<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
     xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
     xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
     xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/">
  <channel>
    <title>BluePress</title>
    <link>https://bluepress.international</link>
    <description></description>
    <language>en-US</language>
    <lastBuildDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 06:51:17 +0000</lastBuildDate>
    <atom:link href="https://bluepress.international/feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/>
    <generator>IndigoPress</generator>
    <item>
      <title>More movies head to Sony&apos;s PSP</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/more-movies-head-to-sonys-psp</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/more-movies-head-to-sonys-psp</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:06:09 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sana Iqbal]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category>
      <enclosure url="/media/2026/06/pic0053.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Movies Open Water and Saw are among those to be made available for Sony's PSP games console. Film studio Lions Gate entertainment has announced an initial list of 12 movies that will be on the UMD format used by the handheld. "The typical buyer of the machine the core demographi…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Movies Open Water and Saw are among those to be made available for Sony's PSP games console.  Film studio Lions Gate entertainment has announced an initial list of 12 movies that will be on the UMD format used by the handheld. "The typical buyer of the machine [is] the core demographic to whom our films generally appeal," said Steve Beeks, president of Lions Gate. Already available in Japan, the PSP is released in the US on 24 March. Spider-Man 2 on UMD will be given to the first million customers in the US.  The Punisher and House of the Dead along with older titles such as Total Recall and Rambo: First Blood, will be in the UMD format, with disks costing between $20 (£10.40) to $30 (£15.60) for new titles and $10 (£5.20) to $20 for older films.  "When we first saw the machine and started talking to Sony, we immediately decided it was going to be a winner, both from the gaming perspective and from the perspective of people watching movies on the go," Mr Beeks said. The disks, which are smaller than DVDs, only work in Sony's PSP and can hold up to 1.8GB of data. "We actually believe people who buy the UMD would not have bought it on DVD," he said. "There are people who will want UMD because of the portability. Maybe they're already taking the games with them out of the house, and they're bigger gamers than they are movie watchers." Four movies have already been announced for PSP. They are: XXX, Hellboy, Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Wilkinson return &apos;unlikely&apos;</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/wilkinson-return-unlikely</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/wilkinson-return-unlikely</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:06:09 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Eleri Vaughan]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Rugby]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0100.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Jonny Wilkinson looks set to miss the whole of the 2005 RBS Six Nations. England's World Cup-winning fly-half said last week he was hoping to recover from his latest injury in time to play some role in the championship. But Rob Andrew, coach of Wilkinson's club side Newcastle, s…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Jonny Wilkinson looks set to miss the whole of the 2005 RBS Six Nations.  England's World Cup-winning fly-half said last week he was hoping to recover from his latest injury in time to play some role in the championship. But Rob Andrew, coach of Wilkinson's club side Newcastle, said that with only two games left to play Wilkinson was unlikely to be fit in time. "It would be irresponsible to put him straight into a Test match," Andrew told the Times. Wilkinson is recovering from a knee injury which followed long-term neck and arm injuries. He has not played for England since the World Cup final in November 2003, since when the stuttering world champions have lost nine of their 14 matches. Wilkinson is aiming to make his third start to the season in the Zurich Premiership match against Harlequins on 13 March.  That game is the day after England play Italy in the Six Nations and six days before their final match of the championship against Scotland. "We are hoping Jonny will be ready in a fortnight, but it is touch and go," said Andrew. "His recovery is going very well and the key now is how he is reintroduced to playing and with it goal-kicking. "He will probably have to come off the bench to start and it would be ridiculous and irresponsible to put him straight back into a Test match. "We can't afford to get it wrong with a knee injury. We are in touch with England and they are relaxed about it." Despite not playing for England, Wilkinson is still hoping to make the Lions tour to New Zealand this summer. Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward has not set a deadline for when Wilkinson has to start playing again in order to be considered for selection.