were injured as buildings crumbled, a bullet train derailed and roadways were torn apart.


U.N. Looks Into Reports of Rwandan Abuses in Congo

The United Nations is investigating  reports that Rwandan soldiers carried out human rights abuses  against civilians in Democratic Republic of Congo last month, a  spokeswoman said on Wednesday.


Sweden Mourns as First Tsunami Dead Come Home

In the cold, dark hours before dawn  Wednesday, Sweden's king and prime minister somberly welcomed  home the bodies of six Swedes killed in the Asian tsunami, the  first of many expected in the days to come.


At first blush, the treatment given to Michael Dobbs' page-one swift-boat article in Sunday's Washington Post seems at least vaguely reassuring.


First Successful Malaria Vaccine Reported

An experimental vaccine can slash the risk that children will get malaria, apparently offering the first effective inoculation against the deadly disease, researchers report.


Cincinnati Seeks to End Police Oversight

The mayor has asked the federal government to end its supervision of police that began after the city endured several nights of rioting in 2001, suggesting the Justice Department "go find the terrorists or something."


Local broadcast business reporter Bonnie Kirchner Bleidt said she didn't know anything about the alleged 20-year investment scam by her husband, Bradford C. Bleidt, before she received Bleidt's taped confession last Thursday at her office at radio station WBIX-AM, which he owns.


Deadly Hurricane Ivan Pummels Western Cuba

PINAR DEL RIO, Cuba  - Deadly Hurricane Ivan  ripped off rooftops, downed trees and power lines and flooded  coastal areas as it grazed the western tip of Cuba on Monday  and headed toward U.S. Gulf shores.


Fire Commissioner Faces Challenge in Fatal Blaze

After a deadly fire, Nicholas Scoppetta finds himself under harsh scrutiny from without and within his agency.


Studies have shown that sexual phobias are rarely the explanation for a condition known as vulvodynia.


China bans chemical in toothpaste after recalls

China has banned the use in toothpaste of a chemical linked to the recall of Chinese made products across the globe as it tries to reassure consumers its good are safe.


U.S. hands over $10 mln bounty to Philippine Muslims

JOLO, Philippines  - The United States handed over $10 million in bounties to four Muslim men in the southern Philippines on Thursday for their role in the killing of two leaders of the country's deadliest Islamic militant group.


Group says it killed second US contractor

A group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said yesterday that it had executed a second American hostage in as many days and threatened to kill a British man


Steve Tyler's vocal cords - up, close and personal

Fans of the iconic rock band Aerosmith will get a chance to see singer Steven Tyler's famous vocal cords in a new television documentary.


Trying to teach parents the skills to communicate with and soothe tantrum-prone children.


The Department of Health and Human Services said Friday that a third conservative columnist was paid to assist in promoting a Bush administration policy.


Indiana County Reached Compromise on Ten Commandments Issue

This story is a follow-up to our report from Tuesday, October 12, about the posting of The Ten Commandments on government property.


Oil Reserves Drop for 1st Time in 5 Years

U.S. proven crude oil reserves fell last year for the first time in five years, as energy companies replaced just over half the oil they took out of the ground, the U.S. government said on Wednesday.


Modiano, al netto cessioni sportelli Cariparma e FriulAdria


Many Britons would give up sex and their favourite food to reach 100 years of age, a poll suggests.


Seeking a More Flattering Light on, and From, Bulbs

Dr. Robert Pai is optimistic about the fluorescent industryâs chances of developing light bulbs that please everyone and meet the efficiency standards that Congress has mandated for 2012.


British Airways has completed the sale of its stake in Qantas Airways Ltd, with shares in the Australian carrier to resume trading on the stock market on Thursday.


Games guru Peter Molyneux says he felt a duty to explain why some features are missing in his latest title.


Review: Size a big feature on tiny phone

Thanks to the Razr fad, there are plenty of thin phones out there by now. But in terms of sheer smallness, the options remain slim.


I vertici della Lega erano attesi a Palazzo Madama per discutere della violenza negli stadiHanno lasciato l'incombenza al componente del consiglio Cantamessa, scatenando le proteste                                            Matarrese e Sensi disertano l'audizione senatori infuriati: "Mancanza di rispetto"                                                                                Vizzini, Forza Italia, ha abbandonato la seduta: "Gesto intollerabile"


South Africa's ruling ANC is to choose between bitter rivals Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma for the party leadership.


Chief of Army to investigate KKK scandal

THE image of soldiers dressed as the Ku Klux Klan betrayed the Australian Army's commitment to a "fair go" and destroyed the memory of black and white soldiers who fought together in war, the Department of Defence said yesterday.


