Gadgets have always taken center stage at the Consumer Electronics Show, but this year more than ever, even the coolest devices seem to be mere means to an end -- access to content and services whenever and wherever you want them.For years the underlying trend at CES, held in Las Vegas from Monday through Thursday, has been convergence, the increasing connection among communications, consumer electronics and computer industries. This year the stakes have been raised, with new mobile services, devices that connect to wireless broadband networks, and deals between content and entertainment companies and computer vendors.With the addition of Web 2.0 services and content into the traditional convergence mix, expect the term Convergence 2.0, which pops up occasionally, to be used more frequently in the future.The diverse array of gadgets and standards at the show can be a barrier to convergence, however. Industry executives acknowledge that despite -- or because of -- the various connectivity technologies on the market, making products work together is still a complicated and daunting task for consumers.As usual, Bill Gates set the tone with the initial CES keynote Sunday, although this year was the Microsoft co-founder's final appearance at the show. Gates and Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach unveiled new partnerships for Microsoft's MSN, Xbox Live, and Mediaroom IPTV services.They also announced that NBC will use Silverlight technology for video playback and on-demand access to events. In addition, Microsoft is working with TNT, Showtime, and CNN to provide IPTV-based services, and announced deals with MGM and ABC to bring content to Xbox Live."XBox Live is attracting virtually all the content people because of the volume we've got there and they see this group of very engaged users spending a lot of hours and finding new media in that environment," said Gates, in an exclusive interview with the IDG News Service. "Our announcement with NBC on the Olympics is about our innovations in this Silverlight, where you can view interactive content, multiple video streams."Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang underscored the importance of mobile services in his Monday keynote, introducing a new look for the company's Go mobile Web interface, and new technology to let third-party developers build mobile widgets for the mobile platform.One sign that the concept of convergence has been juiced up: the head of the largest chip maker in the world spent most of his keynote time talking about future "personalized" Web experiences. "Increasingly, computing and communications are coming together, bringing a new level of capability and intelligence to the Internet experience," said Intel CEO Paul Otellini in a Tuesday keynote. "The personal Internet of tomorrow will serve you, delivering the information you want, when you want it, how you want, wherever you are."Otellini demonstrated the Canmore system-on-a-chip platform, due out in the second half of the year, which enables high-resolution imaging and broadcast TV for consumer electronics devices. The chip includes the Intel Architecture processor, and an audio-visual unit that supports 1080p high-resolution imaging and surround sound.Qualcomm, meanwhile showed off a prototype of what it called a Windows-mobile based "pocketable" computer running on its recently released 7201 chip. The screen, at 800 pixels wide, is designed to view Web sites designed for regular PCs, rather than versions altered for ultramobile PCs. Connectivity features include HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), GPS (Global Positioning Service), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.Small computing devices are often ultramobile PCs (UMPCs), a term marketed by Microsoft, but vendors use a variety of terms.Intel was showing off prototypes of UMPCs based on its upcoming Menlow chips. A Lenovo device was running Red Flag Linux OS, and sported a 4.8-inch touch screen as well as a camera. Other devices at the booth included small handheld PCs with touchscreens, from Toshiba and Clarion.For all the UMPC prototypes being showed here, though, industry insiders were quick to acknowledge that the market has not taken off as quickly as had been expected. One reason UMPC sales have not increased dramatically, at least in the U.S., is that wireless bandwidth for mobile devices up to now has been slow, they say."A true ultramobile experience is being able to put a device in a handbag, go have a picnic in the park, pull out your mobile device and easily surf the Web, said Alp Sezen, a sales director for Via Technologies based in Fremont, California. "Right now, you can't get that experience.""It will take a year or two for the mobile wireless experience to get better," he said. "Wi-Max, and the opening up of Verizon's EV-DO network in the third quarter this year will help give a better experience for ultramobile users."Sprint Nextel and its hardware partners, meanwhile, said they are on track with WiMax plans for the second quarter. Nokia and Samsung officials said they will have devices that will operate with WiMax in the second quarter, and Motorola said it is working on a device that will operate over Sprint's EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) cellular network, Wi-Fi and WiMax.For short-range wireless connectivity, devices incorporating the new 11n Wi-Fi standard were also on display. Netgear, for example, unveiled a two-radio 5GHz 802.11n for less than $130. The company also released an 11n router with five Gigabit Ethernet ports.One development that might end up making things easier for consumers puzzled by all vast array of gadgets and standards -- not all of which are interoperable -- was the decision by Warner Bros. to go with Blu-ray Disc, rather than HD DVD, for high-definition movies. The announcement, on the eve of the show, sparked thoughts that the high-definition format war may be over.Of course, Akio Ozaka, head of Toshiba America Consumer Products, put up a brave front at a news conference. But Philips Consumer Electronics also threw its full support behind Blu-ray, adding a Blu-ray DVD player, the BDP7200 DVD to its product lineup.(Additional reporting by Martyn Williams, Dan Nystedt, Elizabeth Montalbano, Agam Shah, and Nancy Gohring in Las Vegas.)


Florida, Bahamas brace for Hurricane Jeanne

Florida and the Bahamas are bracing for Hurricane Jeanne, which is churning westward in the Atlantic Ocean with winds near 160 kph.


Instead of walking down the aisle of a church, a former New York couple will traipse down the aisle of a court room to settle a fight over a $48,800 diamond engagement ring.


Hezbollah has Israeli soldiers' body parts: Nasrallah

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, making a rare public appearance, said on Saturday his guerrilla group possessed body parts of Israeli soldiers left on southern Lebanon's battlefields during the war in 2006.


Holyfield beginning yet another comeback

Evander Holyfield is 43. He hasn't fought in nearly two years, hasn't won in more than four, and hasn't been the heavyweight champ in six years. So?


Abbas apologizes to Kuwait over PLO stand on 1990 Iraqi invasion

Visiting Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee chairman Mahmud Abbas here Sunday apologized to Kuwait for PLO's past stance on the 1990 Iraqi invasion against the emirate.


Ha partecipato a convegno sulla marginalita' a Milano


The government promises to do all in its power to help businesses affected by flash floods in Londonderry.


CEO: Altria preparing to break up company

NEW YORK (Dow Jones/AP) -- Altria Group Inc. is beginning to make the needed preparations to possibly split up into several parts in order to maximize shareholder value, chairman and chief executive Louis Camilleri said Thursday.


Three Army Reserve officers and two civilians were indicted yesterday on federal charges of participating in a wide-ranging bribery and contract-rigging scheme involving millions in Iraq reconstruction funds.


A survey of Apple and AT&T stores finds they're not all the same when it comes to stocking and reserving the much-hyped gadget.


U.S. and Iraqi forces fight gunmen in capital

Iraqi troops backed by U.S. attack helicopters fought militants for several hours in central Baghdad on Friday as new figures showed a leap in the number of Iraqis killed in violence in November.


Craving the High That Risky Trading Can Bring

It is easy to dismiss JÃ©rÃ´me Kerviel, the rogue trader at SociÃ©tÃ© GÃ©nÃ©rale, as a fluke. So here is a sobering thought for Wall Street: There may be a bit of Mr. Kerviel in all of us.


Phillies 11, Mets 10: Phillies Rally to Sweep Four From the Mets

The Phillies scored one run in the eighth inning and two in the ninth off their former teammate Billy Wagner to defeat the Mets and complete a first four-game sweep.


Google will now host articles from four news agencies, setting the stage for the company to generate advertising revenue from Google News.


Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf tours flood-stricken areas and pledges aid to help thousands of people.


Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash., Ken Hoopengarner Column

By Ken Hoopengarner, Tri-City Herald, Kennewick, Wash.  Feb. 3--WHAT PRICE WILL WE PAY TO LIVE WITH WOLVES?:   I've never had a close encounter with a wolf.   And because wolves don't see me as dinner -- as say grizzly bears or  cougars might -- I would welcome a wolf meeting.


Liberty Opens Postseason With a Big Surprise

Shameka Christon has 16 points and a franchise playoff-record 15 rebounds to lead the Liberty to a surprising 73-51 victory over the defending champion Shock in Game 1.


British TV's political talent show produces unsavoury winner

When British TV bosses devised an innovative political talent show to find a new would-be MP, Rodney Hylton-Potts was probably not what they had in mind as an eventual winner.


Australia took the spoils but India took the credit on the last day of the Bangalore Test. Adam Gilchrist's side took a step back in the final hour of play on the fourth evening and thereafter played poor cricket.


WASHINGTON - The State Department will ask the Chinese government about comments by a former senior Chinese official who accused President Bush of trying to "rule over the whole world.


Stocks cheer steep Fed cut, but lose altitude

Asian shares rallied on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve's biggest interest rate cut in over two decades, but nagging fears of a U.S. recession prompted many indexes to give up some of their early gains.


Risultato inferiore alle attese ma segna tendenza positiva


Trial of Syrian starts in N.Y. over terrorism hoax

A Syrian man on trial for giving a false tip to a New York City anti-terrorism hotline never meant to cause public alarm and believed that his identity would be kept secret, his lawyer said on Friday.


Oracle beats the Street, reaffirms guidance

Oracle Corp., the world's second-largest software firm, beat the Street with its first-quarter results after Tuesday's market close thanks to stronger sales of its database software.


Hantuchova downs Radwanska to make Australian Open tennis semis

Slovak ninth seed Daniela Hantuchova emphatically announced her Grand Slam comeback Wednesday when she outclassed Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska to reach the Australian Open semi-finals.


Porter Goss is confirmed by the US Senate as the new CIA chief, despite opposition by some Democrats.


Manu Ginobili's career night ruined Steve Nash's return to the Phoenix Suns' lineup. Ginobili scored 48 points and the San Antonio Spurs rallied from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to hand the Suns their sixth consecutive loss, 128-123 in overtime, on Friday night.


Cattle sales dropped but held their prices Friday as the beef industry waited to learn whether the nation had its second case ever of mad cow disease.


A platform lengthening project will disrupt train services for two weeks but help operators meet passenger demands, say officials.


A bomb explosion outside the Indonesian embassy in Paris slightly injured nine people today, authorities said, in the first terror attack to strike the French capital in years.


Shuttle debuts 'deluxe, glamorous' SFF PC

Shuttle has brought Intel's G33 integrated chipset to its XPC line of barebone small form-factor PCs, this one using the company's "glamorous" G6 casing and due to hit the shelves with 'Deluxe' appended to its name.â¦


Whatâs really driving the Iranian presidentâs Western charm offensive?


U.N. Demands Iran Halt Uranium Enrichment

VIENNA, Austria - For the first time, 35 nations in the U.N. atomic watchdog agency demanded Saturday that Iran freeze all work on uranium enrichment - a technology that can be used for nuclear arms - and said they would judge Tehran's compliance in two months...


