SetFit/ag_news · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Cycling: Hamilton wins time trial VOULIAGMENI Tyler Hamilton of the United States won the men #39;s time trial gold medal Wednesday, beating defending champion Viatcheslav Ekimov of Russia and another American, Bobby Julich.	1	Sports
Jail for Olympic pool jump ATHENS (Reuters) - A Canadian man advertising an online gaming site, who broke security and jumped into the Olympic diving pool, has been given a five-month prison term for trespassing and disturbing public order, court officials say.	1	Sports
Leaders Threatened by Terrorist Groups Large and Small The vulnerability of world leaders to terrorist attack was starkly exposed again today by the discovery of a bomb near Tony Blair #39;s holiday villa on Sardinia.	0	World
Food crisis worsens in North Korea BEIJING The collapse of North Korea #39;s economy has caused food prices there to skyrocket and created new groups of people who cannot afford to buy what they need to live, the World Food Program said on Wednesday.	0	World
German investor confidence surges BERLIN - German investor confidence posted a surprise jump in December as relief over falling oil prices helped to offset concerns about the impact of a surging euro on growth in Europe #39;s biggest economy.	0	World
EU Weighs Tougher Conditions for Talks With Turkey (Update1) European Union governments may impose tougher conditions on entry talks with Turkey in response to demands by France, Austria and Cyprus, a draft EU compromise shows.	0	World
Airlines to Cut Flights at Chicago O'Hare WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. airlines have agreed to limit flights into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to 88 arrivals per hour between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. in an effort to cut congestion that has slowed the whole U.S. aviation system, federal officials said on Wednesday.	2	Business
FAA: Flight-Reduction Deal Set for O #39;Hare WASHINGTON Aug. 18, 2004 Federal officials have reached a temporary agreement to ease congestion at Chicago #39;s O #39;Hare International Airport that calls for a reduction of 37 daily arrivals by United Airlines and American Airlines, officials said ...	2	Business
Italy #39;s Parmalat sues ex-auditors Italian food giant Parmalat is suing its former auditors over their dealings with the insolvent group before its near collapse last December.	2	Business
Update 2: Swisscom Confirms May Merge With Firm Telecommunications companies Swisscom AG and Telekom Austria AG are in talks over a possible merger, Swisscom said.	2	Business
Cox directors look at proposed buyout Cox Communications Inc. is a step closer to going private, with the cable giant #39;s board of directors forming a special committee of independent directors to consider the Cox Enterprises Inc. proposal to take the company private in a \$7.9 billion buyout.	2	Business
Cassini Probe Discovers Tiny Saturnian Moons Two tiny moons orbiting Saturn -- each measuring around two miles in diameter -- are the latest discovery of the Cassini spacecraft. They are located between the orbits of moons Mimas and Enceladus, a surprise to scientists who thought such ...	3	Sci/Tech
MS Host Integration Server 2004 Is Weeks Away Starting September 1, 2004, Microsoft will make available Host Integration Server (HIS) 2004 for companies that have been wanting to open their mainframe assets up to deeper integration with Windows-based servers, software and the promise of ...	3	Sci/Tech
Figo takes break from international game MADRID, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Portugal captain Luis Figo said on Wednesday he was taking an indefinite break from international football, but would not confirm whether his decision was final.	1	Sports
Van Basten entrusts Dutch captaincy to Davids AMSTERDAM, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Midfielder Edgar Davids #39;s leadership qualities and never-say-die attitude have earned him the captaincy of the Netherlands under new coach Marco van Basten.	1	Sports
Russia #39;s Korzhanenko wins women #39;s shot put; American favorites eliminated US medal favorites John Godina and Reese Hoffa were eliminated from the shot put competition, ending hopes of an American sweep.	1	Sports
US rowers advances in photo finish SCHINIAS, Greece (AP) The early success of the first black Olympic rower on the US men #39;s team and his Navy officer partner was supposed to end Wednesday.	1	Sports
Sadr calls for Najaf ceasefire BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his followers are ready to leave the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf if American-led forces pull back from the holy Shi #39;ite site, an aide to Sadr says.	0	World
Dhiren to father, Abu Musa to al Qaeda According to British cops he is Dhiren Barot to his father and Abu Musa al-Hindi to Al Qaeda. On Wednesday India-born Barot alias al-Hindi, along with seven men of Pakistani origin, arrested in anti-terror raids and charged with plotting radioactive, ...	0	World
Terrified neighbours see dog kill owner A 39-year-old woman was savaged to death by her pet bull mastiff dog yesterday. Terrified elderly neighbours could only look on as the fatal attack, which started inside Carol Leeanne Taylor #39;s home in the Dunedin suburb of Caversham, spilled on to the ...	0	World
Garrison gets new contract; King retires WHITE PLAINS, NY -- Zina Garrison was given a one-year contract to stay on as US Fed Cup captain, while Billie Jean King retired Tuesday as a coach for the team.	1	Sports
VARSITY MATCH Oxford regained the MMC Trophy with a hard-fought 18-11 win over Cambridge in the Varsity match at Twickenham. Jon Fennell kicked Oxford into an early lead, but a well-worked try from Fergie Gladstone saw Cambridge hit back.	1	Sports
Nintendo Game Machine Gets Good US Start The new portable video-game machine from Nintendo Co. is selling briskly in both the United States and Japan and the company is well on its way to reaching a target of selling 5 million units by April next year.	3	Sci/Tech
Fledgling Thunderbird takes on Outlook Not content with eating into Microsoft #39;s share of the browser market with Firefox, the Mozilla Foundation has released an open-source email client to rival Outlook.	3	Sci/Tech
Cybersecurity post needs a promotion, firms say The US government is not taking cybersecurity seriously enough and should spend more money and energy on the topic, a group of computer security firms said Tuesday.	3	Sci/Tech
