The economic targets set out at the Lisbon summit of European Union leaders in 2000 were meant to help Europe leapfrog its way past the United States to become the world's leading economy by 2010. But the Lisbon targets are about much more than just economic prestige. For many economists and analysts they are about ensuring Europe doesn't become a global economic laggard. They are also about ensuring Europe can continue to compete as an equal with the growing economic giants of Asia, India and China, as well as with the economic might of the United States. That's why there was a tone of urgency in the report, out on Wednesday, by the former Dutch prime minister Wim Kok. Mr Kok was commissioned by the European Commission in March this year to assess how far the EU has come towards meeting the Lisbon targets, five years on from their inception. His conclusion was simple: too many of the targets will be seriously missed. Lisbon risks becoming a "synonym for missed objectives and failed promises", his report said. "The status quo is not an option." At risk in the medium to long run is nothing less than the sustainability of the society Europe has built, it said. The report comes at a time when Europe's competitive position is waning. The EU's economic growth rate is projected to be 2% this year and 2.4% next. While there has been growth in overall employment rates in Europe, productivity lags behind that of the US. But meeting the Lisbon targets requires a political commitment that no EU member state has volunteered so far. That has in part been due to the state of the global economy in the past few years. As Mr Kok's report noted: "The ink had scarcely dried on the Lisbon agreement before the worldwide stock market bubble imploded." "The US suffered two years of economic slowdown and recession and the European economy followed suit." The circumstances weren't conducive to creating the 20 million new jobs promised by EU leaders in Lisbon in 2000. Neither were they conducive to getting governments to spend more on research and development, money needed if the EU was to meet its target of becoming a so called "knowledge based economy". "The Lisbon vision is a compelling one, but in order to do it society has to change," said Paul Hofheinz of the Lisbon Council, a Brussels based citizen action group. "What you find is that a lot of people have been fighting change. You find trade unions fighting change. But also the employers' associations. "Even though they tell you they're in favour of change, many are actually pushing for less competition, more subsidy and less free market activity." But part of the problem was also linked to the original targets set out in Lisbon five years ago. Targets have a habit of coming back to haunt you and in the Lisbon case, they covered too much, according to the Wim report. Economic growth and job creation were linked to issues ranging from environmental protection to social inclusion, and even safety at sea. The agenda was just too broad and as a result nothing was prioritised. "Lisbon is about everything and thus about nothing," the Kok report said. "Everybody is responsible and thus no one." That's why the Kok report recommends that the Lisbon targets be narrowed down to 14 key indicators, with an emphasis on creating jobs and economic growth. It also recommends that the European Commission draw up a league table which ranks countries according to the steps they're taking towards meeting the targets, effectively "naming, shaming and faming". "Rhetoric and delivery don't necessarily go hand in hand," Mr Kok said in a press conference alongside the publication of his report. "We don't have the luxury anymore just to exchange politeness with one another." On one point Mr Kok was very clear: The European Union should not try to emulate the US economy. The European economic and social model needs to change, but not so much so that social and environmental issues take a backseat to economic growth. In that sense, the Lisbon agenda is sailing into unchartered waters. The Kok report tries to do away with a belief that jobs need to be sacrificed at the altar of economic growth. "It's very ambitious," said John Palmer, political director at the European Policy Centre, a Brussels based think tank. "This is something that no advanced economy in the world has tried to do. It's going to require quite new and innovative policies." But some analysts believe that the Kok report doesn't come up with the sort of innovative policies and thinking needed to make the Lisbon targets a reality. For example, it recommends putting in place policies which encourage women and older people to remain in the workforce. But it doesn't say how companies should be convinced to do this. It will be up to the incoming president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, to adopt Mr Kok's recommendations and press them on EU governments. Mr Barroso has said that the EU's competitiveness will be his top priority. He expects his five year term in office to be judged on Europe's success in meeting the Lisbon agenda.


India will allow domestic commercial airlines to fly long haul international routes, a move it hopes will stoke competition and drive down prices. However, only state controlled carriers will be able to fly the lucrative Gulf routes, to countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, for at least three years. Jet Airways and Air Sahara are the two companies that will benefit initially. India is looking to develop its airline industry as booming economic growth drives demand for travel. Monica Chadha, BBC Delhi reporter, said air travel in India had increased by almost 20% from the previous year and was expected to rise even further. Infrastructure development is lagging demand, however, and will have to improve. "Most international airports in the country are shabby and ill equipped to handle heavy air traffic," Ms Chada said, adding that while the Civil Aviation minister has promised to modernise and privatise airports little progress has been made. Steps have been take to move things forward and the government recently changed legislation that limited foreign investment in domestic airlines. It raised the maximum stake holding allowed to 49% from 40%. Local press, meanwhile, have reported that the US and India will start negotiations about adding more routes in January. Jet Airways is India's premier private domestic carrier; Air Sahara is ranked third in the category.


Adam Jones says the Wales forwards are determined to set the perfect attacking platform for the backs by dominating the powerful France pack in Paris. The prop said: "If we get stuffed in the front five our backs have had it. "The mentality of the French is 'scrum, scrum, scrum'. We will see how good France are and the scrum is the key. "I just hope the backs carry on where they left off against Italy. It's just up to us in the forwards to win the ball and give them the opportunity." Wales have won two of their last three visits to Stade de France, having secured back to back wins under Graham Henry in 1999 and 2001. And with the likes of Shane Williams and Gavin Henson finding top form at the right time, Mike Ruddock's team is now one of international rugby's most potent attacking threats. "Gavin is ridiculously talented. He has been bouncing around the place this week, so he is up for it," warned Jones. France have been criticised for their uncharacteristic one dimensional play in their victories over Scotland and France. Captain Fabien Pelous has acknowledged his side needs to show more attacking flair, but stressed the game with be won or lost up front. The lock believes the Welsh forwards are not big enough to trouble his side in the scrum or line out, but Jones insisted his fellow front row colleagues have nothing to fear. "Gethin Jenkins won't be intimidated tomorrow, none of us will," said Jones, who will be facing France for the first time. "We will go out there and front up and hopefully get the ball out to the backs. "Me and Gethin are quite young so it is good to have someone of Mefin's experience in there. "Mefin is a good thinker who puts things across. But what is the saying? If you are good enough you are old enough and Gethin certainly is. "He is a really good player and I imagine he will be on the Lions tour to New Zealand this summer ."


Broadband's rapid rise continues apace as speeds gear up a notch. An eight megabit service has been launched by internet service provider UK Online. It is 16 times faster than the average broadband package on the market and will pave the way for services such as video on demand and broadband TV. The service is possible due to a new regime which allows other operators to use BT's exchanges and will initially only be available in towns. It represents a "big leap forward" for broadband, said Chris Stening, UK Online general manager. The service comes with a hefty 39.99 monthly price tag but will mean users can download MP3s in seconds and offers TV quality video streaming. The service includes WiFi as standard, meaning users can connect multiple PCs, laptops and game consoles from any room in the house. Not everybody will be able to take advantage of the service, as it will be restricted to metropolitan areas. The service will initially be available to users within 2km radius of 230 telephone exchanges in areas such as London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cambridge. That represents about 4.4 million households. The service is possible due to a decision to loosen BT's strangle hold on telephone exchanges. The process, known as local loop unbundling, was put in motion by the now defunct telecoms watchdog Oftel but has only proved popular in recent months due to falling costs. UK Online is looking at the possibility of bundling services such as cheap net telephone calls, video on demand and TV by 2005 if the service proves popular. "The service is twice as fast as any other service on offer in the UK and 16 times faster than most broadband services," said Mr Stening. "It takes a big leap for broadband and we are very excited about it," he said. Countries such as South Korea and France have found the advantage of upping the speeds of broadband. In South Korea, video on demand over the net is cheaper than renting a DVD and online gaming is huge. Mr Stening believes the service will appeal to people in multi occupancy buildings as well as easing family arguments. "A typical family with two adults and two children is currently sharing a 512 kilobit service. This will basically give them 2 megabits each," he said.


The Six Nations has heralded a new order in northern hemisphere rugby this year and Wales and Ireland rather than traditional big guns France and England face a potential Grand Slam play off in three weeks' time. But before that game in Cardiff, Wales must get past Scotland at Murrayfield, while Ireland face the not insignificant task of a home fixture with the mercurial French. No one knows what mood France will be in at Lansdowne Road on 12 March sublime, as in the first half against Wales, or ridiculous, like in the same period against England at Twickenham. But how the mighty have fallen. England sat on rugby's summit 15 months ago as world champions and 2003 Grand Slam winners. But they have lost nine of their 14 matches since that heady night in Sydney. And they face the ignominy of what could amount to a Wooden Spoon play off against Italy in a fortnight. England are enduring their worst run in the championship since captain Richard Hill was dumped in favour of Mike Harrison after three straight losses in 1987. Coach Andy Robinson, who took over from the successful Sir Clive Woodward in September, has lost a phalanx of World Cup stars. And he is enduring the toughest of teething problems in bedding down his own style with a new team. The same year that England ruled the roost, a woeful Wales lost all five matches in the Six Nations. And they won only two games, against Scotland and Italy, in 2004. Wales' most recent championship title was in 1994, and their last Grand Slam success came in 1978 in the era of Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett, JPR Williams et al. But Welsh rugby fans remain on permanent tenterhooks for the blossoming of a new golden age. After several false dawns, coach Mike Ruddock may have come up with the team and philosophy to match expectations. The fresh verve is inspired by skipper Gareth Thomas, now out with a broken thumb, accurate kicking from either fly half Stephen Jones or centre Gavin Henson, a rampant Martyn Williams leading the way up front, and exciting runners in the guise of Henson and Shane Williams. Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan and captain Brian O'Driscoll have got their side buzzing too, and they are close to shedding the "nearly men" tag that has dogged them for the past few years. The men from the Emerald Isle have been Six Nations runners up for the past two years, to France and England. But they have not won the title since 1985 and last clinched a Grand Slam in 1948. As for Scotland, they have struggled this decade and the 2004 Wooden Spoon "winners" have not been in the top two since they lifted the title in 1999. Italy continue the elusive search for their first Six Nations away win, and can still only account for the scalps of Scotland (twice) and Wales since joining the elite in 2000. Coach John Kirwan is a passionate and dedicated believer in the Azzurri, but is lacking in raw materials. And so to France. Brilliant one minute, inept the next. But the reigning champions could quite easily turn on the style in Dublin and end up winning the title through the back door. Ireland, though, have won three times in their last five meetings. Welsh romantics would probably prefer a glorious victory in the Celtic showdown to crown their Grand Slam. But given that Ireland have beaten Wales in four of their last five meetings, the Welsh legions are likely to be behind Les Bleus on 12 March.


