Making games for future consoles will require more graphic artists and more money, an industry conference has been told. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo will debut their new consoles at the annual E3 games Expo in Los Angeles in May. These so called "next generation" machines will be faster than current consoles, and capable of displaying much higher quality visuals. For gamers, this should make for better, more immersive games. In a pre recorded video slot during Microsoft's keynote address at the Game Developers Conference, held last week in San Francisco, famed director James Cameron revealed he is making a game in tandem with his next film believed to be Battle Angel Alita. The game's visual quality would be "like a lucid dream," said Mr Cameron. But numerous speakers warned that creating such graphics will require more artists, and so next generation console games will be much more expensive to develop. The first new console, Microsoft's Xbox 2, is not expected to reach the shops until the end of 2005. Games typically take at least 18 months to create, however, so developers are grappling with the hardware today. According to Robert Walsh, head of Brisbane based game developer Krome Studios, next generation games will cost between 10 25m to make, with teams averaging 80 staff in size taking two years to complete a title. Such sums mean it will be difficult for anyone to start a new game studio, said Mr Walsh. "If you're a start up, I doubt that a publisher is going to walk in and give you a cheque for 10m, however good you are," he said. Mr Walsh suggested that new studios should make games for mobile phones and handheld consoles like the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS, since they are cheaper and easier to create than console games. One developer bucking the trend towards big art teams is Will Wright, the creator of the best selling The Sims games. The founder of California's Maxis studio surprised the conference with a world exclusive preview of his next game, Spore. Spore will allow players to experiment with the evolution of digital creatures. Starting with an amoeba sized organism, the player will guide the physical development of their creature by selecting how its limbs, jaws and other body parts evolve. Eventually the creature will become capable of establishing cities, trading and fighting, and even building space ships. Advanced players will visit the home planets of creatures created by other Spore players. These worlds will be automatically swapped across the Internet. Mr Wright said that enabling players to devise and share their creatures would make them care more about the game. "I don't want to put the player in the role of Luke Skywalker or Frodo Baggins I want them to be George Lucas or Dr Seuss," explained Mr Wright. Few games have hinted at the scope of Spore, but Mr Wright explained that he has nevertheless kept his development team small by hiring expert programmers. Instead of employing lots of artists to create 3D models of the digital creatures, Spore generates and displays the creatures according to rules devised by the programmers. "The thing I am coming away with from the conference is that next generation content is going to be really expensive, and creating it will drive the smaller players out of the market," said Mr Wright. "I'd like to offer an alternative to that." New development tools will be another important aid in making next generation games, and dozens of companies demonstrated their latest products at the conference. Oxford based Natural Motion launched Endorphin v2.0, which enables artists to direct a 3D 'virtual actor'. The actor is realistically modelled according to the laws of physics. Endorphin simulates how the actor falls down stairs, for instance, or crumples up after a gunshot. Artists can blend together these visual sequences, and include the results in their games. The process is much quicker than having an artist animate each movement by hand, and so lessens the need for larger art teams. Another British company aiming to reduce the workload of artists is Manchester start up Genemation. Its latest tool, GenCrowd, enables artists to create unique, photo realistic human faces for games involving lots of people. GenCrowd works by blending together elements of an in built supply of stock faces of differing ages and ethnicities. The software can create up to 2,000 new heads an hour. One area not yet dominated by graphical blockbusters is mobile phone games. Even the latest phones are not as powerful as the consoles of a decade ago, so smaller teams of half a dozen people can still create complete games for the devices. The Game Developers Conference included a special two day summit dedicated to creating mobile games. A niche attraction for a few dozen conference attendees when it began five years ago, GDC's Mobile summit this year drew several hundred delegates. Mobile games are a fast growing sector because newer phones have better graphics and sound, and are thus more suitable for playing games. Furthermore, the adoption of mobile phones continues to spread across the world. It's predicted that by 2006 two billion people will own a mobile phone. The growing importance of mobile gaming was reflected by a keynote given by John Batter, general manager at EA Mobile. EA Mobile is a division of Electronic Arts, the biggest games publisher. Until recently Electronic Arts had been dismissive of games for phones. "The last time you checked, EA wasn't in this business," Mr Batter admitted. But he said EA now planned on dominating the market by releasing mobile versions of its most popular franchises. EA plans to release up to 20 mobile games over the next 12 months. The first will be a version of its Need for Speed racing game, created by EA Mobile's 30 person development team. Mr Batter predicted that by 2006, mobile phones would be capable of running games of comparable quality to those on Sony's upcoming PSP handheld console. Owain Bennallack is the editor of Develop magazine.


George Galloway is to stand against pro Iraq war Labour MP Oona King at the next general election. Mr Galloway, who on Thursday won 150,000 in libel damages from the Daily Telegraph said he would contest Bethnal Green, in London, for Respect. The Glasgow Kelvin MP, who was expelled from Labour over his anti Iraq war stance, accused Ms King of being a "New Labour stooge". Ms King said she was "delighted" at the chance to take on Mr Galloway. Mr Galloway's current constituency is set to disappear under planned boundary changes in Scotland. The 50 year old MP launched Respect, the Unity Coalition, in January along with 1,000 anti war activists, and the Muslim Association of Britain. The party's declared aims are an end to the occupation of Iraq, the repeal of anti union laws and the end of privatisation. Speaking from a cafe in Brick Lane, east London, Mr Galloway said he had accepted the party's invitation to stand with "great honour and pride". He added: "Here in this constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow there is a New Labour stooge MP. "A stooge who will sing any song, make any speech, do any dance, do anything she is told to by Tony Blair irrespective of how her constituents are adversely affected or how strongly they feel to the contrary." Ms King has represented the constituency since 1997. She said: "I'm delighted I've been given the chance to finish him (Mr Galloway) off, and believe me I will. "I know many people around the country will be grateful, not least his constituents in Scotland who he has shamelessly abandoned." In June's European Parliament elections, Respect failed to gain enough votes for an MEP but did come first in Tower Hamlets borough, most of which is covered by the Commons constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow. A month later it gained a council seat in a by election in St Dunstan's and Stepney Green ward, Tower Hamlets. Mr Galloway said that in next year's expected general election and local elections a year later, the party would "turn the East End of London into a fortress". Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have chosen prospective parliamentary candidates for Bethnal Green and Bow from the Bangladeshi population, which makes up almost half the electorate. The Telegraph was sued for libel by Mr Galloway after the newspaper claimed he received money from Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. The newspaper said it was in the public interest to publish the claims, based on documents found in Baghdad. Mr Justice Eady said he was "obliged to compensate Mr Galloway... and to make an award for the purposes of restoring his reputation".


British voters would reject the European constitution by two to one, according to a poll posing the question the government will put to the country. The Daily Telegraph poll suggests that 45% of people would vote against the constitution and 24% in favour. However the YouGov poll, which questioned 1,943 British adults online, found 25% did not know how they would vote if forced to decide tomorrow. Only 51% of those polled had made up their minds about the constitution. Another 7% said they would not vote at all. The poll is believed to be the first to pose the question which the government has chosen for the upcoming referendum, expected in 2006. The constitution will be incorporated into UK law if there is a yes vote. Ballot papers in the poll will ask: "Should the United Kingdom approve the treaty establishing a constitution for the European Union?" The government unveiled the question which will be asked earlier in the week. The treaty was signed by all 25 current EU members in Rome last October and is due to come into force in November 2006, providing it is ratified by all member states several of which will hold a referendum. Critics say the constitution is a further step towards a federal Europe, but advocates say it ensures effective operation of the enlarged 25 state EU. "If we reject this treaty, Britain will be isolated and weak in Europe," said Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, after the question was unveiled. Mr Straw, along with the rest of the Cabinet, will back a "yes" vote. Meanwhile, Conservative shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said the referendum question "seems straightforward". But he accused the government of trying to confuse the issue by putting the EU referendum question in the same bill as the ratification of the constitution, when they should be treated as "two separate issues".


The mobile gaming industry is set to explode in 2005 with a number of high profile devices offering a range of gaming and other features such as movie and music playback. Market leader Nintendo, however, is releasing a handheld console that it says will revolutionise the way games are played. The first striking thing about the DS is how retro it looks. Far from looking like a mould breaking handheld, it looks more like Nintendo dug out a mould from a 1980s handheld prototype. The lightweight clam shell device opens up to reveal two screens, and when switched on it instantly reveals its pedigree. Both screens are crisp and clear while the bottom of the two is touch sensitive. Nintendo has given developers free rein to utilise the dual screens and ability to control the action by simply touching the screen. The Japanese gaming giant hopes the DS will maintain the firm's pre eminence in an increasingly competitive mobile gaming market. Nintendo first launched its GameBoy console in 1989 and has dominated the market ever since. But its lead can no longer be taken for granted. Sony will enter the market later this year with its PlayStation Portable, while start up companies Gizmondo and Tapwave Zodiac are also offering hybrid devices. "We believe the DS will appeal to all ages, both genders and gamers of any skill," said David Yarnton, Nintendo Europe's general manager said at the recent press launch for the handheld. With its two screens, wireless connectivity and backwards compatibility with the GameBoy Advance, the DS certainly has a number of unique selling points. It went on sale in the US in mid November priced 150 and Nintendo says sales have exceeded expectations, without giving detailed figures. Japan and Europe will have to wait until the first quarter of 2005 to get the device. With more than two million pre orders for the device in Japan, Nintendo is confident it will keep its number one spot. But will the device prove to be as revolutionary as claimed? The game ships with a demo of Metroid Hunters a 3D action title which can be played alone or with a group of friends using the machine's wireless capabilities. It certainly looks impressive on the small machine and plays smoothly even with a group of people. The game can be controlled by using the supplied stylus to aim. The top screen is used to navigate the action while the bottom screen offers a top down map and the ability to switch weapons. It is certainly a unique control method and while it makes aiming more controlled it can be a little disorientating. Super Mario 64 DS is a faithful re creation of the Nintendo 64 classic with a host of new mini games and new levels. The game looks stunning on the portable machine and the sound too is impressive for such a small machine. One thing is for certain. Hardened gamers will have to learn to adapt to a new way of playing while it could prove to be an accessible way in to gaming for novices, Ultimately the success or failure of the device lies in the hands of developers. If they manage to create titles which use the Nintendo DS's key features then a whole new market of gamers could open up. The fear is that the touch screen and voice recognition are treated as little more than gimmicks.


