There is no doubt that mobile phones sporting cameras and colour screens are hugely popular. Consumers swapping old phones for slinkier, dinkier versions are thought to be responsible for a 26% increase in the number of phones sold during the third quarter of 2004, according to analysts Gartner More than 167 million handsets were sold between July and September 2004, a period that, according to Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi is "seldom strong". But although consumers have mobiles that can take and send snaps, sounds and video clips few, so far, are taking the chance to do so. In fact, the numbers of people not taking and sending pictures, audio and video is growing. Figures gathered by Continental Research shows that 36% of British camera phone users have never sent a multimedia message (MMS), up from 7% in 2003. This is despite the fact that, during the same period, the numbers of camera phones in the UK more than doubled to 7.5 million. Getting mobile phone users to send multimedia messages is really important for operators keen to squeeze more cash out of their customers and offset the cost of subsidising the handsets people are buying. The problem they face, said Shailendra Jain, head of MMS firm Adamind, is educating people in how to send the multimedia messages using their funky handsets. "Also," he said, "they have to simplify the interface so its not rocket science in terms of someone understanding it." Research bears out the suspicion that people are not sending multimedia messages because they do not know how to. According to Continental Research, 29% of the people it questioned said they were technophobes that tended to shy away from innovation. Only 11% regarded themselves as technically savvy enough to send a picture or video message. The fact that multimedia services are not interoperable across networks and phones only adds to people's reluctance to start sending them, said Mr Jain. "They ask themselves: 'If I'm streaming video from one handset to another will it work?'" he said. "There's a lot of user apprehension about that." There are other deeper technical reasons why multimedia messages are not being pushed as strongly as they might. Andrew Bud, executive chairman of messaging firm Mblox, said mobile phone operators cap the number of messages that can be circulating at any one time for fear of overwhelming the system. "The rate we can send MMS into the mobile network is fairly constant," he said. The reason for this is that there are finite capacities for data traffic on the second generation networks that currently have the most users. No one wants to take the risk of swamping these relatively narrow channels so the number of MMS messages is capped, said Mr Bud. This has led to operators finding other technologies, particularly one known as Wap push, to get multimedia to their customers. But when networks do find a good way to get multimedia to their customers, the results can be dramatic. Israeli technology firm Celltick has found a way to broadcast data across phone networks in a way that does not overwhelm existing bandwidth. One of the first firms to use the Celltick service is Hutch India, the largest mobile firm in the country. The broadcast system gets multimedia to customers via a rolling menu far faster than would be possible with other systems. While not multimedia messaging, such a system gets people used to seeing their phones as a device that can handle all different types of content. As a result 40% of the subscribers to the Hutch Alive, which uses Celltick's broadcast technology, regularly click for more pictures, sounds and images from the operator. "Operators really need to start utilising this tool to reach their customers," said Yaron Toren, spokesman for Celltick. Until then, multimedia will be a message that is not getting through.


IBM is spending 100m ( 52m) over the next three years beefing up its commitment to Linux software. The cash injection will be used to help its customers use Linux on every type of device from handheld computers and phones right up to powerful servers. IBM said the money will fund a variety of technical, research and marketing initiatives to boost Linux use. IBM said it had taken the step in response to greater customer demand for the open source software. In 2004 IBM said it had seen double digit growth in the number of customers using Linux to help staff work together more closely. The money will be used to help this push towards greater collaboration and will add Linux based elements to IBM's Workplace software. Workplace is a suite of programs and tools that allow workers to get at core business applications no matter what device they use to connect to corporate networks. One of the main focuses of the initiative will be to make it easier to use Linux based desktop computers and mobile devices with Workplace. Even before IBM announced this latest spending boost it was one of the biggest advocates of the open source way of working. In 2001 it put 300m into a three year Linux program and has produced Linux versions of many of its programs. Linux and the open source software movement are based on the premise that developers should be free to tinker with the core components of software programs. They reason that more open scrutiny of software produces better programs and fuels innovation.


At least three people from Scotland died in the tsunami disaster and a further three are on the missing list, the first minister has told MSPs. The figures came out during a statement by Jack McConnell to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday. He formally expressed Scotland's sympathy for the victims of the Indian Ocean tidal wave which killed 150,000. Mr McConnell went on to promise that Scotland would play its part in the reconstruction effort. He said the provisional figures on the dead and lost had been provided by the police. Mr McConnell said the tragedy should persuade everyone to step up the fight against global poverty and change the world for the better. He said he was proud of the generous response of people in Scotland to the disaster appeal, which is expected soon to top 20m. The first minister also praised Scottish Water for immediately flying bottled water and five large generators to the disaster zone. The Scottish Executive has seconded 11 staff to the aid agencies. But he said Scotland was "in it for the long term" with help planned for fishing communities, for children's services, and for the aid charities. He said 2005 must be the year that Scotland showed clearly it cared for what happened to people elsewhere in the world, whether in Asia or in Africa. Mr McConnell went on to signal that the executive would play its part in the Make Poverty History campaign being mounted by a variety of aid charities, trade unions and churches in the run up to the G8 summit in Gleneagles in July. Edinburgh architect, Dominic Stephenson, became the first Scot to be confirmed as a victim of the Asian tsunami. The 27 year old was holidaying on the Thai island of Koh Phi Phi with Eileen Lee, 24. She is still missing.


An executive who froze his broken hard disk thinking it would be fixed has topped a list of the weirdest computer mishaps. Although computer malfunctions remain the most common cause of file loss, data recovery experts say human behaviour still is to blame in many cases. They say that no matter how effective technology is at rescuing files, users should take more time to back up and protect important files. The list of the top 10 global data disasters was compiled by recovery company Ontrack. Careless and preventable mistakes that result in data loss range from reckless file maintenance practices to episodes of pure rage towards a computer. This last category includes the case of a man who became so mad with his malfunctioning laptop that he threw it in the lavatory and flushed a couple of times. "Data can disappear as a result of natural disaster, system fault or computer virus, but human error, including 'computer rage', seems to be a growing problem," said Adrian Palmer, managing director of Ontrack Data Recovery. "Nevertheless, victims soon calm down when they realise the damage they've done and come to us with pleas for help to retrieve their valuable information." A far more common situation is when a computer virus strikes and leads to precious files being corrupted or deleted entirely. Mr Palmer recalled the case of a couple who had hundreds of pictures of their baby's first three months on their computer, but managed to reformat the hard drive and erase all the precious memories. "Data can be recovered from computers, servers and even memory cards used in digital devices in most cases," said Mr Palmer. "However, individuals and companies can avoid the hassle and stress this can cause by backing up data on a regular basis."


Fly half Jonny Wilkinson has been named as England's new rugby union captain for the three November Tests. The 25 year old Newcastle star takes over from Lawrence Dallaglio, who retired from internationals in August. England's acting head coach Andy Robinson said: "He is a natural leader, holds the respect of the squad and is a formidable talent on the pitch. "And he consistently demonstrates the energy and commitment I feel is essential to be captain of England." Robinson added: "There are several players in the squad I would feel comfortable in calling upon to be England captain but for me Jonny is in every way the right player to take on this challenge. "Captaincy offers a challenging environment for any player, especially following in the footsteps of Lawrence Dallaglio and before him the World Cup captain, Martin Johnson. "But I am confident Jonny has what it takes to do an outstanding job as we look ahead towards the next Rugby World Cup in France and I look forward to working with him." Wilkinson, who has scored 817 points in 52 internationals, kicked the winning drop goal in the final seconds of extra time in England's 2003 Rugby World Cup triumph against Australia. But he then missed the entire 2004 Six Nations campaign while recuperating from shoulder surgery, before making his comeback for Newcastle in the Zurich Premiership in August. "It's the ambition of so many players to one day be captain of England and today I have realised a dream," he said. "I'm honoured Andy wants me to be his captain, and to follow Lawrence and Martin means a lot to me as they are inspirational men who have given so much to England rugby over many years. "Getting my first England cap against Ireland six years ago was something I'll never forget because to play for your country is very special. Taking on the captaincy is another important step in my career and I do so with immense pride." Wilkinson made his international debut in the 1998 Six Nations Championship against Ireland when he came off the bench to replace Paul Grayson. He has been a regular in the England starting line up ever since, played in all three Lions Tests in 2001 and all but one of England's games in the 2003 World Cup. He becomes the 117th captain of England since Fred Stokes held the position in 1871. England's first autumn Test is against Canada on 13 November, followed by the visit of Tri Nations champions South Africa a week later and then a World Cup re match with Australia.


