Afghan senate backs death penalty

Afghanistan's upper house of parliament has issued a statement backing a death sentence for a journalist for blasphemy in northern Afghanistan.
Pervez Kambakhsh, 23, was convicted last week of downloading and distributing an article insulting Islam. He has denied the charge.
The UN has criticised the sentence and said the journalist did not have legal representation during the case.
The Afghan government has said that the sentence was not final.
A government spokesman said recently that the case would be handled "very carefully".
Now the Afghan Senate has issued a statement on the case - it was not voted on but was signed by its leader, Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, an ally of President Hamid Karzai.
It said the upper house approved the death sentence conferred on Mr Kambaksh by a city court in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Concerns
It also strongly criticised what it called those institutions and foreign sources which, it said, had tried to pressurise the country's government and judiciary as they pursued people like Mr Kambakhsh.
Some governments and international organisations have called for the sentence to be overturned.
A legal expert, Wadir Safi, told the BBC that parliament was not constitutionally allowed to intervene in a case in the way the Senate had done, and he was concerned the new statement might prejudice the independence of the judges.
Mr Kambakhsh's brother, Yacoub Kambakhsh, told the BBC that the journalist was very concerned about his future and said he had not had a fair trial or any lawyer to defend him.
But the provincial governor in Mazar has said the case is being handled with due process.
Mr Kambakhsh has at least two more courts in which to appeal and the sentence would have to be approved by President Karzai to be carried out.
He is a student at Balkh University and a journalist for Jahan-e Naw (New World).
He was arrested in 2007 after downloading material relating to the role of women in Islamic societies.

Gandhi's ashes scattered at sea

Ashes of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi have been scattered off the coast of Mumbai to mark the 60th anniversary of his assassination.
An urn containing the ashes was opened and they were mixed with water from the Arabian Sea by his great-granddaughter Nilamben Parikh.
The ceremony was in accordance with Hindu rites.
Gandhi - called Mahatma or "Great Soul" - spearheaded a non-violent campaign against the British Raj.
'Come together'
His campaign culminated in India getting its independence in 1947.
"It is a day of thought and reflection for me and for all of us who can now look to carry his thoughts forward," Ms Parikh, 75, said.

A Mumbai display depicting Gandhi's assassination
"I feel on this occasion the whole nation will come together."
She and 10 other family members - descendants of Gandhi's four sons - boarded a boat and scattered the ashes about 1km (0.6 miles) out to sea.
Ms Parikh is descended from Gandhi's eldest son, Harilal, who had a turbulent relationship with his father and was not at his funeral, contravening Hindu tradition by which the eldest son lights the father's funeral pyre.
Her participation in the ceremony has been described by family members as a gesture of reconciliation.
After Gandhi's cremation, his ashes were distributed in 20 different containers to towns and villages across India for memorial services.
Some were kept and worshipped by wealthy industrialist families who supported Gandhi during his lifetime.
Moral conscience
In 1997, one such urn was found in a bank locker in the state of Orissa. They were later immersed in keeping with the family's wishes.
The BBC's Prachi Pinglay, who attended the Mumbai ceremony, says that many of those present at Chowpatty beach were in their seventies
Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patel and Maharashtra Governor SM Krishna represented national and state governments.
The ashes were taken to sea after police formed a guard of honour.
Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu fanatic in 1948. Today he is widely revered as the nation's moral conscience.
His principles of truth and non-violence have been widely followed and worshipped.
However, some Hindus question his philosophy of non-violence.
Wednesday's ceremony was deeply moving for 72-year-old lawyer Trivedi, who stood at the barricade in Mumbai and watched his wife Usha Trivedi go with the boat to immerse the ashes.
He watched the media scuffle with police as they jostled to get on other boats to cover the ceremony with a certain amount of sadness.
"Isn't it an irony that when ashes of a man who practiced peace and non-violence are being immersed, there is so much commotion and chaos?" he asked.
As the ashes dropped deep into the sea, another follower with childhood memories of Gandhi, 72-year-old Dr Vora, was overcome with emotion.
"Hope he is reborn," she said.

Severed cables disrupt internet

Internet services have been disrupted in large parts of the Middle East and India following damage to two undersea cables in the Mediterranean.
There was disruption to 70% of the nationwide network in Egypt, and India suffered up to 60% disruption.
UK firms such as British Airways have told the BBC that call centres have been affected by the outage.
Industry experts said it could take up to one week to repair the damaged cables and resume full service.
International telephone calls, which have also been affected, are being rerouted to work around the problem.
'Degraded performance'
Disruption also occurred in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, reported the Associated Press.
In Dubai, at least two internet service providers (ISPs) were affected.
An official at the provider, DU, told AP that a fault in a network between Alexandria, Egypt, and Palermo, Italy, was to blame.
DU issued a statement to alert customers to "a degradation in internet services and international voice calls for some customers during peak times".
The company said it was due to "cuts in two international submarine cable systems in the Mediterranean Sea this morning (Wednesday).
"We are working actively with the submarine cable system operators (FLAG Telecom and SEA-ME-WE 4) to ascertain the reasons for the cables being cut," it said.
FLAG Telecoms operate the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG), a 28,000km (17,400 mile) long submarine communications cable.
SEA-ME-WE 4, or the South East Asia-Middle East-West Europe 4 project, is a submarine cable system linking South East Asia to Europe via the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.
Repair work
Neither of the cable operators have confirmed the cause or location of the outage but some reports suggest it was caused by a ship's anchor near the port of Alexandria in Egypt.
One Indian internet service provider, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL), linked the problems in India to the disruption in Egypt.
"Information technology companies, software companies and call centres that provide online services to the UK or the US east coast are the worst affected," Rajesh Chharia, president of the Internet Service Providers' Association of India, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
India is the world leader in offshore outsourcing, with the remote servicing of IT or other business processes worth an estimated £24bn.
AFP also reported disruption to telecommunications in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Egypt's Telecommunications Ministry said it would probably take several days for internet services to return to normal following the disruption on Wednesday.
Emergency teams were trying to find alternative communication routes, including satellites, AP was told.
The ministry's Rafaat Hindy said: "Despite this being an international cable affecting many Gulf and Arab countries, we are closest to it and so we have a lot of responsibility.
"We are working as fast as we can."

Blast kills top Afghan official

The deputy governor of Afghanistan's Helmand province has been killed in a bomb attack on a mosque, officials say.
Deputy governor Haji Pir Mohammed was one of seven people - including the bomber - killed in the explosion at the start of afternoon prayers.
Eighteen people were also hurt in the suicide bombing in Helmand's provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, police said.
The Taleban say they carried out the attack. Helmand is a major stronghold of the Taleban.
Most of the 6,000 British troops serving as part of a Nato force in Afghanistan are also based in the southern province and Canada has 2,500 troops there.
Helmand is a centre for opium production and international efforts to curb the trade have had limited effect.

Mr Mohammed was killed at the start of afternoon prayers
The attack comes as three Western reports warn that Nato is not winning in Afghanistan and the country faces a humanitarian catastrophe.
Attacks by the Taleban during the past year have been the highest recorded since the regime was ousted by US-led forces in 2001.
According to Helmand's police chief, Mohammed Hussain Andiwal, Thursday's attack took place at the start of afternoon prayers in the mosque.
Child beggar
He said Haji Pir Mohammed had just earlier been in a meeting with Helmand's governor.
Those hurt included a four-year-old child who had been begging at the mosque's entrance, Mr Andiwal said.