Toyota strikes satellite radio deals with rivals XM, Sirius Rivals XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio both have ventured again to the automotive industry in their latest efforts to land new subscribers, announcing separate distribution agreements Tuesday with Toyota Motor Corp.	2	Business
AT amp;T Wins \$1B Treasury Contract VIENNA, Va. -- AT amp;T Government Solutions and its team of subcontractors have been chosen by the Treasury Department to build and deploy the largest civilian agency network, serving more than 1,000 domestic	2	Business
UPDATE 1-SEC, NASD probing Jefferies trader #39;s gifts -WSJ US market regulators are looking into whether a Jefferies Group Inc. (JEF.N: Quote, Profile, Research) trader violated rules that prohibit expensive gift-giving in a bid to curry	2	Business
Report: J amp;J in Talks to Acquire Guidant Health care giant Johnson amp; Johnson is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire medical device maker Guidant Corp. for more than \$24 billion.	2	Business
Google Slashes IPO, SEC OK Expected Today NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.	2	Business
Stocks Up; Traders Eye Crude Oil Prices NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks made gains on Wednesday as investors bought beaten-down shares, while strength in oil prices pushed up energy companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=XOM.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">XOM.N</A>	2	Business
Houston serious about keeping its superstar center fielder Winter meetings kick off on Friday in Anaheim. BALCO aside, it #39;s been a quiet baseball offseason, but that #39;s about to change.	1	Sports
Charley May Cost Insurers \$7.4 Billion, Industry Says (Update1) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Charley will probably cost insurers \$7.4 billion, according to the first loss estimate based on insurance claims.	2	Business
Parmalat sues ex-auditors Deloitte, Grant Thornton MILAN, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Parmalat sued its former auditors Deloitte amp; Touche and Grant Thornton on Wednesday, broadening a legal battle to claw back billions of euros from ex-allies the food group says helped drive it into ...	2	Business
Barclays Buys CIBC US Credit Card Unit for \$293 Mln (Update5) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc, the UK #39;s third-biggest lender by assets, agreed to buy the US credit card business of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for \$293 million to expand into the world #39;s biggest credit card market.	2	Business
Tap, Eat, N Go Forget quot;super-sized, quot; McDonald #39;s is going for quot;super-fast quot; service. The nation #39;s largest quick serve restaurant chain is getting ready to test a system that enables customers to tap or wave the new quot;PayPass MasterCard quot; on or near a specially equipped ...	2	Business
Broadband used by 51 percent of online population For the first time, broadband connections are reaching more than half (51 percent) of the American online population at home, according to measurement taken in July by Nielsen/NetRatings, a Milpitas-based Internet audience measurement and research ...	3	Sci/Tech
Canadian who leaped into Olympic pays the price for 15 minutes of fame ATHENS (CP) - The Canadian who embarrassed Olympic officials by jumping into a Games swimming pool during a diving competition wearing a skirt and advertising an on-line casino has paid the price for his 15 minutes of fame.	1	Sports
Els targets improved putting after Whistling Straits woes LONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Ernie Els has set his sights on an improved putting display at this week #39;s WGC-NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio after the disappointment of tying for fourth at the US PGA Championship on Sunday.	1	Sports
8 terror suspects, including alleged al-Qaida figure, charged in Britain LONDON (AP) - Eight suspects, including a man identified in the United States as a senior al-Qaida figure, appeared in court under heavy guard Wednesday as police investigated an alleged plot to commit murder and cause mayhem with chemicals, radioactive ...	0	World
UN rights envoys urge probe into Burundi massacre GENEVA, Aug 18 (Reuters) - United Nations human rights investigators on Wednesday called on Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo to identify and hold accountable those behind the massacre of at least 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees.	0	World
One Hamas leader survived assassination; five Palestinians killed in an Israeli bombardment in Gaza Five Palestinians were killed and other seven injured today at dawn in an Israeli air raid carried out by one Israeli helicopter at the house of a leading figure from the Islamic resistance movement ( Hamas) in al-Shuja #39;eya quarters to the east of Gaza.	0	World
Swiss to hand back more Abacha funds Switzerland is to hand back to Nigeria SFr622 million (\$500 million) belonging to the former ruler, Sani Abacha, and his family.	0	World
WFP Relying On Airdrops To Bring Food In West Darfur Mud continues to be one of the biggest obstacles to relief efforts in Sudan #39;s Darfur region. Heavy rains have washed out roads and airstrips and the rainy season is expected to last another month or two.	0	World
Late try gives Oxford win Ross Lavery scored a try two minutes from the end as Oxford University defeated Cambridge 18-11 at Twickenham on Tuesday in another tight finish to the annual University rugby match.	1	Sports
Dell trims PC prices for business clients Dell cut prices on some servers and PCs by as much as 22 percent because it #39;s paying less for parts. The company will pass the savings on components such as memory and liquid crystal displays	3	Sci/Tech
NASA #39;s Return to Flight on Track, Shuttle Officials Say NASA (news - web sites) is close to meeting all of the return-to-flight safety requirements set by Columbia accident investigators and should be able to launch a shuttle by May 2005, shuttle program officials said today.	3	Sci/Tech
What's Google Minus \$10 Billion? Google drops its price and shares offered. Its magic: turning the hottest IPO in history into a disaster.	2	Business
Wind River's Smooth Sailing (The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - Investors have unloaded on many software companies lately, such as Red Hat (Nasdaq: RHAT - News), Siebel (Nasdaq: SEBL - News), Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL - News), and so on. However, with the markets perking up this week, investors are a little more sanguine about the sector -- at least for those stocks that exceed expectations.	3	Sci/Tech