Ewood Park Tuesday, 1 March 2000 GMT Howard Webb (South Yorkshire) home to Leicester in the quarter finals But defender Andy Todd is suspended and could be replaced by Dominic Matteo if he recovers from a hamstring injury. Burnley have major injury concerns over Frank Sinclair and John McGreal. Michael Duff looks set to continue at right back with John Oster in midfield and Micah Hyde is expected to recover from a knee injury. Blackburn boss Mark Hughes: "Burnley are resolute and have individual talent but I fully expect us to progress. "I thought we were comfortable in the first game and never thought we were under pressure. "It's a competition we want to progress in and we are doing okay. If we beat Burnley, we have a home tie against another lower league club (Leicester)." Burnley boss Steve Cotterill: "They will be fresh and we'll be tired. That is an honest opinion but our lads just might be able to get themselves up for one more big game. "The atmosphere at the last game was very hot a good verbal contest. "Our fans will not need whipping up for this game. I just want them to help us as much as they can in a positive way." KEY MATCH STATS BLACKBURN ROVERS against Bolton is part two of an East Lancashire hotpot that didn't turn out to be that spicy when first staged on a Sunday lunchtime the weekend before last, and resulted in a scrappy goalless draw. Rovers, who are aiming to win the Cup for a seventh time in their history and first time in 77 years, face another replay against Championship opposition after eventually disposing of Cardiff at Ewood Park in the third round. But they've not been beaten in the competition by a club outside the Premiership for nine years, since Ipswich then in the second tier defeated them 0 1 after extra time in a third round replay at Ewood Park on 16 January 1996. History is on Rovers side. When they last met their near neighbours in the FA Cup 45 years ago, it also required an Ewood Park replay, which the home side won 2 0, and when they last met in the League, Rovers did the double. They first won their Nationwide Division One trip to Turf Moor 0 2 four seasons ago, and then thrashed the Clarets on home soil 5 0. Manager Mark Hughes, who won the Cup four times as a player, is aiming to steer Rovers into the quarter finals for the second time in 12 years, and first time since the 2000/2001 season. Success here, and victory home to Leicester in the next round, could see Rovers in the semi finals without having played Premiership opposition. BURNLEY make the eight mile journey to their fierce rivals, determined to send Blackburn the same way as Liverpool in the third round. But having failed to pull off another shock at Turf Moor, it could be that the Championship outfit 17 places inferior on the League ladder have missed their best opportunity. Having said that, Burnley are yet to concede a goal in this Cup run. Steve Cotterills' Clarets have been knocked out in the fifth round four times in the last seven years, and have made only one appearance in the sixth round in 21 years. That was in the season before last, when they disposed of Premiership Fulham at this fifth round stage. While Blackburn have not played since the fifth round tie, Burnley have had two League outings away from home, drawing 1 1 at Derby and losing 1 0 at Preston. That takes their winless run to four games. The combatants from one time prosperous mill towns, are both founder members of the Football League. HEAD TO HEAD 16th PREM WINNERS (six times) 13th Championship WINNERS (once)


Sir Alex Ferguson has called on the Football Association to punish Arsenal's Thierry Henry for an incident involving Gabriel Heinze. Ferguson believes Henry deliberately caught Heinze on the head with his knee during United's controversial win. The United boss said it was worse than Ruud van Nistelrooy's foul on Ashley Cole for which he got a three game ban. "We shall present it to the FA and see what they do. The tackle on Heinze was terrible," he said. Clubs are permitted to ask the FA to examine specific incidents but information is expected to be provided within 48 hours of the game. The clash occurred moments before half time when a Freddie Ljungberg challenge left Heinze on the ground on the left touchline. Henry, following the ball, attempted to hurdle the Argentine but his knee collided with the back of Heinze's head. The striker protested his innocence and referee Mike Riley deemed the collision accidental. Ferguson was also upset by Arsenal's overall discipline during the heated encounter between the two arch rivals and praised his own side's behaviour. "Edu produced a terrible tackle on Scholes that was a potential leg breaker," he said. "There were 24 fouls in the game by Arsenal, seven on Heinze, five on Ronaldo, six by Vieira and it was only his sixth foul that got him booked. Phil Neville got booked for his first challenge. "I am proud of my players for the way they handled that pressure. "We have always been good at being gracious in defeat. What happened on Sunday overshadowed our achievement, but then they do it all the time, don't they?"


Top seeds South Africa return to the scene of one of their most embarrassing failures when they face the Seychelles in the Cosafa Cup next month. Last year Bafana Bafana were humbled in the first by minnows Mauritius who beat them 2 0 in Curepipe. Coach Stuart Baxter and his squad will return to Curepipe face the Seychelles in their first game of the new look regional competition. The format of the event has been changed this year after the entry of the Seychelles, who have taken the number of participants to 13. The teams are now divided into three group of four and play knock out matches on successive days to determine the group champions. Mauritius host the first group, and their opponents are Madagascar, the Seychelles and South Africa. Bafana Bafana play the Seychelles before Mauritius take on Madagascar in a double header on 26 February. The two winners return to the New George V stadium the next day and the victor of the group decider advances to August's final mini tournament. The second group will be hosted in Namibia in April. It comprises Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and the hosts. In June, former champions Zambia will host Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland in the third group in Lusaka. The three group winners will then join title holders Angola for the last of the mini tournaments in August, where the winners will be crowned. Seychelles v South Africa Mauritius v Madagascar Winners meet in final match Mozambique v Zimbabwe Namibia v Botswana Winners meet in final match Lesotho v Malawi Zambia v Swaziland Winners meet in final match


Shares in Cairn Energy rose 3.8% to 1,088 pence on Tuesday after the UK firm announced a fresh gas discovery in northern India. The firm, which last year made a number of other new finds in the Rajasthan area, said the latest discovery could lead to large gas volumes. However, chief executive Bill Gammell cautioned that additional evalution was first needed at the site. Cairn has also been granted approval to extend its Rajasthan exploration area. This approval has come from the Indian government. A spokesman said the company's decision to carry out further investigations at the new find showed that it believed there was significant gas. But he added: "It's still too early to say what the extent of it is." Cairn's string of finds in Rajasthan last year saw it elevated to the FTSE 100 index of the UK's leading listed companies. The company had bought the rights to explore in the area from oil giant Shell. Mr Gammell is a former Scottish international rugby player.


Shares of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial (SMFG), and Daiwa Securities jumped amid speculation that two of Japan's biggest financial companies will merge. Financial newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun claimed that the firms will join up next year and already have held discussions with Japanese regulators. The firms denied that they are about to link up, but said they are examining ways of working more closely together. SMFG shares climbed by 2.7% to 717,000, and Daiwa added 5.3% to 740 yen. Combining SMFG, Japan's third biggest lender, and Daiwa, the country's second largest brokerage firm, would create a company with assets of more than 1,000bn ( 537bn). SMFG President Yoshifumi Nishikawa said that the companies needed to bolster their businesses. "Both companies need to strengthen retail and other operations," he said, adding that "it's an issue we have in common". Daiwa said that "although it is true that the two groups have been engaging in various discussions to enhance cooperation, there are no plans to enter into negotiations to consolidate the two businesses". Analysts said that consolidation in Japan's financial sector was likely to continue and that it was likely to have a positive impact on earnings. "Cross selling opportunities between banks and brokers are increasing thanks to deregulation, so we can expect the relationship to get even stronger," said Heronry Nozaki, an analyst at NikkoCitigroup. The merger "would be a good move," he added.


Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou will fight the provisional two year bans imposed on them by the IAAF at an independent tribunal this weekend. Athletics' ruling body took action against the pair for failing to take drugs tests before the Athens Olympics. An independent tribunal of the Greek Track and Field Federation will meet to decide whether to ratify the sanction. The sprint duo face charges of failing to give information on their location and refusing to submit to a drugs test. Kenteris' lawyer Gregory Ioannidis told BBC Sport: "We refute both charges as unsubstantiated and illogical. "There have been certain breaches in the correct application of the rules on behalf of the sporting authorities and their officials, and these procedural breaches have also violated my client's rights. "There is also evidence that proves the fact that my client has been persecuted." Ioannidis, who is a law lecturer at the University of Buckingham, added: "One of the important rights and foundations of law and justice that the accused should be presumed innocent unless proved otherwise has been tarnished." The panel will also decide on the two year ban imposed on the athletes' controversial coach Christos Tzekos by the IAAF. Kenteris, the 2000 Olympic 200m champion, and Thanou, the women's 100m silver medallist from the same Games in Sydney, quit the Olympics on 18 August after failing to give samples on the eve of the opening ceremony. Testers could not find them at the Olympic village and the duo were later admitted to hospital after claiming to have been involved in a motorcycle accident. They also missed tests in Tel Aviv, Chicago and Athens before the Games. In imposing two year suspensions on the duo on 22 December, the IAAF described their explanations for missing the tests as "unacceptable". Whatever the findings of the independent tribunal, all parties will have the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The tribunal hearing will take place at the Hellenic Olympic Committee building. It will start at 1200 GMT on Saturday and is expected to finish early next week. The tribunal panel will consist of five members president Konstantinos Panagopoulos and Panagiotis Dimakos, Haralabos Hrisanthakis, Stilianos Perakis and Ioannis Karmis. Kenteris and Thanou also face criminal charges in Greece for allegedly faking the motorcycle accident. Eight criminal charges have been laid against the sprinters as well as Tzekos, an eyewitness to the accident and hospital officials. But there has been speculation that the charges could be dropped.


Tony Blair is being urged to use all his negotiating powers to end poor countries' debt and double aid. Some 45 million children will die needlessly before 2015 and aid budgets are half their 1960 levels, Oxfam says in a report, Paying the Price. The call comes as the prime minister prepares to assume the presidency of the G8 of top industrialised nations. "As rich countries get richer, they're giving less and less. This scandal must stop," Oxfam's Barbara Stocking said. "The world's poorest children are paying for rich countries' policies in aid and debt with their lives. "2005 offers the chance for an historic breakthrough, but unless world leaders act now the year will end in shameful failure," the charity's director added. The report said: "For rich countries, providing aid to help to end global poverty is an obligation and a matter of justice, not an act of charity." It also points out that in 1970 the G8 of top industrialised nations agreed to spend 0.7% of their incomes on aid. But 34 years later none of the organisations members have reached this target and many have not yet set a timetable, the report says. It argues that the price of not investing in poor countries' sustainable development will be felt across the world. The report said: "Global poverty threatens our shared prosperity and security. "Environmental crises and natural disasters, disease and drug trafficking know no national borders. Poverty heightens the likelihood of conflict and unrest. "New threats to the peace and security of rich nations arise from poverty and gross inequalities. "Criminal and terrorist networks are more likely to operate where state institutions are weak." Both the prime minister and Chancellor Gordon Brown have called for urgent action to fight world poverty. Mr Blair, who has described Africa as a "scar" on the world's conscience, has already said tackling world poverty would be one his G8 priorities along with climate change and the Aids epidemic. Mr Brown has also pledged to write off the debt owed to Britain by the world's poor nations. A spokeswoman for the Department for International Development said: "The government had made a clear commitment to reaching 0.7% of gross national income for overseas development aid by 2013. "If Britain's proposal for an International Finance Facility were adopted, the objective of 0.7% could be achieved earlier, by 2008 09. "These additional resources will be used to increase UK bilateral aid to Africa to at least 1.25bn a year by 2008 and spend at least 1.5bn on HIV/Aids related work over the next three years."


Sony has taken the prize for top innovator at the annual awards of PC Pro Magazine. It won the award for taking risks with products and for its "brave" commitment to good design. Conferring the award, PC Pro's staff picked out Sony's PCG X505/P Vaio laptop as a "stunning piece of engineering". The electronics giant beat off strong competition from Toshiba and chip makers AMD and Intel to take the gong. Paul Trotter, news and features editor of PC Pro, said several Sony products helped it to take the innovation award. He said Sony's Clie PEG UX50 media player with its swivel screen and qwerty keyboard "broke the design rules yet again". Other Sony products that helped included the Vaio W1 desktop computer and the RA 104 media server. Mr Trotter said Sony's combining of computer, screen and keyboard in the W1 was likely to be widely copied in future home PCs. The company has also become one of the first to use organic LEDs in its products. "While not always inventing new technology itself, Sony was never afraid to innovate around various formats," said Mr Trotter. Other awards decided by PC Pro's staff and contributors included one for Canon's EOS 300D digital camera in the Most Wanted Hardware category. Microsoft's Media Player 10 took the award for Most Wanted Software. This year was the 10th anniversary of the PC Pro awards, which splits its prizes into two sections. The first are chosen by the magazine's writers and consultants, the second are voted for by readers. Mr Trotter said more than 13,000 people voted for the Reliability and Service Awards, twice as many as in 2003. Net based memory and video card shop Crucial shared the award for Online Vendor of the year with Novatech.


Sales of hybrid cars in the US are set to double in 2005, research suggests. Research group JD Power estimates sales will hit 200,000 in 2005, despite higher prices and customer scepticism. Carmakers are starting to build hybrid sports utility vehicles (SUVs), the four wheel drive vehicles which now dominate the US car market. Hybrids cut both petrol consumption and emissions by combining a petrol engine with an electric motor constantly kept charged by extra engine power. Several jurisdictions, notably the state of California, mandate low emissions for new cars. Equally, the rise in oil prices over the past year has sparked hopes that consumers may be tempted by potential savings of a few hundred dollars a year on fuel. At the Detroit Motor Show, a range of manufacturers are prominently displaying their hybrid credentials. Toyota has led the market to date with the Prius, popularised by a number of celebrities keen to burnish their "green" credentials. In April it will launch a hybrid version of its Highlander SUV, with an SUV from its luxury Lexus marque due later in the year. Honda has three hybrids on the market, and between them the two Japanese carmakers sold more than 80,000 units last year. Ford, which has sold 4,000 of its first hybrid since its launch in August, is bringing a hybrid SUV the Mariner to market a year ahead of schedule, with plans for three more models by 2008. GM has a hybrid pickup on the market and is showing two concept SUVs in Detroit. Even sports car maker Porsche may join the race, although it insists it is still considering whether to hybridise its Cayenne SUV. Others remain more sceptical. Nissan has bought Toyota's hybrid technology, but plans to bring out its first model only in 2006. "We want to make sure we are not concentrating on one technology," Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn said. "We will not be surprised by any acceleration or deceleration in the hybrid market." Volkswagen, meanwhile, says it will focus on clean burning diesel engines instead. And some watchers point out that the price tag on a hybrid upwards of 3,000 above that of an equivalent normal engined car, and suspicion of the technology may still cool its attraction. "The average consumers aren't willing to pay that premium for a car they won't drive more than six years," said Anthony Pratt from JD Power.


George W Bush will display a more consensual approach to world politics as he begins his second term as US President, Tony Blair has said. The prime minister said Mr Bush had learned military force was not the only way to fight terrorism. He understood that "the best prospect of peaceful co existence lies in the spread of democracy and human rights", Mr Blair told the Guardian newspaper. Mr Bush was sworn in at a ceremony in Washington DC on Thursday. Echoing the new US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the prime minister said there has been a clear evolution of US policy since the war in Afghanistan in 2001. Mr Blair had personally seen the change over time in conversations with Mr Bush. The president understood that while military and security measures were important, there also needed to be a multilateral approach to solving the world's problems. Turning to critics' fears that the US was poised for further military action, Mr Blair refused to give succour to suggestions it was preparing for strikes against Iran. The prime minister conceded that the US had "what appears to be a harder position" towards the state than Europe. But the prime minister pointed out that until now the US had allowed Britain, France and Germany to take the lead in trying to halt the Iranian nuclear programme. Following claims that US forces had worked inside Iran to identify potential targets, Mr Blair was asked if the SAS had also been in the country. "We never answer questions about special forces, but do not take that as indicating an affirmative," said Mr Blair. Mr Blair said he believed the president was keen to work with other countries while trying to spread democracy and human rights. "It is significant, in my view, that he is coming to Europe as his first foreign visit," said Mr Blair. Following his inauguration, Mr Bush is due in Europe at the end of January.


Pharmaceutical giant Johnson Johnson has agreed to buy medical technology firm Guidant for 25.4bn ( 13bn). Guidant is a key producer of equipment that combats heart problems such as implant defibrillators and pacemakers. Analysts said that the deal is aimed at offsetting Johnson Johnson's reliance on a slowing drug business. They also pointed out that more mergers are likely because the drug and healthcare industries are fragmented and are under pressure to cut costs. A number of Johnson Johnson's products are facing patent expirations, while the company is also battling fierce competition from generic products. Meanwhile, demand for defibrillators, which give the heart a small electric shock when an irregular heartbeat or rhythm is detected, is expected to increase, analysts said. The move by Johnson Johnson has been widely expected and the firm will pay 76 for each Guidant share, 6% more than Wednesday's closing price. Analysts say that US antitrust regulators could force the firms to shed some overlapping stent operations. Stents are tubes that are used to keep an artery open after it has been unblocked.