According to a local health official interviewed by AFP news, six bodies had been brought to a local hospital, "including the deputy provincial governor".
The mosque where the attack took place is said to be close to several provincial government offices.
Meanwhile in Kabul, a suicide bomber driving a car killed one civilian and injured four others, including an army officer.
The interior ministry said the attacker targeted an army bus close to the city centre. The device is thought to have gone off early.

Iraq 'set for oil price windfall'

Oil refineries are key to the Iraqi economyIncreasing oil production and higher oil prices mean Iraq could be set for an influx of extra money towards reconstruction, a report has said.
Iraq could get an extra $15bn (£7.5bn) from its oil in 2008, special inspector general Stuart W Bowen Jnr said.
But the report said greater efforts were needed to establish how the money would be used, and to fight the corruption which eats into oil revenue.
Oil revenue makes up about 84% of Iraq's national revenue.
Iraq's oil production averaged 2.38 million barrels a day in the last three months of 2007, the report said, the highest level since the US-led invasion in 2003, but below pre-war levels.
Along with record oil prices, which hit $100 a barrel earlier this month, this had created "the opportunity for significant economic investment", Mr Bowen said.
"The possible rise in Iraq's revenue emphasises the need for the government of Iraq to pursue its fight against corruption with renewed vigour," the report added.
Violence continues
Mr Bowen has previously labelled offences such as theft, bribery, oil smuggling and fraud as a "second insurgency", threatening Iraq's development.
Violence also remained a "deadly threat" to the reconstruction the report said, with attacks on infrastructure in many industries - including oil - a regular problem.
"Despite the palpably improved security climate, violence continues to impede the efforts of agencies working on Iraq's relief and reconstruction," it said.
Of the $113.95bn spent on Iraq's reconstruction to the end of December, $47.5bn came from the US, $50.6bn came from Iraq itself and the remainder was from the international community.

Fed cuts US interest rates to 3%

The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates for the second time in nine days as it tries to keep the US economy from entering a recession.
The central bank lowered rates to 3% from 3.5% after a two-day meeting.
Last week, the Fed slashed the cost of borrowing by the largest amount in 25 years in a shock move to calm tumbling global stock markets.
The Fed is hoping the cuts will cushion the US economy from the worst effects of the credit crunch and housing slump.
"Financial markets remain under considerable stress, and credit has tightened further for some businesses and households," the central bank's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) said.
"Moreover, recent information indicates a deepening of the housing contraction as well as some softening in labour markets."
Markets pleased
The half a percentage point cut was bolder than some economists were expecting and it pleased financial markets.
There's signs that our economy is slowing. There's some uncertainty in the economy,
President George W. Bush

US shares reversed early losses and gained ground on hopes for a revival in economic growth after the Fed's aggressive action.
But the main Dow Jones stock index ended the day lower as investors took profits.
"The members recognise that the threats to the financial markets and therefore to economic growth remain and that they had to get the Fed into accommodation mode," said Joel Naroff at Naroff Economic Advisors.
"They have done so in a very dramatic fashion and have made the financial markets very happy."
The rate cut was approved by a nine to one vote.
Richard Fisher, president of the Fed's Dallas region bank, voted against the cut, preferring no change in rates.
Weak growth
Data released earlier showed weak economic growth in the final three months of 2007 as the housing market slump deepened and consumer spending cooled.
Growth slowed to an annual rate of 0.6% between October and December, half the rate forecast and compared with a brisk 4.9% growth rate in the previous three months.

The Fed is aiming to lift confidence in the world's largest economy
Despite the growing evidence of a severe slowdown, President George W Bush encouraged Americans to have confidence in the US economy.
"There's signs that our economy is slowing. There's some uncertainty in the economy," the president said during a visit to a helicopter factory.
"But in the long run you've got to be confident about your economy. Inflation is down, interest rates are low, productivity is high, our economy's flexible, it is resilient," he said.
Criticism
Some observers criticised the Fed for bowing to the short-term priorities of financial markets.

The global credit crisis is rooted in problems in the US housing market
"The Fed looks foolish. It seems they're afraid of the market," said David Greenwald, a partner at Scalene Capital Management.
"Everyone knows that it takes a while for 75 basis points to get through the economy and by cutting 50 now, I just think they're not leaving much room in the future."
Interest rates have now been cut five times since 18 September 2007, when the Fed first lowered rates in response to the credit crisis.
The Fed cut the cost of borrowing by three quarters of a percentage point last Tuesday in an emergency unscheduled move.
The last two such emergency cuts were on 17 September 2001, shortly after the attacks of 11 September, and on 3 January 2001, in the wake of the dotcom bust.
The last time the Fed cut rates by as much as three-quarters of a percentage point was in August 1982, almost 26 years ago.

Deadly blast in Istanbul suburb

An explosion has killed at least 17 people and injured more than 40 at a textile firm's premises in a suburb of Istanbul, Turkish officials say.
The blast caused part of a five-storey building in the western Davutpasha district to collapse.
Injured people were carried out of the building, but some victims are said to be still under the rubble.
The city's governor, Muammer Guler, says it is not yet clear what caused the blast. But he ruled out terrorism.
The explosion happened at about 0930 local time (0730 GMT), starting a fire in the building.

A second blast reportedly happened just minutes later.
"White smoke was rising into the sky from the factory as we came to the front of the building. People were running around," a witness, who identified himself as Ali, told CNN Turk television.
Television pictures immediately after the blast showed survivors carrying the injured out of the building.
Rescue teams continued to search through the rubble for more survivors. A number of people were taken to hospital.
Mr Guler later said "right now, there is nothing linked to terror".
Businesses in the building included textile makers and an unlicensed fireworks manufacturer, officials said.
This is by far the most serious accident of its kind for some time, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Istanbul says.

Singer Spears taken to hospital

Singer Britney Spears has been taken to hospital by ambulance from her home in Los Angeles, police have said.
A police officer told Associated Press that the pop star was being taken to hospital to "get help", but did not say which facility she was being taken to.
The authorities have yet to disclose any further details.
Earlier this year Spears, 26, was admitted to hospital after refusing to surrender custody of her two sons in a stand-off with the police.
'Mental issues'
The star was released from the Cedar-Sinai Medical Center after a day and a half. The details of her medical treatment were not revealed.
Sole custody of Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, who is one, was awarded to Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline after the incident.
The singer was also denied visitation rights to her children.
Earlier this week, US talk show host Barbara Walters claimed that Spears has been receiving treatment for "mental issues".
She said Spears' manager Sam Lufti had told her the singer was suffering from psychiatric problems that are "treatable".
"She has been having mood swings. She's been having trouble sleeping," Walters said on her show The View.
TV therapist Dr Phil McGraw, who visited Spears during her hospital stay last month, said at the time that he thought she was "in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention".
McGraw, who cancelled a planned TV show on the singer's predicament, was later criticised by Spears' family for speaking publicly about the matter.

