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Chinese wine tempts Italy's Illva Italy's Illva Saronno has agreed to buy 33% of Changyu, the largest wine maker in China. Changyu said in a statement to the Shenzhen stock exchange that Illva will pay 481.42m yuan ($58.16m; £30.7m), once the government approves the deal. The Italian liqueur maker will acquire the shares from the Yantai State Asset Management Bureau. Chinese wine sales are growing, the US Agriculture Department said, with wine sales in 2003 up 25% at 61.1bn yuan. China is encouraging state-owned companies to sell shares to foreign investors. Anheuser-Busch, Heineken and Scottish & Newcastle have all invested in the Chinese beer industry in the last two years and now Illva Saronno is betting on the Chinese wine market. Yantai State Asset Management Bureau - a government agency in the north-eastern city of Yantai - owns 55% of Changyu. The state agency will also sell 10% of its stake in Changyu to another overseas company, although it didn't say who. The remaining 12% will be retained by the Yantai city government. The consumption of wine in China is still low, at just 0.22 litres per capita, said the US Agriculture Department. This compares with 59 litres in France, 12 litres in the US and three litres in Japan. | 0 |
Labour chooses Manchester The Labour Party will hold its 2006 autumn conference in Manchester and not Blackpool, it has been confirmed. The much trailed decision was ratified by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee in a break with the traditional choice of a seaside venue. It will be the first time since 1917 that the party has chosen Manchester to host the annual event. Blackpool will get the much smaller February spring conference instead in what will be seen as a placatory move. For years the main political parties have rotated between Blackpool, Bournemouth and Brighton. And the news the much larger annual conference is not to gather in Blackpool will be seen as a blow in the coastal resort. In 1998 the party said it would not return to Blackpool but did so in 2002. The following year Bournemouth hosted the event before the party signed a two year deal for Brighton to host the autumn conference. Colin Asplin, Blackpool Hotel Association said: "We have tried very hard to make sure they come back to Blackpool. "Obviously we have failed in that. I just hope Manchester can handle the crowds. "It amazes me that the Labour Party, which is a working class party, doesn't want to come to the main working class resort in the country." The exact cost to Blackpool in terms of lost revenue for hotel accommodation is not yet known but it is thought that block bookings will be taken at the major Manchester hotels after the official announcement. | 2 |
Iran budget seeks state sell-offs Iran's president, Mohammad Khatami, has unveiled a budget designed to expand public spending by 30% but loosen the Islamic republic's dependence on oil. The budget for the fiscal year starting on 21 March calls for the sell-off of 20% of the state's corporate holdings. Mr Khatami's second term as president ends on 1 August, making this his last budget. But opposition from members of parliament who have attacked previous privatisations could block his plans. Elections in May 2004 ousted many of Mr Khatami's supporters in parliament in favour of more hard-line religious conservatives. Late last year, they backed a law which would give parliament a veto over foreign investment. The ruling was a response to the involvement in telecoms and airport projects by Turkish companies, which hardliners accused of doing business with Israel. It came not long after the Expediency Council - Iran's ultimate decision-maker - blessed Mr Khatami's policy of selling stakes in sectors protected by the constitution such as energy, transport, telecoms and banking. Continued obstruction of foreign investment could get in the way not only of privatisation plans, but also of Mr Khatami's hope of modestly reducing the government's reliance on oil revenues. In an address to the Majlis, Mr Khatami predicted economic growth of 7.1% in 2005-6, up from 6.7% in the current year. He said he wanted to increase the 2005-6 budget to 1,546 trillion rials ($175.6bn; £93.6bn) from the previous year's 1,070 trillion. Within that figure, taxation would rise to $14.3bn, a rise of over 40% from what is expected from the current year. In contrast, oil revenues were expected to fall to $14.1bn from $16bn in the year to March 2005. "Current government expenditure should come from tax revenues," Mr Khatami said. "Oil revenues should be used for productive investment." Mr Khatami has already been blocked by parliament from reducing the subsidies on many products including bread and petrol, reducing his room to manoeuvre. | 0 |
Roundabout continues nostalgia trip The new big-screen version of The Magic Roundabout, released in the UK on Friday, is the latest attempt to turn children's television into box-office gold. Recent years have seen a less-than-successful adaptation of the 1960s puppet show Thunderbirds and a moderately successful version of E Nesbit's Five Children and It, previously filmed by the BBC in 1991. He-Man and Transformers, which were cartoon favourites in the 1980s, will soon receive their own costly makeovers. With screen versions of The A-Team, The Dukes of Hazzard and even Blake's Seven on the cards, nostalgia is clearly big business. But some critics complain that these expensive takes on iconic series of yesteryear do not match up to our fond memories of the originals. The new version of The Magic Roundabout, which will be released as Sprung! in the US, replaces the stop-motion models of the 1960s TV show with polished, computer-generated animation. In a similar fashion, the 2004 Thunderbirds used human actors and special effects in place of the original's puppets and models. The films are squarely pitched at younger audiences. Pop stars Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue provide voices in The Magic Roundabout, while the now-defunct boy band Busted performed the Thunderbirds theme song. But while some reviewers have been won over, there has nonetheless been a significant backlash. "This CG-animated adventure airbrushes the sly charm and trippy otherworldliness which made the 60s stop-motion Roundabout a cult hit," writes Stella Papamichael on the BBC Movies site. And the recent puppet comedy Team America: World Police was in part provoked by its directors' outrage that Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds was remade without its signature mannequins. Dan Jolin, reviews editor of Empire magazine, says classic children's TV shows have a built-in audience that make them ideal for reinvention. "I can understand why people are taking these intellectual properties and repackaging them for the kids of today. "But I think it's backfiring. What's next - The Clangers on some distant planet, with some giant CGI Soup Dragons chasing after them?" Despite Thunderbirds' disappointing global box-office performance - the film cost $42m (£22m) but only recouped $21m (£11m) - the nostalgia craze shows no signs of abating. It can therefore be only a matter of time before some other TV favourites receive the Hollywood treatment. After the success of Garfield: The Movie, Britain's shabby tabby surely deserves his own film vehicle. With only 13 episodes made of the 1974 series, there is plenty of room to explore the lives of the pink cat, Professor Yaffle and the Mice of the Marvellous Mechanical Mouse Organ. Furry recyclers have already had one big-screen outing - 1977's Wombling Free. But with environmental issues still occupying our thoughts it is high time they made a comeback. Advances in special effects technology could do wonders for the BBC's supernatural comedy . And the success of Pirates of the Caribbean must surely herald a comeback for TV's most popular cartoon buccaneer, . It might also remind viewers the lewd character names often associated with the show never actually existed. The Magic Roundabout is out in the UK on 11 February. How about bringing Catweazle to the big screen? He could give Gandalf a run for his money! Thundercats!! I loved it. Should be fun to see on the big screen, if some effort is put in! it will bring my youth back! Get your hands off the Clangers! Is nothing sacred? Make a movie version of the Banana splits! What about Keanu Reeves and Richard Gere in a remake of The Wooden Tops? Or perhaps Robbie Williams could get his much mooted acting career off the ground by taking on the role of Andy Pandy. You forgot to mention the grearest of them all, Danger Mouse! But then again, it couldn't be better than the original series, could it? It's always nice to see these old toons re-released, but after the abysmal Thunderbirds movie (and the song!) I think I've been completely put off. Just leave these classics alone as good memories. I think remakes are a good idea. As the world moves on people tend to look more and more into the past to things that make them feel safe. I believe this is the whole reason "retro" has become so popular. As long as a remake does justice to the original then all it can do is create a wider audience and possibly entice a new generation of persons to enjoy and revive and old series. Personally i'd like to see cartoons such as Transformers, Thundercats and M.A.S.K. get full Hollywood remakes. Leave them alone, why ruin something that we all have very fond memories of in the first place? The thunderbirds film was apalling, not a patch on the puppet series I grew up with and the Magic Roundabout will never be the same without the voice of Eric Thompson. Love to see Transformers with real actors and CGI. And make it at least a 15 rating. Part of the reason for the success of such classics as the Magic Roundabout was that the characters were not the sweet and cuddly creatures that you would expect. They were moody, sarcastic, and rather human. Just looking at the pictures of the animations for the new film show that these characteristics have not been preserved. Dougal never smiled like that! Films of this sort have an unfortunate habit of Disneyfying everthing, and they just lose the real magic that made the show special in the first place. I have fond memories of Bod (not least of which because I look like him) and would like to see someone attempt to make it into a film. It's got all the right material for an american blockbuster - no plot and no story. Bod would likely be played by Tom Cruise and would undoubtedly have a girlfriend or two. It's all very well and good remaking these classic TV shows and films with all the latest technology for a 'new' audience, but for me a lot of the original charm is lost when they do this, and seems more like a money making exercise to cash in on the original success of the programme than reinventing or improving it. It maybe that to an audience who have never seen the originals they can watch them without prejudice, but to people who have grown up with all these shows such as Thunderbirds and Magic Roundabout which are part of our childhood, they are never going to live up to expectation. It does pose the question though that with all the long line of remakes being made, are film-makers running out of original ideas? All I can say is bring back Danger Mouse, probably the greatest kids' show ever. I recently re-watched some episodes and realised that there was a level of humour shown in Danger Mouse that was completely lost on me when I was a child. There WAS a new Captain Pugwash cartoon made a couple of years back. Again, like so many of these nostalgia programmes, the animation - this time computer created flat-cell like animation - failed to match the original's cut out paper technique for inventiveness, and was woefully inadequate. We live in a sampling world - the music industry has been pludering past decades for inspiration, clipping sounds from 20 years ago is much cheaper and easier that doing something new. Seems that the film and TV is doing the same now - it's just cheaper to take ideas from the past and rework them, rather than being daring and trying something new. It got to be Mr.Benn. The story line about a man who changes in a fancy dress shop, steps into a door way and appears in another time and place would be amazing! If they got a decent producer and writer the story line could be great. And who to play the lead role? Well if it was a comedy then it would have to be someone like Steve Martin. If its going to be an adventure then Johnny Depp playing a role similar to the Pirates Of The Caribbean Character. Muffin the Mule perhaps ? After all, grannies and grandpas go to the cinema as well you know! Why can't the British film industry try making Gerry Anderson's UFO or Captain Scarlet, or Saphire and Steel, or The Tomorrow People. In today's media, it seems the past is the future. TV shows such as Battlestar Galactica have new remakes, DJ's are sampling or re-working 70's and 80's music. Even computer games from 10-15 years ago are getting modern re-workings. Personally, I think it shows that no one has any originality any more! Why not just leave our misty-eyed nostalgia alone. Mary, Mungo and Midge. But of course for most of the episodes the lift would be out of order and they would have to use the stairs. Plus would Mary be more of a Vicky Pollard character as she lives in a high rise council block? Yeah but no but I wasn't even there! I'd like to see Mr. Benn, with Brad Pitt in the title role. Sean Connery could play the mysterious costume shop owner. It demonstrates a profound lack of imagination in today's film-makers that they continually try to remake and remodel the past in an effort to cash in on nostalgia. There are plany of modern children's book that would make excellent films or TV programmes, why not use them instead of rehashing the past? Mr. Benn with Rowan Atkinson as the lead. Would have loved to see Dungeons & Dragons made, but unfortunately the film that it was made into didn't come up to scratch. The only one that isn't to be remade as yet is Thundercats, which I'd like to see. I'm an expat living in Norway, and I recently went through a period of buying the DVDs of many of my favourite children's programs for my 2 daughters. My dearest wish, however, is to see a feature length version of Noggin the Nog appear on The Big Screen!! Very Scandinavian... Rainbow! I believe that Childrens classics should be left well alone, and I will not be surprised if the Magic Roundabout does not do well at the Box Office, especially since it will be going up against The Spongebob Squarepants movie, popular among children because it's original, witty, and modern. The Magic Roundabout will never appeal to the children of today as it did all those many years ago. How about classics like Chorlton and the Wheelies, Rentaghost, Terrahawks, Bod.....oh the list could go on and on!!! If a Transformers movie is indeed on the cards then I'll be the first one on Amazon buying a copy, eagerly waiting at the front door with a frothy mouth and a nervous twitch. Repackage my childhood and sell it to me at an extortionate price! I don't care! Till then I'll have to make do with the Citreon C4 advert. I'd luv to see Willow the Wisp on the big screen but sadly without the late Kenneth Williams doing the voices it wouldnt be the same. And who remembers Trap Door voiced by the late Willie Rushden, superb children's programme. Could Morph hold his own in a big screen movie??? Or even Jamie and the Magic Torch....hmmmmm, I could go on and on. Danger Mouse? At 34 I'm showing my age. :-) Noggin the Nog was one of the best children's programs. The problem with bringing it to the big screen is that no-one could approach Oliver Postgate's wonderful voices. So in general leave well alone. The originals are good because they are of their time and the methods used are an integral part of the story. Just imagine what could be achieved by using CGI in a remake of Fingerbobs... the already disturbing hand antics of the bearded hippy, Yoffi could take on a whole new level with a more life-like Fingermouse Bob the Builder, Postman Pat and Fireman Sam together in an epic adventure of fire, post and bricks. In the ultimate struggle to save the women they love from the evil clowns, Krusty and Gobo. Will they triumph or will they fail miserably? Find out this Fall. One puppet show that I personally would love to see made into a live action movie is Joe 90. It would be worth the price of admission alone to see the large screen version of Joe's car. Of course, Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation is a rich seam of material worthy of big-screen, big-budget action. It was only that Thunderbirds The Movie was targetted as a children't movie that really let it down. After all, the children that remember those shows with such affection are now the parents of children themselves. It's only because the people who were children when these programmes were first shown have grown up and are plundering their childhoods, isn't it? I'd hate to see Bagpuss with perfect animation - I love that 'done in a shed' clunkiness and you couldn't recreate the magic. Perhaps if the remakes were done in a 'Look Around You' mock-authentic style I might be interested ... Chorton And The Wheelies or Jamie And His Magic Torch; that would be mega! This re-gurgitation of old films and TV shows makes me angry - it is corporate laziness resting on the safety of other people's ideas, because it guarantees to bring in the $$$. The same can be said of modern day pop bands who release other peoples material, Will Young etc. The sad fact is nostalgia sells big bucks in the short-term. The fact that they will be forgotten in 6 months time is irrelevant (e.g. Starsky & Hutch) Hence, the market is saturated with this mindless drivel, but it can only be stopped if people stop buying it! I pray they never do a remake of Chorlton And The Wheelies. I'm only 27 and don't remember the series from when it was on TV, but have the set on DVD and it's a classic. The fact it's so great comes from the fact that there were very few special effects involved and compared to today's stuff it looks amateurish. Thats the appeal though, it's so innocent (like Chorlton himself) and it would be a real shame if they did remake it. | 1 |
US charity anthem is re-released We Are The World, the American charity anthem inspired by the success of Band Aid, has been re-issued to raise money for Aids research and tsunami victims. More than 40 stars sang as group USA For Africa, including Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen. It topped the charts in the US and UK, raising millions of dollars for African famine relief. The re-release also marks the 20th anniversary of the original recording. It has been re-issued as part of a two-disc DVD set, which will also feature footage from the recording session of the track in January 1985. The single was originally released in the US on 7 March 1985 and sold 800,000 copies in its first week. It went on to win Grammys for song of the year and record of the year. | 1 |
Wilkinson to lead England Fly-half Jonny Wilkinson has been named as England's new rugby union captain for the three November Tests. The 25-year-old Newcastle star takes over from Lawrence Dallaglio, who retired from internationals in August. England's acting head coach Andy Robinson said: "He is a natural leader, holds the respect of the squad and is a formidable talent on the pitch. "And he consistently demonstrates the energy and commitment I feel is essential to be captain of England." Robinson added: "There are several players in the squad I would feel comfortable in calling upon to be England captain but for me Jonny is in every way the right player to take on this challenge. "Captaincy offers a challenging environment for any player, especially following in the footsteps of Lawrence Dallaglio and before him the World Cup captain, Martin Johnson. "But I am confident Jonny has what it takes to do an outstanding job as we look ahead towards the next Rugby World Cup in France and I look forward to working with him." Wilkinson, who has scored 817 points in 52 internationals, kicked the winning drop-goal in the final seconds of extra-time in England's 2003 Rugby World Cup triumph against Australia. But he then missed the entire 2004 Six Nations campaign while recuperating from shoulder surgery, before making his comeback for Newcastle in the Zurich Premiership in August. "It's the ambition of so many players to one day be captain of England and today I have realised a dream," he said. "I'm honoured Andy wants me to be his captain, and to follow Lawrence and Martin means a lot to me as they are inspirational men who have given so much to England rugby over many years. "Getting my first England cap against Ireland six years ago was something I'll never forget because to play for your country is very special. Taking on the captaincy is another important step in my career and I do so with immense pride." Wilkinson made his international debut in the 1998 Six Nations Championship against Ireland when he came off the bench to replace Paul Grayson. He has been a regular in the England starting line-up ever since, played in all three Lions Tests in 2001 and all but one of England's games in the 2003 World Cup. He becomes the 117th captain of England since Fred Stokes held the position in 1871. England's first autumn Test is against Canada on 13 November, followed by the visit of Tri-Nations champions South Africa a week later and then a World Cup re-match with Australia. | 3 |
The Sound of Music is coming home The original stage production of The Sound of Music is to be performed for the first time in the Austrian capital, 40 years after the film was released. The first full-scale theatrical production of the musical will make its debut in Vienna on Saturday. Julie Andrews starred in the 1965 film version of the Rogers and Hammerstein classic set in the Alpine country. But despite being one of the most successful musicals of all time, it is barely known inside Austria. The film was never shown in any cinema in Austria and was not broadcast on television until the early 1990s. The musical is based on the true story of the von Trapp family who formed a singing troupe and escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938. Sensitivities about Nazism during wartime Austria and issues towards the von Trapp family themselves could explain Austria's reluctance to embrace the musical. Another source of irritation for Austrians is the song Edelweiss, which is considered an traditional folk song by many filmgoers. The song was actually an invention by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Many also consider the film to portray a kitsch image of Austria, including yodelling, goat-herds and lederhosen. The production is being staged at a Viennese opera house, the Volksoper, beginning on Saturday. Maria, the novice nun who falls in love with Baron von Trapp, will be played by Austro-Australian actress and singer Sandra Pires. | 1 |