Indian airline Jet Airways' initial public offering was oversubscribed 16.2 times, bankers said on Friday. Over 85% of the bids were at the higher end of the price range of 1,050 1,125 rupees ( 24 26). Jet Airways, a low fare airline, was founded by London based ex travel agent Naresh Goya, and controls 45% of the Indian domestic airline market. It sold 20% of its equity or 17.2 million shares in a bid to raise up to 443m ( 230.8m). The price at which its shares will begin trading will be agreed over the weekend, bankers said. "The demand for the IPO was impressive. We believe that over the next two years, the domestic aviation sector promises strong growth, even though fuel prices could be high," said Hiten Mehta, manager of merchant banking firm, Fortune Financial Services. India began to open up its domestic airline market previously dominated by state run carrier Indian Airlines in the 1990s. Jet began flying in 1993 and now has competitors including Air Deccan and Air Sahara. Budget carriers Kingfisher Airlines and SpiceJet are planning to launch operations in May this year. Jet has 42 aircraft and runs 271 scheduled flights daily within India. It recently won government permission to fly to London, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.


Shares in Google have fallen 6.7% after employees and early investors in the web search took advantage of the first chance to sell their holdings. Restrictions were imposed ahead of its flotation in August, to prevent shares being dumped quickly onto the market. In one of the most closely watched initial public offerings in stock market history, the US based company sold 19.6 million shares at 85 each. Google shares have risen since but fell 12.33 on Tuesday to close at 172.55. The restriction known as a lockup is being eased piecemeal: in all, some 227 million additional shares will become free to trade by February 2005. Selling the shares could turn many of Google's workers into millionaires. There were fears that the potential increase of shares in circulation from Tuesday would ease demand for stock. However, analysts say they expected most shareholders would be holding back from selling all their shares immediately, as Google's good performance and future growth potential means demand will hold. In its first earnings report since floating on the stock market, Google said it made a net profit of 52m in the three months ending 30 September. Sales surged to 805.9m in the third quarter, up from 393.9m a year earlier. Google's main service its internet search is free to users, so the firm makes much of its money from selling advertising space linked to the words for which its users search. It also sells the use of its technology to companies who need to make either their websites, or their internal information systems, searchable.


Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris has denied claims that he faked a motorbike crash to avoid a doping test days before the start of the Olympics. Kenteris and fellow sprinter Katerina Thanou are set to learn if they will face criminal charges this week. Part of the investigation has centred on whether they staged the crash. Kenteris insisted: "The accident happened. I went crazy when I found out I had supposedly missed a test and I wanted to rush to the Olympic village." Kenteris, speaking on Greece's Alter Television station, also claimed that he asked to be tested for banned substances in hospital after the crash. "I told the hospital, which was an Olympics accredited hospital, to call the IOC and have me tested on the spot but no one came." After a drama which dominated newspaper headlines in Greece as Athens prepared for the start of the Athens Games, Kenteris and Thanou eventually withdrew. But Kenteris has continually protested his innocence and on Sunday blamed Greek Olympic Committee officials and his former coach Christos Tzekos for failing to inform him of the test. The 31 year old insisted he will be happy if he is charged so he can clear his name. "If a decision is taken to have charges filed against me, I will accept it gladly. "A prosecution means that the case will be cleared... I want to go to the end and then we'll see who's right and who isn't." Kenteris, a Greek hero after winning gold in the 200m at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, also confirmed that he was due to light the flame at the Athens opening ceremony. "I had even rehearsed lighting the cauldron," he said.


World number one Lindsay Davenport has criticised Wimbledon over the issue of equal prize money for women. Reacting to a disputed comment by All England Club chairman Tim Phillips, the American said: "I think it is highly insulting if prize money is taken away. "Somebody, I think it was Mr Phillips, said they won't have money for flowers at Wimbledon. That's insulting." An All England club spokesperson denied Phillips made the remark, insisting: "He definitely didn't say it." The statement added: "It was said by someone else and was a humorous aside at the end of a radio interview when the conversation had moved to talking about the Wimbledon grounds." Davenport was speaking following the announcement that this week's Dubai Duty Free event will join the US and Australian Opens in offering equal prize money for women. "You hear about women playing only three sets while men play five," said Daveport. "And the best women are never going to beat the best men. "But it's a different game you go to watch with the women it doesn't make it better or worse. "Hopefully we will be able to change people's minds." Serena Williams, who is also in Dubai, added: "I'm obviously for equal prize money. "Women's tennis is exciting. Men's tennis is exciting as well, but the women have it right now. "If you are bringing in the spectators you should be able to reap what everyone else is able to reap."


World and Commonwealth 100m champion Kim Collins will compete in the 60m at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham on 18 February. The St Kitts and Nevis star joins British Olympic relay gold medallists Jason Gardener and Mark Lewis Francis. Sydney Olympic 100m champion and world indoor record holder Maurice Greene and Athens Olympic 100m silver medallist Francis Obikwelu will also take part. Collins ran in Birmingham at the 2003 World Indoor Championships. "I'm looking forward to competing against such a strong field," he said. "I got a great reception form the crowd at the NIA when I won my 60m world indoor silver medal in 2003 and it will be really exciting to return to this venue." The world champion says he's in good shape but he isn't underestimating the home competition. "Jason Gardener and Mark Lewis Francis are Olympic gold medallists now and I'm sure they'll be aiming to win in front of their home supporters. "I'm looking forward to competing against Britain's best sprinters and I'm sure the 60 metres will be one of the most exciting races of the evening." Collins was sixth in the Olympic final in Athens but is hoping for a better result at the World Championships in Finland this summer. "This will be a big year for me and I plan to defend my 100m world title in Helsinki in August. Before then I want to perform well over 60m indoors and start my year in winning form."


News Corp, the media company controlled by Australian billionaire Rupert Murdoch, is eyeing a move into the video games market. According to the Financial Times, chief operating officer Peter Chernin said that News Corp is "kicking the tires of pretty much all video games companies". Santa Monica based Activison is said to be one firm on its takeover list. Video games are "big business", the paper quoted Mr Chernin as saying. We "would like to get into it". The success of products such as Sony's Playstation, Microsoft's X Box and Nintendo's Game Cube have boosted demand for video games. The days of arcade classics such as Space Invaders, Pac Man and Donkey Kong are long gone. Today, games often have budgets big enough for feature films and look to give gamers as real an experience as possible. And with their price tags reflecting the heavy investment by development companies, video games are proving almost as profitable as they are fun. Mr Chernin, however, told the FT that News Corp was finding it difficult to identify a suitable target. "We are struggling with the gap between companies like Electronic Arts, which comes with a high price tag, and the next tier of companies," he explained during a conference in Phoenix, Arizona. "These may be too focused on one or two product lines."


Sir Anthony Meyer, the Tory backbencher who challenged Margaret Thatcher for the party leadership in 1989, has died. He was 84, had been suffering from cancer for many months, and died at his London home. That failed "stalking horse" leadership challenge made it easier for Michael Heseltine to mount his own bid. That in turn paved the way for John Major to move into 10 Downing Street, after the second ballot. Meyer's constituency party, Clwyd North West, which he had represented as an MP for more than 20 years, deselected him as a result of that challenge. Sir Anthony John Charles Meyer was born on 27 October, 1920. Educated at Eton, and at New College, Oxford, he served in the Scots Guards from 1941 to 1945 and was wounded in tanks in Normandy. He worked under Edward Heath on Europe at the Foreign Office and subsequently won the Eton and Slough seat for the Tories in 1964 by 11 votes. Labour regained the seat two years later, and Meyer had to wait until 1970 before he could re enter Parliament. His prospects of a front bench slot remained remote because he tended to defy the party line.


An executive at US insurance firm Marsh McLennan has pleaded guilty to criminal charges in connection with an ongoing fraud and bid rigging probe. New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer said senior vice president Robert Stearns had pleaded guilty to scheming to defraud. The offence carries a sentence of 16 months to four years in state prison. Mr Spitzer's office added Mr Stearns had also agreed to testify in future cases during the industry inquiry. "We are saddened by the development," Marsh said in a statement. The company added it would continue to co operate in the case, adding it was "committed to resolving the company's legal issues and to serving our clients with the highest standards of transparency and ethics". According to a statement from Mr Spitzer's office, the Marsh executive admitted he instructed insurance companies to submit non competitive bids for insurance business between 2002 and 2004. Those bids were then "conveyed to Marsh clients under false and fraudulent pretences". Through the practice, Marsh was allowed to determine which insurers won business from clients, and so control the insurance market, Mr Spitzer's office added. It also protected incumbent insurers when their business was up for renewal and helped Marsh to maximise its fees, a statement said. In one case, an email showed Mr Stearns had instructed a colleague to solicit a non competitive or "B" quote from AIG that was "higher in premium and more restrictive in coverage" and so fixed the bids in a way that would support the present provider Chubb. The company is also still being examined by US stock market regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Late last month the SEC asked for information about transactions involving holders of 5% or more of the firm's shares.


Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva has confirmed she will take part in the 2005 Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham on 18 February. "Everybody knows how much I enjoy competing in Britain. I always seem to break records there," said Isinbayeva. "As Olympic champion there will be more attention on me this year, but hopefully I can respond with another record in Birmingham." Kelly Holmes and Carolina Kluft are among other Athens winners competing. The organisers are hoping that Isinbayeva's main rival, fellow Russian Svetlana Feofanova, will also take part in the event. The pair had a thrilling battle in Athens which ended with Isinbayeva finally jumping a world record of 4.91m to claim the gold medal. Isinbayeva, 22, has set 10 world records in the pole vault, three of which have come on British soil.


Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou have been suspended after failing to take drugs tests before the Athens Olympics. Athletics' ruling body the IAAF said explanations from the pair and their former coach as to why they missed the tests were "unacceptable". It added that Kenteris and Thanou had been "provisionally suspended pending the resolution of their cases". They face two year bans if found guilty by the Greek Athletics Federation. The suspension also covers the athletes' controversial coach, Christos Tzekos. Kenteris, the 2000 Olympic 200m champion, and Thanou, the women's 100m silver medallist from the same Games in Sydney, also face a criminal hearing in Greece over the missed tests. They failed to appear to give samples in Chicago and Tel Aviv shortly before the Athens Games and again in Athens on 12 August, the eve of the opening ceremony. Greek prosecutors have also charged them with faking a midnight motorcycle crash which led to them spending four days in hospital. Some medical staff have been charged with writing false medical reports. Wednesday's statement said the Greek Federation (SEGAS) would convene a disciplinary hearing for the trio to determine whether there had been doping violations. "There will be a final right of appeal from the decision of the Greek Federation to the Court of Arbitration for Sport," the IAAF said. Tzekos insisted he and the runners had nothing to hide. "The IAAF's decision means nothing," he said. "We'll be presenting all our arguments to SEGAS we're innocent."


Teachers could get more powers to remove unruly pupils from classes under a "zero tolerance" drive, Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has suggested. Ms Kelly told the BBC progress had been made against severely disruptive children but parents were still worried about lower level problems. The minister also confirmed she received "spiritual support" from the Catholic movement Opus Dei. But she denied her faith meant she would refuse key government jobs. The Conservatives have made school discipline one of their five priority areas in the run up to the next general election. Ms Kelly is expected to announce her plans on the issue in the next fortnight. She told BBC One's Breakfast with Frost: "It is really important to support head teachers and teachers in tackling disruption in the classroom. "We have made huge progress on the really difficult cases, the pupils who have severely disruptive behaviour. "But quite rightly what teachers are concerned about and what parents are concerned about is that this lower level disruption that goes on in the classroom now is tackled. "I would like to see the teacher being able to remove disruptive children from the classroom completely and have either alternative provision within the school or indeed off the school and may be working together with other schools in a particular area to provide that provision." It is thought the plans may distinguish between excluding pupils from schools and taking them out of mainstream classes. Head teachers can currently exclude pupils who commit or threaten violence in school, who sexually abuse pupils or other people, who sell illegal drugs or who have persistent and malicious disruptive behaviour. Ms Kelly entered the Cabinet last month in the reshuffle forced by the resignation of the then Home Secretary David Blunkett. Her links to Opus Dei, which means "Work of God" in Latin, have provoked controversy. Critics say the organisation, which adheres strictly to Catholic teachings, is secretive and elitist but its members reject such claims. Asked if she was a member of the group, Ms Kelly said: "I do have spiritual support from Opus Dei and that is right. "But those are private spiritual matters and I'm sure you'll respect that politicians are entitled to a private life." She categorically denied reports that her beliefs on issues such as contraception would make her refuse to serve as a health or international development minister. Her collective responsibility as a Cabinet minister meant she also took responsibility for policies in those areas, she argued. The government has yet to issue its official response to the Tomlinson review, which recommended absorbing existing exam qualifications into a diploma. Ms Kelly said reforms should build on GCSEs and A levels. Her comments did not impress Tory shadow education secretary Tim Collins. "Ruth Kelly wants to ditch the Tomlinson report on exam structures but has absolutely no idea what to put in its place," he said. "She also talks of improving discipline but cannot make her mind up how. This is an all talk agenda that lets down children, teachers and parents."


Home printed pictures can be cheaper and higher quality than those from High Street developers, tests shows. A survey carried out by PC Pro magazine looked at which of 100 home photo printers offered a better deal than handing your snaps to a photo lab. The tests found that images from top PC printers kept their colour longer than professionally produced photographs. But using the wrong printer cartridge could means snaps fade in months, warned the magazine. The group test of 100 home photo printers for PCs discovered how much it costs to create images using the devices compared to online developers as well as High Street names such as Jessops, Boots and Snappy Snaps. The comprehensive test also revealed how quickly different printers produced images, the quality of the finished image and how resistant finished pictures were to smudging or water damage. It found that although some ink for printers now costs more than 2 per millilitre it can still be cheaper to produce prints from photographs at home than it is to send them off to a High Street store. "If you really like your photos, then it's definitely worth printing at home instead of going to the high street, but only if you choose the right printer," said Nick Ross, top tester at PC Pro. Mr Ross said that a new generation of printers produced images with brighter colours and that were less likely to fade than many High Street developers or even some professional wedding photographers. Some High Street photo shops can be the cheapest when it came to developing prints that were 6x4in, said Mr Ross, but the test revealed that images 7x5in and 8x10in in size were cheaper to produce at home. According to PC Pro, producing a print 8x10in on an Epson R800 printer using top quality paper costs 1.87. At Jessops the same image would cost 2.50 and at Snappy Snaps 9.99. A 10x7in snap at Boots would cost 4.99. "Considering how inconvenient it can be to go to the High Street and how silver halide prints can fade in the sun, we're adamant that it's now better, cheaper and more convenient to print at home," he said. Ann Simpson, marketing manager at Snappy Snaps believes the convenience of high street printing will continue to attract customers. "Some people will want to do their own thing on their computer but the feedback to us is that customers often have to print two or three pictures at home in order to get a good one," she said. "Many people are not skilled at getting the colour, contrast and cropping right and they don't want the hassle," she added. The magazine test found that which ink consumers use determined how long their prints lasted before they started fading. It recommended avoiding so called third party inks not produced by printer makers because they tended to produce prints that fade the quickest.


The last 12 months have seen a dramatic growth in almost every security threat that plague Windows PCs. The count of known viruses broke the 100,000 barrier and the number of new viruses grew by more than 50%. Similarly phishing attempts, in which conmen try to trick people into handing over confidential data, are recording growth rates of more than 30% and attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Also on the increase are the number of networks of remotely controlled computers, called bot nets, used by malicious hackers and conmen to carry out many different cyber crimes. One of the biggest changes of 2004 was the waning influence of the boy hackers keen to make a name by writing a fast spreading virus, said Kevin Hogan, senior manager in Symantec's security response group. Although teenage virus writers will still play around with malicious code, said Mr Hogan, 2004 saw a significant rise in criminal use of malicious programs. The financial incentives were driving criminal use of technology, he said. His comment was echoed by Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant from anti virus firm Sophos. Mr Cluley said: "When the commercial world gets involved, things really get nasty. Virus writers and hackers will be looking to make a tidy sum." In particular, phishing attacks, which typically use fake versions of bank websites to grab login details of customers, boomed during 2004. Web portal Lycos Europe reported a 500% increase in the number of phishing e mail messages it was catching. The Anti Phishing Working group reported that the number of phishing attacks against new targets was growing at a rate of 30% or more per month. Those who fall victim to these attacks can find that their bank account has been cleaned out or that their good name has been ruined by someone stealing their identity. This change in the ranks of virus writers could mean the end of the mass mailing virus which attempts to spread by tricking people into opening infected attachments on e mail messages. "They are not an efficient way of spreading viruses," said Mr Hogan. "They are very noisy and they are not technically challenging." The opening months of 2004 did see the appearance of the Netsky, Bagle and MyDoom mass mailers, but since then more surreptitious viruses, or worms, have dominated. Mr Hogan said worm writers were more interested in recruiting PCs to take part in "bot nets" that can be used to send out spam or to mount attacks on websites. In September Symantec released statistics which showed that the numbers of active "bot computers" rose from 2,000 to 30,000 per day. Thanks to these "bot nets", spam continued to be a problem in 2004. Anti spam firms report that, in many cases, legitimate e mail has shrunk to less than 30% of messages. Part of the reason that these "bot nets" have become so prevalent, he said, was due to a big change in the way that many viruses were created. In the past many viruses, such as Netsky, have been the work of an individual or group. By contrast, said Mr Hogan, the code for viruses such as Gaobot, Spybot and Randex were commonly held and many groups work on them to produce new variants at the same time. The result is that now there are more than 3,000 variations of the Spybot worm. "That's unprecedented," said Mr Hogan. "What makes it difficult is that they are all co existing with each other and do not exist in an easy to understand chronology." The emergence of the first proper virus for mobile phones was also seen in 2004. In the past, threats to smart phones have been largely theoretical because the viruses created to cripple phones existed only in the laboratory rather than the wild. In June, the Cabir virus was discovered that can hop from phone to phone using Bluetooth short range radio technology. Also released this year was the Mosquito game for Symbian phones which surreptitiously sends messages to premium rate numbers, and in November the Skulls Trojan came to light which can cripple phones. On the positive side, Finnish security firm F Secure said that 2004 was the best ever year for the capture, arrest and sentencing of virus writers and criminally minded hackers. In total, eight virus writers were arrested and some members of the so called 29A virus writing group were sentenced. One high profile arrest was that of German teenager Sven Jaschen who confessed to be behind the Netsky and Sasser virus families. Also shut down were the Carderplanet and Shadowcrew websites that were used to trade stolen credit card numbers.


