Companies are getting worse at keeping their wireless data networks secure. A survey of wi fi networks in London, Frankfurt, New York and San Francisco by RSA Security found more than a third had basic security features turned off. By contrast last year's survey found that 15% of firms had failed to take basic steps to improve security. RSA warned that wi fi's growing popularity made it much more likely that insecure networks would be found and exploited. Wireless or wi fi networks have become hugely popular over the last few years in offices because they are easy to set up and make going online much more convenient. This popularity shows no sign of slowing reveals the annual RSA Security and NetSurity survey which found an annual 66% growth rate in the number of wireless nets being installed in London and Frankfurt. Although most firms do take steps to turn on the security functions built in to the wi fi standard and protect themselves from attack, the survey found that a significant proportion were taking unnecessary risks. On average 33% of the wireless networks found by RSA and NetSurity researchers in London, Frankfurt, New York and San Francisco had not used basic security systems. Many firms were simply turning on their wireless net access points and use default settings that anyone familiar with wi fi could easily find out. RSA said that 26% of wi fi networks found London used default settings compared to 30% in Frankfurt, 31% in New York and 28% in San Francisco. Many users of wi fi nets did not even turn on the encryption that scrambles data traffic between users and the access point helping them go online. This is despite a series of stories warning firms about the dangers of "drive by hacking" in which computer criminals walk or drive around city centres using easy to use tools to spot wi fi nets. "These figures are another stark warning to unsecured businesses to get their act together," said Phil Cracknell, chief technology officer at NetSurity. As more public wi fi hotspots appear and people become more familiar with using them, it was getting more likely that insecure would be found, warned Mr Cracknell. "Accidental or intentional connection to a corporate network can bring with it a series of security issues including loss of confidential data and installation of malicious code," he said.


Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are desperately trying to stuff the genie of their rivalry back into the bottle. Along with any number of senior cabinet colleagues, they are insisting their only job is to win the next election and govern in the best interests of Britain. It is a message they are aiming directly at their backbenchers who are becoming irritated and even unnerved by the continuing claims and counter claims surrounding this alleged rift. Ian Gibson, for example, urged the two men to stop squabbling, declaring: "For goodness sake, sometimes you have to rise above petulance and make sure that you do your job as effectively as you can." Those with slim majorities are particularly fearful that the rift could hit their own hopes of re election. Tony Blair will seek to reassure Labour MPs on Monday evening at their first meeting of the new year at Westminster a behind closed doors meeting which Gordon Brown is thought likely to also attend to show unity. Meanwhile the likes of Health Secretary John Reid and Labour peer Lord Haskins are warning of the electoral dangers of allowing this soap opera to continue. And they have both warned the rival camps to stop spreading the poison. Lord Haskins even suggested Mr Blair should reinstate Mr Brown as the central figure in the election planning. But this particular genie is unusually reluctant to return to captivity and many fear it is simply too late to repair the damage. They believe they will be fighting the next election with the sounds of open warfare between the two men ringing in their ears. And it matters little whether the rift is real or, as some try to suggest, simply the product of newspaper headlines and Westminster gossip. Few in Westminster actually believe that, simply because the evidence appears to contradict it. For example, the weekend's attempts by both men to play down the divisions failed to do the trick. Even as they were both insisting on their unity of purpose and claiming they would not be swayed by newspaper stories, they still managed to stir the speculation with their comments. Mr Blair talked about the "New" Labour manifesto a move which seemed calculated to irritate the chancellor, who has long rejected the label. And Mr Brown pointedly refused to deny claims the prime minister had reneged on a deal to hand him the premiership last year. That claim was repeated in Robert Peston's book, a book which amply demonstrates this corrosive Downing Street soap opera is nowhere near its final act. For his part, Mr Brown insists his only motivation was to get Labour re elected. The trouble is, both men have fallen short of offering simple, straightforward denials of the central claims. So they have both been accused of actually making matters worse by feeding the speculation with their own behaviour. The first thing to be said is that these suggestions have not come from nowhere. They started with and are sustained by "friends" of the two men. One only had to listen to the chancellor's friend and former spin chief Charlie Whelan last week to understand that there is a real anger from this camp at the prime minister's apparent attempts to confound Mr Brown's leadership ambitions. But it is not just public pronouncements from ex aides. There are whispered briefings to selected journalists from both sides. It is no secret in Westminster, for example, that Downing Street believes the chancellor is indulging in a mammoth sulk and acting in a petty and deliberately provocative manner. Then there are the actions of the men themselves. Gordon Brown sets out what is seen as a rival manifesto then appears to embark on his own personal campaign. The prime minister responds by scheduling his monthly press conference to clash with a keynote speech by the chancellor. Meanwhile large numbers of backbench MPs insist voters are either entirely uninterested in the chatter, which they believe is a media only obsession, or that they fear for the efficient running of a government beset by such rivalry. Either way, there is universal agreement that if this goes on through the general election it can only do the Labour party serious damage. There are signs that the two men appreciate the dangers and both want to put a lid on all the speculation. But with probably only four months to the next election, that looks like being a particularly difficult trick to pull off.


Last Saturday, one newspaper proclaimed that England were still the number one side in the world. That statement was made to look a little foolish by events later that afternoon at Twickenham. But it illustrated the wonderful unpredictability of Test rugby at the highest level, at the end of a richly entertaining autumn series. The final weekend threw the world pecking order into renewed confusion, with Australia's triumph in London followed by France's capitulation to New Zealand. "Clearly, there is no number one side in the world at the moment," declared Wallabies coach Eddie Jones on arrival back in Sydney. "There are four, five or probably six sides all competing at the same level and on any given day the difference between one side and another is only about 1%." While that bodes well for rugby as a whole, it also sharpens the sense of excitement ahead of what could be the most open Six Nations Championship for a decade. While the Wallabies, All Blacks and Springboks hit the beach before turning their attention to Super 12 matters in the new year, Europe's finest have less than 10 weeks before they return to the international fray. And for the first time in more than a decade, it will not simply be a straightforward choice between England and France for the Six Nations title. That owes much to Ireland's continued progress and the belief that Wales are on the verge of delivering a major scalp to cement the promise of their autumn displays. , who secured a first Triple Crown in 19 years last season, could go one better and win their first Five/Six Nations title since 1985. They start with away games against Italy and Scotland, before England and France come to Lansdowne Road. Their momentous victory over the Springboks can only bolster Ireland's self belief, while Ronan O'Gara's late drop goal to deliver victory over Argentina was further proof that Eddie O'Sullivan's side can now close out tight games. Not that England or France, who have won nine of the last 10 Six Nations titles between them, will lay down quietly. dismantling of the Springboks suggested that even after the loss of such influential figures as Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, they still have the personnel to prosper. The narrow defeat to Australia was a timely reminder that not everything is blooming in the red rose garden, but the fresh shoots of post World Cup recovery have been sown by new head coach Andy Robinson. A fresh desire to regain former heights is evident, and if England emerge triumphant from an opening Six Nations engagement in Cardiff, a fourth title in six years is within reach. are in familiar revival territory, but this time it appears there is substance behind the rediscovered style. While South Africa's over confidence in Cardiff made for a closer scoreline than expected, Wales could legitimately claim to have had victory within their grasp against the All Blacks in one of the best Tests in recent memory. If Mike Ruddock can coax a reliable set piece platform from his pack, there is no reason why victories should not ensue come February. The last fortnight has left in a state of bewilderment after an autumn series that began with a superb victory over Australia. A stunning defeat to Argentina, their first loss since the World Cup, could have been attributed to trademark French inconsistency. But the manner of New Zealand's 45 6 demolition job in Paris has coach Bernard Laporte bemoaning a lack of young talent coming through to replace the old guard. Fortunately for the French, the opening match of the Six Nations sees them entertaining in Paris. After two reasonable performances against Australia, the Scots' humbling by the Springboks forced coach Matt Williams to reassess his belief that a win over one of the major nations was imminent. While individuals such as Chris Cusiter and Ali Hogg enhanced their reputations, a lack of top class players will continue to undermine their best efforts. , who start with home games against Ireland and Wales before travelling to Scotland, are also hopeful of registering more than one victory for the first time in the Championship. As autumn gives way to winter and the Heineken Cup prepares to resume centre stage meantime, the joy of Six will keep the home fires burning until February.


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 promises 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 Football Association will take no action against Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho following his sending off in Sunday's Carling Cup final. Mourinho, who was sent from the touchline for appearing to taunt Liverpool fans, has been "reminded of his responsibilities to the game". But the FA confirmed: "There will be no further action taken in this matter." Mourinho claimed his 'silence' gesture was aimed at the media, although they were on the other side of the ground. The former Porto coach was forced to watch the climax of his side's 3 2 victory over Liverpool on television after being ushered away from the touchline by fourth official Phil Crossley. His gesture came after Chelsea's equaliser on 79 minutes courtesy of a Steven Gerrard own goal. Mourinho still faces an FA investigation into his allegation that Manchester United's players 'cheated' during January's Carling Cup semi final at Stamford Bridge. And Uefa could also launch disciplinary action following Mourinho's failure to attend a compulsory post match press conference after Chelsea's Champions League defeat at Barcelona last week. In addition, some time this month, Chelsea must also answer a charge of failing to control their players during the Premiership win at Blackburn in February. And a charge of failing to control their supporters following a Carling Cup meeting with West Ham earlier this season is still to be heard. The Premier League is also continuing investigations into allegations Chelsea officials tapped up Arsenal defender Ashley Cole in January.


