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1,780	Capriati to miss Melbourne Jennifer Capriati has become the third leading lady to withdraw from the Australian Open because of injury. The organisers of the first grand slam of 2005, which begins on 17 January, said the American has a problem with her right shoulder. It comes as a blow to the women's draw as last year's champion, Justin Henin-Hardenne, and runner-up, Kim Clijsters, will also be absent. Capriati is a two-time champion in Melbourne with wins in 2001 and 2002. She is believed to have picked up the injury at the Advanta Championships at Philadelphia in November and had to pull out of an exhibition match with Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova on 17 December. Capriati also decided against competing in the Australian Open warm-up event, the Sydney International.	Jennifer Capriati has become the third leading lady to withdraw from the Australian Open because of injury.Capriati is a two-time champion in Melbourne with wins in 2001 and 2002.Capriati also decided against competing in the Australian Open warm-up event, the Sydney International.
1,845	Britons fed up with net service A survey conducted by PC Pro Magazine has revealed that many Britons are unhappy with their internet service. They are fed up with slow speeds, high prices and the level of customer service they receive. 17% of readers have switched suppliers and a further 16% are considering changing in the near future. It is particularly bad news for BT, the UK's biggest internet supplier, with almost three times as many people trying to leave as joining. A third of the 2,000 broadband users interviewed were fed up with their current providers but this could be just the tip of the iceberg thinks Tim Danton, editor of PC Pro Magazine. "We expect these figures to leap in 2005. Every month the prices drop, and more and more people are trying to switch," he said. The survey found that BT and Tiscali have been actively dissuading customers from leaving by offering them a lower price when they phone up to cancel their subscription. Some readers were offered a price drop just 25p more expensive than that offered by an alternative operator, making it hardly worth while swapping. Other found themselves tied into 12-month contracts. Broadband has become hugely competitive and providers are desperate to hold on to customers. 12% of those surveyed found themselves unable to swap at all. "We discovered a huge variety of problems, but one of the biggest issues is the current supplier withholding the information that people need to give to their new supplier," said Tim Danton, editor of PC Pro. "This breaks the code of practice, but because that code is voluntary there's nothing we or Ofcom can do to help," he said. There is a vast choice of internet service providers in the UK now and an often bewildering array of broadband packages. With prices set to drop even further in coming months Mr Danton advises everyone to shop around carefully. "If you just stick with your current connection then there's every chance you're being ripped off," he warned.	Every month the prices drop, and more and more people are trying to switch," he said."We discovered a huge variety of problems, but one of the biggest issues is the current supplier withholding the information that people need to give to their new supplier," said Tim Danton, editor of PC Pro.A third of the 2,000 broadband users interviewed were fed up with their current providers but this could be just the tip of the iceberg thinks Tim Danton, editor of PC Pro Magazine.A survey conducted by PC Pro Magazine has revealed that many Britons are unhappy with their internet service.With prices set to drop even further in coming months Mr Danton advises everyone to shop around carefully.The survey found that BT and Tiscali have been actively dissuading customers from leaving by offering them a lower price when they phone up to cancel their subscription.It is particularly bad news for BT, the UK's biggest internet supplier, with almost three times as many people trying to leave as joining.
19	India widens access to telecoms India has raised the limit for foreign direct investment in telecoms companies from 49% to 74%. Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran said that there is a need to fund the fast-growing mobile market. The government hopes to increase the number of mobile users from 95 million to between 200 and 250 million by 2007. "We need at least $20bn (Â£10.6bn) in investment and part of this has to come as foreign direct investment," said Mr Maran. The decision to raise the limit for foreign investors faced considerable opposition from the communist parties, which give crucial support to the coalition headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Potential foreign investors will however need government approval before they increase their stake beyond 49%, Mr Maran said. Key positions, such as those of chief executive, chief technology officer and chief financial officer are to be held by Indians, he added. Analysts and investors have welcomed the government decision. "It is a positive development for carriers and the investment community, looking to take a longer-term view of the huge growth in the Indian telecoms market," said Gartner's principal analyst Kobita Desai. "The FDI relaxation coupled with rapid local market growth could really ignite interest in the Indian telecommunication industry," added Ernst and Young's Sanjay Mehta. Investment bank Morgan Stanley has forecast that India's mobile market is likely to grow by about 40% a year until 2007. The Indian mobile market is currently dominated by four companies, Bharti Televentures which has allied itself with Singapore Telecom, Essar which is linked with Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, the Sterling group and the Tata group.	"We need at least $20bn (Â£10.6bn) in investment and part of this has to come as foreign direct investment," said Mr Maran.Potential foreign investors will however need government approval before they increase their stake beyond 49%, Mr Maran said.Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran said that there is a need to fund the fast-growing mobile market.India has raised the limit for foreign direct investment in telecoms companies from 49% to 74%.Investment bank Morgan Stanley has forecast that India's mobile market is likely to grow by about 40% a year until 2007.
839	Van Gogh festival film withdrawn Murdered director Theo van Gogh's controversial film Submission has been pulled from the Rotterdam Film Festival because of security fears. It was one of three of his works to be shown as part of a freedom of expression event in tribute to the late film-maker's life. The film is critical of the treatment of women under Islam. Its TV screening is thought to have led to his murder. The 10-day Dutch festival begins on Wednesday. Submission was made with liberal Somali-Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali and was due to be shown on 30 January. Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death in November 2004 several months after receiving death threats following Submission's first broadcast on Dutch television. Two of Van Gogh's other films will be shown as planned, including the theatrical world premiere of his last feature 06/05. Festival director Sandra den Hamer said: "The festival reflects what happens around us and within cinema itself." The festival opens with the French film The 10th District Court, Moments of Trials made by Raymond Depardon. The event sees 14 films competing to win three Top Tiger Awards which aim to introduce promising new talent. New sections added to this year's festival include Cinema of the Future and Cinema of the World, with special focus on Russian and south-east Asian productions. There is also an Iraqi-German offering entitled Underexposure, which looks at life in Iraq after Saddam Hussein.	Murdered director Theo van Gogh's controversial film Submission has been pulled from the Rotterdam Film Festival because of security fears.The festival opens with the French film The 10th District Court, Moments of Trials made by Raymond Depardon.Two of Van Gogh's other films will be shown as planned, including the theatrical world premiere of his last feature 06/05.Festival director Sandra den Hamer said: "The festival reflects what happens around us and within cinema itself."It was one of three of his works to be shown as part of a freedom of expression event in tribute to the late film-maker's life.The 10-day Dutch festival begins on Wednesday.
2,105	Cyber crime booms in 2004 The last 12 months have seen a dramatic growth in almost every security threat that plague Windows PCs. The count of known viruses broke the 100,000 barrier and the number of new viruses grew by more than 50%. Similarly phishing attempts, in which conmen try to trick people into handing over confidential data, are recording growth rates of more than 30% and attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Also on the increase are the number of networks of remotely controlled computers, called bot nets, used by malicious hackers and conmen to carry out many different cyber crimes. One of the biggest changes of 2004 was the waning influence of the boy hackers keen to make a name by writing a fast-spreading virus, said Kevin Hogan, senior manager in Symantec's security response group. Although teenage virus writers will still play around with malicious code, said Mr Hogan, 2004 saw a significant rise in criminal use of malicious programs. The financial incentives were driving criminal use of technology, he said. His comment was echoed by Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant from anti-virus firm Sophos. Mr Cluley said: "When the commercial world gets involved, things really get nasty. Virus writers and hackers will be looking to make a tidy sum." In particular, phishing attacks, which typically use fake versions of bank websites to grab login details of customers, boomed during 2004. Web portal Lycos Europe reported a 500% increase in the number of phishing e-mail messages it was catching. The Anti-Phishing Working group reported that the number of phishing attacks against new targets was growing at a rate of 30% or more per month. Those who fall victim to these attacks can find that their bank account has been cleaned out or that their good name has been ruined by someone stealing their identity. This change in the ranks of virus writers could mean the end of the mass-mailing virus which attempts to spread by tricking people into opening infected attachments on e-mail messages. "They are not an efficient way of spreading viruses," said Mr Hogan. "They are very noisy and they are not technically challenging." The opening months of 2004 did see the appearance of the Netsky, Bagle and MyDoom mass mailers, but since then more surreptitious viruses, or worms, have dominated. Mr Hogan said worm writers were more interested in recruiting PCs to take part in "bot nets" that can be used to send out spam or to mount attacks on websites. In September Symantec released statistics which showed that the numbers of active "bot computers" rose from 2,000 to 30,000 per day. Thanks to these "bot nets", spam continued to be a problem in 2004. Anti-spam firms report that, in many cases, legitimate e-mail has shrunk to less than 30% of messages. Part of the reason that these "bot nets" have become so prevalent, he said, was due to a big change in the way that many viruses were created. In the past many viruses, such as Netsky, have been the work of an individual or group. By contrast, said Mr Hogan, the code for viruses such as Gaobot, Spybot and Randex were commonly held and many groups work on them to produce new variants at the same time. The result is that now there are more than 3,000 variations of the Spybot worm. "That's unprecedented," said Mr Hogan. "What makes it difficult is that they are all co-existing with each other and do not exist in an easy to understand chronology." The emergence of the first proper virus for mobile phones was also seen in 2004. In the past, threats to smart phones have been largely theoretical because the viruses created to cripple phones existed only in the laboratory rather than the wild. In June, the Cabir virus was discovered that can hop from phone to phone using Bluetooth short-range radio technology. Also released this year was the Mosquito game for Symbian phones which surreptitiously sends messages to premium rate numbers, and in November the Skulls Trojan came to light which can cripple phones. On the positive side, Finnish security firm F-Secure said that 2004 was the best-ever year for the capture, arrest and sentencing of virus writers and criminally-minded hackers. In total, eight virus writers were arrested and some members of the so-called 29A virus writing group were sentenced. One high-profile arrest was that of German teenager Sven Jaschen who confessed to be behind the Netsky and Sasser virus families. Also shut down were the Carderplanet and Shadowcrew websites that were used to trade stolen credit card numbers.	Part of the reason that these "bot nets" have become so prevalent, he said, was due to a big change in the way that many viruses were created.By contrast, said Mr Hogan, the code for viruses such as Gaobot, Spybot and Randex were commonly held and many groups work on them to produce new variants at the same time.One of the biggest changes of 2004 was the waning influence of the boy hackers keen to make a name by writing a fast-spreading virus, said Kevin Hogan, senior manager in Symantec's security response group.Mr Hogan said worm writers were more interested in recruiting PCs to take part in "bot nets" that can be used to send out spam or to mount attacks on websites.On the positive side, Finnish security firm F-Secure said that 2004 was the best-ever year for the capture, arrest and sentencing of virus writers and criminally-minded hackers.The emergence of the first proper virus for mobile phones was also seen in 2004.Although teenage virus writers will still play around with malicious code, said Mr Hogan, 2004 saw a significant rise in criminal use of malicious programs.In total, eight virus writers were arrested and some members of the so-called 29A virus writing group were sentenced.The count of known viruses broke the 100,000 barrier and the number of new viruses grew by more than 50%.The Anti-Phishing Working group reported that the number of phishing attacks against new targets was growing at a rate of 30% or more per month.This change in the ranks of virus writers could mean the end of the mass-mailing virus which attempts to spread by tricking people into opening infected attachments on e-mail messages.Virus writers and hackers will be looking to make a tidy sum."In June, the Cabir virus was discovered that can hop from phone to phone using Bluetooth short-range radio technology."They are not an efficient way of spreading viruses," said Mr Hogan."That's unprecedented," said Mr Hogan.
