Queen star finishes PhD thesis after 30 years

After more than 30 years which he spent as a member of one of the world's most successful bands, Queen guitarist Brian May has finally finished his PhD thesis which he began as a student in the 1970s, The Times reported on Thursday.


BERLIN, Sep 8 (SW) - Germany fought back after conceding an early goal against World Cup holders Brazil, in a friendly held in Berlin on Wednesday night.


U.S. unions look to election for resurgence

U.S. unions, taking lessons and tactics learned from the effort to arrest organized labor's long decline, say next year's presidential election will be crucial to their resurgence.


Presbyterian Scares North Carolina State

Presbyterian College, the first-year N.C.A.A. Division I team playing 25 of its 30 games on the road, gave a scare to North Carolina State on Saturday.


Aston Villa chairman Randy Lerner says he will not stand in Martin O'Neill's way if he is approached to become England coach.


Lock in the lowest rates of the summer. Get up to 4 free quotes from trusted lenders. Apply now - bad credit OK.


Per lo sviluppo e la vendita di un nuovo diserbante


Though Congress approved a $1.2 billion subsidy for Amtrak, the money-losing passenger railroad still is careening toward a major disruption in service.


Chirac and Blair discuss hopes of repairing ties

French President Jacques Chirac met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair Thursday for talks on improving trans-Atlantic relations and the importance of pushing forward the Middle East peace process.


Su Speciale:non e' il caso governo ricorra a Consiglio Stato


Agassi sent into retirement, seeds tumble

Andre Agassi's glittering career came   to a tearful conclusion when he lost in four sets to German   qualifier Benjamin Becker in the U.S. Open third round on   Sunday.


Delta Air raises domestic fares $5 each way

Delta Air Lines Inc.  raised fares by $5 each way in most domestic markets, a spokeswoman for the No. 3 U.S. airline said on Friday, the latest test of airline pricing power.


It's for charity people Joel Veitch, one of the geniuses behind B3ta.com, has made an animated special song and short film for Christmas and for charity.â¦


China confirms 166 killed in mine explosion

Chinese authorities have confirmed that all 166 miners trapped underground after an explosion at a coal mine in northern China are now dead.


The company earned $1.07 billion in the fourth quarter, helped by steady but moderate growth in its core operations.


OTTAWA -- Premier Gary Doer choked yesterday. After weeks of tough talk about how he planned to hold Prime Minister Paul Martin's feet to the fire on an election promise to set up a national pharmacare program, Doer went limp.


Avvocato militanti, entro un mese ne libereranno 103


London mayor defends Muslims as bomb plot foiled

London Mayor Ken Livingstone called on Britons Saturday not to demonize Muslims after a double car bomb plot was foiled in the capital, amid fears of a Islamist terror threat.


If your computer is slowing down or crashing, you may have a virus. Scan now to find out!  Detects viruses, spyware and worms. Includes free spam and popup blockers.


Medicare Spending Caps Cause Seniors to Stop Meds

TUESDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Some American seniors stop taking medications for chronic health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes when they exceed spending limits in their Medicare prescription drug plans, new research shows.


Not too often I would recommend taking advice from squirrels, but I just received an email from Conversion Rate Experts about their article; 101 Easy Ways to use Google’s New Website Optimizer, which is an easy and entertaining look into the Google tool.  Hello! I’m Conversion Rate Squirrel. I’m here to tell you how to get twice [...]


Indiana man charged with hacking into former employer's systems

Patrick Angle, was charged with intentionally deleting the source code for software he had been developing for Massachusetts-based Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates.


Red Sox 10, Rockies 5: Filling Thin Air With Hits, Red Sox Close in on a Sweep

A victory at Coors Field in Game 3 of the World Series brings the Red Sox to the brink of its second title in four years.


TERRIFIED police have told how they feared they would die as a rampaging mob burnt down the police station in which they were trapped on Palm Island, off north Queensland.


Miss Virgin Islands a first for territory at pageant

At the Miss America pageant, there are two distinct groups of contestants: those who say they always dreamed of growing up to be Miss America and those who say it hadn't even occurred to them until recently.


A Writer of Erotica Allows a Peek at Herself

Zane, a 37-year-old pseudonymously named author and suburban mother of three, has succeeded in giving voice to a new type of genre fiction: post-feminist African-American erotica.


In Iraq, interim Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, has visited Baghdad's violence-ridden Sadr City. Earlier, three people were killed and at least nine wounded in a mortar attack on the neighborhood.


Japanese telecoms and Internet  conglomerate Softbank Corp. (9984.T) plans to raise about 1.4  trillion yen (6.31 billion pounds) by securitizing the cash  flow of its Vodafone Japan operations, a source close to the  matter said on Tuesday.


Burma's ruling military junta has placed Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's charismatic opposition leader, under an additional year of house arrest, dashing hopes


U.S. plays down report of imminent al Qaeda attack

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Monday played down a report al Qaeda was planning a big attack on the United States, saying there was no credible information about an imminent threat.


Emmons loses gold medal after aiming at wrong target

American shooter Matt Emmons fired at the wrong target on his final shot Sunday, blowing a commanding lead in the Olympic 50-meter three-position rifle event and allowing Jia Zhanbo of China to take the gold.


Cologne, Germany (Sports Network) - Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell fired an eight-under 64 on Friday to surge ahead at the Linde German Masters.


The Bank of England is expected to keep interest rates at 5.25%, but another rise remains a possibility.


Commercial whaling ban under threat at talks

Officials from 75 nations are set for talks critical to whale conservation amid political pressure to lift a 20-year ban on commercial hunting of the gentle giants.


Barclays gets nod to buy stake in China trust firm

SHANGHAI/BEIJING  - Barclays  has won regulatory approval to buy into a Chinese trust company, securing a foothold in the country's fast-growing asset management sector, two sources familiar with the situation said on Monday.


Dhaka Seeks Interpol Help in Blasts Probe

DHAKA, 28 August 2004 - Bangladesh has called in Interpol to assist investigations into the Aug. 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally which killed 20 people and wounded 300, a senior police officer said yesterday.


Merrill Lynch write-downs total $7.9 billion

Merrill Lynch & Co Inc  on Wednesday reported its first loss in six years as a publicly traded company after writing down $7.9 billion for bad bets on risky subprime mortgages and related securities.


Television: Another War, Another Epic From Ken Burns

Mr. Burns brings his meshing of personal and public narrative to a familiar subject: World War II.


The hurricane designated Ivan killed at least 20 people as it laid waste to the tiny island of Grenada, officials said on Wednesday as the storm swept through the Caribbean heading west.


Yahoo has said that it would soon begin testing a search engine called FareChase that allows travel shoppers to compare prices. The site, available to the general public since late Tuesday is meant to help


Ernie Els stayed on track for a maiden World Golf Championships title with a 4-under-par 68 in the third round in Ireland on Saturday.


New releases of disk, tape and optical storage technologies, and enhanced information management software from HP will extend the company's ILM (Information Lifecycle Management) portfolio.


Intervista esclusiva all'ex Beatle mentre presenta il dvd del tour "The space within us" L'artista annuncia che sta lavorando a un nuovo disco che uscirÃ  tra sei mesi                                              Parla Paul McCartney "Torno con Ringo"                                                                                di GINO CASTALDO


Nearly one in four people in the Atlanta area are exercise enthusiasts stuck in neighborhoods without sidewalks or other walking amenities, according to a study that illustrates a problem for many Americans.


A small newly found object, temporarily designated S/2004 S 3, has been seen orbiting Saturn's outer F ring. The tiny object, seen in this movie centered in a green box, orbits the planet at a distance of


North Carolina: Clinton Even with Giuliani, Thompson, McCain

Rasmussen Reports - No Democratic Presidential candidate has won North Carolina's Electoral Votes since Jimmy Carter's victory more than three decades ago. George W. Bush won 56% of the vote and carried the state by double digits in both Election 2000 and Election 2004. But, the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows that New York Senator Hillary Clinton might be competitive in the Tarheel state during Election 2008.


Tycho:  Having played collectible card games since the original printing of Magic - taking my dishwasher's tips across the street to Dragon Tails to secure boosters for the coveted Arabian Nights - seeing Gabriel take up the pastime has warmed (but not thawed) my black heart.  It's always a portion of myself I've bridled in his presence, kept hidden, suppressed may be the word.  To have him take it up so freely makes me wonder which perversion of mine he'll take up next.    When he started talking about his "Firestarter" deck, whose dancing fires were stoked by a mysterious device known as "The Holon Engine," I began to worry.  The dangers of Netdecking are fairly substantial when it comes to friendly play, a corrosive force that turns friendly pick-up games into ostentatious displays of wealth on par with rap videos.  If you're playing in a competitive venue, building on prior art and making loads of precision purchases is probably your only recourse.  But if you're just playing at lunch, let me be clear:  you are consorting with devils.    I took time over the weekend to hit the level cap in Call of Duty 4, and then just to be sure that I understood what was going on I played for several more hours.  I'm not the most skilled player you will encounter, with a roughly equal number of kills and deaths, but I prefer to think of my work in an assassinative context - the removal of key players at key moments.  Please let me have this.  In the absence of the game's deeply integrated progression scheme, Infinity Ward would merely have created one of the best shooters available today.  It would have staunch proponents, and they would be right to praise it.  Is there a substance within cream that can rise to the top of itself?  This substance has been discovered.  As a distillation of the Infantry FPS, this is right down to it.  This is brutal, unrepentant, bathtub fucking hooch.  It is tight and smooth, it is lethal.  Unrelenting in its intensity, your first rounds - indeed, your first few levels - will be spent without the succor of CoD4's rich rewards for continued play.  But you'll see them on the killcam, every time you go down:  this one has increased health, of course that would help.  This one does more damage.  This one, after he's killed, pulls his sidearm and takes a few final shots.  This one's shots retain more of their damage after they pass through a wall.        You earn these for leveling up, with the experience you gain for every kill, for every round.  You also earn experience for Challenges, which are (collectively) "awesome things that you did."  I completed X-Ray challenges last night for killing people behind walls, which dished up bonus XP - this is displayed with exultant audio and video cues at the very moment of success.  Killing while crouched, killing while prone, taking down an enemy helicopter, this is all gravy.  There are challenges specific to your weapon, as well:  for kills and headshots with that firearm, you travel down an upgrade path unique to that weapon that reveals sights, camouflage patterns, and other tools to customize your equipment.    Watching videos of multiplayer play online, you'll get the impression that it looks better than it does.  It looks fantastic, don't get me wrong, but it's not completely photorealistic.  What it does have is an extremely reliable framerate and excellent level design, so that during the experience of play these fantastic visuals are transmuted into something sublime.  Here's what I mean:  if a friend is over, and they are watching you play, they'll be able to detect flaws here and there.  Level geometry isn't especially fanciful, and blown paper or leaves look a little strange.  But for the player, movement is just right, player models are just right, and the environments are right so that moment to moment everything gels.      As I said on Friday, to bring this thing into the house of Halo is pretty ballsy - but it'll carve out its proper due.  On the Playstation 3, what force could stand against it?  I have a high opinion of Haze, but I've never played it - that's based mostly on my gut.  Call of Duty 4 will fall hard on that system, like shrieking artillery.