America Movil Raises Stakes In Brazil Gambit      (Investor's Business Daily)

Investor's Business Daily - America Movil, already the biggest wireless firm in Latin America, has emerged as the most likely buyer of Telecom Italia's wireless phone business in Brazil.


Chrysler 300, Ford Escape Named Year's Best Vehicles

Chrysler's boldly styled 300 sedan and  the hybrid version of Ford's Escape sport utility vehicle on  Sunday were named North America's top car and truck for 2005.


India, Spain pledge to boost political, trade ties

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Zapatero has kicked off a visit to India with calls for closer trade and political ties between Asia's second fastest-growing economy and a key member of the European Union.


N. Ireland polls close as self-rule comes to the crunch

Northern Ireland's polling stations closed Wednesday after a day of voting aimed at triggering one last shot at creating a power-sharing administration between Protestants and Catholics.


Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who as Massachusetts governor refused to pardon an Iraq war veteran's BB-gun conviction, on Tuesday called President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence "reasonable."


Interior Official Will Speak at Boise Forum

By The Idaho Statesman, Boise  Jan. 30--The Idaho Environmental Forum will be held from 11:30 a.m. to  1:15 p.m. today at the Rose Room, second floor at 714 W. Idaho.   The discussion will include insights into the administration's  perspective on the national energy policy.


French President Jacques Chirac has said that Turkey could join the European Union - if it complies in full with entry requirements.


Presidente Confindustria, problemi con fisco e ritardi opere


SERIE A: ANTICIPI, VINCONO CHIEVO E CAGLIARI; 2-1

(AGI/DS) , 2 ott.- Negli anticipi della quinta giornata di serie A il Chievo ha battuto il Lecce per 2-1 e il Cagliari ha piegato il Brescia con lo stesso punteggio. - Il Lecce di Zeman deve, cosi, rimandare l'appuntamento con il primato in classifica.


IBM shuts new workers out of pension plan

International Business Machines Corp. has shut its cash-balance pension plan to new employees, CBSMarketwatch.com reports. Instead, new employees can contribute 6 percent of their


NASA looks for break in weather to land shuttle

NASA looked to Mother Nature for guidance on Friday as it sought for a second day to bring space shuttle Atlantis and seven astronauts home from a two-week-long mission.


By Anonymous  MILITARY  A new radio technology may help warfighters to stay connected on the battlefield.


Sunni Marginalization Risks Worsening Iraq Turmoil

Only four weeks before crucial  elections, sectarian divisions threaten to worsen Iraq's  unrest, with majority Shi'ite Muslims poised for political  dominance and many Sunni Arabs boycotting the polls or too  afraid to vote.


Glaring Lack of Take-Aways For the Redskins' Defense

The Redskins' defense is on the verge of setting?records for futility as Gregg Williams's unit sits last in the league in forced turnovers and sacks.


Scene Stealer: For Studio Chiefs, the End of the Revolving Door?

In the once notoriously deadly business culture of Hollywood, studio chiefs are a lot safer than they used to be.


Oracle buys fraud detection software firm

Identity management Oracle is bulking up its system security capabilities through the acquisition of privately held Bharosa for an undisclosed sum. Bharosa software will control and secure access to systems built with Oracle applications and middleware.â¦


All those T-shirts of losing teams? Off to Africa.

Major League Baseball is teaming up with World Vision, an international Christian humanitarian aid group, to save mislabeled clothing from the postseason for Ghanaians affected by recent flooding.


Search crews recovered another body Sunday from a sugar refinery devastated by a massive explosion, raising the number of confirmed deaths to six, the state's top elected fire official said.


N. Korea warns of nuclear war if attacked

North Korea will respond to a pre-emptive U.S. military attack with an "annihilating strike and a nuclear war," the state-run media said Monday, heightening its antagonistic rhetoric.


A seven-year-old boy is injured in a pipe-bomb attack at his house on the outskirts of west Belfast.


Carlos Delgado's agent speaks with all four teams pursuing the free agent first baseman, but gives no indication where his client will sign.


Andy Roddick sets a new world service record as the United States go 2-0 up in their Davis Cup semi-final against Belarus.


Where have all the gamers gone? Despite the sort of marketing hype usually extended only to film releases and console-style early opening hours, the Halo 3 UK launch was notable for the absence of gamers and large piles of unsold copies.â¦


Niagara Falls survivor seeks work, new life path

The only person known to have survived an unprotected plunge over Niagara Falls has returned to the scene of his stunt. Kirk Jones, 40, went over the 167-foot Horse Shoe Falls on Oct. 20, 2003.


British adventurer planning rubbish flight to China

A British adventurer who reached Timbuktu in a truck fuelled by chocolate said Tuesday he now wants to travel to China on a rubbish-powered aircraft.


In Brief: Fujitsu to buy Spansion chip plants

(InfoWorld) - Fujitsu will purchase two chip plants in Japan from Spansion Japan, a flash memory chip maker in which it holds a stake, the companies said Thursday. Fujitsu will pay Â¥17 billion ($145 million) to buy Spansion's JV1 and JV2 factories, which are in the city of Aizu-Wakamatsu in northeast Japan, where Fujitsu already operates its own chip factory. Fujitsu will use the plants to produce flash memory embedded microcontrollers, it said. Such chips are used in automotive and consumer electronics applications, and Fujitsu said it expects the market for the devices to grow. The company will also keep producing some flash memory chips at the factories for the time being, it said. SpansionÂ began life as a joint venture companyÂ between Fujitsu and Advanced Micro Devices, before listing its stock on the Nasdaq stock market in the U.S. late last year. ItÂ raised about $506 millionÂ in the public offering, which reduced Fujitsu and AMD's shareholdings to minority status.


UN soldier injured in clash with Aristide loyalists

A UN peacekeeper and a Haitian policeman were injured Saturday in a clash with loyalists of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in Port-au-Prince.


The foster parents of a 3-year-old disabled boy who died after being wrapped in a blanket and packing tape for two days were indicted Wednesday on murder and kidnapping charges.


The incumbent Afghan leader Hamid Karzai has emerged as the winner of Afghanistan's first-ever presidential election marred by irregularities, head of the joint UN-Afghan election commission announced here Wednesday.


Struggling TiVo insists the sun'll come out tomorrow

NEW YORK  -   TiVo shares fell 5.7% in after-hours trading Wednesday after the DVR pioneer reported revenue short of its forecast for the quarter that ended in October. It also said that holiday season marketing costs, including DVR rebates of as much as 100%, will push the current quarter's net loss to as much as $38 million.


The Indianapolis Colts signed Martin Gramatica to be their new kickoff specialist Wednesday. Gramatica replaces Jason Baker, whose locker was empty Wednesday.


Iran has rejected a new draft resolution put forward by three European powers at a key meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog agency. "There has been a good deal of changes in the


Kazakh leader grips power ever more tightly

President Nursultan Nazarbayev has styled himself a firm but modern Khan in his 17 years in power in Kazakhstan, but critics say his authoritarian rule brooks no opposition and borders on a personality cult.


In November, Bush-Kerry will be the most hotly contested race in South Florida, but right now it's Fiedler-Feeley. Having lost the face of their offense in Ricky Williams, the Miami Dolphins are looking for a new identity. It will likely be whoever emerges as the starting quarterback: incumbent Jay Fiedler or challenger A.J. Feeley.


iseff writes "Contrary to the rumors which have been circulating, John Doerr (VC and early investor in Google) told the Web 2.0 conference that although he believes in another browser war, Google won't be a part of it.


(10/26/04)-- The nation's chief justice is battling thyroid cancer but plans to keep working while he gets treatment. William Rehnquist has had a tracheotomy and expects to be back at work next week.


Scott Olsen struck out his first five batters and finished with 10, one shy of his career high, as the Florida Marlins defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-7 Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.


Acupuncture therapy appears to reduce the chances of successful IVF, US research suggests.


Google search program gets jump on Microsoft

Internet search leader Google Inc. yesterday introduced Google Desktop Search, a free program that creates an index of the files on a user's own computer.


After a rookie season in which he battled injuries and was limited to 13 catches, receiver Chad Jackson has another significant hurdle to clear in his second year with the Patriots.


Human error seen as cause of futuristic train crash in Germany

Investigators are working on the basis that human error caused a futuristic magnetic levitation train to crash in Germany, killing 23 people and setting back efforts to market the system.


Police arrest suspect in school stabbings

Chinese authorities have arrested a 21-year-old man in the stabbing deaths of eight school boys, the BBC reported Saturday. Yan Yanming was turned in by his mother after he tried to commit suicide, officials said.


Game of the day: Cut! Red Sox streak ends

The Red Sox lost for the first time in 11 games, falling to the Texas Rangers 8-6 yesterday and missing a chance to pull 1-1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East.


Space Probe Fails to Deploy Its Parachute and Crashes

NASA's $264 million Genesis mission came to a sudden and violent end on Wednesday morning, when a capsule returning with samples of the Sun slammed into the desert.


Israel to build new homes in Jerusalem area

Israel's housing minister said on Tuesday preparations were underway to build more than 1,000 new homes in and around Arab East Jerusalem, which Palestinians see as capital of a future state.


Quando qualcuno sbaglia non puo' coinvolgere il tutto


Congo ex-warlord detained at Hague court

A former Congo warlord was arrested and taken to the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Thursday to face war crimes charges including murder, sexual slavery and using child soldiers, the court said.


The US military says 10,000 US and Iraqi troops are moving against al-Qaeda networks north of Baghdad.


Deidre Downs, Miss Alabama, was crowned Miss America Saturday night in Atlantic City and won a $50,000 scholarship. She was the third Miss Alabama to win the pageant, following Heather Whitestone, who won


The nation's largest banks are losing billions of dollars from the mortgage debacle. But will pain from bad housing bets be compounded by government investigations?


The furor over President Bush's National Guard records and a suspected forgery ensnaring CBS News is one of those unpredictable episodes that buffet presidential campaigns with near-perfect predictability.


Investigatori dell'antiterrosimo britannico collaboreranno alle indaginiMusharraf: "Non sono soddisfatto dell'inchiesta, ma i servizi non c'entrano"                                          Scotland Yard presto in Pakistan per indagare sull'omicidio Bhutto                                                                                Situazione calma nel Paese dopo l'annuncio del rinvio delle elezioni


A formal request is made to Moscow for the extradition of an ex-KGB agent accused of killing Alexander Litvinenko.


Iniziativa viola, a suo giudizio, le norme vigenti


CIRCUMSTANCE: Their first season together ended in a playoff sweep by the Utah Jazz, on May 12, 1997. Kobe Bryant, then an 18-year-old rookie, shot an airball on a potential game-winner in regulation and then three airballs in overtime.