US economic growth accelerated in the third quarter, helped by strong consumer spending, official figures have shown. The economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.7% in the July to September period, the Commerce Department said. The figure marked an increase on the 3.3% growth recorded in the second quarter, but fell short of the 4.2% rate pencilled in by forecasters. The increase reflected the biggest jump in consumer spending in a year. "It was a little softer than the consensus, but not a real surprise," said Gary Thayer, an economist at AG Edwards Sons. Friday's growth estimate is one of the last significant pieces of economic data before the 2 November presidential election. Democrat challenger John Kerry has criticised President George W Bush's handling of the economy, pointing to a net loss of over 800,000 jobs since Mr Bush took office. Analysts said the economy was still not growing fast enough to stimulate large scale job creation. "It's a pretty good growth rate, but it may not be good enough to create enough jobs," said Robert Brusca, chief economist at Fact and Opinion Economics in New York. However, President Bush is expected to point to Commerce Department figures showing that consumer spending grew at 4.6% in the third quarter, up from just 1.6% in the second, as evidence that his policies are generating solid growth. Consumer spending accounts for about two thirds of all economic activity in the US. The weaker than expected growth figure makes it less likely that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month, economists said. "The economy regained some traction in the third quarter, but the growth is not robust," AG Edwards' Thayer. "I think that means the Fed can take its time raising rates. We'll probably see one more rate hike before the end of the year." In an effort to pre empt rising inflation, the Federal Reserve has pushed through three quarter point rate rises since June this year, taking borrowing costs to 1.75%. On the financial markets, the dollar fell slightly against the euro and the yen, while the Dow Jones index of leading US shares was little changed.


Malcolm Glazer has made a fresh approach to buy Manchester United, which could lead to a bid valuing the Premiership club at 800m. The US tycoon, who has been wooing the club for the last 12 months, has approached the United board with "detailed proposals", it has confirmed. Mr Glazer, who owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, hopes this will lead to a formal bid being accepted. His new offer is expected to contain substantially less debt. Mr Glazer has already had one takeover attempt turned down by the Red Devils and responded by using his 28.1% shareholding to vote off three board members last November. Man United had turned down the bid because it was based on a high level of borrowing. But newspapers have speculated recently that the tycoon had gained the support of leading banks to come up with a stronger and less debt laden bid. Last week, however, Mr Glazer issued a statement to the Stock Exchange distancing himself from a new bid. Meanwhile, United's chief executive David Gill said in December that talks would not resume unless Glazer came up with "definitive proposals". Now the board has confirmed that the US bidder is back, with a statement issued on Sunday reading: "The board can confirm it has now received a detailed proposal subject to various preconditions which may form the basis of an offer. "A further announcement will be made in due course." To succeed Malcolm Glazer will still need the approval of major shareholders John Magnier and JP McManus, who own 28.9% of the club. But the Irish duo have cut off talks with Glazer over the proposed sale of their stake and have so far made no comment on his latest approach. United fans have reacted with anger at the announcement. They have vehemently opposed any proposed takeover by Glazer since he first showed interest in the club in September 2003 and after Sunday's announcement they vowed to fight on. "We will fight tooth and nail to stop him whatever his offer says. We do not want him or anybody else taking over United," said Mark Longden of the Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association. "The campaign against this proposed takeover will continue as it has done since Glazer first showed interest in the club."


A Scottish firm is looking to attract web surfers with a search engine that reads out results. Called Speegle, it has the look and feel of a normal search engine, with the added feature of being able to read out the results. Scottish speech technology firm CEC Systems launched the site in November. But experts have questioned whether talking search engines are of any real benefit to people with visual impairments. The Edinburgh based firm CEC has married speech technology with ever popular internet search. The ability to search is becoming increasingly crucial to surfers baffled by the huge amount of information available on the web. According to search engine Ask Jeeves, around 80% of surfers visit search engines as their first port of call on the net. People visiting Speegle can select one of three voices to read the results of a query or summarise news stories from sources such as the BBC and Reuters. "It is still a bit robotic and can make a few mistakes but we are never going to have completely natural sounding voices and it is not bad," said Speegle founder Gordon Renton. "The system is ideal for people with blurred vision or for those that just want to search for something in the background while they do something else. "We are not saying that it will be suitable for totally blind people, although the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) is looking at the technology," he added. But Julie Howell, digital policy manager at the RNIB, expressed doubts over whether Speegle and similar sites added anything to blind people's experience of the web. "There are a whole lot of options like this springing up on the web and one has to think carefully about what the market is going to be," she said. "Blind people have specialised screen readers available to them which will do the job these technologies do in a more sophisticated way," she added. The site uses a technology dubbed PanaVox, which takes web text and converts it into synthesised speech. In the past speech technology has only been compatible with broadband because of the huge files it downloads but CEC says its compression technology means it will also work on slower dial up connections. Visitors to Speegle may notice that the look and feel of the site bears more than a passing resemblance to the better known, if silent, search engine Google. Google has no connection with Speegle and the use of bright colours is simply to make the site more visible for those with visual impairments, said Mr Renton. "It is not a rip off. We are doing something that Google does not do and is not planning to do and there is truth in the saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," he said. Speegle is proving popular with those learning English in countries such as Japan and China. "The site is bombarded by people just listening to the words. The repetition could be useful although they may all end up talking like robots," said Mr Renton.


The Mac mini is the cheapest Apple computer ever. But though it is cheap for a Mac how does it compare to PCs that cost about the same amount? Dot.life tries to find out if you can you get more for your money if you stick with the beige box. An extremely small computer that is designed to bring the Macintosh to the masses. Apple offer a less powerful Mac Mini for 339 but the 399 models has a 1.4ghz Power PC chip, 80 gigabyte hard drive, combined CD burner/DVD player. It comes equipped with USB and Firewire ports for peripheral connections, Ethernet port for broadband, a port for standard video output and an audio/headphone jack.The machine comes with Mac OS X, the Apple operating system, the software suite iLife, which includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and GarageBand. A monitor, keyboard or mouse. There is also no built in support for wireless technology or any speakers. The lack of a DVD burner is an omission in the age of backing up important software. Wireless and a dvd burner can be added at extra cost. Apple are targeting people who already have a main computer and want to upgrade especially PC users who have used an Apple iPod. Compact and stylish, the Mac mini would not look out of place in any home. Apple computers are famously user friendly and offer much better network security, which means fewer viruses. The package of software that comes with the machine is the best money can buy. The Mac mini is just a box. If you don't already have a monitor etc, adding them to the package sees the value for money begin to dwindle. Macs don't offer the upgrade flexibility of a PC and the machine's specifications lack the horse power for tasks such as high end video editing or games. "The Mac Mini puts the Macintosh within the reach of everyone," an Apple spokesman said. "It will bring more customers to the platform, especially PC users and owners." An entry level machine designed for basic home use. A 2.6ghz Intel Celeron chip, 40 gigabyte hard drive, 256mb, combined CD burner/DVD player. It comes equipped with a 17 inch monitor, keyboard and mouse. The machine has 6 USB ports and an Ethernet port for broadband connection. There's also a port for standard video output. The machine comes with Windows XP home edition. It provides basic home tools such as a media player and word processor. A DVD burner, or any wireless components built in. Wireless and a dvd burner can be added at extra cost. Homes and small offices, including those looking to add a low cost second computer. Cost is the clear advantage. The Dell provides enough power and software for basic gaming and internet surfing. It's easily upgradeable so a bigger hard drive, better sound and graphics cards can be added. The Dell is hardly stylish and the hard drive is on the small size for anyone wanting to store photos or a decent sized digital music collection. "This machine is for small businesses and for people who want a second computer for basic home use, perhaps in a kids bedroom," a spokesman for Dell said. "I think we offer better value once you realise all the extras needed for the Mac Mini." A desktop computer that PC Pro magazine dubbed best performer in a group test of machines that cost only 399 ( 469 including VAT). A good basic PC that, according to PC Pro, has "superb upgrade potential". For your money you get a 1.8GHz AMD Sempron processor, 512MB of Ram, 120GB hard drive, DVD writer, 16 inch monitor, mouse, keyboard and Windows XP2 Much more than the basics. It cannot handle 3D graphics and has no Firewire slots. Those on a limited budget who want a machine they can add to and improve as their cash allows. It's cheap and has plenty of room to improve but that could end up making it expensive in the long run. It's a good basic workhorse. It's not pretty and has a monitor rather than a flat panel display. Some of the upgrades offered by JAL to the basic model are pricey. You might find that you want to chop and change quite quickly. Nick Ross, deputy labs editor at PC Pro, said the important point about buying a cheap and cheerful PC is the upgrade path. Interest has switched from processor power to graphics and sound cards as that's what makes the difference in games. "Even manufacturers are not going to be marketing machines as faster," he said, "they'll emphasise the different features." A computer built from bits you buy and put together yourself. A surprisingly good PC sporting an AMD Athlon XP 2500 processor, 512 megabytes Ram, a graphics card with 128 Ram on board plus TV out, a 40 GB hard drive, CD writer and DVD player, Windows XP Home. Anything else. You're building it so you have to buy all the software you want to install and do your own trouble shooting and tech support. Building your own machine is easier than it used to be but you need to read specifications carefully to make sure all parts work together. Experienced and keen PC users. Building your own PC, or upgrading the one you have, is a great way to improve your understanding of how it all works. It's cheap, you can specify exactly what you want and you get the thrill of putting it together yourself. And a bigger thrill if everything works as it should. Once it's built you won't be able to do much with it until you start buying software for it. If it starts to go wrong it might take a lot of fixing. As Gavin Cox of the excellent buildyourown.org.uk website put it: "It will be tough to obtain/build a PC to ever be as compact and charming as the Mac mini." "Performance wise, it's not 'cutting edge' and is barely entry level by today's market, but up against the Mac mini, I believe it will hold its own and even pull a few more tricks," says Gavin Cox. The good news is that the machine is eminently expandable. By contrast, says Mr Cox, the Mac mini is almost disposable.