Anyone who wants to go into space will be able to do so soon, as long as they've got a spare Â£100,000 that is. That's how much a seat will cost on a new service from Sir Richard Branson's company, called Virgin Galactic.


Michael Dell hints at more, bigger acquisitions

Dell CEO Michael Dell hinted Monday that his company could be shopping for more acquisition targets, and that they could be larger than the companies it has acquired to date.Speaking in Tokyo at a news conference, Dell made the comments after giving his views on a recent run of acquisitions in the PC market, such as the purchase of Gateway by Taiwan's Acer."I think the pace of consolidation will increase," he said. "It think that it favors the larger companies, particularly as the growth is skewed towards emerging countries. In the last two years Dell has acquired five companies, two related to the consumer business, one related to software, and two related to services. These have all been relatively small companies but I would not be surprised if the nature and pace of acquisitions increases somewhat."He added that his company had looked at Gateway when it was available but decided against purchasing the company.Dell was in Tokyo to launch the company's "simplify IT" program. It aims to cut corporate IT management costs, thus freeing up spending for use on new computers and servers. He estimated that 70 percent of IT spending at Japanese companies over the next year will be related to maintenance of old systems and management and only 30 percent on new hardware."We need to flip that 70/30," he said.On the consumer side of Dell's business the company has recently begun offering PCs through retailers -- a break with its successful direct sales model. With a handful of retailers already selling its systems, Dell said more are on the way."The first steps that we have taken with the partners mentioned earlier are really just that, first steps," he said. "So I think you can expect over the next several quarters or year or two, that in all major countries around the world like Japan, Korea, China, India, U.S., France, U.K., Russia, etc., you would see Dell having a small number of key partnerships which allow consumers to purchase Dell products at retail. It's really about making our products available in more places.""I believe we can grow the direct business both on telephone and online and I believe we can grow a channel, a partner business. And we are also working very hard to extend the capabilities that Dell has to our channel partners," he said.Looking ahead, Dell promised new x86-architecture based products during his speech at Oracle Open World on Nov. 14. The products, which he didn't detail, will have "breakthrough performance and power capability relative to others in the industry.


With the unmistakable scent of nearby farms saturating the air, D.C. United suffers an inexplicable 1-0 loss to the Harrisburg City Islanders in a U.S. Open Cup match.


Cape Town - Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was among the first South Africans on Friday to congratulate Kenyan deputy environment minister Wangari Maathai on being the first African women to win the Nobel Peace Prize.


Looks like another early exit for Braves

There should be a limit on how much frustration one team, one franchise, should have to bear. As the National League Division Series in Dixie moves to Game 2, the Atlanta Braves appear destined to push the envelope.


Dell rolls out e-waste recycling for small businesses

Dell will wipe the data clean before recycling small companies' computers and gadgets.


Paramilitary killer disrupts N.Irish self-rule talks

A paramilitary killer cut short an already chaotic debate on Northern Ireland's political future on Friday by throwing a bag of homemade explosives into the building where parties were meeting.


The UNHCR starts a campaign to dissuade migrants from making the perilous journey from Somalia to Yemen.


Treviso, 19:29 - CALCIO, TREVISO: BEGHETTO DOVREBBE FARCELA PER LA JUVE

Problemi di formazione nel Treviso che domani affronterà la Juve. Squalificati Guigou, Vargas...


On-site energy efficiency company Powerit gets funding

Blog: Energy efficiency technology to manage peak demand attracts more clean tech investment.


Milano, 10:37 - CALCIO, MILAN; ANCELOTTI: NON PENSO CHE KALAC CE LA FARA'

Scendono le possibilità di Kalac di essere domani in porta nel Milan contro l'Arsenal in Cham...


Cuba cheers end to U.N. abuse monitoring

Cuba on Wednesday cheered the new U.N. human rights watchdog's agreement to stop monitoring alleged abuses on the island, with Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque saying the decision left the United States "hanging and we yanked away the ladder."


US says carmakers must tell buyers about recorders

The U.S. government will not require  recorders in autos but said on Monday that car makers must tell  consumers when technology that tracks speed, braking and other  measurements is in the new vehicles they buy.


President Bush came to Florida on Thursday and publicly complimented Rep. Katherine Harris for the first time since she won the GOP Senate nomination over the opposition of her own party.


Colombia and Venezuela welcome Brazil's offer to mediate in a diplomatic row over a guerrilla arrest.


Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday headed from China to India, hoping for movement from New Delhi on tackling climate change while also building on trade and investment links.


High and Low Vitamin a Raise Hip Fracture Risk

Women with higher or lower blood levels of vitamin A than average appear to be at increased risk of hip fracture, according to a report in the American Journal of Medicine.


Biomet Agrees to Buyout, Reports Option-Dating Problems

Biomet, a major manufacturer of artificial hips and knees, said today that it had agreed to be acquired by a private investment consortium for $10.9 billion.


Insurgents in Iraq mounted a third straight day of serious attacks yesterday, killing 17 people when they opened fire on buses delivering workers to an ordnance disposal site.


UN to consider Sudan attacks as genocide

The UN Security Council passed a resolution Saturday establishing an international inquiry to determine whether systematic attacks on black African villagers in Sudan constitute genocide.


Dragnet Widens as 2 Troopers Are Shot in Ambush

Nearly 300 state troopers converged on southwestern New York as the manhunt for Bucky took an urgent turn.


While the rest of the world remains fixated on the US elections, the Dutch were plunged into a drama of their own on Tuesday with what appeared to be the second politically-related murder to hit the Netherlands in two years.


It's ego check time for Intel, Negroponte

Neither side comes out looking good in public row between chip giant and the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child.


Jury selection begins in the trial of ex-WorldCom boss Bernie Ebbers accused of masterminding a $11bn fraud.


US election campaign hits final week too close to call

ONALASKA, United States  - George W. Bush and his rival John Kerry traded blows over Iraq and taxes as they headed into the final week of their tight presidential race scrambling for late votes to swing the outcome.


A woman who stabbed to death her lover's wife tells a jury how her victim tried to fight back.


Rubens Barrichello claimed the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday for his second consecutive Formula One win. The victory is the ninth of Barrichello's Formula One career


French farmers fret about life after Chirac

LE GRAND QUELEN, France  - Alain le Potier gazes across the wooded valley from his hilltop family farm in Brittany but, like many French farmers, his view is clouded by worries about the April-May presidential election.


Italy PM calls confidence vote after ally defects

Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi will put his weakened government to a vote of confidence in both houses of parliament, he told the lower house on Tuesday.


Firenze, 18:55 - CALCIO, CORI RAZZISTI: 5000 EURO DI MULTA AL VERONA

Il Verona è stato multato di 5 mila euro dal giudice sportivo di serie C per i cori razzisti ...


The possible inclusion of Keith Van Horn in a deal that would send Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks means Van Horn, a former Net, would have to come out of retirement.


Clarett accuses Ohio State of improprieties; school denies claims

Former Ohio State star Maurice Clarett accused coach Jim Tressel, his staff and school boosters of arranging for him to get passing grades, cars, and thousands of dollars, including for bogus summer jobs.


Jason Kidd finally returned to the Nets lineup last night, playing 21 restricted minutes and giving his team 10 points, six boards and three dimes, including an assist on Richard Jefferson's game winner against the Toronto Raptors.


The future of Sven-Goran Eriksson as England coach is the subject of intense discussion after the draw in Austria. Has the Swede lost the confidence of the nation or does he remain the best man for the job?


One of the most senior Bosnian Serb leaders is to hear whether he is guilty of genocide at The Hague.


Dell is expected to announce this week that it will sell special crimson-red versions of its XPS line of computers to raise money for AIDS treatment programs in Africa.


Ilda Boccassini: "Condannate Silvio Berlusconi ad otto anni di ...

E' durata solo sette ore la requisitoria del pubblico ministero Ilda Boccassini nell'ambito del processo stralcio Sme-Ariosto, che vede come unico imputato il presidente del Consiglio Silvio Berlusconi. Il


A court approves a Â£4.25m payout to the parents of a girl left with cerebral palsy after hospital mistakes at birth.


Barcellona, 22:42 - BASKET, EUROLEGA: ROMA VINCE A BARCELLONA, TOP 16 VICINA

La Lottomatica Roma ha battuto in trasferta il Barcellona 77-75 in un incontro valido per la 13/a gi...


Millions in Earmarks Purchase Little of Use

The National Defense Center for Environmental Excellence opened its doors in 1991 with a $5 million earmark from a powerful lawmaker. Operating in Johnstown, Pa., the privately run center has received at least $671 million worth of federal contracts and earmarks since then to research and develop...


Fuji, 09:08 - F1, GP GIAPPONE: PENALITA' IN GRIGLIA PER ROSBERG

Nico Rosberg, pilota della Williams, indipendentemente da quello che sarà il suo tempo nelle ...


Filderstadt, Germany: Amelie Mauresmo overcame a slow start to win her first match as the world's top ranked player, beating Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 7-5, 6-4 at the Porsche Grand Prix.


Vonage Infringed 6 Patents of Sprint, U.S. Jury Rules

The provider of Internet phone service infringed on Sprint Nextelâs patents and should pay $69.5 million in damages, a federal jury ruled.


NetWare holdouts courted by Microsoft, open source

Microsoft is targeting diehard NetWare customers faced with a looming decision on migrating servers to either to Linux or Windows Server 2003.


Ogni anno vengono spesi 10 miliardi di dollari per arginare il fenomeno "spam"In Italia Ã¨ da buttare il 70 per cento della posta elettronica                                            La guerra perduta alle e-mail spazzatura Sono inutili 9 messaggi su 10                                                                                di JAIME D'ALESSANDRO


Cabinet minister Alan Johnson is due in Hull after claims it has become the "forgotten city" of the recent floods.


British team in Pakistan for Bhutto killing probe

A team of British police arrived in Pakistan on Friday to join an investigation into the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.


