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1,970 | Broadband takes on TV viewing
The number of Europeans with broadband has exploded over the past 12 months, with the web eating into TV viewing habits, research suggests.
Just over 54 million people are hooked up to the net via broadband, up from 34 million a year ago, according to market analysts Nielsen/NetRatings. The total number of people online in Europe has broken the 100 million mark. The popularity of the net has meant that many are turning away from TV, say analysts Jupiter Research. It found that a quarter of web users said they spent less time watching TV in favour of the net
The report by Nielsen/NetRatings found that the number of people with fast internet access had risen by 60% over the past year.
The biggest jump was in Italy, where it rose by 120%. Britain was close behind, with broadband users almost doubling in a year. The growth has been fuelled by lower prices and a wider choice of always-on, fast-net subscription plans. "Twelve months ago high speed internet users made up just over one third of the audience in Europe; now they are more than 50% and we expect this number to keep growing," said Gabrielle Prior, Nielsen/NetRatings analyst. "As the number of high-speed surfers grows, websites will need to adapt, update and enhance their content to retain their visitors and encourage new ones." The total number of Europeans online rose by 12% to 100 million over the past year, the report showed, with the biggest rise in France, Italy, Britain and Germany.
The ability to browse web pages at high speed, download files such as music or films and play online games is changing what people do in their spare time.
A study by analysts Jupiter Research suggested that broadband was challenging television viewing habits. In homes with broadband, 40% said they were spending less time watching TV. The threat to TV was greatest in countries where broadband was on the up, in particular the UK, France and Spain, said the report. It said TV companies faced a major long-term threat over the next five years, with broadband predicted to grow from 19% to 37% of households by 2009. "Year-on-year we are continuing to see a seismic shift in where, when and how Europe's population consume media for information and entertainment and this has big implications for TV, newspaper and radio," said Jupiter Research analyst Olivier Beauvillian.
| The number of Europeans with broadband has exploded over the past 12 months, with the web eating into TV viewing habits, research suggests.It found that a quarter of web users said they spent less time watching TV in favour of the net The report by Nielsen/NetRatings found that the number of people with fast internet access had risen by 60% over the past year.The threat to TV was greatest in countries where broadband was on the up, in particular the UK, France and Spain, said the report.In homes with broadband, 40% said they were spending less time watching TV.The total number of Europeans online rose by 12% to 100 million over the past year, the report showed, with the biggest rise in France, Italy, Britain and Germany.A study by analysts Jupiter Research suggested that broadband was challenging television viewing habits.Just over 54 million people are hooked up to the net via broadband, up from 34 million a year ago, according to market analysts Nielsen/NetRatings. |
1,685 | WRU proposes season overhaul
The Welsh Rugby Union wants to restructure the Northern Hemisphere season into four separate blocks.
The season would start with the Celtic League in October, followed by the Heineken Cup in February and March, and the Six Nations moved to April and May. After a nine week break, the WRU then proposes a two-month period of away and home international matches. WRU chairman David Pickering said the structure would end problems of player availability for club and country. He added: "We feel sure that spectator interest would respond to the impetus of high intensity rugby being played continuously rather than the fragmented timetable currently in operation. "Equally, we suspect that the sponsors would prefer the sustained interest in a continuous tournament and hopefully, the broadcasters would also enjoy increased exposure." Moving the Six Nations from its traditional February beginning should also ensure better weather conditions and "stimulate greater interest in the games and generally provide increased skills and competition and attract greater spectator viewing", Pickering argued. The plan will be put before the International Rugby Board next month, where four other plans drawn up by independent consultants for a global integrated season will also be discussed. Pickering added: "It's very early days and there are a number of caveats associated with it - not least the revenue from the broadcasters, which is extremely important. "We've got a good plan and one which should be judged on its merits."
| The plan will be put before the International Rugby Board next month, where four other plans drawn up by independent consultants for a global integrated season will also be discussed."Equally, we suspect that the sponsors would prefer the sustained interest in a continuous tournament and hopefully, the broadcasters would also enjoy increased exposure."He added: "We feel sure that spectator interest would respond to the impetus of high intensity rugby being played continuously rather than the fragmented timetable currently in operation.The season would start with the Celtic League in October, followed by the Heineken Cup in February and March, and the Six Nations moved to April and May. |
1,988 | Who do you think you are?
The real danger is not what happens to your data as it crosses the net, argues analyst Bill Thompson. It is what happens when it arrives at the other end.
The Financial Services Authority has warned banks and other financial institutions that members of criminal gangs may be applying for jobs which give them access to confidential customer data. The fear is not that they will steal money from our bank accounts but that they will instead steal something far more valuable in our digital society - our identities. Armed with the personal details that a bank holds, plus a fake letter or two, it is apparently easy to get a loan, open a bank account with an overdraft or get a credit card in someone else's name. And it is then a simple matter to move the money into another account and leave the unwitting victim to sort out the mess when statements and demands for payment start arriving. Identity theft is an increasingly significant economic crime, and we are all becoming more aware of the dangers of leaving bills, receipts and bank statements unshredded in our rubbish.
But, however careful you may be, if the organisations you trust with your personal data, bank accounts and credit cards are not able to look after their databases properly then you are in trouble. It is surprising that it has taken the gangs so long to realise that a well-placed insider is by far the simplest way to break the security of a computer system. In fact, I suspect that the FSA is probably very late to this particular party and that this sort of thing has been going on for rather a long time. Has anyone checked Bob Cratchit's family links to the criminal underworld, I wonder? And it is hardly likely to be only banks that are being targeted. Health authorities, government agencies and of course the big e-commerce sites like Amazon must also offer rich pickings for the fraudsters. The good news is that better auditing is likely to catch out those who access account details that they are not supposed to. And as we all become aware of the danger of identity theft and look more carefully for unexpected transactions on our statements, banks should have good enough records and logs to trace the people who might have accessed the account details. Fortunately there are now ways to keep bank systems more secure from the sort of data theft that involves taking a portable hard drive or flash memory card into the office, plugging it into a USB slot and sucking down customer files.
Companies like SecureWave, for example, can restrict the use of USB ports just to authorised devices or even to an individual's personal memory card. These solutions are not perfect, but it does not feel like a wave of fraud is about to wash away the entire financial system. However the warning does highlight one of the major issues with e-commerce and online trading - the security or otherwise of the servers and other systems that make up the 'back office'. It has been clear for years that the real danger in paying for goods online with a credit card is not that the number will be intercepted in transit but that the shop you are dealing with will be hacked.
In fact I do not know of a single case where an e-mail containing payment details has led to card fraud.
There are simply too many e-mails passing over the net for interception to be a sensible tool for anyone out to commit fraud. CD Universe, Powergen and many other companies have left their databases open and suffered the consequences. And just last week the online bank Cahoot admitted that its customer account details could be read by anyone who could guess a login name. Whether it is external hackers breaking in because of poor system security or internal staff abusing the access they get as part of their job, the issue is the same: how do we make sure that our personal data is not abused? Any organisation that processes personal data is, of course, bound by the Data Protection Act and must take proper care of it. Unauthorised disclosure is not allowed, but the penalties are small and the process of prosecuting under the Act so convoluted as to be worthless in practice. This is not something we can just leave it to the market. The consequences of having one's identity stolen are too serious, and markets respond too slowly. After all, I bank with Cahoot but it would be so much hassle to move my accounts that I did not even consider it when I heard about their security problems. I doubt many others have closed their accounts, especially when there is little guarantee that other banks are not going to make the same sort of mistake in future. The two options would seem to be more stringent data protection law, so that companies really feel the pressure to improve their internal processes, or a wave of civil lawsuits against financial institutions with sloppy practices whose customers suffer from identity theft. I have never felt comfortable with the US practice of suing everything that moves, partly because it seems to make lawyers richer than their clients, so I know which I'd prefer.
Bill Thompson is a regular commentator on the BBC World Service programme Go Digital.
| But, however careful you may be, if the organisations you trust with your personal data, bank accounts and credit cards are not able to look after their databases properly then you are in trouble.Armed with the personal details that a bank holds, plus a fake letter or two, it is apparently easy to get a loan, open a bank account with an overdraft or get a credit card in someone else's name.Fortunately there are now ways to keep bank systems more secure from the sort of data theft that involves taking a portable hard drive or flash memory card into the office, plugging it into a USB slot and sucking down customer files.The Financial Services Authority has warned banks and other financial institutions that members of criminal gangs may be applying for jobs which give them access to confidential customer data.And just last week the online bank Cahoot admitted that its customer account details could be read by anyone who could guess a login name.After all, I bank with Cahoot but it would be so much hassle to move my accounts that I did not even consider it when I heard about their security problems.And as we all become aware of the danger of identity theft and look more carefully for unexpected transactions on our statements, banks should have good enough records and logs to trace the people who might have accessed the account details.The real danger is not what happens to your data as it crosses the net, argues analyst Bill Thompson.The fear is not that they will steal money from our bank accounts but that they will instead steal something far more valuable in our digital society - our identities.Whether it is external hackers breaking in because of poor system security or internal staff abusing the access they get as part of their job, the issue is the same: how do we make sure that our personal data is not abused?Any organisation that processes personal data is, of course, bound by the Data Protection Act and must take proper care of it.The two options would seem to be more stringent data protection law, so that companies really feel the pressure to improve their internal processes, or a wave of civil lawsuits against financial institutions with sloppy practices whose customers suffer from identity theft.I doubt many others have closed their accounts, especially when there is little guarantee that other banks are not going to make the same sort of mistake in future.In fact I do not know of a single case where an e-mail containing payment details has led to card fraud. |
1,408 | Man Utd stroll to Cup win
Wayne Rooney made a winning return to Everton as Manchester United cruised into the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Rooney received a hostile reception, but goals in each half from Quinton Fortune and Cristiano Ronaldo silenced the jeers at Goodison Park. Fortune headed home after 23 minutes before Ronaldo scored when Nigel Martyn parried Paul Scholes' free-kick. Marcus Bent missed Everton's best chance when Roy Carroll, who was later struck by a missile, saved at his feet.
Rooney's return was always going to be a potential flashpoint, and he was involved in an angry exchange with a spectator even before kick-off. And Rooney's every touch was met with a deafening chorus of jeers from the crowd that once idolised the 19-year-old. Everton started brightly and Fortune needed to be alert to scramble away a header from Bent near the goal-line. But that was the cue for United to take complete control with a supreme passing display on a Goodison Park pitch that was cutting up. Fortune gave United the lead after 23 minutes, rising to meet Ronaldo's cross from eight yards after the Portuguese youngster had been allowed too much time and space by the hapless Gary Naysmith. United dominated without creating too many clear-cut chances, and they almost paid the price for not making the most of their domination two minutes before half-time. Mikel Arteta played a superb ball into the area but Bent, played onside by Gabriel Heintze, hesitated and Carroll plunged at his fee to save. United almost doubled their lead after 48 minutes when Ronaldo's low drive from 25 yards took a deflection off Tony Hibbert, but Martyn dived to save brilliantly. And Martyn came to Everton's rescue three minutes later when Rooney's big moment almost arrived as he raced clean through, but once again the veteran keeper was in outstanding form. But there was nothing Martyn could do when United doubled their lead after 57 minutes as they doubled their advantage. Scholes' free-kick took a deflection, and Martyn could only parry the ball out for Ronaldo, who reacted first to score easily. Everton's problems worsened when James McFadden limped off with an injury. And there may be further trouble ahead for Everton after goalkeeper Carroll required treatment after he was struck on the head by a missile thrown from behind the goal. Rooney's desperate search for a goal on his return to Everton was halted again by Martyn in injury-time when he outpaced Stubbs, but once again Martyn denied the England striker.
- Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson: "It was a fantastic performance by us. In fairness I think Everton have missed a couple of players and got some young players out. "The boy Ronaldo is a fantastic player. He's persistent and never gives in. "I don't know how many fouls he had He gets up and wants the ball again, he's truly a fabulous player." Everton: Martyn, Hibbert, Yobo, Stubbs, Naysmith, Osman, Carsley, Arteta, Kilbane, McFadden, Bent. Subs: Wright, Pistone, Weir, Plessis, Vaughan. Manchester United: Carroll, Gary Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Heinze, Ronaldo, Phil Neville, Keane, Scholes, Fortune, Rooney. Subs: Howard, Giggs, Smith, Miller, Spector. Referee: R Styles (Hampshire)
| But there was nothing Martyn could do when United doubled their lead after 57 minutes as they doubled their advantage.Rooney's desperate search for a goal on his return to Everton was halted again by Martyn in injury-time when he outpaced Stubbs, but once again Martyn denied the England striker.United almost doubled their lead after 48 minutes when Ronaldo's low drive from 25 yards took a deflection off Tony Hibbert, but Martyn dived to save brilliantly.And Martyn came to Everton's rescue three minutes later when Rooney's big moment almost arrived as he raced clean through, but once again the veteran keeper was in outstanding form.But that was the cue for United to take complete control with a supreme passing display on a Goodison Park pitch that was cutting up.Manchester United: Carroll, Gary Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Heinze, Ronaldo, Phil Neville, Keane, Scholes, Fortune, Rooney.Fortune headed home after 23 minutes before Ronaldo scored when Nigel Martyn parried Paul Scholes' free-kick.- Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson: "It was a fantastic performance by us.Marcus Bent missed Everton's best chance when Roy Carroll, who was later struck by a missile, saved at his feet.Everton: Martyn, Hibbert, Yobo, Stubbs, Naysmith, Osman, Carsley, Arteta, Kilbane, McFadden, Bent.And there may be further trouble ahead for Everton after goalkeeper Carroll required treatment after he was struck on the head by a missile thrown from behind the goal.Scholes' free-kick took a deflection, and Martyn could only parry the ball out for Ronaldo, who reacted first to score easily. |
742 | Connick Jr to lead Broadway show
Singer and actor Harry Connick Jr is to star in a Broadway revival of 1950s hit musical The Pajama Game.
He will play the supervisor of a US pyjama factory who has a romance with a union activist during labour unrest. Jeffrey Richards, the show's co-producer, said Connick was "an actor of enormous charisma and skill, a wonderful singer and a bona fide star". He has recently starred in hit US comedy Will and Grace as the husband of Grace, played by Debra Messing. The musical will open in November, said Mr Richards, who added that no other casting had been announced yet.
The original book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell will be revised by playwright Peter Ackerman, who co-wrote the screenplay for the movie Ice Age. It has a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and Adler is writing two new songs for the score, which includes numbers including Hey There, Small Talk and Steam Heat. Connick appeared with his band on Broadway in 1990, and he wrote the score for a musical based on Emile Zola's novel Therese Raquin, called Thou Shalt Not. It had a three-month run on Broadway in 2001.
| Singer and actor Harry Connick Jr is to star in a Broadway revival of 1950s hit musical The Pajama Game.Connick appeared with his band on Broadway in 1990, and he wrote the score for a musical based on Emile Zola's novel Therese Raquin, called Thou Shalt Not.Jeffrey Richards, the show's co-producer, said Connick was "an actor of enormous charisma and skill, a wonderful singer and a bona fide star".It has a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and Adler is writing two new songs for the score, which includes numbers including Hey There, Small Talk and Steam Heat. |
330 | Fresh hope after Argentine crisis
Three years after Argentina was hit by a deadly economic crisis, there is fresh hope.
The country's economy is set to grow about 8% this year after seeing 9% growth last year, a sharp turnaround from 2002 when output fell 11%. The unemployment rate is improving, too: It is set to slip below 13% by the end of the year, down from 20% in May 2002. True, problems remain, but the overall picture is one of vast improvement. Even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) admits this. "The Argentine authorities are proud, should be proud, of the strong performance of the economy," Thomas Dawson, an IMF director, said earlier this month.
Argentina has made a remarkable recovery from a hideous and lengthy recession which in 2001 culminated in the government halting debt repayments to its private creditors. The debt default sparked a deep and prolonged economic crisis which, at least initially, was made worse by the government's decisions. Pension payments were halted and bank accounts frozen as part of austerity measures introduced by the government to deal with the country's massive debts. In response, angry crowds of ordinary Argentines took to the streets where dozens of lives were lost in clashes with the police. Two presidents and at least three finance minister resigned in less than a month. Argentina was on the brink of collapse. The fix was found in the currency markets with the abandonment of the peso's decade-long peg to the US dollar in February 2002. The subsequent devaluation saw thousands of people's life savings disappear. Scathes of companies went bust. "Three years ago, every sector [of the economy] was hit by the crisis," said entrepreneur Drayton Valentine. It really was dire.
But since then, the general mood on the ground has improved dramatically, in part because the devaluation helped attract fresh direct investment from abroad and stimulate business within Brazil. "Agriculture and tourism are helping," said entrepreneur Drayton Valentine.
Mr Valentine, who was born in the United States but grew up in Argentina, was fortunate: At the time of the crisis, his savings were held in dollar accounts abroad. But now he is using his money to help with the start-up a trading company. He explained that initially, his firm is going to export building materials to Spain and United States. Then, he would like to diversify to other areas, depending on the market. "Locally there is a sense of recovery, many companies are exporting now," he said, noting that a lot of firms, which were closed during the crisis, are re-opening.
But not all that shines is gold. Argentina is still burdened by its failure to pay private creditors at the end of 2001. President Nestor Kirchner's administration is still trying to hammer out an agreement with the creditors, but with the debts' nominal value standing at around $100bn it is not proving easy. Debt defaults make further lending agreements both difficult and expensive to negotiate. Argentina's current offer implies that the creditors would get just 25 cents for each dollar they are owed, according to the creditors. Understandably, they want more and until they do, both they and others are loath to continue lending. For President Kirchner, this proves a hopeless challenge. Real losses have been suffered and somebody has to pay, observed Jack Boorman, adviser to IMF's managing director, Rodrigo Rato. "Everyone needs to keep in mind the enormous cost on the part of both creditors and the Argentine society and people that will have been endured by the time a settlement is reached," he said. "The cost is enormous, and continues to be paid, and will not be reversed by any restructuring."
With the international negotiations being troubled, it is of little help to President Kirchner that the domestic situation remains strained as well.
This is partly because there are still bank account holders who are waiting to recover some of their deposits. "The situation is bad for those who had previously chosen to save in Argentina, " said Carlos Baez Silva, president of AARA, an association that represents bank account and bond holders. Few people have recovered more than about half their savings, Mr Baez Silva estimated, pointing out that many of the savers who have lost out are pensioners or others who once trusted the government, people who set aside money for the future in the belief that their investment would be safe. "A lot of them invested in good faith," he said. "The Argentine state responded by taking most of their investments." The affair has made Mr Baez Silva disillusioned with the country's legal system. On occasion, the Supreme Court has ruled against the interests of the people he represents, he says, insisting that the system cannot be trusted. "People have to deposit their money in the banks, not necessarily because they trust them but because crime is so high that people cannot have their money in their homes beneath their mattresses." Mr Valentine, who was born in the United States but grew up in Argentina, agreed. "If I have to save pesos [the local currency] there is not much problem, but I will think twice before I deposit dollars in a bank".
| Mr Valentine, who was born in the United States but grew up in Argentina, was fortunate: At the time of the crisis, his savings were held in dollar accounts abroad."Three years ago, every sector [of the economy] was hit by the crisis," said entrepreneur Drayton Valentine.Three years after Argentina was hit by a deadly economic crisis, there is fresh hope.Mr Valentine, who was born in the United States but grew up in Argentina, agreed."The situation is bad for those who had previously chosen to save in Argentina, " said Carlos Baez Silva, president of AARA, an association that represents bank account and bond holders.Argentina was on the brink of collapse.Few people have recovered more than about half their savings, Mr Baez Silva estimated, pointing out that many of the savers who have lost out are pensioners or others who once trusted the government, people who set aside money for the future in the belief that their investment would be safe."Everyone needs to keep in mind the enormous cost on the part of both creditors and the Argentine society and people that will have been endured by the time a settlement is reached," he said.The debt default sparked a deep and prolonged economic crisis which, at least initially, was made worse by the government's decisions.Argentina has made a remarkable recovery from a hideous and lengthy recession which in 2001 culminated in the government halting debt repayments to its private creditors."Locally there is a sense of recovery, many companies are exporting now," he said, noting that a lot of firms, which were closed during the crisis, are re-opening.Argentina is still burdened by its failure to pay private creditors at the end of 2001.The affair has made Mr Baez Silva disillusioned with the country's legal system.It really was dire.The fix was found in the currency markets with the abandonment of the peso's decade-long peg to the US dollar in February 2002."The Argentine authorities are proud, should be proud, of the strong performance of the economy," Thomas Dawson, an IMF director, said earlier this month."Agriculture and tourism are helping," said entrepreneur Drayton Valentine."If I have to save pesos [the local currency] there is not much problem, but I will think twice before I deposit dollars in a bank". |
1,563 | Dunne keen to commit to Man City
Richard Dunne is ready to commit his long-term future to Manchester City after turning his career around.
He was once threatened with the sack by City boss Kevin Keegan but has since responded with impressive performances, prompting interest from other clubs. Early talks have taken place and the defender said: "Hopefully something will be sorted out as soon as possible. "I definitely want to stay at City because I have really improved as a player here." Newcastle boss Graeme Souness is said to have been impressed enough by Dunne's turnaround in form to be ready to make a bid for the big stopper in the January transfer window. But the 25-year-old Dubliner underlined his intention to stay at Eastlands. He added: "It's nice to be linked with top clubs but the important thing is this one and what we do. "I really enjoy it at City and I want to keep that going." Keegan is expected to be told there will be no funds to bring in fresh faces in January. Dunne's professionalism was famously questioned by Keegan, who ordered the defender home after he allegedly turned up for training in a dishevelled state.
But Dunne is keen to put that period of his life behind him and said: "I've grown up a lot and the manager sees me as one of the most experienced players in the squad. "I've played more games than any other outfield players this season so I can't be regarded as being a kid any more. "I have to use that as added pressure to perform and apart from the games at Newcastle and Middlesbrough, defensively we've done quite well." Keegan is set for another boost when goalkeeper Nicky Weaver makes his long-awaited return in a reserve game at Blackburn on Tuesday. Former England Under-21 keeper Weaver has missed nearly three full seasons with a succession of knee injuries, which eventually needed pioneering transplant surgery earlier this year.
| "I definitely want to stay at City because I have really improved as a player here."He was once threatened with the sack by City boss Kevin Keegan but has since responded with impressive performances, prompting interest from other clubs."I really enjoy it at City and I want to keep that going."But Dunne is keen to put that period of his life behind him and said: "I've grown up a lot and the manager sees me as one of the most experienced players in the squad."I've played more games than any other outfield players this season so I can't be regarded as being a kid any more.Newcastle boss Graeme Souness is said to have been impressed enough by Dunne's turnaround in form to be ready to make a bid for the big stopper in the January transfer window. |
1,768 | Slovakia seal Hopman Cup success
Slovakia clinched the Hopman Cup for the second time by beating Argentina 3-0 in Saturday's final in Perth.
Daniela Hantuchova put the third seeds ahead, recovering from a terrible start to beat Gisela Dulko 1-6 6-4 6-4. Dominik Hrbaty, who had not lost a set in his three singles matches in the group stages, then upset world number seven Guillermo Coria 6-4 6-1. Hantuchova and Hrbaty then won the mixed doubles after Coria was forced to withdraw because of a sore back. Slovakia's win made up for last year's final defeat to the United States. "I would like to congratulate Daniela," Hrbaty said. "I was so nervous watching her today, I almost had a heart attack. "I also feel a little sorry for Guillermo because I get very excited whenever I play for my country. I show lots of emotions and played such good tennis."
World number 31 Hantuchova, ranked two places above Dulko, looked nervous as she dropped the first four games of the match. Dulko, who had lost all three of her singles matches in the group stages, grew in confidence and took the opening set in just 27 minutes. But Hantuchova hit back to take the next two and the match. "I was so nervous because I really wanted to win for the team and for Dominik as he played so well all week," she said. "I didn't think I was playing my best but I just tried to hang in there and fight hard for every point for my country." Slovakia won the Cup on their first appearance in 1998 when Karol Kucera and Karina Habsudova beat France.
| Dominik Hrbaty, who had not lost a set in his three singles matches in the group stages, then upset world number seven Guillermo Coria 6-4 6-1.World number 31 Hantuchova, ranked two places above Dulko, looked nervous as she dropped the first four games of the match."I was so nervous because I really wanted to win for the team and for Dominik as he played so well all week," she said.Hantuchova and Hrbaty then won the mixed doubles after Coria was forced to withdraw because of a sore back.But Hantuchova hit back to take the next two and the match.Dulko, who had lost all three of her singles matches in the group stages, grew in confidence and took the opening set in just 27 minutes. |
622 | Elvis set to top UK singles chart
Rock 'n' roll legend Elvis is set to top the UK singles chart on Sunday, 27 years after his death.
The re-release of hit song Jailhouse Rock was out-selling X Factor winner Steve Brockstein's cover of Against All Odds by 2,000 copies on Tuesday. If the record does make the top spot, it will be Elvis' 19th UK number one. The last time he topped the charts was with the remix of the little-known song A Little Less Conversation, which was number one in June 2002. If Jailhouse Rock does reach number one on Sunday, it will be the 999th in the history of the UK pop charts. The song first topped the charts in 1958. Chart analysts say Elvis could score the 1000th number one as well. His record One Night will be released the following week, followed the week after by A Fool Such As I, as part of his record company SonyBMG's new Elvis campaign. It has called it "the most ambitious singles release campaign in the history of the UK record industry".
| If the record does make the top spot, it will be Elvis' 19th UK number one.If Jailhouse Rock does reach number one on Sunday, it will be the 999th in the history of the UK pop charts.Chart analysts say Elvis could score the 1000th number one as well.The last time he topped the charts was with the remix of the little-known song A Little Less Conversation, which was number one in June 2002. |
1,911 | Net regulation 'still possible'
The blurring of boundaries between TV and the internet raises questions of regulation, watchdog Ofcom has said.
Content on TV and the internet is set to move closer this year as TV-quality video online becomes a norm. At a debate in Westminster, the net industry considered the options. Lord Currie, chairman of super-regulator Ofcom, told the panel that protecting audiences would always have to be a primary concern for the watchdog. Despite having no remit for the regulation of net content, disquiet has increased among internet service providers as speeches made by Ofcom in recent months hinted that regulation might be an option. At the debate, organised by the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA), Lord Currie did not rule out the possibility of regulation.
"The challenge will arise when boundaries between TV and the internet truly blur and then there is a balance to be struck between protecting consumers and allowing them to assess the risks themselves," he said. Adopting the rules that currently exist to regulate TV content or self-regulation, which is currently the practice of the net industry, will be up for discussion.
Some studies suggest that as many as eight million households in the UK could have adopted broadband by the end of 2005, and the technology opens the door to TV content delivered over the net. More and more internet service providers and media companies are streaming video content on the web. BT has already set up an entertainment division to create and distribute content that could come from sources such as BSkyB, ITV and the BBC. Head of the division, Andrew Burke, spoke about the possibility of creating content for all platforms. "How risque can I be in this new age? With celebrity chefs serving up more expletives than hot dinners, surely I can push it to the limit," he said.
In fact, he said, if content has been requested by consumers and they have gone to lengths to download it, then maybe it should be entirely regulation free. Internet service providers have long claimed no responsibility for the content they carry on their servers since the Law Commission dubbed them "mere conduits" back in 2002. This defence does not apply if they have actual knowledge of illegal content and have failed to remove it. The level of responsibility they have has been tested in several high-profile legal cases. Richard Ayers, portal director at Tiscali, said there was little point trying to regulate the internet because it would be impossible. Huge changes are afoot in 2005, he predicted, as companies such as the BBC offer TV content over the net. The BBC's planned interactive media player which will give surfers the chance to download programmes such as EastEnders and Top Gear will make net TV mainstream and raise a whole new set of questions, he said.
One of these will be about the vast sums of money involved in maintaining the network to supply such a huge quantity of data and could herald a new digital licence fee, said Mr Ayers. As inappropriate net content, most obviously pornography viewed by children, continues to dominate the headlines, internet regulation remains a political issue said MP Richard Allan, Liberal Democrat spokesman on IT. Mr Allan thinks that the answer could lie somewhere between the cries of "impossible to regulate" and "just apply offline laws online". In fact, instead of seeing regulation brought online, the future could bring an end to regulation as we know it for all TV content. After Lord Currie departed, the panel agreed that this could be a reality and that for the internet people power is likely to reign. "If content is on-demand, consumers have pulled it up rather than had pushed to them, then it is the consumers' choice to watch it. There is no watershed on the net," said Mr Burke.
| The blurring of boundaries between TV and the internet raises questions of regulation, watchdog Ofcom has said.Despite having no remit for the regulation of net content, disquiet has increased among internet service providers as speeches made by Ofcom in recent months hinted that regulation might be an option.As inappropriate net content, most obviously pornography viewed by children, continues to dominate the headlines, internet regulation remains a political issue said MP Richard Allan, Liberal Democrat spokesman on IT.In fact, he said, if content has been requested by consumers and they have gone to lengths to download it, then maybe it should be entirely regulation free.In fact, instead of seeing regulation brought online, the future could bring an end to regulation as we know it for all TV content.Content on TV and the internet is set to move closer this year as TV-quality video online becomes a norm.More and more internet service providers and media companies are streaming video content on the web.Huge changes are afoot in 2005, he predicted, as companies such as the BBC offer TV content over the net.Adopting the rules that currently exist to regulate TV content or self-regulation, which is currently the practice of the net industry, will be up for discussion.There is no watershed on the net," said Mr Burke.Some studies suggest that as many as eight million households in the UK could have adopted broadband by the end of 2005, and the technology opens the door to TV content delivered over the net.At the debate, organised by the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA), Lord Currie did not rule out the possibility of regulation. |
1,628 | Barkley fit for match in Ireland
England centre Olly Barkley has been passed fit for Sunday's Six Nations clash with Ireland at Lansdowne Road.
Barkley withdrew from Bath's team for Friday's clash with Gloucester after suffering a calf injury in training. Gloucester centre Henry Paul has also been cleared to play after overcoming an ankle injury. England coach Andy Robinson, who names his team on Wednesday, has called up Bath prop Duncan Bell following Phil Vickery's broken arm. With Vickery sidelined for at least six weeks and Julian White out with a neck injury, Bell could make his England debut. Bell, 30, had set his sights on an international career with Wales. But last December, the International Rugby Board confirmed that he could only be eligible for England as he had travelled on tour with them in 1998. "I thought I'd burned all my bridges with England when I expressed an interest in wanting to play for Wales, so it's fantastic to get this opportunity," he said. Bell, who featured in the England A side which beat France 30-20 10 days ago, added: "I recognise that I got into the England A squad because of injuries. "And it's the same again in getting into the senior squad. But now that I have this opportunity I intend to take it fully if selected and play my heart out for my country."