Musicians are embracing the internet as a way of reaching new fans and selling more music, a survey has found. The study by US researchers, Pew Internet, suggests musicians do not agree with the tactics adopted by the music industry against file sharing. While most considered file sharing as illegal, many disagreed with the lawsuits launched against downloaders. "Even successful artists don't think the lawsuits will benefit musicians," said report author Mary Madden. For part of the study, Pew Internet conducted an online survey of 2,755 musicians, songwriters and music publishers via musician membership organisations between March and April 2004. They ranged from full time, successful musicians to artists struggling to make a living from their music. "We looked at more of the independent musicians, rather than the rockstars of this industry but that reflects more accurately the state of the music industry," Ms Madden told the BBC News website. "We always hear the views of successful artists like the Britneys of the world but the less successful artists rarely get represented." The survey found that musicians were overwhelming positive about the internet, rather than seeing it as just a threat to their livelihood. Almost all of them used the net for ideas and inspiration, with nine out of 10 going online to promote, advertise and post their music on the web. More than 80% offered free samples online, while two thirds sold their music via the net. Independent musicians, in particular, saw the internet as a way to get around the need to land a record contract and reach fans directly. "Musicians are embracing the internet enthusiastically," said Ms Madden. "They are using the internet to gain inspiration, sell it online, tracking royalties, learning about copyright." Perhaps surprisingly, opinions about online file sharing were diverse and not as clear cut as those of the record industry. Through the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it has pursued an aggressive campaign through the courts to sue people suspected of sharing copyrighted music. But the report suggests this campaign does not have the wholehearted backing of musicians in the US. It found that most artists saw file sharing as both good and bad, though most agreed that it should be illegal. "Free downloading has killed opportunities for new bands to break without major funding and backing," said one musician quoted by the report. "It's hard to keep making records if they don't pay for themselves through sales." However 60% said they did not think the lawsuits against song swappers would benefit musicians and songwriters. Many suggested that rather than fighting file sharing, the music industry needed to recognise the changes it has brought and embrace it. "Both successful and struggling musicians were more likely to say that the internet has made it possible for them to make more money from their music, rather than make it harder for them to protect their material from piracy," said Ms Madden.


The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is to hold membership talks with both Iraq and Afghanistan. But Iran's bid to join the trade body has been refused after the US blocked its application for the 21st time. The countries stand to reap huge benefits from membership of the group, whose purpose is to promote free trade. Joining, however, is a lengthy process. China's admission in 2001 took 15 years and talks with Russia and Saudi Arabia have been taking place for 10 years. Membership of the Geneva based WTO helps guarantee a country's goods receives equal treatment in the markets of other member states a policy which has seen it become closely associated with globalisation. Iraq's Trade Minister Mohammed Mustafa al Jibouri welcomed the move, describing it as significant as November's decision by the Paris Club of creditor nations to write off 80% of the country's debts. Assad Omar, Afghanistan's envoy to the United Nations in Geneva, said accession would contribute to "regional prosperity and global security". There are now 27 countries seeking membership of the WTO. Prospective members need to enter into negotiations with potential trading countries and change domestic laws to bring them in line with WTO regulations. Before the process gets under way, all 148 WTO members must give their backing to applicant countries. The US said it could not approve Iran's application because it is currently reviewing relations. But several nations criticised the approach, and European Union ambassador to the WTO, Carlo Trojan, said Iran's application "must be treated independently of political issues".


Prime Minister Tony Blair has arrived back from his diplomatic mission to the Middle East to try to resurrect the peace process. Mr Blair held talks with his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, and the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas. He confirmed that a renewed drive to reform the Palestinian Authority and address security issues would come at a London conference in March. Mr Blair also made a surprise trip to Iraq this week. The Israelis described the meeting as important but said they would not need to attend. Mr Blair briefly visited the tomb of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah the first world leader to do so. He nodded briefly towards the tomb, rather than lay a wreath, in what Palestinian officials said was a compromise gesture agreed at the last minute. The BBC's Paul Reynolds says the London conference will be a limited measure to shore up the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, who is expected to win the Palestinian presidential election on 9 January. At a news conference following talks with Mr Blair, Mr Abbas said the British prime minister was "in a unique position to help us progress in our peaceful pursuit". He added: "Your endeavour to hold a conference in London is another example of your deep commitment to this purpose." In an interview with the BBC's political editor Andrew Marr, Mr Blair said getting progress between Israelis and Palestinians would be "tough, but at least we have got the first step". Mr Blair acknowledged some people believed he was too close to the Israelis, but said the Israelis were entitled to expect Palestinians to give up terrorism. He argued that Mr Sharon was committed to the internationally agreed roadmap peace plan and said his bid to disengage from Gaza had to be part of the peace process, not the end of it. Earlier, Mr Sharon again said he had not seen "the slightest step" the Palestinians were working to end terror attacks though he acknowledged Palestinian leaders were in the middle of an election campaign that could be hampering their efforts. Before visiting Israel, Mr Blair made a surprise visit to Iraq, where he met leaders in Baghdad during his first trip to the city. He was briefed on preparations for the national poll, which is scheduled for next month but is threatened by a deadly campaign of insurgent violence. He also flew to Basra in southern Iraq where British forces are stationed.


A mobile phone chip which combines a modem and a computer processor on one bit of silicon instead of two could make phones cheaper and more powerful. The specially designed chip, developed by Texas Instruments, could drive down the cost of making mobiles capable of 3D gaming and 30 frame a second video. Currently, rich multimedia features tend to be on more expensive handsets. The technology, OMAP Vox, is being tested by firms in Europe and Asia and could appear by the end of the year. Texas, which makes computer chips for more than half the world's mobile phones, said it was keen to make multimedia functions like video and gaming more affordable. "We're going to drive them down into meat and potatoes phones that have the largest market share," said Doug Rasor, a marketing vice president at Texas. The chip also uses much less power than conventional chips, said Texas, which means less strain on mobile battery life. More than 50 million people own a mobile in the UK, but mobile operators are keen to encourage people to move onto more sophisticated handsets that can do more. Texas is keen to cash in on the third generation (3G) of mobile technology, which offers high speed networks for video streaming and other multimedia functions. But it faces stiff competition from the likes of Intel which is also looking to provide better chips for high end mobiles. Competition to get people using 3G mobiles will grow in the next year as almost all of the UK's operators have now launched third generation networks. A recent survey by Sony Ericsson predicted that the number of 3G handsets sold in 2005 would double from 2004 to account for 10% of all phones sold. Many consumers are still to be convinced though. A further recent survey said that only 4% of mobile owners were thinking of upgrading to 3G phones. Many said they were confused about the different ways to pay for phones and the vast array of features most have onboard. But there will be continued demand for better chips as the industry continues to develop new standards and future networks. Earlier in January, NTT DoCoMo and Vodafone joined forces to develop the next generation of high speed networks, known as "super 3G", intended to be 10 times faster than 3G services. The first stage of development is to be completed by 2007, but no date has been set for a commercial launch The newly designed OMAP Vox chip set was announced ahead of the start of a major mobile industry conference, 3GSM, which takes place in Cannes, France this week.


The web is helping aid agencies gather resources to help cope with the aftermath of the tsunami disaster. Many people are making donations via websites or going online to see how they can get involved with aid efforts. High profile web portals such as Google, Yahoo, Ebay and Amazon are gathering links that lead people to aid and relief organisations. So many were visiting some aid related sites that some webpages were struggling to cope with the traffic. An umbrella organisation called the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has been set up by a coalition of 12 charities and has been taking many donations via its specially created website. It urged people to go online where possible to help because donations could be processed more quickly than cash donated in other ways, meaning aid could be delivered as quickly as possible. The site has so far received almost 8 million, with more than 11,000 donations being made online every hour. Telco BT stepped in to take over the secure payments on the DEC site and provided extra logistical support for phone and online appeals after it was initially crippled with online donations. It has also provided space in London's BT tower for one of the call centres dealing with donations. Some of the web's biggest firms are also helping to channel help by modifying their homepages to include links to aid agencies and organisations collecting resources. On its famously sparse homepage Google has placed a link that leads users to a list of sites where donations can be made. Among the 17 organisations listed are Oxfam, Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and Network for Good. Many of the sites that Google lists are also taking online donations. Online retailer Amazon has put a large message on its start page that lets people donate money directly to the American Red Cross that will be used with relief efforts. Auction site eBay is giving a list of sites that people can either donate directly to, divert a portion of their profits from anything they sell on eBay to the listed organisations or simply buy items that direct cash to those in the list. Yahoo is proving links direct to charities for those that want to donate. The Auction Drop website is asking people to donate old digital cameras, computers and other gadgets they no longer want that can be auction to raise cash for the aid effort. Sadly, the outpouring of goodwill has also encouraged some conmen to try to cash in. Anti fraud organisations are warning about e mails that are starting to circulate which try to convince people to send money directly to them rather than make donations via aid agencies. Those wanting to give cash were urged to use legitimate websites of charities and aid agencies.


Thousands of civil servants were on strike across Wales on Friday in protest at planned job cuts. A range of services in Wales were affected as civil servants in Wales joined the UK wide strike. The strike, called by the Public and Commercial Services Union, was the biggest by civil servants in a decade. The action follows Chancellor Gordon Brown's announcement in July that 104,000 jobs would be cut, with around 6,000 of those expected in Wales. The worst affected area in Wales will be the Department of Work and Pensions where 2,000 jobs are threatened. Across Wales, pickets were held by striking civil servants with protests in towns and cities including Cardiff, Bangor, Aberystwyth and Wrexham. Gordon Brown issued a defiant statement about the strike, saying the action would not affect the government's "determination" to make savings in order to increase investment in healthcare, education, transport and the fight against crime. "Our decisions mean more police, more teachers, more doctors and more nurses," he said. "We will provide help with information, relocation and retraining to help staff move into frontline work within the public sector, but we will not be diverted from these necessary changes so that we can make this essential investment." The UK wide action hit Jobcentres, benefit agencies, pensions offices and driving test centres. The strike also affected the Welsh assembly building in Cardiff Bay, where only pass holders were allowed in. Pickets were in place across Wales, with protests around the country. PCS Union spokesman Jeff Evans said: "In Wales the civil service is major employer, there are more civil servants employed in Wales proportionately than in any other part of the country. "Our protest is about defending jobs and also local services across the country. "Parts of Objective One areas and Welsh speaking areas will be particularly affected by these cuts." The chancellor has said that the cuts will allow funding for more teachers and police. Piers Freelove is senior benefit officer on the picket line at Companies House, in Cardiff. He said: "The majority of people have decided not to come in because of the threat to their jobs. "I joined the civil service to provide services as well as get a decent pension, as we thought, and pay, and it's those services that are being threatened as well as our jobs. "People like pensioners need a face to face service not an impersonal service on the phone which is what they want to impose." PCSU deputy general secretary Hugh Lanning, who was on the same picket line, said: "We're asking for them to negotiate not just to make announcements. "There's a sensible way to do things and at the moment they're not even talking about how to go about it sensibly." "The ballot was for one day's action. No further action is anticipated without a further ballot of staff." The Welsh Assembly Government said: "This is a strike about national civil service issues. It is not about specific issues local to Wales or the assembly.