No. 4 North Carolina 60, No. 24 North Carolina State 54: Tar Heel Women Win A.C.C. Tournament

Ivory Lattaâs 20 points led North Carolina to its third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title.


Computer crash causes bad attitude on ISS

Altitude control also offline The International Space Station (ISS) has an attitude problem. A computer system wipe-out means the space station is currently depending on the docked space shuttle Atlantis to keep it pointing in the right direction.â¦


The iconic tree that gave Brazil its name and the world's violinists their bows got extra protection Thursday to prevent it from sliding toward extinction. But the conference that overwhelmingly supported protecting brazilwood, or pau brasil in Portuguese, rejected similar moves for three other South American tropical trees.


Palestinian militant groups offered to stop firing rockets into Israel in exchange for a cessation of all attacks on the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, an official said on Thursday.


Leading Shiite Wants Iraq To Restrain Armed Councils

BAGHDAD, Dec. 21 -- One of Iraq's most powerful Shiite leaders and a close American ally called Friday for tighter Iraqi control over the thousands of armed men, most of them Sunnis, taking part in a U.S.-backed program to combat insurgents.


WASHINGTON - The Kobe Bryant trial ended before it ever began Wednesday with a final act so stunning that few could have imagined it.


The Belkin booth was my favorite at the show. They emerged as a design and innovation powerhouse.


The producers of Wife Swap are taking legal action against a US TV show they claim has stolen their format.


A man suspected of killing seven prostitutes over the past five years was charged with murder Tuesday, and police said he is a suspect in as many as 14 deaths in the city since 1999.


Some Albanians insulted by Bush security measures

An Albanian government decree allowing  U.S. Marines to be the only armed corps guarding President  George W. Bush on a visit next week has been seen by some in  Albania as an insult to their security forces.


Iraq Poll Fears Deepen as 2 Sistani Aides Killed

Two aides to Iraq's top Shi'ite leader  Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani have been killed in separate attacks  apparently aimed at inflaming sectarian conflict among Iraqis  already divided on whether Jan. 30 polls should go ahead.


What did losing last season to Oregon State teach Cal's Aaron Rodgers about quarterbacking? Which Pac-10 coach is defending his latest controversial incoming player who owns a violent past?


Turkey today received strong assurances from the EU that it would be given a green light next month to start talks on joining the bloc.


Cuomo and Pirro Open Attorney General Campaign

The two candidates are perhaps the most aggressive politicians in their respective political parties.


Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. on Tuesday  said it would restate its fiscal 2004 financial reports due to  accounting errors, which could reduce earnings more than the  company had previously forecast, sending its stock down nearly  15 percent.


Iraqi President Jalal Talabani criticises Syria for backing possible Turkish strikes against Kurdish rebels.


A majority of almost three-quarters of MLAs vote in favour of the executive's first programme for government.


US influence in Asia seen waning under Bush, but relations improve

Asia may have little to complain about if President George W. Bush wins a second term in office despite the lack of a coherent US policy and its waning influence in the region.


With terrorism as backdrop, Bush narrows gap vs. Kerry

Just days before the presidential election, the final Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll found a tightening race in New Jersey as voters continued to worry about the threat of terrorism.


Police: Driver Tried to Run Over Florida Rep. Harris

A Florida motorist was arrested Wednesday on charges of trying to run down US Rep. Katherine Harris at an intersection where the controversial former state elections chief was campaigning for re-election to Congress.


By Nicole C. Wong, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.  Jan. 31--Want to see the latest proof that Hewlett-Packard has sprinted a safe distance away from its old image as a stodgy computer company? Watch for its big-bucks commercial during the Super Bowl.


Indiziato tentato omicidio e rapimento, e' pregiudicato


Iraq, N.Korea on agenda as Cheney arrives in Japan

Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Japan on Tuesday on a visit to reassure America's close ally that a troop buildup will help quell violence in Iraq, just weeks after Japan's defense minister said starting the war was a mistake.


Don't worry about fair. Just pay as little as you can.


Ralph Lauren took a well-deserved extended bow Saturday night as he both presented and celebrated his 40th anniversary collection.


Just letting off steam  ...  it's incredulous that former House Speaker Thomas Finneran has a radio gig.  Found guilty of  obstruction of justice, probably guilty of making self-interested political deals, Finneran shouldn't even get a job cleaning bathrooms.


Justices Wonât Hear Appeal on Drugs for Terminally Ill

The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a case that ruled that terminally ill patients do not have a constitutional right to try drugs that have not received federal approval.


US Senate OKs 7-year Internet tax ban extension

The U.S. Senate has approved  legislation extending a moratorium on state Internet access  taxes for seven years.


Pakistan's Musharraf urged to quit after poll rout

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf faced mounting calls to quit Tuesday as opposition parties moved towards a coalition government in the wake of a sweeping election victory over his allies.


Sri Lanka president calls for talks to avert all-out civil war

Sri Lanka Special Task Force soldiers conduct a search operation on suspected vehicles and people entering the capital Colombo.Comment


Venture Capital Picks Up From 7-Year Low

Venture investors are pumping more money into the Washington area, though a smaller number of companies are on the receiving end. After hitting a seven-year low in the second quarter of 2004


Space Probe Fails to Deploy Its Parachute and Crashes

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


AL JAZIRA TRASMETTE UN NUOVO VIDEO DI BIGLEY

LONDRA - Incatenato, in lacrime, evidentemente provato dalla prigionia, ma comunque vivo. E questo e' l'importante per la famiglia di Ken Bigley, l'ingegnere britannico di 62 anni dal 16 settembre ostaggio


Brothers' tussle stifles Reliance stocks

Mumbai: On a day the Sensex recorded yet another all-time high, the market struggled to make sense of the multiple messages coming from the two Ambani camps, and scrips of Reliance group companies ended trade in the red.


Dutch Filmmaker Van Gogh Shot and Stabbed to Death

LOS ANGELES  - A filmmaker who received death threats after releasing a film that criticized the treatment of Muslim women was murdered in Amsterdam on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Theo Van Gogh, the great


Attempts by the Department of Health to prosecute pharmacists who reverted to the old pricing of medicines would amount to a vexatious prosecution and pharmacists would be entitled to sue the State for civil damages.


Former sea captain faces candidate identified with Communist past ...

Romanians Sunday chose a president Sunday, picking between a former ship's captain with a populist message and a political veteran embodying the communist past, with


Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal was arrested on drunken driving charges Friday, his second DUI arrest in four years and a potential distraction to a team trying to wrap up its 13th straight division title.


Under pressure from Democratic senators, the Bush administration has modified its proposal to ease public reporting requirements for companies that handle or release toxic chemicals.


Indagati anche Fazio, Fiorani, Consorte, Sacchetti, Gnutti


(New York -WABC, November 7, 2004) - Israel has made plans to bury Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the Gaza Strip. Arafat wanted to be buried in the Arab section of Jerusalem, but Israel firmly denied his request.


Unless you're HP The worldâs insatiable appetite for storing compliance data, viral emails and jpegs of Britney helped the external storage market boost revenues another 7 per cent in the third quarter.â¦


Abbott gets FDA approval to sell arthritis drug for Crohn's disease

Abbott Laboratories won US approval to market the arthritis drug Humira to treat adults who have the bowel disorder Crohn's disease.


Some 70,000 people received weapons training and religious instruction in al-Qaeda camps, the German police says.


Confratelli: siamo in attesa. Missionario rapito 10 giugno


Ameesha Patel is the Maxim cover girl this month

All you guys out there who always thought of Ameesha Patel as the girl next door or 'Miss Goody Two Shoes' will get the surprise shock of your life as the Patel babe gets all 'hot n happening' as the cover girl in the February issue of Maxim.


NASAâs Messenger spacecraft has captured a new view of the planet Mercury.


Gordon Brown pledges to eradicate failure from England's schools, saying poor schools could face closure.


CBS stands by challenged documents on Bush

WASHINGTON -- CBS News acknowledges memos it received about President Bush's service in the Air National Guard are difficult to definitively authenticate, but says they came from "solid sources.


BHP Billiton posts record 10.45 billion dollar net profit

BHP Billiton, the world's largest miner, has posted a record annual net profit of 10.45 billion US dollars and delivered an upbeat outlook amid unprecedented global demand for commodities.


Nei confronti dell'ex comandante Guardia di Finanza Speciale


The plaintiff in a civil lawsuit against Reggie Bush walked out of a deposition Tuesday after the lawyer for Bush arrived with a plainclothes security guard who carried a concealed handgun.


U.S. Views Iran As Potential Trouble Spot

President Bush refuses to rule out war with Iran. Iranian President Mohammad Khatami says his country is ready to defend itself against a U.S. attack. The United States is pushing for a peaceful solution to its nuclear impasse with Iran but, with mistrust on both sides running high, encouraging signs are hard to find.


Ariel Sharonâs speech at the âHerzliya Conferenceâ, an annual gathering of Israelâs financial, political and academic aristocracy, proved again his wondrous ability to conjure up an imaginary world and divert attention away from the real one.


Making toys is a fun business to be in and some toy manufacturers say they're trying to keep it that way -- even if it means taking on the "playground bully" Wal-Mart.


Wailing Paris Hilton sent to jail's medical wing

A sobbing Paris Hilton was sent to the medical wing of a Los Angeles jail where she was being treated for psychological problems on Friday after a judge overturned a sheriff department's decision to place the heiress under house arrest after just three days behind bars.


Justin Zwick will start at quarterback for No. 9 Ohio State in its season opener after the former heralded recruit beat out fellow sophomore Troy Smith for the job in preseason practice.


"X-Men" set to "Stand" tall at holiday box office

"X-Men: The Last Stand,"  the third and last film in the superhero trilogy, is expected  to take the box office crown from "The Da Vinci Code" during  the Memorial Day holiday weekend, but will be hard-pressed to  match the $85.6 million three-day bow of its 2003 predecessor.


A solemn marker outside the Pentagon conveys a simple message: "We will never forget."


The British Broadcasting Corp. said Wednesday it was suspending all phone-in contests and interactive quizzes after an investigation exposed several rigged competitions.


Car Bomb Near Rebel Iraqi City Kills 7 U.S. Marines

A car bomb attack on a U.S. patrol  outside the rebel-held city of Falluja on Monday killed seven  American marines and three Iraqi National Guardsmen, in the  deadliest single attack on U.S. forces in five months.


Details of a new television ad from Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, to begin airing this week:


Bush, Kerry Bow to McCain Campaign Ad Requests

President Bush and his Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry, have both bowed to requests from Arizona Senator John McCain regarding recent negative campaign ads.