England coach Andy Robinson could take a gamble and call inexperienced Sale Sharks prop Andrew Sheridan into his front row. But Sheridan favours the loosehead side of the scrum and a more likely scenario is for uncapped Bell - who was among the try-scorers when England A beat France A 30-20 nine days ago - to be drafted in.
| Bell, who featured in the England A side which beat France 30-20 10 days ago, added: "I recognise that I got into the England A squad because of injuries.With Vickery sidelined for at least six weeks and Julian White out with a neck injury, Bell could make his England debut.England coach Andy Robinson, who names his team on Wednesday, has called up Bath prop Duncan Bell following Phil Vickery's broken arm.But Sheridan favours the loosehead side of the scrum and a more likely scenario is for uncapped Bell - who was among the try-scorers when England A beat France A 30-20 nine days ago - to be drafted in.England coach Andy Robinson could take a gamble and call inexperienced Sale Sharks prop Andrew Sheridan into his front row.England centre Olly Barkley has been passed fit for Sunday's Six Nations clash with Ireland at Lansdowne Road. |
2,155 | IBM puts cash behind Linux push
IBM is spending $100m (£52m) over the next three years beefing up its commitment to Linux software.
The cash injection will be used to help its customers use Linux on every type of device from handheld computers and phones right up to powerful servers. IBM said the money will fund a variety of technical, research and marketing initiatives to boost Linux use. IBM said it had taken the step in response to greater customer demand for the open source software.
In 2004 IBM said it had seen double digit growth in the number of customers using Linux to help staff work together more closely. The money will be used to help this push towards greater collaboration and will add Linux-based elements to IBM's Workplace software. Workplace is a suite of programs and tools that allow workers to get at core business applications no matter what device they use to connect to corporate networks. One of the main focuses of the initiative will be to make it easier to use Linux-based desktop computers and mobile devices with Workplace. Even before IBM announced this latest spending boost it was one of the biggest advocates of the open source way of working. In 2001 it put $300m into a three-year Linux program and has produced Linux versions of many of its programs. Linux and the open source software movement are based on the premise that developers should be free to tinker with the core components of software programs. They reason that more open scrutiny of software produces better programs and fuels innovation.
| IBM said it had taken the step in response to greater customer demand for the open source software.Linux and the open source software movement are based on the premise that developers should be free to tinker with the core components of software programs.IBM is spending $100m (£52m) over the next three years beefing up its commitment to Linux software.IBM said the money will fund a variety of technical, research and marketing initiatives to boost Linux use.The cash injection will be used to help its customers use Linux on every type of device from handheld computers and phones right up to powerful servers. |
498 | Millions go missing at China bank
Two senior officials at one of China's top commercial banks have reportedly disappeared after funds worth up to $120m (£64m) went missing.
The pair both worked at Bank of China in the northern city of Harbin, the South China Morning Post reported. The latest scandal at Bank of China will do nothing to reassure foreign investors that China's big four banks are ready for international listings. Government policy sees the bank listings as vital economic reforms. Bank of China is one of two frontrunners in the race to list overseas. The other is China Construction Bank. Both are expected to list abroad during 2005.
They shared a $45bn state bailout in 2003, to help clean up their balance sheets in preparation for a foreign stock market debut.
However, a report in the China-published Economic Observer said on Monday that the two banks may have scrapped plans to list in New York because of the cost of meeting regulatory requirements imposed since the Enron scandal. Bank of China is the country's biggest foreign exchange dealer, while China Construction Bank is the largest deposit holder. China's banking sector is burdened with at least $190bn of bad debt according to official data, though most observers believe the true figure is far higher. Officially, one in five loans is not being repaid. Attempts to strengthen internal controls and tighten lending policies have uncovered a succession of scandals involving embezzlement by bank officials and loans-for-favours. The most high-profile case involved the ex-president of Bank of China, Wang Xuebing, jailed for 12 years in 2003. Although, he committed the offences whilst running Bank of China in New York, Mr Wang was head of China Construction Bank when the scandal broke. Earlier this month, a China Construction Bank branch manager was jailed for life in a separate case.
China's banks used to act as cash offices for state enterprises and did not require checks on credit worthiness. The introduction of market reforms has been accompanied by attempts to modernise the banking sector, but links between banks and local government remain strong. Last year, China's premier, Wen Jiabao, targeted bank lending practices in a series of speeches, and regulators ordered all big loans to be scrutinised, in an attempt to cool down irresponsible lending. China's leaders see reforming the top four banks as vital to distribute capital to profitable companies and protect the health of China's economic boom. But two problems persist. First, inefficient state enterprises continue to receive protection from bankruptcy because they employ large numbers of people. Second, many questionable loans come not from the big four, but from smaller banks. Another high profile financial firm, China Life, is facing shareholder lawsuits and a probe by the US Securities and Exchange Commission following its 2004 New York listing over its failure to disclose accounting irregularities at its parent company.
| The other is China Construction Bank.The latest scandal at Bank of China will do nothing to reassure foreign investors that China's big four banks are ready for international listings.Bank of China is the country's biggest foreign exchange dealer, while China Construction Bank is the largest deposit holder.Bank of China is one of two frontrunners in the race to list overseas.Although, he committed the offences whilst running Bank of China in New York, Mr Wang was head of China Construction Bank when the scandal broke.Earlier this month, a China Construction Bank branch manager was jailed for life in a separate case.The pair both worked at Bank of China in the northern city of Harbin, the South China Morning Post reported.The most high-profile case involved the ex-president of Bank of China, Wang Xuebing, jailed for 12 years in 2003.Two senior officials at one of China's top commercial banks have reportedly disappeared after funds worth up to $120m (£64m) went missing.China's banks used to act as cash offices for state enterprises and did not require checks on credit worthiness. |
1,484 | Boro suffer Morrison injury blow
Middlesbrough midfielder James Morrison has been ruled out for up to eight weeks after an operation on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old, who has played in 13 of the club's last 14 games, had surgery to repair a double hernia. A club spokesman confirmed: "It is a bilateral sportsman's hernia, which was operated on yesterday." Morrison was sent for scans after being substituted at half-time during Boro's 2-1 UEFA Cup win over Graz AK in which he scored the equaliser. His injury is the latest blow for the Teessiders, who have been without Gaizka Mendieta, George Boateng and Mark Viduka for extended periods. Meanwhile, the kick-off time for Boro's Uefa Cup match at Sporting Lisbon on 17 March has been brought forward from 2115 GMT to 1945 GMT.
| Morrison was sent for scans after being substituted at half-time during Boro's 2-1 UEFA Cup win over Graz AK in which he scored the equaliser.Meanwhile, the kick-off time for Boro's Uefa Cup match at Sporting Lisbon on 17 March has been brought forward from 2115 GMT to 1945 GMT.The 18-year-old, who has played in 13 of the club's last 14 games, had surgery to repair a double hernia. |
805 | Dame Julie pops in to see Poppins
Mary Poppins star Dame Julie Andrews watched the hit stage version of her classic film at a charity performance in London's West End.
It was the first time Dame Julie, who shot to fame as the nanny in the 1964 Disney movie, had seen the musical, staged at the Prince Edward Theatre. She watched Laura Michelle Kelly, 23, reprise the role on stage. The show has been one of the West End's hottest tickets since opening in December, winning two Olivier Awards. Kelly was named best musical actress at last month's ceremony and the musical also won best choreography.
But Kelly said she was "very nervous" about meeting Dame Julie because she was "my absolute hero". The gala performance saw Dame Julie, 69, return to the theatre where she had her first starring role in a performance of Humpty Dumpty in 1948. The Mary Poppins musical has been masterminded by theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Richard Eyre with choreography by Matthew Bourne. Sir Cameron said he hoped the production, which cost £9m to bring to the stage, was a blend of the sweet-natured film and the original book by PL Travers. Proceeds from Thursday's show will go to charities including Absolute Return for Kids (Ark), international relief agency Operation USA and drama school Lamda.
| But Kelly said she was "very nervous" about meeting Dame Julie because she was "my absolute hero".Mary Poppins star Dame Julie Andrews watched the hit stage version of her classic film at a charity performance in London's West End.It was the first time Dame Julie, who shot to fame as the nanny in the 1964 Disney movie, had seen the musical, staged at the Prince Edward Theatre.The gala performance saw Dame Julie, 69, return to the theatre where she had her first starring role in a performance of Humpty Dumpty in 1948. |
960 | Blair hails Turkey-EU talks deal
Tony Blair has hailed a deal bringing Turkey a step closer to EU membership as important for the world's future "peace and prosperity".
Mr Blair has been a leading advocate of Turkish membership despite controversy surrounding the idea. Leaving a Brussels summit Mr Blair said "the fact Turkey is a Muslim country does not mean it should be barred". The deal to open formal talks with Ankara came despite an EU demand for Turkey to recognise Cyprus. It was agreed the issue can be tackled at a later date but Turkish premier Recep Erdogan had to accept negotiations did not guarantee his country full EU membership.
If it joins, Turkey may have to accept restrictions to limit migration by its citizens. Mr Blair said having Turkey in the EU was of "importance to the future peace and prosperity of my country, Britain, and the wider world".
"We are stating a fundamental principle that the fact Turkey is a Muslim country does not mean it should be barred from Europe. "On the contrary, if it fulfils the same principles of human rights, then Muslim and Christian can work together." Under the agreement, Turkey must issue a written statement promising to sign an accord effectively recognising the Greek Cypriot government, but gives Turkey more time to sell the idea to its people.
The internationally recognised southern part of Cyprus is an EU member, but Turkey, which occupies northern Cyprus, had previously insisted it would not bow to demands to recognise the country, calling the issue a "red line". It could take up to 15 years before Turkey is able to join, and entry cannot be guaranteed. The EU has also announced that it will start accession talks with Croatia in April 2005. However, talks will begin only if the country co-operates fully with the UN war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
| Mr Blair said having Turkey in the EU was of "importance to the future peace and prosperity of my country, Britain, and the wider world".Leaving a Brussels summit Mr Blair said "the fact Turkey is a Muslim country does not mean it should be barred"."We are stating a fundamental principle that the fact Turkey is a Muslim country does not mean it should be barred from Europe.Tony Blair has hailed a deal bringing Turkey a step closer to EU membership as important for the world's future "peace and prosperity".The deal to open formal talks with Ankara came despite an EU demand for Turkey to recognise Cyprus.The internationally recognised southern part of Cyprus is an EU member, but Turkey, which occupies northern Cyprus, had previously insisted it would not bow to demands to recognise the country, calling the issue a "red line". |
369 | Beer giant swallows Russian firm
Brewing giant Inbev has agreed to buy Alfa-Eco's stake in Sun Interbrew, Russia's second-largest brewer, for up to 259.7m euros ($353.3m; £183.75m).
Alfa-Eco, the venture capital arm of Russian conglomerate Alfa Group, has a one-fifth stake in Sun Interbrew. The deal gives Inbev, the world's biggest beermaker, near-total control over the Russian brewer. Inbev bought out another partner in August 2004. Inbev brands include Bass, Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Staropramen. It employs 77,000 people, running operations in over 30 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
The Leuven-based brewery said it would own 97.3% of the voting shares and 98.8% of the non-voting shares of Sun Interbrew. The deal is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2005. Inbev was formed in August 2004 when Belgium's Interbrew bought Brazilian brewer Ambev. Sun Interbrew, which employs 8,000 staff, owns breweries in eight Russian cities - Klin, Ivanovo, Saransk, Kursk, Volzhsky, Omsk, Perm and Novocheboksarsk. There are also three breweries in Ukraine, in the cities of Chernigov, Nikolaev and Kharkov.
| Inbev was formed in August 2004 when Belgium's Interbrew bought Brazilian brewer Ambev.Brewing giant Inbev has agreed to buy Alfa-Eco's stake in Sun Interbrew, Russia's second-largest brewer, for up to 259.7m euros ($353.3m; £183.75m).Sun Interbrew, which employs 8,000 staff, owns breweries in eight Russian cities - Klin, Ivanovo, Saransk, Kursk, Volzhsky, Omsk, Perm and Novocheboksarsk.The deal gives Inbev, the world's biggest beermaker, near-total control over the Russian brewer.Alfa-Eco, the venture capital arm of Russian conglomerate Alfa Group, has a one-fifth stake in Sun Interbrew. |
220 | Standard Life concern at LSE bid
Standard Life is the latest shareholder in Deutsche Boerse to express concern at the German stock market operator's plans to buy the London Stock Exchange.
It said Deutsche Boerse had to show why its planned £1.35bn ($2.5bn) offer for the LSE was good for shareholder value. Reports say Standard Life, which owns a 1% stake in Deutsche Boerse, may seek a shareholder vote on the issue. Fellow shareholders US-based hedge fund Atticus Capital and UK-based TCI Fund Management have also expressed doubts.
Deutsche Boerse's supervisory board has approved the possible takeover of the LSE despite the signs of opposition from investors. "The onus is on Deutsche Boerse's management to demonstrate why the purchase of the LSE creates more value for shareholders than other strategies, such as a buyback," said Richard Moffat, investment director of UK Equities at Standard Life Investments. Atticus Capital, holding 2% of Deutsche Boerse, wants it to buy back its own shares rather than buy the LSE. And TCI which holds about 5%, has made a request for an extraordinary shareholders meeting to be held to vote on replacing the company's entire supervisory board. It has also demanded that shareholders be consulted about the proposed acquisition, and whether the operator of the Frankfurt stock exchange should return $500m (£266m) to shareholders instead.
In December, Deutsche Boerse, which also owns the derivatives market Eurex and the clearing firm Clearstream, put an informal offer of 530 pence per LSE share on the table. However, the LSE said the cash offer "undervalued" both its own business and the benefits of such a tie-up. Since then an improved offer from Deutsche Boerse has been anticipated as its management has continued talks with LSE chief executive Clara Furse. But the London exchange is also holding talks with Deutsche Boerse's rival Euronext, which operates the Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris exchanges, as well as London-based international derivatives market Liffe.
| It said Deutsche Boerse had to show why its planned £1.35bn ($2.5bn) offer for the LSE was good for shareholder value.Since then an improved offer from Deutsche Boerse has been anticipated as its management has continued talks with LSE chief executive Clara Furse.Standard Life is the latest shareholder in Deutsche Boerse to express concern at the German stock market operator's plans to buy the London Stock Exchange."The onus is on Deutsche Boerse's management to demonstrate why the purchase of the LSE creates more value for shareholders than other strategies, such as a buyback," said Richard Moffat, investment director of UK Equities at Standard Life Investments.In December, Deutsche Boerse, which also owns the derivatives market Eurex and the clearing firm Clearstream, put an informal offer of 530 pence per LSE share on the table.Reports say Standard Life, which owns a 1% stake in Deutsche Boerse, may seek a shareholder vote on the issue. |
1,298 | Brown's poll campaign move denied
The government has denied reports that Gordon Brown is preparing to oust Alan Milburn as Labour's election supremo.
Work and pensions minister Alan Johnson said it was wrong to suggest the chancellor would usurp Mr Milburn, adding they would "work as a team". A report in the Sunday Business claimed Mr Brown has been asked to take charge of media strategy, while Mr Milburn would move to a behind-the-scenes role. Labour has always maintained Mr Brown would have a central campaign role.
But many Labour backbenchers are said to be dissatisfied with the way election campaigning has gone and have said they wanted to see the chancellor take a bigger role. Some commentators say the Tories have grasped the initiative, putting Labour on the back foot, having to respond to Conservative policy announcements. These claims follow various opinion polls which suggest the Tories have been gaining on Labour. Party strategists are believed to want to bring Mr Brown to centre-stage having seen support rise, in private polling, after his Budget last week. But another report in the Sunday Telegraph claims Mr Milburn is unwilling to allow any new role for the chancellor to come at his expense. Mr Johnson told BBC News: "Gordon Brown will play a central role in any election campaign. "They were wrong when they said Milburn was ousting Brown and they're wrong now if they are saying Brown is ousting Milburn. We work as a team." Mr Milburn has repeatedly said the chancellor was key to the campaign and dismissed claims of a rift. Neither Downing Street nor the Labour Party would comment directly on the reports.
| Labour has always maintained Mr Brown would have a central campaign role.Work and pensions minister Alan Johnson said it was wrong to suggest the chancellor would usurp Mr Milburn, adding they would "work as a team".A report in the Sunday Business claimed Mr Brown has been asked to take charge of media strategy, while Mr Milburn would move to a behind-the-scenes role.Mr Milburn has repeatedly said the chancellor was key to the campaign and dismissed claims of a rift.Mr Johnson told BBC News: "Gordon Brown will play a central role in any election campaign.But another report in the Sunday Telegraph claims Mr Milburn is unwilling to allow any new role for the chancellor to come at his expense. |
1,338 | El Guerrouj targets cross country
Double Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj is set to make a rare appearance at the World Cross Country Championships in France.
But the Moroccan, who has not raced over cross country for 15 years, will not decide until two weeks before the event which starts on 19 March. "If I am to compete in it, it is only if I feel I can win," said the 30-year-old, who is retiring in 2006. "Otherwise there is not much point in me going." El Guerrouj achieved a lifetime ambition last August when he clinched his first Olympic titles over 1500m and 5,000m. But the four-time world 1500m champion is still hungry for more success before calling time on his career. The 30-year-old has set his sights on clinching the world 5,000m crown in Helsinki this summer. And he is aiming to break 10,000m Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele's 5,000m and 10,000m world records.
El Guerrouj could meet Bekele in March as the Ethiopian is the defending world cross country champion over both the long and short courses. But the Moroccan will not commit himself to the St Galmier event until he assesses how well his winter training is going. "The return to training was very difficult because I accepted a lot of invitations these past few months," said El Guerrouj. "I am almost a month behind but I am on the right track."
- Britain's Paula Radcliffe has also not ruled out competing in the World Cross Country Championships. "I haven't quite decided what events I will compete in prior to London but the World Cross Country is an event which is also special to me and is a definite possibility," said the two-time champion.
| Double Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj is set to make a rare appearance at the World Cross Country Championships in France."I haven't quite decided what events I will compete in prior to London but the World Cross Country is an event which is also special to me and is a definite possibility," said the two-time champion.El Guerrouj could meet Bekele in March as the Ethiopian is the defending world cross country champion over both the long and short courses.- Britain's Paula Radcliffe has also not ruled out competing in the World Cross Country Championships.But the Moroccan, who has not raced over cross country for 15 years, will not decide until two weeks before the event which starts on 19 March.And he is aiming to break 10,000m Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele's 5,000m and 10,000m world records. |
426 | Minister hits out at Yukos sale
Russia's renationalisation of its energy industry needs to be reversed, a senior government figure has warned.
Economy minister German Gref told the Kommersant newspaper that direct state involvement in oil was "unjustified". His comments follow the sale of much of oil giant Yukos to cover back taxes - a deal which effectively took most of the firm's assets into public ownership. On 28 December, another senior economic adviser called the sale "the swindle of the century". Yuganskneftegaz, the unit which produced 60% of Yukos' output, had been seized and sold in December for less than $10bn to a previously unknown firm called Baikal.
Baikal promptly passed into the hands of state-controlled firm Rosneft, itself shortly to merge with state gas giant Gazprom. "We used to see street hustlers do this kind of thing," Andrei Illarionov - then economic adviser to President Vladimir Putin - told a press conference. "Now officials are doing it." Within days, he was stripped of most of his responsibilities.
Mr Gref, a well-known opponent of nationalisation in competitive parts of the market, was keen to distance himself from Mr Iliaronov's comments. The privatisation of companies such as Yukos in the 1990s had been badly handled, he said. But he stressed that the government needed to get out of oil. "I think that Rosneft and Yuganskneftegaz, should it become a state-owned company, must be privatized," he said.
"Today our government is ineffective and state companies, as a result, are for the overwhelming part ineffective as well." And he warned that using back taxes to deal with firms like Yukos - a technique now being applied by the Kremlin to several other firms - was a mistake. "If we follow that logic, we should nationalise all businesses," he said. Many large Russian companies, particularly in the energy sector, use complex webs of offshore companies to avoid taxes.
Mr Gref also poured cold water on President Putin's promises of doubled economic growth within a decade. The assault on Yukos' assets has been widely blamed for a slowdown in economic growth in recent months. "The task is not simply to double GDP; instead it is to use GDP to qualitatively improve people's lives," Mr Gref told Kommersant. "We don't need simply to increase GDP, but to improve its structure." Instead of focusing on headline growth figures, Russia needed to focus on better institutions, such as a more efficient - and less corrupt - court system.
| "The task is not simply to double GDP; instead it is to use GDP to qualitatively improve people's lives," Mr Gref told Kommersant.Economy minister German Gref told the Kommersant newspaper that direct state involvement in oil was "unjustified".And he warned that using back taxes to deal with firms like Yukos - a technique now being applied by the Kremlin to several other firms - was a mistake.The privatisation of companies such as Yukos in the 1990s had been badly handled, he said.Mr Gref also poured cold water on President Putin's promises of doubled economic growth within a decade.His comments follow the sale of much of oil giant Yukos to cover back taxes - a deal which effectively took most of the firm's assets into public ownership.The assault on Yukos' assets has been widely blamed for a slowdown in economic growth in recent months.Yuganskneftegaz, the unit which produced 60% of Yukos' output, had been seized and sold in December for less than $10bn to a previously unknown firm called Baikal.Mr Gref, a well-known opponent of nationalisation in competitive parts of the market, was keen to distance himself from Mr Iliaronov's comments. |
1,992 | A decade of good website design
The web looks very different today than it did 10 years ago.
Back in 1994, Yahoo had only just launched, most websites were text-based and Amazon, Google and eBay had yet to appear. But, says usability guru Dr Jakob Nielsen, some things have stayed constant in that decade, namely the principles of what makes a site easy to use. Dr Nielsen has looked back at a decade of work on usability and considered whether the 34 core guidelines drawn up back then are relevant to the web of today. "Roughly 80% of the things we found 10 years ago are still an issue today," he said. "Some have gone away because users have changed and 10% have changed because technology has changed."
Some design crimes, such as splash screens that get between a user and the site they are trying to visit, and web designers indulging their artistic urges have almost disappeared, said Dr Nielsen.
"But there's great stability on usability concerns," he told the BBC News website. Dr Nielsen said the basic principles of usability, centring around ease of use and clear thinking about a site's total design, were as important as ever. "It's necessary to be aware of these things as issues because they remain as such," he said. They are still important because the net has not changed as much as people thought it would. "A lot of people thought that design and usability was only a temporary problem because broadband was taking off," he said. "But there are a very small number of cases where usability issues go away because you have broadband."
Dr Nielsen said the success of sites such as Google, Amazon, eBay and Yahoo showed that close attention to design and user needs was important. "Those four sites are extremely profitable and extremely successful," said Dr Nielsen, adding that they have largely defined commercial success on the net.
"All are based on user empowerment and make it easy for people to do things on the internet," he said. "They are making simple but powerful tools available to the user. "None of them have a fancy or glamorous look," he added, declaring himself surprised that these sites have not been more widely copied. In the future, Dr Nielsen believes that search engines will play an even bigger part in helping people get to grips with the huge amount of information online. "They are becoming like the operating system to the internet," he said. But, he said, the fact that they are useful now does not meant that they could not do better. Currently, he said, search sites did not do a very good job of describing the information that they return in response to queries. Often people had to look at a website just to judge whether it was useful or not. Tools that watch the behaviour of people on websites to see what they actually find useful could also help refine results. Research by Dr Nielsen shows that people are getting more sophisticated in their use of search engines. The latest statistics on how many words people use on search engines shows that, on average, they use 2.2 terms. In 1994 only 1.3 words were used. "I think it's amazing that we have seen a doubling in a 10-year period of those search terms," said Dr Nielsen.
You can hear more from Jakob Nielsen and web design on the BBC World Service programme, Go Digital
| Dr Nielsen said the success of sites such as Google, Amazon, eBay and Yahoo showed that close attention to design and user needs was important.Dr Nielsen said the basic principles of usability, centring around ease of use and clear thinking about a site's total design, were as important as ever.Some design crimes, such as splash screens that get between a user and the site they are trying to visit, and web designers indulging their artistic urges have almost disappeared, said Dr Nielsen."I think it's amazing that we have seen a doubling in a 10-year period of those search terms," said Dr Nielsen."All are based on user empowerment and make it easy for people to do things on the internet," he said.Research by Dr Nielsen shows that people are getting more sophisticated in their use of search engines.But, says usability guru Dr Jakob Nielsen, some things have stayed constant in that decade, namely the principles of what makes a site easy to use."A lot of people thought that design and usability was only a temporary problem because broadband was taking off," he said."Roughly 80% of the things we found 10 years ago are still an issue today," he said."Those four sites are extremely profitable and extremely successful," said Dr Nielsen, adding that they have largely defined commercial success on the net.Dr Nielsen has looked back at a decade of work on usability and considered whether the 34 core guidelines drawn up back then are relevant to the web of today.Often people had to look at a website just to judge whether it was useful or not. |
545 | Hundreds vie for best film Oscar
A total of 267 films are eligible for the best film Oscar but only five will be chosen to go forward as nominees.
The Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences has sent out the first ballot papers with the full list of films vying for recognition. Among those expected to receive nominations are The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby and Sideways. Academy members will now vote for their favourites before the final nominees are announced on 25 January.
To be eligible for nomination a film must have been shown in a commercial theatre for seven consecutive days before the deadline of 31 December. Director Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio went on general release on Christmas Day in the US, ensuring it just made the deadline. Studios have already begun lobbying voters, taking out full page adverts in trade publications such as Variety urging them to remember particular films when it comes to choosing what to back. Other movies tipped for possible success include Closer, starring Jude Law and Julia Roberts, Finding Neverland, with Johnny Depp as author JM Barry and Kinsey starring Liam Neeson as the famed sex scientist Alfred Kinsey. Meanwhile, design engineer Takuo Miyagishima will be awarded an Oscar at the Scientific and Technical Awards Dinner on 12 February 2005. Miyagishima is the 18th recipient of the Sawyer Award, which is "presented to an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry." The main Oscar ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on 27 February.
| A total of 267 films are eligible for the best film Oscar but only five will be chosen to go forward as nominees.To be eligible for nomination a film must have been shown in a commercial theatre for seven consecutive days before the deadline of 31 December.The Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences has sent out the first ballot papers with the full list of films vying for recognition.Director Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio went on general release on Christmas Day in the US, ensuring it just made the deadline.Meanwhile, design engineer Takuo Miyagishima will be awarded an Oscar at the Scientific and Technical Awards Dinner on 12 February 2005. |
407 | India's Deccan gets more planes
Air Deccan has signed a deal to acquire 36 planes from Avions de Transport Regional (ATR).
The value of the deal has not been revealed, because of a confidentiality clause in the agreement. But Air Deccan's managing director Gorur Gopinath has said the price agreed was less than the catalogue price of $17.6m (£9.49m) per plane. Recently, India's first low-cost airline ordered 30 Airbus A320 planes for $1.8bn.
Under the agreement, Air Deccan will buy 15 new ATR 72-500 and lease another 15. ATR will also provide six second hand airplanes. In a statement, ATR has said deliveries of the aircraft will begin in 2005 and will continue over a five-year period.
Mr Gopinath said the planes will connect regional Indian cities. "After an evaluation of both ATR and Bombardier aircraft, we have chosen the ATR aircraft as we find it most suitable for our operations and for the Indian market for short haul routes." Filippo Bagnato, ATR's chief executive, has said that his firm will also work with Air Deccan to create a training centre in Bangalore.
The potential of the Indian budget market has attracted attention from businesses at home and abroad. Air Deccan has said it will base its business model on European firms such as Ireland's Ryanair. Beer magnate Vijay Mallya recently set up Kingfisher Airlines, while UK entrepreneur Richard Branson has said he is keen to start a local operation. India's government has given its backing to cheaper and more accessible air travel.
| Air Deccan has signed a deal to acquire 36 planes from Avions de Transport Regional (ATR).Air Deccan has said it will base its business model on European firms such as Ireland's Ryanair.In a statement, ATR has said deliveries of the aircraft will begin in 2005 and will continue over a five-year period.Filippo Bagnato, ATR's chief executive, has said that his firm will also work with Air Deccan to create a training centre in Bangalore.But Air Deccan's managing director Gorur Gopinath has said the price agreed was less than the catalogue price of $17.6m (£9.49m) per plane.Under the agreement, Air Deccan will buy 15 new ATR 72-500 and lease another 15. |
998 | Blunkett row should end - Blair
Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was time to draw a line under the controversy surrounding David Blunkett.
The Tories and the Lib Dems have called for a second inquiry into the fast-tracking of a visa application for Mr Blunkett's ex-lover's nanny. Sir Alan Budd found a "chain of events" linked Mr Blunkett to Leoncia Casalme's indefinite leave to remain application. At the end of his Middle East trip, Mr Blair said he still admired Mr Blunkett and thought his integrity was intact.
On Tuesday Sir Alan said the application for leave to remain in the UK made by Kimberly Quinn's nanny was processed in 52 days, 120 days faster than the average. But he could not find evidence to show whether Mr Blunkett's intervention was intended to give special help for his then lover's nanny - or if he was raising the case as an example of poor departmental performance. In his first comments since Sir Alan's announcement, Mr Blair told BBC News he had not yet read the report in detail. But told BBC News: "As far as I'm concerned, we have drawn a line under that."
Asked if Mr Blunkett could return to frontline politics at some point, he replied: "I have made my admiration for David very clear and it remains. "He's been a tremendous colleague, he's done a great job for us, first as home secretary then as education secretary. The future is something we will have to approach in the future." The prime minister shrugged off claims from Conservative leader Michael Howard that he led a "grubby government". He said Mr Blunkett's integrity remained intact: "He was the person first of all who asked for this inquiry to be set up. He accepted that what he originally thought had happened had not happened, he said. "But I think Sir Alan Budd also accepted there wasn't some conspiracy or cover-up and I just think a line should be drawn under now and we should move on."
Earlier, Mr Howard said: "There does need to be another inquiry, a judge-led inquiry. There were so many questions that weren't answered." There was "deceit at the heart of government" which was not limited to the visa affair, he argued. Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten also said there was "a strong case for a judge-led judicial review".