Hamas scores at the ballot box in challenge to Fatah

Hamas declared itself a significant political force after West Bank local election results were announced yesterday. It was the first time the Islamic movement, branded a terrorist


Residents Return to Darfur After Fleeing Attack

"Only God saved us when the Janjaweed attacked. We had to walk to safety and 12 men were killed," said Khultoum Eissa Abdallah, now back in her hometown in Sudan's troubled Darfur region.


Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop pristine, might be the lament of today's Ancient Mariner. Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the planet, and every single spot has been affected by people in some way.


Russian prosecutors detain a finance ministry official on suspicion of taking a bribe from two businessmen.


Fuel cell powered phones years away: Nokia

Consumers will still have to wait a few years before they can swap the batteries of their cell phones for more environment-friendly fuelcells, the world's top handset maker Nokia said on Tuesday.


I HAD A PATIENT who was a Navy fighter pilot. During his annual flight physical, he asked me if he should quit smoking. Although the answer seemed to be a no-brainer, I asked him what smoking did for him.


Novell Accuses Microsoft of Unfair Competition

Lawsuit alleges the software giant unlawfully attempted to eliminate competition from Novell's WordPerfect and Quattro Pro applications.


UK's Harry Rules Out Auschwitz Visit in Nazi Row

Britain's Prince Harry on Thursday ruled  out visiting Auschwitz as atonement for wearing a Nazi uniform  at a party just two weeks before the 60th anniversary of the  death camp's liberation.


E.U. Pledges Aid to Iraq, Despite Allawi's Criticisms

Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, secured cash and pledges of help from European Union leaders on Friday despite having described countries that opposed the U.S.-led war to oust former president Saddam Hussein as "spectators."


SEATTLE -- A five-day strike by nurses and other health care workers was expected to begin Monday morning against Group Health Cooperative.


Bernanke signals bold rate action to lift growth

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday said the U.S. central bank was ready to act aggressively to counter a deep housing slump and credit market strains that were putting economic growth at risk.


Trio heading "East" for HBO comedy pilot

Katy Mixon, John Hawkes  and Andrew Daly have joined the cast of the HBO comedy pilot  "East Bound and Down."


E' accaduto in un paesino del cagliaritano. Il ragazzino era in casa con in genitoriÃ¨ andato nella sua camera per giocare con una fune, poi la tragedia                                          La corda per saltare si trasforma in cappio bambino di nove anni muore strangolato


A Northwest Airlines flight to London made an emergency landing after smoke was reported in the cabin, and passengers waited aboard for nearly 10 hours before the trip was canceled early Sunday.


Barak in runoff to lead Israel's Labour Party

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak won on Tuesday the first round of the Israeli Labour Party's leadership election and will face an ex-security chief in a runoff vote next month, official results showed.


Indonesia Quake Sparks Fatal Tidal Waves

A Thai woman goes through salvaged items outside her house in Khao Lak, Thailand December 29, 2004. The tsunami which ripped apart tourist-packed Khao Lak beach in south Thailand may have killed 3,000 people there, local police said on Wednesday.


M&S chief executive believes UK is divided: between rich who live inside the M25 - and the rest


Plans are announced to open the main airport Indian-administered Kashmir to international traffic.


Guinea moved back into contention for an African Nations Cup quarter-final place on Thursday with a dramatic 3-2 win over Morocco.


US TV network CBS is fined a record $550,000 for Janet Jackson's Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction".


From the throwback uniforms to past stars such as Willie Gault and Tee Martin sitting in the stands, Tennessee's football team went retro last night for its season opener.


Two men charged after Boston security scare

Authorities charged two men on Thursday with planting battery-powered signs promoting an animated cartoon that were mistaken for bombs and caused Boston's biggest security scare since the September 11 attacks.


A flyover collapse near Montreal in Canada kills at least five people in two cars, authorities say.


The First Minister and Welsh Secretary have been locked in a series of "tough negotiations" on waiting times and waiting lists ahead of tomorrow's Welsh Labour general election campaign launch.


In an era of courtroom dramas, it's not surprising that a Broadway version of 'Twelve Angry Men' is a hit.


Reynolds' Ex Counter-sues Claiming Assault and More

One day after Burt Reynolds filed a lawsuit against his ex-girlfriend Pamela Seals, claiming she was extorting him following their break up, Seals has filed a countersuit, claiming assault, emotional distress, breach of contract and more, and seeking half


White House Said to Debate â08 Cut in Troops by 50%

An internal debate described by senior officials is the first indication that political pressure is forcing the Bush administration to consider what happens after the current troop increase.


Viewpoint: The chairman complains that the chain's atmosphere has changed. Actually, it's worse than that: its stores are now an overdesigned, overcrowded mess


Bush rally continues, with Dow soaring 177

The Bush rally roared into a second day yesterday, with a big assist from oil that pushed blue-chips to their biggest gain in 13 months.


Greenwich co-pilot blamed for fatal crash

(Washington-AP, Oct. 26, 2004 11:05 AM) _ The staff of a federal agency is blaming the co-pilot from Greenwich for a fatal crash of an American Airlines jet in 2001.


North Korea Tops Powell's Agenda in Asia

Four years ago this weekend, then-Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright visited North Korea, in what appeared to be a breakthrough in US relations with the reclusive Stalinist government.


Bush reshuffle under way as Ashcroft quits

John Ashcroft, the US attorney general and the embodiment of the Christian right in the Bush administration, announced his resignation last night, marking the start of a second-term reshuffle.


Clashes Break Out in Najaf; Peace Mission Stalls, Reuters Says

Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Heavy clashes broke out in Najaf leaving dead and wounded a day after an Iraqi delegation failed to meet Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on a mission aimed at ending an uprising by the cleric's militia, Reuters said.


VATICANO - ÂI Musei potranno contribuire a diffondere la cultura della pace se, conservando la loro natura di templi della memoria storica, saranno anche luoghi di dialogo e di amicizia tra tuttiÂ: Papa Benedetto XVI al Convegno Internazionale promosso in occasione del Quinto Centenario dei Musei Vaticani CittÃ  del Vaticano (Agenzia Fides) - ÂLa Chiesa da sempre sostiene e promuove il mondo dellÂarte considerandone il linguaggio un privilegiato veicolo di progresso umano e spiritualeÂ Lo sviluppo nel tempo dei Musei Vaticani sta a dimostrare come ques...


Blockbuster picks Blu-ray for movie rentals

Blog: Blockbuster Inc. announced on Monday that it would rent only Blu-ray discs and not HD DVDs, in its 1,700 company-owned stores.


Pressures come with the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. Faith Akin, director of âThe Edge of Heaven,â knows these pressures firsthand.


Looking for Cuts, Pentagon Turns to Jet Fighter Program

The Pentagon has told the White House and Congress that it plans sharp cuts in the Air Force's program for the F/A-22.


EAGLE, Colo. -- The rape case against Kobe Bryant finally fell to pieces shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday, when his accuser called District Attorney Mark Hurlbert to say she had had enough and would no longer cooperate. The call set in motion a series of events that ended with the charges being thrown out little more than eight hours later.


Israel bonds with US over online betting ban

Sinful allies Israel has officially joined the online betting prohibitionist club, led by staunch ally the United States and the collaborationist French.â¦


Glasgow suspect worked at Indian IT outsourcing firm

An Indian man who allegedly drove a jeep into Glasgow airport was an engineer who worked at an outsourcing firm used by aerospace manufacturers, a company spokesman said Tuesday.


Hoping to prove that grid computing can work in the business world, Dell, EMC, Intel and Oracle on Tuesday announced a joint effort designed to show business users how to use the distributed computing technology.


WORCESTER -- Holy Cross's first meeting with San Diego, last year, was a wild one out West, won by the Toreros, 46-45, in double overtime.


Beijing to learn from experiences from Olympic host cities

The Athens Olympic Games debriefing has opened in Beijing, with future Olympic hosts and five bidding cities for the 2012 Games participating.


Presidente consiglio Campania, indagine piena di falsita'


Milano, 13:47 - CALCIO, COBOLLI GIGLI: NON CREDO BUFFON D'ACCORDO CON INTER

Giovanni Cobolli Gigli ha ribadito che la Juve farà di tutto per trattenere Buffon: ''Non cre...


Devout comedians are getting on stage and telling jokes that even a pastor would like.


Castro's influence intact despite empty assembly seat

Convalescing Fidel Castro's seat in the Cuban National Assembly stood empty next to his brother on Friday as Communist party delegates convened to discuss policy, but his influence was never in question.


Political opponents of Prime Minister Tony Blair launched a renewed attack on his handling of the Iraq conflict Sunday, as British soldiers prepared to move deeper into the country to support U.S. troops.


Foxx's triple nominations a birthday treat

Jamie Foxx's three Golden Globe nominations are extra special for the star - because it's his 37th birthday today. Foxx made history today when he received nods for Best Musical Or Comedy actor for Ray Charles


A battle has erupted between the Goldman and Brown families over plans to publish 'If I Did It,' O. J. Simpsonâs infamous hypothetical tell-all book.


Sudanese Govt. Ready to Sign Darfur Deals-Minister

The Sudanese government is ready to sign agreements with Darfur rebels on Tuesday covering aid and disarmament in the war-torn region, a junior government minister said, marking a major breakthrough after two weeks of talks.


B.C. fishermen call for judicial inquiry into Pacific salmon fishery

VANCOUVER (CP) - The union representing B.C. fishermen says something's rotten in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and is demanding a judicial inquiry.


A Night Out With Kate Nash: Versed in Anatomy

On her last night in New York, the 20-year-old British pop singer took in the Larry Clark exhibit at the Luhring Augustine Gallery.


A satellite system which automatically opens train doors has failed, leaving passengers stuck on board.


Prince Charles has re-opened Britain's Istanbul consulate, shattered by a suicide bombing less than a year ago. Seventeen people, including Consul General Roger Short


If President Bush wins West Virginia, one of the state's five Republican electors says he might not vote for Bush to protest the president's economic and foreign policies.


Marca: Racists must not make us blush again

Marca, Spain's leading sports newspaper, today admitted that there could be no repeat of the deplorable racial chanting which marred Wednesday's defeat of England, despite


National Treasure hunted down at box-office

Nicolas Cageâs movie, National Treasure, took more than $46.2 million this weekend, making Nicolas Cage's new adventure film the big winner in the Thanksgiving weekend race for the highest grossing movie, claiming the box-office crown for the second


UC Berkeley officials issued a statement of regret about a computer hacking that may have exposed the names and social security numbers of about 600,000 people.


Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place

Japanese fashion designers are devising a variety of novel solutions that they hope will ease growing fears of crime.


Powell irked at some allies for declining to train Iraqi troops

Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed irritation Thursday with six NATO members that have barred their military officers from an alliance-approved program to train Iraqi forces.


They've walked picket lines, denounced trade agreements, bashed corporations and curried favor with unions large and small. In joint appearances with other Democratic candidates, they routinely get the loudest applause from the union rank and file.


The Suez Canal is closed for the first time in 30 years after becoming blocked by a broken down oil tanker.


The Connecticut Sun traded starting forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin to the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday for center Erika De Souza and the 12th pick in this year's college draft.


Ukrainian government workers resume duties as protesters lift blockades ahead of the presidential vote re-run.


Angels 2, Yankees 1: For Clemens And Yankees, Satisfying Start Ends With Loss

What started as a pitchersâ duel between Roger Clemens and John Lackey, ended in an Angels win after fill-in-first baseman Miguel Cairo made two errors on one play in the 13th inning.


BNP talk lifts SocGen as France warns predators

France warned foreign banks on  Tuesday not to try to grab control of Societe Generale  , as speculation of a takeover approach by rival BNP  Paribas  drove its shares more than 10 percent higher.


Apple to open first European retail store in London

Apple is to open its first retail store in Europe on Saturday, a state-of-the-art boutique in central London selling the latest products from the US computer and technology group.


There is powerful evidence that an outright ban on public smoking  would save lives, doctors' leaders from across the world say.


Kick Ash: 'Evil Dead' Meets 'Freddy vs. Jason'

LOS ANGELES  - Judging from the recent success of "Alien vs. Predator," crossover franchise films make for good box office.


Shakespeare, Rushdie return to Kashmir bookshops

SRINAGAR, India  - Books are back on the shelves of insurgency-wracked Kashmir which has been blighted by a literary drought for several years.


British billionaire snaps up seven pct of Bear Stearns

Investment funds controlled by British billionaire Joseph Lewis have amassed a seven percent stake in Wall Street investment bank and brokerage Bear Stearns, a US securities filing showed Monday.


Palestinians in Gaza mark moment of burial

At the moment Yasser Arafat's body was lowered into his tomb in Ramallah on the West Bank, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip vented their sorrow with shouts of grief and bursts of gunfire.


Edwards' wife bashes Clinton health plan

Elizabeth Edwards accused Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton of copying the health care plan outlined more than seven months ago by her husband, John.


The Philip Rivers era in San Diego got off to a rousing start. It didn't last long.


Dell cuts, Google hits the street and robot-moths are go

To subscribe to The Register's weekly newsletter - seven days of IT in a single hit - click here


Keith Miller, arguably Australia's greatest  all-rounder in Test cricket, has died in Melbourne aged 84.


Defying history and stereotype, the South's schools rise

Hundreds of high schools in the region, many still under desegregation orders, have quietly become public-education powerhouses.


Betting on a Basic Need: Manager Sees Demand for Water, Companies That Keep It Running

By Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  Sep. 11--Mark R. Zellmer lives in New Berlin, and his home is one block away from being able to use Lake Michigan water.


For the giddy Apple groupies who spent hours, or days, in line for an iPhone, it all came down to the final reward: snagging a new technology for $600 that has yet to prove itself.


Trends 2008: Will 3D-printing finally go mainstream?

Everyone wants to be a designer. That's the value proposition of JuJups.com, a new online service claiming it will allow consumers to design their own personalized and customized 3D-content.


"E' controsenso, c'e' continuo aumento capacita' di lavoro"


Mubarak, Obasanjo discuss bilateral ties, African crises

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with his Nigerian counterpart Olusegun Obasanjo for talks that focused on enhancing bilateral ties and the various conflicts troubling the African continent.


MRI Scan Can Monitor Cholesterol Health - Study

A modified magnetic scan can tell patients whether cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are actually unblocking their clogged arteries, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.


Here's Mickey. Again... Letters Poor old Apple. The Guardian newspaper suggests that after yesterdays' movie service launch, Steve Jobs needs "a charisma download". That's harsh - Apple did the most important thing it needed to do yesterday, and make its iPod cash cow a lot more attractive - with plenty of time before Christmas.â¦


New York - Pink products â-lready popular with women and the fashion and beauty companies that cater to them â - everywhere this month.


Iraq Intensifies Efforts to Expel Iranian Group

BAGHDAD -- For three years, thousands of members of a militant group dedicated to overthrowing Iran's theocracy have lived in a sprawling compound north of Baghdad under the protection of the U.S. military.


Yahoo to Buy Online Music Seller for $160 Million

na move to expand its role in the online music business, Yahoo announced yesterday that it would buy Musicmatch, a company that sells music online, for $160 million.


Stocks: Earthquake in Asia sends markets lower

NEW YORK Stocks fell slightly Monday as investors weighed a decent but uninspiring holiday shopping season against concerns over insurance and travel stocks in the wake of the weekend's Asian earthquake.


Firenze, 19:01 - CALCIO, LEGA C: RESPINTO RECLAMO SALERNITANA PER GARA MARTINA

Il giudice sportivo della Lega di serie C Pasquale Marino ha respinto il reclamo della Salernitana (...


In appello assolto Marco Ferruzzi giÃ  condannato per il ferimento nel 2003 di un marescialloCancellata la pena anche a Simone Del Moro per l'attentato al tribunale di Viterbo                                          Roma, assolti tutti gli anarchici per le bombe a carabinieri e polizia                                                                                La Procura generale ha annunciato ricorso in Cassazione


DARPA robo-bug to start bugging once bugs are worked out

Harvard droid prof's flies undone Harvard boffins have achieved a significant milestone in their quest to build robot flies which could be used by the government to really bug people.â¦


Alleged Burglar Does Laundry, Gets Pizza

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - A burglar who made himself at home after a break-in overstayed his visit, police said. Larcellus Angelo Scott, 23, had ordered a pizza and was doing a load of laundry Wednesday when Denise Bealessio returned home from work.


A 15-year-old girl is to spend Christmas in custody because she is "out of control", a High Court judge rules.


Vista will get easier access to Google's desktop search

SEATTLE - There was a time when Microsoft would vigorously resist any court-imposed restrictions on Windows. But the software giant has agreed to a court order to make it easier for consumers to choose Google's popular desktop search on Windows Vista computers.


Laughing in the face of the apocalypse and other pesky glitches is key to the three plays in Ethan Coenâs âAlmost an Evening.â


NFL star QB Vick indicted in Virginia dog fighting

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and three other men were indicted on conspiracy charges tied to a dog fighting venture by a federal grand jury in Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday.


Israel kills five Hamas gunmen, teacher in Gaza

Israeli troops backed by tanks and warplanes launched a raid into the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing five Hamas gunmen and a schoolteacher, the ruling Palestinian Islamist faction and hospital officials said.


DNA Evidence Frees Man After 15 Years in Prison

Jurors convicted Jeffrey Mark Deskovic in 1990 even though they were told the DNA evidence did not point to him.


The president of the African Union asked NATO on Thursday to give more support for its peacekeepers in the violence-wracked Darfur region, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said.


An appeal hearing agrees to Kenny Richey's release from prison after the Scot spent 20 years on death row.


Jay Colbert missed last season with a dislocated wrist suffered in a car accident. The injury has made the Howard RB a better player on the field and better man off of it.


Milano, 20:20 - CALCIO, INTER; FIGO: SQUADRA VA BENISSIMO, NO EMERGENZA

Il portoghese Luis Figo parla con serenità del momento dell'Inter e del suo ritorno in campo ...


Cinema: Smentito Tentato Sequestro Per Zeta Jones In Messico

(AGI) - Citta' del Messico, 12 set. - Viene smentita decisamente dal produttore esecutivo del film "La Leggenda di Zorro", Lloyd Philips, la notizia del presunto tentativo di rapimento di Catherine Zeta Jones in Messico.


Singh takes aim at greatest modern-day season

Maybe the long overseas flight will take something out of him. Perhaps the bland food will leave him feeling less than his best. There's always the chance that a leprechaun could emerge from the Irish woods to distract him.


Media Mogul Black 'Lined his Pockets Every Day'

âNot once or twice, but on dozens of occasions Hollinger was victimised by its controlling shareholders as they transferred to themselves and their affiliates more than US dollars 400 million (Â£22 M) in the last seven years,â according to the report


Russia's Putin Vows to Increase Pensions

President Vladimir Putin, seeking to assuage rising public anger, promised a moderate increase in pensions and blamed federal and local officials Monday for failing to properly implement Kremlin reforms that cut off benefits to millions of Russians.


New Backup Voting System May Pose Problems

Call it the law of unintended consequences. A new national backup system meant to ensure that millions of eligible voters are not mistakenly turned away from the polls this year, as happened in 2000, could wind up causing Election Day problems as infamous as Florida's hanging chads.


update Craig Conway has been fired as president and chief executive officer of PeopleSoft and will be replaced by founder Dave Duffield, the company said Friday.


Zoo animals manure-facture power in Germany

Animals at a Munich zoo will create their own power supply from Friday when their manure is recycled to generate heat and electricity.


All the ingredients were in place for Andy Roddick to throw a tantrum Wednesday at Wimbledon.


The Tour de France no longer calls him champion. His cycling team cut him loose.


Brand-name drug prices jumped nearly 4 percent during the first three months of the year, raising costs for taxpayers subsidizing the Medicare drug program and for some of those participating in it, AARP said Tuesday.


About 4.4 million now under recall; firm says units can overheat, possibly causing fire or shock. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Dell Inc.


China Didnât Check Drug Supplier, Files Show

An ingredient in a blood thinner linked to four deaths was made at an uncertified plant in China that was not inspected.


Roma, 20:24 - CASSAZIONE, DIVIETO STADIO A CHI PORTA BANDIERA DI MUSSOLINI

Respingendo il ricorso di un ultrà romanista, la Cassazione ha fatto scattare il divieto di a...


Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney focus on each other in Wednesday's televised presidential debate only hours after Florida voters left no doubt that they are the two viable contenders for their party's nomination.


High winds have disrupted Ryder Cup preparations at the K Club in Ireland.


British soldier, interpreter killed in Afghanistan

A British soldier and a civilian interpreter were killed in an explosion early Thursday while on a security patrol in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.


Ronaldinho could start a party in an empty house, and last night Barcelona's life-loving Brazilian was the delighted centre of attention at a huge shindig in Zurich.


A human rights group has suggested a mandatory flash on camera mobiles would counter illicit photography.


Republican Convention Dogged by Relentless Protests

Five thousand people protesting high job losses formed a 3 mile unemployment line in Manhattan on Wednesday and AIDS activists disrupted a Republican meeting on the third day of the party's convention to nominate the president to a second term in office.