Top seeded Americans Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi survived minor scares to reach the last eight of the SAP Open. Agassi endured early problems against left handed Dane Kenneth Carlsen before sealing a 7 5 6 1 victory. And world number three Roddick dropped a set to Korean player Hyung Taik Lee, before pulling out a 6 3 3 6 6 2 win in San Jose, California. Seventh seed Jurgen Melzer came through 6 3 6 3 against Xavier Malisse winner in Delray Beach last week. Frenchman Cyril Saulnier, meanwhile, fired 19 aces to secure a 6 1 7 6 win over Czech qualifier Tomas Zib. Roddick broke a racket in frustration in the third game of the second set. and afterwards was unimpressed with his form. "I'm not playing great," he said. "But I'm through and I'm going to keep battling. "A lot of people are under the assumption that it's easy to play well every week and it's not." It is the 12th time in 13 appearances at the event that Agassi, now 34, has progressed to the quarter final stage. He came from 0 40 down in the opening game to hold serve and gradually wore Carlsen down after attacking his backhand. Agassi also employed several lobs and charged to the net to unsettle the 31 year old Dane, ranked 88th in the world. "As the match went on, I got real patient and waited for my opportunities and felt pretty good," said Agassi.


Wigan chairman Maurice Lindsay says he does not expect a quick solution to the on going saga of captain Andy Farrell's possible switch to rugby union. Leicester and Saracens are leading the chase for the player, but Lindsay told the BBC it was not yet a done deal. "As well as the Rugby Football Union, the league, the individual club and the England coaching team have a say, so it's not a quick decision," he said. "He's given us 12 years service so if he wants to go, we'd support him." The prospect of Farrell switching codes has been the main talking point of the Super League season so far. "It came as a bolt out of the blue to us," admitted Lindsay. "But he's a very loyal friend to the club, so there's no question that he's deserting us. He just fancies a challenge." Although the move would be a lucrative one for both Farrell and Wigan, Lindsay said money was not a motivating factor for the club. "The money side of things hasn't been concluded, but it's not the point for Wigan," he told Radio Five Live. "A shortage of money has never been a problem for us. "Even if we did have it, under the salary cap we can't spend a penny of it anyway we'd rather have the player." Lindsay also said he understood why rugby union was so interested in signing up Farrell. "It'd be a great loss for us but a great boost for them," said the Warriors chief. "This guy is an absolute sporting icon. He's been at the top for so long and has demonstrated so many attributes that you need to make it in a tough contact sport. "Athletes like him Ellery Hanley and Martin Johnson don't come along very often. You're very lucky to have them whilst you've got them."


The careers of sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou are over, says the boss of the organisation that cleared them of missing a drugs test. Greek Athletics Federation boss Vassilli Sevastis told the country's parliament: "I believe Kenteris and Thanou won't race again. "The damage to their commercial interests has been done," he added. Athletics bosses are considering its reponse to the ruling, while the athletes face a trial in a Greek court. Greek prosecutors have brought spearate charges of missing the drugs test and faking a motorcycle accident. Speaking to the Greek Parliament on Tuesday, Sevastis said that the evidence sent by the International Olympic Committee and athletics governing body the IAAF was not strong enough for the Greek Association to find the sprinters guilty. "We were given the task of getting the snake out if its hole but we were not given any evidence to do it with," he said. "So how can you as a Greek with your hand on your heart try the athletes?" he added. The athletes are technically free to compete while the IAAF reviews its response to the decision to clear Kenteris and Thanou. But Sevastis said: "It does not matter if they are found guilty at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the current decision is reversed."


Gordon Brown is to freeze petrol duty increases, fund a 1bn package to avoid big council tax rises and boost childcare and maternity leave. In an upbeat pre Budget report, he slightly increased borrowing but insisted economic targets would be met. The chancellor also hailed the longest period of growth in UK "industrial history" but denied he was "gloating". But Oliver Letwin, for the Tories, attacked government red tape and debt, dubbing Mr Brown "Sir Wastealot". The shadow chancellor said Mr Brown's "golden rule" had "turned to dross in his hands" and said he was borrowing to spend, not invest, with predicted debt over the coming years totalling 170bn. Mr Letwin told MPs: "The tide is going out on the chancellor's credibility. He is spending, borrowing and taxing so much because he is not getting value for taxpayer's money." Vincent Cable, for the Liberal Democrats, accused Mr Brown of ducking tough choices. He said: "Last week the prime minister gave us the politics of fear; this week the chancellor has offered the economics of complacency. "There are serious challenges ahead from the falling dollar and from the rapid downturn in the UK housing market and rising personal debt. But they have not been confronted." Mr Brown rejected the Lib Dem's call to open up the government's books to the National Audit Office, saying decisions on tax and spending should be made by ministers. Some economists say his forecasts on public finances are wishful thinking. BBC economic editor Evan Davis said the figures were plausible but also a gamble. Mr Brown's insistence he was not "gloating" was a pointed rebuttal of a warning from new European Commissioner Peter Mandelson. In his speech, he set out a 10 year childcare strategy for if Labour wins the next election. It includes a 285m cash injection to extend paid maternity leave from six months to nine, with parents able to transfer leave from the mother to the father. He also promised to increase free nursery education for three and four year olds to 15 hours from April 2007. And funds would be provided to keep schools open from 0800 to 1800GMT to look after children while their parents were at work. Taken together, the measures would create a "welfare state that is truly family friendly for the first time in its history", said Mr Brown. He also announced a cash hand out for older pensioners, with payments of 50 for the over 70s as part of the winter fuel allowance. In a move ministers say should keep council tax rises below 5% next year, the chancellor said he was providing an extra 1bn for local councils. The money is expected to come from government departments such as health and education. Mr Brown said he was set to meet his two fiscal rules to borrow only to invest and keep debt "low and sustainable" both in this economic cycle and the next. Borrowing figures for 2003/4 are 35bn 2.5bn less than the 37.5bn predicted in March's budget, as already announced by the Office for National Statistics. Borrowing is tipped to fall to 31bn by 2005/06 but that is still 2bn more than Mr Brown predicted in his March budget. Inflation would be 1.75% next year and 2% in the years to follow, Mr Brown forecast. He also pledged an extra 105m for security and counter terrorism. Business groups have welcomed efforts to improve competitiveness and invest more in skills and innovation. But there worries about the costs of more family friendly working. Simon Sweetman, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "The proposals on maternity leave have clearly been made with a general election in mind and with little thought to the impact on small employers."


The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, has hit out at critics of the Gambling Bill. She told the Guardian newspaper there would be no "Las Vegas style" super casinos, as rumoured in the press. Meanwhile Labour backbencher Stephen Pound labelled casino related regeneration schemes "a pile of pants". The MP for Ealing North claimed the legislation would encourage a mafia like culture of vice and corruption, in an interview on BBC Radio 4. "You look at some of the people who are involved...they aren't in there to regenerate Blackpool. They are in it to fill their boots," Mr Pound told the Today programme. "I just really think that we have made a terrible mistake here. And over all of it hangs the shadow of the men in the chalk stripe suits with names that rhyme with spaghetti," he said. Ms Jowell complained of the "scale of misrepresentation" in the media over the bill in her interview with the newspaper, her first since the bill was launched. The culture secretary said a four year consultation period had produced a consensus on the need to "protect children and the vulnerable" in a swiftly changing sector. Ms Jowell insisted: "We have a good track record for extracting planning gain in this country, for instance in social housing." And continued: "We can be proud to have one of the lowest rates of problem gambling in the world. I intend to keep it that way." Ms Jowell will set out her position when the Bill is debated in the Commons on Monday. In prime minister's questions last week Tony Blair assured Parliament that 90% of the bill was about tightening up the regulation of the gambling industry.


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 for five sets. "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."


Microsoft has said it will replace more than 14 million power cables for its Xbox consoles due to safety concerns. The company said the move was a "preventative step" after reports of fire hazard problems with the cables. It affects Xboxes made before 23 October 2003 for all regions but mainland Europe and consoles in that region made before 13 January 2004. Microsoft said it had received 30 reports of minor injury or property damage due to faulty cables. The firm said fewer than one in 10,000 consoles had experienced component failures. The recall affects almost three quarters of all Xboxes sold around the world since its launch in 2001. In a statement, it added: "In almost all instances, any damage caused by these failures was contained within the console itself or limited to the tip of the power cord at the back of the console." But in seven cases, customers reported sustaining a minor burn to their hand. In 23 cases, customers reported smoke damage, or minor damage to a carpet or entertainment centre. "This is a preventative step we're choosing to take despite the rarity of these incidents," said Robbie Bach, senior vice president, Microsoft home and entertainment division. "We regret the inconvenience, but believe offering consumers a free replacement cord is the responsible thing to do." Consumers can order a new cable from the Xbox website or by telephoning 0800 028 9276 in the UK. Microsoft said customers would get replacement cords within two to four weeks from the time of order. It advised users to turn off their Xboxes when not in use. A follow up to Xbox is expected to released at the end of this year or the beginning of 2006.


