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44 | Japan economy slides to recession
The Japanese economy has officially gone back into recession for the fourth time in a decade.
Gross domestic product fell by 0.1% in the last three months of 2004. The fall reflects weak exports and a slowdown in consumer spending, and follows similar falls in GDP in the two previous quarters. The Tokyo stock market fell after the figures were announced, but rose again on a widespread perception that the economy will recover later this year. On Wednesday, the government revised growth figures from earlier in 2004 which, when taking into account performance in the most recent period, effectively tips Japan into recession.
A previous estimate of 0.1% growth between July and September was downgraded to a 0.3% decline. A recession is commonly defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, although the Japanese government takes other factors into account when judging the status of its economy.
Figures released by the government's Cabinet Office showed that GDP, on an annualised basis, fell 0.5% in the last three months of 2004. However, politicians remain upbeat about prospects for an economic boost later in the year. "The economy has some soft patches but if you look at the bigger picture, it is in a recovery stage," said Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Heizo Takenaka. Gross domestic product measures the overall value of goods and services produced in a country. "The economy must be assessed comprehensively and we cannot look at GDP alone," Mr Takenaka stressed.
Ministers pointed to the fact that consumer spending had been depressed by one-off factors such as the unseasonably mild winter. Analysts said the figures were disappointing but argued that Japan's largest companies had been recording healthy profits and capital spending was on the rise. Japan's economy grew 2.6% overall last year - fuelled by a strong performance in the first few months - and is forecast to see growth of 2.1% in 2005. However, the economy's fragile recovery remains dependent on an upturn in consumer spending, a fall in the value of the yen and an improvement in global economies. "The results came in at the lower end of expectations but we shouldn't be too pessimistic about the current state and the outlook for the economy," said Naoki Iizuka, senior economist at the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. Japan's economy has seen stretches of moderate growth over the past decade but has periodically slipped back into recession.
| Japan's economy grew 2.6% overall last year - fuelled by a strong performance in the first few months - and is forecast to see growth of 2.1% in 2005.Japan's economy has seen stretches of moderate growth over the past decade but has periodically slipped back into recession.A recession is commonly defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, although the Japanese government takes other factors into account when judging the status of its economy.The Japanese economy has officially gone back into recession for the fourth time in a decade.Gross domestic product fell by 0.1% in the last three months of 2004.The Tokyo stock market fell after the figures were announced, but rose again on a widespread perception that the economy will recover later this year."The economy has some soft patches but if you look at the bigger picture, it is in a recovery stage," said Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Heizo Takenaka.The fall reflects weak exports and a slowdown in consumer spending, and follows similar falls in GDP in the two previous quarters. |
1,305 | Tories urge 'change at the top'
Tory delegates are gathering for what is expected to be their last conference before the general election, declaring Britain needs "a change at the top".
The party goes into its spring forum trying to highlight what it sees as a clear choice between it and Labour. Tory co-chairman Liam Fox has opened proceedings with a speech criticising Tony Blair's record in government. Labour's rule has been characterised by "lost trust and failure to deliver", he told the Brighton conference. He also attacked the government's "failure" to control immigration and asylum and criticised its record on the NHS, telling delegates Labour cannot be trusted on education or crime. A Tory government would sort out the "shambles" of immigration, put patients before statistics and bring discipline to schools, he said. Dr Fox also underlined Tory promises to cut tax by £4bn.
BBC political correspondent Shaun Ley says opinion polls suggest the Tories still lag some way behind Labour on the issues of health, education and the economy. Conservative leader Michael Howard, who had been due to welcome delegates to the conference on Friday, will address them in a lunchtime speech. His welcome address had to be postponed after he stayed in London to lead the party's opposition to the Prevention of Terrorism Bill in its lengthy progress through Parliament. The bill was finally passed on Friday evening, after more than 30 hours of debate. Mr Howard is likely to defend his party's handling of the bill, which was only passed after the Conservatives accepted Prime Minister Tony Blair's promise that MPs would be able to review it within a year.
| Tory co-chairman Liam Fox has opened proceedings with a speech criticising Tony Blair's record in government.Conservative leader Michael Howard, who had been due to welcome delegates to the conference on Friday, will address them in a lunchtime speech.He also attacked the government's "failure" to control immigration and asylum and criticised its record on the NHS, telling delegates Labour cannot be trusted on education or crime.Mr Howard is likely to defend his party's handling of the bill, which was only passed after the Conservatives accepted Prime Minister Tony Blair's promise that MPs would be able to review it within a year.Tory delegates are gathering for what is expected to be their last conference before the general election, declaring Britain needs "a change at the top". |
959 | Drive to 'save' festive holidays
Efforts are being made to 'protect' workers' days off on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Support is being sought for a bill which would ensure that large retailers in Scotland remain closed on Christmas Day and 1 January. The Usdaw trade union said shop workers should be able to enjoy a break with their families. MSP Karen Whitefield wants to ensure only those whose roles are essential are at work over the festive season. In recent years, more stores have been opening on traditional holidays, with some starting their end-of-year sale on Christmas Day or New Year's Day. Ms Whitefield said: "I have found members of the public to be very supportive when I have been campaigning on the streets.
"The early evidence shows quite clearly that the vast majority of people believe that shop workers should be given these two special days to spend with friends and family." Usdaw general secretary John Hannett added: "Christmas Day and New Year's Day are special days for everyone in Scotland and the fact that shops do not open is an important part of making them special. They are largely collective days of rest. "We want people to tell Karen, through her consultation, whether they want the special nature of these days to remain, or whether they want them to become like any other trading day, with shops open for business as usual." The consultation on a Christmas & New Year's Day Trading Bill has so far attracted almost 500 responses and closes on 7 February.
| Efforts are being made to 'protect' workers' days off on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.Usdaw general secretary John Hannett added: "Christmas Day and New Year's Day are special days for everyone in Scotland and the fact that shops do not open is an important part of making them special.In recent years, more stores have been opening on traditional holidays, with some starting their end-of-year sale on Christmas Day or New Year's Day."We want people to tell Karen, through her consultation, whether they want the special nature of these days to remain, or whether they want them to become like any other trading day, with shops open for business as usual."The consultation on a Christmas & New Year's Day Trading Bill has so far attracted almost 500 responses and closes on 7 February. |
1,898 | China 'to overtake US net use'
The Chinese net-using population looks set to exceed that of the US in less than three years, says a report.
China's net users number 100m but this represents less than 8% of the country's 1.3 billion people. Market analysts Panlogic predicts that net users in China will exceed the 137 million US users of the net by 2008. The report says that the country's culture will mean that Chinese people will use the net for very different ends than in many other nations.
Already net use in China has a very different character than in many Western nations, said William Makower, chief executive of Panlogic. In many Western nations desktop computers that can access the net are hard to escape at work. By contrast in China workplace machines are relatively rare. This, combined with the relatively high cost of PCs in China and the time it takes to get phone lines installed, helps to explains the huge number of net cafes in China. Only 36% of Chinese homes have telephones according to reports. "Net usage tends to happen in the evening," said Mr Makower, "they get access only when they go home and go off to the internet café." "Its fundamentally different usage to what we have here," he said.
Net use in China was still very much an urban phenomenon with most users living on the country's eastern seaboard or in its three biggest cities. The net is key to helping Chinese people keep in touch with friends, said Mr Makower. Many people use it in preference to the phone or arrange to meet up with friends at net cafes. What people can do on the net is also limited by aspects of Chinese life. For instance, said Mr Makower, credit cards are rare in China partly because of fears people have about getting in to debt. "The most popular way to pay is Cash-On-Delivery," he said, "and that's quite a brake to the development of e-commerce." The arrival of foreign banks in China, due in 2006, could mean greater use of credit cards but for the moment they are rare, said Mr Makower. But if Chinese people are not spending cash online they are interested in the news they can get via the net and the view it gives them on Western ways of living. "A large part of the attraction of the internet is that it goes below the radar," he said. "Generally it's more difficult for the government to be able to control it." "Its real value is as an open window onto what's happening elsewhere in the world," he said. Government restrictions on how much advertising can appear on television means that the net is a source of many commercial messages Chinese people would not see anywhere else. Familiarity with the net also has a certain social cachet. "It's a sign of them having made it that they can use the internet and navigate around it," said Mr Makower.
| The net is key to helping Chinese people keep in touch with friends, said Mr Makower.Already net use in China has a very different character than in many Western nations, said William Makower, chief executive of Panlogic.The report says that the country's culture will mean that Chinese people will use the net for very different ends than in many other nations.What people can do on the net is also limited by aspects of Chinese life.For instance, said Mr Makower, credit cards are rare in China partly because of fears people have about getting in to debt.Market analysts Panlogic predicts that net users in China will exceed the 137 million US users of the net by 2008.Government restrictions on how much advertising can appear on television means that the net is a source of many commercial messages Chinese people would not see anywhere else.Many people use it in preference to the phone or arrange to meet up with friends at net cafes.The arrival of foreign banks in China, due in 2006, could mean greater use of credit cards but for the moment they are rare, said Mr Makower.China's net users number 100m but this represents less than 8% of the country's 1.3 billion people. |
486 | India's Reliance family feud heats up
The ongoing public spat between the two heirs of India's biggest conglomerate, Reliance Group, has spilled over to the board meeting of a leading company within the group.
Anil Ambani, vice-chairman of India Petrochemicals Limited (IPCL), stayed away from a gathering of senior managers on Thursday. The move follows a decision earlier this month by Anil - the younger brother of Reliance Group president Mukesh Ambani - to resign from his post. His resignation was not accepted by his brother, who is also the boss of IPCL. The IPCL board met in Mumbai to discuss the company's results for the October-to-December quarter.
It is understood that the board also considered Anil's resignation and asked him to reconsider his decision. However, Anil's demand that Anand Jain - another IPCL board member accused by Anil of creating a rift in the Ambani family - be thrown out, was not met. Anil has accused Anand Jain, a confidant of his brother Mukesh, of playing a negative role in the Ambani family, and being responsible for the trouble between the brothers. On Wednesday, the board of Reliance Energy, another Reliance Group company, reaffirmed its faith in Anil, who is the company's chief. Reliance Group acquired the government's 26% stake in IPCL - India's second-largest petrochemicals company - in 2002, as part of the privatisation drive. Meanwhile, the group's flagship company, Reliance Industries, has its board meeting on Friday to consider its financial results. Mukesh is the company's chairman and Anil its deputy, and it is expected that both brothers will come face to face in the meeting. The Ambani family controls 48% of the group, which is worth $17bn (£9.1bn; 745bn Indian rupees). It was founded by their father, Dhiru Bhai Ambani, who died two years ago.
| However, Anil's demand that Anand Jain - another IPCL board member accused by Anil of creating a rift in the Ambani family - be thrown out, was not met.On Wednesday, the board of Reliance Energy, another Reliance Group company, reaffirmed its faith in Anil, who is the company's chief.The move follows a decision earlier this month by Anil - the younger brother of Reliance Group president Mukesh Ambani - to resign from his post.The ongoing public spat between the two heirs of India's biggest conglomerate, Reliance Group, has spilled over to the board meeting of a leading company within the group.Anil has accused Anand Jain, a confidant of his brother Mukesh, of playing a negative role in the Ambani family, and being responsible for the trouble between the brothers.Reliance Group acquired the government's 26% stake in IPCL - India's second-largest petrochemicals company - in 2002, as part of the privatisation drive. |
674 | Parker's saxophone heads auction
A saxophone belonging to legendary jazz musician Charlie Parker is expected to fetch up to $1m (£535,000) at an auction of jazz memorabilia next month.
The sale, at Guernsey's Auction House in New York, will feature instruments from other musicians including John Coltrane and Benny Goodman. Other items will include an evening gown belonging to Ella Fitzgerald. Organisers said the auction was the first in the US to be devoted to items belonging to jazz musicians.
Other items that will be auctioned include unreleased tape recordings of music by Parker as well as handwritten sheet music by jazz composers John Coltrane and Theolonius Monk. Among the instruments in the sale will be a trumpet which belonged to Dizzy Gillespie, which is expected to fetch around $500,000 (£267,000), as well as JJ Johnson's trombone and a vibraphone which beloned to Lionel Hampton. Works of art by musicians including Miles Davis and Bruni Sablan will also be featured. The proceeds from the auction, which will take place on 20 February, will go towards several organisations including the John Coltrane Foundation, a foundation set up in memory of Benny Goodman, and the Red Cross.
| The sale, at Guernsey's Auction House in New York, will feature instruments from other musicians including John Coltrane and Benny Goodman.A saxophone belonging to legendary jazz musician Charlie Parker is expected to fetch up to $1m (£535,000) at an auction of jazz memorabilia next month.Organisers said the auction was the first in the US to be devoted to items belonging to jazz musicians.Other items that will be auctioned include unreleased tape recordings of music by Parker as well as handwritten sheet music by jazz composers John Coltrane and Theolonius Monk. |
1,252 | Blair backs 'pre-election budget'
Tony Blair has backed Chancellor Gordon Brown's pre-Budget report amid opposition claims he was too bullish about the state of the UK economy.
In a speech in Edinburgh, the prime minister said Thursday's report reinforced stability and opportunity. And that would be central to Labour's next election campaign, planning for which was already well advanced. Mr Brown earlier denied his economic forecasts were too optimistic - but refused to rule out future tax rises.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "No politician should make the mistake that John Major and his colleagues made in 1992 of saying no matter what the circumstances are, they can make all sorts of guarantees on every individual thing.
"That is not what politicians should do, it would not be responsible to do." Mr Brown insisted his spending plans were "affordable" and he could afford to be optimistic because Britain was now a stable, low-inflation economy and house prices were now stabilising. Mr Blair praised his chancellor for his role in creating economic stability, which he said was the "cornerstone" of Labour's programme.
In a speech at Edinburgh's Napier University, he said Labour would publish over the next few months "a rich agenda for future policy in any possible third term".
"In every area of work there is a detailed plan for the future, much clearer than those in 1997 or 2001. All of it fits together around common themes of opportunity, security and stability for all," Mr Blair said. In his pre-Budget report, Mr Brown surprised some City experts by forecasting UK growth at between 3% and 3.5% for next year. Many believe the figure is more likely to be under 3% - and fear tax rises or spending cuts, saying tax receipts have been overestimated. Carl Emmerson, from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, told BBC News: "He thinks everything will come out in the wash and it will, in fact, be OK. We're not so sure." David Page, of Investec Securities, said: "His forecast that he will meet the golden rule with a margin of £8bn is way too optimistic. "It's going to take a significant turnaround in the economy to meet these targets."
Conservative Shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin said: "I can't find a single economic forecaster from the IMF to the Institute of Fiscal Studies who believes anything other than the chancellor has got a black hole in his finances. "In order to deal with that he will have to raise taxes after the next general election." Mr Letwin accused the chancellor of using "fancy statistics" to hide public service failures. Vincent Cable, for the Liberal Democrats, called on Mr Brown to open up the government's books to the National Audit Office, to see if he had met his "golden rule". "It is very clear that there are some serious loose ends in government public spending," Mr Cable told MPs.
| Mr Blair praised his chancellor for his role in creating economic stability, which he said was the "cornerstone" of Labour's programme.Mr Brown earlier denied his economic forecasts were too optimistic - but refused to rule out future tax rises.Mr Brown insisted his spending plans were "affordable" and he could afford to be optimistic because Britain was now a stable, low-inflation economy and house prices were now stabilising.All of it fits together around common themes of opportunity, security and stability for all," Mr Blair said.In his pre-Budget report, Mr Brown surprised some City experts by forecasting UK growth at between 3% and 3.5% for next year.In a speech at Edinburgh's Napier University, he said Labour would publish over the next few months "a rich agenda for future policy in any possible third term"."It is very clear that there are some serious loose ends in government public spending," Mr Cable told MPs.Tony Blair has backed Chancellor Gordon Brown's pre-Budget report amid opposition claims he was too bullish about the state of the UK economy.Conservative Shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin said: "I can't find a single economic forecaster from the IMF to the Institute of Fiscal Studies who believes anything other than the chancellor has got a black hole in his finances. |
830 | Johnny Cash manager Holiff dies
The former manager of Johnny Cash, Saul Israel Holiff, has died at the age of 79, his family said.
Mr Holiff, who was also a concert promoter, managed Cash's career between 1960 and 1973, quitting when he thought the singer's career had peaked. "I was guilty for underestimating him repeatedly," he once said. The Canadian music manager, who also managed Tommy Hunter and the Statler Brothers, had been in declining health, according to his family. An entrepreneur from an early age, Mr Holiff served as a rear air gunner in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, afterwards setting up a drive-in restaurant. He briefly dabbled in acting, before setting up offices in Nashville and Los Angeles for his concert and artist promotion business. In 1970, RPM weekly magazine presented Holiff with a special award as the Canadian music industry's man of the year. Mr Holiff retired when he was in his late 40s, returning to education as a mature student at the University of Victoria, where he graduated with a degree in history. He passed away on 17 March. According to his wishes, there will be no funeral service.
| Mr Holiff, who was also a concert promoter, managed Cash's career between 1960 and 1973, quitting when he thought the singer's career had peaked.The Canadian music manager, who also managed Tommy Hunter and the Statler Brothers, had been in declining health, according to his family.The former manager of Johnny Cash, Saul Israel Holiff, has died at the age of 79, his family said.An entrepreneur from an early age, Mr Holiff served as a rear air gunner in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, afterwards setting up a drive-in restaurant. |
1,764 | Moya fights back for Indian title
Carlos Moya became the first man to successfully defend the Chennai Open title by beating four-times finalist Paradorn Srichaphan 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7/5).
The Spaniard then donated his £28,000 prize money to relief efforts for the victims of the Asian tsunami. The final was close throughout, with Thai second seed Srichaphan - the 2003 winner - closing out the first set. But Moya took the second set, before bouncing back from 5-2 down in the decider to force and win a tie-break. Moya confirmed afterwards: "I'm donating my prize money from this tournament for the tsunami victims, hoping it makes some difference to their lives. His contribution follows pledges by four other players to donate their prize money from the tournament, which went ahead after the 26 December disaster which has so far claimed at least 150,000 lives. Scrichapan said he would donate an unspecified amount for relief work in Thailand, where more than 5,000 people were killed. The ATP has announced that it would contribute the US$25,000 tournament fee to Unicef's emergency relief fund in Tamil Nadu. The ATP Tour's sponsor, Mercedes, said it would also contribute, increasing the ATP donation to US$40,000.
| The ATP has announced that it would contribute the US$25,000 tournament fee to Unicef's emergency relief fund in Tamil Nadu.Moya confirmed afterwards: "I'm donating my prize money from this tournament for the tsunami victims, hoping it makes some difference to their lives.The Spaniard then donated his £28,000 prize money to relief efforts for the victims of the Asian tsunami.His contribution follows pledges by four other players to donate their prize money from the tournament, which went ahead after the 26 December disaster which has so far claimed at least 150,000 lives. |
1,923 | Blogs take on the mainstream
Web logs or blogs are everywhere, with at least an estimated five million on the web and that number is set to grow.
These online diaries come in many shapes and styles, ranging from people willing to sharing their views, pictures and links, to companies interested in another way of reaching their customers. But this year the focus has been on blogs which cast a critical eye over news events, often writing about issues ignored by the big media or offering an eye-witness account of events. Most blogs may have only a small readership, but communication experts say they have provided an avenue for people to have a say in the world of politics. The most well-known examples include Iraqi Salam Pax's accounts of the US-led war, former Iranian vice-president Mohammad Ali Abtahi exclusive insight into the Islamic Republic's government, and the highs and lows of the recent US election campaign. There are already websites pulling together these first-hand reporting accounts heralded by blogs, like wikinews.com, launched last November.
The blogging movement has been building up for many years.
Andrew Nachison, Director of the Media Center, a US-based think-tank that studies media, technology and society, highlights the US presidential race as a possible turning point for blogs. "You could look at that as a moment when audiences exercised a new form of power, to choose among many more sources of information than they have never had before," he says. "And blogs were a key part of that transformation." Among them were blogs carrying picture messages, saying "we are sorry" for George W Bush's victory and the responses from his supporters. Mr Nachison argues blogs have become independent sources for images and ideas that circumvent traditional sources of news and information such as newspapers, TV and radio. "We have to acknowledge that in all of these cases, mainstream media actually plays a role in the discussion and the distribution of these ideas," he told the BBC News website. "But they followed the story, they didn't lead it."
Some parts of the so-called traditional media have expressed concerns about this emerging competitor, raising questions about the journalistic value of blogs.
Others, like the French newspaper Le Monde, have applied a different strategy, offering blogs as part of its content. "I don't think the mission and role of journalism is threatened. It is in transition, as society itself is in transition," says Mr Nachison. However, he agrees with other experts like the linguist and political analyst Noam Chomsky, that mainstream media has lost the traditional role of news gatekeeper. "The one-to-many road of traditional journalism, yes, it is threatened. And professional journalists need to acclimate themselves to an environment in which there are many more contributors to the discourse," says Mr Nachison. "The notion of a gatekeeper who filters and decides what's acceptable for public consumption and what isn't, that's gone forever." "With people now walking around with information devices in their pockets, like camera or video phones, we are going to see more instances of ordinary citizens breaking stories."
It seems unlikely that we will end up living in a planet where every human is a blogger.
But the current number of blogs is likely to keep on growing, in a web already overloaded with information. Blog analysis firm Technorati estimates the number of blogs in existence, the so-called blogosphere, has already exceeded five million, and is growing at exponential levels. Tools such as Google's Blogger, MovableType and the recently launched beta version of MSN Spaces are making it easier to run a blog. US research think-tank Pew Internet & American Life says a blog is created every 5.8 seconds, although less than 40% of the total are updated at least once every two months. But experts agree that the phenomenon, allowing individuals to publish, share ideas, exchange information, comment on current issues, post images or video on the web easily, is here to stay. "We are entering one era in which the technological infrastructure is creating a different context for how we tell our stories and how we communicate with each other," said Mr Nachison. "And there's going to be bad that comes with the good."
| Mr Nachison argues blogs have become independent sources for images and ideas that circumvent traditional sources of news and information such as newspapers, TV and radio.Blog analysis firm Technorati estimates the number of blogs in existence, the so-called blogosphere, has already exceeded five million, and is growing at exponential levels.But the current number of blogs is likely to keep on growing, in a web already overloaded with information.However, he agrees with other experts like the linguist and political analyst Noam Chomsky, that mainstream media has lost the traditional role of news gatekeeper."And blogs were a key part of that transformation."Most blogs may have only a small readership, but communication experts say they have provided an avenue for people to have a say in the world of politics.Others, like the French newspaper Le Monde, have applied a different strategy, offering blogs as part of its content.But this year the focus has been on blogs which cast a critical eye over news events, often writing about issues ignored by the big media or offering an eye-witness account of events.US research think-tank Pew Internet & American Life says a blog is created every 5.8 seconds, although less than 40% of the total are updated at least once every two months.Web logs or blogs are everywhere, with at least an estimated five million on the web and that number is set to grow.And professional journalists need to acclimate themselves to an environment in which there are many more contributors to the discourse," says Mr Nachison.It is in transition, as society itself is in transition," says Mr Nachison.Tools such as Google's Blogger, MovableType and the recently launched beta version of MSN Spaces are making it easier to run a blog. |
1,286 | Child access law shake-up planned
Parents who refuse to allow former partners contact with their children could be electronically tagged under plans being considered by ministers.
Curfews and community service orders were other options which could be used if court orders to allow parental access were defied, Lord Falconer said. The constitutional affairs secretary outlined some of the plans on Tuesday. He denied fathers' activists had forced the changes, telling the BBC "there is a recognition that something is wrong". Between 15,000 and 20,000 couples go to court to resolve access disputes each year, although in nine out of 10 separations there is no court intervention.
Lord Falconer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he hoped voluntary mediation could help solve disputes before they reached court. But he opposed compulsory mediation, saying that it would lead to many people taking part with the wrong attitude. Other plans include:
- Parenting plans to give advice on access arrangements, based on real-life examples that have worked in the past
- Extending in-court conciliation - more informal hearings before contested court cases
- Better access to legal, emotional and practical advice by telephone and internet
- Legal aid changes to give incentives for early resolution of disputes.
Judges can already jail parents who breach contact orders but that was a "nuclear option" which was rarely used as it was not seen as being in the child's interests, a spokesman said. The aim of the new legislation was to provide a "medium range" of penalties, such as fines, community service orders, compulsory anger management or parenting classes or curfews.
Failure to comply with these measures could result in offenders being electronically tagged. On the possibility of tagging uncooperative parents, Lord Falconer said: "Tagging may be going too far, but let's have a debate about that." Full details of the new powers will not be revealed until a bill is published "in the next two weeks," a spokesman said.
The government's proposals have met with disapproval from fathers' rights groups. John Ison, from the controversial group Fathers 4 Justice, said: "It is very disappointing. What we have got is a cynical case of recycling existing legislation." Jim Parton, from Families Need Fathers, said the new proposals "lacked compulsion".
"We would like to see couples develop a plan and then have it as a source of a court order - then you know where you stand, you know what the minimum access is. "Otherwise, you see people make agreements which then fall apart." Mr Parton said he had been told by Children's Minister Margaret Hodge there was not enough time to pass the bill through parliament before the general election, which is likely to take place in May.
The Conservatives have called for an equal split between parents on access to be made law. Theresa May, shadow secretary for the family, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the government's plans were "inadequate" and were "papering over the cracks of the current system". She said a Conservative government would bring a "radical reform" of the family courts, as well as enforcing a "legal presumption of co-parenting and compulsory mediation". "We want to make courts the last resort, rather than the first resort," she added. The government says children cannot simply be divided up "like property" when a marriage collapses. The Liberal Democrats have argued for flexibility in deciding access rules, rather than having "rigid targets".
| Curfews and community service orders were other options which could be used if court orders to allow parental access were defied, Lord Falconer said."We would like to see couples develop a plan and then have it as a source of a court order - then you know where you stand, you know what the minimum access is.Lord Falconer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he hoped voluntary mediation could help solve disputes before they reached court.Jim Parton, from Families Need Fathers, said the new proposals "lacked compulsion".Other plans include: - Parenting plans to give advice on access arrangements, based on real-life examples that have worked in the past - Extending in-court conciliation - more informal hearings before contested court cases - Better access to legal, emotional and practical advice by telephone and internet - Legal aid changes to give incentives for early resolution of disputes.Between 15,000 and 20,000 couples go to court to resolve access disputes each year, although in nine out of 10 separations there is no court intervention.She said a Conservative government would bring a "radical reform" of the family courts, as well as enforcing a "legal presumption of co-parenting and compulsory mediation".Theresa May, shadow secretary for the family, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the government's plans were "inadequate" and were "papering over the cracks of the current system".Parents who refuse to allow former partners contact with their children could be electronically tagged under plans being considered by ministers.Judges can already jail parents who breach contact orders but that was a "nuclear option" which was rarely used as it was not seen as being in the child's interests, a spokesman said.John Ison, from the controversial group Fathers 4 Justice, said: "It is very disappointing. |
447 | News Corp eyes video games market
News Corp, the media company controlled by Australian billionaire Rupert Murdoch, is eyeing a move into the video games market.
According to the Financial Times, chief operating officer Peter Chernin said that News Corp is "kicking the tires of pretty much all video games companies". Santa Monica-based Activison is said to be one firm on its takeover list. Video games are "big business", the paper quoted Mr Chernin as saying. We "would like to get into it".
The success of products such as Sony's Playstation, Microsoft's X-Box and Nintendo's Game Cube have boosted demand for video games.
The days of arcade classics such as Space Invaders, Pac-Man and Donkey Kong are long gone. Today, games often have budgets big enough for feature films and look to give gamers as real an experience as possible. And with their price tags reflecting the heavy investment by development companies, video games are proving almost as profitable as they are fun. Mr Chernin, however, told the FT that News Corp was finding it difficult to identify a suitable target. "We are struggling with the gap between companies like Electronic Arts, which comes with a high price tag, and the next tier of companies," he explained during a conference in Phoenix, Arizona. "These may be too focused on one or two product lines."
| According to the Financial Times, chief operating officer Peter Chernin said that News Corp is "kicking the tires of pretty much all video games companies".Video games are "big business", the paper quoted Mr Chernin as saying.News Corp, the media company controlled by Australian billionaire Rupert Murdoch, is eyeing a move into the video games market.And with their price tags reflecting the heavy investment by development companies, video games are proving almost as profitable as they are fun.The success of products such as Sony's Playstation, Microsoft's X-Box and Nintendo's Game Cube have boosted demand for video games. |
566 | Brando 'rejected Godfather role'
Late film star Marlon Brando is said to have repeatedly turned down his Oscar-winning role in The Godfather.
The actor's friend Budd Schulberg told Vanity Fair magazine that Brando's assistant suggested he read the novel. The actor repeatedly refused, throwing the book at her and saying: "For the last time, I won't glorify the mafia". But Brando, who died last July at the age of 80, eventually took the role of Don Corleone, winning him an Oscar in 1973 which he notoriously refused. The actor sent a young woman dressed in Native American costume to refuse the award on his behalf and to draw attention to the plight of Native Americans.