Greg Rusedski was forced to withdraw from the Open 13 in Marseille on Thursday with a rib injury. The British number two had been scheduled to play qualifier Sebastien de Chaunac, who beat world number five Guillermo Coria 6 4 7 5 in round one. But Rusedski was unable to take to the court because of a problem with the left hand side of his rib cage. American Taylor Dent caused a shock with a 7 6 6 2 victory over second seed David Nalbandian. But third seed Joachim Johansson made it through after beating Frenchman Gilles Simon 7 6 6 3 while in the first match of the day, sixth seed Feliciano Lopez defeated Ivo Karlovic. There were also wins for Slovakia's Karol Beck and Croatian duo Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic.


Fake bank e mails, or phishing, and stories about ID theft are damaging the potential of using the net for online commerce, say e business experts. Trust in online security is falling as a result. Almost 70% of those asked in a poll said that net firms are not doing enough to protect people. The survey of more than 1,000 people reported that 43% were not willing to hand over personal information online. It is worrying for shopaholics and firms who want to exploit the net. More people are becoming aware of online security issues but they have little confidence that companies are doing enough to counter the threats, said security firm RSA, which carried out the poll. An estimated 12 million Britons now use the net as a way of managing their financial affairs. Security experts say that scare stories and the vulnerabilities dogging e commerce and e banking are being taken seriously by banks in particular. "I don't think the threat is overplayed," Barry Beal, global security manager for Capgemini, told the BBC News website. He added: "The challenge for banks is to provide the customer with something that improves security but balances that with usability." Ensuring extra security measures are in place protects them too, as well as the individual, and it is up to both parties to make sure they do what is necessary to prevent fraud, he said. "Card issuers will keep us informed of types of attacks and what procedure to take to protect ourselves. If we do that, they will indemnify us," he said. Many believe using login details like usernames and passwords are simply not good enough anymore though. One of the biggest challenges to improving security online is how to authenticate an individual's identity. Several security companies have developed methods which complement or replace passwords, which are easily compromised and easy to forget. Last year, a street survey found that more than 70% of people would reveal their password for a bar of chocolate. On average, people have to remember four different passwords. Some resort to using the same one for all their online accounts. Those who use several passwords often write them down and hide them in a desk or in a document on their computer. In a separate survey by RSA, 80% said they were fed up with passwords and would like a better way to login to work computer systems. For many, the ideal is a single online identity that can be validated once with a series of passwords and questions, or some biometric measurement like a fingerprint or iris scan with a token like a smartcard. Activcard is just one of the many companies, like RSA Security, which has been trying to come up with just that. RSA has a deal with internet provider AOL that lets people pay monthly for a one time passcode generation service. Users get a physical token which automatically generates a code which stays active for 60 seconds. Many companies use a token based method already for employees to access networks securely already. Activcard's method is more complex. It is currently trailing its one time passcode generation technology with UK banks. Steve Ash, from Activcard, told the BBC News website there are two parts to the process of identification. The most difficult is to ascertain whether an individual is who they say they are when they are online. "The end solution is to provide a method where you combine something the user knows with something they have and present those both." The method it has developed makes use of the chip embedded in bank cards and a special card reader which can generate unique codes that are active for a specified amount of time. This can be adjusted at any time and can be active for as little as 30 seconds before it changes. It combines that with usual usernames and passwords, as well as other security questions. "You take the card, put it in the reader, enter your pin number, and a code is given. "If you wanted then to transfer funds, for instance, you would have to have the code to authorise the transaction." The clever bit happens back at the bank's secure servers. The code is validated by the bank's systems, matching the information they expect with the customer's unique key. "Each individual gets a key which is unique to them. It is a 2048 bit long number that is virtually impossible to crack," said Mr Ash. It means that in a typical security attack, explains Mr Ash, even if password information is captured by a scammer using keystroke software or just through spoof websites, they need the passcode. "By the time they go back to use the information , the code has expired, so they can't prove who they are," according to Mr Ash. In the next few years, Mr Ash predicts that this kind of method will be commonplace before we see biometric authentication that is acceptable for widespread use. "PCs will have readers built into them, the cost of readers will be very cheap, and more people will have the cards." The gadgets we carry around, like personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobiles, could also have integrated card reader technology in them. "The PDA or phone method is a possible alternative as people are always carrying phones around," he said.


A US government claim accusing the country's biggest tobacco companies of covering up the effects of smoking has been thrown out by an appeal court. The demand for 280bn ( 155bn) filed by the Clinton administration in 1999 was rejected in a 2 1 decision. The court in Washington found that the case could not be brought under federal anti racketeering laws. Among the accused were Altria Group, RJ Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard Tobacco, Liggett Group and Brown and Williamson. In its case, the government claimed tobacco firms manipulated nicotine levels to increase addiction, targeted teenagers with multi billion dollar advertising campaigns, lied about the dangers of smoking and ignored research to the contrary. Prosecutors wanted the cigarette firms to surrender 280bn in profits accumulated over the past 50 years and impose tougher rules on marketing their products. But the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the US government could not sue the firms under legislation drawn up to counteract Mafia infiltration of business. The tobacco companies deny that they illegally conspired to promote smoking and defraud the public. They also say they have already met many of the government's demands in a landmark 206bn settlement reached with 46 states in 1998. Shares of tobacco companies closed higher after the ruling, with Altria rising 5% and Reynolds showing gains of 4.5%.


The founder and former boss of Parmalat has apologised to investors who lost money as a result of the Italian dairy firm's collapse. Calisto Tanzi said he would co operate fully with prosecutors investigating the background to one of Europe's largest financial scandals. Parmalat was placed into bankruptcy protection in 2003 after a 14bn euro black hole was found in its accounts. More than 130,000 people lost money following the firm's collapse. Mr Tanzi, 66, issued a statement through his lawyer after five hours of questioning by prosecutors in Parma on 15 January. Prosecutors are seeking indictments against Mr Tanzi and 28 others including several members of his family and former Parmalat chief financial officer Fausto Tonna for alleged manipulation of stock market prices and making misleading statements to accountants and Italy's financial watchdog. Two former Parmalat auditors will stand trial later this month for their role in the firm's collapse. "I apologise to all who have suffered so much damage as a result of my schemes to make my dream of an industrial project come true," Mr Tanzi's statement said. "It is my duty to collaborate fully with prosecutors to reconstruct the causes of Parmalat's sudden default and who is responsible." Mr Tanzi spent several months in jail in the wake of Parmalat's collapse and was kept under house arrest until last September. Parmalat is now being run by a state appointed administrator, Enrico Bondi, who has launched lawsuits against 80 banks in an effort to recover money for the bankrupt company and its shareholders. He has alleged that these companies were aware of the true state of Parmalat's finances but continued to lend money to the company. The companies insist they were the victims of fraudulent book keeping. Parmalat was declared insolvent after it emerged that 4 billion euros ( 2.8bn; 4.8bn) it supposedly held in an offshore account did not in fact exist. The firm's demise sent shock waves through Italy, where its portfolio of top selling food brands and its position as the owner of leading football club Parma had turned it into a household name.


Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said he will not tolerate attacks such as last Friday's suicide bombing in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. In an interview ahead of a meeting in London to discuss Palestinian reforms, Mr Abbas said such attacks were against Palestinian interests. The Palestinian Authority (PA) was exerting "a 100% effort" to end the violence, Mr Abbas added. The attack, which killed five, was the first of its kind since he took office. Mr Abbas confirmed Israel shared information with the PA in the hunt for the organisers of the attack. The Israeli government refuses to accept Syria's denials that it was implicated in the nightclub bombing. Israeli officials gave an intelligence briefing to foreign ambassadors on Monday, explaining Syria's alleged involvement. British foreign minister Jack Straw said there had been a "continuing stream" of information suggesting Palestinian militant groups were operating from within Syria. In an email interview in the British newspaper the Independent, Mr Abbas said: "We believe peace is possible now and we are ready to negotiate with Israel to reach a true and lasting peace based on justice and international legitimacy." He added: "We have an opportunity and it would be irresponsible if we, the Israelis, or the world allow it to slip away." Tuesday's meeting on Palestinian reform is being hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Also due to attend are US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, World Bank officials and foreign ministers from 23 European and Arab countries. The conference was a "vital step" in renewing the peace process, Mr Straw said. "It's a high level attendance, which reflects the sense of momentum and opportunity created by recent events," he added. A spokesman for Mr Blair said the Prime Minister expected the conference to discuss "a comprehensive, co ordinated and, above all, practical work plan for both the Palestinian Authority and the international community". Israel will not attend, but is said to be closely watching the outcome.


