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<><><><><><><><> T h e V O G O N N e w s S e r v i c e <><><><><><><><>
Edition : 3950 Thursday 18-Dec-1997 Circulation : 5562
VNS MAIN NEWS ..................................... 245 Lines
VNS COMPUTER NEWS ................................. 98 "
For information on subscribing to VNS, backissues, contacting VNS staff
members, etc, access our Web service at http://expat.zko.dec.com/vns/ or
send mail to expat@expat.zko.dec.com (EXPAT::EXPAT) with the subject HELP.
VNS MAIN NEWS: [Jamie Anderson, VNS News Desk]
============== [Utrecht, Netherlands ]
Winnie Mandela refuses to stand for key ANC post
WINNIE Mandela bowed out of the race for high office in the African
National Congress yesterday, bringing a temporary check to her
turbulent career.
Clinton pressed to hold Brown murder inquiry
A NUMBER of black leaders are urging President Clinton to investigate
evidence that his Commerce Secretary, Ron Brown, found dead after a
plane crash last year, may have been murdered.
Swill ban after warning over pig disease 'like BSE'
THE Government is to ban swill with pigmeat after a warning from
scientists that there is a remote risk of a fatal brain disease similar
to BSE breaking out in the national pig herd.
Cartoon puts 120 children in hospital
ABOUT 120 children were treated in hospital yesterday for conditions
similar to those of epilepsy after a television cartoon triggered
convulsions and other ill effects.
Microsoft fears grow
MICROSOFT, the software company being sued for its business practices
by the US Department of Justice, could be under attack on another flank
after a strategy meeting last week of US attorneys general.
Tories to disclose foreign funding
THE Tories agreed last night to disclose how much foreign money they
received in the run-up to the last general election.
Church seeks freedom from human rights Bill
THE Church of England is on a collision course with the Government over
its human rights legislation which clergymen fear could make them to
act against their religious beliefs.
Brown denies hoarding cash for 'giveaway Budget'
GORDON Brown has denied secretly building up a "pot of gold" in
preparation for a pre-election giveaway Budget but indicated yesterday
that the Government might soon have more money than it is currently
predicting.
Boys force council to repair their classrooms
TWO pupils at a "squalid" comprehensive school claimed victory
yesterday after a year-long battle to force a local council to carry
out urgent repairs.
'Underclass' fear over genetic tests for insurance
PEOPLE should not be asked to provide results of genetic testing in
order to obtain insurance, a report said yesterday.
Blair offers olive branch to MPs in benefit rebellion
TONY Blair offered an olive branch to the Government's backbench
critics of benefit cuts yesterday but warned Labour MPs that they would
face an even tougher crisis of conscience over welfare reform in
future.
MP denies poll fraud charge
MOHAMMED Sarwar, Britain's first Muslim MP, yesterday rejected calls
for his resignation after appearing in court on charges of election
fraud.
A third of smear test centres are below par
MORE than one in three laboratories where cervical smear tests are
examined fail to meet national standards, a Department of Health report
disclosed yesterday.
Man who killed teenager was out on bail
TWO police forces are under investigation after a teenager was stabbed
to death by a drifter who was given bail despite doubts over where he
lived.
Fishing curbs relaxed after 'hard bargaining'
FISHERMEN will not have to stay in port under compulsory days-at-sea
restrictions aimed at meeting EU fish conservation targets, the
Government announced yesterday.
Doctors on alert over 'bird flu'
SIR Kenneth Calman, the Government's Chief Medical Officer, is to write
to all doctors alerting them to the possible risks of a global flu
epidemic following the emergence of a new strain of flu in Hong Kong
PCs slashed trying to arrest driver
TWO policemen who stopped a man for erratic driving were slashed across
the throat as the driver went berserk and tried to escape, a court was
told.
MPs set to get close inspection of Queen's accounts
PARLIAMENT is expected to be given direct access to the accounts of the
Royal Household for the first time in a move signalled by the
Government yesterday.
Solicitor's ill-health stops him facing trial
A SOLICITOR accused of stealing 100,000 from clients' funds will not
face trial because the effect on his health could be "catastrophic", a
judge has decided.
Snow chaos as Britain shivers in the grip of Siberian chill
SNOW driven by Siberian winds disrupted travel, closed hundreds of
schools and cut off remote villages across southern and central Britain
yesterday.
Student applications down by six per cent
THE number of potential students seeking a university place next year
has fallen by almost 21,000 compared with last year's record total, the
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) said yesterday.
Mother accepts 1m over Chinese meal
A WOMAN who claimed that a salmonella-infected Chinese meal caused the
deaths of two of her triplets shortly after their birth accepted a 1
million out-of-court settlement yesterday.
Man is fined 600 for damaging newt pond
A MAN was fined 600 yesterday after being convicted of damaging the
habitat of great crested newts.