Harbhajan cleared of racial abuse

Harbhajan Singh has been cleared at an appeal hearing of racially abusing Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds.
The India spinner had been found guilty of calling Symonds, Australia's only mixed-race player, a "monkey" during the second Test in Sydney this month.
But an appeal hearing ruled there was not enough evidence to convict Harbhajan of racial abuse but charged him with using abusive language.
Harbhajan pleaded guilty and was fined half his match fee and is free to play.
"The racial abuse charges have been dropped," said Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. "It is finished.
"The punishment is only for using obscene language."
I'm really happy and relieved, not just for Harbhajan, but for cricket
India skipper Anil Kumble
The appeal commissioner of the International Cricket Council, New Zealand high court judge John Hansen, is due to hand down an explanation for his ruling in Adelaide on Wednesday.
It is not clear if he will make recommendations about how such situations, where the word of one team is pitted against the other, can be avoided.
A spokesman for the ICC told BBC Sport senior officials at the governing body would need "a few days to digest what the commisioner says" before making any further comment.
But India have now lifted a threat to pull out of the rest of their tour, allowing their players - all of whom remained in Adelaide for the five-hour hearing - to move on to Melbourne for a Twenty20 game on Friday.
The Indian board and Cricket Australia released a joint statement endorsing the appeal decision.
"Controversy surrounding the incident involving Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds on day three of the Sydney Test has come to a constructive conclusion," it said.
"Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds said they had resolved the on-field issue between them in Sydney and now intend to get on with the game of cricket, which is most important to them.
606: DEBATE
Surely now is the time to let the matter go and get back to the bat and ball
Alex Trickett - BBC Sport
"Both captains also said they were satisfied with the outcome between their respective players and they looked forward to the cricket battles that lie ahead."
India skipper Anil Kumble added: "It's time to move on. This matter was lingering on for the last two weeks or so, although cricket was being played, but now the matter is settled.
"I'm really happy and relieved, not just for Harbhajan, but for cricket overall. It's time to start concentrating on the game."
Harbhajan's original punishment by match referee Mike Procter came after Australia captain Ricky Ponting made an official complaint about his alleged comments.
On-field umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor levelled a charge under section 3.3 of the ICC code of conduct following Ponting's complaint.

Symonds was at the centre of the incident
The ICC revealed that a letter signed by all the players involved was tendered into evidence as an agreed statement of facts as to what took place during the Sydney Test match.
Video and audio evidence, verbal statements from players and legal submissions were also considered.
"Justice Hansen said that he was convinced that on all evidence submitted before him the charge of a level 3.3 offence was not proven, but that Harbhajan should be charged with a level 2.8 offence," an ICC spokesman said.
At the time of the incident, Harbhajan was batting alongside Sachin Tendulkar, who backed his team-mate's claim that he had not called Symonds a "monkey".
In the aftermath of Procter's decision, India suspended the tour and later warned they might abandon it if Harbhajan's appeal failed, a threat they later withdrew.
BBC sports editor Mihir Bose revealed that the Indians claimed Harbhajan had used a Hindi phrase that could be misheard as "big monkey" in English.
Following Australia's 2-1 victory in the Test series, the sides next face each other in a Twenty20 match in Melbourne before playing in a triangular one-day tournament which also involves Sri Lanka.

Indian interest rates unchanged

India's central bank has kept interest rates on hold at 7.75%, disappointing those who were hoping for a cut.
Economists said that rising food and fuel prices were more worrying for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) than the impact of the sub-prime crisis.
Indian interest rates rose five times between June 2006 and last March and have been on hold since then.
Some economists thought a cut likely, particularly after the US Federal Reserve slashed rates last week.
Rupee concerns
But the RBI indicated that it was ready to cut interest rates if there was any sign of a slowdown.
"Developments in global financial markets in the context of the sub-prime crisis would warrant more intensified monitoring and swift responses with all available instruments to preserve and maintain macroeconomic and financial stability," it said.
The current gap between US interest rates and Indian interest is the largest in three years.
There is some concern that the disparity could push the rupee higher and make Indian exports less competitive on the world market.

Quarter of US iPhones 'unlocked'

More than a quarter of iPhones sold in the US have been "unlocked" to work on network providers other than Apple's exclusive partner AT&T, a study says.
One million iPhones, or 27% of those sold last year, have been adapted to work on other networks, said Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi.
Apple recently admitted that the number of unlocked iPhones was "significant".
The iPhone, which was launched last summer, is tied to a single phone network in each country it is on sale.
While AT&T is Apple's chosen partner in the US, in the UK the iPhone is only officially available through O2, while in Germany it is tied to T-Mobile.
'Lost revenue'
Mr Sacconaghi said the high number of unlocked iPhones in the US would be a concern for Apple, as it receives a percentage of AT&T's contract fees from iPhone users.
He estimates that if Apple sells 10 million iPhones in the US by the end of 2008, but 30% of them have been unlocked to work with other phone networks, Apple will lose $500m (£251m) in revenues.
Apple and AT&T have declined to comment on the detail of the report.
Last month Vodafone failed in the German courts to get T-Mobile's exclusivity deal over the iPhone overturned.

Bird flu cull hit by 'corruption'

Several culling teams have stopped working in districts of West Bengal hit by bird flu, complaining of corruption.
They say that they are being put under pressure by local politicians to exaggerate the number of birds killed so that more compensation is paid.
Some of the extra money is pocketed by local politicians, they say.
Nearly 200 culling team members have withdrawn from working in Rampurhat and Baroncha in protest against "pressure for false certificates".
'Too tired'
"If we kill five birds, we are asked to certify the killing of 50 birds so that the villagers get more compensation, part of which is pocketed by the village politicians," alleged Pintu Ghosh, member of a culling team at Rampurhat.
The decision by some culling team members in Rampurhat and Baroncha in Murshidbad district is significant, because these are areas worst hit by bird flu, where culling targets have been constantly upped as the epidemic spreads.

Rural poultry farmers have been badly affected
The officials all work for West Bengal's health and animal husbandry departments.
In the district of Nadia, other culling teams have stopped work because they say they are "too tired".
"We are too few and our task is huge. We have been working relentlessly for the last week," said Chandan Das, a culling team member.
Desperate district administrators have threatened to arrest those members of culling teams who pull out of work.
On Monday, officials said that the epidemic has spread to 13 of West Bengal's 19 districts.
An outbreak has even been reported from Budge Budge, a suburb of the capital, Calcutta, officials say, even though 1.7 million birds have so far been culled.
Police checkpoints have been set up all around the city to prevent any possible smuggling of poultry, Calcutta's police commissioner Gautam Chakrabarty said.
"If this spreads to Calcutta, there will be panic and chaos," animal disease expert Barun Roy said.
The municipal authorities in Calcutta are not prepared for such a situation, he said.
'Alarming'
West Bengal's Health Minister SK Mishra said that the situation was "alarming" and that a total of 2.5 million birds would need to be disposed of.

Villagers are reported to be reluctant to hand over birds
In some areas just hit by bird flu, like Debra in West Midnapore district, villagers are actively resisting the culling of their backyard poultry, complaining of financial losses.
Experts say that this could be contributing towards the spread of the disease.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu is regarded as highly pathogenic and can cause disease and death in humans.
Health experts have warned that the outbreak could get out of control.
The only saving grace so far for the authorities is that no cases of human infection have yet been reported.
Tens of thousands of rural families, for whom poultry is the only major source of income, have been ruined.

Man Utd 3-1 Tottenham

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to put Manchester United into the last 16 of the FA Cup after an entertaining tie.

Wayne Rooney cleared Dimitar Berbatov's header off the line before Robbie Keane converted Aaron Lennon's cross to put Tottenham ahead in a lively first half.

Ryan Giggs teed up Carlos Tevez to level but Edwin van der Sar superbly denied Jermaine Jenas before half-time.

Ronaldo netted a penalty after Michael Dawson saw red for deliberate handball and he fired in the third near the end.

It continued United's long unbeaten run at home against Spurs - which began in December 1989 - and was no less than the Premier League champions deserved after a dominant second-half display.

They were tested, however, during an opening 45 minutes which featured plenty to admire from two sides that have won the Cup 19 times between them.