Teleportation goes long distance Physicists teleport particles of light a distance of 600m across the River Danube in Austria, the journal Nature reports.	3	Sci/Tech
Europe Is Warned of Changing Climate (AP) AP - Rising sea levels, disappearing glaciers in the Alps and more deadly heat waves are coming for Europeans because of global warming, Europe's environmental agency warned Wednesday.	3	Sci/Tech
Clinton: Ex-President Inaugurates China-Backed Internet Search <b>...</b> Former President Bill Clinton helped launch a new Internet search firm that claims better results for its engine than Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ). The firm is called Accoona, from the Swahili phrase	2	Business
High court hears dispute over Michigan interstate wine sales SUPREME COURT The US Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that could lead to sweeping changes on how alcoholic beverages are regulated and sold.	2	Business
Stocks Move Higher on Mixed Economic Data Stocks inched higher Tuesday as investors saw the bright side of mixed economic data and rumors about big merger deals, including a report that consumer products giant Johnson amp; Johnson is in talks to purchase a leading medical device maker.	2	Business
IBM: Do We Have a Deal? China #39;s biggest computer maker said it is in acquisition talks with a major international technology company, a disclosure that comes amid reports it might buy IBM #39;s personal computer business.	2	Business
Three IPOs Trim Price Ranges Wednesday Three new stocks scheduled to begin trading this week - including Google Inc. #39;s highly anticipated initial public offering - slashed their expected price ranges Wednesday morning as the IPO market readies for a one-month break from trading debuts after ...	2	Business
Oil at \$47, Economic Impact Seen as Muted LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices surged to a new high above \$47 a barrel on Wednesday on evidence that energy costs are not substantially slowing the economic growth that fuels oil demand.	2	Business
McDonald #39;s testing deli sandwiches in Louisville, other markets McDonald #39;s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) plans to expand a test market of five types of deli-style sandwiches to Louisville and three other cities, according to reports.	2	Business
Netscape #39;s Official New Browser is Out AOL (Quote, Chart) developers have rolled out a new version of its venerable Netscape browser, version 7.2.	3	Sci/Tech
Kenteris, Thanou Quit Games; Thorpe Record Bid Fails (Update6) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Olympic medalists Kostas Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou quit the Athens Games, overshadowing the start of track and field events on the fifth day of competition. Venus Williams and Andy Roddick were eliminated from the tennis.	1	Sports
Roddick, Williams eliminated from Olympic tennis CBC SPORTS ONLINE - American tennis sensation Andy Roddick #39;s Olympic dreams are over after a straight set loss to No. 16 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in third-round action Wednesday.	1	Sports
Giambi calls strain #39;nothing serious #39; New York Yankees: First baseman Jason Giambi continued his upper body workout and ran in an indoor pool Wednesday, one day after mildly straining his groin.	1	Sports
Olympics: Venus out of Olympics ATHENS : Title-holder Venus Williams of the United States crashed out of the Olympic women #39;s singles tennis tournament here losing a third round tie 6-4, 6-4 to France #39;s Mary Pierce.	1	Sports
Sadr calls for Najaf ceasefire NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Radical Shi #39;ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has agreed to disarm his Iraqi militia and leave a holy shrine but only after a truce with encircling US marines.	0	World
Something's Brewing at Diedrich Coffee The Starbucks competitor will sell its international franchise business to battle at home.	2	Business
Report: Palestinians, Israel Back Peace Plan CAIRO (Reuters) - Palestinians and Israelis have agreed in principle to proposals aiming to end their conflict, Egypt's official news agency MENA said Tuesday.	0	World
State Dept. Warns of Violence in Laos (AP) AP - The State Department is advising Americans traveling or living in Laos to take precautions and avoid areas likely to be hit by continuing violence.	0	World
VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Driv3r Plot Is Tedious (AP) AP - Atari could have redefined guns and gas pedal mayhem with the much anticipated "Driv3r" (pronounced Driver 3), the latest installment in a series of bad-boy-driving-'n'-violence titles. But there's nothing new here to see #151; nothing new graphically, emotionally, or functionally in the way of game play.	3	Sci/Tech
Credit Suisse to Focus on Investment Bank ZURICH (Reuters) - Credit Suisse plans to focus its investment banking activities on high-margin business and float off insurer Winterthur in a long-awaited revamp aimed at boosting the earnings power of Europe's 10th-largest bank.	2	Business
U.S. Economic Outlook Dims a Bit WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economic outlook dimmed somewhat on Tuesday after reports said business productivity grew more slowly in the third quarter than first estimated, labor costs rose and other indicators signaled softening activity.	2	Business
Workers fight bad weather to give aid to storm-ravaged Philippines; 740 dead (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - REAL, Philippines (AP) - Relief crews battling walls of mud and lashing rain to reach villages still isolated days after back-to-back storms devastated the northeastern Philippines have found 51 more bodies, taking the death toll to at least 740 people, officials said Tuesday.	0	World
Update 3: Bank of America Cuts Some Fleet Workers Bank of America Corp. laid off an unspecified number of employees Wednesday at hundreds of Fleet Bank branches, a byproduct of the merger of the two banks, a company spokeswoman said.	2	Business
SEC Bars Mutual Fund Payoffs to Brokers WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US Securities and Exchange Commission pushed ahead on Wednesday with reforms of the \$7.5-trillion mutual fund industry amid scandals that have shaken fund investors #39; confidence.	2	Business