Tsunami debt deal to be announced Chancellor Gordon Brown has said he hopes to announce a deal to suspend debt interest repayments by tsunami-hit nations later on Friday. The agreement by the G8 group of wealthy nations would save affected countries £3bn pounds a year, he said. The deal is thought to have been hammered out on Thursday night after Japan, one of the biggest creditor nations, finally signed up to it. Mr Brown first proposed the idea earlier this week. G8 ministers are also believed to have agreed to instruct the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to complete a country by country analysis of the reconstruction problems faced by all states hit by the disaster. Mr Brown has been locked in talks with finance ministers of the G8, which Britain now chairs. Germany also proposed a freeze and Canada has begun its own moratorium. The expected deal comes as Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the number of Britons dead or missing in the disaster have reached 440. | 2 |
Howard hits back at mongrel jibe Michael Howard has said a claim by Peter Hain that the Tory leader is acting like an "attack mongrel" shows Labour is "rattled" by the opposition. In an upbeat speech to his party's spring conference in Brighton, he said Labour's campaigning tactics proved the Tories were hitting home. Mr Hain made the claim about Tory tactics in the anti-terror bill debate. "Something tells me that someone, somewhere out there is just a little bit rattled," Mr Howard said. Mr Hain, Leader of the Commons, told BBC Radio Four's Today programme that Mr Howard's stance on the government's anti-terrorism legislation was putting the country at risk. He then accused the Tory Leader of behaving like an "attack mongrel" and "playing opposition for opposition sake". Mr Howard told his party that Labour would "do anything, say anything, claim anything to cling on to office at all costs". "So far this year they have compared me to Fagin, to Shylock and to a flying pig. This morning Peter Hain even called me a mongrel. "I don't know about you, but something tells me that someone, somewhere out there is just a little bit rattled." Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett rejected Mr Howard's comment, telling Radio 4's PM programme that Labour was not "rattled". "We have a very real duty to try to get people to focus on Michael Howard's record, what the proposals are that he is trying to put forward to the country and also the many examples we are seeing now of what we believe is really poor judgement on his behalf." Mr Howard said Tory policies on schools, taxes, immigration and crime were striking a chord with voters. "Since the beginning of this year - election year - we've been making the political weather," he told the party conference. Mr Howard denied he had been "playing politics" by raising the case of Margaret Dixon, whose operation had been cancelled seven times, which grabbed headlines for the party two weeks ago. And he hit back at Labour claims he had used Mrs Dixon as a "human shield". "She's not a human shield Mr Blair, she's a human being." Mr Howard said his party plans for immigration quotas, which have also been the focus of much media coverage, were not "racist" - just "common sense". He pledged cleaner hospitals and better school discipline, with a promise to get rid of "political correctness" in the national curriculum and give everyone to the same chance of a "decent" state education as he had. "I come from an ordinary family. If the teenage Michael Howard were applying to Cambridge today, Gordon Brown would love me." And he stressed his party's commitment to cut taxes and red tape and increase the basic state pension in line with earnings. He finished with a personal appeal to party activists to go out and win the next election. "One day you will be able to tell your children and grandchildren as I will tell mine, 'I was there. I did my bit. I played my part. I helped to win that famous election - the election that transformed our country for the better'." Labour election co-ordinator Alan Milburn said: "Michael Howard's speech today confirms what we have always said - that his only strategy is opportunism but he has no forward vision for the country. In reference to the appearance of Mr Howard's family on the conference stage with him, Mr Milburn said: "Michael Howard is perfectly entitled to pose with his family today. "But it is the hard working families across Britain that will be damaged by his plan to cut £35bn from public spending." | 2 |
Wipro beats forecasts once again Wipro, India's third-biggest software firm, has reported a 60% rise in profit, topping market expectations. Net income in the last quarter was 4.3bn rupees ($98m; £52m), against 2.7bn a year earlier. Profit had been forecast to be 4.1bn rupees. Wipro offers services such as call centres to foreign clients and has worked for more than half of the companies on the Fortune 500 list. Wipro said demand was strong, allowing it to increase the prices it charged. "On the face of it, the results don't look very exciting," said Apurva Shah, an analyst at ASK-Raymond James. "But the guidance is positive and pricing going up is good news." Third-quarter sales rose 34% to 20.9bn rupees. One problem identified by Wipro was the high turnover of its staff. It said that 90% of employees at its business process outsourcing operations had had to be replaced. "We have to get that under control," said vice-chairman Vivek Paul. Wipro is majority owned by India's richest man Azim Premji. | 0 |
India and Iran in gas export deal India has signed a $40bn (£21bn) deal to import millions of tonnes of liquefied natural gas from Iran. Firms led by the Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will also assist in the development of Iranian oil fields. Ministers, eager to gain access to energy supplies to meet the demands of a booming economy, secured a similar deal to one between Iran and China. The announcement comes as ONGC said it was in talks to buy former assets of troubled Russian oil firm Yukos. The agreements with Iran were sealed after talks in New Delhi between Middle East producers and Asia's biggest energy consumers - China, India, Japan and South Korea. Iran - Opec's second-biggest oil producer and one of the world's top gas producers - has been pursuing a series of deals, rewarding LNG buyers with participation in development of its oil fields. Under the agreement, it will supply India with 7.5 million tonnes of LPG annually over a 25 year period from 2009. ONGC and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) reached a preliminary deal for Indian firms to take part in the development of the Yadavaran and Jufeyr oilfields, both countries said in a statement. India's oil production has stagnated over recent years, and it is having to look abroad to secure future supplies. India imports about 70% of its total oil consumption. Consumption has jumped to 2.4 million barrels per day, compared with 474,000 bpd in 1973. | 0 |
Comic Morris returns with sitcom Comedian Chris Morris, who created controversial TV show Brass Eye, is to return to screens with a new sitcom about a spoof London media worker. Morris will direct and co-write Nathan Barley - a character from cult website TV Go Home - for Channel 4. It is a send-up of the stereotypical "cool" metropolitan media scene, with Nicholas Burns in the title role. A Brass Eye satire of the media handling of paedophilia sparked 2,500 complaints in 2001. Nathan Barley will be "a character-driven comedy", according to Charlie Brooker, who created TV Go Home in 1999 and has co-written the series. Barley is described as a "webmaster, guerrilla film-maker, screenwriter, DJ and in his own words, a 'self-facilitating media node". The story will also feature Dan Ashcroft, a style magazine columnist, and his sister Claire, a film-maker who hates the "cool" scene. As well as Brass Eye, Morris was behind another news show satire, The Day Today, and dark sketch comedy Jam. The new show is expected to begin in February. | 1 |
Germany nears 1990 jobless level German unemployment rose for the 11th consecutive month in December - making the year's average jobless total the highest since reunification. The seasonally adjusted jobless total rose a higher than expected 17,000 to 4.483 million, the Bundesbank said. Allowing for changes in calculating statistics, the average number of people out of work was the highest since 1990 - or a rate of 10.8%. Bad weather and a sluggish economy were blamed for the rise. The increase "was due primarily to the onstart of winter", labour office chief Frank-Juergen Weise said. Unadjusted, the figures showed unemployment rose 206,900 to 4.64 million - with many sectors such as construction laying off workers amid bad weather. "The three years of stagnation in the German economy came to an end in 2004. But the upturn is still not strong enough" to boost the labour market, Mr Weise added. News of the rise came as government welfare reforms came into force, a move that is expected to see unemployment swell still further in coming months. Under the Hartz IV changes, the previous two tier system of benefits and support for the long term unemployed has been replaced with one flat-rate payout. In turn, that means more people will be classified as looking for work, driving official figures higher. "Be prepared for a nasty figure for January 2005, about five million unemployed on a non-seasonally adjusted basis," warned HVB Group economist Andreas Rees. But he did add that the numbers should "subside" throughout the year, to remain near 2004's level of 4.4 million jobless. "I don't expect a strong and lasting turnaround until 2006," German Economy minister Wolfgang Clement said. By 2010, however, the Hartz IV reforms should help cut the average jobless rate to between 3% and 5%, he added. Europe's biggest economy has been too weak to create work as it struggles to shake off three years of economic stagnation. In recent months companies such as Adam Opel - the German arm of US carmaker General Motors - and retailer KarstadtQuelle have slashed jobs. | 0 |
Beckham relief as Real go through David Beckham expressed his relief at Real Madrid's passage to the Champions League knockout phase. After Real's 3-0 win at Roma, the England skipper admitted another season of under-achievement would not be tolerated at the Bernabeu stadium. Beckham said: "It's expected of Madrid to get through, but it's a relief for the club and players to have won. "We lost momentum last season but we cannot afford to to go another season without winning anything." Real's finish as runners-up in their Champions League group means they cannot face his old club Manchester United in the next round. But Real could be drawn against other Premiership hopefuls, Arsenal or Chelsea, who won their respective groups. "It's going to be great whoever we play, even if we don't get either of the two English teams." | 3 |
Halo fans' hope for sequel Xbox video game Halo 2 has been released in the US on 9 November, with a UK release two days later. Why is the game among the most anticipated of all time? Halo is considered by many video game pundits to be one of the finest examples of interactive entertainment ever produced and more than 1.5 million people worldwide have pre-ordered the sequel. A science fiction epic, Halo centred the action on a human cyborg, controlled by the player, who had to save his crew from an alien horde after a crash landing on a strange and exotic world contained on the interior surface of a giant ring in space. Remembrance of Things Past it was not - but as a slice of schlock science fiction inspired by works such as Larry Niven's Ringworld and the film Starship Troopers, it fit the bill perfectly. Halo stood out from a crowd of similar titles - it was graphically impressive, had tremendous audio, using Dolby Digital, a decent storyline, instant playability and impressive physics. But what marked Halo as a classic were the thousands of details which brought a feeling of polish and the enormously-high production values not usually associated with video gaming. Produced by Bungie software, renowned for their innovation in gaming, it caused a stir among the gaming fraternity when the developer was bought by Microsoft and became an Xbox exclusive. Claude Errera, editor of fansite Halo.Bungie.Org, said: "Bungie got everything right. They were really careful to make sure everything worked the way it was supposed to. "Nothing distracts you when you were playing. There was nothing in Halo that had not been done before but everything in there was as good as it could be." He added: "Graphically it was superior to everything else out there. "It also had a depth to it that made it stand out." Halo was unusually immersive, sucking the player into the action and blurring the interface between screen and controller. It also capitalised on the growing popularity of LAN gaming in the PC world - for the first time it became easy to link multiple game consoles together, allowing up to 16 players to battle against each other at the same time. The game instantly cultivated an online following, which continues today with a score of Halo fan websites following every aspect of the sequel, Halo 2. Errera spends three to fours hours a day of his own time maintaining the hugely popular website, which attracts 600,000 page views a day from Halo fans eager for the latest news. When the Xbox launched on November 15 2001 in the US, Halo was one of the launch titles and had an immediate impact on critics and consumers. "Halo is the most important launch game for any console ever," wrote the influential Edge magazine in its review, giving it a rare 10 out of 10 mark. The game had its critics and while it is not a one-off original as a game, it brought many original touches and flourishes to the genre which have defined all other first person shooters since. "The first time I played it I just stood there watching the spent shells fall out of my gun," said Errera, remarking on the level of detail in the game. The game also inspired thousands of people to write their own fiction based on the storyline and produce downloadable video clips of the many weird and wonderful things that can be done in the game. "It blew me away the first time someone managed to climb to the top of Halo," said Errera, referring to a fan who had created a video of Master Chief scaling the landscape of the graphical world. Video clips of the more outrageous stunts that are possible thanks to the game's amazing physics engine are incredibly popular and some have attained a cult following. Speculation about the sequel has seen every titbit analysed and poured over with all the intent of a forensic scientist examining a body. When early screenshots of the game were released some people wrote essay-length articles highlighting everything from the texture of graphics to clues about the story line. Errera said expectations of the sequel among fans were sky high. "It does not feel like a game release any more. Somebody told me this was the biggest single release of any product in Microsoft's history. "We're all just hoping that Bungie has got it right again." Halo 2 is out on 9 November in the US and 11 November in the UK | 4 |
Lasers help bridge network gaps An Indian telecommunications firm has turned to lasers to help it overcome the problems of setting up voice and data networks in the country. Tata Teleservices is using the lasers to make the link between customers' offices and its own core network. The laser bridges work across distances up to 4km and can be set up much faster than cable connections. In 12 months the lasers have helped the firm set up networks in more than 700 locations. "In this particular geography getting permission to dig the ground and lay the pipes is a bit of a task," said Mr R. Sridharan, vice president of networks at Tata. "Heavy traffic and the layout under the ground mean that digging is uniquely difficult," he said. In some locations, he said, permission to dig up roads and lay cables was impossible to get. He said it was far easier to secure permission for putting networking hardware on roofs. This has led Chennai-based Tata to turn to equipment that uses lasers to make the final mile leap between Tata's core network and the premises of customers. The Lightpointe laser bridges work over distances of up to 4km and are being used to route both voice and data from businesses on to the backbone of the network. The hardware works in pairs and beam data through the air in the form of laser pulses. The laser bridges can route data at speeds up to 1.25gbps (2,000 times faster than a 512kbps broadband connection) but Tata is running its hardware at more modest speeds of 1-2mbps. The lasers are also ideal for India because of its climate. "It's particularly suitable as the rain rate is a little low and it's hardly ever foggy," he said. In places where rain is heavy and fog is common laser links can struggle to maintain good connection speeds. The laser links also take far less time to set up and get working, said Mr Sridharan. "Once we get the other permissions, normal time period for set up is a few hours," he said. By contrast, he said, digging up roads and laying cables can take weeks or months. This speed of set up has helped Tata with its aggressive expansion plans. Just over 12 months ago the firm had customers in only about 70 towns and cities. But by the end of March the firm hopes to reach more than 1,000. "Speed is very important because of the pace of competition," said Mr Sridharan. | 4 |
Bridge could miss rest of season Chelsea left-back Wayne Bridge could miss the rest of the season with a suspected broken ankle. The England international, 24, was hurt in an innocuous challenge with Alan Shearer during the Londoners' FA Cup defeat at Newcastle on Sunday. "We think it's a big injury," said Jose Mourinho, whose Chelsea team this week meet Barcelona in the Champions League and Liverpool in the Carling Cup final. William Gallas and Damien Duff could also miss the Barcelona game. France defender Gallas and Ireland winger Duff both picked up their injuries in the closing stages of Chelsea's 1-0 defeat at St James' Park. With Bridge having gone off after Mourinho used all three substitutes, those knocks plus Carlo Cudicini's red card meant Chelsea finished the game with seven able-bodied players. Cudicini would not have played against Barcelona, but had been promised a game in the Carling Cup final, although he will now miss the Cardiff showpiece through suspension. The manager is not planning to add any new names to his squad ahead of the trip to Barcelona, even though he has few options to replace Bridge at left-back. Celestine Babayaro left the club in January, ironically to join Newcastle, and although Gallas has deputised at left-back before, he is struggling to be fit himself. It could be that Paulo Ferreira, usually a right-back, is switched to left-back with Glen Johnson, who ended the Newcastle game in goal, playing on the right. Youngsters Ben Hudell, Joe Keenan and Sam Tillen would be options should Mourinho decide to call up a replacement, but it is unlikely he would risk an untried prospect in a Champions League tie. Bridge's injury also means Mourinho, who reportedly wants to sign Ashley Cole from Arsenal, will not have a specialist, senior left-back for the run-in to the season. "He (Bridge) has no chance of playing against Barcelona, probably will not play against Liverpool (in the Carling Cup final) and maybe not for the rest of the season," he said. "The medical department will try to do everything to recover Gallas and Duff. We will have to wait and see, but I won't cry about injuries because we will have 11 players to play on Tuesday." Shearer said he was unsure what caused Bridge's injury. "I don't know what happened." he said. "It was just a shame. I don't think we even touched each other. "By all accounts it's pretty serious. I went into the dressing-room after the game and wished him all the best." Mourinho, whose team are chasing three trophies, has already lost winger Arjen Robben to a serious injury. | 3 |
Mogul Wilson backing UK rap band Tony Wilson, the music mogul who established the influential Factory Records in the 1980s, is to launch a new label - convinced he has discovered his "third major band". Factory were the label of both Joy Division - who became New Order after singer Ian Curtis committed suicide - and the Happy Mondays. Now Wilson believes rap act Raw T - signed to his F4 label, the fourth incarnation of Factory - will "complete the hat-trick". "Suddenly, when Raw T came into my life, I realised they are my third major band," he told BBC World Service's The Music Biz programme. The group are set to release their first single on 21 February, and follow it up with an album, Realise And Witness, in March. Wilson has twice tried to resurrect Factory - which lasted for 14 years before folding - but conceded these efforts had been "despondent and dismal experiences". But it has not put him off. "Of all the things I do in my life the most exciting thing I've ever done, and the thing I have most loved, is being part of a record company," he added. "The idea of working with brilliant young musicians, and being close to the centre of popular culture, is just the biggest thrill in my life." Wilson explained how his son persuaded him to go and see Raw T, but he had initially been reluctant saying he "detested" young British people rapping. "It's always inauthentic, it's always crass, it never really works for me," he said. "I went to see this group, Raw T - which stands for Realise And Witness Talent - and like everyone else in the room that night, we were utterly blown away." Wilson believes Raw T could be "to F4 as Joy Division were to Factory records". The story of Factory records - which also owned the legendary Hacienda club in Manchester - was told in the Michael Winterbottom film 24 Hour Party People, in which Wilson was played by Steve Coogan. Wilson stressed that the independent music scene remained "as important" as it had been during the 1980s, when labels such as Factory and Rough Trade proliferated. He pointed out that Franz Ferdinand and The White Stripes - "perhaps the two most important bands since the millennium" - were signed to indies. "I think that is a reflection of how useful and how powerful the indie philosophy is, and how bands prefer it," he added. "They can make more money that way - it's a more generous relationship, and also it's a more understanding relationship. "I think independents are in a wonderful position at this moment in time." | 1 |