Turkey is to relaunch its currency on Saturday, knocking six zeros off the lira in the hope of boosting trade and powering its growing economy. The change will see the end of such dizzyingly high denominations as five million lira enough for a short taxi ride and the 20m note, worth 15. These valuations were the product of decades of inflation which, as recently as 2001, was as high as 70%. Inflation has since been tamed and economic prospects are improving. The currency officially to be known as the new lira will be launched at midnight on 1 January. From that point, the one million lira note will become the new one lira coin. The government hopes the change will be seen as a promise of growing economic stability as Turkey embarks on the long process of trying to join the European Union. On an everyday level, it is hoped the change will stimulate more international trade and end confusion among foreign investors and Turks alike. "The transition to the new Turkish lira shows clearly that our economy has broken the vicious circle that it was imprisoned in for long years," said Sureyya Serdengecti, head of the Turkish Central Bank. "The new lira is also the symbol of the stable economy that we dreamed of for long years." The Turkish economy teetered on the brink of collapse in 2001 when the lira plunged in value and two million people lost their jobs. Turkey had to turn to the International Monetary Fund for financial assistance, accepting a 18bn loan in return for pushing through a wide ranging austerity programme. These tough measures have borne fruit. Inflation fell below 10% earlier this year for the first time in decades while exports are up 30% this year. Meanwhile, the economy is expanding at a healthy rate, with 7.9% growth expected in 2004. The government hopes that the new currency will cement the country's economic progress, two weeks after EU leaders set a date for the start of Turkey's accession talks. The slimmed down lira is likely to be widely welcomed by the business community. "The Turkish lira has been like funny money," Tevfik Aksoy, chief Turkish economist for Deutsche Bank, told Associated Press. "Now at least in cosmetic terms it will look like real currency." However, some do not feel quite so happy about seeing the nominal value of their investments reduced. "If a person has 10 billion lira in investments this will suddenly decrease," shop owner Hayriye Evren, told Associated Press. "This will definitely affect people psychologically."


The world's biggest tobacco consumer, China, has said it will not allow any new tobacco factories to be built. China already has more than enough cigarette making capacity, according to a spokesman for the tobacco industry regulator quoted in China Daily. The ban threatens to reignite tensions between the regulator and British American Tobacco, which plans to become China's first foreign cigarette maker. A spokeswoman for Bat declined to comment on the report. "China won't allow any new tobacco factories to be built, including joint ventures", said Xing Wangli, a spokesman for the State Tobacco Administration Monopoly quoted in China Daily. He also said that the state would retain its monopoly on cigarette distribution. China has 350 million smokers who consumer 1.7 trillion cigarettes a year. Smoking is fashionable in China, where it is seen as an essential and manly sociable touch for some jobs, such as salesmen. More young, urban woman are taking up smoking too. In July 2004, Bat announced it had won approval for to build a 1.5bn ( 800m) joint venture factory in China which would make it the first foreign cigarette maker to manufacture there. The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration said a week later that it had not approved the deal, leading to an embarrassing public row. Bat told the BBC at that time that it had not negotiated with the STMC, and secured approval from "the highest levels of government". Since then, the row has flared occasionally, most recently at a forum in November. Bat consistently declines to comment. "Xing's statement comes as especially bad news for British American Tobacco", the China Daily newspaper said of the latest development. The Bat spokeswoman said: "There is nothing for us to add...since our announcement in July last year. The central government of China is the authority that approved our strategic investment." The decision to ban further tobacco factories does not apply to deals made before 2005, according to the French news agency AFP. The joint venture factory was expected to take till 2006 to build. The Bat spokeswoman would not comment on its progress. However, if the STMA continues to take a tough stance, expansion opportunities could be limited. China's tobacco market is increasingly valuable as anti smoking campaigners target public smoking in the West. China Daily said the market was currently enjoying steady growth, making more than 210bn yuan ( 25.4bn) in pre tax profits last year, almost double the figure in 2000. The paper made no mention of health concerns. The STMA is trying to restructure the domestic tobacco industry, closing some factories, though such moves can be unpopular with local governments.


Still basking in the relatively recent glory of last year's Sands Of Time, the dashing Prince of Persia is back in Warrior Within, and in a more bellicose mood than last time. This sequel gives the franchise a grim, gritty new look and ramps up the action and violence. As before, you control the super athletic prince from a third person perspective. The time travelling plot hinges on the Dahaka, an all consuming monster pursuing our hero through the ages. The only way to dispel it is to turn back the clock again and kill the sultry Empress Of Time before she ever creates the Sands of Time that caused the great beast's creation. Studiously structured though this back story is, everything boils down to old fashioned fantasy gameplay which proves, on the whole, as dependable as it needs to be. Ever since the series' then groundbreaking beginnings on the Commodore Amiga, Prince of Persia has always been about meticulously animated acrobatic moves, that provide an energetic blend of leaping preposterously between pieces of scenery and lopping off enemies' body parts. Those flashy moves are back in full evidence, and tremendous fun to perform and perfect. Combining them at speed is the best fun, although getting a handle of doing so takes practice and plenty of skill. Until you reach that point, it is a haphazard business. All too often, you will perform a stunning triple somersault, pirouette off a wall, knock out three enemies in one glorious swoop, before plummeting purposefully over a cliff to your doom. That in turn can mean getting set back an annoyingly long distance, for you can only save at the fountains dotted along the path. The expected fiendish puzzles are all present and correct, but combat is what is really been stepped up, and there is more of it than before. The game's developers have combined acrobatic flair with gruesome slaying techniques in some wonderfully imaginative ways. Slicing foes down the middle is one particularly entertaining method of seeing them off. Warrior Within is a very slick package; the game's intro movie is so phenomenally good that it actually does an ultimate disservice once the game itself commences. It is on a par with the jaw dropping opening sequence of Onimusha 3 earlier this year, and when the game begins, it is something of an anti climax. That said, the graphics are excellent, and indeed among the most striking and satisfying elements of the game. The music is probably the worst aspect a merit free heavy metal soundtrack that you will swiftly want to turn off. There is something strangely unsatisfying about the game. Perhaps precisely because its graphics and mechanics are so good that the story and overall experience are not quite as engaging as they should be. Somehow it adds up to less than the sum of its parts, and is more technically impressive than it is outright enjoyable. But that is not to say Warrior Within is anything other than a superb adventure that most will thoroughly enjoy. It just does not quite take the character to the new heights that might have been hoped for.


DVDs will be harder to copy thanks to new anti piracy measures devised by copy protection firm Macrovision. The pirated DVD market is enormous because current copy protection was hacked more than five years ago. Macrovision says its new RipGuard technology will thwart most, but not all, of the current DVD ripping (copying) programs used to pirate DVDs. "RipGuard is designed to... reduce DVD ripping and the resulting supply of illegal peer to peer," said the firm. Macrovision said the new technology will work in "nearly all" current DVD players when applied to the discs, but it did not specify how many machines could have a problem with RipGuard. Some BBC News website users have expressed concerns that the new technology will mean that DVDs will not work on PCs running the operating system Linux. The new technology will be welcomed by Hollywood film studios which are increasingly relying on revenue from DVD sales. The film industry has stepped up efforts to fight DVD piracy in the last 12 months, taking legal action against websites which offer pirated copies of DVD movies for download. "Ultimately, we see RipGuard DVD... evolving beyond anti piracy, and towards enablement of legitimate online transactions, interoperability in tomorrow's digital home, and the upcoming high definition formats," said Steve Weinstein, executive vice president and general manager of Macrovision's Entertainment Technologies Group. Macrovision said RipGuard would also prevent against "rent, rip and return" where people would rent a DVD, copy it and then return the original. RipGuard is expected to be rolled out on DVDs from the middle of 2005, the company said. The new system works specifically to block most ripping programs if used, those programs will now most likely crash, the company said. Macrovision has said that Rip Guard can be updated if hackers find a way around the new anti copying measures.


Terrorists might try to target the UK in the run up to the election, London's most senior police officer has said. Sir Ian Blair said terror groups would remember the effect of the Madrid bomb on Spain's general election last year. Other potential targets were the royal wedding and the UK's presidency of the European Union and G8, he said. He refused to say if there was specific information about the risk of a pre poll attack. No 10 was similarly cautious but said the threat was real. The comments come after Tony Blair defended his controversial anti terror proposals, warning that it would be wrong to wait for an attack before acting. Sir Ian told a meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority it would be "unwise" to speculate about whether there was specific information about risks of a pre election attack. But he said: "Terrorists have long memories. They understand what happened in Madrid and know what the impact of that was on the Spanish electorate. "This year we are responsible for the EU presidency, presidency of the G8, a royal wedding and a general election. "There are obvious and enormous targets which we have to deal with." Sir Ian said the debate over anti terror plans was one for politicians, not the police, who would enforce any new powers. Home Secretary Charles Clarke has also warned that a Madrid style pre election bombing could happen in the UK too. Asked about Sir Ian's comments, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "We believe the threat is real." The spokesman declined to comment on whether the security services had received specific intelligence relating to a possible attack during the election campaign. He said No 10 did not disclose any security advice they received. Earlier, writing in the Daily Telegraph, the prime minister conceded that plans to detain suspects under house arrest without trial were "difficult issues for any government". The Commons has approved the measures despite considerable opposition, with the government's majority more than halved as 32 Labour rebels joined Tory and Lib Dem opposition. But Mr Blair insisted: "There is no greater civil liberty than to live free from terrorist attack." Tory leader Michael Howard has accused Mr Blair of steamrolling the house arrest plans and of "using national security for political point scoring". Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy says that the plan is a further example of Labour's "authoritarian" response to crises. The Prevention of Terrorism Bill proposes "control orders", which as well as house arrest could impose curfews, tagging or bans on telephone and internet use. They would replace current powers to detain foreign terror suspects without trial, which the law lords have ruled against. But critics are concerned that it would be the home secretary and not judges who decided to impose control orders. The plans face further Commons scrutiny on Monday before passing to the Lords.