Barclays buys Juniper Financial for \$293M LONDON (AP) British bank Barclays PLC gained its first toehold in the US consumer banking market Wednesday, saying it would buy credit-card company Juniper Financial Corp. from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for \$293 million in cash.	2	Business
UAL agrees to independent agents to oversee pension funds WASHINGTON : Bankrupt United Airlines has agreed to appoint an independent party to manage its employee pension funds prior to September 15 in an agreement with the US Labor Department.	2	Business
Compuware asks court to punish IBM Software maker Compuware has charged IBM with keeping back key evidence in a long-running legal battle over copyright and anticompetitive practices.	3	Sci/Tech
Investors Unfazed by Last-Minute Google Moves BOSTON (Reuters) - When investors heard that Google Inc. had cut the price range for shares in its closely watched initial public offering they said they took it in stride and did not make any massive last-minute adjustments.	3	Sci/Tech
Charley a Harbinger of Busy Hurricane Season? But Hurricane Charley intensified at an astonishing rate just a few hours before making landfall, and its eye wobbled off its forecast track and smashed ashore about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa, killing at least 21. It became the most ...	3	Sci/Tech
Report: Apple G5 chips scarce Apple Computer may be facing greater difficulties than previously thought in getting hold of chips to power its high-end personal computers.	3	Sci/Tech
American Cyclist Hamilton Wins Time Trial yler Hamilton and Bobby Julich showed that there is some depth to American cycling, winning the gold and bronze medals today in the men #39;s individual time trial at the Olympics in Athens.	1	Sports
Kitajima wins breast stroke double Kosuke Kitajima won the men #39;s 200 metres breast stroke final at the Athens Olympics early this morning, but Australia #39;s Jim Piper was disqualified.	1	Sports
State Dept. Cautious of Najaf Reports WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration reacted cautiously Wednesday to reports that the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had accept a peace plan to end fighting in Najaf.	0	World
Pakistan publishes photos of six suspects wanted in terror ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan published photos Wednesday in newspapers across the country of six terror suspects including a senior al-Qaeda operative it says were behind attempts to assassinate the nation #39;s president and offered a large ...	0	World
Steroid Talks Progress Baseball players and owners have made progress toward toughening rules on steroid testing, but there is still plenty of work to be done.	1	Sports
Italy Lights the Path for the Olympic Torch ROME (Reuters) - Christmas on the island of Sicily, New Year's eve at the bay of Naples.	1	Sports
Five die in renewed Gaza fighting against Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate backed by Israel and Washington as a potential peacemaker, a lawmaker said. killing one soldier and wounding four.	0	World
Dual-Format Disc That Plays Both HD DVD and DVD Memory-Tech and Toshiba today announced that they have developed a dual-layer ROM (read-only) disc that can store content in both the HD DVD and DVD formats.	3	Sci/Tech
Energy from waves teenager wins science award A teenager from the San Diego, California area has won The Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology for his quot;Gyro-Gen, quot; a machine that produces electricity from ocean waves.	3	Sci/Tech
Program Lets People Design 3-D Objects (AP) AP - It's the Internet Revolution meets the Industrial Revolution: a new program that lets people design 3-D objects like car parts and door knobs in metal or plastic then order them online.	3	Sci/Tech
1.2 million flu shots will stay in Canada after all VANCOUVER - A Vancouver-based firm won #39;t sell 1.2 million doses of influenza vaccine to the United States after all, announcing Tuesday that it will sell the doses within Canada instead.	2	Business
Windows XP SP2 Help Certainly you know by now that Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) has been released. As anticipated, some systems have had problems after installation of the new service pack. But many people report that their installations have been successful and without ...	3	Sci/Tech
Slim Majority of Web Users Connect With Broadband For the first time, a slim majority of US Net users are connecting via broadband. In July, 51 percent of America #39;s home online population was using broadband connections, according to a report from Nielsen/NetRatings. Before July, the ...	3	Sci/Tech
Bilonog Wins Olympia Shot Put Gold Competing under a flawless blue sky in the tree-lined grove devoted to Zeus, the European gold medallist equaled American champion Adam Nelson #39;s opening mark of 2.16 to capture his first major title on a countback.	1	Sports
Kitajima wins breaststroke double Kosuke Kitajima won the men #39;s 200 metres breaststroke final at the Athens Olympics on Wednesday to collect his second gold medal in four days.	1	Sports
Nigerian senate to rule on Darfur troop deployment ABUJA, Aug 18 (AFP) -- The Nigerian senate said on Wednesday it would ask its defence committee to consider a request by President Olusegun Obasanjo for permission to deploy some 1,500 peacekeepers to Sudan #39;s war-torn Darfur region.	0	World
Google IPO Is Small Hurdle Vs Growing Competition (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc., on the last leg of its\race to sell shares to the public, is facing more rivals, large\and small, trying to unseat it as the Web's most popular search\destination.	3	Sci/Tech
PAC-10 MEN #39;S Basketball: Timing of Bibby firing irks Olson Just last month USC basketball coach Henry Bibby said he was enjoying his job more than ever and getting ready for what he hoped would be a good season.	1	Sports
Pacers #39; Foster Activated From Injured List Indianapolis, IN -- Indiana Pacers center Jeff Foster was activated from the injured list Tuesday. He had missed the first 17 games of the season after undergoing hip surgery in October.	1	Sports
Physicists Teleport Photons Across Danube Austrian researchers have teleported photons, or particles of light, for the first time outside a laboratory using the same technological principles imagined by <I>Star Trek.</I>	3	Sci/Tech
British Cave Yields Elaborate Ice-Age Art A detailed survey of ancient cave carvings at a site first discovered last year in Nottinghamshire, England, reveals the etchings may be some of most elaborate Ice Age art ever found.	3	Sci/Tech