He said: "Next time it happens it may not be about a nanny and their visa. It may be about something even more important than that." Mr Blunkett quit as home secretary last week after being told in advance of Sir Alan's findings. In a statement, the ex-home secretary said he accepted the inquiry's findings. He said he had told the truth throughout and had raised the nanny case as an example of unacceptable backlogs in the system.
| At the end of his Middle East trip, Mr Blair said he still admired Mr Blunkett and thought his integrity was intact.He said Mr Blunkett's integrity remained intact: "He was the person first of all who asked for this inquiry to be set up.Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was time to draw a line under the controversy surrounding David Blunkett.Mr Blunkett quit as home secretary last week after being told in advance of Sir Alan's findings.He said: "Next time it happens it may not be about a nanny and their visa.On Tuesday Sir Alan said the application for leave to remain in the UK made by Kimberly Quinn's nanny was processed in 52 days, 120 days faster than the average.Earlier, Mr Howard said: "There does need to be another inquiry, a judge-led inquiry.But he could not find evidence to show whether Mr Blunkett's intervention was intended to give special help for his then lover's nanny - or if he was raising the case as an example of poor departmental performance.Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten also said there was "a strong case for a judge-led judicial review".The Tories and the Lib Dems have called for a second inquiry into the fast-tracking of a visa application for Mr Blunkett's ex-lover's nanny. |
2,179 | Apple makes blogs reveal sources
Apple has won its legal fight to make three bloggers reveal who told them about unreleased products.
The bid to unmask the employees leaking information was launched in December 2004 following online articles about Apple's Asteroid product. Now Apple has won the right to see e-mail records from the three bloggers to root out the culprit. A lawyer for the three bloggers said the ruling set a dangerous precedent that could harm all news reporters.
Apple's lawsuit accused anonymous people of stealing trade secrets about the Asteroid music product and leaking them to the PowerPage, Apple Insider and Think Secret websites. All three are Apple fan sites that obsessively watch the iconic firm for information about future products. Apple is notoriously secretive about upcoming products which gives any snippets of information about what it is working on all the more value. The lawsuit to reveal the names of the leakers was filed against the Power Page and Apple Insider sites.
The separate legal fight with Think Secret has yet to be resolved. In the ruling handed down this week by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg, Apple can now get its hands on e-mail records from the bloggers' net providers. In making his ruling, Judge Kleinberg said that laws covering the divulging of trade secrets outweighed considerations of public interest. California has so-called "shield" laws which protect journalists from prosecution if what they are writing about can be shown to be in the public interest. The Judge wrote: "...it is not surprising that hundreds of thousands of 'hits' on a website about Apple have and will happen. But an interested public is not the same as the public interest". Judge Kleinberg said the question of whether the bloggers were journalists or not did not apply because laws governing the right to keep trade secrets confidential covered journalists, too. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is acting as legal counsel for Power Page and Apple Insider, said the ruling had potentially wide implications. "Anyone who reports on companies or the trade press should be concerned about this ruling," said EFF lawyer Kurt Opsahl. Mr Opsahl said the EFF was planning to appeal against the ruling because the bloggers were journalists and US federal laws stop net firms handing over copies of e-mail messages if the owner of that account does not give their consent.
| In making his ruling, Judge Kleinberg said that laws covering the divulging of trade secrets outweighed considerations of public interest.Apple has won its legal fight to make three bloggers reveal who told them about unreleased products.Now Apple has won the right to see e-mail records from the three bloggers to root out the culprit.Apple's lawsuit accused anonymous people of stealing trade secrets about the Asteroid music product and leaking them to the PowerPage, Apple Insider and Think Secret websites.Judge Kleinberg said the question of whether the bloggers were journalists or not did not apply because laws governing the right to keep trade secrets confidential covered journalists, too.The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is acting as legal counsel for Power Page and Apple Insider, said the ruling had potentially wide implications.Mr Opsahl said the EFF was planning to appeal against the ruling because the bloggers were journalists and US federal laws stop net firms handing over copies of e-mail messages if the owner of that account does not give their consent.In the ruling handed down this week by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg, Apple can now get its hands on e-mail records from the bloggers' net providers. |
1,895 | Games enter the classroom
Video games could soon be transplanted from their natural habitat to the more academic atmosphere of the classroom.
With violent titles continuing to top the charts, gaming and learning have not always sat well together but the tide could be beginning to turn. Recent research by the London Institute of Education concluded that games have a valid place in the classroom. "Games teach life skills such as decision making, problem solving," said Martin Owen, at Futurelab. Mr Owen said games could also help children make quick assessments of situations and learning by trial and error.
Futurelab is a non-profit organisation looking at ways of using technology for innovative learning. Most game firms are too busy turning a profit in the lucrative commercial market to consider developing games for use in schools but Liverpool-based games firm Lateral Visions saw a gap in the market. "Learning games were somewhat old-fashioned and we didn't see anyone else doing what we wanted to do," said Dr Carl Gavin, managing director of Lateral Visions. The company set out to write something that had all the look and feel of a commercial game but with an educational and learning element. The result is Racing Academy, a massively multiplayer car racing game, which requires not only a thirst for speed but a working knowledge of physics and engineering as well.
It is being used by Futurelab to test the viability of using gaming in the classroom. "We are keen to find out whether alongside learning a game, we can also learn something that the rest of the world can understand as being educational," said Mr Owen. Players will have to understand how a car works in order to win races and the knowledge of physics and engineering that they gather along the way will be done in a way that no text book can teach. The game requires users to build and maintain their vehicles and to monitor and analyse performance using data from a variety of outputs, before and after racing. Teamwork is essential and a chat area allows students to exchange information and data, work collaboratively and review their own performances. This fusion of chatrooms and gaming is of special interest to Futurelab as it is through talking to others that much of the learning can be achieved, thinks Mr Owen.
The game has been trialled in two secondary schools in Bristol and feedback from students has been positive. "Pupils used the statistics to work out the best way to build their cars and the online message board to share ideas and support each other," said Ben Williamson, a researcher at Futurelab charged with testing the game in real schools. Dr Gavin thinks the game satisfies both teachers' need for learning outcomes and the children's desire to rise to a challenge. "Games in the classroom need to support the teacher. It is not about giving children free rein to play game but recognising that games attract attention and offer a challenge," he said. Professor Angela MacFarlane, based at Bristol University, has spent several years researching how games can be incorporated into classrooms.
Use of games in schools has been patchy she found, with Sim City proving the most popular. Traditionally schools have eschewed mainstream games in favour of used so-called edu-tainment software in a belief that such packages help to make learning fun, she found in her research. "It is perhaps in a compromise between edutainment and mainstream games that the greatest potential for classroom useable games lies," she wrote in a paper entitled Games and Learning. 'Lite' versions of existing games could be the way forward and would overcome one of the biggest hurdles - persuading developers to write for the educational market. This would appeal to developers because of the low costs involved in adapting them as well as offering a new opportunity for marketing. Already there are games on the market, such as Civilisation and Age of Empire, that have educational elements said Mr Owen. "Even in Grand Theft Auto it is not just the violence that engages people," he said. It could be some time until that particular game makes it into the classroom though.
| "It is perhaps in a compromise between edutainment and mainstream games that the greatest potential for classroom useable games lies," she wrote in a paper entitled Games and Learning.Mr Owen said games could also help children make quick assessments of situations and learning by trial and error.It is not about giving children free rein to play game but recognising that games attract attention and offer a challenge," he said.Most game firms are too busy turning a profit in the lucrative commercial market to consider developing games for use in schools but Liverpool-based games firm Lateral Visions saw a gap in the market."We are keen to find out whether alongside learning a game, we can also learn something that the rest of the world can understand as being educational," said Mr Owen.It could be some time until that particular game makes it into the classroom though.Already there are games on the market, such as Civilisation and Age of Empire, that have educational elements said Mr Owen.The company set out to write something that had all the look and feel of a commercial game but with an educational and learning element.Video games could soon be transplanted from their natural habitat to the more academic atmosphere of the classroom."Pupils used the statistics to work out the best way to build their cars and the online message board to share ideas and support each other," said Ben Williamson, a researcher at Futurelab charged with testing the game in real schools.Traditionally schools have eschewed mainstream games in favour of used so-called edu-tainment software in a belief that such packages help to make learning fun, she found in her research.'Lite' versions of existing games could be the way forward and would overcome one of the biggest hurdles - persuading developers to write for the educational market. |
1,281 | UK pledges £1bn to vaccine effort
UK Chancellor Gordon Brown has offered £960m ($1.8bn) over 15 years to an international scheme aiming to boost vaccination and immunisation schemes.
In a speech, he called for action to reach the 2000 Millennium Declaration goals of halving global poverty and tackling child mortality rates. Mr Brown has just returned from a tour of African nations. The £1bn commitment is part of a five-point plan on debt relief, trade, aid, education and health.
The chancellor was speaking at an event jointly organised by the UK's Department for International Development and the UN Development Programme on Wednesday. Mr Brown welcomed news that the Bill Gates Foundation and Norway are joining up to put an extra £0.53bn ($1bn ) into the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi). Britain, France, Gavi and the Gates Foundation have drawn up proposals to apply the principles of the International Finance Facility (IFF) to the area of immunisation. That could see donors making long-term, legally binding financial commitments which can then be used as collateral for raising extra funds from international capital markets. As well as pledging £960m over 15 years to the immunisation IFF, Britain urged other donors to contribute.
If Gavi could increase its funding for immunisation by an extra £4bn ($7.4bn) over 10 years, then an extra five million lives could have been saved by 2015 and five million thereafter, Mr Brown argued. Campaign groups including Friends of the Earth, the World Development Movement, and War on Want said UK government policy on free trade was a major barrier to fighting poverty. War on Want's John Hilary said: "Compassionate rhetoric cannot disguise the reality of the government's neo-liberal policies. "As long as Mr Blair and Mr Brown continue to push free trade and privatisation on developing countries, more and more people will be pushed deeper into poverty, not lifted out of it."
| Mr Brown welcomed news that the Bill Gates Foundation and Norway are joining up to put an extra £0.53bn ($1bn ) into the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi).UK Chancellor Gordon Brown has offered £960m ($1.8bn) over 15 years to an international scheme aiming to boost vaccination and immunisation schemes.If Gavi could increase its funding for immunisation by an extra £4bn ($7.4bn) over 10 years, then an extra five million lives could have been saved by 2015 and five million thereafter, Mr Brown argued."As long as Mr Blair and Mr Brown continue to push free trade and privatisation on developing countries, more and more people will be pushed deeper into poverty, not lifted out of it."Britain, France, Gavi and the Gates Foundation have drawn up proposals to apply the principles of the International Finance Facility (IFF) to the area of immunisation.Campaign groups including Friends of the Earth, the World Development Movement, and War on Want said UK government policy on free trade was a major barrier to fighting poverty. |
689 | Housewives lift Channel 4 ratings
The debut of US television hit Desperate Housewives has helped lift Channel 4's January audience share by 12% compared to last year.
Other successes such as Celebrity Big Brother and The Simpsons have enabled the broadcaster to surpass BBC Two for the first month since last July. BBC Two's share of the audience fell from 11.2% to 9.6% last month in comparison with January 2004. Celebrity Big Brother attracted fewer viewers than its 2002 series.
Comedy drama Desperate Housewives managed to pull in five million viewers at one point during its run to date, attracting a quarter of the television audience. The two main television channels, BBC1 and ITV1, have both seen their monthly audience share decline in a year on year comparison for January, while Five's proportion remained the same at a slender 6.3%. Digital multi-channel TV is continuing to be the strongest area of growth, with the BBC reporting Freeview box ownership of five million, including one million sales in the last portion of 2004. Its share of the audience soared by 20% in January 2005 compared with last year, and currently stands at an average of 28.6%.
| BBC Two's share of the audience fell from 11.2% to 9.6% last month in comparison with January 2004.The debut of US television hit Desperate Housewives has helped lift Channel 4's January audience share by 12% compared to last year.Its share of the audience soared by 20% in January 2005 compared with last year, and currently stands at an average of 28.6%.The two main television channels, BBC1 and ITV1, have both seen their monthly audience share decline in a year on year comparison for January, while Five's proportion remained the same at a slender 6.3%. |
1,454 | Benitez issues warning to Gerrard
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has ordered captain Steven Gerrard not to play down their Champions League ambitions and be more positive.
Gerrard told the BBC Liverpool were unlikely to win the trophy this year. Benitez responded: "I spoke to Steven and said to him that in future it's better to think we can win the Champions League. Why not?" He said: "We need winners here and everyone thinking only of winning. I always want to win."
Benitez added: "When we lose I only think of solutions. If you only think about winning the next game, you don't know what the draw will be. "If we can win the next game, maybe we will draw a side that isn't so strong, or a side with injuries or suspensions." Benitez is hoping to win his first trophy since arriving at Liverpool from Valencia when they play Chelsea in the Carling Cup on Sunday in Cardiff.
| Benitez responded: "I spoke to Steven and said to him that in future it's better to think we can win the Champions League.Benitez is hoping to win his first trophy since arriving at Liverpool from Valencia when they play Chelsea in the Carling Cup on Sunday in Cardiff.Gerrard told the BBC Liverpool were unlikely to win the trophy this year.Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has ordered captain Steven Gerrard not to play down their Champions League ambitions and be more positive. |
783 | Famed music director Viotti dies
Conductor Marcello Viotti, director of Venice's famous La Fenice Theatre, has died in Germany at 50.
Viotti, director of La Fenice since 2002, conducted at renowned opera houses worldwide including Milan's La Scala and the Vienna State Opera. His time at La Fenice coincided with its reopening in 2003 after it was destroyed by fire in 1996. He fell into a coma after suffering a stroke during rehearsals for Jules Massenet's Manon last week.
He conducted some of the best orchestras in the world including the Berlin Philharmonic and the English Chamber Orchestra. Viotti was born in Switzerland and studied the piano, cello and singing at the Lausanne Conservatory. His career breakthrough came in 1982 when he won first prize at the Gino Marinuzzi conducting competition in Italy. Viotti established himself as chief conductor of the Turin Opera and went on to become chief conductor of Munich's Radio Orchestra. At La Fenice Viotti was widely acclaimed for his production of the French composer Massenet's Thais and some of his other productions included Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata and Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos.
The last opera he directed at La Fenice was Massenet's Le Roi de Lahore. Viotti's debut at the New York's Metropolitan Opera came in 2000 with Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, followed by La Boheme, La Traviata and Fromental Halevy's La Juive. Giampaolo Vianello, superintendent of the Fenice Theatre Foundation, said: "I am filled with extreme sadness because, other than a great artist, he is missed as a friend - a main character in the latest joyous times, during the rebirth of our theatre." Viotti's last public performance was on 5 February when he conducted Vincenzo Bellini's Norma at the Vienna State Opera.
| Viotti, director of La Fenice since 2002, conducted at renowned opera houses worldwide including Milan's La Scala and the Vienna State Opera.The last opera he directed at La Fenice was Massenet's Le Roi de Lahore.At La Fenice Viotti was widely acclaimed for his production of the French composer Massenet's Thais and some of his other productions included Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata and Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos.Conductor Marcello Viotti, director of Venice's famous La Fenice Theatre, has died in Germany at 50.Viotti's debut at the New York's Metropolitan Opera came in 2000 with Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, followed by La Boheme, La Traviata and Fromental Halevy's La Juive.His time at La Fenice coincided with its reopening in 2003 after it was destroyed by fire in 1996. |
2,166 | 'No re-draft' for EU patent law
A proposed European law on software patents will not be re-drafted by the European Commission (EC) despite requests by MEPs.
The law is proving controversial and has been in limbo for a year. Some major tech firms say it is needed to protect inventions, while others fear it will hurt smaller tech firms. The EC says the Council of Ministers will adopt a draft version that was agreed upon last May but said it would review "all aspects of the directive". The directive is intended to offer patent protection to inventions that use software to achieve their effect, in other words, "computer implemented invention".
In a letter, EC President José Manuel Barroso told the President of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, that the Commission "did not intend to refer a new proposal to the Parliament and the Council (of ministers)" as it had supported the agreement reached by ministers in May 2004.
If the European Council agrees on the draft directive it will then return for a second reading at the European Parliament. But that will not guarantee that the directive will become law - instead it will probably mean further delays and controversy over the directive. Most EU legislation now needs the approval of both parliament and the Council of Ministers before it becomes law. French Green MEP Alain Lipietz warned two weeks ago that if the Commission ignored the Parliament's request it would be an "insult" to the assembly. He said that the parliament would then reject the Council's version of the legislation as part of the final or conciliation stage of the decision procedure. In the US, the patenting of computer programs and internet business methods is permitted.
This means that the US-based Amazon.com holds a patent for its "one-click shopping" service, for example. Critics are concerned that the directive could lead to a similar model happening in Europe. This, they fear, could hurt small software developers because they do not have the legal and financial might of larger companies if they had to fight patent legal action in court. Supporters say current laws are inefficient and it would serve to even up a playing field without bringing EU laws in line with the US.
| A proposed European law on software patents will not be re-drafted by the European Commission (EC) despite requests by MEPs.But that will not guarantee that the directive will become law - instead it will probably mean further delays and controversy over the directive.The EC says the Council of Ministers will adopt a draft version that was agreed upon last May but said it would review "all aspects of the directive".Supporters say current laws are inefficient and it would serve to even up a playing field without bringing EU laws in line with the US.If the European Council agrees on the draft directive it will then return for a second reading at the European Parliament.Most EU legislation now needs the approval of both parliament and the Council of Ministers before it becomes law. |
648 | Queen recruit singer for new tour
The remaining members of rock band Queen are to go on tour next year with former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers taking Freddie Mercury's place.
Guitarist Brian May has said he expects to be on the road with Rodgers and drummer Roger Taylor from April. May said: "Suddenly the Queen Phoenix is rising again from the ashes and will take precedence over... our lives." Queen have played with many different singers since Mercury's death in 1991 but have reportedly not toured. May performed with Rodgers at a concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar in London in September.
"We were both so amazed at the chemistry that was going on in [Free hit] All Right Now, that suddenly it seems blindingly obvious that there was 'something happening here,'" May wrote on his website. They teamed up again for a concert to mark their induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and were joined by Taylor. "The show went so incredibly well from our point of view, and we got so many rave reactions from out there, we decided almost then and there that we would look at a tour together," May wrote.
Queen went to number one in 2000 with a version of We Will Rock You sung by boy band 5ive and they have also played with Robbie Williams, Will Young and Bob Geldof. Queen bassist John Deacon has currently retired from the stage. Rodgers was singer with early 1970s rockers Free, who had a global hit with All Right Now, before forming Bad Company, a successful "supergroup" with members of King Crimson and Mott the Hoople. He has also been in The Firm with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and The Law with The Small Faces and The Who drummer Kenny Jones.
| The remaining members of rock band Queen are to go on tour next year with former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers taking Freddie Mercury's place.Guitarist Brian May has said he expects to be on the road with Rodgers and drummer Roger Taylor from April.May said: "Suddenly the Queen Phoenix is rising again from the ashes and will take precedence over... our lives."Rodgers was singer with early 1970s rockers Free, who had a global hit with All Right Now, before forming Bad Company, a successful "supergroup" with members of King Crimson and Mott the Hoople.Queen have played with many different singers since Mercury's death in 1991 but have reportedly not toured. |
537 | Lit Idol begins search for author
The second Pop Idol-style search for literary talent has begun with the help of the brother of Simon Cowell.
Writer Tony Cowell is among the judges who will hear aspiring writers read their work aloud. The winner gets a deal with literary agency Curtis Brown. "I'm not going to be the Mr Nasty of books," said Cowell, 54, in reference to his brother's caustic remarks on TV shows Pop Idol and The X-Factor. The 2004 winner, Paul Cavanagh, went on to sign a deal with Harper Collins.
This year, the competition is specifically looking for a crime writer. Writers must submit up to 10,000 words from the opening chapters of their novels and a synopsis. Professional readers will choose a shortlist of five following the competition closing date on 14 January.
The final five will then have to read their work in front of judging panel. A public vote will also take place, which will account for 25% of the final decision. The winner will be announced at the London Book Fair on 14 March next year and could be screened on TV. "It's very, very hard to find an agent and extremely difficult, without an agent, to get a publisher to look at your work," said Cowell. "People do fall by the wayside and the more avenues we can provide for aspiring authors, the better," he added. Paul Cavanagh, a former university professor and health care consultant from Ontario in Canada, was one of 1,466 aspiring novelists to enter the first contest. He lifted the inaugural Lit Idol prize after reading aloud an excerpt of his work Northwest Passage. Three film studios are said to be interested in buying film rights for the book, even though it is not finished yet.
| Writer Tony Cowell is among the judges who will hear aspiring writers read their work aloud.The final five will then have to read their work in front of judging panel."It's very, very hard to find an agent and extremely difficult, without an agent, to get a publisher to look at your work," said Cowell.The winner gets a deal with literary agency Curtis Brown.The 2004 winner, Paul Cavanagh, went on to sign a deal with Harper Collins."I'm not going to be the Mr Nasty of books," said Cowell, 54, in reference to his brother's caustic remarks on TV shows Pop Idol and The X-Factor.The winner will be announced at the London Book Fair on 14 March next year and could be screened on TV. |
1,132 | Jack Cunningham to stand down
Veteran Labour MP and former Cabinet minister Jack Cunningham has said he will stand down at the next election.
One of the few Blair-era ministers to serve under Jim Callaghan, he was given the agriculture portfolio when Labour regained power in 1997. Mr Cunningham went on to become Tony Blair's "cabinet enforcer". He has represented the constituency now known as Copeland since 1970. Mr Blair said he was a "huge figure" in Labour and a "valued, personal friend".
During Labour's long period in opposition, Mr Cunningham held a number of shadow roles including foreign affairs, the environment and as trade spokesman. As agriculture minister he caused controversy when he decided to ban beef on the bone in the wake of fears over BSE. He quit the government in 1999 and in recent years has served as the chairman of the all-party committee on Lords reform and has been a loyal supporter of the government from the backbenches.
| Veteran Labour MP and former Cabinet minister Jack Cunningham has said he will stand down at the next election.Mr Blair said he was a "huge figure" in Labour and a "valued, personal friend".One of the few Blair-era ministers to serve under Jim Callaghan, he was given the agriculture portfolio when Labour regained power in 1997.Mr Cunningham went on to become Tony Blair's "cabinet enforcer". |
77 | China had role in Yukos split-up
China lent Russia $6bn (£3.2bn) to help the Russian government renationalise the key Yuganskneftegas unit of oil group Yukos, it has been revealed.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the $6bn which Russian state bank VEB lent state-owned Rosneft to help buy Yugansk in turn came from Chinese banks. The revelation came as the Russian government said Rosneft had signed a long-term oil supply deal with China. The deal sees Rosneft receive $6bn in credits from China's CNPC.
According to Russian newspaper Vedomosti, these credits would be used to pay off the loans Rosneft received to finance the purchase of Yugansk. Reports said CNPC had been offered 20% of Yugansk in return for providing finance but the company opted for a long-term oil supply deal instead. Analysts said one factor that might have influenced the Chinese decision was the possibility of litigation from Yukos, Yugansk's former owner, if CNPC had become a shareholder. Rosneft and VEB declined to comment. "The two companies [Rosneft and CNPC] have agreed on the pre-payment for long-term deliveries," said Russian oil official Sergei Oganesyan. "There is nothing unusual that the pre-payment is for five to six years."
The announcements help to explain how Rosneft, a medium-sized, indebted, and relatively unknown firm, was able to finance its surprise purchase of Yugansk. Yugansk was sold for $9.3bn in an auction last year to help Yukos pay off part of a $27bn bill in unpaid taxes and fines.
The embattled Russian oil giant had previously filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court in an attempt to prevent the forced sale of its main production arm. But Yugansk was sold to a little known shell company which in turn was bought by Rosneft. Yukos claims its downfall was punishment for the political ambitions of its founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Once the country's richest man, Mr Khodorkovsky is on trial for fraud and tax evasion.
The deal between Rosneft and CNPC is seen as part of China's desire to secure long-term oil supplies to feed its booming economy. China's thirst for products such as crude oil, copper and steel has helped pushed global commodity prices to record levels. "Clearly the Chinese are trying to get some leverage [in Russia]," said Dmitry Lukashov, an analyst at brokerage Aton. "They understand property rights in Russia are not the most important rights, and they are more interested in guaranteeing supplies." "If the price of oil is fixed under the deal, which is unlikely, it could be very profitable for the Chinese," Mr Lukashov continued. "And Rosneft is in desperate need of cash, so it's a good deal for them too."
| The revelation came as the Russian government said Rosneft had signed a long-term oil supply deal with China."The two companies [Rosneft and CNPC] have agreed on the pre-payment for long-term deliveries," said Russian oil official Sergei Oganesyan.The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the $6bn which Russian state bank VEB lent state-owned Rosneft to help buy Yugansk in turn came from Chinese banks.The deal between Rosneft and CNPC is seen as part of China's desire to secure long-term oil supplies to feed its booming economy.The deal sees Rosneft receive $6bn in credits from China's CNPC.Reports said CNPC had been offered 20% of Yugansk in return for providing finance but the company opted for a long-term oil supply deal instead.China lent Russia $6bn (£3.2bn) to help the Russian government renationalise the key Yuganskneftegas unit of oil group Yukos, it has been revealed.But Yugansk was sold to a little known shell company which in turn was bought by Rosneft.Yugansk was sold for $9.3bn in an auction last year to help Yukos pay off part of a $27bn bill in unpaid taxes and fines. |
1,389 | African double in Edinburgh
World 5000m champion Eliud Kipchoge won the 9.2km race at the View From Great Edinburgh Cross Country.
The Kenyan, who was second when Newcastle hosted the race last year, was in front from the outset. Ethiopian duo Gebre Gebremariam and Dejene Berhanu made last-gasp efforts to overtake him, but Kipchoge responded and a burst of speed clinched victory. Gavin Thompson was the first Briton in 12th place while Nick McCormick held of his British rivals to win the 4km race. The Morpeth Harrier led from the end of the first lap and ended Mike Skinner and Andrew Baddeley's hopes with a surge in the lasp lap. "My training has gone so well I wasn't really worried about the opposition asI knew I was in great shape," said McCormick, who now hopes to earn a 1,500m place in the British team for the World Championships in Helsinki. In the women's race, Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba won a battle with world cross country champion Benita Johnson to retain her title. Australian Johnson, who shocked her African rivals in Brussels last March, looked to be on course for another win in the 6.2km race. But world 5000m champion Dibaba make a telling strike for the finishing line in the final 20 metres. Britons Kathy Butler and Hayley Yelling were out of contention early on.
| World 5000m champion Eliud Kipchoge won the 9.2km race at the View From Great Edinburgh Cross Country.Gavin Thompson was the first Briton in 12th place while Nick McCormick held of his British rivals to win the 4km race.In the women's race, Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba won a battle with world cross country champion Benita Johnson to retain her title.Australian Johnson, who shocked her African rivals in Brussels last March, looked to be on course for another win in the 6.2km race. |
1,859 | Iran jails blogger for 14 years
An Iranian weblogger has been jailed for 14 years on charges of spying and aiding foreign counter-revolutionaries.
Arash Sigarchi was arrested last month after using his blog to criticise the arrest of other online journalists. Mr Sigarchi, who also edits a newspaper in northern Iran, was sentenced by a revolutionary court in the Gilan area. His sentence, criticised by human rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders, comes a day after an online "day of action" to secure his release. Iranian authorities have recently clamped down on the growing popularity of weblogs, restricting access to major blogging sites from within Iran. A second Iranian blogger, Motjaba Saminejad, who also used his website to report on bloggers' arrests, is still being held.
A spokesman for Reporters Without Borders, which tracks press freedom across the globe, described Mr Sigarchi's sentence as "harsh" and called on Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to work to secure his immediate release. "The authorities are trying to make an example of him," the organisation said in a statement.
"By handing down this harsh sentence against a weblogger, their aim is to dissuade journalists and internet-users from expressing themselves online or contacting foreign media." In the days before his arrest Mr Sigarchi gave interviews to the BBC Persian Service and the US-funded Radio Farda. Iranian authorities have arrested about 20 online journalists during the current crackdown. They accused Mr Sigarchi of a string of crimes against Iranian state, including espionage, insulting the founder of Iran's Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei, and current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mr Sigarchi's lawyer labelled the revolutionary court "illegal and incompetent" and called for a retrial in a public court.
Mr Sigarchi was sentenced one day after an online campaign highlighted his case in a day of action in defence of bloggers around the world.
The Committee to Protect Bloggers designated 22 February 2005 as Free Mojtaba and Arash Day. Around 10,000 people visited the campaign's website during the day. About 12% of users were based in Iran, the campaign's director told the BBC News website. Curt Hopkins said Mr Sigarchi's sentence would not dent the resolve of bloggers joining the campaign to help highlight the case. "The eyes of 8 million bloggers are going to be more focused on Iran since Sigarchi's sentence, not less. "The mullahs won't be able to make a move without it be spread across the blogosphere."
| Mr Sigarchi was sentenced one day after an online campaign highlighted his case in a day of action in defence of bloggers around the world.His sentence, criticised by human rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders, comes a day after an online "day of action" to secure his release.A spokesman for Reporters Without Borders, which tracks press freedom across the globe, described Mr Sigarchi's sentence as "harsh" and called on Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to work to secure his immediate release.Iranian authorities have arrested about 20 online journalists during the current crackdown.Mr Sigarchi, who also edits a newspaper in northern Iran, was sentenced by a revolutionary court in the Gilan area.In the days before his arrest Mr Sigarchi gave interviews to the BBC Persian Service and the US-funded Radio Farda.Curt Hopkins said Mr Sigarchi's sentence would not dent the resolve of bloggers joining the campaign to help highlight the case.Around 10,000 people visited the campaign's website during the day. |
1,033 | Defiant hunts put ban to the test
Thousands of hunt supporters have been out on the first day of hunting in England and Wales after the ban on hunting with dogs came into force.
The Countryside Alliance called on hunt supporters to meet as normal, but vowed to stay within the law. Although hunting with dogs is now a criminal offence, exercising hounds, chasing a scent trail and flushing out foxes to be shot are still legal. One anti-hunt protester was taken to hospital after a violent clash in Kent.
The man suffered facial injuries after an incident involving a group of men at the end of the East Kent Hunt, near Ashford. In Wiltshire, police arrested four men under the new law suspected of hunting with dogs. The group, from South Wales and Ireland, have been released on bail but police say they may face prosecution under new poaching laws.
It is believed more than 270 hunts went out on Saturday, just one day after the ban came in.
They were greeted by big crowds in many areas of the country, with actor Jeremy Irons and former minister Kate Hoey among the supporters. Anti-hunt groups - such as the League Against Cruel Sports - deployed 100 monitors at hunts to check for illegal activity.