For all their fluid movements, the home team often lacked a telling final ball and Spurs drew encouragement from the success they had in containing the lethal triumvirate of Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo.

Indeed, the visitors came desperately close to an opener in the 15th minute when Berbatov headed Lennon's corner goalwards, only to be thwarted by Rooney on the line.

The warning signs were there for the favourites and when a raking pass from Dawson was collected by Lennon, the winger's cross was met by Keane, who ghosted past the centre-halves to claim his fourth strike in as many games.

United responded with predictable vigour and after Cerny tipped over a fierce Ryan Giggs strike from the edge of the area they were deservedly level.

Lennon and Keane combined to put Tottenham in front

John O'Shea's deep ball caused confusion for Young-Pyo Lee and Dawson, allowing Giggs to nip in and lay-off to Tevez, who fired across Cerny and into the net.

Spurs were undaunted and, with the game opening up, almost regained the lead right on half-time.

Jenas raced clear down the middle following Steed Malbranque's defence-splitting pass and he got in an effort which Van der Sar pushed past the post.

More composure soon after the break would have yielded another Tottenham goal.

A slip from left-back Patrice Evra allowed Lennon to break free but he chipped over, and a clever punt from Keane created an even better opening for Jenas, who sidefooted off-target.

Those misses proved costly as Sir Alex Ferguson's men cranked up the pressure.

Ronaldo was enjoying more freedom and he really should have made it 2-1 when a sublime pass from Tevez sent him clear into the box.

But the goal United had been threatening duly arrived when Dawson was dismissed for using his arm to deny Rooney a shooting opportunity and Ronaldo fired home his 24th goal of the season from the spot.

The game looked up for Tottenham but they bravely ventured forward and Wes Brown's attempt to clear a Malbranque cross bounced back off the post.

However, any hopes the visitors were harbouring of a replay were ended when a dreadful error from Cerny saw Ronaldo's shot squirm under his body and over the line.

---

Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Brown, Evra (Simpson 90), Ronaldo, Carrick (Scholes 64), Hargreaves, Giggs, Rooney, Tevez (Anderson 81).
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Nani.

Booked: Evra.

Goals: Tevez 38, Ronaldo 69 pen, 88.

Tottenham: Cerny, Tainio (Defoe 81), Dawson, Huddlestone,Lee (Gunter 59), Lennon (Boateng 72), O'Hara, Jenas, Malbranque, Keane, Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Robinson, Kaboul.

Sent Off: Dawson (68).

Goals: Keane 24.

Att: 75,369

Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).

---

BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Tottenham's Robbie Keane 7.61 (on 90 minutes).

Russia art show opens to public

An exhibition of treasured artworks from Russia which nearly failed to make it to the UK has opened in London.

The show, which is at the Royal Academy of Arts until 18 April, was threatened after the Russians were concerned some of the works could be seized.

The collection contains some works taken from private owners after the 1917 Russian Revolution.

A law giving immunity from seizure to cultural artefacts lent from abroad was pushed through by the government.

Highlight

The Russian authorities gave the loan of the paintings their final approval earlier this month after "maximum possible assurances" were given by the UK that they would not be threatened with legal claims from the original owners' descendants.

Some of the collection, which features work by Renoir, Cezanne, Picasso and Van Gogh, has never been seen in the UK.

One of the highlights is Matisse's The Dance, which was painted during a period when the artist's work was misunderstood.

It is hoped the exhibition will attract some 500,000 visitors.

PC sales lift Microsoft's profits

Microsoft's profits for the key Christmas trading quarter have soared 79%, driven by strong computer sales and the success of its Xbox console.

The US giant's net profit for October to December 2007 was $4.7bn (£2.4bn), compared with $2.6bn a year earlier.

Its latest profit was ahead of analyst targets, but the rise is exaggerated by 2006's figure being reduced due to delays to the Vista software system.

Microsoft's revenues for the last quarter of 2007 grew 30% to $16.37bn.

Halo 3

The company said shipments of its Vista operating systems had soared from October to December thanks to a double-digit rise in global computer sales.

Revenues at Microsoft's Client division, which includes Vista jumped 68% from a year earlier to $4.34bn.

Quarterly revenues in the company's games unit rose 3.1% to $3.06bn, thanks to the continuing popularity of the Xbox and its hit Halo 3 title.

"It appears that the Vista operating system is beginning to gain traction in the marketplace," said analyst Michael Cuggino of Permanent Portfolio Funds.

"It's a good sign for technology spending, both on the corporate side and the consumer side."

French trader 'staked 50bn euros'

he French trader at the centre of a massive fraud case had gambled around 50bn euros ($73bn; £37bn) before being uncovered, his employer has said.

Bank Societe Generale said Jerome Kerviel, 31, appeared to have been operating alone.

When the bank reversed all the deals he allegedly made, it was hit with a loss of 4.9bn euros.

Lawyers for Mr Kerviel, who is being questioned by police, said their client had "committed no dishonest act".

"He did not siphon off a single cent, and did not profit in any way" from the bank's assets, the lawyers told AFP.

They also accused the bank of trying to "create a smokescreen which would divert public attention from losses that were significantly more substantial than those it accumulated in recent months".

Kerviel 'co-operating'

Police have been given a further 24 hours to question Mr Kerviel. They say he is co-operating with their inquiry.

Mr Kerviel handed himself in on Saturday, two days after the scandal was revealed publicly. No charges have yet been brought against him.

In my opinion, it is his bosses and employers who should be looked into Sylviane Le Goff Aunt of Jerome Kerviel

By early afternoon on Monday police must either free him or present him to a judge for the opening of a full judicial investigation into charges of fraud.

"The detention is going very well," said Jean Michel Aldebert, head of the financial section of the Paris prosecutor's office. "He is talking about the things he has been accused of."

Societe Generale on Sunday accused its trader of using "fraudulent methods", and concocting "fictitious operations" to prevent detection.

It said his background in trader oversight enabled him to fool those supposed to monitor traders' activities.

He had committed some 50bn euros to purchases of "futures" portfolios - effectively betting on the future direction of the stock market - the bank said.

Journalists have yet to get a glimpse of Mr Kerviel

That was more than the bank's own worth - about 35bn euros - and about the size of France's entire annual budget deficit.

Traders are supposed to balance each purchase with a sale, but Mr Kerviel allegedly made up fictitious sales, leaving the bank massively overcommitted.

Societe Generale said the deals, once discovered last weekend, had to be "undone as soon as possible, due to the risks tied to the amount", even though "market conditions were very unfavourable".

Prices were falling on stock markets around the world, meaning when the positions were closed, the bank showed a 4.9bn euro loss.

The bank said its traders worked on the matter for three days, finally closing the positions on 23 January.

System 'haywire'

Analysts have suggested that Societe Generale's massive sell-off may have played a part in sparking the huge losses suffered by world stock markets early last week.

SOCIETE GENERALE IN FIGURES Founded in 1864 467bn euros in assets under management (as of June 2007) 22.5m customers worldwide 120,000 employees in 77 countries Societe Generale share price

Two legal complaints of fraud have been lodged against Mr Kerviel - one from a group of small Societe Generale shareholders, and the other from the bank itself.

But numerous analysts have queried how a middle-ranking employee could have been single-handedly behind such a colossal loss, reports the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris.

The case has stirred debate in France about the merits of speculative financial markets.

"We must stop with this system that has gone haywire and that has lost track of its aim," said President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking on a trip to India.

"It appears to be time to... inject a bit of common sense into all these systems," he added.