Analysts expect mobile telecom services will grow more than 5 percent per year, but equipment market will shrink.


Per presidente Putin, decesso Litvinenko strumentalizzato


Woody Allen secures production bankroll in Spain

Woody Allen has found a  partner in Spain. Producer-distributor Mediapro has signed a  pact to finance and co-produce three Allen films during a  three-year period beginning in 2009. His sister Letty Aronson's  Gravier Prods. also will produce.


President Bush's support proved insufficient to push a bill authorizing his warrantless wiretapping program through the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday.


Detroit head coach Steve Mariucci knew that they had an uphill climb on tap against Philadelphia on Sunday. It would have taken a perfect effort to beat the red hot Eagles at Ford Field.


'C'e' guerriglia', gruppo conferma pero' appoggio a Prodi


Those wishing to be the first to worship at London's latest temple of technology will doubtless be huddled in sleeping bags tonight outside the Apple Store in Regent Street.


In the Dreamscape of Nightmares, Clues to Why We Dream at All

By all evidence, outrageously bad dreams are a universal human experience.


Backed by Cheering Crowds, Defiant Monks Protest Burma's Junta

RANGOON, Burma, Sept. 18 -- Hundreds of defiant monks marched through Rangoon on Tuesday, walking 10 miles through streets lined with cheering crowds, after being barred from Burma's most important Buddhist temple along the way, witnesses said.


Cocaina era destinata a professionisti di Lucca e provincia


A man who raped a baby and sexually assaulted another girl over a number of years is sent to prison.


Deadly winds cause havoc in Seattle, Vancouver

SEATTLE/VANCOUVER  - A storm packing heavy rains and winds gusting at more than 90 mph (145 km/h) slammed into an already-soggy Pacific Northwest, killing three people, officials said on Friday.


Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith, who have broken the NFL mold by being the first minority head coaches in the Super Bowl, have a lot in common.


Bush in another Florida bus trip; continues anti-Kerry barrage on ...

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. President Bush is stumping in Florida again today -- as he batters John Kerry on Iraq. The president has another bus trip in the state -- his second in four days -- beginning this morning in St.


U.N. Envoy Outlines Kosovo Statehood Path

United Nations special envoy Martti Ahtisaari on Friday avoided any pronouncement on the future sovereignty of Kosovo, but handed Serbia a plan that sets its breakaway province firmly on a path to independence.Comment


Madrid, 18:49 - CALCIO, CAPELLO: STO BENE QUI, NON MI DIMETTO

Fabio Capello non ha alcuna intenzione di lasciare il Real Madrid: lo assicura lo stesso tecnico gor...


There's no mystery about its sales. There are clues about that success, and the rest of the year.


HUNTSVILLE, Texas  - Texas executed a mechanic on Wednesday who was convicted of murdering a taxi driver, marking the second of three planned executions this week.


Clemens Releases Video Denying Use of Drugs

Roger Clemens continued his campaign to refute the allegations in a video posted to the Web on Sunday.


Powell's remarks on Taiwan indicate no policy change, scholars

Commenting on the remarks that "the two sides across the Taiwan Straits will finally unite" and "Taiwan doesn't enjoy the sovereignty of a state" made by US Secretary of State Colin Powell during his visit to Beijing on October 24 and 25, experts on the


Jonah Lomu has not targeted next year's Sevens World Cup in Hong Kong for his comeback but admitted he still harbours dreams of playing for his country again.


Boston's Kevin Millar says Red Sox players took symbolic sips of whiskey before Game 6 of the ALCS and continued with the ritual throughout their four-game sweep of St.


Londra, 18:56 - TENNIS, A MOSCA LA FINALE DI COPPA DAVIS TRA RUSSIA E ARGENTINA

Si giocherà a Mosca la finale di Coppa Davis tra Russia e Argentina. Lo ha confermato la fede...


In Paris, Some Very Big Names Come Out to Play

Collections from Chanel, ChloÃ©, HermÃ¨s and John Galliano displayed world-class finesse in a spree of excellence over the weekend.


Mancuso Is Among 4 Skiers Racing for the Overall Title

Julia Mancuso is one of four women in contention for the World Cup trophy with five days of racing left in the season.


Venezuela state oil company says "event" affects Amuay

CARACAS, Venezuela  - Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA on Saturday said an "operational event" had affected a unit of the 640,000 barrel per day (bpd) Amuay refinery.


The Quartet of Mid-East peace negotiators says the new Palestinian government must recognise Israel.


Nuance buys T9 text-input tool for mobile phones

(InfoWorld) - Nuance Communications has agreed to buy the developer of the T9 predictive text input software for mobile phones from current owner AOL. Tegic Communications, in Seattle, developed the T9 interface in 1995 to simplify the typing of text messages on mobile phones. Rather than press 9-9-6-6-6-8-8 to spell the word "you," T9 users can type 9-6-8 and let the software predict which word they are trying to spell. T9 software has been embedded in 2.5 billion phones, according to Nuance -- although many of those may now be in landfill. Nuance plans to integrate Tegic's software with its Nuance Voice Control software, obtained through theÂ acquisition of MobileVoiceControlÂ in January, it said Thursday. The voice control interface is intended to simplify text input and menu navigation, and is available for smartphones running operating systems from Microsoft, Palm, and Research In Motion. Nuance, in Burlington, Massachusetts, also owns a number of famous names in voice input, including Dictaphone and the voice-recognition software Dragon Naturally Speaking. AOL bought Tegic in December 1999, seeing in it a way to simplify and promote instant messaging from mobile phones, but is selling it now in order to focus on its core business, it said. Nuance will pay around $265 million in cash and expects the deal to close by the end of September, subject to regulatory approval. REFERENCES:Nuance buys into mobile speech-enabled services, Dec. 7, 2006


MODENA (23 ago. 2004) - Ha 15 anni ed e' di Campi Bisenzio (Prato) il ragazzino scomparso sul monte Rondinaio. Il giovane era in gita con i genitori, esperti escursionisti, e un fratello. La famiglia aveva


White House hopefuls make last minute appeals

White House hopefuls Wednesday beseeched the people of Iowa to take the first step to change America, on the eve of the state's dead-heat first nominating clash of the 2008 election.


Curtain's Finally Rising on Movie Downloading

By David Lieberman  NEW YORK -- Tiny retailers usually tremble when Wal-Mart invades their turf. Not CinemaNow CEO Curt Marvis.    For eight years he has offered people with high-speed Internet connections movies and TV shows to buy and download from his website.


Canada's Liberals could choose long shot as leader

Former environment minister Stephane Dion on Saturday emerged as the surprising front-runner to win the leadership of Canada's opposition Liberals, who are seeking to regain power next year.


3 Independent Yukos Directors Resign Over Pressure From Russian ...

Three independent directors of the Yukos Oil Company have resigned from their posts claiming they cannot work while the Russian authorities are pushing for the companyâs collapse, Yukosâ major shareholder Group Menatep said in a press release Wednesday


A stock rally triggered by tumbling  oil prices rolled through Asian share markets on Thursday as  investors prepared for a rush of corporate earnings.


Business Books: Strain on U.S. grid to make blackouts common

Most people in the United States only think about where electricity comes from when the lights go out suddenly.


By Dominic EvansBEIRUT - Germany's cabinet approved plans on Wednesday to send naval and air forces to Lebanon, and Russia said it would dispatch troops to help rebuild roads and bridges destroyed in Israel's ...


Car Bomb Kills at Least 20 at Iraq Academy

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb outside the police academy in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Saturday as hundreds of trainees and civilians were leaving for the day, killing at least 20 people and wounding 36, authorities said.    Ambulances raced to the scene, where seven cars were on fire...


NORTON, Massachusetts  - Tiger Woods has defended his absence from last week's Barclays Classic, saying he would never enter a tournament unless he felt ready to win.


Lebanon army squeezes militants, 3 troops killed

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon  - Three soldiers were killed in combat on Monday as Lebanese troops advanced on Islamist militants at a Palestinian refugee camp where the army made major pushes after a month of fighting.


Pimco, Fidelity to join SIV rescue fund: Draghi

Investment fund giants PIMCO and Fidelity have joined the so-called super SIV fund set up by three big U.S. banks, boosting confidence in the plan, Bank of Italy Governor Mario Draghi said on Friday.


Tunnel to flee ransacking Romans found in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM - Under threat from Romans ransacking Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, many of the city's Jewish residents crowded into an underground drainage channel to hide and later flee the chaos through Jerusalem's southern end.


A model code of conduct for state and local judges spells out, for the first time, that they are to avoid "sexual advances, requests for sexual favors" and other such unwelcome behavior.


Israeli Defence Minister says two Palestinian militant groups have agreed to a ceasefire during peace talks.


Tagli a 'Quelli che...' dopo bufera per intervista a Moggi


Former Fed chair Greenspan criticizes Bush in book

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan  Greenspan in a memoir to be released on Monday criticized  President George W. Bush and congressional Republicans for  abandoning fiscal discipline and for putting politics ahead of  sound economics.


Paris designers looked to Hollywood on Wednesday with haute couture collections that could vie for "best dressed" on the red carpet.


Sony, Matsushita, Sharp to launch Blu-ray Disc camcorders in 2005 ...

TOKYO (AFX) - Firms that are supporting one of the next-generation optical DVD formats, the Blu-ray Disc, plan to release camcorders that record on smaller versions of the discs as early as 2005, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, without citing sources.


In this artist's rendition released by the European Space Agency, the European-made SMART-1 solar-powered satellite is seen nearing the Moon on its way to make the first comprehensive inventory of key chemical elements in the lunar surface.


Claude Monet's painting Waterloo Bridge, Temps Couvert doubles its estimated selling price at auction.


US-Led Forces Retake Northern Iraqi City

The US military launched a major pre-dawn assault Sunday to wrest the northern city of Tall Afar from insurgents but encountered almost no resistance, leaving uncertain


Man Utd's Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney finally end brave Exeter's resistance.


Intervista al leader radicale: "Oggi possiamo dichiararein modo ufficiale decaduta la Costituzione reale"                                          Pannella: "E' l'Italia di Fanfani cosÃ¬ il diritto Ã¨ una caricatura"                                                                                Se l'opposizione avesse una strategia laica,non saremmo neanche arrivati a questa legge di GIOVANNA CASADIO


Blast kills one, injures 15 in southwest Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan - A bomb fixed to a bicycle killed one man and injured 15 people in southwestern Pakistanâs restive desert province of Baluchistan on Thursday, police said.


Diana's mother called her a whore: court

Princess Diana's former butler told the inquest into her death on Monday that her mother had called her a whore for dating Muslim men.