Cuts 'leave motorists in the dark'
DRIVERS face the prospect of blacked-out streets and unrepaired pot
holes because of a 130 million reduction in Government support for
local council transport projects, motoring organisations said last
night.
Researchers discover short cut in TB fight
THE fight against tuberculosis took a major step forward yesterday with
an announcement that scientists have pieced together the order of the
four million components that make up its genome.
Hague dives for cover from Carlton strippers
CONSERVATIVE MPs, peers and party officials turned out in force last
night for a champagne reception to mark the wedding tomorrow of their
leader, William Hague, to Ffion Jenkins.
No winners for lottery jackpot
THERE were no jackpot winners in last night's National Lottery draw.
Israeli agent who risked war on trial
A FORMER Israeli spy whose allegedly false reports nearly triggered a
war with Syria denied charges of fraud, embezzlement and intending to
harm state security at the start of his secret trial yesterday.
Blair disciple favourite to save S Korea from ruin
A VETERAN South Korean politician who for years led a radical
pro-democracy movement has emerged as the narrow favourite in today's
presidential election as the country teeters on the brink of financial
collapse.
Snubbed Turks set to withdraw EU application
TURKEY will withdraw its application to join the European Union unless
it is included in the list of candidate states by June, its Prime
Minister, Mesut Yilmaz, said yesterday.
Tutu's son involved in atom deal with China
TREVOR Tutu, wayward son of Bishop Desmond Tutu, who retired as
archbishop of Cape Town last year, emerged yesterday as a key figure in
a mysterious nuclear deal between South Africa and China.
Algeria 'keeping civil war alive'
THE Algerian regime was accused yesterday of sustaining the conflict
with Islamic fundamentalists to hold on to power by Salima Ghezali, the
country's most prominent human rights campaigner.
Flu adds to Hong Kong economic woes
WITH the stock market and tourism in the doldrums and people suffering
from the deadly bird flu, Hong Kong is nearing the end of the year on a
gloomy note.
British 'squatter' held in Caribbean shooting
A BRITISH man who set up home on a Caribbean island over 30 years ago
to protect its endangered wildlife, including the West Indian whistling
duck, was under arrest last night after the Antiguan prime minister's
brother was shot in a dispute over land rights.
Jackal keeps his best weapon - his mouth - until last
THE trial of Carlos the Jackal lurched this week into high melodrama,
taking in the genres of farce, whodunnit and menacing thriller en
route.
Gang makes millions from stolen air tickets
A RASH of thefts of blank airline tickets is being investigated by the
FBI as travel agencies and airlines report losses running into millions
of dollars.
KGB heirs set to spy for foreign business
AFTER years of snooping on westerners and trying to stamp out private
enterprise, Russia's security police - heirs to the old KGB - are
touting their services to foreign businessmen.
Official, the moon is 15,654,023,458 inches away
THE distance from Earth to the Moon has been measured to the nearest
inch - a feat described by astronomers as "extraordinary".
Reindeer off menu after lichen crisis
SWEDES and Norwegians face the prospect of Christmas without their
traditional reindeer roast because of European Union red tape.
Gripping time for the First Couple
PRESIDENT and Mrs Clinton will shake 7,500 hands this Christmas in a
marathon of White House conviviality.
Source: Electronic Telegraph -
Electronic Telegraph is a Registered Service Mark of The Telegraph plc
For more details on any of the above headlines stories, visit the
Electronic Telegraph on the Web at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
The VNS newsroom staff do not write, select, or edit the headlines
presented in the General News section. It comes, as is, from ET.
Feedback to JAMIE.ANDERSON@DEC.COM or IJSAPL::ANDERSON
VNS COMPUTER NEWS: [Tracy Talcott, VNS Computer Desk]
================== [Nashua, NH, USA ]
Wednesday's Market Fair Market Value
Quote Change Dow Jones Change 2-Jun-1997 $35.312
IBM 102 -1 3/4 1-Dec-1997 $48.968
HPkd 63 3/16 unch. 85% of lower $30.250
Msft 135 5/8 -3 7/16 2-Dec-1997 $
DEC 38 1/8 + 3/8 7957.41 -18.90
DEC PRa 26 - 1/8
Notes:
Note the 1st: I'm on vacation the Christmas and New Year weeks, and VNS
Computer News may not consist of too much more than the stock
prices on some of those days.
Note the 2nd: My subscription to the Wall Street Journal runs out in
February. Two year subscriptions run $299. VNS is all-volunteer
and has no management, official support or budget from the
company. Years past, generous readers have offered to help
defray part or all of the subscription fee and I've paid any
balance necessary to continue the subscription, and that'll
continue this year. I'm not going to out and out ask for
financial support, however if you want to contribute anyway,
you can to contact me at TLE::TALCOTT or talcott@zko.dec.com.
