Rinnovamento nello Spirito Santo: IX Incontro di FraternitÃ  Nazionale a Frascati (Roma) Roma (Agenzia Fides) - Da venerdÃ¬ 1 a domenica 3 giugno a Frascati (Roma), presso il Centro Giovanni XXIII (via Colle Pizzuto, 2), il Rinnovamento nello Spirito Santo (RnS), movimento che in Italia conta piÃ¹ di 200mila aderenti raggruppati in 1900 gr...


MARKET WATCH Crude prices rise with new concerns for supply ...

HOUSTON, Dec.7 -- After plummeting more than $7/bbl last week, crude futures prices bumped up Monday amid indications by several members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries that they might take action at their meeting Friday in Cairo to


The spaceship, which lifted off on Friday from the remote Baikonur cosmodrome in the steppes of Kazakhstan, carried about 2.5 tons of food, water, fuel and research equipment for Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov and US astronaut Leroy Chiao, who who


Richie Sexson tied the game with a leadoff homer in the eighth and Jose Lopez singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth as the Seattle Mariners rallied for a 6-5 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night.


General Motors Corp.  on Tuesday posted a steeper-than-anticipated 24 percent drop in June sales, as U.S. automakers lost share and overall vehicle sales sputtered in the face of high gas prices and a weak housing market.


Brown pledges 'new Marshall Plan' for developing world

Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown promised a "new Marshall Plan" for the developing world, ahead of a speech intended to outline an ambitious program of financial aid for the poorest nations.


Cagliari, 15:37 - CALCIO: CAGLIARI, 19 CONVOCATI PER UDINE

Il tecnico del Cagliari, Marco Giampaolo, ha convocato 19 giocatori per la gara di domani contro l'U...


A curfew has been imposed on the Afghan city of Herat after protests over the sacking of former governor Ismail Khan, local television reports said.


Second lawmaker called fired prosecutor: paper

A second U.S. Republican lawmaker  has acknowledged calling a federal prosecutor to complain about  the slow pace of corruption cases just before elections last  year, The Washington Post reported on Monday.


When you've run out of ideas, take a close look at the ins and outs of cash-like gifts.


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

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


Body found at U.N. likely suicide victim-police

Police called to the United Nations headquarters on Sunday found the body of a female U.N. employee on the building's lawn, the victim of a suspected suicide.


Italian study backs heart screening for athletes

A screening program for young athletes in Italy drastically cut sudden death among players with hidden heart problems, according to a study published on Tuesday.


Il sindaco di Roma ha ribadito di condividere la parole di Franceschini sul sistema elettorale franceseUna proposta che divide il Pd: dopo molti "no", arriva il "sÃ¬" del ministro della Difesa                                          Da Bondi e Parisi applausi a Veltroni "Parole coerenti, finalmente ha scelto"                                                                                I partiti minori dell'Unione restano critici, apprezzamenti da Forza Italia


Police appeal directly to those in the car from where the shots that killed Danielle Beccan were fired to come forward.


Photo in the News: Colossal Squid Caught off Antarctica

With eyes the size of dinner plates, the sea monster is of a species that is bigger than even the giant squid.


U.S. Core Inflation Hotter Than Expected

U.S. consumer prices rose an  as-expected 0.2 percent last month, a government report showed  on Tuesday, but a sharp jump in lodging costs helped push core  inflation up at its fastest pace in five months.


Gandhi star Sir Ben Kingsley marries his fourth wife, Brazilian actress Daniela Barbose de Carneiro, in the UK.


Stocks could face a challenge this  week to bounce back from Friday's post-Thanksgiving drop unless  there is some tempering of the dollar's weakness that sparked  the sell off.


New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd has asked to be traded to another National Basketball Association team, American sports network ESPN reported on Monday.


A Belgian court on Friday will hear Google Inc.'s defense against local newspaper complaints that it stole content from their Web sites without paying them or asking their permission.


Nine dead after AA gun goes haywire South Africa authorities are investigating how nine soldiers were killed and 15 injured during a training exercise when an anti-aircraft gun went haywire.â¦


BEIJING, Dec. 25 -- Outraged that his Internet posting about dogs had been banned, Chen Yuhua wrote to the mayor of Beijing. No answer. He wrote to the city council. Still no answer. When all else failed, he consulted a lawyer, studied China's civil code and marched into court with a lawsuit.


BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces sealed off roads to an insurgent stronghold south of Baghdad on Wednesday and militants bombed two bridges in an apparent bid to hinder troop movement, as pro-government forces tried to retake control of the region ahead of national elections...


USAID Scrambles to Send Observers to Pakistan

The Washington Post\\'s ongoing investigation of the state of medical care and facilities at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the overall military and VA health care systems.


A team of 20 scientists is joining the search for a missing H-bomb off the coast of Georgia. The government believes a report of some unusual radiation readings might be coming from a hydrogen bomb that was lost near Tybee Island in 1958.


DVD: Mellow and Groovy and Fighting Crime

âThe Mod Squadâ was the first television show in which young counterculture delinquents sought to redeem themselves by joining the police force.


"Mary Poppins" and "The Producers" led the nominations Thursday for this year's Laurence Olivier Awards, honoring achievement in London theater, opera, and dance during 2004.


World chess champion Vladimir Kramnik lost the sixth and decisive game against computer program Deep Fritz on Tuesday, ceding a hard-fought Man vs. Machine match 4-2.


Israel Issues Warning on Eve of Palestinian Vote

A deadly Palestinian attack in the West Bank drew a threat from Israel Saturday to scrap a promise to limit military operations on the eve of a presidential election to pick a successor to Yasser Arafat.


Uno dei tre indagati per il duplice omicidio ha cercato di impiccarsinella sua cella a Padova, salvato da un secondino. Ha confessato che riproverÃ  a farla finita                                          Treviso, coniugi uccisi in villa albanese tenta suicidio in carcere                                                                                Tornato nella dependance, tra le lacrime, ha ricostruito i momenti terribili del delitto


Paris turned back the clock Wednesday for a grandiose fete to remember the tears, the joy and the euphoria that heralded the liberation of the French capital 60 years ago as it threw off the shackles of Nazi occupation.


Calcio, Lazio; Lotito: Caso? Andranno via anche giocatori

Un piano di ristrutturazione che non riguarderÃ  solo il tecnico ma anche "soluzioni di partenze di alcuni giocatori che non sono compatibili con il nostro ambiente". Il giorno dopo la sconfitta al Delle Alpi


Cagliari, 19:22 - CALCIO, CAGLIARI: GIAMPAOLO IN OSPEDALE DOPO PALLONATA

Non è un inizio di campionato da ricordare per il tecnico del Cagliari Marco Giampaolo. L'all...


The two main contenders in Australia's federal election make their final pitches before Saturday's poll.


Journalism 2.0 Lazy hacks have been suckered by the miracle of Web 2.0, again. This time it's not Wikipedia, but a phoney Facebook profile created for 19-year old Bilawal Lawalib that found its way onto the journalists' clipboards - and out back onto the Web.â¦


Suicide bomb kills at least 85 in Iraq's Kirkuk

At least 85 people were killed on Monday by a suicide truck bomb in the volatile Iraqi city of Kirkuk, some of them trapped on a bus where they burned to death, a witness said.


ICC says Darfur evidence enough to prosecute

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has nearly completed an investigation into war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region and has sufficient evidence to file charges soon, he said on Thursday.


The last-place Flyers signed right winger Mike Knuble to a two-year contract extension Wednesday, keeping him in Philadelphia through the 2008-09 season.


Elizabeth Edwards diagnosed with breast cancer

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, was diagnosed with breast cancer the day her husband and Sen. John Kerry conceded the presidential race.


Prince William and former girlfriend Kate Middleton have resumed their relationship, British newspapers reported.


Crashing moon probes, lost croc hunters and bouncing bombs

And we find out where our Da is Letters Europe's first ever mission to the moon came to a smashing end on Sunday (bad punning, we know) as the mission scientists deliberately crashed the probe into the lunar surface. That's all very well, you said, but where are all the pictures?â¦


Mike Radja capped a three-goal rally with a goal at 16:05 of the third period, and James vanRiemsdyk also scored in their first game back as No. 8 New Hampshire edged No. 5 Massachusetts, 3-2, last night in Amherst.


Alex, a Parrot Who Had a Way With Words, Dies

An African Grey parrot who learned more than 100 words, Alex was the subject of years of scientific study.


Ten years after it unveiled its first dream house, Microsoft has a new demonstration home showcasing technology that Microsoft is betting will become commonplace within a few years.


TORONTO  - Irish actor Cillian Murphy will join Al Pacino in a movie about Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali.


Increase your earning potential with an accredited online degree. Enroll at Kaplan University - the trusted name in education. Point, click, get ahead. Choose your field of study.


Manchester United this morning revealed how the contingent payments to Everton for Wayne Rooney will be structured in a statement to the Stock Exchange.


Sun to offer new Solaris as 'open-source' software

It cost Sun Microsystems $5 billion to develop Solaris, a powerful computer operating system used by governments and giant corporations worldwide.


Andy Roddick smacked a 135 mph service winner, leaned back and screamed, then nodded his head as he jogged to the sideline, knowing he was one set away from a U.S. Open final showdown against Roger Federer.


"Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights Â Hollywood to the Heartland" is only sporadically wild, but it does indeed go through some Western states. It also ends up feeling about as long and draggy as the title itself.


PeopleSoft Directors Reject Oracle's Offer

The board of PeopleSoft Inc. yesterday rejected Oracle Corp.'s $24-a-share hostile takeover bid as too cheap, but said it was open to a deal at a higher price.


Paralympics: Britons Break Records in Track Cycling

Three world records fell at the cycling  track on the opening day of competition at the Paralympics  Saturday.


Spansion looks for partners to cut costs

Memory device company Spansion Inc.  said on Monday it was looking for more partners to cut development costs and pack more power into flash memory chips and expand its product line-up.


Police investigating the murder of schoolboy Thomas Devlin release former MLA Billy Hutchinson.


New service lets users sell their own song from their Web pages.


Presidential candidate Ralph Nader won a spot Wednesday on the November ballot in Washington state but suffered setbacks in his effort to be listed on Michigan, Oregon and Texas ballots.


Waitrose unveils plans to expand overseas with a deal to open its food stores in the United Arab Emirates.


Arena project divides Brooklyn residents

A state senator stood up and endorsed a development project that includes a new arena for the New Jersey Nets. He was shouted down by a woman who opposes the plan. The woman was immediately engulfed in boos and jeers by a crowd including construction workers, affordable housing advocates and teenagers wearing NBA jerseys.