Everyone's a critic, says author Grippando

NEW YORK, Feb 6 (Reuters Life!) - U.S. author James Grippando says e-mail has opened the way for readers to take an active part in novels, with everyone an armchair critic.


A French court grants Eurotunnel bankruptcy protection as it aims to reduce its debts.


BOBIGNY, FRANCE - Three Sikh students who wore turbans to school will face a disciplinary hearing sometime in the next 15 days, a French court ruled Friday.


An Illinois congressional candidate who lost both her legs during combat in Iraq said Saturday that President Bush has no real strategy for securing the war-ravaged nation, just political talk designed to appeal to voters.


Following on rumors that a deal was in the works, Google acquired GrandCentral Communications for an undisclosed sum.


The Pentagon's most senior civilian and military officials share a portion of blame for creating conditions that led to the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq, according to a new report.


Airline Passengers Face Tighter Security

Starting next week, all airline passengers must take off their jackets before passing through metal detectors and more will be subjected to pat-down searches and checks for explosives, the Transportation Security Administration announced Thursday.


China wants North Korea talks next week: media

China wants to resume talks on ending North Korea's nuclear arms program next week, media said on Tuesday, with a session likely to coincide with Pyongyang starting to shut its reactor and weapons-grade plutonium source.


The British government on Wednesday approved plans to allow women to donate eggs for stem cell and cloning research — and said they will also be entitled to compensation for costs incurred.


Clashes erupt in Kerbala and Falluja bombed

KERBALA, Iraq  - Police killed three people on Monday night in clashes with pilgrims in Iraq's city of Kerbala, where tens of thousands of Shi'ites have gathered for one of the holiest days on the Shi'ite calendar.


Ticketmaster to Sell iTunes Albums on Site

Ticketmaster and Apple said Wednesday that they had formed a partnership where digital albums of artists would be sold alongside concert tickets on Ticketmaster.com.


Delta Suffers Setback with Debt Committee

Delta Air Lines Inc. DAL.N suffered  a setback this week when a committee of creditors scotched one  of the company's early debt renegotiation efforts, but the  struggling airline still has a chance of restructuring its debt  without filing for bankruptcy, analysts said on Friday.


Ridge to step down from homeland security post

Tom Ridge, who shepherded the largest reorganization of federal government since the World War II era, will leave behind a Homeland Security Department that has


Whipping Past Cuba, Ivan Roars Into Gulf of Mexico

Hurricane Ivan skirted the western tip of Cuba on Monday and arced into the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 160 mph, bearing down toward landfall on the US Gulf Coast later this week.


Columnists: Security, 1994-2004: Then And Now

Comparing the state of security in 1994 versus 2004, has anything really changed over the course of ten years?


Afghan Kidnappers Grow Impatient with UN, Govt.

An Afghan militant group that kidnapped three UN workers over a week ago told the government and United Nations on Thursday to stop stalling negotiations, adding the hostages were cold and sick.


Per evitare contatti con i circa trecento cittadini che presidiavano l'ingresso dell'area(nel comune di Montecorvino, nel salernitano) Ã¨ stata usata un'entrata secondaria                                          Allarme rifiuti, blitz all'alba riaperta la discarica di Parapoti                                                                                L'impianto Ã¨ l'unico della Regione immediatamente utilizzabile, per tamponare la grave crisi in attoMa sindaco e vicesindaco annunciano battaglia: "La guerra civile Ã¨ appena iniziata"


Opera 8 Beta features voice browsing and RSS support

Opera's latest browser release (Opera 8 Beta) features some new things like speech recognition and support for RSS: While the next release had been on track to be Version 7.60, the Oslo, Norway, company announced a change in plans.


Bombs kill 25 in Baghdad, 3 UK troops in Basra

A car bomb killed 25 people and wounded 40 on Thursday at an intersection in Baghdad where minibuses pick up and drop off passengers, Iraqi police said.


G.I.'s Open Attack to Take Falluja From Iraq Rebels

American jets bombed targets in Falluja in the first stage of a long-expected invasion aimed at the center of the Iraqi insurgency.


An apparent Israeli missile attack on a Hamas activist in Gaza City leaves five dead.


A security guard has been arrested in connection with the fires that destroyed 10 homes under construction in a Maryland subdivision outside Washington last week, federal law enforcement sources said Thursday.


Dutch demand ban of virtual child porn in Second Life

'School for paedophiles' The Dutch prosecutor's office is considering legal actions to test the law against child porn in the popular virtual game Second Life. With no clear litigation, it is difficult to act against perpetrators.â¦


In a feast for the eyes, the works of 40 eminent Italian artists will be on display at an exhibition in the Indian capital from next week.


