Thai temple makes lucky charms of infants' ashes

A Thai Buddhist temple has been reprimanded by religious authorities for selling amulets containing the ashes of cremated infants to raise money for a plot of land and a crematorium, an official said on Tuesday.


Reversal of fortune for Mangie, Billerica

Something had to give last night at Marshall Field. Woburn had taken down Acton-Boxboro, and Billerica had handled Burlington on opening day. Woburn had won the past three matchups with Billerica, including a 20-12 victory last year.


No. 6 Florida 80, Mississippi 59: Florida Focuses on Conference and Title Game vs. Arkansas

The Florida Gators are being sized up for another run at a national championship, although they would rather focus on their S.E.C. title game.


Advertising: Xerox Hopes Its New Logo Doesnât Say âCopierâ

Xerox is retiring the staid red capital X that has dominated its logo for 40 years in favor of âa brand identity that reflects the Xerox of today.â


Commutersâ Cocktail Hour Likely to Keep Rolling

The idea of banning alcohol on the trains and platforms of the Long Island and Metro-North railroads was faced with an overwhelmingly negative response.


Tony Blair has the wrong solutions to Britain's problems, Michael Howard says in his New Year message.


Sony needs consistent PS3 strategy: videogame publisher

Sony Corp (6758.T) needs to establish an  unwavering marketing strategy for its PlayStation 3 game  machine to drive growth of its console business, the head of  Japanese videogame publisher Square Enix Co Ltd (9684.T) said.


Vioxx withdrawal reminds us to think safety first with drugs

YOU wouldn't buy a car without checking out its safety features, making sure the tires weren't flat, the brakes weren't faulty and the seat belts weren't broken.


Typhoon Nanmadol Exits Philippines, Heads for Taiwan

Typhoon Nanmadol crossed over the Philippines, leaving at least eight people dead on the northern island of Luzon, as it headed for Taiwan.


An Uzbek court has sentenced journalist to six years in jail for extortion, human rights groups said on Friday, condemning the trial as an attempt to silence free speech.


U.S. retail gasoline prices jumped almost a nickel over the last week to the highest level in a month as tight motor fuel supplies threatened to send pump costs higher, the government said on Tuesday.


Two British Mobile Phone Operators Share Networks

T-Mobile UK and 3 UK are combining their third-generation networks to save money.


The NAACP filed a civil rights lawsuit challenging a purge of Louisiana voters believed to have registered in other states following Hurricane Katrina.


Serious Fraud Office orders GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca disclosure  in Iraq  oil-for-food investigation


Doping on the Track, Sportsmanship on the Mat

Aug. 26 - I fear the Greeks are in for one final disappointment. Having endured relentless skepticism as well as frequent insult in the run-up the Athens Olympics, they appear to expect effusive congratulations as well as a mass mea culpa.


A fire in a signal room the size of a small studio apartment has crippled the world's longest subway line, ensuring that hundreds of thousands will endure a painfully slow commute for six months.


Clinton gives up hope of triumph in Wisconsin as Obama's winning streak gains momentum


US rapper P Diddy Rap has split from his long-term girlfriend and mother of his three children, says his publicist.


Stock futures slipped on Tuesday on caution ahead of key U.S. housing data that may shed more light on the state of the troubled housing market.


At least 30 people are reported to have been killed in a bomb blast at a gathering in the Pakistani city of Multan.


The Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a tribute to its late founder, Gian Carlo Menotti, featuring concerts and an opera written by the Italian composer.


AFRICA/ETIOPIA - Aperto il Summit dei Capi di Stato dellÂUnione Africana: Kenya, Darfur e Somalia in agenda Addis Abeba- (Agenzia Fides)- La crisi del Kenya Ã¨ al centro del Vertice dei Capi di Stato dellÂUnione Africana che si Ã¨ aperto oggi, 31 gennaio, ad Addis Abeba, in Etiopia, alla presenza del Segretario Generale delle Nazioni Unite, Ban Ki-moon. LÂag...


Coalition broke int'l law by invading Iraq -Finland's Halonen at UN

President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen, addressing the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, criticised the way the United States-led coalition acted when it invaded Iraq ...


The Archbishop of Canterbury says Prince Charles should not become defender of all faiths when he becomes King.


The European Union ended 11 years of sanctions against Libya today and eased its arms embargo as a reward for Tripoli giving up plans to develop weapons of mass destruction.


Torino, 20:06 - CALCIO, JUVENTUS: SISSOKO TITOLARE CONTRO IL CAGLIARI

Potrebbe giocare subito il nuovo acquisto della Juve Mohamed Sissoko. Il maliano, presentato stamatt...


The Premier League has announced that Southampton will be given dispensation to allow coach Steve Wigley to stay in the job until 1 August 2005.


It's cheerful, but is it cheap? D-Link reckons its latest 24-port stackable Gigabit Ethernet switch should be just the ticket for small and medium-sized businesses looking to their next-generation network.â¦


WASHINGTON -- The win-at-home, tie-on-the-road formula has worked perfectly for the US National Team through the first three games of the semifinal round qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.


Lorena Ochoa didn't have a blueprint for becoming the best in the world, and she certainly didn't have a role model. Mexico had yet to produce anything resembling a world-class golfer, and Ochoa did not look like one at age 12.


Russia says 11 missing in Taba explosion

Russia said Saturday 11 of its nationals who were staying at a hotel in Egypt that was bombed Thursday are missing. Russia's Itar-Tass news agency quoted a Russian embassy diplomat


Brancon (Francia), 19:42 - CICLISMO, GIRO: RITIRI IN MASSA DEI VELOCISTI

Petacchi è rimasto l'unico candidato per le volate del Giro 2007. Si erano già ritirat...


Resta iniziativa Parlamento, governo presentera' emendamenti


DeWalt takes the security firm's helm declaring a bright future.


A Brazilian airliner crashed and burst into flames on Tuesday at Brazil's busiest airport, and as many as 200 people were feared dead in the country's second major air disaster in less than a year.


Storm-Battered Haiti's Endless Crises Deepen

Tropical Storm Jeanne's devastation of GonaÃ¯ves, Haiti, has exposed the fragility of the country seven months after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned.


US stocks traded higher on Thursday as strong durable goods data and an improvement in consumer sentiment for December signaled economic strength, but trading volumes were light before the Christmas holiday.


Report: China Aims for 2008 Space Flight

BEIJING - China is aiming for its third manned flight next year with two astronauts making space walks, a state-run newspaper reported Monday.


Last year the streets in parts of the old city dropped by nine feet.


I sinistri denunciati segnano un decremento del 4,7%


A Mediaset va la seconda serata con il 40,18% di share


Glaxo's Avandia stirs debate at diabetes meeting

Controversy over popular diabetes pill Avandia took center stage on Monday at a meeting of the world's experts on the disease, where researchers debated findings that the drug could boost heart-attack risk.


Basinger gets disconnected in 'Cellular'

Kim Basinger often gives the impression of a beautiful woman who has known, and expects, great torment. She could have soulfully played either Mary in "The Passion of the Christ," but her career is crucifixion enough.


US issue warning after Afghan bomb blast

THE United States government warned its citizens in Afghanistan to keep a low profile today after a car bomb hit a private American security firm, killing about at least 12 people.


Tropical storm Jeanne to bring floods and deaths to Haiti

HAITI - At least 90 people died due to floods caused by heavy rains brought by Tropical storm Jeanne. Hundreds of people in Port-au-Prince, Haitiâs capital, have to save their lives from powerful water streams on the roofs of their properties.


Il presidente della Regione Sicilia Cuffaro rinviato a giudizio. E' accusato di aver favorito Cosa Nostra nell'inchiesta sulle "Talpe a Dda". Cuffaro, Ã¨ stato rinviato a giudizio con l'accusa di favoreggiamento


White House tour omits rare 1963 Christmas card

One of the stops on this year's popular White House tour of holiday decorations is the collection of Christmas cards from previous presidents and first ladies. But noticeably missing is the card from 1963.


Holcim makes 1.8-bn-pound takeover bid for Aggregate Industries

Holcim, the world's number two cement maker has made a friendly, 1.8 billion-pound takeover bid for British counterpart Aggregate Industries, the firms said.


Detectives investigate the death of a man and woman whose bodies were found in a house in Halifax.


Judge Declines to Dismiss Pollution Suit

A federal judge on Monday refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing a Canadian mining company of polluting the Columbia River with heavy metals for decades.


Mr. Bush's hard-hitting speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. on Wednesday made his strategy for the remainder of the campaign crystal clear: a rousing, no-retreat defense of the Iraq war and a harsh critique of John


An Uneven Year Over, a Met Seeks the Grind

Mets pitcher Joe Smith endured an uneven 2007 that can be separated into three unequal parts: a sensational beginning, a demotion to the minors, and a mid-September recall.


Reform must go hand in hand with a Â£200m rise in spending on NHS buildings, says the Welsh health minister.


Pak beefs up security after the mosque bombing

Pakistan beefed up security on Saturday as minority Shi'ite Muslims buried victims of a suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Sialkot that killed at least 30 people.


Milano, 10:56 - CALCIO, MERCATO: MILAN CEDE GRIMI A SPORTING LISBONA

Il Milan ha ceduto in prestito allo Sporting Lisbona il difensore argentino Leandro Grimi, 22 anni. ...


JERUSALEM -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair held talks Wednesday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders that were notable less for what was said and done than for sending a message of the West's desire to re-engage with the Middle East peace process.


Malkin treble keys Penguins to fifth straight win

Evgeni Malkin scored two of his three goals in a four-goal third period to propel the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, their fifth straight victory.


Hamas leader killed in Gaza as settlers warn of civil war

GAZA CITY: A Hamas leader was killed Friday as Israel pressed a major offensive in the northern Gaza Strip Friday and imposed a watertight closure on the Palestinian territories ahead of the Jewish New Year.


Report: Peru Would Refuse to Free Berenson

Peru will not abide by an international human rights court ruling supporting the release of Lori Berenson, a New York woman imprisoned for collaborating with Marxist guerrillas, the country's foreign minister said, according to news reports Saturday.


New York - 24 Novembre 2004 -- Questâanno oltre tre milioni di persone, di cui mezzo milione di bambini, sono morte a causa dellâAids, mentre le persone contagiate o malate sono oltre 39 milioni nel mondo.


Struggling Singh Stays Ahead in Pennsylvania

FARMINGTON, Pennsylvania  - World number one Vijay  Singh stayed two shots clear of the field after struggling to a  level-par 72 in the third round of the Pennsylvania Classic  Saturday.