An Indian telecommunications firm has turned to lasers to help it overcome the problems of setting up voice and data networks in the country. Tata Teleservices is using the lasers to make the link between customers' offices and its own core network. The laser bridges work across distances up to 4km and can be set up much faster than cable connections. In 12 months the lasers have helped the firm set up networks in more than 700 locations. "In this particular geography getting permission to dig the ground and lay the pipes is a bit of a task," said Mr R. Sridharan, vice president of networks at Tata. "Heavy traffic and the layout under the ground mean that digging is uniquely difficult," he said. In some locations, he said, permission to dig up roads and lay cables was impossible to get. He said it was far easier to secure permission for putting networking hardware on roofs. This has led Chennai based Tata to turn to equipment that uses lasers to make the final mile leap between Tata's core network and the premises of customers. The Lightpointe laser bridges work over distances of up to 4km and are being used to route both voice and data from businesses on to the backbone of the network. The hardware works in pairs and beam data through the air in the form of laser pulses. The laser bridges can route data at speeds up to 1.25gbps (2,000 times faster than a 512kbps broadband connection) but Tata is running its hardware at more modest speeds of 1 2mbps. The lasers are also ideal for India because of its climate. "It's particularly suitable as the rain rate is a little low and it's hardly ever foggy," he said. In places where rain is heavy and fog is common laser links can struggle to maintain good connection speeds. The laser links also take far less time to set up and get working, said Mr Sridharan. "Once we get the other permissions, normal time period for set up is a few hours," he said. By contrast, he said, digging up roads and laying cables can take weeks or months. This speed of set up has helped Tata with its aggressive expansion plans. Just over 12 months ago the firm had customers in only about 70 towns and cities. But by the end of March the firm hopes to reach more than 1,000. "Speed is very important because of the pace of competition," said Mr Sridharan.


There used to be one subliminal moment during a year in Irish rugby that stood out more than most. Well, at least there used to one. Now there is a handful to look back with a mixture of satisfaction, and sorrow. It has been quite a year for the Irish, and not just with Eddie O'Sullivan's Triple Crown winning international outfit either. Right down through the ranks Irish rugby is creating waves and upsetting the more established teams in the game. But most of the kudos will go to O'Sullivan and his merry band of warriors who not only collected their first Triple Crown for 29 years, but also finished their autumn campaign with a 100% record. For the second year in succession they also finished in the runners up spot in the RBS Six Nations. But in the three games in November which included a victory over Tri Nations champions and Grand Slam chasing South Africa, Ireland finsihed the year on a high. The 18 12 victory at Lansdowne Road was only their second victory over the Boks after the initial success back in 1965. That success was revenge for the consecutive defeats in Blomefontein and Cape Town in the summer. Those two reverses and the 35 17 flop against France, were the only dark patches in an otherwise excellent 12 months. But the big one, of course, was the 19 13 defeat of World Cup champions England on their precious Twickenham turf. The winning try was conceived in O'Sullivan's mind, perfectly executed by the team and finished immaculately by Girvan Dempsey. For me, the try of the Championship. O'Sullivan's career is now in vertical take off mode. It is no wonder that Sir Clive Woodward has elevated the Galway based coach to head the Lions Test side. Not only that, but a fair majority of the present Ireland side will be wearing red next June in New Zealand. There can be no doubt that Ireland's representation will be the biggest ever, albeit in a proposed 44 man squad. In Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell, Ireland have now the two front runners for the captaincy. Gordon D'Arcy, whose career began as a teenager back in 1999, finally arrived when he was named the Six Nations Player of the Tournament. But it was not only the senior squad that brought kudos to Ireland, the youngsters strutted their stuff on the big stage as well. The under 21 squad confounded the doubters as they went all the way to the World Cup final in Scotland only to be beaten by a powerful All Black side in the decider. The young Irish boys had stated their intentions earlier in the season when they finished runners up to England in the Six Nations under 21 tournament. On the provincial front, Leinster, for second year in succession, blew it when the Heineken Cup looked a good wager. While Ulster finished runners up in their very tight group for the second season in succession, it was Munster again flying the flag for the Irish. Looking to reach their third final, they went down 37 32 to eventual winners Wasps in what many beileve was the most competitive and thunderous game ever witnessed at Lansdowne Road. How Wasps recovered from that energy sapping duel, and then go onto to defeat Toulouse in the final was anybody's guess. Ulster, meanwhile, just lost out to adding the inaugural Celtic Cup in winning the Celtic League when they were pipped at the post by the Scarlets in the final game. Ulster, however, took time to start the new season under new coach Mark McCall. The once famous Ravenhill fortress was breached four times as Ulster only manged five wins from their first 12 outings in the Celtic League. Leinster are again looking the most potent outfit going into 2005, but whether they can take that final step under Declan Kidney is another thing. On the down side, Irish rugby was hit by a number of tragedies. Teenage star John McCall died while playing for the Ireland against New Zealand in the under 19 World Cup game in Durban. That happened only 10 days after he led Royal Armagh to their first Ulster Schools' Cup success since 1977. The death of former Ireland coach and Lions flanker Mike Doyle in a car crash in Northern Ireland shocked the rugby fraternity A larger than life character, Doyle had coached Ireland to the Triple Crown in 1985, the last time that goal had been achieved before this season. Ulster rugby also suffered the sudden deaths of well known Londonderry YM player Jim Huey, Coleraine's Jonathan Hutchinson, and Belfast Harlequins lock Johnny Poole. They all passed away long before the full time whistle.


Movies Open Water and Saw are among those to be made available for Sony's PSP games console. Film studio Lions Gate entertainment has announced an initial list of 12 movies that will be on the UMD format used by the handheld. "The typical buyer of the machine is the core demographic to whom our films generally appeal," said Steve Beeks, president of Lions Gate. Already available in Japan, the PSP is released in the US on 24 March. Spider Man 2 on UMD will be given to the first million customers in the US. The Punisher and House of the Dead along with older titles such as Total Recall and Rambo: First Blood, will be in the UMD format, with disks costing between 20 ( 10.40) to 30 ( 15.60) for new titles and 10 ( 5.20) to 20 for older films. "When we first saw the machine and started talking to Sony, we immediately decided it was going to be a winner, both from the gaming perspective and from the perspective of people watching movies on the go," Mr Beeks said. The disks, which are smaller than DVDs, only work in Sony's PSP and can hold up to 1.8GB of data. "We actually believe people who buy the UMD would not have bought it on DVD," he said. "There are people who will want UMD because of the portability. Maybe they're already taking the games with them out of the house, and they're bigger gamers than they are movie watchers." Four movies have already been announced for PSP. They are: XXX, Hellboy, Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.


England rugby union captain Jason Robinson has targeted dual code success over Australia on Saturday. Robinson, a former rugby league international before switching codes in 2000, leads England against Australia at Twickenham at 1430 GMT. And at 1815 GMT, Great Britain's rugby league team take on Australia in the final of the Tri Nations tournament. "Beating the Aussies in both games would be a massive achievement, especially for league," said Robinson. England have the chance to seal their third autumn international victory after successive wins over Canada and South Africa, as well as gaining revenge for June's 51 15 hammering by the Wallabies. Meanwhile, Great Britain could end 34 years of failure against Australia with victory at Elland Road. Britain have won individual Test matches, but have failed to secure any silverware or win the Ashes (with a series victory) since 1970. "They have a great opportunity to land a trophy and it would be a massive boost for rugby league in this country if we won," said Robinson. "I know the boys can do it they've defeated the Aussies once already in the Tri Nations." But Robinson was not losing sight of the task facing his England side in their final autumn international. "For us, we've played two and won two this November," he said. "If we beat Australia it would be the end to a great autumn series for England. If we stumble then we'll be looking back with a few regrets. Robinson also revealed that the union side had sent the Great Britain team a good luck message ahead of the showdown in Leeds. "We signed a card for them today and will write them an email on Saturday wishing them all the best," said Robinson. "Everyone has signed the card a lot of the guys watch league and we support them fully. "Both games will be very tough and hopefully we'll both do well."