Mike Hobday, from the league, said video evidence of the law being broken was to be passed onto police. "Our evidence suggests that most hunts did operate within the law, many meeting and promptly going home and others peacefully exercising their hounds or drag hunting. "However, we have received reports of what we believe is clearly illegal activity by a number of hunts across Britain." BBC correspondent Simon Hall at Postbridge on Dartmoor in the West Country said 2,000 people had turned out to welcome the hunt.
And the BBC's Sarah Mukherjee, with the Beaufort Hunt in Badminton, Gloucestershire said several hundred people had gathered on foot to see the hunt, with 150 on horseback. Tom Heap, BBC rural affairs correspondent, said it appeared that hunstman had, for now, been sticking to the new rules. And while there was big turnout in support of the hunts on Saturday, he said it remains to be seen if the level of backing can be maintained.
Before riding out with the hunt, former minister Kate Hoey told crowds: "We will prevail and this law will have to be overturned." Judith Moritz, in Melton Mowbray, said anti-hunt activists were out to monitor the four hunts operating in that part of Leicestershire, but were outnumbered by large crowds of followers. The Countryside Alliance said the meets would show the new law was "impossibly difficult to determine" and open to different interpretations.
Chief executive Simon Hart said: "There has been hunting in England for 700 years. This [ban] may take two or three years, perhaps two or three months, to unpick. "It will be nothing more than a temporary break in normal service, as broadcasters say." Conservative family spokeswoman Theresa May said if the party was in government again it would make sure the law was repealed. Suffolk Chief Constable Alastair McWhirter, the Association of Chief Police Officers' spokesman on rural policing, told the BBC the law would be enforced, although the police would not break up hunts. The Attorney General Lord Goldsmith has so far not issued any instructions to police on how they should deal with any hunters who do violate the law. He said he would consult the director of public prosecutions and the police "in the near future" to decide what measures to take on hunting prosecutions.
| Thousands of hunt supporters have been out on the first day of hunting in England and Wales after the ban on hunting with dogs came into force.Mike Hobday, from the league, said video evidence of the law being broken was to be passed onto police.The Countryside Alliance said the meets would show the new law was "impossibly difficult to determine" and open to different interpretations.And while there was big turnout in support of the hunts on Saturday, he said it remains to be seen if the level of backing can be maintained.The Countryside Alliance called on hunt supporters to meet as normal, but vowed to stay within the law.And the BBC's Sarah Mukherjee, with the Beaufort Hunt in Badminton, Gloucestershire said several hundred people had gathered on foot to see the hunt, with 150 on horseback.In Wiltshire, police arrested four men under the new law suspected of hunting with dogs.Before riding out with the hunt, former minister Kate Hoey told crowds: "We will prevail and this law will have to be overturned."Conservative family spokeswoman Theresa May said if the party was in government again it would make sure the law was repealed."Our evidence suggests that most hunts did operate within the law, many meeting and promptly going home and others peacefully exercising their hounds or drag hunting.BBC correspondent Simon Hall at Postbridge on Dartmoor in the West Country said 2,000 people had turned out to welcome the hunt. |
1,870 | BBC leads interactive Bafta wins
The BBC and the National Theatre have led the field at this year's Interactive Bafta awards.
The National Theatre's Stagework website picked up the prize for best learning as well as top factual site. The BBC collected three awards, including best online entertainment for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Adventure Game. Spooks Interactive took the best interactive TV prize. The annual awards recognise the best in digital media. BBC Sport Interactive fought off competition from CBBC Newsround and the Guardian to take home the best news and sport trophy for its coverage of England's exit from Euro 2004. It was recognised for its "groundbreaking" use of animation. Bafta's Grant Dean, chair of Bafta's Interactive Entertainment committee, said all the entrants had been of "outstanding quality" and that judging had been "enormously difficult". "Without a doubt, 2005 has been a landmark year for the Bafta Interactive Awards," he added.
"Many of the top awards this year have gone to the companies we most commonly associate with traditional entertainment, showing how the gap between new media, film and television is closing."
Awards were given out in 12 different categories, including interactive TV, film, music, design, as well as technical and social innovation, at a London ceremony. The top music award was given to SSEYO miniMIXA, a mobile music sequencer designed to let people write, edit and share compositions. Warner Bros was given two prizes for its "inspiring" efforts in film and DVD interactivity. The Chaplin Collection beat Oasis, Really Bend It Like Beckham, Shaun of the Dead and The Day Today in the DVD category, and Trauma won best film. Elsewhere, fashionista and clothes designer Alexander McQueen took the accolade for the best-designed website. The awards have been running since 1997, but in 2002 the British Academy of Film and Television decided to split them into separate games and interactive ceremonies. On Tuesday Half-Life 2 dominated the games prizes. It collected six Baftas, including best game and best online game.
| Spooks Interactive took the best interactive TV prize.It collected six Baftas, including best game and best online game.The BBC collected three awards, including best online entertainment for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Adventure Game.Awards were given out in 12 different categories, including interactive TV, film, music, design, as well as technical and social innovation, at a London ceremony.The awards have been running since 1997, but in 2002 the British Academy of Film and Television decided to split them into separate games and interactive ceremonies.The BBC and the National Theatre have led the field at this year's Interactive Bafta awards.The National Theatre's Stagework website picked up the prize for best learning as well as top factual site.The annual awards recognise the best in digital media. |
278 | SBC plans post-takeover job cuts
US phone company SBC Communications said it expects to cut around 12,800 jobs following its $16bn (£8.5bn) takeover of former parent AT&T.
SBC said 5,125 positions would go as a result of network efficiencies. Another 1,700 will go from its sales department, 3,400 from business operations and 2,600 across legal, advertising and public relations. SBC currently employs 163,000 people while AT&T employs 47,000. The takeover was announced on Monday. The deal will be financed with $15bn of shares as well as a $1bn special dividend paid to AT&T shareholders.
It effectively marks the end of AT&T, which was founded in 1875 by telephone pioneer Alexander Graham Bell and is one of the US's best-known companies. SBC and AT&T said estimated cost savings of at least $2bn from 2008 were a main driver for the merger. AT&T is a long-distance telecoms firm, while SBC is mainly focused on the local market in the western US. Both also have data network businesses. The takeover is subject to approval by AT&T's shareholders and regulators. The companies said they expected to complete the agreement during the first half of 2006.
| US phone company SBC Communications said it expects to cut around 12,800 jobs following its $16bn (£8.5bn) takeover of former parent AT&T.SBC and AT&T said estimated cost savings of at least $2bn from 2008 were a main driver for the merger.SBC said 5,125 positions would go as a result of network efficiencies.SBC currently employs 163,000 people while AT&T employs 47,000.AT&T is a long-distance telecoms firm, while SBC is mainly focused on the local market in the western US. |
1,073 | Plaid MP's cottage arson claim
A Plaid Cymru MP believes UK security services were involved in some arson attacks blamed on Welsh extremists.
It is 25 years since the start of 12 years of fire-bombings, attributed to a shadowy group known as Meibion Glyndwr. Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd has suggested the security services could have been involved, with the intention of discrediting the nationalist vote. Ex-Welsh Office Minister Lord Roberts of Conwy denied security services were involved. In March this year, North Wales Police reopened the case, saying materials kept during their investigations would be examined to find whether it would yield DNA evidence.
Meibion Glyndwr - which means "sons of Glyndwr" - began burning property in December 1979 in protest at homes in rural Wales being sold as holiday cottages to people from England. The group was linked to most of the 220 or so fire-bombing incidents stretching from the Llyn Peninsula to Pembrokeshire. The campaign continued until the early 1990s. Police were accused in some quarters of targeting anyone who was a nationalist. Although one man, Sion Aubrey Roberts, was convicted in 1993 of sending letter bombs in the post, the arson cases remain unsolved.
As a solicitor, Elfyn Llwyd represented Welsh singer Bryn Fôn when he was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the arson campaign. Fôn was released without charge . But now, as MP for Merionnydd Nant Conwy and Plaid Cymru's Parliamentary Leader, Mr Llwyd has argued that some of the terror attacks may have had the involvement of the security services and not Meibion Glyndwr. He believes that elements of the British security services may have carried out renegade actions in order to discredit Plaid Cymru and the nationalist vote ahead of elections. The claim is made in an interview for BBC Wales' Maniffesto programme to be shown on S4C on Sunday.
Mr Llwyd said that the sophistication of many of the devices used in the attacks compared to the crude nature of many others, suggests a degree of professionalism which could only have come from individuals who knew exactly what they were doing. He said: "What I'm saying is that the role that they took wasn't the appropriate one, i.e. like an
agent provocateur
and perhaps interfering and creating a situation where it looked like it was the nationalists that were responsible." The programme also heard from Lord Roberts of Conwy, who was a Welsh Office minister at the time. He denied that the security services played any improper role. Mr Llwyd's theory has also been questioned by Plaid Cymru's former President, Dafydd Wigley. He accepted that the fires damaged Plaid Cymru's public image but believed that the security services had their hands full at the time with the IRA and animal rights activists.
- Maniffesto can be seen on S4C on Sunday, 12 December, at 1200 GMT.
| But now, as MP for Merionnydd Nant Conwy and Plaid Cymru's Parliamentary Leader, Mr Llwyd has argued that some of the terror attacks may have had the involvement of the security services and not Meibion Glyndwr.Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd has suggested the security services could have been involved, with the intention of discrediting the nationalist vote.Ex-Welsh Office Minister Lord Roberts of Conwy denied security services were involved.A Plaid Cymru MP believes UK security services were involved in some arson attacks blamed on Welsh extremists.He believes that elements of the British security services may have carried out renegade actions in order to discredit Plaid Cymru and the nationalist vote ahead of elections.He denied that the security services played any improper role.The programme also heard from Lord Roberts of Conwy, who was a Welsh Office minister at the time.He accepted that the fires damaged Plaid Cymru's public image but believed that the security services had their hands full at the time with the IRA and animal rights activists.Police were accused in some quarters of targeting anyone who was a nationalist. |
347 | India-Pakistan peace boosts trade
Calmer relations between India and Pakistan are paying economic dividends, with new figures showing bilateral trade up threefold in the summer.
The value of trade in April-July rose to $186.3m (£97m) from $64.4m in the same period in 2003, the Indian Government said. Nonethless, the figures represent less than 1% of India's overall exports. But business is expected to be boosted further from 2006 when the South Asian Free Trade Area Agreement starts. Both countries eased travel and other restrictions as part of the peace process aimed at ending nearly six decades of hostilities.
Sugar, plastics, pharmaceutical products and tea are among the major exports from India to its neighbour, while firms in Pakistani have been selling fabrics, fruit and spices. "If the positive trend continues, two-way trade could well cross half a billion dollars this fiscal year," India's federal commerce Minister Kamal Nath said. According to official data, the value of India's overall exports in the current fiscal year is expected to reach more than $60bn, while in Pakistan's case it is set to hit more than $12bn. Meanwhile, the Indian Government said the prospects for the country's booming economy remained "very bright" despite a "temporary aberration" this year. Its mid-year economic review forecasts growth of 6-6.5% in 2004, compared with 8.2% in 2003. Higher oil prices, the level of tax collections, and an unfavourable monsoon season affecting the farm sector had hurt the economy in April-September, it said.
| The value of trade in April-July rose to $186.3m (£97m) from $64.4m in the same period in 2003, the Indian Government said."If the positive trend continues, two-way trade could well cross half a billion dollars this fiscal year," India's federal commerce Minister Kamal Nath said.Calmer relations between India and Pakistan are paying economic dividends, with new figures showing bilateral trade up threefold in the summer.According to official data, the value of India's overall exports in the current fiscal year is expected to reach more than $60bn, while in Pakistan's case it is set to hit more than $12bn.Meanwhile, the Indian Government said the prospects for the country's booming economy remained "very bright" despite a "temporary aberration" this year. |
52 | Italy to get economic action plan
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will unveil plans aimed at kickstarting the country's sputtering economy on Thursday night in Rome.
He will present an "Action Plan for the Development of Italy" in a meeting with industrialists and trade union leaders. Mr Berlusconi is expected to table reforms aimed at boosting research and development (R&D) spending, and the competitiveness of small firms. Also in focus will be bankruptcy laws and the slow pace of the legal system. The prime minister is scheduled to start the meeting at 1830 GMT.
The government has been accused of underfunding R&D, making it harder for Italy to compete with other European nations and leading to a "brain-drain" of the country's brightest talents. Analysts say that hiring and firing staff is still too difficult and expensive, hampering the development of small- and medium-sized businesses. As a result, they say, Italy's corporate landscape is filled with numerous smaller companies that are often reluctant to become bigger because of all the extra hassle that would accompany the running of a larger firm. At the same time, bankruptcy laws make it difficult for failed company directors to set up new businesses and emerge from their debts, a situation that is hampering Italy's entrepreneurial spirit.
The government says that it has set about tackling the problems, adding that getting growth going was the responsibility of all of Italy's 60 million population. According to Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy's business newspaper, the government will focus on "opening up markets, infrastructure, research, making more incentives available, bankruptcy law, the slow pace of the justice system".
Mr Berlusconi has previously promised to cut taxes by 6.5bn euros ($8.6bn; £4.5bn) this year in an effort to get people and companies to spend. He has also promised to cap spending on transport, education and health so as to trim the ballooning budget deficit. Italy plans to raise as much as 25bn euros from privatisations in 2005, including a partial flotation of the post office and utility Enel. Critics argue that these moves do not go far enough and could make Italy's problems worse. Limiting government spending will lead to job losses, they counter, while the income tax cuts will have a negligible effect on sentiment and ultimately favour the wealthy.
The country has been one of the eurozone's worst economic performers in recent years. Growth was 1.1% in 2004, up from just 0.3% in 2003 and 0.4% in 2002 - an improvement but still a long way from ideal. At the same time, business and consumer confidence has dipped and analysts have raised concerns that what little spending there is stems from Italians dipping into their savings accounts or using credit cards. Without a pick up in national growth, they say, the money could eventually run out, bringing Italy's economy to a juddering halt. Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of Italy's economy.
| The government says that it has set about tackling the problems, adding that getting growth going was the responsibility of all of Italy's 60 million population.Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of Italy's economy.According to Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy's business newspaper, the government will focus on "opening up markets, infrastructure, research, making more incentives available, bankruptcy law, the slow pace of the justice system".At the same time, bankruptcy laws make it difficult for failed company directors to set up new businesses and emerge from their debts, a situation that is hampering Italy's entrepreneurial spirit.Without a pick up in national growth, they say, the money could eventually run out, bringing Italy's economy to a juddering halt.Mr Berlusconi has previously promised to cut taxes by 6.5bn euros ($8.6bn; £4.5bn) this year in an effort to get people and companies to spend.Mr Berlusconi is expected to table reforms aimed at boosting research and development (R&D) spending, and the competitiveness of small firms.At the same time, business and consumer confidence has dipped and analysts have raised concerns that what little spending there is stems from Italians dipping into their savings accounts or using credit cards.Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will unveil plans aimed at kickstarting the country's sputtering economy on Thursday night in Rome. |
1,144 | David Blunkett in quotes
David Blunkett - who has resigned as home secretary - built his reputation as a plain-speaking Yorkshire man.
I fell in love with someone and they wouldn't go public and things started to go very badly wrong in the summer, and then the News of the World picked up the story. "I tried for three years to make something work."
"Trust, plain-speaking and straight talking is something which matters so much to me as a politician and as a man that I have decided, of my own volition, to request an independent review of the allegations that I misused my position."
"I don't think anyone can say I have said one thing in public and done another in private." "It would be dangerous territory if I wasn't practising what I preach which is to always accept responsibility, always accept the consequences of your actions.
"None of us believe countering terrorism is about party politics."
"I accepted by necessity we have to have prevention under a new category which is to intervene before the act is committed, rather than do so by due process after the act is committed when it's too late," he said in reference to new anti-terrorism measures.
"Our work with the French government...has been hugely successful," said Mr Blunkett. "The number of illegal immigrants detected in Dover has dropped dramatically."
"Strengthening our identity is one way or reinforcing people's confidence and sense of citizenship and well-being."
"I foolishly thought as this was a celebrity edition it would be more relaxed than normal."
"You wake up and you receive a phone call - Shipman's topped himself. You have just got to think for a minute: is it too early to open a bottle?"
| "I don't think anyone can say I have said one thing in public and done another in private.""Our work with the French government...has been hugely successful," said Mr Blunkett.David Blunkett - who has resigned as home secretary - built his reputation as a plain-speaking Yorkshire man."It would be dangerous territory if I wasn't practising what I preach which is to always accept responsibility, always accept the consequences of your actions."I foolishly thought as this was a celebrity edition it would be more relaxed than normal.""Trust, plain-speaking and straight talking is something which matters so much to me as a politician and as a man that I have decided, of my own volition, to request an independent review of the allegations that I misused my position." |
958 | Muslims discuss election concerns
Issues that Muslims should be considering before voting in the next general election are to be debated by UK community representatives.
The event is being held by the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), which believes Muslim voters could influence the result in up to 50 constituencies. Last year MAB, which opposed the war in Iraq, urged Muslims not to vote for Labour in the European elections. But a spokesman stressed the meeting was "not necessarily anti-Labour". "This meeting is not anti-party in particular, it's anti-policy, it's on the issues we are going to ask Muslims to vote on," MAB spokesman Dr Azzam Tamimi said of Tuesday's event.
"There are issues of concern to Muslims, and Muslims generally agree on them but have not in the past been aware of how a vote can serve these issues." Dr Tamimi said the main issues Muslims should consider were what he referred to as the war on Iraq, the Palestinian situation, the erosion of civil liberties for Muslims in the UK and economic, social and education problems.
Approximately 1.1m of the UK's 1.6m Muslims are of voting age. Previous election research has shown the overwhelming majority have traditionally voted Labour, but more recent studies have suggested Labour support has been falling away significantly among some Muslim voters.
Anger over the war in Iraq has appeared to be the main reason, with many saying it was "unjustified". Representatives from a number of Muslim organisations will attend Tuesday's event. Among them will be the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). The chairman of the MCB's public affairs committee, Sher Khan, said the war in Iraq would be a "significant factor" affecting Muslims' voting intentions. "I think it's going to be quite significant because of the number of seats in which they could have an impact," Mr Khan said.
However, Professor John Curtice, of the University of Strathclyde, is sceptical about how much difference tactical voting by Muslims could make. "For the most part the Labour constituencies where there's a large Muslim community are relatively safe, but there are one or two that are not quite so safe," Professor Curtice said.
The constituencies where Labour was most at risk from a Muslim tactical vote were Bethnal Green, in east London, and Rochdale in Lancashire, he added. In Bethnal Green, former Labour MP George Galloway, who founded the anti-war party Respect, is standing against sitting MP Oona King, who had a 10,000-vote majority in 2001. In Rochdale, the Liberal Democrats - the mainstream party a 2004 ICM survey showed was benefiting most from Muslim disaffection with Labour - secured second place in the 2001 election, securing just under 6,000 votes fewer than Labour's Lorna Fitzsimons. But Professor Curtice said the Muslim anti-war vote could be split between the Liberal Democrats and Respect, meaning neither would benefit much at the ballot box. "Ironically the Tories might be the beneficiaries if Labour does lose seats, which is generally the case," he said. But Dr Tamimi said MAB's intention was not to "empower" the Tories. "We know the next government will be Labour, but we are aiming to send a message that it will make a difference if the Muslims use their vote properly. "If the next Labour government has a reduced majority that's a great achievement because having a very big majority has been very harmful for politics in this country," Dr Tamimi said.
| "This meeting is not anti-party in particular, it's anti-policy, it's on the issues we are going to ask Muslims to vote on," MAB spokesman Dr Azzam Tamimi said of Tuesday's event.Last year MAB, which opposed the war in Iraq, urged Muslims not to vote for Labour in the European elections.Dr Tamimi said the main issues Muslims should consider were what he referred to as the war on Iraq, the Palestinian situation, the erosion of civil liberties for Muslims in the UK and economic, social and education problems.The constituencies where Labour was most at risk from a Muslim tactical vote were Bethnal Green, in east London, and Rochdale in Lancashire, he added.But Professor Curtice said the Muslim anti-war vote could be split between the Liberal Democrats and Respect, meaning neither would benefit much at the ballot box."We know the next government will be Labour, but we are aiming to send a message that it will make a difference if the Muslims use their vote properly."There are issues of concern to Muslims, and Muslims generally agree on them but have not in the past been aware of how a vote can serve these issues."The chairman of the MCB's public affairs committee, Sher Khan, said the war in Iraq would be a "significant factor" affecting Muslims' voting intentions."For the most part the Labour constituencies where there's a large Muslim community are relatively safe, but there are one or two that are not quite so safe," Professor Curtice said."If the next Labour government has a reduced majority that's a great achievement because having a very big majority has been very harmful for politics in this country," Dr Tamimi said. |
1,687 | Hong Kong in 2011 World Cup bid
Hong Kong is hoping to join Japan as co-host of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Japan has applied to host the tournament on its own, with the aim of taking it outside rugby's traditional strongholds for the first time. But Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) chairman John Molloy has called for the territory to host one of the pools and a quarter-final. The Japanese Rugby Football Union (JRFU) says it has yet to receive a formal presentation from the HKRFU. "At this stage, we are only considering hosting the event by ourselves," said JRFU secretary Koji Tokumasu. "We cannot examine any proposal unless we get it in a definitive form." Japan faces stiff competition in the form of South Africa and New Zealand to host the event in seven years' time.
"Until now, the World Cup has been held in countries from the Six Nations or Tri-Nations," said Tokumasu. "We think, and the IRB thinks, that it is time for rugby to go global. "Japan is ready to host the tournament and we are looking forward to welcoming the world of rugby to Japan." Tokumasu added that the 2002 football World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, had been a huge success. "As well as having the infrastructure in place, Japan also has the commercial clout to host one of sport's top competitions," he said. Last year, Japan launched its first professional rugby league and it has the fourth largest number of registered players (125,508) in the world after England, South Africa and France.
| "Japan is ready to host the tournament and we are looking forward to welcoming the world of rugby to Japan."Hong Kong is hoping to join Japan as co-host of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.Last year, Japan launched its first professional rugby league and it has the fourth largest number of registered players (125,508) in the world after England, South Africa and France.Tokumasu added that the 2002 football World Cup, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, had been a huge success.Japan faces stiff competition in the form of South Africa and New Zealand to host the event in seven years' time.Japan has applied to host the tournament on its own, with the aim of taking it outside rugby's traditional strongholds for the first time. |
1,920 | California sets fines for spyware
The makers of computer programs that secretly spy on what people do with their home PCs could face hefty fines in California.
From 1 January, a new law is being introduced to protect computer users from software known as spyware. The legislation, which was approved by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, is designed to safeguard people from hackers and help protect their personal information. Spyware is considered by computer experts to be one of the biggest nuisance and security threats facing PC users in the coming year. The software buries itself in computers and can collect a wide range of information. At its worst, it has the ability to hijack personal data, like passwords, login details and credit card numbers. The programs are so sophisticated they change frequently and become impossible to eradicate.
One form of spyware called adware has the ability to collect information on a computer user's web-surfing. It can result in people being bombarded with pop-up ads that are hard to close. In Washington, Congress has been debating four anti-spyware bills, but California is a step ahead. The state's Consumer Protection Against Spyware Act bans the installation of software that takes control of another computer. It also requires companies and websites to disclose whether their systems will install spyware. Consumers are able to seek up to $1,000 in damages if they think they have fallen victim to the intrusive software. The new law marks a continuing trend in California towards tougher privacy rights. A recent survey by Earthlink and Webroot found that 90% of PCs are infested with the surreptitious software and that, on average, each one is harbouring 28 separate spyware programs. Currently users wanting protection from spyware have turned to free programs such as Spybot and Ad-Aware.
| From 1 January, a new law is being introduced to protect computer users from software known as spyware.One form of spyware called adware has the ability to collect information on a computer user's web-surfing.The state's Consumer Protection Against Spyware Act bans the installation of software that takes control of another computer.The software buries itself in computers and can collect a wide range of information.The makers of computer programs that secretly spy on what people do with their home PCs could face hefty fines in California.Spyware is considered by computer experts to be one of the biggest nuisance and security threats facing PC users in the coming year.Currently users wanting protection from spyware have turned to free programs such as Spybot and Ad-Aware. |
1,945 | Robots learn 'robotiquette' rules
Robots are learning lessons on "robotiquette" - how to behave socially - so they can mix better with humans.
By playing games, like pass-the-parcel, a University of Hertfordshire team is finding out how future robot companions should react in social situations. The study's findings will eventually help humans develop a code of social behaviour in human-robot interaction. The work is part of the European Cogniron robotics project, and was on show at London's Science Museum.
"We are assuming a situation in which a useful human companion robot already exists," said Professor Kerstin Dautenhahn, project leader at Hertfordshire. "Our mission is to look at how such a robot should be programmed to respect personal spaces of humans."
The research also focuses on human perception of robots, including how they should look, and how a robot can learn new skills by imitating a human demonstrator. "Without such studies, you will build robots which might not respect the fact that humans are individuals, have preferences and come from different cultural backgrounds," Professor Dautenhahn told BBC News Online. "And I want robots to treat humans as human beings, and not like other robots," she added.
In most situations, a companion robot will eventually have to deal not only with one person, but also with groups of people. To find out how they would react, the Hertfordshire Cogniron team taught one robot to play pass-the-parcel with children.
Showing off its skills at the Science Museum, the unnamed robot had to select, approach, and ask different children to pick up a parcel with a gift, moving it arm as a pointer and its camera as an eye. It even used speech to give instructions and play music. However, according to researchers, it will still take many years to build a robot which would make full use of the "robotiquette" for human interaction. "If you think of a robot as a companion for the human being, you can think of 20 years into the future," concluded Professor Dautenhahn. "It might take even longer because it is very, very hard to develop such a robot."
You can hear more on this story on the BBC World Service's Go Digital programme.
| "And I want robots to treat humans as human beings, and not like other robots," she added."If you think of a robot as a companion for the human being, you can think of 20 years into the future," concluded Professor Dautenhahn."We are assuming a situation in which a useful human companion robot already exists," said Professor Kerstin Dautenhahn, project leader at Hertfordshire.The research also focuses on human perception of robots, including how they should look, and how a robot can learn new skills by imitating a human demonstrator."Without such studies, you will build robots which might not respect the fact that humans are individuals, have preferences and come from different cultural backgrounds," Professor Dautenhahn told BBC News Online.By playing games, like pass-the-parcel, a University of Hertfordshire team is finding out how future robot companions should react in social situations.However, according to researchers, it will still take many years to build a robot which would make full use of the "robotiquette" for human interaction. |
231 | Venezuela reviews foreign deals
Venezuela is to review all foreign investment in its mining industries in an effort to strengthen its indigenous industrial output.
President Hugo Chavez has ordered all existing contracts with foreign firms to be examined to see if they provide maximum benefits to the country. The review will cover production of gold, aluminium and iron ore although it excludes the country's oil sector. Chavez has sought to extend the state's role in all sectors of the economy.
The left-wing president is conducting a controversial review of land ownership in the country while also seeking to create a state-run telecoms firm to compete with foreign-owned businesses.
He has argued that major economic reforms are vital to improve the lives of Venezuela's poorest citizens. Announcing the review of raw material production, minister Victor Alvarez said the government would seek to transfer technology, training capability and content from projects with foreign partners. "We are defending our national sovereignty over the use of our national resources which must serve the endogenous development of the nation," Mr Alvarez said. "For this reason we are reviewing all memorandums of understanding, all letters of intent, all agreements that have been signed, all contracts, to check which of these comply with these directives. "Everything, absolutely everything, has to be reviewed."
Venezuela has previously assured foreign companies with operations in the mineral rich country that it respects existing contracts. However, the government insisted that it needed to develop its own industrial infrastructure in order to create new jobs and lessen its reliance on foreign partners. "If we don't do this, we are just going to carry on being slaves, suppliers of raw materials, all our lives and we will never develop our own productive capacity," Mr Alvarez added. Companies from the United States, Canada, France and Switzerland all have substantial investments in Venezuela's mining sector.
| Venezuela has previously assured foreign companies with operations in the mineral rich country that it respects existing contracts.President Hugo Chavez has ordered all existing contracts with foreign firms to be examined to see if they provide maximum benefits to the country.Announcing the review of raw material production, minister Victor Alvarez said the government would seek to transfer technology, training capability and content from projects with foreign partners.Venezuela is to review all foreign investment in its mining industries in an effort to strengthen its indigenous industrial output.Chavez has sought to extend the state's role in all sectors of the economy.However, the government insisted that it needed to develop its own industrial infrastructure in order to create new jobs and lessen its reliance on foreign partners. |
1,250 | Brown names 16 March for Budget
Chancellor Gordon Brown will deliver his Budget to the House of Commons on 16 March, the Treasury has announced.
The Budget, likely to be the last before the General Election, will be at about 1230 GMT on that Wednesday, just after Prime Minister's question time. The annual event is when the chancellor outlines the government's taxation and broader economic predictions. The Tories say it is likely the Budget will contain measures to attract votes. The election is expected on 5 May.
Next month's Budget will be Mr Brown's ninth since Labour came to power in 1997. If a May election is called, there could be as little as 18 days between the Budget and the announcement of a date for the election. A shortened Finance Bill would have to be rushed through Parliament with all-party support to allow the Government to continue collecting revenue.
The full Finance Bill, with the Budget measures in it, would then be returned to the Commons after the election, if Labour secures another term in office. Tory shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin said: "We can be sure of two things: the Budget will contain measures to attract votes, and it will not contain the £8 billion of tax rises which independent experts say are inevitable if Labour wins the election." As Mr Brown announced the Budget date in a short ministerial statement, accountancy firm Ernst & Young urged him to put politics aside and focus on the long-term requirements of the economy. "In the Budgets that were given immediately before the last six elections, taxes were cut by the incumbent chancellor and, in many cases, taxes were increased soon after the election result," said Aidan O'Carroll, E&Y's UK head of tax.
| The full Finance Bill, with the Budget measures in it, would then be returned to the Commons after the election, if Labour secures another term in office.If a May election is called, there could be as little as 18 days between the Budget and the announcement of a date for the election.Tory shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin said: "We can be sure of two things: the Budget will contain measures to attract votes, and it will not contain the £8 billion of tax rises which independent experts say are inevitable if Labour wins the election."The Budget, likely to be the last before the General Election, will be at about 1230 GMT on that Wednesday, just after Prime Minister's question time.The Tories say it is likely the Budget will contain measures to attract votes. |
452 | McDonald's boss Bell dies aged 44
Charlie Bell, the straight-talking former head of fast-food giant McDonald's, has died of cancer aged 44.
