label: 0 text: Sharon savours victory for Gaza pullout JERUSALEM: Israeli PM Ariel Sharon was savouring a dramatic victory for his Gaza pullout plan on Wednesday after MPs gave the green light to the first ever evacuation of occupied Palestinian territory.


label: 3 text: Microsoft sets 2006 release for "Longhorn" operating system (AFP) AFP - Microsoft said it plans to broadly release the long-awaited update to its flagship Windows operating system, dubbed "Longhorn," in 2006.


label: 0 text: Six kidnapped in Iraq A US citizen and five other staff of a Saudi trading firm were kidnapped in Baghdad on Monday, while a deputy governor was shot dead, plunging Iraq deeper into crisis.


label: 3 text: Sony, Samsung Sign Licensing Agreement TOKYO - Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday that they have signed a licensing agreement, but the deal won #39;t cover the Asian electronic companies #39; key technologies.


label: 0 text: AP: Iran Nuke Fuel Program Starts at Mine (AP) AP - Iran's campaign to control the nuclear fuel cycle starts deep under this barren patch of desert, in a mine that engineers expect to start yielding uranium ore in less than two years.


label: 0 text: Howard sworn in for 4th term as Australian PM CANBERRA, Australia - John Howard was sworn in Tuesday for his fourth term as Australia #39;s prime minister at a ceremony in the official residence of the Queen #39;s representative, Governor General Michael Jeffery.


label: 3 text: Nokia Demos IPv6 Dual-Stack CDMA Handset, again Nokia yesterday demonstrated the  quot;first quot; wireless IPv6 call by using the companys dual-stack CDMA handset. The dual-stack IPv6 technology was put to the test over a year ago in 2003 at the 3G World Congress in Bangkok.


label: 2 text: Tellier: Bombardier Tells CEO To Take Flight Planes, trains and no CEO: Bombardier fired its chief executive officer on Monday and its Toronto-traded stock dropped to a record low.


label: 0 text: Chirac criticises interference in Iraq hostages release <b>...</b> PARIS - French President Jacques Chirac has lashed out at a private initiative to secure the release of two French hostages in Iraq as interference and said he hoped it would not thwart the delicate process, aides said Saturday.


label: 0 text: U.S., Shiites Meet After Deadly Clashes BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. military officials and representatives of rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held talks Sunday aimed at reducing violence in the restive Baghdad slum of Sadr City, a day after clashes there killed 10 people, officials said...


label: 1 text: Phils give Baylor managing interview The former manager of the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs was in town to interview for the Phillies #39; vacancy at the same position.


label: 2 text: Oracle announces final PeopleSoft offer Oracle has put up its  quot;best and final quot; offer for PeopleSoft at US\$24 per share. The new price is up \$3 from Oracle #39;s last offer, and is in excess of PeopleSoft #39;s 52-week closing price high.


label: 2 text: Osmond buys life funds for 1bn Hugh Osmond, the entrepreneur better known for investing in the food and drink sector, on Thursday night sealed the UK #39;s largest closed life assurance deal with the


label: 2 text: Chiron to delay flu vaccine shipments Emeryville #39;s Chiron Corp. said Thursday that it will delay shipments until early October of its flu vaccine, Fluvirin, after the company identified a small number of lots that do not meet product sterility specifications.


label: 1 text: Ramsey Owns Three Breeders' Contenders (AP) AP - Ken Ramsey likes to say he's been successful in practically everything he's taken on. That would sound like bragging coming from just about any other horse owner.


label: 2 text: Cemex to buy RMC Group in \$5.8bn deal NEW YORK, September 27 (newratings.com) - Mexican cement giant, Cemex SA (CX.NYS), has agreed to buy RMC Group Plc, a leading British ready-mix concrete company, in a deal valued at about \$5.


label: 1 text: Fernando looking forward to the unique challenge of Monza The young Spaniard is looking forward to racing on the legendary Monza circuit, and will enjoy his time in Italy - it almost feels like home for him!


label: 0 text: Turkey #39;s Long Wait for EU Entry Turkey has been knocking on the EUs door for more than 40 years, watching in frustration as other countries leapfrogged Ankara in the queue to join the Union.


label: 2 text: Royal Bank Hires Stymiest From TSX in Executive Shakeup Royal Bank of Canada Chief Executive Officer Gordon Nixon replaced three senior bankers and hired the head of the Toronto Stock Exchange, overhauling senior management at Canada #39;s largest bank after a slump in the US eroded profit.


label: 3 text: Firing may aid PeopleSoft in defending  #39;poison pill #39; Unceremoniously dumping CEO Craig Conway may help PeopleSoft Inc. successfully defend its  quot;poison pill quot; anti-takeover measures in court against would-be acquirer, Oracle Corp.


label: 3 text: Maurice Wilkins Maurice Wilkins, the molecular biologist who died on Tuesday aged 87, was the third and least well-known of the three scientists who in 1962 won the Nobel Prize for medicine for determining the structure of DNA, the molecule which carries the genetic code


label: 3 text: Fish agency lets dams off hook Columbia River Basin dam operations don #39;t jeopardize imperiled salmon and steelhead, according to a new biological opinion released Tuesday by the National Marine Fisheries Service.


label: 0 text: Prospect of North Korean Missile Launch 'Alarming' to Seoul South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon said Thursday that intelligence indicating a possible launch of a North Korean ballistic missile could set back diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.


label: 0 text: Grief in Russia Mixes With Harsh Words for Government As Russia began two days of national mourning for the victims of a school siege in North Ossetia, criticism mounted over the government #39;s handling of the wave of terrorism that


label: 1 text: Zee rejects plan for fresh bids, demands rights for \$260m MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 14: Zee TV has refused to accept the Bombay High Courts suggestion to call for fresh bids for cricket telecast rights, setting the stage for a legal battle.


label: 0 text: Reform Advocates in China Hope for a Birthday Present The Communist Party is using the 100th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping's birthday to emphasize the urgency of overhauling the one-party political system.


label: 3 text: Amazon and Microsoft Join in Lawsuit Against Spammers The joint lawsuit was filed yesterday in federal court in Seattle against Gold Disk Canada and its principals -- Barry, Eric and Matthew Head -- and accuses them of misusing Microsoft #39;s Hotmail


label: 1 text: Roundup: Purdue dubs Orton doubtful vs. Iowa Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton is questionable for Saturday #39;s game against Iowa with an injured left hip. Orton was injured in last week #39;s 13-10 loss at Northwestern.


label: 2 text: China Cracks Down on I-Cafes Internet cafes that fail to enforce the strict rules governing their use are being shut down by the government. Also: Companies worry that the spyware buck will stop with them   hellip;.  High-tech outsourcing to India continues    hellip;. and more.


label: 0 text: Broad Use of Harsh Tactics Is Described at Cuba Base Many detainees at Guantnamo Bay were regularly subjected to harsh and coercive treatment, several people who worked in the prison said in recent interviews.


label: 2 text: Oil, Gas Prices Help Chevron Earnings (Reuters) Reuters - ChevronTexaco Corp., the No. 2\U.S. oil company, on Friday reported a rise in quarterly\profit, pumped up by record oil and gas prices and gains on\asset sales.


label: 2 text: Boston Scientific Buys Stake in Reva Medical device maker Boston Scientific Corp. said Tuesday that it made an equity investment in Reva Medical Inc. and secured an exclusive option to purchase the privately held San Diego firm, which is developing


label: 0 text: Some Democrats Blame One of Their Own San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's decision in February to open City Hall to thousands of gay weddings has become a subject of considerable debate among Democrats.


label: 2 text: August Consumer Prices Up 0.1 Percent US consumer prices inched up just 0.1 percent last month as gasoline and car prices tumbled, the government said on Thursday in a report that suggested the Federal Reserve need not hurry to push interest rates higher.


label: 3 text: NetContinuum rolls Web app, Web services security Most IT Managers won #39;t question the importance of security, but this priority has been sliding between the third and fourth most important focus for companies.


label: 0 text: Palestinian PM Urges Tactical Rethink in Conflict (Reuters) Reuters - Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie\marked the anniversary of a Palestinian uprising against Israel\on Tuesday by calling on both sides to rethink tactics that\have brought four years of bloodshed.


label: 2 text: Gap Third-Quarter Earnings Tick Up 1 Pct  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clothing retailer Gap Inc. GPS.N  said on Thursday its third-quarter earnings ticked up 1  percent, hemmed in by lackluster sales at its Old Navy and   international Gap stores open at least a year.


label: 3 text: Frontier justice won #39;t stop the spam Sure, most of it reads like filthy gibberish. But the authors of this dreck are not semi-literate perverts. They #39;re cool, rational business folk who have found a sleazy but effective way to make a buck.


label: 0 text: Armored Vehicles Mass at Gaza Border JEBALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip - Armored vehicles massed on Gaza's border Friday after Israel's security Cabinet approved a large-scale military operation - dubbed "Days of Penitence" - to stop Palestinian rocket fire.    Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz had ordered troops to "exact a price" from the militants, security officials said, after a Hamas rocket killed two children, ages 2 and 4, in an Israeli border town...


label: 1 text: Sports Buzz Fultondale High School football coach Keith Register is probably right when he says he doesn #39;t expect everyone to understand why the Wildcats are forfeiting their last two games.


label: 1 text: Official: Tevez To Corinthians Goal.com had revealed earlier this week that the deal bringing Boca Juniors super-striker Tevez to Corinthians would be sealed by today, and this is precisely what happened.


label: 1 text: The two sides of Wenger Is the real Arsenal boss the fair-minded French Professor we have come to admire or the sore loser who is to face the FA today for calling Ruud van Nistelrooy  quot;a cheat quot;?


label: 3 text: Group Warns of Mount St. Helens Eruption (AP) AP - Mount St. Helens began rumbling more intensely Wednesday, prompting scientists to warn that a small or moderate eruption could happen in the next few days.


label: 2 text: Fannie Mae to Keep More Cash on Hand (Reuters) Reuters - Embattled mortgage finance company\Fannie Mae  agreed to keep billions of dollars more cash\on hand while it corrects accounting problems, its government\regulator said on Monday.


label: 2 text: Coca-Cola #39;s EU deal suggests shake-up of sales is real thing COCA-Colas agreement with the European Union is the first sign that new chief executive Neville Isdells painfully slow reform of the company may at last be getting under way.


label: 1 text: Astros #39; aces trump Braves #39; depth Before the Braves-Astros series began, the conventional wisdom was that the Astros deserved the nod as favorites -- even though they barely squeaked into the playoffs and won fewer games than Atlanta.


label: 2 text: Nortel details its job cuts, including 1,400 in US TORONTO -- Nortel Networks yesterday gave details of a previously announced job cut program, saying it is cutting 1,400 positions in the United States by next June.


label: 3 text: Microsoft Claims Mozilla Firefox Not a Threat to IE ZDNet Australia is reporting that Microsoft does not believe Mozilla Firefox is a threat to Internet Explorer. Steve Vamos, who heads the software giant #39;s Austrialian operation, does not believe IE #39;s market share is under attack from Firefox.