232	Lloyd's of London head chides FSA The head of Lloyd's of London, the insurance market, has criticised Britain's financial watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FSA). In a speech on Monday, Mr Prettejohn urged the FSA to force brokers to disclose the size of their commissions. "The FSA should change, and change now" said Mr Prettejohn, who wants it to move from "disclosure on request" to mandatory disclosure. The call came in a speech on improving the London insurance market. "The FSA should not bide their time and 'wait and see'. They should seize the moment," Mr Prettejohn, Lloyd's chief executive said. The FSA took over regulation of the general insurance sector in January, but it sidestepped calls to require brokers to disclose the commissions they earn from insurers to their clients. Last week, the City watchdog gave brokers and insurers guidance on managing conflicts of interest. Brokers must give information on their commissions if, and only if, their customers request it, the FSA said. In the US, lack of transparency about brokers' commissions has led to problems. The world's biggest insurance broker Marsh & McLennan said last week it would pay $850m to settle charges, raised by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in October, that it sought to rig bids in conjunction with insurers. The probe centred around so-called contingent commissions, whereby brokers were rewarded according to how much business they brought to an insurer, an arrangement that did not always benefit brokers' customers. All of the insurance business written in the Lloyd's market is placed via brokers.	The FSA took over regulation of the general insurance sector in January, but it sidestepped calls to require brokers to disclose the commissions they earn from insurers to their clients.In a speech on Monday, Mr Prettejohn urged the FSA to force brokers to disclose the size of their commissions.Brokers must give information on their commissions if, and only if, their customers request it, the FSA said.The head of Lloyd's of London, the insurance market, has criticised Britain's financial watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FSA).All of the insurance business written in the Lloyd's market is placed via brokers."The FSA should change, and change now" said Mr Prettejohn, who wants it to move from "disclosure on request" to mandatory disclosure.
1,759	Davenport dismantles young rival Top seed Lindsay Davenport booked her place in the last 16 of the Australian Open with a convincing 6-2 6-4 win over Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic. The American had too much power for her 15-year-old opponent, breaking twice in the first set and once in the second. The German-born Vaidisova rallied well at times but was unable to find a way back after falling behind 3-2 in the opening set. Davenport, who closed out with an ace, plays Karolina Sprem in the next round. "I was fully expecting a tough opponent and was able to play well enough to get through it," said Davenport. "I think she hits some great shots. She made some errors but probably some inexperience played a role in that. But she's so young and obviously has a big game and has many, many years to improve on that." Sprem, the Croatian 13th seed, saw off Russia's Elena Likhovtseva 6-3 6-2. Former world number one powered her way into the fourth round with a straight sets win over Anna Smashnova. The 27th seed from Israel stuck with Williams until 3-3 in the first set before it became one-way traffic. The American made 26 unforced errors but was still good enough to romp through the contest in exactly an hour. She reeled off nine straight games to finish a 6-3 6-0 winner. remains on course to become the first Australian to win her home title since Chris O'Neil in 1978. The 10th seed equalled her best performance at a Grand Slam event when she beat unseeded Russian Nadia Petrova 6-3 6-2 to reach the fourth round. After a tough first set, Molik grew in confidence and won in just 56 minutes. She will now meet Venus Williams. "Bring it on," said the 23-year-old. "I played pretty well and it was nice to get through in straight sets." "We were destined to meet, I guess," Williams said referring to her match with Molik. "It will be a huge match for her in Australia. I can tell she's probably very motivated by that so I need to get out there and play well." beat Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova in a rollercoaster match. Dementieva came through 7-5 5-7 6-4, becoming the seventh Russian woman to reach the last 16 in Melbourne. The match lasted almost three hours and featured 13 service breaks, including three in the final set when Dementieva held her nerve to seal the win. She now faces after the Swiss 12th seed beat American Abigail Spears 7-6 6-3. French Open champion received a free ride into the last 16 after Lisa Raymond was forced to withdraw. Raymond, the 25th seeded American, was ruled out after sustaining a left abdominal muscle tear in the doubles. Myskina, the third seed, now plays France's who beat Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-3 6-3. "I'm extremely disappointed because I couldn't have asked to play better in my first two matches," Raymond said.	"I was fully expecting a tough opponent and was able to play well enough to get through it," said Davenport.The 27th seed from Israel stuck with Williams until 3-3 in the first set before it became one-way traffic."I played pretty well and it was nice to get through in straight sets."She now faces after the Swiss 12th seed beat American Abigail Spears 7-6 6-3."We were destined to meet, I guess," Williams said referring to her match with Molik.The American had too much power for her 15-year-old opponent, breaking twice in the first set and once in the second.The 10th seed equalled her best performance at a Grand Slam event when she beat unseeded Russian Nadia Petrova 6-3 6-2 to reach the fourth round.I can tell she's probably very motivated by that so I need to get out there and play well."Raymond, the 25th seeded American, was ruled out after sustaining a left abdominal muscle tear in the doubles."I'm extremely disappointed because I couldn't have asked to play better in my first two matches," Raymond said.The German-born Vaidisova rallied well at times but was unable to find a way back after falling behind 3-2 in the opening set.Myskina, the third seed, now plays France's who beat Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-3 6-3.
1,040	MP attacked by muggers in Kenya An MP has had more than Â£600 and his passport stolen after being mugged by six men in a park in Kenya. Quentin Davies, the MP for Grantham and Stamford, was attacked in a notoriously dangerous park in the capital, Nairobi. He was not hurt in the mugging on Saturday evening. Several people are being questioned over the attack. He was in Kenya before travelling to Sudan with the Parliamentary committee. Local police were said to be "surprised" he was in the area. Mr Davies, 60, said the mugging occurred 100 yards from the Nairobi Serena Hotel and equally close to the Anglican Cathedral in the centre of the city at dusk. He said in a statement: "It was a frightening experience. "Six men managed to steal up on me and grab me from behind. "I knew I had to stay very calm and passive - you cannot fight six men". He had to spend an extra 24 hours in Nairobi before rejoining the rest of the House of Commons International Development Committee in Dafur after the mugging. "Naturally, I was afraid they would use a knife or gun, though they never produced any weapon," he said. "Two of them held me from behind and two others held my legs and another one expertly rifled all my pockets."	He said in a statement: "It was a frightening experience.Local police were said to be "surprised" he was in the area.An MP has had more than Â£600 and his passport stolen after being mugged by six men in a park in Kenya.He was not hurt in the mugging on Saturday evening.He was in Kenya before travelling to Sudan with the Parliamentary committee.Quentin Davies, the MP for Grantham and Stamford, was attacked in a notoriously dangerous park in the capital, Nairobi.
1,608	Murray returns to Scotland fold Euan Murray has been named in the Scotland training squad after an eight-week ban, ahead of Saturday's Six Nations match with Ireland. The Glasgow forward's ban for stamping ended on 2 February. "I'm just happy to be back playing and be involved with the squad," said Murray on Monday. "Hopefully I can get a couple of games under my belt and I might have a chance of playing later in the Six Nations. I'm just glad to be part of it all." Backs: Mike Blair (Edinburgh Rugby), Andy Craig (Glasgow Rugby), Chris Cusiter (The Borders), Simon Danielli (The Borders), Marcus Di Rollo (Edinburgh Rugby), Phil Godman (Edinburgh Rugby), Calvin Howarth (Glasgow Rugby), Ben Hinshelwood (Worcester Warriors), Andrew Henderson (Glasgow Rugby), Rory Lamont (Glasgow Rugby), Sean Lamont (Glasgow Rugby), Dan Parks (Glasgow Rugby), Chris Paterson (Edinburgh Rugby), Gordon Ross (Leeds Tykes), Hugo Southwell (Edinburgh Rugby), Simon Webster (Edinburgh Rugby) Forwards: Ross Beattie (Northampton Saints), Gordon Bulloch (captain, Glasgow Rugby), David Callam (Edinburgh Rugby), Bruce Douglas (The Borders), Jon Dunbar (Leeds Tykes), Iain Fullarton (Saracens), Stuart Grimes (Newcastle Falcons), Nathan Hines (Edinburgh Rugby), Allister Hogg (Edinburgh Rugby), Gavin Kerr (Leeds Tykes), Nick Lloyd (Saracens), Scott Lawson (Glasgow Rugby), Euan Murray (Glasgow Rugby), Scott Murray (Edinburgh Rugby), Jon Petrie (Glasgow Rugby), Robbie Russell (London Irish), Tom Smith (Northampton Saints), Jason White (Sale Sharks).	"I'm just happy to be back playing and be involved with the squad," said Murray on Monday.Euan Murray has been named in the Scotland training squad after an eight-week ban, ahead of Saturday's Six Nations match with Ireland.The Glasgow forward's ban for stamping ended on 2 February.
1,602	Fuming Robinson blasts officials England coach Andy Robinson insisted he was "livid" after his side were denied two tries in Sunday's 19-13 Six Nations loss to Ireland in Dublin. Mark Cueto's first-half effort was ruled out for offside before the referee spurned TV replays when England crashed over in the dying minutes. "[I'm] absolutely spitting. I'm livid. There's two tries we've been cost," Robinson told BBC Sport. "We've got to go back to technology. I don't know why we didn't." South African referee Jonathan Kaplan ruled that Cueto was ahead of Charlie Hodgson when the fly-half hoisted his cross-field kick for the Sale wing to gather. Kaplan then declined the chance to consult the fourth official when Josh Lewsey took the ball over the Irish line under a pile of bodies for what could have been the game-winning try. "I think Mark Cueto scored a perfectly legal try and I think he should have gone to the video referee on Josh Lewsey," said Robinson. "It is how we use the technology. It is there, and it should be used. "I am still trying to work out the Cueto try. I have looked at both, and they both looked tries. "We are very disappointed, and this will hurt, there is no doubt about that. "We are upset now, but the referee is in charge and he has called it his way and we have got to be able to cope with that. "We did everything we could have done to win the game. I am very proud of my players and, with a couple of decisions, this could have been a very famous victory. "I thought we dominated. Matt Stevens had an awesome game at tighthead prop, while the likes of Charlie Hodgson, Martin Corry and Lewis Moody all came through well. "Josh Lewsey was awesome, and every one of the forwards stood up out there. Given the pressure we were under, credit must go to all the players. "We have done everything but win a game of rugby, but Ireland are a good side. They defended magnificently and they've got every chance of winning this Six Nations." England have lost their first three matches in this year's Six Nations and four out of their six games since Robinson took over from Sir Clive Woodward in September.	England coach Andy Robinson insisted he was "livid" after his side were denied two tries in Sunday's 19-13 Six Nations loss to Ireland in Dublin."We've got to go back to technology."I think Mark Cueto scored a perfectly legal try and I think he should have gone to the video referee on Josh Lewsey," said Robinson."We did everything we could have done to win the game.Kaplan then declined the chance to consult the fourth official when Josh Lewsey took the ball over the Irish line under a pile of bodies for what could have been the game-winning try.England have lost their first three matches in this year's Six Nations and four out of their six games since Robinson took over from Sir Clive Woodward in September."We have done everything but win a game of rugby, but Ireland are a good side.They defended magnificently and they've got every chance of winning this Six Nations."There's two tries we've been cost," Robinson told BBC Sport.South African referee Jonathan Kaplan ruled that Cueto was ahead of Charlie Hodgson when the fly-half hoisted his cross-field kick for the Sale wing to gather.