Mr Bell was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in May last year, a month after taking over the top job. He resigned in November to fight the illness. Joining the company as a 15-year-old part-time worker, Mr Bell quickly moved through its ranks, becoming Australia's youngest store manager at 19. A popular go-getter, he is credited with helping revive McDonald's sales. Mr Bell leaves a wife and daughter. "As we mourn his passing, I ask you to keep Charlie's family in your hearts and prayers," chief executive James Skinner said in a statement. "And remember that in his abbreviated time on this earth, Charlie lived life to the fullest." "No matter what cards life dealt, Charlie stayed centred on his love for his family and for McDonald's."
After running the company's Australian business in the 1990s, Mr Bell moved to the US in 1999 to run operations in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In 2001, he took over the reins in Europe, McDonald's second most important market. He became chief operating officer and president in 2002. Mr Bell took over as chief executive after his predecessor as CEO, Jim Cantalupo, died suddenly of a heart attack in April. Having worked closely with Mr Cantalupo, who came out of retirement to turn McDonald's around, Mr Bell focused on boosting demand at existing restaurants rather than follow a policy of rapid expansion. He had promised not to let the company get "fat, dumb and happy," and, according to Reuters, once told analysts that he would shove a fire hose down the throat of competitors if he saw them drowning. Mr Bell oversaw McDonald's "I'm lovin' it" advertising campaign and introduced successes such as McCafe, now the biggest coffee shop brand in Australia and New Zealand. Colleagues said that Mr Bell was proud of his humble beginnings, helping out behind cash tills and clearing tables when visiting restaurants.
| Mr Bell took over as chief executive after his predecessor as CEO, Jim Cantalupo, died suddenly of a heart attack in April.Mr Bell leaves a wife and daughter.Having worked closely with Mr Cantalupo, who came out of retirement to turn McDonald's around, Mr Bell focused on boosting demand at existing restaurants rather than follow a policy of rapid expansion.Charlie Bell, the straight-talking former head of fast-food giant McDonald's, has died of cancer aged 44.Mr Bell oversaw McDonald's "I'm lovin' it" advertising campaign and introduced successes such as McCafe, now the biggest coffee shop brand in Australia and New Zealand.Joining the company as a 15-year-old part-time worker, Mr Bell quickly moved through its ranks, becoming Australia's youngest store manager at 19.Colleagues said that Mr Bell was proud of his humble beginnings, helping out behind cash tills and clearing tables when visiting restaurants. |
479 | Ford gains from finance not cars
Ford, the US car company, reported higher fourth quarter and full-year profits on Thursday boosted by a buoyant period for its car loans unit.
Net income for 2004 was $3.5bn (£1.87bn) - up nearly $3bn from 2003 - while turnover rose $7.2bn to $170.8bn. In the fourth quarter alone Ford reported net income of $104m, compared with a loss of $793m a year ago. But its auto unit made a loss. Fourth quarter turnover was $44.7bn, compared to $45.9bn a year ago.
Though car and truck loan profits saved the day, Ford's auto unit made a pre-tax loss of $470m in the fourth quarter (compared to a profit of £13m in the year-ago period) and its US sales dipped 3.8%.
Yesterday General Motor's results also showed its finance unit was a strong contributor to profits. However, Ford is working hard to revitalise its product portfolio, unveiling the Fusion and Zephyr models at the International Motor Show in Detroit. It also brought out a number of new models in the second half of 2004. "In 2004, our company gained momentum, delivering...more new products, and more innovative breakthroughs, such as the Escape Hybrid, the industry's first full-hybrid sport utility vehicle," said chairman and chief executive officer Bill Ford."
"We also confronted operating challenges with our Jaguar brand and high industry marketing costs," he added. But Ford declined to provide guidance for first quarter 2005. It will do so at a presentation in New York on 26 January. In addition, the company said 2004 net income was affected by a fourth-quarter pre-tax charge taken to reduce the value of a receivable owed to Ford by Visteon, a former subsidiary. Recent new models introduced by Ford include the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego sedans, the Ford Freestyle crossover, the Ford Mustang, the Land Rover LR3/Discovery, and Volvo S40 and V50 in North America and Europe. Total company vehicle unit sales in 2004 were 6,798,000, an increase of 62,000 units from 2003. Fourth-quarter vehicle unit sales totalled 1,751,000, a decline of 133,000 units. For the full year, Ford's worldwide automotive division earned a pre-tax profit of $850m, a $697m improvement from $153m a year ago.
| In the fourth quarter alone Ford reported net income of $104m, compared with a loss of $793m a year ago.Ford, the US car company, reported higher fourth quarter and full-year profits on Thursday boosted by a buoyant period for its car loans unit.Though car and truck loan profits saved the day, Ford's auto unit made a pre-tax loss of $470m in the fourth quarter (compared to a profit of £13m in the year-ago period) and its US sales dipped 3.8%.Fourth quarter turnover was $44.7bn, compared to $45.9bn a year ago.Total company vehicle unit sales in 2004 were 6,798,000, an increase of 62,000 units from 2003.Recent new models introduced by Ford include the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego sedans, the Ford Freestyle crossover, the Ford Mustang, the Land Rover LR3/Discovery, and Volvo S40 and V50 in North America and Europe.In addition, the company said 2004 net income was affected by a fourth-quarter pre-tax charge taken to reduce the value of a receivable owed to Ford by Visteon, a former subsidiary.But Ford declined to provide guidance for first quarter 2005. |
218 | Absa and Barclays talks continue
South Africa biggest retail bank Absa has said it is still in talks with UK bank Barclays over the sale of majority stake in the group.
In November, Absa said it was close to striking a deal with Barclays. But the group said Barclays is still waiting for the approval of South Africa's banking and competition authorities to make a formal offer. Absa also announced that it expects to see earnings grow by 20-25% in its current financial year.
"Discussions with Barclays are continuing, but shareholders are advised that no agreement has been reached as to any offer being made by Barclays to acquire a majority stake in Absa," Absa said in a statement. If Barclays buys a stake in Absa it will be one of the largest foreign investments in South Africa in recent years. Absa currently has a market value of about $8.5bn (£4.4bn). Analysts said Absa's earnings forecast was better than expected. However, the company warned that headline earnings growth would be trimmed by about four percentage points because of share options for a black economic empowerment transaction and a staff share incentive scheme. The South African group will release its results for the year to 31 March on 30 May.
| South Africa biggest retail bank Absa has said it is still in talks with UK bank Barclays over the sale of majority stake in the group."Discussions with Barclays are continuing, but shareholders are advised that no agreement has been reached as to any offer being made by Barclays to acquire a majority stake in Absa," Absa said in a statement.In November, Absa said it was close to striking a deal with Barclays.If Barclays buys a stake in Absa it will be one of the largest foreign investments in South Africa in recent years. |
133 | Salary scandal in Cameroon
Cameroon says widespread corruption in its finance ministry has cost it 1bn CFA francs ($2m; £1m) a month.
About 500 officials are accused of either awarding themselves extra money or claiming salaries for "non-existent" workers. Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni, who vowed to tackle corruption when he came to office last year, said those found guilty would face tough punishments. The scam is believed to have begun in 1994.
The prime minister's office said the alleged fraud was uncovered during an investigation into the payroll at the ministry. In certain cases, staff are said to have lied about their rank and delayed their retirement in order to boost their earnings. The prime minister's office said auditors had found "irregularities in the career structure of certain civil servants". It added that the staff in question "appear to have received unearned salaries, boosting the payroll".
Fidelis Nanga, a journalist based in the Cameroon capital Yaounde, said the government was considering taking criminal action against those found guilty and forcing them to repay any money owed. "The prime minister has given instructions for exemplary penalties to be meted out against the accused and their accomplices if found guilty," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
Mr Inoni launched an anti-corruption drive in December after foreign investors criticised a lack of transparency in the country's public finances. In one initiative designed to improve efficiency, civil servants who arrived late for work were locked out of their offices. The government now intends to carry out an audit of payrolls at all other government ministries. In a report compiled by anti-corruption body Transparency International in 2003, graft was said to be "pervasive" in Cameroon.
| The prime minister's office said the alleged fraud was uncovered during an investigation into the payroll at the ministry.The prime minister's office said auditors had found "irregularities in the career structure of certain civil servants".Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni, who vowed to tackle corruption when he came to office last year, said those found guilty would face tough punishments.Fidelis Nanga, a journalist based in the Cameroon capital Yaounde, said the government was considering taking criminal action against those found guilty and forcing them to repay any money owed.In a report compiled by anti-corruption body Transparency International in 2003, graft was said to be "pervasive" in Cameroon."The prime minister has given instructions for exemplary penalties to be meted out against the accused and their accomplices if found guilty," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme. |
427 | Chinese exports rise 25% in 2004
Exports from China leapt during 2004 over the previous year as the country continued to show breakneck growth.
The spurt put China's trade surplus - a sore point with some of its trading partners - at a six-year high. It may also increase pressure on China to relax the peg joining its currency, the yuan, with the weakening dollar. The figures released by the Ministry of Commerce come as China's tax chief confirmed that growth had topped 9% in 2004 for the second year in a row. State Administration of Taxation head Xie Xuren said a tightening of controls on tax evasion had combined with the rapid expansion to produce a 25.7% rise in tax revenues to 2.572 trillion yuan ($311bn; £165bn).
According to the Ministry of Commerce, China's exports totalled $63.8bn in December, taking the annual total up 35.4% to $593.4bn. With imports rising a similar amount, the deficit rose to $43.4bn. The increased tax take comes despite healthy tax rebates for many exporters totalling 420bn yuan in 2004, according to Mr Xie. China's exporting success has made the trade deficit of the United States soar even further and made trade with China a sensitive political issue in Washington. The peg keeping the yuan around 8.30 to the dollar is often blamed by US lawmakers for job losses at home. A US report issued on Tuesday on behalf of a Congressionally-mandated panel said almost 1.5 million posts disappeared between 1989 and 2003. The pace accelerated in the final three years of the period, said the report for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, moving out of labour-intensive industries and into more hi-tech sectors. The US's overall trade deficit with China was $124bn in 2003, and is expected to rise to about $150bn for 2004.
| The US's overall trade deficit with China was $124bn in 2003, and is expected to rise to about $150bn for 2004.State Administration of Taxation head Xie Xuren said a tightening of controls on tax evasion had combined with the rapid expansion to produce a 25.7% rise in tax revenues to 2.572 trillion yuan ($311bn; £165bn).According to the Ministry of Commerce, China's exports totalled $63.8bn in December, taking the annual total up 35.4% to $593.4bn.The increased tax take comes despite healthy tax rebates for many exporters totalling 420bn yuan in 2004, according to Mr Xie.The figures released by the Ministry of Commerce come as China's tax chief confirmed that growth had topped 9% in 2004 for the second year in a row.With imports rising a similar amount, the deficit rose to $43.4bn. |
2,215 | Peer-to-peer nets 'here to stay'
Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are here to stay, and are on the verge of being exploited by commercial media firms, says a panel of industry experts.
Once several high-profile legal cases against file-sharers are resolved this year, firms will be very keen to try and make money from P2P technology. The expert panel probed the future of P2P at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier in January. The first convictions for P2P piracy were handed out in the US in January. William Trowbridge and Michael Chicoine pleaded guilty to charges that they infringed copyright by illegally sharing music, movies and software. Since the first successful file-sharing network Napster was forced to close down, the entertainment industry has been nervous and critical of P2P technology, blaming it for falling sales and piracy. But that is going to change very soon, according to the panel.
The music and film industries have started some big legal cases against owners of legitimate P2P networks - which are not illegal in themselves - and of individuals accused of distributing pirated content over networks. But they have slowly realised that P2P is a good way to distribute content, said Travis Kalanick, founder and chairman of P2P network Red Swoosh, and soon they are all going to want a slice of it. They are just waiting to come up with "business models" that work for them, which includes digital rights management and copy-protection standards.
But, until the legal actions are resolved, experimentation with P2P cannot not happen, said Michael Weiss, president of StreamCast Networks. Remembering the furore around VCRs when they first came out, Mr Weiss said: "Old media always tries to stop new media. "When they can't stop it, they try to control it. Then they figure out how to make money and they always make a lot of money." Once the courts decided that the VCR in itself was not an illegal technology, the film studios turned it into an extremely lucrative business. In August 2004, the San Francisco-based US Court of Appeals ruled in favour of Grokster and StreamCast, two file-sharing networks. The court said they were essentially in the same position that Sony was in the 1980s VCR battle, and said that the networks themselves could not be deemed as illegal.
P2P networks usually do not rely on dedicated servers for the transfer of files. Instead it uses direct connections between computers - or clients. There are now many different types of P2P systems than work in different ways. P2P nets can be used to share any kind of file, like photos, free software, licensed music and any other digital content. The BBC has already decided to embrace the technology. It aims to offer most of its own programmes for download this year and it will use P2P technology to distribute them. The files would be locked seven days after a programme aired making rights management easier to control. But the technology is still demonised and misunderstood by many. The global entertainment industry says more than 2.6 billion copyrighted music files are downloaded every month, and about half a million films are downloaded a day. Legal music download services, like Apple iTunes, Napster, have rushed into the music marketplace to try and lure file-sharers away from free content. Sales of legally-downloaded songs grew tenfold in 2004, with 200 million tracks bought online in the US and Europe in 12 months, the IFPI reported this week. But such download services are very different from P2P networks, not least because of the financial aspect.
There are several money-spinning models that could turn P2P into a golden egg for commercial entertainment companies. Paid-for-pass-along, in which firms receive money each time a file is shared, along with various DRM solutions and advertiser-based options are all being considered. "We see there are going to be different models for commoditising P2P," said Marc Morgenstern, vice president of anti-piracy firm Overpeer.
"Consumers are hungry for it and we will discover new models together," agreed Mr Morgenstern. But many net users will continue to ignore the entertainment industry's potential controlling grip on content and P2P technology by continuing to use it for their own creations. Unsigned bands, for example, use P2P networks to distribute their music effectively, which also draws the attention of record companies looking for new artists to sign. "Increasingly, what you are seeing on P2P is consumer-created content," said Derek Broes, from Microsoft. "They will probably play an increasing role in helping P2P spread," he said. Looking into P2P's future, file sharing is just the beginning for P2P networks, as far as Mr Broes is concerned. "Once some of these issues are resolved, you are going to see aggressive movement to protect content, but also in ways that are unimaginable now," he said. "File-sharing is the tip of the iceberg."
| But they have slowly realised that P2P is a good way to distribute content, said Travis Kalanick, founder and chairman of P2P network Red Swoosh, and soon they are all going to want a slice of it.Once several high-profile legal cases against file-sharers are resolved this year, firms will be very keen to try and make money from P2P technology.The music and film industries have started some big legal cases against owners of legitimate P2P networks - which are not illegal in themselves - and of individuals accused of distributing pirated content over networks.Since the first successful file-sharing network Napster was forced to close down, the entertainment industry has been nervous and critical of P2P technology, blaming it for falling sales and piracy.It aims to offer most of its own programmes for download this year and it will use P2P technology to distribute them."We see there are going to be different models for commoditising P2P," said Marc Morgenstern, vice president of anti-piracy firm Overpeer.But, until the legal actions are resolved, experimentation with P2P cannot not happen, said Michael Weiss, president of StreamCast Networks."Increasingly, what you are seeing on P2P is consumer-created content," said Derek Broes, from Microsoft.P2P nets can be used to share any kind of file, like photos, free software, licensed music and any other digital content.The first convictions for P2P piracy were handed out in the US in January.But many net users will continue to ignore the entertainment industry's potential controlling grip on content and P2P technology by continuing to use it for their own creations.Looking into P2P's future, file sharing is just the beginning for P2P networks, as far as Mr Broes is concerned.But such download services are very different from P2P networks, not least because of the financial aspect."They will probably play an increasing role in helping P2P spread," he said.Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are here to stay, and are on the verge of being exploited by commercial media firms, says a panel of industry experts.Unsigned bands, for example, use P2P networks to distribute their music effectively, which also draws the attention of record companies looking for new artists to sign. |
900 | Labour chooses Manchester
The Labour Party will hold its 2006 autumn conference in Manchester and not Blackpool, it has been confirmed.
The much trailed decision was ratified by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee in a break with the traditional choice of a seaside venue. It will be the first time since 1917 that the party has chosen Manchester to host the annual event. Blackpool will get the much smaller February spring conference instead in what will be seen as a placatory move.
For years the main political parties have rotated between Blackpool, Bournemouth and Brighton. And the news the much larger annual conference is not to gather in Blackpool will be seen as a blow in the coastal resort. In 1998 the party said it would not return to Blackpool but did so in 2002. The following year Bournemouth hosted the event before the party signed a two year deal for Brighton to host the autumn conference.
Colin Asplin, Blackpool Hotel Association said: "We have tried very hard to make sure they come back to Blackpool. "Obviously we have failed in that. I just hope Manchester can handle the crowds. "It amazes me that the Labour Party, which is a working class party, doesn't want to come to the main working class resort in the country." The exact cost to Blackpool in terms of lost revenue for hotel accommodation is not yet known but it is thought that block bookings will be taken at the major Manchester hotels after the official announcement.
| The Labour Party will hold its 2006 autumn conference in Manchester and not Blackpool, it has been confirmed.For years the main political parties have rotated between Blackpool, Bournemouth and Brighton.In 1998 the party said it would not return to Blackpool but did so in 2002.And the news the much larger annual conference is not to gather in Blackpool will be seen as a blow in the coastal resort.Colin Asplin, Blackpool Hotel Association said: "We have tried very hard to make sure they come back to Blackpool.It will be the first time since 1917 that the party has chosen Manchester to host the annual event. |
290 | Bank holds interest rate at 4.75%
The Bank of England has left interest rates on hold again at 4.75%, in a widely-predicted move.
Rates went up five times from November 2003 - as the bank sought to cool the housing market and consumer debt - but have remained unchanged since August. Recent data has indicated a slowdown in manufacturing and consumer spending, as well as in mortgage approvals. And retail sales disappointed over Christmas, with analysts putting the drop down to less consumer confidence.
Rising interest rates and the accompanying slowdown in the housing market have knocked consumers' optimism, causing a sharp fall in demand for expensive goods, according to a report earlier this week from the British Retail Consortium. The BRC said Britain's retailers had endured their worst Christmas in a decade.
"Today's no change decision is correct," said David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). "But, if there are clear signs that the economy slows, the MPC should be ready to take quick corrective action and cut rates. "Dismal reports from the retail trade about Christmas sales are worrying, if they indicate a more general weakening in consumer spending."
Mr Frost added: "The housing market outlook remains highly uncertain. "It is widely accepted that, if house prices start falling more sharply, the risks facing the economy will worsen considerably." CBI chief economist Ian McCafferty said the economy had "slowed in recent months in response to rate rises" but that it was difficult to gauge from the Christmas period the likely pace of activity through the summer. "The Bank is having to juggle the emergence of inflationary pressures, driven by a tight labour market and buoyant commodity prices, against the risk of an over-abrupt slowdown in consumer activity," he said. "Interest rates are likely to remain on hold for some time."
On Thursday there was more gloomy news on the manufacturing front, as the Office for National (ONS) statistics revealed British manufacturing output unexpectedly fell in November - for the fifth month in the past six. The ONS said manufacturing output dropped 0.1% in November, matching a similar unrevised fall in October and confounding economists' expectations of a 0.3% rise. Manufacturers' organisation, the EEF, said it expected the hold in interest rates to continue in the near future. It also said there was evidence that manufacturers' confidence may be waning as the outlook for the world economy becomes more uncertain.
"So far the evidence suggests that last year's rate increases have helped to rebalance the economy without damaging the recovery in manufacturing," said EEF chief economist, Steve Radley. "However, should the business outlook start to deteriorate, the Bank should stand ready to cut rates." Some economists have predicted rates will drop later in the year, although others feel the Bank may still think there is a need for a rise to 5% before that happens. The Bank remains concerned about the long-term risks posed by personal debt - which is rising at 15% a year - if economic conditions worsen.
| CBI chief economist Ian McCafferty said the economy had "slowed in recent months in response to rate rises" but that it was difficult to gauge from the Christmas period the likely pace of activity through the summer.Manufacturers' organisation, the EEF, said it expected the hold in interest rates to continue in the near future."The Bank is having to juggle the emergence of inflationary pressures, driven by a tight labour market and buoyant commodity prices, against the risk of an over-abrupt slowdown in consumer activity," he said.The Bank of England has left interest rates on hold again at 4.75%, in a widely-predicted move."So far the evidence suggests that last year's rate increases have helped to rebalance the economy without damaging the recovery in manufacturing," said EEF chief economist, Steve Radley.It also said there was evidence that manufacturers' confidence may be waning as the outlook for the world economy becomes more uncertain.Rates went up five times from November 2003 - as the bank sought to cool the housing market and consumer debt - but have remained unchanged since August.Rising interest rates and the accompanying slowdown in the housing market have knocked consumers' optimism, causing a sharp fall in demand for expensive goods, according to a report earlier this week from the British Retail Consortium."Interest rates are likely to remain on hold for some time." |
2,149 | Mobile audio enters new dimension
As mobile phones move closer to being a ubiquitous, all-in-one media player, audio is becoming ever more important. But how good can that sound be from such a small device?
The sound of a buzzing bee jumps from left to right before disappearing around the back of my head. The surround sound demo is unremarkable when heard on a multi-speaker home cinema system but startling when emerging from a small mobile phone. British firm Sonaptic is one of a number of companies to have developed 3D audio technology that emerges from stereo speakers. Firms AM3D and SRS both offer stereo-widening technology for mobile phones. But Sonaptic's managing director David Monteith says his firm is the only company to offer positional 3D audio on a mobile.
"There are quite a few basic technologies out there, making the sound seem a bit bigger, headphones a bit nicer.
"No-one has really tried before to make proper 3D positional audio - where an individual channel can be moved around." Sonaptic has been working with Japanese mobile network NTT DoCoMo to set standards for 3D audio on mobile phones. In the last few months handsets from NEC, Fujitsu and Mitsubishi have been released on to the Japanese marker which have chips produced by Yamaha and Rohm with Sonaptic's technology. "The technology has been around on PCs and games consoles for some time but what we are doing is making it more efficient so it can go on a small consumer device like a mobile phone," said Mr Monteith.
The technology works through applying the science of psychoacoustics and grew out of medical research done by the company's research director Dr Alastair Sibbald. "We are basically trying to fool your ears into thinking sound is coming from areas it actually isn't. "Your brain uses certain bits of information which we are effectively synthesising on a mobile phone handset." The structure of the ear works as a 3D encoder for sound - helping the brain understand from where sound is emanating. Sonaptic's audio processing algorithms mimic that 3D encoding, giving the impression that sound is coming from the left, right, and behind a listener when in fact it is coming from a single source. Mr Montieth says: "If the sound is off to one side it will get to one ear before the other - if it is on the right it has to bend around your head to get to your left ear.
"The shape of your ear causes differences in sound from one ear to the other. We are synthesising those differences." Sonaptic hopes the technology will have a big impact in the growing market of mobile gaming and music downloading. "Handhelds often have limitations - screens will be small by definition. "If you want to get impact from media you are running - either a movie, a game or watching TV - if you want it to be more immersive then our technology can help." A fishing game is the first title to use the technology, creating a 3D sound field while the gamer plays. Driving games and shoot 'em ups using the technology are in development. The technology can also be used for music - giving songs a much more expansive and immersive feel. Sonaptic offers its technology on a chip or in software and is about to release a new version which significantly improves the efficiency of the audio processing. "It's important we only use 10 or 15% of the processor otherwise you won't be able to play a game on the handset," explained Mr Montieth. The company is now looking to the US and European markets, where it has been working with network Vodafone. "We have focused first on Japan because it has a very advanced mobile phone market. "We knew Japan would be the first place to have the handsets that could use our technology. "There should be handsets out in the UK in the next six months."
| "The technology has been around on PCs and games consoles for some time but what we are doing is making it more efficient so it can go on a small consumer device like a mobile phone," said Mr Monteith.A fishing game is the first title to use the technology, creating a 3D sound field while the gamer plays.Sonaptic has been working with Japanese mobile network NTT DoCoMo to set standards for 3D audio on mobile phones."Your brain uses certain bits of information which we are effectively synthesising on a mobile phone handset."Mr Montieth says: "If the sound is off to one side it will get to one ear before the other - if it is on the right it has to bend around your head to get to your left ear.Firms AM3D and SRS both offer stereo-widening technology for mobile phones.Sonaptic hopes the technology will have a big impact in the growing market of mobile gaming and music downloading."We have focused first on Japan because it has a very advanced mobile phone market."We knew Japan would be the first place to have the handsets that could use our technology.British firm Sonaptic is one of a number of companies to have developed 3D audio technology that emerges from stereo speakers.The surround sound demo is unremarkable when heard on a multi-speaker home cinema system but startling when emerging from a small mobile phone.The structure of the ear works as a 3D encoder for sound - helping the brain understand from where sound is emanating."There are quite a few basic technologies out there, making the sound seem a bit bigger, headphones a bit nicer. |
2,068 | The gaming world in 2005
If you have finished Doom 3, Half Life 2 and Halo 2, don't worry. There's a host of gaming gems set for release in 2005.
WORLD OF WARCRAFT
The US reception to this game from developers Blizzard has been hugely enthusiastic, with the title topping its competitors in the area of life-eating, high-fantasy, massively multiplayer role-player gaming. Solid, diverse, accessible and visually striking, it may well open up the genre like never before. If nothing else, it will develop a vast and loyal community. Released 25 February on PC. ICO 2 (WORKING TITLE) Ico remains a benchmark for PS2 gaming, a title that took players into a uniquely atmospheric and artistic world of adventure. The (spiritual) sequel has visuals that echo those of the original, but promises to expand the Ico world, with hero Wanda taking on a series of giants. The other known working title is Wanda And Colossus. Release date to be confirmed on PS2. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
The charismatic cel imagery has been scrapped in favour of a dark, detailed aesthetic (realism isn't quite the right word) that connects more with Ocarina Of Time. Link resumes his more teenage incarnation too, though enemies, elements and moves look familiar from the impressive trailer that has been released. Horseback adventuring across a vast land is promised. Release date to be confirmed on GameCube. ADVANCE WARS DS The UK Nintendo DS launch line-up is still to be confirmed at time of writing, but titles that exploit its two-screen and touch capacity, like WarioWare Touched! and Sega's Feel The Magic, are making a strong impression in other territories. Personally, I can't wait for the latest Advance Wars, the franchise that has been the icing on the cake of Nintendo handheld gaming during the past few years. Release date to be confirmed on DS. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Following in the high-spec footsteps of Far Cry and Half-Life 2, this looks like the key upcoming PC first-person shooter (with role-playing elements). The fact that it is inspired in part by Andrei Tarkovsky's enigmatic 1979 masterpiece Stalker and set in 2012 in the disaster zone, a world of decay and mutation, makes it all the more intriguing. Released 1 March on PC. METAL GEAR SOLID: SNAKE EATER
More Hideo Kojima serious stealth, featuring action in the Soviet-controlled jungle in 1964. The game see Snake having to survive on his wits in the jungle, including eating wildlife. Once again, expect cinematic cut scenes and polished production values. Released March on PS2. DEAD OR ALIVE ULTIMATE Tecmo's Team Ninja are back with retooled and revamped versions of Dead Or Alive 1 and 2. Here's the big, big deal though - they're playable over Xbox Live. Released 11 March on Xbox. KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC II Looks set to build on the acclaimed original Star Wars role playing game with new characters, new Force powers and a new set of moral decisions, despite a different developer. Released 11 February on Xbox and PC.
| Released 1 March on PC.Released 11 February on Xbox and PC.Release date to be confirmed on PS2.Release date to be confirmed on DS.Released March on PS2.Released 11 March on Xbox.Released 25 February on PC.Release date to be confirmed on GameCube.ICO 2 (WORKING TITLE) Ico remains a benchmark for PS2 gaming, a title that took players into a uniquely atmospheric and artistic world of adventure.WORLD OF WARCRAFT The US reception to this game from developers Blizzard has been hugely enthusiastic, with the title topping its competitors in the area of life-eating, high-fantasy, massively multiplayer role-player gaming.ADVANCE WARS DS The UK Nintendo DS launch line-up is still to be confirmed at time of writing, but titles that exploit its two-screen and touch capacity, like WarioWare Touched!There's a host of gaming gems set for release in 2005.If nothing else, it will develop a vast and loyal community. |
1,427 | Robben sidelined with broken foot
Chelsea winger Arjen Robben has broken two metatarsal bones in his foot and will be out for at least six weeks.
Robben had an MRI scan on the injury, sustained during the Premiership win at Blackburn, on Monday. "Six weeks is the average time to heal this injury and then I need a few more weeks to be completely fit again," he told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. "I had a feeling it was serious but because of the swelling it was impossible to make a final diagnosis." The 21-year-old missed the first three months of the season with a similar injury after a challenge with Roma's Olivier Dacourt. And he added: "It felt different then last summer when I had the same injury on my other foot. "Then I could walk already after three days but I stayed sidelined for a long period. I hope that it will now take me six to eight weeks." Chelsea physio Mike Banks was hopeful that Robben could return at some point in March. "The fractures are tiny and he could be playing next month," Banks told the club's website. "One is a chip on the side of his foot, the other is a small break on the third metatarsal. "But this is not the traditional metatarsal that has become so famous since the last World Cup and which has kept Scott Parker out for two months."
David Beckham suffered a broken metatarsal in the build up to the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan. Robben, who has been a key part of the Blues' push for four trophies, claims he knew instantly something was wrong when he was felled by Blackburn midfielder Aaron Mokoena. "I felt my leg go," he said. "I felt it straight away after Mokoena hit me with a wild kick on my left foot."
| Chelsea winger Arjen Robben has broken two metatarsal bones in his foot and will be out for at least six weeks.And he added: "It felt different then last summer when I had the same injury on my other foot.Chelsea physio Mike Banks was hopeful that Robben could return at some point in March.Robben, who has been a key part of the Blues' push for four trophies, claims he knew instantly something was wrong when he was felled by Blackburn midfielder Aaron Mokoena."But this is not the traditional metatarsal that has become so famous since the last World Cup and which has kept Scott Parker out for two months.""I felt it straight away after Mokoena hit me with a wild kick on my left foot."Robben had an MRI scan on the injury, sustained during the Premiership win at Blackburn, on Monday. |
1,775 | Navratilova hits out at critics
Martina Navratilova has defended her decision to prolong her tennis career at the age of 48.