Legal Fight Over 'Vista Capable' PCs Gets Trial Date

A lawsuit alleging that Microsoft Windows Vista Capable users were misled about the capabilities of the operating system will go to trial Oct. 28, 2008.


La sentenza dopo un'odissea di otto anni. Ieri la situazionesembrava risolta grazie ad un accordoAnche Luc Montagnier, scopritore dell'Hiv, a favore della loro innocenza                                            Libia, confermata pena di morte per cinque infermiere e un medico


Losanna, 11:49 - DOPING, CIO: MULTA DI 740MILA EURO A COMITATO OLIMPICO AUSTRIACO

Il Cio ha multato di 740.000 euro il Comitato olimpico austriaco (OeOC) per la vicenda legata alla r...


Leaders from Sudan and four regional states concluded a meeting here early today with a statement rejecting any "foreign intervention" in the Darfur region of Sudan.


Blog: The Finnish cell phone manufacturer announces that it has bought the Redmond, Wash.-based start-up, which specializes in multimedia sharing.


Abducted Turkish engineer killed in Afghanistan

The kidnapped Turkish engineer was found dead in Kunar province in east Afghanistan on Wednesday, one day after he was abducted by unknown gunmen, the Afghan Interior Ministry said.


Homeless cocker spaniel wins role in "Annie"

A homeless 10-year old caramel-blonde   cocker spaniel bested 11 other shelter dogs in an audition on   Thursday, winning a walk-on role in a New York musical   production of "Annie" in December.


Protesting at what they insist is France's role in their nation's genocide, Rwandans from all walks of life have united in fury at calls last week by a French judge for their President Paul Kagame to be arrested.


Indian troops, Maoists clash after police attack

Indian security forces backed by army helicopters clashed with Maoist rebels on Sunday in the east of the country after the insurgents killed 13 police there, officials said.


Sources: Sony, Partners OK MGM Acquisition

LOS ANGELES - Sony Corp. and several financial partners have agreed in principle to acquire movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for about $2.94 billion in cash, sources familiar with the talks said Monday...


Today's Produce May Contain Fewer Nutrients

NEW YORK  - Compared to 50 years ago,  today's fruits and vegetables carry smaller amounts of some key  nutrients, including protein, calcium and vitamin C, according  to new study findings.


Families keep vigil for loved ones hurt in tour bus crash

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. Relatives of more than a dozen travelers who were hurt when their tour bus drifted off a highway kept vigil today at hospitals in Tennessee and Arkansas.


Security researchers have uncovered critical flaws in two popular Windows IM programs, Yahoo Messenger and Trillian.


Chancellor Gordon Brown was today preparing for this weekâs vital Pre-Budget Report against a backdrop of dire warnings from business groups and economists


How strange it was to see Tom Coughlin, the coach who almost got dumped by the New York Giants, getting a bucket of Gatorade dumped on his head at the Super Bowl.


In Persian Gulf Incident, Some Suspect Hecklers

The Navy has a monkey on its back. Since at least 1982, U.S. Navy ships plying the Persian Gulf have been taunted by mysterious radio transmissions that are alternately obscene, nonsensical, racist, infantile, misogynistic and menacing. Sometimes they threatened U.S. ships; at other times they...


expected to be a test of strength between the dominant Fatah movement and Islamists sworn to destroying Israel. the elections. A similar poll in the Gaza Strip was delayed because violence prevented registration.


Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of the late famed actor Marlon Brando, has died from pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital, an attorney said Saturday. He was 49.


Brown arrives at EU summit after missing treaty signing

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived Friday, on time, for his first Brussels EU summit, after missing the signing ceremony of the bloc's key reform treaty the previous day and boycotting a recent EU-Africa summit.


USDA Expands Healthy Lunch Pilot Program

PITTSBURGH - An expansion of a federal pilot program that provides schools with funding for fruits and vegetables might help students get as enthusiastic about brussels sprouts and broccoli as they are about pizza and ice cream, a U.S. Agriculture Department official said on Thursday...


Man Pleads Guilty in Genital Surgery Case

COLUMBIA, Mo. - A former church minister and Boy Scout leader who cut off another man's genitals in a makeshift gender reassignment surgery in a hotel room, pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree assault and practicing medicine without a license...


First lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner swept to victory in Argentina's presidential vote on Sunday, the first woman elected to lead the country.


The public is being asked to help the government come up with a 10-year plan to improve children's lives.


MetLife and Prudential Post Lower Profits

The life insurance companies MetLife and Prudential Financial said on Wednesday that profits fell in the fourth quarter, hurt by investment losses and, in MetLifeâs case, comparison with a large investment gain a year ago.


A Dutch smoking ban will come into force in July next year for all restaurants and cafes - including coffee shops where cannabis is the top attraction, the government decided on Friday.


A review of the main games from Saturday's qualifiers.


'World Community Grid' seeks to harness unused computers

NOVEMBER 17, 2004  - IBM and officials from some of the world's leading science, education and philanthropic organizations yesterday launched a global grid computing project aimed at harnessing unused global computing power to help solve a


Lawsuits, patent claims silence Black Hat talk

(InfoWorld) - A planned talk on RFID security by a security researcher has been pulled from this week's Black Hat Federal security conference after secure card maker HID claimed the talk violated the company's patent rights and threatened to take legal action against Chris Paget, the researcher, and IOActive, Paget's employer, if the talk went forward. The company decided to cancel the talk after all-night negotiations with HID collapsed, said Josh Pennell, CEO of IOActive. In response, Black Hat organizers were forced to tear materials out of printed show proceedings and will instead present a discussion by a representative of the ACLU on the criticality of RFID security, said Jeff Moss, founder and director of Black Hat. A spokeswoman for HID did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The incident recalled a 2005 dispute over a presentation at Black Hat in Las Vegas involving Cisco Systems and Michael Lynn, a security researcher who worked for Internet Security Systems at the time. IOActive's decision to abort their presentation follows days of tense negotiations between the two companies, after HID became alarmed about Paget's discussion, "RFID for beginners," which was to address widespread security issues with the implementation of RFID in proximity cards that are sold by HID and other companies. Paget's RFID cloning device was on display at the recent RSA Security Conference in San Francisco, where he demonstrated for InfoWorld how the device could be used to steal access codes from HID brand proximity cards, store them, then use the stolen codes to fool a HID card reader. Paget's presentation at Black Hat Federal would have includedÂ  schematics and source code that attendees could use to create their own cloning device, and a discussion of vulnerable implementations of RFID technology in a wide variety of devices, Paget told InfoWorld at RSA earlier this month. HID claimed that Paget's talk would infringe upon two patents the company owns, one dating to 1991 and another dating to 1992. Both cover methods of detecting RFID signals between a transponder embedded in a device and an "interrogator," according to a source familiar with HID's claims. Pennell and others doubted that such broad patent claims could be used to stifle free speech, but said that the legal pressure mounted by HID, a subsidiary of Swedish firm ASSA ABLOY, was too much for his small, Seattle-based consulting firm to withstand. "If we say anything, HID will sue. These large companies have lots of resources, so they can find [legal] matter with pretty much anything," Pennell said, admitting disappointment at the failure to reach an agreement with HID. "It's always been IOActive's intent to help people with security," he said. Chris Paget said that, unlike Lynn's sophisticated hack of Cisco's IOS operating system, the RFID cloning devices he built were simple devices concocted from around $20 in off-the-shelf parts purchased on eBay. "This thing is simpler than a Furbie," he said, referring to the plush electronic play toy of years past. Moreover, the HID patents in question are public documents, containing all the information needed to build the RFID cloner, he said. "This is not something new that we're doing. HID has known about this for about two years, if not longer," Paget said. Indeed, HID marketing materials for its Smart Card technology notes that "by using diversified unique keys and industry standard encryption techniques, the risk of compromised data or duplicated (smart) cards is reduced," and that "these security measures are not implemented in proximity cards, giving contactless smart cards a significant security advantage." While it's possible to make secure RFID devices that can store sensitive information, the HID proximity cards that use it are not secure, and customers who use the cards need to know that, Paget said. "Our intent was to disseminate information so people could make informed decisions about RFID technology they're deploying. For example, whether to deploy a proximity card with a secondary factor like a biometric or PIN [personal ID number]. But we've been prevented by HID from discussing that, and we believe it's detrimental to the security community," he said.Â  Nicole Ozer, technology & civil liberties policy director at the ACLU of Northern California, said that the work IOActive was doing was vital and that, while the group supports the enforcement of patent law, "free speech must be protected and not "trampled by the overzealous use of patent law." Government agencies, including the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Homeland Security, have all raised concerns about RFID security, even as they issue guidelines for using RFID in passports and other documents, she said. "It's particularly important that the government and the public have all the information on RFID technology. The use of RFID without the proper protections could jeopardize privacy, security, and public safety," she said. For Moss and Black Hat, which is now part of CMP, the decision by IOActive to cancel Paget's talk was a discouraging reprise of the controversy two years ago over Michael Lynn's talk in Las Vegas. Show organizers, once again ripping pages out of conference proceedings at the request of IOActive, and recalling CDs containing copies of Paget's presentation. "We're supporting IOActive," Moss said, noting that CMP had its legal team working on behalf of IOActive to see if a solution could be reached. "I'm not sure if it was part of HID's strategy to drop a bomb at the last minute, but it really screwed up our conference strategy," he said.


U.S. captures suspected Mexican drug cartel leader

MONTERREY, Mexico  - The United States has captured a suspected leader of Mexico's powerful Gulf drug cartel and one of the country's most wanted men, Carlos "El Puma" Landin, while he was shopping in Texas, the Drug Enforcement Administration said on Tuesday.


Auto woes take toll on U.S. advertising: TNS Media

U.S. advertising spending rose a disappointing 4.1 percent last year, hurt by cutbacks by carmakers General Motors Corp.  and DaimlerChrysler  , tracking firm TNS Media Intelligence said on Tuesday.


Abandoning Ship Is the Way Out for Captain Kidd

Even in this transient sports environment, itâs hard to believe that Jason Kidd, the player who gave the Nets their long-sought-after identity, is gone.


6 killed in latest New Orleans shootings

Three brothers and a friend were killed in a neighborhood not far from the French Quarter, and two other people were gunned down in separate incidents hours later, authorities said Saturday.


Roma, 13:07 - CALCIO, ARBITRATO: INAMMISSIBILE ISTANZA PROPOSTA DA DAL CIN

Il Collegio Arbitrale presieduto dall'avvocato Aurelio Vessichelli all'unanimità ha dichiarat...