South Korea will boost state spending next year in an effort to create jobs and kick start its sputtering economy. It has earmarked 100 trillion won ( 96bn) for the first six months of 2005, 60% of its total annual budget. The government's main problems are "slumping consumption and a contraction in the construction industry". It aims to create 400,000 jobs and will focus on infrastructure and home building, as well as providing public firms with money to hire new workers. The government has set an economic growth rate target of 5% for next year and hinted that would be in danger unless it took action. "Internal and external economic conditions are likely to remain unfavourable in 2005," the Finance and Economy Ministry said in a statement. It blamed "continuing uncertainties such as fluctuating oil prices and foreign exchange rates and stagnant domestic demand that has shown few signs of a quick rebound". In 2004, growth will be between 4.7% and 4.8%, the ministry said. Not everyone is convinced the plan will work. "Our primary worry centres on the what we believe is the government's overly optimistic view that its front loading of the budget will be enough to turn the economy around," consultancy 4Cast said in a report. The problem facing South Korea is that many consumers are reeling from the effects of a credit bubble that only recently burst. Millions of South Koreans are defaulting on their credit card bills, and the country's biggest card lender has been hovering on the verge of bankruptcy for months. As part of its spending plans, the government said it will ask firms to "roll over mortgage loans that come due in the first half of 2005" . It also pledged to look at ways of helping families on low incomes. The government voiced concern about the effect of redundancies in the building trade. "Given the economic spill over and employment effect in the construction sector, a sharp downturn in the construction industry could have other adverse effects," the ministry said. As a result, South Korea will give private companies also will be given the chance to build schools, hospitals, houses and other public buildings. It also will look at real estate tax system. Other plans on the table include promoting new industries such as bio technology and nano technology, as well as offering increased support to small and medium sized businesses. "The focus will be on job creation and economic recovery, given that unfavourable domestic and global conditions are likely to dog the Korean economy in 2005," the ministry said.


The ultimate prize of 10 Downing Street may continue to elude him but, as he prepares to deliver a record breaking ninth budget, Gordon Brown can at least console himself with the thought that he is the longest serving chancellor of modern times. He reached that milestone last June, when he overtook David Lloyd George, who served for seven years and 43 days between 1908 and 1915. How much longer Mr Brown will continue in the job is not clear (he once said there are two types of chancellor: "those who fail and those who get out in time.") There are rumours he will be moved to the Foreign Office if Labour wins the general election. But, for now, Mr Brown dominates the domestic political scene like few chancellors or politicians before him. Gordon Brown was born in Glasgow on 20 February 1951, the son of a Church of Scotland Minister in the small Fife town of Kirkcaldy. At 12, he was canvassing for Labour and by his 20s he was a leading political activist in Scotland. He achieved a first class degree in history from Edinburgh University, where he went on to complete a PhD. His early career was spent lecturing, working in television and making a name for himself in the Scottish Labour Party. His first attempt to enter Westminster, for Edinburgh South in 1979, was thwarted by the present Tory spokesman on foreign affairs, Michael Ancram. But in 1983, he took Dunfermline East, a new constituency including Rosyth naval base, pit villages and coastal towns. Entering Westminster, he came to share an office with the newly elected MP for Sedgefield, Tony Blair. Within four years, Mr Brown had gained his first frontbench post as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury. He became shadow chancellor under John Smith's leadership in 1992. After the death of leader John Smith in 1994 he stood aside, agreeing to give Tony Blair a clear run at the leadership during a now infamous meal at the Granita restaurant in Islington. The other part of the deal, that Mr Blair will one day stand down in favour of the chancellor, is the stuff of Westminster legend. Mr Blair's supporters say such a deal never existed and endless newspaper columns and even a television film have been devoted to the alleged deal. But if his leadership ambitions were at least temporarily thwarted in 1994, Mr Brown continued his devotion to politics. During the 1997 election campaign, he is said to have worked an average of 18 hours a day, six days a week after running on a treadmill for an hour each morning. This dedication to his career was underlined by a comment by Mr Brown's former girlfriend of five years, Princess Marguerite of Romania, the eldest daughter of ex King Michael of Romania, who said a relationship with him was "politics, politics, politics". If that was true then, Mr Brown, who married PR executive Sarah Macaulay in 2000, changed his perspective when the couple were hit by tragedy early in 2002. Their daughter Jennifer died in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, 10 days after being born seven weeks prematurely. A year later, in October 2003, the couple had a son John an event which again gave the chancellor an opportunity to show his softer side. A trip to Africa earlier this year, to publicise his scheme to cancel the debt of poor nations, also gave the chancellor an opportunity to show his more human side. The ideological differences between Mr Brown and Mr Blair remain relatively modest. The chancellor opposes the further encroachment of the market into the NHS and is seen as being more "Old Labour" than Mr Blair in his approach to wealth redistribution. But their shared belief that market economics are compatible with social justice continues to form the ideological heart of the New Labour project. Yet they are portrayed by the media as being locked in almost permanent conflict, with Mr Brown supposedly nursing resentment at being betrayed by his younger Downing Street neighbour over the succession. Mr Blair, for his part, is said to be frustrated that his public service reforms are being thwarted by a vengeful Mr Brown, who reportedly delights in keeping the prime minister in the dark over the contents of his Budget until the last possible minute. After a recent run of negative headlines, Labour MPs took the unprecedented step of making a direct appeal to the two men stop bickering, for the good of the party. Events like this, and the testimony of former ministerial colleagues, make it impossible to dismiss the Brown/Blair feud as just journalistic hearsay, cooked up by hacks and camp followers in the hothouse atmosphere of Westminster. How much it damages the ability of government to do its job is open to question. A truce appears to have been called in the run up to the general election after a fresh spat was sparked by Blairite Alan Milburn being brought in over the head of Mr Brown to run the election campaign. But with the Tories having appeared to get the better of the pre election campaign thus far there are reports that Mr Brown using the Budget as a springboard is to revitalise Labour's campaign. Amid all this it is easy to forget that Mr Brown remains the man most likely to succeed Mr Blair as Labour leader. There may be no shortage of possible contenders for the crown including Mr Milburn but none can command the sort of support in the parliamentary party and beyond that Mr Brown can. And Mr Blair's decision to name his own retirement date has at least given Mr Brown something to aim for even if the prime minister's intention to "serve a full third term" if elected, took the shine off the announcement for the chancellor and his supporters.


Industrial and Commercial Bank (ICBC), China's biggest lender, has seen an 18% jump in profits during 2004. The increase in earnings has allowed the firm to write off bad loans and pave the way for a state bailout and eventual stock market listing. China is trying to clean up its banking system, which is weighed down by billions of dollars of unpaid loans. It has already pumped 45bn ( 24bn) into two of its largest banks, and has identified ICBC as a recipient of aid. ICBC's profits were 74.7bn yuan ( 9bn; 4.8bn) in 2004, the bank said in a statement. The percentage of non performing loans dropped to 19.1%, down about 2 percentage points. ICBC was founded in 1984 and had total assets of 5.3 trillion yuan at the end of 2003. China committed to gradually opening up its banking sector when it joined the World Trade Organisation in 2002.


UK Athletics has agreed a new deal with adidas to supply Great Britain squads of all ages with their kit for the next four years. The German based firm kitted out Team GB at the 2004 Olympics and has deals with 20 other national Olympic bodies. UK Athletics chief David Moorcroft said: "The Athens experience can now be extended to more major championships. "In the year ahead these include the European indoor and World outdoor championships. We are delighted." Moorcroft added: "It is hugely beneficial to the sport that the adidas commitment will also provide for officials and other personnel at our world class series of live televised events." This week, UK Athletics also agreed a four year deal with energy drink company, Red Bull, who will be supplying the product to athletics at major domestic meetings and in high performance centres.


Olympic 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele is determined to add the world indoor two mile record at February's Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham. The 22 year old will again be chasing a record held by his compatriot and mentor Haile Gebrselassie, who set the mark at the same meeting in 2003. "I am still as hungry to do as much as I can in this sport," said Bekele. "And aiming for the two mile world record in Birmingham is the next of those targets." Gebrselassie's current record stands at eight minutes, 04.69 seconds. And Bekele is no stranger to overhauling world marks at the National Indoor Arena. The Ethiopian broke the world indoor 5,000m record on his debut at the meeting last year. Compatriots Mulugeta Wondimu, Abiyote Abate and Markos Geneti, the world indoor bronze medallist over 3000m, will race against Bekele on 18 February. The meet has already attracted a crop of Olympic talent. Britain's 800m and 1500m champion Kelly Holmes is taking part in the 1000m. Swedish heptathlon gold medallist Carolina Kluft will contest the 60m hurdles. While men's 4x100m relay gold medallists Jason Gardener and Mark Lewis Francis will go head to head in the 60m.


Net browser Opera 8.0, due for official release at the end of next month, will be "the most accessible browser on the market", according to its authors. The latest version of the net browser can be controlled by voice command and will read pages aloud. The voice features, based on IBM technology, are currently only available in the Windows version. Opera can also magnify text by up to 10 times and users can create "style sheets", its developers say. This will enable them to view pages with colours and fonts that they prefer. But the browser does not yet work well with screen reader software often used by blind people, so its accessibility features are more likely to appeal to those with some residual vision. "Our mission was always to provide the best internet experience for everyone," said Opera spokeswoman, Berit Hanson. "So we would obviously not want to exclude disabled computer users." Another feature likely to appeal to people with low vision is the ability to make pages fit to the screen width, which eliminates the need for horizontal scrolling. The company points out that this will also appeal to anyone using Opera with a handheld device. The company says that features like voice activation are not solely aimed at visually impaired people. "Our idea was to take a first step in making human computer interaction more natural," said Ms Hanson. "People are not always in a situation where they can access a keyboard, so this makes the web a more hands free experience." Unlike commercially available voice recognition software, Opera does not have to be "trained" to recognise an individual voice. Around 50 voice commands are available and users will have to wear a headset which incorporates a microphone. The voice recognition function is currently only available in English. Opera is free to download but a paid for version comes without an ad banner in the top right hand corner and with extra support. Opera began life as a research project a spin off from Norwegian telecoms company Telenor. Its browser is used by an estimated 10 million people on a variety of operating systems and a number of different platforms.