Technology giant IBM said on Monday that a study it commissioned found that workers at three company sites, including Big Blue's former disk- drive factory in San Jose, did not suffer from major health problems.


Gmail Users Soon Able to Check E-Mail Via Outlook

Web search leader Google Inc. said on Wednesday it will soon make it possible for users of its Gmail service to check their e-mail via Microsoft Outlook or on certain handheld devices such as mobile phones.


More than a year after Saddam's ouster, a website hawking real estate in Iraq is seeing something of a mini-bubble. Asking prices in the swankier neighborhoods of Baghdad and Najaf are surging against a backdrop of civil unrest. By Joanna Glasner.


Cadbury shares jump on takeover speculation

The share price of Cadbury Schweppes leapt by 10 percent on Tuesday as speculation mounted over a potential takeover of the confectionery and soft drinks giant.


Republican John McCain is trying to ease long-standing distrust among the party's powerful conservatives, not only for the presidential primary against Mitt Romney but for the likely general election race against a Democrat.


France is awarded the gold medal in the three-day equestrian team event after winning an appeal with Britain and the United States against an earlier decision that gave the victory to Germany.


Plans to end subsidies for coal mining in Germany are under threat after a dispute over the timetable for the move.


Some high school biology classes are using real human cadavers to teach students anatomy in a different way.


An anonymous reader writes "Paul Thorrott reviews Windows Media Player 10 and notes that unlike Apple's iTunes Music Store, which offers music that is only compatible with Apple's iPod portable player, WMP 10 will work with songs from virtually any other


Warnings sounded over net neutrality in Asia

Asian regulators should think twice about followingÂ the U.S. lead on net neutrality, or risk undermining the economic incentive for Asian carriers to build and maintain faster networks, according to speakers at the CommunicAsia Summit in Singapore.


India ; 'Time running out in Middle East crisis'

"Ending the occupation of Palestinian land by Israel is the only solution to the Middle East problem," he told a function here commemorating the international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people.


Jim Sorgi's shoulder injury may force the Indianapolis Colts to bring in a new backup quarterback.


Arctic vault takes shape for world food crops

LONGYEARBYEN, Svalbard  - In a cavern under a remote Arctic mountain, Norway will soon begin squirreling away the world's crop seeds in case of disaster.


A Ballymena man played dead to survive an attack in which he was strangled, stabbed and beaten, a court hears.


NEW YORK (Billboard) - The 20th anniversary of the release  of USA For Africa's charity single "We Are the World" will be  marked Feb. 1 with the DVD "We Are the World: The Story Behind  the Song."


Two Men Are Pulling Strings to Make Playersâ Rackets Fresher

Nate Ferguson and Ron Yu construct, deconstruct and reconstruct the woven crisscross pattern of tennis racket strings every day, for dozens of rackets.


Ryan Smyth, traded last week by the only N.H.L. team he ever loved, will become the new point man in a testy rivalry.


Spanish police arrest 63 in child pornography swoop

Spanish police said on Sunday they had arrested 63 people across the country in five investigations into child pornography being posted, viewed and paid for on the Internet.


270K Fewer Workers Will Have Been Hired In 2004--ITAA

Staffing trends--including offshore outsourcing--continue to strip IT workers from their jobs, according to the trade association.


E-Greetings Gain Ground at Businesses This Season

Once seen as the tacky, last-minute substitute for pen and paper, e-cards have become more acceptable this holiday season.


Five years after he fled his razed Darfur village, and after jail spells in three countries, Ibrahim has found refuge in an unlikely place: a kibbutz in Israel.


Madrid, 12:03 - CALCIO, REAL MADRID: ZIDANE VUOLE TORNARE

Zinedine Zidane al Real Madrid. Il francese, ritiratosi dal calcio giocato dopo i Mondiali del 2006,...


an oversight that may have allowed her breast cancer to remain undetected. The wife of failed Democratic vice presidential


Majerus Expected to Be Named Head Coach at USC

LOS ANGELES (Sports Network) - Rick Majerus has reportedly accepted an offer to be the new head basketball coach at Southern California.


The US presidential candidates address major scientific questions put to them by the journal Nature.


Playboy's Hefner approves movie about his life

Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner's wild life is being turned into a feature film that will look at his social activism as well as his sexual exploits, Daily Variety reported on Monday.


Hardest-hit Gazans look to new government for hope

Zamel Wafi wakes up at dawn each morning to comb the Gaza beachfront for scrap metal that he can sell to try to feed his wife, seven children and donkey.


Theater Review | 'Apartment 3A': Is Nothing Secure? Not Romance, Real Estate or Big Bird?

âApartment 3A,â a play by Jeff Daniels, is a modest romantic comedy that recalls early Neil Simon sprinkled with metaphysics.


Putin visits site of school hostage crisis

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a pre-dawn visit to pay his respects to the 250 dead and hundreds of wounded from a horrific battle between security forces and heavily-armed militants holding 1,000 hostages at a school.


RIGHTS:  Racism Hard to Kick Out of Football

PARIS, Nov 29 (IPS) - Real Madrid is among the most successful football  teams, but the record of its supporters is among the poorest.


Berlino, 22:11 - CALCIO, BUNDESLIGA: HERTHA CADE IN CASA, OK AMBURGO E SCHALKE

Risultati e marcatori della settima giornata di Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund - Amburgo 0-3 (7' Gue...


Ladies' smalls sap generals' vital energy The Burmese military is facing an unexpected threat from female opponents to its regime - a deluge of panties dispatched to the country's embassies in a "in a culturally insulting gesture of protest" against its recent crackdown on protestors.â¦


Clinton 'awake and alert' a day after surgery

NEW YORK - Former president Bill Clinton was alert and talking today, a day after undergoing a heart operation to bypass four severely clogged arteries.


EU3, Iran to Start Nuclear Talks on Monday

Foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany and the European Union's foreign policy chief will meet a top Iranian official in Brussels on Monday to launch talks on long-term nuclear cooperation, diplomats said.


'Thompson Cutting the Heart Out of Bbc' - Unions

Union leaders said the biggest job cuts in BBC history threatened to destroy the heart of the corporation. But Director-General Mark Thompson insisted the losses


NEW YORK, Jan. 18 -- Ambac Financial Group, the nation's second largest insurer of bonds, lost its precious AAA rating from Fitch Ratings on Friday over concerns that the company no longer had enough capital to guarantee billions of dollars in debt now imperiled by the subprime mortgage crisis.


In the past three decades, Bart's Rule has held sway, at least for Australian and New Zealand stayers. Bart's Rule is the dictum of legendary trainer Bart Cummings that horses should have


Prima saranno esaminati i dati economici, Trichet


Changing Senate Looks Better to Abortion Foes

As a result of November's election, the next Senate will have a bigger, more conservative Republican majority and several new opponents of abortion.


BERLIN -- The Vatican expressed regret yesterday for remarks by Pope Benedict XVI that enraged Muslims by implicitly linking Islamic tenets to violence, but the pontiff stopped short of issuing a personal apology.


East Timor president shot in rebel attack, airlifted to Australia

East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta was shot and seriously wounded Monday by rebel soldiers in an attempt to assassinate the nation's leaders, and was airlifted to Australia for emergency treatment.


Sunshine Daydream, With Pointed Point of View

âSmiley Face,â about a pot-addled would-be actress stumbling through a long, weird day in Los Angeles, is a contradiction in terms: a âstonerâ comedy with a purpose.


The PGA Tour Playoffs figured to be somewhat of a homefield advantage for someone like Vijay Singh, a three-time winner at Westchester and a past champion at TPC Boston and East Lake.


A Quarter of Bird Species in Danger of Extinction

The Stanford study involved analysis of all 9,787 species of birds alive today, and of the 129 species that have gone extinct recently, to produce one of the most comprehensive databases ever compiled on the state of one class of animals.


ATLANTA -- Delta Air Lines Inc. said yesterday it has obtained up to $600 million in financing as the struggling carrier seeks to avoid bankruptcy.


Blair Demands Complete End to Ulster Violence

Prime Minister Tony Blair insisted today that there must be a âcomplete and unequivocal end to violenceâ by paramilitaries in Northern Ireland if the power-sharing executive is to be restored.


What's in a name? U.S. rebrands Iraq ex-insurgents

U.S. forces have rebranded one of the main insurgent groups in Iraq and now use the term "concerned local nationals" to refer to a group that once claimed responsibility for killing scores of Americans.


Lebanese Christian Politician Assassinated

Anti-Syrian Cabinet minister killed in shooting in Beirut suburb making him the third prominent Lebanese figure to be assassinated in the past two years


Organic Honest Tea Gets Big Infusion of Mainstream Cash

People who buy bottles of Honest Tea have sometimes been moved to offer its manufacturer a lot more than $1.49.


Former Wikipedia Officer Found To Have Long Criminal Record

The former chief operating officer for the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, had been convicted of theft, drunken driving and fleeing a car accident. The revelation comes as Wikimedia is staging a fundraising drive.


The patient who took two trans-Atlantic flights while infected with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis arrived in Denver on his way to the National Jewish Medical and Research Center. via WMTW


Youngsters and Bond star get "Flashbacks"

Child actor Harry Eden  and newcomer Angie Ruiz will join James Bond star Daniel Craig  in the coming-of-age indie "Flashbacks of a Fool."


The US music industry is strengthening its embrace of music download services, with a unique Grammy Award/iTunes tie-up. The organisers of the Grammy Awards have reached a deal with Apple to


Prende il posto del dimissionario Pier Francesco Facchini


Look for opportunities in bad news and you might profit.


MEXICO CITY, Feb. 19 -- RaÃÂ¿l Castro has long operated in the backstage of Cuban politics. But his public record, which has emerged over his 19 months as interim president, suggests he might pursue reforms to allow more political and economic latitude on the island.


Gold was within reach of its highest  level in nearly 16 years on Monday, fired by a resurgent euro  and inflationary fears fanned by sky-high oil prices, dealers  and analysts said.


Salento come il Sahara Ecco come cambia il clima

Dall'assenza delle piogge ai fiumi che non esistono piÃ¹, è emergenza ambientale. Raccontate le anomalie che ci circondano


Thai Spokesman: Myanmar PM Forced to Quit

BANGKOK, Thailand - Myanmar's secretive military regime has forced out its prime minister, the long-powerful Gen. Khin Nyunt, and placed him under house arrest on corruption charges, a government spokesman in neighboring Thailand said Tuesday...


Arrestato presunto omicida a Serra San Bruno nel Vibonese


ROME - Cat Stevens, the singer known for hits like Peace Train, has been honoured with a peace prize from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.


View From Dublin: E-Commerce: Second Coming?