Cycling: Hamilton wins time trial VOULIAGMENI Tyler Hamilton of the United States won the men #39;s time trial gold medal Wednesday, beating defending champion Viatcheslav Ekimov of Russia and another American, Bobby Julich.

1

Sports

Jail for Olympic pool jump ATHENS (Reuters) - A Canadian man advertising an online gaming site, who broke security and jumped into the Olympic diving pool, has been given a five-month prison term for trespassing and disturbing public order, court officials say.

1

Sports

Leaders Threatened by Terrorist Groups Large and Small The vulnerability of world leaders to terrorist attack was starkly exposed again today by the discovery of a bomb near Tony Blair #39;s holiday villa on Sardinia.

0

World

Food crisis worsens in North Korea BEIJING The collapse of North Korea #39;s economy has caused food prices there to skyrocket and created new groups of people who cannot afford to buy what they need to live, the World Food Program said on Wednesday.

0

World

German investor confidence surges BERLIN - German investor confidence posted a surprise jump in December as relief over falling oil prices helped to offset concerns about the impact of a surging euro on growth in Europe #39;s biggest economy.

0

World

EU Weighs Tougher Conditions for Talks With Turkey (Update1) European Union governments may impose tougher conditions on entry talks with Turkey in response to demands by France, Austria and Cyprus, a draft EU compromise shows.

0

World

Airlines to Cut Flights at Chicago O'Hare WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. airlines have agreed to limit flights into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to 88 arrivals per hour between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. in an effort to cut congestion that has slowed the whole U.S. aviation system, federal officials said on Wednesday.

2

Business

FAA: Flight-Reduction Deal Set for O #39;Hare WASHINGTON Aug. 18, 2004 Federal officials have reached a temporary agreement to ease congestion at Chicago #39;s O #39;Hare International Airport that calls for a reduction of 37 daily arrivals by United Airlines and American Airlines, officials said ...

2

Business

Italy #39;s Parmalat sues ex-auditors Italian food giant Parmalat is suing its former auditors over their dealings with the insolvent group before its near collapse last December.

2

Business

Update 2: Swisscom Confirms May Merge With Firm Telecommunications companies Swisscom AG and Telekom Austria AG are in talks over a possible merger, Swisscom said.

2

Business

Cox directors look at proposed buyout Cox Communications Inc. is a step closer to going private, with the cable giant #39;s board of directors forming a special committee of independent directors to consider the Cox Enterprises Inc. proposal to take the company private in a \$7.9 billion buyout.

2

Business

Cassini Probe Discovers Tiny Saturnian Moons Two tiny moons orbiting Saturn -- each measuring around two miles in diameter -- are the latest discovery of the Cassini spacecraft. They are located between the orbits of moons Mimas and Enceladus, a surprise to scientists who thought such ...

3

Sci/Tech

MS Host Integration Server 2004 Is Weeks Away Starting September 1, 2004, Microsoft will make available Host Integration Server (HIS) 2004 for companies that have been wanting to open their mainframe assets up to deeper integration with Windows-based servers, software and the promise of ...

3

Sci/Tech

Figo takes break from international game MADRID, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Portugal captain Luis Figo said on Wednesday he was taking an indefinite break from international football, but would not confirm whether his decision was final.

1

Sports

Van Basten entrusts Dutch captaincy to Davids AMSTERDAM, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Midfielder Edgar Davids #39;s leadership qualities and never-say-die attitude have earned him the captaincy of the Netherlands under new coach Marco van Basten.

1

Sports

Russia #39;s Korzhanenko wins women #39;s shot put; American favorites eliminated US medal favorites John Godina and Reese Hoffa were eliminated from the shot put competition, ending hopes of an American sweep.

1

Sports

US rowers advances in photo finish SCHINIAS, Greece (AP) The early success of the first black Olympic rower on the US men #39;s team and his Navy officer partner was supposed to end Wednesday.

1

Sports

Sadr calls for Najaf ceasefire BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his followers are ready to leave the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf if American-led forces pull back from the holy Shi #39;ite site, an aide to Sadr says.

0

World

Dhiren to father, Abu Musa to al Qaeda According to British cops he is Dhiren Barot to his father and Abu Musa al-Hindi to Al Qaeda. On Wednesday India-born Barot alias al-Hindi, along with seven men of Pakistani origin, arrested in anti-terror raids and charged with plotting radioactive, ...

0

World

Terrified neighbours see dog kill owner A 39-year-old woman was savaged to death by her pet bull mastiff dog yesterday. Terrified elderly neighbours could only look on as the fatal attack, which started inside Carol Leeanne Taylor #39;s home in the Dunedin suburb of Caversham, spilled on to the ...

0

World

Garrison gets new contract; King retires WHITE PLAINS, NY -- Zina Garrison was given a one-year contract to stay on as US Fed Cup captain, while Billie Jean King retired Tuesday as a coach for the team.

1

Sports

VARSITY MATCH Oxford regained the MMC Trophy with a hard-fought 18-11 win over Cambridge in the Varsity match at Twickenham. Jon Fennell kicked Oxford into an early lead, but a well-worked try from Fergie Gladstone saw Cambridge hit back.

1

Sports

Nintendo Game Machine Gets Good US Start The new portable video-game machine from Nintendo Co. is selling briskly in both the United States and Japan and the company is well on its way to reaching a target of selling 5 million units by April next year.

3

Sci/Tech

Fledgling Thunderbird takes on Outlook Not content with eating into Microsoft #39;s share of the browser market with Firefox, the Mozilla Foundation has released an open-source email client to rival Outlook.