Navratilova, who made a comeback after retiring in 1994, will play doubles and mixed doubles events in 2005. "Women's tennis is really strong," she said, dismissing suggestions that the fact she could still win reflected badly on the women's game. "All I can say is I'm that damn good. I'm sorry but I really have to blow my own horn here. I'm still that good." Navratilova has won three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles since she came out of retirement. And she was so encouraged by her form that she decided to resume playing singles, winning two of her seven matches. She was knocked out in the first round of the French Open but reached the second round at Wimbledon. Navratilova will partner Nathalie Dechy in the doubles event at the Uncle Toby's Hardcourts tournament on Australia's Gold Coast, which begins on Sunday. She will then link up with Daniela Hantuchova for the Australian Open doubles, and play in the mixed doubles with Leander Paes. "I might be playing some singles events this season, depending on the surface," she added.
| Navratilova, who made a comeback after retiring in 1994, will play doubles and mixed doubles events in 2005.I'm still that good."Navratilova has won three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles since she came out of retirement.She will then link up with Daniela Hantuchova for the Australian Open doubles, and play in the mixed doubles with Leander Paes.Navratilova will partner Nathalie Dechy in the doubles event at the Uncle Toby's Hardcourts tournament on Australia's Gold Coast, which begins on Sunday. |
2,120 | Gadget market 'to grow in 2005'
The explosion in consumer technology is to continue into 2005, delegates at the world's largest gadget show, in Las Vegas, have been told.
The number of gadgets in the shops is predicted to grow by 11%, while devices which talk to each other will become increasingly important. "Everything is going digital," Kirsten Pfeifer from the Consumer Electronics Association, told the BBC News website. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) featured the pick of 2005's products. "Consumers are controlling what they want and technologies like HDTVs [high-definition TVs], digital radio, and digital cameras will remain strong in 2005. "All the products on show really showed the breadth and depth of the industry." Despite showing diversity, some delegates attending complained that the showcase lacked as much "wow factor" as in previous years.
The portable technologies on show also reflected one of the buzzwords of CES, which was the "time and place shifting" of multimedia content - being able to watch and listen to video and music anywhere, at any time. At the start of last year's CES, the CEA predicted there would be an average growth of 4% in 2004. That figure was surpassed with the rise in popularity of portable digital music players, personal video recorders and digital cameras. It was clear also that gadgets are becoming a lot more about lifestyle choice, with fashion and personalisation becoming increasingly key to the way gadgets are designed. Part of this has been the rise in spending power of the "generation X-ers" who have grown up with technology and who now have the spending power and desire for more devices that suit them. More than 57% of the consumer electronics market is made up of female buyers, according to CEA research. Hybrid devices, which combine a number of multimedia functions, were also in evidence on the show floor. "A lot of this is driven by just the ability to do it," said Stephen Baker, a consumer electronics analyst with retail research firm NPD Group. "Some of these functions cost next to nothing to add."
As well as the show floor showcasing everything from tiny wearable MP3 players to giant high-definition TVs, several keynote speeches were made by industry leaders, such as Microsoft chief Bill Gates. Despite several embarrassing technical glitches during Mr Gate's pre-show speech, he announced several new partnerships - mainly for the US market. He unveiled new ways of letting people take TV shows recorded on personal video recorders and watch them back on portable devices. He disappointed some, however, by failing to announce any details of the next generation of the Xbox games console. Another disappointment was the lack of exposure Sony's new portable games device, the PSP, had at the show. Sony said the much-anticipated gadget would most likely start shipping in March for the US and Europe. It went on sale in Japan before Christmas. There were only two PSPs embedded in glass cabinets at the show though and no representatives to discuss further details. A Sony representative told the BBC News website this was because Sony did not consider it to be part of their "consumer technology" offering.
Elsewhere at the show, there was a plethora of colour and plasma screens, including Samsung's 102-inch (2.6 metre) plasma - the largest in the world. Industry experts were also excited about high-definition technologies coming to the fore in 2005, with new formats for DVDs coming out which will hold six times as much data as conventional DVDs. With so many devices on the move there were a lot of products on show offering external storage, like Seagate's 5GB pocket sized external hard drive, which won an innovation for engineering and design prize. More than 120,000 trade professionals attended CES in Las Vegas, which officially ran from 6 to 9 January.
| The explosion in consumer technology is to continue into 2005, delegates at the world's largest gadget show, in Las Vegas, have been told.The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) featured the pick of 2005's products.The portable technologies on show also reflected one of the buzzwords of CES, which was the "time and place shifting" of multimedia content - being able to watch and listen to video and music anywhere, at any time.Another disappointment was the lack of exposure Sony's new portable games device, the PSP, had at the show.A Sony representative told the BBC News website this was because Sony did not consider it to be part of their "consumer technology" offering.He unveiled new ways of letting people take TV shows recorded on personal video recorders and watch them back on portable devices."Everything is going digital," Kirsten Pfeifer from the Consumer Electronics Association, told the BBC News website.Hybrid devices, which combine a number of multimedia functions, were also in evidence on the show floor.As well as the show floor showcasing everything from tiny wearable MP3 players to giant high-definition TVs, several keynote speeches were made by industry leaders, such as Microsoft chief Bill Gates."All the products on show really showed the breadth and depth of the industry."That figure was surpassed with the rise in popularity of portable digital music players, personal video recorders and digital cameras.More than 57% of the consumer electronics market is made up of female buyers, according to CEA research. |
315 | S&N extends Indian beer venture
The UK's biggest brewer, Scottish and Newcastle (S&N), is to buy 37.5% of India's United Breweries in a deal worth 4.66bn rupees ($106m:£54.6m).
S&N will buy a 17.5% equity stake in United, maker of the well-known Kingfisher lager brand, and make a public offer to buy another 20% stake. A similar holding will be controlled by Vijay Mallya, chair of the Indian firm. The deal was a "natural development" of its joint venture with United, said Tony Froggatt, S&N's chief executive.
Its top brands include Newcastle Brown Ale, Foster's, John Smith's, Strongbow and Kronenbourg. In 2002 S&N and United agreed to form a strategic partnership, one that would include a joint venture business and a UK investment in the Indian brewer. The joint venture was established in May 2003. with both parties having a 40% stake in the venture - Millennium Alcobev. Millennium Alcobev will now be merged with United, which expects post-merger to have about half of India's beer market.
India, with a population of more than one billion, consumes about 1.2 billion bottles of beer every year. Kingfisher has market share of about 29%. In addition to the equity stake S&N is to invest 2.47bn rupees in United through non-convertible redeemable preference shares. Meanwhile, United's budget airline, Kingfisher Airlines, is to buy 10 A320 aircraft from Airbus and has the option to buy 20 more aircraft in a deal worth up to $1.8bn. The airline, the brainchild of Mr Mallya, expects to start its operations by the end of April. The new airline would break even in the very first year of operation, Mr Mallya said.
| The UK's biggest brewer, Scottish and Newcastle (S&N), is to buy 37.5% of India's United Breweries in a deal worth 4.66bn rupees ($106m:£54.6m).S&N will buy a 17.5% equity stake in United, maker of the well-known Kingfisher lager brand, and make a public offer to buy another 20% stake.In 2002 S&N and United agreed to form a strategic partnership, one that would include a joint venture business and a UK investment in the Indian brewer.Millennium Alcobev will now be merged with United, which expects post-merger to have about half of India's beer market.In addition to the equity stake S&N is to invest 2.47bn rupees in United through non-convertible redeemable preference shares.Meanwhile, United's budget airline, Kingfisher Airlines, is to buy 10 A320 aircraft from Airbus and has the option to buy 20 more aircraft in a deal worth up to $1.8bn. |
1,786 | Faultless Federer has no equal
Roger Federer - nice bloke, fantastic tennis player - the ultimate sportsman.
When Lleyton Hewitt shook his hand after getting another thrashing, a third in as many months, the Australian said; "You're the best." How right he is. The stats speak for themselves: 11 titles from 11 finals during 2004 - three of them Grand Slams - and 13 final victories in a row going back to Vienna 2003. That's an open-era record. Hewitt, at times in Houston, showed form which easily matched his Grand Slam-winning efforts of 2001 and 2002. But he was outplayed. Twice. Hewitt, along with Andy Roddick and Marat Safin, is sure to be prominent during 2005. But realistically, all three will be fighting for the world number two ranking. According to all those players and even Federer himself, the Swiss star is in a different league.
"Right now I feel that a little bit," he told BBC Sport. "I've dominated all the top ten players. They say nice things about me because I have beaten them all. I am dominating the game right now and I hope it continues!" The number one player in the world is also the main man for promoting the sport off court. He has just been voted, by the International Tennis Writers, as the best "Ambassador for Tennis" on the ATP Tour. He has time for everyone. Every match, from first round to final, is followed by a series of press interviews in three languages; English, French and Swiss-German. After a major win, there are extra requests, obligations and interviews, all seen through to the end with courtesy and, most importantly, good humour. "You guys are funny, I have a good time with you guys," he said, genuinely happy to talk into yet another tape recorder. "I see you pretty much every day on the tour so to give away an hour for interviews is really no problem for me. "If I can promote tennis and the sport then that is good for me. People say thanks back and that is nice." What a refreshing attitude from someone who could easily dominate the sports pages for a decade. It sums up his modest personality. Shortly after collecting a Waterford Crystal trophy, a Mercedes convertible and a tasty cheque for $1.5m, Federer addressed the Houston crowd and concluded by saying "thanks for having me". Now he just needs to find a way of winning the French Open, the one Grand Slam to so far elude him.
| "If I can promote tennis and the sport then that is good for me.Roger Federer - nice bloke, fantastic tennis player - the ultimate sportsman.Hewitt, at times in Houston, showed form which easily matched his Grand Slam-winning efforts of 2001 and 2002.The number one player in the world is also the main man for promoting the sport off court."Right now I feel that a little bit," he told BBC Sport.He has just been voted, by the International Tennis Writers, as the best "Ambassador for Tennis" on the ATP Tour.People say thanks back and that is nice."How right he is."You guys are funny, I have a good time with you guys," he said, genuinely happy to talk into yet another tape recorder.The stats speak for themselves: 11 titles from 11 finals during 2004 - three of them Grand Slams - and 13 final victories in a row going back to Vienna 2003.Every match, from first round to final, is followed by a series of press interviews in three languages; English, French and Swiss-German.They say nice things about me because I have beaten them all. |
357 | Soros group warns of Kazakh close
The Open Society Institute (OSI), financed by billionaire George Soros, has accused Kazakhstan officials of trying to close down its local office.
A demand for unpaid taxes and fines of $600,000 (£425,000) is politically motivated, the OSI claimed, adding that it paid the money in October. The organisation has found itself in trouble after being accused of helping to topple Georgia's former president. It denies having any role, but offices have had to close across the region.
The OSI shut its office in Moscow last year and has withdrawn from Uzbekistan and Belarus. In the Ukraine earlier this year, Mr Soros - who took on the Bank of England in the 1990s - and won, was pelted by protestors. "This legal prosecution can be considered an attempt by the government to force Soros Foundation-Kazakhstan to cease its activities in Kazakhstan and shut its doors for Kazakh citizens and organisations," the OSI said.
The OSI aims to promote democratic and open, market-based societies. Since the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan has been dominated by its president Nursultan Abish-uly Nazarbayev. He has powers for life, while insulting the president and officials has been made a criminal offence. The government controls the printing presses and most radio and TV transmission facilities. It operates the country's national radio and TV networks. Recent elections were criticised as flawed and the opposition claimed there was widespread vote rigging. Supporters, however, say he brings much needed stability to a region where Islamic militancy is on the rise. They also credit him with promoting inter-ethnic accord and pushing through harsh reforms.
| The Open Society Institute (OSI), financed by billionaire George Soros, has accused Kazakhstan officials of trying to close down its local office.The OSI shut its office in Moscow last year and has withdrawn from Uzbekistan and Belarus.He has powers for life, while insulting the president and officials has been made a criminal offence."This legal prosecution can be considered an attempt by the government to force Soros Foundation-Kazakhstan to cease its activities in Kazakhstan and shut its doors for Kazakh citizens and organisations," the OSI said.Since the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan has been dominated by its president Nursultan Abish-uly Nazarbayev.The organisation has found itself in trouble after being accused of helping to topple Georgia's former president. |
1,700 | Lions blow to World Cup winners
British and Irish Lions coach Clive Woodward says he is unlikely to select any players not involved in next year's RBS Six Nations Championship.
World Cup winners Lawrence Dallaglio, Neil Back and Martin Johnson had all been thought to be in the frame for next summer's tour to New Zealand. "I don't think you can ever say never," said Woodward. "But I would have to have a compulsive reason to pick any player who is not available to international rugby." Dallaglio, Back and Johnson have all retired from international rugby over the last 12 months but continue to star for their club sides. But Woodward added: "The key thing that I want to stress is that I intend to use the Six Nations and the players who are available to international rugby as the key benchmark. "My job, along with all the other senior representatives, is to make sure that we pick the strongest possible team. "If you are not playing international rugby then it's still a step up to Test rugby. It's definitely a disadvantage.
"I think it's absolutely critical and with the history of the Lions we have got to take players playing for the four countries." Woodward also revealed that the race for the captaincy was still wide open. "It is an open book," he said. "There are some outstanding candidates from all four countries." And following the All Blacks' impressive displays in Europe in recent weeks, including a 45-6 humiliation of France, Woodward believes the three-test series in New Zealand will provide the ultimate rugby challenge. "Their performance in particular against France was simply awesome," said the Lions coach. "Certain things have been suggested about the potency of their front five, but they're a very powerful unit." With his customary thoroughness, Woodward revealed he had taken soundings from Australia coach Eddie Jones and Jake White of South Africa following their tour matches in Britain and Ireland.
As a result, Woodward stressed his Lions group might not be dominated by players from England and Ireland and held out hope for the struggling Scots. "Scotland's recent results have not been that impressive but there have been some excellent individual performances. "Eddie in particular told me how tough they had made it for Australia and I will take on board their opinions." And Scotland forward Simon Taylor looks certain to get the call, provided he recovers from knee and tendon problems. "I took lessons from 2001 in that they did make a mistake in taking Lawrence Dallaglio when he wasn't fit and went on the trip. "Every player has to be looked at on their own merits and Simon Taylor is an outstanding player and I have no doubts that if he gets back to full fitness he will be on the trip. "I am told he should be back playing by March and he has plenty of time to prove his fitness for the Lions - and there are other players like Richard Hill in the same boat."
| But Woodward added: "The key thing that I want to stress is that I intend to use the Six Nations and the players who are available to international rugby as the key benchmark."But I would have to have a compulsive reason to pick any player who is not available to international rugby.""Every player has to be looked at on their own merits and Simon Taylor is an outstanding player and I have no doubts that if he gets back to full fitness he will be on the trip."I think it's absolutely critical and with the history of the Lions we have got to take players playing for the four countries."British and Irish Lions coach Clive Woodward says he is unlikely to select any players not involved in next year's RBS Six Nations Championship.As a result, Woodward stressed his Lions group might not be dominated by players from England and Ireland and held out hope for the struggling Scots."I am told he should be back playing by March and he has plenty of time to prove his fitness for the Lions - and there are other players like Richard Hill in the same boat.""If you are not playing international rugby then it's still a step up to Test rugby.And following the All Blacks' impressive displays in Europe in recent weeks, including a 45-6 humiliation of France, Woodward believes the three-test series in New Zealand will provide the ultimate rugby challenge.Dallaglio, Back and Johnson have all retired from international rugby over the last 12 months but continue to star for their club sides. |
1,994 | Casual gaming to 'take off'
Games aimed at "casual players" are set to be even bigger in 2005, according to industry experts.
Easy-to-play titles that do not require too much time and that are playable online or downloadable to mobile devices will see real growth in the coming year. The trend shows that gaming is not just about big-hitting, games console titles, which appeal more to "hardcore" gamers, said a panel of experts. They were speaking before the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas which showcases the latest trends in gadgets and technologies for 2005. The panel also insisted that casual gamers were not just women, a common misconception which pervades current thinking about gamer demographics.
Casual games like poker, pool, bridge, bingo and puzzle-based titles, which can be played online or downloaded onto mobile devices, were "gender neutral" and different genres attracted different players.
Greg Mills, program director at AOL, said its figures suggested that sports-based games attracted 90% of 18 to 24-year-old males, while puzzle games were played by 80% of females. Games like bridge tended to attract the over-50 demographic of gamers.
But hardcore gamers who are more attracted to blockbuster gamers which usually require hi-spec PCs, like Half-Life 2, or Halo 2 on Xbox, also liked to have a different type of gaming experience. "When hardcore gamers are not playing Halo, they are playing poker and pool, based on our research," said Geoff Graber, director of Yahoo Games, which attracts about 12 million gamers a month.
With the growth of powerful PC technology and ownership, broadband take-up, portable players and mobile devices, as well as interactive TV, casual gaming is shaping up to be big business in 2005, according to the panel. The focus for the coming year should be about attracting third-party developers into the field to offer more innovative and multiplayer titles, they agreed. "We are at a time where we are on the verge of something much bigger," said Mr Graber. "Casual games will get into their stride in 2005, will be really big in 2006 and will be about community." With more people finding more to do with their gadgets and high-speed connections, casual games would start to open up the world of gaming as a form of mass-market entertainment to more people. Key to these types of titles is the chance they give people who may not see themselves as gamers to dip in and out of games when they liked.
Portal sites which offer casual games, like AOL, Yahoo, and RealArcade, as well as other games-on-demand services, allow people to build up buddy lists so they can return and play against the same people. This aspect of "community" is crucial for gamers who just want to have quick access to free or cheap games without committing long periods of time immersed in £30 to £40 console or PC titles, said the panel. About 120,000 people are expected to attend the CES trade show which stretches over more than 1.5 million square feet and which officially runs from 6 to 9 January. The main theme is how new devices are getting better at talking to each other, allowing people to enjoy digital content, like audio, video and images, when they want, and where they want.
| The trend shows that gaming is not just about big-hitting, games console titles, which appeal more to "hardcore" gamers, said a panel of experts.This aspect of "community" is crucial for gamers who just want to have quick access to free or cheap games without committing long periods of time immersed in £30 to £40 console or PC titles, said the panel.Key to these types of titles is the chance they give people who may not see themselves as gamers to dip in and out of games when they liked.Casual games like poker, pool, bridge, bingo and puzzle-based titles, which can be played online or downloaded onto mobile devices, were "gender neutral" and different genres attracted different players.But hardcore gamers who are more attracted to blockbuster gamers which usually require hi-spec PCs, like Half-Life 2, or Halo 2 on Xbox, also liked to have a different type of gaming experience.With more people finding more to do with their gadgets and high-speed connections, casual games would start to open up the world of gaming as a form of mass-market entertainment to more people."When hardcore gamers are not playing Halo, they are playing poker and pool, based on our research," said Geoff Graber, director of Yahoo Games, which attracts about 12 million gamers a month.Portal sites which offer casual games, like AOL, Yahoo, and RealArcade, as well as other games-on-demand services, allow people to build up buddy lists so they can return and play against the same people. |
418 | US firm 'bids for Lacroix label'
A US firm has said it is in final negotiations with luxury goods group LVMH to buy the loss-making Christian Lacroix haute-couture house.
Paris-based LVMH has been selling non-core businesses and focusing on its most profitable labels including Moet & Chandon champagne and Louis Vuitton. Privately-held Falic Group bought two cosmetics brands, Hard Candy and Urban Decay, from LVMH in early 2003. The Florida company also own a chain of 90 duty free stores in the US. LVMH refused to comment on the reports. But one of the three brothers behind the Falic Group said the firm had also held talks with the designer Christian Lacroix, and wished to retain him. "We are buying his name," Simon Falic told the Reuters news agency. "We have plans to increase the exposure of the brand and increase the volume of business."
| A US firm has said it is in final negotiations with luxury goods group LVMH to buy the loss-making Christian Lacroix haute-couture house.But one of the three brothers behind the Falic Group said the firm had also held talks with the designer Christian Lacroix, and wished to retain him.Privately-held Falic Group bought two cosmetics brands, Hard Candy and Urban Decay, from LVMH in early 2003.Paris-based LVMH has been selling non-core businesses and focusing on its most profitable labels including Moet & Chandon champagne and Louis Vuitton. |
461 | Beijingers fume over parking fees
Choking traffic jams in Beijing are prompting officials to look at reorganising car parking charges.
Car ownership has risen fast in recent years, and there are now two and a half million cars on the city's roads. The trouble is that the high status of car ownership is matched by expensive fees at indoor car parks, making motorists reluctant to use them. Instead roads are being clogged by drivers circling in search of a cheaper outdoor option. "The price differences between indoor and outdoor lots are unreasonable," said Wang Yan, an official from the Beijing Municipal Commission for Development and Reform quoted in the state-run China Daily newspaper. Mr Wang, who is in charge of collecting car parking fees, said his team would be looking at adjusting parking prices to close the gap. Indoor parking bays can cost up to 250% more than outdoor ones.
Sports fans who drive to matches may also find themselves the target of the commission's road rage. It wants them to use public transport, and is considering jacking up the prices of car parks near sports grounds. Mr Wang said his review team may scrap the relatively cheap hourly fee near such places and impose a higher flat rate during matches. Indoor parking may be costly, but it is not always secure. Mr Wang's team are also going to look into complaints from residents about poor service received in exchange for compulsory monthly fees of up to 400 yuan ($48; £26). The Beijing authorities decided two years ago that visiting foreign dignitaries' motorcades should not longer get motorcycle outriders as they blocked the traffic. Unclogging Beijing's increasingly impassable streets is a major concern for the Chinese authorities, who are building dozens of new roads to create a showcase modern city ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games.
| Mr Wang, who is in charge of collecting car parking fees, said his team would be looking at adjusting parking prices to close the gap.Choking traffic jams in Beijing are prompting officials to look at reorganising car parking charges.The trouble is that the high status of car ownership is matched by expensive fees at indoor car parks, making motorists reluctant to use them.Indoor parking bays can cost up to 250% more than outdoor ones.Indoor parking may be costly, but it is not always secure."The price differences between indoor and outdoor lots are unreasonable," said Wang Yan, an official from the Beijing Municipal Commission for Development and Reform quoted in the state-run China Daily newspaper. |
1,572 | Benitez deflects blame from Dudek
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has refused to point the finger of blame at goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek after Portsmouth claimed a draw at Anfield.
Dudek fumbled a cross before Lomana LuaLua headed home an injury-time equaliser, levelling after Steven Gerrard put Liverpool ahead. Benitez said: "It was difficult for Jerzy. It was an unlucky moment. "He was expecting a cross from Matthew Taylor and it ended up like a shot, so I don't blame him for what happened." Benitez admitted it was a costly loss of two points by Liverpool, who followed up their derby defeat against Everton with a disappointing draw. He said: "We had many opportunities but didn't score and, in the end, a 1-0 lead was not enough. "If you don't have any chances you have to think of other things, but when you are creating so many chances as we are there is nothing you can say to the players. It was a pity. "We lost two points, but we have one more point in the table. Now we have another difficult game against Newcastle and we have to recover quickly from that."
| Benitez said: "It was difficult for Jerzy.Benitez admitted it was a costly loss of two points by Liverpool, who followed up their derby defeat against Everton with a disappointing draw.It was a pity.It was an unlucky moment.He said: "We had many opportunities but didn't score and, in the end, a 1-0 lead was not enough. |
1,925 | Bush website blocked outside US
Surfers outside the US have been unable to visit the official re-election site of President George W Bush.
The blocking of browsers sited outside the US began in the early hours of Monday morning. Since then people outside the US trying to browse the site get a message saying they are not authorised to view it. The blocking does not appear to be due to an attack by vandals or malicious hackers, but as a result of a policy decision by the Bush camp.
The international exclusion zone around georgewbush.com was spotted by net monitoring firm Netcraft which keeps an eye on traffic patterns across many different sites. Netcraft said that since the early hours of 25 October attempts to view the site through its monitoring stations in London, Amsterdam and Sydney failed.
By contrast Netcraft's four monitoring stations in the US managed to view the site with no problems. The site can still be seen using anonymous proxy services that are based in the US. Some web users in Canada also report that they can browse the site. The pattern of traffic to the website suggests that the blocking was not due to an attack by vandals or politically motivated hackers. Geographic blocking works because the numerical addresses that the net uses to organise itself are handed out on a regional basis. On 21 October, the George W Bush website began using the services of a company called Akamai to ensure that the pages, videos and other content on its site reaches visitors. Mike Prettejohn, president of Netcraft, speculated that the blocking decision might have been taken to cut costs, and traffic, in the run-up to the election on 2 November. He said the site may see no reason to distribute content to people who will not be voting next week. Managing traffic could also be a good way to ensure that the site stays working in the closing days of the election campaign. However, simply blocking non-US visitors also means that Americans overseas are barred too. Akamai declined to comment, saying it could not talk about customer websites.
| Since then people outside the US trying to browse the site get a message saying they are not authorised to view it.Surfers outside the US have been unable to visit the official re-election site of President George W Bush.By contrast Netcraft's four monitoring stations in the US managed to view the site with no problems.Netcraft said that since the early hours of 25 October attempts to view the site through its monitoring stations in London, Amsterdam and Sydney failed.On 21 October, the George W Bush website began using the services of a company called Akamai to ensure that the pages, videos and other content on its site reaches visitors.The site can still be seen using anonymous proxy services that are based in the US.The blocking of browsers sited outside the US began in the early hours of Monday morning. |
745 | Pop band Busted to 'take a break'
Chart-topping pop band Busted have confirmed that they plan to "take a break", following rumours that they were on the verge of splitting.
A statement from the band's record company Universal said frontman Charlie Simpson planned to spend some time working with his other band, Fightstar. However they said that Busted would "reconvene in due course". The band have had eight top three hits, including four number ones, since they first hit the charts in 2002. Their singles include What I Go To School For, Year 3000, Crashed The Wedding, You Said No, and Who's David?
The band, which also includes members Matt Jay and James Bourne, made the top ten with their self-titled debut album, as well as the follow-up, A Present For Everyone, in 2003. They won best pop act and best breakthrough act at the 2004 Brit Awards and were nominated for best British group. Most recently they topped the charts with the theme from the live-action film version of Thunderbirds, which was voted Record Of The Year on the ITV1 show. The band have capitalised on a craze for artists playing catchy pop music with rock overtones. The trio are seen as an alternative to more manufactured artists who are not considered credible musicians because they do not write their own songs or play their own instruments. However, recent rumours have suggested that Simpson has been wanting to quit the band to focus on Fightstar. He now plans to take Fightstar on tour.
| Chart-topping pop band Busted have confirmed that they plan to "take a break", following rumours that they were on the verge of splitting.A statement from the band's record company Universal said frontman Charlie Simpson planned to spend some time working with his other band, Fightstar.However, recent rumours have suggested that Simpson has been wanting to quit the band to focus on Fightstar.The band have capitalised on a craze for artists playing catchy pop music with rock overtones.The band have had eight top three hits, including four number ones, since they first hit the charts in 2002. |
910 | Blair rejects Tory terror offer
Tony Blair has rejected a Conservative compromise offer that could have eased the passage of anti-terror legislation.
The Tories wanted a sunset clause inserted in the Anti-Terrorism Bill that would have forced ministers to revisit it in November. Mr Blair said the bill, which brings in house arrest for terror suspects, had time limiting safeguards already. The Tories say they will vote against it unless changes they want are agreed. The Lib Dems also oppose the plans.
The government has already given way over the role of judges in house arrest cases.
Mr Blair's refusal to accept the Tories' sunset clause proposals means that the government faces concerted opposition from all sides in the Lords. Peers begin three days of detailed deliberation on the bill on Thursday. The bill proposes "control orders", which as well as placing terrorism suspects under house arrest could mean curfews, tagging or bans on telephone and internet use. These would replace current powers to detain foreign terror suspects without trial, which the law lords have ruled against as a breach of human rights.
The Tories want judicial oversight of all control orders, not just house arrest. Shadow Home Secretary David Davis told BBC Radio Four's the World at One his primary concern was potential miscarriages of justice. He said if someone was wrongly given a control order it would act as a "recruiting sergeant" for terrorists. He went on to say: "If we don't get the amendments we regard as essential, including the sunset clause, we will vote against the bill." In the Commons, Mr Howard said it would be "far better if the whole of the legislation was subject to a sunset clause so Parliament could consider it all in a proper way instead of it being ramrodded through". Mr Blair said the house arrest powers were already going to be subject to a sunset clause because it was annually renewable.
The second, less stringent, type of control orders would be subject to a court appeal within 14 days and there would be a three-monthly report on their use by "an eminent and independent person". "I believe (the new powers) are a proper balance between the civil liberties of the subject and the necessary national security of this country that I will not put at risk," said Mr Blair. The Lib Dems plan to oppose the Bill in the Lords on Thursday. Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: "There's a lot of talking left. I would be uneasy about supporting a very bad bill even if it was just for eight months." A spokeswoman for Human Rights Watch said it was a "basic principle" that people should only be punished after a fair trial. She added: "Having a judge impose those punishments without a trial does not sanitise them either."
| Mr Blair said the house arrest powers were already going to be subject to a sunset clause because it was annually renewable.Mr Blair said the bill, which brings in house arrest for terror suspects, had time limiting safeguards already.In the Commons, Mr Howard said it would be "far better if the whole of the legislation was subject to a sunset clause so Parliament could consider it all in a proper way instead of it being ramrodded through".The Tories wanted a sunset clause inserted in the Anti-Terrorism Bill that would have forced ministers to revisit it in November.He said if someone was wrongly given a control order it would act as a "recruiting sergeant" for terrorists.The Lib Dems plan to oppose the Bill in the Lords on Thursday.The bill proposes "control orders", which as well as placing terrorism suspects under house arrest could mean curfews, tagging or bans on telephone and internet use.I would be uneasy about supporting a very bad bill even if it was just for eight months."The Tories want judicial oversight of all control orders, not just house arrest.He went on to say: "If we don't get the amendments we regard as essential, including the sunset clause, we will vote against the bill." |
592 | Aviator 'creator' in Oscars snub
The man who said he got Oscar-nominated movie The Aviator off the ground and signed up Leonardo DiCaprio has been shut out of the Academy Awards race.
Charles Evans Jr battled over his role with the people who eventually made the film, and won a producer's credit. But he is not on the list of producers who can win a best film Oscar due to a limit on the number of nominees. The Oscars organisers have picked two of The Aviator's four producers to be nominated for best film.