1,322	Off-colour Gardener storms to win Britain's Jason Gardener shook off an upset stomach to win the 60m at Sunday's Leipzig International meeting. Gardener clocked 6.56 seconds to equal the meeting record and finished well ahead of Germany's Marc Blume, who crossed the line in 6.67 secs. The world indoor champion said: "I got to the airport and my stomach was upset and I was vomiting. I almost went home. "I felt a little better Sunday morning but decided I'd only run in the main race. Then everything went perfectly." Gardener, part of the Great Britain 4x100m quartet that won gold at the Athens Olympics, will now turn his attention to next weekend's Norwich Union European Indoor trials in Sheffield. "Given I am still off-colour I know there is plenty more in the tank and I expect to get faster in the next few weeks," he said. "It's just a case of chipping away as I have done in previous years and the results will come." Scotland's Ian Mackie was also in action in Leipzig. He stepped down from his favoured 400m to 200m to finish third in 21.72 secs. Germany's Alexander Kosenkow won the race in 21.07 secs with Dutchman Patrick van Balkom second in 21.58 secs. There were plenty of other senior British athletes showing their indoor form over the weekend. Promising 60m hurdler clocked a new UK record of 7.98 seconds at a meeting in Norway. The 24-year-old reached the mark in her heat but had to settle for joint first place with former AAA champion Diane Allahgreen in the final. , who broke onto the international scene at the Olympic Games last season, set an indoor personal best of 16.50m in the triple jump at a meeting in Ghent. That leap - 37cm short of Brazilian winner Jadel Gregorio's effort - was good enough to qualify for the European Indoor Championships. At the same meeting, finished third in 7.27 seconds in a high-class women's 60m. The event was won by European medal favourite Christine Arron of France while Belgium rival Kim Gevaert was second. Britain's Joice Maduaka finished fifth in 7.35. Olympic bronze heptathlon medallist made a low-key return to action at an indoor meeting in Birmingham. The 28-year-old cleared 1.76m to win the high jump and threw 13.86m in the women's shot put.	At the same meeting, finished third in 7.27 seconds in a high-class women's 60m.Gardener clocked 6.56 seconds to equal the meeting record and finished well ahead of Germany's Marc Blume, who crossed the line in 6.67 secs.The world indoor champion said: "I got to the airport and my stomach was upset and I was vomiting.Britain's Jason Gardener shook off an upset stomach to win the 60m at Sunday's Leipzig International meeting.Olympic bronze heptathlon medallist made a low-key return to action at an indoor meeting in Birmingham.Promising 60m hurdler clocked a new UK record of 7.98 seconds at a meeting in Norway.The event was won by European medal favourite Christine Arron of France while Belgium rival Kim Gevaert was second., who broke onto the international scene at the Olympic Games last season, set an indoor personal best of 16.50m in the triple jump at a meeting in Ghent.Germany's Alexander Kosenkow won the race in 21.07 secs with Dutchman Patrick van Balkom second in 21.58 secs.
1,237	Kennedy questions trust of Blair Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy has said voters now have a "fundamental lack of trust" of Tony Blair as prime minister. He said backing his party was not a wasted vote, adding that with the Lib Dems "what you see is what you get". He made his comments at the start of a day of appearances on Channel Five in a session on The Wright Stuff programme. Questions from callers, a studio audience and the show's presenter covered Lib Dem tax plans, anti-terror laws and immigration. Mr Kennedy said during his nearly 22 years in Parliament he had seen prime ministers and party leaders come and go and knew the pitfalls of British politics. "1983 was when I was first elected as an MP - so Tony Blair, Michael Howard and myself were all class of '83 - and over that nearly quarter of a century the world has changed out of recognition," he said. "We don't actually hear the argument any longer: 'Lib Dems, good people, reasonable ideas but only if we thought they could win around here - it's a wasted vote'. "You don't hear that because the evidence of people's senses demonstrates that it isn't a wasted vote." But he said Mr Blair had lost the trust of the British people. "There is a fundamental lack of trust in Tony Blair as prime minister and in his government," he said. "What we've got to do as a party - what I've got to do as a leader of this party - is to convey to people that what you see is what you get." Mr Kennedy also used his TV appearance to defend his party's plans to increase income tax to 50% for those earning more than Â£100,000, saying it would apply to just 1% of the population. He said the extra revenue would allow his party to get rid of tuition and top-up fees, introduce free personal care for the elderly and replace the council tax with a local income tax. Mr Blair has already spent a day with Five and Michael Howard is booked for a similar session.	Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy has said voters now have a "fundamental lack of trust" of Tony Blair as prime minister.He said backing his party was not a wasted vote, adding that with the Lib Dems "what you see is what you get".But he said Mr Blair had lost the trust of the British people."There is a fundamental lack of trust in Tony Blair as prime minister and in his government," he said.Mr Kennedy said during his nearly 22 years in Parliament he had seen prime ministers and party leaders come and go and knew the pitfalls of British politics.Mr Blair has already spent a day with Five and Michael Howard is booked for a similar session.
1,683	Robinson wants dual code success England rugby union captain Jason Robinson has targeted dual code success over Australia on Saturday. Robinson, a former rugby league international before switching codes in 2000, leads England against Australia at Twickenham at 1430 GMT. And at 1815 GMT, Great Britain's rugby league team take on Australia in the final of the Tri-Nations tournament. "Beating the Aussies in both games would be a massive achievement, especially for league," said Robinson. England have the chance to seal their third autumn international victory after successive wins over Canada and South Africa, as well as gaining revenge for June's 51-15 hammering by the Wallabies. Meanwhile, Great Britain could end 34 years of failure against Australia with victory at Elland Road. Britain have won individual Test matches, but have failed to secure any silverware or win the Ashes (with a series victory) since 1970. "They have a great opportunity to land a trophy and it would be a massive boost for rugby league in this country if we won," said Robinson. "I know the boys can do it - they've defeated the Aussies once already in the Tri-Nations." But Robinson was not losing sight of the task facing his England side in their final autumn international. "For us, we've played two and won two this November," he said. "If we beat Australia it would be the end to a great autumn series for England. If we stumble then we'll be looking back with a few regrets. Robinson also revealed that the union side had sent the Great Britain team a good luck message ahead of the showdown in Leeds. "We signed a card for them today and will write them an email on Saturday wishing them all the best," said Robinson. "Everyone has signed the card - a lot of the guys watch league and we support them fully. "Both games will be very tough and hopefully we'll both do well."	Robinson, a former rugby league international before switching codes in 2000, leads England against Australia at Twickenham at 1430 GMT."They have a great opportunity to land a trophy and it would be a massive boost for rugby league in this country if we won," said Robinson."Beating the Aussies in both games would be a massive achievement, especially for league," said Robinson."If we beat Australia it would be the end to a great autumn series for England.And at 1815 GMT, Great Britain's rugby league team take on Australia in the final of the Tri-Nations tournament.England rugby union captain Jason Robinson has targeted dual code success over Australia on Saturday.But Robinson was not losing sight of the task facing his England side in their final autumn international.
168	Small firms 'hit by rising costs' Rising fuel and materials costs are hitting confidence among the UK's small manufacturers despite a rise in output, business lobby group the CBI says. A CBI quarterly survey found output had risen by the fastest rate in seven years but many firms were seeing the benefits offset by increasing expenses. The CBI also found spending on innovation, training and retraining is forecast to go up over the next year. However, firms continue to scale back investment in buildings and machinery. The CBI said companies are looking to the government to lessen the regulatory load and are hoping interest rates will be kept on hold. "Smaller manufacturers are facing an uphill struggle," said Hugh Morgan Williams, chair of the CBI's SME Council. "The manufacturing sector needs a period of long-term stability in the economy." The CBI found some firms managed to increase prices for the first time in nine years - but many said increases failed to keep up the rise in costs. Of the companies surveyed, 30% saw orders rise and 27% saw them fall. The positive balance of plus 3 compared with minus 10 in the previous survey. When firms were questioned on output volume, the survey returned a balance of plus 8 - the highest rate of increase for seven years - and rose to plus 11 when looking ahead to the next three months.	A CBI quarterly survey found output had risen by the fastest rate in seven years but many firms were seeing the benefits offset by increasing expenses.When firms were questioned on output volume, the survey returned a balance of plus 8 - the highest rate of increase for seven years - and rose to plus 11 when looking ahead to the next three months.The CBI found some firms managed to increase prices for the first time in nine years - but many said increases failed to keep up the rise in costs.The CBI said companies are looking to the government to lessen the regulatory load and are hoping interest rates will be kept on hold.The CBI also found spending on innovation, training and retraining is forecast to go up over the next year.
569	Sky takes over Oscar night mantle Sky has signed a major new deal to broadcast this year's Academy Awards, taking over from three years of live Oscar coverage on the BBC. Sky said it was "honoured to have won exclusive broadcasting rights" and promised to cover the event "in a way no other broadcaster could". The BBC denied it had lost a bidding war, saying it had "decided to pass the mantle to another broadcaster". The ceremony, hosted by newcomer Chris Rock, takes place on 27 February 2005. Sky's coverage will launch with the nominations on 25 January and will include themed programming across Sky channels including Sky News, Sky Travel and the Biography Channel. There will also be a month-long season of Oscar-winning films on Sky Movies in the run up to the event and live uninterrupted coverage on the night. "We are honoured to have won the live and exclusive broadcasting rights for The Academy Awards," said Sky Networks' Sophie Turner Laing. "Sky is the natural place to see the biggest and most prestigious film event of the year, and will cover the event in a way that no other broadcaster could." Sky first scooped Oscar rights from the BBC in 1999, but the BBC won them back in 2001 when Sky was forced to pull out of a bidding war due to financial constraints. "BBC viewers will of course be able to watch quality coverage of the 2005 Academy Awards on the BBC's bulletins and news programmes," a spokesman said. Among the films tipped to do well at this year's Academy Awards are Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement and the Ray Charles biopic, Ray.	Sky has signed a major new deal to broadcast this year's Academy Awards, taking over from three years of live Oscar coverage on the BBC.Sky said it was "honoured to have won exclusive broadcasting rights" and promised to cover the event "in a way no other broadcaster could"."Sky is the natural place to see the biggest and most prestigious film event of the year, and will cover the event in a way that no other broadcaster could.""We are honoured to have won the live and exclusive broadcasting rights for The Academy Awards," said Sky Networks' Sophie Turner Laing.Sky first scooped Oscar rights from the BBC in 1999, but the BBC won them back in 2001 when Sky was forced to pull out of a bidding war due to financial constraints.
1,560	Real will finish abandoned match Real Madrid and Real Socieded will play the final six minutes of their match, which was abandoned on Sunday because of a bomb scare. The Bernabeu was evacuated with the score at 1-1 and two minutes of normal time remaining in the game. The teams will now play the final two minutes, plus four minutes of injury time, on 5 January. Brazilian Ronaldo and England captain David Beckham had to wait in the street in their kit after the abandonment. Real Sociedad president Jose Luis Astiazaran said: "We thought the best thing was to play the time remaining." Hundreds of fans streamed across the pitch on their way to the exits after the game was called off. Tourists and fans took advantage of the opportunity for a photograph between the famous stadium's goalposts. The two clubs met the Spanish FA on Monday and Astiazaran added: "We thought about giving the game as concluded but after talking with the FA we decided there was no precedent for that and the best thing was to play the time that was remaining." Real Madrid director of sport Emilio Butragueno praised the spectators inside the ground for their conduct. "I'd like to highlight the behaviour of the fans, who showed great maturity and it was an example of good citizenship," he said. Butragueno confirned, before confirming that Tuesday's charity match - which has been billed as "Ronaldo's friends against Zidane's friends" - will go ahead as planned. "I'd also like to take the chance to say that tomorrow's game will take place," Butragueno declared of the "Partido contra la Pobreza" (Game Against Poverty). He added: "Football is important for society and we want to show that. "We also think that football should be a fiesta, we had programmed and people deserve to enjoy the game."	The two clubs met the Spanish FA on Monday and Astiazaran added: "We thought about giving the game as concluded but after talking with the FA we decided there was no precedent for that and the best thing was to play the time that was remaining."The Bernabeu was evacuated with the score at 1-1 and two minutes of normal time remaining in the game.Real Sociedad president Jose Luis Astiazaran said: "We thought the best thing was to play the time remaining."Real Madrid and Real Socieded will play the final six minutes of their match, which was abandoned on Sunday because of a bomb scare.Hundreds of fans streamed across the pitch on their way to the exits after the game was called off."I'd also like to take the chance to say that tomorrow's game will take place," Butragueno declared of the "Partido contra la Pobreza" (Game Against Poverty).