Compiegne, 18:43 - CICLISMO, TOUR: CANCELLARA VINCE TERZA TAPPA

Fabian Cancellara (CSC) ha vinto la terza tappa del Tour de France, da Waregem a Compiegne di 236,5 ...


Milano, 18:57 - CALCIO, FACCHETTI; IL SALUTO DI MORATTI: GRAZIE PER LA PAZIENZA

Questo il saluto del patron dell'Inter Massimo Moratti a Giacinto Facchetti, scomparso oggi all'et&a...


Sen. John McCain made it official on Wednesday that he is seeking the 2008 Republican presidential nomination and said he plans a formal announcement in April.


Russia marks the third anniversary of the Beslan school siege, in which hundreds of people died.


Row, row, row (and row and row) your boat across the Pacific

Blog: Roz Savage plans to set off next week in a bid to become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific and to raise awareness about the effects of pollution in our oceans.


Hollywood producers pick film award nominees

The Producers Guild of America unveiled nominees for its film awards on Monday picking a range of movies including comedy "Juno" and legal thriller "Michael Clayton" in a key hurdle in Hollywood's Oscar race.


Moon remains a mystery to scientists after three decades of exploration

Despite more than four decades of lunar missions, the moon remains a mystery to the scientific community, say space experts gathered at an international meeting.


Blog: Add carbon dioxide, water, heat. Serves cars.


A U.S. soldier was sentenced to three  years in jail for the murder of a wounded Iraqi teenager in  Baghdad in August, the U.S. military said on Saturday.


Un dato emerso dalla prima ricerca in Italia sul fenomeno


Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, is due to start a Middle East tour, travelling first to Lebanon.


Have your say Reader Poll IP telephony (IPT) solutions have been in the market for quite a while and our research indicates continued and growing activity in this area. However, the issue of service and call quality is still frequently mentioned in the press, with references to small businesses in particular ripping out their VoIP/IPT solutions and going back to analogue telephony. Sounds a bit drastic, so we thought we would check this out further.â¦


We can understand the anger exhibited by members of the Rhode Island House Finance Committee the other week over a cost overrun of 22 percent in the renovation of the state's civic arena (a.k.a., the Dunkin' Donuts Center).


TSE Decision on Nikko Cordial Delisting to Come Next Week

By Kyodo News International, Tokyo  Mar. 9--TOKYO -- The Tokyo Stock Exchange will be able to make a decision  on the delisting of Nikko Cordial Corp.


First look at the iPhone: Tomorrow's technology today

So was all the hype about the iPhone just so much buzz? Nope, says Computeworld's Mike DeAgonia. The iPhone does indeed deliver tomorrow's technology today.


A Scottish university project is trying to persuade art students to consider a career in the games industry.


If you own any domain names ending in .net, you will be required to pony up an extra $0.75 per year per .net domain name, courtesy of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).


Part of the UK's national sound archive could be lost as a result of copyright law, the British Library warns.


Lisbona, 19:56 - CALCIO, LIVERPOOL: RISSA IN RITIRO TRA BELLAMY E RIISE

Ritiro bollente per il Liverpool in Portogallo in vista della gara di Champions con il Barcellona. C...


HP and MIT form worldwide digital archiving group

Antarctica aside HP and MIT have formed an independent organization to support the work of digital archivists who use the DSpace open source archiving software.â¦


The Democratic majority was only three weeks old, but by Jan. 26, the grass-roots and Net-roots activists of the party's left wing had already settled on their new enemy: Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.), the outspoken chair of the centrist New Democrat Coalition.


The Russian state-run company building a nuclear plant in Iran warned Wednesday that Iranian payment delays may cause "irreversible" damage to the project — another strong signal of Moscow's annoyance with Tehran.


"The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life." — Luciano Pavarotti's manager, Terri Robson, in a statement on the opera superstar's death this week at age 71.


Nel rispetto dell'equita', occorre guardare mercati extra-Ue


TORONTO - ING Canada, the biggest property and casualty insurance company in Canada, wants to raise money by going public through an initial public offering (IPO).


Chelsea deliberately targeted Adrian Mutu because they suspected him of using drugs, chief executive Peter Kenyon has told BBC Sport.


Two charged with espionage sought funding in China

(InfoWorld) - A federal grand jury indicted two men in California of conspiring to steal high tech trade secrets and develop them with venture capital funding they sought to obtain from China. The two, Lan Lee, 42, of Palo Alto and Yuefei Ge, 34, of San Jose, are accused of trying to steal trade secrets from their employer, chip maker NetLogics Microsystems. The indictment indicates the two allegedly hoped to win funding from China's General Arms Department and the 863 program, which is a government-led project aimed at boosting technology research in China. Lee is an American, while Ge is a Chinese national. The grand jury indicted the men on a total of six counts, including two counts of conspiracy and as well as two counts of economic espionage and two of theft of trade secrets, said a statement issued Wednesday and attributed to Scott Schools, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California. A large amount of evidence against the two men appears to have come from their home computers, according to the original indictment made on June 15. Wednesday's indictment supersedes that one. Lee allegedly downloaded chip technology belonging to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) from a server at NetLogics and installed it on his home computer sometime between May, 2002 and the end of July, 2003; while Ge allegedly installed data sheets for network coprocessor chips from NetLogics on his home computer around the same time. The two men also allegedly established a Delaware company, SICO Microsystems, to further develop the technologies and sell them in tandem with a Chinese venture capital company, Beijing FBNI Electronic Technology Development Co. "SICO agreed with FBNI to develop and sell microprocessor chips and to assist in securing funding for SICO," the original indictment says. The original indictment makes no mention of possible involvement by the government of China. The two men had been released on the original indictment on $300,000 bonds. Their next court appearance in the superseding indictment is Oct. 29, 2007. NetLogic and TSMC cooperated with the investigation, the statement says.


Malaysia's former deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has returned to Malaysia after two months abroad. He was met by hundreds of supporters outside his house in the capital.


New Republicâs Editor in Chief Sells His Share of the Magazine

Martin Peretz, who has been a part owner of The New Republic for more than three decades, has given up his share of the magazine, but will remain as editor in chief.


Troops patrol Pakistani city after blast kills 42

Troops patrolled the Pakistani city of Multan on Friday amid fears of revenge attacks a day after a car bomb exploded at a rally of radical Sunni Muslims, killing at least 42 people.


Camp Ends for Giants, but Questions About Strahan Donât

Of all the questions the Giants hoped to answer during training camp, one persists: At some point, will they find defensive end Michael Strahan waiting for them at home?


M&A bankers deal with something new: idle time

Private equity consultant Jeff Temple and his friend at a major Wall Street investment bank had been used to working well into the evening -- which was why they were surprised to find they weren't too busy to meet for drinks at 5:30 p.m. recently.


The first Malaysian astronaut in space returns safely to Earth from the International Space Station.


Prime Minister Tony Blair went into his weekly Commons showdown facing fresh unrest among Labour MPs over Iraq. Mr Blair was pressed over the request for soldiers to be sent into US-controlled hotspots at Prime Minister's Questions.


Kerry Links Assault Weapons to Terrorism

John Kerry linked U.S. assault weapon sales to worries about terrorism Friday and said President Bush was bowing to the National Rifle Association by not pushing to keep alive an expiring ban.


Dell slips up with Linux PC warranty options

Blog: The company "inadvertently" removes extended warranty choices for Linux PCs, but they'll be back Tuesday.


US welcomes EU plan to lift trade sanctions

US President George W. Bush's administration welcomed Monday a European plan to lift US trade sanctions imposed over an illegal export tax break scheme.


Robbie Fowler scores twice but Liverpool lose to Galatasaray in their final Champions League group game.


Breast cancer screening under 50 questioned

Screening women under 50 years old for breast cancer does not significantly reduce deaths from the disease, British researchers said on Friday.


Neither early elections nor a plebiscite are particularly desirable. However either of them would be preferable to a civil war, which is where the country could be headed, thanks to the growing extremism of


U.S. agents make progress in Sudan killing probe

U.S. and Sudanese security agents are close to identifying a suspect in the shooting of an American aid official and his driver in Khartoum, Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.


Chelsea cruise past Norwich at Stamford Bridge to move six points clear in the Premiership.


Ex-General Expected to Win Election in Indonesia

If elected, Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pledged to continue the civilian rule, curb rampant corruption, create jobs and improve security.


Netezza will scale its appliance to petabyte range

Citing need among its customers and the broader market, Netezza announced on Monday that its Netezza Performance Server, a data warehousing appliance for BI (business intelligence) analytics, will soon be scalable to the petabyte level.Systems capable of that scale will be available beginning in the middle of this year, according to the company. The increased performance will be made possible in part through the company's recently announced Compress Engine, for advanced compression, according to Netezza. The new systems will also support multiterabyte per hour data-loading, the company said.Netezza, based in Framingham, Massachusetts, has regularly announced performance improvements since launching its appliance in 2002. That initial version could handle up to 6TB of data, according to the company. That leapfrogged to 27TB in 2004 and 100TB in 2005, Netezza said."We have a number of customers who are now at or approaching that upper range," said Phil Francisco, the company's director of product marketing.Francisco said the new systems will preserve the company's existing pricing model. Low-end systems start below $200,000 and scale up from there, with support coming at additional cost, he said.Richard Winter, a consultant with Winter Corp. in Waltham, Massachusetts, said the BI market is ripe for more powerful data-crunching products. "Every time you turn around you see another industry that's facing a tidal wave of data and they need to understand what this data is saying," he said. "Many of them have data volumes in this range that they haven't been able to afford to analyze, as much as they'd like to. ... [Netezza] can deliver that analytic capability, and at a very attractive price."James Kobielus, an analyst with Forrester Research, said Netezza is now aiming for the highest end of the data warehousing market, going after the likes of Teradata."Being able to scale up to a petabyte in context of an NPS deployment will go a long way toward getting Netezza in that inner circle of vendors," he said.The company may face certain problems of perception when attempting to poach such vendors' customers, however. "Their chief challenge is the fact that they're a startup," Kobielus said. "They're definitely not as old and mature as the IBMs and Teradatas."Netezza also may have limited appeal to customers that would prefer a one-stop shopping approach for their BI-data warehousing needs. Instead, Netezza has partnered with BI vendors such as Business Objects.In addition, heightened competition may be around the corner for the firm, according to the analysts."Over the course of the year you'll also see some appliance-type offerings from the major players like Teradata and Oracle," Winter said. "They'll compete down the road."Kobielus said he sees Microsoft making a particularly strong push in coming months."I am confident Microsoft will have some really important announcements this year," he said. "Definitely look out for those guys."