One of Britain's largest independent game makers, Argonaut Games, has been put up for sale. The London based company behind the Harry Potter games has sacked about 100 employees due to a severe cash crisis. The administrators told BBC News Online that selling Argonaut was the only way to save it as it had run out of cash. Argonaut warned that it was low on cash 10 days ago when its shares were suspended from trading on the London Stock Exchange. Argonaut has been making games for some 18 years and is one the largest independent games developers in the UK. Along with its headquarters in north London, it operates studios in Cambridge and Sheffield. Argonaut was behind the Harry Potter games which provided a healthy flow of cash into the company. But, like all software developers, Argonaut needed a constant flow of deals with publishers. Signs that it was in trouble emerged in August, when it warned it was heading for losses of 6m in the financial year due to delays in signing new contracts for games. Those new deals were further delayed, leading Argonaut to warn in mid October that it was running out of cash and suspend trading of its shares on the London Stock Exchange. As part of cost cutting measures, some 100 employees were fired. "When the news about the 6m loss came out, we knew there were going to be redundancies," said Jason Parkinson, one of the game developers sacked by Argonaut. "A lot of people suspected that Argonaut had been in trouble for some time," he told BBC News Online. Mr Parkinson said staff were told the job losses were necessary to save Argonaut from going under. At the start of the year, the company employed 268 people. After the latest round of cuts there are 80 staff at Argonaut headquarters in Edgware in north London, with 17 at its Morpheme offices in Kentish Town, London, and 22 at the Just Add Monsters base in Cambridge. Argonaut called in administrators David Rubin Partners on Friday to find a way to rescue the company from collapse. It spent the weekend going over the company's finances and concluded that the only way to save the business was to put it up for sale. The administrator told BBC News Online that the costs of restructuing would be too high, partly because of the overheads from the company's four premises across the UK. It said it was hopeful that it could save some 110 jobs by selling the business, saying it had had expressions of interest from several quarters and were looking for a quick sale. The administrator said it would ensure that staff made redundant would receive any wages, redundancy or holiday pay due to them, hopefully by Christmas.


Mark Philippoussis is almost certain to miss the Australian Open after suffering a groin injury during the Hopman Cup loss to the Netherlands. The 28 year old suffered two tears to the adductor muscle and was unable to play in the deciding mixed doubles. He is now unlikely to be fit in time for the Australian Open which begins on 17 January in Melbourne. "He has to strengthen it enough to cope with repetitive days of tennis," said Hopman Cup doctor Hamish Osborne. "It would be very unlikely in my opinion for him to do a five setter once, let alone two days in a row, inside two weeks. "The injury is more common in Australian Rules football, and a fit footballer would normally take three to four weeks to recover fully although Mark's injury is slightly different." The Australian has suffered a host of injury problems throughout his career but is still holding out slim hope that he can make the event. "It's something I'll have to go by feel. I'll start treatment as soon as possible and try to strengthen it without tearing it any more," he said. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I know I can come back from this and that's all that matters. Former world number two Tommy Haas is also a doubt for the Australian Open after picking up a thigh injury playing for Germany in the Hopman Cup. The 26 year old had treatment on his left thigh while leading Argentine Guillermo Coria 7 5 2 2. He played one more game, but his movement was hampered and he quit.


A campaign by Lycos Europe to target spam related websites appears to have been put on hold. Earlier this week the company released a screensaver that bombarded the sites with data to try to bump up the running costs of the websites. But the site hosting the screensaver now displays a pink graphic and the words "Stay tuned". No one at Lycos was available for comment on latest developments in its controversial anti spam campaign. Lycos Europe's "Make love not spam" campaign was intended as a way for users to fight back against the mountain of junk mail flooding inboxes. People were encouraged to download the screensaver which, when their PC was idle, would then send lots of data to sites that peddle the goods and services mentioned in spam messages. Lycos said the idea was to get the spam sites running at 95% capacity and generate big bandwidth bills for the spammers behind the sites. But the plan has proved controversial. Monitoring firm Netcraft analysed response times for some of the sites targeted by the screensaver and found that a number were completely knocked offline. The downing of the sites could dent Lycos claims that what it is doing does not amount to a distributed denial of service attack. In such attacks thousands of computers bombard sites with data in an attempt to overwhelm them. Laws in many countries do not explicitly outlaw such attacks but many nations are re drafting computer use laws to make them specific offences. Lycos Europe now appears to have put the plan on hold. The site hosting the screensaver currently shows a holding page, with the words, "Stay tuned". The numerical internet address of the site has also changed. This is likely to be in response to spammers who have reportedly redirected traffic from their sites back to the Lycos screensaver site. The campaign has come under fire from some corners of the web. Many discussion groups have said that it set a dangerous precedent and could incite vigilantism. "Attacking a spammer's website is like poking a grizzly bear sleeping in your back garden with a pointy stick," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Not only is this screensaver similar in its approach to a potentially illegal distributed denial of service attack, but it also is in danger of turning innocent computer users into vigilantes, who may not be prepared for whatever retaliation the spammers care to dream up."


Fifth seed Carlos Moya was the first big name to fall at the Australian Open as he went down to fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia Lopez on Monday. Moya began the year with victory at the Chennai Open but looked out of sorts from the start in the Melbourne heat. Garcia Lopez, ranked 106 in the world, dominated from the outset and withstood a third set rally from Moya to hang on for a 7 5 6 3 3 6 6 3 victory. The 21 year old plays Kevin Kim or Lee Hyuung Taik in the second round. Garcia Lopez was delighted with the victory in only his third ever Grand Slam match. "I think this was the most important win of my life as Carlos is one of the best players in the world," he said. "This has given me a lot of confidence. Now I feel I can beat all these players." Moya said: "I was playing well before I came here. It was the perfect preparation but something was wrong today." Four time champion Andre Agassi began what could be his last Australian Open with a convincing win over German qualifier Dieter Kindlmann. The 34 year old American, who had been struggling with a hip injury earlier in the week, stormed to a 6 4 6 3 6 0 win. Agassi will play France's Olivier Patience or Germany's Rainer Schuettler the man he beat in the 2003 final in the next round. "No one was more concerned (about the injury) than myself," said eighth seed Agassi. "I'd worked hard to be down here and ready. But the last few days, I've pushed through the injury and it seemed to do pretty good." In other matches, world junior champion Gael Monfils made use of his wild card with a magnificent 1 6 6 3 6 4 7 6 (8 6) win over American Robby Ginepri. The 2002 champion Thomas Johansson fought back to beat Peter Luczak 7 6 (7 5) 4 6 6 3 4 6 6 0, and French Open champion Gaston Gaudio beat Justin Gimelstob 7 6 (7 3) 6 4 6 3. Seeds Dominik Hrbaty, Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic made comfortable progress, but former French Open champion Albert Costa lost to Bjorn Phau.


UK mobile owners continue to break records with their text messaging, with latest figures showing that 26 billion texts were sent in total in 2004. The figures collected by the Mobile Data Association (MDA) showed that 2.4 billion were fired off in December alone, the highest monthly total ever. That was 26% more than in December 2003. The records even surpassed the MDA's own predictions, it said. Every day 78 million messages are sent and there are no signs of a slow down. Before December's bumper text record, the previous highest monthly total was in October 2004, when 2.3 billion were sent. Text messaging is set to smash more records in 2005 too, said the MDA, with forecasts suggesting a total of 30 billion for the year. Even though mobiles are becoming increasingly sophisticated with much more multimedia applications, texting is still one of the most useful functions of mobiles. People are using SMS to do much more too. Booking cinema tickets, text voting, and news or sports text alerts are growing popular. Mobile owners have also given the chance to donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee's (DEC) Asian Tsunami fund by texting "Donate" to a simple short code number. Looking further ahead in the year, the MDA's chairman Mike Short, has predicted that more people will go online through their mobiles, estimating 15 billion WAP page impressions. Handsets with GPRS capability an "always on" net connection will rise to 75%, while 3G mobile ownership growing to five million by the end of 2005. These third generation mobiles offer a high speed connection which means more data like video can be received on the phone. Globally, mobile phone sales passed 167 million in the third quarter of 2004, according to a recent report from analysts Gartner. That was 26% more than the previous year. It is predicted that there would be two billion handsets in use worldwide by the end of 2005.


A next generation DVD technology backed by Sony has received a major boost. Film giant Disney says it will produce its future DVDs using Sony's Blu ray Disc technology, but has not ruled out a rival format developed by Toshiba. The two competing DVD formats, Blu ray developed by Sony and others, and Toshiba's HD DVD, have been courting top film studios for several months. The next generation of DVDs promise very high quality pictures and sound, as well as a lot of data. Both technologies use a blue laser to write information. It has a shorter wavelength so more data can be stored. Disney is the latest studio to announce which technology it is backing in a format battle which mirrors the 1980s Betamax versus VHS war. Sony lost out to JVC in that fight. The current battle for Hollywood's hearts and minds is a crucial one because high definition films will bring in billions of revenue and the studios would prefer to use one standard. Last month, Paramount, Universal and Warner Brothers said they were opting for the Toshiba and NEC backed format, HD DVD high definition discs. Those studios currently produce about 45% of DVD content. Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM Studios have already staked their allegiance with the Blu ray Disc Association, whose members also include technology companies Dell, Samsung and Matsushita. Twentieth Century Fox is still to announce which technology it will be supporting. If Fox decided to go with Blu ray too, it would mean the format would have a 47% share of DVD content. Disney said its films would be available on the Blu ray format when DVD players for the standard went on sale on North America and Japan, expected in 2006. Universal is to start producing films on the HD DVD format in 2005, and Paramount will start releasing titles using the standard in 2006. Toshiba expects sales of HD DVDs to reach 300bn yen ( 2.9bn, 1.5bn) by 2010.