Schulberg told the magazine that Brando's assistant realised the film star had warmed to the idea of The Godfather role when he sported a drawn-on pencil moustache and asked: "How do I look?" His assistant, Alice Marchak, said that he looked like George Raft, an actor famed for playing gangsters on the silver screen. Every time she went to see Brando from then on, she added, he was wearing a different gangster-style moustache. Brando was asked to screen test for the role in The Godfather, as studio executives were said to be reluctant for the actor to play the part following problems on the set of Brando's previous film Mutiny on the Bounty . In fact Brando's Academy Award triumph revived his career. The actor was nominated for an Oscar the following year for his role in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris. Before his death, Brando granted gaming company Electronic Arts the rights to use his voice and image in a video game based on the Godfather film and book and recorded voice-overs which closely resembled his role as Don Corleone. Brando's co-stars from The Godfather, James Caan and Robert Duvall, will also reprise their roles for the video game, it was confirmed on Wednesday.
| Brando was asked to screen test for the role in The Godfather, as studio executives were said to be reluctant for the actor to play the part following problems on the set of Brando's previous film Mutiny on the Bounty .Schulberg told the magazine that Brando's assistant realised the film star had warmed to the idea of The Godfather role when he sported a drawn-on pencil moustache and asked: "How do I look?"Late film star Marlon Brando is said to have repeatedly turned down his Oscar-winning role in The Godfather.The actor was nominated for an Oscar the following year for his role in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris.Brando's co-stars from The Godfather, James Caan and Robert Duvall, will also reprise their roles for the video game, it was confirmed on Wednesday.Before his death, Brando granted gaming company Electronic Arts the rights to use his voice and image in a video game based on the Godfather film and book and recorded voice-overs which closely resembled his role as Don Corleone. |
1,942 | Progress on new internet domains
By early 2005 the net could have two new domain names.
The .post and .travel net domains have been given preliminary approval by the net's administrative body. The names are just two of a total of 10 proposed domains that are being considered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, Icann. The other proposed names include a domain for pornography, Asia, mobile phones, an anti-spam domain and one for the Catalan language and culture.
The .post domain is backed by the Universal Postal Union that wants to use it as the online marker for every type of postal service and to help co-ordinate the e-commerce efforts of national post offices.
The .travel domain would be used by hotels, travel firms, airlines, tourism offices and would help such organisations distinguish themselves online. It is backed by a New York-based trade group called The Travel Partnership. Icann said its early decision on the two domains was in response to the detailed technical and commercial information the organisations behind the names had submitted. Despite this initial approval, Icann cautioned that there was no guarantee that the domains would actually go into service. At the same time Icann is considering proposals for another eight domains. One that may not win approval is a proposal to set up a .xxx domain for pornographic websites. A similar proposal has been made many times in the past. But Icann has been reluctant to approve it because of the difficulty of making pornographers sign up and use it. In 2000 Icann approved seven other new domains that have had varying degrees of success. Three of the new so-called top level domains were for specific industries or organisations such as .museum and .aero. Others such as .info and .biz were intended to be more generic. In total there are in excess of 200 domain names and the majority of these are for nations. But domains that end in the .com suffix are by far the most numerous.
| By early 2005 the net could have two new domain names.The names are just two of a total of 10 proposed domains that are being considered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, Icann.In 2000 Icann approved seven other new domains that have had varying degrees of success.The other proposed names include a domain for pornography, Asia, mobile phones, an anti-spam domain and one for the Catalan language and culture.Icann said its early decision on the two domains was in response to the detailed technical and commercial information the organisations behind the names had submitted.Despite this initial approval, Icann cautioned that there was no guarantee that the domains would actually go into service.In total there are in excess of 200 domain names and the majority of these are for nations.The .post and .travel net domains have been given preliminary approval by the net's administrative body. |
358 | Deutsche attacks Yukos case
German investment bank Deutsche Bank has challenged the right of Yukos to claim bankruptcy protection in the US.
In a court filing on Tuesday, it said the Russian oil giant has few Texas ties beyond bank accounts and a Texas-based finance chief. Deutsche Bank claimed Yukos had artificially manufactured a legal case to stop the sale of its main asset. It had wanted to help fund Gazprom's plans for a $10bn (£5.18bn) bid for Yukos unit Yuganskneftegas.
Deutsche Bank would have earned large fees from the deal, which could not be carried out because US chapter 11 bankruptcy rules made the Kremlin's auction of Yuganskneftegas on 19 December illegal under US law.
But the US bankruptcy court judge in Texas granted Yukos an injunction that barred Gazprom and its lenders from taking part. Yuganskneftegas will ultimately end up with Gazprom. The winning bidder at the auction was a previously unknown firm, Baikal Finance Group, which was snapped up days later by Rosneft, a Russian oil firm that is in the process of merging with Gazprom. The effect of these transactions is to renationalise Yuganskneftegas. Deutsche Bank contends Yukos filed for bankruptcy earlier this month in Texas in a desperate and unsuccessful bid to stave off the 19 December auction of its top unit by the Russian government, which was in a tax dispute with Yukos.
"This blatant attempt to artificially manufacture a basis for jurisdiction constitutes cause to dismiss this case," Deutsche Bank said in its court filing. Mike Lake, a spokesman for Yukos' lawyers, said on Tuesday that the company stands by its legal action. Yukos is confident of its right to US bankruptcy protection, and "we are prepared to be back in court defending that position again," he said. Yukos has said it intends to seek $20bn in damages from the buyer of Yuganskneftegas once the sale finally goes through. In its filing, Deutsche Bank said Houston was "a jurisdiction in which Yukos owns no real or personal property and conducts no business operations."
It also said the US bankruptcy court should not become involved in "a tax dispute between the Federation and one of its corporate citizens". It suggested the European Court or an international arbitration tribunal were more appropriate jurisdictions for the legal fight between Russia and Yukos. The next hearing in the bankruptcy is expected on 6 January. Analysts believe the tax dispute between the Russian government and Yukos is partly driven by Russian president Vladimir Putin's hostility hostility to the political ambitions of ex-Yukos boss Mikhail Khordokovsky. Mr Khodorkovsky is in jail, and on trial for fraud and tax evasion.
| Deutsche Bank contends Yukos filed for bankruptcy earlier this month in Texas in a desperate and unsuccessful bid to stave off the 19 December auction of its top unit by the Russian government, which was in a tax dispute with Yukos.German investment bank Deutsche Bank has challenged the right of Yukos to claim bankruptcy protection in the US.Yukos is confident of its right to US bankruptcy protection, and "we are prepared to be back in court defending that position again," he said.But the US bankruptcy court judge in Texas granted Yukos an injunction that barred Gazprom and its lenders from taking part.In its filing, Deutsche Bank said Houston was "a jurisdiction in which Yukos owns no real or personal property and conducts no business operations."Yukos has said it intends to seek $20bn in damages from the buyer of Yuganskneftegas once the sale finally goes through.It also said the US bankruptcy court should not become involved in "a tax dispute between the Federation and one of its corporate citizens".Deutsche Bank claimed Yukos had artificially manufactured a legal case to stop the sale of its main asset. |
1,004 | 'Super union' merger plan touted
Two of Britain's big trade unions could merge to form a "super union" of two million members.
The move by Amicus and the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) would be a seen as a bid to carry more weight with ministers and employers. Amicus has 1.2 million members and the TGWU has 800,000. Any merger would have to be approved by the unions' executives and their membership. It is understood meetings will be held on Wednesday about the proposal. Along with the GMB and Unison, the TGWU and Amicus worked closely together in the last year to hammer out a 56-point deal with Labour's leadership over equality at work, holidays and pensions - the Warwick Agreement. Both unions are remaining tight-lipped about the merger rumours, but one insider pointed out to the BBC News website that "nobody is denying suggestions a merger could be on the agenda" when the two unions' executives hold their meetings on Wednesday. Amicus's executive was due to meet in any case although the TGWU is holding specially scheduled talks.
| Both unions are remaining tight-lipped about the merger rumours, but one insider pointed out to the BBC News website that "nobody is denying suggestions a merger could be on the agenda" when the two unions' executives hold their meetings on Wednesday.The move by Amicus and the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) would be a seen as a bid to carry more weight with ministers and employers.Any merger would have to be approved by the unions' executives and their membership.Amicus has 1.2 million members and the TGWU has 800,000. |
376 | Dollar slides ahead of New Year
The US dollar has hit a new record low against the euro and analysts predict that more declines are likely in 2005.
Disappointing economic reports dented the currency, which had been rallying after European policy makers said they were worried about the euro's strength. Earlier on Thursday, the Japanese yen touched its lowest versus the euro on concerns about economic growth in Asia. Currency markets have been volatile over the past week because of technical and automated trading and light demand. This has amplified reactions, analysts said, adding that they expect markets to become less jumpy in January.
"People want to go into the weekend and the New Year positioned for a weaker buck," said Tim Mazanec, director of foreign exchange at Investors Bank and Trust. The dollar slid to a record $1.3666 versus the euro on Thursday, before bouncing back to $1.3636. Against the yen the dollar was trading down at $103.05.
The yen, meanwhile, dropped to 141.60 per euro in afternoon trading. It later strengthened to 140.55. Investors are concerned about the size of the US trade and budget deficits and are betting that George W Bush's administration will allow the dollar to weaken despite saying they favour a strong currency. Also playing on investors' minds are mixed reports about the state of the US economy. On Thursday, disappointing business figures from Chicago brought a sudden end to a rally in the value of the dollar. The National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said its index dropped to 61.2, more than analysts had expected. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi voiced concerns about the strength of the euro. Mr Berlusconi said the euro's strength was "absolutely worrying" for Italian exports. Mr Schroeder said in a newspaper article that stability in foreign exchange markets required a correction of global economic imbalances.
| Against the yen the dollar was trading down at $103.05.The US dollar has hit a new record low against the euro and analysts predict that more declines are likely in 2005.The dollar slid to a record $1.3666 versus the euro on Thursday, before bouncing back to $1.3636.Disappointing economic reports dented the currency, which had been rallying after European policy makers said they were worried about the euro's strength.The yen, meanwhile, dropped to 141.60 per euro in afternoon trading.Mr Berlusconi said the euro's strength was "absolutely worrying" for Italian exports.Earlier on Thursday, the Japanese yen touched its lowest versus the euro on concerns about economic growth in Asia. |
1,900 | Google launches TV search service
The net search giant Google has launched a search service that lets people look for TV programmes.
The service, Google Video beta, searches closed caption information that comes with programmes. It only searches US channel content currently. Results list programmes with still images and text from the point where the search phrase was spoken. It should expand over time to include content from more channels, said a Google spokesperson. The first version of the service is part of Google's expanding efforts to be a ubiquitous search engine for people to find what they want on the web and beyond. "We think TV is a big part of people's lives," said Jonathan Rosenberg, Google's vice president of product management. "Ultimately, we would like to have all TV programming indexed."
Google Video has been indexing US-based programmes from PBS, the NBA, Fox News, and C-SPAN since December. But there were few clues from Google about when more global broadcasters would be included. "Over time, we plan to increase the number of television channels and video content available via Google Video but don't have more product details to share with you today," a Google spokesperson told the BBC News website.
The results thrown up by the search will also include programme and episode information like channel, date and time. It also lets people find the next time and channel where a programme will aired locally using a US zip code search function. Rival search engine Yahoo has been developing a similar type of video search for webcasts and TV clips which it promotes from its homepage. It offers direct links to websites with movies or other clips relevant to the search query, but does not pinpoint when the search query occurred. A spokeswoman told the Financial Times on Monday that Yahoo was adding captioning for Bloomberg, BBC and BSkyB broadcasts. A smaller service, blinkx.tv, was launched last month. It searches for and links to TV news, film trailers, and other video and audio clips.
| The net search giant Google has launched a search service that lets people look for TV programmes.Rival search engine Yahoo has been developing a similar type of video search for webcasts and TV clips which it promotes from its homepage.The service, Google Video beta, searches closed caption information that comes with programmes.It searches for and links to TV news, film trailers, and other video and audio clips.It only searches US channel content currently.The results thrown up by the search will also include programme and episode information like channel, date and time."Over time, we plan to increase the number of television channels and video content available via Google Video but don't have more product details to share with you today," a Google spokesperson told the BBC News website.It also lets people find the next time and channel where a programme will aired locally using a US zip code search function. |
954 | EU China arms ban 'to be lifted'
The EU embargo on arms exports to China is likely to be lifted in the next six months despite US objections, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said.
The 15-year-old ban was imposed in the aftermath of China's crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square. Mr Straw told a Commons select committee human rights concerns over China remained. But he said it was wrong to put China under the same embargo as countries such as Zimbabwe and Burma.
In December, the EU pledged to work towards lifting the ban but said it was not ready to do so yet. The EU's move was welcomed at the time by Beijing, which described the embargo as a "product of the Cold War". German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac have repeatedly called for the embargo to be lifted. Britain has been more cautious on the issue, but on Wednesday Mr Straw said he also wanted it to end. "I have long understood China's argument, that to lump them in with, say, Burma and Zimbabwe is not appropriate and I don't think it is," he told the joint committee on Strategic Export Controls. He said "it is more likely than not" that the ban would be lifted before Britain takes over the presidency of the EU from Luxembourg in July. But he said an EU code of conduct would prevent an increase in the number of arms being exported to the country. "If it is lifted we will end up with as effective arms controls in relation to China as we have now."
Mr Straw said the US government was suspicious of "the motives of some other countries within the EU" in wanting the ban lifted. But he said many of Washington's objections were based on a "lack of information and understanding" of how export control guidelines worked in EU countries. And "intense discussions" were taking place with US officials to convince them it was the right thing to do. Washington is thought to fear it would lead to a buying spree for arms that could be used by China to threaten its diplomatic rival Taiwan. US officials say they are not satisfied the mechanisms in the EU code of conduct are robust enough to prevent abuses. US Undersecretary of State John Bolton is meeting British officials this week to press the case for keeping the embargo.
| Mr Straw said the US government was suspicious of "the motives of some other countries within the EU" in wanting the ban lifted.The EU embargo on arms exports to China is likely to be lifted in the next six months despite US objections, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said.But he said it was wrong to put China under the same embargo as countries such as Zimbabwe and Burma.He said "it is more likely than not" that the ban would be lifted before Britain takes over the presidency of the EU from Luxembourg in July.But he said an EU code of conduct would prevent an increase in the number of arms being exported to the country.In December, the EU pledged to work towards lifting the ban but said it was not ready to do so yet."If it is lifted we will end up with as effective arms controls in relation to China as we have now."US officials say they are not satisfied the mechanisms in the EU code of conduct are robust enough to prevent abuses. |
1,982 | Broadband challenges 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. |
653 | Blair buys copies of new Band Aid
Prime Minister Tony Blair purchased two copies of the charity single Band Aid 20 in Edinburgh on Friday.
Staff were surprised when the Prime Minister walked into HMV at 0900 GMT, accompanied by aides and local police. "When Mr Blair came in unannounced, we were all pretty gobsmacked," said HMV manager Clive Smith. "Our customer helper approached him... it was only then we realised he wanted to buy copies of the Band Aid single, rather than the latest Eminem album." Predicted chart-topper Do They Know it's Christmas? is expected to sell at least 300,000 copies by the time the new chart is announced on Sunday. However, the new version of the 1984 single is not going to be released in the US, despite being sold in many countries around the world. US record shops are stocking an import version of Do They Know It's Christmas, which is said to be selling very well in Los Angeles and New York. The original track was released in the US, and reached number 13 in the singles chart. British stars who appear on the current recording, such as Dido and Coldplay's Chris Martin, are well-known to music fans across the Atlantic, along with U2 frontman Bono.
Record company Universal is responsible for the global distribution of the single, which will be available across Europe, Asia, South America and Canada. But music fans in the US are still able to access the song and download it on Band Aid 20's official website. In 1985, a group of high-profile American stars known as USA For Africa came together to record their own fund-raising single, We Are The World. The song was written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, with Quincy Jones as producer. It topped the US charts for three weeks and went on win Grammy awards for best record and song.
Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and Tina Turner were among the line-up of performers. It is predicted that the Band Aid 20 song will sell 300,000 copies in the UK by the time the new chart is announced on Sunday. The record is also tipped to become this year's Christmas number one, as the original version did in 1984. Proceeds from the sales are going towards relief for the Darfur region of Sudan and to combat HIV and Aids across Africa.
| It is predicted that the Band Aid 20 song will sell 300,000 copies in the UK by the time the new chart is announced on Sunday.The original track was released in the US, and reached number 13 in the singles chart.US record shops are stocking an import version of Do They Know It's Christmas, which is said to be selling very well in Los Angeles and New York.Prime Minister Tony Blair purchased two copies of the charity single Band Aid 20 in Edinburgh on Friday.However, the new version of the 1984 single is not going to be released in the US, despite being sold in many countries around the world.But music fans in the US are still able to access the song and download it on Band Aid 20's official website."Our customer helper approached him... it was only then we realised he wanted to buy copies of the Band Aid single, rather than the latest Eminem album."It topped the US charts for three weeks and went on win Grammy awards for best record and song. |
162 | Verizon 'seals takeover of MCI'
Verizon has won a takeover battle for US phone firm MCI with a bid worth $6.8bn (£3.6bn), reports say.
The two firms are expected to seal the deal on Monday morning, according to news agency reports, despite what was thought to be a higher bid from Qwest. The US telecoms market is consolidating fast, with former long-distance giant AT&T being bought by former subsidiary SBC earlier this year for $16bn. MCI exited bankruptcy in April, having gone bust under previous name WorldCom. The bankruptcy followed its admission in 2002 that it illegally booked expenses and inflated profits.
Shareholders lost about $180bn when the company collapsed, while 20,000 workers lost their jobs. Former Worldcom boss Bernie Ebbers is currently on trial, accused of overseeing an $11bn fraud. Qwest has itself come under suspicion of sub-standard behaviour, paying the Securities and Exchange Commission $250m in October to settle charges that it manipulated its results to keep Wall Street happy.
MCI is the US's second-biggest long distance firm after AT&T. Consolidation in the US telecommunications industry has picked up in the past few months as companies look to cut costs and boost client bases. A merger between MCI and Verizon would be the fifth billion-dollar telecoms deal since October. Last week, SBC Communications agreed to buy its former parent and phone trailblazer AT&T for about $16bn. Buying MCI would give either Qwest or Verizon access to MCI's global network and business-based subscribers. The rationale is similar to the one underpinning SBC's AT&T deal. Verizon is by far the bigger company and has its own successful mobile arm - factors which may have swung the board in its favour since both suitors are offering a mixture of cash and shares.
| Verizon has won a takeover battle for US phone firm MCI with a bid worth $6.8bn (£3.6bn), reports say.A merger between MCI and Verizon would be the fifth billion-dollar telecoms deal since October.The US telecoms market is consolidating fast, with former long-distance giant AT&T being bought by former subsidiary SBC earlier this year for $16bn.Last week, SBC Communications agreed to buy its former parent and phone trailblazer AT&T for about $16bn.MCI is the US's second-biggest long distance firm after AT&T.Buying MCI would give either Qwest or Verizon access to MCI's global network and business-based subscribers. |
611 | Sundance to honour foreign films
International films will be given the same prominence as US films at next year's Sundance Film Festival, with movies dominated by the theme of war.
The independent film festival will feature two new international cinema competitions, during its 20-30 January season in Utah. Forty-two films will debut at Sundance, including The Liberace of Baghdad by British director Sean McAllister. The prestigious festival was founded by actor Robert Redford in 1981.
"We have always had an international component, but from next year they will enter a jury competition," festival director Geoffrey Gilmore said. "We wanted to give world cinema more emphasis and have now put it on par with the American dramatic and documentary competitions." Twelve films competing in the new world cinema documentary category focus on countries and people under siege.
The Liberace of Baghdad features an Iraqi pianist hiding in a hotel as he waits for a visa, while Finnish film The Three Rooms of Melancholia looks at the war in Chechnya. Shake Hands With The Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire tells of a UN mission to Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, while French-Israeli production Wall looks at Israel's controversial security wall separating it from the Palestinian territories. The 16 films competing in the new world cinema dramatic category include works from Germany, South Korea, Angola, China, Denmark and Australia.
Several Hollywood stars feature in the festival's American independent drama category, including Keanu Reeves and Benjamin Bratt. Vince Vaughn stars in quirky movie Thumbsucker while 21 Grams actress Naomi Watts plays a budding Hollywood actress in Ellie Parker. The top Grand Jury prize at this year's festival went to low budget sci-fi thriller Primer, written and directed by Shane Carruth. Morgan Spurlock earned the directing award for Super Size Me, which became an international box office hit.
| The independent film festival will feature two new international cinema competitions, during its 20-30 January season in Utah.International films will be given the same prominence as US films at next year's Sundance Film Festival, with movies dominated by the theme of war.Twelve films competing in the new world cinema documentary category focus on countries and people under siege.The 16 films competing in the new world cinema dramatic category include works from Germany, South Korea, Angola, China, Denmark and Australia.The Liberace of Baghdad features an Iraqi pianist hiding in a hotel as he waits for a visa, while Finnish film The Three Rooms of Melancholia looks at the war in Chechnya.Forty-two films will debut at Sundance, including The Liberace of Baghdad by British director Sean McAllister. |
1,953 | Broadband in the UK growing fast
High-speed net connections in the UK are proving more popular than ever.
BT reports that more people signed up for broadband in the last three months than in any other quarter. The 600,000 connections take the total number of people in the UK signing up for broadband from BT to almost 3.3 million. Nationally more than 5 million browse the net via broadband. Britain now has among the highest number of broadband connections throughout the whole of Europe.
According to figures gathered by industry watchdog, Ofcom, the growth means that the UK has now surpassed Germany in terms of broadband users per 100 people. The UK total of 5.3 million translates into 7.5 connections per 100 people, compared to 6.7 in Germany and 15.8 in the Netherlands. The numbers of people signing up to broadband include those that get their service direct from BT or via the many companies that re-sell BT lines under their own name. Part of the surge in people signing up was due to BT stretching the reach of ADSL - the UK's most widely used way of getting broadband - beyond 6km.
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line technology lets ordinary copper phone lines support high data speeds. The standard speed is 512kbps, though faster connections are available. "This breakthrough led to a dramatic increase in orders as we were suddenly able to satisfy the pent-up demand that existed in many areas," said Paul Reynolds, chief executive of BT Wholesale which provides phone lines that other firms re-sell. BT Retail, which sells net services under its own name, also had a good quarter and provided about 30% of the new broadband customers. This was a slight increase on the previous three months. Despite the good news about growth in broadband, figures from telecommunications regulator Ofcom show that BT faces increasing competition, and dwindling influence, in other sectors. Local Loop Unbundling, (LLU), in which BT rivals install their hardware in exchanges and take over the line to a customer's home or office, is growing steadily. Cable & Wireless and NTL have announced that they are investing millions to start offering LLU services. By the end of September more than 4.2 million phone lines were using so-called Carrier Pre-Section (CPS) services, such as TalkTalk and One.Tel, which route phone calls across non-BT networks from a local exchange. There are now more than 300 different firms offering CPS services and the percentage of people using BT lines for voice calls has shrunk to 55.4%.
| The 600,000 connections take the total number of people in the UK signing up for broadband from BT to almost 3.3 million.The numbers of people signing up to broadband include those that get their service direct from BT or via the many companies that re-sell BT lines under their own name.BT reports that more people signed up for broadband in the last three months than in any other quarter.There are now more than 300 different firms offering CPS services and the percentage of people using BT lines for voice calls has shrunk to 55.4%.The UK total of 5.3 million translates into 7.5 connections per 100 people, compared to 6.7 in Germany and 15.8 in the Netherlands.BT Retail, which sells net services under its own name, also had a good quarter and provided about 30% of the new broadband customers.Part of the surge in people signing up was due to BT stretching the reach of ADSL - the UK's most widely used way of getting broadband - beyond 6km.Nationally more than 5 million browse the net via broadband. |
997 | Council tax rise 'reasonable'
Welsh councils should set their taxes at "reasonable levels" after being given an average funding increase of 6%, says the assembly government.
Finance Minister Sue Essex said it was a "good deal" for local government. The £3.2bn settlement includes the "full" £7.4m from the UK Treasury announced by Chancellor Gordon Brown. But opposition parties said rebanding of council taxes would mean steep rises. In addition, £13.4m will come from the business support grant - a scheme which enables local authorities to keep part of business rates. She said where spending rises were kept to around 5% she was "confident that councils will be able to set council taxes at reasonable levels." The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) had said on the eve of the announcement said that "significant" cuts to services may still be unavoidable. After the announcement WLGA finance spokesman Bob Wellington, of Torfaen, said it was vital that rises were minimsed. "A limited amount of money has come available but this is not the answer to our problems," said Mr Wellington. "It is vital that we start now to plan for future years and accept that resources will continue to reduce while pressures on services increase." On Monday, a delegation of north Wales councils visited Ms Essex to lobby for increased funds. Ms Essex said: "I have listened to the views of local government and council tax payers and recognise the funding pressures and the concerns they have about council tax rises. "I have met a large number of local authorities in recent weeks and I am aware of the pressures on them to provide local services and keep down the level of council tax, particularly for those people to are moving up a band due to the revaluation of domestic properties." She said council taxes could be kept at reasonable levels, "even for those people who have moved up a band".
The settlement includes a rise in the grant to help councils with the most deprived communities and a 16.4% rise in capital expenditure support. Ms Essex said: "This is a good deal for local government, which will allow the well-managed councils of Wales to develop their services and charge reasonable levels of council tax. It is now a matter for council leaders to manage their budgets at a local level." Plaid Cymru's local government spokesman Dai Lloyd called the announcement "hugely disappointing". He said: "Wales and its local authorities have been short changed yet again. This is not whinging as the Labour Assembly Government so often claims - it is anger." "This will mean either a massive hike in council tax, massive cuts in services provided by councils, or both." Mike German, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the assembly, claimed that one in three homes were still likely to face council tax rises due to rebanding. Mr German said: "I know from my discussions with Welsh Liberal Democrat council leaders that they are doing their utmost to keep council tax to a minimum. But the random redistribution effect of rebanding...will create a great deal of difficulty." Conservative local government spokesman Glyn Davies said that for the minister to claim that the majority of council tax payers in Wales should see very little change "is taking spin to the very verge of deception". He added: "Around a third of Welsh households have been re-valued upwards by at least one band and inevitably face increases into double figures."
| Ms Essex said: "This is a good deal for local government, which will allow the well-managed councils of Wales to develop their services and charge reasonable levels of council tax.Ms Essex said: "I have listened to the views of local government and council tax payers and recognise the funding pressures and the concerns they have about council tax rises.She said where spending rises were kept to around 5% she was "confident that councils will be able to set council taxes at reasonable levels."Mr German said: "I know from my discussions with Welsh Liberal Democrat council leaders that they are doing their utmost to keep council tax to a minimum.Conservative local government spokesman Glyn Davies said that for the minister to claim that the majority of council tax payers in Wales should see very little change "is taking spin to the very verge of deception".She said council taxes could be kept at reasonable levels, "even for those people who have moved up a band".Welsh councils should set their taxes at "reasonable levels" after being given an average funding increase of 6%, says the assembly government.Finance Minister Sue Essex said it was a "good deal" for local government.The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) had said on the eve of the announcement said that "significant" cuts to services may still be unavoidable.But opposition parties said rebanding of council taxes would mean steep rises."I have met a large number of local authorities in recent weeks and I am aware of the pressures on them to provide local services and keep down the level of council tax, particularly for those people to are moving up a band due to the revaluation of domestic properties." |
2,048 | Disney backs Sony DVD technology
A next generation DVD technology backed by Sony has received a major boost.
Film giant Disney says it will produce its future DVDs using Sony's Blu-ray Disc technology, but has not ruled out a rival format developed by Toshiba. The two competing DVD formats, Blu-ray developed by Sony and others, and Toshiba's HD-DVD, have been courting top film studios for several months. The next generation of DVDs promises very high quality pictures and sound, as well as a lot of data. Both technologies use a blue laser to write information. It has a shorter wavelength so more data can be stored. Disney is the latest studio to announce which technology it is backing in a format battle which mirrors the 1980s Betamax versus VHS war. Sony lost out to JVC in that fight.
The current battle for Hollywood's hearts and minds is a crucial one because high-definition films will bring in billions of revenue and the studios would prefer to use one standard. Last month, Paramount, Universal and Warner Brothers said they were opting for the Toshiba and NEC-backed format, HD-DVD high-definition discs.
Those studios currently produce about 45% of DVD content. Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM Studios have already staked their allegiance with the Blu-ray Disc Association, whose members also include technology companies Dell, Samsung and Matsushita. Twentieth Century Fox is still to announce which technology it will be supporting. If Fox decided to go with Blu-ray too, it would mean the format would have a 47% share of DVD content. Disney said its films would be available on the Blu-ray format when DVD players for the standard went on sale on North America and Japan, expected in 2006. Universal is to start producing films on the HD-DVD format in 2005, and Paramount will start releasing titles using the standard in 2006. Toshiba expects sales of HD-DVDs to reach 300bn yen ($2.9bn, £1.5bn) by 2010.
| Film giant Disney says it will produce its future DVDs using Sony's Blu-ray Disc technology, but has not ruled out a rival format developed by Toshiba.A next generation DVD technology backed by Sony has received a major boost.Disney said its films would be available on the Blu-ray format when DVD players for the standard went on sale on North America and Japan, expected in 2006.The two competing DVD formats, Blu-ray developed by Sony and others, and Toshiba's HD-DVD, have been courting top film studios for several months.If Fox decided to go with Blu-ray too, it would mean the format would have a 47% share of DVD content.Disney is the latest studio to announce which technology it is backing in a format battle which mirrors the 1980s Betamax versus VHS war.Universal is to start producing films on the HD-DVD format in 2005, and Paramount will start releasing titles using the standard in 2006. |
230 | Yukos drops banks from court bid
Russian oil company Yukos has dropped the threat of legal action against five banks it had accused of involvement in the sale of its key Yugansk unit.