'Shy'

Mr Kerviel disappeared after the news of the losses Societe Generale had incurred broke on Thursday, fuelling speculation he had fled.

But it is now reported that he was staying with his older brother, Olivier. Mr Aldebert said he had handed himself in voluntarily.

Police searched Mr Kerviel's Paris flat on Friday and also visited the Societe Generale headquarters, where he worked, leaving with documents and computer disks.

Meanwhile, Mr Kerviel's acquaintances have described a shy, considerate person who liked judo and sailing.

An aunt told French news agency AFP her nephew "must have been manipulated".

"They are an honest family, who have nothing to reproach themselves for," Sylviane Le Goff said.

"The young man has always been serious, reserved. In my opinion, it is his bosses and employers who should be looked into," she said.

She added that her sister had gone to Paris on Thursday to try and "comfort" her son.

Defunct Spy Satellite Falling From Orbit

A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and propulsion and could hit the Earth in late February or March, government officials said Saturday.

The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down, they said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret.

"Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause."

He would not comment on whether it is possible for the satellite to be perhaps shot down by a missile. He said it would be inappropriate to discuss any specifics at this time.

A senior government official said that lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation.

The largest uncontrolled re-entry by a NASA spacecraft was Skylab, the 78-ton abandoned space station that fell from orbit in 1979. Its debris dropped harmlessly into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia.

In 2000, NASA engineers successfully directed a safe de-orbit of the 17-ton Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, using rockets aboard the satellite to bring it down in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

In 2002, officials believe debris from a 7,000-pound science satellite smacked into the Earth's atmosphere and rained down over the Persian Gulf, a few thousand miles from where they first predicted it would plummet.

Election blow for German premier

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU party has suffered a dramatic electoral setback in the key state of Hesse's regional election.

Governor Roland Koch, who made immigrant crime an election issue, lost his absolute majority in Hesse's parliament, early results show.

While the CDU might still form a coalition, its vote share was barely above that of the social democrat SPD.

But the CDU did retain power in another state, Lower Saxony, as expected.

After taking 48.8% of the vote and an overall majority of seats in 2003, Mr Koch's party won 36.8% on Sunday to the SPD's 36.7% (29.1% in 2003).

In Lower Saxony, the CDU also saw its vote share fall but it still won about 42.5% to the SPD's 30.3%, preliminary results show.

The elections in two of Germany's most important states are being seen as a dry run for the federal election next year, the BBC's Tristana Moore reports.

The CDU and SPD, traditional political foes, have ruled Germany in an uneasy Grand Coalition since 2005.

Boost for SPD

Mr Koch had fought an aggressive and divisive campaign, calling for tough new laws against immigrant young offenders.

Roland Koch has been seen as a future CDU leader

Although critics were quick to point out that his campaign was xenophobic, Chancellor Merkel gave her full backing to Mr Koch, known as the "Crown Prince" among conservatives.

But it is now clear that many voters felt uncomfortable with the CDU's hardline rhetoric and they delivered a severe blow to Chancellor Merkel's party, our correspondent says.

The SPD's Hesse leader, Andrea Ypsilanti, had appealed to left-wing voters during her campaign with calls for a national minimum wage and better schools.

The balance of power in Hesse now lies with the smaller parties, the Greens, the liberal FDP and the Left Party and it is still not clear who will be able to form a coalition government.

For the SPD, the result in Hesse is a welcome boost to the party, our correspondent notes.

Once trailing in the polls, it will now feel emboldened at a national level.

But Sunday's results are also likely to lead to more in-fighting in the Grand Coalition, as the main parties sharpen their ideological differences.

Indonesia set for Suharto funeral

Former Indonesian President Suharto, who has died from multiply organ failure at the age of 86, is to be buried shortly in Central Java.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will oversee the state funeral in a Javanese royal burial ground near Solo.

Suharto ruled with an iron first for 32 years and was accused of endemic corruption and human rights abuses.

More than half a million suspected communists were killed during his rise to power in the 1960s.

He left office in 1998 amid mass protests over corruption and human rights abuses but did not stand trial on health grounds.

Following news of his death, hundreds of people gathered in the streets around his Jakarta house, many with tears in their eyes.

Many Indonesians still fondly call him their Father of Development but his critics say he ruled by instilling fear, the BBC's Rebecca Henschke reports from Jakarta.

'A great leader'

The cemetery is built on land that has been preserved for centuries for Javanese royalty.

RISE AND FALL OF SUHARTO Born in Java, June 1921 Comes to power in 1965 after alleged Communist coup attempt Formally replaces Sukarno as president in March 1967 Modernisation programmes in the 70s and 80s raise living standards East Timor invaded in late 1975 Asian economic crisis of the 1990s hits Indonesian economy Spiralling prices and discontent force him to resign in May 1998 Judges rule he is unfit to stand trial for corruption in 2000 Transparency International says he tops the world all-time corruption table in March 2004

Suharto will be laid to rest next to his wife Tien, who was a minor member of the Solo royal family.

The cemetery is perched on a mountain and was built amid controversy in the 1970s by a charitable foundation that Suharto controlled.

Local press are reporting that many Asian leaders, including East Timor President Xanana Gusmao and former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad are expected to attend.

The ceremony will be a traditional Javanese Islamic funeral.

Hundreds of police and the military elite unit Kopassus have been deployed.

President Yudhoyono called on the nation to thank the former leader for his services to the Indonesian nation.

He asked them to show "the highest respect to one of the nation's best sons, a great leader of the nation who has contributed so much service and dedication to the nation and the state".

The government announced a week of national mourning.

Long illness

Suharto was rushed to hospital on 4 January suffering from various heart, lung and kidney problems.

Mourners visited Suharto's shrouded body at his house

After suffering multiple organ failure for a second time since his admission, he died at 1310 (0610 GMT) on Sunday after slipping into a coma, doctors said.

All six of his children were at the hospital when he died.

Soldiers and police had to force back crowds of Suharto supporters to allow the ambulance carrying his body to leave the hospital.

The US ambassador to Jakarta, Cameron Hume, hailed Suharto as a "historic figure" who "achieved remarkable economic development", while adding that there "may be some controversy over his legacy".

Mr Mahathir said he had regarded Suharto - "a great leader and... an international statesman" - as a friend of Malaysia and a personal friend.

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda paid tribute to the dead man's work to promote "friendly and goodwill relations" with his country.

But for Indonesian political opponents, his death meant a missed opportunity to put him on trial.

"His death is a tragedy for all the victims of his crimes, they will never get justice," said Budiman Sudjatmiko, who was jailed as a student activist.

"Count in his corruption, then he is a perfect criminal - he can be put up there with Pol Pot and Hitler."

Brad Adams, Asia director of the New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch, said Suharto had "gotten away with murder - another dictator who's lived out his life in luxury and escaped justice".