Newly crowned Australian Open champion Marat Safin has ruled out any chance of winning Wimbledon in the future. After losing in round one last year, Safin said he had "given up" on Wimbledon and winning his second Grand Slam title has not changed his mind. "I'll play, but with no expectations. I feel like I can't waste my time, my energy on that surface," he said. "Some people, they cannot play on clay. Some people, they cannot play on a hard court. Me, I can't play on grass." However, Safin is hopeful that winning the Australian Open will give him the belief he needs to win more Grand Slam titles. "It's a relief for me. Two grand slams, it's already something. But with this one I worked really hard for it," he said. "Basically, I would love to win a couple more. I think I have a chance if I continue this way. "If (coach) Peter Lundgren will stick around with me and wants to work with me for a bit longer, I think I can make it." The 25 year old shocked Pete Sampras in the 2000 US Open final to win his first major title but then lost in two Australian Open finals. Safin admitted he had begun to doubt whether he would win another Grand Slam. "I didn't expect that (to win the 2000 US Open) it was against Sampras, I wasn't the favourite so I had no pressure whatsoever," he said. "After the first final that I didn't win against Thomas Johansson (in 2002), I couldn't see myself winning the Grand Slams anymore. "I was once in the semi finals of the French Open, but I didn't believe I can win it. "I just couldn't handle the pressure. You need to believe in yourself, and I didn't." And after losing the first set 6 1 to Lleyton Hewitt in Sunday's final, Safin said he began to doubt himself again. "I am 25. I'm playing against Hewitt. At least you have to have the opportunity to win it, at least have a chance," he said. "It's like you go there and you lose first set 6 1, then you start to think: 'This is not my day. The way I'm playing is ridiculous.' "But then you start to really be a little bit more selfish and try to find a way out of there. "And I found it. I was like really much I was much happier than in 2000, that's for sure, because I get over it."


Turkey has agreed a draft proposal with the International Monetary Fund to borrow 10bn ( 5.19bn), extending its ongoing financial support until 2007. Turkey's current 18.6bn loan agreement with the IMF expires in February and the new deal would see it receive added support between 2005 and 2007. In return for the funding, Turkey would be expected to keep inflation under control and introduce market reforms. Turkey's economy has steadily recovered from a severe crisis in 2001. Economic growth has average 6 7% in the past three years, ahead of IMF forecasts, while inflation fell below 10% this year for the first time in 30 years. However, Turkey has a huge debt burden already owing 23bn to the IMF while its current account deficit has swelled to 10.7bn this year. The Turkish economics minister, Ali Babacan, said the two sides had reached general agreement on a new three year funding program. Rodrigo de Rato, the IMF's managing director, said the loan agreement would help to improve Turkish economic prospects by cutting its debt and stimulating growth. "I believe the new programme, if implemented successfully, will help Turkey create the conditions for sustained growth and employment creation, reduce inflation toward European level and enhance the economy's resilience," he said. The agreement must still be ratified by IMF directors at a meeting expected to take place next month. The agreement would also enable Turkey to defer payments on previous loans worth 3.7m until 2006. As part of the draft agreement, Turkey has signed a "letter of intent" stating its determination to push through far reaching reforms to its tax and benefits system and its banking sector. Such reforms are considered vital for Turkey if it is to fulfil its ambition of joining the European Union. The EU will decide on 17 December whether to begin entry talks with Turkey. The US, the largest of the IMF's 184 members, is a strong supporter of continued financial support for Turkey.


Two moments of magic from Brian O'Driscoll guided Ireland to a workmanlike victory against Italy. A pair of classic outside breaks from the Ireland captain set up tries for Geordan Murphy and Peter Stringer. Italy led 9 8 early in the second half but Stringer's try gave Ireland a lead they never lost. The hosts cut the gap to 18 12 with 10 minutes left and nearly scored through Ludovico Nitoglia, but Denis Hickie's try ensured an Irish victory. Italy came flying out of the blocks and took the lead through a Luciano Orquera penalty after seven minutes. It could have been better for the hosts but the fly half missed two kickable penalties and Ireland drew level with a Ronan O'Gara penalty midway through the first half. The Italians were driving at the heart of the Irish defence and, for the first quarter, the Irish pack struggled to secure any ball for their talented backs. When they finally did, just before the half hour mark, O'Driscoll promptly created a sparkling try for Murphy. The Ireland captain ran a dummy scissors and made a magical outside break before drawing the full back and putting the diving Murphy in at the corner. O'Gara missed the twice taken conversion and the visitors found themselves trailing once again. Roland de Marigny took over the kicking duties for Italy from the hapless Orquera, and he landed a penalty either side of the break to edge Italy into a 9 8 lead. The only Ireland player offering a real threat was O'Driscoll, and it was his break that set up the second try for the visitors. Shane Horgan threw an overhead pass as he was about to be forced into touch and Stringer scooted over, with O'Gara landing the tricky conversion. A penalty apiece saw Ireland leading 18 12 as the game entered the final quarter, but they were lucky to survive when Italy launched a series of attacks. Winger Nitoglia dropped the ball as he reached for the line and Italy nearly rumbled over from a driving maul. An O'Gara penalty put Ireland more than a converted try ahead and they made the game safe when Hickie latched onto an inside pass from Murphy and crossed for a converted try. O'Driscoll limped off late on, joining centre partner Gordon D'Arcy on the sidelines, and the final word went to Italy. Prop Martin Castrogiovanni powered over for a try which was fitting reward for an Italian pack which had kept the Irish under pressure throughout. De Marigny; Mi Bergamasco, Canale, Masi, Nitoglia; Orquera, Troncon; Lo Cicero, Ongaro, Castrogiovanni; Dellape, Bortolami; Persico, Ma Bergamasco, Parisse. Perugini, Intoppa, Del Fava, Dal Maso, Griffen, Pozzebon, Robertson. Murphy, Horgan, O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Hickie, O'Gara, Stringer, Corrigan, Byrne, Hayes, O'Kelly, O'Connell, S Easterby, Leamy, Foley. Sheahan, Horan, O'Callaghan, Miller, G Easterby, Humphreys, Dempsey. P O'Brien (New Zealand)


Athletics fans endured a year of mixed emotions in 2004 as stunning victories went hand in hand with disappointing defeats and more drugs scandals. Kelly Holmes finally fulfilled her potential by storming to double gold on the track at the Olympic Games. Holmes helped erase the gloom hanging over Team GB after their biggest medal hope, Paula Radcliffe, dropped out of the marathon and then the 10,000m. Britain's men's 4x100m relay team also did their bit by taking a shock gold. Holmes had started the year in disappointing style, falling over in the final of 1500m at the World Indoor Championships where she was favourite. Her Olympic build up was clouded by self doubt but that proved unfounded as she overhauled rival Maria Mutola to win the 800m her first global title. Just five days later, the 34 year old made it double gold in the 1500m. It was the first time in 84 years a Briton has achieved the Olympic middle distance double. While Holmes left Athens as the star of Team GB, it was Radcliffe who carried expectations before the August Games. The 30 year old marathon world record holder went into the Athens event as favourite but an exhausted Radcliffe dropped out after 23 miles in tears. Her decision to enter the 10,000m five days later also backfired as she again pulled out with eight laps remaining. But Radcliffe helped put her Olympic trauma behind her with a thrilling win in November's New York Marathon. The 4x100m team grabbed some last gasp glory for the British men's Olympic squad after a poor start to the Games. It seemed as though Athens would be the first Games where the men would fail to win a medal with Michael East the only individual track finalist in the 1500m. But Darren Campell, Jason Gardener, Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis Francis made amends in the sprint relay. The quartet held off favourites the USA to win Britain's first relay medal since 1912 in 38.07 seconds. Gardener added the Olympic relay crown to his World Indoor title over 60m and, just like Holmes, finally lived up to his promise in 2004. Kelly Sotherton completed Team GB's athletics medal haul in Athens with a surprise bronze in the heptathlon. The 28 year old won her first championship medal since becoming a full time athlete in 2003. But it was a different story for Britain's defending champion Denise Lewis, who withdrew on day two of the competition after some poor results. Lewis, who was troubled by injury, has ruled out retiring while Sotherton is tipped to build on her success. The Athens Olympics proved to be a landmark occasion for Steve Backley, who retired from competition after finishing fourth in the javelin. The battling 35 year old leaves the sport with a vast medal haul including two silvers and one Olympic bronze. And Backley's departure was balanced by the return of injury hit decathlete Dean Macey, who came fourth in Athens. The continued improvement of sprinter Abi Oyepitan and long jumper Chris Tomlinson also boosted Team GB. Sadly, the 2004 Olympics did not escape the problems of drugs misuse. On the eve of the Games, Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou missed a drugs test and claimed to have been involved in a road crash. Kenteris, the 200m champion in 2000, and Thanou have since been charged by the Greek authorities and await trial. At the Games, Adrian Annus (hammer), Robert Fazelas (discus) and Irina Korzhanenko (shot) were all stripped of their titles because of doping issues. Hungarian compatriots Annus and Fazelas both refused to give urine samples while Russian Korzhanenko tested positive for the steroid stanozolol. The fallout from the THG scandal, which rocked the sport in 2003, continued to impact in Olympic year. Britain's 4x100m team took gold without the services of Dwain Chambers, who was handed a two year ban in February after testing positive for steroid THG. American Kelli White was suspended and stripped of her world 100m and 200m titles after failing a drugs test. And world 400m champion Jerome Young landed a life ban from US chiefs after a second doping offence. Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva provided some light relief by smashing the world record seven times on her way to the World Indoor and Olympic titles. Her rivalry with compatriot Svetlana Feofanova livened up the field events. Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj also delighted fans by racing to a historic Olympic double in the 1500m and 5,000m. And though there was no Paula Radcliffe in the London Marathon, there was plenty of drama as Kenyans Evans Rutto and Margaret Okayo took the titles. Rutto held on to win despite slipping on some cobblestones and tumbling into a barrier. Okayo also had to battle back after mistiming her tactics but clinched victory on her debut.