By Gordon Smith  Brothers Ciaran and Michael Crean were all set to go into business together in 2001, but the pair opted to go travelling instead and the plan was shelved for two years. It proved to be one of the best career moves they could have made.


Ue. Barroso ribadisce: nessun rimpasto, squadra ottima. Duri i ...

Nessun rimpasto. Il presidente designato della Commissione europea, Jose Manuel Barroso, ha respinto oggi gli appelli per un cambio del suo esecutivo in particolare di Rocco Buttiglione. "La mia squadra - ha


Oil Surges to New Intraday High in Europe

The price of crude oil surged to a new intraday high of US$53.42 in European trade Monday, despite assurances from Middle East oil producers that they were committed to bringing the price down as a strike began in Africa's largest exporter.


POLICE are reviewing video camera footage to find out who discharged pepper spray in a lift at a New York toy store, putting a number of shoppers in hospital.


A golf course is a golf course, but Woburn isn't Detroit and the cold, wet weather in Bedfordshire provided further contrast between this week's European Tour event, The Heritage, on the Duke's Course, with last week's Ryder Cup rumble at Oakland Hills.


British actress Deborah Kerr, who shared one of cinema's most famous kisses with Burt Lancaster in "From Here to Eternity," has died, her agent said Thursday. She was 86.


Oil held firm within sight of its new $90 high on Friday as the U.S. dollar plumbed new lows and pre-winter fuel stocks languished below norms, lending support to an over 13 percent surge in under two weeks.


3, the mobile phone operator, has vowed to continue legal action against Ofcom in spite of plans by the regulator to address one of the company's core complaints.


Swedish regulators sued TeliaSonera Corp., the Nordic region's largest telecom operator, on Tuesday for misusing its monopoly on Swedish land lines to get an unfair edge on the broadband market, the Competition ...


The hockey season started early this year and, after two entertaining weeks of the World Cup, it ends for who knows how long. Despite the impending announcement of an NHL lockout today


LONDON: Police arrested the leader of the far-right British National Party (BNP) yesterday after he was secretly filmed calling Islam "a wicked, vicious faith".


The BBC's Jan Repa examines how Eastern Europe is dealing with communist-era police informers.


Wachovia, GE enter credit card partnership

Wachovia Corp. WB.N on Friday   announced a partnership with a unit of General Electric Co.   GE.N to provide commercial and purchasing credit cards to   wholesale and treasury services customers.


Athens -- Allen Iverson scored 17 points, even with the broken thumb on his shooting hand, as the United States rebounded from a shocking opening-game loss to beat Greece 77-71 at the men's Olympic basketball tournament yesterday.


Republicans Salute Bush in Convention Opener

Republicans opened their four-day  national convention on Monday with salutes to President Bush's  wartime leadership and repeated reminders of his response to  the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.


Syria and Iran Say Will Build 'Common Front'

Iran and Syria, both locked in rows with the United States, said on Wednesday they would form a common front to face challenges and threats.


HowTo Forge: Installing The PHP-MSSQL Module On CentOS 5.0

The HowTo Forge website has a new tutorial CentOS users out there might want to check out. It steps through the installation of a MSSQL database extension for PHP (it's not installed by default) from the yum repository.   As you might have noticed on Centos 5.0, there is no PHP-MSSQL module/extension available in the default yum repositories. So if you want to use it you can alter the PHP binary or you can compile an mssql module/extension. In this article I will explain how to compile the mssql module/extension.   It's a pretty simple process involving only a few downloads (RPM files) and altering the contents of some configuration files to make things work together happily. In the end, you'll have a dynamic extension you can load into your PHP installation whenever you want.


Resta Paese a medio rischio in sostenibilita'


Studios never quite got the filmmaker John Cassavetes. Most critics hated him. A new DVD set proves them wrong all over again.


IBM Passes Legal, Overtime Costs on to Its Tech Workers

Despite reporting record profits the chipmaker plans on cutting the base pay of its technical support staffers to compensate for the money it stood to lose by being forced to pay overtime.


US food prices will rise by as much as 4 percent this year, the biggest increase in 14 years, due to more costly beef, milk, and fresh vegetables, the Agriculture Department said yesterday.


A UK firm is accused of paying bribes to Lesotho officials linked to a huge water and electricity project.


Serbian elections focus on keeping Kosovo

Presidential polls take place Sunday amid intense debate that has pitted hard-line nationalists against more moderate politicians.


Mexico adds police as drug killings mount

TIJUANA, Mexico  - Mexico sent hundreds of police reinforcements to the border city of Tijuana on Tuesday following a rash of organized crime killings and as Mexican media said two cops were shot dead in another northern town.


AT&T is among a group of companies that have tried to stonewall say-on-pay proposals from shareholders.


'This Life' Cast Reunites for Holiday Show

A decade after their TV show stopped airing in Britain, the cast of the BBC comedy This Life is set to return with a 90-minute holiday special.


Episcopal forward Arinze Onuaku will make his choice official when he signs a national letter-of-intent to play for Syracuse Wednesday.


Struggling PSG keep ambitions in title race

Struggling Paris St Germain say they should not be written off yet despite failing to win a match this season. On Wednesday they face another tough challenge at


Boeing has received down payments for up to 200 of its new 7E7 planes in addition to the known 52 orders it has gained, Chief Executive Harry Stonecipher said in an interview published Thursday.


Investment bank analyst downgrades tire maker, and shares drop. Should investors really listen to analysts?


Two leading British clinics are to offer egg-freezing services to women seeking to delay pregnancy.


Safe drinking guidelines 'plucked out of the air'

But stick to them anyway, alright? The government's guidelines on how much it is safe to drink are based on numbers "plucked out of the air" by a committee that met in 1987.â¦


The crew of Discovery begins a 14-day mission to the space station, after a successful launch from Florida.


Merrill co-president Fakahany seen leaving: sources

Merrill Lynch & Co Inc  co-President Ahmass Fakahany, a confidante of CEO Stan O'Neal and who had a hand in overseeing risk management at the company, is expected to resign, according to people familiar with the situation.


In Iraq, setting election date the easiest part

The Bush administration's hopes for Iraq rest heavily on whether Iraqis can shape their political future through elections, but it could be difficult for them to vote on Jan. 30, as now planned.


Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai freed, to appear in court

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, recovering from injuries he says were inflicted by police, has been released from custody and is due to appear in court later on Wednesday, his lawyer said.


Brief: SanDisk and Ritek settle suit, sign license deal

The companies said the agreement makes Ritek the first Taiwanese manufacturer of flash cards, USB flash drives and storage systems that is licensed by SanDisk.


Tarvisio, 12:16 - SCI, CDM DONNE: LIBERA TARVISIO INTERROTTA PER CADUTA WOLF

La discesa libera femminile di coppa del mondo in corso a Tarvisio è stata sospesa dopo la ca...


Reality show launches power NBC's win for week

Successful launches of  the reality series "American Gladiators," "The Biggest Loser"  and "Celebrity Apprentice" as well as a big turnout for an NFL  wildcard game drove NBC to an across-the-board victory in the  first week of the new year.


High-tech hydration is boon for athletes

Endurance athlete Mark Cote is a finely tuned physical machine. But still, Cote, 22, of Boston, knows what it's like to become dehydrated. A few years ago, during a long bike ride on a 100-degree day, after consuming only a few ounces of water, Cote found himself in a medic tent after a triathlon.


Google Applauds Standards Group for Rejecting Microsoft

In a blog post, Google supports ISO's decision to reject Microsoft's OOXML as a standard.


Lorie Conway's documentary film and book, "Forgotten Ellis Island," trace the history of the hospital that treated tens of thousands of immigrants, especially between 1902 and 1930.


Donna di Macerata temeva contatto con microbo letale


Home owners in north Wales hit by floods for the second time in less than a year say they face financial ruin.


'Basta Roma, basta tasse. Ci tocca andare fino in fondo'


When the Eagles have the ball -- Time to take a timeout from all the T.O. talk. There's no doubting Terrell Owens's MVP-type impact (77 catches, 1,200 yards, 14 TDs), but even without the injured star, Donovan McNabb should thrive against the Vikings' subpar secondary. He's had weeks to pump some confidence into the likes of fallback targets Todd Pinkston ...


Palestinian militants say there will be no ceasefire until Israel stops attacks in Gaza, as a minister is detained.


Japan Among Five Countries Elected to Non-permanent UN Security ...

Japan, Greece, Denmark, Argentina and Tanzania have been elected to two-year terms on the UN Security Council. Japan plans to use its election as a springboard to campaign for a permanent council seat.


U.S. appeals court hands Google patent case setback

A federal appeals court handed  Google  a setback in a patent fight on Wednesday,  tossing out part of a summary judgment in Google's favor in a  lawsuit filed by Hyperphrase Technologies, LLC.


After waking up one night in sheets teeming with tiny bugs, Josh Benton couldn't sleep for months and kept a flashlight and can of Raid with him in bed.


Unidentified gunmen in Somalia kill the chief of police in the lawless capital, Mogadishu.


Filling Big Hiking Boots at an Early Age

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


The British team that built the space probe for Europe's doomed mission to Mars conceded Tuesday that any future ventures to the Red Planet should have better funding and detection systems for potential problems.


ON the eve of possibly calling a federal election, Prime Minister John Howard chose his words carefully when delivering the key speech at the Tasmanian Liberal State Council yesterday.


âCharlie Wilsonâs Warâ may be more of a hoot than any picture dealing with the bloody, protracted fight between the Soviet Army and the Afghan mujahedeen has any right to be.


Software Morphs Rapper Prodigy Into Global Cipher

Voxonic's proprietary method can translate lyrics into nearly 1,500 languages.


A judge threw out a $10 million civil assault lawsuit Monday filed against Liza Minnelli by her estranged husband, David Gest, who claimed she beat him so badly during alcoholic rages he had to be hospitalized.


Chicago-area factories lost jobs in December for the first time since July as business activity slowed for a second straight month, boding ill for next week's monthly employment report.


World oil prices scaled record peaks last night, rising on concern over disruptions to supply from strike-hit producers Nigeria and Norway.


Halle Berry and her model boyfriend Gabriel Aubry are expecting their first child, the Oscar-winning actress told celebrity TV show "Access Hollywood" on Tuesday.


Security forces are on high alert as more protests are planned after last week's attack on a political rally in Dhaka.


NTP sues wireless carriers for patent infringement

NTP Inc, which won a $612.5 million  settlement from the maker of BlackBerry last year, has sued  four of the top U.S. mobile service providers for infringing  eight patents related to wireless e-mail.


