SetFit/ag_news · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Table hockey is too limited Of all the great things about being a hockey fan, reading stories about NHL management-labor strife is not one of them. But, rest assured, there is worse. To wit: reporting and writing stories about NHL management-labor strife (you can send notes of sympathy to the e-mail posted at the bottom of this report).	1	Sports
Pointing out alternatives It sounds as if Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge has been listening to one of those self-improvement tapes that repeat positive mantras. The message? quot;I am happy with my roster. I am happy with my roster. quot; It's clear he will go to great lengths (or is that great pains?) to convince fans and reporters that he is comfortable ...	1	Sports
Trojans pull rank on Virginia Tech -- barely LANDOVER, Md. -- It was a test of character not many people expected top-ranked Southern California would face so early in the season.	1	Sports
Woods is still the one -- but Singh is closing NORTON -- When things were going so well and the major championships were piling up and the records were falling into his possession, Tiger Woods was as close to invincible as golf has ever seen. He was so far and away the No. 1 player in the world that he couldn't see No. 2 with a telescope.	1	Sports
Leading role for Hamm ATHENS -- Mia Hamm will carry the flag for the US in tonight's closing ceremonies after being chosen in a vote of team members.	1	Sports
Emergency talks on Iraq hostages The French Prime Minister calls a crisis meeting to discuss the kidnapping of two French journalists in Iraq.	0	World
Resignation and fear pervade today #39;s elections in Chechnya Among the insurgents fighting in Chechnya #39;s long-running war for independence, Musost Khutiyev is known as a quot;national traitor.	0	World
22 held after Afghan gun battle; renegade clan leader seized US and Afghan soldiers detained 22 suspected Taliban members in a major search operation after a gun-fight in a southern Afghan mountain range, officials said yesterday.	0	World
Sometimes, Doctors Find Answers Far Off the Charts Sometimes, it is only when the patient is halfway out the door that important information spills out.	3	Sci/Tech
High-risk danger for Commerce Early in 2002, Commerce Insurance of Webster placed a nearly \$23,000 bet on the gubernatorial candidacy of Democrat Shannon O'Brien.	2	Business
With ads easier to dodge, companies eye new ways to get out the message It's a brave new world for advertisers. With digital recorders like TiVo , video-on-demand services from cable providers, and the nation's biggest cable company, Comcast , introducing cable boxes with built-in TiVo-style recorders, people can watch whatever they want whenever they want, gleefully fast-forwarding through every commercial break.	2	Business
Locking in the price of heating oil is no safe bet Heating oil prices are unusually high right now, so high that some analysts are wondering whether it's worthwhile for homeowners to try to lock in a price at these levels for the winter.	2	Business
Comcast to market new video recorder Starting tomorrow, Comcast Corp. will begin marketing an enhanced cable box to New Englanders that will accelerate a revolution that is changing television-watching habits, and the television industry itself. The Motorola box, which includes a TiVo -style digital video recorder, will allow millions of subscribers to watch shows on their own schedule and skip through the advertisements.	2	Business
In one man's view, leaders shortchange strategy In the 1990s, as their European rival Airbus Industrie gobbled up market share, senior executives at aircraft builder Boeing Co. -- aviation engineers, financial analysts, retired military brass -- spent hours at team meetings reviewing the Boeing advertising campaign.	2	Business
An insider's take on revamping US health policy Dr. Jerry Avorn brings convincing data and sharp analysis to ''Powerful Medicines, quot; his timely, challenging appraisal of health policy.	2	Business
Banks didn't merge to create more jobs To all who have been fired or laid off: This is life. Get over it (''Hundreds laid off at Fleet offices, quot; Aug. 19). Free markets allow for such things and when this merger happened, not a soul outside of the public relations people for the bank thought that this merger would take place without the loss of many positions. After ...	2	Business
Users hope eBay's stake won't ruin Craigslist WASHINGTON -- Ernie Miller, 38, offers a telling clue as to how www.craigslist.org became the Internet's go-to place to solve life's vexing problems.	2	Business
Fund newsletter parts Fool and his money In the late 1990s, Tom and David Gardner -- the brothers behind The Motley Fool online investment community -- regularly ridiculed mutual funds and the people who bought them.	2	Business
Wineries in South Africa give a boost to blacks ELGIN VALLEY, South Africa -- When South Africa held its first fully democratic elections in 1994, Patrick Kraukamp, a day laborer, was just starting a job as a forklift driver at the Paul Cluver wine estate in this lush mountain valley.	2	Business
Damage at Shi #146;ite cemetery stirs up complex feelings in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq -- Throughout the battle that smashed crypts, splintered memorial plaques, and scattered unexploded bombs across the Valley of Peace cemetery in Najaf, US troops painted the decision of the Mahdi Army rebels to fight among the graves as a sign of disrespect for the religion they say they defend.	0	World
Lawmaker says he #146;s been barred A top Hong Kong opposition lawmaker said he was barred from entering China yesterday, an incident that may fuel anti-Beijing sentiment in upcoming legislative elections. Law Chi-kwong of the Democratic Party said the mainland government assured him he could visit for six days, in what seemed to be a conciliatory gesture by the authorities, who have branded pro-democracy figures here ...	0	World
Distrust hurts effort to end polio in India GAYA, India -- Gearing up for the final push to wipe out polio, India has run into a hurdle in an eastern state, where poor, conservative communities are refusing to give polio drops to children because they distrust the medicine and its distributors.	0	World