The information commissioner says he is urgently asking for details of Cabinet Office orders telling staff to delete e mails more than three months old. Richard Thomas "totally condemned" the deletion of e mails to prevent their disclosure under freedom of information laws coming into force on 1 January. Government guidance said e mails should only be deleted if they served "no current purpose", Mr Thomas said. The Tories and the Lib Dems have questioned the timing of the new rules. Tory leader Michael Howard has written to Tony Blair demanding an explanation of the new rules on e mail retention. On Monday Lib Dem constitutional affairs committee chairman Alan Beith warned that the deletion of millions of government e mails could harm the ability of key probes like the Hutton Inquiry. The timing of the new rules just before the Freedom of Information Act comes into forces was "too unlikely to have been a coincidence", Mr Beith said. But a Cabinet Office spokeswoman said the move was not about the new laws or "the destruction of important records". Mr Beith urged the information commissioner to look at how the "e mail regime" could "support the freedom of information regime". Mr Thomas said: "The new Act of Parliament makes it very clear that to destroy records in order to prevent their disclosure becomes a criminal offence." He said there was already clear guidance on the retention of e mails contained in a code of practice from the lord chancellor. All e mails are subject to the freedom of information laws, but the important thing was the content of the e mail, said Mr Thomas. "If in doubt retain, that has been the long standing principle of the civil service and public authorities. It's only when you've got no further use for the particular record that it may be legitimate to destroy it. "But any deliberate destruction to avoid the possibility of later disclosure is to be totally condemned." The Freedom of Information Act will cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland from next year. Similar measures are being brought in at the same time in Scotland. It provides the public with a right of access to information held by about 100,000 public bodies, subject to various exemptions. Its implementation will be monitored by the information commissioner.


A group of MPs and peers has called for a tightening of regulations controlling betting on sport. The Parliamentary Group on Betting and Gaming held a substantial inquiry into betting last year. It followed fears that a massive increase in betting on sport, such as that done using the internet and mobile phones, has led to more cheating. The all party group recommended 15 ways to protect punters and improve the integrity of sports betting. They include a proposal for raising the maximum jail sentence for gambling cheats above the current two years. Lord Condon, head of the International Cricket Council's anti corruption unit, who originally made the call for longer prison sentences, said the two year penalty was "derisory". "You could get a bigger sentence for failing to pay your hotel bill criminally than you could for corruption in major sports. "Symbolically, a higher penalty, perhaps as the Bill passes through the two Houses, might be appropriate." The report recommended the governing bodies of sports have a say in the type of bets offered to punters, and for bookmakers to set up "audit trails" something the new betting exchanges already do to allow suspicious betting patterns to be traced. Lord Faulkner of Worcester, who chaired the inquiry, said: "Whilst we accept that the greater part of sports betting is neither corrupt nor unfair to punters, the evidence convinces us that the growth of betting exchanges because of the facility they provide to bet against a result has increased the potential for corruption. "It is important that the government works with sporting administrators to review the difficulties faced by governing bodies in convicting the guilty and penalising them appropriately." The panel's aim was to try to define what constitutes cheating, assess how much might be going on and suggest what the government might do to put it right. As well as the growth of internet and mobile phone betting, there has been the creation of betting exchanges which allow punters to fix odds between themselves. Betting exchanges allow punters to back (to win) but also lay (to lose) a horse. This means they can control their odds at winning by placing their money both ways.


Gadget lovers are so hungry for digital data many are carrying the equivalent of 10 trucks full of paper in "weight". Music, images, e mails, and texts are being hoarded on mobiles, cameras laptops and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), a Toshiba study found. It found that more than 60% kept 1,000 to 2,000 music files on their devices, making the UK "digitally fat". "Virtual weight" measurements are based on research by California Institute of Technology professor Roy Williams. He calculated physical comparisons for digital data in the mid 1990s. He worked out that one gigabyte (1,000,000,000 bytes) was the equivalent of a pick up truck filled with paper. The amount of data people are squirreling away on their gadgets is clearly a sign that people are finding more things to do with their shiny things. If digital hoarding habits continue on this scale, people could be carrying around a "digitally obese" 20 gigabytes by next year. "Britain has become a nation of information hoarders with a ferocious appetite for data," said Martin Larsson, general manager of Toshiba's European storage device division. "As storage capabilities increase and the features and functionalities of mobile devices expand to support movie files and entire libraries of multi media content, we will all become virtually obese," he told the BBC News website. The survey reflects the increasing trend for portable devices with built in hard drives like music and media players from Apple, Creative Labs, Archos, iRiver and others. This trend is set to grow, according to analysts. They suggest the number of hard drives in consumer electronics gadgets could grow from 17 million last year to 55 million in 2006. "Consumers are driving the move towards smaller devices that have greater functionality, and industry is trying to keep up," said Mr Larsson. "People are looking for more than just phone calls and text messages on the move, they want things like web browsing, e mailing, music, photos and more." Many are finding memory keys and memory sticks are simply not big enough to hold everything. "Floppies and memory keys have their place, but they don't have anything like the capacity or flexibility of a hard drive so are unable to meet the demand for more and more storage capacity in consumer devices," said Mr Larsson. The cost of making hard drives has dropped and is continuing to do so because of improved technologies so they are proving to be more cost effective than other forms of memory, he added. The amount of data that can be stored has grown by 400% in the last three years, while the cost for every gigabyte has fallen by 80%. It is also getting easier to transfer files from one device to another, which has traditionally been a slow and problematic area. "Transfer of data between different memory types has improved significantly in recent times, and will be further helped by the standards for hard drives which are currently being developed by the major manufacturers," said Mr Larsson. According to technology analysts IDC, a fifth of all hard drives produced will be used in consumer electronics by 2007.


The days of Britain having to apologise for its colonial past are over, Gordon Brown has said. The chancellor, speaking during a week long tour of Africa, said it was time to talk about enduring British values of liberty and tolerance. Mr Brown has signed a debt relief deal with Tanzania which could cost the UK 1 billion. South African president Thabo Mbeki has attacked British imperialists, saying they treated Africans like savages. Mr Brown said that missionairies had come to Africa because of their sense of duty. He added that the history of internationalism and enterprise had given Britain a greater global reach than any other country. BBC political correspondent Mark Mardell said Britishness had long been a theme of the chancellor's but "never before has he been so outspoken in defending Britain's past history". The UK has pledged to pay 10% of the developing world's foreign debt bill in an attempt to fight poverty. On top of the relief deal with Tanzania Mr Brown said the UK would make similar offers to 70 poorer nations around the world. Under the plan which could cost the UK 1bn countries must spend the cash saved on health, education and welfare. "We make this offer unilaterally but we are now asking other countries to join us," the chancellor said. Mr Brown, on a week long tour of Africa, spent two days in Tanzania before heading on Friday evening to Mozambique, a country where more than half of the 17 million population lives below the poverty line. There he is expected to strike a similar debt relief pact. The chancellor said he hoped other G8 and European countries would follow suit. The UK has already cancelled its bilateral debts money the UK alone is owed with the world's poorest nations including Tanzania. Former international development secretary Clare Short questioned the effectiveness of debt relief as a means of tackling poverty.


An investigation by the Standards Board is under way following allegations that Ken Livingstone has brought his office into disrepute. The probe follows the London mayor's comments to a Jewish journalist comparing him to a concentration camp guard, after a party about a week ago. The local government watchdog also said the allegation related to a failure to respect others. It has the power to suspend or bar Labour's Mr Livingstone from office. A complaint was made to the body by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Commission for Racial Equality. Speaking after the investigation was announced Bob Neill, leader of the London Assembly Conservatives, said: "He has behaved in a manner unbecoming of his office and in so doing, has shown extraordinarily poor civic leadership. "His administration is now in crisis." On Sunday, Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron told the BBC's Politics Show she believed the Mayor of London would say sorry on Tuesday for offending the wider Jewish community. The Prime Minister Tony Blair is among those who have called for an apology but so far the mayor has refused. The mayor accused Oliver Finegold, of the Evening Standard newspaper, of "doorstepping" him at a "predominately gay event" held for MP Chris Smith. Ms Gavron said she thought Mr Livingstone's comments were "inappropriate" but she did not believe the mayor was anti Semitic. She said: "I work very closely with Ken so I can speak of what he's like in his guarded and unguarded moments and... he is in no way anti Jewish, I wouldn't for a moment work with him if he were. "On the other hand, I think his remarks were inappropriate and I believe it is important, and I believe he will, come to the point where he says, 'I regret that I have caused offence to the wider Jewish community'. "I hope he will do it soon and it is mooted that he is going to make some sort of statement on Tuesday."