The Tories have accused Tony Blair of being "terrified" of scrutiny after Labour unveiled details of how it will fight the next general election. In a break with tradition, the party will ditch the leader's battle bus and daily press briefings in Westminster. Instead Mr Blair will travel to key cities and marginal seats to deliver the party's message. Labour election chief Alan Milburn denied the party was trying to "hide" the prime minister. He promised "the most positive and upbeat election campaign Labour has ever run". But Tory co chairman Liam Fox said Labour's plans showed Mr Blair was "terrified of facing proper scrutiny". "At a time when the British people are looking for more accountability and openness, this government turns its back on them; abandoning plans to tour the country and scared to face journalists in a press conference it does rather beg the question, 'What have they got to hide?'" The general election is widely expected next May and all the parties are stepping up their campaign preparations. Mr Milburn said the economy would take centre stage in Labour's campaign in what would be a "watershed" election and the "last stand of the Thatcherites". Mr Milburn said Labour's slogan would be "Britain is working Don't let the Tories wreck it." The tone of the campaign, said Mr Milburn, would be more conversational than rhetorical; more spontaneous less scripted; less national more local and less based on issues and more concentrated on people. The approach is particularly designed to appeal to women voters, he said. Mr Milburn brushed aside questions over why the chancellor was not present at the Cabinet meeting to discuss election strategy particularly since such importance was being given to the economy. "I'm not privy to everybody's diary," he said. Mr Brown has headed Labour's preparations for previous polls but Mr Milburn is taking that role this time. In a break with the past, Labour will not hold a daily news conference in London. It will not be a "battle bus" style campaign either, he said. In previous elections, each party leader has had their own battle bus transporting national newspaper, television and radio reporters to staged campaign events around the country. Mr Milburn said Labour's media effort this time would focus more on local newspapers and broadcasters, with every local radio station given the chance to interview the prime minister. Mr Milburn said there would also be a greater effort to set up face to face meetings between ministers and the electorate. Former Downing Street media chief Alastair Campbell is also returning to advise Labour on media strategy and campaigning. Mr Milburn said no decision had been taken yet over whether David Blunkett would have a prominent role in the election. Liberal Democrat chief executive Lord Rennard suggested Labour was avoiding news conferences in London because it wanted less scrutiny of its record and proposals. "Tony Blair seems to have disappeared from Labour leaflets and broadcasts," he said. "In contrast Charles Kennedy will feature prominently in the Liberal Democrat campaign right across the country."


Plans to allow foreign nuclear waste to be permanently stored in the UK have been branded "deeply irresponsible" by the Liberal Democrats. The government has confirmed intermediate level waste (ILW) that was to have been shipped back to its home countries will now be stored in the UK. The cash raised will go towards the UK's nuclear clean up programme. But Lib Dem Norman Baker accused ministers of turning Britain into a "nuclear dumpsite". Under current contracts, British Nuclear Fuels should return all but low level waste, but none has ever been sent back. In future, only highly radioactive waste will be sent back to its country of origin, normally Germany or Japan, under armed guard. Intermediate waste from countries such as Japan, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Sweden will be stored permanently in the UK. At the moment, this waste is stored at Sellafield, in Cumbria, in the form of glass bricks, untreated liquid waste or solid material in drums. In a statement, the Department of Trade and Industry said the new policy meant there would be a "sixfold reduction in the number of waste shipments to overseas countries". And it said highly radioactive waste would be returned to its home country sooner, ensuring there would be no overall increase in radioactivity. Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt said the new arrangements, revealed in a Commons written statement, would raise up to 680m for Britain's nuclear clean up programme, under the new Nuclear Decommissioning Agency. But the move has been criticised by environmental groups and the Liberal Democrats. Mr Baker, the Lib Dem environment spokesman, said: "I have been warning for months that this would happen and raised it with government several times. But now our worst fears have been confirmed. "Once again Britain's environmental and health needs are being ignored in policies driven by the Treasury and DTI. "This is a terrible attempt to offload some of the 48bn cost of cleaning up nuclear sites. "The Energy Act was supposed to help Britain clean up, but in order to pay for it we are becoming a nuclear dumpsite. "The nuclear industry is an economic, social and environmental millstone that hangs around Britain's neck."


England's defensive worries have deepened following the withdrawal of Tottenham's Ledley King from the squad to face Holland. Chelsea's John Terry and Wayne Bridge are also out, leaving coach Sven Goran Eriksson with a real problem for Wednesday's match at Villa Park. Injured Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell were both left out of the squad, and Matthew Upson has already pulled out. Wes Brown and Jamie Carragher are likely to be the makeshift partnership. Terry, the captain of Chelsea as they push for the Premiership title, would have been a certain starter in the absence of Campbell and Ferdinand. But now he has pulled out with a bruised knee and is likely to be replaced by Carragher, alongside Brown. Manchester United's Brown last played for England in the defeat by Australia at Upton Park in February 2003. The 25 year old was only called into the squad on Sunday night as cover following the enforced withdrawal of Upson, who has a hamstring injury. And Brown now looks certain to add to his tally of seven senior appearances for England. King was forced to pull out after his groin injury was assessed by England's medical staff. Eriksson has still not decided whether to call up any further back up, having already summoned Phil Neville after Bridge pulled out with a foot injury.


The first children's commissioner for England has been appointed. Great Ormond Street Hospital professor of child health, Al Aynsley Green, was chosen by the government and will start the 100,000 a year job immediately. He will oversee a 2.5m annual budget and have the power to look into "any matter relating to the interests and well being of children". Prof Aynsley Green has also been the national clinical director for children in the Department of Health. He promised to make sure that children's opinions "count". "I will be drawing on my experience of working with children and young people to help ensure that those with the power to improve children's lives do live up to their responsibilities. "I want all children and young people to know that they can approach me to discuss any matter that affects them, knowing that I will value their opinion." Education Secretary Ruth Kelly said Prof Aynsley Green would "strengthen the voice of children and young people". Prof Aynsley Green was a lecturer at Oxford University, trained at Guy's Hospital Medical School, University of London; Oriel College, Oxford; and in Switzerland. He is described as "a proud grandfather" of four. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already have children's commissioners.


Plans to allow Home Secretary Charles Clarke to place terror suspects under house arrest without trial are set for their first real test in Parliament. Tories, Lib Dems and some Labour MPs are poised to vote against the plans. Mr Clarke says the powers are needed to counter terror threats. Opponents say only judges, not politicians, should be able to order detention of UK citizens. The government is expected to win Wednesday's vote in the Commons, but faces a battle in the House of Lords. The Prevention of Terrorism Bill was published on Tuesday. It proposes "control orders", which would mean house arrest in the most serious cases, and curfews, electronic tagging and limits on telephone and internet access for other suspects. The two opposition parties are particularly worried that the control orders would initially be imposed on the say so of the home secretary, rather than a judge. Tory shadow home secretary David Davis warned of the potential for miscarriages of justice, like the Guildford Four for which Tony Blair recently apologised as a result of the pressure on politicians to lock up terror suspects. "Those pressures would be much more for a politician than they would on a judge and that's why we have serious concerns abut that approach," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Mr Clarke says he does not intend to use the house arrest powers now even for the 11 current terror detainees. He also said that any decision he made would be reviewed by a judge within seven days. The foreign terror suspects currently detained are mostly held at London's Belmarsh prison. They are held under laws which the Law Lords have ruled break human rights rules and which are due to expire on 14 March. The new powers, designed to replace the existing laws and meet the Law Lords' concerns, would apply to British as well as foreign terror suspects. Critics say that giving politicians the power to deprive UK citizens of their freedom is the biggest attack on civil liberties for 300 years. Opposition MPs are also angry they will have only two days Wednesday and next Monday to debate the new plans before they pass to the House of Lords. But the government says the existing powers run out soon so must be replaced urgently. In a rare move, the Tories and Lib Dems have jointly tabled a motion opposing the new bill, saying the house arrest plans are "excessive". It argues decisions should be taken on a higher standard of proof and the plan "wrongly infringes the right to liberty" by failing to bring terrorists to trial where there is evidence. Mr Davis told Today: "It gives a minister, for the first time in modern history, the right to detain without trial, without showing the evidence and indeed, in some respects, almost the allegation against the individual concerned." He questioned why there was "such a rush" to introduce the legislation when Mr Clarke had indicated he was not planning to use the house arrest powers straight away. Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: "We believe it should be the judge that takes decisions, not politicians." Mr Clarke said the security services and police backed his measures and it would be "rash and negligent" to ignore their advice. Nobody should doubt that terrorists at home and abroad wanted to attack the UK and its interests, he argued.