A major programme of post office branch closures is set to be announced in parts of Scotland.


A Pitcairn Island man on trial for sex abuse used to act as though young girls were available for him whenever he chose, a prosecutor said in a makeshift courtroom on this remote rocky outcrop populated by descendants of the 18th-century Bounty mutineers.


Defense contractor General Dynamics  Corp. GD.N on Wednesday said quarterly earnings rose 20  percent, helped by sales at its Gulfstream jet business.


He can still bring a Fenway sellout crowd to its feet. No one who was around here in 1967 will ever forget.


As AIDS Threatens World Economy, China Takes New Steps

AIDS has been spreading so quickly in fast-growing countries like China and India that it could threaten the world's economy. Today is World AIDS Day, and nations around the globe


For Opera Mini Browser, a Tinier Page GADGETS OF THE WEEK / Products on the Cutting Edge

By Joe Hutsko  Apple's hotly anticipated iPhone, which ships June 29, garners oohs and ahhs for a number of reasons, a big one being the way the device's Safari Web browser displays pages just like the desktop version.


LOS ANGELES  - As she closed a big  chapter of her career with the taping of the final episode of  CBS' hit comedy "Everybody Loves Raymond" over the weekend,  actress Patricia Heaton is moving to ABC under a seven-figure  development deal.


Ponting to rejoin Indian tour for fourth Test

Skipper Ricky Ponting will join the Australian squad in India and is expected to play the fourth cricket Test after medical scans yesterday confirmed his injured thumb had almost healed.


Pakistan deploys troops in volatile northern valley

The Pakistani army is deploying more than 2,000 troops in a remote northwestern valley to counter Islamist militants trying to enforce Taliban-style laws there, the military said on Wednesday.


ATLANTA -- Shares of Delta Air Lines Inc. fell Monday on the fear among some analysts that the struggling carrier will be forced into bankruptcy if it doesn't get significant wage concessions from its pilots in the next three weeks.


Dollar Tumbles to Record Low Against Euro

The dollar tumbled to a record low  against the euro on Tuesday after a warning by euro zone  officials on the euro's rise fell on deaf ears, with investors  determined to dump the U.S. currency.


Giants’ Lewis Defends His Defenseless Defense

In the off-season, the Giants rebuilt the secondary and added linebacker LaVar Arrington. But so far, nothing is better than it was a year ago.


TechWeb - Six Apart says it's buying Danga Interactive, operator of the LiveJournal blogging server, increasing its base to more than 6.5 million users.


More than 100 men claiming to be Palestinians have landed on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, officials say.


Update 4: US Weighs Raising Nations' Debt Relief

The Bush administration is exploring proposals to significantly expand debt relief to some of the world's poorest countries, including forgiving all existing debt, Treasury Secretary John Snow said Thursday.


After a promising start, the heavens opened at this year's Guardian Hay festival  - but it didn't drive away the dedicated festival-goers. Our photographer, Martin Godwin, captured the glorious rain-soaked scenes in Wales.


Website Review: The Family Guide to Digital Freedom

The Family Guide to Digital Freedom is a website and an accompanying book created by Marco Fioretti, a part-time journalist who writes about free and open source software (FOSS). The site is interesting for its attempt to do things at once: to provide a guide for non-technically inclined computers users to the advantages of open standards and free software, and a critique of the FOSS communities. Both goals are overdue for widespread attention, although they sometimes sit uncomfortably beside each other on Fioretti's site.


Democratic presidential hopefuls on Monday brandished their labor credentials before two of the nation's more powerful unions in a hunt for endorsements.


Authorities were inspecting large stretches of the city's Big Dig tunnel system Tuesday after 12 tons of concrete fell on a car carrying newlyweds, killing the woman. The governor blamed the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and said he was taking steps to fire its leader.


CHICAGO (CBS.MW) - Shares of Office Depot moved higher Monday after the office supplies retailer said former National Football League head Neil Austrian was taking the reins, temporarily, from ousted Chief Executive Bruce Nelson.


Rogue proteins that behave like those linked to vCJD and Alzheimer's can give yeast a survival advantage.


Economy Grows at 3.7 Percent Annual Rate

The economy grew at an annual rate of 3.7 percent in the summer as a big rebound in auto sales offset weakness from an exploding trade deficit, soaring oil prices and the Florida hurricanes, the government reported Friday.


After a bright start, holiday sales fade over Thanksgiving weekend

NEW YORK - The first holiday-shopping weekend of the year may have started with a bang, but it ended with a whimper, according to evidence yesterday from two groups that track sales.


Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay is been banned from driving for six months for driving at more than 100mph on a Scottish road.


An own-goal by Djimi Traore handed Championship side Burnley a deserved 1-0 victory over Premiership giants Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup.


Shiite Leader Opposes Delay in Iraq's Vote

Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric is opposing a drive by prominent Sunni and Kurdish political factions to delay elections scheduled for Jan. 30, an aide to the cleric and Shiite leaders said Saturday.


Lampard wants to finish career at Chelsea

Frank Lampard is ready to commit the rest of his career to Chelsea after admitting he wants to stay at Stamford Bridge for another "six or seven years".


Nomura in talks to buy UK's Collins Stewart: report

Japan's Nomura Holdings Inc  is in talks with Collins Stewart Plc  about a takeover that could value the British broker at more than 700 million pounds ($1.41 billion), Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported on Sunday.


Ticket sales at the US box office reached a record high in 2004, despite a fall in the number of moviegoers.


CVS hikes Caremark bid again with bigger dividend

CVS Corp.  on Thursday again sweetened its $23.9 billion takeover bid for Caremark Rx Inc.  with an increased dividend, calling the new proposal its "best and final" offer.


Florida Passes Michigan for Spot in Title Game

The University of Florida jumped to No. 2 from No. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series standings on Sunday.


Paula Radcliffe is expected to announce on Wednesday whether she intends to run in Friday's 10,000m.


Su SP 500 +1,8, su Dow Jones +17 e su Nasdaq +4,5


a widely prescribed arthritis treatment - more than doubled patients' risk of heart problems in a clinical study. The announcement, 11 weeks after Merck & Co.


Israel Kills Top Hamas Leader in Gaza Strike -Medics

Israel killed a senior member of the Hamas  militant group and another gunman in an airstrike on their car  in Gaza on Thursday, days before a key parliamentary vote on  Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza pullout plan.


BA Directors Join Workforce in Bid to Avoid More Chaos

British Airwaysâ top directors, including chief executive Rod Eddington, will be helping out at Heathrow airport today as the airline strives to avoid the flight cancellation chaos of the last few days.


For union film and television writers, life without employment is starting to exact its toll.


HTC slides out TyTN II 'super 3G' smartphone

Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone signed up to sell it Smartphone specialist HTC has revamped its TyTN handset, packing in not only Windows Mobile 6 but integrating support for high-speed 3G downloads and a GPS receiver.â¦


Coast Guard Rescues 18 on Monument Island

By Erika Beras, The Miami Herald  Jan. 31--EIGHTEEN MIGRANTS -- 17 men and a woman -- were found this morning on Monument Island, within site of the Coast Guard station at Government Cut.   It was not clear how they had gotten there.


Mafia: Li Gotti, Brusca potrebbe tornare ancora libero

Le porte del carcere per Giovanni Brusca potrebbero aprirsi ancora a suo favore. A rilevarne la possibilita' e' il legale del boss, Luigi Li Gotti: ''attualmente , dice all'ADNKRONOS, gli e' stato revocato l'ultimo permesso che gli era stato accordato.


Nervous Cubans swap Yankee dollars for pesos

Cubans jammed banks and exchange kiosks to swap their dollars for local pesos on Thursday, as the communist government, retaliating for tightened sanctions, moved


Yahoo Inc  has displaced  Google  as preferred provider of Web services to mobile  operator T-Mobile  in northern and central Europe,  Yahoo and T-Mobile said on Tuesday.


Still handing out daft patents, though The US patent system is set for a thorough review, according to reports, with the aim of improving the quality of patents awarded, and thus reducing the number of patent lawsuits.â¦


Neither did 95 percent of the other coaches. But in the case of Lenny Wilkens, this particular flaw became part of his legacy, along with the NBA title, the record numbers of wins and losses and the trademark crossed arms and cold stare.


Japan industrialists are gloomier about the economic outlook for the first time since March 2003,  the central bank's quarterly Tankan survey finds.


Sony has launched two portable digital audio players that for the first time support the MP3 file format, other than its Atrac file format.


Iata, a luglio +5,9% rispetto allo stesso mese del 2006


Vaughan plans verbal assault as England go in search of records

Michael Vaughan intends to adopt the Australian tactic of "sledging" during his attempt to become the most successful captain in England's history.


Udine, 19:48 - CALCIO, UDINESE: CON IL MILAN EREMENKO AL POSTO DI INLER

Il tecnico dell'Udinese Marino dovrebbe schierare Eremenko per la gara contro il Milan al posto dell...


Dopo decisione della Fed di ieri di tenere fermi i tassi


Zimbabwe's Mugabe faces serious election challenge

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is facing the most serious challenge to his 28-year rule as candidates including his own former finance minister register on Friday for a March 29 general election.


10 great free downloads for your network

Whether you've got a home network, small network, enterprise network or anything in between, these 10 freebies can make it more secure, run better and easier to manage. They're useful, easy to learn ... and you certainly can't beat free.


Iranians threatened U.S. ships in Hormuz: Pentagon

Iranian boats aggressively approached three U.S. Naval ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a main shipping route for Gulf oil, at the weekend and threatened that the ships would explode, U.S. officials said on Monday.


The field for Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe took shape when 27 horses stood their ground at yesterday's first forfeit stage.


William S. Lerach, who has been embroiled in a seven-year federal investigation into possible kickbacks to plaintiffs for their testimony, is retiring from his firm.


Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame by year of induction:


The number of laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits rose last week in another worrisome sign that the labor market is weakening.


Anversa, 16:36 - TENNIS, IL WTA ANVERSA ALLA MAURESMO: BATTUTA LA CLJISTERS

Amelie Mauresmo ha vinto il torneo Wta di Anversa. La francese, numero uno del tabellone, si &egrave...


Most forego buying health insurance: study

CHICAGO  -- Nine out of 10 Americans who tried to   buy their own health insurance failed, either because the price   was too steep or because they were denied coverage due to a   current medical problem, a study said on Thursday.


Pioneering NASA Engineer Max Faget Dead at 83

Pioneering NASA engineer Maxime Faget, who designed the Project Mercury capsule that carried the first U.S. astronauts into space and worked on every subsequent manned spacecraft including the space shuttle, has died at the age of 83, NASA said on Sunday.