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Teenagers to be allowed to be MPs</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/teenagers-to-be-allowed-to-be-mps</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/teenagers-to-be-allowed-to-be-mps</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:06:09 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ruth Adeyemi]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0195.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Teenagers will be able to become MPs under plans unveiled by ministers. In a written statement, Constitutional Affairs Minister Christopher Leslie said the current minimum age of 21 for an MP would be reduced to 18. The proposals follow a recommendation last year by elections wa…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Teenagers will be able to become MPs under plans unveiled by ministers.  In a written statement, Constitutional Affairs Minister Christopher Leslie said the current minimum age of 21 for an MP would be reduced to 18. The proposals follow a recommendation last year by elections watchdog the Electoral Commission. "The government intends to legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to lower the age," said Mr Leslie, who was elected in 1997 at the age of 24. Even if the move does go ahead it is unlikely it will be in place before the next general election, widely predicted for May.  The announcement from Mr Leslie - who was elected in 1997 in a formerly safe Tory seat - prompted calls for a lowering of the voting age to 16. The Votes at 16 alliance said it was a good thing to "engage people" by lowering the candidacy age but argued lowering the voting age would be much more effective. "Candidacy affects only politicians. The voting age affects millions of younger people," said spokesman Alex Folkes. "We would hope that the government will table a bill that is broad enough to allow for amendments to be brought to test support for a reduction in the voting age."  Currently candidates in both local and national votes must be 21 while the voting age is 18. That is because the age of majority was reduced to 18 in 1969 but laws dating from 1695 which determine the current voting age stayed in place. Irish republican Bernadette Devlin was one of just a handful of 21-year-olds elected to Parliament in the 20th century winning a seat in 1969. But the youngest is understood to have been Tory Edward Turnour, who won the 1904 Horsham by-election aged 21 and 144 days and served in Parliament for 47 continuous years. Last April's report by the Electoral Commission said there was no strong argument for leaving the age for standing for election at 21. The commission found the most common approach around the world is for the voting age to be the same as the candidacy age.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Britney attacks &apos;false tabloids&apos;</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/britney-attacks-false-tabloids</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/britney-attacks-false-tabloids</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:06:09 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rory Field]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0326.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Pop star Britney Spears has attacked "false" and "desperate" US tabloid magazines, questioning their honesty after they reported she was pregnant. In a letter on her website, the singer named celebrity tabloids Us Weekly, In Touch and Star as the worst offenders. "Until you face…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Pop star Britney Spears has attacked "false" and "desperate" US tabloid magazines, questioning their honesty after they reported she was pregnant.  In a letter on her website, the singer named celebrity tabloids Us Weekly, In Touch and Star as the worst offenders. "Until you face what is going on in your life, I guess you'll remain a false tabloid," the 23-year-old wrote. Stories about the state of her marriage to Kevin Federline and rumours about a pregnancy have recently appeared. But the chart-topping singer's letter did not shed any further light on those stories. In February, Spears clashed with Us Weekly for publishing pictures of her honeymoon in Fiji without permission. The couple, who married in Los Angeles last September, claimed staff took photographs of them which were later sold.  They said they allowed the pictures to be taken after they were assured they would only be used for a private scrapbook, which they later received as a souvenir. Us magazine was unrepentant about their decision to publish, saying: "Britney should start her own magazine if she'd like to dictate her own coverage." "Coming from a celebrity who sold pictures of both her wedding and her stepdaughter, it's unlikely the issue here is privacy," they added. Spears claimed that other magazines were approached with the pictures but chose to contact her instead.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Quake&apos;s economic costs emerging</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/quakes-economic-costs-emerging</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/quakes-economic-costs-emerging</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:06:09 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Hannah Sørensen]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[World Economy]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0342.