'More to do' on adult literacy The government will only hit its target for improving adult maths and literacy skills if courses are made more attractive, a report says. The National Audit Office praised ministers for reaching the benchmark of 750,000 adults in England gaining basic qualifications by this year. But a target of 1.5 million more by 2010 needed "creative" ideas. Some 26 million adults lack maths or English skill levels expected of school-leavers. According to the report, "more than half" the qualifications achieved were by learners aged 16 to 18. These are defined as "adults" by the government for the purpose of compiling these figures. Normally adults are defined as being aged over 19. The number of these people gaining qualifications was "rising slowly". Auditor General Sir John Bourn said: "Higher levels of literacy and numeracy will benefit England both socially and economically. "More people will have the opportunity to live richer lives." In 2001, the government launched the Get On scheme - aimed at reducing illiteracy and innumeracy. Sir John said "substantial progress" had been made since, adding that this was "only the beginning". The government and its partners would "need to be creative and responsive". Some £3.7bn will be spent on implementing the programme by 2006. The report recommends gathering more details on the educational needs of areas, so courses can be set to meet local demand. Existing adult learners could use their "enthusiasm, commitment and local knowledge" to attract other people. The Department for Education and Skills could also use more "personalised learning" and work with voluntary groups, councils and employers. It should also assess adult learners' progress "at frequent intervals", the report adds. When the government announced it had reached its 2004 target earlier this month, Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was "only the start of the journey". An estimated 5.2 million adults have worse literacy than that expected of 11 year olds, while 14.9 million have numeracy skills below this level. This is thought to cost the UK economy hundreds of millions of pounds each year. The qualifications achieved by those taking part in the government's scheme range up to GCSE equivalents. Get On's participation target has been set at 2.25 million by 2010, with an interim figure of 1.5 million by 2007. Education minister Ivan Lewis said: "We will continue to use creative ways of involving people with the lowest skill levels and the report shows that our efforts are gathering pace." Shadow Education Secretary Tim Collins said: "This is the third report in two days to highlight Labour's failure to ensure young people acquire the necessary levels of literacy and numeracy for their working life. "Employers and business leaders have repeatedly voiced concern over the number of school-leavers without these basic skills, but all the government have offered is more talk." Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis added: "Far too little has been done to enable adult learners to fit learning into their busy lives." | 2 |
Millions go missing at China bank Two senior officials at one of China's top commercial banks have reportedly disappeared after funds worth up to $120m (£64m) went missing. The pair both worked at Bank of China in the northern city of Harbin, the South China Morning Post reported. The latest scandal at Bank of China will do nothing to reassure foreign investors that China's big four banks are ready for international listings. Government policy sees the bank listings as vital economic reforms. Bank of China is one of two frontrunners in the race to list overseas. The other is China Construction Bank. Both are expected to list abroad during 2005. They shared a $45bn state bailout in 2003, to help clean up their balance sheets in preparation for a foreign stock market debut. However, a report in the China-published Economic Observer said on Monday that the two banks may have scrapped plans to list in New York because of the cost of meeting regulatory requirements imposed since the Enron scandal. Bank of China is the country's biggest foreign exchange dealer, while China Construction Bank is the largest deposit holder. China's banking sector is burdened with at least $190bn of bad debt according to official data, though most observers believe the true figure is far higher. Officially, one in five loans is not being repaid. Attempts to strengthen internal controls and tighten lending policies have uncovered a succession of scandals involving embezzlement by bank officials and loans-for-favours. The most high-profile case involved the ex-president of Bank of China, Wang Xuebing, jailed for 12 years in 2003. Although, he committed the offences whilst running Bank of China in New York, Mr Wang was head of China Construction Bank when the scandal broke. Earlier this month, a China Construction Bank branch manager was jailed for life in a separate case. China's banks used to act as cash offices for state enterprises and did not require checks on credit worthiness. The introduction of market reforms has been accompanied by attempts to modernise the banking sector, but links between banks and local government remain strong. Last year, China's premier, Wen Jiabao, targeted bank lending practices in a series of speeches, and regulators ordered all big loans to be scrutinised, in an attempt to cool down irresponsible lending. China's leaders see reforming the top four banks as vital to distribute capital to profitable companies and protect the health of China's economic boom. But two problems persist. First, inefficient state enterprises continue to receive protection from bankruptcy because they employ large numbers of people. Second, many questionable loans come not from the big four, but from smaller banks. Another high profile financial firm, China Life, is facing shareholder lawsuits and a probe by the US Securities and Exchange Commission following its 2004 New York listing over its failure to disclose accounting irregularities at its parent company. | 0 |
Ultra fast wi-fi nears completion Ultra high speed wi-fi connections moved closer to reality on Thursday when Intel said it would list standards for the technology later this year. Intel is developing ultra-wideband technology (UWB) which would allow fast data transfer but with low power needs. UWB is tipped to be used for wireless transfer of video in the home or office and for use in wireless USB devices which need low power consumption. A rival UWB standard is being developed by Motorola and chip firm Freescale. At the mobile phone conference 3GSM in Cannes last month Samsung demonstrated a phone using UWB technology from Freescale. At a press conference on Thursday Intel announced that two UWB groups, WiMedia Alliance and Multi-band OFDM alliance had merged to support the technology. UWB makes it possible to stream huge amounts of data through the air over short distances. One of the more likely uses of UWB is to make it possible to send DVD quality video images wirelessly to TV screens or to let people beam music to media players around their home. The technology has the potential to transmit hundreds of megabits of data per second. "Consumer electronics companies want UWB to replace cables and simplify set-up," Jeff Ravencraft, technology strategist at Intel and chairman of the Wireless USB Promoter Group, told technology site ZDNet. "Thirty percent of consumer electronics returns are because the consumer couldn't set up the equipment." The first products using UWB technology from Intel are due to hit the market later this year. Initially they will be products using wireless USB 2.0 connections. UWB could also be used to create so-called Personal Area Networks that let a person's gadgets quickly and easily swap data amongst themselves. The technology works over a range up to 10 metres and uses billions of short radio pulses every second to carry data. Intel says the benefit of UWB is that it does not interfere with other wi-fi technologies already in use such as wi-fi, wimax and mobile phone networks. | 4 |
Delta cuts fares in survival plan Delta Air Lines is cutting domestic fares by as much as 50% as part of a plan to ensure its financial survival. Other US carriers, including United, have sought bankruptcy protection, amid high fuel costs and competition from discount carriers. Delta is restructuring in a bid to fight off insolvency. This latest move to boost business has prompted speculation other firms will be forced to match their fares, hurting revenues in the sector. Delta's new SimpliFares were trialled from August last year on tickets from Cincinnati, its second-largest hub. The airline says no one-way economy fare will now be priced higher than $499 (£264), and no first-class fare will be priced higher than $599. It is also eliminating a Saturday-night stay requirement on discount fares and will give further reductions to customers opting for non-refundable tickets, booking in advance and online. Delta, which lost $646m in the three months to September, was forced to cut 6,900 jobs worldwide as part of its aim to slash $5bn from its costs. In October, it reached a crucial agreement with pilots on pay and conditions and it has also issued new shares to staff in return for wage cuts. Airline shares closed lower on the announcement, with Delta, Continental and American Airlines all falling by more than 7%. "We believe the whole airline industry will now have to move in this direction; this will likely hurt revenue in the short run but could be beneficial in the long run," said analyst Ray Neidl at Calyon Securities. | 0 |
Georgia plans hidden asset pardon Georgia is offering a one-off 'tax amnesty' to people who hid their earnings under the regime of former president Eduard Shevardnadze. The country's new president, Mikhail Saakashvili, has said that anyone now willing to disclose their wealth will only have to pay 1% in income tax. The measure is designed to legitimise previously hidden economic activity and boost Georgia's flagging economy. Georgia's black market is estimated to be twice the size of its legal economy. Mr Saakashvili, elected president in January after Mr Shevardnadze was toppled, has urged the Georgian Parliament to approve the amnesty as soon as possible. It is one of a series of proposals designed to tackle corruption, which was rampant during the Shevardnadze era, and boost Georgia's fragile public finances. The new government is encouraging companies to pay taxes by scrapping existing corruption investigations and destroying all tax records from before 1 January, three days before President Saakashvili was elected. "There are people who have money but are afraid to show it," the president told a government session. "Documentation about where this money came from doesn't exist because under the former, entirely warped regime, earning capital honestly was not possible." By declaring their assets and paying the one-off tax, people would be able to "legalise their property", Mr Saakashvili stressed. "No one will have the right to check this money's origin. This money must go back into the economy." The amnesty will not extend to people who made money through drugs trafficking or international money laundering. Criminal investigations in such cases -thought to involve about 5% of Georgian businesses -are to continue. Mr Saakashvili has accused the Shevardnadze regime, which was toppled by a popular uprising in November, of allowing bribery to flourish. Georgia's economy is in a desperate condition. Half the population are living below the poverty line with many surviving on income of less than $4, or three euros, a day. The unemployment rate is around 20% while the country has a $1.7bn public debt. | 0 |
Research fears over Kelly's views Scientists have expressed concerns that new education secretary Ruth Kelly's religious views could hamper vital scientific research. Ms Kelly, who is Catholic, is reported to be "pro-life" and has opposed embryo research. Medical Research Council Professor Nancy Rothwell said Ms Kelly's views mattered as she was responsible for training future scientists. The Department for Education and Skills would not comment on the concerns. A spokeswoman said: "It is not news that Ms Kelly is a Catholic but we are not going into any details on this." But she added that claims Ms Kelly was in charge of a £1bn university research budget were not true. It was down to the Higher Education Funding Council and the research councils to decide on universities' research allocations. British law is open to the cloning of human embryos to create stem cells, master cells that can develop into all the body's tissue types. This cloning activity is not permitted for reproductive purposes - only for research into new disease treatments. However, it is controversial because it involves the destruction of embryos. Professor Rothwell, who is also vice-president of research at Manchester University, told the Times Higher Education Supplement it would worry her "a great deal" if ministers were anti-stem cell. She said: "The views of ministers in the DfES do matter as they are responsible for training the next generation of scientists. "You can't have a higher education policy that is at odds with the government's science policy." Head of developmental genetics at the National Institute of Medical Research, Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, said he had witnessed the confused situation in the US where many religious groups opposed the practice. He said: "If someone as senior as Ruth Kelly is not going to favour stem cell research we will end up with a similarly schizophrenic system in this country. It is very worrying." But fertility expert Lord Winston said he thought it was "rather good" ministers held ethical views. Concerns have also been raised by "pro-choice" organisations that Ms Kelly's views might affect sex education policy in schools. Family Planning Association chief executive, Anne Weyman, said teaching pupils about contraception and abortion were key. "Young people must be informed about all the issues within sexual health, which include contraception and abortion. "I think it is very important that the government maintains its commitment to the teenage pregnancy strategy." Currently, individual schools devise their own sex education policies based on a framework provided by the DfES. Ms Kelly has not set out her detailed views on either issue yet, but has said she intends to put parents first in education policy. This would include the quality of teaching, classroom discipline and academic standards in schools, she said. | 2 |
Security warning over 'FBI virus' The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning that a computer virus is being spread via e-mails that purport to be from the FBI. The e-mails show that they have come from an fbi.gov address and tell recipients that they have accessed illegal websites. The messages warn that their internet use has been monitored by the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center. An attachment in the e-mail contains the virus, the FBI said. The message asks recipients to click on the attachment and answer some questions about their internet use. But rather than being a questionnaire, the attachment contains a virus that infects the recipient's computer, according to the agency. It is not clear what the virus does once it has infected a computer. Users are warned never to open attachment from unsolicited e-mails or from people they do not know. "Recipients of this or similar solicitations should know that the FBI does not engage in the practice of sending unsolicited e-mails to the public in this manner," the FBI said in a statement. The bureau is investigating the phoney e-mails. The agency earlier this month shut down fbi.gov accounts, used to communicate with the public, because of a security breach. A spokeswoman said the two incidents appear to be unrelated. | 4 |
Thousands join strike in Wales Thousands of civil servants were on strike across Wales on Friday in protest at planned job cuts. A range of services in Wales were affected as civil servants in Wales joined the UK-wide strike. The strike, called by the Public and Commercial Services Union, was the biggest by civil servants in a decade. The action follows Chancellor Gordon Brown's announcement in July that 104,000 jobs would be cut, with around 6,000 of those expected in Wales. The worst-affected area in Wales will be the Department of Work and Pensions where 2,000 jobs are threatened. Across Wales, pickets were held by striking civil servants with protests in towns and cities including Cardiff, Bangor, Aberystwyth and Wrexham. Gordon Brown issued a defiant statement about the strike, saying the action would not affect the government's "determination" to make savings in order to increase investment in healthcare, education, transport and the fight against crime. "Our decisions mean more police, more teachers, more doctors and more nurses," he said. "We will provide help with information, relocation and retraining to help staff move into frontline work within the public sector, but we will not be diverted from these necessary changes so that we can make this essential investment." The UK-wide action hit Jobcentres, benefit agencies, pensions offices and driving test centres. The strike also affected the Welsh assembly building in Cardiff Bay, where only pass-holders were allowed in. Pickets were in place across Wales, with protests around the country. PCS Union spokesman Jeff Evans said: "In Wales the civil service is major employer, there are more civil servants employed in Wales proportionately than in any other part of the country. "Our protest is about defending jobs and also local services across the country. "Parts of Objective One areas and Welsh-speaking areas will be particularly affected by these cuts." The chancellor has said that the cuts will allow funding for more teachers and police. Piers Freelove is senior benefit officer on the picket line at Companies House, in Cardiff. He said: "The majority of people have decided not to come in because of the threat to their jobs. "I joined the civil service to provide services as well as get a decent pension, as we thought, and pay, and it's those services that are being threatened as well as our jobs. "People like pensioners need a face-to-face service not an impersonal service on the phone which is what they want to impose." PCSU deputy general secretary Hugh Lanning, who was on the same picket line, said: "We're asking for them to negotiate not just to make announcements. "There's a sensible way to do things and at the moment they're not even talking about how to go about it sensibly." "The ballot was for one day's action. No further action is anticipated without a further ballot of staff." The Welsh Assembly Government said: "This is a strike about national civil service issues. It is not about specific issues local to Wales or the assembly. | 2 |
AstraZeneca hit by drug failure Shares in Anglo-Swedish drug have closed down 8% in UK trade after the failure of its Iressa drug in a major clinical trial. The lung cancer drug did not significantly prolong survival in patients with the disease. This setback for the group follows the rejection by the US in October of its anti-coagulant pill Exanta. Meanwhile, another of its major money spinners - cholesterol drug Crestor - is facing mounting safety concerns. "This would be two of the three blockbuster drugs that were meant to power the company forward failing... and we've got risks on Crestor," said Nick Turner, analyst at brokers Jefferies. AstraZeneca had hoped to pitch its Iressa drug against rival medicine Tarceva. But Iressa proved no better than a placebo in extending lives in the trial involving 1,692 patients. Tarceva - made by OSI Pharmaceuticals, Genentech and Roche - has already proved to be successful in helping prolong the life of lung cancer patients. AztraZeneca has now appointed a new executive director to the board. John Patterson will be in charge of drug development. The company said Mr Patterson would make "substantial changes to the clinical organisation and its processes". "I am determined to improve our development and regulatory performance, restore confidence in the company and value to shareholders," said chief executive Tom McKillop. | 0 |
Yahoo moves into desktop search Internet giant Yahoo has launched software to allow people to search e-mail and other files on their PCs. The firm is following in the footsteps of Microsoft, Google and Ask Jeeves, which have offered similar services. Search has become a lucrative and hotly-contested area of expansion for net firms, looking to extend loyalty beyond the web. With hard drives providing bigger storage, users could need more help to locate important files, such as photos. The desktop search technology has been licensed from a US-based firm X1 Technologies. It is designed to work alongside Microsoft's Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail programs. Searching e-mail effectively is becoming increasingly important, especially as the amount of spam increases. According to research from message analysts the Radicati Group, up to 45% of businesses' critical information is stored in e-mail and attachments. Yahoo's software can also work separately on the desktop, searching for music, photos and other files. Users can search under a variety of criteria, including file name, size, date and time. It doesn't yet incorporate web searching, although Yahoo has promised that future versions will allow users to search both web-based and desktop data. "We are all getting more and more files on our desktop but the real commercial opportunity lies with linking this through to web content," said Julian Smith, an analyst with research firm Jupiter. "It is all about extending the idea of search and getting a closer relationship with consumers by organising not just how they search on the internet but the files on your computer as well," he said. Search engines are often the first port of call for users when they go onto the web. The new foray into desktop search has rung alarm bells for human rights groups, concerned about the implications to privacy. And not everyone is impressed with the functionality of such services. Alexander Linden, vice president of emerging technologies at analyst firm Gartner,downloaded the Google product but has since removed it. "It was just not very interesting," he said. He believes the rush to enter the desktop business is just a way of keeping up with rivals. "Desktop search is just one of many features people would like but I'm suspicious of its usefulness," he said. More useful would be tools that can combine internet, intranet and desktop search alongside improvements to key word searching, he said. | 4 |