Crystal Langhorne has 25 points and 12 rebounds on Sunday to help No. 4 Maryland beat No. 12 Duke, 76-69, just hours after coach Brenda Frese gives birth to twin boys.


Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain offered help for the Lebanese Army and vowed to renew efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.


IDC Raises '04 PC Outlook, Trims Forecast

Market research firm IDC has raised its 2004 forecast for global personal computer sales growth to 14.2 percent from 13.5 percent, driven by high commercial demand, it said on Monday.


Si punta ad ottenere maggiori sinergie dalla collaborazione


Lo afferma il vicesegretario Ugl, domani incontro con Maroni


Actress Lindsay Lohan narrowly escaped a horrible accident on the set of her new movie "Herbie: Fully Loaded." Missing her by only inches, a billboard which hung from a huge chain swung at the 18-year-old teen queen. The movie is based on the 19...


Athletic shoe retailer Foot Locker Inc. on Thursday said its third-quarter profit grew on higher sales, meeting Wall Street estimates.


Iran's New Alliance With China Could Cost U.S. Leverage

A major new alliance is emerging between Iran and China that threatens to undermine U.S. ability to pressure Tehran on its nuclear program, support for extremist groups and refusal to back Arab-Israeli peace efforts.


Sports Briefing | Rowing: Four U.S. Teams Reach Henley Semifinals

California-Berkeley defeated Georgetown by four and a half lengths in the most lopsided of four quarterfinals yesterday, and it led three other United States teams into the semifinals of the Temple Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in England. The Cal crew will now race Brown, which won by three and three-quarter lengths over the University of the West of England. Colgate also advanced by beating Irelandâs Trinity College of Dublin by one and a quarter lengths; it will face Cornell, which edged Englandâs University of Bristol by a quarter length.


Hanson crosses "Great Divide" with anonymous airplay

Listeners tuning in to Chicago  alternative rock station WKQX (Q101) on August 9 heard a  catchy, guitar-driven track called "The Great Divide," followed  by an announcement that the song was produced by a "mystery  artist." It quickly became the most-requested song on the  station and was put into power rotation by the programming  department.


Nature is fighting back in response to female promiscuity by producing a biological 'sperm' chastity belt, say US scientists.


If the welcome home party was grand, the send-off was equally spectacular as Athens bid a fabulous farewell to the world's 10,500-odd sportspersons from a record 202 countries that assembled in Athens for the Olympic Games which concluded on Sunday night.


Belarus Bank Denies Money Laundering Charge

A bank in Belarus has denied US charges that it laundered money for former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Infobank, in a statement, said it has strictly followed international agreements related to the fight against illegal transactions.


Venezuela says some oil majors reject takeovers

Some oil majors have rejected  Venezuela's terms for the takeover of their multi-billion  dollar projects and can leave the OPEC nation, President Hugo  Chavez said on Friday, days before a deadline for them to  strike nationalization deals.


Voter turnout seen low among Iraqi expatriates

AMMAN, Jordan -- Iraqi voters living here and flying in from around the Middle East turned out yesterday on the final day of registration for Iraq's historic election, speaking excitedly of freedom and an unwillingness to bend to boycott calls. But turnout remained low.


Prince Charles commissions a piece of classical music in memory of his grandmother, the Queen Mother.


Turkmenistan's new president took office Wednesday with a pledge to follow the ways of longtime autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov, but also promising changes in a country ruled for decades in an all-encompassing cult of personality.


Maria Sharapova won the first set of the U.S. Open women's final Saturday night, 6-4 over Justine Henin-Hardenne.


The trial of a neo-Nazi accused of plotting a bomb attack on a Jewish cultural centre is set to start in Munich.


The White House is distributing government-produced, anti-drug videos on YouTube, the trendy Internet service that already features clips of wacky, drug-induced behavior and step-by-step instructions for growing marijuana plants.


L'Inter umilia il Valencia Sheva di testa, il Milan passa

Roma, 20 ottobre 2004 - Italia - Spagna finisce due a zero . Un'Inter strepitosa batte il Valencia 5-1 nella gara valida per la terza giornata del gruppo G di Champions League. Il Milan ha battuto il Barcellona


Indonesia: Editor's jail sentence threatens press freedom

Handing down a jail sentence for a libel case has serious implications for press freedom in Indonesia, said Natalie Hill, deputy Asia director at Amnesty International, commenting on the jail sentence imposed on the chief editor of leading news magazine


Milano, 19:47 - CALCIO, MILAN: KAKA' RECUPERA, SEEDORF NO

Ricardo Kakà ha definitivamente superato i problemi al ginocchio, e al termine dell'allenamen...


Tolkien Heirs Sue New Line Over Millions From âRingsâ

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


Mets will take Pedro ... and his baggage

Yesterday was the Mets' annual Christmas party and the talk, as it often does this time of year, turned to naughty or nice. After all, Pedro Martinez is coming to town.


Protesters Try to Enter Ukraine Parliament

Angry opposition protesters tried to push their way into the Ukrainian parliament building Tuesday after lawmakers appeared to backslide on their support for efforts to overturn the results of last week's disputed presidential election.


LA PAZ, Bolivia -- When President Evo Morales took state control of Bolivia's energy sector nearly two years ago, critics warned that investors would abandon the country's gas fields and ultimately sink the industry.


The House and the Senate overwhelmingly approved the $146 billion measure, sending President Bush what would be his fourth tax cut in four years.


Mibtel +0,04%, Numtel +0,16%, bene le altre piazze europee


Vaccine Works to Prevent Cervical Cancer

An experimental vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, first proved effective in preliminary testing two years ago, has continued to provide protection against the disease, researchers reported yesterday.


By Jaynelle Ramon, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson  Feb. 1--It's a great time to be a TV watcher -- big shows coming back from long hiatuses and no repeats until summer.


Sad love, crazy love, bad love, joyful love, life-or-death love: those were what Concha Buika sang about in her magnificent New York City debut.


Amburgo, 12:24 - CALCIO, BILD: JUVE SU VAN DER VAART

Rafael Van der Vaart sarebbe il nuovo rinforzo juventino per la prossima stagione. Lo scrive il quot...


Torino, 19:38 - CALCIO, FURTO AL TORINO: POLIZIA RECUPERA REFURTIVA

La polizia del commissariato di zona ha recuperato l'attrezzatura del Torino Calcio rubata ieri matt...


Transcript of Bill OâReillyâs Talking Points Memo regarding the lawsuit filed by Andrea Macklis. âFirst of all, I want to send my best to Captain Luis (Louise?


Mr. 59: Mickelson gets milestone in Slam win

The Masters champion shot a 13-under-par 59 on Wednesday and won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, a two-day competition for the year's four major winners.


US Would Allow 720 Snowmobiles Daily at Yellowstone

ASHINGTON, Aug. 19 - With federal courts in disagreement over how many snowmobiles should be permitted in Yellowstone National Park, the National Park Service on Thursday proposed allowing as many as 720 a day for three years until ...


New technology supercharges dog-sled racing. This is the real polar express. By Aria Pearson from Wired magazine.


LenDale White is often overshadowed by electrifying teammate Reggie Bush. He wasn't Saturday night. While Bush was held in check, White ran for 118 yards on 16 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead No. 1 Southern California to a 49-9 victory over outmanned Arizona.


Australian embassy blast shows JI still a major threat: experts

International terrorism and security experts, who are in Singapore for a conference have issued a grim warning that while the Jemaah Islamiyah has lost many of its foot soldiers it has not been put out of action yet.


U.S.-based venture capital investments reached their highest point last year since 2001 with software remaining the strongest category, according to The MoneyTree Report, released this week by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA).VC firms sunk some $29.4 billion into 3,813 U.S. deals in 2007, according to the report.Software-related VC funding once again received the most money with $5.3 billion, compared to $5.1 billion in 2006, according to the report, which used data from Thomson Financial.VC spending on other technology categories also rose. Funding for computer- and peripheral-based interests was $580 million, up from $497 million in 2006; IT services, $1.3 billion, compared to $1.1 billion in 2006; networking and equipment, $1.25 billion, compared to $1.1 billion the previous year.However, semiconductor VC investment fell to $1.85 billion, from $2.14 billion in 2006. Telecommunication also saw a slowdown, falling to $2.14 billion, compared to $2.6 billion in 2006.While the VC market has hardly bounced back from its boom year -- 2000, when spending stood at $105 billion according to NVCA -- it has slowly crawled back to life. A low point came in 2003, when VC investments were a mere $19.7 billion, NVCA data shows.Major software vendors employ varying strategies toward the VC market. While some companies, notably Sun, infuse cash into startup companies through funds of their own, others, such as IBM, take a different tack, working with VC firms to analyze their portfolios and spot companies that could be potential future partners."We're not in the venture investment business," said Claudia Fan Munce, managing director of IBM's venture capital group and vice president of corporate strategy."The due diligence process today is much, much heavier," Munce remarked of the current climate. But as the report's numbers indicate, venture investing is far from dead. "They're coming back in a very different way. They're not just looking at Silicon Valley," Munce said.According to the study released this week, U.S.-based VCs invested $1.1 billion in India and $1.4 billion in China, record highs for U.S. investments in those nations (The numbers are not included in the study's aggregate totals, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.).


Vioxx, Celebrex Were Overprescribed, Study Says

The two popular painkillers Vioxx and  Celebrex, heavily marketed as "super-aspirin," were prescribed  for millions of patients who did not need them or should not  have taken them, researchers said on Friday.


Student loses ruling over "Bong Hits 4 Jesus"

A high school student who was suspended for unfurling a banner saying "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" did not have his rights violated, a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday in its first major decision on student free-speech rights in nearly 20 years.


John Walker Lindh Asks for Reduction in 20-Year Jail Term

Lawyers for John Walker Lindh, the 23- year-old Californian serving a 20-year sentence for helping the Taliban in Afghanistan, will ask President George W. Bush to reduce Lindh's sentence.


Facebook's marketing goldmine may be crock of shite

Just add the Disappointment Widget Several times a year I receive emails congratulating me on my age from websites. It's very thoughtful of them to do this - but then it's not often they get the opportunity to market to a genuine silver surfer, like me. You see, I'm actually 112 years old. Or 103. Or 107. And several ages in-between.â¦


Marcel Marceau, Renowned Mime, Dies at 84

Marcel Marceau was a wiry French mime who mostly performed as the chalk-faced Bip and did much to revive the art of pantomime.