State-owned Rosneft bought the unit for $9.3bn (£5bn) after Yukos was forced to sell assets to meet a $27.5bn tax bill. Yukos says the sale was illegal and is pursuing damages in a US court. Its lawyers now accept ABN Amro, BNP Paribas, Calyon, JP Morgan Chase Bank, and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein were not involved in the sale financing. However, Yukos still has an outstanding complaint against Deutsche Bank, which it alleges to be the leader of a consortium that was behind a bid for Yugansk by state gas monopoly Gazprom. The company has also accused Gazprom, the Russian Federation and two other Russian firms.
Gazprom had been expected to win the December auction, but ended up not bidding. 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. The firm, whose finance chief is now based in the US, filed for bankruptcy in Houston, Texas, and sought a court injunction against the sale. But Deutsche Bank has suggested Yukos artificially manufactured a legal case to stop the sale of its main asset. A hearing scheduled for February 16 and 17 will rule on whether the US court has jurisdiction in the case.
| Russian oil company Yukos has dropped the threat of legal action against five banks it had accused of involvement in the sale of its key Yugansk unit.Yukos says the sale was illegal and is pursuing damages in a US court.However, Yukos still has an outstanding complaint against Deutsche Bank, which it alleges to be the leader of a consortium that was behind a bid for Yugansk by state gas monopoly Gazprom.But Deutsche Bank has suggested Yukos artificially manufactured a legal case to stop the sale of its main asset.Yugansk was sold to a little-known shell company, which in turn was bought by Rosneft. |
871 | Super Size Me wins writers' award
Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock has won the Writers Guild of America's award for documentary feature writing.
The Oscar-nominated film followed Spurlock as he ate only McDonald's fast food for an entire month. Spurlock was given the award at a special ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood on Tuesday. Organisers said the rising popularity of documentary films led them to honour a writer for a documentary screenplay for the first time.
Producer Brian Grazer presented the award to Spurlock and the film's backers, Roadside Attractions, Samuel Goldwyn Films and Showtime Independent Films. Spurlock set out to discover the effect of living on nothing but McDonald's for a month, upgrading to supersize portions when offered. The film followed his 25lb weight gain and the health effects on his body, including his liver and cholesterol levels. McDonald's announced it was to scrap its "supersized" meals last year, but denied the move was as a result of the negative publicity created by Spurlock's film. Spurlock was given his award on the same day the European Court of Human Rights ruled that two UK activists should have been given legal aid in their long fight against a McDonald's libel action. Helen Steel and David Morris, from north London, dubbed the "McLibel Two", were found guilty in a 1990s trial of libelling the company in a leaflet they had been handing out At the end of the case the High Court in London ruled McDonald's had been libelled and awarded the company £60,000 in damages, later reduced to £40,000 on appeal. But he found the leaflet was true in some aspects.
| Spurlock was given his award on the same day the European Court of Human Rights ruled that two UK activists should have been given legal aid in their long fight against a McDonald's libel action.The Oscar-nominated film followed Spurlock as he ate only McDonald's fast food for an entire month.Spurlock was given the award at a special ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood on Tuesday.McDonald's announced it was to scrap its "supersized" meals last year, but denied the move was as a result of the negative publicity created by Spurlock's film.Spurlock set out to discover the effect of living on nothing but McDonald's for a month, upgrading to supersize portions when offered. |
1,884 | Microsoft releases patches
Microsoft has warned PC users to update their systems with the latest security fixes for flaws in Windows programs.
In its monthly security bulletin, it flagged up eight "critical" security holes which could leave PCs open to attack if left unpatched. The number of holes considered "critical" is more than usual. They affect Windows programs, including Internet Explorer (IE), media player and instant messaging. Four other important fixes were also released. These were considered to be less critical, however. If not updated, either automatically or manually, PC users running the programs could be vulnerable to viruses or other malicious attacks designed to exploit the holes. Many of the flaws could be used by virus writers to take over computers remotely, install programs, change, and delete or see data.
One of the critical patches Microsoft has made available is an important one that fixes some IE flaws. Stephen Toulouse, a Microsoft security manager, said the flaws were known about, and although the firm had not seen any attacks exploiting the flaw, he did not rule them out. Often, when a critical flaw is announced, spates of viruses follow because home users and businesses leave the flaw unpatched. A further patch fixes a hole in Media Player, Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger which an attacker could use to take control of unprotected machines through .png files. Microsoft announces any vulnerabilities in its software every month. The most important ones are those which are classed as "critical". Its latest releases came the week that the company announced it was to buy security software maker Sybari Software as part of Microsoft's plans to make its own security programs.
| Microsoft has warned PC users to update their systems with the latest security fixes for flaws in Windows programs.One of the critical patches Microsoft has made available is an important one that fixes some IE flaws.In its monthly security bulletin, it flagged up eight "critical" security holes which could leave PCs open to attack if left unpatched.Often, when a critical flaw is announced, spates of viruses follow because home users and businesses leave the flaw unpatched.The most important ones are those which are classed as "critical".The number of holes considered "critical" is more than usual. |
802 | Tough schedule delays Elliot show
Preview performances of the £3m musical Billy Elliot have been delayed to give the child actors a less arduous rehearsal schedule.
Director Stephen Daldry made the decision to re-schedule the previews to protect the young stars. Three boys will rotate the demanding role of ballet dancer Billy, which requires them to sing, dance and act. The show's opening night on 12 May at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London remains unaffected by the changes. Preview performances will now be held on 14, 20 and 27 April. "This is one of the most ambitious projects I have been involved with," said Daldry. "The decision has been made to push back our preview performances in order to give our company, with a cast including 45 children, a little extra time so they are as fully prepared as possible."
He added: "The young Billy Elliots in particular, making their professional stage debuts in the West End, will benefit from a little extra time to familiarise themselves with all aspects of the production."
The three boys playing Billy are James Lomas, 15, George Maguire, 14, and Liam Mower, 12. The other major child parts will also be rotated between young actors. Such are the demands of the show that producers set up a stage school in Newcastle to train potential stars for the show. Child labour laws also mean the young actors can only work for a limited period each week. Adult actors in the show include Tim Healy as Billy's father and Haydn Gwnne as his dance teacher Mrs Wilkinson. Sir Elton John has composed the music. Daldry directed the successful film version of Billy Elliot, adapted from Lee Hall's script. Both were nominated for Oscars, alongside Julie Walters, who played Billy's teacher.
| Preview performances of the £3m musical Billy Elliot have been delayed to give the child actors a less arduous rehearsal schedule.Director Stephen Daldry made the decision to re-schedule the previews to protect the young stars."The decision has been made to push back our preview performances in order to give our company, with a cast including 45 children, a little extra time so they are as fully prepared as possible."He added: "The young Billy Elliots in particular, making their professional stage debuts in the West End, will benefit from a little extra time to familiarise themselves with all aspects of the production."Child labour laws also mean the young actors can only work for a limited period each week.Adult actors in the show include Tim Healy as Billy's father and Haydn Gwnne as his dance teacher Mrs Wilkinson.Daldry directed the successful film version of Billy Elliot, adapted from Lee Hall's script. |
38 | Deutsche Telekom sees mobile gain
German telecoms firm Deutsche Telekom saw strong fourth quarter profits on the back of upbeat US mobile earnings and better-than-expected asset sales.
Net profit came in at 1.4bn euros (£960m; $1.85bn), a dramatic change from the loss of 364m euros in 2003. Sales rose 2.8% to 14.96bn euros. Sales of stakes in firms including Russia's OAO Mobile Telesystems raised 1.17bn euros. This was more than expected and helped to bring debt down to 35.8bn euros.
A year ago, debt was more than 11bn euros higher. T-Mobile USA, the company's American mobile business, made a strong contribution to profits. "It's a seminal achievement that they cut debt so low. That gives them some head room to invest in growth now," said Hannes Wittig, telecoms analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. The company also said it would resume paying a dividend, after two years in which it focused on cutting debt.
| A year ago, debt was more than 11bn euros higher.This was more than expected and helped to bring debt down to 35.8bn euros.Sales rose 2.8% to 14.96bn euros.Sales of stakes in firms including Russia's OAO Mobile Telesystems raised 1.17bn euros. |
2,076 | Virus poses as Christmas e-mail
Security firms are warning about a Windows virus disguising itself as an electronic Christmas card.
The Zafi.D virus translates the Christmas greeting on its subject line into the language of the person receiving infected e-mail. Anti-virus firms speculate that this multilingual ability is helping the malicious program spread widely online. Anti-virus firm Sophos said that 10% of the e-mail currently on the net was infected with the Zafi virus.
Like many other Windows viruses, Zafi-D plunders Microsoft Outlook for e-mail addresses and then uses mail-sending software to despatch itself across the web to new victims. To be infected users must open up the attachment travelling with the message which bears the code for the malicious bug. The attachment on the e-mail poses as an electronic Christmas card but anyone opening it will simply get a crude image of two smiley faces.
The virus' subject line says "Merry Christmas" and translates this into one of 15 languages depending of the final suffix of the e-mail address the infected message has been sent to. The message in the body of the e-mail reads: "Happy Holidays" and this too is translated. On infected machines the virus tries to disable anti-virus and firewall software and opens up a backdoor on the PC to hand over control to the writer of the virus. The virus is thought to have spread most widely in South America, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and Hungary. The original Zafi virus appeared in April this year. "We have seen these hoaxes for several Christmases already, and personally I prefer traditional pen and paper cards, and we recommend this to all our clients too," said Mikko Hypponen, who heads F-Secure's anti-virus team.
| Anti-virus firm Sophos said that 10% of the e-mail currently on the net was infected with the Zafi virus.The Zafi.D virus translates the Christmas greeting on its subject line into the language of the person receiving infected e-mail.The virus' subject line says "Merry Christmas" and translates this into one of 15 languages depending of the final suffix of the e-mail address the infected message has been sent to.On infected machines the virus tries to disable anti-virus and firewall software and opens up a backdoor on the PC to hand over control to the writer of the virus.Security firms are warning about a Windows virus disguising itself as an electronic Christmas card.The original Zafi virus appeared in April this year. |
1,689 | Wasps 31-37 Leicester
Leicester withstood a stunning Wasps comeback to win a pulsating Heineken Cup encounter at the Causeway Stadium.
The Tigers stormed 22-6 ahead within 18 minutes through tries from Lewis Moody, Geordan Murphy and Martin Corry. European champions Wasps fought back through a Josh Lewsey try and Mark van Gisbergen's boot, and they were level at 31-31 with five minutes remaining. But it was the visitors who kept their cool as Andy Goode kicked the Tigers to victory with a penalty and a drop goal. The closing moments saw desperate defence from Leicester as Wasps turned down several penalties to go for the try they needed. Wasps pounded the line and a penalty try looked likely before referee Nigel Williams controversially blew for full-time. Fly-half Goode was the Tigers hero, kicking 22 points in total, while Leicester's overwhelming domination in the scrums ultimately told. Even their lack of discipline in defence - which presented the admirable Van Ginsberg with 26 points - could not undo them as they held out for a famous win.
Lawrence Dallaglio's team have now got it all to do in the quest for a quarter-final place given that two of their last three games are away - against Leicester and Biarritz. However, Wasps rugby director Warren Gatland warned his side will will not relinquish their European title without a fight. "If we lose next week, then we are struggling," said Gatland. "But we don't want to give this trophy away. We worked so hard to win it last season, we will go down fighting. "We have got to get our scrum right next week, it is the biggest cause for concern." Leicester coach John Wells saluted the outstanding work of Graham Rowntree and Julian White, who were magnificent up front. "They were the backbone of our performance today," said Wells. "And to score three tries against the European champions at home was also something I am pleased about."
Van Gisbergen; Lewsey, Erinle, Abbott, Voyce; King, Dawson; Dowd, Greening, Green; Shaw, Birkett; Worsley, O'Connor, Dallaglio (capt).
Replacements: Gotting, McKenzie, Lock, Hart, Biljon, Brooks, Hoadley.
Murphy; Rabeni, Smith, Gibson, Healey; Goode, Ellis; Rowntree, Chuter, White, M Johnson (capt), L Deacon; Moody, Back, Corry.
Replacements (from): Buckland/Cockerill, Morris, Kay, W Johnson/B Deacon, H Tuilagi, Bemand, A Tuiliagi, Lloyd, Vesty.
| The closing moments saw desperate defence from Leicester as Wasps turned down several penalties to go for the try they needed.European champions Wasps fought back through a Josh Lewsey try and Mark van Gisbergen's boot, and they were level at 31-31 with five minutes remaining."And to score three tries against the European champions at home was also something I am pleased about."Murphy; Rabeni, Smith, Gibson, Healey; Goode, Ellis; Rowntree, Chuter, White, M Johnson (capt), L Deacon; Moody, Back, Corry.The Tigers stormed 22-6 ahead within 18 minutes through tries from Lewis Moody, Geordan Murphy and Martin Corry.Leicester withstood a stunning Wasps comeback to win a pulsating Heineken Cup encounter at the Causeway Stadium.Wasps pounded the line and a penalty try looked likely before referee Nigel Williams controversially blew for full-time.Lawrence Dallaglio's team have now got it all to do in the quest for a quarter-final place given that two of their last three games are away - against Leicester and Biarritz."If we lose next week, then we are struggling," said Gatland. |
509 | Euro firms miss out on optimism
More than 90% of large companies around the world are highly optimistic about their economic prospects, a survey of 1,300 bosses suggests.
Their biggest worries are not terror threats, but over-regulation, low-cost competition and the wild ups and downs of oil prices. There is one exception: Firms in Western Europe - but not the UK - are lacking confidence after years of slow growth. When business advisers PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) conducted the same survey two years ago, nearly 30% of bosses were gloomy about their prospects.
Global business leaders say that they are facing a two-pronged regulatory assault. After a string of corporate scandals in the United States - from Enron to WorldCom - the Sarbanes-Oxley act forces companies to be much more transparent, but doing all the paperwork costs a lot of time and money. Across Europe, meanwhile, all stock exchange-listed companies are currently in the process of moving to new and complex accounting standards called IFRS. Hacking through the red tape can hardly be avoided, but many chief executives around the world appear to have decided on how to deal with low-cost competitors.
Already, about 28% of the bosses polled for the survey say that they have moved parts of their business into low-wage countries, and another 11% plan to do so in the future. Possibly as a result, the worry about low-cost competition has slightly fallen from last year, with just 54% of companies calling it a "significant threat" or "one of the biggest threats". But PwC's global chief executive, Samuel DiPiazza, said a growing number of companies were also concerned that moves to outsource work to cheaper countries could both hurt their reputation in their home markets and harm the quality of service they provide to their customers.
According to Frank Brown, global advisory leader at PwC , the trend of large companies to have global operations has one clear upside: "One risk in one region - for example the Middle East - won't kill your business anymore." Surprisingly, the survey suggests that the rapid decline of the US dollar is not seen as a huge threat anymore, unlike even a year ago, when it was cited as the third-largest problem. Mr DiPiazza said the interviews with chief executives suggested that companies had "adjusted" to the new reality of a euro that buys $1.30 and more, while others had successfully hedged their positions and locked in more favourable exchange rates.
- For the survey, PricewaterhouseCoopers interviewed 1,324 chief executives throughout the world during the last three months of 2004.
| Possibly as a result, the worry about low-cost competition has slightly fallen from last year, with just 54% of companies calling it a "significant threat" or "one of the biggest threats".More than 90% of large companies around the world are highly optimistic about their economic prospects, a survey of 1,300 bosses suggests.When business advisers PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) conducted the same survey two years ago, nearly 30% of bosses were gloomy about their prospects.According to Frank Brown, global advisory leader at PwC , the trend of large companies to have global operations has one clear upside: "One risk in one region - for example the Middle East - won't kill your business anymore."- For the survey, PricewaterhouseCoopers interviewed 1,324 chief executives throughout the world during the last three months of 2004.But PwC's global chief executive, Samuel DiPiazza, said a growing number of companies were also concerned that moves to outsource work to cheaper countries could both hurt their reputation in their home markets and harm the quality of service they provide to their customers. |
2,077 | Fast lifts rise into record books
Two high-speed lifts at the world's tallest building have been officially recognised as the planet's fastest.
The lifts take only 30 seconds to whisk passengers to the top of the 508m tall TFC 101 Tower in Taipei, Taiwan. The Guinness Book of Records has declared the 17m per second speed of the two lifts the swiftest on Earth. The lifts also have a pressure control system to stop passengers' ears popping as they ascend and descend at high speed.
In total, the TFC Tower has 61 lifts, 34 of them double-deckers, and 50 escalators to shuttle people around its 106 floors. The TFC 101 Tower is due to be officially opened on 31 December.
The super-fast lifts can speed up to 24 passengers to the tip of the tower in about 30 seconds, while ascending their 382m track. The 17m/s top speed of the lifts translates to about 38mph (61km/h). Curiously the lifts take longer to descend and spend almost a whole minute returning to ground level from the top of the TFC Tower. The key new technologies applied in the world's fastest elevators include:
- A pressure control system, which adjusts the atmospheric pressure inside a car by using suction and discharge blowers, preventing "ear popping"
- An active control system which tries to balance the lift more finely and remove the sources of vibrations
- Streamlined cars to reduce the whistling noise produced by running the lifts at a high speed inside a narrow shaft
"The certification of our elevators as world record-holders by the authoritative Guinness World Records is a great honour for us," said Masayuki Shimono, president of manufacturer Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems which installed the lifts. The first record for the world's fastest passenger elevators was published in the first edition of the Guinness Book of Records in 1955. "As such, it is an interesting indicator of how technology has advanced in the 50 years since that first edition, when the record was 426m per minute, or 25.6 km/h, less than half the speed of the new record," said Hein Le Roux, specialist researcher at the Guinness World Records. Taipei's TFC 101 Tower is more than 50m taller than the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - formerly the world's tallest skyscraper.
| The lifts take only 30 seconds to whisk passengers to the top of the 508m tall TFC 101 Tower in Taipei, Taiwan.The super-fast lifts can speed up to 24 passengers to the tip of the tower in about 30 seconds, while ascending their 382m track.The Guinness Book of Records has declared the 17m per second speed of the two lifts the swiftest on Earth.Curiously the lifts take longer to descend and spend almost a whole minute returning to ground level from the top of the TFC Tower.The 17m/s top speed of the lifts translates to about 38mph (61km/h).The key new technologies applied in the world's fastest elevators include: - A pressure control system, which adjusts the atmospheric pressure inside a car by using suction and discharge blowers, preventing "ear popping" - An active control system which tries to balance the lift more finely and remove the sources of vibrations - Streamlined cars to reduce the whistling noise produced by running the lifts at a high speed inside a narrow shaft "The certification of our elevators as world record-holders by the authoritative Guinness World Records is a great honour for us," said Masayuki Shimono, president of manufacturer Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems which installed the lifts. |
2,219 | Cebit fever takes over Hanover
Thousands of products and tens of thousands of visitors make Cebit the place to be for technology lovers.
"Welcome to CeBit 2005" was the message from the pilot as we landed, the message on flyers at the airport, and the message on just about every billboard in town. CeBit fever has taken over Hanover. Hotels have been booked out for months; local people are letting out rooms in their homes to the hoards of exhibitors, visitors, and journalists. CeBit itself is huge, the exhibition site could almost be classified as a town in its own right.
There are restaurants, shops, and a bus service between the halls - of which there are 27. There are more than 6,000 companies here, showing their latest products. The list of them that I was given when I came in is the size and weight of a phone book. One of the mains themes this year is the digital home, and one of the key buzzwords is convergence.
The "entertainment PC" is being billed as the replacement for DVD players, stereos, telephones and computers - offering a one-box solution, wirelessly connected throughout a house. To show them off, one display has been modelled as a prototype "digital lifestyle home" by German magazine Computer Reseller News. "We wanted to show how this fits into a living room or workplace, to give people a feeling how it would work in their homes," said Claudia Neulling from the magazine. The house has webcams for security in each room, which can be called up on the high definition TV, connected to the PC in the living room.
That PC provides home entertainment, movies or music. It can also be linked to the car parked outside, which is kitted out with a processor of its own, along with a DVD player and cordless headphones for the kids in the back. "Convergence for me is about how technology, the transfer of data, can do things that make it easier and more convenient for me as a consumer," said Mark Brailey, director of corporate marketing for Intel. "The real challenge is to show people it's easier than they think, and fun."
He firmly believes that entertainment PCs are the future, but says they have to get past people's fears of frequent crashes and incompatibilities. That is something Microsoft is trying to do too - its stand has computers running Windows XP Media Centre edition 2005 for people to try out. Mobile phones do not escape the convergence theme. Samsung is showing off its SGH-i300, a handset with a three gigabyte hard drive, that can be used to watch compressed video or as an MP3 player. And if you would rather watch live TV than a downloaded movie NEC is showing a phone, on sale in China, which can show analogue TV on its colour screen.
"I think the most probable application is at somewhere like the train station - if you want to check the status of the soccer game for example" said Koji Umemoto, manager of mobile terminals marketing for NEC. He admitted that the signal quality is not very good if you are on the move, and they do not have plans to launch it in Europe at the moment. Nokia was happy to demonstrate its 6230i, an upgrade to the very popular 6230.
It now has a 1.3 megapixel camera, and a music player that can handle multiple formats, rather than just MP3s. It is also compatible with Nokia's new Visual Radio technology. The handset can receive FM broadcasts, and the user can interact with compatible broadcasts using a GPRS connection, to take part in competitions or get extra information such as the name of the song playing. Most companies are reluctant to show prototypes, preferring to display products that are already on sale, or just about to hit the market.
Portable media player firm Creative showed off a new wireless technology, based on magnetic inductance rather than radio - a system some hearing aids use. "The benefits over conventional Bluetooth are the lack of interference, and longer battery life," said Riccardo de Rinaldini, Creative's European marketing manager. The firm has a prototype headset linked up to a Zen Micro player. The transmitter on the player creates a private, magnetic "bubble" around the user, which is picked up by the headset. The range is only about one metre so it is only suitable for personal use. A single AAA battery is said to last up to 30 hours. Creative expects it to hit the market in its final form later this year. Even clothing is likely to be part of the convergence trend. Adidas has a trainer which, according to Susanne Risse from the company, can "sense, understand, and adapt to your running style". It has a battery, processor, and motor embedded in the sole. Buttons on the side allow you to set the amount of cushioning you would like by adjusting the tension on a cable running through the heel. The processor then monitors the surface you are running on, and adjusts the tension accordingly. It is being billed as "the world's first intelligent shoe".
| To show them off, one display has been modelled as a prototype "digital lifestyle home" by German magazine Computer Reseller News.The firm has a prototype headset linked up to a Zen Micro player.It now has a 1.3 megapixel camera, and a music player that can handle multiple formats, rather than just MP3s.It has a battery, processor, and motor embedded in the sole.CeBit fever has taken over Hanover.One of the mains themes this year is the digital home, and one of the key buzzwords is convergence.The house has webcams for security in each room, which can be called up on the high definition TV, connected to the PC in the living room.And if you would rather watch live TV than a downloaded movie NEC is showing a phone, on sale in China, which can show analogue TV on its colour screen.Portable media player firm Creative showed off a new wireless technology, based on magnetic inductance rather than radio - a system some hearing aids use."We wanted to show how this fits into a living room or workplace, to give people a feeling how it would work in their homes," said Claudia Neulling from the magazine.That is something Microsoft is trying to do too - its stand has computers running Windows XP Media Centre edition 2005 for people to try out."Convergence for me is about how technology, the transfer of data, can do things that make it easier and more convenient for me as a consumer," said Mark Brailey, director of corporate marketing for Intel.Adidas has a trainer which, according to Susanne Risse from the company, can "sense, understand, and adapt to your running style".Most companies are reluctant to show prototypes, preferring to display products that are already on sale, or just about to hit the market.That PC provides home entertainment, movies or music.Mobile phones do not escape the convergence theme.The "entertainment PC" is being billed as the replacement for DVD players, stereos, telephones and computers - offering a one-box solution, wirelessly connected throughout a house. |
2,037 | Search sites get closer to users
Search sites want to get to know you better.
Not content with providing access to the millions of websites, many now offer ways that do a better job of remembering, cataloguing and managing all the information you come across. Some of the latest to update their search systems are Ask Jeeves and Blinkx, which have both released a series of utilities that try to help people get more from the web. "The future is all about developing your own personal web," said Tony Macklin, spokesman for Ask Jeeves.
Mr Macklin said that too often when people use a search engine it was like the first time they ever used it, because there was no memory of what they had searched for before. "Each time you go back in you have to start all over again," he said. The series of updates to its service, collected under the My Ask Jeeves banner, would help people remember where they had been before.
Ask Jeeves has added the ability to "save" websites of interest so the next time a users visits the site they can search through the sites they have previously found. Sites saved in this way can be arranged in folders and have notes attached to them to explain why they were saved. Mr Macklin said many people wanted to save sites they had seen but did not want to add them to their bookmarks or favourites not least because such lists cannot be easily searched. On average, said Mr Macklin, users conduct between five and 10 searches per day and the tools in My Ask Jeeves should stop them having to do searches twice and get to what they want much more easily. Under My Ask Jeeves users can search the web or through the results they have already noted as interesting. "It's about finding again what you found before," he said. The My Ask Jeeves service lets people store up to a 1000 web links or 5000 if they sign up to the free service. By way of comparison Google's Desktop search tool catalogues search histories informally and lets people look through the sites they have visited.
At the same time, search start-up Blinkx has released a second version of its eponymous software. Blinkx is desktop search software that watches what someone is working on, be it a document or e-mail, and suggests websites, video clips, blogs or documents on a PC that are relevant to it.
Since Blinkx launched it has faced increased competition from firms such as Google, Copernic, Enfish, X1 and Apple all of whom now have programs that let people search their PC as well as the web. "The competition has validated the problem we tackle," said Suranga Chandratillake, co-founder of Blinkx. In the latest release of Blinkx, the company has added what it calls smart folders. Once created the folders act as persistent queries that automatically sweep the web for pages related to their subject and catalogues relevant information, documents or incoming e-mails, on hard drives too. What users do with Blinkx and other desktop search engines shows that people tend to be very promiscuous in their use of search engines. "Blinkx users do not stop using other web search systems," he said. "They might use Google to look up a company, or Yahoo for travel because they know they are good at that," he said. "The classic thing we have seen recently, is people using Blinkx to look at the things they have searched on," he said. The variety of ways to search data was only helping users, said Mr Chandratillake and that it was likely that in the future people would use different ones for different tasks.
| "Blinkx users do not stop using other web search systems," he said.Some of the latest to update their search systems are Ask Jeeves and Blinkx, which have both released a series of utilities that try to help people get more from the web.On average, said Mr Macklin, users conduct between five and 10 searches per day and the tools in My Ask Jeeves should stop them having to do searches twice and get to what they want much more easily.What users do with Blinkx and other desktop search engines shows that people tend to be very promiscuous in their use of search engines.By way of comparison Google's Desktop search tool catalogues search histories informally and lets people look through the sites they have visited.Mr Macklin said that too often when people use a search engine it was like the first time they ever used it, because there was no memory of what they had searched for before.Under My Ask Jeeves users can search the web or through the results they have already noted as interesting.Ask Jeeves has added the ability to "save" websites of interest so the next time a users visits the site they can search through the sites they have previously found.The variety of ways to search data was only helping users, said Mr Chandratillake and that it was likely that in the future people would use different ones for different tasks.Since Blinkx launched it has faced increased competition from firms such as Google, Copernic, Enfish, X1 and Apple all of whom now have programs that let people search their PC as well as the web."The future is all about developing your own personal web," said Tony Macklin, spokesman for Ask Jeeves. |
24 | US trade gap hits record in 2004
The gap between US exports and imports hit an all-time high of $671.7bn (£484bn) in 2004, latest figures show.
The Commerce Department said the trade deficit for all of last year was 24.4% above the previous record - 2003's imbalance of $496.5bn. The deficit with China, up 30.5% at $162bn, was the largest ever recorded with a single country. However, on a monthly basis the US trade gap narrowed by 4.9% in December to £56.4bn. The US consumer's appetite for all things from oil to imported cars, and even wine and cheese, reached record levels last year and the figures are likely to spark fresh criticism of President Bush's economic policies.
Democrats claim the administration has not done enough to clamp down on unfair foreign trade practices. For example, they believe China's currency policy - which US manufacturers claim has undervalued the yuan by as much as 40% - has given China's rapidly expanding economy an unfair advantage against US competitors.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration argues that the US deficit reflects the fact the America is growing at faster rate than the rest of the world, spurring on more demand for imported goods. Some economists say this may allow an upward revision of US economic growth in the fourth quarter. But others point out that the deficit has reached such astronomical proportions that foreigners many choose not to hold as many dollar-denominated assets, which may in turn harm growth. For all of 2004, US exports rose 12.3% to $1.15 trillion, but imports rose even faster by 16.3% to a new record of $1.76 trillion. Foreign oil exports surged by 35.7% to a record $180.7bn, reflecting the rally in global oil prices and increasing domestic demand. Imports were not affected by the dollar's weakness last year. "We expect the deficit to continue to widen in 2005 even if the dollar gets back to its downward trend," said economist Marie-Pierre Ripert at IXIS.
| The Commerce Department said the trade deficit for all of last year was 24.4% above the previous record - 2003's imbalance of $496.5bn.The gap between US exports and imports hit an all-time high of $671.7bn (£484bn) in 2004, latest figures show.However, on a monthly basis the US trade gap narrowed by 4.9% in December to £56.4bn.The US consumer's appetite for all things from oil to imported cars, and even wine and cheese, reached record levels last year and the figures are likely to spark fresh criticism of President Bush's economic policies.For all of 2004, US exports rose 12.3% to $1.15 trillion, but imports rose even faster by 16.3% to a new record of $1.76 trillion.For example, they believe China's currency policy - which US manufacturers claim has undervalued the yuan by as much as 40% - has given China's rapidly expanding economy an unfair advantage against US competitors. |
1,659 | England 'to launch ref protest'
England will protest to the International Rugby Board (IRB) about the referee's performance in the defeat by Ireland, reports the Daily Mail.