label: 2 text: Judge tosses 15 of 19 new campaign finance rules WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- A federal judge found Monday that new rules from the Federal Election Commission did not follow the intent of lawmakers who wrote a sweeping new law designed to change the way politicians raise money, creating uncertainty for


label: 0 text: African Union Ready to Send GIs to Darfur (AP) AP - A top African Union official said Wednesday the 53-nation group is ready to move thousands of troops to Sudan's western region of Darfur within days if it gets logistical support from Western nations and the United Nations "especially."


label: 2 text: Interbrew Ambev Buy Wins Shareholder OK  BRUSSELS/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Shareholders gave their  blessing on Friday for Belgium's Interbrew INTB.BR to buy  Brazil's AmBev AMBV4.SA ABV.N in a deal valued at about 8  billion euros (\$9.7 billion) that will create the world's  largest brewer.


label: 2 text: ConocoPhillips Set to Win \$1.9 Bln Sale of Russian Lukoil Stake ConocoPhillips, the third-largest US oil company by sales, is set to pay at least \$1.9 billion for the Russian government #39;s remaining stake in OAO Lukoil, the nation #39;s largest oil producer.


label: 0 text: Turkish Parliament Fails to Pass Reforms ANKARA, Turkey Sept. 18, 2004 - Turkey #39;s parliament adjourned Saturday without passing a key reform package because of divisions over the government #39;s proposal to make adultery a crime, bringing warnings


label: 1 text: Glove will lend hand: Payton #39;s arrival changes C #39;s Gary Payton has probably tolerated more unappealing tasks, like eating his spinach when he was 10 or sharing the Lakers #39; sandbox with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O #39;Neal last spring.


label: 3 text: Intel preaches gospel of mobile diversity Analysis Standardised phones? Pah!


label: 1 text: Arsenal draw 2-2 with Panathinaikos Poland striker Emmanuel Olisadebe came off the bench to earn Panathinaikos a 2-2 draw with Arsenal with a late equaliser in their Champions League Group E match.


label: 3 text: UK Gives VoIP Its Own Area Code Ofcom, the United Kingdom #39;s regulatory agency for telecommunications, revealed plans to facilitate voice over IP in the residental market, including a new prefix for broadband numbers.


label: 0 text: Government building in southern Russia seized in protest over multiple slaying (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia (AP) - Hundreds of protesters ransacked and occupied the regional administration building in a southern Russian province Tuesday, demanding the resignation of the region's president, whose former son-in-law has been linked to a multiple slaying.


label: 3 text: Business News for Technology Leaders Judge Cuts Legal Fees in <b>...</b> Lawyers in a California class action suit against Microsoft will get less than half the payout they had hoped for. A judge in San Francisco ruled that the attorneys will collect only \$112.


label: 0 text: Britains Prince Harry scuffles with photographer outside <b>...</b> LONDON - Prince Harry, fast gaining a reputation as Britains most unruly royal, was involved in a scuffle with a photographer outside a London nightclub early Thursday, palace officials and witnesses said.


label: 3 text: Tech Briefs The United Kingdom #39;s Advertising Standards Authority, a self-regulating agency for the advertising industry, upheld complaints alleging that a Microsoft Corp.


label: 3 text: Arrest made in Cisco source code theft Police in the U.K. have arrested a man in connection with the theft of source code from networking equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc. in May, a Scotland Yard spokeswoman confirmed Friday.


label: 2 text: Australia #39;s API Buys New Price Chain For A\$112.4M -2 MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (API.AU) said Monday it agreed to buy health, beauty and lifestyle retailer New Price Retail for A\$112.


label: 3 text: Apple In Battle For ITunes Address A 22 year-old from London, England has made life a little difficult for computer company Apple. In an effort to secure the rights to the .


label: 0 text: Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian Man Approaching Jewish Settlement <b>...</b> Israeli troops Monday shot and killed a Palestinian man near a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said soldiers shot the man, as he approached the settlement of Gush Katif.


label: 1 text: Red Sox Nation thrives in California Standing in his rhinestone-studded Elvis suit with a Massachusetts license plate dangling from his neck and a Boston Red Sox hat on


label: 1 text: Another step along the way The unofficial exhibition season disclaimer for defending champions and lottery teams alike reads as follows:


label: 3 text: Four Studios Give Backing to a Format for DVD #39;s A group of companies led by the Toshiba Corporation made a major advance in the effort to define a new DVD standard as Paramount and three other Hollywood studios announced on


label: 3 text: Sniffing worm snoops network PCs The latest variant of the SDbot worm contain network-sniffing software that enables it to retrieve passwords from other computers connected to the target PC.


label: 1 text: Tennis / Close but no cigar as Ram tests Youzhny Andy Ram came close to pulling off the biggest upset of his singles career when he stretched No. 4 seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4) in the first round of the \$1 million St.


label: 1 text: Smith doubtful for second Test South Africa captain Graeme Smith is a doubtful starter for the second Test match against India starting from Sunday in Kolkata.  quot;He hurt his foot in the morning.


label: 1 text: Henman thrives on lone mission FOR so long written off as a perennial contender at Wimbledon but nowhere else, Tim Henman has stood convention on its head this year.


label: 3 text: Kodak, Sun settle potential \$1B lawsuit (October 7, 2004) - Eastman Kodak Co. and Sun Microsystems Inc. have settled their contentious legal dispute over Java programming language, skirting a trial on financial damages that could have brought Kodak more than \$1 billion.


label: 2 text: Big Blue Turns Green with Grid Computing Deal IBM (Quote, Chart) revealed a number of supercomputing projects from its Deep Computing unit, which should whet the appetites of those following the 12th Global Grid Forum (GGF) in Brussels, Belgium, next week.


label: 1 text: Get smart, baseball; start stricter testing Major League Baseball players finally came to their senses this week, telling their lawyers to reach an agreement on tougher testing for steroids.


label: 2 text: Continental Air to Cut Jobs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Continental Airlines Inc.  CAL.N  said on Thursday it plans to cut about 425 management and  clerical jobs through staff reductions, attrition and the  elimination of unfilled positions to save about \$200 million in  pretax costs.


label: 2 text: Bankers lose US extradition fight A TEAM of NatWest investment bankers, the  #39;Enron Three #39;, today lost their fight to avoid extradition to the United States to stand trial on fraud charges.


label: 1 text: Tapp Tops Hokie 'D' Defensive end Darryl Tapp ranks among the ACC's sack leaders and as a result, has yet to relinquish the Hokie defense's most prized possession: the pail.


label: 0 text: Three Palestinians killed in Gaza Armed Hamas activist, two teenagers killed during Israeli army raid into north of Gaza Strip. GAZA CITY - Three Palestinians, including an armed Hamas activist, were killed Wednesday during an Israeli army


label: 0 text: Bhuttos husband released from jail KARACHI, Pakistan - After eight years in jail on corruption charges, the husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was released on bail Monday, an official said, in a move the government heralded as a step toward political harmony with her


label: 1 text: France #39;s Rothen out for two months with ankle fracture French international midfielder Jerome Rothen, forced out of Paris St Germain #39;s 2-0 victory over Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday, will be out for two months with an ankle fracture, PSG said on their website.


label: 2 text: Dollar Steadies After Rally on Fed Talk  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar paused on Tuesday after a  steep rally in the previous session as investors waited to see  if forthcoming data would reinforce the Federal Reserve's  optimism in the U.S. recovery.


label: 1 text: Reports: Expos move imminent NEW YORK (Ticker) -- The Montreal Expos have a home and Washington DC once again has a team. According to numerous reports, Major League Baseball formally will announce Wednesday that the Expos will be relocated


label: 1 text: China opens up for an Olympian effort FOR most spectators in the Olympic stadium, the lavish closing ceremony in Athens last night was a chance to revel in the self-congratulation and relief that traditionally comprise end-of-games euphoria.


label: 0 text: Hopes fade for trapped miners THE death toll in a coal mine explosion in central China has risen to 63, with 103 miners still missing. The Government said yesterday an underground fire and toxic fumes from the blast hampered rescue work.


label: 0 text: Terrorist suspects  #39;planned huge blast in Madrid #39; Eight suspected terrorists arrested in Spain this week were planning to bomb the national court in Madrid, police said yesterday. The suicide attack on the building, a nerve


label: 1 text: That #39;s one big fat Greek goodbye ATHENSGreece said goodbye to the XXVIII Olympiad last night, staging an uproarious farewell pageant under the glow of a full moon, replete with security blimps and a swarm of police helicopters swirling overhead.


label: 2 text: Vodafone Australia to share 3G network with Optus SYDNEY, AustraliaFollowing a similar announcement by rivals earlier this month, Vodafone Australia and Optus said they agreed to share third-generation network sites and infrastructure.


label: 0 text: HK Paper Adds Fuel to Speculation China #39;s Jiang Out Secrecy shrouded a meeting of China #39;s Communist Party for a third day Saturday, but a Hong Kong newspaper added to speculation that military chief Jiang Zemin would


label: 2 text: Time Warner and Comcast Discuss Bid for Adelphia Comcast said it was in talks with Time Warner to make a joint bid for Adelphia, which has been operating under bankruptcy protection.


label: 3 text: Microsoft splashes cash on anti-spyware firm Microsoft said it plans to offer tools based on Giant #39;s technology that will help protect Windows PCs from spyware and other deceptive software.


label: 0 text: The next president could tip high court (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - This election's potential impact on the Supreme Court has seemed to be an afterthought, but the stakes for the court and the law are even higher now than they were in 2000. The prospect of a change on the court is greater and the replacement of one justice could affect the law on hot issues.


label: 2 text: Giant insurer under investigation AIG, the world's largest insurer,  is the target of a criminal investigation, accused of helping a client commit fraud.


label: 2 text: GM to invest \$200 mln in Saturn plant SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - General Motors said late Thursday that it plans to invest \$200 million to upgrade and expand its Fairfax, Kansas manufacturing plant for production of the 2007 Saturn midsize car, which will begin in the second half of 2006.


label: 0 text: U.S. Rolls Into Softball Gold-Medal Game ATHENS, Greece - Right now, the Americans aren't just a Dream Team - they're more like the Perfect Team. Lisa Fernandez pitched a three-hitter Sunday and Crystl Bustos drove in two runs as the Americans rolled to their eighth shutout in eight days, 5-0 over Australia, putting them into the gold-medal game against the Aussies...


label: 0 text: In Imphal, PM makes it a point to meet women who stripped to send <b>...</b> IMPHAL, NOVEMBER 21: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may not have been able to honour all requests from Manipuri groups keen to meet him but he did manage time from his busy schedule to spend time with some of the Meirapaibies (torch bearers), the women who


label: 2 text: US Stocks Up, Ford Forecast Gives a Lift (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. blue chips advanced on Friday\after Ford Motor Co.  raised its earnings forecasts, while\wireless technology provider Qualcomm Inc.  limited\gains on the Nasdaq after saying an accounting review may\reduce pretax income.


label: 1 text: Knockdowns not enough as Golota loses to Ruiz NEW YORK -- This was everything Andrew Golota could have hoped for. It was the last, best hope for the Chicagoan to become heavyweight champion of the world.