Microsoft begins a challenge to overturn a European Commission ruling that hit it with a 497m euro fine and an order to share its software systems with rivals.


Indonesia orders security clampdown after terror warnings

JAKARTA, Indonesia Indonesia has ordered a nationwide security crackdown after warnings from Australia, Britain and New Zealand that terrorists plan to attack ahead of Christmas.


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Singer John Hall targets N.Y. GOP lawmaker

For a dozen years, upstate New Yorkers' view of Republican Rep. Sue Kelly could be summed up in a song — the 1970s pop tune "Still the One."


Not to be outdone in the digital download race by the likes of Microsoft, Apple and Real Networks, Yahoo have firmly stated their intentions by acquiring Musicmatch.


Stoppard, "Spring Awakening" sweep Tonys

Russian revolutionaries and rebellious teenagers were the big hits at the Tony Awards on Sunday when Tom Stoppard's "The Coast of the Utopia" and the rock musical "Spring Awakening" took home the top honors.


SanDisk to debut USB drive, video service

Flash memory maker SanDisk Corp. on Monday will debut an online video service and a USB flash drive that can carry television programs and videos from a computer for playback on TVs.


China raises interest rates for 6th time this year

China raised interest rates on Thursday  for the sixth time this year, the latest of a series of  tightening steps to cap inflation and prevent the world's  fourth-largest economy from overheating.


Israel Releases 159 Palestinian Prisoners in Peace Overture

Israel freed 159 Palestinian prisoners from its jails today in an agreement brokered by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that may add momentum to the renewed Middle East peace process.


Investors may pack up and leave next week as the Republican National Convention comes to New York and many on Wall Street take a vacation, draining US markets of volume


Juan Pablo Montoya took victory in the last F1 race of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. The Colombian made up for a disappointing campaign by edging out Kimi Raikkonen for the win, with home favourite Rubens Barrichello in third place.


Chinese Promote Darfur-Bound Peacekeepers

QINYANG BASE, China, Sept. 15 -- The Chinese military put on a display of its first Darfur-bound peacekeepers Saturday, having troops throw up Bailey bridges and feign combat to dramatize Beijing's desire to be seen as a partner in bringing peace to the violence-torn corner of Sudan.


Sri Lanka complains after monks were made to disrobe during an anthrax scare at the Canadian High Commission.


Seoul Wants N. Korea to Attend Frankfurt Book Fair

South Korea may join forces with the communist North as guests of honor at the world's largest book fair next year in Frankfurt.


A British company said Sunday it was releasing a video game recreating the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy.


US Soldier Gets 25 Years In Murder of Iraqi Guard

A US soldier was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of an Iraqi National Guardsman in May, the US military said Saturday.


Russia Announces More Funding for Security

MOSCOW Sept. 14, 2004 - Russia announced Tuesday it was pouring $5.4 billion in additional funding into its security agencies, the first concrete new step in the anti-terrorism battle that President Vladimir Putin has called the country's No.


Bush, Kerry Trade Barbs Following Debate

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - President Bush on Friday ripped into Sen...


People across South Asia struggle to cope with severe shortages of affordable wheat and rice.


DNA test solves riddle of Colombian 'hostage'

DNA test results today revealed that a boy being used as a bargaining tool by Colombian terrorists was safely living in a BogotÃ¡ foster home and not being held hostage.


No Serbian violence expected over Kosovo: EU

The European Union does not expect  Serbia to resort to violence if ethnic Albanians declare  independence in its contested province of Kosovo, a senior EU  official said on Thursday.


Somali kidnappers free Argentine, Spanish aid staff

BOSASSO, Somalia  - Kidnappers in Somalia's northern Puntland region on Wednesday freed two female aid workers from the Spanish branch of Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF), Puntland's trade minister said.


Egypt begins closing breached Gaza border: witnesses

Egyptian forces began closing  the breached border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday, stemming the  flow of Palestinians across the frontier breached by Hamas  Islamists last month, witnesses said.


Presidente spieghera' ai Quindici i dettagli del programma


LA SCHEDA                                            Coppie di fatto, i contenuti del ddl su "Diritti e doveri dei conviventi"


Asia dominates list of world's most polluted places

World's worst-polluted areas span seven countries and affect the health of roughly 12 million people, says environmental group.


The Marsh & McLennan Companies said its profit fell 62 percent in the fourth quarter as competition reduced the commissions the insurance broker charged.


Opinion:  I just need PHP 4.3.2 or higher!

The trials and tribulations of application dependency in a virtualized, hosted world.


EU Approves Eight National Emissions Trading Plans

The European Commission moved forward with a landmark emissions trading system on Wednesday by approving eight national plans that allocate how much carbon dioxide (CO2) industrial plants are allowed to emit.


The huge loss for Countrywide Financial Corporation was not expected to hinder its $4.1 billion takeover by the Bank of America.


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is better than mammography at detecting additional disease in breast cancer patients, says an Italian study in the October issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.


Cagliari, 18:16 - CALCIO, FIGC; ARRICA: FINALMENTE DI SONO RICORDATI DI RIVA

Andrea Arrica, ex general manager del Cagliari dello scudetto, commenta la nomina di Gigi Riva a vic...


"It is completely up in the air at the moment"  EU foreign ministers will debate on Monday whether to sign an interim trade agreement with Serbia -- a move seen as boosting pro-European President Boris Tadic ahead of a February 3 presidential run-off. Tadic ... via Reuters UK


Measles Kills 12 in Remote Nigerian Town

An outbreak of measles in a remote Nigerian village has killed a dozen people, Nigeria's state-owned news agency reported Wednesday.


Roma, 15:25 - CALCIO, CAPELLO: VIA LO SCUDETTO ALL'INTER? SAREBBE TROPPO BELLO

Anche Fabio Capello commenta la vicenda sui bilanci irregolari per cui l'Inter non avrebbe dovuto pa...


Appiano Gentile, 18:12 - CALCIO, INTER: ALLENAMENTO SOLO PER JIMENEZ E STANKOVIC

Roberto Mancini ha concesso all'Inter una giornata di riposo dopo la vittoria nel posticipo con il C...


The Claim: Antibiotics Will Beat a Sinus Infection

Antibiotics and steroids may be the standard medications for a sinus infection, but are they effective?


For Venus Williams, From No. 23 to a Title

Having entered Wimbledon as the 23rd seed after a couple of injury-plagued seasons, Venus Williams became the lowest seed to win the womenâs title.


A scandal over a U.S. Republican congressman sending sexually explicit e-mails to underage boys ratcheted up on Sunday with the FBI and a congressional ethics committee looking into the accusations.


Putin Urges Strength; School Toll Tops 340

BESLAN, Russia - A shaken President Vladimir Putin made a rare and candid admission of Russian weakness Saturday in the face of an "all-out war" by terrorists after more than 340 people - nearly half of them children - were killed in a hostage-taking at a southern school.    Putin went on national television to tell Russians they must mobilize against terrorism...


Liverpool, 11:25 - CALCIO, LIVERPOOL: XABI ALONSO RESTA SINO AL 2012

Il Liverpool ha annunciato che il centrocampista spagnolo, Xabi Alonso, giocheraà coi Reds si...


Former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith is found dead in Florida at the age of 39, her lawyer says.


Jeff Brehaut first tried to qualify for the U.S. Open at 18, and he figured it was only a matter of time. Just not this much time. He has lost track of the trips to local and sectional qualifying during a career that stretches over two decades and has taken him to 385 tournaments on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour, probably a hundred more on the mini-tours. His last victory was five years ago when he was the medalist at Q-school.


Ron Artest practices with the Indiana Pacers on Monday for the first time in over two months since he was suspended for fighting with Detroit fans.


Roma, 15:24 - CALCIO, LAZIO: POCA AFFLUENZA, CHIUSA LA CURVA SUD

La Lazio ha deciso di chiudere la Curva Sud in occasione della sfida di oggi con il Catania a causa ...


Kia Spectra gets worst crash test rating

The Kia Spectra is the first vehicle since 2001 to get the insurance industry's worst safety rating in a frontal crash test, according to results released Sunday.


Senate OKs Limit on Class Action Lawsuits

The Senate approved a measure Thursday to help shield businesses from major class action lawsuits like the ones that have been brought against tobacco companies, giving President Bush the first legislative victory of his second term.


Prudential Financial Inc. PRU.N, the  second largest U.S. life insurer, said on Tuesday its  fourth-quarter earnings fell, in part because of losses related  to hedges it made in foreign currencies.


The major providers of flu vaccinations in Erie County say they are out of doses or are nearly out of them. And they don't know when - or if - they'll be getting new supplies.


Teresa Heinz Kerry got a bad rap during the presidential campaign, her husband said Monday.


Methodist Jurors Convict, Defrock Lesbian Pastor

A very divided jury of United Methodist church clergy has voted to defrock an open lesbian minister whom they'd earlier convicted of violating church law.


A Romance Novelist Is Accused of Copying

Allegations this week that Cassie Edwards inserted large chunks of unattributed material into her work blossomed into a controversy.


Sheila Youlio will be one of 8 million Americans who will try to stop smoking today, at least for 24 hours, during the Great American Smokeout.


New theory rejects popular view of evolution

Â· Ancestors learned to walk in trees, says UK teamÂ· Researchers base claims on watching orang-utans


An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning linked to peanut butter has widened to 329 people in 41 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.


FOUR employees of a bird-flu contaminated poultry farm and one person who helped disinfect the facility may have contracted the virus during an outbreak early this year in Japan, the Tokyo government said today.


Half of properties in Finland still lack statutory rescue plans

Under the new Rescue Services Act that entered into force in 2004, all properties, including housing companies, condominiums, and tenant houses, were requested to draw up a rescue plan for each building with ...


In today's installment, Coach Bill starts with a minimonologue. "OK, how's it going today?" he begins. "Good? Got the holidays over, ready for the new year. Got the game on every network. It will be like the State of the Union address - you can flip to every channel to see it."


States may lose funds for kids' health care

Unless Congress acts and President Bush relents in the next week, states will have to return more than $1 billion in money intended to pay for health insurance for children from low-income families.


Governo smentisce informazioni dei ribelli curdi in Iraq


A tornado destroyed a mobile home park, killing one person, and blew out windows in a nursing home and school, officials said Monday. At least 18 people were injured.


The scarlet letter in education these days is an "R." It stands for restructuring — the purgatory that schools are pushed into if they fail to meet testing goals for six straight years under the No Child Left Behind law.