England coach Andy Robinson has called on ex-international referees Colin High and Steve Lander to analyse several of Jonathan Kaplan's decisions. "I want to go through the tape with Colin and Steve," Robinson told the Daily Mail. "I want to speak to the IRB about it. I think only one side was refereed." High, the Rugby Football Union's referees' manager, claimed Kaplan made three major errors which changed the outcome of Sunday's match. England were beaten 19-13 by the Irish in Dublin, their third straight defeat in the 2005 Six Nations. "The International Rugby Board will be disappointed," High told the Daily Mail. "Jonathan Kaplan is in the top 20 in the world but that wasn't an international performance. "It would not have been acceptable in the Zurich Premiership. "If one of my referees had done that, I would have had my backside kicked for making the appointment. "If any English referee refereed like that in a European match, there would be an inquest. No question about that. "If someone had performed like that, he would have been pulled from the next game."
| England will protest to the International Rugby Board (IRB) about the referee's performance in the defeat by Ireland, reports the Daily Mail."The International Rugby Board will be disappointed," High told the Daily Mail."If any English referee refereed like that in a European match, there would be an inquest."I want to go through the tape with Colin and Steve," Robinson told the Daily Mail."If one of my referees had done that, I would have had my backside kicked for making the appointment.England coach Andy Robinson has called on ex-international referees Colin High and Steve Lander to analyse several of Jonathan Kaplan's decisions. |
379 | Reliance unit loses Anil Ambani
Anil Ambani, the younger of the two brothers in charge of India's largest private company, has resigned from running its petrochemicals subsidiary.
The move is likely to be seen as the latest twist in a feud between Mr Ambani and his brother Mukesh. Anil, 45, has stepped down as director and vice-chairman of Indian Petrochemicals Corporation (IPC). The company was not available for comment. IPC is 46%-owned by Reliance Industries which in turn is run by Mukesh. Mukesh has spoken of ownership issues between the two brothers, who took over control of the Reliance empire following the death of their father in July, 2002.
Reliance's operations have massive reach, covering textiles, telecommunications, petrochemicals, petroleum refining and marketing, as well as oil and gas exploration, insurance and financial services. The brothers' spat has hogged headlines in India during recent weeks, despite a denial from the family that there was anything wrong. Speculation has been rife about what has triggered the stand-off, with some observers blaming Anil's political ambitions, others the heavy investment by Mukesh and Reliance in a mobile phone venture. Shares of IPC dipped on the news in Mumbai, but recovered to trade almost 6% higher. Reliance shares added 1.7%, while Reliance Energy, headed by Anil, jumped 7%.
| Anil, 45, has stepped down as director and vice-chairman of Indian Petrochemicals Corporation (IPC).Mukesh has spoken of ownership issues between the two brothers, who took over control of the Reliance empire following the death of their father in July, 2002.IPC is 46%-owned by Reliance Industries which in turn is run by Mukesh.Speculation has been rife about what has triggered the stand-off, with some observers blaming Anil's political ambitions, others the heavy investment by Mukesh and Reliance in a mobile phone venture.Anil Ambani, the younger of the two brothers in charge of India's largest private company, has resigned from running its petrochemicals subsidiary. |
2,193 | Microsoft plans 'safer ID' system
Microsoft is planning to make Windows and Internet Explorer more secure by including software to give people more control over personal information.
"Info cards" will help people manage personal details on their PCs to make online services safer, said Microsoft. Microsoft's two previous programs, Passport and Hailstorm, aimed to protect users but were criticised. ID fraud is one of the UK's fastest-growing crimes, with criminals netting an estimated £1.3bn last year. A quarter of UK adults has either had their ID stolen, via hi-tech or other means, or knows someone who has, a recent report by Which? magazine found.
Microsoft is developing a new version of Internet Explorer browser and its operating system, Windows, which has been code-named Longhorn. Michael Stephenson, director in Microsoft's Windows Server division, would not confirm however whether the new info cards ID system will be built into the current Windows XP version or Longhorn.
"We're trying to make the end-user experience as simple as possible," Mr Stephenson said. The system would differ from its previous attempts to make online transactions more secure, said Microsoft. While Passport and Hailstorm stored user information centrally on the net, the latest system will store data on a user's PC. "It's going to put control of digital IDs into the hands of an end-user, the end-user will be in full control," said Mr Stephenson.
Hailstorm was criticised by privacy campaigners for putting too much sensitive information into the hands of a single company. Passport provides a single log-in for more than one website and stores basic personal information. But its popularity suffered after security scares. Up to 200 million Passport accounts were left vulnerable to online theft and malicious hackers after a flaw in the system was exploited in 2003. Online auction site, eBay, stopped supporting it in January 2005. Although the flaw was fixed, Microsoft has come under regular criticism for the number of security loopholes in Internet Explorer. Last year, it released a major security update for Windows, Service Pack 2, to combat some of the security concerns. Longhorn is due to be released commercially in late 2006, but an updated version of Internet Explorer is due for release later this year.
| Microsoft is planning to make Windows and Internet Explorer more secure by including software to give people more control over personal information.Microsoft is developing a new version of Internet Explorer browser and its operating system, Windows, which has been code-named Longhorn.The system would differ from its previous attempts to make online transactions more secure, said Microsoft.Although the flaw was fixed, Microsoft has come under regular criticism for the number of security loopholes in Internet Explorer."Info cards" will help people manage personal details on their PCs to make online services safer, said Microsoft.Michael Stephenson, director in Microsoft's Windows Server division, would not confirm however whether the new info cards ID system will be built into the current Windows XP version or Longhorn.While Passport and Hailstorm stored user information centrally on the net, the latest system will store data on a user's PC.Last year, it released a major security update for Windows, Service Pack 2, to combat some of the security concerns. |
1,526 | Jansen suffers a further setback
Blackburn striker Matt Jansen faces three weeks out after surgery to treat a cartilage problem.
But central defender Lorenzo Amoruso is moving closer to fitness following a knee operation. Rovers' assistant manager Mark Bowen said: "Matt had a small operation to trim knee cartilage. "It's a tiny piece of work, which should be a fairly quick recovery. Lorenzo is also jogging for the first time, along with kicking a ball." Jansen's career has been dogged by injury since a freak scooter accident two years ago.
He returned to first-team action soon after Mark Hughes' appointment as Blackburn boss and marked it with a goal against Portsmouth in his first appearance of the season. Bowen added: "I'm guessing, but I reckon maybe two to three weeks before he is back in action completely." The Rovers assistant boss forecast a longer time spell for Amoruso's availability for first-team duties. Bowen said: "There's still some scar tissue present so it will be some weeks. "It's a case of see how he goes. You can't put a real time on a comeback, we'll see how he progresses."
| Rovers' assistant manager Mark Bowen said: "Matt had a small operation to trim knee cartilage.Bowen added: "I'm guessing, but I reckon maybe two to three weeks before he is back in action completely."The Rovers assistant boss forecast a longer time spell for Amoruso's availability for first-team duties.You can't put a real time on a comeback, we'll see how he progresses."He returned to first-team action soon after Mark Hughes' appointment as Blackburn boss and marked it with a goal against Portsmouth in his first appearance of the season. |
365 | Nasdaq planning $100m-share sale
The owner of the technology-dominated Nasdaq stock index plans to sell shares to the public and list itself on the market it operates.
According to a registration document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nasdaq Stock Market plans to raise $100m (£52m) from the sale. Some observers see this as another step closer to a full public listing. However Nasdaq, an icon of the 1990s technology boom, recently poured cold water on those suggestions.
The company first sold shares in private placements during 2000 and 2001. It technically went public in 2002 when the stock started trading on the OTC Bulletin Board, which lists equities that trade only occasionally. Nasdaq will not make money from the sale, only investors who bought shares in the private placings, the filing documents said. The Nasdaq is made up shares in technology firms and other companies with high growth potential. It was the most potent symbol of the 1990s internet and telecoms boom, nose-diving after the bubble burst. A recovery in the fortunes of tech giants such as Intel, and dot.com survivors such as Amazon has helped revive its fortunes.
| The owner of the technology-dominated Nasdaq stock index plans to sell shares to the public and list itself on the market it operates.The Nasdaq is made up shares in technology firms and other companies with high growth potential.Nasdaq will not make money from the sale, only investors who bought shares in the private placings, the filing documents said.According to a registration document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nasdaq Stock Market plans to raise $100m (£52m) from the sale. |
7 | Jobs growth still slow in the US
The US created fewer jobs than expected in January, but a fall in jobseekers pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in three years.
According to Labor Department figures, US firms added only 146,000 jobs in January. The gain in non-farm payrolls was below market expectations of 190,000 new jobs. Nevertheless it was enough to push down the unemployment rate to 5.2%, its lowest level since September 2001. The job gains mean that President Bush can celebrate - albeit by a very fine margin - a net growth in jobs in the US economy in his first term in office. He presided over a net fall in jobs up to last November's Presidential election - the first President to do so since Herbert Hoover. As a result, job creation became a key issue in last year's election. However, when adding December and January's figures, the administration's first term jobs record ended in positive territory.
The Labor Department also said it had revised down the jobs gains in December 2004, from 157,000 to 133,000.
Analysts said the growth in new jobs was not as strong as could be expected given the favourable economic conditions. "It suggests that employment is continuing to expand at a moderate pace," said Rick Egelton, deputy chief economist at BMO Financial Group. "We are not getting the boost to employment that we would have got given the low value of the dollar and the still relatively low interest rate environment." "The economy is producing a moderate but not a satisfying amount of job growth," said Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics. "That means there are a limited number of new opportunities for workers."
| The job gains mean that President Bush can celebrate - albeit by a very fine margin - a net growth in jobs in the US economy in his first term in office.Analysts said the growth in new jobs was not as strong as could be expected given the favourable economic conditions.The Labor Department also said it had revised down the jobs gains in December 2004, from 157,000 to 133,000.The US created fewer jobs than expected in January, but a fall in jobseekers pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in three years."The economy is producing a moderate but not a satisfying amount of job growth," said Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics.He presided over a net fall in jobs up to last November's Presidential election - the first President to do so since Herbert Hoover. |
1,537 | Bristol City 2-1 Milton Keynes
Leroy Lita took his goal tally to 13 for the season as his double earned City an LDV Vans Trophy win.
The striker finished off Scott Murray cross from close range just seconds before half-time. Lita then made it 2-0 on 52 minutes, but Dons' substitute Serge Makofo then netted a great volley to make it 2-1. The visitors almost took the tie to extra time with a late 30-yard bullet from Richard Johnson which was well held by Steve Phillips.
Phillips, Amankwaah, Coles, Hill, Fortune, Murray (Anyinsah 59), Doherty (Harley 45), Dinning, Bell, Lita (Cotterill 72), Gillespie. Subs Not Used: Orr, Brown.
Hill.
Lita 45, 52.
Bevan, Oyedele, Ntimban-Zeh, Crooks, Puncheon, Kamara (Makofo 64), Chorley, Herve (McKoy 45), Tapp (Johnson 45), Mackie, Pacquette. Subs Not Used: Martin, Palmer.
Pacquette, Chorley, Johnson, McKoy.
Makofo 66.
3,367
J Ross (Essex).
| Phillips, Amankwaah, Coles, Hill, Fortune, Murray (Anyinsah 59), Doherty (Harley 45), Dinning, Bell, Lita (Cotterill 72), Gillespie.Bevan, Oyedele, Ntimban-Zeh, Crooks, Puncheon, Kamara (Makofo 64), Chorley, Herve (McKoy 45), Tapp (Johnson 45), Mackie, Pacquette.Lita 45, 52.Lita then made it 2-0 on 52 minutes, but Dons' substitute Serge Makofo then netted a great volley to make it 2-1.Pacquette, Chorley, Johnson, McKoy.Subs Not Used: Orr, Brown. |
1,801 | Williams battles to Aussie title
Serena Williams staged a remarkable recovery to beat Lindsay Davenport and win her second Australian Open title.
The 2003 champion claimed her seventh Grand Slam title, and her first since Wimbledon in 2003, 2-6 6-3 6-0. Williams had looked close to quitting with a rib injury when she left the court for treatment after five games. She quickly dropped the first set but from 3-3 in the second found another gear as Davenport's game collapsed, allowing Williams to take the title. Williams later explained her injury problem, saying it was the result of lunging for a ball early in the first set. "Lindsay had me on the run out wide on my backhand and my back went but eventually I was able to come back, thank goodness," she said. Davenport paid tribute to Williams, saying: "She's had a tough couple of years and she's come back like a champion."
The 23-year-old former world number one was in desperate trouble in the early stages as the injury hampered her service action. Davenport took advantage to race through the opening set and held six break points in game five of the second. "I kept thinking to myself 'I'm not losing this game," said Williams afterwards. "'I don't care if my arm falls off, I'm not losing this game'. And I guess that's what happened. "I didn't want to lose that particular game because it would have given her a lot of momentum, and a lot of confidence." Despite letting the break points slip away Davenport looked comfortable enough at 3-3, but from 40-0 up she just folded. Williams won nine consecutive points for the set and powered through the decider as a lacklustre Davenport looked to have run out of energy after a gruelling two weeks. "I felt like I was playing well and in control pretty much of the match," said Davenport. "Then I just had that horrible lapse, I think serving up 40-0, and made a few errors and opened up the door for her and she just kept going through it. "At the end I think I was a little bit fatigued but she took advantage of it and kept going - she's a great frontrunner when she gets going."
| "I kept thinking to myself 'I'm not losing this game," said Williams afterwards.Davenport took advantage to race through the opening set and held six break points in game five of the second.Williams later explained her injury problem, saying it was the result of lunging for a ball early in the first set.She quickly dropped the first set but from 3-3 in the second found another gear as Davenport's game collapsed, allowing Williams to take the title.Williams won nine consecutive points for the set and powered through the decider as a lacklustre Davenport looked to have run out of energy after a gruelling two weeks.Davenport paid tribute to Williams, saying: "She's had a tough couple of years and she's come back like a champion."Serena Williams staged a remarkable recovery to beat Lindsay Davenport and win her second Australian Open title."At the end I think I was a little bit fatigued but she took advantage of it and kept going - she's a great frontrunner when she gets going." |
820 | BBC denies Blackadder TV comeback
The BBC has said there are no plans in the pipeline for a new series of hit comedy Blackadder, which ended in 1989.
Tony Robinson, who played the servant Baldrick, told ITV1's This Morning the show's star, Rowan Atkinson, was "more keen than he has been in the past". Robinson added he would "love" to do another series, each of which was set in a different era, ranging from the 15th century to World War I. But the BBC said on Thursday there were no plans for a comeback.
In the final series all the main characters were killed off charging towards German lines after being ordered out of their trench. The poignant finale was later voted the best farewell episode of a TV series. A host of other UK actors, including Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Miranda Richardson, also appeared in the show. Blackadder returned for a one-off special filmed to celebrate the arrival of the millennium in 1999. It was shown at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich before being screened on BSkyB.
| The BBC has said there are no plans in the pipeline for a new series of hit comedy Blackadder, which ended in 1989.The poignant finale was later voted the best farewell episode of a TV series.Robinson added he would "love" to do another series, each of which was set in a different era, ranging from the 15th century to World War I.It was shown at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich before being screened on BSkyB. |
719 | US show sued for rat-eating stunt
A US TV network is being sued for $2.5m (£1.3m) by a viewer who says he was disgusted by watching contestants eat dead rats in a stunt show.
Austin Aitken is taking action against NBC over its programme Fear Factor. He said watching the show caused his blood pressure to rise so high that he became dizzy and light-headed. The legal assistant said NBC was "sending the wrong message to viewers that cash can make or have people do just about anything beyond reasoning". The hand-written, four-page lawsuit said: "To have the individuals on the show eat and drink dead rats was crazy and from a viewer's point of view made me throw-up as well as another in the house at the same time." Mr Aitken, who lives in Cleveland, said that after becoming light-headed, he ran towards the bedroom and knocked his head in a doorway. A spokesman for NBC said it had no comment on the lawsuit, but confirmed the stunt show did feature a rat-eating scene in New York's Times Square on 8 November. Past shows have featured viewers eating spiders and live worms. The programme has been screened in the UK on Sky One.
| A US TV network is being sued for $2.5m (£1.3m) by a viewer who says he was disgusted by watching contestants eat dead rats in a stunt show.A spokesman for NBC said it had no comment on the lawsuit, but confirmed the stunt show did feature a rat-eating scene in New York's Times Square on 8 November.The hand-written, four-page lawsuit said: "To have the individuals on the show eat and drink dead rats was crazy and from a viewer's point of view made me throw-up as well as another in the house at the same time."He said watching the show caused his blood pressure to rise so high that he became dizzy and light-headed. |
2,214 | Anti-spam laws bite spammer hard
The net's self-declared spam king is seeking bankruptcy protection.
Scott Richter, the man behind OptInRealBig.com and billions of junk mail messages, said lawsuits had forced the company into Chapter 11. OptInRealBig was fighting several legal battles, most notably against Microsoft, which is pushing for millions of dollars in damages. The company said filing for Chapter 11 would help it try to resolve its legal problems but still keep trading.
Listed as the third biggest spammer in the world by junk mail watchdog Spamhaus, OptInRealBig was sued in December 2003 for sending mail messages that violated anti-spam laws. The lawsuit was brought by Microsoft and New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer who alleged that Mr Richter and his accomplices sent billions of spam messages through 514 compromised net addresses in 35 countries. According to Microsoft the messages were sent via net addresses owned by the Kuwait Ministries of Communication and Finance, several Korean schools, the Seoul Municipal Boramae Hospital, and the Virginia Community College System. Mr Richter settled the attorney general case in July 2004 but the legal fight with Microsoft is continuing. Microsoft is seeking millions in dollars in damages from OptInRealBig under anti-spam laws that impose penalties for every violation. In a statement announcing the desire to seek bankruptcy protection the company said it: "could not continue to contend with legal maneuvers (sic) by a number of companies across the country, including Microsoft, and still run a viable business." In its Chapter 11 filing OptInRealBig claimed it had assets of less than $10m (£5.29m) but debts of more than $50m which included the $46m that Microsoft is seeking via its lawsuit. "The litigation has been a relentless distraction with which to contend," said Steven Richter, legal counsel for OptInRealBig. "But, make no mistake, we do expect to prevail." For its part OptInRealBig describes itself as a premier internet marketing company and said the move to seek Chapter 11 was necessary to let it keep trading while sorting out its legal battles.
| OptInRealBig was fighting several legal battles, most notably against Microsoft, which is pushing for millions of dollars in damages.For its part OptInRealBig describes itself as a premier internet marketing company and said the move to seek Chapter 11 was necessary to let it keep trading while sorting out its legal battles.In its Chapter 11 filing OptInRealBig claimed it had assets of less than $10m (£5.29m) but debts of more than $50m which included the $46m that Microsoft is seeking via its lawsuit.In a statement announcing the desire to seek bankruptcy protection the company said it: "could not continue to contend with legal maneuvers (sic) by a number of companies across the country, including Microsoft, and still run a viable business."The lawsuit was brought by Microsoft and New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer who alleged that Mr Richter and his accomplices sent billions of spam messages through 514 compromised net addresses in 35 countries."The litigation has been a relentless distraction with which to contend," said Steven Richter, legal counsel for OptInRealBig. |
957 | Assembly ballot papers 'missing'
Hundreds of ballot papers for the regional assembly referendum in the North East have "disappeared".
Royal Mail says it is investigating the situation, which has meant about 300 homes in County Durham are not receiving voting packs. Officials at Darlington Council are now in a race against time to try and rectify the situation. The all-postal votes of about two million electors are due to be handed in by 4 November. A spokesman for Darlington Council said: "We have sent out the ballot papers, the problem is with Royal Mail. "Somewhere along the line, something has gone wrong and these ballot papers have not been delivered. "The Royal Mail is investigating to see if they can find out what the problem is."
A spokeswoman for Royal Mail said: "We are investigating a problem with the delivery route in the Mowden area of Darlington. "This is affecting several hundred properties, which have failed to receive ballot papers. "We are working closely with the council and will do all we can to help rectify the problem. "No-one will not receive their ballot paper as special hand deliveries will take place where necessary. "We are unaware of any other problems of this kind to do with the regional assembly vote."
The Darlington Council spokesman added: "Initially we had complaints from a couple of residents in Mowden to say they thought they should have had their ballot papers by now. "We then made further investigations and it became clear this was a bigger issue." A spokeswoman for the Electoral Commission told BBC News Online that letters were being sent out to those homes affected. She said the commission was satisfied that measures had been put in place to ensure all voters received ballot papers in time. So far a total of 569,072 ballot envelopes have been scanned by bar code at counting offices across the North East.
| A spokesman for Darlington Council said: "We have sent out the ballot papers, the problem is with Royal Mail.A spokeswoman for Royal Mail said: "We are investigating a problem with the delivery route in the Mowden area of Darlington.The Darlington Council spokesman added: "Initially we had complaints from a couple of residents in Mowden to say they thought they should have had their ballot papers by now.She said the commission was satisfied that measures had been put in place to ensure all voters received ballot papers in time.Hundreds of ballot papers for the regional assembly referendum in the North East have "disappeared"."The Royal Mail is investigating to see if they can find out what the problem is.""No-one will not receive their ballot paper as special hand deliveries will take place where necessary. |
2,186 | Bad e-mail habits sustains spam
The 'bad behaviour' of e-mail users is helping to sustain the spam industry, a new study has found.
According to a survey conducted by security firm Mirapoint and market research company the Radicati Group, nearly a third of e-mail users have clicked on links in spam messages. One in ten users have bought products advertised in junk mail. Clicking on a link in a spam message can expose people to viruses and alert spammers to live e-mail accounts.
The fact that one in ten e-mail users are buying things advertised in spam continues to make it an attractive business, especially given that sending out huge amounts of spam costs very little, the report concludes. "This preliminary data is surprising and somewhat shocking to us," said Marcel Nienhuis, market analyst at the Radicati Group. "It explains why e-mail security threats including spam, viruses and phishing scams continue to proliferate," he said, accusing users of "bad e-mail behaviour". Spammers are increasingly hooking into whatever happens to be flavour of the month, according to security firm Clearswift. It has recently seen a rise in the number of spam messages offering phoney Sony PSP giveaways. And, in perhaps a nod to the popularity of the American drama series Desperate Housewives, it has also seen a dramatic rise in junk mails purporting to give details of women looking for casual sex. But rather than finding a companion, users who click on such mail will find themselves redirected to porn sites, where they run the risk of downloading spyware on to their PC. Clearswift has seen a 180% rise in sex-related spam over the course of the last month. "Without casting aspersions, those likely to respond to these kind of adverts will be invariably hoping that 'one thing leads to another' but aside from the fact that these mails are bogus, clicking on any link within a spam mail can lead to a whole host of unwanted problems," said Alyn Hockey, Clearswift's director of research.
Sexually explicit terms make up 14% of security firm Sophos' top 50 word that spammers most commonly try to disguise in order to beat anti-spam filters. Spammers will deliberately misspell a word or use digits instead of letters in an attempt to by-pass anti-spam software, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for security firm Sophos. "The list of words most commonly hidden by the spammers from anti-spam software reveals that most spam is about the old favourites: money, drugs and sex," said Mr Cluley. But anti-spam filters can only be part of the solution to the menace of junk e-mail. "People must resist their basic instincts to buy from spam mails. Spammers are criminals, plain and simple. If no-one responded to junk e-mail and didn't buy products sold in this way, then spam would be as extinct as the dinosaurs," he said.
| "It explains why e-mail security threats including spam, viruses and phishing scams continue to proliferate," he said, accusing users of "bad e-mail behaviour".According to a survey conducted by security firm Mirapoint and market research company the Radicati Group, nearly a third of e-mail users have clicked on links in spam messages.The fact that one in ten e-mail users are buying things advertised in spam continues to make it an attractive business, especially given that sending out huge amounts of spam costs very little, the report concludes.The 'bad behaviour' of e-mail users is helping to sustain the spam industry, a new study has found.If no-one responded to junk e-mail and didn't buy products sold in this way, then spam would be as extinct as the dinosaurs," he said.Clicking on a link in a spam message can expose people to viruses and alert spammers to live e-mail accounts.Clearswift has seen a 180% rise in sex-related spam over the course of the last month."The list of words most commonly hidden by the spammers from anti-spam software reveals that most spam is about the old favourites: money, drugs and sex," said Mr Cluley. |
1,117 | Clarke defends terror detentions
The home secretary has defended his decision not to release foreign terror suspects despite a legal ruling their detention breached human rights laws.
House of Lords law lords ruled against the detention measures last week. They said it was wrong to have one set of laws for foreign suspects and another for British suspects. New Home Secretary Charles Clarke said he would carefully consider the ruling and would return to Parliament early in the new year with proposals.
He insisted that he would not be rushed into judgement but would examine the law lords' findings in detail. "My duty is to look at first of all the security of this country and in so doing to consider very carefully the precise legal measures that there are." Mr Clarke's comments came in response to an emergency question from Liberal Democrat constitutional affairs spokesman David Heath. Mr Heath said the judgement contained "unprecedented condemnation and could not have been more unequivocal". He said he accepted the difficult balance between the nation's security and human rights but questioned why the home office had made "no contingency plans for the present circumstances".
"These detainees should be prosecuted and tried. Simply renewing the present deeply unsatisfactory legislation is not an option." Shadow home secretary David Davis said it was not possible to overstate the importance of the judgment and urged the government to move as fast as "competently possible" to sort the problem out in the interests of natural justice. "If you do, we will give you every support." The law lords' ruling came on Charles Clarke's first day as home secretary last Thursday following David Blunkett's resignation. In a statement on the same day, Mr Clarke said: "I will be asking Parliament to renew this legislation in the New Year. "In the meantime, we will be studying the judgment carefully to see whether it is possible to modify our legislation to address the concerns raised by the House of Lords."
But the government was widely criticised for insisting the detentions would continue following the ruling last week. Lord Bingham - a senior law lord - said the rules were incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights as they allowed detentions "in a way that discriminates on the ground of nationality or immigration status" by justifying detention without trial for foreign suspects, but not Britons. Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead, in his ruling, said: "Indefinite imprisonment without charge or trial is anathema in any country which observes the rule of law." The detainees took their case to the House of Lords after the Court of Appeal backed the Home Office's powers to hold them without limit or charge. The government opted out of part of the European Convention on Human Rights concerning the right to a fair trial in order to bring in anti-terrorism legislation in response to the 11 September attacks in the US.
| The law lords' ruling came on Charles Clarke's first day as home secretary last Thursday following David Blunkett's resignation.New Home Secretary Charles Clarke said he would carefully consider the ruling and would return to Parliament early in the new year with proposals.House of Lords law lords ruled against the detention measures last week.Lord Bingham - a senior law lord - said the rules were incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights as they allowed detentions "in a way that discriminates on the ground of nationality or immigration status" by justifying detention without trial for foreign suspects, but not Britons.Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead, in his ruling, said: "Indefinite imprisonment without charge or trial is anathema in any country which observes the rule of law."The home secretary has defended his decision not to release foreign terror suspects despite a legal ruling their detention breached human rights laws.In a statement on the same day, Mr Clarke said: "I will be asking Parliament to renew this legislation in the New Year.But the government was widely criticised for insisting the detentions would continue following the ruling last week.They said it was wrong to have one set of laws for foreign suspects and another for British suspects. |
2,171 | Cebit opens to mobile music tune
Cebit, the world's largest hi-tech fair, has opened its doors in Hanover for a look at the latest technologies for homes and businesses.
There are more than 6,000 exhibitors registered and about 500,000 visitors are expected to pass through the doors. Third generation mobiles, the digital home and broadband are key themes at the show. Camera phones will get better resolutions as vendors set out to prove that bigger is definitely better. Samsung is set to steal some initial limelight with the launch of a 7-megapixel phone on the opening day.
The SCH-V770 has some of the features of high-end digital single lens reflex cameras such as manual focus and the ability to attach a telephoto or wide-angle lens. Camera phones are likely to prove an interesting battle ground at the show, said Ben Wood, principal analyst at research firm Gartner. "It is firmly established that cameras are an integral part of phones and now the technology arms race is on in terms of megapixels. There will be a certain amount of 'look how big mine is'," he said. There will also be increasing focus on music-enabled mobiles. "At 3GSM in Cannes everyone went music mad and music is going to be a big theme for all the vendors at Cebit," said Mr Wood. Sony Ericsson will use the fair to show off the W800 - its recently unveiled Walkman branded phone - and there is speculation that Motorola may unveil its ROKR handset, widely tipped as the first to carry Apple's iTunes music software. Apple and Motorola announced they were getting together at the end of last year as a result of a long-standing friendship between Motorola's chief executive Ed Zander and Steve Jobs.
Some analysts think Motorola may save the launch for CTIA, a wireless show in America the following week, which could be a telling sign about how operators are coming to view the German tech fair.
"One of the interesting things is that CeBIT is clearly a show in decline," said Mr Wood. "A lot of the big players, such as Nokia, are pulling back saying it is hard to justify a big presence at all of the shows. It could be the last big year for Cebit," he said. Other themes include TV-enabled mobiles which are bound to create a buzz in the halls as Vodafone unveils a prototype handset that can show live digital television. There has been a glut of recent headlines about mobile TV - French operators are teaming up, O2 is trialling a system in Oxford, UK, and Nokia begins trialling a system in Finland with the Finnish Broadcasting Company, YLE TV and commercial TV channels. Cebit could become the battleground for the two competing methods for getting TV on to mobiles, and is also likely to provide a stage for a technology slated to compete with 3G. HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) has been described as "3G on steroids" and could offer consumers much faster download times. For instance, a song which currently takes one and a half minutes to download to a phone could be done in 10 seconds. Korean giants LG Electronics and Samsung will show off HSDPA handsets at the show and the technology is set to be rolled out in the US, Europe and Korea next year. Broadband will continue to be a key theme at the show with internet telephony proving this year's killer application.