Roma, 17:16 - CALCIO, SERIE C2: RISULTATI 25/a GIORNATA

Risultati della 25/a giornata, 8/a di ritorno, del campionato di serie C2.


US tycoon Donald Trump marries for the third time, in a glitzy ceremony attracting huge media attention.


Cablevision eyes Rainbow spin off in 4th quarter

Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday said the spin-off of its Rainbow DBS satellite holdings would be completed in the fourth quarter, rather than the third quarter as it had earlier said.


Baudo 'e' una vergogna', 51 euro al giorno per gli 'esterni'


Playboy Enterprises Inc. (PLA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the adult entertainment company, on Tuesday reported a third-quarter profit, reversing a year-earlier loss


Plus, trying to topple eBay, and H&R Block files one away.


Armando Guebuza, one of Mozambique's richest businessmen and a stalwart of the ruling party, has crowned his political career by being elected president.


Paris Hilton gets out of jail for medical reasons

The judge who sent Paris Hilton to jail called a hearing for Friday on why the hotel heiress was released early and placed under house arrest in a move swiftly challenged by prosecutors and local politicians.


SanDisk pushes faster, bigger flash cards

Flash memory company SanDisk is offering a one-two punch with new CF, Memory Stick, and SD cards offering greater speed and capacity.


Kidnappers released two Italian women and five other hostages Tuesday, raising hopes for foreigners still in captivity. Insurgents showed no sign of easing their


A bystander is seriously injured in hospital after being shot during a robbery on a security van in Essex.


Federal government tells consumers to be on the lookout for ...

It's a concern that every parent has during the holiday season - making sure the toy or product they buy for their child is safe.


Iraqi Conference on Election Plan Sinks Into Chaos

The conference was thrown into disorder by delegates staging protests against the U.S.-led military operation in Najaf.


Two men and a 15-year-old are due in court charged with murdering a member of the Travelling community.


A child abuse expert will testify at singer Michael Jackson's trial, despite defence lawyer protests.


By Chad Lawhorn, Journal-World, Lawrence, Kan.  Feb. 3--The ideas are flowing now.


Snow forces JetBlue to cancel 66 flights

JetBlue canceled 66 flights because of snow Monday and tested the airline's customer bill of rights created after an uproar of criticism from the Valentine's Day storm that grounded more than 1,000 flights.


I medici di Parigi: Arafat non ha la leucemia e sta migliorando

Lo avevano dato giÃ  per certo, i giornali israeliani e americani. Invece il presidente dell'AutoritÃ  nazionale palestinese Yasser Arafat non Ã¨ affetto dalla leucemia. E il responso questa volta Ã¨ assolutamente


Three British soldiers were killed in a suspected "friendly fire" incident involving a bomb dropped from a U.S. fighter plane during a clash with Taliban militants in Afghanistan, military officials said Friday.


BAGHDAD, Iraq Dec 10, 2004 - A US soldier pleaded guilty at his court-martial Friday to killing a severely wounded 16-year-old Iraqi male during fierce fighting in Baghdad's impoverished Sadr City neighborhood, the military said.


For years, the government has failed to prepare adequately for an influenza pandemic and has no concrete plans for distributing scarce vaccine to people at high risk in such an emergency, a federal health care analyst said yesterday.


4,000 Volkswagen employees yesterday staged strikes against plans by the car manufacturer to freeze wages for two years. Volkswagen says it needs to cut costs because of competition from low-cost rivals, and


Generation Who Prefer to Send a Text Than Talk

By HELEN BRUCE  YOUNG Irish people are enjoying a hectic text life  new figures show they now send more messages to each other than make phone calls.   And there is very little difference between the sexes.


Saudi security officials said a foreigner was killed Wednesday near a Riyadh shopping center. A Saudi-owned TV station said the man was a Briton who was shot dead in a parking lot.


We're still ranting about the lame takedown of Captain America. If you're going to kill a superhero, do it with style. Geez, is there no justice? Adam Rogers in Underwire.


Reporter Who Shielded Source Will Serve Sentence at Home

A Rhode Island television reporter was sentenced on Thursday to six months of home confinement for refusing to reveal who gave him an FBI videotape that was evidence


Charmaine and her husband tried for over a year to have a child. The day she found out she was pregnant, a doctor told her she was HIV-positive.


Russia has always held a special fascination for Americans because...

Russia has always held a special fascination for Americans because during the Cold War, the country was vilified as our worst enemy.


News: Search News - Yahoo Partners With Adobe

Adobe Systems Inc., and Yahoo! today announced a partnership aimed at providing access to Yahoo! Search through Adobe Reader and a co-branded toolbar featuring Adobe Services.


The militant 'Islamic Army in Iraq' says it has killed two Macedonian hostages it calls 'US spies'.


Wis. Officials Capture Wandering Kangaroo

DODGEVILLE, Wis. - A kangaroo that went on a walkabout in frigid Wisconsin was captured Wednesday. But where the marsupial came from remained a mystery.  Sheriff's deputies cornered the 150-pound kangaroo in a barn after receiving calls for days from shocked residents who had seen it.


A former pizza deliveryman now serving a prison term for rape was charged Thursday with murdering 10 women whose deaths were allegedly linked to him through DNA evidence.


Arts & entertainment: BBC and Ofcom receive almost 150 complaints about bad language in Saturday's Live Earth coverage.


Clinton staying at hospital with high death rate

NEW YORK -- The hospital where former President Bill Clinton awaits bypass surgery in the next few days has the highest death rate for the operation in New York state, according to the state's Health Department.


Cayman Islanders clambered onto rooftops and kitchen tables Sunday to escape surging the floodwaters of Hurricane Ivan. A monster storm packing 150 mph (240 kph) winds


Sri Lanka army attacks Tigers, 11 soldiers killed

The Sri Lanka army said it had attacked   and overrun several rebel Tamil Tiger bunkers on Saturday, with   at least 11 soldiers and many rebels killed.


A mother makes a public appeal in New Zealand for the return of her baby, taken by her estranged husband.


A Moscow court jails three men for life for attacks on the city's underground in 2004 which killed 49 people.


Tiger Woods to hold wedding on Barbados?

Tiger Woods says he's planning a Caribbean vacation, but in Barbados reports of an imminent wedding to Swedish model Elin Nordegren are the talk of the island.


Chryslerâs deal with the Chinese automaker, Chery, is the first attempt by a U.S. automaker to use China as a manufacturing base for world markets.


The Russian oil giant Yukos said on Sunday that it would immediately reduce some of its rail exports of crude oil to China. It appears to be the first time that Yukos's


Anche divisione Truck registra leggero aumento dell'Ebit


Pelosi Calls Iraq War 'Grotesque Mistake'

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Saturday called the war in Iraq a "grotesque mistake" that has not made the United States safer.


Most Diversity Training Ineffective, Study Finds

Most diversity training efforts at American companies are ineffective and even counterproductive in increasing the number of women and minorities in managerial positions, according to an analysis that turns decades of conventional wisdom, government policy and court rulings on their head.


Mibtel +0,41%, bene anche SP/Mib e All Stars


The European Parliament has called on Ukraine's government to run a clean presidential election Sunday, the Moscow Times said this weekend.


Merck (nyse: MRK - news - people ) will conduct its annual analyst meeting tomorrow. The drug company is expected to provide information regarding liabilities for potential Vioxx-related lawsuits.


Marriott Int'l profit falls 5 pct on flat sales

Marriott International Inc.  on Thursday said its third-quarter net income fell 5 percent on flat sales that were hurt by a loss in its synthetic fuel business.


Dare Obasanjo works at Microsoft.  In his blog post about the Yahoo layoffs, in a postscript, he indicates that Microsoft is interested in creating a Twitter clone.  I've said openly, on Twitter (and now here) that I would like to be part of a venture that aims to create a scalable Twitter. I've had several conversations with people who are attempting to do this. I haven't done a deal yet. My bet: There will be a lot of growth in Twitter in the coming years, and it seems likely that the Twitter company will not be able to scale their systems to meet the demand. There are features that should have been in the product and in the API months ago that are on the back-burner, likely due to Twitter's constant battle to meet meet demand (scaling). As a user, I'd like to view the product and the company as a black box, but that's impossible with the system glitches and outages. What users are doing now with Twitter is far more important, imho, than the servers, or the company. The company, understandably, thinks their issues are most important, but that's a matter of perspective. We don't own any stock in the company, so our perspective reflects that. To us, they're a utility. All this is a verbose way of saying that Microsoft applying their resources and scaling knowhow to this problem woud be an interesting development.


Canada's Grandi ends 12-year wait for first victory

The night before Thomas Grandi captured a giant slalom for his first victory in his 12 World Cup seasons, he was approached by a youngster who predicted he would win.


In fiamme la raffineria Api Morto un autotrasportatore, tre ...

Ancona, 8 settembre 2004 - E' stato ritrovato nel pomeriggio il corpo di Sebastiano Parisse, l'autotrasportatore di cui non si avevano piÃ¹ notizie e che era stato dato per disperso dopo l'incendio avvenuto stamattina nella raffineria Api di Falconara


England won their first ever Dubai Sevens title last night, beating Fiji 26-21 in a nail-biter of a final. The visitors went behind early on at the Exiles Club with Kameli Ratuvou going over, but Mike Friday's


Static passwords expose 'keys to the kingdom' says survey Half of all enterprises have more administrative passwords than those attached to ordinary user accounts. Many (42 per cent) of these privileged passwords are never changed, according to a survey.â¦


Former model Olga Kurylenko will play James Bond's sidekick in the 22nd 007 movie, producers announce.


Scientists to microchip fish to track movements

Scientists will soon start attaching  microchips to fish and other marine animals to track their  movements around the world's oceans and learn how they are  being affected by phenomena such as climate change and  overfishing, experts said on Monday.


Visiting Indian delegation gets earful from U.S. workers dislocated by outsourcing.


VENTURA, Calif. - Gordon Cooper, who as one of the original Mercury astronauts was a pioneer in human space exploration, has died.


Skirmishes continue in tense Pakistan tribal region

WANA, Pakistan Pakistani forces and militants are battling in a tense tribal region near the border with Afghanistan following air strikes that killed at least 50 people.


Naomi Campbell will not be charged with assault because there is insufficient evidence, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said Wednesday.


Two senior peers tell the BBC they support police calls to be able to hold terror suspects longer without charge.


Japan's GDP fell by 0.1% in the last quarter of 2004, taking the country into recession.