label: 3 text: Calif. to Sue Diebold Over False Claims (Reuters) Reuters - California Attorney General Bill\Lockyer said on Tuesday he would sue electronic voting machine\maker Diebold Inc.  on charges it defrauded the state\with false claims about its products.


label: 0 text: DRC FORCES ALERT AS CIVILIANS FLEE The Democratic Republic of Congo has placed it troops on alert and is deploying soldiers to the east of the country, after reports that Rwandan troops have infiltrated the area.


label: 1 text: Connecticut 29, Pittsburgh 17 Cornell Brockington rushed for 185 yards and one touchdown Thursday night to lead Connecticut to a 29-17 victory over Pittsburgh, the Huskies #39; first Big East win as a conference member.


label: 0 text: 'Biological' kidney implant hope The first human trial of an artificial 'bio' kidney offers \hope of a working implant for patients, say experts.


label: 2 text: Former Air Force Official Convicted Ex-Air Force official Darleen Druyun pleaded guilty earlier this year to a criminal conspiracy charge for her role in a deal that gave her a lucrative job with Boeing.


label: 2 text: Pfizer #39;s Celebrex is under a cloud Pfizer (PFE) said Friday that is has received new information about the cardiovascular safety of its popular arthritis drug Celebrex, based on an analysis of a long-term cancer trial.


label: 3 text: Handheld Gaming Goes Wireless After flocking to design games for the Nintendo DS, developers are eager to exploit the device's wireless capabilities. First up are local network multiplayer games; in the pipeline is wireless gameplay over the net. By Daniel Terdiman.


label: 2 text: United Needs \$500 Million More in Cuts nearly 8 percent of its 2003 operating expenses -- even if it terminates its pension plans, which the government estimates are underfunded by \$8.


label: 0 text: Maryland Court Rejects Electronic-Voting Challenge (Reuters) Reuters - Maryland's highest court has\rejected a challenge to the state's electronic voting system\and upheld a ruling that touchscreen-style voting machines\provide a reasonable level of ballot security.


label: 1 text: Yeading determined to ruffle Magpies #39; feathers A team managed by Johnson  #39;Drax #39; Hippolyte with a star striker known as DJ Campbell playing at a ground used in the movie Bend It Like Beckham -- welcome to Yeading FC.


label: 3 text: Stubborn Storm Hangs On in Busy Hurricane Season Two storms have revived, with Hurricane Ivan lashing Louisiana again and Hurricane Jeanne appearing to head for, yes, Florida.


label: 0 text: US tobacco firms set for trial A \$280bn (156bn) government lawsuit against the largest cigarette manufacturers in the United States begins on Tuesday with both sides confident of victory.


label: 2 text: Update 1: Verizon Wireless to Buy NextWave Licenses Verizon Wireless is buying cellular capacity for 23 markets from bankrupt NextWave Telecom Inc. for \$3 billion, ending the government #39;s long tug-of-war over the never-used licenses and bolstering Verizon against


label: 2 text: Mirant works to emerge from bankruptcy ATLANTA -- Energy supplier Mirant Corp. hopes to emerge from bankruptcy in the first half of next year, the company said Thursday as it appointed a chief restructuring officer to oversee the process.


label: 3 text: Napster to Provide Mobile Ringtones Napster, one of the world #39;s most well known music downloading services, has signed a lucrative deal with Dwango Wireless that could see a mobile phone capable of downloading ringtones from Napster by 2005.


label: 2 text: Consumer Confidence Plummets in August Consumer confidence, which had been on the rise since April, declined unexpectedly sharply in August, a private research group said today.


label: 0 text: Japan to Seek Missile Info at Talks with N.Korea Japan will seek an explanation at weekend talks with North Korea on activity indicating Pyongyang may be preparing a missile test, although Tokyo does not think a launch is imminent, Japan #39;s top government spokesman said.


label: 1 text: Rousing reception eases pain of defeat for Rijkaard Former AC Milan favourite Frank Rijkaard took some consolation from the warm welcome he received on his return to the San Siro where his Barcelona team lost 1-0 in the Champions League.


label: 3 text: Firefox e-mail program free and feature-packed Q:I am now happily using Mozilla Firefox for Web browsing instead of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Now I wonder whether I should also switch to Mozilla #39;s free e-mail program.


label: 0 text: Germany Says Italy #39;s UN Stance Will Hurt Europe Germany said on Saturday that Italy #39;s opposition to its campaign for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council could mean Europe loses out.


label: 3 text: Global Chip Gear Sales Seen Down 5.15 Percent in 2005  MAKUHARI, Japan (Reuters) - Global sales of equipment used  to make and test semiconductors are expected to fall 5.15  percent from a year earlier to \$33.49 billion in 2005, an  industry group said on Wednesday.


label: 1 text: Story of a century: Zippy' loses 100th NORTHAMPTON -- Zippy Chippy, thoroughbred racing's all-time loser, lost his 100th race in 100 career starts yesterday, finishing last in an eight-horse field at the Three-County Fairgrounds in Northampton.


label: 2 text: Oil prices up on Yukos woes NEW YORK -- Oil prices broke above \$46 yesterday after Russian oil giant Yukos said it would cut some oil shipments to China, the first toll on exports from the company's financial turmoil.


label: 2 text: FDA under fire First, Vioxx was pulled from the market. Now attention turns to five other drugs, which deserve scrutiny, a Food and Drug Administration scientist warned Congress this week.


label: 2 text: West Africa currency switch looms The eight west African states that use the CFA franc prepare to replace their banknotes in an effort to halt counterfeiting.


label: 3 text: Consumer Group Calls for Probe of 'Rip-Off' ITunes (Reuters) Reuters - Apple Computer Corp. is charging its\British iTunes customers 17 percent more per download than its\European customers, a consumer watchdog group said on\Wednesday.


label: 3 text:  #39;Google #39; Your Cluttered Computer Online search-engine leader Google is targeting the computer hard drive with software that promises to scour the clutter of documents, e-mails, instant messages and other stored files.


label: 3 text: Eyetrack service lets us look at you looking at us (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - You may not devote a great deal of thought to just how you go about digesting the content of web pages, but it can be of vital interest to the designer of a Web site. Eyetrack introduces visitors to both the means and results of measuring our most fundamental interaction with the Internet.


label: 3 text: Napster founder introduces new file-sharing service Shawn Fanning, founder of Napster, worlds first file trading peer-to-peer network, is back in full force to legalize music swapping with his new venture.


label: 3 text: Microsoft launches desktop search tool US software company Microsoft has launched a beta version of its MSN Toolbar Suite, with desktop search functionality that can help users find documents, media files or e-mail messages on their PCs.


label: 3 text: iMac, iPod, iConquered (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - For Apple Computer, will 2004 be remembered as a transformative year?


label: 3 text: Global warming severest in Arctic: study A comprehensive scientific study of the Arctic climate has confirmed what Canadian Dene and Inuit have been saying for years: the North is melting, and faster all the time.


label: 3 text: Angst Over Anglers In a study published Friday, a team of marine biologists finds that sport fishing accounts for nearly one-fourth of the total catch for the commercially valuable species the federal government most worries about conserving.


label: 3 text: Intel, LG to work on single wireless broadband standard The chief executive officers of Intel Corp. and LG Electronics Inc. agreed on Monday to work together towards creating a single international standard for wireless broadband Internet access.


label: 0 text: South Africa Arrests One in WMDs, Nuclear Probe  JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - South African  authorities have arrested one person in an investigation into  contraventions of laws on weapons of mass destruction and  nuclear energy, the government said Thursday.


label: 1 text: Australia Leads by 300 in Test After Dismissing India for 185 Australia reached 87-1 after dismissing India for 185 to lead by 300 runs at tea on day three of the third cricket Test at Nagpur, edging the top-ranked team closer to a first series win in India in 35 years.


label: 3 text: Gateway To Ship New, Cooler Desktops (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - The first in a new series of desktop PCs from Gateway will become available later this week, says the company.


label: 2 text: US seeks new pact with EU that bans aerospace subsidies US trade negotiators will deliver a firm message to their European counterparts this morning in Brussels, Belgium: The Bush administration wants to scrap a 12-year-old aerospace trade pact and craft a wholly new accord that bars government loans, two


label: 2 text: City comment The figures were not Stuart Rose #39;s fault, but if ever there was an occasion for a little humility, this was surely it. Instead, the new chief executive of Marks  amp; Spencer gave us his Brian Clough moment.


label: 0 text: Support grows for Blair to keep British troops in Iraq: poll (AFP) AFP - Support for Prime Minister Tony Blair's policy of keeping British troops in Iraq until a  quot;stable democracy quot; is ensured has increased over the past three months, according to an opinion poll published.


label: 3 text: Honor your sysadmin...be quiet Did you feel that extra jolt of electricity in the air when you arrived at work today? Yes, it's...


label: 0 text: US says Zarqawi loyalty to al-Qaida real An Islamic Web site posting in which Abu Musab al-Zarqawi #39;s militants declare loyalty to Osama bin Laden has been deemed credible by US officials.


label: 1 text: Greece brought back to earth Greece, whose European Championship triumph stunned football only two months ago, suffered a rapid fall from grace when they were beaten by Albania in their opening qualifier for the 2006 World Cup.


label: 1 text: Wheatley expects to miss 2-to-4 weeks with shoulder injury Oakland Raiders running back Tyrone Wheatley expects to miss 2-to-4 weeks with a shoulder injury.  quot;I #39;ve seen better days, quot; Wheatley told Sacramento radio station KHTK on Wednesday.


label: 1 text: Dent proof: Novak victorious in Tokyo Tokyo, Japan (Sports Network) - Fifth-seeded Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic sent seventh-seeded American Taylor Dent packing with a tough victory in Sunday #39;s final at the \$775,000 Japan Open.


label: 3 text: Microsoft Sets 2006 Target for Next Windows Version  SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O said on Friday  it will ship the next version of Windows in 2006, but  scaled  back plans to include a new system for finding and storing  information in its flagship operating system.


label: 3 text: P2P for cell phones: Reach out and share something Next year, wireless operators will debut ways to share a favorite ring tone. But don't expect a Napster free-for-all.


label: 0 text: GE Chief Bullish on Russian Investment (AP) AP - Russia's energy and rail transport industries are prime for investment by Western investors, the head of U.S. manufacturing and financial giant General Electric Co. said Thursday.


label: 0 text: Kerry: Bush, Cheney in Denial About Iraq Democratic Sen. John Kerry said Thursday that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have failed to recognize a deteriorating situation in post-war Iraq and "may well be the last two people on the planet who won't face the truth."


label: 0 text: Bahamians Recover From Deadly Frances (AP) AP - Bahamians emerged Sunday from 48 hours of roaring winds and severe flooding to witness the destruction left by Hurricane Frances: wrecked homes and collapsed roofs, yards littered with mangled trees.


label: 0 text: War Criminal Opens EU Doors for Serbia EU diplomats said Sunday that the transfer of a Bosnian Serb genocide suspect to the UN war crimes tribunal will lead to closer ties between the EU and Serbia and Montenegro.