Ailing EuroDisney vows turnaround EuroDisney, the European home of Mickey Mouse and friends, has said it will sell 253m euros (£175m; $328m) of new shares as it looks to avoid insolvency. The sale is the last part of a plan to restructure 2.4bn euros-worth of debts. Despite struggling since it was opened in 1992, EuroDisney has recently made progress in turning its business around and ticket sales have picked up. However, analysts still question whether it attracts enough visitors to stay open, even with the restructuring. EuroDisney remains Europe's largest single tourist attraction, attracting some 12.4 million visitors annually. A new attraction - Walt Disney Studios - has recently opened its site near Paris. The company's currently traded stock tumbled in Paris on the latest news, shedding 15% to 22 euro cents. EuroDisney will sell the new shares priced at 9 euros cents each. The US Disney Corporation and Saudi Arabian prince Al-Walid bin Talal, the firm's two main shareholders, will buy the new stock. The restructuring deal is the second in the firm's troubled financial history; its finances were first reorganised in 1994. | 0 |
Petrol duties frozen, Brown says Chancellor Gordon Brown has announced a freeze on fuel duty in his pre-budget speech to the Commons on Thursday. Mr Brown told the House that government policy is to raise fuel duty at least in line with inflation each year to fulfil environmental commitments. But this financial year, because of "volatility in the oil market", he said the duty would be frozen. During 2000 many motorists campaigned against the rises but environmentalists believe less duty means more pollution. He said: "It is our policy that each year fuel duties should rise at least in line with inflation as we seek to meet our targets for reducing polluting emmissions and fund our public services. "But this financial year because of the sustained volatility in the oil market I propose to match the freeze in car vehicle licence duty with a continuation on the freeze on the main road fuel duties." The RAC welcomed the news, calling it an "early Christmas present" for motorists. But the organisation urged drivers to continue to shop around to get the best price for petrol. Environmental group Transport 2000 said the freeze sends the wrong message to motorists. "We are concerned that although Britain leads the world in rhetoric about climate change it often fails in practical action," said a spokesman. In 2000 the People's Fuel Lobby caused chaos by blocking roads with slow-moving convoys after Mr Brown threatened to raise fuel taxes. The chancellor did not raise duty that year, but despite threats of more protests in 2003, he added 1.28p per litre. | 2 |
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." | 0 |
The pirates with no profit motive Two men who were part of a huge network of internet software pirates, known as Drink Or Die, have been convicted at the Old Bailey. BBC News investigates how the network worked and what motivated those involved. They called themselves Drink Or Die (DOD). They were a network of computer buffs who derived pleasure from cracking codes protecting copyrighted software such as Windows 95. They would then share it with each other. There is no suggestion any of them profited financially. But the authorities in both Britain and the United States considered it software piracy and took a dim view of networks such as DOD, one of a number of so-called warez organisations operating on the internet. In October 2000 the US Customs Service began an investigation into DOD and other networks, such as Razor 1911, Risciso, Myth and Popz. Fourteen months later US Customs co-ordinated a series of raids across the globe as part of Operation Buccaneer. Seventy search warrants were executed in the US, Britain, Australia, Norway, Sweden and Finland. At least 60 people were arrested worldwide - 45 of them in the US. Among the leaders of the network were Americans John Sankus - known by his internet nickname Eriflleh (Hellfire spelt backwards) - Richard Berry, Kent Kartadinata and Christopher Tresco, who used a server based at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The longest jail sentence - 46 months - was handed down to Sankus, a 28-year-old from Philadelphia. US Attorney Paul McNulty said at the time: "John Sankus and his techno-gang operated in the faceless world of the internet and thought they would never be caught. "They were wrong. These sentences, and those to follow, should send a message to others entertaining similar beliefs of invincibility." But one man still in legal limbo is British-born Australian Hew Raymond Griffiths, who is still fighting against extradition to the US. US Customs claimed Mr Griffiths was one of DOD's leaders but his lawyer, Antony Townsden, told the BBC News website it was a laughable suggestion and added: "He was living on welfare and had such an old computer that he couldn't even download software. "The allegation that he was the group's co-leader is illusory. He had the least technical skills of anyone, he couldn't crack any codes and he has only been called a leader because he was a loudmouth who wrote a lot on their messageboard." Mr Townsden said if he had committed any crimes he should be prosecuted in Australia, not the US. He claimed the Australian government's decision to accept the extradition request was typical of their current "acquiescent" attitude to the US. Mr Griffiths is expecting to hear this week the outcome of his appeal against the decision to extradite him. Those involved would give themselves internet aliases which would act in the same way as tags used by graffiti artists. They could then brag about their code-cracking abilities without giving away their real identities. Alex Bell, whose trial at the Old Bailey ended on Friday, was known as Mr 2940 - after a computer device - while his co-defendant Steven Dowd's nickname, curiously, was Tim. A spokesman for US Immigration, Customs and Enforcement, Dean Boyd, said DOD did not appear to be motivated by money. Their motivation was the kudos which surrounded being able to crack sophisticated software. He told the BBC News website: "Primarily they were just interested in how fast they could crack the code. It was all about underground notoriety." But Mr Boyd pointed out that once the software had been distributed on the internet it fell into the hands of organised criminals who were able to mass produce pirated software at zero cost. "It cost US industries a lot of money, billions of dollars," he said. Mr Boyd said: "It was truly global in scope. We raided a number of universities, including Duke (in North Carolina) and MIT, and found that several of the people involved were employed by major computer corporations. "They would go home from work in the evenings and get involved in this warez culture." Warez groups, which began to surface in the early 1990s, operate according to a strict code of honour. For example if one group cracked the software first its rivals would respect that achievement and not seek to claim it themselves. Mr Boyd said the destruction of DOD was a great coup but he added: "I'm not going to sit here and say we have sorted the problem. There are still hackers and people who do this for fun. "Internet piracy of computer software remains a gigantic problem." A spokesman for the Business Software Alliance said: "DOD members claim they did not profit at all. But they did profit by getting access to very expensive servers." He said DOD and other warez groups were fostering a "culture of piracy" on the internet. He said 29% of computer software in Britain was believed to have been pirated and this cost £1bn in revenue for software companies, their suppliers and distributors. "It may seem like a victimless crime but it touches more people than you might care to believe." | 4 |
German business confidence slides German business confidence fell in February knocking hopes of a speedy recovery in Europe's largest economy. Munich-based research institute Ifo said that its confidence index fell to 95.5 in February from 97.5 in January, its first decline in three months. The study found that the outlook in both the manufacturing and retail sectors had worsened. Observers had been hoping that a more confident business sector would signal that economic activity was picking up. "We're surprised that the Ifo index has taken such a knock," said DZ bank economist Bernd Weidensteiner. "The main reason is probably that the domestic economy is still weak, particularly in the retail trade." Economy and Labour Minister Wolfgang Clement called the dip in February's Ifo confidence figure "a very mild decline". He said that despite the retreat, the index remained at a relatively high level and that he expected "a modest economic upswing" to continue. Germany's economy grew 1.6% last year after shrinking in 2003. However, the economy contracted by 0.2% during the last three months of 2004, mainly due to the reluctance of consumers to spend. Latest indications are that growth is still proving elusive and Ifo president Hans-Werner Sinn said any improvement in German domestic demand was sluggish. Exports had kept things going during the first half of 2004, but demand for exports was then hit as the value of the euro hit record levels making German products less competitive overseas. On top of that, the unemployment rate has been stuck at close to 10% and manufacturing firms, including DaimlerChrysler, Siemens and Volkswagen, have been negotiating with unions over cost cutting measures. Analysts said that the Ifo figures and Germany's continuing problems may delay an interest rate rise by the European Central Bank. Eurozone interest rates are at 2%, but comments from senior officials have recently focused on the threat of inflation, prompting fears that interest rates may rise. | 0 |
Cairn shares slump on oil setback Shares in Cairn Energy, a UK oil firm, have closed down 18% after a disappointing drilling update and a warning over possible tax demands. The company said tests had shown no significant finds in one of its Indian oil fields, but was upbeat about the potential of other areas. It also said the Indian government had told it to pay a production tax, for which Cairn argues it is not liable. Cairn's shares have jumped by almost 400% this year. Investors had piled into Cairn after the company announced significant oil finds in India this year. Chief executive Bill Gammell said on Friday he was "disappointed" with exploration in the so-called N-C extension area in Rajasthan. Investors had held high hopes of major oil finds in this area. But Cairn said estimates had been revised in what was a "significant downgrade of the initial expectation". Cairn also said that the government believed the company was liable to pay taxes under its production-sharing contract. The company said the rate would be about 900 rupees ($20.40; £10.50) per tonne, or seven barrels, of oil. A spokesman for the firm said that the tax would wipe 5% of the field's current value. "Cairn refutes the government's position," Mr Gammell said. He insisted that the contract made it clear that the tax should be shouldered by the licensee - India's state-run Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) - and not the contractor. "We have a pretty strong legal case here," he added, saying it would only become an issue once the firm started production. Investors took a dim view of the statements though. The shares closed down 247p, or 18%, at 1115 pence. "I think people were slightly over-ambitious for how quickly Cairn would be able to develop and potentially offload these reserves," said analyst Jason Kenney at ING. The disappointments overshadowed increased production targets for Cairn's existing oilfields. The company raised targets for its Mangala and Aishwariya fields in India from 60,000 barrels a day to between 80,000 and 100,000 barrels a day. Its Mangala field, thought to contain a billion barrels, is its biggest find to date. "These two fields will provide the core of the future developments in Rajasthan," Mr Gammell said. Cairn added that it would be appraising another field early next year. Mr Gammell set up the company in the 1980s and has successfully switched its focus to South Asia from interests in the US and Europe. Cairn, which also operates in Nepal and Bangladesh, was catapulted into the FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares earlier this year after the sharp rise in its share price. | 0 |
Games firms 'face tough future' UK video game firms face a testing time as they prepare for the next round of games consoles, the industry warns. Fred Hasson, head of Tiga, which represents independent developers, said that more UK firms would go under due to greater risks in making new titles. Three leading UK video game companies also predicted that more firms would close as they struggled to adapt. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are expected to release new consoles in the next 18 months. Microsoft has said repeatedly that it wants to be first to the market and some analysts predict that Xbox 2 will be released in the US before the end of 2005. The new machines will all have much greater processing and graphical power which will have a huge impact on development of next generation games. Mr Hasson said: "In the last four years we have probably lost a third of independent developers." He said there were about 150 independent developers left in the industry and more were likely to close. "Once the cull has finished its likely to present those still standing with great opportunities," he said. Mr Hasson said the industry was predicting that developments costs and teams were likely to need to double in order to cope with the demands of the new machines. That figure was endorsed by three independent companies contacted by the BBC News website - Codemasters, Climax and Rebellion. "As consoles get more powerful, the content gets more detailed and that means more cost," said Gary Dunn, development director at Codemasters, which develops games in house and also publishes titles. Jason Kingsley, chief executive of Rebellion, said the transition from the current generation of consoles to the new machines was difficult because "the production quality expected by consumers will be that much bigger". He added: "We have been through five technology transitions and survived so far. "Each one has involved the death of some people. All companies said they were investing in new tools - called middleware - in order to try and avoid staff numbers spiralling out of control. Simon Gardner, president of Climax's Action studio, said: "We are investing in superior tools and editors. We are investing upfront to generate this content without the need for huge teams. "It's vital we avoid huge teams." He said Climax was already directing about 20% of its resources to preparation for next generation titles. Mr Dunn warned that companies could face a short supply of programming, development and artistic talent. "If companies are hiring bigger and bigger teams, at some point the talent is going to run out." Mr Hasson said games developers were beginning to realise that they had to be more "business-like". "There are still some developers who were involved in games from the bedroom coding days. "Some of them are still making games for peer group approval - that has to stop." | 4 |
Pernod takeover talk lifts Domecq Shares in UK drinks and food firm Allied Domecq have risen on speculation that it could be the target of a takeover by France's Pernod Ricard. Reports in the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times suggested that the French spirits firm is considering a bid, but has yet to contact its target. Allied Domecq shares in London rose 4% by 1200 GMT, while Pernod shares in Paris slipped 1.2%. Pernod said it was seeking acquisitions but refused to comment on specifics. Pernod's last major purchase was a third of US giant Seagram in 2000, the move which propelled it into the global top three of drinks firms. The other two-thirds of Seagram was bought by market leader Diageo. In terms of market value, Pernod - at 7.5bn euros ($9.7bn) - is about 9% smaller than Allied Domecq, which has a capitalisation of £5.7bn ($10.7bn; 8.2bn euros). Last year Pernod tried to buy Glenmorangie, one of Scotland's premier whisky firms, but lost out to luxury goods firm LVMH. Pernod is home to brands including Chivas Regal Scotch whisky, Havana Club rum and Jacob's Creek wine. Allied Domecq's big names include Malibu rum, Courvoisier brandy, Stolichnaya vodka and Ballantine's whisky - as well as snack food chains such as Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins ice cream. The WSJ said that the two were ripe for consolidation, having each dealt with problematic parts of their portfolio. Pernod has reduced the debt it took on to fund the Seagram purchase to just 1.8bn euros, while Allied has improved the performance of its fast-food chains. | 0 |
Campbell returns to election team Ex-Downing Street media chief Alastair Campbell will return to the fold to strengthen Labour's general election campaign, the party has confirmed. Mr Campbell has consistently made public his keenness to play a part in the poll, expected in May. Both Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott have welcomed his return. "He is a strong Labour Party member," Mr Prescott told BBC One's Breakfast With Frost programme. Mr Campbell quit Number 10 in August 2003 after being Tony Blair's right-hand man at the 1997 and 2001 elections. Labour have refused to discuss his exact new position and have not said how it would affect his Downing Street replacement David Hill. "Of course Alastair's going to be part of the election campaign and I think that all of us who will also be part of the election campaign are very pleased about that," Ms Jowell told Sky News. But she said his return would not put anybody else's "nose out of joint". "This is the daft thing about the way in which politics is written about," Ms Jowell added. "There's room for everybody. We serve the country better if we make room for all the talent." A Labour source told the Sunday Times Mr Campbell would "effectively front" the election media campaign but said he would be given no formal title. Labour strategists told the paper he would be "set loose" on Conservative leader Michael Howard in attacking his party's economic record when it was in power. "They used pictures from the 1970s in the 1992 campaign to remind people of the winter of discontent - and now it's our turn," the source told the paper. "Making Michael Howard leader gives us an unmissable opportunity to remind people what it was like to pay mortgage rates of 15% even if it was more than a decade ago." Mr Campbell was at the centre of the government's row with BBC over Andrew Gilligan's story about the Iraq weapons dossier. The Hutton inquiry cleared him of "sexing up" the dossier in the run-up to the Iraq war. Since leaving Downing Street, he has toured the country with his one man show, An Audience With Alastair Campbell and presented a number of interview programmes for Channel 4. | 2 |
Apple Mac mini gets warm welcome The Mac mini has been welcomed by Apple fans, industry experts and PC users. The release of the tiny, low-cost machine is seen as a good move for Apple which currently has a small share of the desktop computer market. Mac watchers and some analysts say the Mac mini will go a long way to help Apple appeal to the mass of consumers. They speculate that the Mac mini will be bought by iPod owners and those wanting an easy-to-use and administer second home computer. "It's the bravest move they have made yet," said Jonny Evans, news editor at Macworld magazine. Mr Evans said the combination of low cost, small size and huge numbers of iPod users could make it a big success. He thought that the machine would appeal to those that like Apple technology but who before now have balked at paying high prices for its hardware. "It's deeply affordable," he said. "Plus you know that you do not get viruses or all of the associated problems." Already, he said, PC owning friends had declared that they would be buying one. Interest in the new products launched at Macworld expo was so strong that websites for Apple's store and the show struggled to cope with demand. According to response statistics gathered by Netcraft many visiting the Apple store in the wake of Mr Jobs' speech suffered lengthy response times. The Macworld Expo site was completely overwhelmed and went offline. "I think fundamentally it's a good idea because it's cheap even for a PC," said Nick Ross, deputy labs editor at PC Pro. Apple's work on making things easy to use would also help the Mac mini win fans, he said. "I think people expect it just to work now and really it should," hesaid. The Mac mini could find a role in homes that need a second computer that is easy to install and administer, he said. "For browsing the web, e-mail and all kinds of basic duties it's going to be absolutely adequate," said Mr Ross. Ian Fogg, broadband and personal technology analyst at Jupiter Research, agreed that the Mac mini could be very popular. "Apple has been hoping that sales of the iPod will have a halo effect on the sales of the Mac," he said. Before now, he said, Apple has been seen as a premium brand. But, he said, the Mac mini changed that perception. "It's a particularly good price when you see that it's Apple that is doing it," he said. Apple expects the Mac mini to sell for £339 in the UK and $499 in the US. Adding extras such as a larger hard drive, more memory and networking options will increase the basic price. It will go on sale from 22 January. "For consumers interested in style, design and small size - which is what the majority of iPod customers are interested in - it's a natural next step," said Mr Fogg. Apple has traditionally done well in the market that the Mac mini is aimed at, said Mr Fogg, who also expected many PC makers to release copycat devices in reaction. His only misgivings were over how easy other consumers, other than iPod owners, would find using the machine. He said anyone wanting to use the Mac mini with the peripherals from an old computer may find it odd to have something so small and sleek next to a hulking monitor. "They'd be much more likely to pair a Mac mini with a LCD or flat panel monitor which increases the upgrade cost," he said. Those with flat screens and LCD monitors are likely to have bought them recently and not be in the market for a new machine. There are also questions over whether the Mac mini will work with very old peripherals, such as display, keyboard and mouse. The Mac mini also fell short of being a media server that can be a video recorder as well as a store for all the digital music, movies and images people accumulate, said Mr Fogg. "The Mac mini is not quite ready for that yet," he said. "It does not have the right connectors that fit a TV screen or enough storage." Said Mr Fogg: "It's very much a computer." One dissenting opinion came from Brian Gammage, vice-president of research at analysts Gartner. He said: "I don't think it changes the world." Although the Mac mini was very cheap for an Apple computer, it was still expensive compared to many PCs. Also, he said, it appealed in categories that few consumers care about when buying a home computer. "The PC world is a pile-em-high, sell-em-cheap market," he said, "and all of them are pretty interchangeable." "Since the days when Apple ruled the personal computing world its market share has been on a long, slow decline," he said. "Every few years it does something to give its market share a kick then it starts to go back down again," said Mr Gammage. The release of the Mac mini fit perfectly with this trend, he said. | 4 |