1,547	FA charges Liverpool and Millwall Liverpool and Millwall have been charged by the Football Association over crowd trouble during their Carling Cup match on 26 October. Millwall, who lost the match 3-0, have also been charged over alleged racist behaviour by their supporters. During the match at Millwall's new Den Stadium, seats were ripped up and four people were ejected from the ground. A disabled fan was injured at the perimeter of the pitch and riot police were needed to control the situation. Liverpool fans claimed the trouble was sparked by chants about the Hillsborough disaster, where 96 supporters were crushed to death in April 1989. But Lions chairman Theo Paphitis has denied the claims. He has said CCTV footage showed the catalyst for the trouble was a Liverpool fan attacking a Millwall fan in the west stand. However, Millwall have been charged with two breaches of FA rules. They have been charged with failing to ensure that fans refrained from racist and/or abusive behaviour and for failing to prevent spectators throwing missiles onto the pitch. Liverpool have been charged with one breach for failing to prevent their fans conducting themselves in threatening and/or violent and/or provocative behaviour. Both clubs have until 23 December to respond.	He has said CCTV footage showed the catalyst for the trouble was a Liverpool fan attacking a Millwall fan in the west stand.Liverpool have been charged with one breach for failing to prevent their fans conducting themselves in threatening and/or violent and/or provocative behaviour.Liverpool and Millwall have been charged by the Football Association over crowd trouble during their Carling Cup match on 26 October.They have been charged with failing to ensure that fans refrained from racist and/or abusive behaviour and for failing to prevent spectators throwing missiles onto the pitch.Millwall, who lost the match 3-0, have also been charged over alleged racist behaviour by their supporters.
1,130	Blunkett unveils policing plans People could be given the mobile phone number of their local bobby under an overhaul of policing in England and Wales unveiled by David Blunkett. The plans include a dedicated policing team for each neighbourhood and a 10 point compulsory customer charter. The home secretary said targets would be put in place to ensure that the public got a good response from police. Local people would also be able to "trigger" action on specific problems if they felt nothing was being done. Local councillors would have to show certain conditions had been met before invoking the power. And police could refuse the request if the complaints were frivolous, would only cause annoyance or would pose too heavy a burden on resources. Mr Blunkett said a new three digit number would be created for non-emergency phone calls to police. The best performing police services would get more cash and extra freedoms, he said, but he would not shirk from stepping in where the public was being failed. The home secretary's powers to suspend or sack chief constables are being reviewed after Mr Blunkett's battle with Humberside chief David Westwood over intelligence failures on Soham murderer Ian Huntley. Opposition parties also want more local policing to tackle nuisance behaviour and other crime but they accuse ministers of tying the police up with paperwork. Tory spokesman David Davis said the proposals were "little more than a taxpayer-funded PR exercise" ahead of a general election predicted for next May. Police forces were already "buried" under existing government initiatives and there was little in the latest plans to reassure them," said Mr Davis. Earlier Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said the government was right to want to increase the links between local people and the police. "But these measures will only work if they're matched with a cut in the amount of paperwork - and investment in modern equipment to keep the police out on the streets." Before delivering a statement to MPs, Mr Blunkett was joined by Tony Blair at Welling School, in south east London, which is at the heart of a community policing initiative. Mr Blunkett said he wanted "to go back to a time when I was very young, when you expected the police to be part of the community and the community to be part of policing and where people were joined together in partnership making it work". The prime minister said the law-abiding citizen should be in charge of the community and "not the minority who want to cause trouble". Mr Blunkett already boasts about producing record police numbers. He has also started to recruit 25,000 Community Support Officers (CSOs) and the new plans would allow all police forces to give them the power to detain suspects. An extra Â£50m was promised on Tuesday so 2,000 new CSOs can be recruited now rather than next year. Within two years, every force will be expected to keep to a "coppers' contract" on what kind of service the public can expect. A Mori poll this summer suggested policing, unlike health and education, was the one major public service where people were less satisfied the more contact they had with it. The plans also include the idea of allowing people join police forces at different levels rather than the traditional way of making everybody spend specific amounts of time as a constable before being promoted. There will also be "specific exercises" to encourage black and Asian people to join the police at senior ranks.	Mr Blunkett said he wanted "to go back to a time when I was very young, when you expected the police to be part of the community and the community to be part of policing and where people were joined together in partnership making it work".The best performing police services would get more cash and extra freedoms, he said, but he would not shirk from stepping in where the public was being failed.Mr Blunkett said a new three digit number would be created for non-emergency phone calls to police.Police forces were already "buried" under existing government initiatives and there was little in the latest plans to reassure them," said Mr Davis.Earlier Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said the government was right to want to increase the links between local people and the police.He has also started to recruit 25,000 Community Support Officers (CSOs) and the new plans would allow all police forces to give them the power to detain suspects.The home secretary said targets would be put in place to ensure that the public got a good response from police.Local people would also be able to "trigger" action on specific problems if they felt nothing was being done.The plans also include the idea of allowing people join police forces at different levels rather than the traditional way of making everybody spend specific amounts of time as a constable before being promoted.Opposition parties also want more local policing to tackle nuisance behaviour and other crime but they accuse ministers of tying the police up with paperwork.
810	Bollywood draws global stars British actress Antonia Bernath is making her debut in Kisna - the Warrior Poet, marking a growing trend for non-Indian stars to appear in Bollywood films. Directed by Bollywood veteran Subhash Ghai, the film is set in the British Raj and Bernath plays an army general's daughter who falls in love with a rural boy, Kisna. "I liked the fluid nature of film-making. We improvised quite a lot," says Bernath. "At times it felt very chaotic but Mr Ghai was quite clear about what he wanted." Picked from more than 200 girls in an audition in London, Bernath cut short her education at Bristol's Old Vic Theatre School to take up the opportunity. It is not often that somebody gets to play the lead role straight out of a drama school. She spent three weeks learning Hindi and taking dance lessons. "Initially, I was a bit sceptical about how people would respond to me," Bernath says. "But I found the Hindi film industry very warm and encouraging. I even had a few offers before the work on Kisna was completed." Films are one of India's biggest exports and those like Lagaan and Monsoon Wedding have broken the traditional boundaries of colour and culture. Spurred by this, Bollywood producers are trying to go global in all aspects of film-making, be it technical or artistic. From young heart-throbs like Nick Moran of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels to model Sophie Dahl, many non-Indian stars want to make the most of this opportunity. "Bollywood has truly gone global," says Taran Adarsh, editor of Indian film journal Trade Guide. "Directors are now attempting to woo non-Asian audience to increase their share in the overseas film market." Kisna has been shot simultaneously in Hindi and English, with the English print shortened by an hour to accommodate the Western audience. The film even has a song composed in English by AR Rahman, the director of the popular West End musical, Bombay Dreams. "Identification is a popular cinematic device. Use of European or American actors can be viewed as a step in that direction," says Adarsh. The cast of Kisna also includes British actors Michael Maloney, Caroline Langrishe and Polly Adams. Another actress, Annabelle Wallace, plays the lead role in a bilingual romantic comedy Dil Jo Bhi Kahey (Whatever the Heart Says), which also stars Indian screen legend Amitabh Bachchan. Actor and Producer Aamir Khan's forthcoming venture The Rising is set against the backdrop of the Indian mutiny of 1857, with British actor Toby Stephens in a key role. But it isn't only the Western actors looking eastwards. Bollywood sweetheart Aishwarya Rai, recently seen in Bride and Prejudice alongside New Zealand actor Martin Henderson, is building her international career. And, many other Bollywood stars have their eyes set on Hollywood. "Hollywood or Bollywood, it's the box office that determines whether something is a passing phase or a trend," says Adarsh. Kisna - the Warrior Poet opens in the UK on 21 January.	British actress Antonia Bernath is making her debut in Kisna - the Warrior Poet, marking a growing trend for non-Indian stars to appear in Bollywood films.Directed by Bollywood veteran Subhash Ghai, the film is set in the British Raj and Bernath plays an army general's daughter who falls in love with a rural boy, Kisna."Bollywood has truly gone global," says Taran Adarsh, editor of Indian film journal Trade Guide.And, many other Bollywood stars have their eyes set on Hollywood.Actor and Producer Aamir Khan's forthcoming venture The Rising is set against the backdrop of the Indian mutiny of 1857, with British actor Toby Stephens in a key role.Kisna has been shot simultaneously in Hindi and English, with the English print shortened by an hour to accommodate the Western audience."Hollywood or Bollywood, it's the box office that determines whether something is a passing phase or a trend," says Adarsh.The cast of Kisna also includes British actors Michael Maloney, Caroline Langrishe and Polly Adams.We improvised quite a lot," says Bernath.I even had a few offers before the work on Kisna was completed."The film even has a song composed in English by AR Rahman, the director of the popular West End musical, Bombay Dreams.Use of European or American actors can be viewed as a step in that direction," says Adarsh.
865	Bafta to hand out movie honours Movie stars from across the globe are attending this year's Bafta film award ceremony. British stars Imelda Staunton and Clive Owen are hoping for awards at the Odeon in London's Leicester Square. Hollywood stars Leonardo diCaprio, Pierce Brosnan, Christian Slater and Richard Gere are also in the audience for the biggest night in UK film. Hollywood blockbuster The Aviator, starring DiCaprio, leads the field with 14 nominations, including best movie. It is up against Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Finding Neverland, The Motorcycle Diaries and British film Vera Drake, which has 11 nominations. Staunton is one of the favourites to land the best actress award for her gritty role as a backstreet abortionist in the small-budget film. She arrived at the ceremony wearing a green silk and chiffon low cut evening dress decorated with beads. "It's lovely to be here at home, to be on British soil. It's very nice indeed," she told reporters. Asked whether she was nervous about her best actress nomination she said: "It's out of my hands, there's nothing I can do. I'm here with a lot of mates and we're going to have a very nice evening." Other nominees in the best actress category include Charlize Theron for Monster, Ziyi Zhang for House of Flying Daggers and UK star Kate Winslet, who has two nods for her roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Finding Neverland. DiCaprio faces competition from Bernal, Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey and Johnny Depp in the best actor category. The crowed screamed when he arrived on the red carpet."It's unlike anything I've ever encountered. It's very intense and very loud," he told the BBC. "It's the first time I've come to the Baftas because it's the first time I've been nominated...I've appreciated British cinema for a long time and to be recognised like this is a special honour." Gere, who is presenting the best film award, said: "It's a big party, I had no idea it was going to be this big. It's crazy, I think it's bigger than the Academy Awards." British actor Owen is hoping to repeat his Golden Globe success with a best supporting actor award for his role in Closer. He raised one of the biggest cheers of the night when he walked down the red carpet. "I was always a huge fan of Closer as a play, so when I got the call to appear in the film, it was a huge thrill for me," he said. "The whole experience has been a treat and I'm very fortunate to have been given the role." His co-star Natalie Portman is up against Blanchett, Heather Craney, Julie Cristie and Meryl Streep in the best supporting actress category. Mike Leigh is up for the best director award for Vera Drake, alongside Martin Scorsese for The Aviator, Michael Mann for Collateral, Michel Gondry for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Marc Forster for Finding Neverland. The Orange British Academy Film Awards will be shown on BBC One at 2010 GMT.	Staunton is one of the favourites to land the best actress award for her gritty role as a backstreet abortionist in the small-budget film.The Orange British Academy Film Awards will be shown on BBC One at 2010 GMT.British actor Owen is hoping to repeat his Golden Globe success with a best supporting actor award for his role in Closer.Gere, who is presenting the best film award, said: "It's a big party, I had no idea it was going to be this big.It is up against Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Finding Neverland, The Motorcycle Diaries and British film Vera Drake, which has 11 nominations.Other nominees in the best actress category include Charlize Theron for Monster, Ziyi Zhang for House of Flying Daggers and UK star Kate Winslet, who has two nods for her roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Finding Neverland.Movie stars from across the globe are attending this year's Bafta film award ceremony.Mike Leigh is up for the best director award for Vera Drake, alongside Martin Scorsese for The Aviator, Michael Mann for Collateral, Michel Gondry for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Marc Forster for Finding Neverland.British stars Imelda Staunton and Clive Owen are hoping for awards at the Odeon in London's Leicester Square.Hollywood stars Leonardo diCaprio, Pierce Brosnan, Christian Slater and Richard Gere are also in the audience for the biggest night in UK film.Asked whether she was nervous about her best actress nomination she said: "It's out of my hands, there's nothing I can do.