Up to three producers can be named per film but the studios behind The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby failed to trim their credits - so the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has done it for them. The Aviator's nominated producers are Michael Mann and Graham King - with Mr Evans and Sandy Climan, Mr Mann's former deputy, left off. Mr Evans sued Mr Mann in 2001, claiming he came up with the idea, spent years developing it and persuaded DiCaprio to play Hughes - but said he was later excluded from the project. The two sides settled out of court in a deal that has remained secret apart from the fact Mr Evans' name has appeared as a producer when the film's credits roll. At the Golden Globes, Mr Evans - who was named among the winners when the film won best drama film - evaded a security guard to have his photo taken with DiCaprio, director Martin Scorsese, Mr Mann and Mr King.
Ampas decided to limit the number of producers who could be nominated after Shakespeare in Love's victory in 1999 saw five producers collect awards. The eligible names for The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby were decided by Ampas' producers branch executive committee on Wednesday. The decision also saw Clint Eastwood get his third personal nomination for Million Dollar Baby. He is now named in the best film category as well as being nominated for best director and best lead actor. The Academy Awards ceremony will be held in Hollywood on 27 February. Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang, star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero and House of Flying Daggers, is the latest name to be added to the list of presenters on the night.
| Up to three producers can be named per film but the studios behind The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby failed to trim their credits - so the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has done it for them.At the Golden Globes, Mr Evans - who was named among the winners when the film won best drama film - evaded a security guard to have his photo taken with DiCaprio, director Martin Scorsese, Mr Mann and Mr King.The Oscars organisers have picked two of The Aviator's four producers to be nominated for best film.But he is not on the list of producers who can win a best film Oscar due to a limit on the number of nominees.Ampas decided to limit the number of producers who could be nominated after Shakespeare in Love's victory in 1999 saw five producers collect awards.The Aviator's nominated producers are Michael Mann and Graham King - with Mr Evans and Sandy Climan, Mr Mann's former deputy, left off. |
1,437 | Ferdinand casts doubt over Glazer
Rio Ferdinand has said he is unsure of Malcolm Glazer's motives after the American billionaire launched a new offer to buy Manchester United.
The club have confirmed that the Glazer Family Partnership have submitted proposals of a third bid. "A lot of people want the club's interest to be with people who have grown up with the club and have got its interests at heart," said Ferdinand. "No one knows what this guy will be bringing to the table." The central defender added on BBC Radio Five Live: "We will have to wait and see what Glazer comes with. "I would like to see the situation resolved either way. "I think people are getting bored with him coming in and out of the news with new proposals. "The other stuff off the pitch takes the shine off what is going on the pitch."
Glazer, currently owns a 28.1% stake in the club, and United's statement to the stock exchange said: "The board has noted the recent press speculation on this subject. "The board can confirm that it has now received a detailed proposal subject to various pre-conditions which may form the basis of an offer for Manchester United from Glazer. "A further announcement will be made in due course." Glazer's previous bids for the club, which United supporters opposed, were rejected by the board because of the high level of debt they would incur. But it is believed that Glazer has substantially reduced the borrowing required for his latest move. He will still need the approval of major shareholders John Magnier and JP McManus, who own 28.9% of the club to succeed. But the Irish duo have cut off talks with Glazer over the proposed sale of their stake, while fans remain opposed to his involvement.
| Glazer, currently owns a 28.1% stake in the club, and United's statement to the stock exchange said: "The board has noted the recent press speculation on this subject."The board can confirm that it has now received a detailed proposal subject to various pre-conditions which may form the basis of an offer for Manchester United from Glazer.The club have confirmed that the Glazer Family Partnership have submitted proposals of a third bid.Glazer's previous bids for the club, which United supporters opposed, were rejected by the board because of the high level of debt they would incur.Rio Ferdinand has said he is unsure of Malcolm Glazer's motives after the American billionaire launched a new offer to buy Manchester United.But it is believed that Glazer has substantially reduced the borrowing required for his latest move. |
828 | Roxy Music on Isle of Wight bill
Roxy Music will appear at June's Isle of Wight music festival, along with Morrissey, Supergrass and Idlewild.
REM have already been confirmed as headliners for the three-day event, which takes place from 10-12 June. Original band members Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzerana, Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson will take to the stage on the Saturday night of the festival. The band are also working in the studio on new material, their first since the 1982 album Avalon. Roxy Music were formed in 1971 by Ferry, Mackay and Brian Eno, with Manzanera joining the following year. Their first hit was 1972's Virginia Plain, with other hits including Street Life, Love Is The Drug and the 1981 John Lennon cover, Jealous Guy. Roxy Music's back catalogue was re-released in 2000, leading to the band undertaking a world tour in 2001. Morrissey will also play on Saturday at the festival, while Supergrass and Idlewild have been confirmed for the Friday.
| Morrissey will also play on Saturday at the festival, while Supergrass and Idlewild have been confirmed for the Friday.Roxy Music will appear at June's Isle of Wight music festival, along with Morrissey, Supergrass and Idlewild.Original band members Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzerana, Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson will take to the stage on the Saturday night of the festival.Roxy Music were formed in 1971 by Ferry, Mackay and Brian Eno, with Manzanera joining the following year. |
1,818 | Soderling wins tense Milan final
Fifth seed Robin Soderling took the Milan Indoors title with a dramatic win over Radek Stepanek in Sunday's final.
The 20-year-old Swede edged the final set tie-break for a 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5) victory and his second tour title after winning in Lyon last year. "I'm delighted to have won against such a good opponent in a tournament of this importance," said Soderling. "I was really on form, my service was good and I really liked playing on the synthetic surface." Soderling, the world number 37, shrugged off a nervous start to take the opening set on his first set point. A change in approach from fourth seed Stepanek in the second set paid dividends as he took it on a tie-break, but Soderling's superior power proved too much in the third.
| Fifth seed Robin Soderling took the Milan Indoors title with a dramatic win over Radek Stepanek in Sunday's final.A change in approach from fourth seed Stepanek in the second set paid dividends as he took it on a tie-break, but Soderling's superior power proved too much in the third.The 20-year-old Swede edged the final set tie-break for a 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5) victory and his second tour title after winning in Lyon last year. |
1,601 | Lewsey puzzle over disallowed try
England's Josh Lewsey has claimed he was denied a late try in his side's Six Nations loss to Ireland.
The Wasps wing insisted he grounded the ball when he was bundled over the line and said referee Jonathan Kaplan had made a wrong decision. "I'm positive I touched the ball down over the line," Lewsey told BBC Sport. "It certainly wasn't a turnover. "I was driven over and I put the ball on the ground. The whistle went and I let go of the ball." Lewsey added: "One of the Irish players scooped it back after the whistle and to our surprise the referee then gave a turnover. "As far as I'm concerned, that incident and Mark Cueto's effort from Charlie Hodgson's cross-field kick that led to what looked like a good try were the two key elements in the game."
Cueto was also puzzled as to why his try had been disallowed by Kaplan. "I don't think I could have been offside for, without a doubt, I was behind the ball," said the Sale player. "The move was a planned technique, it was not off the cuff. We rehearse it time and time again. "I wouldn't say we were robbed, some decisions go with you and some go against you. Today they went against us and that's tough at international level."
| "I was driven over and I put the ball on the ground.The whistle went and I let go of the ball."The Wasps wing insisted he grounded the ball when he was bundled over the line and said referee Jonathan Kaplan had made a wrong decision."I don't think I could have been offside for, without a doubt, I was behind the ball," said the Sale player."The move was a planned technique, it was not off the cuff.Cueto was also puzzled as to why his try had been disallowed by Kaplan. |
1,304 | Howard hits back at mongrel jibe
Michael Howard has said a claim by Peter Hain that the Tory leader is acting like an "attack mongrel" shows Labour is "rattled" by the opposition.
In an upbeat speech to his party's spring conference in Brighton, he said Labour's campaigning tactics proved the Tories were hitting home. Mr Hain made the claim about Tory tactics in the anti-terror bill debate. "Something tells me that someone, somewhere out there is just a little bit rattled," Mr Howard said. Mr Hain, Leader of the Commons, told BBC Radio Four's Today programme that Mr Howard's stance on the government's anti-terrorism legislation was putting the country at risk. He then accused the Tory Leader of behaving like an "attack mongrel" and "playing opposition for opposition sake".
Mr Howard told his party that Labour would "do anything, say anything, claim anything to cling on to office at all costs". "So far this year they have compared me to Fagin, to Shylock and to a flying pig. This morning Peter Hain even called me a mongrel. "I don't know about you, but something tells me that someone, somewhere out there is just a little bit rattled." Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett rejected Mr Howard's comment, telling Radio 4's PM programme that Labour was not "rattled". "We have a very real duty to try to get people to focus on Michael Howard's record, what the proposals are that he is trying to put forward to the country and also the many examples we are seeing now of what we believe is really poor judgement on his behalf."
Mr Howard said Tory policies on schools, taxes, immigration and crime were striking a chord with voters.
"Since the beginning of this year - election year - we've been making the political weather," he told the party conference. Mr Howard denied he had been "playing politics" by raising the case of Margaret Dixon, whose operation had been cancelled seven times, which grabbed headlines for the party two weeks ago. And he hit back at Labour claims he had used Mrs Dixon as a "human shield". "She's not a human shield Mr Blair, she's a human being." Mr Howard said his party plans for immigration quotas, which have also been the focus of much media coverage, were not "racist" - just "common sense".
He pledged cleaner hospitals and better school discipline, with a promise to get rid of "political correctness" in the national curriculum and give everyone to the same chance of a "decent" state education as he had. "I come from an ordinary family. If the teenage Michael Howard were applying to Cambridge today, Gordon Brown would love me."
And he stressed his party's commitment to cut taxes and red tape and increase the basic state pension in line with earnings. He finished with a personal appeal to party activists to go out and win the next election. "One day you will be able to tell your children and grandchildren as I will tell mine, 'I was there. I did my bit. I played my part. I helped to win that famous election - the election that transformed our country for the better'." Labour election co-ordinator Alan Milburn said: "Michael Howard's speech today confirms what we have always said - that his only strategy is opportunism but he has no forward vision for the country. In reference to the appearance of Mr Howard's family on the conference stage with him, Mr Milburn said: "Michael Howard is perfectly entitled to pose with his family today. "But it is the hard working families across Britain that will be damaged by his plan to cut £35bn from public spending."
| "Something tells me that someone, somewhere out there is just a little bit rattled," Mr Howard said.In reference to the appearance of Mr Howard's family on the conference stage with him, Mr Milburn said: "Michael Howard is perfectly entitled to pose with his family today.Michael Howard has said a claim by Peter Hain that the Tory leader is acting like an "attack mongrel" shows Labour is "rattled" by the opposition.Mr Hain, Leader of the Commons, told BBC Radio Four's Today programme that Mr Howard's stance on the government's anti-terrorism legislation was putting the country at risk.Labour election co-ordinator Alan Milburn said: "Michael Howard's speech today confirms what we have always said - that his only strategy is opportunism but he has no forward vision for the country.Mr Howard said his party plans for immigration quotas, which have also been the focus of much media coverage, were not "racist" - just "common sense".Mr Howard said Tory policies on schools, taxes, immigration and crime were striking a chord with voters.Mr Howard told his party that Labour would "do anything, say anything, claim anything to cling on to office at all costs".Mr Hain made the claim about Tory tactics in the anti-terror bill debate.Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett rejected Mr Howard's comment, telling Radio 4's PM programme that Labour was not "rattled"."Since the beginning of this year - election year - we've been making the political weather," he told the party conference.Mr Howard denied he had been "playing politics" by raising the case of Margaret Dixon, whose operation had been cancelled seven times, which grabbed headlines for the party two weeks ago. |
930 | Tories attack burglar 'U-turns'
Tory leader Michael Howard has accused Tony Blair of performing U-turns over rules on using force against burglars.
The government has ruled out amending the present law, which allows "reasonable force" in self defence. Mr Howard branded the decision unacceptable, saying: "It is not householders who should be frightened, it's the burglars." Home Secretary Charles Clarke said ministers had kept to their pledge to review the law.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens last month backed a Tory attempt to change the law so only householders using "grossly disproportionate" force could be prosecuted. The pressure prompted the prime minister to say the police and Crown Prosecution Service would be consulted as part of a review of the law. He told MPs: "If we get the right response from those people, we will, of course, support a change in the law." Instead, the government has decided no change is needed but there will be a publicity campaign so people are clear they are entitled to defend themselves. On Thursday, Mr Howard told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Mr Blair had initially refused the law change, then had come round to the idea and was now backtracking again. He said: "We've had three policy positions in three months and two U-turns. "It's not surprising Gordon Brown told him: 'There's nothing you could say to me now that I could ever believe.'"
Mr Howard said the "grossly disproportionate" test matched the hurdle ministers had introduced for civil cases where burglars where claimed compensation from householders. The issue entered the public spotlight when Norfolk farmer Tony Martin was jailed for shooting dead a 16-year-old burglar in 1999 as he ran away from the farm. But the home secretary said Mr Howard was wrong to say the law was biased in favour of burglars. The barrister who had represented Mr Martin had said the rules were "weighted overwhelmingly" in favour of the householder, said Mr Clarke. He said: "The problem is there has not been enough understanding of it - that was the point Sir John Stevens was making and the prime minister was making." The new guidance would help ensure clarity on the issue, added Mr Clarke. The director of public prosecutions, Ken Macdonald, says only 11 householders or occupiers of business premises have been prosecuted in the last 15 years. Those cases included a warehouse manager who had waited for a burglar, tied him up, beat him and set him alight, he said. Tory MP Patrick Mercer's private member's bill to change the law received a first reading in Parliament on Wednesday and goes to a full debate next month.
| But the home secretary said Mr Howard was wrong to say the law was biased in favour of burglars.On Thursday, Mr Howard told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Mr Blair had initially refused the law change, then had come round to the idea and was now backtracking again.The barrister who had represented Mr Martin had said the rules were "weighted overwhelmingly" in favour of the householder, said Mr Clarke.Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens last month backed a Tory attempt to change the law so only householders using "grossly disproportionate" force could be prosecuted.Home Secretary Charles Clarke said ministers had kept to their pledge to review the law.Mr Howard said the "grossly disproportionate" test matched the hurdle ministers had introduced for civil cases where burglars where claimed compensation from householders.He said: "The problem is there has not been enough understanding of it - that was the point Sir John Stevens was making and the prime minister was making."Mr Howard branded the decision unacceptable, saying: "It is not householders who should be frightened, it's the burglars." |
1,580 | Robertson out to retain Euro lure
Hearts manager John Robertson hopes a place in the knock-out stages of the Uefa Cup could help keep some of his out-of-contract players at the club.
"It could help. If we get through and have another European tie it may encourage players to stay at least until the end of the season," he said. "If we manage to get through it shows how well the club's progressing. "They have to think whether they are going to get other clubs like that should they decide to move on." A win for Robertson's side against Ferencvaros would put them through to the last 32 if Basle fail to beat Feyenoord. "It's very much the player's prerogative but the fact that we've been playing European football for the last three or four years is obviously an incentive," added Robertson. "But we want players who want to play for the football club, who are committed and a run in Europe always helps a little bit." With the game being played at Murrayfield instead of Tynecastle because of Uefa regulations, Robertson sees both positive and negative aspects to the change of venue.
"The pitch is not in the greatest condition. The Heineken Cup game was there at the weekend and the pitch is a bit threadbare," he said. "It's not ideal but it's the same for both teams so we just have to go out and there and perform. That's the most important thing." But he added: "If Tynecastle could have hosted 30,000 it would have been fantastic but that's one of the benefits of Murrayfield - it allows us to bring even more of our supporters into it. "There will be a good atmosphere and the Hearts fans have an important role to play. "We need their encouragement, we need them to get right behind the side and make it as good an atmosphere as possible. "Hopefully the players will respond to that and I know they will because it's a fantastic European night for the club."
| Hearts manager John Robertson hopes a place in the knock-out stages of the Uefa Cup could help keep some of his out-of-contract players at the club."But we want players who want to play for the football club, who are committed and a run in Europe always helps a little bit.""Hopefully the players will respond to that and I know they will because it's a fantastic European night for the club."If we get through and have another European tie it may encourage players to stay at least until the end of the season," he said.But he added: "If Tynecastle could have hosted 30,000 it would have been fantastic but that's one of the benefits of Murrayfield - it allows us to bring even more of our supporters into it."It could help."There will be a good atmosphere and the Hearts fans have an important role to play. |
2,060 | Google to scan famous libraries
The libraries of five of the world's most important academic institutions are to be digitised by Google.
Scanned pages from books in the public domain will then be made available for search and reading online. The full libraries of Michigan and Stanford universities, as well as archives at Harvard, Oxford and the New York Public Library are included. Online pages from scanned books will not have adverts but will have links to online store Amazon, Google said.
"The goal of the project is to unlock the wealth of information that is offline and bring it online," said Susan Wojcicki, director of product management at Google.
There will also be links to public libraries so that the books can be borrowed. Google will not be paid for providing for the links. It will take six years to digitise the full collection at Michigan, which contains seven million volumes. Users will only have access to extracts and bibliographies of copyrighted works. The New York library is allowing Google to include a small portion of books no longer covered by copyright.
Harvard is limiting its participation to 40,000 books, while Oxford wants Google to scan books originally published in the 19th Century and held in the Bodleian Library. A spokeswoman for Oxford University said the digitised books would include novels, poetry, political tracts and art books. "Important works that are out of print or only available in a few libraries around the world will be made available to everyone," she said. About one million books will be scanned by Google, less than 15% of the total collection held in the Bodleian. "We hope that Oxford's contribution to this project will be of scholarly use, as well as general interest, to people around the world," said Reg Carr, director of Oxford University Library Services.
"It's a significant opportunity to bring our material to the rest of the world," said Paul LeClerc, president of the New York Public Library. "It could solve an old problem: If people can't get to us, how can we get to them?" "This is the day the world changes," said John Wilkin, a University of Michigan librarian working with Google. "It will be disruptive because some people will worry that this is the beginning of the end of libraries. "But this is something we have to do to revitalise the profession and make it more meaningful."
| Online pages from scanned books will not have adverts but will have links to online store Amazon, Google said.The New York library is allowing Google to include a small portion of books no longer covered by copyright.The full libraries of Michigan and Stanford universities, as well as archives at Harvard, Oxford and the New York Public Library are included."We hope that Oxford's contribution to this project will be of scholarly use, as well as general interest, to people around the world," said Reg Carr, director of Oxford University Library Services.Harvard is limiting its participation to 40,000 books, while Oxford wants Google to scan books originally published in the 19th Century and held in the Bodleian Library.There will also be links to public libraries so that the books can be borrowed."It's a significant opportunity to bring our material to the rest of the world," said Paul LeClerc, president of the New York Public Library.About one million books will be scanned by Google, less than 15% of the total collection held in the Bodleian. |
1,823 | Mirza makes Indian tennis history
Teenager Sania Mirza completed a superb week at the Hyderabad Open by becoming the first Indian in history to win a WTA singles title.
In front of a delirious home crowd, the 18-year-old battled past Alyona Bondarenko of the Ukraine 6-4 5-7 6-3. Mirza, ranked 134 in the world, sunk to her knees in celebration after serving out the match against Bondarenko. "It is a big moment in my career and I would like to thank everyone who has been a part of my effort," she said. "This win has made me believe more in myself and I can now hope to do better in the coming days. "I wanted to win this tournament very badly since it was in my hometown." At the Australian Open in January, Mirza became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam before losing to eventual champion Serena Williams.
And a year ago, she became the youngest Indian to win a professional title by claiming the doubles at the Hyderabad Open. Mirza, playing in her first WTA final, began nervously in front of a raucous home crowd - committing three double faults in her opening service game. But from 0-2 down, Mirza broke serve twice in a row and held on to her advantage to take the first set. In a see-saw second set, Bondarenko raced into a 5-2 lead and though Mirza hauled herself level, the Ukrainian broke again before finally levelling the match. Mirza rediscovered the aggressive strokes that took her to the first set in the decider established a 5-2 lead. At 5-3, the stadium erupted in celebration when Mirza thought she had delivered an ace to secure victory but the serve was ruled to have clipped the net. Mirza eventually lost the point but to the relief of the crowd, she broke Bondarenko again in the next game to clinch the title.
| Teenager Sania Mirza completed a superb week at the Hyderabad Open by becoming the first Indian in history to win a WTA singles title.Mirza eventually lost the point but to the relief of the crowd, she broke Bondarenko again in the next game to clinch the title.But from 0-2 down, Mirza broke serve twice in a row and held on to her advantage to take the first set.Mirza, playing in her first WTA final, began nervously in front of a raucous home crowd - committing three double faults in her opening service game.In a see-saw second set, Bondarenko raced into a 5-2 lead and though Mirza hauled herself level, the Ukrainian broke again before finally levelling the match.Mirza rediscovered the aggressive strokes that took her to the first set in the decider established a 5-2 lead. |
444 | Khodorkovsky quits Yukos shares
Jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has transferred his controlling stake in oil giant Yukos to a business partner.
Mr Khodorkovsky handed over his entire 59.5% stake in holding company Group Menatep - which controls Yukos - to Leonid Nevzlin. A close ally of the ex-Yukos boss, Mr Nevzlin is currently based in Israel. Mr Khodorkovsky handed over his stake after the forced sale of Yukos' core oil production unit, Yuganskneftegaz to pay a giant tax bill.
Yuganskneftegaz was sold off at auction in December last year, eventually falling into the hands of state oil firm Rosneft in a deal worth $9.4bn (£5bn). "Since the sale of Yuganskneftegaz, I have been delivered of (all) responsibility for the business that remains and the group's money as a whole," Mr Khodorkovsky said. "It is all over. As before, I see my future in public activity to build a civil society in Russia." Mr Nevzlin is Yukos' largest shareholder but is living in self-imposed exile in Israel. Yuganskneftegaz pumps around 1 million barrels of oil a day. It was sold by the Russian authorities to recover government tax claims against Yukos totalling over $27bn. Previously considered to be Russia's richest man, with an estimated fortune of $15bn, Mr Khodorkovsky is currently on trial for fraud and tax evasion following his arrest in October 2003. However, the charges are widely seen as politically motivated and part of a drive by Russian President Vladimir Putin to rein in the country's super-rich business leaders, the so-called oligarchs. It is also believed that Mr Khodorkovsky was particularly targeted because he had started to bankroll political opponents of Mr Putin.
| Mr Khodorkovsky handed over his stake after the forced sale of Yukos' core oil production unit, Yuganskneftegaz to pay a giant tax bill.Mr Khodorkovsky handed over his entire 59.5% stake in holding company Group Menatep - which controls Yukos - to Leonid Nevzlin.It is also believed that Mr Khodorkovsky was particularly targeted because he had started to bankroll political opponents of Mr Putin."Since the sale of Yuganskneftegaz, I have been delivered of (all) responsibility for the business that remains and the group's money as a whole," Mr Khodorkovsky said.Jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has transferred his controlling stake in oil giant Yukos to a business partner.Mr Nevzlin is Yukos' largest shareholder but is living in self-imposed exile in Israel. |
1,210 | Blair to face trust issue head on
Tony Blair says he will be facing the issue of trust and his own integrity head on during the election campaign.
During a question and answer session with first-time voters on Five News, Mr Blair said he had no option but to "confront it" by talking to people. He also dismissed claims government plans to get 50% of young people into university would devalue degrees. He was not "forcing" anyone to go to university, but places should be there for those who wanted them, he said. In answer to a question from 22-year-old Liverpool student David Dunne about concerns over the prime minister's personal integrity, Mr Blair said talking was the only answer. "You've just got to confront it and say to people let's have a discussion on the things that worry you, the things that make you say 'I can't trust you' or 'I am against you on this.'" The "worst thing in politics" was that the electorate only got "little snatches of policy" from things like Prime Minister's Questions and the news headlines. This was why he wanted to "get out of the 30 seconds on the news," he added.
By talking through policies at least people understood the reason for them, even if they did not agree with them, he said. Mr Blair also faced questions about British policy on Iran and its alleged nuclear weapons programme. He insisted there was no plan for an invasion of the country saying: "Sometimes people say because of what has happened in Iraq this is the next place." Instead there was a real chance of a "peaceful resolution" to the problem, he said.
| During a question and answer session with first-time voters on Five News, Mr Blair said he had no option but to "confront it" by talking to people.In answer to a question from 22-year-old Liverpool student David Dunne about concerns over the prime minister's personal integrity, Mr Blair said talking was the only answer.He was not "forcing" anyone to go to university, but places should be there for those who wanted them, he said.He insisted there was no plan for an invasion of the country saying: "Sometimes people say because of what has happened in Iraq this is the next place."By talking through policies at least people understood the reason for them, even if they did not agree with them, he said. |
1,361 | Greek pair set for hearing
Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou will fight the provisional two-year bans imposed on them by the IAAF at an independent tribunal this weekend.
Athletics' ruling body took action against the pair for failing to take drugs tests before the Athens Olympics. An independent tribunal of the Greek Track and Field Federation will meet to decide whether to ratify the sanction. The sprint duo face charges of failing to give information on their location and refusing to submit to a drugs test. Kenteris' lawyer Gregory Ioannidis told BBC Sport: "We refute both charges as unsubstantiated and illogical. "There have been certain breaches in the correct application of the rules on behalf of the sporting authorities and their officials, and these procedural breaches have also violated my client's rights. "There is also evidence that proves the fact that my client has been persecuted." Ioannidis, who is a law lecturer at the University of Buckingham, added: "One of the important rights and foundations of law and justice - that the accused should be presumed innocent unless proved otherwise - has been tarnished." The panel will also decide on the two-year ban imposed on the athletes' controversial coach Christos Tzekos by the IAAF. Kenteris, the 2000 Olympic 200m champion, and Thanou, the women's 100m silver medallist from the same Games in Sydney, quit the Olympics on 18 August after failing to give samples on the eve of the opening ceremony.
Testers could not find them at the Olympic village and the duo were later admitted to hospital after claiming to have been involved in a motorcycle accident. They also missed tests in Tel Aviv, Chicago and Athens before the Games. In imposing two-year suspensions on the duo on 22 December, the IAAF described their explanations for missing the tests as "unacceptable". Whatever the findings of the independent tribunal, all parties will have the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The tribunal hearing will take place at the Hellenic Olympic Committee building. It will start at 1200 GMT on Saturday and is expected to finish early next week. The tribunal panel will consist of five members - president Konstantinos Panagopoulos and Panagiotis Dimakos, Haralabos Hrisanthakis, Stilianos Perakis and Ioannis Karmis. Kenteris and Thanou also face criminal charges in Greece for allegedly faking the motorcycle accident. Eight criminal charges have been laid against the sprinters as well as Tzekos, an eyewitness to the accident and hospital officials. But there has been speculation that the charges could be dropped.
| Kenteris and Thanou also face criminal charges in Greece for allegedly faking the motorcycle accident.Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou will fight the provisional two-year bans imposed on them by the IAAF at an independent tribunal this weekend.The sprint duo face charges of failing to give information on their location and refusing to submit to a drugs test.The panel will also decide on the two-year ban imposed on the athletes' controversial coach Christos Tzekos by the IAAF.But there has been speculation that the charges could be dropped.They also missed tests in Tel Aviv, Chicago and Athens before the Games.Eight criminal charges have been laid against the sprinters as well as Tzekos, an eyewitness to the accident and hospital officials.Kenteris, the 2000 Olympic 200m champion, and Thanou, the women's 100m silver medallist from the same Games in Sydney, quit the Olympics on 18 August after failing to give samples on the eve of the opening ceremony. |
1,549 | Liverpool revel in night of glory
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said their qualification for the next stage of the Champions League was "one of the proudest nights of my career."
The Reds beat Olympiakos 3-1 with a late Steven Gerrard strike and Benitez said: "It was a really great night. "The players ran hard all the time and you see how much it means to the fans. "We knew before the game that it was very important for the club to gain these extra finances. For Liverpool, this result is very, very important." Benitez hailed Gerrard for his match-winning strike four minutes from time and also the Anfield crowd for sticking by their side after they had fallen a goal behind at the interval. The Reds scored three second-half goals in a sensational comeback capped by Gerrard's 20-yard drive. He added: "Steven can play all over the pitch and he influences every part of the game.
"I have said to him many times that he has the freedom because he has talent and is very important to us. "I felt that the difference between the sides was really our supporters, I cannot thank them enough. "I want to say thank-you to the supporters, they were magnificent to help us achieve this result." Gerrard admitted he thought they were going out of the Champions League after trailing 1-0 at half-time. He said: "I'd be lying if I thought we were going through when we were losing at half-time.
"We had a mountain to climb, but we have climbed it and credit to everyone. "That was one of the best goals I have scored, I caught it sweet, I haven't caught one like that for ages. It was a massive night for me and the team." Liverpool's win means all four of England's Champions League representatives have reached the knockout stages for the first time.
| Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said their qualification for the next stage of the Champions League was "one of the proudest nights of my career."The Reds beat Olympiakos 3-1 with a late Steven Gerrard strike and Benitez said: "It was a really great night."We knew before the game that it was very important for the club to gain these extra finances.It was a massive night for me and the team."Gerrard admitted he thought they were going out of the Champions League after trailing 1-0 at half-time.Benitez hailed Gerrard for his match-winning strike four minutes from time and also the Anfield crowd for sticking by their side after they had fallen a goal behind at the interval."I have said to him many times that he has the freedom because he has talent and is very important to us. |
244 | Market unfazed by Aurora setback
As the Aurora limped back to its dock on 20 January, a blizzard of photos and interviews seemed to add up to an unambiguous tale of woe.
The ship had another slice of bad luck to add to its history of health scares and technical trouble. And its owner, P&O Cruises - now part of the huge US Carnival Corporation - was looking at a significant slice chopped off this year's profits and a potential PR fiasco. No-one, however, seems to have told the stock markets. The warning of a five-cent hit to 2005 earnings came just 24 hours after one of the world's biggest investment banks had upped its target for Carnival's share price, from £35 to £36.20. Other investors barely blinked, and by 1300 GMT Carnival's shares in London were down a single penny, or 0.03%, at £32.26.
Why the mismatch between the public perception and the market's response? "The Aurora issue had been an ongoing one for some time," says Deutsche Bank's Simon Champion. "It was clearly a source of uncertainty for the company - it was a long cruise, after all. But the stock market is very good at treating these issues as one-off events."
Despite its string of bad luck, he pointed out, Aurora is just one vessel in a large Carnival fleet, the UK's P&O Princess group having been merged into the much larger US firm in 2003. And generally speaking, Carnival has a reputation for keeping its ships pretty much on schedule. "Carnival has an incredibly strong track record," Mr Champion.