label: 3 text: Millions in the Americas watch lunar eclipse Millions of people in the Americas stayed up on Wednesday to observe a total lunar eclipse that bathed the moon in a coppery red glow and gave scientists a chance to study the Earths atmosphere.


label: 1 text: Twists abound as Raiders meet  #39;Raiders East #39; The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been dubbed  quot;Raiders East, quot; after former Oakland general manager Bruce Allen joined them this season, two years after ex-Raiders coach Jon Gruden jumped coasts.


label: 1 text: Lynch set for return to Tampa It #39;s not quite Raymond Bourque returning to Boston in a Colorado Avalanche sweater, but it #39;s close. Put it this way: if John Lynch gets another Super Bowl


label: 1 text: Serie A Wrap: Udinese Win, Lazio Stage Comeback Paolo Di Canio inspired Lazios second-half comeback as they rescued a point in a 3-3 draw with Lecce at the Olympic Stadium. The draw may not have eased the pressure on Mimmo Caso, but it should certainly


label: 0 text: Independent Probe Sought in Abu Ghraib Case (AP) AP - Amnesty International on Wednesday renewed its call for the United States to set up an independent investigation of the abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan, at Guantanamo Bay and at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.


label: 0 text: Powell and Governor of Florida Arrive in Bangkok The four-day trip through the region is designed to assure nations devastated by the tsunami of the United States' support.


label: 0 text: African Leaders Call for Ivory Coast Arms Embargo An African crisis summit to discuss unrest in Ivory Coast on Sunday called for an immediate UN arms embargo on both sides in the conflict, as the Ivorian government moved to rebuild its air force.


label: 3 text: Researcher Finds Flaws in XP SP2 German research firm Heise Security has issued an advisory for a pair of security flaws in Microsoft #39;s (Quote, Chart) recently shipped Windows XP Service Pack 2 with a warning that attackers could launch malicious files from an untrusted zone.


label: 0 text: 45 aid workers rescued from Darfur An African Union helicopter rescued 45 aid workers, 30 from the Save the Children organization, amid renewed fighting in Sudan #39;s Darfur region Monday.


label: 1 text: Giant win added to Browns' miseries EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With the way Kurt Warner and Michael Strahan played, the New York Giants never had to worry about a letdown against the injury-ravaged Cleveland Browns.


label: 3 text: Call Of The SMB: Cisco Ties VoIP To Microsoft CRM Cisco Systems #39; collaboration with Microsoft to target the SMB market is starting to bear fruit as the networking vendor Monday launched a new application that integrates Microsoft CRM with its VoIP platform.


label: 3 text: FCC approves first software-defined radio SAN FRANCISCO - A technology that could transform wireless communications got a boost on Friday when the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced its first approval of a software-defined radio.


label: 2 text: Syed Mokhtar wins bid battle Syed Mokhtar, a Malaysian tycoon, appears to have won a takeover battle for motor vehicle and banking group DRB-Hicom after his bid was supported by prime minister Abdullah Badawi in a surprise decision.


label: 1 text: Ball Notes - Red Sox 3, Orioles 2: At Boston, Mark Bellhorn singled in two runs in the bottom of the ninth as the Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak after nearly blowing the game in the top of the inning.


label: 2 text: Unions  #39;close to BA deal #39; Union negotiators today claimed they were close to agreeing a pay deal with British Airways to avoid a bank holiday strike and the resulting travel chaos.


label: 0 text: Nationalists Strong in Bosnia Poll Count  SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Bosnia's main Muslim, Serb and Croat  nationalist parties were ahead in local polls, partial results  showed on Sunday, but voter turnout fell below 50 percent for  the first time.


label: 3 text: Yahoo! wraps up carrier deals with Nextel account Yahoo! Inc. launched a package of Internet-based wireless applications for Nextel Communications Inc. subscribers, the companies announced Tuesday.


label: 0 text: Arab allies discuss Lebanon vote Egypt's president makes a hurriedly arranged visit to Syria a day after a divisive debate in the Arab League.


label: 3 text: Ex-Astronaut Casts Doubt on Space Tourism (AP) AP - Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon during the final Apollo landing, said Thursday he doesn't expect space tourism to become reality in the near future, despite a strong demand.


label: 2 text: Airline tops estimates on Orbitz gains, sees 2005 loss Continental Airlines on Tuesday posted a third quarter loss and said it sees itself losing money in 2005 as well. Free! Sign up here to receive our Weekly Roundup e-Newsletter!


label: 3 text: LogicLibrary buys BugScan Software asset management tools vendor LogicLibrary on Wednesday plans to announce its acquisition of BugScan, which provides security analysis capabilities to identify code vulnerabilities before application deployment.


label: 2 text: Treasuries Plunge on Huge Payrolls Rise (Reuters) Reuters - Treasuries prices plunged on Friday\after a startlingly strong U.S. jobs report confounded\speculation the Federal Reserve might soon pause in its rate\hikes.


label: 0 text: Colonial Tensions Reemerge in Ivory Coast Young Ivorians embrace anti-French sentiment and struggle to break ties with the colonial master.


label: 3 text: Microsoft debuts beta version of Desktop Search tool Microsoft today launched a beta version of its desktop search tool. This tool is ment to find documents, e-mail and other files stored on your own HDD.


label: 2 text: Fannie Mae hit with fresh lawsuit WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Another group of investors hit beleaguered mortgage giant Fannie Mae with a lawsuit late Friday, charging the company hurt shareholders by deliberately misrepresenting earnings.


label: 0 text: Jordan denies 'secret US prison' Jordan demands proof of a claim that senior al-Qaeda suspects are being held at a secret US base in the country.


label: 1 text: Saints' Haslett Aims to Stay but Might Not (AP) AP - For a man whose job is on the line and whose team is on the skids, New Orleans Saints coach Jim Haslett was relaxed Monday.


label: 2 text: Corporate tax bill agreement reached On Monday, the US Senate reached the deal over long-playing tax bill costing \$136 billion. The deal is expected to allow to vote over the bill of \$136 billion tax breaks, \$14.


label: 0 text: Ukraine Speaker: Keep Poisoning Out of Campaign (Reuters) Reuters - Ukraine's influential parliament speaker\called on Monday for a scandal over the poisoning of opposition\leader Viktor Yushchenko to be kept out of the country's\presidential election campaign.


label: 2 text: Yen Rises from Lows, Oil Still a Threat  LONDON (Reuters) - The yen rose from a 6-week low against  the dollar and 4-month lows versus the euro on Wednesday as oil  prices backed off record highs, while the euro maintained its  grip on recent gains against the greenback.


label: 1 text: Sri Lanka frustrate sloppy Pakistan Karachi, Pakistan - Sri Lankan tailenders on Monday frustrated butter-fingered Pakistani fielders on the fifth and final day of the second cricket Test.


label: 0 text: Myanmar junta putting Aung San Suu Kyi #39;s health at risk: Oppn Myanmar #39;s Opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party accused the military regime of endangering party leader Aung San Suu Kyi #39;s life by restricting her access to a doctor and non-junta security.


label: 0 text: Italy reacts with horror at hostage killing in Iraq ROME - Italy reacted with horror Friday at the killing of an Italian hostage in Iraq, while the Italian government insisted it would stay the course in the Middle Eastern country.


label: 3 text: TV Viewers 'Love' Their Digital Video Recorders (Reuters) Reuters - Perhaps it didn't take a\scientific study, but Forrester Research has determined that\folks love their digital video recorders (DVR) and hate\commercials.


label: 2 text: JP Morgan Loses a Veteran Dina Dublon, chief financial officer of JP Morgan Chase (JPM ), announced on Sept. 21 that she would be leaving by yearend. Considered one of the most powerful women on Wall Street, Dublon #39;s departure is a


label: 3 text: Former Bush adviser returns to cybersecurity WASHINGTON - Howard Schmidt, a highly regarded technology executive who was former special adviser to US President George W. Bush for cybersecurity, is returning to work with the Homeland Security Department on efforts to protect the nation #39;s computer


label: 3 text: Java integration spec pushed Sun Microsystems and several other vendors on Wednesday will release an early draft of a specification intended to ease integration of Java-based systems, but IBM and BEA Systems have dropped out of participation in the effort.


label: 1 text: Hard Labour Pays Off for World Number One Singh If success is earned by those who work the hardest, then newly crowned world number one Vijay Singh is a shining example. It has been a long, and often grueling, global


label: 3 text: Evolution made humans marathon runners We are born to run. According to new research, our bodies are highly evolved for running long distances, an ability that allowed our ancestors to conquer the African savannahs.


label: 3 text: Novell launches Linux Desktop for enterprise market NEW YORK, November 8 (newratings.com) - Novell Inc (NOVL.NAS) has launched a new Linux desktop operating system, Desktop 9, targeted at enterprise customers.


label: 0 text: Mayor Recommits to Ambitious Recycling Pact The Bloomberg administration announced today that it will sign a 20-year contract with one of the nation's largest recycling companies, a move that assures the city's broad recommitment to recycling.


label: 1 text: Phillies #39; Florida futility is finally over After losing 14 straight in Miami, the Phils, led by Cory Lidle #39;s stellar pitching, triumphed over the Marlins. By Todd Zolecki.


label: 0 text: Ohio Still Counting Provisional Ballots (AP) AP - Thanks to John Kerry's concession speech, Ohio's election workers don't exactly have the eyes of the nation on them, but their job of checking and counting the state's provisional ballots is as difficult and time-consuming as ever.


label: 2 text: Finding what works for handling piggy bank (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Personal finance software programs are the computer industry's version of veggies: Everyone knows they're good for you, but it's just hard to get anyone excited about them.


label: 3 text: Veritas releases OpForce 4.0 Veritas Software on Monday will announce a new version of its OpForce provisioning software designed to make it easier for administrators to install and manage applications, as well as operating systems, on servers.


label: 2 text: Shrinking Coverage  Employer-paid health care for retired workers has been growing sharply more expensive, and the number of companies willing to provide it continues to shrink.


label: 3 text: 'Funner' worm slithers through MSN Messenger Security researchers warned Monday of a new worm, dubbed "Funner," targeting Microsoft Corp.'s MSN Messenger IM (instant messaging) system.


label: 3 text: NASA Infrared Images May Provide Volcano Clues NASA -- NASA scientists took infrared (IR) digital images of Mount Saint Helens' last week. The images revealed signs of heat below the surface one day before the volcano erupted last Friday in southern Washington...


label: 0 text: Twin Bus Bombings in Israel Kill at Least 15 and Wound Dozens The Palestinian militant group Hamas reportedly took responsibility for the near-simultaneous blasts.


label: 1 text: Jaguar and Ford Pull Out of Formula One Jaguar will pull out of Formula One at the end of 2004, with parent company Ford #39;s engine maker Cosworth also up for sale. Ford #39;s bombshell announcement on Friday has huge


label: 2 text: SBC to sell cable-like TV service WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- SBC Communications on Wednesday became the second major local phone carrier to unveil plans to offer cable-like television services.


label: 0 text: Captain Ordered Off UK Warship and Sent Home  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's defense ministry has taken the  highly unusual step of ordering a navy captain to leave his  ship and return to the UK to face an investigation.