No. 2 Oklahoma Displays Improved Running

Texas coach Mack Brown thinks this Oklahoma squad might just be better than the one that dominated his team a year ago.


A senior UN official has warned that no solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be found without international involvement.


L`Udinese batte il livorno 2-1 allo stadio Armando Picchi e si aggiudica l`anticipo pomeridiano della 13Â° giornata di serie A. Friulani con Felipe al posto di Kroldrup, Di Natale in avanti con Di Michele e Iaquinta, Mauri assente in mezzo al campo.


A man went on a rampage with a stolen armored personnel carrier through suburban Sydney on Saturday, crashing into several mobile phone towers, telecommunications buildings and an electricity substation before being arrested.


Three companies led by Chevron say they have found what may be the biggest US oil field outside Alaska.


Man's TV Triggers Satellite Rescue System, FCC Investigates

In that classic movie, ÂThe Day the Earth Stood  Still,Â the alien ambassador Klaatu demonstrates detailed knowledge of modern  Earth history. How does he know all this, he is asked. ÂWe've been monitoring  your radio broadcasts for a good many years. That's how we learned your  languages. Lately, we've been getting your television also,Â he said.


Glitch mars successful Delta VI Heavy launch

Boeing Co. reported that its Delta IV Heavy rocket achieved its major objectives despite placing its demonstration satellite into a lower-than-expected orbit Tuesday night.


Los Angeles - The animated baseball movie that Christopher Reeve was working on before he died will be completed despite his death and released to cinemas in 2006, the movie's production company said on Tuesday.


Workers at four hotels in San Francisco go on strike

Unionized workers at four San Francisco hotels went on strike Wednesday morning. A union leader called the walkout "a wake-up call" for hotels to stimulate stalled talks.


Toys "R" Us, which is considering selling its toy division to concentrate on its growing Babies "R" Us division, announced Monday that it will convert one of its two Manhattan toy stores to a Babies "R" Us store.


EMC has made its biggest push to date into the fast growing small and midsize business market with the acquisition of Dantz Development, a suppler of backup and recovery software.


Stock bull riders eye home sales, earnings

Home sales and a report on economic growth may help investors decide if they want to keep riding a bull market in stocks, while a torrent of quarterly earnings reports will no doubt cause some anxious moments.


As Washington Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan added a few twists to his Princeton offense during the morning shoot-around Wednesday in preparation for the first of


Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger heaped praise on striker Thierry Henry after the Frenchman's double helped the champions to a 4-0 victory over Charlton Athletic on Saturday.


Il gioco di una volta vive una seconda giovinezza per mano degli ingegneriChe cercano di battere il record mondiale di velocitÃ  e di durata del volo                                            Aerei di carta, dalle aule ai laboratori E un libro spiega i segreti dei campioni


Russia pressed ahead on Friday with the last step in the destruction of oil major YUKOS, saying it will auction its main Siberian unit on Dec. 19 for $8.65 billion and hit it with a new tax claim.


Chavez wins re-election in Venezuelan landslide

CARACAS, Venezuela  - With a cry of "long live the revolution," anti-U.S. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won re-election in a landslide after his challenger conceded on Sunday.


Study Finds More Sent to Hospitals with Flu

Influenza is sending more people to the hospital in the United States each year and the flu season appears to be getting longer, a government study said on Tuesday.


Vendors announce new Web Services Specification

AMD, Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corp. and Sun Microsystems have announced the publication of Web Services Management (WS-Management), a Web services specification that addresses the cost and complexity of


Yahoo's New Suggested Search Feature Is Half-Baked

The company adds an auto-complete feature to its service, but the suggestions aren't too smart.


PLEASANTON, Calif. - Business software maker PeopleSoft Inc. unexpectedly fired CEO Craig Conway, dumping the feisty leader who engineered the company's dogged resistance to Oracle Corp.


OPPOSITION Leader Mark Latham today warned bookies they may be the ones losing their shirts come October 9. Mr Latham said he was surprised at recent betting markets framed for the upcoming election.


US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, caught in a row over the sacking of US attorneys, has resigned, reports say.


Five proposals for the 40-acre park area at the southern half of Governors Island offer the clearest evidence so far of what the islandâs future could hold.


JACK McConnell yesterday pledged a string of education policies as he set out Labour's stall to win next year's Holyrood election.Comment


'Maggiore sicurezza a Italia, rispettate regole Ue'


Lebanese troops opened fire Thursday on Israeli warplanes flying low over southern Lebanon but no hits were reported, Lebanese officials said


Barack Obama, the Democratic state legislator from Chicago who rose to national prominence in less than a year, was elected US senator Tuesday in a landslide victory that capped a


Dopo decisione della Fed di ieri di tenere fermi i tassi


Greg Oden, the top pick in this year's NBA draft, likely will miss his first season with the Portland Trail Blazers after surgery on his right knee Thursday.


With prices high, farming is bright spot in U.S.

PRAIRIE CITY, Iowa  - Gordon Wassenaar has his eye on a $300,000 combine harvester to replace the 1990 model he repairs each winter in the workshop on his farm. And he just bought more land to add to his 1,600-acre spread.


The corner of Broadway and Wall Street turned into party central for legions of Giants fans.


Singh Shares Lead, and Mickelson Misses Cut After an 11

Vijay Singh roared into a tie for the lead with Dudley Hart in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Saturday, while Phil Mickelson missed the cut here for the first time in six years.


Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44.


Microsoft will release a low-price version of Windows in Russia by the end of the year, an effort to wean consumers in that country off pirated software and Linux.


Mantova, 19:02 - CALCIO, MANTOVA; COMUNE: IL MARTELLI E' QUASI IN REGOLA

Il comune di Mantova con una nota inteviene per rivendicare le buone condizioni di sicurezza dello s...


Skin Deep: The Sweet Smell of ... Nothing

Cupids take note: more women are shunning wearing fragrances in favor of their own natural scent.


Syria may trouble Lebanon after U.N. vote: Hariri

Syria could spark trouble in Lebanon in response to a U.N. Security Council vote to set up a tribunal to try the killers of Rafik al-Hariri, the former prime minister's son said on Thursday.


South Korean midfielder Seol Ki-Hyeon has signed a three-year deal with Fulham after transferring from Premier League rivals Reading, the two football clubs said Saturday.


Showbiz World Cranks Up Fund-Raising Efforts

Movie stars, pop legends and sporting heroes joined millions of people raising funds for victims of the Asian tsunami disaster by organizing concerts, giving cash and even sorting the mail.


Stem-cell research issue continues to divide country

Embryonic stem-cell research is polarizing America as much as George Bush and John Kerry. And the issue has become just as political.


Alan's Weblog: PDO Shouldn't Be in the Core!

Over on alan@akbkhome.com's weblog, there's a new posting that just might cause a little stir among the PHP users looking forward to PDO becoming a part of PHP's core system, and why it's a bad idea.


Over 200 Years of Hurricane Data Recorded in Trees, Study Says

A new technique for tracking tempests using tree rings could help settle the debate about whether global warming is affecting hurricane frequency.


PRESIDENT BUSHâS post-election reshaping of the US Administration spread to his top-level economics team last night as the White House announced the departure of Stephen Friedman, its chief economics adviser.


Lapid Angrily Questions the Rabbis Decision to Vote for the Budget

Addressing a Shinui faction meeting on Monday, party leader Minister of Justice Tommy Lapid angrily questioned how rabbis can be opposed to the Gaza Disengagement Plan while instructing United Torah Judaism to vote in favor of the state


NAGPUR - World champions Australia have marched boldly towards their first series win in India in 35 years after taking an imposing 415-run lead with seven wickets in hand in the third Test.


The Greeks were shamed again at their  own Olympics on Sunday when bronze medal weightlifter Leonidas  Sampanis was kicked out after failing a dope test.


It may take 146 years for Nigeria to wipe out corruption from its system going by the latest report by Transparency International (TI) which gave the country the third position among the most corrupt countries of the world.


Glasgow, 14:55 - CALCIO, SCOZIA, MORTE O'DONNELL: RINVIATA CELTIC-RANGERS

L'Old Firm, il derby di Glasgow tra Celtic e Rangers in programma mercoledÃ¬ 2 gennaio, è stat...


(InfoWorld) - On Tuesday, Nexidia, an ISV that uses phonetic technology for audio and video search, will announce Language Assessor, an application that can test the verbal proficiency of non-native speakers. Nexidia uses what it calls Phonetic Search Engine (PSE) technology to do phoneme pattern matching that can find individual words in a broadcast. A phoneme is usually defined as the smallest phonetic unit in a language that is capable of conveying a distinct meaning, such as the m in mitt and the b in bit.Â Â  Language Assessor will use the same PSE technology to test speakers by identifying and rating the clarity of their pronunciation of words, phrases, proper names, slang, and nonstandard grammar patterns. Because there are a finite number of phonemes in any speech, Language Assessor is easily ported to languages other than English. The target market for Language Assessor, also known as an accent analyzer, are companies considering offshore tech support sites where English is either not native to the population or the spoken English accent might be difficult for a North American native speaker to understand. Elizabeth Herrell, both a contact center and voice communications specialist for Forrester Research, said this will be a useful tool and technology for companies who use agents where English is their second language. Up until now, many companies make the mistake of giving only reading and writing tests, not realizing an agent can achieve a high score in written skills while at the same time speaking heavily accented English. In addition, Herrell noted that some companies may want to use this assessor to offer levels of customer service. Dubbed "right shoring" or "best shoring," these kinds of service-level offerings typically connect premier customers needing help to native speakers, while individuals may only get to talk to agents located offshore. The Language Assessor gives offshoring companies pitching a company for a customer service contract a script that is read by candidates and recorded. The program takes the recording and searches for keywords, scoring the reader by the ease in which the keyword can be found. The second part of the assessment matches the speaker's phonetic pronunciation against the North American English phonetic model. The third component measures the pace at which the script is read. Following the tests, an aggregate score is given, allowing a company to select only the top performers, said Anna Convery, a senior vice president and product manager at Nexidia. The problem with using live language screeners, according to Convery, is that they may be strict at first, but as time goes on, they tend to relax and get listener fatigue. Currently the company offers 33 language models. The audio search engine can index one hour of audio in 17 seconds, after which an actual audio search would take a fraction of a second. According to Herrell at Forrester Research, there is currently no other company offering a similar language assessment capability.


A new year is just around the corner. Is your portfolio ready?


Bush says summer critical for Iraq strategy

President George W. Bush predicted heavy fighting this summer for U.S. troops in Iraq as the U.S. Congress moved on Thursday toward a tense vote that would give Bush the money he wants for the unpopular war.