Microsoft Profits Up On Solid Demand For Server Software

Microsoft reported Thursday that first-quarter net income rose 11% and revenue 12%, due to strong server-software demand and steady sales of PCs that run its products.


Europe's papers look ahead to today's signing of the new EU constitution in Rome


Australia tells Bush to speed up Guantanamo trial

Australian Prime Minister John Howard  expressed concerns about Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee  David Hicks directly to President Bush on Tuesday, urging the  President to push for a speedy trial.


Sudan's government is accused of deploying weapons to Darfur in defiance of a UN arms embargo.


Former President Clinton said Sunday that having to choose between his wife and Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination is a God-given dilemma.


KABUL, Afghanistan -- With the counting effectively "over and done," incumbent Hamid Karzai is the clear winner in Afghanistan's presidential election, a senior official has said.


27 September 2004 -- An Iranian diplomat was freed by his captors in Iraq today after spending more than a month as a hostage. Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Faridoun Jahani, the Iranian consul in


Get most out of new, disappearing tax rules

Deduction for couples on rise; car donations, business break for SUVs to get more restrictive. By Sandra Block. Holiday decorations mean it's that time of the year again -- time to take whatever year-end steps you can to lower your tax burden.


E' stato consegnato al Teatro Municipale della citta'


Martin Scicluna, executive president of Din l-Art Helwa, last Wednesday launched the year-long programme of celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the Foundation.


N.H.L. Roundup: Ashamâs Goal Sends Devils Past the Penguins

Arron Ashamâs tie-breaking goal with 9 minutes 22 seconds left gave the visiting Devils a 5-4 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.


An excerpt from lyricist Sameer's biography, A Way With Words.


US faces gap in 'intelligence war' in Iraq

As a well-funded insurgency stiffens, US officials worry about lack of inside knowledge of resistance cells.


Traveling with the candidate's "Poverty Tour," Eric Pooley marvels that the rich lawyer is tackling a risky issue but isn't sure if it isn't some elaborate photo op.


Ray McNulty: Gators suffer crushing blow

This is where the Florida Gators were supposed to prove that they've turned the corner and, for the first time in the post-Spurrier era, were ready to make their first real run at a Southeastern Conference title.


Substitute helps USA to Hopman Cup tennis win over India

An untimely bout of cramp for Sania Mirza cost India any chance of a win against the second-seeded United States in the opening tie of the mixed teams Hopman Cup on Saturday.


Hurricane Frances Cuts Power to Millions in Florida

Hurricane Frances weakened as it moved slowly across Florida, causing massive power outages and flooding across the state. Frances is expected to move out into the Gulf of Mexico and then cross back into northern


Singer Russell Watson is "on good form" after emergency surgery for a brain tumour, a hospital official says.


Argentina Wins First Olympic Gold in 52 Years

As the Olympic Games headed into the  home stretch, Argentina won its first Olympic gold medal in  more than half a century when its soccer team beat Paraguay  Saturday.


The Senate Judiciary Committee voted for a contempt citation against Karl Rove and Josh Bolten on Thursday


Mussina returns to help Yankees extend winning streak

The New York Yankees won their seventh straight game with a 4-1 road victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, pitcher Mike Mussina leading the way with five shutout innings.


NBA questions: What's wrong with the Spurs?

The Sporting News - Questions to ponder while wondering if Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire really can put their petty differences aside to give the Suns their best chance at a championship:


One of Japan's best-known businessmen pleads not guilty to charges of financial crime as his trial begins in Tokyo.


Bush accuses Iran of backing terror, nuclear arms

President George W. Bush said on   Tuesday in a message to the Iranian people that the government   of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is using their resources to   fund terrorists and pursue nuclear weapons.


Bank C.D.âs, bonds and money market funds may offer peace of mind to nervous investors.


Verizon offers Bluetooth FM transmitter for cars

Verizon today announced it now offers the Venturi Mini, an A2DP bluetooth FM transmitter that can broadcast music and voice calls through in-car audio systems.


John Edwards said it would be fine if his health care proposal evolved into a federalized system.


London analysts hard hit by Commerzbank cuts

Commerzbank is almost halving the number of people in its London securities operation in a drastic effort to boost the profitability of the loss-making operation.


Police chiefs defend two community support officers who stood by as a boy drowned in a pond.


Eastern Europe's largest country outside of Russia stands at a crossroads this weekend, as voters in Ukraine decide between an autocratic leader who leans toward an increasingly autocratic Russia, or a democratic one who wants closer ties to the West.