3

Sci/Tech

Cybersecurity post needs a promotion, firms say The US government is not taking cybersecurity seriously enough and should spend more money and energy on the topic, a group of computer security firms said Tuesday.

3

Sci/Tech

Toyota strikes satellite radio deals with rivals XM, Sirius Rivals XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio both have ventured again to the automotive industry in their latest efforts to land new subscribers, announcing separate distribution agreements Tuesday with Toyota Motor Corp.

2

Business

AT amp;T Wins \$1B Treasury Contract VIENNA, Va. -- AT amp;T Government Solutions and its team of subcontractors have been chosen by the Treasury Department to build and deploy the largest civilian agency network, serving more than 1,000 domestic

2

Business

UPDATE 1-SEC, NASD probing Jefferies trader #39;s gifts -WSJ US market regulators are looking into whether a Jefferies Group Inc. (JEF.N: Quote, Profile, Research) trader violated rules that prohibit expensive gift-giving in a bid to curry

2

Business

Report: J amp;J in Talks to Acquire Guidant Health care giant Johnson amp; Johnson is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire medical device maker Guidant Corp. for more than \$24 billion.

2

Business

Google Slashes IPO, SEC OK Expected Today NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.

2

Business

Stocks Up; Traders Eye Crude Oil Prices NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks made gains on Wednesday as investors bought beaten-down shares, while strength in oil prices pushed up energy companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=XOM.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">XOM.N</A>

2

Business

Houston serious about keeping its superstar center fielder Winter meetings kick off on Friday in Anaheim. BALCO aside, it #39;s been a quiet baseball offseason, but that #39;s about to change.

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Sports

Charley May Cost Insurers \$7.4 Billion, Industry Says (Update1) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Charley will probably cost insurers \$7.4 billion, according to the first loss estimate based on insurance claims.

2

Business

Parmalat sues ex-auditors Deloitte, Grant Thornton MILAN, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Parmalat sued its former auditors Deloitte amp; Touche and Grant Thornton on Wednesday, broadening a legal battle to claw back billions of euros from ex-allies the food group says helped drive it into ...

2

Business

Barclays Buys CIBC US Credit Card Unit for \$293 Mln (Update5) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc, the UK #39;s third-biggest lender by assets, agreed to buy the US credit card business of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for \$293 million to expand into the world #39;s biggest credit card market.

2

Business

Tap, Eat, N Go Forget quot;super-sized, quot; McDonald #39;s is going for quot;super-fast quot; service. The nation #39;s largest quick serve restaurant chain is getting ready to test a system that enables customers to tap or wave the new quot;PayPass MasterCard quot; on or near a specially equipped ...

2

Business

Broadband used by 51 percent of online population For the first time, broadband connections are reaching more than half (51 percent) of the American online population at home, according to measurement taken in July by Nielsen/NetRatings, a Milpitas-based Internet audience measurement and research ...

3

Sci/Tech

Canadian who leaped into Olympic pays the price for 15 minutes of fame ATHENS (CP) - The Canadian who embarrassed Olympic officials by jumping into a Games swimming pool during a diving competition wearing a skirt and advertising an on-line casino has paid the price for his 15 minutes of fame.

1

Sports

Els targets improved putting after Whistling Straits woes LONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Ernie Els has set his sights on an improved putting display at this week #39;s WGC-NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio after the disappointment of tying for fourth at the US PGA Championship on Sunday.

1

Sports

8 terror suspects, including alleged al-Qaida figure, charged in Britain LONDON (AP) - Eight suspects, including a man identified in the United States as a senior al-Qaida figure, appeared in court under heavy guard Wednesday as police investigated an alleged plot to commit murder and cause mayhem with chemicals, radioactive ...

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World

UN rights envoys urge probe into Burundi massacre GENEVA, Aug 18 (Reuters) - United Nations human rights investigators on Wednesday called on Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo to identify and hold accountable those behind the massacre of at least 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees.

0

World

One Hamas leader survived assassination; five Palestinians killed in an Israeli bombardment in Gaza Five Palestinians were killed and other seven injured today at dawn in an Israeli air raid carried out by one Israeli helicopter at the house of a leading figure from the Islamic resistance movement ( Hamas) in al-Shuja #39;eya quarters to the east of Gaza.

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World

Swiss to hand back more Abacha funds Switzerland is to hand back to Nigeria SFr622 million (\$500 million) belonging to the former ruler, Sani Abacha, and his family.

0

World

WFP Relying On Airdrops To Bring Food In West Darfur Mud continues to be one of the biggest obstacles to relief efforts in Sudan #39;s Darfur region. Heavy rains have washed out roads and airstrips and the rainy season is expected to last another month or two.

0

World

Late try gives Oxford win Ross Lavery scored a try two minutes from the end as Oxford University defeated Cambridge 18-11 at Twickenham on Tuesday in another tight finish to the annual University rugby match.

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Sports

Dell trims PC prices for business clients Dell cut prices on some servers and PCs by as much as 22 percent because it #39;s paying less for parts. The company will pass the savings on components such as memory and liquid crystal displays

3

Sci/Tech

NASA #39;s Return to Flight on Track, Shuttle Officials Say NASA (news - web sites) is close to meeting all of the return-to-flight safety requirements set by Columbia accident investigators and should be able to launch a shuttle by May 2005, shuttle program officials said today.

3

Sci/Tech

What's Google Minus \$10 Billion? Google drops its price and shares offered. Its magic: turning the hottest IPO in history into a disaster.

2

Business

Wind River's Smooth Sailing (The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - Investors have unloaded on many software companies lately, such as Red Hat (Nasdaq: RHAT - News), Siebel (Nasdaq: SEBL - News), Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL - News), and so on. However, with the markets perking up this week, investors are a little more sanguine about the sector -- at least for those stocks that exceed expectations.