Germany's largest online service provider, T-Online, is tipped to reveal software for low-cost net telephony which would see it competing with its parent company Deutsche Telekom. Cebit is used by many to unveil cutting edge products and in the mobile sphere this is likely to mean a lot of bright, colourful handsets as fashion continues to compete with technology when it comes to the device everyone has in their pockets. Rainbow-coloured phones, influenced by handsets from Japan, are just one example of how Asian companies will stamp their mark on this year's show, at which they will have their biggest ever presence. Cebit organisers have created a digital home in Hall 25 of the 27 hangar-like buildings that will house the show. "The digital home will be a hyped theme at the show. The house will be totally wired and full of things that can be used for home entertainment," said Cebit organiser Gabriele Dorries.
| "The digital home will be a hyped theme at the show.It could be the last big year for Cebit," he said.Third generation mobiles, the digital home and broadband are key themes at the show."One of the interesting things is that CeBIT is clearly a show in decline," said Mr Wood.Cebit organisers have created a digital home in Hall 25 of the 27 hangar-like buildings that will house the show.Camera phones are likely to prove an interesting battle ground at the show, said Ben Wood, principal analyst at research firm Gartner.Korean giants LG Electronics and Samsung will show off HSDPA handsets at the show and the technology is set to be rolled out in the US, Europe and Korea next year."At 3GSM in Cannes everyone went music mad and music is going to be a big theme for all the vendors at Cebit," said Mr Wood.Cebit could become the battleground for the two competing methods for getting TV on to mobiles, and is also likely to provide a stage for a technology slated to compete with 3G.Other themes include TV-enabled mobiles which are bound to create a buzz in the halls as Vodafone unveils a prototype handset that can show live digital television.Cebit, the world's largest hi-tech fair, has opened its doors in Hanover for a look at the latest technologies for homes and businesses.Sony Ericsson will use the fair to show off the W800 - its recently unveiled Walkman branded phone - and there is speculation that Motorola may unveil its ROKR handset, widely tipped as the first to carry Apple's iTunes music software. |
1,160 | Blair looks to election campaign
Tony Blair's big speech will be looked back on as the performance that kicked off the election campaign.
That poll may still be about 16 weeks away, but there can be little doubt left that the campaign is now in full swing. The prime minister used his speech to a selected audience in the south east to set out his broad brush election manifesto. There was a detailed account of the government's past record, with a major emphasis on the economy and public services. There was an attempt to draw the line under the gossip surrounding his rift with Chancellor Gordon Brown. And there was an insistence on the importance of the party continuing to operate as unremittingly "New" Labour - although that may continue to irritate his chancellor.
There was little in terms of concrete proposals or what might form manifesto pledges, although the prime minister talked about a "New Labour manifesto that will be aimed at all sections of society". His was more a speech designed to remind people, and some in his own party, precisely what New Labour stood for, and to leave them in no doubt there would not be any shrinking away from that approach. And, for some, that means showing that New Labour actually does stand for something - that it is, as he said, more than "an electoral device".
To that end he set out a broad programme aimed to appeal to both middle England voters who switched to the party in 1997 and stuck with it, possibly through some gritted teeth, in 2001, and to more traditional lower income old Labour supporters. In a key section, he declared: "In our third term we can achieve an unprecedented widening of opportunity and prosperity. "For the first time ever a whole generation growing up with unbroken economic stability. Every family - not just the fortunate few - knowing their children will have an inheritance at adulthood. "Every pupil in every secondary school guaranteed a place in university or a quality apprenticeship. Every adult - including those who missed out at school - able to get the skills then need to advance. "Home ownership extended to its highest ever level and to families who have never before been able to afford it. "The highest ever level of employment with everyone in work guaranteed a decent wage and decent conditions".
Under what is to be the general election slogan "Britain is working", the prime minister time and again insisted the future direction would be unremittingly New Labour. That might get under the skin of Mr Brown, but he also heaped praise on him as the most successful post-war chancellor Britain has had. Probably the greatest ideological divide between the two men, in so far as there is one, is about the degree of private finance allowed into the public services.
An unremittingly "New" Labour manifesto, as the prime minister is happy to make plain, will stress the importance of that - the belief patients and parents, for example, want a choice of good services before they start worrying about who has provided them. The chancellor is said to be far more sceptical about private finance, although there is no suggestion he opposes it in principle. With an election looming the next big speech from Gordon Brown will be closely examined for any signs of divisions and, in particular, the use of that little three letter word. But for now, all eyes have been focused on the next general election. And for many in Westminster, Mr Blair's performance has only succeeded in hardening the belief that will be on 5 May.
| There was little in terms of concrete proposals or what might form manifesto pledges, although the prime minister talked about a "New Labour manifesto that will be aimed at all sections of society".And there was an insistence on the importance of the party continuing to operate as unremittingly "New" Labour - although that may continue to irritate his chancellor.Under what is to be the general election slogan "Britain is working", the prime minister time and again insisted the future direction would be unremittingly New Labour.His was more a speech designed to remind people, and some in his own party, precisely what New Labour stood for, and to leave them in no doubt there would not be any shrinking away from that approach.An unremittingly "New" Labour manifesto, as the prime minister is happy to make plain, will stress the importance of that - the belief patients and parents, for example, want a choice of good services before they start worrying about who has provided them.The prime minister used his speech to a selected audience in the south east to set out his broad brush election manifesto.With an election looming the next big speech from Gordon Brown will be closely examined for any signs of divisions and, in particular, the use of that little three letter word."Home ownership extended to its highest ever level and to families who have never before been able to afford it.Tony Blair's big speech will be looked back on as the performance that kicked off the election campaign."Every pupil in every secondary school guaranteed a place in university or a quality apprenticeship. |
634 | Byrds producer Melcher dies at 62
Record producer Terry Melcher, who was behind hits by the Byrds, Ry Cooder and the Beach Boys, has died aged 62.
The son of actress Doris Day, he helped write Kokomo for the Beach Boys, which was used in the movie Cocktail, earning a 1988 Golden Globe nomination. He also produced Mr Tambourine Man for the Byrds, as well as other his such as Turn, Turn Turn. Melcher died on Friday night at his home in Beverly Hills, California, after a long battle with skin cancer. He joined Columbia Records as a producer in the mid-1960s, and also worked with Gram Parsons and the Mamas and the Papas.
Earlier in his career, Melcher had hits as part of duo called Bruce & Terry, with future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, which evolved into the Rip Chords group. Melcher also worked closely with his mother, producing The Doris Day Show and helping to run her charitable activities. In 1969 his name became linked with the Charles Manson murders, which saw the deaths of actress Sharon Tate and four of her friends at a home which Melcher once rented. Rumours circulated that Melcher - who knew Manson - was the killer's real target, because he had turned him down for a record contract. But Los Angeles police discounted the rumours, pointing out Melcher had moved to Malibu, and Manson knew of his new address.
| Record producer Terry Melcher, who was behind hits by the Byrds, Ry Cooder and the Beach Boys, has died aged 62.Rumours circulated that Melcher - who knew Manson - was the killer's real target, because he had turned him down for a record contract.Melcher also worked closely with his mother, producing The Doris Day Show and helping to run her charitable activities.But Los Angeles police discounted the rumours, pointing out Melcher had moved to Malibu, and Manson knew of his new address. |
771 | Brits return Keane to number one
Brits success has helped return Keane's award-winning album Hopes and Fears back to the top of the UK album chart.
The debut album, which took the best British album title at the Brits on Tuesday, moved up seven places from number eight to number one. Also capitalising on Brits success were the Scissor Sisters whose eponymous album moved three places to number two. U2's latest single Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own took the top spot in the singles chart, ahead of Elvis. The track, from their current album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, pushed Eminem's Like Toy Soldiers from number one to number three.
Elvis' Wooden Heart, which entered the chart at number two, is the sixth in a series of 18 reissues to mark the 70th anniversary of Presley's birth. There are currently six re-released Elvis' tracks occupying spots in the top 40 singles chart including Are You Lonesome Tonight at number 20, It's Now or Never at number 27 and Jailhouse Rock at number 37. Soldier, by Destiny's Child, Ti and Lil Wayne, debuted at number four, while Almost Here, the duet from former Westlife star Brian McFadden and Delta Goodrem, fell from number three to number five. There was more follow up to Brits success for Franz Ferdinand won best rock act and best British group last week. Their self-titled album moved from 13 to number four. Last week's number one album Tourist, by Athlete, fell to number three.
| The debut album, which took the best British album title at the Brits on Tuesday, moved up seven places from number eight to number one.Last week's number one album Tourist, by Athlete, fell to number three.There are currently six re-released Elvis' tracks occupying spots in the top 40 singles chart including Are You Lonesome Tonight at number 20, It's Now or Never at number 27 and Jailhouse Rock at number 37.Their self-titled album moved from 13 to number four.The track, from their current album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, pushed Eminem's Like Toy Soldiers from number one to number three. |
511 | Gallery unveils interactive tree
A Christmas tree that can receive text messages has been unveiled at London's Tate Britain art gallery.
The spruce has an antenna which can receive Bluetooth texts sent by visitors to the Tate. The messages will be "unwrapped" by sculptor Richard Wentworth, who is responsible for decorating the tree with broken plates and light bulbs. It is the 17th year that the gallery has invited an artist to dress their Christmas tree. Artists who have decorated the Tate tree in previous years include Tracey Emin in 2002.
The plain green Norway spruce is displayed in the gallery's foyer. Its light bulb adornments are dimmed, ordinary domestic ones joined together with string. The plates decorating the branches will be auctioned off for the children's charity ArtWorks. Wentworth worked as an assistant to sculptor Henry Moore in the late 1960s. His reputation as a sculptor grew in the 1980s, while he has been one of the most influential teachers during the last two decades. Wentworth is also known for his photography of mundane, everyday subjects such as a cigarette packet jammed under the wonky leg of a table.
| The messages will be "unwrapped" by sculptor Richard Wentworth, who is responsible for decorating the tree with broken plates and light bulbs.A Christmas tree that can receive text messages has been unveiled at London's Tate Britain art gallery.It is the 17th year that the gallery has invited an artist to dress their Christmas tree.The spruce has an antenna which can receive Bluetooth texts sent by visitors to the Tate.His reputation as a sculptor grew in the 1980s, while he has been one of the most influential teachers during the last two decades. |
2,032 | Mobile picture power in your pocket
How many times have you wanted to have a camera to hand to catch an unexpected event that would make headlines?
With a modern mobile phone that has a camera built in, you no longer need to curse, you can capture the action as it happens. Already on-the-spot snappers are helping newspapers add immediacy to their breaking news stories headlines, where professional photographers only arrive in time for the aftermath. Celebrities might not welcome such a change because they may never be free of a new breed of mobile phone paparazzi making their lives a bit more difficult. Already one tabloid newspaper in LA is issuing photographers with camera phones to help them catch celebrities at play. It could be the start of a trend that only increases as higher resolution phone cameras become more widespread; as video phones catch on and millions of people start carrying the gadgets around.
Only last week, the world media highlighted the killing of the Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh, notorious after making a controversial film about Islamic culture.
One day later De Telegraaf, a daily Amsterdam newspaper, became news on its own when it published a picture taken with a mobile phone of Mr van Gogh's body moments after he was killed. "This picture was the story", said De Telegraaf's image editor, Peter Schoonen. Other accounts of such picture phone users witnessing news events, include:
- A flight from Switzerland to the Dominican Republic which turned around after someone took a picture of a piece of metal falling from the plane as it took off from Zurich (reported by the Swiss daily Le Matin).
- Two crooks who robbed a bank in Denmark were snapped before they carried out the crime waiting for the doors of the building to be opened (reported by the Danish regional paper Aarhus Stiftstidende).
But this is not just about traditional media lending immediacy to their stories with content from ordinary people, it is also about first-hand journalism in the form of online diaries or weblogs.
It has been called "open source news" or even "moblog journalism" and it has flourished in the recent US election campaign. "Not many people walk around with their cameras, but they always have their mobile phones with them. If something happens, suddenly all these mobiles sort of appear from nowhere, and start taking pictures," said digital artist Henry Reichhold. He himself uses mobile phone pictures to create huge panoramic images of events and places. "You see it in bars, you see it everywhere. It's a massive thing," Mr Reichhold told the BBC News website.
With some picture agencies already paying for exclusive phone pictures, especially of celebrities, there are also fears about the possible downside of this phenomenon.
It could become a nuisance for public figures as higher resolution picture phones hit the market, with five megapixel models already being launched in Asia. Already on US photojournal site, Buzznet, there is a public album full of snaps of celebrities, many of which were taken with camera phones. Tabloid newspapers in the UK and many monthly magazines invite readers to send in images of famous people they have seen and snapped. But there are other positive uses of picture mobile phones that may balance these uses. For instance, in Alabama, in the US, camera phones will be used to take snaps at crime scenes involving children, and help the authorities to arrest and prosecute paedophiles. And in China's capital Beijing, courts have adopted mobile phone photos as formal evidence. For Henry Reichhold, this is progress: "That's the whole thing about the immediacy of the thing. I can see that happening a lot more."
| But there are other positive uses of picture mobile phones that may balance these uses.He himself uses mobile phone pictures to create huge panoramic images of events and places."Not many people walk around with their cameras, but they always have their mobile phones with them.One day later De Telegraaf, a daily Amsterdam newspaper, became news on its own when it published a picture taken with a mobile phone of Mr van Gogh's body moments after he was killed.It could be the start of a trend that only increases as higher resolution phone cameras become more widespread; as video phones catch on and millions of people start carrying the gadgets around.Already one tabloid newspaper in LA is issuing photographers with camera phones to help them catch celebrities at play.With a modern mobile phone that has a camera built in, you no longer need to curse, you can capture the action as it happens.With some picture agencies already paying for exclusive phone pictures, especially of celebrities, there are also fears about the possible downside of this phenomenon.It could become a nuisance for public figures as higher resolution picture phones hit the market, with five megapixel models already being launched in Asia.For instance, in Alabama, in the US, camera phones will be used to take snaps at crime scenes involving children, and help the authorities to arrest and prosecute paedophiles.Celebrities might not welcome such a change because they may never be free of a new breed of mobile phone paparazzi making their lives a bit more difficult. |
1,256 | Will the Budget bring out smiling voters?
As Tory spokesman Oliver Letwin said - any chancellor would use his pre-election budget to offer some vote winning sweeteners, wouldn't he.
And everyone does, indeed, expect Gordon Brown to do just that in his last budget before the expected polling day of 5 May. There will be plenty of talk about taking no risks with the economy or handing out irresponsible giveaways. But Mr Brown will stun Westminster and break just about every historical precedent if he fails to do something designed to put a smile on voters' faces and make them more inclined to back Labour in the election. And there has already been speculation about possible tax reductions for the poorest and increasing the threshold on stamp duty in this week's Budget. The aim of his package will be to keep any disillusioned core Labour voters in the fold, while ensuring the middle England voters who gave Tony Blair two election victories don't desert him at the third poll.
And, needless to say, there will be plenty of analysis of what impact the Budget will have on Mr Brown's own ambitions to replace Mr Blair as prime minister at some point after a third win. But there is a shadow hanging over this pre-election performance - in the shape of £11 billion or thereabouts. That is the size of the financial "black hole" the Tories, backed by some independent forecasters, believe Mr Brown will have to fill with tax increases after the election.
The opening shot in that battle was fired at the weekend with claims a Treasury leak suggested Mr Brown was ready to slap capital gains tax on home sales to raise some of that cash. It was immediately denied, but the Tories remain suspicious, claiming that, as Mr Letwin said, if the money does not come from there, where will it come from.
Mr Brown will undoubtedly claim the forecasts are simply wrong and that he will have absolutely no need to raise taxes after the election, should Labour win. Previous gloomy forecasts proved wrong, he will argue, while suggesting that only by sticking with him can Britain continue to have a sound economy, low unemployment and high public spending. The opposition will reject that by claiming they can keep the economy sound, increase spending and cut taxes at the same time.
The Liberal Democrats will also promise to run a sound economy, but based on increased taxes to fund spending and, amongst other things, abolishing the council tax in favour of a local income tax. And there will be prolonged argument over which of the parties can make the greatest savings in Whitehall and beyond to fund their policies. But probably what that all boils down to is a simple question of which of the parties the voters most trust to keep the economy stable and avoid any unpleasant surprises in the coming years. And it is probably still the answer to that one question that will overwhelmingly decide the outcome of the general election.
| Mr Brown will undoubtedly claim the forecasts are simply wrong and that he will have absolutely no need to raise taxes after the election, should Labour win.That is the size of the financial "black hole" the Tories, backed by some independent forecasters, believe Mr Brown will have to fill with tax increases after the election.The opposition will reject that by claiming they can keep the economy sound, increase spending and cut taxes at the same time.The Liberal Democrats will also promise to run a sound economy, but based on increased taxes to fund spending and, amongst other things, abolishing the council tax in favour of a local income tax.The opening shot in that battle was fired at the weekend with claims a Treasury leak suggested Mr Brown was ready to slap capital gains tax on home sales to raise some of that cash.And, needless to say, there will be plenty of analysis of what impact the Budget will have on Mr Brown's own ambitions to replace Mr Blair as prime minister at some point after a third win.But Mr Brown will stun Westminster and break just about every historical precedent if he fails to do something designed to put a smile on voters' faces and make them more inclined to back Labour in the election.But probably what that all boils down to is a simple question of which of the parties the voters most trust to keep the economy stable and avoid any unpleasant surprises in the coming years. |
1,093 | Blair 'pressing US on climate'
Tony Blair is pressing the US to cut greenhouse gases despite its unwillingness to sign the Kyoto Protocol, Downing Street has indicated.
Officials have confirmed climate change was discussed when influential senator John McCain recently visited Mr Blair. Climate change was an issue the prime minister "wanted to progress" during the UK's presidency of the G8 and EU in 2005, said a spokesman. But he played down reports Mr Blair was considering a new US-friendly treaty.
According to the Times, the UK leader wants to end US isolation with a "Kyoto-lite" agreement on the scale and nature of the threat from climate change. He is said to have discussed the idea with Mr McCain during his time at Number 10. The prime minister is said to believe the United States' refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol on emissions is undermining other countries' resolve to cut carbon dioxide production. So far the US has refused to sign up to the Kyoto treaty - which aims to cut emissions - branding it politically motivated and not based on science. President Bush's advisers have repeatedly denied global warming is taking place.
Europe, which disputes the claim, has also signalled it wants to press ahead with talks about longer term climate change action in a way which involves both the United States and developing countries. Mr Blair's reported treaty would also establish an international programme to develop technology needed for renewable energy and the reduction of carbon emissions, says the Times. But there is still apparently "little prospect" of America agreeing to cut emissions, which could further provoke environmental campaigners already angry at the lack of progress. Mr Blair was left blushing on Wednesday when it emerged his manifesto target of a 20% cut to the 1990 greenhouse gas level by 2010 was set to be missed.
| Officials have confirmed climate change was discussed when influential senator John McCain recently visited Mr Blair.Mr Blair was left blushing on Wednesday when it emerged his manifesto target of a 20% cut to the 1990 greenhouse gas level by 2010 was set to be missed.Tony Blair is pressing the US to cut greenhouse gases despite its unwillingness to sign the Kyoto Protocol, Downing Street has indicated.But he played down reports Mr Blair was considering a new US-friendly treaty.The prime minister is said to believe the United States' refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol on emissions is undermining other countries' resolve to cut carbon dioxide production.Climate change was an issue the prime minister "wanted to progress" during the UK's presidency of the G8 and EU in 2005, said a spokesman. |
1,918 | What high-definition will do to DVDs
First it was the humble home video, then it was the DVD, and now Hollywood is preparing for the next revolution in home entertainment - high-definition.
High-definition gives incredible, 3D-like pictures and surround sound. The DVD disks and the gear to play them will not be out for another year or so, and there at are still a number of issues to be sorted out. But when high-definition films do come out on the new format DVDs, it will profoundly change home entertainment. For Rick Dean, director of business development for digital content company THX, a high-definition future is an exciting prospect. He has worked on the Star Wars DVD trilogy, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Indiana Jones. "There was a time not so long ago when the film world and the video world were two completely separate worlds," he told the BBC News website.
"The technology we are dealing with now means they are very much conjoined. "The film that we see in theatres is coming from the same digital file that we take the home video master," he says. But currently, putting a master feature film onto DVD requires severe compression because current DVD technology cannot hold as much as high-definition films demand. "As much as you compress the picture data rate wise, you also take qualities away from the picture that we fight so hard to keep in the master," he explains. "I would love to be able to show people what projects that we worked on really look like in the high-def world and I find it very exciting."
High-definition DVDs can hold up to six times more data than the DVDs we are used to. It will take time though to persuade people who spent money on DVD players to buy the different players and displays required to watch high-definition DVDs in 18 months' time. Mr Dean is confident though: "I think if they see real HD [high-definition], not some heavily compressed version of it, there is such a remarkable difference. "I have heard comments from people who say the images pop off the screen."
High-definition will mean some changes for those working behind the scenes too. On the whole, producing films for high-definition DVDs will be easier in some ways because less compression is needed. Equally, it may mean Hollywood studios ask for more to be put onto the average DVD. "When we master movies right now, our data rates are running at about 1.2 gigabits per second," says Mr Dean. "Our DVDs that we put out today have to be squashed down to about five or six megabits per second. "That's a huge amount of compression that has to be applied - about 98%. So if you have anything that allows more space, you don't have to compress so hard." Studios could fit a lot more marketing material, games, and features, onto high-capacity DVDs. Currently, an entire DVD project can take up to three months, says Mr Dean. Although the step of down-converting will be bypassed, this will realistically only save a day's work, says Mr Dean. One of the most time consuming elements is building DVD navigation and menu systems. On the fairly complex Star Wars disks, making sure the menu buttons worked took 45 human hours alone. If studios want to cash in on the extra space, it could mean extra human hours, for which someone has to pay. "If the decision on the studio side is that they are going to put a lot more on these disks, it could be more expensive because of all the extra navigation that is required." And if studios do focus on delivering more "added value content", thinks Mr Dean, ultimately it could mean that they will want more money for it. Those costs could filter down to the price ticket on a high-definition DVD. But if the consumer is not willing to pay a premium price, studios will listen, thinks Mr Dean.
High-definition throws up other challenge to film makers and DVD production alike. More clarity on screen means film makers have to make doubly sure that attention to detail is meticulous. "When we did the first HD version of Star Wars Episode I, everybody was very sun-tanned, but that was make-up. "In the HD version of Episode I, all these make-up lines showed up," explains Mr Dean. The restoration of the older Star Wars episodes revealed some interesting items too.
"There are scans of a corridor [on the Death Star] and fairly plainly in one of those shots, there is a file cabinet stuck behind one of the doorways. "You never used to be able to see it because things are just blurred enough during the pan that you just didn't see it." What high-definition revolution ultimately means is that the line between home entertainment and cinema worlds will blur. With home theatre systems turning living rooms into cinemas, this line blurs even further. It could also mean that how we get films, and in what format, will widen. "In the future we are going to look towards file delivery over IP [internet protocol - broadband], giving a DVD-like experience from the set-top box to the hard drive," says Mr Dean. But that is some time off for most, and for now, people still like to show off something physical in their bookshelves.
| But currently, putting a master feature film onto DVD requires severe compression because current DVD technology cannot hold as much as high-definition films demand.What high-definition revolution ultimately means is that the line between home entertainment and cinema worlds will blur.Currently, an entire DVD project can take up to three months, says Mr Dean.But when high-definition films do come out on the new format DVDs, it will profoundly change home entertainment.Those costs could filter down to the price ticket on a high-definition DVD.First it was the humble home video, then it was the DVD, and now Hollywood is preparing for the next revolution in home entertainment - high-definition.And if studios do focus on delivering more "added value content", thinks Mr Dean, ultimately it could mean that they will want more money for it.High-definition throws up other challenge to film makers and DVD production alike.It will take time though to persuade people who spent money on DVD players to buy the different players and displays required to watch high-definition DVDs in 18 months' time.High-definition DVDs can hold up to six times more data than the DVDs we are used to.Mr Dean is confident though: "I think if they see real HD [high-definition], not some heavily compressed version of it, there is such a remarkable difference.High-definition will mean some changes for those working behind the scenes too.On the whole, producing films for high-definition DVDs will be easier in some ways because less compression is needed.Equally, it may mean Hollywood studios ask for more to be put onto the average DVD."In the HD version of Episode I, all these make-up lines showed up," explains Mr Dean."When we master movies right now, our data rates are running at about 1.2 gigabits per second," says Mr Dean."The film that we see in theatres is coming from the same digital file that we take the home video master," he says.If studios want to cash in on the extra space, it could mean extra human hours, for which someone has to pay. |
1,947 | Attack prompts Bush site block
The official re-election site of President George W Bush is blocking visits from overseas users for "security reasons".
The blocking began early on Monday so those outside the US and trying to view the site got a message saying they are not authorised to view it. But keen net users have shown that the policy is not being very effective. Many have found that the site can still be viewed by overseas browsers via several alternative net addresses.
The policy of trying to stop overseas visitors viewing the site is thought to have been adopted in response to an attack on the georgewbush.com website. Scott Stanzel, a spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign said: "The measure was taken for security reasons." He declined to elaborate any further on the blocking policy. The barring of non-US visitors has led to the campaign being inundated with calls and forced it to make a statement about why the blocking was taking place. In early October a so-called "denial of service" attack was mounted on the site that bombarded it with data from thousands of PCs. The attack made the site unusable for about five hours.
About the same time the web team of the Bush-Cheney campaign started using the services of a company called Akamai that helps websites deal with the ebbs and flows of visitor traffic. Akamai uses a web-based tool called EdgeScape that lets its customers work out where visitors are based. Typically this tool is used to ensure that webpages, video and images load quickly but it can also be used to block traffic. Geographic blocking works because the numerical addresses that the net uses to organise itself are handed out on a regional basis. Readers of the Boingboing weblog have found that viewers can still get at the site by using alternative forms of the George W Bush domain name. Ironically one of the working alternatives is for a supposedly more secure version of the site. There are now at least three working alternative domains for the Bush-Cheney campaign that let web users outside the US visit the site. The site can also 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 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 have failed. By contrast Netcraft's four monitoring stations in the US managed to view the site with no problems. Data gathered by Netcraft on the pattern of traffic to the site shows that the blocking is not the result of another denial of service attack. Mike Prettejohn, Netcraft president, 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. Most American soldiers stationed overseas will be able to see the site as they use the US military's own portion of the net. Akamai declined to comment, saying it could not talk about customer websites.
| There are now at least three working alternative domains for the Bush-Cheney campaign that let web users outside the US visit the site.Data gathered by Netcraft on the pattern of traffic to the site shows that the blocking is not the result of another denial of service attack.The official re-election site of President George W Bush is blocking visits from overseas users for "security reasons".The site can also be seen using anonymous proxy services that are based in the US.The blocking began early on Monday so those outside the US and trying to view the site got a message saying they are not authorised to view it.Some web users in Canada also report that they can browse the site.Managing traffic could also be a good way to ensure that the site stays working in the closing days of the election campaign.The policy of trying to stop overseas visitors viewing the site is thought to have been adopted in response to an attack on the georgewbush.com website.Most American soldiers stationed overseas will be able to see the site as they use the US military's own portion of the net.Many have found that the site can still be viewed by overseas browsers via several alternative net addresses.By contrast Netcraft's four monitoring stations in the US managed to view the site with no problems.In early October a so-called "denial of service" attack was mounted on the site that bombarded it with data from thousands of PCs. |
539 | Baghdad Blogger on big screen
A film based on the internet musings of the "Baghdad Blogger" has been shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival.
The film has been directed by the man who calls himself Salam Pax, the author of the weblog about Iraqi life during and after the war. The movie version comes in the form of a series of shorts made by Pax on a hand-held camera. Baghdad Blogger is among a number of films about Iraq showcased at the Dutch festival, which runs until Sunday. Following the fascination with the writing of Salam Pax - not his real name - he began a regular column in The Guardian newspaper and was given a crash course in documentary film-making. For the film he travelled Iraq to document the changing landscape of the country and the problems it has faced since the invasion, speaking to ordinary Iraqis about their experiences. The festival will also see the screening of Underexposure, one of Iraq's first features to emerge since the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
Director Oday Rasheed made the film on discarded 1980s Kodak film taken from the remains for the former Ministry of Culture building. It centres on the lives of families and strangers going about their everyday business as Baghdad is under siege. Rasheed said the title was refers to the isolation felt by Iraqis under Saddam's regime and the difficult time the country is now experiencing. "Saddam's regime was hell, but now I think the hell has doubled," Rasheed said. The festival was also due to screen murdered Dutch film-maker Theo Van Gogh's film about the treatment of woman under Islam, but it was withdrawn due to safety fears. Van Gogh was shot and stabbed in November 2004, following death threats he received about his film Submission.
| A film based on the internet musings of the "Baghdad Blogger" has been shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival.Baghdad Blogger is among a number of films about Iraq showcased at the Dutch festival, which runs until Sunday.The festival was also due to screen murdered Dutch film-maker Theo Van Gogh's film about the treatment of woman under Islam, but it was withdrawn due to safety fears.The film has been directed by the man who calls himself Salam Pax, the author of the weblog about Iraqi life during and after the war.Director Oday Rasheed made the film on discarded 1980s Kodak film taken from the remains for the former Ministry of Culture building.Van Gogh was shot and stabbed in November 2004, following death threats he received about his film Submission. |
1,528 | Zambia confident and cautious
Zambia's technical director, Kalusha Bwalya is confident and cautious ahead of the Cosafa Cup final against Angola on Saturday in Lusaka.