Even Thin Galaxies Can Grow Fat Black Holes

This artist's concept illustrates the two types of spiral galaxies that populate our universe: those with plump middles, or central bulges (upper left), and those lacking the bulge (foreground). Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltec NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected plump black holes where least expected -- skinny galaxies. Like people, galaxies come in different shapes and sizes. There are thin spirals both with and without central bulges of stars, and more rotund ellipticals that are themselves like giant bulges. Scientists have long held that all galaxies except the slender, bulgeless spirals harbor supermassive black holes at their cores. Furthermore, bulges were thought to be required for black holes to grow. The new Spitzer observations throw this theory into question. The infrared telescope surveyed 32 flat and bulgeless galaxies and detected monstrous black holes lurking in the bellies of seven of them. The results imply that galaxy bulges are not necessary for black hole growth; instead, a mysterious invisible substance in galaxies called dark matter could play a role. "This finding challenges the current paradigm. The fact that galaxies without bulges have black holes means that the bulges cannot be the determining factor, " said Shobita Satyapal of the George Mason University, Fairfax, Va. "It's possible that the dark matter that fills the halos around galaxies plays an important role in the early development of supermassive black holes." Satyapal presented the findings today at the 211th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Austin, Texas. A study from Satyapal and her team will be published in the April 10 issue of the Astrophysical Journal. Our own Milky Way is an example of a spiral galaxy with a bulge; from the side, it would look like a plane seen head-on, with its wings out to the side. Its black hole, though dormant and not actively "feeding," is several million times the mass of our sun. Previous observations had suggested that bulges and black holes flourished together like symbiotic species. For instance, supermassive black holes are almost always about 0.2 percent the mass of their galaxies' bulges. In other words, the more massive the bulge, the more massive the black hole. Said Satyapal, "Scientists reasoned that somehow the formation and growth of galaxy bulges and their central black holes are intimately connected." But a wrinkle appeared in this theory in 2003, when astronomers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Pasadena, Calif., discovered a relatively "lightweight" supermassive black hole in a galaxy lacking a bulge. Then, earlier this year, Satyapal and her team uncovered a second supermassive black hole in a similarly svelte galaxy. In the latest study, Satyapal and her colleagues report the discovery of six more hefty black holes in thin galaxies with minimal bulges, further weakening the "bulge-black hole" theory. Why hadn't anybody seen these black holes before? According to the scientists, bulgeless galaxies tend to be very dusty, letting little visible light escape. But infrared light can penetrate dust, so the team was able to use Spitzer's infrared spectrograph to reveal the "fingerprints" of active black holes lurking in galaxies millions of light years away. "A feeding black hole spits out high-energy light that ionizes much of the gas in the core of the galaxy," said Satyapal. "In this case, Spitzer identified the unique fingerprint of highly ionized neon -- only a feeding black hole has the energy needed to excite neon to this state." The precise masses of the newfound black holes are unknown. If bulges aren't necessary ingredients for baking up supermassive black holes, then perhaps dark matter is. Dark matter is the enigmatic substance that permeates galaxies and their surrounding halos, accounting for up to 90 percent of a galaxy's mass. So-called normal matter makes up stars, planets, living creatures and everything we see around us, whereas dark matter can't be seen. Only its gravitational effects can be felt. According to Satyapal, dark matter might somehow determine the mass of a black hole early on in the development of a galaxy. "Maybe the bulge was just serving as a proxy for the dark matter mass -- the real determining factor behind the existence and mass of a black hole in a galaxy's center," said Satyapal. Other authors of this study include: D. Vega of the George Mason University; R.P. Dudik of the George Mason University and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; N.P. Abel of the University of Cincinnati, Ohio; and Tim Heckman of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology, also in Pasadena. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. Spitzer's infrared spectrograph was built by Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Its development was led by Jim Houck of Cornell

Orbiting Camera Details Dramatic Wind Action on Mars

Mars has an ethereal, tenuous atmosphere with less than one-percent the surface pressure of Earth, which challenges scientists to explain complex, wind-sculpted landforms seen with unprecedented detail in images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
One of the main questions has been if winds on present-day Mars are strong enough to form and change geological features, or if wind-constructed formations were made in the past, perhaps when winds speeds and atmospheric pressures were higher.
The eye-opening new views of wind-driven Mars geology come from the University of Arizona's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera (HiRISE). As the orbiter flies at about 3,400 meters per second (7,500 mph) between 250 and 315 kilometers (155 to 196 miles) above the Martian surface, this camera can see features as small as half a meter (20 inches).
"We're seeing what look like smaller sand bedforms on the tops of larger dunes, and, when we zoom in more, a third set of bedforms topping those," said HiRISE co-investigator Nathan Bridges of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "On Earth, small bedforms can form and change on time scales as short as a day."
There are two kinds of "bedforms," or wind-deposited landforms. They can be sand dunes, which are typically larger and have distinct shapes. Or they can be ripples, in which sand is mixed with coarser particles. Ripples are typically smaller and more linear.
HiRISE also shows detail in sediments deposited by winds on the downwind side of rocks. Such "windtails" show which way the most current winds have blown, Bridges said. They have been seen before, but only by rovers and landers, never by an orbiter. Researchers can now use HiRISE images to infer wind directions over the entire planet.
Scientists discovered miles-long, wind-scoured ridges called "yardangs" with the first Mars orbiter, Mariner 9, in the early 1970s. New HiRISE images reveal surface texture and fine-scale features that are giving scientists insight into how yardangs form.
"HiRISE is showing us just how interesting layers in yardangs are," Bridges said. "For example, we see one layer that appears to have rocks in it. You can actually see rocks in the layer, and if you look downslope, you can see rocks that we think have eroded out from that rocky layer above."
New images show that some layers in the yardangs are made of softer materials that have been modified by wind, he added. The soft material could be volcanic ash deposits, or the dried-up remnants of what once were mixtures of ice and dust, or something else. "The fact that we see layers that appear to be rocky and layers that are obviously soft says that the process that formed yardangs is no simple process but a complicated sequence of processes," Bridges said.
"HiRISE keeps showing interesting things about terrains that I expected to be uninteresting," said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, HiRISE principal investigator. "I was surprised by the diversity of morphology of the thick dust mantles. Instead of a uniform blanket of smooth dust, there are often intricate patterns due to the action of the wind and perhaps light cementation from atmospheric volatiles."
Paul Geissler of the U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Ariz., has discovered from HiRISE images that dark streaks coming from Victoria Crater probably consist of streaks of dark sand blown out from the crater onto the surface. Scientists had wondered if wind might have blown away lighter-colored surface material, exposing a darker underlying surface. Geissler is comparing HiRISE images to images taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity rover at Victoria Crater.
Bridges is lead author and McEwen is a co-author on the paper titled "Windy Mars: A dynamic planet as seen by the HiRISE camera" in Geophysical Research Letters in December.
Information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft is online at http://www.nasa.gov/mro. The mission is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor and built the spacecraft. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo., built the HiRISE camera operated by The University of Arizona, Tucson.

Ledger remembered as 'old soul'

Heath Ledger's family have remembered the actor as an "old soul" in a death notice in an Australian newspaper.
"You dreamed your dreams and lived them with passion and intelligent commitment," the notice published in The West Australian said.
In a separate tribute, his sister Kate said that the pair were "ultimate soulmates", adding she viewed him as "just my little brother".
The 28-year-old film star was found dead in his New York home on Tuesday.
'So talented'
"We have been privileged to accompany you on a ride through life that has simply been amazing and through it all we have loved each other beyond imagination. Our hearts are broken," the death notice read.
In an additional tribute, Ledger's father Kim wrote:
"Heatho, Beef, my beautiful boy, so loving, so talented, so independent ... so no more chess games mate ... this is it, couldn't beat you anyway. We were one, in soul and commitment, just father and son."
The newspaper said the notice had been posted by Ledger's family, who were flying to the US from Australia to collect his body.
Police have set up barricades outside a funeral home in New York ahead of a private viewing.
Production halted
Meanwhile, the makers of Ledger's most recent film have suspended production.
The star had recently completed filming in London on The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, directed by Terry Gilliam.