Once-sacred spaces go condo in Montreal MONTREAL -- On a recent night, the Trimarchi men stood outside their favorite Italian restaurant, at the edge of this city's Little Italy section, and gazed disapprovingly at the cathedral-like structure across the street.	0	World
End to N. Korean crisis sought BEIJING -- China renewed a diplomatic push to try to solve the North Korean nuclear crisis with top-level visits yesterday Pyongyang and Seoul.	0	World
Dark chocolate found to aid blood flow MUNICH -- Good news for chocoholics: Eating dark chocolate improves healthy blood flow, according to research published today.	0	World
Holmes given Olympic honour Double gold medallist Kelly Holmes will carry GB flag at Athens closing ceremony.	1	Sports
WHAT THE PAPERS SAY Furious Wayne Rooney has begged Everton not to wreck his dream move to Old Trafford after Manchester United increased their offer for the wonderkid.	1	Sports
Format Helps Top Teams Stay on Top en teams spend more than \$1 billion every season to compete in Formula One, but only one has won the championship in half a decade.	1	Sports
Nokia and Vodafone Team Up on Mobile Java Standards The Java language is an object-oriented programming language created by James Gosling and other engineers at Sun Microsystems. It was developed in 1991, as part of the Green Project, and officially announced	3	Sci/Tech
Russian captures Pilot Pen for her third WTA title If one had any doubts about the invasion of teenage Russian tennis players impacting the WTA Tour, doubt no more. Anna Kournikova might be on an extended tennis hiatus but there #39;s	1	Sports
UA graduate places 19th on mountain bike ATHENS - Todd Wells, a graduate from the University of Arizona who still trains in Tucson during the winter, equaled the best performance by an American man in Olympic mountain biking Saturday.	1	Sports
Funk shakes off slow start Fred Funk needed a late rally yesterday on a sticky, steamy day to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Buick Championship.	1	Sports
Source: Colombian Cyclist Fails Drug Test (AP) AP - Colombian cyclist Maria Luisa Calle Williams has tested positive for a stimulant and could lose her bronze medal, Olympic officials said on Sunday.	1	Sports
Raw Eggs? Hair of the Dog? New Options for the Besotted Despite a barrage of new ideas, the hangover itself is imperfectly understood and a true cure remains elusive.	3	Sci/Tech
String Theory, at 20, Explains It All (or Not) String theorists agree that it has been a long, strange trip, but they still have faith that they will complete the journey.	3	Sci/Tech
Jobs of British Airways Directors Under Threat, Telegraph Says Three senior directors at British Airways Plc face pressure as Chief Executive Rod Eddington starts an investigation into last week #39;s flight delays, the Sunday Telegraph said, citing an unidentified executive at the airline.	2	Business
Now this is fantastic The journey had ended. All the years, all the games, all the moments were complete. They were girls again, Lisa and Dawn, and for a moment, everything else faded into the background.	1	Sports
McGill tames nerves, Berkleigh Jill McGill has dragged a knotted stomach around the LPGA Tour for nine years, turning every double bogey into reason for self-immolation.	1	Sports
Tape Shows Missing French Journalists CAIRO, Aug. 28 -- Islamic militants released a brief videotape showing two French journalists kidnapped recently in Iraq, saying they were holding the men to protest a French law banning head scarves in schools	0	World
Opposition groups boycott Prime Minister confidence vote ISLAMABAD: Opposition groups on Saturday boycotted the parliament session, convened for the vote of confidence of the new Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.	0	World
Dream in the tank ATHENSIt was like a funeral. One by one they came to pay their respects to Alexandre Despatie, widower of an Olympic dream to which he #39;d been married since childhood.	1	Sports
Silver lining navigated on high seas ATHENS -- US sailors needed a big day to bring home gold and bronze medals from the sailing finale here yesterday. But rolling the dice on windshifts and starting tactics backfired both in Star and Tornado classes, and the Americans had to settle for a single silver medal.	1	Sports
Focal point Mary Joe Fernandez was always known as a thoughtful, deliberate tennis player. And one of her most intelligent moves, she'll agree, came in 1999, toward the end of her decade-long career, when she was training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida and was asked to play a practice set against a 12-year-old upstart Russian named Maria Sharapova. quot;I ...	1	Sports
Lopez adds to trophy chest with ease ATHENS -- In the 2000 Games, the US taekwondo team brought four athletes to Sydney and won one medal, Steve Lopez taking the gold in the 150-pound division.	1	Sports
Earnhardt takes Sharpie 500 Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke out of a six-week slump last night with a convincing victory in the Sharpie 500, giving him a weekend sweep at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and momentum for the upcoming championship chase.	1	Sports
Beltre, Dodgers belt Mets Adrian Beltre went 5 for 5 with his major league-leading 42d home run, and the Los Angeles Dodgers got a pair of big pinch hits yesterday in a 4-2 victory over the Mets in New York.	1	Sports
Legendary double for El Guerrouj ATHENS -- In a historic 5,000-meter race, Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, who won gold at 1,500 meters last week, outkicked Ken enisa Bekele of Ethiopia in the final straightaway to record the first such double victory since the great Paavo Nurmi of Finland, El Guerrouj's hero, accomplished the feat 80 years ago at the 1924 Paris Olympics.	1	Sports
Dashing performances ATHENS -- We'll have to wait until the lab reports come back. This is the modern era of track and field after all, when it can take four years for Olympic results to become final (right, Jerome Young?). But when the last baton crossed the line here last night, the US team had turned in a heck of a meet, ...	1	Sports
Cuban influence benefits Thai ATHENS -- Yudel Johnson lost the gold medal to a shadow last night. The Cuban light welterweight was slickly outpointed by Thailand's Manus Boonjumnong at Peristeri Boxing Hall, 17-11, but what really beat him was Cuba's exporting of its coaches to a host of other countries.	1	Sports