label: 2 text: Morgan Stanley cracks in 3Q Investment bank misses estimates as trading income plunges, other units fail to pick up the slack. By Rob Cox, Breakingviews. LONDON (Breakingviews) - Morgan Stanley is the first to slip.


label: 1 text: Raines joins White Sox as coach Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - The Chicago White Sox hired former major leaguer Tim Raines as the club #39;s first base/baserunning coach on Monday.


label: 0 text: Burmese 'forgotten,' aid workers say BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thai survivors of Asia's tsunami disaster have complained they are second-class victims, with foreign tourists getting the best care. Now aid officials say a third class of victims in Thailand has emerged: migrant workers from Burma.


label: 2 text: Airlines may incur US\$5bil loss this year GENEVA: International airlines are heading for a near US\$5bil loss this year, largely due to the rise in oil prices, the industrys global body said on Tuesday.


label: 2 text: Unisys plans to cut 1,400 workers Unisys Corp. plans to cut 1,400 jobs, or nearly 4 percent of its work force, and consolidate some facility space, moves that will help yield annualized savings of about \$70 million a year by 2005.


label: 0 text: Women Voters Enter San Diego Mayoral Fray (AP) AP - The League of Women Voters of San Diego asked a court Wednesday to require that all votes cast for a maverick mayoral write-in candidate be counted, including ballots on which voters failed to fill in the circle next to her name.


label: 1 text: Is Gretzky going to coach the Coyotes when NHL resumes? After a summer in which they didn #39;t seriously interview a single candidate for the vacant position, why are the Coyotes still the only NHL team without a permanent head coach in place?


label: 0 text: Churches Bombed in Baghdad A series of bombings damaged five churches in the capital early Saturday, and mortars later struck near a hospital and a hotel used by foreign news organizations and diplomats, Iraqi officials said.


label: 3 text: Infineon Execs Plead Guilty to Price-Fixing Four Infineon (Quote, Chart) executives agreed to plead guilty to charges they conspired to fix prices in the computer memory sector, officials said Thursday.


label: 0 text: Israel Kills 3 Palestinians in Major Gaza Raid  JABALYA, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed three  Palestinians on Wednesday after storming into north Gaza for  the third time in as many months to quell Palestinian rocket  fire into Israel.


label: 0 text: More abductions in Iraq BAGHDAD, Iraq - Six Egyptian engineers working for the mobile telephone company that provides service to central Iraq have been abducted in the past several days, prompting a company official to warn that the phone network would shut down if its remaining


label: 1 text: India in command Chittagong, Bangladesh - Opener Gautam Gambhir slammed his maiden Test century and Rahul Dravid notched his 18th hundred to put India in command Friday on the opening day of the second cricket Test against Bangladesh.


label: 1 text: Greek Weightlifter Out Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis is stripped of his bronze medal and expelled from the Olympics for a doping offense.


label: 3 text: Riders Segway Through the Zoo Fans of the Segway -- the gyroscopically controlled scooter that has been banned on many sidewalks -- are taking solace in the company of other enthusiasts. In San Francisco, this extends to the animal kingdom, as Segway users commandeer a zoo. By Rachel Metz.


label: 3 text: ViewSonic Delves Into Video Networking (PC World) PC World - Send your video throughout your house--wirelessly--with new gateways and media adapters.


label: 0 text: Sketches From the Front: An Artist's Dispatches, Rendered in Ink and Paint A New York painter, Steve Mumford, has been embedded with military units in Iraq on and off since April 2003.


label: 2 text: Williams-Sonoma Lowers 4th-Qtr. Forecast  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Williams-Sonoma Inc. WSM.N on  Thursday posted a rise in third-quarter earnings, but the  housewares retailer lowered its fourth-quarter forecast, citing  volatile sales trends and demand for furniture that is  outstripping supply.


label: 0 text: Kidnappers behead British hostage Fulfilling the worst nightmares of a British family, kidnappers Friday released a video showing their beheading of Kenneth Bigley, a contractor seized from his Baghdad


label: 2 text: More Flaws With Microsoft PC users might look at competitors after dealing with patches for patches.


label: 3 text: Oracle Extends Bid for PeopleSoft Oracle has extended its \$21-per-share tender offer to PeopleSoft #39;s shareholders, which was due to expire this week. The new deadline is September 10th.


label: 3 text: Juniper engineers depart for start-up Two of the company's top engineers, who helped develop its flagship product, decide to start up their own operation.


label: 1 text: Notes: Sturtze plays new role Tanyon Sturtze has filled several roles for the Yankees this season, from a long-relief mop-up man to a spot starter. But Sturtze added setup man to his resume on Wednesday


label: 2 text: TELECOM: FT, REORGANISATION MAKES COMPANY MORE  #39;NORMAL #39; (AGI) - Rome, Italy, Dec. 8 - The merger between Telecom Italia and its mobile arm, Tim, will make the company more normal and will sign the  quot;end of the biggest Italian soap opera quot;.


label: 0 text: US drafts new UN resolution on Sudan over Darfur (AFP) AFP - The United States presented a draft UN resolution that steps up the pressure on Sudan over the crisis in Darfur, including possible international sanctions against its oil sector.


label: 1 text: Cowboys ship Bryant to Browns for Morgan Hours before Tuesday #39;s trade deadline, the Cowboys shipped Bryant to the Cleveland Browns for Quincy Morgan in a swap of receivers.


label: 3 text: Microsoft #39;s CEO Steve Ballmer: We need a \$100 PC What #39;s one of Steve Ballmer #39;s biggest headaches? It #39;s not Linux or security breaches. It #39;s piracy, the Microsoft CEO said Wednesday.


label: 3 text: Experts Study Skeletal Remains in Utah (AP) AP - Archaeologists have begun excavating ancient skeletal remains believed to be those of five people, probably Anasazis.


label: 2 text: US Airways Seen as Likely to Declare Bankruptcy arring a last-minute change of heart by its recalcitrant unions, US Airways appears all but certain to seek bankruptcy protection on Sunday, people briefed on the situation said yesterday.


label: 1 text: Duke women take life out of Gamecocks, crowd The place known as much for its  quot;airball quot; chants as the winning basketball that is played there was silent when Shanika Freeman #39;s shot failed to hit the rim Wednesday night.


label: 1 text: Holdsclaw Practices Mystics forward Chamique Holdsclaw touched off more speculation Thursday by practicing with the team a day after being placed on the injured list.


label: 2 text: Games makers Acclaim ceases ops Games maker and publisher Acclaim, famous for dino game Turok, has filed for bankruptcy in the US.


label: 2 text: Airbus May Supply Planes in Cebu Air #39;s \$350 Mln Fleet Renewal Airbus SAS, the world #39;s largest maker of commercial aircraft, is poised to supply an unspecified number of A319 planes to the Philippines #39; second-biggest airline Cebu Air Inc.


label: 2 text: Airbus to sell A350 as rival to Boeing Dreamliner Airbus has been given the go-ahead by its shareholders EADS and BAE Systems to market the A350, a new wide-body aircraft that will be a direct rival to Boeings 7E7 Dreamliner.


label: 0 text: A Rebel #39;s Bloody Odyssey To his Palestinian followers he was Abu Ammar, the kaffiyeh-clad warrior king who had brought them from the wilderness to the brink of statehood.


label: 1 text: Wild re-sign D Schultz ----- ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Ticker) - The Minnesota Wild on Tuesday re-signed defenseman Nick Schultz to a new contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.


label: 0 text: Australia PM Says Body of British Aid Worker Found  CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) - A body found in the Iraqi  city of Falluja appears to be that of kidnapped British aid  worker Margaret Hassan, Australian Prime Minister John Howard  said on Thursday. "The body found in Falluja appears to have  been Margaret's and the video of the execution of a Western  woman appears on all the available information to have been  genuine," Howard told parliament Thursday.


label: 0 text: Talks Resume In Bid For N. Ireland Gov #39;t Ten years after the Irish Republican Army #39;s momentous cease-fire, negotiations resumed Wednesday in hope of reviving a Catholic-Protestant administration


label: 1 text: Agassi Plows Ahead On a day when the French Open men's and women's champions lose and blame their defeats on fatigue, a bouncy, energetic Andre Agassi advances to the weekend for the 14th time in 19 U.S. Open appearances.


label: 3 text: Oracle Puts Pressure On Microsoft The vendor brings its E-Business Suite to North America to go against Microsoft #39;s ERP software. By Laurie Sullivan. With the first phase of the high-profile PeopleSoft Inc.


label: 2 text: US industry wants H1B visa cap revisited Mr Kapil Sibal, Minister for Science and Technology; Mr Kenneth I. Juster, Under Secretary of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, US Department of Commerce; and Mr Harris Miller, President, Information Technology Association of America; at The India


label: 2 text: Dollar Slips Toward Lows After Weak Data  TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar edged down against the euro on  Monday toward its lowest level in seven and a half months,  pressured after it fell through key technical levels on weak  U.S. economic data on Friday.


label: 3 text: Locust crisis 'could get worse' The locust crisis that has devastated crops across West Africa may be even worse next year, experts warn.


label: 3 text: Earnings alert: SCO to cap legal expenses Plus: Novell sees weakness in IT spending...Salesforce reports rise in profit...Nortel to lay off 3,500...Intuit posts loss while revenue rises.


label: 2 text: Univision drops suit against Nielsen LOS ANGELES - Univision Communications Inc. said Monday it dropped a lawsuit against Nielsen Media Research Inc. over the firm #39;s new TV rating system, which the Spanish-language broadcaster claimed miscounts its viewers.


label: 2 text: Lucent Technologies cuts benefits for more retirees For the second time in a year, telecommunications equipment maker Lucent Technologies Inc. is reducing benefits promised to retirees.


label: 3 text: Earlier blooming lilacs another harbinger of global warming <b>...</b> As the first signs of winter push into the US Northeast, American researchers have some good news for fair weather fans - spring is coming earlier than it used to.


label: 2 text: EDS stung by US Airways again Electronic Data Systems Corp., which lost business when customer US Airways Group Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection the first time, says the carrier #39;s latest filing also will hurt.


label: 1 text: Patriots trounce Bills Troy Brown has had to make a lot of adjustments while playing both sides of the football.  quot;You always want to score when you get the ball -- offense or defense


label: 0 text: Clashes erupt between Philippine troops, Muslim rebels (AFP) AFP - Clashes erupted between soldiers and Muslim separatist rebels in the southern Philippines, with both sides accusing the other of violating a truce ahead of peace talks.


label: 0 text: Angry Putin rejects public Beslan inquiry The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, refused on Monday to order a public inquiry into last week #39;s siege and massacre at a middle school in the southern town of Beslan


label: 1 text: Yankees Beat Twins to Win Playoff Series (AP) AP - A big home run by Ruben Sierra, a clutch 11th-inning hit by Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees are headed right back where most people figured  #151; playing the Boston Red Sox for the AL pennant. Sierra's three-run homer in the eighth inning tied it, then Rodriguez doubled, alertly stole third base and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by Kyle Lohse to lift the Yankees over the Minnesota Twins 6-5 Saturday.