The UK government is planning to return asylum seeker children without parents to Albania. The trial scheme, which could start in weeks, may be extended to apply to children from other countries. Children's charities have reacted with alarm, saying the policy amounts to forcible removal and may not guarantee the safety of those affected. But the Home Office says it may be in the children's best interests if it reunites them with their communities. The pilot, included in the government's five year immigration plan, aims to return unaccompanied asylum seeking children from Albania who have failed in their asylum claims. Since 2002, at least 9,000 under 18s have arrived in the UK to seek asylum without other family members. These children automatically become the responsibility of social services. Up to now, ministers have held back from final removal orders against unaccompanied children until after they are legally adults at 18. At least a dozen Albanian born teenagers are thought to have been identified for return, according to sources, although there is no public confirmation of numbers. Those selected could either be returned to their families, should they be traced, or placed in the care of other Albanian authorities. Separate negotiations to establish a family tracing and returns scheme are believed to be underway with another country. Under the 1989 Children Act, public bodies have a duty to act in the "best interest" of a child in their care. Laura Brownlees of Save the Children said there were grave concerns, not least because of the well documented trafficking of children into crime and prostitution in Albania. "If children are going to be returned then there should be proper assessments and decisions on a case by case basis," she said. "We do not think there are structures in place to receive returning children in Albania . 'If these decisions are not in the best interests of the child, then that is a forced removal because the child will not have any choice in the final decision." In its five year immigration plan, announced on Tuesday, the government said it was addressing "the difficult issue" of returning unaccompanied asylum seeking children. A spokesman for the Home Office said it was wholly wrong to suggest that the plan was to return children "and leave them to rot". "We are developing a returns programme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children whose asylum and humanitarian protection claims have been refused," said the spokesman. "We have been exploring how we can establish reception and longer term care arrangements in countries of origin and believe that it's possible to return children in a way that is in their best interests and is safe and sustainable. "We do not believe that it is right, or in keeping with children's legislation, that children who can return should remain in the UK indefinitely separated from their families and communities." The spokesman stressed the UK would abide by its international human rights obligations. Only those children who could be provided with a carefully planned reintegration package would be returned, he said. But Andrew Hogg, spokesman for the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, said ministers had so far failed to reassure agencies. "From what is so far known, we strongly oppose the scheme because the welfare and best interests of the child will not properly be taken into account," said Mr Hogg. "In Albania particularly there is no statutory child care or protection structure. "The Medical Foundation has many serious concerns, including the assessment process for suitability for return, the degrading of best interests of the child principles and of child welfare, and the lack of safeguards in the chosen countries." A spokesman for the Albanian embassy in London said it was the first it had heard of a scheme, but did not rule out that there had been an agreement between the two countries.


Celtic's Neil Lennon admits Rangers could be considered "slight favourites" for the Old Firm CIS Cup clash, but insists his side can still win. Lennon concedes Rangers are in good form at the moment, but they have failed to beat Celtic in their last seven meetings. "Rangers are on the up and have been on a good run in recent weeks," he said. "But it's a game we believe we're capable of winning if we play our best," he told the Evening Times. "All the boys are looking forward to it because they are brilliant games to be involved in. "Without playing at the top of our game, we have still been winning matches. "At the minute, we are at the top of the league and still in with a chance of staying in Europe, so I don't think it is the crisis people have been trying to make out. "Of course, it is a concern when you are losing goals, because we have been notorious for being a team that is hard to beat and keeping clean sheets, but hopefully we are over that wee run. "Considering we lost Henrik Larsson at the end of last season, we have still been scoring a lot of goals, which is pleasing."


New Zealand proved too strong for an Australian dominated Barbarians to round off their unbeaten northern hemisphere tour with an easy win. Rico Gear ran in two of the All Blacks' seven tries in what was a predominantly second string line up. The Baa Baas did threaten, scoring tries through Albert van den Bergh, Xavier Rush and Andrea Lo Cicero, but never looked like winning. All Black Aaron Mauger was in good form with the boot, adding 10 points. The All Blacks featured only two of the side which started last weekend's emphatic Test victory over France in Paris, while the Baa Baas had nine Wallabies in their starting line up. And New Zealand coach Graham Henry said: "It was a quality performance against a very experienced side and a number of young guys came through very well. "They learnt from the older players and this was a way of thanking the guys who had been mentoring them on the tour." But the running rugby the crowd had been hoping for rarely materialised. Marty Holah got the All Blacks onslaught under way with his fifth minute try before Rush hit back moments later. But New Zealand went ahead once more as Gear made use of the space vacated by a temporarily injured Chris Latham to slide in. Ma'a Nonu then found his way through the Barbarians defence to give his side a 19 7 half time lead. The hosts failed to ignite in the second half and, the moment Gear scored his second just after the interval, there was only ever going to be one winner. Lo Cicero, the sole European for the Barbarians, bundled over for a try to briefly curtail the deficit. But the match was blighted by controversy moments later when Justin Marshall, was felled with a high tackle by Jimmy Cowan. Referee Andy Turner waved play on and Casey Laulala coasted in for his side's fifth try. Jermoe Keino and Piri Weepu both added tries to the All Blacks' tally before the final whistle, while van den Bergh gained some consolation for the Baa Baas. After the match, Barbarians coach Bob Dwyer warned that South African flanker Schalk Burger needed a proper off season break to maintain his standards. Burger, 21, was recently crowned player of the year by both his peers and the International Rugby Board, but has struggled for form in recent weeks. "It's his first year at that level and he was phenomenal up until the end of the southern hemisphere season. "I don't think he's played anywhere near that level on tour," he said.


Wales hooker Mefin Davies is likely to stay with English side Gloucester despite reported interest from the Neath Swansea Ospreys. BBC Wales understands the Ospreys are interested in the 32 year old, but that he would prefer to stay where he is. Davies, one of the stars of Saturday's RBS Six Nations win over England, is only on a year contract at Kingsholm. But the hooker has proved his worth to the Zurich Premiership side and is likely to get a new deal next season. The summer demise of the Celtic Warriors region left Davies in the cold and forced him to take a semi professional contract with Neath RFC. Although he got match time with the Ospreys at the request of the Wales management, he admitted before his move to Gloucester that he was angry with the way he was treated. "The WRU didn't give me any help off the field, it was very disappointing," Davies said at the time. "It was a hard time throughout the summer, then deciding whether to accept an offer from Stade Francais which would have ended my Wales career."


A former Home Office minister has called for an independent body to be set up to monitor UK immigration. Barbara Roche said an organisation should monitor and publish figures and be independent of government. She said this would counter "so called independent" groups like Migration Watch, which she described as an anti immigration body posing as independent. Migration Watch says it is not against all immigration and the government already publishes accurate figures. Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the organisation, says there is no need for an independent body because Office of National Statistics data are accurate. He says he opposes large scale immigration "both on the grounds of overcrowding and culture". He said: "For example, over the next 20 years one household in three will be due to immigration. "We are already more overcrowded than India and we are four times more overcrowded than France." Ms Roche, Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, believes legal migration is something we should welcome. She said her proposals mean "we wouldn't have so called independent experts, like Migration Watch, who come into this debate from an anti immigration point of view." She went on: "What I would like to see is there being a body which actually looked at the figures, published them, and was independent of government. "I think that would go a long way to allaying some of the fears that are sometimes whipped up during this debate."


Spain coach Luis Aragones is furious after being fined by The Spanish Football Federation for his comments about Thierry Henry. The 66 year old criticised his 3000 euros ( 2,060) punishment even though it was far below the maximum penalty. "I am not guilty, nor do I accept being judged for actions against the image of the sport," he said. "I'm not a racist and I've never lacked sporting decorum. I've never done that and I have medals for sporting merit." Aragones was handed the fine on Tuesday after making racist remarks about Henry to Arsenal team mate and Spanish international Jose Reyes last October. The Spanish Football Federation at first declined to take action against Aragones, but was then requested to do so by Spain's anti violence commission. The fine was far less than the expected amount of about 22,000 or even the suspension of his coaching licence. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who was fined 15,000 in December for accusing Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy of cheating, believes that Aragones' punishment was too lenient. "You compare his fine and my fine, and if you consider his was for racist abuse, then you seem to get away with it more in Spain than you should," Wenger said. "He shouldn't have said what he said, and how much money is enough, I don't know but it doesn't look a big punishment." However, Aragones insists the fine is unjustified and unfair. "I have been treated like Islero (the bull that killed famous bullfighter Manolete)," said Aragones on hearing he had been fined for his actions. "I have not liked one thing about this whole affair and I do not agree with the sanction. They have looked for a scapegoat." Spain's anti violence commission must now ratify the Spanish FA's decision and has until next week to announce its verdict. Aragones has 10 days to appeal, and the commission can also appeal. Alberto Flores, president of the Spanish FA's disciplinary committee, said no one in the committee felt Aragones was a racist nor had "acted in a racist way." "A fine, the highest we could apply, is sufficient punishment. Suspension would have been a bit exaggerated," Flores told sports daily Marca.