Key elements of the bipartisan immigration measure that failed a crucial test vote in the Senate Thursday night:


Small UK firms are struggling to secure the loans they need to expand or even survive, a business group warns.


Chelsea line up Van Basten to be long-term successor to Mourinho

Chelsea have reportedly offered Marco Van Basten the chance to become the long-term successor to Jose Mourinho.


The IRA-allied Sinn Fein party won't be eligible to take part in any revived power-sharing administration in Northern Ireland unless the Irish Republican Army abandons crime, the province's governor told lawmakers Tuesday.


For Bush's dad, it was 'the economy, stupid': Bill Clinton swept into the White House 12 years ago on a wave of pessimism about the 'jobless recovery' from the early 1990s recession, confirming the received wisdom that what really matters on polling day


Astronauts venture outside for space station work

Two spacewalking astronauts added a new piece to the metal backbone of the International Space Station on Tuesday, clearing the way for a critical power rewiring later this week.


Corte Aja riconosce responsabilita' Parigi e Londra


Bush Plans to Cut Forces in Europe, Asia

President Bush has decided to bring home tens of thousands of U.S. troops from posts around the world — most of them in Europe and Asia — plus 100,000 of their family members and support personnel, U.S. officials said Saturday.


Vista: Some Patrons Say Prospect of Upgrade Did Delay Purchases

By Josh Brown, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif.  Jan. 31--Microsoft's long-awaited operating system Windows Vista was  released to the public on Tuesday, but few consumers took notice.


Economy - Tuesday      (Investor's Business Daily)

Investor's Business Daily - The ABC News Consumer Comfort Index fell 6 points to -33 in the week ended Feb. 3. The index dived 13 points in the last month. It fell 13 points in 4 weeks ahead of the '90-'91 recession and 14 points in the 4 weeks leading up to the '01 recession. Just 26% say it's a good time to buy, the lowest since July '93. 52% are positive on their own finances, but that's down from 58% a month ago.


The Treasuryâs schedule of financing this week included todayâs regular weekly auction of new three- and six-month bills and an auction of four-week bills tomorrow.


Executive Pursuits: In This Martial Art, Jack Benny Becomes a Sponge With Spikes

In ki chuan do, you can learn Jack Benny moves that can inspire you to unleash your inner animal in less than half an hour.


The children of late violinist Isaac Stern are suing the former executor of his estate for more than $2m.


By ROBERT WELLER DENVER - The higher gasoline prices go, the more money business Web entrepreneur Jason Toewes makes. He started an Internet site, GasBuddy.com, in 2000 to track daily gasoline prices using volunteers to e-mail what they find.


Young doctors make far fewer mistakes when their hours are restricted to let them get enough sleep, according to the first study to directly examine the issue.


Mount St. Helens Quake Activity Increases

Earthquake activity has increased at Mount St. Helens, but scientists said Saturday there was no reason to raise the volcano's alert level. Scientists said earthquake activity had been low until Friday, indicating molten rock was moving upward with little resistance. By Saturday, however, quakes of magnitude 2.4 were occurring every one to two minutes, they said.


Red Sox Roll, Make Date With the Rockies

The Boston Red Sox blast past Cleveland with eight runs in the seventh and eigth innings to win their third straight ALCS game, 11-2, and advance to the World Series.


Islamists Win Landmark Saudi Capital Elections

Islamist-backed candidates triumphed  over tribal opponents and businessmen in Saudi Arabia's  landmark men-only elections in the capital Riyadh, according to  preliminary results released Friday.


Divide and Conquer: Meet the Lottery Titans

With the domestic market plateauing, two U.S. lottery giants are focused on securing new footholds overseas.


India welcome back Sachin for first two Tests

Sachin Tendulkar was included in the 15-member Indian squad on Friday for the first two Tests against Australia for which the selectors brought back Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan and opener Aakash Chopra.


Steffen Iversen's penalty in the 55th minute lifted Norway to a 1-0 victory Saturday over Scotland in their Group 5 World Cup qualifying group.


All people have tried to keep children out of harm's way because they represent the future. But the hostage-takers shattered the futures of so many children.


Survey shows US teens postponing sex, making greater use of ...

American teen-agers are waiting longer to engage in sexual intercourse and an overwhelming majority of those who are sexually active report using contraception


UAW strikes GM as talks fail to produce a deal

The United Auto Workers union on Monday called the first national strike against General Motors Corp since 1970 after contract talks stalled, sending more than 73,000 factory workers to picket lines.


Newcastle full-back Celestine Babayaro has been banned for three games by the Football Association (FA) after admitting a charge of violent conduct.


The London Film Festival opens on Wednesday with a gala screening of Mike Leigh's movie Vera Drake.


It was an American, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who famously reflected that "old soldiers never die; they just fade away."


Israel-Palestinian summit postponed amid discord

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday called off a summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, seeking commitments Israel will release frozen Palestinian funds and take other steps.


Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Monday promised to take rigorous measures to fight against corruption. At the opening session of the 7th International donor meeting --Consultative


Trojans Hang On to Spoil Stellar Day for Cal Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers tied an N.C.A.A. record by completing 23 consecutive passes, but he watched his last three attempts sail off target in the final minute.


Patch to a patch of a Microsoft patch needs patching

In the latest incident of a now-chronic problem that has been bugging Microsoft all year, a recent security patch now causes IE6 to crash in Windows XP...again.


Cade anche il confine tra Gorizia e Nova Gorica


TEXT message language will be used in a new Government campaign to tackle mobile phone theft.   The Home Office is asking "r u getting the msg?" in a pounds 500,000 campaign to tell youngsters that stolen handsets will be blocked from all networks within 48 hours of being reported lost.


Nikkei poised for 5-mth closing high, Daiei helps

Japan's Nikkei average rose 0.42 percent by midsession on Wednesday and was poised to hit a five-month closing high for the second straight day as a rally in US stocks inspired buying.


Movie Review | 'Dragon Wars: D-War': Who Needs Plot When Youâve Got Dragons?

âDragon Wars: D-Warâ is such a breathless, delirious stew, itâs impossible not to be entertained, provided â this is crucial â you have a sense of humor.


Chris Isaak sings new tune for 'Informers'

Rocker Chris Isaak has  joined the ensemble cast of "The Informers," an adaptation of  the Bret Easton Ellis novel.


Tens of thousands of police are being deployed across Indonesia after warnings of attacks over Christmas.


Giving antibiotics to babies boosts asthma risk

Children who got antibiotics as babies  had a higher risk of developing asthma by age 7, Canadian  researchers said on Monday.


Two Cuban Defectors Will Get Chivas Tryout

Two players who left the Cuban national team during the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Houston this month will get a tryout with Chivas USA.


WASHINGTON -- Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi began a weeklong tour of the United States on Tuesday, urging Americans to continue backing his fragile government while portraying events in his war-wracked homeland with striking optimism.


Oil prices eased on Monday after rebels  in Nigeria withdrew a threat to target oil operations, but  lingering concerns over stretched supplies ahead of winter kept  prices close to $50.


Respect MP should be suspended for 18 days, standards watchdog says.


The name alone -- Microsoft v. AT&T -- conjures a galactic showdown. And the legal battle over a patent dispute that unfolded in the Supreme Court yesterday brought together elements of an epic.


Thunderbird 1.0 takes on Entourage, Eudora

Weeks after the launch of its Firefox 1.0 Web browser, the Mozilla Foundation on Tuesday is set to release version 1.0 of its Thunderbird e-mail client.


Schilling-led Red Sox win again, force Game 7

It seemed inevitable for so long, yet so implausible Sunday night: Yankees vs. Red Sox, winner take all. With blood seeping through his sock, a grimace on his face and pride filling his heart, Curt Schilling


Sun and The University of Texas Power Up One-of-a-Kind ...

The fastest type of computer. Supercomputers are very expensive and are employed for specialized applications that require immense amounts of mathematical calculations.


Eye checks urged for signs of later heart disease

A study in Australia has shown that changes occur in blood vessels in the eyes of heavier and obese children from as young as six, warning signs that might be linked to cardiovascular disease in later life.


Radiohead to bypass record labels, letting its publisher handle rights

Radiohead's album in Rainbows was revolutionary for its "pay what you like" availability. Now the band's plan for licensing that album continues the trend, further eroding the bond between bands and the record industry.


The "shock and awe" attack that toppled Saddam Hussein in three weeks is often touted as a brilliant strategy that defeated Iraq with relatively few US casualties.


HARRY REDKNAPP was last night battling to save the career of his assistant Jim Smith. SunSport exclusively revealed that Smith, 64, wants to quit Portsmouth after becoming disillusioned by Redknapp


Former Sprint Champ Collins Gets Eight-Year Ban

Former world indoor 200 meters champion Michelle Collins was suspended for eight years after she was found her guilty of doping charges in connection with the


Sharapova displays iron will to stage fightback

A competitive streak as hard as a diamond gave Maria Sharapova the strength to stage a great escape at the French Open on Sunday.


Olmert and Abbas to meet to try to salvage talks

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plan to meet on Thursday to try to salvage peace talks bogged down by a row over Jewish settlements, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.


Hezbollah rocket barrage kills 1 Israeli

Hezbollah guerrillas pounded Israel on Tuesday afternoon with a new barrage of rocket fire, killing one Israeli in the northern town of Nahariya and wounding several others, Israeli officials said.


MIAMI: Tens of thousands of people in the US south have started evacuating their homes as Hurricane Ivan continues its relentless march towards Florida.


Brokaw Steps Down After 21 Years as NBC Anchor

Telling his audience "we've been  through a lot together," Tom Brokaw bid farewell as anchor of  the "NBC Nightly News" on Wednesday, becoming the first of the  big three stars of U.S. network news for the last 20 years to  retire.


Sony on collision course with music majors over mp3 format

Sony has embarked on a potential collision course with music groups, including its own Sony BMG joint venture, over MP3 digital song files.


Notre Dame values its privacy, so no public magnifying glass will be put to the fine print in Mike Brey's contract extension. He deserves every dollar and every day in it, but without knowing


The Game was charged Monday with making a criminal threat and possessing a firearm in a school zone, authorities said.


Gunmen target buildings of Palestinian PM, president

Palestinian gunmen fired on Tuesday at the prime minister's home and the president's office in a surge of fighting by the two leaders' rival factions that has killed at least 20 people and brought civil war closer.


GM says sees CEE sales jumping 44 pct this year

General Motors  expects its sales in central and eastern Europe to jump to 505,000 units this year from 350,000 in 2006, GM Europe sales chief Jonathan Browning said on Tuesday.


What causes the burnlike skin lesions associated with Stevens-Johnson syndrome?