Chancellor Gordon Brown will deliver his Budget to the House of Commons on 16 March, the Treasury has announced. The Budget, likely to be the last before the General Election, will be at 1230 GMT on that Wednesday, just after Prime Minister's question time. The annual event is when the chancellor outlines the government's taxation and broader economic predictions. It is likely to set out much of the tax and spending battleground for the election, widely expected on 5 May. Next month's Budget will be Mr Brown's eighth since Labour came to power in 1997. If a May election is called, there could be as little as 18 days between the Budget and the announcement of a date for the election. A shortened Finance Bill would have to be rushed through Parliament with all party support to allow the Government to continue collecting revenue. The full Finance Bill, with the Budget measures in it, would then be returned to the Commons after the election, if Labour secures another term in office. As Mr Brown announced the Budget date in a short ministerial statement, accountancy firm Ernst Young urged him to put politics aside and focus on the long term requirements of the economy. "In the Budgets that were given immediately before the last six elections, taxes were cut by the incumbent chancellor and, in many cases, taxes were increased soon after the election result," said Aidan O'Carroll, E Y's UK head of tax.


The world's dwindling panda population is getting a helping hand from a wireless internet network. The Wolong Nature Reserve in the Sichuan Province of southwest China is home to 20% of the remaining 1,500 giant pandas in the world. A broadband and wireless network installed on the reserve has allowed staff to chronicle the pandas' daily activities. The data and images can be shared with colleagues around the world. The reserve conducts vital research on both panda breeding and bamboo ecology. Using the network, vets have been able to observe how infant pandas feed and suggest changes to improve the tiny cubs' chances of survival. "Digital technology has transformed the way we communicate and share information inside Wolong and with the rest of the world," said Zhang Hemin, director of the Wolong Nature Reserve. "Our researchers now have state of the art digital technology to help foster the panda population and manage our precious surroundings." The network has been developed by Intel, working closely with the staff at Wolong. It includes a 802.11b wireless network and a video monitoring system using five cameras to observe pandas around the clock. Before the new infrastructure arrived at the panda park, staff walked or drove to deliver floppy disks across the reserve. Infant panda health was recorded on paper notebooks and research teams in the field had little access to the data. To foster cultural links across the globe, a children's learning lab has been incorporated in the network, in collaboration with Globio (Federation for Global Biodiversity Education for Children), an international non profit organisation. It will enable children at local primary schools to hook up with their peers in Portland, Oregon in the US. "Digital technology brings this story to life by enabling a global dialogue to help bridge cultures around the world," said Globio founder Gerry Ellis.


News Corporation is seeking to buy out minority investors in Fox Entertainment Group, its broadcasting subsidiary, for about 5.4bn ( 3.7bn). The media giant, run by Rupert Murdoch, owns 82% of the shares in the company, home to the Fox television network and the 20th Century Fox film studio. The move follows News Corp's decision to register its business in the US. 20th Century Fox's recent film releases include I Heart Huckabees and I, Robot, while Fox puts out hit TV series 24. Under the terms of the offer, minority Fox shareholders will receive 1.90 News Corp shares in return for each Fox share they hold. Analysts said the decision to list News Corp in the US which will result in the firm's shares trading in New York rather than Sydney nullified the need to retain a separate stock market listing for Fox Entertainment shares. News Corp investors voted in October to approve the transfer of the company's corporate domicile from Australia to the US state of Delaware. The move is designed to help News Corp attract more investment from the largest US financial institutions, and make it easier to raise capital. Fox Entertainment Group generated revenues of 12bn last year. News Corp shares fell 25 cents to 17.65 after the share offer was announced while Fox shares were up 19 cents at 31.22.


Sri Lanka's president has launched a reconstruction drive worth 3.5bn ( 1.8bn) by appealing for peace and national unity. President Kumaratunga said it was now important to find a peaceful solution to years of internal conflict. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said damage from the tsunami would cut one percentage point from Sri Lanka's economic growth this year. It estimated the wave left physical damage equal to 6.5% of the economy. Separately, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said that at least one million people have lost their livelihoods in Sri Lanka and Indonesia alone. It called for action to create jobs. President Kumaratunga attended a ceremony in the southern town of Hambantota. She was joined by government and opposition politicians, together with Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian clergy. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse laid the foundation stone on a new housing project intended to provide 6,000 homes for survivors of the tsunami. Mrs Kumaratunga called for the tragedy to be "the start of a new beginning to rebuild our nation". "We are a country blessed with so many natural resources and we have not made use of them fully. Instead we have been squabbling, fighting," she added. Norway's peace negotiator Erik Solheim is due to arrive on Wednesday to try to revive peace talks in the decades long conflict between government forces and the Tamil Tigers, who want a separate state in the north east of the country. Reconstruction efforts in eastern Sri Lanka have been hampered by tensions between the two sides. The IMF said that the Sri Lankan authorities' initial estimates have put the physical damage at 1.3 to 1.5bn, but added that the implications for the economy were much wider than this. "The broader macroeconomic impact will clearly be substantial but the details are difficult to assess at this early stage," the IMF said. Growth, inflation, the balance of payments and foreign exchange reserves are all expected to show the effects of lost businesses and reconstruction costs. "The fishing industry has been devastated, agricultural production may be affected and tourism will suffer, especially in the short term," the report said. The ILO estimated that 400,000 Sri Lankans have lost their jobs, mostly in these three industries. Earnings from tourism this year are expected to be 15% lower than last year. Economic growth this year is expected to be 4%, which is about 1% less than previously forecast. Inflation could climb to 14% compared to a previous estimate of 12%. Although major exports have not suffered, the IMF expects the reconstruction effort will require higher imports which could damage the balance of payments. Foreign exchange reserves may become strained as "Sri Lanka will be hard pressed to keep international reserves at the pre tsunami level" which totalled more than two months worth of imports. Last week, the IMF approved Sri Lanka's request for a freeze on loan repayments.


A combination of bad weather, rising raw material costs and the sluggish European economy has hit sales at Swiss food and drink giant Nestle. Revenue dipped 1.4% to 86.7bn Swiss francs ( 74.6bn; 39.1bn) in 2004 as sales of ice cream and mineral water were dampened by the wet summer. However, Nestle's profits margins were helped by a strong performance in the Americas and China. Nestle is to raise its dividend by 11% after paying back some of its debt. Nestle said that the strength of the Swiss franc against the US dollar, the disposal of businesses and challenging trading conditions in Europe all dented sales. A poor summer across the continent in contrast to the prolonged heat wave in 2003 "severely affected" demand for ice cream. Sales of bottled water also fell, although chocolate, coffee, frozen goods and petcare products performed better. Elsewhere, Nestle said it had enjoyed an "exceptional" year in North America, outperforming the market in terms of sales growth. Nestle added that it had performed strongly in Africa and Asia despite the impact of high oil prices and political instability. Nestle's total earnings before interest remained broadly flat over the past year, despite the company managing to boost profit margins. As well as increasing its dividend, Nestle plans to buy back shares worth 1bn Swiss francs ( 861m; 451m). Looking forward, Nestle forecasts organic earnings growth of about 5% in 2005, although it warned that trading would remain just as competitive. Uncertainty remains over the future of Perrier, the iconic French mineral water owned by Nestle. Perrier has been locked in a long standing dispute with unions about productivity levels at the business, which has lead Nestle to consider selling the firm. "The option of selling is Perrier is still on the table," chief executive Peter Brabeck Letmathe confirmed on Thursday.


MPs are preparing to debate a bill which critics claim would legalise euthanasia "by the back door". The bill would give legal force to "living wills", where people say they want medical treatment withheld if they become severely incapacitated. The Mental Capacity Bill has broad support from charities who say it would give better safeguards over treatment. But Christian groups say it could mean doctors withholding food and fluids even if they think it inappropriate. Ministers insist the Mental Capacity Bill for England and Wales would not change laws on assisted suicide and contains a presumption in favour of preserving life. The bill would establish a legal presumption that everybody can make decisions about their own treatment unless proved otherwise. It would allow people to give somebody the power of attorney to make decisions on their behalf, which could be challenged by doctors. Critics fear it could allow "killing by omission" through withdrawing treatment. An amendment to the bill specifically preventing decisions that would bring about death has been tabled by former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith. Ninety one MPs have signed a petition backing the amendment. MPs could vote on it later on Tuesday, during the bill's report stage debate. The Bill will then go to a third reading and be debated in the Lords, before becoming law. The Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) and Lawyers' Christian Fellowship (LCF) said the Mental Capacity Bill would allow euthanasia by the "back door". Peter Saunders of the CMF said it believed advance refusals should be only advisory, not legally binding. "CMF is concerned that patients will make unwise and hasty advance decisions to refuse food and fluids without being properly informed about the diagnosis and the expected course their illness will take," he said. The LCF's Andrea Williams said there were "too many loopholes that could be abused by unscrupulous doctors". Ex Labour minister Frank Field told BBC Two's Newsnight programme there was a danger people would feel under pressure to "do away" with themselves so relatives could inherit their assets. Constitutional Affairs Minister David Lammy said laws affecting 750,000 people with dementia needed updating. Mr Lammy told BBC News Labour MPs would not get a free vote as the law was being strengthened, not changed. "We are against euthanasia, we are against assisted suicide but we are in a situation now where people can make living wills and that has the force of the common law," he said. "Doctors are saying they want more clarity. Patients are saying they want more clarity." The Making Decisions Alliance, which includes the Alzheimer's Society, Age Concern, Mencap and the National Autistic Society, said misunderstandings over the bill had to be cleared up. "It will not change the current law on euthanasia and will actually provide a series of better safeguards when decisions are made for people who lack capacity," the alliance said in a statement. The British Medical Association also backs the bill, saying it just gives incapacitated people the same rights as others. Debate on legalising euthanasia has intensified in the UK because of cases like that of motor neurone patient Diane Pretty. She died two years ago after losing a legal battle to allow her husband to help her commit suicide.