Historic Judy Garland concert restaged in New York

Eclectic pop singer Rufus Wainwright  bridged musical generations on Wednesday with a daring  re-creation of Judy Garland's legendary 1961 concert at  Carnegie Hall.


CULIACAN, Mexico  - Powerful Hurricane Lane   thrashed western Mexico on Saturday, threatening tens of   thousands of people with flash floods and causing a second   death on the Pacific coast before losing some of its punch.


Giants Try to Emphasize the Ordinary in an Unusual Week

Coach Tom Coughlin has made only slight adjustments for an otherwise unique week as the Giants prepare to play the Miami Dolphins in the first regular-season N.F.L. game played overseas.


Welcome to The Show! On Wednesday, Miami Hurricanes cornerback Antrel Rolle will stop by to take your questions! Rolle has been a consistent force in the Miami secondary, helping hold opposing offenses to just 15.


Chinese officials have little hope for trapped miners

BEIJING - Authorities in Central China are holding out little hope of finding alive the 116 men trapped in a coal mine in Shaanxi province.


Manning Unanimous Choice for All-Pro Team

Peyton Manning was unstoppable on the field this season, and in the All-Pro voting, too. The record-setting Indianapolis Colts quarterback was a unanimous choice Thursday for The Associated Press 2004 NFL All-Pro Team. Manning received all 48 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of writers and broadcasts who cover pro football, the only player to sweep the voting this year.


Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said substantial steps toward creation of a Palestinian state could not be considered until after Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip next year.


Negativo digitale: per Adobe deve essere standard

Adobe si sta facendo promotrice di un nuovo formato RAW grazie a cui standardizzare la miriade di formati di immagine proprietari. I formati RAW permettono di avere il massimo controllo sulle immagini, infatti


(September 20, 2004) - OAKLAND, Calif. â-ike Mularkey had his back against a cement block wall deep inside Network Associates Coliseum late Sunday.


Nets 101, Knicks 92: In Battle Below .500 Mark, Carter Powers Nets

Vince Carter rained 3-pointers and dunks, leading the Nets past the Knicks Sunday, taunting the local rivals with what might have been.


Nov. 24, 2004 -- An ingredient in chocolate may provide sweet relief from constant coughing, according to new research. The study showed that theobromine, an ingredient found in cocoa, was much more effective


Procter & Gamble Co.'s "passion patch" needs more testing before it can be prescribed to women who experience low sexual desire, a US Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted Thursday.


Maria Hjorth, in search of her first LPGA Tour victory in seven years, shot a 2-under-par 70 yesterday to forge a one-stroke lead after the third round of the State Farm Classic in Springfield, Ill.


Intel demonstrates next generation process technology

SANTA CLARA, Calif., - Intel Corporation has built fully functional SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) chips using 65 nanometer (nm) technology, its next generation high-volume semiconductor manufacturing process.


Schumacher takes second best in opening session

World champion Michael Schumacher had to take second best to Anthony Davidson when Formula One returned to his favourite track on Friday in practice for the Belgian Grand Prix.


So much for Cecil Cooper's managerial debut with the Houston Astros. Chris Duncan shook off an August slump with a three-run homer and an RBI single to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Astros 7-0 on Tuesday night, ruining Cooper's first game as Phil Garner's successor.


Dow Jones +0,68%.Subprime, crolla Novastar Financial


BOSTONâ With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday and the Red Sox uncertain whether theyâd enjoy a dramatic come-from-behind victory or endure a crushing defeat, Doug Mirabelli glanced at the teammate sitting next to him on a water cooler


Soaring demand for copper and other metals from China sends mining giant Rio Tinto's profits up 86%.


Israel says it will allow some fuel and medicines into Gaza as its blockade is condemned abroad.


FOXBOROUGH -- The Revolution have turned late-season rallies into a combination of an art form and a habit. Clint Dempsey and Steve Ralston scored in a three-minute period early in the second half as the Revolution edged the Chicago Fire, 2-1, to qualify for the MLS playoffs for the third successive season.


Health officials apply open new trauma center in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. Health officials hope to be able to open another trauma center in San Jose to replace one that is due to close next month.


October 03 2004 1800CET - Schools all over Malta and Gozo will be celebrating Animal Awareness Day on Monday 04 October 2004.


IAC's comparison shopping site Pronto gets a Web 2.0 makeover.


Soon to be in charge of Congress, Democrats are looking to chip away at billions of dollars in payments to the health insurance companies that run Medicare's managed care programs.


Over 80% of people want subsidised fruit and vegetables to encourage healthy eating, a BBC survey has shown.