Before he resigned the position of home secretary on Wednesday, David Blunkett had been in charge of a substantial body of government portfolios including race, policing and immigration. His responsibilities in running the Home Office included civil emergencies, security, terrorism and expenditure. Named home secretary after the 2001 general election, Mr Blunkett had seen the focus on his office intensify. The attacks on the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001 heightened concern for security and immigration in particular. A Labour loyalist from a working class background Mr Blunkett, 57, had been unafraid of pushing for tough changes to Labour policy. Recently the issue of identity cards had provoked controversy with questions raised over cost and invasions of civil liberties. Mr Blunkett was also at the centre of a humiliating scandal involving the former immigration minister Beverly Hughes. Having received his full backing, Ms Hughes was forced to resign in April over abuses in the visa processing system, which she claimed to be unaware of. Mr Blunkett's own comments on immigration had prompted censure he told refugees from Afghanistan and Kosovo to "get back home" to start rebuilding their countries. And he also urged people from ethnic minorities to develop a "sense of belonging" in Britain, telling them to speak English at home. Avoiding political correctness is second nature to the former home secretary, who spurns a metropolitan elite and "airy fairy libertarians" and earlier in the year coined the phrase "liberati", as an amalgam of "glitterati" and "liberal". Yet in January of this year he courted further controversy over his seemingly liberal reclassification of cannabis, from a Grade B to Grade C status drug . Before the recent furore, Mr Blunkett had always appeared more interested in politics than his personal life. Mr Blunkett told the Daily Telegraph in 2001 that he continued to wear his wedding ring, in spite of being a divorcee, as "a useful way of ensuring that people don't casually think I am available". He added: "I am not available because I am just getting on with the job." Mr Blunkett entered Parliament for Sheffield Brightside in 1987, after first contesting the Sheffield Hallam seat in 1974. He is one of very few blind MPs, and was the first to reach the front bench and the Cabinet. His relaxed performances with his guide dog by his side at the despatch box, in the Labour Party's National Executive, and on the conference platform made it easy to forget his disability. Mr Blunkett himself described not being able to see as simply "an inconvenience". Using Braille for speeches, and briefed by his officials on tape, he also has a sharp tongue at times, and a pragmatic approach to politics. Mr Blunkett was schooled in Sheffield where he led the city council for seven years before entering the Commons. He chaired the Labour Party nationally, and was a unifying force in the 80s and 90s, shadowing health and education. In Tony Blair's first government Mr Blunkett was put in charge of education and employment, where he won big increases in funds for schools, while insisting on improved standards of literacy and numeracy. He was prepared to stand up to the teaching unions which sometimes heckled his speeches and his policy of charging university students for tuition fees was not popular. In the Labour Party he has been regarded as a loyal colleague, a conciliator who avoids factions, and a man whose humour and determination make him widely popular. There have been wry smiles as well. In 1999, his then guide dog Lucy threw up in the Chamber during the speech of his Tory opponent. Lucy was replaced by her half sister, Sadie, a black Labrador curly coated retriever cross, in 2003 after nearly a decade by Mr Blunkett's side.


The Six Nations may be a glittering prize in itself but every player from the four Home Unions will also have one eye on a possible trip to New Zealand with the Lions this summer. The player who staked the biggest claim for a place in the starting XV over the weekend was Gavin Henson. He's very confident. You just had to listen to his interview afterwards he beamed with confidence but although there's an element of arrogance it's good arrogance. He certainly showed some nice touches. He once showed a clean pair of heels to Mathew Tait when he got outside him, his defence was very good and he made some great kicks out of hand. And that's without even mentioning his majestic match winning penalty. But I think we need to wait and see what happens because he needs to be put to the test. He needs to come up against Brian O'Driscoll or a big French midfield. Wales fly half Stephen Jones was another player who impressed me. He gave good direction, he was very confident and he was a nice general for his side. He showed he can control a game. With Jonny Wilkinson not playing at the moment due to inury the number 10 shirt could be up for grabs and Jones, or maybe even Henson, could make the Lions team at fly half. Jones stuck his hand up and he certainly looks a better bet than Charlie Hodgson after Saturday's game. Some of the Wales forwards surprised me because I thought they would be out muscled in the tight five. England prop Julian White is a capable player but when it comes down to selection Gethin Jenkins is now going to have the upper hand because he came out on top. However, I still think White and Phil Vickery will be in the frame. Some English players did their cause no harm. I thought Joe Worsley had a solid game and Jason Robinson and Josh Lewsey both did nothing wrong. But it looked too soon for young Mathew Tait and I think it will be a while before we see him again. Despite being written off beforehand several Scots caught my eye against France. Tom Smith has been there and done it before, but the likes of Chris Cusiter, Jason White and Ally Hogg all made their mark. Hogg made a couple of good runs while White had a pretty robust game his defence is right up there. Cusiter looked very lively and he could be a very good option for Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward. The star of Ireland's win over Italy in Rome looks like a certainty to make the starting XV against New Zealand. Brian O'Driscoll is a class act. He ran some good lines against Italy, made the breaks and fed his outside backs, although Italy defended man on man which made it easy for him. Gordon D'Arcy was unlucky to go off injured early on but I think you could get a Henson, D'Arcy, O'Driscoll combination in the Lions midfield. Paul O'Connell just needs to add a hard edge to his game and Malcolm O'Kelly keeps on going and seems to be putting his hand up, while Shane Byrne seems to be a lively character. But they will be a bit worried after the Italian pack drove them off their own ball on Sunday, although I used to play in Italy and I know how difficult it can be. One player who didn't impress me was Wales scrum half Dwayne Peel. He choked late on in the second half when Wales were trailing. They had good possession and he kicked the ball away I wouldn't want him as my Lions scrum half after that.


Tony Blair has said he will not take part in a TV debate with his political rivals ahead of the next election. "We answer this every election campaign and, for the reasons I have given before, the answer is no," he said at his monthly news conference. In October Tory leader Michael Howard said Mr Blair would be running scared if he refused calls to go head to head. In recent years the leader of the opposition has always called for a debate, although it has never happened. Before the 2001 election, plans for a debate between Mr Blair, William Hague and Charles Kennedy collapsed. In 1997 a debate between Mr Blair and John Major was also cancelled when a format could not be agreed. Televised debates have become the high point of the US presidential election campaigns.


Pocket sized devices that let people carry around video and images are set to have a big year in 2005, according to industry experts. Last year saw the emergence of portable media players, such as the Windows based Creative Zen portable media player, the Samsung Yepp, the iRiver PMC 100, and the Archos AV400 series among others. But this year, they are set to get smarter and more connected, to allow people to find more video to watch on them. Archos launched its latest range of its Linux based portable media devices at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Friday. Dubbed the Pocket Media Assistant PMA430, it crucially has wi fi capability built in for the first time. "Consumers are showing a great thirst for devices that store all their media in one place for anywhere access," said Henri Crohas, chief of Archos. "And now those consumers can stay connected and productive at the same time." Archos said the focus for the device is to be the second gadget in people's pockets, after the mobile. Unlike Windows based players, the Archos AV400 series devices have always been able to record from any video source, such as TVs, as well as playback. The content put onto the devices is copy protected so cannot then be swapped to another device. Recording is perhaps a crucial functionality for those who have not seen the point of portable video if there is not a lot of video to watch on it. And wi fi connectivity opens up the possibility of content delivery via a high speed wireless link. Archos also announced that it would open up the software development kit to Linux developers so that more applications could be created for the device. Microsoft also made some announcements in the portable media arena at CES, primarily for US consumers though. It has agreed a content deal with personal video recorder company TiVo, which Bill Gates also showcased in his keynote speech at CES. The TiVo To Go service means that US consumers will be able to take any programmes they record on their TiVos and transfer it for free to watch on any of the Windows based portable media players or smartphones. It also said it had launched a service with MTV to let people watch Comedy Central, VH1 and Country Music TV on its devices. And a service is launching with MSN to provide people with shortened versions of news, entertainment and other video on a subscription basis for download via the PC onto the portable devices. But the ability to record directly from TV, VCR, and digital cable and satellite boxes, which Windows based devices do not offer, certainly gives people more content to watch on the go too. The increased capability of these devices, and the content deals that are being done, may go some way to persuading people to use them. Recent research by Jupiter suggested that people would prefer a device that was dedicated to music. Only 13% of Europeans wanted to watch video while on the move. More seemed interested in spending their cash on music only devices. "This year, we are ready for an explosion of portable media," Microsoft's Mike Coleman told the BBC News website. "We are very bullish about it. The fact that I can put photos on here too and share them is super cool to the consumer," he added. The fact that Europeans are far larger public transport users than Americans is one reason why portable media will take off in the coming year too. There is a burgeoning market there for commuters to watch news and other programmes on their way to work. Although Microsoft's content distribution deals are for the US market at the moment, talks were "always on going" with European content suppliers to offer similar services. Various rights management issues have to be ironed out first however. But that does not prevent people from finding ways to create their own content to share online and swap on portable devices, particularly via those which are wi fi enabled. The possibility is open for non professional makers of video and audio to take advantage of the growing portable media market to distribute their work. CES, which runs from 6 to 9 January, showcases more than 50,000 new gadgets that will be hitting the shelves in 2005.


The BBC and the National Theatre have led the field at this year's Interactive Bafta awards. The National Theatre's Stagework website picked up the prize for best learning as well as top factual site. The BBC collected three awards, including best online entertainment for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Adventure Game. Spooks Interactive took the best interactive TV prize. The annual awards recognise the best in digital media. BBC Sport Interactive fought off competition from CBBC Newsround and the Guardian to take home the best news and sport trophy for its coverage of England's exit from Euro 2004. It was recognised for its "groundbreaking" use of animation. Bafta's Grant Dean, chair of Bafta's Interactive Entertainment committee, said all the entrants had been of "outstanding quality" and that judging had been "enormously difficult". "Without a doubt, 2005 has been a landmark year for the Bafta Interactive Awards," he added. "Many of the top awards this year have gone to the companies we most commonly associate with traditional entertainment, showing how the gap between new media, film and television is closing." Awards were given out in 12 different categories, including interactive TV, film, music, design, as well as technical and social innovation, at a London ceremony. The top music award was given to SSEYO miniMIXA, a mobile music sequencer designed to let people write, edit and share compositions. Warner Bros was given two prizes for its "inspiring" efforts in film and DVD interactivity. The Chaplin Collection beat Oasis, Really Bend It Like Beckham, Shaun of the Dead and The Day Today in the DVD category, and Trauma won best film. Elsewhere, fashionista and clothes designer Alexander McQueen took the accolade for the best designed website. The awards have been running since 1997, but in 2002 the British Academy of Film and Television decided to split them into separate games and interactive ceremonies. On Tuesday Half Life 2 dominated the games prizes. It collected six Baftas, including best game and best online game.