Bwalya said: "Nothing short of victory will do." However Bwalya warned his side not to be too complacent. "I don't want my team to be too comfortable or too sure of victory as it is going to be a difficult game. "For me the main aim of the game is to enjoy and to win." Zambia have shown their determination to win this final by recalling nine of their foreign-based players. However the 41 year-old Bwalya, who became the oldest player to appear in the competition when he played and scored against Mauritius, is uncertain whether he will take to the field or not. The Chipolopolo fans however are not being so cautious with a 'victory' concert already scheduled for after the match featuring some of the country's top musicians. Both sides are hoping to win the competition for a record third time, and so keep the trophy for good. The Chipolopolo won the first two editions of the regional tournament for Southern African nations in 1997 and 1998. They were prevented from a third straight win by Angola who knocked out the Zambians at the semi-final stage in 1999. That victory for Angola also marked a first defeat in 14 years for Zambia at Lusaka's Independence stadium, where Saturday's game is being played. Angola named just four overseas-based players in their preliminary squad. The Palancas Negras have been unable to secure the release of many of their Portugal-based players.
| That victory for Angola also marked a first defeat in 14 years for Zambia at Lusaka's Independence stadium, where Saturday's game is being played.Bwalya said: "Nothing short of victory will do."However Bwalya warned his side not to be too complacent.They were prevented from a third straight win by Angola who knocked out the Zambians at the semi-final stage in 1999.Zambia have shown their determination to win this final by recalling nine of their foreign-based players.Zambia's technical director, Kalusha Bwalya is confident and cautious ahead of the Cosafa Cup final against Angola on Saturday in Lusaka. |
1,749 | Hantuchova in Dubai last eight
Daniela Hantuchova moved into the quarter-finals of the Dubai Open, after beating Elene Likhotseva of Russia 7-5 6-4, and now faces Serena Williams.
Australian Open champion Williams survived an early scare to beat Russia's Elena Bovina 1-6 6-1 6-4. World number one Lindsay Davenport and Anastasia Myskina also progressed. Davenport defeated China's Jie Zheng 6-2 7-5, while French Open champion Myskina sailed through after her opponent Marion Bartoli retired hurt. American Davenport will now face fellow former Wimbledon champion, Conchita Martinez of Spain, who ousted seventh-seeded Nathalie Dechy of France 6-1 6-2. Myskina will face eighth-seed Patty Schnyder from Switzerland, who defeated China's Li Na 6-3 7-6 (10-8). The other quarter final pits wild card Sania Mirza of India against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Montenegro, who both won on Tuesday.
Before her meeting with Martinez, Davenport believes there is some room for improvement in her game. "I started well and finished well, but played some so-so games in the middle," she said. Williams was also far from content. "I don't know what I was doing there," she said. "It was really windy and I hadn't played in the wind. All my shots were going out of here." But Hantuchova is in upbeat mood ahead of her clash with the younger Williams sister, who was handed a first-round bye. "I feel I have an advantage (over Serena) because I have already played two matches on these courts," she said. "It is a difficult court to play on. Very fast and sometimes you feel you have no control over the ball."
| Williams was also far from content.Davenport defeated China's Jie Zheng 6-2 7-5, while French Open champion Myskina sailed through after her opponent Marion Bartoli retired hurt."I don't know what I was doing there," she said."I feel I have an advantage (over Serena) because I have already played two matches on these courts," she said.Daniela Hantuchova moved into the quarter-finals of the Dubai Open, after beating Elene Likhotseva of Russia 7-5 6-4, and now faces Serena Williams."It was really windy and I hadn't played in the wind.But Hantuchova is in upbeat mood ahead of her clash with the younger Williams sister, who was handed a first-round bye. |
1,536 | Benitez delight after crucial win
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez admitted victory against Deportivo La Coruna was vital in their tight Champions League group.
Jorge Andrade's early own goal gave Liverpool a 1-0 win. And Benitez said: "We started at a very high tempo and had many chances. It is a very important win for us and we could have scored more goals. "We were very good defensively and also good on the counter attack. We are pleased but move on to the next game." Igor Biscan was outstanding in midfield after replacing injured Xabi Alonso, and Benitez said: "He played very well. "It is important to have all the players ready and a good squad so you can play more games at a high level." Benitez added: "It is all back in our own hands now, it was a great win for us and I was delighted with what I feel was the best Liverpool I have seen. "As far as my feelings about winning in Spain, that is really not important. "I want to see us win away matches in the Champions League, that it was in Spain was not my first consideration. "As far as I am concerned it is important for Liverpool to win, it is not important in what country it is in." Benitez added: Benitez said: "We had a problem before the start, it was decided that Xabi could not play more than 45 minutes. "But in the end because of the way that (Dietmar) Hamann and (Igor) Biscan performed, we did not need to change things until right at the end of the match. "Depor are a good team and if you allow them to keep possession they can be very dangerous indeed. "But we knew that if we hit them on the counter-attack it would make them nervous, and that is how it worked out." Deportivo coach Javier Irureta said: "Liverpool played very well and we just could not break them down. "I know we have now gone six games at home in Europe without scoring, but that does not reflect our overall performances. "But this time we did not play well and we lacked imagination. "The goal was a bad mistake and a big blow to our confidence. Players who usually want the ball at that stage did not want it. "I know we are bottom of the group, but as long as there is hope of qualifying, we will hang on to that."
| Benitez added: "It is all back in our own hands now, it was a great win for us and I was delighted with what I feel was the best Liverpool I have seen."I want to see us win away matches in the Champions League, that it was in Spain was not my first consideration."It is important to have all the players ready and a good squad so you can play more games at a high level."Benitez added: Benitez said: "We had a problem before the start, it was decided that Xabi could not play more than 45 minutes.Igor Biscan was outstanding in midfield after replacing injured Xabi Alonso, and Benitez said: "He played very well."As far as I am concerned it is important for Liverpool to win, it is not important in what country it is in."Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez admitted victory against Deportivo La Coruna was vital in their tight Champions League group.It is a very important win for us and we could have scored more goals.Deportivo coach Javier Irureta said: "Liverpool played very well and we just could not break them down. |
1,447 | Irish finish with home game
Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr has been granted his wish for a home game as the final World Cup qualifier.
Ireland will close their bid to reach the 2006 finals by playing Switzerland in Dublin on 12 October 2005. The Republic met the Swiss in their final Euro 2004 qualifier, losing 2-0 away and missing out on a place in the finals in Portugal. The Group Four fixtures were hammered out at a meeting in Dublin on Tuesday. The Irish open their campaign on 4 September at home to Cyprus and wrap up the 10-match series on 12 October 2005, with the visit of Switzerland. Manager Brian Kerr and FAI officials met representatives from Switzerland, France, Cyprus, Israel and the Faroe Islands to arrange the fixture schedule. Kerr had hoped to finish with a clash against France, but got the reigning European champions as their penultimate home match on 7 September 2005. The manager got his wish to avoid a repeat of finishing their bid to qualify with too many away matches.
Republic of Ireland v Cyprus; France v Israel; Switzerland v Faroe Islands.
Switzerland v Republic of Ireland; Israel v Cyprus; Faroe Islands v France.
France v Republic of Ireland; Israel v Switzerland; Cyprus v Faroe Islands.
Republic of Ireland v Faroe Islands; Cyprus v France.
Cyprus v Israel.
France v Switzerland; Israel v Republic of Ireland.
Switzerland v Cyprus; Israel v France.
Republic of Ireland v Israel; Faroe Islands v Switzerland.
Faroe Islands v Republic of Ireland. August 17 - Faroe Islands v Cyprus.
France v Faroe Islands; Switzerland v Israel.
Republic of Ireland v France; Cyprus v Switzerland; Faroe Islands v Israel.
Switzerland v France; Israel v Faroe Islands; Cyprus v Republic of Ireland.
France v Cyprus; Republic of Ireland v Switzerland.
| Republic of Ireland v Cyprus; France v Israel; Switzerland v Faroe Islands.Switzerland v Republic of Ireland; Israel v Cyprus; Faroe Islands v France.France v Republic of Ireland; Israel v Switzerland; Cyprus v Faroe Islands.Republic of Ireland v France; Cyprus v Switzerland; Faroe Islands v Israel.Switzerland v France; Israel v Faroe Islands; Cyprus v Republic of Ireland.Republic of Ireland v Faroe Islands; Cyprus v France.Republic of Ireland v Israel; Faroe Islands v Switzerland.France v Cyprus; Republic of Ireland v Switzerland.France v Switzerland; Israel v Republic of Ireland. |
1,205 | UK youth 'interested' in politics
The majority of young people are interested in politics, holding "strong opinions" on policies and have a "keen appetite" for direct action.
Research undertaken for voting watchdog the Electoral Commission suggests 81% of 16 to 20-year-olds feel strongly about issues like crime and education. The survey findings are being released to coincide with the launch of the Y Vote Mock Elections 2005 initiative. Mock elections are planned to take place in schools across the UK.
Electoral Commission boss Sam Younger said: "We know that young people often feel disengaged from democratic life and we believe in working creatively to encourage their interest and participation. "Mock elections can play an extremely valuable role in helping young people understand how the democratic process works and why it matters," he said. The survey of a sample of 500 British 16 to 20-year-olds and 500 21 to 25-year olds "showed Britain's young people are far from apathetic about issues that matter to most of their lives". The Y Vote initiative is being run jointly by the Electoral Commission, the Hansard Society and the Department for Education and Skills in the run-up to local elections and the general election, possibly on 5 May. Michael Rafferty, who is mock elections project manager at the Hansard Society, said he looked forward to seeing schools and colleges across the UK participating in the mock votes.
| "Mock elections can play an extremely valuable role in helping young people understand how the democratic process works and why it matters," he said.Michael Rafferty, who is mock elections project manager at the Hansard Society, said he looked forward to seeing schools and colleges across the UK participating in the mock votes.The Y Vote initiative is being run jointly by the Electoral Commission, the Hansard Society and the Department for Education and Skills in the run-up to local elections and the general election, possibly on 5 May.Mock elections are planned to take place in schools across the UK. |
682 | Eurovision 'greats' to do battle
Stars of the Eurovision Song Contest from the show's 50-year history are to compete against each other to celebrate the contest's anniversary.
Viewers will choose 14 past songs to be performed by the original artists or others in the spirit of the originals. Past Eurovision performers include Abba, Celine Dion, Bucks Fizz, Nana Mouskouri, Lulu and Julio Iglesias. Fans will then vote as usual to pick the all-time best Eurovision song during the show in Denmark in October. The first contest was organised by the European Broadcasting Union, or EBU, in 1956, and has become an annual event pitting pop giants against musical minnows - with often surprising results.
While some regard it as an essential celebration of continental talent, others see it as an equally unmissable parade of the reasons some countries do not normally produce international stars. The 50th annual contest will be held in Kiev, Ukraine, in May, after Ukrainian singer Ruslana won last year. The 50th anniversary special will be held in Denmark later this year because the Danish Broadcasting Corporation came up with the idea for the all-time contest. A plan to hold it in London was scrapped because of problems finding a suitable venue. Ireland has been the most successful country in the show's history with seven victories, followed by the UK, France and Luxembourg with five each.
| Stars of the Eurovision Song Contest from the show's 50-year history are to compete against each other to celebrate the contest's anniversary.The 50th anniversary special will be held in Denmark later this year because the Danish Broadcasting Corporation came up with the idea for the all-time contest.The 50th annual contest will be held in Kiev, Ukraine, in May, after Ukrainian singer Ruslana won last year.Fans will then vote as usual to pick the all-time best Eurovision song during the show in Denmark in October. |
1,583 | Strachan turns down Pompey
Former Southampton manager Gordon Strachan has rejected the chance to become Portsmouth's new boss.
The Scot was Pompey chairman Milan Mandaric's first choice to replace Harry Redknapp, who left Fratton Park for rivals Saints earlier in December. "I think it's a fantastic job for anybody apart from somebody who has just been the Southampton manager," Strachan told the BBC. Club director Terry Brady held initial talks with Strachan on Saturday. The former Scotland international added that joining Southampton's local rivals would not be a wise move. "It's got everything going for it but I've got too many memories of the other side and I don't want to sour those memories," he said. "Everything's right - it's 10 minutes away, there are good players there, a good set-up, a good atmosphere at the ground. "There's lots to do but it's not right for somebody who has just been the Southampton manager." Since Redknapp's departure, executive director Velimir Zajec and coach Joe Jordan have overseen first-team affairs.
The duo had gone five matches unbeaten until Sunday's 1-0 defeat at home to champions Arsenal, but the club are still in a respectable 12th place in the Premiership table. Strachan left St Mary's in February, after earlier announcing his intention to take a break from the game at the end of the 2003-04 season. His previous managerial experience came at Coventry, whom he led for five years from 1996 to 2001.
| Former Southampton manager Gordon Strachan has rejected the chance to become Portsmouth's new boss."I think it's a fantastic job for anybody apart from somebody who has just been the Southampton manager," Strachan told the BBC."There's lots to do but it's not right for somebody who has just been the Southampton manager."Club director Terry Brady held initial talks with Strachan on Saturday.Strachan left St Mary's in February, after earlier announcing his intention to take a break from the game at the end of the 2003-04 season. |
1,946 | Concerns over Windows ATMs
Cash machine networks could soon be more susceptible to computer viruses, a security firm has warned.
The warning is being issued because many banks are starting to use the Windows operating system in machines. Already there have been four incidents in which Windows viruses have disrupted networks of cash machines running the Microsoft operating system. But banking experts say the danger is being overplayed and that the risks of infection and disruption are small.
For many years the venerable IBM operating system, known as OS/2, has been the staple software used to power many of the 1.4m cash machines in operation around the world. But IBM will end support for OS/2 in 2006 which is forcing banks to look for alternatives. There are also other pressures making banks turn to Windows said Dominic Hirsch, managing director of financial analysis firm Retail Banking Research.
He said many cash machines will also have to be upgraded to make full use of the new Europay, Mastercard and Visa credit cards that use computer chips instead of magnetic stripes to store data. US laws that demand disabled people get equal access to information will also force banks to make their cash machines more versatile and able to present information in different ways. Todd Thiemann, spokesman for anti-virus firm Trend Micro, said the move to Windows in cash machines was not without risks. Mr Thiemann said research by the TowerGroup showed that 70% of new cash machines being installed were Windows based.
Already, he said, there have been four incidents in which cash machines have been unavailable for hours due to viruses affecting the network of the bank that owns them.
In January 2003 the Slammer worm knocked out 13,000 cash machines of the Bank of America and many of those operated by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. In August of the same year, cash machines of two un-named banks were put out of action for hours following an infection by the Welchia worm. Incidents like this happen, said Mr Thiemann, because when banks start using Windows cash machines they also change the networking technology used to link the devices to their back office computers. This often means that all the cash machines and computers in a bank share the same data network. "This could mean that cash machines get caught up in the viruses that are going around because they have a common transmission system," he said. "Banks need to consider protection as part of the investment to maintain the security of that network," Mr Thiemann told BBC News Online.
But Mr Hirsch from Retail Banking Research said the number of cash machines actually at risk was low because so few were upgraded every year.
Currently, he said, a cash machine has a lifetime of up to 10 years which means that only about 10% of all ATMs get swapped for a newer model every year. "Windows cash machines have been around for several years," he said. "Most banks simply upgrade as part of their usual replacement cycle." "In theory there is a bigger threat with Windows than OS/2," he said, "but I do not think that the banks are hugely concerned at the moment." "It's pretty unusual to hear about virus problems with ATMs," he said. The many different security systems built-in to cash machines meant there was no chance that a virus could cause them to start spitting out cash spontaneously, he said. Banks were more likely to be worried about internal networks being overwhelmed by worms and viruses and customers not being able to get cash out at all, he added. A spokesman for the Association of Payment and Clearing Services (Apacs) which represents the UK's payments industry said the risk from viruses was minimal. "There's no concern that there's going to be any type of virus hitting the UK networks," he said. Risks of infection were small because the data networks that connect UK cash machines together and the operators of the ATMs themselves were a much smaller and tightly-knit community than in the US where viruses have struck.
| Already, he said, there have been four incidents in which cash machines have been unavailable for hours due to viruses affecting the network of the bank that owns them."Windows cash machines have been around for several years," he said.The many different security systems built-in to cash machines meant there was no chance that a virus could cause them to start spitting out cash spontaneously, he said."This could mean that cash machines get caught up in the viruses that are going around because they have a common transmission system," he said.This often means that all the cash machines and computers in a bank share the same data network.Mr Thiemann said research by the TowerGroup showed that 70% of new cash machines being installed were Windows based.Already there have been four incidents in which Windows viruses have disrupted networks of cash machines running the Microsoft operating system.But Mr Hirsch from Retail Banking Research said the number of cash machines actually at risk was low because so few were upgraded every year.Incidents like this happen, said Mr Thiemann, because when banks start using Windows cash machines they also change the networking technology used to link the devices to their back office computers.Todd Thiemann, spokesman for anti-virus firm Trend Micro, said the move to Windows in cash machines was not without risks.In January 2003 the Slammer worm knocked out 13,000 cash machines of the Bank of America and many of those operated by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.Currently, he said, a cash machine has a lifetime of up to 10 years which means that only about 10% of all ATMs get swapped for a newer model every year. |
1,891 | Tough rules for ringtone sellers
Firms that flout rules on how ringtones and other mobile extras are sold could be cut off from all UK phone networks.
The rules allow offenders to be cut off if they do not let consumers know exactly what they get for their money and how to turn off the services. The first month under the new rules has seen at least ten firms suspended while they clean up the way they work. The rules have been brought in to ensure that the problems plaguing net users do not spread to mobile phones.
In the last couple of years ringtones, wallpapers, screensavers and lots of other extras for phones have become hugely popular. But fierce competition is making it difficult for firms to get their wares in front of consumers, said Jeremy Flynn, head of third party services at Vodafone.
"If you are not on the operator's portal you are going to have quite heavy marketing costs because it's a problem of how people discover your services," he said. To combat this many ringtone and other mobile content sellers started using a new tactic to squeeze more cash out of customers. This tactic involved signing people up for a subscription to give them, for instance, several ringtones per week or month instead of the single track they thought they were getting. Mr Flynn said that the move to using subscriptions happened over the space of a few weeks at the end of 2004. Websites such as grumbletext.co.uk started getting reports from customers who were racking up large bills for phone content they did not know they had signed up for. "What made us uncomfortable was that these services were not being marketed transparently," said Mr Flynn. "People did not know they were being offered a subscription service." "We saw potential for substantial consumer harm here," he added.
The swift adoption of subscription services led to the creation of a new code of conduct for firms that want to sell content for mobile phones. The drafting of the new rules was led by the Mobile Entertainment Forum and the UK's phone firms. "Everyone is required to conform to this code of conduct," said Andrew Bud, regulatory head of the MEF and executive chairman of messaging firm MBlox.
"It's all about transparency," he said. "Consumers have to be told what they have got themselves into and how to get out of it." "The consumer has a right to be protected," he said. Christian Harris, partnership manager of mobile content firm Zed, said the new system was essential if consumers were to trust companies that sell ringtones and other downloads. "The groundrules must be applied across the whole industry and if that's done effectively we will see the cowboys driven out," he said. The new rules came in to force on 15 January and the first month under the new regime has seen many firms cautioned for not honouring them. Some have been told to revamp websites so customers know what they get for their money and what they are signing up for, said Mr Flynn. Also, said Mr Flynn, Vodafone has briefly cut off between eight and ten content sellers flouting the rules. "We have quite draconian contracts with firms," he said. "We do not have to say why. We can just cut them off." Under the rules consumers must be able to switch off the services by using a universal "stop" command sent via text message. He said the system had been designed to limit how much a consumer will pay if they inadvertently signed up for a service. "The mobile is so personal that people really resent the abuse of what is effectively part of their personality," said Mr Flynn.
| Christian Harris, partnership manager of mobile content firm Zed, said the new system was essential if consumers were to trust companies that sell ringtones and other downloads.Some have been told to revamp websites so customers know what they get for their money and what they are signing up for, said Mr Flynn.Also, said Mr Flynn, Vodafone has briefly cut off between eight and ten content sellers flouting the rules."The consumer has a right to be protected," he said."The mobile is so personal that people really resent the abuse of what is effectively part of their personality," said Mr Flynn."What made us uncomfortable was that these services were not being marketed transparently," said Mr Flynn."It's all about transparency," he said.Mr Flynn said that the move to using subscriptions happened over the space of a few weeks at the end of 2004.But fierce competition is making it difficult for firms to get their wares in front of consumers, said Jeremy Flynn, head of third party services at Vodafone.He said the system had been designed to limit how much a consumer will pay if they inadvertently signed up for a service.The swift adoption of subscription services led to the creation of a new code of conduct for firms that want to sell content for mobile phones.Firms that flout rules on how ringtones and other mobile extras are sold could be cut off from all UK phone networks.The rules allow offenders to be cut off if they do not let consumers know exactly what they get for their money and how to turn off the services. |
113 | Brussels raps mobile call charges
The European Commission has written to the mobile phone operators Vodafone and T-Mobile to challenge "the high rates" they charge for international roaming.
In letters sent to the two companies, the Commission alleged the firms were abusing their dominant market position in the German mobile phone market. It is the second time Vodafone has come under the Commission's scrutiny. The UK operator is already appealing against allegations that its UK roaming rates are "unfair and excessive". Vodafone's response to the Commission's letter was defiant. "We believe the roaming market is competitive and we expect to resist the charges," said a Vodafone spokesman. "However we will need time to examine the statement of objections in detail before we formally respond."
The Commission's investigation into Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile centres on the tariffs the two companies charge foreign mobile operators to access their networks when subscribers of those foreign operators use their mobile phones in Germany.
The Commission believes these wholesale prices are too high and that the excess is passed on to consumers. "The Commission aims to ensure that European consumers are not overcharged when they use their mobile phones on their travels around the European Union," the Commission said in a statement. Vodafone and O2, Britain's other big mobile phone operator, were sent similar statements of objections by the Commission in July last year. Vodafone sent the Commission a response to those allegations in December last year and is now waiting for a reply. The Vodafone spokesman said a similar process would be set in motion with these latest statement of objections about its operations in Germany.
The companies will have three months to respond to the Commission's allegations and the process "may go on for some time yet", the spokesman said. The Commission could charge the companies up to 10% of their annual turnover, though in practice that sort of figure is rarely demanded. The Commission's latest move comes just a few months after national telecoms regulators across Europe launched a joint investigation which could lead to people being charged less for using their mobile phone when travelling abroad. The investigation involves regulators assessing whether there is effective competition in the roaming market.
| Vodafone and O2, Britain's other big mobile phone operator, were sent similar statements of objections by the Commission in July last year.The European Commission has written to the mobile phone operators Vodafone and T-Mobile to challenge "the high rates" they charge for international roaming.The Commission's investigation into Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile centres on the tariffs the two companies charge foreign mobile operators to access their networks when subscribers of those foreign operators use their mobile phones in Germany."The Commission aims to ensure that European consumers are not overcharged when they use their mobile phones on their travels around the European Union," the Commission said in a statement.Vodafone sent the Commission a response to those allegations in December last year and is now waiting for a reply.In letters sent to the two companies, the Commission alleged the firms were abusing their dominant market position in the German mobile phone market.The Vodafone spokesman said a similar process would be set in motion with these latest statement of objections about its operations in Germany. |
608 | Da Vinci film to star Tom Hanks
Actor Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard are reuniting for The Da Vinci Code, an adaptation of the international best-selling novel by Dan Brown.
Distributor Sony Pictures said production will begin next year, with a planned release in May 2006. Hanks will play Robert Langdon, who is trying to solve the murder of a member of an ancient society that has protected dark secrets for centuries. It will be Hanks' third collaboration with Howard. They previously worked together, along with Howard's producing partner Brian Grazer, on Splash and Apollo 13.
Hanks is one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, with his presence in a movie almost guaranteeing box office success. Brown's book has become a publishing phenomenon, consistently topping book charts in the UK and US. It has sold more than eight million copies worldwide in little over two years. It is a classic whodunit, which centres on a global conspiracy surrounding the Holy Grail mythology and places heavy emphasis on symbols and cryptography. Its protagonist is a Harvard professor likened to a contemporary Indiana Jones, who also appeared in Brown's first book Angels and Demons. The tale mixes art history with mythology, semiotics with medieval history.
| It will be Hanks' third collaboration with Howard.Brown's book has become a publishing phenomenon, consistently topping book charts in the UK and US.Hanks will play Robert Langdon, who is trying to solve the murder of a member of an ancient society that has protected dark secrets for centuries.Actor Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard are reuniting for The Da Vinci Code, an adaptation of the international best-selling novel by Dan Brown.It is a classic whodunit, which centres on a global conspiracy surrounding the Holy Grail mythology and places heavy emphasis on symbols and cryptography. |
1,086 | Howard 'truanted to play snooker'
Conservative leader Michael Howard has admitted he used to play truant to spend time with his school friends at a snooker hall.
Mr Howard said his time at Jack's Snooker Hall in Llanelli in the 1950s had not done him "any lasting damage". But he told the Times Educational Supplement that truancy was "very bad" and said "firm action" was needed. Mr Howard also called for a return to O-levels and more classroom discipline.
Mr Howard eventually left Llanelli Grammar School - and the snooker hall - to go to Cambridge University. He said: "I don't think it's done me any lasting damage. Nor has it made me a snooker world champion. "There might have been some occasions when we left early of an afternoon.
"I'm just being honest. I think truancy is a very bad thing and that firm action should be taken to deal with it." Another player who has failed to win snooker's world championship - Jimmy "the Whirlwind " White - has previously admitted missing lessons, instead spending his days in smoky halls. "Tony Meo [another player] and me used to spend all of our spare time there," Mr White said, "We loved the game and the atmosphere. "School went out of the window. I went for a while and then started taking time off." Mr Howard's fellow Welshman Ray Reardon - known by his fellow professionals as "Dracula" - won the snooker world championship six times, having left school at 14 to work as a miner. And Terry Griffiths, like Mr Howard from Llanelli, won the tournament in 1979. It is not known whether the two of them ever clashed cues at Jack's.
| Mr Howard said his time at Jack's Snooker Hall in Llanelli in the 1950s had not done him "any lasting damage".Mr Howard eventually left Llanelli Grammar School - and the snooker hall - to go to Cambridge University.Conservative leader Michael Howard has admitted he used to play truant to spend time with his school friends at a snooker hall.Mr Howard's fellow Welshman Ray Reardon - known by his fellow professionals as "Dracula" - won the snooker world championship six times, having left school at 14 to work as a miner."Tony Meo [another player] and me used to spend all of our spare time there," Mr White said, "We loved the game and the atmosphere.And Terry Griffiths, like Mr Howard from Llanelli, won the tournament in 1979.Nor has it made me a snooker world champion. |
1,657 | Harinordoquy suffers France axe
Number eight Imanol Harinordoquy has been dropped from France's squad for the Six Nations match with Ireland in Dublin on 12 March.
Harinordoquy was a second-half replacement in last Saturday's 24-18 defeat to Wales. Bourgoin lock Pascal Pape, who has recovered from a sprained ankle, returns to the 22-man squad. Wing Cedric Heymans and Ludovic Valbon come in for Aurelien Rougerie and Jean-Philippe Grandclaude.
Rougerie hurt his chest against Wales while Grandclaude was a second-half replacement against both England and Wales. Valbon, capped in last June's Tests against the United States and Canada, was a second half replacement in the win over Scotland.
France coach Bernard Laporte said Harinordoquy had been axed after a poor display last weekend. "Imanol has been dropped from the squad because the least I can say is that he didn't make a thundering comeback against Wales," said Laporte. "We know the Ireland game will be fast and rough and we also want to be able to replace both locks during the game if needed, and Gregory Lamboley can also come on at number seven or eight. "The grand slam is gone but we'll go to Ireland to win. "It will be a very exciting game because Ireland have three wins under their belt, have just defeated England and have their eyes set on a Grand Slam." France, who lost to Wales last week, must defeat the Irish to keep alive their hopes of retaining the Six Nations trophy. Ireland are unbeaten in this year's tournament and have their sights set on a first Grand Slam since 1948.
Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), Pierre Mignoni (Clermont), Yann Delaigue (Castres), Frederic Michalak (Stade Toulousain), Damien Traille (Biarritz), Yannick Jauzion (Stade Toulousain), Ludovic Valbon (Biarritz), Christophe Dominici (Stade Francais), Cedric Heymans (Stade Toulousain), Julien Laharrague (Brive)
Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Francais), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Olivier Milloud (Bourgoin), Sebastien Bruno (Sale/ENG), William Servat (Stade Toulousain), Fabien Pelous (Stade Toulousain, capt), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Pascal Papé (Bourgoin), Gregory Lamboley (Stade Toulousain), Serge Betsen (Biarritz), Julien Bonnaire (Bourgoin), Yannick Nyanga (Béziers)
| Harinordoquy was a second-half replacement in last Saturday's 24-18 defeat to Wales.Rougerie hurt his chest against Wales while Grandclaude was a second-half replacement against both England and Wales.Number eight Imanol Harinordoquy has been dropped from France's squad for the Six Nations match with Ireland in Dublin on 12 March."It will be a very exciting game because Ireland have three wins under their belt, have just defeated England and have their eyes set on a Grand Slam.""The grand slam is gone but we'll go to Ireland to win."Imanol has been dropped from the squad because the least I can say is that he didn't make a thundering comeback against Wales," said Laporte. |
390 | Wal-Mart to pay $14m in gun suit
The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has agreed to pay a total of $14.5m (£7.74m) to settle a lawsuit over gun sales violations in California.