3

Sci/Tech

Teleportation goes long distance Physicists teleport particles of light a distance of 600m across the River Danube in Austria, the journal Nature reports.

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Sci/Tech

Europe Is Warned of Changing Climate (AP) AP - Rising sea levels, disappearing glaciers in the Alps and more deadly heat waves are coming for Europeans because of global warming, Europe's environmental agency warned Wednesday.

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Sci/Tech

Clinton: Ex-President Inaugurates China-Backed Internet Search <b>...</b> Former President Bill Clinton helped launch a new Internet search firm that claims better results for its engine than Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ). The firm is called Accoona, from the Swahili phrase

2

Business

High court hears dispute over Michigan interstate wine sales SUPREME COURT The US Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that could lead to sweeping changes on how alcoholic beverages are regulated and sold.

2

Business

Stocks Move Higher on Mixed Economic Data Stocks inched higher Tuesday as investors saw the bright side of mixed economic data and rumors about big merger deals, including a report that consumer products giant Johnson amp; Johnson is in talks to purchase a leading medical device maker.

2

Business

IBM: Do We Have a Deal? China #39;s biggest computer maker said it is in acquisition talks with a major international technology company, a disclosure that comes amid reports it might buy IBM #39;s personal computer business.

2

Business

Three IPOs Trim Price Ranges Wednesday Three new stocks scheduled to begin trading this week - including Google Inc. #39;s highly anticipated initial public offering - slashed their expected price ranges Wednesday morning as the IPO market readies for a one-month break from trading debuts after ...

2

Business

Oil at \$47, Economic Impact Seen as Muted LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices surged to a new high above \$47 a barrel on Wednesday on evidence that energy costs are not substantially slowing the economic growth that fuels oil demand.

2

Business

McDonald #39;s testing deli sandwiches in Louisville, other markets McDonald #39;s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) plans to expand a test market of five types of deli-style sandwiches to Louisville and three other cities, according to reports.

2

Business

Netscape #39;s Official New Browser is Out AOL (Quote, Chart) developers have rolled out a new version of its venerable Netscape browser, version 7.2.

3

Sci/Tech

Kenteris, Thanou Quit Games; Thorpe Record Bid Fails (Update6) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Olympic medalists Kostas Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou quit the Athens Games, overshadowing the start of track and field events on the fifth day of competition. Venus Williams and Andy Roddick were eliminated from the tennis.

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Sports

Roddick, Williams eliminated from Olympic tennis CBC SPORTS ONLINE - American tennis sensation Andy Roddick #39;s Olympic dreams are over after a straight set loss to No. 16 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in third-round action Wednesday.

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Sports

Giambi calls strain #39;nothing serious #39; New York Yankees: First baseman Jason Giambi continued his upper body workout and ran in an indoor pool Wednesday, one day after mildly straining his groin.

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Sports

Olympics: Venus out of Olympics ATHENS : Title-holder Venus Williams of the United States crashed out of the Olympic women #39;s singles tennis tournament here losing a third round tie 6-4, 6-4 to France #39;s Mary Pierce.

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Sports

Sadr calls for Najaf ceasefire NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Radical Shi #39;ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has agreed to disarm his Iraqi militia and leave a holy shrine but only after a truce with encircling US marines.

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World

Something's Brewing at Diedrich Coffee The Starbucks competitor will sell its international franchise business to battle at home.

2

Business

Report: Palestinians, Israel Back Peace Plan CAIRO (Reuters) - Palestinians and Israelis have agreed in principle to proposals aiming to end their conflict, Egypt's official news agency MENA said Tuesday.

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World

State Dept. Warns of Violence in Laos (AP) AP - The State Department is advising Americans traveling or living in Laos to take precautions and avoid areas likely to be hit by continuing violence.

0

World

VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Driv3r Plot Is Tedious (AP) AP - Atari could have redefined guns and gas pedal mayhem with the much anticipated "Driv3r" (pronounced Driver 3), the latest installment in a series of bad-boy-driving-'n'-violence titles. But there's nothing new here to see #151; nothing new graphically, emotionally, or functionally in the way of game play.

3

Sci/Tech

Credit Suisse to Focus on Investment Bank ZURICH (Reuters) - Credit Suisse plans to focus its investment banking activities on high-margin business and float off insurer Winterthur in a long-awaited revamp aimed at boosting the earnings power of Europe's 10th-largest bank.

2

Business

U.S. Economic Outlook Dims a Bit WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economic outlook dimmed somewhat on Tuesday after reports said business productivity grew more slowly in the third quarter than first estimated, labor costs rose and other indicators signaled softening activity.

2

Business

Workers fight bad weather to give aid to storm-ravaged Philippines; 740 dead (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - REAL, Philippines (AP) - Relief crews battling walls of mud and lashing rain to reach villages still isolated days after back-to-back storms devastated the northeastern Philippines have found 51 more bodies, taking the death toll to at least 740 people, officials said Tuesday.

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World

Update 3: Bank of America Cuts Some Fleet Workers Bank of America Corp. laid off an unspecified number of employees Wednesday at hundreds of Fleet Bank branches, a byproduct of the merger of the two banks, a company spokeswoman said.

2

Business

SEC Bars Mutual Fund Payoffs to Brokers WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US Securities and Exchange Commission pushed ahead on Wednesday with reforms of the \$7.5-trillion mutual fund industry amid scandals that have shaken fund investors #39; confidence.