Fitness vibrations trendy, perhaps risky

What if you could burn fat while shaking a martini? Actually, it's your body that shakes like a martini on a new type of fitness machine that's generating lots of buzz and celebrity use. Even NASA has tested the concept.


L'influenza colpirÃ  un milione di bambini

ROMA - Tra capodanno (al Nord) e la fine di gennaio (al Sud) circa un milione di bambini italiani sarÃ  colpito dall'influenza. Lo prevede Fabrizio Pregliasco, ricercatore dell'Istituto di virologia dell'universitÃ


Provincial Capital Near Falluja Is Rapidly Slipping Into Chaos

The American military and the interim Iraqi government are quickly losing control of this provincial capital, which is larger and strategically more important than its


Bloccati 34 extracomunitari a San Lorenzo di Noto


U.S. trains Chinese air marshals to protect planes

Eighteen Chinese air marshals on   Friday completed two weeks of training in the United States on   how to be armed undercover officers aboard China's passenger   jets.


Griffey homers twice as Reds top Rangers

Ken Griffey Jr. homered twice Saturday night, snatching the spotlight from Sammy Sosa's quest for No. 600 and leading the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-4 victory over the Texas Rangers.


Yudhoyono faces power struggle in parliament

Street Musicians perform on a makeshift stage with a portrait of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2004.


Bouquet of Roses May Have Note: ÂMade in ChinaÂ

The elaborate effort to supply cut flowers to the world also aims to bring jobs and wealth to ChinaÂs impoverished heartland.


Pixar Vs. DreamWorks Contest Panned by Wall Street

Computer animation pioneers Pixar and Dreamworks have set the stage for a potentially bruising box office battle after both studios changed their schedules this week to target summer releases, analysts said on Thursday.


Pechino, 15:58 - TENNIS, WTA PECHINO: MAURESMO IN FINALE

Amelie Mauresmo si è qualificata per la finale del torneo Wta di Pechino (cemento, montepremi...


Scotland now 16th in world for ecological impact

WHEN Scots turn up the heat the rest of the world dies a little, a report by an international conservation charity claimed yesterday.


Software Tackles Digital Photo Proliferation

Now that digital cameras have overtaken  film cameras in sales, users are beginning to encounter a  familiar problem -- what to do with the bulging image files and  folders filling up computer hard drives?


Officers investigating the death of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko pursue inquiries in London and Moscow.


US Probes Whether Troops in Iraq Refused Mission

The military is investigating the reported refusal this week by some US troops to take part in a supply convoy in Iraq, where explosive devices have killed dozens of soldiers, defense officials said on Friday.


Japanâs Bloggers Focused on Companies & Brands : Social Media Implications

I found this news piece a bit interesting when sifting through the press wires this morning; Technorati Japan has worked on an amazing study which shows how Japanese bloggers are writing about and communicating with companies via their own personal blogs.  One fascinating aspect of the US and Japanese blogging markets is that there is [...]


GM, Ford Embrace New Systems  For SUV Stability

General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. said yesterday that they are rushing to adopt a new safety technology called electronic stability control, and together they will make such systems standard on most of their large and mid-size sport-utility vehicles by the end of next year.


Japan Demands 'Sincere' N.Korea Reply on Abductees

Japan said on Friday it would urge North Korea to reinvestigate the fate of Japanese citizens abducted decades ago, and threatened to take "harsh" action unless the reclusive communist state responded "sincerely."


Human Frailty and Pain on Bostonâs Mean Streets

With âGone Baby Gone,â Ben Affleck has taken a satisfyingly tough look into conscience, to those dark places where some men also go astray.


UPDATE 1-Fiat CEO says won't delay GM put option again

Fiat (FIA.MI: Quote, Profile, Research) does not plan to delay any further a contested option allowing it to sell car unit Fiat Auto to partner General Motors Corp


Some Weapons at Russia School Were Stolen

Some of the weapons used by militants in the deadly Russian school siege were pilfered from police posts in armed raids allegedly led by one of Chechnya's most notorious warlords, Russia's chief prosecutor said in an interview published Thursday.


Having to run the most important race of your career in the heat and humidity of Beijing in August is the idea of hell for many marathon runners.


NEW YORK  - Men and women who are obese in  middle age will be up to twice as expensive to cover under  Medicare, the government health plan that kicks in after  Americans reach age 65, according to new study findings  reported Tuesday.


YouTube, Warner Partner; Universal Threatens

YouTube said it had reached an agreement with Warner Music to stream music videos, behind-the-scenes footage, artist interviews and original programming, days after it was apparently threatened with legal action by Universal Music.


More than 2,000 tube workers set to strike

More than 2,000 tube maintenance workers are set to strike later today in a move which could bring widespread disruption to London's underground network.


Tropical Storm Noel headed toward the Bahamas on Tuesday after causing flooding and mudslides that killed at least 20 people in the Dominican Republic and left another 20 missing


Senate Majority Leader-elect Harry Reid said Tuesday he's doing away with the "do-nothing Congress" that Democrats campaigned against and plans to keep senators working long hours — focusing first on ethics, the minimum wage and stem cell research.


Escalade EXT, Maxima Are Most Stolen Cars

The Cadillac Escalade EXT, a $53,000 chrome-trimmed luxury pickup with leather bucket seats, a seven-speaker stereo system with satellite radio and a global tracking system, is the vehicle most targeted by thieves, a study by the insurance industry found.


China to fund $1 bln hydro dam in Guinea: source

China has agreed to fund the  construction of a $1 billion hydroelectric dam in mineral-rich  Guinea and renovate a series of state buildings, government  officials in the West African country said on Saturday.


EU consumer chief wants "fire-safe" cigarettes

The European Union's consumer chief aims to prevent thousands of fire-related deaths and injuries each year by making all cigarettes sold in EU countries self-extinguishing, European Commission officials said.


The founder and former boss of Parmalat, Calisto Tanzi, has apologised to those who lost money as a result of the collapse of the giant Italian dairy company.


Wall Street is set to open little  changed on Monday as crude prices remain near their record  highs, but insurers may slip on worries about their potential  liabilities after a hurricane struck Florida on Friday.


Blackstone to Buy Hedge Fund to Strengthen Credit Operations

The Blackstone Group agreed to buy GSO Capital Partners as it seeks to build its credit operations amid tough market conditions.


Uomo uccide mendicante per cedere reni e fegato


Al Qaeda is present along the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan and is encouraging Afghan insurgents to disrupt presidential elections scheduled in just two weeks, on Oct.


Family of couple poisoned by fake Botox sue doctor

FORT LAUDERDALE - Flanked by the brother and son of a chiropractor paralyzed by bogus Botox, a prominent civil litigator said Thursday he had filed a lawsuit on behalf of family and is determined to find out how such potent poison made its way to South


Il mondo virtuale in 3D avra' anche un magazine di moda


Britney Spears ordered to undergo drug testing

A court commissioner has ordered Britney Spears to undergo random drug testing and hire a parenting coach to help the pop singer raise her children with ex-husband Kevin Federline, court papers showed on Tuesday.


Princess Di's Ex-Bodyguard Disputes Claim

A former bodyguard of Princess Diana on Tuesday dismissed her claim that one of her lovers was "bumped off."


Resolved: To Do More. Or Less. Or Something.

Guides to self-improvement can't agree on whether to go faster or slower on the road to happiness.


Steelers on offense -- Rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn't spectacular (2,621 passing yards, 22d in the NFL) but he was unbeatable, winning 13 straight games after getting a starting opportunity in Week 3. Roethlisberger doesn't have to be great; running backs Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley pounded out enough yards on the ground to keep the Steelers rolling. The redoubtable ...


Fewer Women Than Men Use Rehab After Heart Attack

Many women, and seniors, do not enter a rehab program after having a heart attack. Yet, participation in cardiac rehabilitation markedly lowers the risk of dying or having a second heart attack during the next three years, results of a recent study show


Ballmer rebuffs Google's anticompetitive rant

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer rebuffed Google's accusations that an acquisition of Yahoo would be anticompetitive.The bid was made public Friday, prompting the response from Google over the weekend. Ballmer Monday at a news conference ceded ground to Microsoft's arch rival in order to justify his company's $44.6 billion cash-and-stock offer for Yahoo, which if accepted would fall under the scrutiny of U.S. and European regulators."Google's clearly got a dominant position," Ballmer said. "They have about 75 percent of paid search worldwide. We think this enhances competition and anything else would be less good."A Google executive struck back at Microsoft on Sunday, charging that a combined Microsoft and Yahoo would control an overwhelming share of e-mail and instant-messaging accounts as well as portal traffic.David Drummond, senior vice president of corporate development and chief legal officer at Google, further suggested that if Microsoft buys Yahoo it might try to unfairly use its dominance in those areas, just as it did in the PC market.Monday's news conference, in which Ballmer spoke with Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell, appeared to put further pressure on Yahoo's board to accept the offer, which at $31 a share represents a 62 percent premium over Yahoo's closing price last Thursday."We think it's an extremely competitive offer," Liddell said.In a Monday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Yahoo disclosed an e-mail sent on Friday by CEO Jerry Yang and Roy Bostock, non-executive chairman of Yahoo's board. "First, we want to emphasize that absolutely no decisions have been made and, despite what some people have tried to suggest, there's certainly no integration process under way," the e-mail read.Ballmer continued with a hard push as to how a deal with Yahoo will let Microsoft move faster in building out areas such as search, online services and online advertising."We are going to have to innovate like crazy," Ballmer said.But he also stressed how long it could take for a Yahoo deal to eventually benefit shareholders. Ballmer said he looks at whether investments will pay off five to 10 years down the line, but investors often want to see results in three years."Sometimes those investments look smart, sometimes it takes a while for them to pay off," Ballmer said.


Iran's transparent decision to boycott head-to-head competitions against Israeli athletes is an assault on the Olympic ideal. It needs to be dealt with swiftly and sternly. Instead, the International Judo Federation could not find enough executive members ...


Study Finds No Drug Resistance in Sinus Treatments

Patients with chronic sinus infections  do not appear to develop resistance to antibiotics taken for  the condition if the drugs are closely matched to attack the  bacteria involved, a study said on Monday.


Redskins' Gibbs sticks with slumping Brunell

ASHBURN, Va. - Joe Gibbs is sticking with Mark Brunell at quarterback even though the Washington Redskins' offense is one of the NFL's worst.