Risk Of Loss Tends To Fade With Time      (Investor's Business Daily)

Investor's Business Daily - With the average stock fund down about 9% this year, you might be wondering if you should move your money to a safer area.


Chelsea suffer their first defeat of the season at the hands of a resolute Man City.


Brazil air crash victims' relatives fly over site

SAO PAULO, Brazil  - Grieving relatives of 155 people killed in Brazil's worst aviation disaster arrived in the Amazon on Monday to fly over the wreckage as searchers tried to recover corpses in the dense jungle.


Moderate drinking may benefit elderly men

NEW YORK  - Older men who drink moderate amounts of alcohol may function better physically than either those who abstain completely or those who abuse alcohol, a new study suggests.


Russia has idea for growing Arctic cucumbers

Russia's environment minister has a novel suggestion for natural gas from its Arctic north oilfields that is usually wasted -- harness it to heat greenhouses for growing cucumbers.


Torino, 20:10 - CALCIO, TORINO; DE BIASI: A MESSINA TAPPA FONDAMENTALE

"A Messina sarà una corrida, una tappa fondamentale per il nostro cammino". Il tecnico del To...


ANY one of a number of technical malfunctions might have caused the loss of Beagle 2, the ill-fated British space probe that vanished while attempting to land on Mars, an investigation found today.


Steve Stanton was fired as city manager in Largo a few months ago after announcing his plans to become Susan Stanton. On Wednesday, Stanton went to a job interview in a white skirt, makeup and pumps, hoping to get hired to lead this more cosmopolitan tourist town.


Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson remains in an Aruban jail and could be detained for several more days following an incident in which he allegedly assaulted a local judge.


On the chopping block for a Democratic Congress: earmarks that had been a lobbyist gravy train.


Risks: Lax Catheter Policies Seen at Many Hospitals

Despite the well-established danger from urinary catheters, a new study finds that hospitals are doing very little to reduce the risks of infection.


HP Chief Tackles Boardroom Scandal Head-On

By Jim Hopkins and Jon Swartz  Mark Hurd admits company ran  covert probes in which investigators spied on directors, journalists, others  PALO ALTO, Calif.


The results in Florida were a decisive turning point in the Republican race, effectively winnowing the field to Senator John McCain and Mitt Romney.


EU demands Myanmar release Aung San Suu Kyi

The German presidency of the EU on Wednesday called on Myanmar to release iconic democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi as the country's military junta prepares to review her detention this weekend.


Human Rights Watch starts work in Saudi Arabia

A delegation from the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has arrived in Saudi Arabia on the first extensive fact-finding mission by such a group in the conservative Muslim country.


Safety has missed '04 season with back inrjury

Five-time Pro Bowl safety Darren Woodson, the leading tackler in Dallas Cowboys franchise history, is set to retire later this week after missing the entire 2004 season because of a back injury.


NBA Wrap: Toronto Beats Portland, 101-97

Vince Carter drilled a tiebreaking three- pointer with 4.8 seconds remaining to lift the Toronto Raptors to a 101-97 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Air Canada Center.


Six policemen killed in rebel attack on Darfur camp

Six policemen have been killed and seven wounded in an attack by unidentified rebels on a police camp in Sudan's war-torn South Darfur state, a press report has said.


Novak Accuses Plame Source Of Distortion

Columnist Robert D. Novak, who first revealed Valerie Plame's employment by the CIA and touched off a lengthy federal leak investigation, is accusing his primary source of misrepresenting their conversation to make the source's role in the disclosure seem more casual than it was.


ALCOHOL bans and curfews could be the answer to lagging living standards for Aborigines, Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday.


Monitor Named to Oversee Reforms at Getty Trust

An inquiry determined that the trustÂs former president, with the approval of the Getty board, misspent money.


Calif. Academy of Sciences Holds Tag Sale

The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park held a one-of-a-kind yard sale Sunday, offering rock-bottom prices on everything from antique wooden incubators to six-foot-tall prehistoric bird replicas.


Fidel Castro says he won't stand in the way of younger people who can lead Cuba, but he also insists on being "of consequence" until the end of his life. So it goes with the ailing 81-year-old Â eager to see others keep up the revolution but reluctant to let go of power.


FCC Approves Merger, Wireless Giant Created

WASHINGTON -- The nation's largest wireless phone company is created by the deal approved Tuesday by the Federal Communications Commission.


US soldiers would kill civilians, says Marine

A former US Marine has claimed that he saw American troops in Iraq routinely kill unarmed civilians, including women and children.


Analysts Bet Celebrex Won't Be Withdrawn

Some analysts are betting Pfizer Inc.  won't have to withdraw its arthritis drug Celebrex but they do  expect sales to fall after a study of the drug in cancer  patients showed it increased the risk of heart attacks.


The United States on Wednesday accused Saudi Arabia of severe violations of religious freedom in a rare official rebuke of a close ally and key oil supplier that potentially could lead to sanctions.


A new fleet of school buses will improve safety for children in Northern Ireland, Translink says.


Rugby-Gregan signs with Wallabies through 2007 World Cup

Australia captain George Gregan has signed a three-year contract with the Wallabies which will take him through the 2007 World Cup in France.


Cage set to lead box office with "Wicker Man"

LOS ANGELES  - The summer box office   season officially wraps this Labor Day holiday weekend, during   which three wide releases will open in theaters. None is likely   to cross the $20 million mark for the four-day period.


A doctor arrested in Australia over  the failed car bomb attacks in the UK can be held until Monday.


Focus groups are hardly new to American politics, but they have taken on new relevance in a country where the ideological divide has grown into a chasm.


Image: Workers guide External Tank 120 into the Vertical Assembly Building at Michoud Assembly Facility. Credit: NASA. The tank, known as ET-120, is set to leave the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans by barge on Friday, Dec.


Advocates, federal government billions apart on child care funding

OTTAWA (CP) - Child care advocates say the federal government must work toward a "modest" $10-billion annual investment in day care.


Angelina Jolie wants a man who can inspire her

Hollywood beauty Angelina Jolie has revealed that she has completely sworn off dating actors, instead


The FDA thinks those "wild thing" ads for Viagra need to be domesticated. The ads feature a balding middle-age man with a beautiful blond woman and a voice-over asking, "Remember that guy who used to be called 'Wild Thing'?


Relievers Are Lucky the Yankees Didn't Need This Game

Determined to give his best setup man, Tom Gordon, the night off, Manager Joe Torre watched as the Yankees disintegrated in the eighth inning Saturday.


Electrolux profit below consensus, keeps outlook

Electrolux (ELUXb.ST), the world's  largest home appliances maker, reported earnings that undershot  expectations on Tuesday but stuck to its full year outlook.


EPA to study air emissions from livestock farms

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to monitor air emissions from livestock farms in nine U.S. states to determine how those operations effect air quality.


The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan flew to a town previously held by the Taliban in the heart of the world's largest poppy-growing region and told the ex-militant commander now in charge there that Afghans must stop "producing poison."


L'Istat evidenzia una fase positiva per energia e beni strumentalivariazioni negative invece per beni di consumo e non durevoli                                          Sale la produzione industriale a maggio aumento dello 0,9%


US military chief warns against Iraq withdrawal

Military commander in Iraq says call for withdrawal would represent 'a giant step backwards'.


(Al Asad Air Base, Iraq-AP) Oct. 10, 2004 - For troops in Iraq, a possible homecoming depends on what happens after January elections.


Halliburton Says Court Clears Asbestos Settlement

Halliburton Co. on Friday said a federal court had signed an order that would end the company's asbestos liability later this month, clearing another hurdle for two of its subsidiaries to emerge from bankruptcy.


In these days of jittery travel, sometimes just a phone call can ground an airplane. Over the past week and a half, false bomb threats have forced at least half a dozen flights to make emergency landings in Europe, frightening passengers, tangling schedules and costing airlines big money.


Movie Review | 'The Taste of Tea': A Cubist Family Portrait

A bit of patience is required to get through âThe Taste of Tea,â but patience is often rewarded, and it certainly is by this droll and oddly touching film.


Think you're safe from identity theft on campus? Think again.   College students face about the same risk of having their identity stolen as the average person -- roughly one in 30.


By Mark Kellner, The Washington Times  Feb. 20--In the early days of PC computing, there were all sorts of  little programs that made life easier. One was Borland Software's Sidekick  that let people keep vital information at hand on their computers.


A Surgeon Opens Up, and Not With a Scalpel

Dr. Thomas R. Russell, the executive director of the American College of Surgeons, discusses medical innovation, the health care crisis and more.


Pfizer is the latest drug maker to warn that a product already on the market may pose serious health risks. It took outrage from activists in September to get the Food and Drug Administration to require warning


A UCLA study concluded that California's Proposition 36, which diverts non-violent drug offenders to treatment programs instead of jail, has done less to curb re-arrest rates than drug courts or probationary programs, the Los Angeles Daily News reported


Swimmer Kirby Cote wins third gold medal at Paralympic Games

The Winnipeg native won her third gold medal of the Games on Wednesday, finishing first in the women's 100-metre freestyle event for visually impaired athletes in a time of one minute 1.74 seconds.


Cisco yesterday announced a deal to buy network monitoring firm NetSolve for $11 per share or approximately $128m. The acquisition of NetSolve, which is subject to stockholder and regulatory approvals, is expected to close in Cisco's Q2 '05.


A plane heading to Turkey with more than 150 people aboard, mostly...

A plane heading to Turkey with more than 150 people aboard, mostly German tourists, made an emergency landing in the western Romanian city of Timisoara after a smoke alarm went off, authorities said today.


Bomb wounds two U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon

Two U.N. peacekeeping soldiers  were slightly wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in  south Lebanon on Tuesday, a spokesman for the United Nations  force said.


Palm pays $44m for Palm OS source code licence

How to buy back PalmSource without buying back PalmSource Palm has effectively committed itself to producing handheld devices based on the Palm OS - which it no longer owns - by agreeing to pay $44m for a perpetual licence for the source code underlying the Garnet incarnation of the operating system. The move is tantamount to Palm re-acquiring PalmSource.â¦


Contrario all'ipotesi il presidente della Repubblica, Yusuf


The NHL and the NHLPA have planned a meeting for December 9th in Toronto to discuss the NHLPAâs new proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement.


More than a half-million overweight trucks are allowed onto the nation's roads and bridges — an increasingly routine practice that some officials say is putting dangerous wear and tear on an already groaning infrastructure.


With a shortage of flu vaccine across the country, Margaret Holmen and others from the Powers Lake Senior Citizens Center have been talking about going to Canada for their shots.