Yankees destroy Jays With the New York Yankees' starting rotation struggling, the team's offense matched its biggest performance of the season.	1	Sports
Birdstone reigns during storm at the Travers SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Birdstone did it once, winning the Belmont Stakes, but he had to do it again to prove his class, and he accomplished the mission by capturing the 135th running of the \$1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga yesterday. Now, the retired Smarty Jones, defeated by Birdstone in the Belmont, has company atop the 3-year-old division.	1	Sports
Ramirez sits as injuries continue to bug The way Manny Ramirez knelt and grimaced in agony Friday night after he drilled a pitch off his knee, the possibility of him returning soon to the Red Sox lineup seemed remote. The contusion of Ramirez's left knee was serious enough to force him out of action last night, though the Sox hoped he could return today for the series ...	1	Sports
Notables The Yankees have won 10 of 12 this year against Toronto, which has lost five straight and 18 of 24.	1	Sports
Strike not called off, only deferred: Truckers A truckers #39; union on Sunday said its strike against a proposed service tax on the industry had not been called off, but temporarily deferred until contentious issues were sorted out.	2	Business
Move to block health deal The California Department of Insurance reaffirmed its opposition to the proposed WellPoint Inc. merger with fellow health care giant Anthem Inc.	2	Business
NK Faces Severe Environmental Problems: UN Pollution and deforestation in North Korea are exacerbating its serious food shortage problems, according to a UN report released Friday that outlines a range of environmental challenges facing Pyongyang.	3	Sci/Tech
Everything changed for Roddick after Open In cargo pants and a gray T-shirt, flanked by a couple of friends, Andy Roddick could have been a frat boy on the way to the movies.	1	Sports
IRAQ: Gripped by an uprising the US can #39;t defeat The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and blood smeared the deserted streets of Najaf #39;s Old City after heavy US air strikes on Shiite militia positions around Iraq #39;s revered Imam Ali shrine, reported Agence France-Presse on August 25.	0	World
Israeli troops kill armed Palestinian infiltrator : Israeli troops killed an armed Palestinian man early today as he tried to sneak into Southern Israel, the army said. Military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said troops	0	World
Rocket kills one Pakistani paramilitary scout A rocket attack killed one Pakistani paramilitary soldier and wounded eight more, three of them seriously, in the western tribal region where troops are hunting al Qaeda-linked militants, officials said on Sunday.	0	World
Clashes Break Out in Lebanon Refugee Camp (AP) AP - Armed clashes broke out Sunday between Palestinian supporters of Yasser Arafat and Islamic extremists in Lebanon's largest refugee camp, and officials said two people were killed, including a teenage girl on a balcony outside the camp who was hit by a stray bullet.	0	World
Australian PM Announces Oct. 9 Election (AP) AP - Prime Minister John Howard on Sunday called a national election for Oct. 9 which is likely to serve as a referendum on Australia's troop deployment in Iraq.	0	World
Bovina beats heat, Dechy in Pilot Pen final Bovina sweats out a victory: Elena Bovina of Russia withstood on-court heat of 100 degrees yesterday and beat Nathalie Dechy of France 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to win the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven, Conn.	1	Sports
China rallies to v-ball win Ping Zhang had 25 points yesterday as China came from two sets down to beat Russia for the gold medal in Olympic women #39;s volleyball.	1	Sports
Man dies in blast as Chechens go to polls OISKHARA, Russia - A man tried to bring a suspicious package into a polling station in Chechnya on Sunday, then died in an explosion as he ran away, the head of the Chechen election commission said on Russian television.	0	World
French PM calls emergency meeting over journalist hostage in Iraq French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin called an emergency ministerial meeting Sunday to discuss the kidnapping of two French journalists in Iraq, local media reported.	0	World
South Korea Files Petition on Scoring Error With CAS After 10 days of deliberation, the South Korean delegation to the Athens Olympics finally filed a petition on the case of Yang Tae-young, bronze medallist in the mens gymnastics individual	1	Sports
#39;Suspect Package #39; Man Dies in Polling Day Blast A man who tried to bring a suspicious package into a polling station in Chechnya today was killed in an explosion as he ran away, election officials said.	0	World
Howard, Latham battle for Oct 9 poll Prime Minister John Howard has ended the phoney election campaign, naming October 9 as the day he hopes to cement his place in history by winning a fourth consecutive term.	0	World
IDF kills gunman crawling toward security fence Early Sunday morning IDF soldiers shot at three Palestinian men who they spotted crawling two hundred meters from the security fence north of the Karni crossing in the Gaza Strip.	0	World
Blast Kills Man Near Chechen Voting Area OISKHARA, Russia - A man tried to bring a suspicious package to a polling station in Chechnya on Sunday during a presidential election, then died in an explosion as he ran away, the head of the Chechen election commision said on Russian television. The Chechens voted for a president to replace the Kremlin-backed leader who was killed in a bomb blast in May...	0	World
July market commentary Financial markets had a very tough month, characterised both low trading volumes and fears that the global economic recovery has slowed down.	2	Business
US Call Centers To Continue Migration Overseas - Report NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Call centers and agent positions in the US, a hot-button sector in the jobs outsourcing debate, will continue to migrate in the next few years	3	Sci/Tech
US troops battle in Shia slums BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shia militants and US forces battled in the Sadr City slums yesterday, and a mortar barrage slammed into a busy neighborhood in the capital in new violence that killed at least five Iraqis and wounded dozens of others.	0	World
India Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile NEW DELHI Aug. 29, 2004 - India test-launched a surface-to-surface missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons Sunday, a defense ministry spokesman said.	0	World
Composer reiterates anti-Jewish comments Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, who outraged Jews in November by calling them quot;the root of evil, quot; is at it again, this time saying Jews control the worlds banks and the mass media.	2	Business
What #39;s that sound? Bose is tinkering with the suspension Dr. Amar Bose is fascinated by drivers: those that make noise when wired to an electrical current, and those who pilot fast cars. And Bose, whose familiar name is embossed on elaborate automobile audio systems	3	Sci/Tech
Real dream team nails three-peat Maybe this is the end of an era. Dawn Staley has called it quits as an Olympic player. Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes can #39;t imagine playing without her.	1	Sports
Time out for Acuff Amy Acuff won #39;t leave the Olympics with a medal, but she will leave with thoughts of what could have been. The Calallen High School graduate settled for fourth, but	1	Sports
French Hostage Crisis Adds Tension to Headscarf Ban The kidnapping of two French journalists in Iraq has injected new tension into France #39;s debate over banning Islamic headscarves in schools just as Paris was hoping for a smooth start to the school year this week.	0	World
Lewinsky and Loos dish on kiss-and-tell after Clinton and Beckham (AFP) AFP - Kiss-and-tell queens Monica Lewinsky and Rebecca Loos, in a debate on media payments for interviews, came clean about dishing the dirt on Bill Clinton and David Beckham, but the former White House intern claimed her sex story sat on higher moral ground.	0	World
Bush has grand health plans; some are skeptical If Congress enacted President Bush #39;s entire health care agenda, campaign aides have asserted, as many as 10 million people who lack health	2	Business
Bush comes up big for top-ranked Trojans Running back Reggie Bush came out of the backfield to give Southern California a new big-play receiver. Bush caught three touchdown passes to help the top-ranked Trojans beat	1	Sports
Chechnya goes to polls; man blows himself up in Grozny Moscow, Aug. 29 (PTI): An unidentified man blew himself up today outside a polling station in Grozny during presidential elections in war-torn Caucasian province of Chechnya.	0	World
Australian leaders prepare for October poll Australia #39;s Prime Minister and the country #39;s main opposition leader say quot;trust quot; will be a key issue when voters go to the polls on October the ninth.	0	World
Three Dead, Several Wounded in Lebanon Camp Clash AIN EL-HILWEH, Lebanon (Reuters) - Three people were killed and several others wounded Sunday when unknown gunmen attacked members of a Palestinian faction in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, witnesses said.	0	World
Hang Up on This Stock Tip Last Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC to you and me) announced a warning against an investment scam that has caught several hundred people already.	2	Business
Athletics: A satisfying double distance twist ATHENS Nawal el-Moutawakel, the first Moroccan to win an Olympic gold medal, was in the mixed zone, avoiding interviews as deftly as she used to avoid hurdles, but then tonight el-Moutawakel was a fan instead of a star.	1	Sports
It #39;s a US women #39;s world When it comes to US Olympic basketball, men are from Mars and women are from Venus. And Venus is a much happier planet right now. On a day when the US men #39;s team settled	1	Sports
Gold for GB sprint four Britain #39;s Mark Lewis-Francis held off the USA #39;s Maurice Greene on the last leg to win a stunning gold medal in the men #39;s 4x100m relay.	1	Sports
India Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile (Reuters) Reuters - India successfully test fired\a long-range nuclear-capable Agni II missile off its eastern\coast of Orissa Sunday, a defense ministry spokesman said.	0	World
BA heads to roll over flights chaos ENIOR British Airways executives face the sack after the staff shortage fiasco that crippled the airline #39;s operations at Heathrow last week and threatens to do the same this bank holiday weekend.	2	Business
A tax shelter factory bared in KPMG memos KPMG, the accounting firm under scrutiny for promoting tax shelters that were found to be abusive, discussed selling a new shelter highly similar to a banned version more than two years after the US Internal Revenue Service outlawed the original one and	2	Business
India Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile India successfully test fired a long-range nuclear-capable Agni II missile off its eastern coast of Orissa Sunday, a defense ministry spokesman said.	0	World
Internet free speech laws, Chapter Whatever (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - Maybe you were out of town last week, or maybe you just weren't paying attention. That's OK. Here's a quick rundown of what you missed, culled from reports by our staff and wire services.	3	Sci/Tech
India test fires nuclear capable missile (Reuters) Reuters - India successfully test fired a long-range nuclear-capable Agni II missile off its eastern coast of Orissa on Sunday, a defence ministry spokesman said.	0	World
BCS situation is enough to give anyone a headache Actually, I just finished looking at the final BCS standings and could use a boost. More to the point, I could use an aspirin. So let me get this straight: Pittsburgh loses to Nebraska and Connecticut, narrowly	1	Sports
Quest for holy grail of game controllers The quest for a wireless, robust video game controller is a hit and miss task.	0	World
Florida recovers from Hurricane Charley Two weeks after it was hit by Hurricane Charley, Florida is open for business and welcoming visitors. The organisation Visit Florida, which offers advice to holidaymakers	2	Business
Sun, Dell Lead Server Sales Server shipments and revenue increased in the second quarter, as Sun Microsystems and Dell gained market share at the expense of Hewlett-Packard and IBM, according to research recently released by Gartner.	3	Sci/Tech