Russia sends 12 bombers to Atlantic, Arctic

Russia on Friday sent 12 air force bombers to take part in naval exercises over the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans, Itar-Tass news agency quoted a spokesman for Russia's air force as saying.


Vatican returns Russian icon venerated by Pope John Paul to Moscow

ROME  - The Vatican returned a Russian icon venerated by Pope John Paul to Moscow on Friday in a gesture aimed at improving strained relations with the Russian Orthodox Church and possibly clearing the way for a visit by the ailing pontiff.


Per sostenere emergenza in sud-est Asia colpito da tsunami


Alan Keyes, the conservative Maryland political commentator whom Illinois Republicans turned to after weeks of searching for a replacement Senate candidate, agreed Sunday to run against a rising Democratic star who has only grown stronger amid GOP scandal and disarray.


Saudi police killed three gunmen in al-Riyadh

Saudi security sources said that the Saudi police killed three gunmen in a fire exchange to the east of the capital Riyadh. These sources said that the security forces closed all roads leading to the region where the clashes took place.


IMF ministers eye trade progress, quarrel on votes

Finance ministers raised the prospect   on Sunday of a breakthrough in stalled world trade talks but   failed to bridge differences over plans to give emerging   economies more say in how the International Monetary Fund is   run.


Orioles and Julio Agree on One-Year Deal

BALTIMORE, Md. (Sports Network) - The Baltimore Orioles  came to terms with reliever Jorge Julio on a one-year deal on  Saturday, avoiding salary arbitration. The deal is worth a  reported $2.5 million.


Pakistan election postponed until February 18

Pakistan's general election was postponed on Wednesday by six weeks until mid-February due to the  violence sparked by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, despite the objection of the two main opposition parties.


ConnectR communications robot lets you see who's talking and follow them around the room.


Bhutto Charges Pakistani Government of Impeding Investigation

KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct. 22 -- Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Monday charged that government officials are seeking to obstruct a thorough investigation into last week's devastating suicide attack on her convoy because "some people are being protected."


AOL to Sell Secure ID Tags to Fight Hackers

America Online will begin offering to sell members a security device and service that has been used to safeguard business computer networks, the world's largest Internet service provider said on Monday.


Rah-Rah, Sis-Boom-Bah for Google! Or Not

The cheerleading for Google from the analysts at leading brokerage firms is starting to sound a lot like the days of the dot-com bubble.


La cantante da lunedÃ¬ 18 in diretta su Radio2 con "Radio2 on my mind""LancerÃ² input agli ascoltatori su argomenti seri ma anche meno seri..."                                                  Giorgia diventa conduttrice radio "Avevo bisogno di una cosa nuova"


Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has pardoned the victim of a gang-rape whose sentencing to 200 lashes caused an international outcry, a Saudi newspaper said on Monday.


Death toll from China mine blast rises to 122

The death toll from a coal mine explosion in central China last week has risen to 122, with 26 people still missing. The accident happened at the Daping mine in Xinmi, central Henan province, on Wednesday, when 446 miners were working underground.


Singer Robbie Williams is out of rehab after three weeks of treatment for a dependency on prescription drugs.


Putin calls for powerful Russia parliament

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Thursday for a powerful parliament, his likely future power base, and unchanged policies after he leaves the Kremlin.


Oscar-Nominated Director Signed to 50 Cent Project

Rapper 50 Cent's movie, titled "Locked and Loaded," is set to be directed by Jim Sheridan who has worked on the Oscar-nominated "In America" and "My Left Foot." 50 Cent's movie is supposed to be based on his real life experiences, much like his mentor ...


Peace Train derailed by paranoia, but cool Cat lands on his feet

It's funny how perfectly serious news stories can twig the most absurd personal anecdotes. So it went this week with the news that Yusuf Islam -- aka Cat Stevens -- had been turned away from the American border as a suspected terrorist supporter.


John McCain on Sunday assured Iowa supporters that he's doing fine and intends to seriously compete in the state's leadoff caucuses despite staff cuts and money problems.


The dollar was near record lows against  the euro and a multi-year low versus the yen on Monday after a  meeting of the Group of 20 rich and developing nations produced  no coordinated stance to stem the dollar's decline.


Cigarette giant BAT sees 2006 profits advance

British American Tobacco announced Thursday that net profits climbed 7.3 percent last year as the company was bolstered by rising sales in emerging markets.


Paris Club cuts 80 percent of Iraq's debt

The Paris Club announced Sunday that its member countries agreed to cut 80 percent of the debts Iraq owes them and called on other creditors to follow suit.


Milano, 17:26 - CALCIO, INTER: ADRIANO NON E' TRA I CONVOCATI PER PALERMO

Nonostante il gol decisivo segnato sabato scorso a Reggio Calabria, Adriano non è nella lista...


A shot that robs smokers of the nicotine buzz from cigarettes showed promise in midstage testing and may someday offer a radically new way to kick a dangerous habit. In a study, more than twice as many people given five of the shots stopped smoking than those given fewer or phony shots Â about 15 percent versus 6 percent after one year.


GOP debaters trade fire as Super Tuesday looms

Republican candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney attacked each other's conservative credentials during the final showdown before next week's Super Tuesday contests. The Democrats will have their turn tonight.


Colin Montgomerie and Luke Donald Sunday were named to the European Ryder Cup team by captain Bernhard Langer. That completes the team that will face the United States at


Jean Chretien, Canada's former prime minister defends his involvement in a sponsorship funds scandal.


Brazil airliner missing with at least 155 on board

SAO PAULO, Brazil  - A passenger plane flown by Brazilian airline Gol disappeared over the Amazon jungle on Friday after losing radar contact and failed to arrive at its destination with 155 people on board, the company said.


Thai lawmakers choose Samak Sundaravej, ally of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra, as the new prime minister.


Flu Shots for Federal Workers, Military Diverted

The federal government has diverted 300,000 doses of the flu vaccine originally meant for federal employees and the military to high-risk civilian groups, such as people older than 65 and


Disney announces details of ABC Radio spin-off

The Walt Disney Co.  on Friday set a record date of June 6 and a closing date of June 12 for its previously announced spin-off and merger of ABC Radio stations and programming operation with Citadel Broadcasting Corp .


War on terror drives Arab actor to "Zigzigland"

Bashar Daas comes from Zigzigland, an imaginary country just below South America where people respect Arabs and he always has cash to pay the utility bills.


Real Salt Lake trades for Kreis in first player move

Real Salt Lake obtained its first player in Major League Soccer Wednesday, trading for Dallas forward Jason Kreis in exchange for future considerations.


Antibody Curbs Late Anthrax Illness, in Rats

Synthetically produced antibodies that target a component of the anthrax toxin may reduce illness and death due anthrax exposure, even after shock has set in, rat studies indicate.


Blame it on the Red Sox. For only the second time in 112 years, the Stanley Cup -- the oldest trophy competed for by North American sports teams -- will not be awarded. And both times, the Red Sox were the defending World Series champions.


Multiplex Group yesterday officially launched its takeover offer for Ronin Property Group and its bid to become Australiaâs fourth largest property trust listed on the ASX.


Mozilla browser is less complete than Internet Explorer but is much more than just an anti-Microsoft statement. Is computing not making the progress it used to, or did I just read a story


Keyhole maintains a multi-terabyte database of digital images of geographic locations, culled from satellite and aerial snapshots.


Legendary Mara family teamed with Tisches to uphold Giants' tradition

John Mara was standing inside this silver spaceship disguised as a football stadium earlier this week, watching his Giants and relishing their Super status. On his right hand was the 1956 NFL championship ring that belonged to his father, Wellington.


EU leaders clinch deal with Italy and Poland on EU treaty

EU leaders have overcome Polish and Italian objections to the EU reform treaty, opening the way for an overall agreement, European officials said Thursday.


Another round in world's longest court battle Nokia has won a limited victory in its long-running court battle with Qualcomm.â¦


Somerfield starts Safeway conversions roll-out

Somerfield is embarking on a rapid expansion by buying small Safeway stores that are no longer wanted by WM Morrison. Having fended off an unwanted takeover bid last year, Somerfield raised Â£51m through a


NBC medical drama "ER" is going for a first in its 10-year history with a real-time taped episode, featuring Ray Liotta as a guest star.


Alleged Slayings In Fallujah Spur Military Inquiry

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is probing allegedly wrongful killings of suspected Iraqi insurgents during heavy fighting in Fallujah in November 2004, but officials said yesterday that no criminal charges have been proposed so far.


India's population of wild tigers, which wildlife experts have long warned is on the decline, is dramatically lower than previously believed, according to initial results from an exhaustive study of tiger habitats released Wednesday.


COMMUNICATION:  Price Tag Pushes Back Development

BERLIN, Nov 26 (IPS) - Information technology must be used to promote  development, but experts are less clear just how.


A 58 anni nel 2008, quote dal 2009, esclusi lavori usuranti


Major powers send Iran nuclear issue to UN envoys: US

The United States and five other world powers have agreed to send the issue of Iran's disputed nuclear program to their UN representatives, after failing to resolve differences, the US State Department said.


Va. sheriff gets 8 months for corruption

The former sheriff of a struggling, rural county was sentenced Tuesday to eight months in prison for lying to authorities about a scheme to resell drugs and guns seized from criminals.


Report Says AIDS and HIV is Spreading Faster Among women

December first is World AIDS Day. This year, the campaign centers on women and girls. They now make up almost half of all people infected with the virus that causes AIDS.


Roma, 13:55 - CALCIO, OSSERVATORIO: PROVVEDIMENTI IN VISTA PER TIFOSI NAPOLI

Provvedimenti in vista nei confronti dei tifosi del Napoli, protagonisti ieri di alcuni incidenti a ...


Justin Timberlake had kind words about Britney Spears, but said he hasn't spoken to his ex-girlfriend in a long time and couldn't offer any explanation for her recent bizarre behavior.


NL Wrap: Padres Edge Giants, Astros Soar to Wild-Card Lead

Mark Loretta hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th to lift the San Diego Padres a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants in National League action on Wednesday.


Europe says leads in mobile TV, but lacks frequency

Europe is slightly ahead of other  continents in developing mobile television, but lack of joint  radio spectrum for the service means it may lose its  leadership, regulators and industry leaders said on Thursday.


September 11 anniversary fuels election security debate

NEW YORK : Americans will pay quiet tribute Saturday to victims of the September 11 terror strikes, amid a presidential election war of words over national security.


J.P. Dumont's Late Tally Lifts Predators

J.P Dumont breaks a tie with 38 seconds left, and Chris Mason makes 30 saves in the Nashville Predators' 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.