The lawsuit alleged Wal-Mart committed thousands of gun sales violations in California between 2000 and 2003. The total payment includes $5m in fines and more than $4m to fund state compliance checks with gun laws and prevent ammunition sales to minors. Wal-Mart agreed to suspend firearms sales in its California stores in 2003,
The alleged violations included the sale of guns to 23 people who were not allowed to possess them, and delivering 36 guns to customers who acquired them for people not allowed to own firearms. Although Wal-Mart has suspended firearms sales in the state, California attorney general Bill Lockyer said he wanted to be sure the giant supermarket chain would follow state rules in future. "Wal-Mart's failure to comply with gun safety laws put the lives of all Californians at risk by placing guns in the hands of criminals and other prohibited persons," said Mr Lockyer. "Although Wal-Mart has suspended gun sales in California, this settlement will ensure that it follows state law if it renews sales and will also provide valuable public education about the importance of gun safety." The world's largest retailer has not yet decided whether to resume firearms sales in California, company spokesman Gus Whitcomb said.
| "Although Wal-Mart has suspended gun sales in California, this settlement will ensure that it follows state law if it renews sales and will also provide valuable public education about the importance of gun safety."The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has agreed to pay a total of $14.5m (£7.74m) to settle a lawsuit over gun sales violations in California.The lawsuit alleged Wal-Mart committed thousands of gun sales violations in California between 2000 and 2003.Wal-Mart agreed to suspend firearms sales in its California stores in 2003, The alleged violations included the sale of guns to 23 people who were not allowed to possess them, and delivering 36 guns to customers who acquired them for people not allowed to own firearms. |
754 | Ten-year tragedy of missing Manic
Richey Edwards, guitarist and lyricist for The Manic Street Preachers, vanished 10 years ago, on 1 February 1995. His disappearance remains one of the most tragic mysteries in rock music.
For his devoted fans, Richey Edwards was an inspired and inspiring poet, a man who articulated their desperation and despair, who shouted the things most kept hidden. The Manic Street Preachers may only have become stadium-conquering rock giants since his disappearance - but Edwards was the figurehead for their first, dangerous and dazzling incarnation. Edwards did not feature in the original line-up of the band, though. Singer/guitarist James Dean Bradfield, bassist Nicky Wire and drummer Sean Moore were originally accompanied by a rhythm guitarist called Flicker. But Edwards replaced Flicker in time for the band's self-financed debut, Suicide Alley, after designing the record's artwork.
After becoming a full-time member, Edwards became a critical part of the band, writing lyrics and playing guitar - though in many concerts, he was not actually plugged in. But the fiercely intelligent Edwards - who name-checked writers such as Sylvia Plath, George Orwell and Philip Larkin - battled depression, alcohol problems, eating disorders, and self-harm. By the time the band released their third album, The Holy Bible, in October 1994, Edwards had been admitted to hospital with depression. But in his last interview a few months later, seemed to be making plans for the future.
Edwards walks out of the Embassy Hotel in London in the early morning, ahead of the band's US tour to promote The Holy Bible. In the following days, police issue a missing person alert and his parents, Graham and Sherry, plead for their son to let them know he is safe and well.
Police discover Edwards' car in a car park near the Severn Bridge near Bristol - a notorious suicide spot. The discovery leads many to believe he has killed himself. The rest of the band stop touring and recording.
The band play their first concerts since Edwards' disappearance as a trio, performing support slots for The Stone Roses on their UK stadium tour.
The Manic Street Preachers release their first music since Edwards' disappearance. A Design For Life reaches number two in the UK singles chart. The album Everything Must Go follows.
The Manics win best band and best album for Everything Must Go at the Brit Awards.
A fan says she saw Edwards in the hippy resort of Goa, India. Interpol are alerted but do not track him down.
Graham and Sherry Edwards fly to the Spanish island of Fuerteventura six weeks after reports a man fitting their son's description has been seen in a bar called Underground. The report comes to nothing.
Edwards' sister Rachel makes an emotional TV appeal five years after the disappearance. "I'd just like to say to him if he is able to listen that we do love him very much and we'd like him to come back - me, mum and dad," she said.
The band play a concert in the Cuban capital, Havana - the first contemporary western rock band to play there.
On the seventh anniversary of his disappearance, police offer Edwards' parents the opportunity to sign a death certificate. They refuse. The Big Issue magazine, which supports homelessness charities, prints the last known picture of Edwards in a fresh plea for information.
A pair of trainers containing human bones washed up on the banks of the River Severn have no link to Edwards, police say.
The last song written by Edwards - a song called Judge Y'Self, which was to have been used for the Judge Dredd film soundtrack - is released on the B-side compilation Lipstick Traces. A skeleton found by the River Severn is not Edwards, tests reveal.
The Manics' seventh studio album, Lifeblood, features a song dedicated to Edwards called Cardiff Afterlife.
The remaining Manic Street Preachers members continue to pay a quarter of the band's royalties into an account held in his name.
| The Manic Street Preachers release their first music since Edwards' disappearance.The band play their first concerts since Edwards' disappearance as a trio, performing support slots for The Stone Roses on their UK stadium tour.Edwards did not feature in the original line-up of the band, though.The Manic Street Preachers may only have become stadium-conquering rock giants since his disappearance - but Edwards was the figurehead for their first, dangerous and dazzling incarnation.By the time the band released their third album, The Holy Bible, in October 1994, Edwards had been admitted to hospital with depression.Richey Edwards, guitarist and lyricist for The Manic Street Preachers, vanished 10 years ago, on 1 February 1995.The Manics' seventh studio album, Lifeblood, features a song dedicated to Edwards called Cardiff Afterlife.On the seventh anniversary of his disappearance, police offer Edwards' parents the opportunity to sign a death certificate.After becoming a full-time member, Edwards became a critical part of the band, writing lyrics and playing guitar - though in many concerts, he was not actually plugged in.A skeleton found by the River Severn is not Edwards, tests reveal.A pair of trainers containing human bones washed up on the banks of the River Severn have no link to Edwards, police say.Edwards' sister Rachel makes an emotional TV appeal five years after the disappearance.Graham and Sherry Edwards fly to the Spanish island of Fuerteventura six weeks after reports a man fitting their son's description has been seen in a bar called Underground.A fan says she saw Edwards in the hippy resort of Goa, India.But Edwards replaced Flicker in time for the band's self-financed debut, Suicide Alley, after designing the record's artwork. |
248 | Survey confirms property slowdown
Government figures have confirmed a widely reported slowdown of the UK's housing market in late 2004.
House prices were 11.8% higher on the year in the last quarter of 2004, down from 16.3% in the July-to-September quarter, the Land Registry said. The average house price in England and Wales was £182,920, down from £187,971 in July-September. The volume of sales between October and December dropped by nearly a quarter from the same period in 2003. The government figures are the first official confirmation of falls in the market at the end of 2004. Land Registry figures are less up to date than those of banks and building societies, since they record completions not mortgage approvals. However, the figures are viewed as the most accurate measure of house prices as they include all property transactions, including cash sales.
The cost of buying a home fell in seven out of 10 regions between the third and fourth quarters of 2004.
The biggest annual gains were made in Wales, where house prices were up by 23% in the fourth quarter. House prices rose the slowest in Greater London, being up by 6%. In the capital, the volume of sales fell by 23% from 36,185 in 2003 to 28,041 for the same period in 2004. There was also a decline in the number of million-pound properties sold in the capital, with 436 properties over £1m sold compared to 469 for the same period in 2003. Although the figures point to a slowdown in the market, the most recent surveys from Nationwide and Halifax have indicated the market may be undergoing a revival. After registering falls at the back end of 2004, Halifax said house prices rose by 0.8% in January and Nationwide reported a rise of 0.4% in the first month of the year. Members of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee will make their latest decision on interest rates on Thursday.
| House prices were 11.8% higher on the year in the last quarter of 2004, down from 16.3% in the July-to-September quarter, the Land Registry said.The biggest annual gains were made in Wales, where house prices were up by 23% in the fourth quarter.After registering falls at the back end of 2004, Halifax said house prices rose by 0.8% in January and Nationwide reported a rise of 0.4% in the first month of the year.However, the figures are viewed as the most accurate measure of house prices as they include all property transactions, including cash sales.The average house price in England and Wales was £182,920, down from £187,971 in July-September.House prices rose the slowest in Greater London, being up by 6%. |
1,151 | Brown in appeal for Labour unity
Gordon Brown has made an appeal for unity after reports claimed Mr Blair went back on a pledge to stand down before the next general election.
The chancellor would not comment on the reports, but insisted he would not be "diverted or distracted" from tackling the challenges faced by the country. His only "motivation" was to ensure Labour was re-elected, he insisted. Mr Blair earlier dismissed the claim he had reneged on a promise to stand aside for Gordon Brown as old news. According to a new book, Brown's Britain by Sunday Telegraph journalist Robert Peston, Mr Blair went back on a pledge to make way for Mr Brown after Cabinet allies intervened in June 2004.
In an interview with BBC One's Breakfast with Frost, Mr Blair said: "I've dealt with this six months ago. I said then you don't do deals over jobs like this - you don't. "What both of us are actually concentrating on are the issues that concern the country."
In a separate interview with BBC political editor Andrew Marr, Mr Brown said: "It's very important that we all do what we can in a unified way to ensure the election of a Labour government. "I think it is very important to stress that that is the motivation that I have. "That is my purpose in politics, and that is what every day I seek to do. And I am not going to be diverted or distracted, nor is Tony Blair, by newspaper stories or books or rumours or gossip. "The only reason why we are in government is to get on with the job in a unified way to deal with the challenges facing this country." Mr Brown also said he had discussed the general election campaign with the prime minister on Saturday and pledged to play his part as he had been asked to do.
But Mr Peston said the pair had "mutual animosity and contempt" for each other and that Mr Blair had decided in November 2003 he would quit because he felt he had lost voters' trust because of the Iraq war. He then changed his mind in June 2004, following intervention from allies in the Cabinet and the suspicion that the chancellor was deliberately manoeuvring against him, according to the book. Andrew Marr said: "This is enormously damaging. Gordon Brown knows it as well as Tony Blair. "I think the relationship is genuinely, privately, very poor indeed. Things are very difficult." He added: "Lots of ministers believe Tony Blair will attempt to move Gordon Brown out of the Treasury after the election. "That depends on whether there's still a Labour government and their majority."
Senior MPs are expected to raise concerns about the latest reports of infighting at the regular meeting of Labour backbenchers on Monday.
Health Secretary John Reid said those fuelling such reports were damaging Labour's re-election chances and would not be easily forgiven. Fresh speculation of a rift recently followed Mr Blair and Mr Brown's separate responses to the Asian tsunami. These rumours were fuelled by Mr Blair's decision to hold his monthly media conference at the same time as a long-planned speech by Mr Brown on UK plans to tackle global poverty with a new "Marshall Plan" for Africa. There was speculation the pair were trying to outdo each other's response to the disaster. But the prime minister said he had discussed these claims with the chancellor and dismissed them as a "load of nonsense". Tory leader Michael Howard accused the prime minister and Mr Brown of"squabbling like schoolboys". Liberal Democrat parliamentary chairman Matthew Taylor said the personal ambition of Mr Blair and Mr Brown was "getting in the way of good government".
| In a separate interview with BBC political editor Andrew Marr, Mr Brown said: "It's very important that we all do what we can in a unified way to ensure the election of a Labour government.Liberal Democrat parliamentary chairman Matthew Taylor said the personal ambition of Mr Blair and Mr Brown was "getting in the way of good government".According to a new book, Brown's Britain by Sunday Telegraph journalist Robert Peston, Mr Blair went back on a pledge to make way for Mr Brown after Cabinet allies intervened in June 2004.But Mr Peston said the pair had "mutual animosity and contempt" for each other and that Mr Blair had decided in November 2003 he would quit because he felt he had lost voters' trust because of the Iraq war.Mr Brown also said he had discussed the general election campaign with the prime minister on Saturday and pledged to play his part as he had been asked to do.Gordon Brown has made an appeal for unity after reports claimed Mr Blair went back on a pledge to stand down before the next general election.Mr Blair earlier dismissed the claim he had reneged on a promise to stand aside for Gordon Brown as old news.Fresh speculation of a rift recently followed Mr Blair and Mr Brown's separate responses to the Asian tsunami.In an interview with BBC One's Breakfast with Frost, Mr Blair said: "I've dealt with this six months ago.Gordon Brown knows it as well as Tony Blair.He added: "Lots of ministers believe Tony Blair will attempt to move Gordon Brown out of the Treasury after the election.Tory leader Michael Howard accused the prime minister and Mr Brown of"squabbling like schoolboys". |
2,152 | Britons fed up with net service
A survey conducted by PC Pro Magazine has revealed that many Britons are unhappy with their internet service.
They are fed up with slow speeds, high prices and the level of customer service they receive. 17% of readers have switched suppliers and a further 16% are considering changing in the near future. It is particularly bad news for BT, the UK's biggest internet supplier, with almost three times as many people trying to leave as joining.
A third of the 2,000 broadband users interviewed were fed up with their current providers but this could be just the tip of the iceberg thinks Tim Danton, editor of PC Pro Magazine. "We expect these figures to leap in 2005. Every month the prices drop, and more and more people are trying to switch," he said. The survey found that BT and Tiscali have been actively dissuading customers from leaving by offering them a lower price when they phone up to cancel their subscription. Some readers were offered a price drop just 25p more expensive than that offered by an alternative operator, making it hardly worth while swapping.
Other found themselves tied into 12-month contracts. Broadband has become hugely competitive and providers are desperate to hold on to customers. 12% of those surveyed found themselves unable to swap at all. "We discovered a huge variety of problems, but one of the biggest issues is the current supplier withholding the information that people need to give to their new supplier," said Tim Danton, editor of PC Pro. "This breaks the code of practice, but because that code is voluntary there's nothing we or Ofcom can do to help," he said. There is a vast choice of internet service providers in the UK now and an often bewildering array of broadband packages. With prices set to drop even further in coming months Mr Danton advises everyone to shop around carefully. "If you just stick with your current connection then there's every chance you're being ripped off," he warned.
| Every month the prices drop, and more and more people are trying to switch," he said."We discovered a huge variety of problems, but one of the biggest issues is the current supplier withholding the information that people need to give to their new supplier," said Tim Danton, editor of PC Pro.A third of the 2,000 broadband users interviewed were fed up with their current providers but this could be just the tip of the iceberg thinks Tim Danton, editor of PC Pro Magazine.A survey conducted by PC Pro Magazine has revealed that many Britons are unhappy with their internet service.With prices set to drop even further in coming months Mr Danton advises everyone to shop around carefully.The survey found that BT and Tiscali have been actively dissuading customers from leaving by offering them a lower price when they phone up to cancel their subscription.It is particularly bad news for BT, the UK's biggest internet supplier, with almost three times as many people trying to leave as joining. |
2,042 | Gritty return for Prince of Persia
Still basking in the relatively recent glory of last year's Sands Of Time, the dashing Prince of Persia is back in Warrior Within, and in a more bellicose mood than last time.
This sequel gives the franchise a grim, gritty new look and ramps up the action and violence. As before, you control the super-athletic prince from a third-person perspective. The time-travelling plot hinges on the Dahaka, an all-consuming monster pursuing our hero through the ages. The only way to dispel it is to turn back the clock again and kill the sultry Empress Of Time before she ever creates the Sands of Time that caused the great beast's creation.
Studiously structured though this back story is, everything boils down to old-fashioned fantasy gameplay which proves, on the whole, as dependable as it needs to be. Ever since the series' then-groundbreaking beginnings on the Commodore Amiga, Prince of Persia has always been about meticulously-animated acrobatic moves, that provide an energetic blend of leaping preposterously between pieces of scenery and lopping off enemies' body parts.
Those flashy moves are back in full evidence, and tremendous fun to perform and perfect. Combining them at speed is the best fun, although getting a handle of doing so takes practice and plenty of skill. Until you reach that point, it is a haphazard business. All too often, you will perform a stunning triple somersault, pirouette off a wall, knock out three enemies in one glorious swoop, before plummeting purposefully over a cliff to your doom. That in turn can mean getting set back an annoyingly long distance, for you can only save at the fountains dotted along the path. The expected fiendish puzzles are all present and correct, but combat is what is really been stepped up, and there is more of it than before. The game's developers have combined acrobatic flair with gruesome slaying techniques in some wonderfully imaginative ways. Slicing foes down the middle is one particularly entertaining method of seeing them off.
Warrior Within is a very slick package; the game's intro movie is so phenomenally good that it actually does an ultimate disservice once the game itself commences.
It is on a par with the jaw-dropping opening sequence of Onimusha 3 earlier this year, and when the game begins, it is something of an anti-climax. That said, the graphics are excellent, and indeed among the most striking and satisfying elements of the game. The music is probably the worst aspect - a merit-free heavy metal soundtrack that you will swiftly want to turn off. There is something strangely unsatisfying about the game. Perhaps precisely because its graphics and mechanics are so good that the story and overall experience are not quite as engaging as they should be. Somehow it adds up to less than the sum of its parts, and is more technically impressive than it is outright enjoyable. But that is not to say Warrior Within is anything other than a superb adventure that most will thoroughly enjoy. It just does not quite take the character to the new heights that might have been hoped for.
| Still basking in the relatively recent glory of last year's Sands Of Time, the dashing Prince of Persia is back in Warrior Within, and in a more bellicose mood than last time.Warrior Within is a very slick package; the game's intro movie is so phenomenally good that it actually does an ultimate disservice once the game itself commences.The only way to dispel it is to turn back the clock again and kill the sultry Empress Of Time before she ever creates the Sands of Time that caused the great beast's creation.Those flashy moves are back in full evidence, and tremendous fun to perform and perfect.That in turn can mean getting set back an annoyingly long distance, for you can only save at the fountains dotted along the path.There is something strangely unsatisfying about the game.It just does not quite take the character to the new heights that might have been hoped for.Ever since the series' then-groundbreaking beginnings on the Commodore Amiga, Prince of Persia has always been about meticulously-animated acrobatic moves, that provide an energetic blend of leaping preposterously between pieces of scenery and lopping off enemies' body parts.It is on a par with the jaw-dropping opening sequence of Onimusha 3 earlier this year, and when the game begins, it is something of an anti-climax.That said, the graphics are excellent, and indeed among the most striking and satisfying elements of the game. |
801 | U2 stars enter rock Hall of Fame
Singer Bruce Springsteen has inducted Irish rock band U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in New York.
The lavish ceremony, celebrating the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll, also saw the induction of the Pretenders, Percy Sledge, the O'Jays and Buddy Guy. "This was a band that wanted to lay claim to this world and the next one, too," said Springsteen. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr, who formed U2 at school in 1977, begin a world tour on 28 March. Introducing the band, Springsteen mocked Bono as the man who "single-handedly pioneered the Irish mullet", poking fun at "one of the best and most endearingly messianic complexes in rock 'n' roll". But he also spoke of the group's enduring stature, adding that it was the only band of the last 20 years where he knew all four members' names.
U2's contemporaries, the Pretenders, led by Chrissie Hynde - took to the stage to perform My City Was Gone with inductee Neil Young. "We are a tribute band," said Hynde, 53. "We're paying tribute to James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, without whom we would not have been here," she said, referring to the premature deaths of two of the band's guitarists from drug overdoses.
Britain's Rod Stewart introduced Percy Sledge, citing his best-known hit When a Man loves a Woman as "one of the best performances I've ever heard". Justin Timberlake introduced soul group the O'Jays, a gospel-style quartet from Ohio, who performed a medley of their best-known songs including Back Stabbers, Love Train and For the Love of Money. "Anyone who's ever written, produced or performed something soulful stands in the shadows of these giants," said Timberlake.
Joining the ceremony at New York's Waldorf Astoria were legendary R&B star Bo Diddley, who performed with Eric Clapton and Robbie Robertson.
Clapton, alongside BB King, also introduced fellow guitarist Buddy Guy and recalled seeing him play as a teenager in England. "He was for me what Elvis was probably like for other people," he said. "My course was set and he was my pilot," said Clapton who joined Guy and King in a performance of Let Me Love You Baby. Also performing at the ceremony was veteran musician Jerry Lee Lewis who continued his reputation as a rowdy piano-pounder despite his 69 years, kicking over his stool and sitting on the piano during a rendition of Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On.
| "This was a band that wanted to lay claim to this world and the next one, too," said Springsteen."My course was set and he was my pilot," said Clapton who joined Guy and King in a performance of Let Me Love You Baby."We are a tribute band," said Hynde, 53."He was for me what Elvis was probably like for other people," he said.Introducing the band, Springsteen mocked Bono as the man who "single-handedly pioneered the Irish mullet", poking fun at "one of the best and most endearingly messianic complexes in rock 'n' roll".The lavish ceremony, celebrating the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll, also saw the induction of the Pretenders, Percy Sledge, the O'Jays and Buddy Guy.Singer Bruce Springsteen has inducted Irish rock band U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in New York. |
1,411 | Ronaldo considering new contract
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo said he is close to agreeing to a new contract at Old Trafford.
The Portugal star, who joined in August 2003 on a five-year-deal, is a regular in the United first-team. "The United board have already made an offer to renew the contract but I'm trying not to think about it," he told the News of the World. "My agent has spoken with the club and it will be resolved soon. I think we'll reach a good agreement for both sides." Ronaldo refused to commit his long-term future to the club.
"Nobody knows what will come tomorrow. I like being here, but who knows," he added. "There aren't many bigger and better clubs than this one. It's my ambition to be at a big club. I'm happy but nobody knows the future."
| Ronaldo refused to commit his long-term future to the club.I'm happy but nobody knows the future.""The United board have already made an offer to renew the contract but I'm trying not to think about it," he told the News of the World.It's my ambition to be at a big club."My agent has spoken with the club and it will be resolved soon. |
1,306 | Sayeed to stand down as Tory MP
Tory MP Jonathan Sayeed is to stand down on the grounds of ill health.
The decision comes after Mr Sayeed survived an attempt to de-select him in a row over allegations he had profited from private tours of Parliament. The Mid-Bedfordshire MP had denied a claim that he was paid for guiding visitors around the Palace of Westminster. Conservative leader Michael Howard has now accepted the MP's resignation, it has been announced.
Mr Sayeed was suspended from Parliament for two weeks last month after the Commons standards and privileges committee said his conduct had fallen "well below the standards expected". The Conservative Party had already been withdrawn the whip for a month. But his constituency association voted against a move to deselect him, with Mr Sayeed winning 173 of the 299 votes. After the vote, Mr Sayeed said only a fifth of association members had voted against him and he intended to get on with winning the election. But the vote prompted constituency association president Sir Stanley Odell to resign in protest. The Standards and Privileges Committee inquiry was launched after the Sunday Times alleged English Manner Limited charged clients for access to Westminster through Mr Sayeed. Mr Sayeed had denied the claims, saying the suspension was "unjust and wrong" but he made an "unreserved" apology to MPs in the Commons chamber. He insisted that the committee's report had contained a "few errors of fact". Mr Sayeed has been MP for Mid-Bedfordshire since 1997. He represented Bristol East from 1983 to 1992.
| Mr Sayeed has been MP for Mid-Bedfordshire since 1997.But his constituency association voted against a move to deselect him, with Mr Sayeed winning 173 of the 299 votes.After the vote, Mr Sayeed said only a fifth of association members had voted against him and he intended to get on with winning the election.Mr Sayeed had denied the claims, saying the suspension was "unjust and wrong" but he made an "unreserved" apology to MPs in the Commons chamber.Mr Sayeed was suspended from Parliament for two weeks last month after the Commons standards and privileges committee said his conduct had fallen "well below the standards expected".The Standards and Privileges Committee inquiry was launched after the Sunday Times alleged English Manner Limited charged clients for access to Westminster through Mr Sayeed. |
761 | Brit awards for Devon music acts
Devon singer Joss Stone and rock band Muse won coveted Brit awards during the event's 25th anniversary.
Seventeen-year-old Stone, from near Cullumpton, won two awards: best British female act, and best urban act out of three award nominations. Muse, whose members met in south Devon, beat Franz Ferdinand, Jamie Cullum, Kasabian and The Libertines for best British live act. The band has sold about two million records worldwide.
After beating Amy Winehouse, Jamelia, Natasha Bedingfield and PJ Harvey to the best British female prize, Joss Stone said: "I don't know what to say. I don't like doing this at all. I'd like to thank my family for being really supportive and everybody that made my record with me." "I don't even know what to do right now. Thank you all you guys for voting for me, I feel sick right now." Viewers of digital music TV channel MTV Base voted Stone the winner in the best urban act category. Ms Stone also performed her song Right To Be Wrong, backed by a gospel choir, at the 25th award ceremony at London's Earls Court. Her second album Mind, Body & Soul reached number one in the UK charts last October and went straight into the US charts at number 11.
The teenager also has Grammy nominations in the US, normally dominated by home-grown acts. Born Jocelyn Stoker, the Devon diva started her career in a BBC talent programme, and was then discovered at a New York audition by a US record executive, Steve Greenberg. Indie Rock group Muse consists of Matthew Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard who met in their early teens in Teignmouth, south Devon. Dominic Howard said of winning: "We love playing live, it's very important for our band. So to win something like this really feels great." The trio met aged 13 and formed the band Gothic Plague, changing its name to Fixed Penalty, Rocket Baby Dolls and finally Muse. The band released its first self-titled EP in 1998. The third studio album, Absolution, was released in 2003, providing the hit singles Time Is Running Out, Hysteria, and Butterflies And Hurricanes.
| Devon singer Joss Stone and rock band Muse won coveted Brit awards during the event's 25th anniversary.Seventeen-year-old Stone, from near Cullumpton, won two awards: best British female act, and best urban act out of three award nominations.Muse, whose members met in south Devon, beat Franz Ferdinand, Jamie Cullum, Kasabian and The Libertines for best British live act.After beating Amy Winehouse, Jamelia, Natasha Bedingfield and PJ Harvey to the best British female prize, Joss Stone said: "I don't know what to say.I don't like doing this at all.The band has sold about two million records worldwide."I don't even know what to do right now.I'd like to thank my family for being really supportive and everybody that made my record with me." |
109 | Lufthansa flies back to profit
German airline Lufthansa has returned to profit in 2004 after posting huge losses in 2003.
In a preliminary report, the airline announced net profits of 400m euros ($527.61m; £274.73m), compared with a loss of 984m euros in 2003. Operating profits were at 380m euros, ten times more than in 2003. Lufthansa was hit in 2003 by tough competition and a dip in demand following the Iraq war and the killer SARS virus. It was also hit by troubles at its US catering business. Last year, Lufthansa showed signs of recovery even as some European and US airlines were teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. The board of Lufthansa has recommended paying a 2004 dividend of 0.30 euros per share. In 2003, shareholders did not get a dividend. The company said that it will give all the details of its 2004 results on 23 March.
| German airline Lufthansa has returned to profit in 2004 after posting huge losses in 2003.The board of Lufthansa has recommended paying a 2004 dividend of 0.30 euros per share.In a preliminary report, the airline announced net profits of 400m euros ($527.61m; £274.73m), compared with a loss of 984m euros in 2003.Last year, Lufthansa showed signs of recovery even as some European and US airlines were teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. |
6 | Japan narrowly escapes recession
Japan's economy teetered on the brink of a technical recession in the three months to September, figures show.
Revised figures indicated growth of just 0.1% - and a similar-sized contraction in the previous quarter. On an annual basis, the data suggests annual growth of just 0.2%, suggesting a much more hesitant recovery than had previously been thought. A common technical definition of a recession is two successive quarters of negative growth.
The government was keen to play down the worrying implications of the data. "I maintain the view that Japan's economy remains in a minor adjustment phase in an upward climb, and we will monitor developments carefully," said economy minister Heizo Takenaka. But in the face of the strengthening yen making exports less competitive and indications of weakening economic conditions ahead, observers were less sanguine. "It's painting a picture of a recovery... much patchier than previously thought," said Paul Sheard, economist at Lehman Brothers in Tokyo. Improvements in the job market apparently have yet to feed through to domestic demand, with private consumption up just 0.2% in the third quarter.
| On an annual basis, the data suggests annual growth of just 0.2%, suggesting a much more hesitant recovery than had previously been thought.A common technical definition of a recession is two successive quarters of negative growth.Revised figures indicated growth of just 0.1% - and a similar-sized contraction in the previous quarter.Japan's economy teetered on the brink of a technical recession in the three months to September, figures show. |
23 | Mixed signals from French economy
The French economy picked up speed at the end of 2004, official figures show - but still looks set to have fallen short of the government's hopes.
According to state statistics body INSEE, growth for the three months to December was a seasonally-adjusted 0.7-0.8%, ahead of the 0.6% forecast. If confirmed, that would be the best quarterly showing since early 2002. It leaves GDP up 2.3% for the full year, but short of the 2.5% which the French government had predicted.