Israeli Helicopter Strike Kills Hamas Militant

An Israeli helicopter missile strike has killed a Palestinian militant in his car in Gaza City. Witnesses say six other Palestinians were wounded in the blast Sunday.


Advisers to Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton Friday complained vehemently about an Obama campaign mailer that criticizes Clinton's health plan, with one adviser likening the mailer to "Nazis marching through Skokie, Illinois."


The publisher of a Florida paper quits after it rehires three journalists sacked over anti-Cuba broadcasts.


Open XML Changes Get Put Down on Paper -- Lots of It

Ecma International has completed a 2,300-page document containing responses to comments about its proposal to have Microsoft's Office Open XML file format accepted as an ISO standard.


PADANG, Indonesia  - A strong earthquake and a powerful aftershock hit Indonesia's Sumatra island on Tuesday, killing at least 70 people, and trapping scores more under flattened buildings.


As Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates travels the world promoting Windows Vista and its Xbox interoperability, some gamers are traveling the Web posting negative comments about the new operating system's impact on games.


Italian president leads crisis talks after Prodi tenders resignation

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano went into crisis talks with political leaders Thursday after the shock resignation of Prime Minister Romano Prodi because of a foreign policy defeat in the Senate.


Israeli firm in 2bn dollar deal with Egypt-Israel gas consortium

Israel's private Dorad Energy firm has signed a two billion-dollar deal for Egyptian natural gas with an Egyptian-Israeli consortium.


Roddick, Serena serve notice: Aces aiming for another US Open ...

_ Serena Williams left her opponent swinging at shadows, then Andy Roddick finished off his work with a 135 mph fastball. Roddick and Williams easily aced their latest tests in the US Open on


Societa' acquista azioni e convertibili per 1 miliardo


Young Buck Going Back To Cali; Mom Claims Son Is A Good Boy

After two days at large, Young Buck is now ready to turn himself in to the Santa Monica Police Department. According Buck's lawyers, the rapper is set to surrender in the near future and is expecting to be released on bail.


South Bend, IN - A local effort to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer has gained a lot of support. Radio station U-93 has been collecting bras from listeners during breast cancer awareness month.


Chinese film director accused of drug use

Award-winning Chinese film director  Zhang Yuan has been arrested after being found taking drugs at  his Beijing home, official media said on Thursday.


Suicide bomber kills 13 Iraqi volunteers

A suicide bomber exploded a belt packed with explosives at a recruiting station for neighborhood patrols in Iraq's restive Diyala province on Thursday, killing 13 volunteers and wounding 10, police said.


Si tratta di Buongiorno Vitaminic, azienda quotata in Borsa

Abusiva diffusione dei messaggi pubblicitari. La Guardia di Finanza blocca l'uso dei dati personali di 450mila persone. MILANO - Illecito trattamento dei dati personali, frode informatica e accesso abusivo a un sistema informatico.


Barroso, e' essenziale il suo corretto funzionamento


Experimental drug gives family hope for vCJD teenager

AN EXPERIMENTAL drug appears to have halted the deadly spread of the human form of mad cow disease in a teenager who had been pronounced terminally ill.


Futures slip as jitters set in before CPI

Stock index futures pointed slightly  lower on Friday as traders turned cautious before consumer  price data that may influence expectations for further Federal  Reserve interest rate cuts.


KABUL, Afghanistan - A bomb killed two American soldiers and wounded three others in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Saturday, while a separate attack in an eastern Afghan province killed at least three children and a policeman on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan...


IBM starts testing next version of 'Viper' database

IBM has released a public beta of DB2 Viper 2, the next version of its DB2 9 database for Linux, Unix and Windows servers.


Japanese company buying DuPont Photomasks

A Japanese printing company is buying Austin-based DuPont Photomasks Inc. (Nasdaq: DPMI) for $650 million. Tokyo-based Toppan Printing Co.


Peterson wins top offensive rookie award

Adrian Peterson ran away with The Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting the same way he surged past opposing tacklers this season.


Paint by PC HP Labs is launching new technology aimed at helping women find the right shade of make up to suit their skin tone.â¦


People should immediately throw away more than 90 different products, from chili sauce to corned beef hash to dog food, produced at a plant linked to a botulism outbreak, the government warned Monday. Castleberry's Food Company temporarily closed the suspect plant.


U.N. says Myanmar brings forward Gambari visit

Myanmar's military government has agreed to bring forward a visit by U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who now expects to go there in the first week of November, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Tuesday.


Turn off noisy toys, consumer group says

QUEBEC CITY - Many noisy battery-powered toys have the potential to harm children's hearing, a Quebec consumer group warned Wednesday.


'Lost child' of Sudan becomes U.S. citizen

At the age of 3, Aduei Riak began traveling across Africa, going from country to country looking for refuge from the civil war that had erupted in her homeland the year before she was born.


Europeâs big three gives Iran last chance to come clean on ...

VIENNA - Europeâs three main states were Thursday to give Iran a last chance to reassure the world it is not secretly developing atomic weapons, offering valuable nuclear technology as a carrot and possible UN sanctions as the stick.


Business & money: Table-topping interest rate latest in series of offers from new entrants attempting to topple 'big four' banks.


Ecologists fear that global warming will make protected landscapes  inhospitable to prized species.


Reporters are using instant messages and the Twitter service to pump out details from the campaign trail.


Body of Egyptian Found in Iraq, France Waits Word

The body of an Egyptian who was  kidnapped in Iraq last month has been found in the northern  part of the country, police said on Sunday, as France awaited  word on the fate of two seized French reporters.


Severe winter storm hammers Midwest, East Coast

A severe winter storm dumped snow and freezing rain across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic United States on Sunday, stranding air travelers from Boston to Chicago and causing several traffic deaths.


Sunshine might stop certain cancers from growing, including skin cancers, researchers believe.


Boston Lobsters owner Bahar Uttam thought a simple joke would be a nice way to express his personality to his new player, Julie Ditty.


Only 850,000 tickets will be available when online sales for the 2006 World Cup begin Feb. 1.


Polish consumers rush to sign up for shares in the country's largest bank, scheduled to make its stock market debut next month.


Jackson Jury Pool Full of Variety of People

The 242 prospective jurors in Michael Jackson's child molestation case range from janitors to computer analysts and include people whose children have visited the singer's Neverland ranch.


Olmert's government is under pressure to respond to rocket fire, but a harsh strike could sink fragile peace hopes


Sigulda (Lettonia), 12:13 - SLITTINO, CDM;  AZZURRI AI PRIMI DUE POSTI NEL DOPPIO

La coppia italiana formata da Gerhard Plankensteiner ed Oswald Haselrieder ha vinto la prova di dopp...


The top two officials at the CIA's  clandestine unit resigned on Monday after clashing with the new  management of the agency at a time when it is fighting  terrorism and supporting U.S. operations in Iraq.


Hot deal: JBL HTI-55 2-way in-wall speaker for $100 shipped

We came across this huge discount on a JBL speaker and couldn't resist sharing it with you.


On red planet of life, blue screens of death

The presence of a particular type of hematite, a mineral mostly associated with water, along with large, sandy areas, indicates that the red planet once had water, said Robert Denise, a scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a member of the flight


How the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 7E7 stack up

Seating: The two versions of the A350 would seat between 245 and 285 passengers in a typical three-class configuration. Boeing's 7E7 Dreamliner's three models will accommodate between 217 and 289 passengers.


Lamps, birthday candles, mouse traps  and flip-flops. Such is the stuff that binds the modern  American family to the global economy, author Sara Bongiorni  discovers during a year of boycotting anything made in China.


Bridge: When West Cannot Wait, Squeeze Goes Unbroken

Andrew Rosenthal is the new president of the Greater New York Bridge Association, but he showed that he can also play well by winning the first two open pair events at the Edgar Kaplan Winter Regional.


New York - Oil prices continued to plummet on Thursday, falling almost five per cent to hit a 12-week low. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, the January contract for light sweet crude was down $2.24 US


Hundreds flee Hamas-run Gaza amid spillover fears

Hundreds of Fatah supporters fled the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip by land and sea on Saturday and the Islamist group threatened to take its fight against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's forces to the West Bank.


British financiers allegedly behind coup plot

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea - Hatched by Old Etonians and other members of the British political and financial elite, an alleged scheme to seize control of this oil-rich nation was no ordinary African coup plot, according to witnesses and prosecutors.


Lippi confessa al 'Sun' "Il Chelsea mi vuole"

L'ex cittÃ¬ azzurro svela la trattativa: "Non mi dispiacerebbe affatto allenare in Inghilterra, ma deciderÃ² soltanto a giugno"


SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a key US ally and supporter of the Iraq war, resoundingly beat centre-left opposition Labour at a national election yesterday to win a fourth straight term in office.


Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Eric Crouch signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in another attempt to make the NFL as a defensive back.


L'Avvenire: uno spartiacque che peserÃ  sulla politicaSotto accusa la dichiarazione anagrafica prevista dal ddl                                            Pacs, i vescovi tornano a Pio IX "Su quel testo non possumus"                                                                                di MARCO POLITI


Iraq's marshlands are about halfway restored to their 1970s condition, according to the United Nations.


Republican Rudy Giuliani sought to reassure the National Rifle Association of his support for a constitutional right to bear arms as rivals Fred Thompson, John McCain and Mike Huckabee contended the former New York mayor is no friend of gun owners.


France confirms 10,000 job cuts at Airbus

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has confirmed that 10,000 job cuts were planned at European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, but urged there be "no compulsory layoffs."


Can't get enough of 'em iSuppli, the tech market researcher, has raised its forecast for PC shipments this, following a surge in notebook sales in the first quarter. It now estimates that PC makers will ship 264 million units in 2007, up 11.2 per cent on 2006's 239 million units. Previously it pegged market growth for the year at 10.7 per cent.â¦


Bush sees need for short-term economic boost: White House

President George W. Bush believes a short-term boost is needed to deal with the softening in the U.S. economy, the White House said on Thursday amid what it described as "mixed" economic data.


Thousands of Lebanese gather for Gemayel's funeral

Mourners carried the coffin of Christian leader Pierre Gemayel to a cortege heading on Thursday for his funeral which tens of thousands of Lebanese will turn into a show of strength against Syria and its Hezbollah allies.


CHICAGO When Rep. Jan Schakowsky made her first trip to Iraq this month, the outspoken antiwar liberal resolved to keep her opinions to herself. "I would listen and learn," she decided.


Property owners' resistance to barrier between U.S., Mexico raises concerns about its feasibility.