Convocate le categorie per analizzare le cause dei rincari


Australia wins gold in men's field hockey

Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Australia won its first ever Olympic gold medal in men's field hockey with a 2-1 golden goal victory over the Netherlands on Friday night.


Two more feared dead as flood defences boosted

Â· Former judge found dead in submerged carÂ· Concern over state of damaged dam above M1


Israeli air strike targets factory in Gaza-witnesses

An Israeli helicopter fired two missiles into Gaza City today at what witnesses said was a refrigerator factory, hours after troops killed eight Palestinians during a massive offensive in northern Gaza.


SHANGHAI, China - Chinese doctors have removed a more than 1-inch-long bullet from a woman's skull 64 years after she was shot by Japanese Imperial Army troops, her doctor said Tuesday.


Microsoft planned to announce Monday that it would give dozens of governments and international agencies access to the programming code in its Office desktop software, including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and e-mail programs.


Women a rare sight in China's corridors of power

There are women to be found in China's halls of power, but most of them are serving tea.


When CNN aired an unsubstantiated story six years ago on US military misconduct during the Vietnam War, chief executive Tom Johnson apologized, appointed an independent panel to investigate


Jan. 23, 1960: Journey to the Deepest Place on Earth

The bathyscaph Trieste, with its two-man crew, descends to the very bottom of the Mariana Trench in this historic dive.


Nissan Motor Co.  reported a worse-than-expected 23 percent slide in quarterly net profit blaming a sluggish recovery in U.S. sales, and slashed its full-year forecasts to call for the first earnings drop under turnaround king Carlos Ghosn.


Nissan Motor Co  posted a surprise 12 percent gain in quarterly operating profit on Friday as a pickup in its global car sales outweighed rising commodity prices, and it kept its full-year forecasts unchanged.


Romania President Wants Early Polls for Strong Govt

Romanian President Traian Basescu said on Thursday he would support early polls to strengthen the new centrist coalition government, shocking the Balkan country's political scene just weeks after elections.


Sindelar grabs lead at rain-hit Canadian Open

Joey Sindelar grabbed the first-round lead at the 100th Canadian Open on Thursday while new world number one Vijay Singh spent most of a rainy day signing autographs in the clubhouse.


Financial Group Calls for New Strategy at New York Times

The top two executives of the New York Times Co. met on Friday with officials from a hedge fund group that wants to kick out four of the embattled media company's directors, according to financial filings.


General Motors Corp. said on Wednesday it plans to make a plug-in electric hybrid version of the Saturn Vue Green Line, which will have double the fuel efficiency of any current sport utility vehicle.


Mr. Kidd was the award-winning choreographer of exuberant dance numbers for Broadway shows like âGuys and Dollsâ and Hollywood musicals including âThe Band Wagon.â


Microsoft says Firefox not a threat to IE

Just days after the launch of open-source browser Firefox 1.0, Microsoft executives defended Internet Explorer, saying it is no less secure than any other browser and doesn't lack any important features.


MPs appeal for understanding after figures are released showing they claimed an average of Â£118,000 last year.


Hayek, Cruz Hit It Off on 'Bandidas' Set

Spanish film star Penelope Cruz and Mexican actress Salma Hayek say they hit it off from day one during the filming of "Bandidas," a Western about two female outlaws set in 19th Century Mexico.


European Union  fisheries ministers thrash out a deal on national fishing catches for 2005.


EU restrictions on British meat and livestock imposed because of foot-and-mouth are relaxed after no new cases were confirmed.


Dopo impegno col governo ad individuare 'percorso condiviso'


Giuliani fights for survival as Florida votes

TAMPA, Florida  - A front-runner could emerge in the Republican race for the presidency in Florida where voters on Tuesday cast ballots that could also sink one-time favorite Rudy Giuliani's White House bid.


Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul take four wickets each as Pakistan beat Scotland by 51 runs in the World Twenty20.


eBay (Quote, Chart) CEO Meg Whitman isn't interested in filling the top spot at Walt Disney Co. (Quote, Chart) when Michael Eisner retires in 2006, a spokesman for the auction giant told internetnews.


JERUSALEM -- With the two Palestinian territories increasingly isolated from each other by a week of fighting between rival factions, Israel and the United States seemed to agree on a policy to treat them as separate entities to boost Fatah in the West Bank and squeeze Hamas in the Gaza Strip.


Fernandez Racing Post-Race Notes: Toyota Indy 400

Adrian Fernandez scored his third career IRL IndyCarÂ® Series win this afternoon, claiming victory in the Toyota Indy 400 at California Speedway.


Wanting to take some weight off the Mumbai power grid IBM is trying to sell mainframes to companies in India, Russia and China, promoting them as ways to reduce power and cooling costs. It said that the power grid in places such as Mumbai is creaking under the strain of server sprawl, as companies plug in more and more Wintel boxes.â¦


Roma -  - 24 Novembre 2004 -- Il Reparto operativo speciale (Ros) dei Carabineri e la Digos di Roma hanno arrestato nella notte Jerome Cruciani, ex-appartenente ai Nuclei comunisti combattenti, con l'accusa di associazione terroristica


A group called JGR Acquisition made the winning, $15.5 million bid Monday for a batch of obscure but potentially important patents covering technologies for Internet business transactions.


Sears and Kohlâs Report Stronger Profits, but Gap Still Struggles

Sears reported a 27 percent increase in earnings and Kohlâs said earnings rose 29.3 percent on strong sales of its exclusive brands.


Chrysler to cut 13,000 jobs, faces possible sale

DETROIT/FRANKFURT  - DaimlerChrysler said on Wednesday it would cut 13,000 jobs at its Chrysler operation in North America and indicated it could sell or spin off the money-losing unit, which would unwind a troubled 9-year-old merger between Chrysler and Mercedes.


Milano, 13:06 - CALCIO, MILAN: KAKA' KO, NIENTE CAGLIARI

Il Milan dovrà fare a meno di Kakà nella trasferta di domani a Cagliari. Il brasiliano...


Cosi' Baretta, parti sociali vedono esecutivo il 18/12


A jury in Memphis said yesterday that Medtronic's spinal products subsidiary should pay $400 million in punitive damages for violating agreements covering its use of surgical products invented by Dr.


Mountaineer picks up Mount Everest trash

A Japanese mountaineer and his team have brought 1,100 pounds of garbage down from Mount Everest in his latest campaign to clean the world's highest mountain.


(Article Central) Software giant Microsoft Corp. introduced a beta version of its new MSN Toolbar Suite, with new desktop search functionality that allows users to find almost any type of document, media file


Palm layoffs follow disappointing quarterly revenue

The same week it announced sharply lower revenues for its second quarter, embattled handheld device maker Palm laid off 10 percent of its workforce.


Heinz Kerry Earned $5 Million in 2003 - Tax Return

Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, paid nearly $800,000 in taxes on income of $5 million last year, according to a summary of her tax return the Kerry campaign released on Friday evening.


A Confederate heritage group plans to challenge the NCAA's ban on championship events in South Carolina as long as the Confederate flag flies on the grounds of the state capitol.


Doctors and patients groups have criticised plans to set up health centres known as "polyclinics" across England.


Chow.com is taking food fights to cyberspace, but it's offering more cheese than macaroni.


Polar bears put Alaska oil development on thin ice

ANCHORAGE, Alaska  - Until now, the Alaskan oil industry and polar bears have coexisted peacefully, but proposals by the U.S. government to list polar bears as endangered by global warming have cast a shadow on oil development on Alaska's North Slope.


A strong earthquake measuring 6.6 hits north-western Japan, triggering small tsunami waves.


Britain charges 4 men after terror raids

Four men have been charged for participating in an alleged network of terrorist training camps in Britain, police said Monday.


From Perfection To Excellence by Julie Fuimano


Thousands of Argentines angered over perceived security lapses in a nightclub fire that killed 183 people, many of them teenagers, marched through capital streets Monday to demand the resignations of key city officials.


Even if indicted BALCO chief Victor Conte has the doping goods on sprinter Marion Jones, it's unclear whether the International Olympic Committee can revoke the five medals she won in Sydney in 2000. The IOC charter says that decisions can be changed only within three years after the closing ceremonies. The question is whether awarding a medal constitutes a decision.


ADB to help improve air quality in Indonesia

MANILA (DPA): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Monday it would help improve air quality in Indonesia through a US$700,000 technical assistance grant.


Pope John Paul arrives on Italy's Adriatic coast to beatify three future saints, on his last journey of the year.


SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge said yesterday that she would not immediately dismiss charges against four men accused of distributing steroids to top athletes.


A federal investigation has uncovered no evidence that a former aide to Gov. James E. McGreevey tried to extort millions of dollars from him by threatening a sexual harassment suit, according to the aide's lawyer.


Prosecutors are said to be focusing on the Action Research Group, identified as one of the most prolific users of subterfuge for obtaining phone records.


Rice says strike on Iran not on agenda, in bid to allay European fears

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, seeking to allay European fears of a preemptive US strike on Iran's nuclear sites, said an attack "is simply not on the agenda at this point".


'Batman' Protester Scales Royal Residence

LONDON - Holy intruder! A protester dressed in a Batman costume scaled the front wall of Buckingham Palace on Monday and perched for more than five hours on a ledge near the balcony where the royal family appears on ceremonial occasions.    The protester's success in climbing the wall in front of the queen's main residence prompted fresh questions about the much-criticized and recently overhauled royal security operation...


4-month rally keeps bolsa on record pace

MEXICO CITY - Stocks rose to a record high close Friday in a shortened session, as investors continued a four-month rally that has been fueled by expectations of economic growth and hefty corporate earnings.


St. Louis. Draw a line right there. The line of demarcation in the 2004 Patriots season was the Nov. 7 game in the Edward Jones Dome. That was the afternoon when the Patriots advanced from being two-time (and defending) NFL champions into legends.


Tata Steel wins Corus with $11.3 billion offer

India's Tata Steel is set to become the world's fifth-biggest steelmaker after winning a bid battle for Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus Group by agreeing to pay 5.75 billion pounds ($11.3 billion).


Microsoft extends software support to 10 years

Taking a page from major enterprise software providers like Oracle and SAP, Microsoft announced this week Business Ready Customer Care, an initiative that includes major enhancements to its maintenance and support program for Microsoft Dynamics, ERP and CRM, applications.


Bush defends Rumsfeld, says he's 'doing a fine job'

President Bush defended embattled Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Monday, saying the Pentagon chief was doing "a very fine job.


China may pass anti-monopoly law next week

China's anti-monopoly law is likely to be passed next week, after over a decade of wrangling, but may require national security checks for foreign firms that want to buy Chinese rivals, domestic media said on Saturday.