The board of Indian conglomerate Reliance has agreed a share buy back, to counter the effects of a power struggle in the controlling family. The buy back is a victory for chairman Mukesh Ambani, whose idea it was. His brother Anil, the vice chairman, said had not been consulted and that the buy back was "completely inappropriate and unnecessary". The board hopes the move will reverse a 13% fall in Reliance's shares since the feud became public last month. The company has been fractious since founder Dhirubhai Ambani died in 2002, leaving no will. "Today's round has gone to Mukesh , there is no doubt about it," said Nanik Rupani, president of the Indian Merchants Chamber, a Bombay based traders' body. The company plans to buy back 52 million shares at 570 rupees ( 6.80; 13) apiece, a premium of more than 10% to its current market price.


Charles Clarke says he has "no desire" to offer more concessions on his controversial anti terror plans to get them on to the statute book. MPs voted in favour of the Prevention of Terrorism Bill after Mr Clarke agreed to key changes but Labour's majority was reduced to 14. The Bill now faces opposition from peers angry at house arrest proposals. Lord Strathclyde, Tory leader in the Lords, said ministers should expect it to be "substantially re written". The Bill proposes "control orders", which as well as house arrest could impose curfews, tagging or bans on telephone and internet use. They would replace current powers to detain foreign terror suspects without trial, which the law lords have ruled against. On Monday, MPs voted 272 219 in favour of the Bill after key concessions from Mr Clarke. The government earlier saw its 161 strong majority cut to just 14 as a cross party amendment was narrowly rejected by the Commons despite the support of 62 Labour rebels. Mr Clarke won over critics by announcing he would introduce an amendment in the Lords to ensure the most controversial control order, amounting to house arrest, would be imposed by judges and not politicians. Lord Strathclyde warned ministers that they should "prepare themselves for substantial rewriting of various aspects of the Bill". "They should consider far more seriously the use of intercept evidence in any trial and I think they should drop the most objectionable proposals, which are for house arrest." But Mr Clarke told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he believed the changes he had made to the Bill to win over critics in the Commons should be sufficient to satisfy colleagues in the Lords. "No Bill goes through Parliament without detailed consideration being made, but I believe that what I announced yesterday will be sufficient to secure the agreement of the House of Lords," he said. "I have no desire to make further so called concessions on the Bill." Mr Clarke's proposed amendment will be debated by the Lords on Tuesday without having been considered by MPs. The debate is unlikely to result in a vote. Speaking after the Commons debate, shadow home secretary David Davies said the bill had been "clearly very badly drawn up" and that the government was trying to rush it through too quickly. He said it would be possible to "rescue" the government and make the law "tolerable" by amending it in the Lords. "The scope for miscarriages of justice is enormous," he told BBC News. Mark Oaten, for the Liberal Democrats, said Monday night's vote showed the government had "lost the confidence of all sides of the House". He said: "They need to rethink the bill, and extend the power of a judge to decide on all control orders, build safeguards on evidence and create charges against suspects. "Unless there is a major movement, this bill is doomed to fail." BBC News political editor Andrew Marr said: "I think that this is a bill in deep trouble. It's been unravelling in the House of Commons it may unravel further." The government wants the new bill to pass into law by 14 March, when the current powers expire.


Civil servants have drastically stepped up the shredding of official documents, figures compiled by the Tories suggest. Some government departments had doubled the number of documents being shredded ahead of the Freedom of Information Act's implementation on 1 January. Departments for defence, environment and trade, which had all increased file destruction, said they were following rules governing public records. But the Tories want the information commissioner to investigate. The Freedom of Information Act will for the first time give members of the public access to government records previously kept secret for 30 years. But BBC Political Correspondent James Hardy said the prospect of outsiders poking their noses into the inner workings of Whitehall appeared to be causing jitters among the mandarins. Liberal Democrat Alan Beith who chairs the select committee which monitors the Department of Constitutional Affairs said if the claims were true, Whitehall was "acting entirely against the spirit of the new Act". "Both the information commissioner and the select committee will have to keep this issue under very close scrutiny." Fellow Lib Dem Norman Baker said the episode painted an "unflattering picture of the inner workings of government". "It is clear that the government's initial enthusiasm for open government has turned to self serving cynicism." Dr Julian Lewis, the Conservative spokesman for the Cabinet Office, said he had discovered a huge acceleration in shredding from a series of parliamentary answers. The Department of Work and Pensions destroyed nearly 37,000 files last year up 22,000 on four years ago when the Act was passed. The number of files destroyed by the Ministry of Defence and the departments of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Trade and Industry has also risen dramatically. Dr Lewis has called for an investigation by the information commissioner Richard Thomas. Earlier this week, Mr Thomas said he was looking into Cabinet Office orders telling staff to delete e mails more than three months old. He said he "totally condemned" the deletion of e mails to prevent their disclosure under freedom of information laws coming into force on 1 January. Government guidance said e mails should only be deleted if they served "no current purpose", Mr Thomas said. A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said the move was not about the new laws or "the destruction of important records". The Freedom of Information Act will cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland from next year. Similar measures are being brought in at the same time in Scotland. It provides the public with a right of access to information held by about 100,000 public bodies, subject to various exemptions.


One person in the UK is joining the internet's fast lane every 10 seconds, according to BT. The telecoms giant said the number of people on broadband via the telephone line had now surpassed four million. Including those connected via cable, almost six million people have a fast, always on connection. The boom has been fuelled by fierce competition and falling prices, as well as the greater availability of broadband over the phone line. "The take up rate for broadband is accelerating at a terrific pace," said Ben Verwaayen, BT's chief executive. "We will be in a very strong position to hit our five million target by summer 2006 much earlier than we had previously expected." The last million connections were made over the past four months, with thousands of people being added to the total every day of the week. Those signing up to broadband include those that get their service direct from BT or via the many companies that re sell BT lines under their own name. Part of the surge in people signing up was due to BT stretching the reach of ADSL the UK's most widely used way of getting broadband beyond six kilometres. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line technology lets ordinary copper phone lines support high data speeds. The standard speed is 512kbps, though faster connections are available. According to BT, more than 95% of UK homes and businesses can receive broadband over the phone line. It aims to extend this figure to 99.4% by next summer. There are also an estimated 1.7 million cable broadband customers in the UK.


Sonia O'Sullivan will seek to regain her title at the Bupa Great Ireland Run on 9 April in Dublin. The 35 year old was beaten into fourth at last year's event, having won it a year earlier. "I understand she's had a solid winter's training down in Australia after recovering from a minor injury," said race director Matthew Turnbull. Mark Carroll, Irish record holder at 3km, 5km and 10km, will make his debut in the mass participation 10km race. Carroll has stepped up his form in recent weeks and in late January scored an impressive 3,000m victory over leading American Alan Webb in Boston. Carroll will be facing stiff competition from Australian Craig Mottram, winner in Dublin for the last two years.


American Taylor Dent reached the final of the Australian hardcourt event in Adelaide with a crushing 6 1 6 1 win over Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela. Dent will meet Swede Joachim Johansson on Sunday after the second seed survived a tense tie break to defeat Belgium's Olivier Rochus 6 1 7 6 (7/5). Johansson, the boyfriend of Lleyton Hewitt's sister Jaslyn, received strong crowd support on Saturday. "It feels like home for me, because Jaslyn lives here," said Johansson. Rochus was leading 5 4 in the second set tiebreak but his concentration was ruffled by a disputed line call and the match slipped away. "It was so close one mistake like this and the match is over, it's tough. For me, it was clearly out," Rochus said.