Similarly, analysts expect the impact on the rest of the cruise business to be limited. The hundreds of disappointed passengers who have now had to give up the opportunity to spend the next three months on the Aurora have got both a refund and a credit for another cruise. That should mitigate some of the PR risk, both for Carnival and its main competitor, Royal Caribbean. "While not common, cancellations for technical reasons are not entirely unusual in the industry," wrote analysts from Citigroup Smith Barney in a note to clients on Friday. "Moreover, such events typically have a limited impact on bookings and pricing for future cruises." After all, the Aurora incident may be big news in the UK - but for Carnival customers elsewhere it's unlikely to make too much of a splash.
Assuming that Citigroup is right, and demand stays solid, the structure of the industry also works in Carnival's favour. In the wake of P&O Princess's takeover by Carnival, the business is now to a great extent a duopoly. Given the expense of building, outfitting and running a cruise ship, "slowing supply growth" is a certainty, said David Anders at Merrill Lynch on Thursday. In other words, if you do want a cruise, your options are limited. And with Carnival remaining the market leader, it looks set to keep selling the tickets - no matter what happens to the ill-fated Aurora in the future.
| Despite its string of bad luck, he pointed out, Aurora is just one vessel in a large Carnival fleet, the UK's P&O Princess group having been merged into the much larger US firm in 2003.And with Carnival remaining the market leader, it looks set to keep selling the tickets - no matter what happens to the ill-fated Aurora in the future.Similarly, analysts expect the impact on the rest of the cruise business to be limited.After all, the Aurora incident may be big news in the UK - but for Carnival customers elsewhere it's unlikely to make too much of a splash.And generally speaking, Carnival has a reputation for keeping its ships pretty much on schedule.And its owner, P&O Cruises - now part of the huge US Carnival Corporation - was looking at a significant slice chopped off this year's profits and a potential PR fiasco.In the wake of P&O Princess's takeover by Carnival, the business is now to a great extent a duopoly."The Aurora issue had been an ongoing one for some time," says Deutsche Bank's Simon Champion."Carnival has an incredibly strong track record," Mr Champion.In other words, if you do want a cruise, your options are limited. |
1,063 | Housing plans criticised by MPs
"Irreversible environmental damage" will be caused by government plans to build more than one million homes in south-east England, MPs have warned.
"Sustainable communities" were being promoted without a real understanding of what "sustainable" means, the Environmental Audit Committee said. It said issues like energy needs and transport were not properly addressed. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said the report was completed before new initiatives were announced. He said: "We are working across government, especially with our colleagues at Defra, to create cleaner, safer and greener communities, while protecting and enhancing the environment."
The report said there was far too little attention paid to many environmental issues, including water, even though supplies in parts of the South East are already too low. Regulations designed to ensure energy-efficient buildings are too lax, and builders routinely flout them anyway, it said.
Financing for improving transport was around one-twentieth of what would be required. The report was a stinging rebuke for the government and especially John Prescott's department, BBC environment correspondent Richard Black said. Chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee Peter Ainsworth MP, said: "The government's housing policy is an alarming example of disjointed thinking in an areas where joined-up policy is crucial. "I accept the need to improve housing supply but, as things stand, the principal beneficiary of housing growth will be property developers, with the environment we all depend on being the principal loser." Points raised in the report included:
- No proposals to further increase housing supply should be taken forward without strong supporting evidence.
- The government should recognise shortcomings of the Treasury's Barker Review, which said 140,000 new homes a year were needed in Britain.
- The government should consider a "national spatial framework" for England such as those already in place in Scotland and Wales.
- The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister should maximise brown field development and housing densities.
- Measures to encourage improved energy efficiency for existing homes should be considered - including reduced stamp duty for homes that achieve set standards and a clear timetable for achieving zero-emissions homes.
- The government should make clear how it intends to measure its success at creating sustainable communities.
Conservative local government spokeswoman Caroline Spelman said: "There is now growing evidence that John Prescott's buildings programme is environmentally unsustainable, leaving a concrete scar across the face of rural England."
| The report was a stinging rebuke for the government and especially John Prescott's department, BBC environment correspondent Richard Black said.Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said the report was completed before new initiatives were announced.- The government should recognise shortcomings of the Treasury's Barker Review, which said 140,000 new homes a year were needed in Britain.He said: "We are working across government, especially with our colleagues at Defra, to create cleaner, safer and greener communities, while protecting and enhancing the environment.""Sustainable communities" were being promoted without a real understanding of what "sustainable" means, the Environmental Audit Committee said.The report said there was far too little attention paid to many environmental issues, including water, even though supplies in parts of the South East are already too low.Conservative local government spokeswoman Caroline Spelman said: "There is now growing evidence that John Prescott's buildings programme is environmentally unsustainable, leaving a concrete scar across the face of rural England."It said issues like energy needs and transport were not properly addressed. |
857 | Casino Royale is next Bond movie
Casino Royale, author Ian Fleming's first James Bond book, is to be the next Bond film, with Goldeneye director Martin Campbell behind the camera.
It will be the 21st James Bond film to hit the big screen, and speculation has been rife over who will play the lead. Casino Royale was turned into a spoof spy movie by John Huston in 1967, with David Niven in the lead role. Pierce Brosnan led the past four Bond films but said producers axed him after offering him the chance to return. Among the favourites to take over the coveted role are Scottish actor Dougray Scott, Oscar nominee Clive Owen and Australian star Hugh Jackman. Producers say no decision has yet been made on who will become the seventh actor, including Niven, to play Bond on film. Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino had talked of wanting to take on the Casino Royale project, and said he had spoken to Brosnan about it.
Shooting on Casino Royale is expected to begin once Campbell has finished work on The Legend of Zorro, a sequel to The Mask of Zorro, starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson expect the film to be released in 2006.
The script will once again be developed by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade who have both worked on two previous Bond movies. Fleming's book saw the introduction of Bond pitted against a Russian spy in a game of baccarat. Simultaneously, a woman arrives on the scene to take his eye off the game. The novel is one of Fleming's most violent and sadistic stories, with 007 suffering a savage beating from his nemesis Le Chiffre. In addition to the 1967 film, it was also adapted for television in 1954 with actor Barry Nelson as an Americanised "Jimmy" Bond. MGM Vice Chairman Chris McGurk said: "Martin (Campbell) is an incredibly exciting film-maker. Goldeneye was a wonderful movie and helped reinvigorate the Bond franchise. We're thrilled to have him back to direct the newest Bond." New Zealand-born Campbell moved to the UK in 1966 and directed TV series such as The Professionals, Minder and Bergerac. His film credits include Edge of Darkness, Vertical Limit and Beyond Borders, which starred Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen.
| Casino Royale, author Ian Fleming's first James Bond book, is to be the next Bond film, with Goldeneye director Martin Campbell behind the camera.Producers say no decision has yet been made on who will become the seventh actor, including Niven, to play Bond on film.It will be the 21st James Bond film to hit the big screen, and speculation has been rife over who will play the lead.In addition to the 1967 film, it was also adapted for television in 1954 with actor Barry Nelson as an Americanised "Jimmy" Bond.Pierce Brosnan led the past four Bond films but said producers axed him after offering him the chance to return.Fleming's book saw the introduction of Bond pitted against a Russian spy in a game of baccarat.Goldeneye was a wonderful movie and helped reinvigorate the Bond franchise.We're thrilled to have him back to direct the newest Bond." |
2,161 | Can Yahoo dominate next decade?
Yahoo has reached the grand old age of 10 and, in internet years, that is a long time.
For many, Yahoo remains synonymous with the internet - a veteran that managed to ride the dot-com wave and the subsequent crash and maintain itself as one of the web's top brands. But for others there is another, newer net icon threatening to overshadow Yahoo in the post dot-com world - Google.
The veteran and the upstart have plenty in common - Yahoo was the first internet firm to offer initial public shares and Google was arguably the most watched IPO (Initial Public Offering) of the post-dot-com era. Both began life as search engines although in 2000, when Yahoo chose Google to power its search facility while it concentrated on its web portal business, it was very much Yahoo that commanded press attention. In recent years, the column inches have stacked up in Google's favour as the search engine also diversifies with the launch of services such as Gmail, its shopping channel Froogle and Google News.
For Jupiter analyst Olivier Beauvillain, Yahoo's initial decision to put its investment on search on hold was an error. "Yahoo was busy building a portal and while it was good to diversify they made a big mistake in outsourcing search to Google," he said "They thought Google would just be a technology provider but it has become a portal in its own right and a direct competitor," he added. He believes Yahoo failed to see how crucial search would become to internet users, something it has rediscovered in recent years. "It is interesting that in these last few years, it has refocused on search following the success of Google," he said. But for Allen Weiner, a research director at analyst firm Gartner and someone who has followed Yahoo's progress since the early years, the future of search is not going to be purely about the technology powering it. "Search technology is valuable but the next generation of search is going to be about premium content and the interface that users have to that content," he said. He believes the rivalry between Google and Yahoo is overblown and instead thinks the real battle is going to be between Yahoo and MSN. It is a battle that Yahoo is currently winning, he believes. "Microsoft has amazing assets including software capability and a global name but it has yet to show me it can create a rival product to Yahoo," he said.
He is convinced Yahoo remains the single most important brand on the world wide web.
"I believe Yahoo is the seminal brand on the web. If you are looking for a text book definition of web portal then Yahoo is it," he said. It has achieved this dominance, Mr Weiner believes, by a canny combination of acquisitions such as that of Inktomi and Overture, and by avoiding direct involvement in either content creation or internet access. That is not to say that Yahoo hasn't had its dark days. When the dot-com bubble burst, it lost one-third of its revenue in a single year, bore a succession of losses and saw its market value fall from a peak of $120bn to $4.6bn at one point. Crucial to its survival was the decision to replace chief executive Tim Koogle with Terry Semel in May 2001, thinks Mr Weiner. His business savvy, coupled with the technical genius of founder Jerry Yang has proved a winning combination, he says.
So as the internet giant emerges from its first decade as a survivor, how will it fare as it enters its teenage years? "The game is theirs to lose and MSN is the only one that stands in the way of Yahoo's domination," predicted Mr Weiner. Nick Hazel, Yahoo's head of consumer services in the UK, thinks the fact that Yahoo has grown up with the first wave of the internet generation will stand it in good stead. Search will be a key focus as will making Yahoo Messenger available on mobiles, forging new broadband partnerships such as that with BT in the UK and continuing to provide a range of services beyond the desktop, he says. Mr Weiner thinks Yahoo's vision of becoming the ultimate gateway to the web will move increasing towards movies and television as more and more people get broadband access. "It will spread its portal wings to expand into rich media," he predicts.
| Both began life as search engines although in 2000, when Yahoo chose Google to power its search facility while it concentrated on its web portal business, it was very much Yahoo that commanded press attention.He believes Yahoo failed to see how crucial search would become to internet users, something it has rediscovered in recent years."Yahoo was busy building a portal and while it was good to diversify they made a big mistake in outsourcing search to Google," he said "They thought Google would just be a technology provider but it has become a portal in its own right and a direct competitor," he added.He believes the rivalry between Google and Yahoo is overblown and instead thinks the real battle is going to be between Yahoo and MSN.Yahoo has reached the grand old age of 10 and, in internet years, that is a long time.Nick Hazel, Yahoo's head of consumer services in the UK, thinks the fact that Yahoo has grown up with the first wave of the internet generation will stand it in good stead.If you are looking for a text book definition of web portal then Yahoo is it," he said."I believe Yahoo is the seminal brand on the web."It is interesting that in these last few years, it has refocused on search following the success of Google," he said.He is convinced Yahoo remains the single most important brand on the world wide web.It is a battle that Yahoo is currently winning, he believes."Microsoft has amazing assets including software capability and a global name but it has yet to show me it can create a rival product to Yahoo," he said. |
1,146 | What the election should really be about?
A general election is the best chance most pressure groups get to make a real impact on government policy. Here is how six leading lobbies plan to make sure their cause is being debated ahead of an expected Spring poll.
We've called for the state pension to be increased from £79.60 to the pensioner credit guarantee level of £105.45. That's what we're calling for. Many pensioners are disadvantaged by the current system. If we've got one in five pensioners below the poverty line, we've got to make it more generous or have these people living in poverty.
We've drawn up a pensioners' manifesto. This will be sent to each of the candidates in the 659 constituencies. They will be asked which of the top five issues, including the pension issue, they would support. Once we've got their responses we will publish the results within the constituencies and nationally as well. It's our way of putting the politicians on notice. We are trying to get across the fact that there are 11m voters over 60 in the country, they are more likely to vote than other sections of society and thirdly they are true swing voters. Before 1997 most pensioners voted Conservative. In 1997 and 2001 they voted Labour. But there is no guarantee they will vote for a Labour government this time around. They cannot take that vote for granted.
Pensions generally will certainly be a big election issue even though the government has postponed the publication of Adair Turner's full report into the issue. He said the UK had one of the least generous pensions systems in the developed world.
That the government takes seriously the impact of aviation on the environment.
We haven't worked out specific plans but I imagine we will lobby political parties and incumbent MPs. Various local groups will do that in their particular areas and we will provide a national briefing. We don't have any large demonstrations planned but they can't be ruled out.
It is hard to say whether we will be successful. We have got the issue in the public consciousness to an extent, but it is difficult to say whether an election will raise its importance in the public mind or whether it will be pushed out by big issues like Iraq.
Repealing the Hunting Bill.
We are challenging the use of the Parliament Act 1949 in a High Court action. We are hoping to hear in the New Year. Whichever way the court rules the other side will appeal so we expect it to fall plumb in electioneering time. When the ban comes into force on 18 February we will be going to the European Court because no compensation is being paid. So there's a lot of legal territory to go. We are trying to engage with the ministers by demonstrating and talking. Whatever intelligence we get we will try to turn up and speak to whoever it is. (Rural affairs minister) Alun Michael has avoided us and cancelled engagements so that makes it difficult. It is not intimidatory - on the whole it is groups of angry housewives. Of course there is an element of shouting because people are angry but there is no violence because that does not achieve anything.
It will fall plumb in the run up to the most important general election Tony Blair will ever face. It's exactly what the prime minister did not want. He wanted the issue off the table until after the election.
People using live animals as targets for sport both here and abroad. The reason for including abroad is because of trophy hunting. It is another sort of form of shooting for sport. The principle is the same whether it's a tiger or a pheasant.
We will widely publicise what's happening in relation to trophy hunting. We will publicise the darker aspects of the target animal industry the UK. We will seek to get pledges from individual MPs and would-be MPs saying that they are against the use of animals as targets for sports. We would like the support of political parties but I think a general election is very much to do with pledges MPs make to their electors. With hunting we had many MPs who were happy to say they were against it.
I think what we will get is a very real climbing up the agenda. Whether or not we will get a ban I am not sure. But it will mobilise public opinion. Everything we do will reduce animal suffering and in time that will lead to a ban.
The issue that we think is the most important for this election is choice. The language of consumerism is very commonplace in government and across the political spectrum. Choice as an ideology is beginning to be the privatisation of this decade. It's become an issue in itself but what's really missing from the debate is the consumer's choice in that. Choice is not choice at all if all you have to choose from is two failing schools. We have seen so many pensions mis-selling scandals and in the pensions industry there's a maximum of choice but a minimum quality in that. We want choice on the consumer's terms - that means clear and accessible information to operate that choice.
Firstly, we have our website. It features our campaigns and changes every day. Secondly through our 700,000 members who communicate with us. Thirdly through the media and also what we will be doing is holding a pre-election conference. We will invite the opinion formers, MPs, journalists and others. The idea is that we open up communications between members of the public and the politicians.
I think we will be successful. It's very much the language being used by the main political parties. Politicians on all sides are very sensitive to this issue they want to be seen to be responding to this issue.
Fuel duty is a large part of operational costs for road haulage workers. We have been hearing about this proposed increase of 1.92p per litre that Gordon Brown has been postponing and postponing. Tuppence does not sound like a great deal but every year if you operate one vehicle that's an increase of about £750. If you're running 10 vehicles it's obviously 10 times that.
If fuel duty does rise we will be absolutely horrified. There will be a huge effect throughout the industry and I would not be surprised if you see widespread demonstrations. What it will mean is there will be a number of firms going out of business.
We will continue to do what we have always done we keep the issue in the trade press. Regrettably it's one of those stories that it is getting harder to get into the national press. Whatever we do, the public don't like lorries - they see us as a complaining minority. But they don't realise that when you see a car on the road it is probably going to work, when you see a lorry it's already at work.
| The issue that we think is the most important for this election is choice.We have got the issue in the public consciousness to an extent, but it is difficult to say whether an election will raise its importance in the public mind or whether it will be pushed out by big issues like Iraq.We would like the support of political parties but I think a general election is very much to do with pledges MPs make to their electors.A general election is the best chance most pressure groups get to make a real impact on government policy.Tuppence does not sound like a great deal but every year if you operate one vehicle that's an increase of about £750.Whether or not we will get a ban I am not sure.We will seek to get pledges from individual MPs and would-be MPs saying that they are against the use of animals as targets for sports.Pensions generally will certainly be a big election issue even though the government has postponed the publication of Adair Turner's full report into the issue.Politicians on all sides are very sensitive to this issue they want to be seen to be responding to this issue.If we've got one in five pensioners below the poverty line, we've got to make it more generous or have these people living in poverty.He wanted the issue off the table until after the election.But there is no guarantee they will vote for a Labour government this time around.With hunting we had many MPs who were happy to say they were against it.It's become an issue in itself but what's really missing from the debate is the consumer's choice in that.We have seen so many pensions mis-selling scandals and in the pensions industry there's a maximum of choice but a minimum quality in that.Whatever we do, the public don't like lorries - they see us as a complaining minority.They will be asked which of the top five issues, including the pension issue, they would support.We want choice on the consumer's terms - that means clear and accessible information to operate that choice.I think what we will get is a very real climbing up the agenda.We've called for the state pension to be increased from £79.60 to the pensioner credit guarantee level of £105.45.People using live animals as targets for sport both here and abroad.We are trying to get across the fact that there are 11m voters over 60 in the country, they are more likely to vote than other sections of society and thirdly they are true swing voters.Regrettably it's one of those stories that it is getting harder to get into the national press.Whichever way the court rules the other side will appeal so we expect it to fall plumb in electioneering time.Everything we do will reduce animal suffering and in time that will lead to a ban.Choice is not choice at all if all you have to choose from is two failing schools.It is hard to say whether we will be successful.We will publicise the darker aspects of the target animal industry the UK.The language of consumerism is very commonplace in government and across the political spectrum.But they don't realise that when you see a car on the road it is probably going to work, when you see a lorry it's already at work.The reason for including abroad is because of trophy hunting.We haven't worked out specific plans but I imagine we will lobby political parties and incumbent MPs. |
1,277 | Hunt ban support is 'in decline'
Support for a ban on hunting has fallen in the past six years, a poll suggests.
Less than half the UK wants a ban compared to almost two-thirds in 1999, the Mori survey of 2,000 adults for BBC One's Countryfile programme suggests. The number opposed to a ban remains constant, but those "neither supporting nor opposing" has increased by 11%. Most city-dwellers support the ban but rural people were evenly split between supporters, opponents and undecided.
Polling company Mori carried out both surveys. In July 1999 they asked 801 adults if they supported the ban for the Mail on Sunday. For Countryfile they asked 2,234 adults across the country the same question. The Mail on Sunday survey found that 63% supported a hunting ban compared with 24% against. In the Countryfile survey, 47% said they supported the legislation, with 26% against. But the programme makers suggest the British public are becoming "increasingly neutral" to the issue because around one quarter said they "neither support nor oppose" a ban.
| In July 1999 they asked 801 adults if they supported the ban for the Mail on Sunday.The Mail on Sunday survey found that 63% supported a hunting ban compared with 24% against.Less than half the UK wants a ban compared to almost two-thirds in 1999, the Mori survey of 2,000 adults for BBC One's Countryfile programme suggests.Support for a ban on hunting has fallen in the past six years, a poll suggests. |
2,127 | US peer-to-peer pirates convicted
The first convictions for piracy over peer-to-peer networks have been handed down in the US.
New Yorker William Trowbridge and Texan Michael Chicoine have pleaded guilty to charges that they infringed copyright by illegally sharing music, movies and software. The two men faced charges following raids in August on suspected pirates by the FBI. The pair face jail terms of up to five years and a $250,000 (£130,000) fine.
In a statement the US Department of Justice said the two men operated the central hubs in a piracy community organised across the Direct Connect peer-to-peer network. The piracy group called itself the Underground Network and membership of it demanded that users share between one and 100 gigabytes of files. Direct Connect allows users to set themselves up as central servers that act as co-ordinating spots for sharers. Users would swap files, such as films and music, by exchanging data over the network. During its investigation FBI agents reportedly downloaded 84 movies, 40 software programs, 13 games and 178 "sound recordings" from the five hubs that made up the larger piracy group. The raids were organised under the umbrella of Operation Digital Gridlock which was aimed at fighting "criminal copyright theft on peer-to-peer networks". In total, six raids were carried out in August. Five were on the homes of suspected copyright thieves and one on a net service firm. The Department of Justice said that both men pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit felony copyright infringement. They also pleaded guilty to acting for commercial advantage. The two men are due to be sentenced on 29 April.
| In a statement the US Department of Justice said the two men operated the central hubs in a piracy community organised across the Direct Connect peer-to-peer network.The Department of Justice said that both men pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit felony copyright infringement.The two men faced charges following raids in August on suspected pirates by the FBI.The piracy group called itself the Underground Network and membership of it demanded that users share between one and 100 gigabytes of files.The first convictions for piracy over peer-to-peer networks have been handed down in the US.Five were on the homes of suspected copyright thieves and one on a net service firm. |
982 | Howard backs stem cell research
Michael Howard has backed stem cell research, saying it is important people are not frightened of the future.
The controversial issue was a feature of the recent US presidential election, where George Bush opposed extending it. But the Tory leader argued there was a moral case for embracing science which could help victims of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Motor Neurone disease. "I believe we have a duty to offer hope to the millions of people who suffer devastating illnesses," he said. The use of embryonic stem cells in the UK is already allowed. Stem cells are master cells that have the ability to develop into any of the body's tissue types. Scientists hope that by growing such cells in the laboratory they can programme them to form specific tissue such as kidney, heart or even brain tissue.
Mr Howard acknowledged there were genuine concerns about stem cell research. But he argued: "We mustn't be frightened of change or nostalgic about the past - we must be optimistic about the future. "Politicians must create the right framework so that the great potential of science can be harnessed for the benefit of mankind. "With the life expectancy of the average Briton now around the mid-70s, society has a responsibility to enhance the quality of people's lives as they grow older. "I know many people are concerned about stem-cell research. They are fearful of meddling with what they see as the stuff of souls. "I respect those concerns. But I also believe we have a duty to offer hope to the millions of people who suffer devastating illnesses like Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease, Alzheimer's and - as we saw in the papers today - now possibly heart problems."
Mr Howard acknowledged there were "no easy answers" over such an issue but it was necessary to "have the courage to do what we know to be morally right". He added: "Of course, stem cells are still a recent discovery. More research needs to be done. But we must look at their potential in a responsible and grown-up way. The hopes of millions of people rest on what could be achieved." Former Superman actor the late Christopher Reeve was an advocate for the research after he was paralysed in a horse riding accident. Mr Howard made his remarks during a speech in Westminster to the Conservative National Women's Committee on ambitions and values.
| Michael Howard has backed stem cell research, saying it is important people are not frightened of the future.Mr Howard acknowledged there were genuine concerns about stem cell research.Stem cells are master cells that have the ability to develop into any of the body's tissue types.But I also believe we have a duty to offer hope to the millions of people who suffer devastating illnesses like Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease, Alzheimer's and - as we saw in the papers today - now possibly heart problems."Mr Howard acknowledged there were "no easy answers" over such an issue but it was necessary to "have the courage to do what we know to be morally right".He added: "Of course, stem cells are still a recent discovery."I know many people are concerned about stem-cell research."I believe we have a duty to offer hope to the millions of people who suffer devastating illnesses," he said.The use of embryonic stem cells in the UK is already allowed. |
165 | Consumer spending lifts US growth
US economic growth accelerated in the third quarter, helped by strong consumer spending, official figures have shown.
The economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.7% in the July to September period, the Commerce Department said. The figure marked an increase on the 3.3% growth recorded in the second quarter, but fell short of the 4.2% rate pencilled in by forecasters. The increase reflected the biggest jump in consumer spending in a year. "It was a little softer than the consensus, but not a real surprise," said Gary Thayer, an economist at AG Edwards & Sons. Friday's growth estimate is one of the last significant pieces of economic data before the 2 November presidential election.
Democrat challenger John Kerry has criticised President George W Bush's handling of the economy, pointing to a net loss of over 800,000 jobs since Mr Bush took office. Analysts said the economy was still not growing fast enough to stimulate large-scale job creation. "It's a pretty good growth rate, but it may not be good enough to create enough jobs," said Robert Brusca, chief economist at Fact and Opinion Economics in New York. However, President Bush is expected to point to Commerce Department figures showing that consumer spending grew at 4.6% in the third quarter, up from just 1.6% in the second, as evidence that his policies are generating solid growth. Consumer spending accounts for about two thirds of all economic activity in the US.
The weaker than expected growth figure makes it less likely that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month, economists said. "The economy regained some traction in the third quarter, but the growth is not robust," AG Edwards' Thayer. "I think that means the Fed can take its time raising rates. We'll probably see one more rate hike before the end of the year." In an effort to pre-empt rising inflation, the Federal Reserve has pushed through three quarter-point rate rises since June this year, taking borrowing costs to 1.75%. On the financial markets, the dollar fell slightly against the euro and the yen, while the Dow Jones index of leading US shares was little changed.
| US economic growth accelerated in the third quarter, helped by strong consumer spending, official figures have shown.However, President Bush is expected to point to Commerce Department figures showing that consumer spending grew at 4.6% in the third quarter, up from just 1.6% in the second, as evidence that his policies are generating solid growth.The weaker than expected growth figure makes it less likely that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month, economists said."The economy regained some traction in the third quarter, but the growth is not robust," AG Edwards' Thayer.The figure marked an increase on the 3.3% growth recorded in the second quarter, but fell short of the 4.2% rate pencilled in by forecasters.Consumer spending accounts for about two thirds of all economic activity in the US.The economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.7% in the July to September period, the Commerce Department said. |
732 | School tribute for TV host Carson
More than 1,000 people turned out on Sunday to pay tribute to late US TV presenter Johnny Carson in the Nebraska town where he grew up.
Carson, who hosted the Tonight Show for 30 years, died on 23 January from respiratory disease emphysema. He lived in Norfolk, Nebraska from the age of eight until he joined the Navy, but returned regularly and donated $5m (£2.7m) to local causes. Old school friends were among the crowd at the school's Johnny Carson Theater.
Carson, who was one of the best-loved TV personalities in the US, asked not to have a public memorial in Los Angeles, where he lived in later life. He began his showbusiness career in Norfolk, performing magic under the name The Great Carsoni from the age of 14. His donations included $600,000 to Norfolk High School in the 1980s to build a new performing arts centre. When Carson died, President Bush led the public tributes, saying the presenter "had a profound influence on American life and entertainment".
| More than 1,000 people turned out on Sunday to pay tribute to late US TV presenter Johnny Carson in the Nebraska town where he grew up.Carson, who was one of the best-loved TV personalities in the US, asked not to have a public memorial in Los Angeles, where he lived in later life.When Carson died, President Bush led the public tributes, saying the presenter "had a profound influence on American life and entertainment".Old school friends were among the crowd at the school's Johnny Carson Theater. |
291 | Tobacco giants hail court ruling
US tobacco companies have welcomed an appeal court's decision to reject the government's $280bn (£155bn) claim for alleged deceit about smoking dangers.
Tobacco stocks rose sharply on Wall Street after the 2-1 decision. The court in Washington found the case - filed by the Clinton administration in 1999 - could not be brought under federal anti-racketeering laws. Anti-smoking groups urge the government to fight on, but the Justice Department has not said if it will appeal. Among the accused were Altria Group, RJ Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard Tobacco, Liggett Group and Brown and Williamson. They were delighted by the decision, which sent Reynolds shares up 4.5% and Altria shares up 5.11%.
Charles A Blixt, executive vice-president of RJ Reynolds Tobacco, said the ruling "dramatically transforms" the government's lawsuit. Altria Group said, in a statement, the government now "must not only prove that the companies have engaged in fraudulent behaviour in the past, but that they are likely to do so in the future."
The government had claimed tobacco firms
- manipulated nicotine levels to increase addiction
- targeted teenagers with multi-billion dollar advertising campaigns
- lied about the dangers of smoking and ignored research to the contrary.
Prosecutors wanted the cigarette firms to "disgorge" $280bn in profits accumulated over the past 50 years and impose tougher rules on marketing their products. They brought the case under racketeering laws, which were passed to deny mafia gangs the profits of their crimes. But the tobacco companies denied that they illegally conspired to promote smoking and defraud the public. They also said they had already met many of the government's demands in a landmark $206bn settlement reached with 46 states in 1998. The three-judge panel in the District of Columbia's Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that the US government could not sue the firms under the anti-racketeering laws. Judge David Sentelle, in his ruling, said such laws were aimed at putting an end to illegal conduct going forward. "We hold that the language of (the law) and the comprehensive remedial scheme of (the law) preclude disgorgement as a possible remedy in this case," he wrote. The Justice Department refused to say if it would appeal. "All we're saying today is that we have received the ruling and are reviewing it," a spokeswoman said on Friday. But William Corr of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids urged the government to continue pressing its case. "Today's ruling should not be an excuse for this administration to seek a weak settlement that lets the tobacco industry off the hook," he said.
| Anti-smoking groups urge the government to fight on, but the Justice Department has not said if it will appeal.Charles A Blixt, executive vice-president of RJ Reynolds Tobacco, said the ruling "dramatically transforms" the government's lawsuit.US tobacco companies have welcomed an appeal court's decision to reject the government's $280bn (£155bn) claim for alleged deceit about smoking dangers."Today's ruling should not be an excuse for this administration to seek a weak settlement that lets the tobacco industry off the hook," he said.Among the accused were Altria Group, RJ Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard Tobacco, Liggett Group and Brown and Williamson.Altria Group said, in a statement, the government now "must not only prove that the companies have engaged in fraudulent behaviour in the past, but that they are likely to do so in the future."The three-judge panel in the District of Columbia's Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that the US government could not sue the firms under the anti-racketeering laws.The government had claimed tobacco firms - manipulated nicotine levels to increase addiction - targeted teenagers with multi-billion dollar advertising campaigns - lied about the dangers of smoking and ignored research to the contrary. |
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