Table hockey is too limited Of all the great things about being a hockey fan, reading stories about NHL management-labor strife is not one of them. But, rest assured, there is worse. To wit: reporting and writing stories about NHL management-labor strife (you can send notes of sympathy to the e-mail posted at the bottom of this report).

1

Sports

Pointing out alternatives It sounds as if Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge has been listening to one of those self-improvement tapes that repeat positive mantras. The message? quot;I am happy with my roster. I am happy with my roster. quot; It's clear he will go to great lengths (or is that great pains?) to convince fans and reporters that he is comfortable ...

1

Sports

Trojans pull rank on Virginia Tech -- barely LANDOVER, Md. -- It was a test of character not many people expected top-ranked Southern California would face so early in the season.

1

Sports

Woods is still the one -- but Singh is closing NORTON -- When things were going so well and the major championships were piling up and the records were falling into his possession, Tiger Woods was as close to invincible as golf has ever seen. He was so far and away the No. 1 player in the world that he couldn't see No. 2 with a telescope.

1

Sports

Leading role for Hamm ATHENS -- Mia Hamm will carry the flag for the US in tonight's closing ceremonies after being chosen in a vote of team members.

1

Sports

Emergency talks on Iraq hostages The French Prime Minister calls a crisis meeting to discuss the kidnapping of two French journalists in Iraq.

0

World

Resignation and fear pervade today #39;s elections in Chechnya Among the insurgents fighting in Chechnya #39;s long-running war for independence, Musost Khutiyev is known as a quot;national traitor.

0

World

22 held after Afghan gun battle; renegade clan leader seized US and Afghan soldiers detained 22 suspected Taliban members in a major search operation after a gun-fight in a southern Afghan mountain range, officials said yesterday.

0

World

Sometimes, Doctors Find Answers Far Off the Charts Sometimes, it is only when the patient is halfway out the door that important information spills out.

3

Sci/Tech

High-risk danger for Commerce Early in 2002, Commerce Insurance of Webster placed a nearly \$23,000 bet on the gubernatorial candidacy of Democrat Shannon O'Brien.

2

Business

With ads easier to dodge, companies eye new ways to get out the message It's a brave new world for advertisers. With digital recorders like TiVo , video-on-demand services from cable providers, and the nation's biggest cable company, Comcast , introducing cable boxes with built-in TiVo-style recorders, people can watch whatever they want whenever they want, gleefully fast-forwarding through every commercial break.

2

Business

Locking in the price of heating oil is no safe bet Heating oil prices are unusually high right now, so high that some analysts are wondering whether it's worthwhile for homeowners to try to lock in a price at these levels for the winter.

2

Business

Comcast to market new video recorder Starting tomorrow, Comcast Corp. will begin marketing an enhanced cable box to New Englanders that will accelerate a revolution that is changing television-watching habits, and the television industry itself. The Motorola box, which includes a TiVo -style digital video recorder, will allow millions of subscribers to watch shows on their own schedule and skip through the advertisements.

2

Business

In one man's view, leaders shortchange strategy In the 1990s, as their European rival Airbus Industrie gobbled up market share, senior executives at aircraft builder Boeing Co. -- aviation engineers, financial analysts, retired military brass -- spent hours at team meetings reviewing the Boeing advertising campaign.

2

Business

An insider's take on revamping US health policy Dr. Jerry Avorn brings convincing data and sharp analysis to ''Powerful Medicines, quot; his timely, challenging appraisal of health policy.

2

Business

Banks didn't merge to create more jobs To all who have been fired or laid off: This is life. Get over it (''Hundreds laid off at Fleet offices, quot; Aug. 19). Free markets allow for such things and when this merger happened, not a soul outside of the public relations people for the bank thought that this merger would take place without the loss of many positions. After ...

2

Business

Users hope eBay's stake won't ruin Craigslist WASHINGTON -- Ernie Miller, 38, offers a telling clue as to how www.craigslist.org became the Internet's go-to place to solve life's vexing problems.

2

Business

Fund newsletter parts Fool and his money In the late 1990s, Tom and David Gardner -- the brothers behind The Motley Fool online investment community -- regularly ridiculed mutual funds and the people who bought them.

2

Business

Wineries in South Africa give a boost to blacks ELGIN VALLEY, South Africa -- When South Africa held its first fully democratic elections in 1994, Patrick Kraukamp, a day laborer, was just starting a job as a forklift driver at the Paul Cluver wine estate in this lush mountain valley.

2

Business

Damage at Shi #146;ite cemetery stirs up complex feelings in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq -- Throughout the battle that smashed crypts, splintered memorial plaques, and scattered unexploded bombs across the Valley of Peace cemetery in Najaf, US troops painted the decision of the Mahdi Army rebels to fight among the graves as a sign of disrespect for the religion they say they defend.

0

World

Lawmaker says he #146;s been barred A top Hong Kong opposition lawmaker said he was barred from entering China yesterday, an incident that may fuel anti-Beijing sentiment in upcoming legislative elections. Law Chi-kwong of the Democratic Party said the mainland government assured him he could visit for six days, in what seemed to be a conciliatory gesture by the authorities, who have branded pro-democracy figures here ...

0

World

Distrust hurts effort to end polio in India GAYA, India -- Gearing up for the final push to wipe out polio, India has run into a hurdle in an eastern state, where poor, conservative communities are refusing to give polio drops to children because they distrust the medicine and its distributors.