Qwest may spark MCI bidding war US phone company Qwest has said it will table a new offer for MCI after losing out to larger rival Verizon, setting the scene for a possible bidding war. MCI accepted a $6.75bn (£3.6bn) buyout from telecoms giant Verizon on Monday, rejecting a higher offer from Qwest. Qwest chairman Richard Notebaert sent a letter to MCI's board on Thursday saying that it plans to submit a new offer after examining Verizon's bid. Formerly known as Worldcom, MCI is a long-distance and corporate phone firm. Snapping up MCI would give the buyer access to a global telecommunications network and a large number of business-based subscribers. Shares of MCI were up more than 4% in electronic trading after the close of New York markets. Qwest said on Wednesday that MCI had rejected a deal worth $8bn. "We would like to advise you that once we have completed our review of the Verizon merger agreement, we do intend to submit a modified offer to acquire MCI," the letter from Qwest said. Verizon's offer is made up of cash, shares and dividends, and a number of investors have said that it undervalues MCI. Verizon plans to swap 0.41 of its shares and $1.50 in cash for each MCI share, as well as offering special dividends of $4.50 a share. Both company boards have backed the deal, but regulators will still need to give their approval. As well as trying to lure investors with the promise of better returns, Qwest also reckons that its offer will face less regulatory scrutiny than Verizon's. The takeover would be the fifth billion-dollar telecoms deal since October as companies look to cut costs and boost client bases. Earlier this month, SBC Communications agreed to buy its former parent and phone trailblazer AT&T for about $16bn. There may be concerns other than cash, however, especially as MCI only emerged from bankruptcy protection last April. Verizon is far bigger than Qwest, has fewer debts and has built a successful mobile division. Also, MCI, while trading under the name Worldcom, became the biggest corporate bankruptcy in US history after admitting that it illegally booked expenses and inflated profits. Former Worldcom boss Bernie Ebbers is currently standing trial, accused of overseeing an $11bn fraud. Qwest, meanwhile, had to pay the Securities and Exchange Commission $250m in October to settle charges that it massaged earnings to keep Wall Street happy. | 0 |
Howl helps boost Japan's cinemas Japan's box office received a 3.8% boost last year, with ticket sales worth 211bn yen (£1.08bn). The surge was led by animated movie Howl's Moving Castle, which took 20bn yen (£102m) to become the biggest film in Japan in 2004. It is expected to match the 30.7bn yen (£157m) record of Hayao Miyazaki's previous film Spirited Away. Japan Motion Picture Producers figures showed that 170 million cinema admissions were made in Japan in 2004. The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, was the biggest foreign movie hit in Japan last year, taking 13.8bn yen (£70.7m). It was followed by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Finding Nemo and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The second highest-grossing Japanese film was romantic drama Crying Out Love in the Centre of the World, followed by Be With You and Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation. Japanese films accounted for 37.5% of Japan's box office total last year, with foreign films taking the remaining 62.5%. This represented a 4.5% gain for the proportion of Japanese films in 2004 compared to 2003. The number of Japanese films released rose to 310 in 2004 from 287 the previous year. Sales of movies on DVD and video amounted to 497bn yen (£2.54bn) for the year. | 1 |
Hillbillies singer Scoggins dies Country and Western musician Jerry Scoggins has died in Los Angeles at the age of 93, his family has said. Scoggins was best remembered for singing the theme tune to popular US TV show The Beverly Hillbillies. The Texan-born singer approached the producers of the programme with theme tune The Ballad of Jed Clampett for the pilot which was screened in 1962. The show, which told the story of a poor man striking oil and moving to Beverly Hills, ran until 1971. Scoggins' daugher Jane Kelly Misel said that her father never tired of the song and would sing it at least once a day. "He'd sing it at birthdays and anniversaries and variety shows. He never stopped performing it," she said. When a film version of The Beverly Hillbillies was made in 1993, Scoggins came out of retirement to perform the theme tune. Scoggins sang the lyrics while bluegrass stars Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs played guitar and banjo. | 1 |
EU ministers to mull jet fuel tax European Union finance ministers are meeting on Thursday in Brussels, where they are to discuss a controversial jet fuel tax. A levy on jet fuel has been suggested as a way to raise funds to finance aid for the world's poorest nations. Airlines and aviation bodies have reacted strongly against the plans, saying they would hurt companies at a time when earnings are under pressure. The EU said a tax would only be passed after full consultation with airlines. It was keen to point out earlier this week that any new tax on jet fuel should not hurt the "competitiveness of the airlines". Ministers will also be discussing reforms to regulations governing European public spending. Global leaders have focused attention on poverty reduction and development at recent meetings of the G7 Group and World Economic Forum. The world's richest countries have said they want to boost the amount of aid they give to 0.7% of their annual gross national income by 2015. Many EU ministers are thought to support the plan to tax jet fuel - tabled by France and Germany following the recent G7 meeting. At present, the fuel used by airlines enjoys either a very low tax rate or is untaxed in EU member states. | 0 |
News Corp makes $5.4bn Fox offer News Corporation is seeking to buy out minority investors in Fox Entertainment Group, its broadcasting subsidiary, for about $5.4bn (£3.7bn). The media giant, run by Rupert Murdoch, owns 82% of the shares in the company, home to the Fox television network and the 20th Century Fox film studio. The move follows News Corp's decision to register its business in the US. 20th Century Fox's recent film releases include I Heart Huckabees and I, Robot, while Fox puts out hit TV series 24. Under the terms of the offer, minority Fox shareholders will receive 1.90 News Corp shares in return for each Fox share they hold. Analysts said the decision to list News Corp in the US - which will result in the firm's shares trading in New York rather than Sydney- nullified the need to retain a separate stock market listing for Fox Entertainment shares. News Corp investors voted in October to approve the transfer of the company's corporate domicile from Australia to the US state of Delaware. The move is designed to help News Corp attract more investment from the largest US financial institutions, and make it easier to raise capital. Fox Entertainment Group generated revenues of $12bn last year. News Corp shares fell 25 cents to $17.65 after the share offer was announced while Fox shares were up 19 cents at $31.22. | 0 |
Lib Dems unveil women's manifesto The Liberal Democrats are attempting to woo female voters with the launch of their manifesto for women. Charles Kennedy is pledging a maternity income guarantee and a pension system based on years of residence rather than national insurance payments. He also thinks women will back plans to end university tuition fees and for free long-term care for the elderly. Both Labour and the Conservatives have said they also plan to boost pensions and to improve childcare support. Mr Kennedy says he wants to deal with policy areas that disadvantage women. "Two million pensioners in Britain currently live below the government's own poverty line - two-thirds of whom are women," he said. He says that pensions based on the number of years worked ignore the contribution women make caring for children. The Lib Dem's Citizen's Pension, based on length of residency not on national insurance contributions, would address that imbalance, Mr Kennedy argues. Under the package, new mothers would be offered minimum guaranteed maternity pay of £170 a week for the first six months after the birth of their first child. Mr Kennedy also believes the party's plans to use the money saved from not introducing "illiberal" ID cards to boost police numbers by 10,000 would appeal to women too. The policies are not new announcements, but the way they are structured as a package to appeal to women is. Mr Kennedy also points to the fact that 40% of the party's candidates set to stand in winnable or target seats are women. Party strategists claim that where women candidates replace men turnout rises by 4%. Mr Kennedy began the pitch for female support with an interview on BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour on Monday. During the interview Mr Kennedy revealed that he planned to structure the party's general election campaign around the birth of his first child, which is expected in April. The baby and his wife Sarah would be "priority number one" even if it arrived in the middle of the election campaign, he said. Party strategists believe winning over a significant proportion of women voters is key to electoral success. A party spokesman said it was courting female votes because they tended to vote more than men and are believed to be more considered and open-minded in deciding who they vote for. Labour's deputy minister for women Jacqui Smith accused the Lib Dems of offering "false promises" to women and said their sums did not add up. She said: "These proposals would increase the costs to the public purse drastically year on year, and hard working families will pay dearly, through either increased taxes or reduced spending on public services". The Labour party has committed itself to "universal, affordable and flexible" childcare for parents of all 3 to 14 year-olds, including childcare centred on schools to be available from 8am to 6pm. In September, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said she would like to see longer paid maternity leave, higher paternity pay and the extension of flexible working rights to carers, if Labour won a third term. The Conservatives are yet to unveil their manifesto plans for childcare but said in November they would increase maternity pay and pay the child tax credit in cash to parents to spend as they like, on a nanny, au pair or even a family member, such as a grandparent, acting as a carer. They were also consulting on making childcare costs tax deductible. | 2 |
Holmes feted with further honour Double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes has been voted European Athletics (EAA) woman athlete of 2004 in the governing body's annual poll. The Briton, made a dame in the New Year Honours List for taking 800m and 1,500m gold, won vital votes from the public, press and EAA member federations. She is only the second British woman to land the title after- Sally Gunnell won for her world 400m hurdles win in 1993. Swedish triple jumper Christian Olsson was voted male athlete of the year. The accolade is the latest in a long list of awards that Holmes has received since her success in Athens. In addition to becoming a dame, she was also named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December. Her gutsy victory in the 800m also earned her the International Association of Athletics Federations' award for the best women's performance in the world for 2004. And she scooped two awards at the British Athletics Writers' Association annual dinner in October. | 3 |
Could rivalry overshadow election? Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are desperately trying to stuff the genie of their rivalry back into the bottle. Along with any number of senior cabinet colleagues, they are insisting their only job is to win the next election and govern in the best interests of Britain. It is a message they are aiming directly at their backbenchers who are becoming irritated and even unnerved by the continuing claims and counter claims surrounding this alleged rift. Ian Gibson, for example, urged the two men to stop squabbling, declaring: "For goodness sake, sometimes you have to rise above petulance and make sure that you do your job as effectively as you can." Those with slim majorities are particularly fearful that the rift could hit their own hopes of re-election. Tony Blair will seek to reassure Labour MPs on Monday evening at their first meeting of the new year at Westminster - a behind-closed doors meeting which Gordon Brown is thought likely to also attend to show unity. Meanwhile the likes of Health Secretary John Reid and Labour peer Lord Haskins are warning of the electoral dangers of allowing this soap opera to continue. And they have both warned the rival camps to stop spreading the poison. Lord Haskins even suggested Mr Blair should reinstate Mr Brown as the central figure in the election planning. But this particular genie is unusually reluctant to return to captivity and many fear it is simply too late to repair the damage. They believe they will be fighting the next election with the sounds of open warfare between the two men ringing in their ears. And it matters little whether the rift is real or, as some try to suggest, simply the product of newspaper headlines and Westminster gossip. Few in Westminster actually believe that, simply because the evidence appears to contradict it. For example, the weekend's attempts by both men to play down the divisions failed to do the trick. Even as they were both insisting on their unity of purpose and claiming they would not be swayed by newspaper stories, they still managed to stir the speculation with their comments. Mr Blair talked about the "New" Labour manifesto - a move which seemed calculated to irritate the chancellor, who has long rejected the label. And Mr Brown pointedly refused to deny claims the prime minister had reneged on a deal to hand him the premiership last year. That claim was repeated in Robert Peston's book, a book which amply demonstrates this corrosive Downing Street soap opera is nowhere near its final act. For his part, Mr Brown insists his only motivation was to get Labour re-elected. The trouble is, both men have fallen short of offering simple, straightforward denials of the central claims. So they have both been accused of actually making matters worse by feeding the speculation with their own behaviour. The first thing to be said is that these suggestions have not come from nowhere. They started with and are sustained by "friends" of the two men. One only had to listen to the chancellor's friend and former spin chief Charlie Whelan last week to understand that there is a real anger from this camp at the prime minister's apparent attempts to confound Mr Brown's leadership ambitions. But it is not just public pronouncements from ex-aides. There are whispered briefings to selected journalists from both sides. It is no secret in Westminster, for example, that Downing Street believes the chancellor is indulging in a mammoth sulk and acting in a petty and deliberately provocative manner. Then there are the actions of the men themselves. Gordon Brown sets out what is seen as a rival manifesto then appears to embark on his own personal campaign. The prime minister responds by scheduling his monthly press conference to clash with a keynote speech by the chancellor. Meanwhile large numbers of backbench MPs insist voters are either entirely uninterested in the chatter, which they believe is a media-only obsession, or that they fear for the efficient running of a government beset by such rivalry. Either way, there is universal agreement that if this goes on through the general election it can only do the Labour party serious damage. There are signs that the two men appreciate the dangers and both want to put a lid on all the speculation. But with probably only four months to the next election, that looks like being a particularly difficult trick to pull off. | 2 |
UK economy facing 'major risks' The UK manufacturing sector will continue to face "serious challenges" over the next two years, the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) has said. The group's quarterly survey of companies found exports had picked up in the last three months of 2004 to their best levels in eight years. The rise came despite exchange rates being cited as a major concern. However, the BCC found the whole UK economy still faced "major risks" and warned that growth is set to slow. It recently forecast economic growth will slow from more than 3% in 2004 to a little below 2.5% in both 2005 and 2006. Manufacturers' domestic sales growth fell back slightly in the quarter, the survey of 5,196 firms found. Employment in manufacturing also fell and job expectations were at their lowest level for a year. "Despite some positive news for the export sector, there are worrying signs for manufacturing," the BCC said. "These results reinforce our concern over the sector's persistent inability to sustain recovery." The outlook for the service sector was "uncertain" despite an increase in exports and orders over the quarter, the BCC noted. The BCC found confidence increased in the quarter across both the manufacturing and service sectors although overall it failed to reach the levels at the start of 2004. The reduced threat of interest rate increases had contributed to improved confidence, it said. The Bank of England raised interest rates five times between November 2003 and August last year. But rates have been kept on hold since then amid signs of falling consumer confidence and a slowdown in output. "The pressure on costs and margins, the relentless increase in regulations, and the threat of higher taxes remain serious problems," BCC director general David Frost said. "While consumer spending is set to decelerate significantly over the next 12-18 months, it is unlikely that investment and exports will rise sufficiently strongly to pick up the slack." | 0 |
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. | 0 |
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. | 0 |
Apple makes blogs reveal sources Apple has won its legal fight to make three bloggers reveal who told them about unreleased products. The bid to unmask the employees leaking information was launched in December 2004 following online articles about Apple's Asteroid product. Now Apple has won the right to see e-mail records from the three bloggers to root out the culprit. A lawyer for the three bloggers said the ruling set a dangerous precedent that could harm all news reporters. Apple's lawsuit accused anonymous people of stealing trade secrets about the Asteroid music product and leaking them to the PowerPage, Apple Insider and Think Secret websites. All three are Apple fan sites that obsessively watch the iconic firm for information about future products. Apple is notoriously secretive about upcoming products which gives any snippets of information about what it is working on all the more value. The lawsuit to reveal the names of the leakers was filed against the Power Page and Apple Insider sites. The separate legal fight with Think Secret has yet to be resolved. In the ruling handed down this week by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg, Apple can now get its hands on e-mail records from the bloggers' net providers. In making his ruling, Judge Kleinberg said that laws covering the divulging of trade secrets outweighed considerations of public interest. California has so-called "shield" laws which protect journalists from prosecution if what they are writing about can be shown to be in the public interest. The Judge wrote: "...it is not surprising that hundreds of thousands of 'hits' on a website about Apple have and will happen. But an interested public is not the same as the public interest". Judge Kleinberg said the question of whether the bloggers were journalists or not did not apply because laws governing the right to keep trade secrets confidential covered journalists, too. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is acting as legal counsel for Power Page and Apple Insider, said the ruling had potentially wide implications. "Anyone who reports on companies or the trade press should be concerned about this ruling," said EFF lawyer Kurt Opsahl. Mr Opsahl said the EFF was planning to appeal against the ruling because the bloggers were journalists and US federal laws stop net firms handing over copies of e-mail messages if the owner of that account does not give their consent. | 4 |
Euronext joins bid battle for LSE Pan-European stock market Euronext has approached the London Stock Exchange (LSE) about a possible takeover bid. "The approach is at an early stage and therefore does not require a response at this point," LSE said. Talks with the European stock market and with rival bidder Deutsche Boerse will continue, the LSE said. Last week, the group rejected a £1.3bn ($2.5bn) takeover offer from Deutsche Boerse, claiming that it undervalued the business. LSE saw its shares surge 4.9% to a new high of 583p in early trade, following the announcement on Monday. The offer follows widespread media speculation that Euronext would make an offer for LSE. Experts now widely expect a bidding war for Europe's biggest stock market, which lists stocks with a total capitalisation of £1.4 trillion, to break out. Commentators say that a deal with Euronext, which owns the Liffe derivatives exchange in London and combines the Paris, Amsterdam and Lisbon stock exchanges, could potentially offer the LSE more cost savings than a deal with Deutsche Boerse. A weekend report in the Telegraph had quoted an unnamed executive at Euronext as saying the group would make a cash bid to trump Deutsche Boerse's offer. "Because we already own Liffe in London, the cost savings available to us from a merger are far greater than for Deutsche Boerse," the newspaper quoted the executive as saying. Euronext chief executive Jean-Francois Theodore is reported to have already held private talks with LSE's chief executive Clara Furse. Further reports had suggested that Euronext could make an offer in excess of the LSE's 533p a share closing price on Friday. However, Euronext said it could not guarantee "at this stage" that a firm offer would be made for LSE. There has been extensive speculation about a possible takeover of the company since an attempted merger with Deutsche Boerse failed in 2000. | 0 |