LOS ANGELES - "X-Men" star Patrick Stewart is recovering at home after undergoing an angioplasty procedure earlier this week to widen an artery, his publicist said Friday.    Angioplasty involves the use of catheters to place a small balloon in a narrowed blood channel...


The longest layoff in Tiger Woods' career ended with his shortest week at a major. Woods kept thinking he was one putt or one shot away from turning it around Friday in the U.S. Open until there was nothing left to do but tap in for another bogey, sign for another 76 and head home. At 12 over par, he missed the cut in a major for the first time in 10 years as a professional.


Roma, 11:00 - CALCIO, ROMA; SPALLETTI: RIMONTA INTER? NO FACILI ILLUSIONI

La Roma ha rosicchiato due punti all'Inter grazie al successo sul Palermo e al pari dei nerazzurri a...


Singer KT Tunstall is to marry her drummer boyfriend after he proposes on Christmas Day.


A hospital in the Netherlands — the first nation to permit euthanasia — recently proposed guidelines for mercy killings of terminally ill newborns, and then made a startling revelation: It has already begun carrying out such procedures, which include administering a lethal dose of sedatives.


Scopo dell'organizzazione trovare fondi per cellule Al Qaida


A device projecting an enhanced image of underlying veins onto skin could avoid botched injection attempts.


A Village Doctor Cares for Those the Sea Spared

In the wake of the tsunami, local medical workers are the unsung heroes.


We'll pay the piper later if our leaders keep taxes low

Budgets are tight in Washington and in Boston. President Bush's proposed $2.57 trillion budget calls for only a 3.6 percent increase in spending. Governor Romney's $23.2 billion budget plan envisions only a 2.4 percent spending rise.


Coco Crisp took what Red Sox manager Terry Francona thought were good swings in the batting cage yesterday and Francona said after last night's game he thinks Crisp will play in center field tonight.


The German co-chief executive of the European aerospace group EADS, Thomas Enders, confirmed Monday that he will head Airbus and that Frenchman Louis Gallois would become the sole chief executive at EADS.


Soccer: Rooney is dazzling in his United debut

For about $20, you can tour the Theater of Dreams and inhale the history of Manchester United in its Old Trafford Stadium. For $10 more, you could join the waiting list for a seat on match days - and witness the new arrival Wayne Rooney.


Oil prices forged to a record high above  $55 a barrel on Friday on rising fears of a winter fuel supply  crunch and robust economic growth in China, the world's number  two user.


Nintendos' Wii Sports sweeps the board at the 2007 British Academy Video Games Awards in London.


Indonesia plans to set up a tsunami warning system to prevent a repeat of the deaths caused by the Indian Ocean disaster.


Books of The Times: A Quest for Knowledge Inspired by a Devastating Loss

Adam Wishartâs way of dealing with his fatherâs death from cancer was to become as knowledgeable as he could, and to pass that knowledge on to readers.


U.S. Eyes New Mobile Brigade for Germany from 2006

The United States plans to station a new Stryker armored vehicle brigade in southeastern Germany as early as 2006, just as it starts withdrawing some 30,000 troops from the country as part of a major force realignment.


Italian President Vetoes Contested Justice Bill

Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi defied Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government on Thursday and vetoed a bill aimed at reforming the legal system, the president's office said in a statement.


NEW DELHI, Aug. 27. - The agitating truckers today welcomed a finance ministry decision to set up a committee to look into their problems but decided to continue with their indefinite strike despite unions in some states withdrawing from the agitation.


ST. JOHN'S - Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams said Wednesday that he and Prime Minister Paul Martin have agreed to more talks aimed at solving an impasse over offshore revenues.


Comcast trials will provide a big clue about the software giant's prospects for cable success.


Baghdad Car Bombs Kill 34 Children Receiving Sweets

Insurgents detonated three car bombs  near a U.S. military convoy in Baghdad Thursday, killing 41  people, 34 of them children who were rushing to collect sweets  from American troops.


It's Crunch Time for Silicon Valley Wi-Fi

An executive backing Silicon Valley's wireless network expects test sites to be built this year.


Car bombs and clashes killed 12 Iraqis  Monday and three Australian troops were wounded in the first  attack on their contingent since the end of the Iraq war.


IETF knocks back Microsoft anti-spam plan

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has turned down Microsoft's technical contribution to the Sender ID proposal. A combination of Microsoft's Caller ID and a domain authentication scheme devised by


The Coast Guard helicopter crews who work out of Air Station Kodiak often fly through wind and whiteouts to rescue fishermen, freighter crews and recreational boaters from Alaska's roiling waters.


Russians close to prosecuting 'Pinch' Trojan authors

Russia may soon prosecute the authors of the "Pinch" Trojan, an easy-to-use malicious software program available on the Internet that steals a variety of data.Nikolay Patrushev, who heads Russia's Federal Security Services, said earlier this week that Pinch's authors had been identified and would be taken to court, according to a blog posting by Russian security vendor Kaspersky Lab.Kaspersky said the arrest of the Pinch writers, identified as Ermishkin and Farkhutdinov, would be on the same level as the 2005 prosecution of German Sven Jaschan for creating the NetSky and Sasser worms, which caused thousands of infected computers to crash worldwide.With Pinch, "it's impossible to estimate what financial losses have been caused over the years since this Trojan first saw the light of day," Kaspersky said.Pinch's sellers would customize the program for buyers and offer support, illustrating a growing underground economy for hacking tools, Kaspersky said.Thousands of versions of Pinch, which comes in Russian and English language versions, are still circulating on the Internet. Kaspersky said its security software can detect some 4,000 variants of Pinch, where the basic code is the same but aspects of the program have been modified in order to evade detection by security software.Pinch has a highly developed user interface that can be used for sorting information it steals off other computers, according to F-Secure.It can steal e-mail account passwords, pilfer other password information stored in the Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera browsers, and snap screenshots.That stolen information can also be encrypted before it is sent back to the hacker, according to Panda Security, another security vendor.Pinch could also be customized to have the victimized computer join a botnet, or a network of computers set up to hide other malicious activity by the hacker. Botnets are often used to send spam or mount other hacking attacks.


'Il pubblico mi identifica troppo come presentatore'


The plumes of water that erupt from Saturn's moon Enceladus are traced back to a radioactive "meltdown".


Hagiwara Sys-Com Announces Release of HSC ExpressCard/34(TM) Flash Memory Drives

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 7  /PRNewswire/ -- Hagiwara Sys-Com Co., Ltd. (HSC), the industry leader in semiconductor application products for the cutting-edge consumer and industrial electronics -- today announced the availability of the HSC ExpressCard/34(TM) Flash Memory Drives.


Rivastigmine for Dementia Associated with Parkinson's Disease

Murat Emre, MD, Dag Aarsland, MD, Ph.D., Alberto Albanese, MD, E. Jane Byrne, FRCPsych., MB, Ch.B., GÃ¼nther Deuschl, MD, Peter P. De Deyn, MD, Ph.


Blair takes on hard job as Mideast envoy

In his new job as Mideast envoy, Tony Blair will take on a task that has bedeviled many before him — a role complicated by Hamas' takeover of Gaza, the weakness of Palestinian and Israeli leaders, and animosity deepened on both sides by six years of conflict.


The head of the United Auto Workers said Sunday his union will aggressively work to elect either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama to the White House, but reiterated that it will not endorse either one for the Democratic nomination.


Good or Bad, It All Goes Back to Cashman

Brian Cashman used his autonomy as the Yankeesâ general manager to put together a team that is three games below .500 despite some high-priced veteran talent in the lineup.


Astronaut accused of attempted kidnapping

A NASA astronaut is behind bars and facing battery and attempted kidnapping charges after allegedly trying to  pepper spray and abduct a romantic rival, police said. Navy Capt. Lisa Marie Nowak was to appear in court this morning. Nowak, who was a crew member of the space shuttle Discovery last year, and Colleen Shipman were both reported to be "in a relationship" with shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein.


Wizards Close Out NBA's Best With Late Run

The Wizards shoot just 37 percent and hit only 2-of-18 three-pointers Saturday but close the game on a 15-4 run to upend the NBA's best team, 85-78, at Verizon Center.


Nasa has announced that the launch of a pioneering mission to further understanding of the make-up of comets will take place in January next year.


A pizza delivery man killed by a bomb around his neck was part of a robbery plot, not a hostage, US authorities say.


Scientists create a tiny engine that could become a power source for future nano-scale devices.


The human toll from the earthquake-spawned tsunamis that swamped an epic swath of South Asia climbed to 26,000 dead yesterday, and with tens of thousands still missing is bound to soar even higher.


Sudanese Government, Rebels in Peace Talks

The Sudanese government has narrowed differences with southern rebels in talks to end a two-decade civil war, mediators said Saturday as chief negotiators left the peace talks to observe the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.


An Iraqi man mourns after a suicide car bomber kills at least 13 people at the entrance to the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.


How's this for rough justice: A video game named for an act of stealing was stolen. A version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, due to hit stores next week, ended up on the Web late Wednesday


Blair calls for international conference on Palestinian reforms

British Prime Minister Tony Blair says ending terrorism is the first step toward meaningful progress in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.


The Bush administration yesterday raised serious objections about congressional efforts to approve a corporate tax-cut bill this week, warning that the Republican-backed


Microsoft Challenges Rivals With New Online Music Service

Microsoft started selling music tracks on its MSN online service, taking on Apple Computer and a host of others in the fast-growing market for digital music.


New channels galore as BBC aims to rule world

BBC Worldwide, is to launch a further 30 channels internationally, as well as a high-definition outlet and an on-demand service in the United States.


[TS] Sports of The Times: A Match of Willpower Versus the Power of Pain

Andre Agassi still has another match at the United States Open on Sunday, another chance to stretch out an unforgettable joy ride a little longer.


Microsoft and Sun plan Webcast to detail cooperation

Those wondering what this year's surprise cooperation deal between MicrosoftÂ and Sun Microsystems will actually produce should get an update in coming weeks, when the companies detail some of their interoperability work in areas like Web services, directory services, and security.


Philips announces new $7.2 billion share buyback

Dutch Philips Electronics   said on Wednesday it plans to repurchase 5  billion euros ($7.2 billion) worth of its own shares within the  next two years.


An authorized edition of the much-anticipated "Iraq Study Group Report" will be published by Random House Inc. on Wednesday, the same day President Bush and congressional leaders are to receive the bipartisan committee's recommendations.