Jack Straw has attacked the decision by Britain's highest court that detaining foreign terrorist suspects without trial breaks human rights laws. The foreign secretary said the right to life was the "most important liberty" and the government had a duty to protect people from terrorism. Law lords were "simply wrong" to imply the men were being held arbitrarily. New Home Secretary Charles Clarke vowed the nine men would remain in prison while the law was being reviewed. The House of Lords ruled by an eight to one majority in favour of appeals by the men dealing a major blow to the government's anti terror policy. But Mr Straw denied it amounted to a "constitutional crisis". He said those held had a right of appeal to the special immigration appeal tribunal and the decision to hold the suspects was upheld by that court. "The law lords are simply wrong to imply that this is a decision to detain these people on the whim or the certificate of the home secretary," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. The foreign secretary insisted it was for Parliament, and not judges, to decide how best Britain could be defended against the threat of terrorism. But Liberal Democrat peer Lord Carlile, the government's independent reviewer of anti terrorism laws, said it was possible some of the detainees could now be released. He said the Law Lords' ruling was an "embarrassment" for the government and major changes were needed to the law. The ruling came on Charles Clarke's first day as home secretary following David Blunkett's resignation. In a statement to MPs, Mr Clarke said: "I will be asking Parliament to renew this legislation in the New Year. "In the meantime, we will be studying the judgment carefully to see whether it is possible to modify our legislation to address the concerns raised by the House of Lords." The detainees took their case to the House of Lords after the Court of Appeal backed the Home Office's powers to hold them without limit or charge. The government opted out of part of the European Convention on Human Rights concerning the right to a fair trial in order to bring in anti terrorism legislation in response to the 11 September attacks in the US. Any foreign national suspected of links with terrorism can be detained or can opt to be deported. But those detained cannot be deported if this would mean persecution in their homeland. On Thursday, Lord Bingham a senior law lord said the rules were incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights as they allowed detentions "in a way that discriminates on the ground of nationality or immigration status" by justifying detention without trial for foreign suspects, but not Britons. Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead, in his ruling, said: "Indefinite imprisonment without charge or trial is anathema in any country which observes the rule of law. In a statement, detainee 'A' in Woodhill Prison said: "I hope now that the government will act upon this decision, scrap this illegal 'law' and release me and the other internees to return to our families and loved ones." The case was heard by a panel of nine law lords rather than the usual five because of the constitutional importance of the case. Solicitor Gareth Pierce, who represents eight of the detainees, claimed the detention had driven four of the detainees to "madness", saying two were being held in Broadmoor hospital.


A chief constable has backed the introduction of 24 drinking, saying police had a responsibility to ensure people could benefit from a law change. However, Norfolk police chief Andy Hayman also warned that a great deal of preparatory work was still needed. "I don't subscribe to the views of some of my colleagues who are coming out and objecting to it," he said. His comments come after the Liberal Democrats backed Tory demands that the government's plans be put on hold. Andy Hayman said he did not agree with politicians and senior police officers who have objected to the plans, which come into force on 7 February. "I feel that is a premature position to be taking," he said. Among those who have criticised the plans are the UK's top policeman Sir John Stevens. The Metropolitan police chief said last week that the plans for 24 hour drinking should be re examined because of a binge drinking "epidemic". However, Mr Hayman said: "It would be totally unacceptable in my view for a chief constable to say, 'I'm very sorry'. He said that police should make sure that responsible people who wanted a change could benefit from more liberal legislation. "My view is that I have got a responsibility to create an environment where that can happen, " he said. However, he believes a lot of preparatory work is still needed to be done by police, local authorities and the drinks industry before the nation was ready for 24 hour drinking. But he is confident problems in the early days can be "ironed out". He believed the majority of people favoured this law change and "we have to accept that lifestyles are changing". But aspects such as transport, and basic things such as making sure public toilets are open all night had to be taken into account. Prime Minister Tony Blair has defended the Licensing Act, saying it is wrong to deny people the relaxed hours enjoyed elsewhere in Europe because of a "tiny minority" of violent binge drinkers. A six month transitional period starts on 7 February during which time venues can apply for extended licences. The Conservatives have called for 24 hour drinking to be shelved until the problems of binge drinking are solved. On Monday, the Lib Dems also called for a delay. Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: "It would clearly be prudent to allow the police and local authorities more time to prepare for flexible drinking hours." Chief constable Mr Hayman acknowledged that binge drinking did cause problems. "If you come to Norwich on a Friday or Saturday night you will see things going on that will you make you feel ashamed. "However, I want industry to succeed in Norwich and I want Norwich to be the recognised nightspot of East Anglia. "There is no way I want to say we cannot manage it or police it. We can."


Ireland maintained their Six Nations Grand Slam ambitions with an impressive victory over Scotland at Murrayfield. Hugo Southwell's try gave the Scots an early 8 0 lead but scores from locks Malcolm O'Kelly and Paul O'Connell put the visitors in command by half time. A third try from wing Denis Hickie and third penalty from Ronan O'Gara, who kicked 13 points, extended the lead. Jon Petrie scored a second try for Scotland but late scores from John Hayes and Gavin Duffy sealed victory. After two hard earned away victories, Eddie O'Sullivan' side can now look forward to welcoming England to Lansdowne Road in a fortnight. Scotland will try to give their coach Matt Williams a first Six Nations victory when Italy come to Edinburgh, but they again struggled to turn pressure into points. The home side started with tremendous intensity and dominated territory and possession in the opening 10 minutes. A powerful charge from flanker Jason White was carried on by Ali Hogg and when Ireland conceded a penalty close to their own line, Scotland kicked it to touch. The Irish defence foiled the home side on that occasion, but a stray hand in a ruck allowed Paterson to stroke over a penalty in the eighth minute. If that was a paltry reward for their early pressure, Scotland got the try they deserved when Paterson's searing break and Andy Craig's pass sent Southwell streaking to the right corner. Paterson was off target with the conversion and fly half Dan Parks then missed a presentable drop goal attempt. Ireland got themselves on the scoreboard with an O'Gara penalty and by the 24th minute the visitors were ahead. Stuart Grimes pulled down O'Kelly at a line out, Ireland kicked the penalty to touch and from the set piece, the big lock was driven over by the rest of his pack. O'Gara added the conversion and a further penalty, after Shane Horgan almost grabbed a second try from O'Gara's chip to the corner, only for the ball to spill from his hand. But Ireland still delivered a hammer blow to Scotland's hopes just before the interval. O'Connell skipper in the absence of Brian O'Driscoll powered through Parks' weak tackle after a free kick from a scrummage to burrow over. Scotland suffered a further blow on the resumption when Ireland flanker Johnny O'Connor won another vital turnover, and O'Gara's basketball pass sent Hickie over in the left corner. O'Gara converted and then thumped over a 40m penalty to give the visitors a commanding 28 8 advantage. Scotland looked bereft of ideas but a half break from Paterson sparked them back to life just before the hour. Stuart Grimes won a line out and a well worked move saw Petrie scuttle round the side of the ruck to dive over in the left corner. But it proved a false dawn, and Ireland reasserted their authority in the final 10 minutes. Peter Stringer and O'Kelly combined to put giant prop Hayes over in the right corner before replacement Gavin Duffy scorched away on the left, David Humphreys adding the final flourish with a touchline conversion. : C Paterson; S Danielli, A Craig, H Southwell, S Lamont; D Parks, C Cusiter; T Smith, G Bulloch (capt), G Kerr; S Grimes, S Murray; J White, A Hogg, J Petrie. R Russell, B Douglas, N Hines, J Dunbar, M Blair, G Ross, B Hinshelwood. G Murphy; G Dempsey, S Horgan, K Maggs, D Hickie, R O'Gara, P Stringer; R Corrigan, S Byrne, J Hayes, M O'Kelly, P O'Connell, S Easterby, J O'Connor, A Foley. F Sheahan, M Horan, D O'Callaghan, E Miller, G Easterby, D Humphreys, G Duffy. Joel Jutge (France)


A proposed European law on software patents will not be re drafted by the European Commission (EC) despite requests by MEPs. The law is proving controversial and has been in limbo for a year. Some major tech firms say it is needed to protect inventions, while others fear it will hurt smaller tech firms The EC says the Council of Ministers will adopt a draft version that was agreed upon last May but said it would review "all aspects of the directive". The directive is intended to offer patent protection to inventions that use software to achieve their effect, in other words, "computer implemented invention". In a letter, EC President Jos 233; Manuel Barroso told the President of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, that the Commission "did not intend to refer a new proposal to the Parliament and the Council (of ministers)" as it had supported the agreement reached by ministers in May 2004. If the European Council agrees on the draft directive it will then return for a second reading at the European Parliament. But that will not guarantee that the directive will become law instead it will probably mean further delays and controversy over the directive. Most EU legislation now needs the approval of both parliament and the Council of Ministers before it becomes law. French Green MEP Alain Lipietz warned two weeks ago that if the Commission ignored the Parliament's request it would be an "insult" to the assembly. He said that the parliament would then reject the Council's version of the legislation as part of the final or conciliation stage of the decision procedure. In the US, the patenting of computer programs and internet business methods is permitted. This means that the US based Amazon.com holds a patent for its "one click shopping" service, for example. Critics are concerned that the directive could lead to a similar model happening in Europe. This, they fear, could hurt small software developers because they do not have the legal and financial might of larger companies if they had to fight patent legal action in court. Supporters say current laws are inefficient and it would serve to even up a playing field without bringing EU laws in line with the US.


England forward Michael Owen has told the BBC he is happy in Spain and has no plans to quit Real Madrid to return to the Premiership in the near future. But the 25 year old, who has spent much of his time coming off the bench in La Liga, did not rule out a return to the Premiership at some stage. "I'm pleased with the start I've made here," he told BBC Radio Five Live. "England is my country. It's definitely part of me but who knows whether, if or when I'll be playing there again." Owen, who moved to the Bernabeu from Liverpool last summer, has grabbed 11 goals for Real but has been unable to replace Raul or Ronaldo in the starting line up. However, he said he was delighted with the way his time in Spain was going and dismissed criticism of his decision to join Real. "When I first came there was a lot of scepticism back in England, any maybe some out here," he said. "People were saying 'fourth choice striker, what are you going there for? You'll be sat on the bench all the time'. "But as much as our press like to build it up as if I've permanently had my backside on the bench, I've played as many games as anyone else in the team this year. "For a fourth choice striker at the start I'm more than happy with the way I've settled in." Recent speculation has linked Owen with a move back to England, with Newcastle expressing their interest, but the England striker said he is not ready to return home. He added: "I've got nothing against the Premiership, I mean that's where I first performed, that's where I made my name. "I can't keep my eyes off the Premiership on television when I'm at home." When asked if it would have to be Liverpool if he returned Owen said: "I've not really given it much thought. "I've got great memories of Liverpool. No matter what happens it'll always be a club I have fond memories of and it will always have a place in my heart. "It's very flattering to be linked to top clubs in England I'm glad that no one is forgetting me! "But I couldn't have wished for a better start in Madrid." Listen to the full interview with Garry Richardson on BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek at 0900 GMT on Sunday.