To Reggae Beats, Ethiopia Pays Bob Marley Tribute

To the rhythm of thumping bass  lines, thousands of Bob Marley fans gathered in the Ethiopian  capital Sunday for a concert to honor the 60th anniversary of  the reggae icon's birthday.


The Palestinian Cabinet agrees the terms of a ceasefire to put to Israel to end cross-border attacks.


A lengthy fight, in the courts and on Capitol Hill, has come to an end.


AT&T unsure about bidding in 700MHz auction

AT&T hasn't decided whether it will bid for the highly desirable 700MHz band because it doesn't know if it can build a profitable business, given the open-access rules set for the wireless spectrum by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in July.Calling the rules "interesting," AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson said the company is hard at work crunching numbers and analyzing business scenarios, but hasn't reached a conclusion yet."Is there a business model there? I'm not sure if there is or not," he said Friday at the Web 2.0 Summit, where he answered questions from conference chair John Battelle and from audience members.The FCC conditions, which include open-access rules on a third of the spectrum, have been a major source of controversy.The winner of 22MHz of spectrum must allow any wireless devices to connect to the network, permitting wireless telephone customers to use handset devices from other carriers. The winning bidder also can't block or slow down wireless and Web content from competitors.Some telecom carriers wanted no conditions, while some consumer advocacy groups and Google wanted the FCC to require that winning bidders also resell the spectrum at wholesale rates to competitors, something the FCC didn't adopt.The FCC is scheduled to auction 62MHz of spectrum in the 700MHz band beginning in January. The spectrum is ideal for long-range wireless telephone and broadband services, with signals that travel up to four times farther than in higher spectrum bands."It's a huge opportunity. It's beachfront property. When it comes to buying spectrum, it's the best you're going to find for a long time," Stephenson said.Data consumption on wireless networks is growing fourfold year over year, so a company such as AT&T needs to bulk up on spectrum to keep up with the demand, he said."It's very obvious we're going to have to add to our spectrum holdings," he said.That's why AT&T earlier this month reached an agreement to buy 12MHz of high-speed wireless spectrum in the 700MHz band from Aloha Partners for $2.5 billion."It's the first time, I think, that we've ever paid $2.5 billion for a company that had no revenue," Stephenson said.The Aloha spectrum covers 196 million U.S. residents, including 72 of the 100 largest markets in the United States.In other matters, Stephenson said he was very satisfied with the iPhone deal between his company and Apple."I'm not sure I could have asked for much more out of it than what we got," he said.Asked to comment on the decision to use the slower EDGE network for the iPhone, Stephenson said it was a request from Apple CEO Steve Jobs."He wanted a broad ubiquitous data network. The EDGE network is the only data network that covers the entire United States," he said. The situation will improve as AT&T upgrades markets to 3G, he said.Stephenson acknowledged that AT&T's directory assistance business is being challenged by ad-supported options from Internet companies such as Google."We better get our advertising-supported [directory assistance] model up fast," he said, adding that AT&T is building such a service internally.On a lighter note, he said he's "envious" of Google and the success it has had with its business model. "It's a great gig if you can get it," he said.(Grant Gross in Washington, D.C. contributed with this story.)


Actress Lindsay Lohan is arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after spending a second stint in rehab.


Zach Braff is the adorable puppy dog on "Scrubs," the NBC sitcom in which he plays a goofy, ever-lovesick young doctor just about anyone might want to hug.


China to Institute Online Ratings Systems

China plans ratings systems for online games, books and movies to protect children from violence and sexual content in the nation's latest effort to tighten controls on various media, reports said Friday.


Armed Group Seizes Russian School, Talks Start

A heavily armed gang seized up to 400 hostages at a Russian school near Chechnya Wednesday and threatened to shoot dead 50 children for any one of their comrades killed, a senior local official said.


Oil prices soared Friday as worries about heating fuel supplies and technical trading factors pushed prices sharply higher.


Foshan, 20:00 - BASKET, TORNEO QUATTRO NAZIONI: ITALIA-CROAZIA 70-68

Nella seconda giornata del torneo Quattro Nazioni in corso in Cina la nazionale italiana di basket h...


A doctor and a nurse go on trial in southern France accused of poisoning a terminally ill cancer patient.


An Islamic group behind much violence in Egypt in the 1990s says the attacks in Egypt's resorts were  "unlawful".


Arab world abuzz with Arafat poisoning theory

CAIRO, Nov 15  - The Arab world is abuzz with suspicions that Yasser Arafat was poisoned, a theory fuelled by the lack of an official report on the cause of death of the veteran Palestinian leader despite a host of denials.