Heath Ledger was Oscar-nominated for his role in Brokeback Mountain
The $30m (£15.1m) production had moved to Vancouver, Canada for interior and bluescreen scenes.
The film's makers issued a statement saying: "Terry and the producers will be assessing how best to proceed."
The producers also paid tribute to the 28-year-old, calling him "a great actor, a great friend and a great spirit."
"We are still in a state of deep shock, saddened and numb with grief," the statement continued.
Greg Chambers, business manager for craft union ACFC West, told the Vancouver Sun newspaper that the production is "currently listed as a force majeure".
Force majeure is a clause which allows producers to end contracts in extraordinary circumstances.
Mr Chambers added that some 100 crew members had been laid off as a result.
A post mortem on Ledger, whose body was found in his New York apartment, was inconclusive, with further tests under way.

Rice talks trade on Colombia trip

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been meeting Colombian President Alvaro Uribe at the end of a trip to promote a free trade pact.
President Uribe said the pact was "an important step for there to be more investment in Colombia".
But the Democrat-controlled US Congress has so far refused to approve the deal.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the US and Colombia were plotting "military aggression" against his country, but provided no evidence.
The Venezuelan leader said that this was the real reason for Ms Rice's visit to Colombia, which he called a "pawn of the North American empire".
Mr Chavez said it would be "very difficult" for Venezuela to normalize relations with Colombia amid diplomatic tensions with Mr Uribe's government.
'Violent reputation'
President Uribe said that the international links a trade deal with the US would bring were important for Colombian workers' security.
"The more that the country is integrated with the international community, the more that the rights of workers will be respected, and the greater the opportunities for workers," he said.
"If the country isolates itself and does not advance in matters of trade, it will be harder for workers' rights to be respected."
For US President George W Bush, Democratic support in Congress is vital if the free trade deal is to come into effect.
Colombia is doing the right thing after many years of conflict
Condoleezza Rice
But the Democrats have so far refused to back the pact, citing concerns about Colombia's human rights record and government officials' alleged links with right-wing militias.
One member of a group of Democrats from the House of Representatives who travelled with Ms Rice said: "You can't allow that to go unanswered."
"It's not a question of the rightness or wrongness of the free trade agreement," said David Scott of Georgia.
"The question is: Can you get the votes in the Congress when you have such a violent reputation?"
But the White House says Colombia has made great gains in the war on drugs and terrorism.
Earlier, Ms Rice met former left-wing guerrillas and former members of the country's right-wing paramilitary groups who have been reincorporated into society after laying down their weapons.
After meeting President Uribe, Mr Rice denied that the US administration is pushing the free trade pact as a way of countering the influence of regional rival Venezuela.
"There's no ideological test for our friends," she said.
She said she wanted "to make clear.... that Colombia is doing the right thing after many years of conflict".
However, many US Democrats and trade unionists remain unconvinced, with Jeff Vogt, a global economic policy specialist with the AFL-CIO, speaking of "deep-rooted concerns about continuing violence".
The AFL-CIO is the largest US labour group and a key support of the Democratic Party.
The BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Medellin it will remains to be seen whether a US Congress, more interested in the current fight for presidential nominees and this year's elections, will be won over by Ms Rice's arguments.

'Lyell' Panorama inside Victoria Crater

During four months prior to the fourth anniversary of its landing on Mars, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity examined rocks inside an alcove called "Duck Bay" in the western portion of Victoria Crater. The main body of the crater appears in the upper right of this panorama, with the far side of the crater lying about 800 meters (half a mile) away. Bracketing that part of the view are two promontories on the crater's rim at either side of Duck Bay. They are "Cape Verde," about 6 meters (20 feet) tall, on the left, and "Cabo Frio," about 15 meters (50 feet) tall, on the right. The rest of the image, other than sky and portions of the rover, is ground within Duck Bay. Opportunity's targets of study during the last quarter of 2007 were rock layers within a band exposed around the interior of the crater, about 6 meters (20 feet) from the rim. Bright rocks within the band are visible in the foreground of the panorama. The rover science team assigned informal names to three subdivisions of the band: "Steno," "Smith," and "Lyell." This view combines many images taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) from the 1,332nd through 1,379th Martian days, or sols, of the mission (Oct. 23 to Dec. 11, 2007). Images taken through Pancam filters centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers, 535 nanometers and 432 nanometers were mixed to produce this view, which is presented in a false-color stretch to bring out subtle color differences in the scene. Some visible patterns in dark and light tones are the result of combining frames that were affected by dust on the front sapphire window of the rover's camera. Opportunity landed on Jan. 25, 2004, Universal Time, (Jan. 24, Pacific Time) inside a much smaller crater about 6 kilometers (4 miles) north of Victoria Crater, to begin a surface mission designed to last 3 months and drive about 600 meters (0.4 mile).

Worldwide share jitters continue

Global stocks finished down on Friday, as concerns returned about the state of the worldwide financial sector.
With analysts saying some investors were also profit taking after two days of solid rises, Wall Street's main Dow Jones index lost 171 points to 12,207.
The Nasdaq ended 35 points lower, while London's FTSE fell 6.8 points to 5,869, and Frankfurt's Dax lost 4.3 points.
Analysts said sentiment was hit by rumours of more big losses to be reported in the global banking sector.
Dutch banks ING and Fortis were mentioned in some reports. Both said they declined to comment on market speculation.
There was also rumours that one of the main US hedge funds was in financial difficulty.
US economic plan
Global stocks had risen earlier on Friday as investors welcomed the previous day's announcement of a US government plan to spend $150bn (£76bn) reviving the country's economy.
We expect sharp gains and losses in the next few days and weeks
Heinz-Gerd Sonnenschein, a strategist at Postbank
Strong earnings from Microsoft and building equipment firm Caterpillar had also helped to lift the mood, with Japan's main Nikkei index closing up 4%.
On Monday, stock markets from Japan to the UK were heavily sold on growing fears that the US would fall into a recession and drag down other key economies too.
In many markets, the falls were the worst since the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US.
The resulting turmoil prompted the Fed, the US central bank, to cut US rates to 3.5% from 4.25%.
Analysts now expect more volatility in the short term.
"We expect sharp gains and losses in the next few days and weeks," said Heinz-Gerd Sonnenschein, a strategist at Postbank in Germany.
"The US has done many things to stabilise the market, but all the bad news is not yet out there

New record for gold price at $923

The cost of gold jewellery is likely to go up, analysts sayThe price of gold has set another record high, reaching $923, after power cuts in South Africa closed mines and fuelled supply fears.
The metal was also boosted by the rise in oil prices. New York crude jumped $1.19 a barrel, extending heavy gains on Thursday to trade close to $91.
Gold is seen as an attractive investment in times of economic uncertainty and oil-led inflation.
Gold prices increased by more than 30% in 2007 and further gains are forecast.
Gold rush
Since the start of the year, the gold price has set a series of records, as many companies have predicted weaker earnings and global lending markets remain troubled.
Worries that the dollar will remain weak as a result of further US interest rate cuts are another factor behind the gold rush.
JP Morgan analysts forecast in a note to clients that gold could reach between $950 and $975 this year.
"Precious metals is a very strong picture," said Graham Birch, head of BlackRock's Natural Resources fund.
The rally was exacerbated by the suspension of production at some of the world's biggest gold mines in South Africa, after the country's state power supplier, Eskom, said it could not guarantee supplies.
Eskom said the power crisis would last for four weeks, but many observers expect the problems to persist for many years.