1,055	Howard unveils election platform The Conservatives would stand up for the "forgotten majority", Michael Howard pledged as he unveiled the first part of the Tory election manifesto. The Tory leader argued there was a mass of people whom he says feel let down by Tony Blair and who share Tory values. In the foreword to the manifesto, he promises to focus on restoring order, trying to lower taxes and giving power back to the people. Labour says the document offers only a return to a "failed Tory past". The Liberal Democrats say the Conservatives cannot win what they predict will be a three-party contest. Campaigning activity is accelerating ahead of the general election, which is widely tipped for May but could be any time before June 2006. Labour on Monday postponed a launch of election posters because of the Asian tsunami disaster. Mr Howard published the introduction to the Tory manifesto. Other chapters will follow in coming weeks. In a speech in Northamptonshire, he said the "forgotten majority" made up the backbone of Britain. They were people who were saving for their first home or their retirement, working hard and accepting their responsibilities. He says in the manifesto foreword: "They have been forgotten, neglected and taken for granted by Mr Blair." Saying Britain must change direction, Mr Howard argues government is too big and cannot continue "down the path of ever rising taxes". He promises to ensure frontline professionals, parents and patients make the key decisions rather than Whitehall "bureaucrats". And he says the Tories would get a grip on crime, immigration and disorder. "The decline of responsibility and the proliferation of so-called 'human rights' have left us in a moral quagmire, unable to get a grip on rising crime and disorder," he says. Mr Howard says he will produce a Timetable for Action so people can hold him to account but on issues like taxation he has so far only published options, not specific plans. Mr Howard told BBC News: "I'm determined to lower taxes but I'm also determined not to make any promises I can't keep." The Tories were unveiling material months ahead of the expected election because they needed time to make voters aware of their policies, he said. He was asked if Tory support for the government on Iraq and identity cards had given the Lib Dems the chance to portray themselves as the opposition to Labour. Mr Howard argued the only test for his policies was whether they were best for Britain. It had nothing to do with putting "clear blue water" between himself and his opponents. Labour's election slogan will be: "Britain's working, don't let the Tories wreck it again". Campaign coordinator Alan Milburn accused the Tories of "launching Thatcherism in instalments" while Labour helped the hard working majority of families. Lib Dem president Simon Hughes said his party had set out its election stance in September. "The Liberal Democrats will ask the British people for support this year as the party with the policies best able to deliver freedom and fairness and to restore trust," he said.	The Conservatives would stand up for the "forgotten majority", Michael Howard pledged as he unveiled the first part of the Tory election manifesto.Mr Howard published the introduction to the Tory manifesto.The Tory leader argued there was a mass of people whom he says feel let down by Tony Blair and who share Tory values.He says in the manifesto foreword: "They have been forgotten, neglected and taken for granted by Mr Blair."Mr Howard argued the only test for his policies was whether they were best for Britain.Mr Howard says he will produce a Timetable for Action so people can hold him to account but on issues like taxation he has so far only published options, not specific plans.And he says the Tories would get a grip on crime, immigration and disorder.The Tories were unveiling material months ahead of the expected election because they needed time to make voters aware of their policies, he said.Labour says the document offers only a return to a "failed Tory past".Labour's election slogan will be: "Britain's working, don't let the Tories wreck it again".Saying Britain must change direction, Mr Howard argues government is too big and cannot continue "down the path of ever rising taxes".
587	DVD review: Spider-Man 2 It's a universal rule that a film can either be a superhero special effects extravaganza or it can be good. But Spider-Man 2 breaks that rule in two. It's not fantastically deep but you get quickly drawn into the tale of Spidey versus Doc Ock and more so into the fate of poor Peter Parker. Gigantic action set pieces seamlessly work with more brooding personal torment and it all looks stunning. A few effects look false but Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Alfred Molina make this compelling. The other universal rule is that DVDs of superhero films will have Making Of features only about the effects. This disc covers those special effects enough but as just one part of a detailed look at the film. Then there are commentaries, trailers and a blooper reel. Sometimes quality comes in bulk: this set contains no less than 34 John Wayne films ranging from the Westerns and war movies to The Quiet Man. Now is that a Christmas present or what? Give this to someone on 24 December and you won't see them again until early in the New Year. It's not truly a complete collection and leans more toward Wayne's earlier films: there's no True Grit, for instance, though there is Hellraisers. The films look well transferred to DVD, though none has extras. It was very daft but it knew it was and somehow this famous 1979 series became a cult favourite that's been long awaited on DVD. This set has the first season of Buck (Gil Gerard) and Wilma's (Erin Gray) tongue-in-cheek adventures and it's all as camp and gaudy as you remember. But it's also a disappointment. The US DVD has this and the more po-faced second season - and you can import it for just about the same price. The bigger omission, though, is that there are no extras. That's particularly disappointing because originally there were meant to be commentaries and stars Gerard and Gray had agreed to do them.	The films look well transferred to DVD, though none has extras.It's a universal rule that a film can either be a superhero special effects extravaganza or it can be good.This disc covers those special effects enough but as just one part of a detailed look at the film.The other universal rule is that DVDs of superhero films will have Making Of features only about the effects.This set has the first season of Buck (Gil Gerard) and Wilma's (Erin Gray) tongue-in-cheek adventures and it's all as camp and gaudy as you remember.The US DVD has this and the more po-faced second season - and you can import it for just about the same price.The bigger omission, though, is that there are no extras.Sometimes quality comes in bulk: this set contains no less than 34 John Wayne films ranging from the Westerns and war movies to The Quiet Man.
2,020	New browser wins over net surfers The proportion of surfers using Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) has dropped to below 90%, say web analysts. Net traffic monitor, OneStat.com, has reported that the open-source browser Firefox 1.0, released on 9 November, seems to be drawing users away from IE. While IE's market share has dropped 5% since May to 88.9%, Mozilla browsers - including Firefox - have grown by 5%. Firefox is made by the Mozilla Foundation which was set up by former browser maker Netscape in 1998. Although there have been other preview versions of Firefox, version 1.0 was the first complete official program. "It seems that people are switching from Microsoft's Internet Explorer to Mozilla's new Firefox browser," said Niels Brinkman, co-founder of Amsterdam-based OneStat.com. Mozilla browsers - including Firefox 1.0 - now have 7.4% of the market share, the figures suggest. Mozilla said that more than five million have downloaded the free software since its official release. Supporters of the open-source software in the US managed to raise $250,000 (Â£133,000) to advertise the release of Firefox 1.0 in The New York Times, and support the Mozilla Foundation. There was a flurry of downloads on its first day of release. The figures echo similar research from net analyst WebSideStory which suggested that IE had 92.9% of users in October compared to 95.5% in June. Microsoft IE has dominated the browser market for some time after taking the crown from Netscape, and its share of users has always stayed at around the 95% mark. Firefox is attractive to many because it is open-source. That means people are free to adapt the software's core code to create other innovative features, like add-ons or extensions to the program. Fewer security holes have also been discovered so far in Firefox than in IE. Paul Randle, Microsoft Windows Client product manager, responded to the figures: "We certainly respect that some customers will choose alternative browsers and that choosing a browser is about more than a handful of features. "Microsoft continues to make significant investments in IE, including Service Pack 2 with advanced security technologies, and continues to encourage a vibrant ecosystem of third party add-ons for Internet Explorer." Firefox wants to capture 10% of the market by the end of 2005. Other browser software, like Opera and Apple's Safari, are also challenging Microsoft's grip on the browser market. Opera is set to release its version 7.60 by the end of the year. OneStat.com compiled the statistical measurements from two million net users in 100 countries.	Mozilla browsers - including Firefox 1.0 - now have 7.4% of the market share, the figures suggest.While IE's market share has dropped 5% since May to 88.9%, Mozilla browsers - including Firefox - have grown by 5%.Net traffic monitor, OneStat.com, has reported that the open-source browser Firefox 1.0, released on 9 November, seems to be drawing users away from IE.Firefox is made by the Mozilla Foundation which was set up by former browser maker Netscape in 1998."It seems that people are switching from Microsoft's Internet Explorer to Mozilla's new Firefox browser," said Niels Brinkman, co-founder of Amsterdam-based OneStat.com.Microsoft IE has dominated the browser market for some time after taking the crown from Netscape, and its share of users has always stayed at around the 95% mark.Other browser software, like Opera and Apple's Safari, are also challenging Microsoft's grip on the browser market.Firefox wants to capture 10% of the market by the end of 2005.Supporters of the open-source software in the US managed to raise $250,000 (Â£133,000) to advertise the release of Firefox 1.0 in The New York Times, and support the Mozilla Foundation.
703	CSI shows give 'unrealistic view' People have unrealistic expectations of forensic science thanks to the success of the CSI TV shows, real experts say. Evidence submitted to forensic labs has shot up as a result of the programmes, at a time when many have large backlogs, science investigators claim. Lawyers also fear the effect because jurors have a distorted view of how forensic evidence is used. The issue was discussed at a major science conference in Washington DC. Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) and its spin-offs, CSI: Miami and CSI: New York, have proven exceptionally popular with audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Each episode, a team of forensic investigators goes about solving a crime through the ingenious appliance of science - and the extensive resources at their disposal. "The CSI effect is basically the perception of the near-infallibility of forensic science in response to the TV show," said Max Houck, who runs a forensic science graduate course at West Virginia University, US. "This TV show comes on and everyone starts watching it - including the cops and prosecutors - and submissions to forensic laboratories go through the roof," he told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The American forensics expert said there were roughly 200,000-300,000 backlogged DNA samples in US labs. Yet these constituted just 10% of the total test backlog, said Dr Houck. Forensic pathologist Dr Patricia McFeeley said she had started to see the show's influence in dealing with the families of victims. "What I find is that families now are more dissatisfied with the investigation than was previously the case," she explained. "For example, on television, the toxicology results are available almost instantaneously. But when people find out that it can take several months, they can find that very difficult." Dr McFeeley added that the accuracy with which forensic investigators can determine time of death was far lower than most people's perceptions. The show's influence can follow forensic investigators all the way into the courtroom, making lawyers jittery. "Prosecutors fear the CSI effect with juries because, for example, they wonder: 'why wasn't everything tested?' Well, in fact, not everything needs to be tested," Dr Houck explained. "Defence attorneys also worry about the CSI effect because they think that jurors come in and have this view of science as a juggernaut; this objective method that's always accurate." However, he admitted the show had had positive as well as negative effects on the field. "My university course started with four graduates in 1999; we're now the largest major on campus - with 400 students," he said. Dr Houck added that there was an urgent need for better funding of forensic science at the university level: "There's more money spent in this country on holistic medicine than there is on forensic science research."	"The CSI effect is basically the perception of the near-infallibility of forensic science in response to the TV show," said Max Houck, who runs a forensic science graduate course at West Virginia University, US.Dr Houck added that there was an urgent need for better funding of forensic science at the university level: "There's more money spent in this country on holistic medicine than there is on forensic science research."People have unrealistic expectations of forensic science thanks to the success of the CSI TV shows, real experts say.Forensic pathologist Dr Patricia McFeeley said she had started to see the show's influence in dealing with the families of victims.Evidence submitted to forensic labs has shot up as a result of the programmes, at a time when many have large backlogs, science investigators claim.Dr McFeeley added that the accuracy with which forensic investigators can determine time of death was far lower than most people's perceptions.Each episode, a team of forensic investigators goes about solving a crime through the ingenious appliance of science - and the extensive resources at their disposal.Lawyers also fear the effect because jurors have a distorted view of how forensic evidence is used."Defence attorneys also worry about the CSI effect because they think that jurors come in and have this view of science as a juggernaut; this objective method that's always accurate."