A gripping game between Arsenal and Chelsea ended with the honours finishing even at Highbury. Thierry Henry produced a sublime strike to put Arsenal ahead but John Terry levelled with a powerful header. Henry's quickly taken free kick put Arsenal back in front but Eidur Gudjohnsen equalised with a header from William Gallas' knockback. Henry missed a golden chance when he blazed a shot high late on and Arsenal also had a penalty appeal rejected. Henry's opener had given Arsenal the perfect start and set up an enthralling affair. The French striker headed a long Cesc Faregas ball back to Jose Antonio Reyes from the edge of the Chelsea area and immediately saw it headed back into his path from the Spaniard. And, with his back to goal, Henry finished with aplomb when he took one touch, turned and struck an angled strike past the despairing dive of keeper Petr Cech. Henry epitomised a determination about the Arsenal side but Chelsea appeared unruffled and equalised after 16 minutes. Gunners keeper Manuel Almunia, who got the nod ahead of Jens Lehmann, did well to save a well struck Frank Lampard shot. But he could not keep out Terry's powered header from the resultant corner as Arsenal's weakness at set pieces was again exposed. Almost immediately, Henry went close and Chelsea gathered the loose ball before going straight up the other end where Gudjohnsen fluffed an effort. Gudjohnsen did not make the same error minutes later when he struck a sweet shot only for Almunia to be equal to the task and save. The homes side regained the lead in controversial fashion when Robert Pires won a dubious free kick. And, given the option to take the 25 yard set piece quickly, Henry curled in a shot with Cech still organising his wall. This time Arsenal did not allow Chelsea to level so soon as they went into the break ahead. Chelsea brought striker Didier Drogba on to partner Gudjohnsen up front after the interval and the move reaped immediate reward. Lampard swung in a cross which Gallas knocked back across goal and a deft header from Gudjohnsen levelled matters again. Chelsea's main threat was coming from crosses and Lampard missed a great opportunity as he headed wide when left unmarked at the far post. The second half failed to live up to the thrilling pace of the opening period but there were flashes of brilliance. One of them came from the enigmatic Robben when he jinked his way through two Arsenal defenders only to see his poked shot saved by Almunia. Arsenal ended the match the stronger and worked a excellent chance for Henry who put a left foot shot high from eight yards. Subtitute Robin van Persie could also have nicked a win for the Highbury outfit but frustratingly sidefooted just wide. Matthieu Flamini had a late penal appeal waved away before the final whistle which maintained Chelsea five point Premiership lead over Arsenal. Almunia, Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Cole, Pires, Flamini, Fabregas, Reyes (Clichy 82), Bergkamp (Van Persie 82), Henry. Subs Not Used: Senderos, Hoyte, Lehmann. Cole. Henry 2, 29. Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho (Drogba 45), Terry, Gallas, Duff, Tiago (Bridge 45), Makelele, Lampard, Robben, Gudjohnsen (Parker 77). Subs Not Used: Kezman, Cudicini. Robben, Drogba, Lampard. Terry 17, Gudjohnsen 46. 38,153 G Poll (Hertfordshire).


Charles Kennedy has told voters his Liberal Democrats will offer them an "honest choice" at the next general election. With the other two big parties battling over which will impose the lowest taxes, Mr Kennedy is going into the looming election pledged to increase taxation. It is a bold policy and certainly ensures there is that choice between the Lib Dems and the other two. With his party's previous pledge to increase taxes by one penny in the pound to spend on public services already adopted by the government, he has switched tack. Now he is promising to levy a "modest" increase of the same amount on earnings over 100,000 a year to allow him to finance a series of pledges. They are to scrap student fees, finance free long term care for the elderly and replace the council tax with a local income tax. That last policy will also see about 3% of the most well off paying more while others, pensioners in particular, will pay less. Labour and the Tories have attacked his policies as both unworkable and not properly costed. Inevitably they insist there is no need to raise taxes to fund improvements in services. The Tories claim they can improve services AND cut taxes through 35bn efficiency savings, while Labour has offered 22bn savings but has yet to map out precise tax proposals, although there is little chance they will propose increases. In many ways the argument between the Lib Dems and the others over taxation and spending echo the sort of arguments that raged between Labour and the Tories in the 1980s and early 1990s. But, unlike the old Tory Labour debate, he believes voters are ready to see "modest" tax increases on the well off in order to fund improvements in services. That is a view partly endorsed by recent polls suggesting people would rather have cash spent on public services than tax cuts. Similarly there is a different tone to the Lib Dem approach to asylum and immigration, with Mr Kennedy stressing politicians should not "foment an artificial debate" about immigration and attacking Michael Howard's proposals for quotas. Once again, with the two other big parties singing similar songs on immigration, Mr Kennedy is stressing the different, more liberal approach of his party. Mr Kennedy was also in buoyant mood over his party's election chances, declaring the Tories were not going to be "significant players" in the poll. He repeated his pledge not to do post election deals with either party after the election. Mr Kennedy went on to suggest the re election of a Labour government with a small majority would amount to a "massive vote of no confidence " in Tony Blair's government. That suggests the Lib Dem leader believes he may well find himself in a powerful, even pivotal position in a vastly different House of Commons after the next election. It is a dream the third party has dreamed many times before.


General Motors (GM) saw its net profits fall 37% in the last quarter of 2004, as it continued to be hit by losses at its European operations. The US giant earned 630m ( 481.5m) in the October to December period, down from 1bn in the fourth quarter of 2003. GM's revenues rose 4.7% to 51.2bn from 48.8bn a year earlier. The fourth quarter losses at General Motors Europe totalled 345m, up from 66m during the same period in 2003. GM's main European brands are Opel and Vauxhall. Excluding special items, GM's global income from continuing operations totalled 569m during the quarter, down from 838m a year earlier. The results were in line with Wall Street expectations and shares in GM rose by about 1% in pre market trade. For the whole of 2004, GM earned 3.7bn, down from 3.8bn in 2003, while its annual revenue rose 4.5% to 193bn. GM said its profits were also hit by higher healthcare costs in the US. "GM reported solid overall results in 2004, despite challenging competitive conditions in many markets around the globe," GM chairman and chief executive Rick Wagoner said in a statement. The company recently announced that it expected profits in 2005 to be lower than in 2004.


Employers will no longer be able to force workers to retire before 65, unless they can justify it. The government has announced that firms will be barred from 2006 from imposing arbitrary retirement ages. Under new European age discrimination rules, a default retirement age of 65 will be introduced. Workers will be permitted to request staying on beyond this compulsory retirement age, although employers will have the right to refuse. Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said people would not be forced to work longer than they wanted, saying the default age was not a statutory, compulsory retirement age. She said employers would be free to continue employing people for as long as they were competent. Under age discrimination proposals from the Department of Trade and Industry last year workers were to be allowed to work on till 70 if they wished. Business leaders had opposed the plan as they said it would be too costly and cumbersome. The British Chambers of Commerce welcomed the latest proposal. "This move today is the best of both worlds," it said. "Employers have the ability to define the end point of the employer employee relationship and employees have flexibility with a right to request to work past the age of 65." But Age Concern said imposing a retirement age of 65 was "cowardly" and a "complete u turn". "This makes a mockery of the Government's so called commitment to outlawing ageism, leaving the incoming age discrimination law to unravel," said Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern England . "It is now inevitable that older people will mount legal challenges to the decision using European law." The decision will have no impact on the age at which workers can collect their state pension, the government has said.


Australian building products group James Hardie has agreed to pay 1.1bn ( 568m) to victims of asbestos related diseases. The landmark deal could see thousands of people suffering from lung diseases caused by asbestos the company once made receive compensation. The move follows angry protests after the firm said a previous compensation fund was running out of money. A subsequent New South Wales state inquiry criticised Hardie's actions. In September, the inquiry found that the company had misled the public about the amount of money set aside to cover its asbestos related liabilities, sparking the resignation of its then chief executive, Peter MacDonald. Campaigners welcomed news of the preliminary agreement. "This is a momentous day in the fight for victims and their families," said asbestosis sufferer Bernie Banton, who leads a victims' association. "There is still a long way to go, but we are getting there." James Hardie chairwoman, Meredith Hellicar, said the deal provided for a funding arrangement "that is affordable, sensible and workable". "At the end of the day we are dealing with compensation for people who are terminally ill. We don't know exactly how many of them there will be, we don't know over what exact period they will fall ill," she said. However, the deal still has to receive the approval of Hardie's shareholders. Hardie, which currently makes more than 80% of its revenues in the US, was once Australia's biggest supplier of asbestos building materials. In 2001, the company set up a fund to compensate asbestos victims, but it later admitted the fund was running short of money. A decision by Hardie to move its headquarters to the Netherlands while remaining a listed company in Australia provoked a damaging public outcry. Victims groups accusing it of trying to escape its responsibilities by moving abroad, a charge the company denies. Australia's securities watchdog is currently investigating Hardie's former chief executive and former chief financial officer over allegations of misleading investors and the general public.


Andy Roddick will play Cyril Saulnier in the final of the SAP Open in San Jose on Sunday. The American top seed and defending champion overcame Germany's Tommy Haas, the third seed, 7 6 (7 3) 6 3. And Saulnier survived an injury scare in his semi final with seventh seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer. The Frenchman twisted his ankle early in the second set but overcame Melzer, who was left fuming over a series of line calls, 6 7 (3 7) 6 3 6 3. "I was feeling horrible earlier in the week," Roddick said. "I thought tonight was another step in the right direction. "On my returns, I was standing in more and I'm getting a little more depth, even if I don't hit a perfect return." Roddick won the last four points of the first set tie break before being broken at the start of the second set. But he broke straight back and then broke Haas again to lead 4 2. "It's extremely frustrating when you have chances against a top five player and don't do anything with them," admitted Haas. "I rushed a few backhands and he took advantage." Saulnier will move into the world's top 50 for the first time after his passage through to the final. "It's taken a lot of work and a lot of fighting in my mind," he revealed. "Sometimes I didn't believe I could get to a final and now I am here. I've stayed mentally strong. "I'm on the way. I'll keep fighting and work a lot and I'll be up there."