Henman to face Saulnier test British number one Tim Henman will face France's Cyril Saulnier in the first round of next week's Australian Open. Greg Rusedski, the British number two, is in the same quarter of the draw and could face Andy Roddick in the second round if he beats Swede Jonas Bjorkman. Local favourite Lleyton Hewitt will meet France's Arnaud Clement, while defending champion and world number one Roger Federer faces Fabrice Santoro. Women's top seed Lindsay Davenport drew Spanish veteran Conchita Martinez. Henman came from two sets down to defeat Saulnier in the first round of the French Open last year, so he knows he faces a tough test in Melbourne. The seventh seed, who has never gone beyond the quarter-finals in the year's first major and is lined up to meet Roddick in the last eight, is looking forward to the match. "He's tough player on any surface, he's got a lot of ability," he said. "We had a really tight one in Paris that went my way so I'm going to need to play well from the outset because he's a dangerous competitor." Switzerland's Federer, seeded one, is the hot favourite having won three of the four grand slam titles in 2004. He has beaten Santoro in five of their seven previous encounters, but is taking nothing for granted. "It's a tricky match," Federer said. "I played him at the US Open and won quite comfortably then. But you never know, if the rhythm is a bit off, he can keep you guessing and make it difficult. "The most important thing, though, is to get used to playing five-set matches and winning them." The 23-year-old could meet four-time champion Andre Agassi in the quarter-finals before meeting Russian Marat Safin, the player he beat in last year's final. Eighth-seeded American Agassi is set to play a qualifier in round one if he can shake off a hip injury which ruled him out of the Kooyong Classic. Second seed Andy Roddick will open his campaign against Irakli Labadze of Georgia. The American could meet Rusedski in the second round, seventh seed Henman in the quarter-finals and Hewitt in the last four. Hewitt is hoping to become the first Australian man to win the event since Mark Edmondson in 1976. The 23-year-old has never been beyond round four in eight attempts at Melbourne Park but has at least secured the opposite half of the draw to Federer, who beat him in the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open last year. Safin, seeded four, opens his campaign against a qualifier with 16th seed Tommy Haas, the player he beat in the semi-finals in 2002, a possible fourth-round opponent. In the women's draw, Davenport could encounter eighth-seeded Venus Williams in the quarter-finals and third-ranked Anastasia Myskina, the French Open champion, in the semi-finals. Bronchitis ruled Davenport, the 2000 Australian Open champion, out of her Sydney quarter-final on Thursday. Venus Williams, who lost to younger sister Serena in the Melbourne final two years ago, opens against Eleni Daniilidou of Greece. Serena Williams, who won her fourth consecutive grand slam at the 2003 Australian Open, was drawn in the bottom quarter with second seed Amelie Mauresmo, a runner-up in 1999. Serena will open against another Frenchwoman Camille Pin, while Mauresmo plays Australia's Samantha Stosur. Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova, seeded fourth, drew a qualifier in the first round but could meet fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, the US Open winner, in the last eight 1 Roger Federer (Switzerland) 2 Andy Roddick (US) 3 Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 4 Marat Safin (Russia) 5 Carlos Moya (Spain) 6 Guillermo Coria (Argentina) 7 Tim Henman (Britain) 8 Andre Agassi (US) 9 David Nalbandian (Argentina) 10 Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) 11 Joachim Johansson (Sweden) 12 Guillermo Canas (Argentina) 13 Tommy Robredo (Spain) 14 Sebastien Grosjean (France) 15 Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 16 Tommy Haas (Germany) 17 Andrei Pavel (Romania) 18 Nicolas Massu (Chile) 19 Vincent Spadea (US) 20 Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) 21 Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) 22 Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 23 Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) 24 Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 25 Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) 26 Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 27 Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand) 28 Mario Ancic (Croatia) 29 Taylor Dent (US) 30 Thomas Johansson (Sweden) 31 Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) 32 Jurgen Melzer (Austria) 1 Lindsay Davenport (US) 2 Amelie Mauresmo (France) 3 Anastasia Myskina (Russia) 4 Maria Sharapova (Russia) 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 6 Elena Dementieva (Russia) 7 Serena Williams (US) 8 Venus Williams (US) 9 Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 10 Alicia Molik (Australia) 11 Nadia Petrova (Russia) 12 Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) 13 Karolina Sprem (Croatia) 14 Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 15 Silvia Farina Elia (Italy) 16 Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 17 Fabiola Zuluaga (Colombia) 18 Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) 19 Nathalie Dechy (France) 20 Tatiana Golovin (France) 21 Amy Frazier (US) 22 Magdalena Maleeva (Bulgaria) 23 Jelena Jankovic (Serbia and Montenegro) 24 Mary Pierce (France) 25 Lisa Raymond (US) 26 Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 27 Anna Smashnova (Israel) 28 Shinobu Asagoe (Japan) 29 Gisela Dulko (Argentina) 30 Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 31 Jelena Kostanic (Croatia) 32 Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) | 3 |
Williams says he will never quit Defiant Matt Williams says he will not quit as Scotland coach even if his side slump to a new low with defeat by Italy at Murrayfield. That would leave the Scots as favourites to win the Wooden Spoon for the second year running. "I have never quit anything in my life, apart from maybe painting the kitchen," he told BBC Sport. "The support we have been given from Murrayfield in my whole time here has been 100%." Williams has yet to experience an RBS Six Nations victory after seven attempts and Scotland have lost 12 of their 14 games under his leadership. But he rejected the comparison made in some media sources with Berti Vogts, recently sacked as Scotland football manager after a poor run of results. "How can a German football coach and an Australian rugby coach have anything in common?" he asked. "It is a bizarre analogy. It is so absurd that it borders on the humorous." Williams insists that he is revelling in the pressure, despite the possibility of a second Six Nations series without a victory. "That is not beyond the realms of possibility," he admitted. "There's nothing much between the teams, so we could win the next three games or lose them. "But I actually really enjoy seeing how you cope with such pressure as a coach. "It helps the team grow and helps you grow as a coach. "We could have won in Paris but for the last five minutes and now we have two defeats, but we were confident for those two first games and we are confident we can beat Italy too." | 3 |
Musical treatment for Capra film The classic film It's A Wonderful Life is to be turned into a musical by the producer of the controversial hit show Jerry Springer - The Opera. Frank Capra's 1946 movie starring James Stewart, is being turned into a £7m musical by producer Jon Thoday. He is working with Steve Brown, who wrote the award-winning musical Spend Spend Spend. A spokeswoman said the plans were in the "very early stages", with no cast, opening date or theatre announced. A series of workshops have been held in London, and on Wednesday a cast of singers unveiled the musical to a select group of potential investors. Mr Thoday said the idea of turning the film into a musical had been an ambition of his for almost 20 years. It's a Wonderful Life was based on a short story, The Greatest Gift, by Philip van Doren Stern. Mr Thoday managed to buy the rights to the story from Van Doren Stern's family in 1999, following Mr Brown's success with Spend Spend Spend. He later secured the film rights from Paramount, enabling them to use the title It's A Wonderful Life. | 1 |
'EU referendum could cost £80m' It could cost £80m to run a UK referendum on the European constitution, ministers have revealed. In a written parliamentary answer, Constitutional Affairs Minister Chris Leslie said the poll was likely to cost the same as a general election. Mr Leslie said the cost could not be compared with the only previous British referendum, held 30 years ago. Ministers say the constitution would make the European Union work better but critics fear creating a "super state". Labour MP John Cryer, whose question revealed the price estimate, said the cost surprised him but was not a central factor as it was important people had their say. But he said it would have been better to have rejected the constitution so avoiding the need for a referendum. The 2001 election cost £80m. No date for the vote has been set but Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has suggested it is unlikely to be held until early 2006 - after the predicted date for the next election. Most voters said the UK should stay in the Common Market in the 1975 referendum. | 2 |
US bank boss hails 'genius' Smith US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has given a speech at a Scottish church in honour of the pioneering economist, Adam Smith. He delivered the 14th Adam Smith Lecture in Kirkcaldy, Fife. The Adam Smith Lecture celebrates the author of 1776's Wealth of Nations, which became a bible of capitalism. Dr Greenspan was invited by Chancellor Gordon Brown, whose minister father John used to preach at the St Bryce Kirk church. Mr Brown introduced Dr Greenspan to the 400 invited guests as the "the world's greatest economist". Dr Greenspan, 79, who has been in the UK to attend the G7 meeting in London, said the world could never repay the debt of gratitude it owed to Smith, whose genius he compared to that of Mozart. He said the philosopher was a "towering contributor to the modern world". "Kirkcaldy, the birthplace in 1723 of Adam Smith and, by extension, of modern economics, is also of course, where your chancellor was reared. "I am led to ponder to what extent the chancellor's renowned economic and financial skills are the result of exposure to the subliminal intellect-enhancing emanation in this area." He continued: "Smith reached far beyond the insights of his predecessors to frame a global view of how market economics, just then emerging, worked. "In so doing he supported changes in societal organisation that were to measurably enhance standards of living." Dr Greenspan said Smith's revolutionary philosophy on human self-interest, laissez-faire economics and competition had been a force for good in the world. "The incredible insights of a handful of intellectuals of the Enlightenment - especially with Smith toiling in the environs of Kirkcaldy - created the modern vision of people free to choose and to act according to their individual self-interest," he said. Following his lecture, Dr Greenspan - who received an honorary knighthood from the Queen at Balmoral in 2002 - was awarded an honorary fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He later opened an exhibition dedicated to Smith in the atrium of Fife College of Further and Higher Education. Joyce Johnston, principal of the college, said: "It is very fitting that the world's premier economist delivered this lecture in tribute to the world's first economist." Dr Greenspan - who became chairman of the Federal Reserve for an unprecedented fifth term in June 2004 - will step down in January next year. He has served under Presidents George W Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Ronald Reagan. He was also chairman of the council of economic advisors to Gerald Ford. | 0 |
Blair says mayor should apologise Tony Blair has urged London mayor Ken Livingstone to apologise for his "Nazi" comment to a Jewish reporter. Labour's Mr Livingstone, who says he is "standing by" his remarks, had accused an Evening Standard journalist of being like a "concentration camp guard". Mr Blair told Five's Wright Stuff show: "Let's just apologise and move on." Mr Livingstone has said the remarks may have been offensive but were not racist, and said he would not apologise even if the prime minister asked. Mr Blair, who was instrumental in returning Mr Livingstone to the Labour Party, insisted on Wednesday it was time for the London mayor to say sorry. "A lot of us in politics get angry with journalists from time to time, but in the circumstances, and to the journalist because he was a Jewish journalist, yes, he should apologise," he said. "Let's just apologise and move on - that's the sensible thing." Tory leader Michael Howard, asked about Mr Livingstone's remark by reporters, said it was important for politicians to be mindful about the language they use. "It's particularly important that as we get close to the election that politicians talk with civility and courtesy about issues that we all face," he said. "I think it's a matter of sadness that we are not seeing that from the Labour Party. We had what Ken Livingstone said, we had what Alastair Campbell has said and we have what others have said. I think that's a matter of great regret." The row blew up after Mr Livingstone was approached by Evening Standard reporter Oliver Finegold following a party marking the 20th anniversary of former Culture Secretary Chris Smith coming out as Britain's first gay MP. On tape, Mr Livingstone, who once worked as a freelance restaurant critic on the paper, is heard asking Mr Finegold if he is a "German war criminal". Mr Finegold replies: "No, I'm Jewish, I wasn't a German war criminal. I'm quite offended by that." The mayor then says: "Ah right, well you might be, but actually you are like a concentration camp guard, you are just doing it because you are paid to, aren't you?" At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Mr Livingstone said his comments were not racist and refused to apologise. "If you think they are racist, I think you are wrong," he told reporters. The dispute comes as an inspection team from the International Olympic committee began a four-day tour to assess London's bid for the 2012 Games. An official complaint has been made to local government watchdogs by the British Jews, demanding an investigation by the Standards Board of England. It has the power to suspend or bar Mr Livingstone from public office. | 2 |
Radcliffe proves doubters wrong This won't go down as one of the greatest marathons of Paula's career. But as a test of character, it was the toughest race she's ever taken part in. A win in the New York marathon doesn't make up for the disappointment of Athens in any shape or form, but it will offer hope and reassurance for next year. If Paula's last experience of the year had been Athens, it would have been very difficult to look forward with any optimism. She can now draw a line under this year and make plans about her future. Even if she'd lost this race, there would have been a lot of positives to take out of it. She knows she can dig deep if she needs to. It was a strong field, with a number of the girls going into the race with expectations of winning. And although two hours 23 minutes wasn't one of Paula's best times, it wasn't far off the record on a difficult course. I was speaking to Paula in the lead-up to this race and she said that in many ways she was facing a no-win situation. She thought that if she won, people would say "why couldn't she do that in Athens?" And if she lost, people would say her career was over. And a lot of people were wondering what would happen if Paula was forced to drop out of this race, as she did in the marathon and 10,000m in Athens. But that was never on the cards. She might have been beaten, but she would have kept running. The reasons she was forced to pull out in Athens - the niggling injuries, her lack of energy and the oppressive conditions - weren't at play here. The only question was what position she could finish in. Most important of all, despite all the hype in the media ahead of this race, there were never doubts in Paula's mind. If she wasn't confident, she wouldn't have run. After all, if you're the best in the world at an event, you'll always have expectations of winning. Now Paula will take part in the Run London 10km race in London at the end of the year, have a well-earned rest over Christmas and go into next year with a lot of optimism. | 3 |
Lib Dems' 'bold' election policy Charles Kennedy has told voters his Liberal Democrats will offer them an "honest choice" at the next general election. With the other two big parties battling over which will impose the lowest taxes, Mr Kennedy is going into the looming election pledged to increase taxation. It is a bold policy and certainly ensures there is that choice between the Lib Dems and the other two. With his party's previous pledge to increase taxes by one penny in the pound to spend on public services already adopted by the government, he has switched tack. Now he is promising to levy a "modest" increase of the same amount on earnings over £100,000 a year to allow him to finance a series of pledges. They are to scrap student fees, finance free long term care for the elderly and replace the council tax with a local income tax. That last policy will also see about 3% of the most well off paying more while others, pensioners in particular, will pay less. Labour and the Tories have attacked his policies as both unworkable and not properly costed. Inevitably they insist there is no need to raise taxes to fund improvements in services. The Tories claim they can improve services AND cut taxes through £35bn efficiency savings, while Labour has offered £22bn savings but has yet to map out precise tax proposals, although there is little chance they will propose increases. In many ways the argument between the Lib Dems and the others over taxation and spending echo the sort of arguments that raged between Labour and the Tories in the 1980s and early 1990s. But, unlike the old Tory-Labour debate, he believes voters are ready to see "modest" tax increases on the well off in order to fund improvements in services. That is a view partly endorsed by recent polls suggesting people would rather have cash spent on public services than tax cuts. Similarly there is a different tone to the Lib Dem approach to asylum and immigration, with Mr Kennedy stressing politicians should not "foment an artificial debate" about immigration and attacking Michael Howard's proposals for quotas. Once again, with the two other big parties singing similar songs on immigration, Mr Kennedy is stressing the different, more liberal approach of his party. Mr Kennedy was also in buoyant mood over his party's election chances, declaring the Tories were not going to be "significant players" in the poll. He repeated his pledge not to do post-election deals with either party after the election. Mr Kennedy went on to suggest the re-election of a Labour government with a small majority would amount to a "massive vote of no confidence " in Tony Blair's government. That suggests the Lib Dem leader believes he may well find himself in a powerful, even pivotal position in a vastly different House of Commons after the next election. It is a dream the third party has dreamed many times before. | 2 |
US critics laud comedy Sideways Road trip comedy Sideways has had more praise heaped on it by two US critics' associations, adding to honours it has already picked up. The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) named it winner in five categories including best film and best actor for Paul Giamatti. But the director award went to Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby. The Southeastern Film Critics also awarded Sideways its best film of the year accolade. Director Alexander Payne was named best director, and he also won best screenplay shared with Jim Taylor. The CFCA awarded Thomas Haden Church the best supporting actor prize and Virginia Madsen the best supporting actress award for their roles in the film. Sideways has already been voted best film by critics associations in New York and Los Angeles and has been nominated for a Golden Globe. British actress Imelda Staunton won the CFCA best actress for the gritty abortion drama Vera Drake, adding to a growing list of awards she has won for her performance in the Mike Leigh film. Scrubs star Zach Braff was named best new director for his debut Garden State. Michael Moore's controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 won the best documentary, while A Very Long Engagement won best foreign film. The Chicago critics have yet to name a date for when their awards ceremony will be held. | 1 |
Ministers deny care sums 'wrong' Ministers have insisted they are committed to free personal care for the elderly despite research suggesting the cost of the policy was under-estimated. A report by the Fraser of Allander Institute says the decision to push ahead with the flagship policy was based on flawed research. Deputy Health Minister Rhona Brankin has pledged to study the research. SNP Holyrood leader Nicola Sturgeon said the public needed reassurance that the care programme was secure. The rise in costs stems from a series of mistakes in the research used by the "care development group" of Scottish Executive experts who prepared the original costings, according to findings published in the Quarterly Economic Commentary of Strathclyde University's Fraser of Allander Institute. "Dubious" assumptions about improving health expectancy could drive the cost of the policy up by another £130m by 2022, the report warned. It was carried out by husband and wife economist team Jim and Margaret Cuthbert. But Ms Brankin told BBC Radio Scotland: "We don't think we got our sums wrong. "Obviously we will examine the findings of this new report, along with figures from our own research that we have already commissioned. "We will look in great detail at any contribution to this, because we need to be sure we can provide free personal care and nursing care for our older people into the future. "And we are absolutely committed to doing that." But the Scottish National Party called on ministers to reassure people that enough funding is in place to support the free personal care policy. Ms Sturgeon said that while she had no reason to doubt the executive's support for the policy, there were questions which needed to be answered and, if necessary, sums redone. She said: "Serious concerns have been raised and there are questions which need to be answered by the Scottish Executive. "We need to know that the money is there, not just for this year or next year, but into the future so that older people, and those who are looking forward to older age, can rest assured that their personal care needs will be met." | 2 |