0

World

Once-sacred spaces go condo in Montreal MONTREAL -- On a recent night, the Trimarchi men stood outside their favorite Italian restaurant, at the edge of this city's Little Italy section, and gazed disapprovingly at the cathedral-like structure across the street.

0

World

End to N. Korean crisis sought BEIJING -- China renewed a diplomatic push to try to solve the North Korean nuclear crisis with top-level visits yesterday Pyongyang and Seoul.

0

World

Dark chocolate found to aid blood flow MUNICH -- Good news for chocoholics: Eating dark chocolate improves healthy blood flow, according to research published today.

0

World

Holmes given Olympic honour Double gold medallist Kelly Holmes will carry GB flag at Athens closing ceremony.

1

Sports

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY Furious Wayne Rooney has begged Everton not to wreck his dream move to Old Trafford after Manchester United increased their offer for the wonderkid.

1

Sports

Format Helps Top Teams Stay on Top en teams spend more than \$1 billion every season to compete in Formula One, but only one has won the championship in half a decade.

1

Sports

Nokia and Vodafone Team Up on Mobile Java Standards The Java language is an object-oriented programming language created by James Gosling and other engineers at Sun Microsystems. It was developed in 1991, as part of the Green Project, and officially announced

3

Sci/Tech

Russian captures Pilot Pen for her third WTA title If one had any doubts about the invasion of teenage Russian tennis players impacting the WTA Tour, doubt no more. Anna Kournikova might be on an extended tennis hiatus but there #39;s

1

Sports

UA graduate places 19th on mountain bike ATHENS - Todd Wells, a graduate from the University of Arizona who still trains in Tucson during the winter, equaled the best performance by an American man in Olympic mountain biking Saturday.

1

Sports

Funk shakes off slow start Fred Funk needed a late rally yesterday on a sticky, steamy day to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Buick Championship.

1

Sports

Source: Colombian Cyclist Fails Drug Test (AP) AP - Colombian cyclist Maria Luisa Calle Williams has tested positive for a stimulant and could lose her bronze medal, Olympic officials said on Sunday.

1

Sports

Raw Eggs? Hair of the Dog? New Options for the Besotted Despite a barrage of new ideas, the hangover itself is imperfectly understood and a true cure remains elusive.

3

Sci/Tech

String Theory, at 20, Explains It All (or Not) String theorists agree that it has been a long, strange trip, but they still have faith that they will complete the journey.

3

Sci/Tech

Jobs of British Airways Directors Under Threat, Telegraph Says Three senior directors at British Airways Plc face pressure as Chief Executive Rod Eddington starts an investigation into last week #39;s flight delays, the Sunday Telegraph said, citing an unidentified executive at the airline.

2

Business

Now this is fantastic The journey had ended. All the years, all the games, all the moments were complete. They were girls again, Lisa and Dawn, and for a moment, everything else faded into the background.

1

Sports

McGill tames nerves, Berkleigh Jill McGill has dragged a knotted stomach around the LPGA Tour for nine years, turning every double bogey into reason for self-immolation.

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Tape Shows Missing French Journalists CAIRO, Aug. 28 -- Islamic militants released a brief videotape showing two French journalists kidnapped recently in Iraq, saying they were holding the men to protest a French law banning head scarves in schools

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World

Opposition groups boycott Prime Minister confidence vote ISLAMABAD: Opposition groups on Saturday boycotted the parliament session, convened for the vote of confidence of the new Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

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World

Dream in the tank ATHENSIt was like a funeral. One by one they came to pay their respects to Alexandre Despatie, widower of an Olympic dream to which he #39;d been married since childhood.

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Sports

Silver lining navigated on high seas ATHENS -- US sailors needed a big day to bring home gold and bronze medals from the sailing finale here yesterday. But rolling the dice on windshifts and starting tactics backfired both in Star and Tornado classes, and the Americans had to settle for a single silver medal.

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Sports

Focal point Mary Joe Fernandez was always known as a thoughtful, deliberate tennis player. And one of her most intelligent moves, she'll agree, came in 1999, toward the end of her decade-long career, when she was training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida and was asked to play a practice set against a 12-year-old upstart Russian named Maria Sharapova. quot;I ...

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Sports

Lopez adds to trophy chest with ease ATHENS -- In the 2000 Games, the US taekwondo team brought four athletes to Sydney and won one medal, Steve Lopez taking the gold in the 150-pound division.

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Sports

Earnhardt takes Sharpie 500 Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke out of a six-week slump last night with a convincing victory in the Sharpie 500, giving him a weekend sweep at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and momentum for the upcoming championship chase.

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Sports

Beltre, Dodgers belt Mets Adrian Beltre went 5 for 5 with his major league-leading 42d home run, and the Los Angeles Dodgers got a pair of big pinch hits yesterday in a 4-2 victory over the Mets in New York.

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Sports

Legendary double for El Guerrouj ATHENS -- In a historic 5,000-meter race, Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, who won gold at 1,500 meters last week, outkicked Ken enisa Bekele of Ethiopia in the final straightaway to record the first such double victory since the great Paavo Nurmi of Finland, El Guerrouj's hero, accomplished the feat 80 years ago at the 1924 Paris Olympics.

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Dashing performances ATHENS -- We'll have to wait until the lab reports come back. This is the modern era of track and field after all, when it can take four years for Olympic results to become final (right, Jerome Young?). But when the last baton crossed the line here last night, the US team had turned in a heck of a meet, ...