- TT
Intel, Sun - Ready to unveil alliance based on Merced
{The Wall Street Journal, 17-Dec-97, p. B4}
Intel and Sun, long fierce rivals in the computer industry, announced a
broad technology alliance centered on Intel's forthcoming Merced
microprocessor chip. The agreement includes a patent cross-license that will
allow the two companies to share semiconductor, computer-system and software
technologies. Sun will also adapt its version of the Unix operating system,
called Solaris, to run on Intel's Merced chip. Although Hewlett-Packard and
Sun are rivals, the deal isn't expected to disrupt the Intel and HP alliance
because each player has decided to support the Merced chip for different
reasons and in different ways. Intel's Merced deal with Sun is the first that
involves the cross licensing of patents. Janpieter Scheerder, president of
Sun's software subsidiary SunSoft, and John Miner, VP and general manager of
Intel's Enterprise Server Group, declined to comment on whether Sun would take
the extra step of building computers based on Intel's chips, and whether Sun
has the right to engineer its own compatible versions of the Merced chip.
FBI - Sting operation, with IBM's aid, nabs 16 brokers in parts theft scam
{The Wall Street Journal, 16-Dec-97, p. B6}
A Federal Bureau of Investigation-created undercover company, working with
IBM, has helped capture at least 16 computer brokers in 5 states for trading
in what the brokers believed were stolen IBM minicomputer parts.
Cypress Semiconductor - 4th quarter earnings, revenue will be below estimates
{The Wall Street Journal, 16-Dec-97, p. B4}
Cypress said it would miss analysts' 4th quarter expectations, largely
because of an ill-timed production transition, sending its shares down 9.5%
The company said revenue for the quarter will be $140-143 million, compared
with First Call's analysts' estimate of $152-155 million. Earnings per share
are expected to be breakeven to one cent. A year ago, Cypress reported 4th
quarter earnings of $1.3 million, or 2 cents a share, on revenue of $113.1
million. Cypress' stock fell 81.25 cents to $7.75 a share on the news. The
company will lose out on $10 million in revenue because it started production
of a new SRAM chip later than scheduled at a factory in Round Rock, Texas.
The company also said revenue will be $5 million lower than its estimates in
the 4th quarter because of a falloff in demand for Cypress' foundry services,
in which it sells factory capacity to chip designers Altera Corp. and Quick
Logic Inc. The lost business will cut profit by $3.3 million in the 4th
quarter. In addition, the company said it would end its assembly and test
operation in San Jose, Calif., because of increased efficiencies at its
factory in Manila, the Philippines. It also disbanded a chip-set design
division because of market conditions, including stiff competition from
Intel's chip-set division, and it said it would exit the commodity market for
EPROMS. The company said neither the changes at the assembly operation nor
those at the design division would result in layoffs at the company. The
company said its three other divisions - programmable products, data
communications and computer products - are on schedule to meet revenue
estimates for the quarter. The company said it expects its directors to
approve a two million share increase in its stock buyback program, doubling
the number of shares it is authorized to buy back.
Digital - Holiday message from Bob Palmer
{Livewire, WOrldwide News, 17-Dec-97}
(The following message from Chairman Bob Palmer is being distributed today
to all employees worldwide via Readers' Choice.)
The end of a calendar year has different meanings around the world.
Religious holidays of special significance are celebrated at this time by
many people. For some individuals, the arrival of December inspires them to
reflect on what they have accomplished during the year and where they are
headed. And in many cultures the start of the year is celebrated as a new
beginning -- a time of rebirth and regeneration.
As I look back on the past year, I am proud of what you have accomplished by
your hard work and dedication. Your efforts on behalf of this company have
yielded many positive results upon which we will build in 1998. I am
confident in our ability to grow our business in the year ahead and to achieve
competitive levels of profitability because I am confident in DIGITAL's
employees and our will to win.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for what you have done to make
DIGITAL a valued vendor and partner throughout the world. Our customers do
not choose to do business with DIGITAL only because of the excellence of our
products and services. One of the most important reasons they choose us as
their partner is because of the core values that are reflected in your work
every day.
I wish you and your families a healthy and prosperous 1998.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
For information on subscribing to VNS, backissues, contacting VNS staff
members, etc, access our Web service at http://expat.zko.dec.com/vns/ or
send mail to expat@expat.zko.dec.com (EXPAT::EXPAT) with the subject HELP.
Permission to copy material from this VNS is granted (per DIGITAL PP&P)
provided that the message header for the issue and credit lines for the
VNS correspondent and original source are retained in the copy.
<><><><><><><><> VNS Edition : 3950 Thursday 18-Dec-1997 <><><><><><><><>
History of the VOGON News Service 