A brother and sister in the US have been convicted of sending hundreds of thousands of unsolicited e mail messages to AOL subscribers. It is the first criminal prosecution of internet spam distributors. Jurors in Virginia recommended that the man, Jeremy Jaynes, serve nine years in prison and that his sister, Jessica DeGroot, be fined 7,500. They were convicted under a state law that bars the sending of bulk e mails using fake addresses. They will be formally sentenced next year. A third defendant, Richard Rutkowski, was acquitted. Prosecutors said Jaynes was "a snake oil salesman in a new format", using the internet to peddle useless wares, news agency Associated Press reported. A "Fed Ex refund processor" was supposed to allow people to earn 75 an hour working from home. Another item on sale was an "internet history eraser". His sister helped him process credit card payments. Jaynes amassed a fortune of 24m from his sales, prosecutors said. "He's been successful ripping people off all these years," AP quoted prosecutor Russell McGuire as saying. Jaynes was also found guilty of breaking a state law which prohibits the sending of more than 100,000 e mails in 30 days, Virginia State Attorney General Jerry Kilgore reportedly said. Prosecutors had asked for 15 years in jail for Jaynes, and a jail term for his sister. But Jaynes' lawyer David Oblon called the nine year recommended term "outrageous" and said his client believed he was innocent. He pointed out that all three of the accused lived in North Carolina and were unaware of the Virginia state law. Spam messages are estimated to account for at least 60% of all e mails sent.


Fast web access is encouraging more people to express themselves online, research suggests. A quarter of broadband users in Britain regularly upload content and have personal sites, according to a report by UK think tank Demos. It said that having an always on, fast connection is changing the way people use the internet. More than five million households in the UK have broadband and that number is growing fast. The Demos report looked at the impact of broadband on people's net habits. It found that more than half of those with broadband logged on to the web before breakfast. One in five even admitted to getting up in the middle of the night to browse the web. More significantly, argues the report, broadband is encouraging people to take a more active role online. It found that one in five post something on the net everyday, ranging from comments or opinions on sites to uploading photographs. "Broadband is putting the 'me' in media as it shifts power from institutions and into the hands of the individual," said John Craig, co author of the Demos report. "From self diagnosis to online education, broadband creates social innovation that moves the debate beyond simple questions of access and speed." The Demos report, entitled Broadband Britain: The End Of Asymmetry?, was commissioned by net provider AOL. "Broadband is moving the perception of the internet as a piece of technology to an integral part of home life in the UK," said Karen Thomson, Chief Executive of AOL UK, "with many people spending time on their computers as automatically as they might switch on the television or radio." According to analysts Nielsen//NetRatings, more than 50% of the 22.8 million UK net users regularly accessing the web from home each month are logging on at high speed They spend twice as long online than people on dial up connections, viewing an average of 1,444 pages per month. The popularity of fast net access is growing, partly fuelled by fierce competition over prices and services.


Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini will miss Sunday's Carling Cup final after the club dropped their appeal against his red card against Newcastle. The Italian was sent off for bringing down Shola Ameobi in the final minute of Sunday's match. Blues boss Jose Mourinho had promised to pick Cudicini for the final instead of first choice keeper Petr Cech. The 31 year old will now serve a one match suspension commencing with immediate effect. Cudicini kept a club record 24 clean sheets last season for Chelsea, but Petr Cech has established himself as first choice for Mourinho since moving to Stamford Bridge in summer 2004. The 22 year old Czech Republic international has set a new Premiership record of 961 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal, a mark which is still running. But Mourinho has used Cudicini regularly in the Carling Cup, and the Italian has only let in one goal in his four appearances during Chelsea's run to the final.


By any measure, New Yorker Dick Morris is that thing Americans love over everything else a winner. This is the man who, some pundits believe, was almost single handedly responsible for Bill Clinton's sensational 1992 comeback victory. But Morris is no ideologue. He has worked as election strategist for any number of Republicans as well and, more recently, politicians from Mexico to Uruguay. Now he is back in London as the UK Independence Party's not so secret electoral weapon after returning from the Ukraine where he helped you guessed it opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko. If there is one regular criticism levelled at Morris, it is that he is too ready to switch allegiances. That he enjoys the game more than the politics. So why Britain and why UKIP which, despite its recent EU election successes, is not likely to pull off a sensational victory in the looming general election. On this subject, Morris appears almost evangelical. "I was on a cruise in the Mediterranean and, coincidentally, so was UKIP leader Roger Knapman. "I had just written a piece saying how the English Channel was now wider than the Atlantic which he liked and it went from there". But what is it about UKIP that particularly attracts him? Many might think it is simply another chance to practice his art, irrespective of the politics. "I think the greatest threat to democracy in the world is not terrorism but bureaucratism". A great soundbite, but a surprise coming from a New Yorker post 11 September. "It is the growth of these bodies composed of experts who know better, who don't believe in letting democracy govern but believe in letting the correct solution be determined. "That's international bankers, the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and, primarily, the European Union". So he is out to help UKIP take Britain out of this organisation which he believes is unreformable and inherently undemocratic. And he is scathing of the Tory party which he also appears to believe is unreformable. "The Tory party is schizophrenic about Europe. But until somebody says they are willing to leave the EU they can't possibly re negotiate anything (as Michael Howard is pledged to do). "It's like walking into a liquor store with a gun to rob it and saying: 'before I can proceed with the robbery I want to make clear I am not going to shoot anybody'". Possibly a very American analogy, but another great soundbite. "The basic point is that the EU seeks political integration to move the entire nexus of decision making away from Britain and we oppose that and the Tories cannot be trusted to oppose it". So is UKIP's job to destroy the Tories, as former member Robert Kilroy Silk once notoriously declared? "No. The aim of UKIP is to withdraw from the EU and if it has any relation to the Tories it is to stiffen the Tories' spine on the issue by having a large enough UKIP vote so that we move the Tories in the direction they are refusing to move. "But it's not just to shift the Tories. I think UKIP had a huge amount to do with Tony Blair's decision to hold a referendum on the European constitution and I think it had a huge amount to do with his refusal to go into the euro". And, while we are on the subject of Mr Kilroy Silk, Mr Morris despatches him with another of his neat soundbites. "Robert Kilroy Silk is not a team player it is a good idea our party stands for some thing and not some one". So what is the big plan for the general election. How will he achieve the breakthrough? "Look, we are not going to be forming the next government," he said. Neither does UKIP have to fight every seat. As with the 2004 US presidential election, he says, the outcome will be decided by a small number of swing seats just as he believes it will in Britain. So, with limited resources, the aim is to target those seats and end the day with a significant group in the Commons. He also believes it is possible the internet could have a big part in the poll. "The internet was a decisive factor in the 2004 presidential election through blogs (individuals posting their views in online diaries). People just did it". "Anything can happen in the next general election. There is an inherent instability at the moment. "Labour and the Tories have drawn the consensus so tightly and to the left there is room for another voice". That might, he suggests, lead to a hung parliament with UKIP and others holding the balance of power. It is a huge task, surely. But there is undoubtedly a sense that the next general election may indeed produce some surprises even while most still believe it is Labour's for the taking. UKIP's performance in last year's European elections was just such a shocker and showed that Mr Morris may have a point about the new consensus. And after all, he has a reputation to sustain.


Computer users across the world continue to ignore security warnings about spam e mails and are being lured into buying goods, a report suggests. More than a quarter have bought software through spam e mails and 24% have bought clothes or jewellery. As well as profiting from selling goods or services and driving advertising traffic, organised crime rings can use spam to glean personal information. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) warned that people should "stay alert". "Many online consumers don't consider the true motives of spammers," said Mike Newton, a spokesperson for the BSA which commissioned the survey. "By selling software that appears to be legitimate in genuine looking packaging or through sophisticated websites, spammers are hiding spyware without consumers' knowledge. "Once the software is installed on PCs and networks, information that is given over the internet can be obtained and abused." The results also showed that the proportion of people reading or admitting to reading and taking advantage of adult entertainment spam e mails is low, at one in 10. The research, which covered 6,000 people in six countries and their attitudes towards junk e mails, revealed that Brazilians were the most likely to read spam. A third of them read unsolicited junk e mail and 66% buy goods or services after receiving spam. The French were the second most likely to buy something (48%), with 44% of Britons taking advantage of products and services. This was despite 38% of people in all countries being worried about their net security because of the amount of spam they get. More than a third of respondents said they were concerned that spam e mails contained viruses or programs that attempted to collect personal information. "Both industry and the media have helped to raise awareness of the issues that surround illegitimate e mail, helping to reduce the potential financial damage and nuisance from phishing attacks and spoof websites," said William Plante, director of corporate security and fraud protection at security firm Symantec. "At the same time, consumers need to continue exercising caution and protect themselves from harm with a mixture of spam filters, spyware detection software and sound judgement."