Anil Ambani, the younger of the two brothers in charge of India's largest private company, has resigned from running its petrochemicals subsidiary. The move is likely to be seen as the latest twist in a feud between Mr Ambani and his brother Mukesh. Anil, 45, has stepped down as director and vice chairman of Indian Petrochemicals Corporation (IPC). The company was not available for comment. IPC is 46% owned by Reliance Industries which in turn is run by Mukesh. Mukesh has spoken of ownership issues between the two brothers, who took over control of the Reliance empire following the death of their father in July, 2002. Reliance's operations have massive reach, covering textiles, telecommunications, petrochemicals, petroleum refining and marketing, as well as oil and gas exploration, insurance and financial services. The brothers' spat has hogged headlines in India during recent weeks, despite a denial from the family that there was anything wrong. Speculation has been rife about what has triggered the stand off, with some observers blaming Anil's political ambitions, others the heavy investment by Mukesh and Reliance in a mobile phone venture. Shares of IPC dipped on the news in Mumbai, but recovered to trade almost 6% higher. Reliance shares added 1.7%, while Reliance Energy, headed by Anil, jumped 7%.


Murder sentences should not be reduced automatically simply because of a guilty plea, says a new MPs' report. The influential Commons home affairs committee was responding to sentencing guidelines issued this summer. The MPs also call for tougher sentences for crimes committed under the influence of drink or drugs. They say the influence of drugs and alcohol should be introduced as an aggravating factor when judges and magistrates sentence offenders. Committee chairman John Denham said drugs of alcohol were sometimes used as an excuse. "The committee believes that these arguments should be rejected by sentencers and that being under their influence should instead be an aggravating factor." At present judges, when sentencing murderers to the mandatory life sentence, can reduce the tariff the minimum term they must serve if the defendant pleads guilty. But although they are spared the ordeal of a trial many murder victims' relatives are unhappy. In July this year Amanda Champion's killer, James Ford, pleaded guilty to her murder and was jailed for at least 15 years it would have been longer had he denied the charge. Amanda's uncle, Lewis Champion, told the BBC News website Ford did not deserve any credit for his plea, saying: "Nothing at all is worth taking five years off a murder sentence." MPs criticised Home Secretary David Blunkett last year for introducing last minute rules allowing reduced sentences for murderers who pleaded guilty. The measures passed into law virtually unnoticed after Mr Blunkett introduced them at a late stage of the Criminal Justice Bill. As a result, says the committee, the government may need to re legislate to "remove ambiguity" over how murderers should be sentenced. It is also calling on the senior judge in England and Wales, Lord Woolf, to abandon draft guidelines he proposed in September to reduce sentences of murderers who plead guilty. The committee said the plans had not reflected the "public disquiet" expressed over the possibility of significantly reduced prison terms for murderers. Lord Woolf's Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC) caused further controversy by suggesting a one third discount off sentences for early guilty pleas in all types of crime. As a result murderers who face a 15 year tariff could get five years knocked off if they give themselves up to the police. Mr Denham believes the SGC should reconsider its proposals to reflect Parliament's wish that murder should be treated as a separate and especially grave category of offence. He said: "We want to see sentencers advised that in the case of murder, reduction in sentence for a guilty plea should not normally be granted in addition to reductions for other mitigating circumstances." But a spokesman for the Home Office defended the proposals. He said: "By making express provision for murder tariffs in the Criminal Justice Act, Parliament sent a clear signal that it expects murder to be treated differently to other offences. "We stand by the provisions in the Act that cover guilty plea discounts, which have potential benefits for victims and witnesses of avoiding the trauma of a trial." Shadow home secretary David Davis echoed criticisms of the way Mr Blunkett introduced the murder tariff rules. "There is genuine concern about potential reductions in murder sentences such action sends out the wrong signals to violent criminals and completely undermines the government's claim to be tough on crime," he said. But Liberal Democrat spokesman Mark Oaten warned the MPs' committee that binding judges too much might look like political interference. "The danger of having a prescriptive approach is that whilst every murder is awful, it is also different," he told BBC News.


Third seed Tim Henman slumped to a straight sets defeat in his rain interrupted Dubai Open quarter final against Ivan Ljubicic. The Croatian eighth seed booked his place in the last four with a 7 5 6 4 victory over the British number one. Henman had looked on course to level the match after going 2 0 up in the second set, but his progress was halted as the rain intervened again. Ljubicic hit back after the break to seal a fourth straight win over Henman. Earlier in the day, Spanish fifth seed Tommy Robredo secured his semi final place when he beat Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 6 4 6 4. Afterwards, Henman was left cursing the weather and the umpire after seven breaks for rain during the match. "It was incredibly frustrating," Henman said. "It's raining and the umpire doesn't take control. "He kept telling us to play till the end of the game. But if it's raining, you come off the score's irrelevant. "It couldn't be more frustrating as I was very happy with my form until now. You don't expect this in the desert."


Spending on credit and debit cards has overtaken cash spending in the UK for the first time. The moment that plastic finally toppled cash happened at 10.38am on Wednesday, according to the Association for Payment Clearing Services (Apacs) Apacs chose school teacher Helen Carroll, from Portsmouth, to make the historic transaction. The switch over took place as she paid for her groceries in the supermarket chain Tesco's Cromwell Road branch. Mrs Carroll was born in the same year that plastic cards first appeared in the UK. "I pay for most things with my debit card, with occasional purchases on one of my credit cards," said Mrs Carroll, who teaches at Peel Common Infants School in Gosport. Spending patterns for the year and estimates for December led Apacs to conclude that 10.38am was the time that plastic would finally rule the roost. Shoppers in the UK are expected to put 269bn on plastic cards during the whole of 2004, compared with 268bn paid with cash, Apacs said. When the first plastic cards appeared in the UK in June 1966, issued by Barclaycard, but only a handful of retailers accepted them and very few customers held them. "But in less than 40 years, plastic has become our most popular way to pay, due to the added security and flexibility it offers," said Apacs spokeswoman Jemma Smith. "The key driver has been the introduction of debit cards, which now account for two thirds of plastic card transactions and are used by millions of us every day."


Britain's Jason Gardener enjoyed a double 60m success in Glasgow in his first competitive outing since he won 100m relay gold at the Athens Olympics. Gardener cruised home ahead of Scot Nick Smith to win the invitational race at the Norwich Union International. He then recovered from a poor start in the second race to beat Swede Daniel Persson and Italy's Luca Verdecchia. His times of 6.61 and 6.62 seconds were well short of American Maurice Greene's 60m world record of 6.39secs from 1998. "It's a very hard record to break, but I believe I've trained very well," said the world indoor champion, who hopes to get closer to the mark this season. "It was important to come out and make sure I got maximum points. My last race was the Olympic final and there was a lot of expectation. "This was just what I needed to sharpen up and get some race fitness. I'm very excited about the next couple of months." Double Olympic champion marked her first appearance on home soil since winning 1500m and 800m gold in Athens with a victory. There was a third success for Britain when edged out Russia's Olga Fedorova and Sweden's Jenny Kallur to win the women's 60m race in 7.23secs. Maduaka was unable to repeat the feat in the 200m, finishing down in fourth as took the win for Russia. And the 31 year old also missed out on a podium place in the 4x200m relay as the British quartet came in fourth, with Russia setting a new world indoor record. There was a setback for Jade Johnson as she suffered a recurrence of her back injury in the long jump. Russia won the meeting with a final total of 63 points, with Britain second on 48 and France one point behind in third. led the way for Russia by producing a major shock in the high jump as he beat Olympic champion Stefan Holm into second place to end the Swede's 22 event unbeaten record. won the triple jump with a leap of 16.87m, with Britain's Tosin Oke fourth in 15.80m. won the men's pole vault competition with a clearance of 5.65m, with Britain's Nick Buckfield 51cm adrift of his personal best in third. And won the women's 800m, with Britain's Jenny Meadows third. There was yet another Russian victory in the women's 400m as finished well clear of Britain's Catherine Murphy. Chris Lambert had to settle for fourth after fading in the closing stages of the men's 200m race as Sweden's held off Leslie Djhone of France. France's won the men's 400m, with Brett Rund fourth for Britain. took victory for Sweden in the women's 60m hurdles ahead of Russia's Irina Shevchenko and Britain's Sarah Claxton, who set a new personal best. Italy grabbed their first victory in the men's 1500m as kicked over the last 200 metres to hold off Britain's James Thie and France's Alexis Abraham. A botched changeover in the 4x200m relay cost Britain's men the chance to add further points as France claimed victory.


The UK Independence Party has lost one of its two London Assembly members to Robert Kilroy Silk's new political party, expected to launch on Wednesday. Damian Hockney said ex chatshow host Mr Kilroy Silk would "deliver better" as the leader of a eurosceptic party. He said Mr Kilroy Silk had made him deputy party leader of Veritas, Latin for truth. Sources close to Mr Hockney said around eight other members of London UKIP were also planning to jump ship. Details of the coming week's events were hammered out at a meeting at Mr Kilroy Silk's Buckinghamshire home on Sunday, the BBC News Website was told. The news came after UKIP suspended a candidate for allegedly suggesting the criminally insane should be killed. John Houston, 54, was due to stand in the East Kilbride seat in Lanarkshire at the next election. A spokesman for UKIP called on Mr Hockney to quit the London Assembly. UKIP asserts that Mr Hockney "has a moral obligation, if not a legal one" to stand down. Mr Hockney meanwhile told the BBC: "I believe that Robert Kilroy Silk can deliver better as a leader of a eurosceptic party than the current leadership of the UK Independence Party." On the suspension of Mr Houston, UKIP said those who selected him knew nothing of his views. Mr Houston is alleged to have said that the organs of the criminally insane should be "made available to law abiding members of the community" and proposed the legalisation of drugs and the sex trade. The document reportedly said: "We're looking for the resurrection of the British Empire. "The problems for the human race environmental and others can only be dealt with on a global scale, and that calls for a radical alliance of the English speaking nations, which they are uniquely able to do." UKIP spokesman Mark Croucher said the main issue would be that Mr Houston's reported views had been presented as UKIP policy, which they were not.