Ukraine President, Assembly Deadlocked Over Poll

Ukraine's outgoing president and opposition appeared deadlocked on Tuesday after the collapse of a tentative deal intended to smooth a rerun of elections annulled because of fraud and defuse weeks of turmoil.


Manager Admits Getting Papers on Opponent

Two weeks after denying he knew anything about it, the campaign manager for a Democratic congressional candidate has admitted having someone obtain public records on the Republican opponent.


Spanish police have defused a small bomb in the southern city of Almeria, possibly planted by the Basque separatist group ETA and set to explode on Monday, Spain's Constitution Day.


Ingersoll-Rand records charge for asbestos claims

Ingersoll-Rand Co Ltd  said on Friday it has taken a noncash pretax charge of $449 million for pending and estimated future asbestos claims through 2053.


Abducted journalist Jill Carroll feared she would be beheaded when her chief captor, a man whose face was always hidden from her, told her he had been named to lead a group of Iraqi insurgents with close ties to al-Qaida.


China Hurries to Animate Its Film Industry

With "Thru the Moebius Strip," China is serving notice to the Disneys and Pixars of the world that its day is arriving in the lucrative business of 3-D computer animation.


The crude market cooled off after the benchmark contract closed above $50 a barrel for the first time ever on Friday. November crude added 48 cents to finish the session at $50.


Iraq's foreign minister offers talks with Turkey, as cross-border tensions grow over Kurdish clashes.


The GlycoMark test, which measures a chemical called anhydroglucitol, is useful for checking blood sugar levels in diabetics, researchers report. As senior researcher Mark J. Sarno told Reuters Health, the test "provides a means for diabetic patients to rapidly respond to worsening (sugar) control."


Fashion Wire Daily - Fashion Wire Daily - Milan - Captions for the run-of-show of the Bottega Veneta men's wear collection presented Monday morning, June 26th in Milan had numerous references to the army, but the clothes the model's wore frequently recalled that more socially esteemed service, the navy.


China is to abolish tuition fees for 150 million rural students in a bid to tackle rural poverty, state media say.


AMD has wider loss due to charge on ATI purchase

Advanced Micro Devices , the world's second-largest maker of computer microprocessors, on Thursday posted a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss thanks to strong chip prices and shipments, sending shares up 3.5 percent.


Soldiers Challenging Extended Enlistments

Eight US soldiers are challenging the Army's enlistment policy. The policy requires them to serve longer than the terms of their contracts.


Feel Like a Fraud? At Times, Maybe You Should

Feelings of phoniness appear to alter peopleâs goals in unexpected ways and may also protect them against subconscious self-delusions.


After a stunning cut one week ago, the Federal Reserve appears poised to announce another rate cut on Wednesday as insurance against a recession.


When Marine Lt. Alan Zarracina finally did the splits after months of struggling with the difficult pose in yoga class, the limber women around him applauded.


Dow Jones +0,99%, Nasdaq +1,94%. Nuovo record dell'euro


Buckeyes blast Pokes behind Ginn, Kicker

SAN ANTONIO -- Mike Nugent's foot was all Ohio State needed Wednesday night at the Alamo Bowl. Nugent kicked four field goals to become the school's all-time leading scorer with 356 points as the Buckeyes blasted Oklahoma State 33-7.


'Heroes' star Panettiere threatens to kill journalist

Hayden Panettiere, who starred in "Heroes", shocked the media at the Emmy Awards   when she said she wanted to "kill" the journalist who has published articles about her break up with boyfriend   Stephen Colletti.


Serena Williams has the flu and Venus Williams has a sore wrist, forcing the sisters to pull out of upcoming tournaments.


CIA can't authenticate American al Qaeda tape

A man claiming to be an American member of al Qaeda appears on a videotape obtained by ABC News, saying attacks by the group will make US streets "run red with blood.


The prime minister will today mount a strong defence of the union with England in a speech to Labour's Scottish conference.Comment


One race, one world record, absolute joy for Michael Phelps.


Iraqi Rebels Leave Najaf Shrine, Hand in Weapons

NAJAF, Iraq  - Shi'ite fighters left the Imam Ali  Mosque in Najaf Friday and began turning in their weapons,  after tens of thousands of pilgrims celebrated a peace  agreement that ended a bloody rebellion.


Ohio State, Penn State on unfamiliar ground

Alumni heading for homecoming weekend at two of the Big Ten's marquee programs might recoil Saturday at what's waiting for them.


The Russians completed the year of their tennis revolution amid a surge of emotion that felt almost like national redemption. Three grand slam titles and seven players in the women's world top 20 were followed


Number of malicious e-mails bearing bad links balloons 10-fold

Malware makers are increasingly using e-mail links rather than attachments to trick computer users, according to security firm MessageLabs Ltd.


Grenade hits PM's home as Gaza fighting rages

Palestinian gunmen fired a rocket-propelled grenade at Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's Gaza home on Tuesday, damaging the building, but he was unharmed as factional fighting raged for a fourth day, officials said.


Derek Fisher scored 26 points and Kobe Bryant added 25 to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 117-101 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.


Adults thinking back rarely can remember anything before preshool, but those bright infant eyes staring back at mommy and daddy really are forming memories. It's just that babies also forget. In fact, babies' rate of forgetting is even faster than that of adults, Patricia J. Bauer of Duke University said Friday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.


Israel tested a missile on Thursday, prompting Iran to vow retaliation if the Jewish state carried out recent veiled threats to launch strikes, possibly atomic, against Tehran's nuclear facilities.


When was the last time a consumer cyclical stock in the auto and truck parts segment soared over 100% in a single day? Today. China Automotive Systems (Nasdaq: CAAS) announced today that its 51


Please forgive us our nonchalance about nuance. At 228Â¼, we're still a toddler nation among great civilizations. We can't help it if we can't make such a big hoo-ha about a mysterious Japanese man slapping singles in the quietest corner of our country.


Bain Capital quiet about probe into 3Com acquisition

Bain Capital, a U.S. equity investment firm, declined to comment Wednesday on news reports that a U.S. government panel reviewing a proposed acquisition of networking vendor 3Com plans to extend its review.


More than 500 Iraqi men have joined the police in restive Anbar province — a focal point of the Sunni Arab insurgency — in the most successful recruiting drive by U.S. and Iraqi forces in the country, the U.S. military said Tuesday.


SYDNEY - The discovery of a skeleton of a female barely one metre tall who hunted pygmy elephants and giant rats 18000 years ago could force a reassessment of the origins of humanity, scientists in Australia said yesterday.


India will have to do without Sachin Tendulkar for the second Test against Australia in Madras after team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus refused to rush the batting star back into action.


Skin-prick flu shot as effective as deep jab

Injecting flu vaccine into the skin instead of muscle could stretch limited supplies, two studies reported Wednesday. Researchers injected less than half the standard flu vaccine dose into the skin.


Satellite television provider DirecTV Inc. said it may take up to $1.6 billion in charges to write down the value of satellites it would use for broadcasting instead of high-speed data services.


Queen marks 53rd anniversary of accession quietly

Queen Elizabeth marked the 53rd anniversary of her accession to the throne in quiet fashion, with her only public outing a visit to her local church.


FOXBOROUGH -- Another December, another push to the playoffs. Owner Robert Kraft will take it, considering the Patriots' position in the NFL when his family purchased the club.


San Francisco Plan Aims to Slash Greenhouse Gases

Three days after California regulators adopted tough rules to cut car pollution, San Francisco's mayor unveiled a plan on Monday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, saying cities must take action because the Bush administration is ignoring global warming.


European planemaker Airbus is hit by further reports that it could announce another delay in production of the A380.


Executive Pursuits: Finding Philosophy on the Side of a Cliff

When reaching the top means using fingernails, ropes, harnesses, a helmet and climbing shoes.


Bush Sworn in for 2nd Term, Vows Push for Freedom

President Bush pledged to work to  heal a country divided by the Iraq war and vowed to advance  freedom against "rulers of outlaw regimes" as he was sworn in  for a second term on Thursday.


Robin Lopez emerges from twin brother Brook's shadow to score 15 points, grab six rebounds and lead No. 9 Stanford to a 72-43 win over Oregon on Thursday.


Doubts Raised on Technology Sales to China

The administration is facing questions from weapons experts about whether some equipment â newly authorized for export to Chinese companies â could instead end up helping China modernize its military.


A report on how a paedophile was watched in the weeks before he abused a girl of three is to be published.


Palestinians have been streaming into the streets of the West Bank and Gaza in an outpouring of grief over the death of Yasser Arafat, the enduring symbol of their nationalist cause.


Siena, 18:16 - CALCIO, SIENA: CODREA INCERTO FINO ALL'ULTIMO

Allenamento pomeridiano per il Siena in vista della sfida di sabato con la capolista Inter. Codrea h...


Organizations representing the nation's 3 million scientists, engineers and doctors have invited the two major presidential candidates to have a word with them — online.


The Supreme Court's controversial member jockeys for Chief Justice


Clemson coach Tommy Bowden knew he couldn't handle his family tragedy alone. So he asked his players for help in his time of grief.


Indonesia's president visits the island of Sumatra, spared major damage when two big earthquakes hit last week.


The company also said profit fell 65 percent in the fourth quarter, hit by charges for the overhaul of its supply chain, impairment charges in its Brazil operations and flat sales.