Despite the apparent shortfall in annual economic growth, the good quarterly figures - a so-called "flash estimate" - mark a continuing trend of improving indicators for the health of the French economy. The government is reiterating a 2.5% target for 2005, while the European Central Bank is making positive noises for the 12-nation eurozone as a whole. Also on Friday, France's industrial output for December was released, showing 0.7% growth. "The numbers are good," said David Naude, economist at Deutsche Bank. "They send a positive signal of a rebound in output... and open the way for a continuation in that trend into the New Year." Service sector activity improved in January, hitting a seven-month high. But unemployment remains high at about 10%.
| Despite the apparent shortfall in annual economic growth, the good quarterly figures - a so-called "flash estimate" - mark a continuing trend of improving indicators for the health of the French economy.Also on Friday, France's industrial output for December was released, showing 0.7% growth.It leaves GDP up 2.3% for the full year, but short of the 2.5% which the French government had predicted.Service sector activity improved in January, hitting a seven-month high.But unemployment remains high at about 10%. |
660 | Usher leads Billboard nominations
R&B singer Usher is leading the race for the Billboard awards with nominations in 13 categories, including best male.
Alicia Keys has 12 nominations for the awards, which will be held on 8 December at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Other multiple nominees include Maroon5, OutKast, Kanye West, R Kelly, Gretchen Wilson, Hoobastank and Jay-Z. Soul singer Stevie Wonder will receive Billboard's Century Award, the magazine's highest honour for creative achievement, at the ceremony.
The awards will be hosted by American Idol presenter Ryan Seacrest, and will feature performances by Usher, Gwen Stefani, Nelly and Green Day. Usher and Keys will be battling it out for prizes including artist of the year, Hot 100 songwriter of the year and Billboard 200 album of the year for their respective albums Confessions and The Diary of Alicia Keys. Maroon5 and OutKast are also up for artist of the year, while OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is a finalist for Billboard 200 album of the year, alongside Josh Groban's Closer. The awards honour the year's leading artists and songs as determined by their performance on Billboard's weekly charts.
| Usher and Keys will be battling it out for prizes including artist of the year, Hot 100 songwriter of the year and Billboard 200 album of the year for their respective albums Confessions and The Diary of Alicia Keys.R&B singer Usher is leading the race for the Billboard awards with nominations in 13 categories, including best male.Maroon5 and OutKast are also up for artist of the year, while OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is a finalist for Billboard 200 album of the year, alongside Josh Groban's Closer.The awards honour the year's leading artists and songs as determined by their performance on Billboard's weekly charts. |
1,603 | O'Gara revels in Ireland victory
Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara hailed his side's 19-13 victory over England as a "special" win.
The Munster number 10 kicked a total of 14 points, including two drop goals, to help keep alive their Grand Slam hopes. He told BBC Sport: "We made hard work of it but it's still special to beat England. "I had three chances to win the game but didn't. We have work to do after this but we never take a victory over England lightly." Ireland hooker Shane Byrne echoed O'Gara's comments but admitted the game had been England's best outing in the Six Nations. Byrne said: "It was a really, really hard game but from one to 15 in our team we worked really, really hard. "We just had to stick to our defensive pattern, trust ourselves and trust those around us. All round it was fantastic." Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll, who scored his side's only try, said: "We are delighted, we felt if we performed well then we would win but with England also having played very well it makes it all the sweeter. "We did get the bounce of the ball and some days that happens and you've just got to jump on the back of it."
Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan was surprised that England coach Andy Robinson said he was certain Mark Cueto was onside for a disallowed try just before the break. "Andy was sitting two yards from me and I couldn't see whether he was offside or not so I don't know how Andy could have known," said O'Sullivan.
"What I do know is that England played well and when that happens it makes a very good victory for us. "We had to defend for long periods and that is all good for the confidence of the team. "I think our try was very well worked, it was a gem, as good a try as we have scored for a while." O'Sullivan also rejected Robinson's contention England dominated the forward play. "I think we lost one lineout and they lost four or five so I don't know how that adds up to domination," he said. O'Driscoll also insisted Ireland were happy to handle the pressure of being considered favourites to win the Six Nations title. "This season for the first time we have been able to play with the favourites' tag," he said. "Hopefully we have proved that today and can continue to keep doing so. "As for my try it was a move we had worked on all week. There was a bit of magic from Geordan Murphy and it was a great break from Denis Hickie."
| Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan was surprised that England coach Andy Robinson said he was certain Mark Cueto was onside for a disallowed try just before the break."I think our try was very well worked, it was a gem, as good a try as we have scored for a while.""What I do know is that England played well and when that happens it makes a very good victory for us.Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll, who scored his side's only try, said: "We are delighted, we felt if we performed well then we would win but with England also having played very well it makes it all the sweeter."Andy was sitting two yards from me and I couldn't see whether he was offside or not so I don't know how Andy could have known," said O'Sullivan."As for my try it was a move we had worked on all week.Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara hailed his side's 19-13 victory over England as a "special" win.There was a bit of magic from Geordan Murphy and it was a great break from Denis Hickie."Byrne said: "It was a really, really hard game but from one to 15 in our team we worked really, really hard.All round it was fantastic." |
1,265 | BAA support ahead of court battle
UK airport operator BAA has reiterated its support for the government's aviation expansion plans to airports throughout the country.
The comments come a day ahead of a High Court challenge by residents' groups and local councils to the government's White Paper. The judicial review will centre on government plans for expansion at Heathrow, Stansted and Luton airports. BAA, which operates all three, said it was consulting with local communities. "We are...consulting on voluntary compensation schemes which go beyond our statutory obligations," a BAA spokesman said.
Groups challenging the plans include Stop Stansted Expansion, Heathrow anti-noise campaigners HACAN Clearskies and the London boroughs of Hillingdon and Wandsworth. At Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, BAA launched a series of consultations on blight to properties from the proposed expansion in September 2004, which will close next week. The company is also offering to buy noise-hit properties for an index-linked, unblighted price. Among other measures, BAA has set up a homeowner support scheme for people living near Stansted, and has launched a special scheme for those close to the airport but far enough away not to be covered by the homeowner scheme. At Heathrow, BAA said it was working closely with all interested parties to see how the strict environmental, air quality and noise targets for a third runway can be met.
At Gatwick, the company has written to homes and business likely to be affected by any extra runway. Stop Stansted Expansion said the White Paper, published in December 2003, was "fundamentally flawed" and did not follow the proper consultation process. "We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge before us because the courts have never before overturned a government White Paper," said Stop Stansted Expansion chairman Peter Sanders said. HACAN chairman John Stewart said: "Almost exactly a year ago the government published its 30-year aviation White Paper with much fanfare. "It hoped that would be the end of the debate and it could proceed with its plans for a massive expansion of aviation. "Yet, a year later the protesters are still here, and stronger than ever. " A judgement from Mr Justice Sullivan is expected early in February.
| "We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge before us because the courts have never before overturned a government White Paper," said Stop Stansted Expansion chairman Peter Sanders said.Stop Stansted Expansion said the White Paper, published in December 2003, was "fundamentally flawed" and did not follow the proper consultation process.UK airport operator BAA has reiterated its support for the government's aviation expansion plans to airports throughout the country.The judicial review will centre on government plans for expansion at Heathrow, Stansted and Luton airports.HACAN chairman John Stewart said: "Almost exactly a year ago the government published its 30-year aviation White Paper with much fanfare.At Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, BAA launched a series of consultations on blight to properties from the proposed expansion in September 2004, which will close next week.BAA, which operates all three, said it was consulting with local communities. |
2,044 | Britons growing 'digitally obese'
Gadget lovers are so hungry for digital data many are carrying the equivalent of 10 trucks full of paper in "weight".
Music, images, e-mails, and texts are being hoarded on mobiles, cameras laptops and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), a Toshiba study found. It found that more than 60% kept 1,000 to 2,000 music files on their devices, making the UK "digitally fat". "Virtual weight" measurements are based on research by California Institute of Technology professor Roy Williams. He calculated physical comparisons for digital data in the mid-1990s. He worked out that one gigabyte (1,000,000,000 bytes) was the equivalent of a pick-up truck filled with paper. The amount of data people are squirreling away on their gadgets is clearly a sign that people are finding more things to do with their shiny things.
If digital hoarding habits continue on this scale, people could be carrying around a "digitally obese" 20 gigabytes by next year. "Britain has become a nation of information hoarders with a ferocious appetite for data," said Martin Larsson, general manager of Toshiba's European storage device division.
"As storage capabilities increase and the features and functionalities of mobile devices expand to support movie files and entire libraries of multi-media content, we will all become virtually obese," he told the BBC News website. The survey reflects the increasing trend for portable devices with built-in hard drives like music and media players from Apple, Creative Labs, Archos, iRiver and others. This trend is set to grow, according to analysts. They suggest the number of hard drives in consumer electronics gadgets could grow from 17 million last year to 55 million in 2006. "Consumers are driving the move towards smaller devices that have greater functionality, and industry is trying to keep up," said Mr Larsson. "People are looking for more than just phone calls and text messages on the move, they want things like web browsing, e-mailing, music, photos and more."
Many are finding memory keys and memory sticks are simply not big enough to hold everything.
"Floppies and memory keys have their place, but they don't have anything like the capacity or flexibility of a hard drive so are unable to meet the demand for more and more storage capacity in consumer devices," said Mr Larsson. The cost of making hard drives has dropped and is continuing to do so because of improved technologies so they are proving to be more cost-effective than other forms of memory, he added. The amount of data that can be stored has grown by 400% in the last three years, while the cost for every gigabyte has fallen by 80%. It is also getting easier to transfer files from one device to another, which has traditionally been a slow and problematic area. "Transfer of data between different memory types has improved significantly in recent times, and will be further helped by the standards for hard drives which are currently being developed by the major manufacturers," said Mr Larsson. According to technology analysts IDC, a fifth of all hard drives produced will be used in consumer electronics by 2007.
| "Transfer of data between different memory types has improved significantly in recent times, and will be further helped by the standards for hard drives which are currently being developed by the major manufacturers," said Mr Larsson.The cost of making hard drives has dropped and is continuing to do so because of improved technologies so they are proving to be more cost-effective than other forms of memory, he added."Floppies and memory keys have their place, but they don't have anything like the capacity or flexibility of a hard drive so are unable to meet the demand for more and more storage capacity in consumer devices," said Mr Larsson.Gadget lovers are so hungry for digital data many are carrying the equivalent of 10 trucks full of paper in "weight".They suggest the number of hard drives in consumer electronics gadgets could grow from 17 million last year to 55 million in 2006."Britain has become a nation of information hoarders with a ferocious appetite for data," said Martin Larsson, general manager of Toshiba's European storage device division.According to technology analysts IDC, a fifth of all hard drives produced will be used in consumer electronics by 2007.The survey reflects the increasing trend for portable devices with built-in hard drives like music and media players from Apple, Creative Labs, Archos, iRiver and others.The amount of data that can be stored has grown by 400% in the last three years, while the cost for every gigabyte has fallen by 80%. |
397 | Green reports shun supply chain
Nearly 20% more UK top 250 firms produced non-financial reports on social and environment issues than last year.
But of the 145 companies reporting, 76% didn't examine their supply chains, says the annual Directions survey. Green groups say putting pressure on supply chains is a major way companies can reduce their environmental impact. The survey is published by corporate social responsibility firm Context and branding firm SalterBaxter.
Blake Lee-Harwood, campaigns director at Greenpeace in the UK, said: "It's fairly meaningless to talk about your company's direction in terms of sustainability without having detailed knowledge of your supply chain. "It's also important to get some kind of independent assessment of your reporting."
Less than a quarter of companies (24%) get their corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports independently verified to provide assurances they are accurate and complete, says the survey. To date there are no set standards for non-financial reporting, although the Global Reporting Initiative, an independent pro-sustainability institution, is planning to establish some. The reports surveyed by Directions are published voluntarily. They are usually called corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, sustainability reports, or social and environmental reports.
Peter Knight, director of Context, says 24 UK top 250 companies reported for the first time this year and, in general, the quality of reports has improved. "The corporate lexicon of homilies, generalities and soft assurances - fluff - is on its way out. There are less pictures of smiling children and butterflies." The UK government will soon require all quoted companies to report their social and environmental risks in a chapter in their annual reports, called the Operating and Financial Review. The regulation is not expected until 2005 and the first reports under this scheme will not be published before 2006. The US seems to lag Europe in producing corporate social responsibility reports. The majority of European top 50 companies (44) publish them and only 27 of the US top 50.
| Less than a quarter of companies (24%) get their corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports independently verified to provide assurances they are accurate and complete, says the survey.The UK government will soon require all quoted companies to report their social and environmental risks in a chapter in their annual reports, called the Operating and Financial Review.They are usually called corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, sustainability reports, or social and environmental reports.Nearly 20% more UK top 250 firms produced non-financial reports on social and environment issues than last year.Peter Knight, director of Context, says 24 UK top 250 companies reported for the first time this year and, in general, the quality of reports has improved.But of the 145 companies reporting, 76% didn't examine their supply chains, says the annual Directions survey.The survey is published by corporate social responsibility firm Context and branding firm SalterBaxter. |
1,031 | Blair says UK tsunami aid to soar
Tony Blair has predicted the British Government will eventually give "hundreds of millions" of pounds in aid to countries hit by the tsunami.
The prime minister was speaking publicly for the first time since returning from his holiday in Egypt. Mr Blair insisted he had been "intimately involved" in "all decisions at all times" despite being abroad. He was speaking before the UK joins a three-minute silence at noon across the EU for the estimated 150,000 dead.
The Foreign Office says 41 Britons are now confirmed to have died in the Tsunami which struck south Asia on Boxing Day, with 158 others missing. Asked about criticism that he did not cut short his holiday, Mr Blair told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I don't think this is a situation in which the British people need me to articulate what they feel.
"I think they feel - as we all do - shock, horror, and absolute solidarity with those people who have lost their lives." The important thing was action and not words, he said, adding that of the £50m given by the government so far only "six or seven million" had been spent. It would become easier in the coming weeks to assess just how much money would have to be put in. "My estimate is we will need to spend from government several hundred million pounds. So we will far and away more than match the generosity of the British people," he said. Asked whether he had not returned to work immediately because he was under doctors orders to rest, Mr Blair said there was also a story he had been away for plastic surgery. "As you can see unfortunately I am still looking the same as I always did," he joked.
The prime minister took personal charge of the UK's response on Tuesday, chairing a meeting of the emergency committee of ministers that has convened daily since Boxing Day. He also spoke on the telephone to US President George Bush, and the presidents of Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Chancellor Gordon Brown earlier backed a plan to freeze the foreign debts of all the affected nations.
Mr Brown, who was not at the Downing Street meeting, says he has been in "intensive talks" with other G8 finance ministers. Germany proposed a freeze last week and Canada has begun its own moratorium. The chancellor said the plan would initially save the most affected countries about $3bn (£1.58bn) in repayments. Tory leader Michael Howard also backed the proposals but said ministers had been "playing catch-up" with public donations.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is to visit Thailand and Indonesia this week. During his trip, Mr Straw will represent the G8 at the international conference called in Jakarta, Indonesia on Thursday. On Friday, he will visit the Thai beach resort of Phuket, where British families are still searching for relatives.
International Development Secretary Hilary Benn will also visit Aceh in Indonesia, as well as Sri Lanka. The British public has now pledged £76m in aid with emergency supplies from the British government starting to arrive in the region on three RAF flights in a joint operation with Scandinavian countries. Two ships - the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Diligence and frigate HMS Chatham - have arrived in the disaster area. A second Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel, the Bayleaf, is also being sent. UK charities have also begun chartering planes to deliver aid.
- A BBC News Special: Asia Remembered, including the three-minutes silence, will be shown on BBC One and BBC News 24 from 1130 to 1215 GMT on Wednesday.
| Asked whether he had not returned to work immediately because he was under doctors orders to rest, Mr Blair said there was also a story he had been away for plastic surgery.Asked about criticism that he did not cut short his holiday, Mr Blair told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I don't think this is a situation in which the British people need me to articulate what they feel.Tony Blair has predicted the British Government will eventually give "hundreds of millions" of pounds in aid to countries hit by the tsunami.So we will far and away more than match the generosity of the British people," he said.Mr Brown, who was not at the Downing Street meeting, says he has been in "intensive talks" with other G8 finance ministers.International Development Secretary Hilary Benn will also visit Aceh in Indonesia, as well as Sri Lanka.Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is to visit Thailand and Indonesia this week.The British public has now pledged £76m in aid with emergency supplies from the British government starting to arrive in the region on three RAF flights in a joint operation with Scandinavian countries.Tory leader Michael Howard also backed the proposals but said ministers had been "playing catch-up" with public donations.The important thing was action and not words, he said, adding that of the £50m given by the government so far only "six or seven million" had been spent.UK charities have also begun chartering planes to deliver aid.The prime minister was speaking publicly for the first time since returning from his holiday in Egypt. |
2,010 | China 'blocks Google news site'
China has been accused of blocking access to Google News by the media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders.
The Paris-based pressure group said the English-language news site had been unavailable for the past 10 days. It said the aim was to force people to use a Chinese edition of the site which, according to the watchdog, does not include critical reports. Google told the BBC News website it was aware of the problems and was investigating the causes.
China is believed to extend greater censorship over the net than any other country in the world.
A net police force monitors websites and e-mails, and controls on gateways connecting the country to the global internet are designed to prevent access to critical information. Popular Chinese portals such as Sina.com and Sohu.com maintain a close eye on content and delete politically sensitive comments. And all 110,000 net cafes in the country have to use software to control access to websites considered harmful or subversive.
"China is censoring Google News to force internet users to use the Chinese version of the site which has been purged of the most critical news reports," said the group in a statement. "By agreeing to launch a news service that excludes publications disliked by the government, Google has let itself be used by Beijing," it said. For its part, the search giant said it was looking into the issue. "It appears that many users in China are having difficulty accessing Google News sites in China and we are working to understand and resolve the issue," said a Google spokesperson. Google News gathers information from some 4,500 news sources. Headlines are selected for display entirely by a computer algorithm, with no human editorial intervention. It offers 15 editions of the service, including one tailored for China and one for Hong Kong. Google launched a version in simplified Chinese in September. The site does not filter news results to remove politically sensitive information. But Google does not link to news sources which are inaccessible from within China as this would result in broken links.
| "China is censoring Google News to force internet users to use the Chinese version of the site which has been purged of the most critical news reports," said the group in a statement."It appears that many users in China are having difficulty accessing Google News sites in China and we are working to understand and resolve the issue," said a Google spokesperson.Google News gathers information from some 4,500 news sources.China has been accused of blocking access to Google News by the media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders.But Google does not link to news sources which are inaccessible from within China as this would result in broken links.The site does not filter news results to remove politically sensitive information.It said the aim was to force people to use a Chinese edition of the site which, according to the watchdog, does not include critical reports.Google told the BBC News website it was aware of the problems and was investigating the causes. |
2,122 | Napster offers rented music to go
Music downloading, for those that have rejected the free peer to peer services, can be a costly business.
The cost of paying even as little as 70p per track can add up, particularly for those people who own one of the new generation of players that can store thousands of songs. Paying per track for music is becoming as outmoded as paying per minute for internet access and alternative monthly or yearly subscription models are springing up as a more convenient, and ultimately cheaper way of owning music.
"Music fans are moving away from buying the traditional bundled package of a dozen or more songs that we used to call an album to newer ways that fit their lifestyle; either single tracks or subscriptions services," said Paul Myers, chief executive of Wippit, a UK-based music download service. While iTunes is doing good business with its sales of individual tracks to iPod owners, others are questioning whether the concept of owning music is even valid in the digital age. Napster is due to launch a new rental subscription service - dubbed Napster to Go in the UK in the next few months. The service can be used on players that support Microsoft Windows latest Digital Rights Management technology known as Janus. This includes players made by Samsung, Rio and Creative.
Currently on offer in beta-version in the US, the service costs $15 per month for unlimited downloads. The technology ensures that music downloaded to the player only remains playable while the user subscribes to the service. Users need to update their license on a monthly basis or the tunes will no longer play.
This has outraged some digital music lovers, especially as Napster already offers a cheaper service for downloading music to the PC. Napster claims the higher price is a result of record labels charging more for the to-go service and says it also offers "greater value" for customers. Mr Myers is not convinced a rental model will work for consumers. "We've been offering our unlimited music subscription service for more than three years now and our customers know what they want. Format interoperability, excellent value and the reassurance that music purchased from Wippit is theirs to keep and enjoy on whatever device they choose," he said. "Who wants to download a track that won't play next month if you decide to unsubscribe to the service or change portable player for an iPod or the latest mobile phone?" Wippit offers a download subscription service for £4.99 per month or £50 per year. It has a catalogue of around 60,000 songs.
| This has outraged some digital music lovers, especially as Napster already offers a cheaper service for downloading music to the PC.Wippit offers a download subscription service for £4.99 per month or £50 per year.Paying per track for music is becoming as outmoded as paying per minute for internet access and alternative monthly or yearly subscription models are springing up as a more convenient, and ultimately cheaper way of owning music."Music fans are moving away from buying the traditional bundled package of a dozen or more songs that we used to call an album to newer ways that fit their lifestyle; either single tracks or subscriptions services," said Paul Myers, chief executive of Wippit, a UK-based music download service.The technology ensures that music downloaded to the player only remains playable while the user subscribes to the service."We've been offering our unlimited music subscription service for more than three years now and our customers know what they want."Who wants to download a track that won't play next month if you decide to unsubscribe to the service or change portable player for an iPod or the latest mobile phone?"Currently on offer in beta-version in the US, the service costs $15 per month for unlimited downloads. |
915 | Drink remark 'acts as diversion'
The first minister's statement that it was okay to get drunk "once in a while" has diverted attention from the real issues, it has been claimed.
Jack Law, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said Jack McConnell's comment was "ill-advised". The media attention had helped to move the focus from Scotland's binge drinking problems, Mr Law said. Scotsman journalist Hamish MacDonell said he believed the bigger picture had been "obscured" by the remark. Mr McConnell was speaking on Monday to more than 100 secondary pupils from schools in the Highlands about the problems of binge drinking and drink promotions.
The one-sentence comment was immediately criticised by the Scottish National Party which accused him of encouraging young people to get drunk. But the Scottish Executive has insisted Mr McConnell was speaking about adults and his comments were "a recognition that people will get drunk". Mr MacDonell, political editor of The Scotsman, said: "I think we have to say right at the outset that this was a very stupid and ill-advised remark by the first minister. "If you come out with something like this, saying that by all means get drunk, then you will be pilloried for it." However, he added that "perhaps Mr McConnell could feel rightly aggrieved about the coverage".
Mr MacDonell said: "I think the problem here is that he did say a lot more things about binge drinking and under age drinking. "But that whole side of things has been lost in the furore over one sentence. I understand why, but I think there is a much bigger message here that has been obscured." Mr Law, from voluntary body Alcohol Focus Scotland, believed damage had been done to Scotland's fight against binge drinking. He said he accepted that young people drank and they did have problems with drink. Mr Law added: "I think the remark was ill-advised - but these remarks are blown out of all proportion and they so easily misrepresent what we are trying to do in Scotland.
"We don't want to preach to young people, but we need to acknowledge that they do drink problematically. "This diverts us from the real issues which are about promoting responsibility and reducing harm and indeed tackling our drinking culture which is a culture about binge drinking and drunkenness." He said it was vital that young people were properly informed about the risks incurred to themselves and others when they got drunk. Mr MacDonell said that the first minister should know by now that if he said things which were "off the mark", they were bound to "come back and bite him". He added: "Here, Mr McConnell was talking in the Highlands to 100 teenagers and every word he said was put out on a webcast by the Scottish Executive and then looked at by other politicians and reporters. "I think in this instance he has done a lot of really good things and he will be regretting this remark."
The Scottish National Party's Holyrood leader Nicola Sturgeon wrote to Mr McConnell on Tuesday accusing him of an error of judgement and calling for him to apologise for his "ill-judged comment" and withdraw it immediately. In a furious response, the first minister said his comments had been distorted and taken out of context. He told Ms Sturgeon: "It is disappointing that you have contributed to this distortion by saying it is staggering that I 'should encourage young people to get drunk'. "That is completely untrue. Perhaps it would have been wiser for you to find out what was actually said before you rushed to represent my position, undermine the convener of education at Highland Council and insult the intelligence of the young people I spoke with - all for the sake of a simple soundbite."
| But the Scottish Executive has insisted Mr McConnell was speaking about adults and his comments were "a recognition that people will get drunk".Mr MacDonell said: "I think the problem here is that he did say a lot more things about binge drinking and under age drinking.Mr MacDonell, political editor of The Scotsman, said: "I think we have to say right at the outset that this was a very stupid and ill-advised remark by the first minister.Mr MacDonell said that the first minister should know by now that if he said things which were "off the mark", they were bound to "come back and bite him".He added: "Here, Mr McConnell was talking in the Highlands to 100 teenagers and every word he said was put out on a webcast by the Scottish Executive and then looked at by other politicians and reporters.He said it was vital that young people were properly informed about the risks incurred to themselves and others when they got drunk.The media attention had helped to move the focus from Scotland's binge drinking problems, Mr Law said.The one-sentence comment was immediately criticised by the Scottish National Party which accused him of encouraging young people to get drunk.Mr McConnell was speaking on Monday to more than 100 secondary pupils from schools in the Highlands about the problems of binge drinking and drink promotions.He said he accepted that young people drank and they did have problems with drink.Mr Law added: "I think the remark was ill-advised - but these remarks are blown out of all proportion and they so easily misrepresent what we are trying to do in Scotland. |
1,483 | Aragones angered by racism fine
Spain coach Luis Aragones is furious after being fined by The Spanish Football Federation for his comments about Thierry Henry.
The 66-year-old criticised his 3000 euros (£2,060) punishment even though it was far below the maximum penalty. "I am not guilty, nor do I accept being judged for actions against the image of the sport," he said. "I'm not a racist and I've never lacked sporting decorum. I've never done that and I have medals for sporting merit." Aragones was handed the fine on Tuesday after making racist remarks about Henry to Arsenal team-mate and Spanish international Jose Reyes last October.
The Spanish Football Federation at first declined to take action against Aragones, but was then requested to do so by Spain's anti-violence commission. The fine was far less than the expected amount of about £22,000 or even the suspension of his coaching licence. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who was fined £15,000 in December for accusing Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy of cheating, believes that Aragones' punishment was too lenient. "You compare his fine and my fine, and if you consider his was for racist abuse, then you seem to get away with it more in Spain than you should," Wenger said. "He shouldn't have said what he said, and how much money is enough, I don't know but it doesn't look a big punishment." However, Aragones insists the fine is unjustified and unfair. "I have been treated like Islero (the bull that killed famous bullfighter Manolete)," said Aragones on hearing he had been fined for his actions. "I have not liked one thing about this whole affair and I do not agree with the sanction. They have looked for a scapegoat." Spain's anti-violence commission must now ratify the Spanish FA's decision and has until next week to announce its verdict. Aragones has 10 days to appeal, and the commission can also appeal. Alberto Flores, president of the Spanish FA's disciplinary committee, said no-one in the committee felt Aragones was a racist nor had "acted in a racist way." "A fine, the highest we could apply, is sufficient punishment. Suspension would have been a bit exaggerated," Flores told sports daily Marca.
| Alberto Flores, president of the Spanish FA's disciplinary committee, said no-one in the committee felt Aragones was a racist nor had "acted in a racist way.""You compare his fine and my fine, and if you consider his was for racist abuse, then you seem to get away with it more in Spain than you should," Wenger said.Aragones was handed the fine on Tuesday after making racist remarks about Henry to Arsenal team-mate and Spanish international Jose Reyes last October.The Spanish Football Federation at first declined to take action against Aragones, but was then requested to do so by Spain's anti-violence commission.Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who was fined £15,000 in December for accusing Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy of cheating, believes that Aragones' punishment was too lenient.The fine was far less than the expected amount of about £22,000 or even the suspension of his coaching licence.However, Aragones insists the fine is unjustified and unfair.Spain coach Luis Aragones is furious after being fined by The Spanish Football Federation for his comments about Thierry Henry. |
525 | Mutant book wins Guardian prize
A book about the evolution of mutants and the science of abnormality has won the Guardian First Book Award 2004.
Armand Marie Leroi, a lecturer at London's Imperial College, scooped the £10,000 prize for Mutants: On the form, varieties and errors of the human body. "It is profoundly cultured and beautifully written in the very best tradition of popular science writing today," said judge Claire Armistead. The award recognises and rewards new writing across fiction and non-fiction. A panel of literary experts, including novelists Hari Kunzru and Ali Smith, director Sir Richard Eyre and comedian Alexei Sayle chose the winner from a five-strong shortlist.
The shortlist included Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, a novel about the magic arts at the turn of the 19th Century and The Places In Between, Rory Stewart's account of his trek, on foot, across Afghanistan. "What we found so impressive about Armand Marie Leroi's book was the scope of its reference, its elegance and its inquisitiveness," said Ms Armistead, chair of the judges and the Guardian literary editor. "While the subject matter of Mutants unsettled some involved in the judging process, the overwhelming majority found it fascinating," she added. Her words were echoed by Iris director Sir Richard Eyre who called Marie Leroi's work "extraordinarily thought provoking". The award, for first time authors, is open to books from genres including fiction, poetry, biography, memoir, history, politics, science and current affairs. Previous winners include White Teeth by Zadie Smith, in 2000, which went on to become a bestseller.
| "What we found so impressive about Armand Marie Leroi's book was the scope of its reference, its elegance and its inquisitiveness," said Ms Armistead, chair of the judges and the Guardian literary editor.A book about the evolution of mutants and the science of abnormality has won the Guardian First Book Award 2004.The award, for first time authors, is open to books from genres including fiction, poetry, biography, memoir, history, politics, science and current affairs.A panel of literary experts, including novelists Hari Kunzru and Ali Smith, director Sir Richard Eyre and comedian Alexei Sayle chose the winner from a five-strong shortlist.Her words were echoed by Iris director Sir Richard Eyre who called Marie Leroi's work "extraordinarily thought provoking". |
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