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Cuban influence benefits Thai ATHENS -- Yudel Johnson lost the gold medal to a shadow last night. The Cuban light welterweight was slickly outpointed by Thailand's Manus Boonjumnong at Peristeri Boxing Hall, 17-11, but what really beat him was Cuba's exporting of its coaches to a host of other countries.

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Yankees destroy Jays With the New York Yankees' starting rotation struggling, the team's offense matched its biggest performance of the season.

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Sports

Birdstone reigns during storm at the Travers SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Birdstone did it once, winning the Belmont Stakes, but he had to do it again to prove his class, and he accomplished the mission by capturing the 135th running of the \$1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga yesterday. Now, the retired Smarty Jones, defeated by Birdstone in the Belmont, has company atop the 3-year-old division.

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Sports

Ramirez sits as injuries continue to bug The way Manny Ramirez knelt and grimaced in agony Friday night after he drilled a pitch off his knee, the possibility of him returning soon to the Red Sox lineup seemed remote. The contusion of Ramirez's left knee was serious enough to force him out of action last night, though the Sox hoped he could return today for the series ...

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Sports

Notables The Yankees have won 10 of 12 this year against Toronto, which has lost five straight and 18 of 24.

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Sports

Strike not called off, only deferred: Truckers A truckers #39; union on Sunday said its strike against a proposed service tax on the industry had not been called off, but temporarily deferred until contentious issues were sorted out.

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Business

Move to block health deal The California Department of Insurance reaffirmed its opposition to the proposed WellPoint Inc. merger with fellow health care giant Anthem Inc.

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Business

NK Faces Severe Environmental Problems: UN Pollution and deforestation in North Korea are exacerbating its serious food shortage problems, according to a UN report released Friday that outlines a range of environmental challenges facing Pyongyang.

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Sci/Tech

Everything changed for Roddick after Open In cargo pants and a gray T-shirt, flanked by a couple of friends, Andy Roddick could have been a frat boy on the way to the movies.

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Sports

IRAQ: Gripped by an uprising the US can #39;t defeat The smell of burnt flesh filled the air and blood smeared the deserted streets of Najaf #39;s Old City after heavy US air strikes on Shiite militia positions around Iraq #39;s revered Imam Ali shrine, reported Agence France-Presse on August 25.

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Israeli troops kill armed Palestinian infiltrator : Israeli troops killed an armed Palestinian man early today as he tried to sneak into Southern Israel, the army said. Military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said troops

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World

Rocket kills one Pakistani paramilitary scout A rocket attack killed one Pakistani paramilitary soldier and wounded eight more, three of them seriously, in the western tribal region where troops are hunting al Qaeda-linked militants, officials said on Sunday.

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World

Clashes Break Out in Lebanon Refugee Camp (AP) AP - Armed clashes broke out Sunday between Palestinian supporters of Yasser Arafat and Islamic extremists in Lebanon's largest refugee camp, and officials said two people were killed, including a teenage girl on a balcony outside the camp who was hit by a stray bullet.

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Australian PM Announces Oct. 9 Election (AP) AP - Prime Minister John Howard on Sunday called a national election for Oct. 9 which is likely to serve as a referendum on Australia's troop deployment in Iraq.

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World

Bovina beats heat, Dechy in Pilot Pen final Bovina sweats out a victory: Elena Bovina of Russia withstood on-court heat of 100 degrees yesterday and beat Nathalie Dechy of France 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to win the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven, Conn.

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Sports

China rallies to v-ball win Ping Zhang had 25 points yesterday as China came from two sets down to beat Russia for the gold medal in Olympic women #39;s volleyball.

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Sports

Man dies in blast as Chechens go to polls OISKHARA, Russia - A man tried to bring a suspicious package into a polling station in Chechnya on Sunday, then died in an explosion as he ran away, the head of the Chechen election commission said on Russian television.

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French PM calls emergency meeting over journalist hostage in Iraq French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin called an emergency ministerial meeting Sunday to discuss the kidnapping of two French journalists in Iraq, local media reported.

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World

South Korea Files Petition on Scoring Error With CAS After 10 days of deliberation, the South Korean delegation to the Athens Olympics finally filed a petition on the case of Yang Tae-young, bronze medallist in the mens gymnastics individual

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#39;Suspect Package #39; Man Dies in Polling Day Blast A man who tried to bring a suspicious package into a polling station in Chechnya today was killed in an explosion as he ran away, election officials said.

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Howard, Latham battle for Oct 9 poll Prime Minister John Howard has ended the phoney election campaign, naming October 9 as the day he hopes to cement his place in history by winning a fourth consecutive term.

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IDF kills gunman crawling toward security fence Early Sunday morning IDF soldiers shot at three Palestinian men who they spotted crawling two hundred meters from the security fence north of the Karni crossing in the Gaza Strip.

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World

Blast Kills Man Near Chechen Voting Area OISKHARA, Russia - A man tried to bring a suspicious package to a polling station in Chechnya on Sunday during a presidential election, then died in an explosion as he ran away, the head of the Chechen election commision said on Russian television. The Chechens voted for a president to replace the Kremlin-backed leader who was killed in a bomb blast in May...

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July market commentary Financial markets had a very tough month, characterised both low trading volumes and fears that the global economic recovery has slowed down.

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Business

US Call Centers To Continue Migration Overseas - Report NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Call centers and agent positions in the US, a hot-button sector in the jobs outsourcing debate, will continue to migrate in the next few years

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Sci/Tech

US troops battle in Shia slums BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shia militants and US forces battled in the Sadr City slums yesterday, and a mortar barrage slammed into a busy neighborhood in the capital in new violence that killed at least five Iraqis and wounded dozens of others.