Wright's HR in 8th lifts Mets over Marlins

David Wright hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning to help the New York Mets beat the Florida Marlins 7-6 Sunday.


J&J stent is favored for repeat procedures

Johnson & Johnson's drug-coated Cypher heart stent may be better than Boston Scientific's Taxus for repeat procedures to unclog some arteries, according to a study in the Jan. 12 Journal of the American Medical Association.


The 36th Ryder Cup matches will commence on Sept. 22 at the K Club in Dublin. That leaves 732 days to second-guess the Americans in the wake of their record-setting loss to Europe at Oakland Hills.


Afghan Election Ends; Confusion After Boycott

Afghanistan's historic presidential  election closed on Saturday without any of the feared  large-scale violence but the vote was thrown into turmoil  instead by a boycott called by most of the candidates.


Palestinians Begin Registering Presidential Candidates

Description: Registration began today for Palestinian presidential elections on January ninth. Palestinians face difficulties as they try to organize a free and fair vote.


One of the two freed Italian aid workers said Wednesday that their abductors in Iraq taught them about Islam and reassured them they would not die.


Insurance firm Norwich Union is fined Â£1.26m after customers lost Â£3.3m through identity fraud.


Movie Review | 'Princesas': Working Girls With Dreams Beyond the Corner

This maudlin melodrama about prostitutes in Madrid is not, alas, the new film by Pedro AlmÃ³dovar, but a dilution of his manner by the writer-director Fernando LeÃ³n de Aranoa.


Singer Pete Doherty is arrested on suspicion of theft and assault after an alleged hotel incident.


Rick Ankiel and the St. Louis Cardinals put together a memorable home finale at the expense of Houston closer Brad Lidge.


More and more open-source developers these days are employees of companies, paid to work on open-source projects, rather than independent programmers doing it for fun. The change raises issues for projects, programmers and employers alike.A number of corporations are moving into the free software arena, and this has resulted in legions of programmers, paid by companies, moving into free software communities, Simon Phipps, chief open source officer at Sun Microsystems said Friday at FOSS.IN, a conference on free and open-source software in Bangalore, India.This development has thrown up questions about how open-source developers on corporate payrolls can protect their freedom and rights from the demands of their employers, and resist corporate influences that may run counter to the free software community's interests.At the conference, an employee of an Indian government lab complained that his employment rules require him to turn in to the company any software developed by him, including what is done outside office hours.In this context, Danese Cooper, a member of the board of directors of the Open Source Initiative (OSI), who also advises Intel on its open source strategy, dedicated an entire session Friday at the FOSS.IN conference to outlining strategies employees can use to protect their autonomy from the "corporate elephant" that is both powerful and resistant to change.Historically, companies claimed rights to any software code written by their employees, but there are some changes, for example in California where employee agreements now allow the employee to retain the right to his work outside office hours, according to Cooper."Corporations are profit-driven, and are required to do well for their shareholders," Cooper said. To make profits, companies are going to shift their strategies quarterly, and employees may often find that projects they work on are cancelled, she said."Companies tend to like to think of their employees as interchangeable plug-ins, that can be renewed in different jobs," according to Cooper who added that this perception is slowly shifting as companies find that they are losing their employees.Companies also tend to want to manage open source projects, rather than facilitate them, to serve their business objectives, Cooper said. They demand, for example, that their staff work on open-source projects that are of interest to the company. Companies have created a pattern of working that lets them predict how much it is going to cost to do, and when it is going to get done, and though they have to change, it is taking them time to do it, she added.It is a lot harder to make money from offering support on open source software than from licensing software, according to Cooper. That is the reason employees should watch out for companies that have only halfheartedly embraced open source, she said. "You see that specially in companies that throw code over the wall without any resource tree," she added."The open-source brand has become so powerful that people are trying to wear the brand, without wearing the behavior that goes with it," Phipps said.Employees are also likely to get caught up in ownership fights on contributions, on whether the contribution should be recognized on behalf of the employee, or the company. Even when employee contributions are recognized, it may be a figurehead rather than all the contributors that are recognized, Cooper said.The best path ahead for open source developers is to get more assertive when identifying the companies they would like to work with, and in negotiating agreements with companies that protect their rights.Employees should assert, for example, the right to blog and continue to participate in the projects they have been involved with, because these activities give them visibility beyond the company they work with, and also helps them if there is a dispute with an employer, Cooper said. "Having a well-read blog is the best defense you can have against any problems you may encounter," she added.