Games aimed at "casual players" are set to be even bigger in 2005, according to industry experts. Easy to play titles that do not require too much time and that are playable online or downloadable to mobile devices will see real growth in the coming year. The trend shows that gaming is not just about big hitting, games console titles, which appeal more to "hardcore" gamers, said a panel of experts. They were speaking before the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas which showcases the latest trends in gadgets and technologies for 2005. The panel also insisted that casual gamers were not just women, a common misconception which pervades current thinking about gamer demographics. Casual games like poker, pool, bridge, bingo and puzzle based titles, which can be played online or downloaded onto mobile devices, were "gender neutral" and different genres attracted different players. Greg Mills, program director at AOL, said its figures suggested that sports based games attracted 90% of 18 to 24 year old males, while puzzle games were played by 80% of females. Games like bridge tended to attract the over 50 demographic of gamers. But hardcore gamers who are more attracted to blockbuster gamers which usually require hi spec PCs, like Half Life 2, or Halo 2 on Xbox, also liked to have a different type of gaming experience. "When hardcore gamers are not playing Halo, they are playing poker and pool, based on our research," said Geoff Graber, director of Yahoo Games, which attracts about 12 million gamers a month. With the growth of powerful PC technology and ownership, broadband take up, portable players and mobile devices, as well as interactive TV, casual gaming is shaping up to be big business in 2005, according to the panel. The focus for the coming year should be about attracting third party developers into the field to offer more innovative and multiplayer titles, they agreed. "We are at a time where we are on the verge of something much bigger," said Mr Graber. "Casual games will get into their stride in 2005, will be really big in 2006 and will be about community." With more people finding more to do with their gadgets and high speed connections, casual games would start to open up the world of gaming as a form of mass market entertainment to more people. Key to these types of titles is the chance they give people who may not see themselves as gamers to dip in and out of games when they liked. Portal sites which offer casual games, like AOL, Yahoo, and RealArcade, as well as other games on demand services, allow people to build up buddy lists so they can return and play against the same people. This aspect of "community" is crucial for gamers who just want to have quick access to free or cheap games without committing long periods of time immersed in 30 to 40 console or PC titles, said the panel. About 120,000 people are expected to attend the CES trade show which stretches over more than 1.5 million square feet and which officially runs from 6 to 9 January. The main theme is how new devices are getting better at talking to each other, allowing people to enjoy digital content, like audio, video and images, when they want, and where they want.


Walt Disney has settled charges from US federal regulators that it failed to disclose how family members of directors were employed by the company. The media giant was not fined by the Securities and Exchange Commission, but has agreed to refrain from any future violations of securities law. Disney failed to tell investors that between 1999 and 2001 it employed three adult children of three then directors. The firm has neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing in the settlement. The three Disney directors in question in the central matter of the SEC's investigation Reveta Bowers, Stanley Gold and Raymond Watson have all since left the company, with Ms Bowers and Mr Watson both retiring, and Mr Gold quitting in 2003. Their children were paid between 60,000 ( 30,800) and 150,000 a year, with shareholders not being informed. The SEC also found that Disney did not disclose that a 50% Disney owned subsidiary company Lifetime employed the wife of current Disney director John Bryson, and that she earned more than 1m a year. Louise Bryson remains with Lifetime. Disney also failed to disclose payments to Air Shamrock, an airline owned by Mr Gold and fellow former Disney directors Roy Disney. Finally, Disney also did not reveal that it provided more than 200,000 annually for office space, secretarial services, and a leased car and driver to former director Thomas Murphy. "Shareholders have a significant interest in information regarding relationships between the company and its directors," said SEC deputy enforcement director Linda Thomsen. "Failure to comply with the SEC's disclosure rules in this area impedes shareholders' ability to evaluate the objectivity and independence of directors."


Tory leader Michael Howard has dismissed Gordon Brown's Budget as "vote now, pay later" spending plans. The simple fact was that under a new Labour government taxes would go up after the election to plug a financial black hole, Mr Howard said. Everyone could see the chancellor's "sweeteners", but these hid tax rises for hard working families, he said. Labour's "faltering election campaign" would not be helped by the package of measures, Mr Howard added. Mr Brown's Budget was not about what was good for the country, but "all about the interests of the Labour party," the Tory leader said after mockingly welcoming the chancellor back to the election campaign. He went on to accuse Mr Brown of giving with one hand while taking away with the other. He urged the chancellor to admit he had been responsible for dragging "millions of people in to the net" to pay stamp duty and inheritance tax. "We can all see the sweeteners, but they hide the crippling tax rises for hard working families that are inevitable if Labour wins." He also accused the government and the chancellor of running out of solutions to the problems Britain faced. "Their only answer is to tax, to spend and to waste to get people to vote now and pay later." Mr Brown liked to rattle off "magical balances conjured out of thin air" in a bid to convince people there was no "black hole" in the nation's finances, the Tory leader said. "This dodgy government that brought us the dodgy dossier is now publishing a dodgy Budget based on dodgy numbers," he said. "You now propose to borrow, over the next six years, no less than 168 billion; so much for prudence. "The chancellor's forecasts of surpluses are no better than the prime minister's forecasts of weapons of mass destruction." Mr Brown's council tax rebate for pensioners was 300 less than what the Tories were offering, Mr Howard said. There was nothing in the Budget that would put more police on the streets, make hospitals cleaner or give parents and teachers the discipline and skills they wanted in schools. People would face a "clear choice" at the election, either "more waste and higher taxes under Labour or lower taxes and value for money with the Conservatives", he said. "That's the battleground of this election. That's what this election is going to be all about and I say bring it on," he concluded, to loud Tory cheering.


Diageo, the world's biggest spirits company, has agreed to buy Californian wine company Chalone for 260m ( 134m) in an all cash deal. Although Diageo's best known brands include Smirnoff vodka and Guinness stout, it already has a US winemaking arm Diageo Chateau Estate Wines. Diageo said it expects to get US regulatory approval for the deal during the first quarter of 2005. It said Chalone would be integrated into its existing US wine business. "The US wine market represents a growth opportunity for Diageo, with favourable demographic and consumption trends," said Diageo North America president Ivan Menezes. In July, Diageo, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, reported an annual turnover of 8.89bn, down from 9.28bn a year earlier. It blamed a weaker dollar for its lower turnover. In the year ending 31 December 2003, Chalone reported revenues of 69.4m.


Veteran Spaniard Conchita Martinez came from a set down to beat Italian Roberta Vinci at the Qatar Open in Doha. The 1994 Wimbledon champion won 5 7 6 0 6 2 to earn a second round meeting with French Open champion Anastasia Myskina. Fifth seed Patty Schnyder also had a battle as she needed three sets to beat China's Na Li 7 5 3 6 7 5. Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova beat Bulgarian Magdaleena Maleeva 4 6 6 4 6 3 to set up a second round clash with Russian Elena Bovina. The veteran Martinez found herself in trouble early on against Vinci with the Italian clinching the set thanks to breaks in the third and 11th games. But Vinci's game fell to pieces after that and Martinez swept her aside with some crisp cross court returns and deft volleys. In the day's other matches, Japan's Ai Sugiyama defeated Australian Samantha Stosur 6 2 6 3 while Australian Nicole Pratt beat Tunisian Selima Sfar 7 5 6 2 and will next face compatriot Alicia Molik.


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted he is at a loss to explain why Newcastle are languishing in the bottom half of the table. The Gunners travel to St James' Park on Wednesday, with Newcastle 14th in the Premiership after a troubled season. And Wenger said: "At the beginning of the season you would expect them to be fighting for the top four. "I don't know how they got to be where they are. It looks to me from the outside that they have many injuries." Arsenal go into the game on the back of a 2 0 victory over Fulham on Sunday. And Wenger added: "The best way to prepare for a game is to win the previous one. We will go to Newcastle in good shape. "Fatigue won't play too big a part in the next few weeks as we have players coming back so I can rotate a bit more. "We do not play a season with 11 players and I believe that all of our squad deserve a chance in the team." Striker Thierry Henry, along with Robert Pires, scored against Fulham. And Henry afterwards described the display as "beautiful to watch". He said: "What matters is winning and the three points, of course. That is the only thing that really matters. But it is more enjoyable when you play like we did against Fulham. "We are playing as a team and that is important because there were some games when we maybe were not there as a team and suffered for that. Those were games we lost."


Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) will go on sale in Japan on 12 December. The long awaited handheld game playing gadget will cost about 19,800 yen (145 euros) when it hits the shelves. At launch 21 games will be available for the PSP, including Need for Speed, Ridge Racer, Metal Gear Acid and Vampire Chronicle. Sony has not yet announced when the PSP will be available in Europe and the US, but analysts expect it to debut in those territories in early 2005. Fifa 2005 is back at the top of the UK games charts, a week after losing it to rival Pro Evolution Soccer 4. Konami's Pro Evo dropped only one place to two, while the only new entry in the top 10 was another football title, LMA Manager 2005, in at number seven. Tony Hawk's Underground 2 held its own at three, while Star Wars Battlefront inched up to four places to four. There was good news for Disney, with the spin off from the Shark's Tale film moving up the charts into number eight. Fans of the Gran Turismo series in Europe are going to have to wait until next year for the latest version. Sony has said that the PAL version of GT4 will not be ready for Christmas. "The product is localised into 13 different languages across the PAL territories, therefore the process takes considerably longer than it does in Japan," it said. Gran Turismo 4 for the PlayStation 2 is still expected to be released in Japan and the USA this year. Halo 2 has broken video game records, with pre orders of more than 1.5 million in the US alone. Some 6,500 US stores plan to open just after midnight on Tuesday 9 November for the game's release. "Halo 2 is projected to bring in more revenue than any day one box office blockbuster movie in the United States," said Xbox's Peter Moore. "We've even heard rumours of fan anticipation of the 'Halo 2 flu' on 9 November."


Rising fuel and materials costs are hitting confidence among the UK's small manufacturers despite a rise in output, business lobby group the CBI says. A CBI quarterly survey found output had risen by the fastest rate in seven years but many firms were seeing the benefits offset by increasing expenses. The CBI also found spending on innovation, training and retraining is forecast to go up over the next year. However, firms continue to scale back investment in buildings and machinery. The CBI said companies are looking to the government to lessen the regulatory load and are hoping interest rates will be kept on hold. "Smaller manufacturers are facing an uphill struggle," said Hugh Morgan Williams, chair of the CBI's SME Council. "The manufacturing sector needs a period of long term stability in the economy." The CBI found some firms managed to increase prices for the first time in nine years but many said increases failed to keep up the rise in costs. Of the companies surveyed, 30% saw orders rise and 27% saw them fall. The positive balance of plus 3 compared with minus 10 in the previous survey. When firms were questioned on output volume, the survey returned a balance of plus 8 the highest rate of increase for seven years and rose to plus 11 when looking ahead to the next three months.