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Asian governments and international agencies are reeling at the potential economic devastation left by the Asian tsunami and floods. World Bank president James Wolfensohn has said his agency is "only beginning to grasp the magnitude of the disaster" and its economic impact. The…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Asian governments and international agencies are reeling at the potential economic devastation left by the Asian tsunami and floods.  World Bank president James Wolfensohn has said his agency is "only beginning to grasp the magnitude of the disaster" and its economic impact. The tragedy has left at least 25,000 people dead, with Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and Indonesia worst hit. Some early estimates of reconstruction costs are starting to emerge. Millions have been left homeless, while businesses and infrastructure have been washed away.  Economists believe several of the 10 countries hit by the giant waves could see a slowdown in growth.  In Sri Lanka, some observers have said that as much as 1% of annual growth may be lost. For Thailand, that figure is much lower at 0.1%. Governments are expected to take steps, such as cutting taxes and increasing spending, to facilitate a recovery.  "With the enormous displacement of people...there will be a serious relaxation of fiscal policy," Glenn Maguire, chief economist for the region at Societe Generale, told Agence France Presse. "The economic impact of it will certainly be large, but it should not be enough to derail the momentum of the region in 2005," he said. "First and foremost this is a human tragedy." India's economy, however, is less likely to slow because the areas hit are some of the least developed. The regional giant has enjoyed strong growth in 2004. But India now faces other problems, with aid workers under pressure to ensure a clean supply of water and sanitation to prevent an outbreak of disease.  Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has estimated the destruction at 20bn baht ($510m). Analysts said that figure is likely to rise and the country's tourist industry is likely to be hardest hit. Thailand's fishing and real estate sectors also will be affected by Sunday's 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which sent huge waves from Malaysia to Africa. Malaysia said as many as 1,000 fishermen will be affected and that damage to the industry will be "significant", Agence France Presse reported. Rapid rebuilding will be key to limiting the impact of the tragedy. "In three months, we should rebuild 70% of the damage in the three worst hit provinces," said Juthamas Siriwan, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The outlook for Sri Lanka is less optimistic, with analysts predicting that the country's tourist industry will struggle to recovery quickly. Tourism is a vital to many developing countries, providing jobs for 19 million people in the south east Asian region, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>UK broadband gets speed injection</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/uk-broadband-gets-speed-injection</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/uk-broadband-gets-speed-injection</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:40:12 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sana Iqbal]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0457.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Broadband's rapid rise continues apace as speeds gear up a notch. An eight megabit service has been launched by internet service provider UK Online. It is 16 times faster than the average broadband package on the market and will pave the way for services such as video-on-demand…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Broadband's rapid rise continues apace as speeds gear up a notch.  An eight megabit service has been launched by internet service provider UK Online. It is 16 times faster than the average broadband package on the market and will pave the way for services such as video-on-demand and broadband TV. The service is possible due to a new regime which allows other operators to use BT's exchanges and will initially only be available in towns.  It represents a "big leap forward" for broadband, said Chris Stening, UK Online general manager.  The service comes with a hefty £39.99 monthly price tag but will mean users can download MP3s in seconds and offers TV-quality video streaming. The service includes WiFi as standard, meaning users can connect multiple PCs, laptops and game consoles from any room in the house. Not everybody will be able to take advantage of the service, as it will be restricted to metropolitan areas. The service will initially be available to users within 2km radius of 230 telephone exchanges in areas such as London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cambridge. That represents about 4.4 million households. The service is possible due to a decision to loosen BT's strangle-hold on telephone exchanges.  