800	Angels 'favourite funeral song' Angels by Robbie Williams is the song Britons would most like played at their funeral, a survey has suggested. While the melancholy hit topped the UK poll, Europeans favoured Queen's more upbeat anthem The Show Must Go On as their first choice. Frank Sinatra's My Way was second in the UK vote with Monty Python's Always Look on the Bright Side of Life in third place. More than 45,000 people were surveyed by digital TV station Music Choice. The European chart, which included Denmark, France and Germany, put Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven in second and AC/DC's Highway to Hell in third. Queen's Who Wants to Live Forever was highly favoured by both UK and European voters. Both lists featured only one traditional or classic song each, with Britons requesting the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards' Amazing Grace and their continental counterparts opting for Mozart's Requiem. "Wanting to share your most treasured musical gem with those you're leaving behind is the perfect way to sign off and leave a lasting impression," Music Choice music and marketing manager Simon George said.	Queen's Who Wants to Live Forever was highly favoured by both UK and European voters.While the melancholy hit topped the UK poll, Europeans favoured Queen's more upbeat anthem The Show Must Go On as their first choice.Frank Sinatra's My Way was second in the UK vote with Monty Python's Always Look on the Bright Side of Life in third place.Angels by Robbie Williams is the song Britons would most like played at their funeral, a survey has suggested.
2,205	Kenyan school turns to handhelds At the Mbita Point primary school in western Kenya students click away at a handheld computer with a stylus. They are doing exercises in their school textbooks which have been digitised. It is a pilot project run by EduVision, which is looking at ways to use low cost computer systems to get up-to-date information to students who are currently stuck with ancient textbooks. Matthew Herren from EduVision told the BBC programme Go Digital how the non-governmental organisation uses a combination of satellite radio and handheld computers called E-slates. "The E-slates connect via a wireless connection to a base station in the school. This in turn is connected to a satellite radio receiver. The data is transmitted alongside audio signals." The base station processes the information from the satellite transmission and turns it into a form that can be read by the handheld E-slates. "It downloads from the satellite and every day processes the stream, sorts through content for the material destined for the users connected to it. It also stores this on its hard disc." The system is cheaper than installing and maintaining an internet connection and conventional computer network. But Mr Herren says there are both pros and cons to the project. "It's very simple to set up, just a satellite antenna on the roof of the school, but it's also a one-way connection, so getting feedback or specific requests from end users is difficult." The project is still at the pilot stage and EduVision staff are on the ground to attend to teething problems with the Linux-based system. "The content is divided into visual information, textual information and questions. Users can scroll through these sections independently of each other." EduVision is planning to include audio and video files as the system develops and add more content. Mr Herren says this would vastly increase the opportunities available to the students. He is currently in negotiations to take advantage of a project being organised by search site Google to digitise some of the world's largest university libraries. "All books in the public domain, something like 15 million, could be put on the base stations as we manufacture them. Then every rural school in Africa would have access to the same libraries as the students in Oxford and Harvard" Currently the project is operating in an area where there is mains electricity. But Mr Herren says EduVision already has plans to extend it to more remote regions. "We plan to put a solar panel at the school with the base station, have the E-slates charge during the day when the children are in school, then they can take them home at night and continue working." Maciej Sundra, who designed the user interface for the E-slates, says the project's ultimate goal is levelling access to knowledge around the world. "Why in this age when most people do most research using the internet are students still using textbooks? The fact that we are doing this in a rural developing country is very exciting - as they need it most."	The base station processes the information from the satellite transmission and turns it into a form that can be read by the handheld E-slates."The E-slates connect via a wireless connection to a base station in the school.It is a pilot project run by EduVision, which is looking at ways to use low cost computer systems to get up-to-date information to students who are currently stuck with ancient textbooks."We plan to put a solar panel at the school with the base station, have the E-slates charge during the day when the children are in school, then they can take them home at night and continue working."Then every rural school in Africa would have access to the same libraries as the students in Oxford and Harvard" Currently the project is operating in an area where there is mains electricity.Matthew Herren from EduVision told the BBC programme Go Digital how the non-governmental organisation uses a combination of satellite radio and handheld computers called E-slates.But Mr Herren says there are both pros and cons to the project."It's very simple to set up, just a satellite antenna on the roof of the school, but it's also a one-way connection, so getting feedback or specific requests from end users is difficult."But Mr Herren says EduVision already has plans to extend it to more remote regions.At the Mbita Point primary school in western Kenya students click away at a handheld computer with a stylus.EduVision is planning to include audio and video files as the system develops and add more content.
1,909	Smart search lets art fans browse If you don't know art but know what you like, new search technology could prove a useful gateway to painting. ArtGarden, developed by BT's research unit, is being tested by the Tate as a new way of browsing its online collection of paintings. Rather than search by the name of an artist or painting, users are shown a selection of pictures. Clicking on their favourite will change the gallery in front of them to a selection of similar works. The technology uses a system dubbed smart serendipity, which is a combination of artificial intelligence and random selection. It 'chooses' a selection of pictures, by scoring paintings based on a selection of keywords associated with them. So, for instance a Whistler painting of a bridge may have the obvious keywords such as bridge and Whistler associated to it but will also widen the search net with terms such as aesthetic movement, 19th century and water. A variety of paintings will then be shown to the user, based partly on the keywords and partly on luck. "It is much more akin to wandering through the gallery," said Jemima Rellie, head of the Tate's digital programme. For Richard Tateson, who worked on the ArtGarden project, the need for a new way to search grew out of personal frustration. "I went to an online clothes store to find something to buy my wife for Christmas but I didn't have a clue what I wanted," he said. The text-based search was restricted to looking either by type of garment or designer, neither of which he found helpful. He ended up doing his present shopping on the high street instead. He thinks the dominance of text-based searching is not necessarily appealing to the majority of online shoppers. Similarly, with art, browsing is often more important than finding a particular object. "You don't arrive at Tate Britain and tell people what you want to see. One of the skills of showing off the collection is to introduce people to things they wouldn't have asked for," he said. The Tate is committed to making its art more accessible and technology such as ArtGarden can help with that, said Ms Rellie. She hopes the technology can be incorporated on to the website in the near future. BT research is looking at extending the technology to other searching, such as for music and films.	The Tate is committed to making its art more accessible and technology such as ArtGarden can help with that, said Ms Rellie.If you don't know art but know what you like, new search technology could prove a useful gateway to painting.Rather than search by the name of an artist or painting, users are shown a selection of pictures.It 'chooses' a selection of pictures, by scoring paintings based on a selection of keywords associated with them.ArtGarden, developed by BT's research unit, is being tested by the Tate as a new way of browsing its online collection of paintings.BT research is looking at extending the technology to other searching, such as for music and films.The technology uses a system dubbed smart serendipity, which is a combination of artificial intelligence and random selection.For Richard Tateson, who worked on the ArtGarden project, the need for a new way to search grew out of personal frustration.
2,123	Rings of steel combat net attacks Gambling is hugely popular, especially with tech-savvy criminals. Many extortionists are targeting net-based betting firms and threatening to cripple their websites with deluges of data unless a ransom is paid. But now deep defences are being put in place by some of the UK's biggest net firms to stop these attacks. Increasing numbers of attacks and the huge amounts of data being used to try to bump a site off the web are prompting firms to adopt the measures. "Net firms are realising that it's not just about anti-virus and firewalls," said Paul King, chief security architect at Cisco. "There are more things that can be done in the network to protect data centres." Mr King said the only way to properly combat these so-called Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks was with intelligent net-based systems. Many of the gambling sites suffering DDoS attacks are in offshore data and hosting centres, so any large scale data flood could knock out access to many more sites than just the one the criminals were targeting, said Mr King. This overspill effect was only likely to grow as attacks grow in size and scale. Malcolm Seagrave, security expert at Energis, said the most common types of attacks hit sites with 10 megabytes of data over short periods of time. Bigger attacks sending down 200 megabytes of traffic or more were rarely seen, he said. "It does feel like they are turning the dial because you see this traffic gradually growing," he said. So far there have been no attacks involving gigabytes of data, said Mr Seagrave. However, he added that it was only a matter of time before such large attacks were mounted. Maria Capella, spokeswoman for net provider Pipex, said that when DDoS attacks were at their height, customers were getting hit every four to five days. The defences being put in place constantly monitor the streams of data flowing across networks and pluck out the traffic destined for target sites. "It's about understanding what's genuine traffic and keeping attack traffic from going to the site," she said. "We study the profile of their traffic and as soon as we see an anomaly in the profile that's when we start to get the backbone engineering boys to see if we are going to sustain an attack," said Ms Capella. This traffic can be hard to spot because DDoS attacks typically use thousands of computers in many different countries, each participating machine only sends a small part of the entire data flood. Typically these computers have been infected by a virus or worm which reports its success and the net address of compromised machines back to the malicious hacker or hi-tech criminal that set off the virus. Hijacked computers are known as zombies or 'bots and collections of them are called 'bot nets. Many spammers rent out 'bot nets to help them anonymously send junk mail. Most of the zombies are based outside the country that hosts the target site so getting the attacking PCs shut off can be difficult. Often Pipex and other net suppliers do get advance notice that an attack is about to happen. "The serious players tend to precede an attack with some kind of ransom e-mail," said Ms Capella. "We ask, as part of the service we provide, that customers notify us of anything they have in advance that would give us forewarning." Once an attack is spotted dedicated net hardware takes over to remove the attack traffic and ensure that sites stay up. Energis took a similar approach, said Mr Seagrave. "We have technology out there that allows us to detect attacks in minutes rather than let network engineers spend hours pulling the information together," said Mr Seagrave. Also net firms were starting to work more closely together on the problem of DDoS attacks and pool information about where they are coming from. Information gathered on attacks and where they originated has led to some arrests. He said Energis also did its own intelligence work to get in insight into which sites criminal gangs plan to target. "We have people in places where they shouldn't be, monitoring tech sites," he said. Sometimes though, he said, spotting the next victim was easy. "You can see them going alphabetically through the list with the gambling sites, trying one after another," said Mr Seagrave.	So far there have been no attacks involving gigabytes of data, said Mr Seagrave.Many of the gambling sites suffering DDoS attacks are in offshore data and hosting centres, so any large scale data flood could knock out access to many more sites than just the one the criminals were targeting, said Mr King."It's about understanding what's genuine traffic and keeping attack traffic from going to the site," she said.Malcolm Seagrave, security expert at Energis, said the most common types of attacks hit sites with 10 megabytes of data over short periods of time.Once an attack is spotted dedicated net hardware takes over to remove the attack traffic and ensure that sites stay up.Bigger attacks sending down 200 megabytes of traffic or more were rarely seen, he said.Maria Capella, spokeswoman for net provider Pipex, said that when DDoS attacks were at their height, customers were getting hit every four to five days."We have technology out there that allows us to detect attacks in minutes rather than let network engineers spend hours pulling the information together," said Mr Seagrave.Mr King said the only way to properly combat these so-called Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks was with intelligent net-based systems."The serious players tend to precede an attack with some kind of ransom e-mail," said Ms Capella."We study the profile of their traffic and as soon as we see an anomaly in the profile that's when we start to get the backbone engineering boys to see if we are going to sustain an attack," said Ms Capella."You can see them going alphabetically through the list with the gambling sites, trying one after another," said Mr Seagrave.This traffic can be hard to spot because DDoS attacks typically use thousands of computers in many different countries, each participating machine only sends a small part of the entire data flood.Also net firms were starting to work more closely together on the problem of DDoS attacks and pool information about where they are coming from.