Struggling Japanese car maker Mitsubishi Motors has struck a deal to supply French car maker Peugeot with 30,000 sports utility vehicles (SUV). The two firms signed a Memorandum of Understanding, and say they expect to seal a final agreement by Spring 2005. The alliance comes as a badly needed boost for loss making Mitsubishi, after several profit warnings and poor sales. The SUVs will be built in Japan using Peugeot's diesel engines and sold mainly in the European market. Falling sales have left Mitsubishi Motors with underused capacity, and the production deal with Peugeot gives it a chance to utilise some of it. In January, Mitsubishi Motors issued its third profits warning in nine months, and cut its sales forecasts for the year to March 2005. Its sales have slid 41% in the past year, catalysed by the revelation that the company had systematically been hiding records of faults and then secretly repairing vehicles. As a result, the Japanese car maker has sought a series of financial bailouts. Last month it said it was looking for a further 540bn yen ( 5.2bn; 2.77bn) in fresh financial backing, half of it from other companies in the Mitsubishi group. US German carmaker DaimlerChrylser, a 30% shareholder in Mitsubishi Motors, decided in April 2004 not to pump in any more money. The deal with Peugeot was celebrated by Mitsubishi's newly appointed chief executive Takashi Nishioka, who took over after three top bosses stood down last month to shoulder responsibility for the firm's troubles. Mitsubishi Motors has forecast a net loss of 472bn yen in its current financial year to March 2005. Last month, it signed a production agreement with Japanese rival Nissan Motor to supply it with 36,000 small cars for sale in Japan. It has been making cars for Nissan since 2003.


The European Union's newest members will bolster Europe's economic growth in 2005, according to a new report. The eight central European states which joined the EU last year will see 4.6% growth, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) said. In contrast, the 12 Euro zone countries will put in a "lacklustre" performance, generating growth of only 1.8%. The global economy will slow in 2005, the UNECE forecasts, due to widespread weakness in consumer demand. It warned that growth could also be threatened by attempts to reduce the United States' huge current account deficit which, in turn, might lead to significant volatility in exchange rates. UNECE is forecasting average economic growth of 2.2% across the European Union in 2005. However, total output across the Euro zone is forecast to fall in 2004 from 1.9% to 1.8%. This is due largely to the faltering German economy, which shrank 0.2% in the last quarter of 2004. On Monday, Germany's BdB private banks association said the German economy would struggle to meet its 1.4% growth target in 2005. Separately, the Bundesbank warned that Germany's efforts to reduce its budget deficit below 3% of GDP presented "huge risks" given that headline economic growth was set to fall below 1% this year. Publishing its 2005 economic survey, the UNECE said central European countries such as the Czech Republic and Slovenia would provide the backbone of the continent's growth. Smaller nations such as Cyprus, Ireland and Malta would also be among the continent's best performing economies this year, it said. The UK economy, on the other hand, is expected to slow in 2005, with growth falling from 3.2% last year to 2.5%. Consumer demand will remain fragile in many of Europe's largest countries and economies will be mostly driven by growth in exports. "In view of the fragility of factors of domestic growth and the dampening effects of the stronger euro on domestic economic activity and inflation, monetary policy in the euro area is likely to continue to 'wait and see', the organisation said in its report. Global economic growth is expected to fall from 5% in 2004 to 4.25% despite the continued strength of the Chinese and US economies. The UNECE warned that attempts to bring about a controlled reduction in the US current account deficit could cause difficulties. "The orderly reversal of the deficit is a major challenge for policy makers in both the United States and other economies," it noted.


Ex Labour MP George Galloway has appealed for the release of aid worker Margaret Hassan, kidnapped in Iraq. Mrs Hassan, 59, who led Care International operations in Iraq, was abducted in Baghdad on 19 October. Mr Galloway was expelled from the Labour party because of his staunch opposition to the war on Iraq. He denied an earlier report that he planned to make a direct appeal to the kidnappers via the Al Jazeera Arabic television channel. Speaking in London on Saturday at the first annual delegate conference of his newly founded party, the Respect Coalition, he said: "I have deliberately not involved myself before in any of these situations. "But this woman has been a prominent opponent of both the war and the preceding years of sanctions. "I am prepared to do anything I can to help save her life." A spokesman later said Mr Galloway had friends in common with Ms Hassan, who he described as a prominent anti war activist, and that he was "willing to do anything go to Iraq or be an intermediary or anything that's necessary". Since her abduction, several videos of Mrs Hassan have been broadcast by Al Jazeera. The latest footage showed Mrs Hassan asking for British troops to be pulled out of Iraq. She also urged Care International, the aid agency she works for, to close its office in Baghdad, and appealed for Iraqi women prisoners to be freed. Care has since closed down all its operations in Iraq.


Investors who lost money following the split capital investment trust scandal are to receive 194m compensation, the UK's financial watchdog has announced. Eighteen investment firms involved in the sale of the investments agreed the compensation package with the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Splits were marketed as a low risk way to benefit from rising share prices. But when the stock market collapsed in 2000, the products left thousands of investors out of pocket. An estimated 50,000 people took out split capital funds, some investing their life savings in the schemes. The paying of compensation will be overseen by an independent company, the FSA said. Further details of how investors will be able to claim their share of the compensation package will be announced in the new year. "This should save investors from having to take their case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, something, no doubt, that will be very welcome," Rob McIvor, FSA spokesman, told BBC News. Agreeing to pay compensation did not mean that the eighteen firms involved were admitting any guilt, the FSA added. Any investor accepting the compensation will have to waive the right to take their case to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The FSA has been investigating whether investors were misled about the risks posed by split capital investment trusts. The FSA's 60 strong investigation team looked into whether fund managers colluded in a so called "magic circle", in the hope of propping up one another's share prices. Firms involved were presented with 780 files of evidence detailing 27,000 taped conversations and over 70 interviews. In May, the FSA was widely reported as having asked firms to pay up to 350m in compensation. Mr McIvor told the BBC that the final settlement figure was smaller because two unnamed firms had pulled out of the compensation negotiations. Investors in these two firms may now have to take any compensation claim to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the courts.


Arsenal win 4 2 on penalties The Spanish goalkeeper saved from Alan Quinn and Jon Harley as Arsenal sealed a quarter final trip to Bolton with a 4 2 victory on penalties. Lauren, Patrick Vieira, Freddie Ljungberg and Ashley Cole scored for Arsenal, while Andy Gray and Phil Jagielka were on target for the Blades. Michael Tonge and Harley wasted chances for the underdogs, but Paddy Kenny was inspired to keep Arsenal at bay. Arsenal, stripped of attacking talent such as Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, partnered 17 year old Italian striker Arturo Lupoli with Ljungberg up front. It was a revamped Arsenal line up, and they were almost a goal behind within seconds as Tonge wasted a glorious chance. Gray ran free down the right flank, and his cross left Tonge with the simplest of chances, but he blazed over the top from six yards. Arsenal were barely seen as an attacking force in the opening 45 minutes, although Ljungberg turned a half chance wide after good work by Cesc Fabregas. Arsene Wenger introduced Quincy Owusu Abeyie for the ineffective Lupoli at half time, and the pacy Dutch youngster had an immediate impact. He ran clear after good work by Mathieu Flamini, but his finish was tame and Kenny saved easily. Owusu Abeyie then fired in a testing cross, which was met by Fabregas, and it needed a desperate clearance by Kenny's legs to save the Blades. Arsenal were now totally dominant, and were desperately unlucky not to take the lead after 62 minutes when Fabregas crashed a rising drive against the bar from 20 yards. It then took a brilliant tackle by Jagielka to deny Ljungberg as he was poised to strike. Arsenal continued to press, and once again Kenny was called into action with eight minutes left, diving low to clutch another close range effort from Fabregas. Neil Warnock's side almost snatched victory in the dying seconds when Derek Geary's cross found Harley at the far post, but his diving header was brilliantly turned over by Almunia. Owusu Abeyie's pace was causing all sorts of problems for the Blades, and as extra time began, another surging run into the penalty area almost set up a chance for Ljungberg. Pascal Cygan missed Arsenal's best chance after 106 minutes, blazing across the face of goal when he was unmarked at the far post. Arsenal sent on Jeremie Aliadiere with seven minutes of extra time left, and he almost broke the deadlock with his first touch. Kolo Toure's misplaced free kick landed at his feet, but Kenny once again blocked from a tight angle. Arsenal laid siege to Sheffield United's goal in the dying minutes, but they somehow held on to force penalties. Almunia was then Arsenal's hero as another brave Blades cup campaign came to a losing end. Kenny, Geary, Morgan, Bromby, Harley, Liddell, Montgomery, Jagielka, Thirlwell, Tonge (Quinn 97), Gray. Subs Not Used: Francis, Kabba, Shaw, Haystead. Morgan. Almunia, Lauren, Cygan, Senderos, Cole, Fabregas (Toure 90), Vieira, Flamini (Aliadiere 113), Clichy, Lupoli (Owusu Abeyie 45), Ljungberg. Subs Not Used: Eboue, Taylor. Clichy, Lauren, Senderos. 27,595 P Dowd (Staffordshire).