label: 0 text: Myanmar Strongman Begins Historic India Visit  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Myanmar's military ruler, Senior  General Than Shwe, arrives in India on Sunday on a landmark  visit to strengthen economic and political ties with one of the  few friends his junta has in the world.


label: 1 text: Fergie Hails Footballing  #39;Eccentric #39; Clough Sir Alex Ferguson tonight hailed Brian Clough as a great footballing eccentric and a fantastic manager following the death of his old sparring partner.


label: 1 text: Steelers' Staley Out for Eagles Game (AP) AP - Steelers running back Duce Staley missed Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles  #151; his former team  #151; with a hamstring injury that apparently happened during practice Friday.


label: 1 text: Pinsent pulls in his oars Matthew Pinsent hinted yesterday that he may return to duty with the International Olympic Committee on announcing his retirement from international rowing.


label: 0 text: Edwards Accuses Bush of Failed Leadership (AP) AP - Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards said Monday the Bush administration's military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan have alienated allies and increased the threat from terrorism instead of reducing it.


label: 0 text: Tanks encircle shrine in US blitz on rebels UNITED States tanks today encircled the sacred Imam Ali shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf, after an intense bombardment of rebel positions overnight.


label: 1 text: === Davenport, Serena ready for Day-1 action in LA === Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Current world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport and former top-ranked superstar Serena Williams will be among those seeing action Wednesday night at the season-ending \$3 million WTA Tour Championships.


label: 3 text: Tony Hawk gave up violin for skateboarding Skateboarding icon Tony Hawk reportedly gave up a budding career as a violinist to pursue his freewheeling boarding passion. Hawk, a professional skateboarder who has become a household name thanks to successful


label: 0 text: Pakistan #39;s PM-designate declared winner in two by-elections ISLAMABAD : Pakistan formally declared Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz the winner of two by-elections held to clear his path to the prime ministership.


label: 1 text: Klitschko beats Williamson on points as head butt stops fight LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AFP) -- Wladimir Klitschko survived a fourth round knockdown to beat DaVarryl Williamson on points after the heavyweight fight was stopped prematurely by an accidental head butt.


label: 3 text: Hollywood Hot To Sue P2P Pirates Warning that film piracy represents an enormous threat to the movie industry, the Motion Picture Association of America announced that it plans to sue people for trading illegal digital copies of movies over the Internet.


label: 2 text: Asian Shares Lower as Oil Fall Stalls  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian share markets saw light selling  in line with a slowing retreat in oil prices on Tuesday, while  the dollar steadied as officials in Europe and Japan fretted  about the U.S. currency's recent decline.


label: 0 text: U.S. Bombs Fallujah; Eight Dead, 15 Hurt (AP) AP - U.S. warplanes, tanks and artillery units attacked the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah on Saturday, killing at least eight people and wounding 15, hospital officials and witnesses said.


label: 0 text: Charlize Theron to Be Face of Dior Perfume NEW YORK - Add Christian Dior to the list of Charlize Theron fans. The company announced Thursday that the Oscar winner will be the new face of J'adore, the designer's fragrance that debuted in 2000...


label: 3 text: Photos: SGI's Columbia supercomputer SGI's supercomputer sets a public record which has been eclipsed by a faster result yet to be announced.


label: 1 text: No. 13 Michigan State Nudges Utah 56-54 (AP) AP - Kristin Haynie made a coast-to-coast layup with 2 seconds left to give No. 13 Michigan State a 56-54 victory over Utah in the first round of the Rainbow Wahine Classic on Friday.


label: 0 text: Soldier at Abu Ghraib Makes Plea Deal MANNHEIM, Germany - The lawyer of one of the U.S. Army reservists accused of abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison said Tuesday that military prosecutors have agreed to drop some of their charges after the soldier agreed to plead guilty to the rest...


label: 1 text: Caminiti struggled off the field SAN DIEGO -- Ken Caminiti was fearless on a baseball field, where he made incredible stops at third base, swatted home runs from both sides of the plate and played through pain that would wither most anyone else.


label: 1 text: Mutu back at Dinamo after dismissing agents ADRIAN MUTU, sacked by Chelsea after testing positive for cocaine, has dismissed his agents. Mutu came to our office and told us of his decision not to co-operate with our company any more, Gheorghe Popescu said.


label: 2 text: Oracle Makes  #39;Final #39; PeopleSoft Offer After much speculation that it would raise its bid yet again, Oracle Corp. Monday morning announced its latest offer for PeopleSoft Inc.


label: 0 text: Chaos as battle grips school BBC correspondents report scenes of chaos as a battle erupts at the besieged school in the Russian town of Beslan.


label: 0 text: Iraqi labour movement makes global debut with tough task ahead (AFP) AFP - Iraqi labour unions making their global debut at a conference in Japan are seeking tips on their tough task -- how to make workers aware of rights suppressed for years by Saddam Hussein.


label: 0 text: Taiwan shrugs off Singaporean leader #39;s criticism of the island #39;s <b>...</b> Singaporean leader Lee Hsien Loong criticized Taiwan because he was under  quot;tremendous pressure quot; to patch up relations with Beijing, Taiwan #39;s foreign minister said Monday _ a day after Lee warned he wouldn #39;t support the island if it sparked a war with China


label: 2 text: Smucker Sells Brazilian Unit to Closely Held Cargill (Update1) JM Smucker Co., the largest US maker of jellies and jams, sold its operations in Brazil to closely held Cargill Inc. The sale of Smucker do Brasil Ltda.


label: 2 text: CORRECTED - UPS buys CNF #39;s Menlo Worldwide Forwarding In NEW YORK item, please read headline as ...UPS buys CNF #39;s Menlo Worldwide Forwarding... instead of ...UPS buys CNF #39;s Menlo Worldwide for cash,debt... (Clarifies that UPS buying just a unit, not whole of Menlo Worldwide).


label: 3 text: Take-Two Sets Funk, Rap Soundtrack for San Andreas (Reuters) Reuters - Video game publisher Take-Two\Interactive Software Inc. and Interscope Records on Tuesday set\a Dec. 7 release for an eight-CD soundtrack to "Grand Theft\Auto: San Andreas," Take-Two's blockbuster criminal adventure\game.


label: 2 text: UPDATE 3-Morgan Stanley profit falls 34 pct, shares drop US investment bank Morgan Stanley (MWD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said quarterly profit dropped 34 percent amid reduced trading revenue, falling well short of Wall Street #39;s already-lowered expectations after a


label: 2 text: Gartner: Mobile Phone Sales Up 26 Worldwide mobile handset sales topped 167 million units, with almost all regions posting growth, according to the latest numbers coming out of Gartner.


label: 2 text: New EU industry chief warns against protectionism The European Union #39;s incoming industry chief warned Thursday against protectionist leanings of some European governments, as well as fears about new EU member states abusing their position.


label: 0 text: Rwanda  #39;genocide #39; priest on trial The landmark trial of a Rwandan Roman Catholic priest accused of supervising the massacre of 2,000 of his Tutsi parishioners during the country #39;s 1994 genocide opened in his absence on Monday.


label: 1 text: Marbury Powers U.S. Over Spain, Coaches Square Off  ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. and Spanish coaches had to be  separated when an argument erupted at the end of the game as  the United States beat Spain 102-94 in the Olympic men's  basketball quarterfinals Thursday.


label: 1 text: Spain without Helguera and Puyol for England friendly David Beckham expects to lead England against his Real Madrid clubmates at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday, although he will not face two familiar faces on Spain #39;s lineup.


label: 1 text: Three are tied at Farm Bureau It took most of Thursday to identify the first-round leaders in the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, but Harrison Frazar, Glen Day and John Senden finally separated themselves


label: 0 text: Ivan Remnants Wreak Havoc Across Southeast CASHIERS, N.C. - The remnants of Hurricane Ivan left behind a violent mark on the Southeast, killing several people, washing away scores of roads, leaving thousands without electricity and sending search teams to scour damaged areas for stranded residents...


label: 0 text: Canada defends submarine fleet Canada defends its decision to buy second-hand submarines from Britain, after the death of a crewman.


label: 0 text: Japan Quake Kills 18, Aftershocks Strike Fear  OJIYA, Japan (Reuters) - Dozens of aftershocks shook  northern Japan on Sunday after the country's deadliest  earthquake in nine years killed at least 18 people and injured  some 1,400 as houses collapsed, roads crumbled and rail tracks  buckled.


label: 0 text: Ukrainian poll re-run calls grow Momentum is growing in Ukraine for last Sunday's disputed presidential election to be re-run.


label: 2 text: US Supreme Court hears dispute over interstate wine sales; Maine <b>...</b> The Supreme Court is considering whether states may bar people from buying wine directly from out-of-state suppliers, a big-money question that could lead to sweeping changes


label: 1 text: U.S. Wins Medals Race, Finishing With 103 (AP) AP - The United States finished atop the medal charts for the third straight Summer Olympics, with Russia the overall runner-up and China second in gold medals  #151; its best showing ever and the leading edge of a surge by Asian teams. The American team amassed 103 total medals, topping its target of 100, and won 35 golds to 32 for China and 27 for Russia.


label: 2 text: United to Seek More Concessions United Airlines said Friday it needs even more labor cuts than anticipated to get out of bankruptcy, raising the likelihood of a new round of wage and benefit reductions.


label: 1 text: NL Wrap: Jones Leads Braves Closer to Division Title  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chipper Jones hit a three-run homer  and J.D. Drew also went deep as the Atlanta Braves continued to  close in on another division title with an 8-1 win over the  Florida Marlins in Miami on Friday.


label: 0 text: Pakistani court frees Bhutto #39;s husband that could improve relations between the country #39;s military leader and one of its main parties. Asif Ali Zardari had been in jail since Bhutto #39;s government was ousted in November 1996.


label: 2 text: US trade deficit hits record high America's trade deficit swelled to a record high of \$55.5 billion in October as imports -- including those from China -- surged to the loftiest levels ever. Skyrocketing crude oil prices also contributed to the yawning trade gap.


label: 1 text: Francis Makes Magic in Opener Steve Francis completed a spectacular debut with a driving layup just before the final horn Monday night, leading the Magic to a 93-92 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA season opener for both teams.


label: 0 text: Asian group welcomes Russia A CENTRAL Asian economic group today formally approved Russia #39;s membership bid, giving Moscow a chance to restore its influence in this strategic, energy-rich region.


label: 2 text: Google Stock Sale Delayed as SEC Doesn #39;t Act on IPO (Update1) Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. #39;s plan to sell shares today in a \$3.47 billion initial public offering was delayed because the US Securities and Exchange Commission didn #39;t act on the company #39;s request to approve its stock registration.


label: 1 text: No. 18 Sun Devils Seek to Stop Wildcats (AP) AP - Arizona State (8-2 overall, 5-2 Pac-10) is averaging just over 30 points. The Wildcats (2-8, 1-6) are averaging a measly 13 points, ranking them 117th in Division I.


label: 2 text: Bribery Considered, Halliburton Notes Suggest  An internal Halliburton Co. investigation has uncovered handwritten notes suggesting that former employees considered offering bribes to Nigerian officials a decade ago to secure work in a \$5 billion project to build a natural gas liquefaction plant.