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India Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile NEW DELHI Aug. 29, 2004 - India test-launched a surface-to-surface missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons Sunday, a defense ministry spokesman said.

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World

Composer reiterates anti-Jewish comments Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, who outraged Jews in November by calling them quot;the root of evil, quot; is at it again, this time saying Jews control the worlds banks and the mass media.

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Business

What #39;s that sound? Bose is tinkering with the suspension Dr. Amar Bose is fascinated by drivers: those that make noise when wired to an electrical current, and those who pilot fast cars. And Bose, whose familiar name is embossed on elaborate automobile audio systems

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Sci/Tech

Real dream team nails three-peat Maybe this is the end of an era. Dawn Staley has called it quits as an Olympic player. Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes can #39;t imagine playing without her.

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Sports

Time out for Acuff Amy Acuff won #39;t leave the Olympics with a medal, but she will leave with thoughts of what could have been. The Calallen High School graduate settled for fourth, but

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Sports

French Hostage Crisis Adds Tension to Headscarf Ban The kidnapping of two French journalists in Iraq has injected new tension into France #39;s debate over banning Islamic headscarves in schools just as Paris was hoping for a smooth start to the school year this week.

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World

Lewinsky and Loos dish on kiss-and-tell after Clinton and Beckham (AFP) AFP - Kiss-and-tell queens Monica Lewinsky and Rebecca Loos, in a debate on media payments for interviews, came clean about dishing the dirt on Bill Clinton and David Beckham, but the former White House intern claimed her sex story sat on higher moral ground.

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World

Bush has grand health plans; some are skeptical If Congress enacted President Bush #39;s entire health care agenda, campaign aides have asserted, as many as 10 million people who lack health

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Business

Bush comes up big for top-ranked Trojans Running back Reggie Bush came out of the backfield to give Southern California a new big-play receiver. Bush caught three touchdown passes to help the top-ranked Trojans beat

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Sports

Chechnya goes to polls; man blows himself up in Grozny Moscow, Aug. 29 (PTI): An unidentified man blew himself up today outside a polling station in Grozny during presidential elections in war-torn Caucasian province of Chechnya.

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Australian leaders prepare for October poll Australia #39;s Prime Minister and the country #39;s main opposition leader say quot;trust quot; will be a key issue when voters go to the polls on October the ninth.

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Three Dead, Several Wounded in Lebanon Camp Clash AIN EL-HILWEH, Lebanon (Reuters) - Three people were killed and several others wounded Sunday when unknown gunmen attacked members of a Palestinian faction in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, witnesses said.

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World

Hang Up on This Stock Tip Last Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC to you and me) announced a warning against an investment scam that has caught several hundred people already.

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Business

Athletics: A satisfying double distance twist ATHENS Nawal el-Moutawakel, the first Moroccan to win an Olympic gold medal, was in the mixed zone, avoiding interviews as deftly as she used to avoid hurdles, but then tonight el-Moutawakel was a fan instead of a star.

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Sports

It #39;s a US women #39;s world When it comes to US Olympic basketball, men are from Mars and women are from Venus. And Venus is a much happier planet right now. On a day when the US men #39;s team settled

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Sports

Gold for GB sprint four Britain #39;s Mark Lewis-Francis held off the USA #39;s Maurice Greene on the last leg to win a stunning gold medal in the men #39;s 4x100m relay.

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Sports

India Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile (Reuters) Reuters - India successfully test fired\a long-range nuclear-capable Agni II missile off its eastern\coast of Orissa Sunday, a defense ministry spokesman said.

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World

BA heads to roll over flights chaos ENIOR British Airways executives face the sack after the staff shortage fiasco that crippled the airline #39;s operations at Heathrow last week and threatens to do the same this bank holiday weekend.

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Business

A tax shelter factory bared in KPMG memos KPMG, the accounting firm under scrutiny for promoting tax shelters that were found to be abusive, discussed selling a new shelter highly similar to a banned version more than two years after the US Internal Revenue Service outlawed the original one and

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Business

India Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile India successfully test fired a long-range nuclear-capable Agni II missile off its eastern coast of Orissa Sunday, a defense ministry spokesman said.

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Internet free speech laws, Chapter Whatever (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - Maybe you were out of town last week, or maybe you just weren't paying attention. That's OK. Here's a quick rundown of what you missed, culled from reports by our staff and wire services.

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Sci/Tech

India test fires nuclear capable missile (Reuters) Reuters - India successfully test fired a long-range nuclear-capable Agni II missile off its eastern coast of Orissa on Sunday, a defence ministry spokesman said.

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World

BCS situation is enough to give anyone a headache Actually, I just finished looking at the final BCS standings and could use a boost. More to the point, I could use an aspirin. So let me get this straight: Pittsburgh loses to Nebraska and Connecticut, narrowly

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Sports

Quest for holy grail of game controllers The quest for a wireless, robust video game controller is a hit and miss task.

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World

Florida recovers from Hurricane Charley Two weeks after it was hit by Hurricane Charley, Florida is open for business and welcoming visitors. The organisation Visit Florida, which offers advice to holidaymakers

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Business

Sun, Dell Lead Server Sales Server shipments and revenue increased in the second quarter, as Sun Microsystems and Dell gained market share at the expense of Hewlett-Packard and IBM, according to research recently released by Gartner.

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Sci/Tech