Glasgow, 18:08 - CALCIO, SCOZIA: L'ADDIO DI MOTHERWELL AL CAPITANO O'DONNELL

"Non riusciamo ancora a realizzare quanto successo. Siamo sconvolti perÃ² grati a tutti per il suppor...


AMERICA/ARGENTINA - Emergenza umanitaria a Chaco: 13 morti negli ultimi due mesi tra le comunitÃ  indigene a causa della denutrizione acuta associata, per la maggioranza dei casi, con tubercolosi e altre malattie Buenos Aires (Agenzia Fides) - Le comunitÃ  indigene della provincia nordorientale argentina di Chaco hanno difficoltÃ  di accesso allÂacqua, al cibo e alle medicine naturali, e si stanno incamminando verso lÂestinzione. I corpi degli adulti indebolit...


Sex-assault case won't be tried 3rd time

Prosecutors have decided not to pursue a third trial in a sexual assault case that gained national attention because the judge barred the words "rape" and "victim" in court.


The season may be still in its early stages but the race for the Scudetto looks more and more like a two-horse race between Juventus and AC Milan.


President Hugo Chavez said Venezuela has caught four people spying for the American government, but a U.S. embassy spokesman said Saturday that he had "no idea what the president is talking about."


Seventh-seeded Austin Prep came from behind to upend second-seeded St. John's Prep, 2-1, last night in the opening round of the Super 8 tournament.


Alla serata in ricordo dello stilista attesi tutti i nipoti


Best Buy profit disappoints, shares fall

Best Buy Co. Inc.  reported lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday as the consumer electronics retailer cut prices on flat-panel TVs to boost sales at the start of the holiday shopping season, sending its shares down 5 percent.


Santa Claus is facing tough times in Europe. So, for that matter, are the Virgin Mary, Joseph and even baby Jesus.


Anti-globalization and far-left activists from across Italy were converging on the capital Saturday to protest against President Bush during his visit to Rome and the Vatican.


Business: 19 November 2004, Friday. The contract for the sale of 67% stake in the Western Bulgaria power utility pool, which includes Sofia City, Sofia District and the town of Pleven, will be signed today in ...


'Lets av sum fun!!' Gloucestershire Police are investigating a YouTube video which appears to show a Kawasaki ZX10R clocking up an impressive 189mph:â¦


Striker Michael Owen is facing a battle to prove his form and fitness as the pressure grew on his starting place for EnglandÂ´s World Cup qualifier against Wales.


Soldi in cambio di foto compromettenti. Il manager delle star stupito: "Non sapevo nulla"L'inchiesta nata da una costola del processo che ha portato all'arresto di Emanuele di Savoia                                          Vallettopoli, Lele Mora si difende  "Mi Ã¨ passato sopra un caterpillar"


Hunan launches project to curb mother-to-baby AIDS transmission

Central China's Hunan Province has launched a project to prevent HIV/AIDS transmission from mother to baby in six state-level AIDS prevention pilot areas, as the number of such infections is increasing.


The productivity of U.S. workers rose by a weaker-than-expected 0.2 percent in the third quarter, while unit labor costs grew by less than initially thought in encouraging news for the Federal Reserve on wage pressures, government data showed on Tuesday.


Though no one talks about them much, Ernest Hemingway wrote two plays.


Pentagon: China threatens space and cyberspace

Commies get nukes, sat-kill lasers, 'electromagnetic dominance' virus units A Pentagon report into Chinese military capability says that the People's Republic "is expanding from the traditional land, air, and sea dimensions of the modern battlefield to include space and cyber-space."â¦


Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government has pledged more than $8.8 billion in aid, financing and energy funding in Latin America and the Caribbean so far in 2007. Bandes is a Venezuelan state development bank. Below is a list of pledges sorted by type.


David Duffield, who founded PeopleSoft (PSFT:Nasdaq - news - research) and then returned to the company as chairman and CEO, has resigned.


Thomas G. Woolston  is trying to start an online travel site named uBid Travel. He's negotiating with hotels, brokering partnerships with airlines and making sure the site looks just right.


QUALCOMM and Huawei to Showcase World's First Demonstration of MBMS Mobile TV Technology at 3GSM World Congress

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 8  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- QUALCOMM Incorporated , together with Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., today announced that the world's first demonstration of Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) mobile TV technology will be at 3GSM World Congress 2007 in Barcelona, Spain.


The UN fears Afghanistan may grow even more poppies in 2007, surpassing already record levels.


Turkish troops cross into Iraq: Iraqi officials

ARBIL, Iraq  - Hundreds of Turkish troops crossed into Kurdish territory in northern Iraq overnight, Iraqi officials said.


Directors at the UK's top 100 companies have built up a pension pot worth a total of Â£1m, the TUC claims.


White House entrance reopens after suspect package

Authorities reopened Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House after a suspicious package was found in a park across the street.


Blockbuster Inc. (BBI.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday posted a quarterly profit well below analysts' estimates even before $1.


Facility Holding Terrorism Inmates Limits Communication

The Justice Department has quietly opened a new prison unit in Indiana that houses a hodgepodge of second-tier terrorism inmates, most of them Arab Muslims, whose ability to communicate with the outside world has been tightly restricted.


NEW YORK/SEATTLE  - Microsoft Corp  began  selling "Halo 3" on Tuesday, hoping the acclaimed alien shooter  game will widen its lead over Sony Corp  in the battle  for industry dominance.


The United States on Tuesday vetoed an Arab-backed resolution demanding an immediate end to military operations in Gaza and a pullout of Israeli forces.


Microsoft rolls out CRM update in eight languages

Microsoft has rolled out an update to its CRM suite in eight of 25 languages that the software will eventually support.Dynamics CRM 4.0 is now available in Danish, English, Finnish, Dutch, French, German, simplified Chinese and Spanish, Microsoft announced Wednesday. The company begins a 12-week global tour this week to launch the suite, which is available for both on-demand and on-premise deployments. The company first released code for the software to partners and customers in December.Over the next three months Microsoft plans to roll out the suite in 17 other languages -- Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Hong Kong Chinese, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, traditional Chinese, and Turkish.Microsoft added multitenant capabilities with version 4.0 of the product, which means a single instance of the software on a server can serve multiple customers when the suite is running as a hosted service. The company also added more support for global companies, giving customers a single view for managing accounts worldwide and adding support for multiple currencies.Microsoft also has created integration between data in Dynamics CRM and its Office Excel spreadsheet software. Users can import CRM data to Excel and refresh it from live CRM data while they work, using controls from within Microsoft Office. This allows them to use Excel's data-analysis tools with their CRM data, according to Microsoft.The Dynamics CRM launch tour will travel to Barcelona, London, Madrid, and Vancouver on some of the first stops in the 50-city, 20-country tour.


Singapore has formed a national policy committee to combat the rise of HIV cases, local media reported Monday.


PRESIDENT BUSH has produced the biggest surprise of his Cabinet reshuffle by asking John Snow to stay on as Treasury Secretary. It had been widely reported that Mr Snow, a former rail executive who took over


Blog: Instead of charging a penny to see if an account is active, they donate to the Red Cross instead.


Rice seeks to jumpstart Arab-Israeli peace process

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will seek on Thursday to resuscitate the Palestinian-Israeli peace process after coming under pressure from moderate Arab nations hoping to expand a ceasefire deal.


N.J.'s Corzine to Defy New Health-Care Rules

Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine informed President Bush this week that New Jersey will not obey federal rules that would make it harder to enroll middle-income kids for a popular government-subsidized health insurance program.


Allarme del presidente dell'Authority Pizzetti


Uh, about that "Once and For All" that Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera III was titled. Forget it. Finality is set aside in boxing when to do so means good business, and these


Mars shows signs of geologically recent volcanic activity, and scientists find to their surprise that another volcanic blast may be in the Red Planet's future.


Scorsese shares spotlight as he finally wins Oscar

Martin Scorsese, the creator of  "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver," finally won Oscar recognition  on Sunday but he had to share the spotlight with politician Al  Gore, regal actress Helen Mirren and Cinderella story Jennifer  Hudson.


AMERICA/ARGENTINA - I giovani argentini pellegrini alla Basilica di Nostra Signora di ItatÃ: ÂMaria, insegnaci ad essere discepoli di GesÃ¹, affinchÃ© i nostri giovani abbiano vita in Lui" Corrientes (Agenzia Fides) - Numerosi giovani si preparano a partecipare alla XXVII edizione del Pellegrinaggio della regione del Nordest Argentino (NEA) alla Basilica di Nostra Signora di ItatÃ, a Corrientes, che comincerÃ  oggi, sabato 16 settembre,...


The FDA said the Viagra ads were so suggestive they touted the drug's effectiveness, thereby requiring a description of the evidence for the claim and the possible side effects.


The Archbishop of Canterbury's Sharia law comments attract criticism from senior Anglicans.


Studies find new ways to make embryonic stem cells

Researchers have taken ordinary skin cells from a mouse and reprogrammed them to look and act like embryonic stem cells in a long-promised experiment that provides an alternative way to get the valued and controversial cells.


Alter: Armstrong Challenges Dems on Cancer

Lance Armstrong challenged the candidates to make cancer a priority. Four committed to doubling. What will the GOP do? The birth of a new campaign benchmark.


Lessons from the lords of leveraged buyouts.


Political Debate at Minn. School Gets Ugly

Three high school students, one allegedly armed with a bat, were charged with attacking a pro-President Bush classmate after he reportedly said only gays would support Sen. John Kerry.


Catalina Foxes Back After Near Extinction

A unique subspecies of fox that is about the size of a house cat is back from the brink of extinction on Santa Catalina Island and can survive on its own thanks to a captive breeding program, the head of a nonprofit group that manages most of the island said Tuesday.


We can't work it out: judge to rule on McCartney divorce

Former Beatle Paul McCartney and his estranged wife Heather Mills have failed to reach a divorce agreement, leaving it to a judge to rule on a multi-million pound deal, a lawyer has indicated.


Rockies sweep Yankees to deny Clemens won No. 350

The Colorado Rockies knocked off the  New York Yankees 4-3 to complete a three-game series sweep on  Thursday and deny Roger Clemens his 350th career victory.


Was the man in black a Democrat or a Republican? The son of the late singer Johnny Cash, who captured the hardscrabble life of those on the margins in songs such as "Folsom Prison Blues" and "One Piece at a Time," says his dad never hinted about his party choice.


A grilled-cheese sandwich said to bear the image of the Virgin Mary has been sold for $28,000 in an eBay auction, according to the online casino that bought it from a woman in Hollywood, Fla.


Va. Schools Must Offer Dissection Options

Grace Kendall knew back in seventh grade that she didn't want to cut open a preserved frog. Her teacher allowed her to use a computer alternative, and she has declined to dissect ever since.