Banks 'may need an extra $143bn'

Banks may need to raise as much as $143bn (£77bn) to weather the credit crisis, Barclays Capital reports.
They say the banks will need extra money if bond insurers, who insure the products at the centre of the sub-prime crisis, lose their top credit ratings.
If their credit ratings are cut, it could make it harder for them to pay out, leading to banks reporting bigger losses on sub-prime debt.
Fears about bond insurers helped spark off this week's stock market falls.
The world's largest banks have already admitted losing more than $100bn from mortgage bonds gone bad.
$820bn at risk
Analysts at Barclays Capital said banks own $820bn of securities guaranteed by bond insurers.
"This is a huge amount, but the assumptions used are also very aggressive, designed only to show how, taken to its extreme..., bank capital could be influenced," the Barclays Capital report said.
Bond insurers, such as Ambac Financial Group and MBIA, have suffered billions of dollars of write-downs in recent months and are expected to sustain more, after insuring debt hit by the sub-prime mortgage crisis.
Investor fears
Many investors fear the insurers have too little capital given their obligations, and worry that a cut in their credit rating would make it more expensive for them to borrow money.
Ratings agency Fitch cut Ambac's rating last week, while rival agencies Moody's and Standard & Poor's are reviewing Ambac's and MBIA's ratings.
However, there is some optimism for the sector after reports that billionaire Wilbur Ross was in talks to acquire Ambac.
The reports follow comments this week from New York State regulators saying they would consider lending support to the struggling bond insurance industry.
Sub-prime exposure
Firms like Ambac are know as 'monoline' insurers and are at the centre of the sub-prime crisis.
The sub-prime market is focused on providing home loans to those with limited or poor credit histories.
Many of these mortgages were converted into financial instruments and sold on to investors including banks.
But a series of interest rate rises over the past two years has meant many sub-prime borrowers could no longer afford their monthly payments, causing them to default.
This led to a steep fall in the value of investments linked to sub-prime loans and has caused many banks to report massive losses.

Oscar nod 'more likely' for drama

Performers who appear in a drama rather than a comedy are nine times more likely to be nominated for an Oscar, a study suggests.
And women were twice as likely to be nominated as men, it found.
The joint study by the University of California Los Angeles and Harvard University examined thousands of Internet Movie Database records.
Meanwhile, the show's producer says this year's event is "not going to be cancelled" despite the writers' strike.
The odds of being nominated for an Academy Award are so much greater for performers who appear in dramas that it really pays to be a drama queen
Co-author Gabriel Rossman
The authors of the study used the online database's records to look at every Oscar-eligible film made between the first year of the awards, in 1927, and 2005.
They examined records of 171,539 performances by 39,518 actors in 19,351 films.
Study co-author Gabriel Rossman said: "The odds of being nominated for an Academy Award are so much greater for performers who appear in dramas that - at least this time of year - it really pays to be a drama queen."
Fellow author Nicole Esparza said the "underrepresentation" of women in films worked in their favour when it came to nominations.
"Because there are fewer female than male performers in films, and both are eligible for the same number of awards, actresses stand a better chance of being nominated than actors," she added.
"It's a simple matter of arithmetic."
Picket lines
Other factors that made nominations more likely included previous Oscar nominations, having a high spot in the pecking order in earlier movie credits and working on a film with a major distributor.
Meanwhile, Oscars producer Gil Cates has told the Los Angeles Times this year's Oscars would take place with or without the actors.
There are fears that, if the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike is not resolved before the Oscars - due to be held on 24 February - the usual ceremony will be called off or scaled down like last week's Golden Globes.
I don't want to say 'read my lips' but it's not going to be cancelled
Oscars producer Gil Cates
Ahead of the Golden Globes, actors had said they would not cross picket lines in support of writers.
But Mr Cates said: "There are enough clips in 80 years of Oscar history to make up a very entertaining show.
"We'd have a lot of people on stage. Much as this is shocking to people, there are a lot of people who don't act.
"I just hope the actors are there. I pray that the actors are there. I'm planning that the actors are there."
He added: "I don't want to say 'read my lips' but it's not going to be cancelled."
Sets for the show at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood are already being built and nominations will be announced on Tuesday.
According to trade newspaper Hollywood Report, writers are to meet later this week to discuss holding informal talks with studio bosses.

Coffee 'raises miscarriage risk'

Pregnant women should consider avoiding caffeine say researchers who found even moderate consumption in early pregnancy raises the risk of miscarriage.
Currently, the Food Standards Agency sets an upper limit during pregnancy of 300mg - or four cups of coffee a day.
But a US study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology found 200mg of caffeine a day doubled the risk compared to women who abstained.
Experts said they would review the data to see if advice needed changing.
Women probably should consider stopping caffeine consumption during pregnancy
Study author Dr Li
Pat O'Brien, consultant obstetrician and spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said based on the findings he would now be advising women in their first 12 weeks of pregnancy to abstain from caffeine altogether.
"The first 12 weeks is a very vulnerable time for the baby. It's when most miscarriages occur," he explained.
He said most women in early pregnancy went off the taste of caffeinated drinks anyway and so should not find abstaining from them too difficult.
But he said it was unclear whether pregnant women needed to avoid caffeine in later pregnancy.
Miscarriage risk
An estimated one in five pregnancies in the UK will end in miscarriage, affecting around 250,000 women in the UK every year.
There are a number of well-established risk factors, such as increased maternal age, a previous history of miscarriage, and infertility.
But the causes of the majority of miscarriages are not fully understood.
Caffeine has been mooted as a risk factor before, but studies have yielded conflicting results.
For the latest research, Dr De-Kun Li and colleagues at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, studied 1,063 women who had become pregnant in the last month or two.
300 mg of caffeine is roughly equivalent to:
Four average cups or three average mugs of instant coffee
Three average cups of brewed coffee
Six average cups of tea
Eight cans of regular cola drinks
Four cans of so-called "energy" drinks
400g (eight standard 50g bars) of normal chocolate
Caffeine content in a cup of tea or coffee varies by different brands and brewing methods
Source: Food Standards Agency
They asked the women to provide a detailed diary about their caffeine intake up to their 20th week of pregnancy.
When they compared this information with how many of the women had miscarried by 20 weeks gestation, 172 of the women in total, they found a link.
Compared with non-users, women who consumed up to 200mg of caffeine a day had an increased risk of miscarriage - 15% versus 12%.
For women who drank more than 200mg, the risk increased to 25%.
Abstinence
The increased risk appeared to be related to the caffeine itself, rather than other coffee ingredients because other caffeinated beverages such as tea and hot chocolate showed a similar trend to coffee.
Caffeine is able to cross the placenta to the foetus, but it is not clear what affect this has on the growing baby.
Dr Li said: "The main message for pregnant women from these findings is that they probably should consider stopping caffeine consumption during pregnancy."
Zoe Wheeldon from the British Coffee Association said the latest research, although well designed and robust, did not change the current Food Standards Agency recommendation of a safe upper limit of 300mg of caffeine per day for pregnant women.
"This evidence must be reviewed in conjunction with existing research and it is important to review all the available data rather than taking one study in isolation."
A spokesman from the Food Standards Agency said: "In order to provide a more robust basis for the FSA's advice to pregnant women on caffeine consumption, an FSA-funded study, involving around 2,500 pregnant women, was commissioned in 2003.
"This is almost complete and the results will be presented to the Committee On Toxicity in closed session for consideration.
"We will ask the committee to also look at this new American study. When the committee has reached conclusions the agency will, if appropriate, revise its advice on caffeine consumption in pregnancy."