The UK and US must realise they cannot prevent all terror attacks and should focus on making sure they are not nuclear strikes, says a top academic. Amitai Etzioni, a key influence on New Labour thinking, says the US emphasis on an "Axis of Evil" is misplaced. The priority should instead be on "failing states", including Russia and Pakistan, who cannot properly control their nuclear material, he argues. His report demands a major overhaul of world rules on nuclear technology. Professor Etzioni was a senior adviser to President Carter's White House and is the guru behind communitarian ideas which influenced the development of Blairite Third Way politics. In a report for the Foreign Policy Centre think tank, he says a nuclear terrorist attack is the main danger faced by many nations. "Attempts to defend against it by hardening domestic targets cannot work, nor can one rely on pre emption by taking the war to the terrorists before they attack," he says. That means there is an urgent need to curb terrorists' access to nuclear arms and the materials used to make them. "We must recognise that we will be unable to stop all attacks and thus ensure terrorists will not be able to strike with weapons of mass destruction," Prof Etzioni continues. He suggests so called rogue states such as Iran and North Korea are less of a problem than "failed and failing states", which are more likely to be a source of nuclear materials. He names Russia as the "failing state" of gravest concern as it has an estimated 90% of all fissile material outside America. And he is also worried about Pakistan after one of its top nuclear scientists, Abdul Qadeer Khan, admitted leaking nuclear secrets. Prof Etzioni criticises the US for overlooking those reports, suggesting it was done in return for Pakistani help in hunting Osama Bin Laden. "This is like letting a serial killer go because he promised to catch some jay walkers," he says. Upgrading security at nuclear arms stores as a temporary measure Creating a new Global Safety Authority to tackle nuclear terrorism, using the intelligence links established in the wake of 11 September backed by the United Nations' authority Encouraging, pressuring and using "all available means" to persuade countries to switch their highly enriched uranium for less dangerous less enriched uranium When possible, taking fissile material away from failing states to safe havens where it can be blended down or converted Compelling "failing and rogue states", and eventually all states, to destroy their nuclear bombs.


Titus Bramble's own goal put Liverpool on the comeback trail as injury hit Newcastle were well beaten at Anfield. Patrick Kluivert's close range finish put Newcastle ahead after 31 minutes, but they were pegged back as Bramble headed in Steven Gerrard's corner. Neil Mellor gave Liverpool the lead before half time from Milan Baros' pass before the Czech added a third after rounding Shay Given on the hour. Newcastle then had Lee Bowyer sent off for two bookable offences. Liverpool brought back Luis Garcia after a hamstring injury, while Newcastle were forced to draft in Kluivert after Craig Bellamy was a late withdrawal with a back injury sustained in the warm up. And Garcia should have crowned his return with a goal inside the opening minute when he took a pass from Baros but shot wildly over the top from eight yards. Olivier Bernard was only inches away from giving Newcastle the lead after 20 minutes, when he fired just wide from a free kick 25 yards out. But Souness's side did go ahead 11 minutes later in highly controversial circumstances. Kluivert looked suspiciously offside when Kieron Dyer set Bowyer free, but the Dutchman was then perfectly placed to score from six yards. The lead lasted three minutes, with Liverpool back on terms as Bramble headed Gerrard's corner into his own net under pressure from Sami Hyypia. And Liverpool were ahead after 37 minutes when Baros slid a perfect pass into Mellor's path for the youngster to slip a slide rule finish into Given's bottom corner. Garcia's finishing was wayward, and he was wasteful again in first half injury time, shooting tamely at Given after good work by Xabi Alonso. Any hopes of a Newcastle recovery looked to be snuffed out on the hour when a brilliant turn and pass by Harry Kewell set Baros free and he rounded Given to score. Jermaine Jenas then missed a glorious chance to throw Newcastle a lifeline, shooting over from just eight yards out from Shola Ameobi's cross. Then Bowyer, who had already been booked for a foul on Alonso, was deservedly shown the red card by referee Graham Poll for a wild challenge on Liverpool substitute Florent Sinama Pongolle. Dudek, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise, Luis Garcia (Nunez 73), Gerrard, Alonso, Kewell (Traore 85), Baros, Mellor (Sinama Pongolle 75). Subs not used: Hamann, Harrison. Bramble 35 og, Mellor 38, Baros 61. Given, Andrew O'Brien, Elliott, Bramble, Bernard, Bowyer, Dyer (Ambrose 80), Jenas, Milner (N'Zogbia 72), Kluivert (Robert 58), Ameobi. Subs not used: Harper. Bowyer (77). Bowyer, Elliott, Bernard. Kluivert 32. 43,856. G Poll (Hertfordshire).


It was back to official duties last week in my role as an ambassador to London's 2012 Olympic bid. But I still managed to do all my marathon training. All the sporting people on the capital's bid team think I'm mad to be taking part in the London Marathon. The bid chairman, Lord Coe, admitted he would never dream of running a marathon, even though he was an Olympic middle distance runner. Kelly Holmes, former hurdler Alan Pascoe and former sprinter Frankie Fredericks who is now an IOC member all wanted to know why anyone would want to run that far. You'd have thought all these athletes, who have been running for most of their lives, wouldn't think it would be that bad. But the only person who was positive about my intentions was Tanni Grey Thompson, who has won the London Marathon wheelchair race six times. Even though it was a very busy week entertaining the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Evaluation Commission, I actually found my running schedule easier to follow. When I'm at home, I get distracted by all sorts of things but for the five days I was in London, I was in a pressurised situation, but I found it easy to relax by running. On Wednesday, the presentations to the IOC team did not finish until the early evening, so I just managed to squeeze in a 45 minute run. We had an early start on Thursday because we had to visit all the Olympic sites around London, that was pretty shattering, but when we got back to the hotel, I got back on the treadmill. On Friday evening I went along to the special dinner at Buckingham Palace which was a nice occasion. I never feel guilty about eating, especially when I'm exercising. And because it was a rest day I didn't have to feel bad about missing my training either. Anyway, I managed to do another quick run on Saturday ahead of the final IOC presentations, before heading home for my daughter's birthday. When I was in London I did all of my runs on the treadmill, which isn't the same as exercising outdoors. One of the IOC's technical staff from Australia ran alongside me one day. We talked about the Sydney Olympics and that made the time go past more quickly. I do find it quite comfortable running in the gym because there is more cushioning. But when you're gearing up to running on the road you need your body to get used to that jarring feeling when your feet hit the pavement. It was good to get out on the road for my long run on Sunday. After the week I'd had I was a bit concerned I wouldn't be able to complete it. But I coped with it very well and, even though it was bitterly cold, I put in 15 and a half miles only another 11 to go then. This year Steve will donate all the proceeds from his London Marathon efforts to victims of the tsunami.Steve will be writing a regular column on the ups and downs of his marathon training for the BBC Sport website.He will be raising money through the Steve Redgrave Trust which supports the Association of Children's Hospices, the Children With Leukaemia charity, and the Trust's own project which aims to provide inner city schools with rowing equipment.


A prescription cannabis drug made by UK biotech firm GW Pharmaceuticals is set to be approved in Canada. The drug is used to treat the central nervous system and alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). A few weeks ago, shares in GW Pharma lost a third of their value after UK regulators said they wanted more evidence about the drug's benefits. But now Canadian authorities have said the Sativex drug will be considered for approval. Approximately 50,000 people in Canada have been diagnosed with MS and 85,000 people are suffering from the condition in the UK. Many patients already smoke cannabis to relieve their symptoms. Now, GW Pharma's Sativex mouth spray could be legally available to MS sufferers in Canada within the next few months. This will be the first time a cannabis based drug has been approved anywhere in the world, representing a landmark for GW Pharma and for patients with MS. Final approval in Canada should now be little more than a formality, analysts said, and the company expects full approval for Sativex early in 2005. "We are delighted to receive this qualifying notice from Health Canada and look forward to receiving regulatory approval for Sativex in Canada in the early part of 2005," said GW Pharma executive chairman Dr Geoffrey Guy. The UK government granted GW Pharma a licence to grow the cannabis plant for medical research purposes. Satifex consists of a cannabis extract containing tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, a cocktail that has also proved effective in treating patients with arthritis. Thousands of plants are grown at a secret location somewhere in the English countryside. Despite hopes of regulatory approval last year, a series of delays has put back Sativex's launch in the UK. The latest news sent shares in GW Pharma up 8.5p, or 8.1%, to 113.5p.