Outsourcer addresses concerns about IP protection

(InfoWorld) - Robert Lee knows how to acquire software companies. The chairman and chief executive officer of Achievo oversaw theÂ acquisition of several companies, including the 1990 buyout of Peter Norton Computing, during a stint as executive vice president of Symantec. Now, Lee is putting his acquisition experience to work at his latest venture, Achievo, a software outsourcing company that has grown rapidly byÂ snapping up companies in Germany, China, and elsewhere. Based in San Ramon, California, the company combines local offices in North America, Germany and Japan with a back-end development capability spread across six cities in China. Lee recently spoke by telephone with IDG News Service to discuss China, customer concerns over intellectual property, and the art of the deal. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. IDG News Service: Has the backlash against outsourcing died down in the U.S.? Robert Lee: Well, I stopped watching Lou Dobbs on CNN so I'm probably not a good source. More seriously, it absolutely died down after the 2004 election. Frankly, during the time when the backlash against outsourcing was very noisy, the business community never really paid attention to that. Just look at how the Indian companies did during the dot-com crash and that election year. They sailed right through, growing very, very fast. Politics and media is one thing, a businessman is something else. IDGNS: How have you addressed customer concerns over sending their intellectual property to China? Lee: That is a concern expressed by everyone I ever talk with and it's a subject I speak to every time I speak at a conference. If I don't speak about it, people will ask me. IP protection is very important, it's something that should be a concern. But while you can reduce your exposure to the risk of IP theft, you can never eliminate it. Sometimes people like to think there are a bunch of IP thieves out there waiting to steal our stuff. It's not true. While there are criminals everywhere in the world, the people in China, just like the people in the U.S., are generally honest and want to do a good job. It is when we don't communicate to them and educate them how to handle IP where those risk exposures occur. For Achievo, we have some things that are unique. Because of our global footprint, we can distribute our work over multiple locations, both inside and outside China. One of our larger customers is Mercedes-Benz, of Germany. We have developed a very important piece of software for them that determines how much it costs to build a Mercedes-Benz all over the world. In that case, the IP protection procedure includes a requirement that the source code resides in Germany. We have a relationship with the customer such that the source code actually resides inside our office in Germany, not at Mercedes-Benz. This is a measure that can be put in place where it is relevant. In China, we can also break projects into multiple locations. That is part of the reason why we have a presence in six Chinese cities and there are going to be more in the future. IDGNS: There has been a shortage of experienced people in recent years, particularly those with years of project management experience. Are you able to recruit staff with the skill sets you need to manage large projects? Lee: The people who didn't have experience three years ago now have earned three years of experience. And next year they will win one more. Before you know it, they will be experienced. We usually consider people with five years of experience to be experienced, and I don't have to tell you how many people are entering the market over there. It is absolutely true that China needs more experienced project managers, designers and so on. It is really a statement of the dynamics and the strength of the market, but it's also a problem that will correct itself when given the right environment and opportunity. IDGNS: There has been relatively little growth through acquisition in China's technology industry, perhaps because many Chinese entrepreneurs prefer to retain control rather than be acquired by their rivals. How has Achievo closed its acquisition deals in China? Lee: Perhaps it is the instinctive nature of the culture. We obviously cannot change culture in the broad sense, but when one faces a bigger goal than one's self, everybody gets a little bit more humble. And that starts with us. When we talk to these people we treat them as successful executives. We are also unique in our ability to combine entities that wouldn't usually consider working for each other. Some of our key executives, not everyone, but a couple of us, have a Chinese cultural background, so we are able to communicate with them more effectively, even though we are a U.S. company. They appreciate that. We speak the language, we understand the culture, we understand how to hang out with them at night. That helps us. Also, the high-tech space China is relatively young. Yet, people like myself who are Chinese-American and in the high-tech industry have a long record of experience that they can easily research. They know that they won't find anything like that among their peers in China. That's not because I don't think those people are very capable, but they need another 20 years to get there. Through a combination of these attributes we're able to win their trust and respect. Until you get through that, you are going nowhere with these folks. IDGNS: What is the key to making big software M&A deals work? Lee: Having a very clear vision that can be communicated and winning the support of your key team members is what's going to make it happen. People are all trying to do a great job, it's really the duty of leadership to create the environment for them to do so. I tell my folks they have to understand what the company is all about and what we are trying to do. When they do, they will make the right decisions because their intentions are going to be to help the company succeed. Where they make decisions that are not right, there has been some misunderstanding or miscommunication. There's no way that i can possibly spend my time looking over their shoulders every day. We spend a lot of energy on tuning our wavelengths. IDGNS: How important is it to get your customers involved in that process? Lee: It's obviously very, very important. Part of our integration model involves calling on our customers right after the deal and explaining to them what this is all about. Instinctively, every customer will be worried in the beginning. That is the fine art of integration, to turn that fear into excitement.


Blast in Pakistan court kills at least 15

QUETTA, Pakistan  - A judge and six lawyers were among 15 people killed in a suspected suicide bomb attack on a courtroom in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Saturday, the city's police chief said.


An unemployed woman has denied charges that she stalked and made threats against film star Catherine Zeta-Jones. Dawnette Knight, 33, pleaded not guilty yesterday to one


Wis. gas station shuts pumps over prices

Motorists pulled in to Harvey Pollack's gas station Thursday, honked and gave him a thumbs-up — because he wasn't selling any fuel.


Michigan Jury Convicts Confessed Serial Killer

A confessed serial killer due to be paroled from a Texas prison in April 2006 was convicted of murder on Wednesday for the stabbing death of a Michigan woman 25 years ago.


Ofcom proposes changes to old mobile frequencies to boost the take up of 3G services.


Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said during the conference's basketball media day Sunday the league will study changes to its regular-season and postseason tournament schedules after the 2004-05 season.


Scomparsa Denise: Procura, "Non ci risulta ricostruzione ...

TRAPANI - La Procura di Marsala smentisce "Chi l'ha visto?" sulla vicenda di Denise Pipitone, la bimba di Mazara del Vallo (Trapani) scomparsa il 1 settembre scorso: la trasmissione ieri sera ha avanzato la tesi che la sparizione della piccola fosse


Negozio su due livelli progettato da Roberto Baciocchi


Woods Is Upbeat for Next Year After 2004 Struggles

Tiger Woods, optimistic as ever, is excited about his prospects for 2005 despite struggling off the tee for most of this year and winning just one title.


Obama Says He, Too, Is a Poverty Fighter

While John Edwards was winding up a tour of America's most impoverished areas, another Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), came to Anacostia yesterday to stake his own claim as a poverty warrior -- and to present a vision for fixing struggling inner cities that directly...


U.S. stocks were slightly lower on  Thursday, as a broker downgrade on the semiconductor industry  rattled investors, while coffee-shop chain Starbucks SBUX.O  disappointed with slowing growth.


Sapporo, 13:11 - SCI NORDICO, MONDIALI FONDO: JACOBSEN ORO NELLA SPRINT TC DONNE

La norvegese Astrid Jacobsen ha vinto l'oro nella prova sprint a tecnica classica ai Mondiali di sci...


India, SKorea to strengthen "fair" global trading system

India and South Korea announced they had agreed to cooperate closely in global trade talks to promote a "fair, equitable" trading system while fighting global poverty.


A fishing boat capsized in rough seas in the Strait of Gibraltar on Wednesday, leaving three crew members dead and five missing, Spanish maritime rescue officials said.


Presidential candidate John Edwards is embracing a position that has been political suicide in the past — admitting he would raise taxes.


After being in news for a lot of reasons Akshay Kumar is in news this time for one of his exceptional deeds. He has been chosen as a Brand ambassador.


Hotel Employees Authorize Strike In California

The prospect of a strike by 6,000 housekeepers, waiters and other workers at some of the West Coast's landmark hotels loomed larger Thursday as negotiations for a new contract foundered.


Energy ministers agree to increase the share of biofuel used in transport but leave a broader renewables target vague.


Shakira may get high grades in singing and swiveling her hips, but what about ancient Western history? For the past month, the Colombian pop star has attended a class at the University of California, Los Angeles, called "Introduction to Western Civilization: Ancient Civilizations from Prehistory to Circa A.D. 843."


THE GAZETTE. While other parts of Colorado were getting buried under several feet of snow, Sundayâs storm was putting a big chill on the Pikes Peak region.


McDowell and Price share Heritage lead, as Monty and Poulter miss

WOBURN, England (PA) -- And so there were two. After the second round Friday, Padraig Harrington and David Howell are the only members of the European Ryder Cup team left in the Heritage Tournament at Woburn.


A DUP demand for photo evidence of IRA disarmament was reasonable, the Irish premier says.


Greggio con consegna a luglio scambiato a 64,55 dollari


Egyptians wanted pets to join them in paradise

If you think Americans are pet-crazy, consider new research that finds ancient Egyptians embalmed their animals with as much care as they did humans.


Randy Moss and Aaron Brooks look as if they're already in midseason form. Moss caught two touchdown passes from Brooks and the Oakland Raiders opened the preseason with four straight wins for the first time since 1975, beating the Detroit Lions 21-3 Friday night.


Ashcroft Likely to Appeal Patriot Ruling

The Justice Department will probably appeal a New York district court ruling that the Patriot Act violates the US constitution, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Thursday.


British bombing suspects to be held for another week

Three British Muslim men charged with  involvement in a plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners using  liquid explosives were remanded in custody on Wednesday and  police were granted another week to question five others.


Salesforce.com, Google form software alliance

Software maker Salesforce.com Inc.   said it reached an agreement with Google  to  make Web-based software applications that help businesses  improve sales and marketing.


The young man hefting a machete at the burning roadblock was frustrated. He'd been looking for five days, but could not find a member of the Kikuyu tribe to kill.


The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has urged Beijing to ensure the city is ready to host the 2008 Games well in advance, an official said on Wednesday.


Two large blasts shake a radical mosque in Islamabad as Pakistani forces tighten their siege of the complex.


Mobile phone giant Vodafone signs up a forecast beating 5.4 million customers over the key Christmas period.


Celebrex, a huge-selling painkiller sold by Pfizer, more than tripled the risk of heart attacks, strokes and death among those taking high doses in a national trial, the company said Friday.


Felix GeisendÃ¶rfer's Blog: Containable 2.0 BETA

Felix GeisendÃ¶rfer has officially released the latest version of his Containable Behavior for the CakePHP framework:   Sorry I've taken so long to get a new version of my Containable Behavior released, but believe me I've not been slacking this time. [...] In fact I'm releasing the new version as a BETA right now since I'm still not 100% satisfied with the result and not all features have made it in yet, but I felt the need for iterating. However, the new version should be a big step up from this initial one and I hopefully bug free.   The post includes both the code for the new version of the behavior but also several examples on its use. Improvements in this new version include better performance, new function (containments), support for dynamic field containments and different field containments.


Drunk Swiss faces Thai wrath for King grafitti

A drunk Swiss has been arrested for defacing portraits of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the revered monarch's birthday and faces up to 15 years in jail, a newspaper and police said on Friday.


UPDATE: Origin's Bid For NZ Contact Isn't Fair - Adviser

WELLINGTON (Dow Jones)--New Zealand Contact Energy's (CEN.NZ) independent directors Monday recommended that shareholders not accept a takeover offer from Australia's Origin Energy Ltd.


Absorbency Plus Frivolity, a Blend the World Needs

The big-screen rendition of SpongeBob SquarePants is a marvel of unleashed childishness, like a birthday party on the edge of spinning out of control.


Respect in a Box: Giving John Ford the Major American Artist Treatment

âFord at Foxâ is a gargantuan boxed set that assembles 24 of the 50-some films John Ford made for the studio that was his most consistent home.


Soccer superstar and pop culture "it" guy David Beckham has arrived in Southern California, where he will be introduced as the newest — and by far most the most luminous — star of the Galaxy.


Four years ago, Michael Boyd was caddying in the PGA Tour final qualifying tournament. On Saturday, Boyd took a share of the lead in the event.