2

Business

Barclays buys Juniper Financial for \$293M LONDON (AP) British bank Barclays PLC gained its first toehold in the US consumer banking market Wednesday, saying it would buy credit-card company Juniper Financial Corp. from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for \$293 million in cash.

2

Business

UAL agrees to independent agents to oversee pension funds WASHINGTON : Bankrupt United Airlines has agreed to appoint an independent party to manage its employee pension funds prior to September 15 in an agreement with the US Labor Department.

2

Business

Compuware asks court to punish IBM Software maker Compuware has charged IBM with keeping back key evidence in a long-running legal battle over copyright and anticompetitive practices.

3

Sci/Tech

Investors Unfazed by Last-Minute Google Moves BOSTON (Reuters) - When investors heard that Google Inc. had cut the price range for shares in its closely watched initial public offering they said they took it in stride and did not make any massive last-minute adjustments.

3

Sci/Tech

Charley a Harbinger of Busy Hurricane Season? But Hurricane Charley intensified at an astonishing rate just a few hours before making landfall, and its eye wobbled off its forecast track and smashed ashore about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa, killing at least 21. It became the most ...

3

Sci/Tech

Report: Apple G5 chips scarce Apple Computer may be facing greater difficulties than previously thought in getting hold of chips to power its high-end personal computers.

3

Sci/Tech

American Cyclist Hamilton Wins Time Trial yler Hamilton and Bobby Julich showed that there is some depth to American cycling, winning the gold and bronze medals today in the men #39;s individual time trial at the Olympics in Athens.

1

Sports

Kitajima wins breast stroke double Kosuke Kitajima won the men #39;s 200 metres breast stroke final at the Athens Olympics early this morning, but Australia #39;s Jim Piper was disqualified.

1

Sports

State Dept. Cautious of Najaf Reports WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration reacted cautiously Wednesday to reports that the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had accept a peace plan to end fighting in Najaf.

0

World

Pakistan publishes photos of six suspects wanted in terror ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan published photos Wednesday in newspapers across the country of six terror suspects including a senior al-Qaeda operative it says were behind attempts to assassinate the nation #39;s president and offered a large ...

0

World

Steroid Talks Progress Baseball players and owners have made progress toward toughening rules on steroid testing, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

1

Sports

Italy Lights the Path for the Olympic Torch ROME (Reuters) - Christmas on the island of Sicily, New Year's eve at the bay of Naples.

1

Sports

Five die in renewed Gaza fighting against Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate backed by Israel and Washington as a potential peacemaker, a lawmaker said. killing one soldier and wounding four.

0

World

Dual-Format Disc That Plays Both HD DVD and DVD Memory-Tech and Toshiba today announced that they have developed a dual-layer ROM (read-only) disc that can store content in both the HD DVD and DVD formats.

3

Sci/Tech

Energy from waves teenager wins science award A teenager from the San Diego, California area has won The Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science and Technology for his quot;Gyro-Gen, quot; a machine that produces electricity from ocean waves.

3

Sci/Tech

Program Lets People Design 3-D Objects (AP) AP - It's the Internet Revolution meets the Industrial Revolution: a new program that lets people design 3-D objects like car parts and door knobs in metal or plastic then order them online.

3

Sci/Tech

1.2 million flu shots will stay in Canada after all VANCOUVER - A Vancouver-based firm won #39;t sell 1.2 million doses of influenza vaccine to the United States after all, announcing Tuesday that it will sell the doses within Canada instead.

2

Business

Windows XP SP2 Help Certainly you know by now that Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) has been released. As anticipated, some systems have had problems after installation of the new service pack. But many people report that their installations have been successful and without ...

3

Sci/Tech

Slim Majority of Web Users Connect With Broadband For the first time, a slim majority of US Net users are connecting via broadband. In July, 51 percent of America #39;s home online population was using broadband connections, according to a report from Nielsen/NetRatings. Before July, the ...

3

Sci/Tech

Bilonog Wins Olympia Shot Put Gold Competing under a flawless blue sky in the tree-lined grove devoted to Zeus, the European gold medallist equaled American champion Adam Nelson #39;s opening mark of 2.16 to capture his first major title on a countback.

1

Sports

Kitajima wins breaststroke double Kosuke Kitajima won the men #39;s 200 metres breaststroke final at the Athens Olympics on Wednesday to collect his second gold medal in four days.

1

Sports

Nigerian senate to rule on Darfur troop deployment ABUJA, Aug 18 (AFP) -- The Nigerian senate said on Wednesday it would ask its defence committee to consider a request by President Olusegun Obasanjo for permission to deploy some 1,500 peacekeepers to Sudan #39;s war-torn Darfur region.

0

World

Google IPO Is Small Hurdle Vs Growing Competition (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc., on the last leg of its\race to sell shares to the public, is facing more rivals, large\and small, trying to unseat it as the Web's most popular search\destination.

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Sci/Tech

PAC-10 MEN #39;S Basketball: Timing of Bibby firing irks Olson Just last month USC basketball coach Henry Bibby said he was enjoying his job more than ever and getting ready for what he hoped would be a good season.

1

Sports

Pacers #39; Foster Activated From Injured List Indianapolis, IN -- Indiana Pacers center Jeff Foster was activated from the injured list Tuesday. He had missed the first 17 games of the season after undergoing hip surgery in October.

1

Sports

Physicists Teleport Photons Across Danube Austrian researchers have teleported photons, or particles of light, for the first time outside a laboratory using the same technological principles imagined by <I>Star Trek.</I>

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Sci/Tech

British Cave Yields Elaborate Ice-Age Art A detailed survey of ancient cave carvings at a site first discovered last year in Nottinghamshire, England, reveals the etchings may be some of most elaborate Ice Age art ever found.

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Sci/Tech