Saint Remy, 15:27 - RUGBY, PEZ: CONTRO LA SCOZIA SARA' UNA FINALE

''Contro la Scozia sarà una finale, dobbiamo entrare in campo al 100% e non pensare a nient'a...


Getting someone to mind a weapon will be an offence from next month, the Home Secretary says.


Also, US intel report shows 'dark prospects' for Iraq, as Bush's postwar policy takes other hits. In an interview with the BBC Wednesday, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said the decision to launch


Gb, dopo polemiche su razzismo nel Grande Fratello Vip


Itâs often been said in recent weeks that you canât negotiate with terrorists. Morally thatâs right: in the case of the Jordanian Abu Muab alâZarqawi and his âTawhid & Jihadâ interlopersâgroup, the statement is also fact.


Richiesta nuova legge per fronteggiare sfide tecnologiche


The White House on Tuesday played down prospects of major troop withdrawals from Iraq in the near future. "We're not going to sort of look at our watches and say, oop, time to go," presidential spokesman Tony Snow said.


The opportunities and dangers of the post-Arafat era

Yasser Arafat's increasingly imminent passing from the scene points to the end of a long and complex era that is best left for historians to assess.


Musharraf calls for debate on Kashmir options

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Monday called for a national debate on ways to resolve the Kashmir dispute, with options to include independence or joint control of the region, Dawn reported Tuesday.


A Year When Classical Labels Came Through

Classical music labels faced the challenges of 2003 with a series of innovative steps in 2004 that have produced promising results.


Ivan Hits 11th Country on Caribbean Cruise Towards US

One of the fiercest Hurricanes ever has passed the western edge of Cuba on its way towards the United States. Hurricane Ivan and its 260 kilometre an hour winds toppled power lines, uprooted trees and caused extensive flooding across Cuba.


Eleven years and one week after he made his debut on the Billboard Hot 100, Snoop Dogg scores his first No. 1.


Kallis puts England to the sword with a masterful century ...

JACQUES KALLIS, too often forgotten when the best batsmen in the world are discussed, commanded the scene here yesterday. Utterly in control of himself, the pitch and the bowling, never hurried except when


Weinsteins make a date with Woody's "Cristina"

NEW YORK  - The Weinstein Co. has picked up North American distribution rights to Woody Allen's romantic comedy/drama "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson.


Australia's cricketers will wear black armbands in this week's Test in India as part of the nation's tribute to one of its greatest sporting heroes in Keith Miller.


BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military and Iraqi Shiite and tribal leaders held talks Sunday aimed a reducing tensions in the Baghdad's Sadr City slum, where 10 people died in fighting a day earlier between Shiite militiamen and U.S...


Survivors Detail Attack on U.S. Consulate

Survivors of a deadly militant attack on the U.S. consulate said they fell to the floor and tried to hide after hearing gunshots and seeing men carrying weapons in the inner courtyard of the compound, known as one of the most secure in this Red Sea port city.


Tahoe City's Julia Mancuso proved she was podium worthy in a World Cup women's giant slalom on Wednesday, but the results didn't reflect it.


A GANG of robbers have stolen millions of pounds from a bank in the centre of Belfast, police said. Raiders targeted the vault in Wellington Street after holding two senior bank officials hostage in their own homes.


Frank Capra Jr., Movie and TV Producer, Dies at 73

Mr. Capra Jr., the son of the noted Hollywood director Frank Capra, never wanted to go into his fatherâs business but found in the end he could not resist its pull.


Team Uses Biotech to Build a Better Turkey

Most of the turkeys gracing the nation's dinner tables Thursday have been selectively bred for their white meat for so many generations that simply walking can be a problem for many of the big-breasted birds and sex is no longer possible.


Militants stormed Kabul's most popular luxury hotel Monday, killing at least six people as they hunted down Westerners who cowered in a gym Â a coordinated assault that could signal a new era of brazen Taliban attacks.


Diamondbacks Fire Backman Four Days After Hiring Him

Wally Backman's firing came three days after The New York Times reported that he had been convicted of driving under the influence and had pleaded guilty to harassment charges.


Keyboardist Joe Zawinul, who played with Miles Davis and helped create the sound of jazz fusion, died from cancer in Vienna on Tuesday, local news agency APA reported, quoting his son Erich.


German insurer Allianz says 2007 profit hit eight bln euros

Insurance giant Allianz said Thursday it would post a record net profit for 2007 despite a fourth-quarter loss at Dresdner Bank, which took a huge write down in connection with US subprime housing market losses.


Former Aide To Mayor Working D.C. For Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has hired a former top aide to Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) as a consultant as it continues to explore the possibility of building a store in the District and attempts to navigate the city's zoning rules and neighborhood politics, the retailer said.