England captain Jason Robinson has rubbished suggestions that the world champions are a team in decline. England were beaten 11 9 by Wales in their Six Nations opener in Cardiff last week and face current champions France at Twickenham on Sunday. Robinson said: "We are certainly not on the decline. You lose one game and it doesn't make you a bad team. "I have no doubt in the players we've got. We have still got the team to go out and beat anyone on our day." England find themselves striving to avoid a third successive championship defeat for the first time since 1987. But full back Robinson believes the new look England team can stop the rot against France. "Last weekend we should have won the game," he said. "But if we can under perform and lose by only two points then I am sure if we play well this week we will get the win we need. "We proved that in the autumn when we put in some excellent performances and we just need to build on that. "It was a disappointing start against Wales and we might be down on that. "But we are certainly not out. We will come out fighting this week." Robinson also had words of comfort for 18 year old Newcastle centre Mathew Tait, who made his international debut against Wales but has been demoted from the squad to face France. "I have had a word with Mathew," said Robinson. "I still believe in him. He is an outstanding player but we have gone for Olly (Barkley) because of the kicking. "Mathew has just got to take it on the chin, keep working hard like he is doing and I'm sure he will feature in some of the games."


The Scottish Executive has lost an appeal against an inmate's compensation for being forced to slop out in prison. Armed robber Robert Napier, 25, won 2,450 after he claimed he suffered an outbreak of the skin complaint, eczema, when slopping out at Barlinnie Prison. Napier said that the practice, where prisoners use buckets in their cells as toilets, breached his human rights. On Thursday, the Court of Session threw out a move by the executive to apply a more rigorous standard of proof. The executive faces more than 1,000 similar claims for damages from prisoners and former inmates. More than 310 actions have already been raised in the Court of Session and sheriff courts in Scotland. An executive spokesman said: "We will study this judgement in detail. Much has changed to address the issues raised in the Napier case, for example, slopping out has ended at Barlinnie and work in other prisons is being accelerated. "Today's judgement does not affect the outcome of other cases." Napier, a remand prisoner at the time, raised a legal challenge in 2001 under the European Convention on Human Rights, in which he sought 5,000. He was awarded compensation last April after winning his case. Executive ministers raised an appeal arguing that the standard of proof to be applied in cases alleging a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights through degrading and inhumane treatment should "be beyond reasonable doubt". This is the standard normally applied in criminal trials in Scotland. However, civil litigation is settled on the test of "a balance of probabilities". Judge Lord Cullen, sitting with Lord Osborne and Lord Hamilton, ruled that alleged human rights breaches involving degrading treatment should be dealt with on the normal civil standard. Napier's lawyer Tony Kelly believes the action will soon be followed by others. Mr Kelly said: "There are hundreds of people still undergoing slopping out, overcrowding and poor regime and those people will certainly be heartened by today's judgement." Scottish National Party Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill said that the slopping out case had been "a fiasco from start to finish". He said: "Ministers were fully aware of the state of Scotland's jails. Funds were available but they chose to ignore the problem and after this ruling I suspect we will be faced with even more claims and no doubt more payouts. "A short term executive saving has resulted in a long term public cost."


The market, former British government minister Michael Heseltine once said, has no morality. And indeed, stock exchange traders around Asia have wasted little time regretting the victims of this week's disaster. Stock markets in Indonesia and India have hit all time highs this week; even in Sri Lanka, more comprehensively affected, the main index has lost only 5% since the waves hit. Bigger markets further afield have barely twitched. The MSCI World share index, a measure of global stock market performance, hit its highest level this week since early 2001; the BBC Global 30 has risen by 3% in the past week. And this at a time when all sentiment aside insurance costs are already estimated in the tens of billions of dollars, and countries around the region are looking at trimming their growth forecasts. In fact, the markets are being perfectly rational. For a start, the notional insurance cost of the disaster will have little bearing on corporate bottom lines. The overwhelming majority of the victims will have had no insurance: according to estimates from India, only one quarter of those affected there were wealthy enough to afford insurance, and only one quarter of that group at most will have taken out policies. Indonesia is likely to have even lower take up rates. And where insurance certainly is in place in, for example, the many tourist complexes affected the costs will be borne in far away corners of the global reinsurance market, rather than landing locally. Second, stock markets do not trade the sort of companies likely to have been damaged. Most of the biggest companies traded on the soaring Jakarta Stock Exchange are in oil, technology and financial services none of which have been hit by the flooding. Tourist businesses, the most likely sufferers, are either foreign owned or too small to have their shares listed. Those that are listed have suffered: Confifi Hotel Holdings, a small Sri Lankan tourism firm, has halved in value this week. But there are winners as well as losers. Asian stock markets are heavily inclined towards property and construction companies, many of which will be rubbing their hands over the reconstruction opportunities. In Indonesia, shares in state construction companies Adhi Karya and Semen Gresik have jumped sharply this week. More broadly, the academic consensus is that major disasters are largely neutral in their longer term economic impact. According to the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center at Colorado State University, there is little evidence that disasters are inevitably followed by a depression. The need to find money to replace lost and damaged property is balanced by the beneficial effect of reconstruction activity; there is rarely, the centre says, any sort of rebuilding boom, but in most cases sizeable indirect losses are avoided. A study of the 1993 Des Moines floods, from the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware , found that 70% of local businesses were no worse off after the disaster, and another 18% felt themselves better off. "Although it is commonly assumed on the basis of anecdotal evidence that disasters result in business failures and bankruptcies on a large scale, our research indicates that most businesses, even those that are especially hard hit, do indeed recover," the authors concluded. But disasters have a vast psychological impact, and markets are driven by psychological factors. In particular, many analysts warn of panic spreading unchecked through the global financial system, as investors seek to cover themselves against the unforeseeable effects of unguessable events. In fact, again, the risks here are lower than they seem. Even the costliest natural disaster is rendered minuscule by the global capital market currently 30 trillion and rising. A series of recent shocks, the Colorado centre has argued, have demonstrated that this seamless global contagion hardly ever happens: market tremors rarely translate into economic slumps, and economic woes rarely seriously undermine markets. The trillion dollar debts of Japan's banks, for example, have had no effect on stock markets further afield than Tokyo. And the US stock market was on its way down long before 11 September, 2001; it rose by 20% during the six months following the attacks. "It is not that the broking community is indifferent to disasters or feelings," one Bombay trader said this week. "But the reaction would have been seen if business had been affected. Business sense probably tends to overrule everything else."


The Scottish Football Association is awaiting referee Hugh Dallas's report before acting against Hearts winger Saulius Mikoliunas. Mikoliunas, 20, barged linesman Andy Davis, who had advised Dallas to award Rangers an injury time penalty in Hearts's 2 1 defeat at Tynecastle. "He was sent off for violent conduct in the 90th minute but we don't know if he did something else after the whistle. "We don't know how many red cards he was shown," said an SFA statement. Hearts could also face action after three fans were arrested for throwing coins on the pitch. Rangers' striker Dad Prso was also sent off during the same incident when he received a second yellow card for wrestling the ball away from Craig Gordon and leaving the Hearts keeper on the ground. The SFA said: "Once the referee's report comes in then we'll immediately look at things. "We don't normally get the reports until a couple of days after the game but we're well aware of what happened here. "Prso was sent off for two cautions, and that will just be a one match suspension." The SFA is certain to come down hard on Mikoliunas after Southampton's David Prutton was banned for 10 games on Wednesday by the English FA for shoving referee Alan Wiley. Hearts' boss John Robertson said: "Mikoliunas has thrown his chest against the assistant referee's chest and got a red card for it. "The officials have got to take into account the fact he's a young lad. "But people have got to take into account why he was incensed. Why were 10,000 Hearts fans incensed? "Why did nobody from the Rangers' bench claim for a penalty kick?" Rangers' boss Alex McLeish accepted referee Dallas had no option but to send Prso off. McLeish said: "I'm glad to see the spirit of the players fighting to the very end literally with Dado trying to get the ball back from Craig Gordon. "But it was over zealousness and I don't think Hugh had any option."


More than 5.2 million Germans were out of work in February, new figures show. The figure of 5.216 million people, or 12.6% of the working age population, is the highest jobless rate in Europe's biggest economy since the 1930s. The news comes as the head of Germany's panel of government economic advisers predicted growth would again stagnate. Speaking on German TV, Bert Ruerup said the panel's earlier forecast of 1.4% was too optimistic and warned growth would be just 1% in 2005. The German government is trying to tackle the stubbornly high levels of joblessness with a range of labour market reforms. At their centre is the "Hartz IV" programme introduced in January to shake up welfare benefits and push people back into work even if some of the jobs are heavily subsidised. The latest unemployment figures look set to increase the pressure on the government. Widely leaked to the German newspapers a day in advance, they produced screaming headlines criticising Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrat Green Party administration. Mr Schroeder had originally come into office promising to halve unemployment. Still, some measures suggest the picture is not quite so bleak. The soaring official unemployment figure follows a change in the methodology which pushed up the jobless rate by more than 500,000 in January. Adjusted for seasonal changes, the overall unemployment rate is 4.875 million people or 11.7%, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous month. Using the most internationally accepted methodology of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Germany had 3.97 million people out of work in January. And ILO based figures also suggest that 14,000 new net jobs were created that month, taking the number of people employed to 38.9 million. The ILO defines an unemployed person as someone who in the previous four weeks had actively looked for work they could take up immediately.