label: 3 text: Qualcomm tries Trigenix on for size To help bolster its presence in Europe, the proponent of a North American cell phone standard goes on a shopping spree.


label: 3 text: House Backs Crack Down on Video Voyeurs (AP) AP - Calling video voyeurism the new frontier of stalking, the House on Tuesday approved legislation to make it a crime to secretly photograph or videotape people, often for lascivious purposes.


label: 2 text: Qantas Boosts Flight Surcharges as Fuel Prices Soar (Update5) Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Qantas Airways Ltd., Australia #39;s biggest airline, increased a surcharge on all tickets as the cost of jet fuel soared to a record. Qantas shares rebounded from a three-month low.


label: 2 text: IEA trims 2005 world oil demand growth forecast PARIS (AFP) - The International Energy Agency trimmed its forecast for growth in global oil demand next year but warned that prices were likely to remain high and dismissed producer fears of a sharp fall as  quot;overstated.


label: 1 text: Sour Grapes as Another U.S. Boxer Bites the Dust  ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. boxing team sucked on sour  grapes after being left with just one gold medal prospect in  the Olympic boxing tournament Friday.


label: 2 text: S amp;P upgrades Illinois Power to investment-grade Standard  amp; Poor #39;s on Friday upgraded the debt ratings for Illinois Power Co. to investment grade status, after the company was acquired by investment-grade rated Ameren Corp.


label: 1 text: Cocaine and opiates found in Caminiti #39;s body Caminiti died from acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and opiates, a spokeswoman for the New York City Medical Examiners Office told ESPN.


label: 3 text: Search Engine Forums Spotlight Links to this week's topics from search engine forums across the web: Filthy Linking Rich - Google Releases Desktop Search - Exit Page Statistics Query - 'Industrial Strength White Hat' Cloaking Questions - Content for Adwords - RSS Feeds as a Search Engine Marketing Tool


label: 0 text: In J amp;K, Patil greeted with snubs, violence Srinagar: Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who is on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir, (J amp;K) was greeted with violent incidents across the state soon after he landed here with a delegation of ministers and bureaucrats, including Gulam Nabi Azad, Sriprakash


label: 1 text: Familiar foes meet again According to Serena Williams, at least three doctors told her not to play this US Open because her surgically repaired left knee was acting up of late.


label: 1 text: DON #39;T WRITE OFF UNITED - POBORSKY Manchester United #39;s performances have been a let-down over the past 18 months but Old Trafford old-boy Karel Poborsky is certain a massive change in fortune will not be long in coming.


label: 2 text: Deutsche Bank to Sell Scudder Business to Legg Mason NEW YORK (Dow Jones/AP) -- Deutsche Bank AG of Germany plans to sell its New York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Chicago offices of Scudder Private Investment Counsel to Legg Mason Inc.


label: 0 text: Caribbean islands prepare for Ivan Bridgetown - Islanders scrambled to put up storm shutters and buy water as Hurricane Ivan churned toward Barbados just days after Hurricane Frances tore across the Caribbean.


label: 3 text: Resident Evil 4 It is 2004, six years after the events of Resident Evil 2. The Umbrella Corperation is gone. You are Leon S. Kennedy, a ex-police officer for the doomed town of Raccoon City.


label: 3 text: Microsoft Quits a U.N. Standards Group Microsoft withdrew from a United Nations software standards group for commerce, citing "business reasons."


label: 0 text: Middle-Class Tax Cuts Extension Approved WASHINGTON - Legislation to extend several popular middle class tax cuts cleared a House-Senate conference and could be on President Bush's desk within days, handing him a major legislative victory in the closing weeks of the presidential campaign.    The \$145.9 billion package marked the fourth significant tax cut package that the president has championed since taking office...


label: 2 text: Oil Ends Above \$50 on Nigeria Fears  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices ended above \$50 a barrel on  Friday amid concern over possible fighting in Nigeria's  oil-producing delta region, where a two-day truce between rebel  militia and government forces was holding.


label: 0 text: Tensions erupt in Haitian capital Shots are fired at a protest in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince as looting impedes the relief effort flood hit Gonaives.


label: 3 text: No half measures with Half-Life 2 Installation bugs barely dent the greatness of Half-Life 2, says reviewer James Bregman.


label: 2 text: Deluge of Big Earnings to Dominate (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. stock investors face a\mind-numbing pile of information this week as corporate\earnings and economic data pour in, Alan Greenspan speaks and\the presidential election heads toward the homestretch.


label: 3 text: Airgo next-generation Wi-Fi gets global approval Company's MIMO wireless networking technology gets approval from standards bodies in U.S., Japan, Canada, Australia and EU.


label: 3 text: Oracle readies major app server upgrade Oracle plans tomorrow to introduce Oracle Application Server 10g Release 2, a significant upgrade with improvements in Java, Web services and identity management, as well as support for RFID technology.


label: 0 text: Right to roam maps published The first maps detailing the  #39;right to roam #39; on privately owned land are being published on Sunday. The Countryside Agency will be printing open access maps for the whole of England over the course of the next 15 months.


label: 1 text: Commission demands Aragones probe MADRID, Spain -- Spain #39;s anti-violence commission has demanded the Spanish Football Federation open disciplinary procedures against national coach Luis Aragones.


label: 3 text: Caterpillar to Buy Williams Technologies Construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. said Wednesday that its Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services unit will acquire Williams Technologies Inc., a remanufacturer of transmissions and engines, from Remy International Inc. for an undisclosed ...


label: 2 text: Wal-Mart #39;s Roller-Coaster Summer Investors digested word today that Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) has lowered its sales forecast for August, with the possibility that same-store sales may come in flat to up 2.


label: 0 text: Angels Beat Yanks, Bosox Closer in AL EAST The New York Yankees are struggling to score and their once-huge lead in the AL East is suddenly shrinking. Manager Joe Torre refuses to panic just yet...


label: 3 text: Dell, Intel, Microsoft launch web services standard Industry giants AMD, Intel, Dell, Microsoft and Sun have thrown their weight behind a web services specification that could provide a common way for systems to access and exchange management information.


label: 2 text: Wal-Mart enhances mainland presence US retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc plans to open 15 new stores in China next year, reported China Daily on Wednesday. Joe Hatfield, president of Wal-Mart Asia, revealed the news at a press conference yesterday in Beijing.


label: 2 text: Citigroup Forces Resignations of 3 Senior Executives Three senior executives at Citigroup were forced to resign yesterday as Charles O. Prince, the firm #39;s chief executive, delivered on a promise to improve the bank #39;s sullied reputation in


label: 1 text: US Cricketers Exit Champions Trophy With Tournament-Low Score Australia captain Ricky Ponting questioned the US team #39;s place in cricket #39;s second-biggest event after his players bowled the Americans out for the lowest total in the tournament #39;s history to win by nine wickets.


label: 0 text: US denies Ukraine interference US Secretary of State Colin Powell rejects Russian claims that the West wants more influence in Ukraine.


label: 1 text: England wins second World Cup title The World Cup of Golf has been won by England, who won the title for just the second time in the event #39;s 50 year history and their first under the revised format introduced in 2000.


label: 2 text: Google wins advertising case Google won an important test case in the US yesterday when a federal court judge cleared its practice of selling ads around internet searches conducted for trademarked terms.


label: 1 text: Ralston's position? Whatever it takes FOXBOROUGH -- Steve Ralston will be in the Revolution's starting lineup tonight against Kansas City, but his position is a mystery. Ralston has played more MLS games (271) than anyone, until recently nearly all of those matches in the same role, but Ralston has moved into three midfield positions and displayed some of his most impressive performances at right back ...


label: 1 text: Klochkova Wins 200 IM, Beard Takes Silver (AP) AP - Yana Klochkova of Ukraine completed an Olympic sweep of the individual medleys, winning gold in the 200-meter IM Tuesday night. Amanda Beard of Irvine, Calif., made a dramatic move from fifth to second on the breaststroke portion and earned the silver in 2:11.70  #151; her fifth career Olympic medal.


label: 2 text: Reuters moves to sell Instinet Reuters, the media and information group, is understood to have appointed investment bankers to explore the sale of Instinet, its American electronic stock trading business.


label: 2 text: Thomson to Sell Media Unit to Investcorp for \$350 Mln (Update1) Thomson Corp., owner of the Westlaw legal-research and First Call financial data services, will sell its media unit, which includes the Bond Buyer and American Banker magazines, for \$350 million to buyout firm Investcorp SA.


label: 0 text: Presidential candidates look toward crucial debate (AFP) AFP - President George W. Bush and his Democratic rival John Kerry scouted votes in key battleground states but were already looking ahead to their crucial televised debates starting in a week.


label: 2 text: Holiday Shopping Season: Retailers Have One Last Chance To Get It Right (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - The holiday shopping season is entering the home stretch. And with some retailers depending on seasonal spending for half or more of their sales, the stakes are high.


label: 0 text: China flash floods leave 19 dead Landslides and flash floods triggered by torrential rain in south western China leave 19 people dead and 21 missing.


label: 3 text: Relativity prediction is correct A key prediction of Albert Einstein #39;s general theory of relativity has been confirmed by an experiment showing that the Earth #39;s rotation drags the surrounding fabric of space-time along with it.


label: 1 text: How Michigan athletes fared at the Olympics Olympic events involving athletes and coaches with connections to Michigan. All listed are on Team USA unless otherwise indicated: Andre Dirrell of Flint advanced into the boxing quarterfinals, needing


label: 0 text: Al-Qaeda sanctions  #39;ineffective #39; UNITED NATIONS (BBC) -- A UN committee has found that sanctions imposed against al-Qaeda and the former Taleban have had little impact on the groups #39; operations.


label: 1 text: Seattle RB Is Day to Day With Bone Bruise (AP) AP - Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander has a bone bruise on his right knee, but could play in this week's game at Tampa Bay.


label: 0 text: Germany Thwarts Possible Attack on Iraqi Leader German police arrested three men suspected of planning an attack on Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, who was in Berlin on Friday.


label: 0 text: The UAE names new energy minister The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has named Mohammed bin Al Dhaen Al Hamili oil minister, succeeding Obeid bin Saif Al Nasseri in a cabinet reshuffle approved by Supreme Council


label: 1 text: Perez stops Astros; streak ends at 12 Oliver Perez ended Houstons 12-game winning streak with the most dominating start of his short career, striking out 14 in Pittsburghs 3-1 victory Thursday in the first game of a doubleheader.


label: 2 text: Automakers Sue to Block Emissions Law in California DETROIT, Dec. 7- Toyota, General Motors and seven other automakers filed suit on Tuesday to block California #39;s new greenhouse gas regulation, which was approved by the state in its final form in September.


label: 3 text: Genesis Recovery is Going Well Summary - (Sep 17, 2004) After its crash landing, NASA scientists weren #39;t too hopeful that they #39;d turn up much science in the wreckage of Genesis #39; sample capsule, but the results so far have been a pleasant surprise.


label: 3 text: India, France to Develop Climate Satellite (AP) AP - The space agencies of India and France signed an agreement on Friday to cooperate in launching a satellite in four years that will help make climate predictions more accurate.