853	Applegate's Charity show closes US musical Sweet Charity has cancelled its run on Broadway after poor ticket sales for its early shows. Star Christina Applegate had to pull out of pre-Broadway performances earlier this month with a broken foot. Producer Barry Weissler said he was "deeply proud" of the show, but said the decision to close it was "painful but fiscally responsible". Applegate, who starred in TV comedy Married With Children, had been hoping to make her Broadway debut in the show. The 33-year-old injured herself while performing in Chicago, and had been hoping to recover in time for its official New York opening on 21 April. She had received mixed reviews for performances in Minneapolis and Chicago. Previews of the $7.5m (Â£4m) show were due to begin on 4 April. Sweet Charity tells the story of Charity Hope Valentine, a dancer who always falls in love with the wrong man. It was first performed on Broadway in 1966 with Gwen Verdon in the title role, while Shirley MacLaine starred in the 1969 film version.	Applegate, who starred in TV comedy Married With Children, had been hoping to make her Broadway debut in the show.US musical Sweet Charity has cancelled its run on Broadway after poor ticket sales for its early shows.It was first performed on Broadway in 1966 with Gwen Verdon in the title role, while Shirley MacLaine starred in the 1969 film version.Previews of the $7.5m (Â£4m) show were due to begin on 4 April.
1,106	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.	A range of services in Wales were affected as civil servants in Wales joined the UK-wide strike.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.Thousands of civil servants were on strike across Wales on Friday in protest at planned job cuts.The Welsh Assembly Government said: "This is a strike about national civil service issues.Across Wales, pickets were held by striking civil servants with protests in towns and cities including Cardiff, Bangor, Aberystwyth and Wrexham."Our protest is about defending jobs and also local services across the country.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.Pickets were in place across Wales, with protests around the country."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.The strike, called by the Public and Commercial Services Union, was the biggest by civil servants in a decade.The worst-affected area in Wales will be the Department of Work and Pensions where 2,000 jobs are threatened.
947	MPs criticise child access system Divorced parents seeking access to their children are often disadvantaged by the legal system, MPs have said. The Constitutional Affairs Select Committee said parents with custody could exploit delays in the system to stop former partners gaining access. Courts should be used as a last resort, but where they are, their orders should be enforced more rigorously, MPs said. But they rejected the claim made by some campaign groups that there should be a legal presumption of equal access. Currently the presumption is that the interests of the child are paramount. "An arbitrary 'template' imposed on all families, whatever the needs of the child, would relegate the welfare of individual children to a secondary position," the MPs said. They said the law should be changed to require family courts specifically to take account of the importance of sustaining the relationship between the child and the non-resident parent in contested cases. This would "reassert the rights of non-resident parents to contact with their children, as well as the rights of children to contact with both their parents, while maintaining sufficient flexibility to cope with issues of safety", they said. Delays in court hearings and the inability to effectively enforce court orders allowed "a new 'status quo' arrangement for the children to become established by default", they said. "Although the courts rigorously avoid conscious bias, there are considerable grounds for accepting that non-resident parents are frequently disadvantaged by the system as it is administered at present. "Given the strong animosity between the parties which is common in contested family cases, we find it hard to believe that tactical delay is not sometimes used to the advantage of resident parents." Committee chairman Alan Beith said the five-month inquiry had been a "complex and emotive" one. "At the moment, far too many contact and residency cases are being dealt with by the courts when they could be better resolved through professional mediation and negotiation," he said. "This situation has to change. The court system should only be used as a last resort, where mediation and negotiation have completely broken down or where issues of abuse or domestic violence need to be dealt with. "This will help to reduce delays and improve the lives of many children across the country."	Divorced parents seeking access to their children are often disadvantaged by the legal system, MPs have said.They said the law should be changed to require family courts specifically to take account of the importance of sustaining the relationship between the child and the non-resident parent in contested cases."An arbitrary 'template' imposed on all families, whatever the needs of the child, would relegate the welfare of individual children to a secondary position," the MPs said.The Constitutional Affairs Select Committee said parents with custody could exploit delays in the system to stop former partners gaining access.This would "reassert the rights of non-resident parents to contact with their children, as well as the rights of children to contact with both their parents, while maintaining sufficient flexibility to cope with issues of safety", they said.Delays in court hearings and the inability to effectively enforce court orders allowed "a new 'status quo' arrangement for the children to become established by default", they said.Courts should be used as a last resort, but where they are, their orders should be enforced more rigorously, MPs said.
2,067	PC photo printers challenge pros Home printed pictures can be cheaper and higher quality than those from High Street developers, tests shows. A survey carried out by PC Pro magazine looked at which of 100 home photo printers offered a better deal than handing your snaps to a photo lab. The tests found that images from top PC printers kept their colour longer than professionally produced photographs. But using the wrong printer cartridge could means snaps fade in months, warned the magazine. The group test of 100 home photo printers for PCs discovered how much it costs to create images using the devices compared to online developers as well as High Street names such as Jessops, Boots and Snappy Snaps. The comprehensive test also revealed how quickly different printers produced images, the quality of the finished image and how resistant finished pictures were to smudging or water damage. It found that although some ink for printers now costs more than Â£2 per millilitre it can still be cheaper to produce prints from photographs at home than it is to send them off to a High Street store. "If you really like your photos, then it's definitely worth printing at home instead of going to the high street, but only if you choose the right printer," said Nick Ross, top tester at PC Pro. Mr Ross said that a new generation of printers produced images with brighter colours and that were less likely to fade than many High Street developers or even some professional wedding photographers. Some High Street photo shops can be the cheapest when it came to developing prints that were 6x4in, said Mr Ross, but the test revealed that images 7x5in and 8x10in in size were cheaper to produce at home. According to PC Pro, producing a print 8x10in on an Epson R800 printer using top quality paper costs Â£1.87. At Jessops the same image would cost Â£2.50 and at Snappy Snaps Â£9.99. A 10x7in snap at Boots would cost Â£4.99. "Considering how inconvenient it can be to go to the High Street and how silver-halide prints can fade in the sun, we're adamant that it's now better, cheaper and more convenient to print at home," he said. Ann Simpson, marketing manager at Snappy Snaps believes the convenience of high street printing will continue to attract customers. "Some people will want to do their own thing on their computer but the feedback to us is that customers often have to print two or three pictures at home in order to get a good one," she said. "Many people are not skilled at getting the colour, contrast and cropping right and they don't want the hassle," she added. The magazine test found that which ink consumers use determined how long their prints lasted before they started fading. It recommended avoiding so-called third-party inks not produced by printer makers because they tended to produce prints that fade the quickest.	The group test of 100 home photo printers for PCs discovered how much it costs to create images using the devices compared to online developers as well as High Street names such as Jessops, Boots and Snappy Snaps.It found that although some ink for printers now costs more than Â£2 per millilitre it can still be cheaper to produce prints from photographs at home than it is to send them off to a High Street store.Some High Street photo shops can be the cheapest when it came to developing prints that were 6x4in, said Mr Ross, but the test revealed that images 7x5in and 8x10in in size were cheaper to produce at home."Considering how inconvenient it can be to go to the High Street and how silver-halide prints can fade in the sun, we're adamant that it's now better, cheaper and more convenient to print at home," he said.Mr Ross said that a new generation of printers produced images with brighter colours and that were less likely to fade than many High Street developers or even some professional wedding photographers.According to PC Pro, producing a print 8x10in on an Epson R800 printer using top quality paper costs Â£1.87."If you really like your photos, then it's definitely worth printing at home instead of going to the high street, but only if you choose the right printer," said Nick Ross, top tester at PC Pro.Home printed pictures can be cheaper and higher quality than those from High Street developers, tests shows.
2,078	Broadband in the UK gathers pace One person in the UK is joining the internet's fast lane every 10 seconds, according to BT. The telecoms giant said the number of people on broadband via the telephone line had now surpassed four million. Including those connected via cable, almost six million people have a fast, always-on connection. The boom has been fuelled by fierce competition and falling prices, as well as the greater availability of broadband over the phone line. "The take-up rate for broadband is accelerating at a terrific pace," said Ben Verwaayen, BT's chief executive. "We will be in a very strong position to hit our five million target by summer 2006 much earlier than we had previously expected." The last million connections were made over the past four months, with thousands of people being added to the total every day of the week. Those signing up to broadband include those that get their service direct from BT or via the many companies that re-sell BT lines under their own name. Part of the surge in people signing up was due to BT stretching the reach of ADSL - the UK's most widely used way of getting broadband - beyond six kilometres. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line technology lets ordinary copper phone lines support high data speeds. The standard speed is 512kbps, though faster connections are available. According to BT, more than 95% of UK homes and businesses can receive broadband over the phone line. It aims to extend this figure to 99.4% by next summer. There are also an estimated 1.7 million cable broadband customers in the UK.	The telecoms giant said the number of people on broadband via the telephone line had now surpassed four million.According to BT, more than 95% of UK homes and businesses can receive broadband over the phone line.There are also an estimated 1.7 million cable broadband customers in the UK.Those signing up to broadband include those that get their service direct from BT or via the many companies that re-sell BT lines under their own name.Including those connected via cable, almost six million people have a fast, always-on connection.The last million connections were made over the past four months, with thousands of people being added to the total every day of the week.
895	Hobbit picture 'four years away' Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has said that it will be up to four years before he starts work on a film version of The Hobbit. The Oscar winner said on a visit to Sydney there was a "desire" to make it, but not before lengthy negotiations. "I think it's gonna be a lot of lawyers sitting in a room trying to thrash out a deal before it will ever happen," said the New Zealander. The rights to JRR Tolkien's book are split between two major film studios. Jackson, who is currently filming a remake of Hollywood classic King Kong, said he thought that the sale of MGM studios to the Sony Corporation would cast further uncertainty on the project. The 43-year-old was in the Australian city to visit a Lord of the Rings exhibition, which has attracted 140,000 visitors since it opened in December. The film-maker recently sued film company New Line Cinema for undisclosed damages over alleged withheld profits and lost revenue from the first part of the Middle Earth trilogy. The Fellowship of The Ring from 2001 went on to make worldwide profits of $291 million (Â£152 million). Jackson is thought to have secured the most lucrative film directing deal in history to remake King Kong, which is currently in production in Wellington. The picture, which stars Naomi Watts and Oscar winner Adrien Brody, is due to be released in December. Jackson has also committed to making a film version of Lovely Bones, based on the best-selling book by Alice Sebold.	Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has said that it will be up to four years before he starts work on a film version of The Hobbit.Jackson is thought to have secured the most lucrative film directing deal in history to remake King Kong, which is currently in production in Wellington.The Oscar winner said on a visit to Sydney there was a "desire" to make it, but not before lengthy negotiations.Jackson has also committed to making a film version of Lovely Bones, based on the best-selling book by Alice Sebold.Jackson, who is currently filming a remake of Hollywood classic King Kong, said he thought that the sale of MGM studios to the Sony Corporation would cast further uncertainty on the project.