Shaggy band of ballplayers winks at the impossible

In the wee hours of last Sunday morning, when the nation's collective clicker had long since abandoned the Yankees-Red Sox debacle


Pregnancy Does Not Raise Melanoma Mortality

NEW YORK  - The survival of pregnant women  who have malignant melanoma of the skin is no less than that of  comparable women who are not pregnant, European researchers  report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.


Insurgents thrive along lawless Iraqi road

MAHMOUDIYAH, Iraq -- A 15-mile stretch of road south of Baghdad has become the most dreaded in Iraq after a series of high-profile kidnappings and deadly ambushes targeting foreign journalists and prominent politicians.


Bells will be ringing at Mervyn's department stores this holiday season after all, store officials announced Thursday in a sudden reversal of a ban on Salvation Army collection kettles.


Spain: BarÃ§a suffer first loss, Madrid crush Albacete to close in

MADRID, Nov 14 (SW) - The best Real Madrid of this season booked a scandalous 6-1 win over Albacete and are firmer in second place.


US Supreme Court hears Beloit man's case

WASHINGTON - Beloit drug dealer Freddie Joe Booker, in an Oshkosh prison cell hundreds of miles away from the nation's capital, was deeply enmeshed Monday in the US Supreme Court's arguments about the way federal criminals are sentenced.


Prince Harry is considering invitations from Jewish groups to visit the Auschwitz death camp, a royal spokeswoman said Friday, while Britons debated whether his wearing a swastika armband at a costume party has ...


Torino, 13:57 - CALCIO, JUVE; LEGROTTAGLIE: UN POSTO NELLA SQUADRA DEL FUTURO

Per la Juventus, torna a disposizione di Deschamps il difensore Legrottaglie. L'infortunio alla spal...


A day after the shooting death of an unarmed Capitol security guard, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Secretary of State Jesse White said they want


Australia's opposition Labor Party questions the Navy for paying for breast implants for female sailors.


New Video Shows Kidnapped UN Workers in Afghanistan

In a scene eerily similar to the ongoing hostage-takings in Baghdad, three kidnapped United Nations election workers appeared in a new videotape aired Sunday on the al-Jazeera Arabic television station.


The new owners of music label EMI Group Â home of the Rolling Stones, Coldplay and the Spice Girls Â said Tuesday that they plan to cut up to 2,000 jobs, or more than a third of its work force, in a restructuring aimed at offsetting the impact of falling revenue from CD sales and the departure of several of its major artists.


Behind Enemy Lines: Advice From a Partisan

A Republican on how to survive in a Democratic town: This really is the greatest city in the world, but you are now behind enemy lines.


An aging weather satellite crucial to accurate predictions on the intensity and path of hurricanes could fail at any moment and plans to launch a replacement have been pushed back seven years to 2016.


New USB Turntables Simplify Vinyl-to-MP3 Conversion

Ion Audio introduces two new vinyl record turntables that feature direct USB output.


Felix, Two Other US Women Advance in 200

ATHENS, Greece Aug. 23, 2004 - Allyson Felix led three American women into the second round of the 200 meters on Monday, posting the fastest time of 22.


Israel's High Court defeats a new bid to ban a documentary about Israel's invasion of Jenin refugee camp.


THE DEAL: Symantec Corp., best known for its Norton-branded software that fights computer viruses, is heading in a new direction with a $13.5 billion acquisition of data storage and backup specialist Veritas Software Corp.


Microsoft scende in campo con un nuovo motore di ricerca. L'obiettivo Ã¨ quello di sbaragliare la concorrenza, o meglio annientare il duopolio detenuto per anni da Google e Yahoo!. Il mercato dei motori di


The controversial low-carbohydrate Atkins diet has scored well in a major US analysis.


Foreign Secretary Jack Straw made an unannounced trip to Iraq, where he held meetings with top British and Iraqi officials in the northern city of Kirkuk before travelling to Kurdistan.


Thirty-two men commit suicide amid Britain's biggest childsex probe

Thirty-two men have committed suicide following their arrests in connection with Britain's biggest probe into child pornography, a newspaper reported.


Nalbandian predicts easy victory for Argentina

Argentina's David Nalbandian   predicted on Tuesday a comfortable Davis Cup semi-final victory   over Australia while Lleyton Hewitt faced further criticism   over his decision to hire two bodyguards.


Osservatore Romano, inopportune voci che chiedono di tacere'


At least 10 people are killed in fighting in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, between US forces and suspected Shia militants.


LSU football coach Nick Saban said Wednesday he "absolutely" plans to be the coach of the Tigers for the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, but he stopped short of saying whether he would accept the


Zango and cash In Brief A worm exploiting Javascript support within Apple's embedded QuickTime player has spread across the MySpace network.â¦


Pairing a bullish market signal with positive CAPS sentiment might make for a winning combination.


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Musharraf-Bhutto pact almost done deal: minister

A power-sharing pact between Pakistan's embattled President Pervez Musharraf and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has almost been finalized, a cabinet minister said on Wednesday.


Plus: Original blogger: You're doin' it wrong. Find out what people are saying on News.com Extra.


White House Backs Pelosi In Tumult Over Plane

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received some rare help yesterday from the White House against a barrage of Republican criticism over how she intends to get home.


Taboo stops pregnant women revealing baby worries: survey

Nearly all pregnant women feel stressed at one point during their pregnancy but taboos about admitting to baby worries stop them sharing their concern, a new survey said Thursday.


Harry Redknapp tells BBC Sport he does not want a director of football to join him at Portsmouth.


Reliving Lewis and Clark: Learning the Ways of Indians

Anthony Brandt continues his series on the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804. Christmastime two hundred years ago the Corps of Discovery was wintering in present-day North Dakota, in constant contact with Indians.


Russia's parliament passes Kyoto protocol

Russiaâs lower house of parliament voted in favour of ratifying the Kyoto protocol to curb climate change on Friday. Russiaâs state Duma voted 334 to 73 in favour of the climate treaty to cut global greenhouse gas emissions.


Thirty-four years after his death, Jimi Hendrix continues to enthrall his fans and attract new ones. In a control room at Electric Lady Studios, the facility Hendrix


Bush to focus on Myanmar not Iran in U.N. speech

President George W. Bush is set to announce new U.S. sanctions against Myanmar over human rights as the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders gets under way on Tuesday.


Playing in the Detroit Lions' annual Thanksgiving Day game today for the first time since 1965, the Indianapolis Colts will take Ford Field in appropriate attire: Throwback uniforms from the Baltimore Colts' 1956 season.


The rumors are true: Sprint Nextel will form the No. 3 wireless company.


New computer code that exploits a recently disclosed hole in Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser is circulating on the Internet and could allow remote attackers to take full control of vulnerable Windows machines, according to warnings from


Best-selling book The Da Vinci Code is banned in Lebanon after Catholic leaders deemed it offensive to Christianity.


New Chelsea boss Avram Grant insists he will be his own man after taking over from Jose Mourinho on Thursday.


At least 18 persons were killed and 38 others injured in a road accident in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province on Saturday. The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted police


One of the inventions that put this central New Jersey town on the map could go the way of the typewriter and the horse and buggy if some lawmakers have their way. The incandescent light bulb, perfected for mass use by Thomas A. Edison in the late 19th century, is being supplanted by fluorescent lighting that is more efficient and longer lasting.


Norway Takes the Sting Out of Oil Prices

Crude oil futures inched lower today, after Norway ordered workers to end a strike that was threatening exports from the worldâs third-largest supplier.


Public hearings in Switzerland's biggest corporate trial concluded Friday after weeks of testimony in which the defendants blamed the Belgian government, the big Swiss banks and the Sept. 11 attacks for the downfall of the national airline Swissair.


Patrolling Becomes Electric in St. Peter's Square

Police on foot patrol in one of  the world's largest pedestrian islands -- St. Peter's Square --  got some welcome relief on Friday when new golf-cart style  electric vehicles arrived just in time for Christmas.


Pop icon Robbie Williams dreams of US supermodel Cindy

Pop star Robbie Williams described US supermodel Cindy Crawford as "the best woman in the world", saying she had set the bar very high for his ideal partner.


Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig underwent surgery today in New York City to remove melanoma, a form of skin cancer, from his head, baseball sources said.


Roma, 19:47 - CALCIO, IFFHS: SIVIGLIA SEMPRE AL COMANDO, MILAN QUARTO

E' sempre il Siviglia al comando nella classifica stilata oggi dall'Iffhs, l'Istituto mondiale di st...


Elderly Women With Cervical Cancer Face Tough Battle

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDayNews) -- Elderly women with cervical cancer face an especially difficult struggle, says a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.


After talks in Madrid, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says a new forum for dialogue is opening up on Gibraltar.


Tennis: Henman in Swiss Indoors quarters

Briton Tim Henman struggled to overcome Wayne Moodie of South Africa winning 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 but reached the quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive time at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.


A controversial EU commission nominee sparks a new row by allegedly saying single mums are "not so good".


Actor Thompson Considers Role in Presidential Race

Not enough "star" power for Fred D. Thompson in a GOP presidential field that includes some of his friends? Whatever the case, the actor and former  senator from Tennessee is considering getting into the 2008 race.


Skrastins ready to set new durability milestone

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado  - Colorado's Karlis Skrastins will take his place among sport's greatest on Thursday by setting an NHL record for consecutive games by a defenseman when the Avalanche host the Atlanta Thrashers.


Four vendors team up on new standardized Linux

Four small Linux vendors are working together to create a new Linux Standard Base 2.0-compliant binary set that they hope will attract independent software vendors and hardware makers to port their wares to the new code.


One Georgian soldier killed, two wounded in South Ossetia

MOSCOW, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- A soldier from the Georgian peacekeeping contingent was killed and two others were wounded overnight Tuesday in fire exchanges in the country's separatist region of South Ossetia, three days after a cease-fire agreement went ...


John Snow, United States' Treasury secretary, yesterday said the US government had told the Russian government that the world needed Yukos to keep pumping oil.


A shortfall in UK electricity generation is likely even after the recent decision on nuclear power, a report concludes.


The wisdom of badgers "So," the CTO asked me. "Don't you think Wikipedia is the most amazing thing?"â¦


Airlines say they will review service plans

Major U.S. airlines pledged on Thursday to review and update their customer service plans as necessary and called for a government review of airline and airport contingency plans for handling weather-related problems.


Democratic presidential candidates  Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama suggested on Tuesday they  might lift a trade embargo on Cuba if retiring leader Fidel  Castro's successor moves toward democracy.


A 15-year-old boy was stabbed during an after-school robbery at a suburban high school and died at a hospital early Saturday, authorities said.