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. | 0 |
Casino Royale is next Bond movie Casino Royale, author Ian Fleming's first James Bond book, is to be the next Bond film, with Goldeneye director Martin Campbell behind the camera. It will be the 21st James Bond film to hit the big screen, and speculation has been rife over who will play the lead. Casino Royale was turned into a spoof spy movie by John Huston in 1967, with David Niven in the lead role. Pierce Brosnan led the past four Bond films but said producers axed him after offering him the chance to return. Among the favourites to take over the coveted role are Scottish actor Dougray Scott, Oscar nominee Clive Owen and Australian star Hugh Jackman. Producers say no decision has yet been made on who will become the seventh actor, including Niven, to play Bond on film. Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino had talked of wanting to take on the Casino Royale project, and said he had spoken to Brosnan about it. Shooting on Casino Royale is expected to begin once Campbell has finished work on The Legend of Zorro, a sequel to The Mask of Zorro, starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson expect the film to be released in 2006. The script will once again be developed by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade who have both worked on two previous Bond movies. Fleming's book saw the introduction of Bond pitted against a Russian spy in a game of baccarat. Simultaneously, a woman arrives on the scene to take his eye off the game. The novel is one of Fleming's most violent and sadistic stories, with 007 suffering a savage beating from his nemesis Le Chiffre. In addition to the 1967 film, it was also adapted for television in 1954 with actor Barry Nelson as an Americanised "Jimmy" Bond. MGM Vice Chairman Chris McGurk said: "Martin (Campbell) is an incredibly exciting film-maker. Goldeneye was a wonderful movie and helped reinvigorate the Bond franchise. We're thrilled to have him back to direct the newest Bond." New Zealand-born Campbell moved to the UK in 1966 and directed TV series such as The Professionals, Minder and Bergerac. His film credits include Edge of Darkness, Vertical Limit and Beyond Borders, which starred Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen. | 1 |
Police chief backs drinking move A chief constable has backed the introduction of 24-drinking, saying police had a responsibility to ensure people could benefit from a law change. However, Norfolk police chief Andy Hayman also warned that a great deal of preparatory work was still needed. "I don't subscribe to the views of some of my colleagues who are coming out and objecting to it," he said. His comments come after the Liberal Democrats backed Tory demands that the government's plans be put on hold. Andy Hayman said he did not agree with politicians and senior police officers who have objected to the plans, which come into force on 7 February. "I feel that is a premature position to be taking," he said. Among those who have criticised the plans are the UK's top policeman Sir John Stevens. The Metropolitan police chief said last week that the plans for 24-hour drinking should be re-examined because of a binge drinking "epidemic". However, Mr Hayman said: "It would be totally unacceptable in my view for a chief constable to say, 'I'm very sorry'. He said that police should make sure that responsible people who wanted a change could benefit from more liberal legislation. "My view is that I have got a responsibility to create an environment where that can happen, " he said. However, he believes a lot of preparatory work is still needed to be done by police, local authorities and the drinks industry before the nation was ready for 24-hour drinking. But he is confident problems in the early days can be "ironed out". He believed the majority of people favoured this law change and "we have to accept that lifestyles are changing". But aspects such as transport, and basic things such as making sure public toilets are open all night had to be taken into account. Prime Minister Tony Blair has defended the Licensing Act, saying it is wrong to deny people the relaxed hours enjoyed elsewhere in Europe because of a "tiny minority" of violent binge drinkers. A six-month transitional period starts on 7 February during which time venues can apply for extended licences. The Conservatives have called for 24-hour drinking to be shelved until the problems of binge drinking are solved. On Monday, the Lib Dems also called for a delay. Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: "It would clearly be prudent to allow the police and local authorities more time to prepare for flexible drinking hours." Chief constable Mr Hayman acknowledged that binge drinking did cause problems. "If you come to Norwich on a Friday or Saturday night you will see things going on that will you make you feel ashamed. "However, I want industry to succeed in Norwich and I want Norwich to be the recognised nightspot of East Anglia. "There is no way I want to say we cannot manage it or police it. We can." | 2 |
T-Mobile bets on 'pocket office' T-Mobile has launched its latest "pocket office" third-generation (3G) device which also has built-in wi-fi - high-speed wireless net access. Unlike other devices where the user has to check which high-speed network is available to transfer data, the device selects the fastest one itself. The MDA IV, released in the summer, is an upgrade to the company's existing smartphone, the 2.5G/wi-fi MDA III. It reflects the push by mobile firms for devices that are like mini laptops. The device has a display that can be swivelled and angled so it can be used like a small computer, or as a conventional clamshell phone. The Microsoft Mobile phone, with two cameras and a Qwerty keyboard, reflects the design of similar all-in-one models released this year, such as Motorola's MPx. "One in five European workers are already mobile - meaning they spend significant time travelling and out of the office," Rene Obermann, T-Mobile's chief executive, told a press conference at the 3GSM trade show in Cannes. He added: "What they need is their office when they are out of the office." T-Mobile said it was seeing increasing take up for what it calls "Office in a Pocket" devices, with 100,000 MDAs sold in Europe already. In response to demand, T-Mobile also said it would be adding the latest phone-shaped Blackberry to its mobile range. Reflecting the growing need to be connected outside the office, it announced it would introduce a flat-fee £20 ($38) a month wi-fi tariff for people in the UK using its wi-fi hotspots. It said it would nearly double the number of its hotspots - places where wi-fi access is available - globally from 12,300 to 20,000. It also announced it was installing high-speed wi-fi on certain train services, such as the UK's London to Brighton service, to provide commuters a fast net connection too. The service, which has been developed with Southern trains, Nomad Digital (who provide the technology), begins with a free trial on 16 trains on the route from early March to the end of April. A full service is set to follow in the summer. Wi-fi access points will be connected to a Wimax wireless network - faster than wi-fi - running alongside the train tracks. Brian McBride, managing director of T-Mobile in the UK, said: "We see a growing trend for business users needing to access e-mail securely on the move. "We are able to offer this by maintaining a constant data session for the entire journey." He said this was something other similar in-train wi-fi services, such as that offered on GNER trains, did not offer yet. Mr Obermann added that the mobile industry in general was still growing, with many more opportunities for more services which would bear fruit for mobile companies in future. Thousands of mobile industry experts are gathered in Cannes, France, for the 3GSM which runs from 14 to 17 February. | 4 |
Straw praises Kashmir moves The UK has welcomed the decision by India and Pakistan to open a bus link across the ceasefire line dividing the disputed region of Kashmir. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, touring South East Asian countries, praised the "spirit of cooperation" in achieving the breakthrough. Media reports in both countries describe the deal as a major step in the ongoing peace process. Mr Straw said he hoped the agreement would make a difference to Kashmiris. The bus service was one of several announcements made after a meeting of foreign ministers of both countries in Islamabad on Wednesday. Kashmiri politicians on both sides of the Line of Control which divides the region welcomed the move. In a statement, Mr Straw said the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad "will be able to reunite families that have been divided for decades". "This will make a real difference to the lives of Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control," he said. "I warmly applaud the efforts of both India and Pakistan to make this happen. "This spirit of cooperation will, I hope, lead to many more measures that will benefit all in the region." On Thursday Mr Straw was in India visiting Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar where he tried his hand at making Indian bread or roti. He is due to take part in talks with the Indian government on Friday. A second bus service linking the Pakistani city of Lahore with Amritsar in India was also announced as well as a rail link between Rajasthan state and Pakistan's Sindh province. Both sides agreed to begin talks on reducing the risk of nuclear accidents and also said they planned to reopen their respective consulates in Karachi and Mumbai (Bombay). The mountainous region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint between the two nuclear powers for more than 50 years. | 2 |
Mrs Howard gets key election role Michael Howard's ex-model wife, Sandra, is to play a leading role in the Conservative election campaign. Mrs Howard will make solo visits to target seats as well as accompanying her husband on his helicopter campaign trail criss-crossing the country. Mr Howard will host a news conference at the party's London HQ every morning, Tory co-chairman Liam Fox said. "We want Michael to be as accessible as possible," Mr Fox said, adding that the party was not afraid of scrutiny. The Tory leader wanted to meet as many ordinary members of the public, Mr Fox said. Tony Blair has also said he is intending to get out and talk to as many people as possible during the election campaign. But Labour campaign chiefs say there are no plans for Mr Blair to hold a daily news conference. Mr Fox responded by accusing the prime minister of "hiding away from the scrutiny of London's media". The Liberal Democrats also say they are planning to hold daily news conferences with Charles Kennedy. On Mrs Howard's role, Mr Fox said: "Sandra has already been campaigning with Michael on a number of visits and has been undertaking short visits herself. "That pattern will continue. It's worked very well up until now." Mrs Howard made her debut speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth last October. She used her speech on the fringe to highlight the work of a drugs charity, Addaction, which she supports. Mrs Howard has also appeared along side her husband on TV chat shows. During an interview on ITV1's This Morning she said she often criticised her husband for not showing the side of him that she knows. | 2 |
UK homes hit £3.3 trillion total The value of the UK's housing stock reached the £3.3 trillion mark in 2004 - triple the value 10 years earlier, a report indicates. Research from Halifax, the country's biggest mortgage lender, suggests the value of private housing stock is continuing to rise steadily. All regions saw at least a doubling in their assets during the past decade. But Northern Ireland led the way with a 262% rise, while Scotland saw the smallest increase of just 112%. The core retail price index rose by just 28% in the same period, underlining how effective an investment in housing has been for most people during the past decade. More than a third of the UK's private housing assets - representing more than a trillion pounds in value - are concentrated in London and the South East, the Halifax's figures indicate. Tim Crawford, Group Economist at Halifax, said: "The value of the private housing stock continues to grow and the family home remains, by a large margin, the most valuable asset of the majority of households in the UK." Halifax's own monthly figures on house sales - issued on Thursday - suggest the average price of a British property now stands at £163,748 after a 0.8% rise in January. Housing experts are split on prospects for the market, with some saying price growth will slow but not fall, while others predict a sharp drop in values. | 0 |
Almagro continues Spanish surge Unseeded Nicolas Almagro became the fifth Spaniard to reach the last eight at the Buenos Aires Open, ousting eighth seed Mariano Zabaleta. He showed admirable resolve to win a rain-affected match 6-7 6-4 6-4. Compatriot and seventh seed Rafael Nadal also reached the last eight, beating Italian Potito Starace 6-1 6-3. Nadal, playing in the outdoor clay event for the first time, hit some powerful forehands to oust Starace in a match delayed over an hour by rain. "It's always a problem to have to stop for rain but one gets used to it," said Spanish teenager Nadal. "Luckily, I was able to keep my pace going throughout the match." He will now play Gaston Gaudio, who beat unseeded Brazilian Flavio Saretta 6-3 6-2 in the day's late match. | 3 |
Aviation firms eye booming India India's defence minister has opened the country's Aero India 2005 air show with an invitation for global aerospace firms to outsource jobs to the nation. Pranab Mukherjee said such companies could take advantage of India's highly skilled workers and low wages. More than 240 civil and military aerospace firms from 31 countries are attending the show. Analysts said India could spend up to $35bn (£18.8bn) in the aviation market over the next 20 years. Giants such Boeing and Airbus - on the civil aviation front - as well as Lockheed Martin and France's Snecma - on the military side - are some of the firms attending the show. "There is tremendous scope for outsourcing from India in areas where the companies are competitive," said Mr Mukerjee. "We are keen to welcome international collaborations that are in conformity with our national goals." Lockheed said it had signed an agreement with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to share information on the P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft. In fact, the Indian Armed Force is considering the buying of used P-3 Orion as well as F-16 fighter jets from Lockheed. The US military industry has show a strong interest to open a link with India, now that relations between the two countries have improved a lot. In fact, it is the first time the US Air Force will attend the air show since sanctions imposed in 1998 after India's nuclear tests were lifted. But the Indian Air Force is also considering proposals from other foreign firms such as France's Dassault Aviation, Sweden's Saab and Russia's Mikoyan-Gurevich. Meanwhile, France's Snecma has also said it plans a joint venture with HAL to make engine parts, with an initial investment of $6.5m. On the civilian front, Boeing announced a deal with India's HCL Technologies to develop a platform for the flight test system of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The US company also said it had agreed with a new Indian budget airline the sale of 10 737-800 planes for $630m. The airline, SpiceJet, will also have the option to acquire 10 more aircraft. Airbus has also recently signed fresh deals with two Indian airlines - Air Deccan and Kingfisher. In addition, the European company has plans to open a training centre in India. Meanwhile, flag carrier Air India is considering to buy 50 new aircraft from either Boeing or Airbus. "No other market is going to see the growth that will be seen here in the coming years," said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president Boeing. | 0 |
Boateng to step down at election Paul Boateng, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, is to step down as a Labour MP at the forthcoming general election. Mr Boateng, 53, is to become the UK's high commissioner to South Africa. He was the UK's first black cabinet minister when appointed to his post in 2002, promoted from the Home Office, where he had been prisons minister. Mr Boateng served on the Greater London Council before being elected to Parliament in 1987, declaring "today Brent South, tomorrow Soweto". He will succeed the previous High Commissioner, Ann Grant, shortly after the next election, which is widely expected to be held on 5 May. The appointment is dependent on Labour's re-election. Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "Paul has been both a valued colleague and a trusted friend for many years. "He has made an immense contribution to public life in Britain and I am delighted that he has agreed to continue that service to the people of Britain by acting as their representative in South Africa." Chancellor Gordon Brown said: "Over the past eight years Paul's contribution to the Treasury and the government has been exceptional - and it has been my privilege to have worked closely with him closely at the Treasury. "I congratulate Paul on his new appointment. "He has displayed huge dedication to the cause of African development for many years and it is fitting that, in this year of challenge and opportunity for the African continent, Paul has been given such a pivotal role in our fight against poverty and injustice. "I look forward to continuing to work with Paul on this vital agenda." Mr Boateng said: "I am honoured to be asked to take on this role, especially as it comes at such an integral time for our relationship with South Africa and the African continent. "There shall be many new challenges and opportunities ahead and I look forward to embracing them with great anticipation." Asked if he was appointed as the result of a "fair and open" competition, he replied: "I have been appointed as a result of a process that's been used before by Labour and Conservative governments to appoint people of all parties who have relevant experience." Mr Boateng also laughed off suggestions that his re-election in Brent South seat had been in danger saying it was "one of the safest Labour seats in the country". Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said that, if in government, he would refuse to approve either Mr Boateng's appointment or that of ex-Cabinet minister Helen Liddell as high commissioner to Australia. "Mr Blair's appointment of Paul Boateng is the latest example of a worrying trend of failed Tony's cronies being appointed to senior diplomatic posts," he said. | 2 |
Boothroyd calls for Lords speaker Betty Boothroyd has said the House of Lords needs its own Speaker and that peers should lead the way on reforming the upper chamber. Baroness Boothroyd, who was the first woman to be Commons Speaker, said she believed Tony Blair initiated reforms without a clear outcome in mind. "Now we have to take care of it ourselves and make the best of it," she told the BBC's Breakfast with Frost. In 1999 Labour removed all but 92 of the Lords' 750 hereditary peers. That was billed as the first stage of reform of the institution. The lord chancellor hinted further reforms could be unveiled in the next Labour manifesto. "I think we need to look very carefully at the relationship between the Lords and the Commons," Lord Falconer told BBC1's Breakfast With Frost. "How it interacts with the Commons is a very, very important issue. "We need to address the issue in the manifesto, but you will have to wait for when the manifesto comes." The lord chancellor currently has the role of House of Lords speaker. He is also head of the judiciary and a member of the Cabinet as constitutional affairs secretary. Lady Boothroyd said she believed it was unacceptable for the lord chancellor to have the role of Speaker. "I would really like to see a Speaker of the House of Lords," she said. "I don't go for the idea of somebody - a lord chancellor - who is head of the judiciary, a senior Cabinet minister and Speaker of the Lords. "I want somebody there who is going to look after that House and do a job there. | 2 |