In Largely Quiet Iraq, Pipeline Is Attacked

An unusual quiet continued Friday for the second straight day in Iraq, with American forces and insurgents apparently taking a pause after months of heavy combat.


BAGHDAD, Iraq -- At least 21 Iraqis, most of them civilians, were killed in attacks by insurgents north of Baghdad on Sunday, in the latest strikes on Iraqi security forces and people working with the US military.


WHO says bird flu pandemic could kill millions

BANGKOK - The regional director of the World Health Organization's Western Pacific Regional Office says the bird flu virus is proving far more lethal than the SARS virus that struck Asia and other parts of the world last year.


'Eagle vs. Shark': Revenge of the New Zealand nerds

The scruffy microbudgeted film pairs two lovelorn geeks in an unlikely romantic comedy about 'little people' finding love.


"Macaca" named most politically incorrect word

"Macaca" you are number one. The word "macaca," used by outgoing Republican Senator George Allen of Virginia to describe a Democratic activist of Indian descent who was trailing his campaign, was named the most politically incorrect word of the year on Friday by Global Language Monitor, a nonprofit group that studies word usage.


Georgia's new president is offering a tax amnesty for people who hid earnings under the previous regime in an effort to boost the country's crumbling economy.


After bitter year, 2008 elections loom in US

After a year of acrimony, gridlock, and snarling showdowns over Iraq, Congress and President George W. Bush will cede the spotlight in 2008 to a White House race awash in historic potential.


According to the Boeing-Northrup Grumman announcement, the two companies plan to alternate as prime contractor should they win the bid to build the CEV.


Tens of thousands of Israeli settlers rally against Sharon's ...

Tens of thousands of Israeli settlers and their supporters Sunday took part in a right-wing demonstration in Jerusalem's Zion Square.


(CBS/AP) SpaceShipOne was set to return to space Wednesday, in nearly a carbon copy of its historic flight in June, when it became the first privately-funded manned vehicle to go into space.


Roma, 20:51 - CALCIO, ROMA: LIEVE PROBLEMA PER PERROTTA

C'era anche il presidente Sensi all'allenamento di questo pomeriggio della Roma a Trigoria. In campo...


Amy Winehouse, Madonna and Arctic Monkeys are among the winners at the Ivor Novello Awards.


Planet Earth captures a pride of lions stalking an elephant in Botswana. Learn what went into creating this killer scene. By Sonia Zjawinski from Wired magazine.


An 18-year-old man is given six years custody for arson at a school, which caused Â£8m of damage.


Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant had his appendix removed in emergency surgery Thursday night, the band's manager said.


Contro il taglio dei trasferimenti erariali


South Korea urges U.S. to ease North's insecurity

The United States must put aside speculation over whether North Korea can be trusted and work to convince Pyongyang it will be more secure without nuclear arms, South Korea's foreign minister said on Friday.


US: Samarra-style raids can stop rebels in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Oct 5  - At least 22 people died in Baghdad and Mosul car bombings, which targeted the fledgling Iraqi army, Westerners and the US military, as US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned Monday of more offensives like one just ended in


Eidos has announced the next installment in the Hitman fanchise titled Hitman: Blood Money, it'll be released in spring 2005 for Playstation 2, Xbox, and PC.


Merck Seeks Over-The-Counter U.S. Cholesterol Drug

Drug maker Merck & Co. Inc.  urged U.S. advisers on Thursday to approve the first over-the-counter sales of a cholesterol-lowering pill, but regulators questioned if consumers would use it properly.


Wales captain Ryan Giggs is to announce his retirement from international football on Wednesday.


Golf: Jimenez Takes Early Lead in European Masters

CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland  - Miguel Angel  Jimenez continued his rich vein of form by taking the early  lead in the opening round of the European Masters on Thursday.


Egypt on mission to rekindle free trade deal with US

Trade Minister Mohammed Rashid will seek to boost Egypt's troubled economy by proposing to revive a dormant project for a free trade deal with the United States when he travels to Washington on Sunday.


Brown must seize the day - and break with Bush now

Comment is free: Jonathan Steele: The new man in No 10 was a fervent supporter of the war. The only way to signal a fresh start is by taking Britain out of Iraq.


M's believe Hargrove can build team 'the right way'

"We know we have a lot of hard work ahead of us," Hargrove said when introduced as the new manager. "We want to build this the right way.


Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Tuesday that he's located 200,000 more flu vaccinations from European suppliers, bringing his claimed total to at least 262,000, the Associated Press reported.


The Nigerian government cancels another sale of a state firm by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.


LeBron James and Kobe Bryant go back and forth in an intense fourth quarter, with James and his Cavaliers winning out, 98-95, even surviving raindrops at Staples Center.


Marine faces board over anti-war protest

Supporters of a Marine who could be discharged early because he wore his uniform during an anti-war protest turned out at a hearing for him Monday.


Industry-watchers bicker over Apple's next likely move in consumer electronics.


Yankees Notebook: On Field in Kansas City, It Was a Day for Fathers

Yankees first base coach Tony PeÃ±aâs son, Tony PeÃ±a Jr., started at shortstop and batted ninth for the Kansas City Royals on Monday.


Two strong earthquakes rattled Taiwan's capital and the north of the island on Friday, disrupting communications though no casualties or serious damage were reported.


Barcellona, 13:37 - CALCIO, BARCELLONA: RONALDINHO TORNA AD ALLENARSI

A due settimane dal problema al tendine rotuleo accusato lo scorso 30 dicembre, Ronaldinho è...


The U.S. military on Thursday confirmed 11 U.S. soldiers were killed this week in one of the worst days suffered by U.S. forces as a Washington panel said the training of Iraqi forces should quicken so troops can leave.


Space station astronauts told to ration food

Two astronauts face a not-so-merry Christmas after being told to ration their food and hope a cargo ship with extra supplies docks on December 26.


Borsa: chiude positiva, denaro sulle banche eccetto Bnl (Mibtel +0 ...

(Teleborsa) - Roma, 22 dic - Conclusione attorno ai massimi per Piazza Affari in una seduta poco mossa e con scarsi volumi vista la vicinanza delle festivitÃ  natalizie. I mercati finanziari del vecchio continente


Russia Unwilling to Refer IAEA Iran Uranium Concerns to UN ...

Russia is against reporting Iran to the United Nations Security Council for what the United States and some other countries say are breaches of UN nuclear rules, a top Kremlin official was quoted as saying on Wednesday.


London: Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralidharan will be able to bowl his controversial âdoosraâ if a recommendation from an ICC expert panel is ratified and accepted.


Unions in Nigeria Call for an Oil Strike

Unions declared the top multinational oil company here, the Royal Dutch/Shell Group, "an enemy of the Nigerian people" on Sunday and called for a Nov.


Landslide leaves 65 missing in south China

A landslide struck a village in southwest China early Friday, destroying 25 homes and leaving 65 people missing, Xinhua news agency reported.


Caborn Incensed At Racist Chants By Spanish Fans

With Fifa and Uefa set to launch an inquiry into the Spanish FA after black England players were subjected to loud, persistent and disgraceful racist abuse in Wednesday's so-called friendly, British Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn, has expressed his


As questions about his service persist, Bush addresses Guard

President Bush told members of the National Guard yesterday that he was proud to be one of 19 men who both served in the Guard and became


A group of shareholders led by investment manager K Capital Management LLC has urged newspaper publisher Sun-Times Media Group to immediately put itself up for sale, according to a regulatory filing yesterday.


Putin arms threat may steal headlines at G8 summit

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


Arab States, Wary of Iran, Add to Their Arsenals but Still Lean on the U.S.

As tensions with Iran rise, many Persian Gulf countries have come to see themselves as the likely first targets of an Iranian attack.


Stracciato il massimo storico segnato venerdi' scorso


Concertgoers, Please Clap, Talk or Shout at Any Time

In the best of circumstances silence during a good performance becomes something palpable, not just an absence of noise. Involved audiences can shout approval without making a sound.


By Pisciotta, Marla  About 25,000 turkeys were destroyed in Pendleton County because of "low pathogenically avian influenza H5N2," according to officials.


Frustrated by sub-par, outsourced customer service and technical support? Would you be willing to pay a premium for onshore service?


Counterfeiters told to pay Symantec $21m

What chance of collecting? Symantec today hit pay dirt, winning $21m damages from the US courts against a counterfeit software ring spanning the US and Asia. Which is nice: in December 2006, the last time Symantec spoke on the matter, the security software firm had pressed for damages of $15m-plus.â¦


Oil futures have jumped to their highest closing on record on the New York Mercantile Exchange, rising 76 US cents to $US49.64 dollars a barrel, as unrest in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia alarmed traders.


James Brown's body was placed in a crypt Saturday at the Beech Island home of one his daughters, family and friends of the soul singer said.


A British soldier was killed Monday in the restive southern Helmand province of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence in London said.


The Express-News' Johnny Ludden reports that Tony Parker has ended his contract talks with the Spurs. The Spurs have offered Parker a six-year, $64 million contract, but he is holding out for a better deal.


As a new year begins, the titan of Redmond is tinkering away at applications from years gone by.


Finance Leaders Quiet on Plunging Dollar

The world's top finance officials stopped well short of expressing serious concern about the plunging U.S. dollar at a meeting that ended Sunday, although they issued a call for "steps toward greater exchange-rate flexibility" in Asia's emerging economies.


Coprifuoco nella capitale e chiuso l'aeroporto


Watch out at the gas station this weekend. Oil and gasoline prices bounced back up this week. Crude oil prices neared $49 a barrel Friday, capping a rise of 7 percent for the week, as


Le prigioni di Fabrizio Corona ecco il 'romanzofoto'

La storia (direttamente dal suo libro) per immagini della detenzione dell'agente fotografico piÃ¹ famoso d'Italia. Dall'arresto ai libri, dalla linea d'abbigliamento al rap


Fighting the  "superbug" MRSA will be the top priority for the new chief nursing officer, the Health Secretary says.


Many shopkeepers believe not enough is being done to combat criminals who target their businesses, a survey suggests.


Speech goals: Address taxes, avoid Kerry, and fix a blunder

George W. Bush's address tonight to the Republican National Convention, accepting his renomination as president, lacks the do-or-die tension his father faced l2 years ago in Houston.


Microsoft wraps up MOM 2005 management tool

Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 offers new features such as graphical systems views and enhanced reporting tools, and has been designed to be easier to deploy than its predecessor.


Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened the first U.N. seminar on confronting Islamophobia with a plea not to judge Muslims by the acts of extremists who target and kill civilians.