Veteran Labour MP and former Cabinet minister Jack Cunningham has said he will stand down at the next election. One of the few Blair era ministers to serve under Jim Callaghan, he was given the agriculture portfolio when Labour regained power in 1997. Mr Cunningham went on to become Tony Blair's "cabinet enforcer". He has represented the constituency now known as Copeland since 1970. Mr Blair said he was a "huge figure" in Labour and a "valued, personal friend". During Labour's long period in opposition, Mr Cunningham held a number of shadow roles including foreign affairs, the environment and as trade spokesman. As agriculture minister he caused controversy when he decided to ban beef on the bone in the wake of fears over BSE. He quit the government in 1999 and in recent years has served as the chairman of the all party committee on Lords reform and has been a loyal supporter of the government from the backbenches.


Goals from Gregory Vignal and Nacho Novo gave Rangers a scrappy victory at Celtic Park that moves them three points clear of the champions. Rangers had rarely threatened until Celtic goalkeeper Rab Douglas let defender Vignal's 25 yard drive slip through his grasp and into the net. Opposite number Ronald Waterreus had been Rangers' hero, saving superbly from Craig Bellamy and John Hartson. Striker Novo secured victory, lobbing Douglas with eight minutes remaining. It ended Celtic's 11 game unbeaten run at home in Old Firm derbies and gave Rangers manager Alex McLeish his first victory at the home of his Glasgow rivals. Celtic had won their last six meetings on their home pitch, including twice already this season. They started confidently, with new signing Bellamy, on loan from Newcastle United, given his Celtic debut up front with Wales international colleague John Hartson and Chris Sutton dropping into midfield. It took Bellamy just four minutes to threaten, taking on Marvin Andrews before delivering a low drive that was held by Waterreus at the second attempt. He had an even better chance after Hartson dispossesed Sotiris Kyrgiakos and sent his strike partner clear with only the goalkeeper to beat. But Waterreus did well to beat away Bellamy's disappointing low drive from 16 yards. Waterreus came to the rescue again when the ball fell to Hartson just inside the box and the Dutch goalkeeper made a brave block. It was an Old Firm return for Barry Ferguson as McLeish stuck by the side that thumped four goals past Hibernian. But Rangers found Celtic harder to break down and Douglas was not threatened until 10 minutes after the break. Dado Prso turned inside Neil Lennon only for the Celtic goalkeeper to beat away his powerful 18 yard drive. A great defensive header by Andrews prevented Hartson pouncing from five yards out. Hartson foxed Vignal at the edge of the Rangers box, but the striker's shot on the turn was again beaten away by Waterreus. Rangers were beginning to dominate the midfield and Vignal, collecting a knock back from Fernando Ricksen, broke the deadlock, Douglas somehow letting the Frenchman's dipping drive slip through his grasp. Novo pounced on a moments' hesitation in the Celtic defence to latch on to a long ball from Ricksen and lob the ball over the advancing Douglas. Ricksen appeared to be hit by a coin, but it could not prevent Rangers' celebrations at the final whistle. : Douglas, McNamara, Balde, Varga, Laursen, Petrov, Lennon, Sutton, Thompson, Bellamy, Hartson. Subs: Marshall, Henchoz, Juninho Paulista, Lambert, Maloney, Wallace, McGeady. : Waterreus, Hutton, Kyrgiakos, Andrews, Ball, Buffel, Ferguson, Ricksen, Vignal, Prso, Novo. Subs: McGregor, Namouchi, Burke, Alex Rae, Malcolm, Thompson, Lovenkrands. : M McCurry


Britain's Kathy Butler continued her impressive year with victory in Sunday's 25th Cross Internacional de Venta de Banos in Spain. The Scot, who led GB to World Cross Country bronze earlier this year, moved away from the field with Ines Monteiro halfway into the 6.6km race. She then shrugged off her Portuguese rival to win in 20 minutes 38 seconds. Meanwhile, Briton Karl Keska battled bravely to finish seventh in the men's 10.6km race in a time of 31:41. Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia the reigning world long and short course champion was never troubled by any of the opposition, winning leisurely in 30.26. Butler said of her success: "I felt great throughout the race and hope this is a good beginning for a marvellous 2005 season for me." Elsewhere, Abebe Dinkessa of Ethiopia won the Brussels IAAF cross country race on Sunday, completing the 10,500m course in 33.22. Gelete Burka then crowned a great day for Ethiopia by claiming victory in the women's race.


World number one Roger Federer added the Dubai Championship trophy to his long list of successes but not before he was given a test by Ivan Ljubicic. Top seed Federer looked to be on course for a easy victory when he thumped the eighth seed 6 1 in the first set. But Ljubicic, who beat Tim Henman in the last eight, dug deep to secure the second set after a tense tiebreak. Swiss star Federer was not about to lose his cool, though, turning on the style to win the deciding set 6 3. The match was a re run of last week's final at the World Indoor Tournament in Rotterdam, where Federer triumphed, but not until Ljubicic had stretched him all the way. "I really wanted to get off to a good start this time, and I did, and I could really play with confidence while he still looking for his rhythm," Federer said. "That took me all the way through to 6 1 3 1 0 30 on his serve and I almost ran away with it. But he came back, and that was a good effort on his side." Ljubicic was at a loss to explain his poor showing in the first set. "I didn't start badly, but then suddenly I felt like my racket was loose and the balls were flying a little bit too much. And with Roger, if you relax for a second it just goes very quick," he said. "After those first three games it was no match at all. I don't know, it was really weird. I was playing really well the whole year, and then suddenly I found myself in trouble just to put the ball in the court." But despite his defeat, the world number 14 was pleased with his overall performance. "I had a chance in the third, and for me it's really positive to twice in two weeks have a chance against Roger to win the match. "It's an absolutely great boost to my confidence that I'm up there and belong with top class players."


Tim Henman opened his 2005 campaign with a 6 1 7 5 victory over Argentine David Nalbandian at the Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament on Wednesday. The British number one will next play Roger Federer at the Australian Open warm up event on Friday. The world number one beat Gaston Gaudio 5 7 6 1 6 4, before Andre Agassi saw off Chilean Olympic gold medalist Nicolas Massu 6 1 7 6 (7 4). Andy Roddick beat Ivan Ljubicic, who replaced Paradorn Srichaphan, 6 1 6 4. Henman made an impressive start to the year, only faltering against Nalbandian when serving for the match at 5 4. But the Briton regained his composure to win the next two games for only his second win in six matches against the Argentine. "It's a great start to the year just what I was looking for," Henman told his website. "Over the years I've found David very difficult to play against. "He returns serve very well and he's deceptively effective from the baseline, so sometimes it can be difficult to execute my gameplan well enough against him to get the right result. "Beating somebody of his stature is always good for the confidence and it bodes well at the beginning of the year." Henman also revealed the extent of the back problems he suffered in the off season. "I'm not the most flexible and at the end of the year I was pretty exhausted and wanted to have a couple of weeks where I didn't do anything," said Henman. "When I started training again it really, really seized up. As much as I enjoyed the two weeks off I don't think it's so productive." Federer dropped a tight first set against 2004 French Open champion Gaudio, but was content with his game. "It was about getting used to the surface," he said. "The conditions are much quicker than Doha, my timing was OK, but I could have served better. "All in all I'm happy with the match, and I won it that's a good sign. Now I have a day off and hopefully play better the next match." Agassi was delighted with victory over Massu in his first match for over two months. "I felt pretty good," said the American. "I liked the way the match played out and, maybe excluding a few second serve returns, I felt like I was doing most things pretty darn well for the first match."


England will have to negotiate their way through a tough draw if they are to win the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong next month. The second seeds have been drawn against Samoa, France, Italy, Georgia and Chinese Taipei. The top two sides in each pool qualify but England could face 2001 winners New Zealand in the quarter finals if they stumble against Samoa. Scotland and Ireland are in Pool A together with the All Blacks. England won the first event of the International Rugby Board World Sevens series in Dubai but have slipped to fourth in the table after failing to build on that victory. However, they beat Samoa in the recent Los Angeles Sevens before losing to Argentina in the semi finals. "England have the ability and determination to win this World Cup and create sporting history by being the only nation to hold both the 15s and Sevens World Cups at the same time," said England sevens coach Mike Friday. "England have a fantastic record in Hong Kong and have won there the last three years, but the World Cup is on a different level. "Every pool contains teams who have caused upsets before and we will have to work hard to ensure we progress from our group. "We have not performed consistently to our true potential so far in the IRB Sevens which has been disappointing but we can only look forward." England won the first Rugby World Cup Sevens in 1993 with a side that included the likes of Lawrence Dallaglio and Matt Dawson. In 1997 and 2001, England lost in the quarter finals. (seeds in brackets) New Zealand (1), Scotland (8), Tonga, Ireland, Korea, USA. England (2), Samoa (7), France, Italy, Georgia, Chinese Taipei. Fiji (3), Australia (6), Canada, Portugal, Japan, Hong Kong. Argentina (4), South Africa (5), Kenya, Tunisia, Russia, Uruguay.