2,054	Hi-tech posters guide commuters Interactive posters are helping Londoners get around the city during the festive season. When interrogated with a mobile phone, the posters pass on a number that people can call to get information about the safest route home. Sited at busy underground stations, the posters are fitted with an infra-red port that can beam information directly to a handset. The posters are part of Transport for London's Safe Travel at Night campaign. The campaign is intended to help Londoners, especially women, avoid trouble on the way home. In particular it aims to cut the number of sexual assaults by drivers of unlicensed minicabs. Nigel Marson, head of group marketing at Transport for London (TfL), said the posters were useful because they work outside the mobile phone networks. "They can work in previously inaccessible areas such as underground stations which is obviously a huge advantage in a campaign of this sort," he said. The posters will automatically beam information to any phone equipped with an IR port that is held close to the glowing red icon on the poster. "We started with infra-red because there are a huge number IR phones out there," said Rachel Harker, spokeswoman for Hypertag which makes the technology fitted to the posters. "It's a well established technology." Hypertag is also now making a poster that uses short-range Bluetooth radio technology to swap data. Although the hypertags in the posters only pass on a phone number, Ms Harker said they can pass on almost any form of data including images, ring tones and video clips. She said that there are no figures for how many people are using the posters but a previous campaign run for a cosmetics firm racked up 12,500 interactions. "Before we ran a campaign there was a big question mark of: 'If we build it will they come?'" she said. "Now we know that, yes, they will." The TfL campaign using the posters will run until Boxing Day.	She said that there are no figures for how many people are using the posters but a previous campaign run for a cosmetics firm racked up 12,500 interactions.The TfL campaign using the posters will run until Boxing Day.When interrogated with a mobile phone, the posters pass on a number that people can call to get information about the safest route home.The posters will automatically beam information to any phone equipped with an IR port that is held close to the glowing red icon on the poster.Nigel Marson, head of group marketing at Transport for London (TfL), said the posters were useful because they work outside the mobile phone networks.Although the hypertags in the posters only pass on a phone number, Ms Harker said they can pass on almost any form of data including images, ring tones and video clips."We started with infra-red because there are a huge number IR phones out there," said Rachel Harker, spokeswoman for Hypertag which makes the technology fitted to the posters.The posters are part of Transport for London's Safe Travel at Night campaign.
868	Film star Fox behind theatre bid Leading actor Edward Fox is one of the men behind plans to reopen a Swansea theatre thought to be Wales' oldest. The star of film and TV hits Day of the Jackal and Edward and Mrs Simpson has joined forces with Swansea-born actor-director Terry Palmer. They will set up a charity to raise money to buy the Palace Theatre, and hope to reopen it to audiences in summer 2006. It is estimated that Â£500,000 is needed to buy the Grade II listed building. The Palace Theatre, which will be known as The Pavilion Repertory Theatre, was sold to an undisclosed bidder at auction 13 months ago for Â£340,000. Before that it had been used as a nightclub for 10 years. Oscar-winner Sir Anthony Hopkins, who was born in nearby Port Talbot, made his professional debut there, and Charlie Chaplin and Lily Langtry have also trodden its boards. Fox told the South Wales Evening Post that after visiting the theatre he was surprised by its beauty. "A lot of money needs to be spent on it, but all the bones are there - it just needs a beautiful skin," he said. "To call it a jewel is not an over-estimation. There are not many theatres left like this. "The hope for the immediate future is that we can attract enough people to come forward to allow it to prosper," he told the newspaper. Fox first found fame in the 1960s. One of his most memorable roles was as an assassin in the Day of the Jackal in 1973, and he won a TV Bafta as the Prince of Wales in 1980 for Edward and Mrs Simpson. He was brought on board to save the theatre by Mr Palmer, a long-standing friend of 40 years. "Two years ago I decided to return to Swansea and do something for the city," said Mr Palmer. He said he was excited by the idea of running the Palace as a charity where young actors could develop, and with an annual Shakespeare festival in the summer. "If in five years' time the theatre can function in all areas without me, I shall be well satisfied having helped to create a vital living theatre for the city," he added. Keith Poulton, a business adviser from Swansea, has already committed an undisclosed amount of money to the project. "We need at least Â£75,000 to secure a deposit on the building and we've only got two months to do that," said Mr Poulton. "A few benefactors have expressed their interest and Mr Fox is going to give it an awful lot of time," he added. Last year, roads around the theatre were cordoned off when masonry from its roof fell onto a car, but engineers said they were happy that it was safe.	He was brought on board to save the theatre by Mr Palmer, a long-standing friend of 40 years.The Palace Theatre, which will be known as The Pavilion Repertory Theatre, was sold to an undisclosed bidder at auction 13 months ago for Â£340,000.Fox told the South Wales Evening Post that after visiting the theatre he was surprised by its beauty.Leading actor Edward Fox is one of the men behind plans to reopen a Swansea theatre thought to be Wales' oldest.They will set up a charity to raise money to buy the Palace Theatre, and hope to reopen it to audiences in summer 2006."If in five years' time the theatre can function in all areas without me, I shall be well satisfied having helped to create a vital living theatre for the city," he added.Last year, roads around the theatre were cordoned off when masonry from its roof fell onto a car, but engineers said they were happy that it was safe."Two years ago I decided to return to Swansea and do something for the city," said Mr Palmer."We need at least Â£75,000 to secure a deposit on the building and we've only got two months to do that," said Mr Poulton.
430	US prepares for hybrid onslaught Sales of hybrid cars in the US are set to double in 2005, research suggests. Research group JD Power estimates sales will hit 200,000 in 2005, despite higher prices and customer scepticism. Carmakers are starting to build hybrid sports utility vehicles (SUVs), the four-wheel-drive vehicles which now dominate the US car market. Hybrids cut both petrol consumption and emissions by combining a petrol engine with an electric motor constantly kept charged by extra engine power. Several jurisdictions, notably the state of California, mandate low emissions for new cars. Equally, the rise in oil prices over the past year has sparked hopes that consumers may be tempted by potential savings of a few hundred dollars a year on fuel. At the Detroit Motor Show, a range of manufacturers are prominently displaying their hybrid credentials. Toyota has led the market to date with the Prius, popularised by a number of celebrities keen to burnish their "green" credentials. In April it will launch a hybrid version of its Highlander SUV, with an SUV from its luxury Lexus marque due later in the year. Honda has three hybrids on the market, and between them the two Japanese carmakers sold more than 80,000 units last year. Ford, which has sold 4,000 of its first hybrid since its launch in August, is bringing a hybrid SUV - the Mariner - to market a year ahead of schedule, with plans for three more models by 2008. GM has a hybrid pickup on the market and is showing two concept SUVs in Detroit. Even sports car maker Porsche may join the race, although it insists it is still considering whether to hybridise its Cayenne SUV. Others remain more sceptical. Nissan has bought Toyota's hybrid technology, but plans to bring out its first model only in 2006. "We want to make sure we are not concentrating on one technology," Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn said. "We will not be surprised by any acceleration or deceleration in the hybrid market." Volkswagen, meanwhile, says it will focus on clean-burning diesel engines instead. And some watchers point out that the price tag on a hybrid - upwards of $3,000 above that of an equivalent normal-engined car, and suspicion of the technology - may still cool its attraction. "The average consumers aren't willing to pay that premium for a car they won't drive more than six years," said Anthony Pratt from JD Power.	Ford, which has sold 4,000 of its first hybrid since its launch in August, is bringing a hybrid SUV - the Mariner - to market a year ahead of schedule, with plans for three more models by 2008.Honda has three hybrids on the market, and between them the two Japanese carmakers sold more than 80,000 units last year.GM has a hybrid pickup on the market and is showing two concept SUVs in Detroit.Nissan has bought Toyota's hybrid technology, but plans to bring out its first model only in 2006."We will not be surprised by any acceleration or deceleration in the hybrid market."And some watchers point out that the price tag on a hybrid - upwards of $3,000 above that of an equivalent normal-engined car, and suspicion of the technology - may still cool its attraction.Sales of hybrid cars in the US are set to double in 2005, research suggests.Carmakers are starting to build hybrid sports utility vehicles (SUVs), the four-wheel-drive vehicles which now dominate the US car market.
255	Call to overhaul UK state pension The UK pension system has been branded inadequate and too complex by a leading retirement think-tank. The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) said replacing the state pension with a "citizen's pension" would help tackle inequality and complexity. The change would see pensions being calculated on length of residency in the UK rather than National Insurance (NI) contributions. Reform could reduce poverty by aiding people with broken employment records. The PPI added that once the state system was reformed the government should look at options to overhaul private and workplace pensions. The think tank's proposals were made in response to the recent publication of the Pensions Commission's initial report into UK retirement savings. According to the Pensions Commission's report 12 million working people are not saving enough for their retirement. As a result, living standards could fall for the next generation of UK pensioners. The report added that a combination of higher taxes, higher savings and/or a higher average retirement age was needed to solve the UK pension crisis.	The UK pension system has been branded inadequate and too complex by a leading retirement think-tank.The think tank's proposals were made in response to the recent publication of the Pensions Commission's initial report into UK retirement savings.The report added that a combination of higher taxes, higher savings and/or a higher average retirement age was needed to solve the UK pension crisis.According to the Pensions Commission's report 12 million working people are not saving enough for their retirement.
2,031	How to smash a home computer An executive who froze his broken hard disk thinking it would be fixed has topped a list of the weirdest computer mishaps. Although computer malfunctions remain the most common cause of file loss, data recovery experts say human behaviour still is to blame in many cases. They say that no matter how effective technology is at rescuing files, users should take more time to back-up and protect important files. The list of the top 10 global data disasters was compiled by recovery company Ontrack. Careless - and preventable - mistakes that result in data loss range from reckless file maintenance practices to episodes of pure rage towards a computer. This last category includes the case of a man who became so mad with his malfunctioning laptop that he threw it in the lavatory and flushed a couple of times. "Data can disappear as a result of natural disaster, system fault or computer virus, but human error, including 'computer rage', seems to be a growing problem," said Adrian Palmer, managing director of Ontrack Data Recovery. "Nevertheless, victims soon calm down when they realise the damage they've done and come to us with pleas for help to retrieve their valuable information." A far more common situation is when a computer virus strikes and leads to precious files being corrupted or deleted entirely. Mr Palmer recalled the case of a couple who had hundreds of pictures of their baby's first three months on their computer, but managed to reformat the hard drive and erase all the precious memories. "Data can be recovered from computers, servers and even memory cards used in digital devices in most cases," said Mr Palmer. "However, individuals and companies can avoid the hassle and stress this can cause by backing up data on a regular basis."	"Data can disappear as a result of natural disaster, system fault or computer virus, but human error, including 'computer rage', seems to be a growing problem," said Adrian Palmer, managing director of Ontrack Data Recovery.Although computer malfunctions remain the most common cause of file loss, data recovery experts say human behaviour still is to blame in many cases.Careless - and preventable - mistakes that result in data loss range from reckless file maintenance practices to episodes of pure rage towards a computer.The list of the top 10 global data disasters was compiled by recovery company Ontrack.Mr Palmer recalled the case of a couple who had hundreds of pictures of their baby's first three months on their computer, but managed to reformat the hard drive and erase all the precious memories.
1,776	Prodigy Monfils blows away Gaudio French prodigy Gael Monfils underlined his huge promise by beating French Open champion Gaston Gaudio 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in the first round of the Qatar Open. The 18-year-old wild card won three of the four junior Grand Slam events last year, including Wimbledon. Fabrice Santoro, the 2000 champion, beat Sweden's Thomas Johansson 6-4 6-2 but fourth seed Mikhail Youzhny lost 6-3 7-6 (7-3) to Rafael Nadal. Roger Federer plays Greg Rusedski in the second round on Wednesday. Monfils, who was given a wildcard into the tournament, said: "This is my first win over a top 10 player and I am delighted. "I play my best tennis when I am fired up on the court and the reason I won today was because I was able to play my natural, attacking game," he said. "Of course I was a bit tired in the second set. But I was confident I could survive had there been a third set."	"Of course I was a bit tired in the second set."I play my best tennis when I am fired up on the court and the reason I won today was because I was able to play my natural, attacking game," he said.Monfils, who was given a wildcard into the tournament, said: "This is my first win over a top 10 player and I am delighted.But I was confident I could survive had there been a third set."