Another Michigan city is offering bus trips to Canada so seniors can buy less-expensive prescription drugs, the Detroit Free Press reported Saturday.


Some of Britain's leading arts institutions, including the National Gallery and the Royal Opera House, are refusing to display National Lottery plaques marking the game's 10th anniversary.


The UK and US are discussing whether to site a US anti-ballistic missile defences on UK soil, sources say.


Israel court won't ban targeted killings

The Israeli Supreme Court decided Thursday not to issue a blanket ban against the targeted killing of Palestinian militants, ruling that some of the killings were legal under international law.


Condo Parties Feed Washington's Obsessions

The valet parking attendants were at the ready as the SUVs and BMWs pulled up. Men in suits and women in cocktail dresses walked through a white tent into a lobby where bartenders poured bellinis, kir royals and orange sorbet mimosas. Waiters passed trays of shrimp, ahi tuna on toast points and...


Chadian rebels are pushed back from the capital N'Djamena, which they had seized over the weekend.


If Curtis Martin didn't have other things on his mind, he might have thought to bring a tape recorder to practice, or at least a ballpoint pen.


NEW YORK - In its biggest purchase ever, Johnson & Johnson is dropping $24.5 billion to get into the fast-growing market for implantible devices that automatically restart stopped hearts.


About three or four people — not a mob of up to 20 — beat a man to death after the car he was riding in struck and injured a toddler, police said Thursday.


Patsy Ramsey, who was thrust into the national spotlight by the unsolved 1996 slaying of her daughter, 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant JonBenet, died Saturday following a long battle with ovarian cancer, her lawyer said. She was 49.


Brian Ching scored a team-best 11th goal of season to lead the San Jose Earthquakes past the Dallas Burn 3-0 on Saturday night.


Headless skeletons hold Pacific colonization key

A 3,000-year-old burial site in Vanuatu containing 60 headless skeletons and skulls in pots is helping end the mystery over colonization of the Pacific and the first Polynesians, archaeologists said on Tuesday.


National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern issued indefinite suspensions Saturday to four of the main protagonists in Friday night's brawl among the Indiana Pacers, the Detroit


BT is to offer Research in Motion's Blackberry mobile email and personal information management system, the UK telco said today.


Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia made a rare visit to the Gaza Strip on Saturday for talks with rival Palestinian groups aimed at preserving calm in the face of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's dire condition.


Anche la Nazionale di calcio, cresce l'Isola


Deere profit up, but shares fall on outlook

Deere & Co.  said on Tuesday its  quarterly earnings rose a better-than-expected 19 percent, but  the stock fell nearly 3 percent after it forecast sharply lower  profit and flat sales in the coming year.


Red Sox Ready For Yankees After Schilling Wins 20th

_ Curt Schilling's 20th victory of the season was just a start for the Boston Red Sox. Schilling and the Red Sox beat Tampa Bay 11-4 Thursday night, moving within 3 1/2 games of the Yankees in


Milano, 10:34 - CALCIO, DELLA VALLE: SOLUZIONI IN FRETTA RISPETTANDO TIFOSI VERI

Diego Della Valle auspica una soluzione per il problema violenza: ''Speriamo che trovino una soluzio...


Angelina Jolie criticises Iraq war spending

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie called for the world to get its "priorities in order" Wednesday, saying that the amount of money spent in Iraq in just a few hours could educate thousands of children.


Palestinian group threatens to kill Hamas leaders

Fatah gunmen threatened on Tuesday to kill leaders of the governing Hamas group, escalating a power struggle marked by the worst internal violence in Gaza and the West Bank since the Palestinian Authority was created in 1994.


Former Europe Minister Keith Vaz adds his voice to calls for a referendum on the new EU treaty.


Anticipating life without Tony Soprano, Edie Falco returns to her first love, the theater, with " 'night, Mother."


âPraying With Liorâ documents the extraordinary life of Lior Liebling, a rabbiâs son with Down syndrome.


Fred Thompson's easygoing, no-nonsense style is clearly his strength and undoubtedly has helped him soar in presidential polls. It may only get him so far.


Yahoo opening up home page to outside sources

Yahoo linking to different sites on the Web on its home page as part of strategy to open up and re-portalize.


HUNTSVILLE, ONT. - The Ontario government plans to introduce legislation that will require students to stay in school until they reach the age of 18, said the province?


Romanian court allows Iliescu election comeback

Romania's constitutional court says it will allow President Ion Iliescu to run in November 28 polls, rejecting protests by opposition parties and rights watchdogs that his candidacy is unconstitutional.


Tests: Some militants in siege were addicts

MOSCOW -- Forensic tests have shown that some of the militants who seized more than 1,000 hostages in a school in the southern Russian town of Beslan last month were drug addicts, a senior prosecutor was quoted as saying yesterday. Nikolai Shepel, Russia's deputy prosecutor general, said forensic specialists found traces of drugs in the bodies of some of the ...


System upgrade to blame for BlackBerry outage

Haven't we heard that before? A three-hour outage that left many BlackBerry users unable to send and receive email was the result of an upgrade gone wrong.â¦


Microsoft Profit Up 11%; Forecast Is Mixed

Microsoft Corp.'s quarterly earnings rose 11 percent over the comparable quarter last year, but projections for the current quarter were mixed.


VATICANO - Il contributo della Chiesa per contrastare il fenomeno della corruzione: una Nota del Pontificio Consiglio della Giustizia e della Pace CittÃ  del Vaticano (Agenzia Fides) - Il Pontificio Consiglio della Giustizia e della Pace ha promosso nel giugno scorso una Conferenza internazionale con la partecipazione di funzionari internazionali, studiosi, diplomatici ed esperti di numerosi Pae...


Apple's Jobs calls on music industry to drop DRM

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO  - Apple Inc.   Chief Executive Steve Jobs on Tuesday called on the four major  record companies to start selling songs online without copy  protection software to thwart piracy known as digital rights  management (DRM).


MAN supervisory to meet this weekend to discuss Scania bid

German industrial conglomerate MAN says its supervisory board is scheduled to meet this weekend to discuss a possible offer for Swedish truck maker Scania.


FCC proposes 911 fines for mobile carriers

(InfoWorld) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)Â has proposed fines totaling $2.8 million to three wireless carriers for failing to meet coverage requirements for an emergency dialing service called E911, the agency said Thursday. The FCC levied the fines against Sprint Nextel, Alltel, and U.S. Cellular for failing to meet a Dec. 31, 2005, deadline for having 95 percent of their networks capable of using enhanced 911, an emergency dialing service that gives dispatchers the location of the call. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said public safety is a top priority at the agency. "I recognize that the public expects us to get these issues right," he said in a statement. "Alltel, Sprint Nextel, and U.S. Cellular failed to meet this critical deadline by a significant margin, despite the clear requirements of the Commission and the needs of their consumers." Sprint Nextel would pay a fine of just over $1.3 million under the FCC's proposal, which the carriers can appeal. Alltel's fine would be $1 million, and U.S. Cellular's would be $500,000, an FCC spokesman said. As of the December 2005 deadline, 81 percent of Sprint's network had E911 service capabilities, while 74 percent of Nextel's network did, according to the FCC. The two companies merged in 2005. About 84 percent of Alltel's customers had E911 service, and about 89 percent of U.S. Cellular's customers did. Alltel and U.S. Cellular have since reached the 95 percent threshold, but Sprint Nextel has not, the FCC said. As of December 2005, 15 million Sprint Nextel customers did not have E911 service, the agency said. Martin called the fines "significant and appropriate." "On the wireless side, Americans increasingly expect that dialing 911 also means first responders can pinpoint a callerâs location, even when the caller is incapacitated or does not know where he or she is," he added. "Our actions today underscore the critical importance that 911 services play in the lives of the public."


Man Convicted of 1975 Strangling of Girl

A man was convicted of manslaughter Thursday for strangling a 14-year-old girl in 1975, a case that remained closed for more than 20 years until police read a diary kept by the man's mother.


Italian PM fights for survival in confidence votes

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi rallied support on Wednesday for two confidence votes that will determine the survival of his centre-left government after the defection of an ally erased his Senate majority.


Frontier Insurgency Spills Into a Pakistani City

Escalating political tension has made Peshawar a target of Islamic militants, who have encroached from nearby tribal areas.


Clinton's Return to Campaign Trail Shows Kerry's Weakness, Says ...

Following the announcement that former President Bill Clinton would return to the campaign trail after six weeks of recovery from heart surgery, one Republican


On Nov. 18, 1997, the Red Sox sent a young minor league pitching prospect named Carl Pavano to the Montreal Expos in exchange for Pedro Martinez.


Science & environment: The world's best thinkers admit that from time to time even they are forced to change their minds


Il progetto russo-italiano avviato da Gazprom con l'Eni


Bush and Kerry teams move toward agreement on debate schedule

The campaigns of President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are working on the final details for a series of presidential debates set to begin at the end of the month.


Obama, Clinton put racial spat behind them

Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton promised on Tuesday to put an end to their recent dispute over race and praised each other's commitment to civil rights.


The United States laid down the gauntlet to Europe Wednesday by saying the responsibility for trimming the US current account deficit cannot rest on the US alone and other countries must help by boosting demand.


Shock jock Howard Stern's decision to jump ship from traditional radio gives a boost to the emerging technology of blasting tunes, news and other staples of AM and FM radio via satellite.


Vikings Still Need Work, but Back on Track

The Minnesota Vikings were beset by defensive mistakes, and coach Mike Tice decided there was just one solution remaining.


Earnhardt Doubles Up With New Number, Cars

Dale Earnhardt Jr. announces he will switch from No. 8 to 88 next season and drive a Chevrolet that's alternately sponsored by Pepsi.


'Scotty' Making Final Public Appearances

James Doohan beamed his way through the first of a series of events honoring him in what are expected to be his final public appearances.


Greeting members of the rock band R.E.M. in his Belgrade office, Serbia's President Boris Tadic said he's a fan and requested that his favorite song, "Orange Crush," be played at their concert Friday.


Dell Books Carty To Captain Its Finances

Former AMR chairman left airline after executive pay scandal.


Singapore blocks imports of poultry and eggs from Malaysia, after an outbreak of potentially deadly bird flu.


Armadillo Aerospaces X Prize Prototype Crashes

Armadillo Aerospace of Mesquite, Texas has reported a  crash last weekend of their prototype X Prize rocket.


OPEC may cut output to finish prices slide

OPEC may soon have to curtail output to end a six-week slide in prices and prevent inventories from increasing, officials from Libya and Indonesia said.


Shell, Saudi commit to massive U.S. refinery project

Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Arabia's state oil company announced Friday they would go ahead with a $7 billion expansion of a jointly-owned Texas refinery that will make the plant one of the biggest in the world.