Asia shares defy post-quake gloom Indonesian, Indian and Hong Kong stock markets reached record highs. Investors seemed to feel that some of the worst-affected areas were so under-developed that the tragedy would have little impact on Asia's listed firms. "Obviously with a lot of loss of life, a lot of time is needed to clean up the mess, bury the people and find the missing," said ABN Amro's Eddie Wong. "[But] it's not necessarily a really big thing in the economic sense." India's Bombay Stock Exchange inched slightly above its previous record close on Wednesday. Expectations of strong corporate earnings in 2005 drove the Indonesian stock exchange in Jakarta to a record high on Wednesday. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index may be benefiting in part from the potential for its listed property companies to gain from rebuilding contracts in the tsunami-affected regions of South East Asia. In Sri Lanka, some economists have said that as much as 1% of annual growth may be lost. Sri Lanka's stock market has fallen about 5% since the weekend, but it is still 40% higher than at the start of 2004. Thailand may lose 30bn baht (£398m; $768m) in earnings from tourism over the next three months, according to tourism minister Sontaya Kunplome. In the affected provinces, he expects the loss of tourism revenue to be offset by government reconstruction spending. Thailand intends to spend a similar sum - around 30bn baht - on the rebuilding work. "It will take until the fourth quarter of next year before tourist visitors in Phuket and five other provinces return to their normal level," said Naris Chaiyasoot, director general at the ministry's fiscal policy office. In the Maldives the cost of reconstruction could wipe out economic growth, according to a government spokesman. "Our nation is in peril here," said Ahmed Shaheed, the chief government spokesman. He estimated the economic cost of the disaster at hundreds of millions of dollars. The Maldives has gross domestic product of $660m. "It won't be surprising if the cost exceeds our GDP," he said. "In the last few years, we made great progress in our standard of living - the United Nations recognised this. Now we see this can disappear in a few days, a few minutes." Shaheed noted that investment in a single tourist resort - the economic mainstay - could run to $40m. Between 10 and 12 of the 80-odd resorts have been severely damaged, and a similar number have suffered significant damage. However, many experts, including the World Bank, have pointed out that it is still difficult to assess the magnitude of the disaster and its likely economic impact. In part, this is because of its scale, and because delivering aid and recovering the dead remain priorities. "Calculators will have to wait," said an IMF official in a briefing on Wednesday. "The financial and world community will be turning toward reconstruction efforts and at that point people will begin to have a sense of the financial impact." | 0 |
Record fails to lift lacklustre meet Yelena Isinbayeva may have produced another world pole vault record, but her achievement could not hide the fact it was not the best meet we have ever seen in Birmingham. And hey, there are not many meets that go by without the Russian breaking a world record. Apparently, Isinbayeva has cleared five metres in training and I would just love her to put us out of our misery and have a go at it rather than extending the indoor record by one centimetre at a time. Athletics to me is all about pushing the barriers and being the best you can, and I would like to see her have a go at 5m in competition. Mind you, every time she breaks the record she gets $30,000 so she can afford to be deliberate about it. World records aside, I thought it was a very encouraging evening's work for Kelly Holmes. She looked good and was very positive. Agnes Samaria, who came second, is in very good shape and is in the world's top three 800m runners this season. Yes, Samaria let Kelly get away, but there was no coming back over the last 200m as Kelly dominated the race, so beating Samaria is a bit of a benchmark for Kelly. My gut feeling is that Kelly would like to run in the European Indoor Championships, but she just hasn't convinced herself she is fit enough to do so. On the other hand, I think Jason Gardener is struggling to come near what is going to be required to win the men's 60m in Madrid. He started well in the final but still could not stay with the front-runners. Jason has a lot of experience indoors but for some reason he is struggling to maintain his pace through to the finish. It would have been nice to see what Mark Lewis-Francis could have done in the final, if only he hadn't got himself disqualified. He was blatantly playing the false-start game to his advantage, but it tripped him up and made him look a bit silly. My view is you're meant to go when the gun goes and not before. And if you try to unsettle your rivals by employing the false-start tactic you have to remember not to false start yourself again. Having said that, Mark is looking in much better shape. But I haven't seen anything from Mark or Jason yet which suggests France's Ronald Pognon - who has run 6.45 seconds - will be under threat at the Europeans. From a British point of view, Sarah Claxton's victory in the 60m hurdles was the best thing to come out of the meet. Something else that probably went unnoticed was Melanie Purkiss winning the women's national 400m race in a new personal best of 52.98 seconds. AAAs champion Kim Wall came second in another lifetime best so we have a very strong 4x400m squad going to the European Championships. Scotland's Lee McConnell is probably going to run too, so we have a real prospect of a medal. From an international perspective, I thought Meseret Defar was disappointing in the 3,000m, but I don't think the pace-making was great. Canadian Heather Hennigar set a fast early pace but could not maintain it and if Jo Pavey had been in last year's shape she would have given Defar a real run for her money. She had a go but just could not hang in there. We were also expecting a bit more from Bernard Lagat in the men's 1500m. But he has only just come over from the USA, so he may not be that sharp and I still think he is in great shape. As for Kenenisa Bekele, he was well beaten by Markos Geneti. But we only had half expectations for Bekele as he has been struggling this season. It was very hot in the National Indoor Arena and I felt uncomfortable in the commentary box. I think those conditions affected the distance runners and in fact Defar complained to her coach after the race that she could not get her breath properly. | 3 |
Chelsea sack Mutu Chelsea have sacked Adrian Mutu after he failed a drugs test. The 25-year-old tested positive for a banned substance - which he later denied was cocaine - in October. Chelsea have decided to write off a possible transfer fee for Mutu, a 15.8m signing from Parma last season, who may face a two-year suspension. A statement from Chelsea explaining the decision read:"We want to make clear that Chelsea has a zero tolerance policy towards drugs." Mutu scored six goals in his first five games after arriving at Stamford Bridge but his form went into decline and he was frozen out by coach Jose Mourinho. Chelsea's statement added: "This applies to both performance-enhancing drugs or so-called 'recreational' drugs. They have no place at our club or in sport. "In coming to a decision on this case, Chelsea believed the club's social responsibility to its fans, players, employees and other stakeholders in football regarding drugs was more important than the major financial considerations to the company. "Any player who takes drugs breaches his contract with the club as well as Football Association rules. "The club totally supports the FA in strong action on all drugs cases." Fifa's disciplinary code stipulates that a first doping offence should be followed by a six-month ban. And the sport's world governing body has re-iterated their stance over Mutu's failed drugs test, maintaining it is a matter for the domestic sporting authorities. "Fifa is not in a position to make any comment on the matter until the English FA have informed us of their disciplinary decision and the relevant information associated with it," said a Fifa spokesman. Chelsea's move won backing from drug-testing expert Michelle Verroken. Verroken, a former director of drug-free sport for UK Sport, insists the Blues were right to sack Mutu and have enhanced their reputation by doing so. "Chelsea are saying quite clearly to the rest of their players and their fans that this is a situation they are not prepared to tolerate. "It was a very difficult decision for them and an expensive decision for them but the terms of his contract were breached and it was the only decision they could make. "It is a very clear stance by Chelsea and it has given a strong boost to the reputation of the club." It emerged that Mutu had failed a drugs test on October 18 and, although it was initially reported that the banned substance in question was cocaine. The Romanian international later suggested it was a substance designed to enhance sexual performance. The Football Association has yet to act on Mutu's failed drugs test and refuses to discuss his case. | 3 |
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 promise 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. | 4 |
Downloads enter US singles chart Digital music downloads are being included in the main US singles chart for the first time. Billboard's Hot 100 chart now incorporates data from sales of music downloads, previously only assigned to a separate download chart. Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams is currently number two in Billboard's pop chart, and tops its digital chart. Download sales are due to be incorporated into the UK singles chart later this year. Digital sales in the US are already used to compile Billboard's Hot Digital Sales chart. They will now be tallied with sales of physical singles and airplay information to make up its new Hot 100 chart. Its second new chart - the Pop 100 - also combines airplay, digital and physical sales but confines its airplay information to US radio stations which play chart music. In addition to Green Day, other artists in the current US digital sales top 10 include Kelly Clarkson, The Game and the Killers. Sales of legally downloaded songs shot up more than tenfold in 2004, with 200 million track purchased online in the US and Europe in 12 months, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported last month. In the UK sales of song downloads overtook those for physical singles for the first time at the end of last year. The last week of December 2004 saw download sales of 312,000 compared with 282,000 physical singles, according to the British Phonographic Industry. The UK's first official music download chart was launched last September, compiling the most popular tracks downloaded from legal UK sites - including iTunes, OD2, mycokemusic.com and Napster. Westlife's Flying Without Wings - a 1999 track reissued for the occasion - was the first number one of the UK download chart. A spokesman for the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said the first combined UK download and sales chart was due to be compiled "within the first half of this year". "Work is going on across the music business right now to make sure the new chart works to plan," he said. The BPI spokesman described the UK music download chart, compiled by the Official Charts Company, as having been "a great success" since its launch. "It has provided a focus for the industry and has really driven interest in downloads among music fans," he said. | 1 |
India seeks to boost construction India has cleared a proposal allowing up to 100% foreign direct investment in its construction sector. Kamal Nath, Commerce and Industry Minister, announced the decision in Delhi on Thursday following a cabinet meeting. Analysts say improving India's infrastructure will boost foreign investment in other sectors too. The Indian government's decision has spread good cheer in the construction sector, according to some Indian firms. A spokesman for DLF Builders, Dr Vancheshwar, told the BBC this will mean "better offerings" for consumers as well as builders. He said the firm will benefit from world class "strategic partnerships, design expertise and technology, while consumers will have better choice." The government proposal states that foreign investment of up to 100% will be allowed on the 'automatic route' in the construction sector, on projects including housing, hotels, resorts, hospitals and educational establishments. The automatic route means that construction companies need only get one set of official approvals and do not need to gain clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, which can be bureaucratic. The government hopes its new policy will create employment for construction workers, and benefit steel and brick-making industries. Mr Nath also announced plans to allow foreign investors to develop a smaller area of any land they acquired. "Foreign investors can enter any construction development area, be it to build resorts, townships or commercial premises but they will have to construct at least 50,000 square meters (538,000 square feet) within a specific timeframe," said Mr Nath, without specifying the timeframe. Previously foreign investors had to develop a much larger area, discouraging some from entering the Indian market. This measure is designed to discourage foreign investors from buying and selling land speculatively, without developing it. Anshuman Magazine, managing director, of CB Richard Ellis - an international real estate company - told the BBC this was "a big positive step." However, Chittabrata Majumdar, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said allowing FDI in the country is compromising India's own "self reliance". He said, "No country can develop on the basis of foreign investment alone." Mr Majumdar also said an assessment should be made as to whether foreign investment is indeed beneficial to the country - in terms of employment and money generated - or just another way of international companies filling their deep pockets. | 0 |
'Blog' picked as word of the year The term "blog" has been chosen as the top word of 2004 by a US dictionary publisher. Merriam-Webster said "blog" headed the list of most looked-up terms on its site during the last twelve months. During 2004 blogs, or web logs, have become hugely popular and some have started to influence mainstream media. Other words on the Merriam-Webster list were associated with major news events such as the US presidential election or natural disasters that hit the US. Merriam-Webster defines a blog as: "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks". Its list of most looked-up words is drawn up every year and it discounts terms such as swear words, that everyone likes to look up, or those that always cause problems, such as "affect" and "effect". Merriam-Webster said "blog" was the word that people have asked to be defined or explained most often over the last 12 months. The word will now appear in the 2005 version of Merriam-Webster's printed dictionary. However, the word is already included in some printed versions of the Oxford English Dictionary. A spokesman for the Oxford University Press said that the word was now being put into other dictionaries for children and learners, reflecting its mainstream use. "I think it was the word of last year rather than this year," he said. "Now we're getting words that derive from it such as 'blogosphere' and so on," he said. "But," he added, "it's a pretty recent thing and in the way that this happens these days it's got established very quickly." Blogs come in many different forms. Many act as news sites for particular groups or subjects, some are written from a particular political slant and others are simply lists of interesting sites. Other terms in the top 10 were related to natural disasters that have struck the US, such as "hurricane" or were to do with the US election. Words such as "incumbent", "electoral" and "partisan" reflected the scale of interest in the vote. Blogs also proved very useful to both sides in the US election battle because many pundits who maintain their own journals were able to air opinions that would never appear in more mainstream media. Speculation that President Bush was getting help during debates via a listening device was first aired on web logs. Online journals also raised doubts about documents used by US television news organisation CBS in a story about President Bush's war record. The immediacy of many blogs also helped some wield influence over topics that made it in to national press. This is despite the fact that the number of people reading even the most influential blogs is tiny. Statistics by web influence ranking firm HitWise reveal that the most popular political blog racks up only 0.0051% of all net visits per day. One of the reasons that blogs and regularly updated online journals have become popular is because the software used to put them together make it very easy for people to air their views online. According to blog analysis firm Technorati the number of blogs in existence, the blogosphere, has doubled every five and a half months for the last 18 months. Technorati now estimates that the number of blogs in existence has exceeded 4.8 million. Some speculate that less than a quarter of this number are regularly maintained. According to US research firm Pew Internet & American Life a blog is created every 5.8 seconds. Another trend this year has been the increasing numbers of weblogs that detail the daily lives of many ordinary workers in jobs that few people know much about. In many repressive regimes and developing nations, blogs have been embraced by millions of people keen to give their plight a voice. | 4 |
WRU proposes season overhaul The Welsh Rugby Union wants to restructure the Northern Hemisphere season into four separate blocks. The season would start with the Celtic League in October, followed by the Heineken Cup in February and March, and the Six Nations moved to April and May. After a nine week break, the WRU then proposes a two-month period of away and home international matches. WRU chairman David Pickering said the structure would end problems of player availability for club and country. He added: "We feel sure that spectator interest would respond to the impetus of high intensity rugby being played continuously rather than the fragmented timetable currently in operation. "Equally, we suspect that the sponsors would prefer the sustained interest in a continuous tournament and hopefully, the broadcasters would also enjoy increased exposure." Moving the Six Nations from its traditional February beginning should also ensure better weather conditions and "stimulate greater interest in the games and generally provide increased skills and competition and attract greater spectator viewing", Pickering argued. The plan will be put before the International Rugby Board next month, where four other plans drawn up by independent consultants for a global integrated season will also be discussed. Pickering added: "It's very early days and there are a number of caveats associated with it - not least the revenue from the broadcasters, which is extremely important. "We've got a good plan and one which should be judged on its merits." | 3 |
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%. | 0 |
Murphy: That was a bruising battle That's what I call a tough game. It was very physical and fair play to the Italians they made us work very hard for our victory. Their organisation was very, very good and they proved again that they are getting better and better as the years go by. It is by far the strongest Italian team that we have faced. We knew all along that we would be a huge threat particularly the first game in the Championship. It was not like the days gone by when you could get scores on the board early. We had to work our socks off and try and build our scores gradually. It was really hard work out there and the players have plenty of bumps and bruises to prove it. I'm not too bad, but there are one or two others who will be feeling it a bit on Monday morning. In the backs, we were not frustrated at such, but the new rucking laws were a little bit problematical. The different interpretations between the referee and the players was a little difficult. But we managed to get the ball in our hands and I got a try near the end of the first half. It's always good to score. It was great work by Brian and I always knew I had scored even though it went upstairs to the video referee. Eddie (O'Sullivan) was very calm at half-time even though we were only 8-6 ahead. He spelled out what we needed to do and advocated getting the ball out of our own territory. That new ruck law made it a bit more difficult to get out of our own half. We were penalised a lot at the breakdown, and if they had kicked all their chances at goal we would have been behind at the break. So really we went back to playing a territory game and simplifying things and having more patience on the ball. Every one was a little down after the game following the injuries to Brian and Gordon. As yet we do not know the full extent of the injuries, but it does not that good. Now we have to focus on Scotland and only six days to recover. It's a big ask after such a bruising encounter. I was very impressed the way the Scots played against the French on Saturday. It could so easily have gone their way but for a couple of decisions. We will be under no illusions it is going to be tough for us. In the meantime, when in Rome ... . | 3 |
Cherie accused of attacking Bush Cherie Blair has been accused of criticising George W Bush's policies in a private address she gave during a United States lecture tour. The prime minister's wife is said to have praised the Supreme Court for overruling the White House on the legal rights of Guantanamo Bay detainees. The Tories said she broke a convention that British political figures do not act in a partisan way when abroad. But Downing Street said she was speaking in her capacity as a lawyer. It said she was not expressing political opinions. Mrs Blair's remarks are said to have been made in a speech to law students in Massachusetts. She said the decision by the US Supreme Court to give legal protection to two Britons held at Guantanamo Bay was a significant victory for human rights and the international rule of law. She also described the US legal code as an outdated grandfather clock and welcomed a decision to throw out a law backed by Mr Bush relating to sodomy in Texas. BBC news correspondent Gary O'Donoghue said Mrs Blair was likely to face further calls for restraint, since the US election is imminent. "There have been some objections from people reasonably close to the Bush administration about her making these comments in their backyard just two days before a presidential election," he said. "Conservatives here too have made their feelings clear. "Cherie Booth has always regarded herself as having an independent career. She has continued to practise as a major human rights lawyer in the courts. "It's not unusual for her to make these sorts of criticisms clear but it can be embarrassing." | 2 |
Qatar and Shell in $6bn gas deal Shell has signed a $6bn (£3.12bn) deal with the Middle Eastern sheikhdom of Qatar to supply liquid natural gas (LNG) to North America and Europe. The UK-Dutch group will own 30% of the project, with Qatar's state oil firm owning the rest. The agreement is the latest in a string of deals reached by Qatar, which is trying to make itself a regional leader in natural gas. US oil giant ExxonMobil signed up for a $12.8bn deal earlier on Sunday. France's Total is expected to join the ExxonMobil scheme, dubbed Qatargas-2, on Monday, taking 5 million tonnes of LNG a year. ExxonMobil will be taking some 15 million tonnes each year for 25 years from the end of 2007 under the deal. Shell's agreement, under the name Qatargas-4, foresees the building of new facilities to handle 1.4 billion cubic feet of gas, and 7.8 million tonnes of LNG each year from 2011 onwards. | 0 |
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