label: 1 text: Soccer / Champions League - Clinical Chelsea axes PSG Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba netted twice to fire last season #39;s semifinalists Chelsea to a clinical 3-0 victory over hapless Paris St.


label: 2 text: Lazard #39;s Wasserstein Faces Board Dissent Over IPO, People Say Bruce Wasserstein #39;s plan to sell shares of Lazard LLC, the world #39;s largest closely held investment bank, may face opposition from the firm #39;s 11-member board tomorrow at a meeting in Paris, people familiar with the matter said.


label: 3 text: Palm OS goes Linux Mobile device OS maker PalmSource sets out to acquire software house China MobileSoft, hinting of a Linux-based version of Palm OS being in the works.


label: 0 text: Laptop full of new tunes stolen from Natasha Bedingfield (AFP) AFP - Chart-topping pop singer Natasha Bedingfield's laptop computer -- with a hard disk full of new songs and lyrics -- has been stolen at Heathrow airport.


label: 2 text: Banishing bell-ringers takes a toll The jingling bells, smiling face and clanking red kettle have become as much a signature to the approach of Christmas as shopping-mall Santas.


label: 3 text: OpenWorld Notebook: Database, grid control boosted SAN FRANCISCO -- Oracle at the OpenWorld conference here on Tuesday is making several product rollouts, including a new version of its database and grid computing enhancements.


label: 2 text: Cash America Places \$253M Bet on Territory Swap FORT WORTH-In a dual-pronged move, Cash America International Inc. has exited the European market after a 12-year run and has dibs on buying a competitor to get a foothold in the Western US.


label: 3 text: 2 Companies to Make Gear for Phoning Over Internet inksys and Netgear, two competing providers of home networking equipment, plan to announce today that they are entering the business of making equipment used to place telephone calls over the Internet, according to industry executives.


label: 2 text: Blue Chips Flat After Wal-Mart News  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips were little changed on  Monday as a disappointing sales forecast from Wal-Mart Stores  Inc. WMT.N, the world's biggest retailer, offset the effect  of easing oil prices.


label: 3 text: Sun sets up open-source Solaris project Sun Microsystems will create an open-source project around its Solaris 10 operating system by the end of the year, company executives said on Monday.


label: 3 text: Four Infineon Execs Plead Guilty in DRAM Probe Samsung, Micron Technology and Hynix Semiconductor have acknowledged that they have received subpoenas related to the investigation.


label: 2 text: SEC Gives Final Nod to Google #39;s IPO SAN JOSE, Calif. Aug. 18, 2004  The Securities and Exchange Commission granted final approval Wednesday to the paperwork required for Google Inc. #39;s initial public offering, paving the way for the Internet search giant to set a price for its shares and ...


label: 0 text: Opposition Leader Urges Region Pressure on Mugabe (Reuters) Reuters - Zimbabwe's main opposition leader\Morgan Tsvangirai urged southern African countries on Tuesday\to put pressure on President Robert Mugabe to conduct free and\fair parliamentary elections in March.


label: 2 text: Oil Scales New High as Norway Strike Hits (Reuters) Reuters - Oil scaled a new high above  #36;55 a barrel\Monday as a threat by Norwegian ship owners to halt production\from the world's third biggest exporter stoked fears of a\winter supply crunch.


label: 2 text: Vodafone launches new 3G phones Vodafone has ushered in a new era in mobile communications with the launch of 3G (third generation) services in 13 countries, including the UK.


label: 1 text: United States dominates short-course swimming worlds American swimmers continued their dominance in the world short course championships in Indianapolis on Friday, winning five of the eight gold medals on offer without the help of injured Michael Phelps.


label: 2 text: Bank of America Vice Chairman to Retire Bank of America Corp., the third-largest bank in the United States, said Thursday that vice chairman James H. Hance, Jr., will retire at the end of January 2005 after nearly 18 years with the company.


label: 0 text: Key advocate for Iraqis, seen as 'heroine', now a hostage LONDON -- She's lived in Iraq for three decades and has been a passionate advocate for its people, arguing against the US-led invasion, but humanitarian worker Margaret Hassan finds herself a pawn as the latest hostage in the conflict gripping her adopted homeland.


label: 0 text: 15 killed in rocket attack on Tikrit hotel Fifteen civilians were killed after a rocket slammed into a hotel Sunday night in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit. Eyewitnesses said the blast at the Sunubar Hotel sent frightened bloodstained guests running into the streets for help.


label: 1 text: Federer finishes in style Roger Federer, the top seed and world number one, has rounded off his outstanding year with victory in the Masters Cup over Australian Lleyton Hewitt.


label: 1 text: Texas Talks a Better Game Than Cal Plays If Kevin Weiberg, the Big 12 Conference commissioner and Bowl Championship Series coordinator, had a dollar for every time he said,  quot;We #39;re going to have to go back and take a look at that


label: 3 text: GeForce 6200 Announced October 11, 2004 - NVIDIA today has announced the newest card in its GeForce 6 line, the entry-level GeForce 6200. Rounding out the GeForce 6 family, the GF6200 contains the same feature set as its 6800 and


label: 1 text: Giants May Lose Carter Tim Carter, the New York Giants' best deep-threat wide receiver, might miss the rest of the season with a hip injury.


label: 1 text: Agassi Back to Winning Ways, Nadal Impresses Andre Agassi returned to action with a 7-6, 6-3, victory over Belarussian Max Mirnyi to reach the third round of the Madrid Masters on Tuesday.


label: 1 text: 49ers' Beasley Could Miss Several Weeks (AP) AP - Fullback Fred Beasley could be sidelined until the 49ers' season opener Sept. 12 against the Atlanta Falcons with a high left ankle sprain.


label: 2 text: SunTrust Cleans House SunTrust (STI:NYSE - news - research) fired three executives in its credit division in the wake of an accounting snafu, vowing that a conservative credit culture should never  quot;interfere with the application of generally accepted accounting principles.


label: 3 text: Why did sea monsters have long necks? Scientists working in China have discovered an ancient swimming predator with a neck nearly twice as long as its body. Neck ribs line the reptiles 5.5-foot-long (1.


label: 1 text: Bowe and Leamy earn Irish debuts Tommy Bowe and Denis Leamy will make their Ireland debuts against the US Eagles at Lansdowne Road on Saturday. The duo #39;s inclusion is among eight changes and two positional switches from last weekend #39;s historic victory over the touring Springboks.


label: 2 text: SEC May Charge That AIG Lied to Investors (Reuters) Reuters - American International Group Inc.\, the world's largest insurer by market value, on Monday\said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may take civil\action against it for issuing "false and misleading" statements\to investors.


label: 2 text: MPC sets record as rates peak The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee #39;s latest demonstration of unanimity - voting 9-0 to keep interest rates unchanged - is the latest piece of evidence to suggest that interest rates have peaked.


label: 0 text: U.S. Expats Jump on Planes to Vote in Home States (Reuters) Reuters - Determined to make sure their voices\count, some American expatriates who missed registration\deadlines or are worried about the reliability of absentee\ballots are flying home next week just to vote.


label: 3 text: Lucent, mm02 Partner on 3G Wireless MmO2 PLC announced today the launch of its third-generation (3G) European mobile data network. The network will incorporate HSDPA technology and IMS and will position the mobile phone company


label: 3 text: Illinois Governor wants to Ban Violent Video games Yesterday Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich proposed a state law that would ban the selling and rental of violent and or sexually explicit video games to Children under the age of 18.


label: 1 text: Family first for Piniella The manager is adamant the Rays did right staying home through Frances as the Yanks withdraw a request for a forfeit. By DAMIAN CRISTODERO, Times Staff Writer.


label: 0 text: Hurricane Ivan Kills 12 in Grenada (AP) AP - The most powerful hurricane to hit Grenada in nearly a decade killed at least 12 people, damaged 90 percent of its homes and destroyed a prison, leaving criminals on the loose, officials said Wednesday. American students took precautions against looters.


label: 3 text: Still No Fix for U.S. Space Shuttle (Reuters) Reuters - One year after a highly\critical report urged NASA to develop the means to fix a broken\space shuttle in orbit, the U.S. space agency still could not\repair a hole the size of the one that doomed the seven\Columbia astronauts, NASA said on Thursday.


label: 0 text: In Florida, the Campaigning Just Has to Wait Hurricanes have crippled the campaign season in Florida, and candidates are only now starting to make up for lost time.


label: 3 text: India's Tribal People Safe After Tsunami-Official (Reuters) Reuters - India's dwindling aboriginal\population in the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands is safe as\most lived in jungles, far away from the coast hit by a\devastating tsunami, a coast guard official said on Thursday.


label: 1 text: Owen says he can still score for England despite rocky Madrid <b>...</b> Michael Owen hasn #39;t scored yet for Real Madrid, but he #39;s sure he can still contribute for England. Owen, who picked up a lower back injury in Real Madrid #39;s 1-0 weekend loss to Deportivo


label: 1 text: Mets, Benson cool off Marlins MIAMI - Kris Benson took a shutout into the seventh inning, Eric Valent homered and the New York Mets ended three streaks Thursday by beating the Florida Marlins 4-0.


label: 2 text: Rank May Exit Movie Business, Sell Unit, After Losses (Update4) Rank Group Plc, a UK distributor of movies for half a century, plans to exit the film industry after losses at its DVD and cinema production business.


label: 0 text:  #39;Batman #39; Ends Buckingham Palace Ledge Protest A group that advocates greater rights for fathers in child custody cases sent two of its operatives over the fence at Buckingham Palace today and one of them, dressed


label: 1 text: There #39;s nothing to suggest this club will repeat history Maybe all you need to know about these Astros is that when someone mentioned the franchise #39;s history of first-round flameouts to Roger Clemens on Tuesday, he looked like he #39;d


label: 1 text: Noguchi Reduces Radcliffe to Tears, Kastor Wins Bronze  ATHENS (Reuters) - Japan's diminutive Mizuki Noguchi put on  an extraordinary display of front-running to win the Olympic  women's marathon title on Sunday as Paula Radcliffe's challenge  ended in bitter tears.


label: 3 text: Customer Service: The Hunt for a Human In the Internet age, making telephone contact with a human for customer service is a daunting task. Some companies no longer disclose phone numbers. But some consumers have found ways around the blockade.


label: 2 text: Sold to eBay: Dutch Classified Site eBay (Quote, Chart) has acquired a popular online classifieds Web site in the Netherlands, the company said Wednesday. The San Jose, Calif.


label: 1 text: Lilly Shuts Down Red Sox Ted Lilly strikes out a career-high 13 in a three-hit shutout, stopping Boston's six-game winning streak and leading the Blue Jays past Pedro Martinez and the Red Sox 3-0.


label: 1 text: Elimination perfectly executed ATHENS -- I have not come to bury the Americans. I have come to praise the Argentines.


label: 0 text: Palestinians wants US to ensure smooth polls : Palestinian leaders on Sunday outlined plans to persuade visiting American envoys to pressure Israel into removing troops from urban areas to ensure smooth elections to replace Yasser Arafat.