Ex-US Vice President Al Gore launches a UK TV channel that will feature programmes made by viewers.


Supporting role for Julia Roberts: mother of twins

It's a girl and a boy for Julia Roberts and her husband, cinematographer Danny Moder. Publicist Marcy Engelman said Roberts, 37, gave birth to Hazel Patricia Moder and Phinnaeus Walter Moder yesterday at a Southern California hospital.


Drought Saps the Southeast, and Its Farmers

The worst drought in over a century has farmers averting their gaze from a future that looks as bleak as their fields.


Ex-US Air Force Buyer Gets Jail Over Boeing Deals

ALEXANDRIA, Va.  - The U.S. Air Force's former No.  2 weapons buyer was sentenced to nine months in prison on  Friday after telling the court she had given Boeing Co. a  rival's secret data and inflated weapons deals to ingratiate  herself with the company, her future employer.


ROME, Ga. Aug. 26, 2004 - An $80 million settlement was reached Thursday in a lawsuit against a crematory operator by nearly 1,700 relatives of deceased people whose bodies were found strewn across the business' grounds.


NYC wildlife haven fading from landscape

The scene from Dan Mundy's living room window is worlds away from the normal urban views of New York City.


US Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson says he's most proud of Medicare reform and the prescription drug benefit being offered for seniors.


Islamic School in Netherlands Damaged in Blast

An explosion damaged an Islamic school in the southern Dutch town of Eindhoven Monday, police said, the latest attack on a Muslim institution following the murder of a filmmaker critical of Islam last week.


Pistons Coach Fined $15K for Verbal Abuse

Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Thursday for verbal abuse of an official, a day after he had to be restrained during a postgame argument with referee Anthony Jordan.


Security breaches rise in Darfur camps housing Sudanese who have ...

2 November 2004 - Security breaches have been increasing in the camps housing Sudan's Darfur refugees and internally displaced people on both sides of the Sudanese-Chadian border, the United Nations said today.


"But I'm saying: look at what's going on"  The dollar hit a new low against the seemingly unstoppable euro Friday as the 13-nation currency broke through $1.41. The euro's ascension renewed calls from French President Nicolas Sarkozy for the European Central Bank to follow the Federal Reserve and cut interest rates, which would help keep French exports competitive.Despite the worries of some exporters _ European aircraft maker Airbus said if the euro keeps rising it may have to seek new cost savings _ ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stood firm that the ECB must remain independent. Read more


Rebels urge Russia to peace talks before Feb. 22 cease-fire deadline.


After shutting down the city, shouldn't Boston officials just swallow hard and hope the embarrassment fades away? James Poniewozik on the Aqua Team brouhaha


Market analysts from both In-Stat and iSuppli have told BetaNews they will soon be issuing reports which cut the overall market outlook for Sony's PlayStation 3, and one analyst is cutting his estimate for the entire market.


Households have paid Â£1,500 more in cumulative council tax rises since Labour took office, Tories say.


New labels to warn of suicide risk for youth

Federal health officials are preparing stronger warnings for some anti--depressants prescribed for children after new analyses back a possible link to suicide.


LOS ANGELES  - "Big Love" star Ginnifer Goodwin has joined Matthew Perry and Hilary Swank in the cast of the indie comedy "Laws of Motion."


LOUDON, N.H. -- When Rick Hendrick studied the points standings after yesterday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, he spotted an ugly sight: two of his three cars sitting in ninth and 10th place.


Karnataka to investigate political links of Veerappan

Bangalore, Oct 19 - Within hours after the jungle terror unleashed by Veerappan was brought to an end with his killing, Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh today announced that a probe would be conducted to uncover the political patronage and


VW's Home Town Finds Ways to Cope With Globalization

WOLFSBURG, Germany -- On the surface, globalization is about as popular in Germany as cheap imported beer.


Australia plans to withdraw troops from Iraq: report

Australian Prime Minister John Howard is secretly planning to begin withdrawing Australian troops from Iraq by February 2008, Australian media reported on Sunday.


Microsoft Targets Vertical Markets in the Enterprise

Dynamics family of business applications are refined for specific industries.


Blogs and the Web may hurt or change newspapers.


Bush picks Paulson to replace resigning Snow

President George W. Bush will  announce on Tuesday that Treasury Secretary John Snow is  resigning and that he will nominate Goldman Sachs   chairman Henry Paulson to replace him, a senior administration  official said.


Note to Women on the Run: Beware a Welcoming Village

Nicole Kidman plays a woman on the run from gangsters in Lars von Trier's "Dogville."