The process, known as local loop unbundling, was put in motion by the now defunct telecoms watchdog Oftel but has only proved popular in recent months due to falling costs. UK Online is looking at the possibility of bundling services such as cheap net telephone calls, video-on-demand and TV by 2005 if the service proves popular. "The service is twice as fast as any other service on offer in the UK and 16 times faster than most broadband services," said Mr Stening. "It takes a big leap for broadband and we are very excited about it," he said. Countries such as South Korea and France have found the advantage of upping the speeds of broadband. In South Korea, video-on-demand over the net is cheaper than renting a DVD and online gaming is huge. Mr Stening believes the service will appeal to people in multi-occupancy buildings as well as easing family arguments. "A typical family with two adults and two children is currently sharing a 512 kilobit service. This will basically give them 2 megabits each," he said.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Yeading face Newcastle in FA Cup</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/yeading-face-newcastle-in-fa-cup</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/yeading-face-newcastle-in-fa-cup</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:40:12 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Danny Pitch]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Football]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0464.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Premiership side Newcastle United face a trip to Ryman Premier League leaders Yeading in the FA Cup third round. The game - arguably the highlight of the draw - is a potential money-spinner for non-League Yeading, who beat Slough in the second round. Conference side Exeter City,…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Premiership side Newcastle United face a trip to Ryman Premier League leaders Yeading in the FA Cup third round.  The game - arguably the highlight of the draw - is a potential money-spinner for non-League Yeading, who beat Slough in the second round. Conference side Exeter City, who knocked out Doncaster on Saturday, will travel to Old Trafford to meet holders Manchester United in January. Arsenal were drawn at home to Stoke and Chelsea will play host to Scunthorpe. The only other non-League side in the draw are Hinckley United, who held Brentford to a goalless draw on Sunday. They will meet League One leaders Luton if they win their replay against Martin Allen's team at Griffin Park.  A number of Premiership teams face difficult away games against Championship sides on the weekend of 8/9 January. Third-placed Everton visit Plymouth, Liverpool travel to Burnley, Crystal Palace go to Sunderland, Fulham face Carling Cup semi-finalists Watford, Bolton meet Ipswich, while Aston Villa were drawn against Sheffield United. Premiership strugglers Norwich, Blackburn, West Brom are away at West Ham, Cardiff and Preston North End respectively. Southampton visit Northampton, having already beaten the League Two side in the Carling Cup earlier this season. Middlesbrough were drawn away against either Swindon or Notts County, while Spurs entertain Brighton at White Hart Lane.  Arsenal v Stoke  Swindon/Notts Co v Middlesbrough  Man Utd v Exeter  Plymouth v Everton  Leicester v Blackpool  Derby v Wigan  Sunderland v Crystal Palace  Wolves v Millwall  Yeading v Newcastle  Hull v Colchester  Tottenham v Brighton  Reading v Stockport/Swansea  Birmingham v Leeds  Hartlepool v Boston  Milton Keynes Dons v Peterborough  Oldham v Man City  Chelsea v Scunthorpe  Cardiff v Blackburn  Charlton v Rochdale  West Ham v Norwich  Sheff Utd v Aston Villa  Preston v West Brom  Rotherham v Yeovil  Burnley v Liverpool  Bournemouth v Chester  Coventry v Crewe  Watford v Fulham  Ipswich v Bolton  Portsmouth v Gillingham  Northampton v Southampton  QPR v Nottm Forest  Luton v Hinckley/Brentford  Matches to be played on weekend of 8/9 January.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Tutu&apos;s Guantanamo release call</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/tutus-guantanamo-release-call</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/tutus-guantanamo-release-call</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:40:12 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Gavin Pryce]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Security & Defence]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0070.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called for the release of the remaining inmates at Guantanamo Bay and terror suspects detained without trial in the UK. His comments follow news that all four Britons held by the US in the Cuban camp will be freed within weeks. The South African archb…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called for the release of the remaining inmates at Guantanamo Bay and terror suspects detained without trial in the UK.  His comments follow news that all four Britons held by the US in the Cuban camp will be freed within weeks. The South African archbishop said detentions without trial were "unacceptable" and "distressing". Twelve foreign nationals are being held indefinitely without trial in the UK under anti-terror laws. Referring to the detentions in Cuba, Archbishop Tutu told BBC News: "It is utterly unacceptable. "The rule of law is in order to ensure that those who have power don't use their power arbitrarily and every person retains their human rights until you have proven conclusively that so-and-so is in fact guilty."  Moazzam Begg, from Birmingham, and Martin Mubanga, Richard Belmar and Feroz Abbasi, from London, have been held by the US at Guantanamo Bay for almost three years. On Tuesday Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the Commons that the US had agreed to release the four after "intensive and complex discussions" over security. The Britons were detained as part of the US-led "war on terror". The archbishop added: "Whilst we are saying thank you that these have been released, what is happening to those left behind? "We in South Africa used to have a dispensation that detained people without trial and the world quite rightly condemned that as unacceptable.  "Now if it was unacceptable then how come it can be acceptable to Britain and the United States. It is so, so deeply distressing." Following Mr Straw's announcement, lawyer Louise Christian, who represents Mr Abbasi and Mr Mubanga, said the government should have acted sooner. Foreign nationals detained in the UK are being held at Belmarsh and Woodhill prisons. In December the House of Lords, the UK's highest court, ruled that the anti-terror measures broke human rights laws. But the men are still behind bars.  Archbishop Tutu criticised the measures, saying: "I am opposed to any arbitrary detention that is happening, even in Britain." Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil rights group Liberty, has called on the government to "practise what it preaches" and either free or charge the detained men. But the Home Office defended the measures. A spokesman said: "These individuals cannot currently be prosecuted because some evidence, such as that provided by third parties, cannot safely be disclosed in criminal proceedings without putting others at risk. "It is also currently the case that intelligence gained from covert intercepts cannot be used in a court of law."]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Wife Swap makers sue US &apos;copycat&apos;</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/wife-swap-makers-sue-us-copycat</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/wife-swap-makers-sue-us-copycat</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:40:12 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rory Field]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0200.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[The British producers of US Wife Swap are taking legal action against a show they claim is "a blatant and wholescale copycat" of their programme. RDF Media, which makes the show for US network ABC, has filed a damages claim for $18 million (£9.25 million) against Fox's Trading S…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[The British producers of US Wife Swap are taking legal action against a show they claim is "a blatant and wholescale copycat" of their programme.  RDF Media, which makes the show for US network ABC, has filed a damages claim for $18 million (£9.25 million) against Fox's Trading Spouses. ABC bought the rights to the British show, which was first aired in 2003 and became a hit on Channel 4. The US network is not part of the claim, but has supported RDF's action. "We respect our producing partners' right to protect their intellectual property in whatever manner they deem most appropriate," said ABC in a statement. A spokesman for Fox said it had not seen the details of the legal action and could not comment.  Their show was first screened in June, and was criticised in the press for its similarities to Wife Swap. ABC originally planned to call their programme Trading Moms, but changed it to avoid confusion with the Fox version. Earlier this year, the NBC network claimed that Fox's boxing show The Next Great Champ had been hurriedly produced to ensure its programme was the first to be screened. NBC alleged that boxing regulations had been violated, but failed in their attempt to have the show pulled. The Fox show proved a ratings flop, while NBC's The Contender is due to begin in February.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Orange colour clash set for court</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/orange-colour-clash-set-for-court</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/orange-colour-clash-set-for-court</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:40:12 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Priya Nair]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0205.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[A row over the colour orange could hit the courts after mobile phone giant Orange launched action against a new mobile venture from Easyjet's founder. Orange said it was starting proceedings against the Easymobile service for trademark infringement. Easymobile uses Easygroup's o…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[A row over the colour orange could hit the courts after mobile phone giant Orange launched action against a new mobile venture from Easyjet's founder.  Orange said it was starting proceedings against the Easymobile service for trademark infringement. Easymobile uses Easygroup's orange branding. Founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has pledged to contest the action. The move comes after the two sides failed to come to an agreement after six months of talks. Orange claims the new low-cost mobile service has infringed its rights regarding the use of the colour orange and could confuse customers - known as "passing off".  "Our brand, and the rights associated with it are extremely important to us," Orange said in a statement. "In the absence of any firm commitment from Easy, we have been left with no choice but to start an action for trademark infringement and passing off." However, Mr Haji-Ioannou, who plans to launch Easymobile next month, vowed to fight back, saying: "We have nothing to be afraid of in this court case. "It is our right to use our own corporate colour for which we have become famous during the last 10 years." The Easyjet founder also said he planned to add a disclaimer to the Easygroup website to ensure customers are aware the Easymobile brand has no connection to Orange. The new service is the latest venture from Easygroup, which includes a chain of internet cafes, budget car rentals and an intercity bus service. Easymobile will allow customers to go online to order SIM cards and airtime - which will be rented from T-Mobile - for their existing handsets.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Napster offers rented music to go</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/napster-offers-rented-music-to-go</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/napster-offers-rented-music-to-go</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:40:56 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sana Iqbal]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Mobile]]></category>
      <enclosure url="/media/2026/06/pic0009.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Music downloading, for those that have rejected the free peer to peer services, can be a costly business. The cost of paying even as little as 70p per track can add up, particularly for those people who own one of the new generation of players that can store thousands of songs.…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Music downloading, for those that have rejected the free peer to peer services, can be a costly business.  The cost of paying even as little as 70p per track can add up, particularly for those people who own one of the new generation of players that can store thousands of songs. Paying per track for music is becoming as outmoded as paying per minute for internet access and alternative monthly or yearly subscription models are springing up as a more convenient, and ultimately cheaper way of owning music.  "Music fans are moving away from buying the traditional bundled package of a dozen or more songs that we used to call an album to newer ways that fit their lifestyle; either single tracks or subscriptions services," said Paul Myers, chief executive of Wippit, a UK-based music download service. While iTunes is doing good business with its sales of individual tracks to iPod owners, others are questioning whether the concept of owning music is even valid in the digital age. Napster is due to launch a new rental subscription service - dubbed Napster to Go in the UK in the next few months. The service can be used on players that support Microsoft Windows latest Digital Rights Management technology known as Janus. This includes players made by Samsung, Rio and Creative.  Currently on offer in beta-version in the US, the service costs $15 per month for unlimited downloads. The technology ensures that music downloaded to the player only remains playable while the user subscribes to the service. Users need to update their license on a monthly basis or the tunes will no longer play.  This has outraged some digital music lovers, especially as Napster already offers a cheaper service for downloading music to the PC. Napster claims the higher price is a result of record labels charging more for the to-go service and says it also offers "greater value" for customers. Mr Myers is not convinced a rental model will work for consumers. "We've been offering our unlimited music subscription service for more than three years now and our customers know what they want. Format interoperability, excellent value and the reassurance that music purchased from Wippit is theirs to keep and enjoy on whatever device they choose," he said. "Who wants to download a track that won't play next month if you decide to unsubscribe to the service or change portable player for an iPod or the latest mobile phone?" Wippit offers a download subscription service for £4.99 per month or £50 per year. It has a catalogue of around 60,000 songs.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>McLeish ready for criticism</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/mcleish-ready-for-criticism</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/mcleish-ready-for-criticism</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:40:56 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[BBC News staff]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Football]]></category>
      <enclosure url="/media/2026/06/pic0019.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Rangers manager Alex McLeish accepts he is going to be criticised after their disastrous Uefa Cup exit at the hands of Auxerre at Ibrox on Wednesday. McLeish told BBC Radio Five Live: "We were in pole position to get through to the next stage but we blew it, we absolutely blew i…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Rangers manager Alex McLeish accepts he is going to be criticised after their disastrous Uefa Cup exit at the hands of Auxerre at Ibrox on Wednesday.  McLeish told BBC Radio Five Live: "We were in pole position to get through to the next stage but we blew it, we absolutely blew it. "There's no use burying your head in the sand, we know we are going to get a lot of criticism. "We have to take it as we have done in the past and we must now bounce back." McLeish admitted his team's defending was amateurish after watching them lose 2-0 to Guy Roux's French side.  "I'm very disappointed because we didn't give ourselves a chance, losing the first goal from our own corner. It was amateur," he added. "The early goal in the second half gave us a mountain to climb and we never created the same kind of chances as we did in the first half. "It's difficult to take positives from the game. We've let the fans down."]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>How political squabbles snowball</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/how-political-squabbles-snowball</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/how-political-squabbles-snowball</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:40:56 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ruth Adeyemi]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Parties]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0127.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[It's become commonplace to argue that Blair and Brown are like squabbling school kids and that they (and their supporters) need to grow up and stop bickering. But this analysis in fact gets it wrong. It's not just children who fight - adults do too. And there are solid reasons w…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[It's become commonplace to argue that Blair and Brown are like squabbling school kids and that they (and their supporters) need to grow up and stop bickering.  But this analysis in fact gets it wrong. It's not just children who fight - adults do too. And there are solid reasons why even a trivial argument between mature protagonists can be hard to stop once its got going. The key feature of an endless feud is that everyone can agree they'd be better off if it ended - but everyone wants to have the last word.  Each participant genuinely wants the row to stop, but thinks it worth prolonging the argument just a tiny bit to ensure their view is heard. Their successive attempts to end the argument with their last word ensure the argument goes on and on and on. (In the case of Mr Blair and Mr Brown, successive books are published, ensuring the issues never die.) Now this isn't because the participants are stupid - it's actually each individual behaving entirely rationally, given the incentives facing them. Indeed, there's even a piece of economic theory that explains all this. Nothing as obscure as "post-neo-classical endogenous growth theory" which the chancellor himself once quoted - but a ubiquitous piece of game theory which all respectable policy wonks are familiar with.  It's often referred to as the "prisoner's dilemma", based on a parable much told in economics degree courses... about a sheriff and two prisoners. The story goes that two prisoners are jointly charged with a heinous crime, and are locked up in separate cells. But the sheriff desperately needs a confession from at least one of them, to provide enough evidence to convict them of the crime. Without a confession, the prisoners will get a minimal sentence on some trumped up charge.  Clearly the prisoners' best strategy is to keep their mouths shut, and take the short sentence, but the clever sheriff has an idea to induce them to talk. He tells each prisoner separately, that if they confess - and they are the only one to confess - they'll be let off their crime. And he tells them that if they don't confess - and they are the only one not to confess - they'll get life. Now, if you are prisoner confronted with this choice, your best bet is to confess. If your partner doesn't confess, you'll get off completely. And if your partner does confess, you'd better confess to ensure you don't get life. The result is of course, both prisoners confess, so the sheriff does not have to let either one off. Both prisoners' individual logic was to behave that way, even though both would have been better if they had somehow agreed to shut up. Don't worry if you don't entirely follow it - you can to look it up on Google, where there are 283,000 entries on it.  The prisoners' dilemma and all its ramifications have truly captured economists in the last couple of decades. It is a parable used to describe any situation where there is an obvious sensible choice to be taken collectively, but where the only rational choice individually is to behave selfishly.  A cold war arms race for example - a classic case where both Russia and America would be better off with just a few arms, rather than a lot of arms. But as long as each wants just a few more arms than the other, an arms race ensues with the results that the individually logical decision to buy more arms, results in arms levels that are too high. What economics tells us is that once you're in a prisoners' dilemma - unless you are repeating the experience many times over - it's hard to escape the perverse logic of it. It's no good just exhorting people to stop buying arms, or to stop arguing when all their incentives encourage them to carry on. Somehow, the incentives have to change.  In the case of the Labour Party, if you believe the rift between Blair and Brown camps is as bad as the reports suggest, Solomon's wisdom needs to be deployed to solve the problem. Every parent knows there are ingenious solutions to arguments, solutions which affect the incentives of the participants. An example, is the famous rule that "one divides, the other chooses" as a way of allocating a piece of cake to be sliced up between greedy children. In the case of an apparently endless argument, if you want it to come to an end, you have to ensure the person who has the last word is one who loses rather than the one who wins the row. The cost of prolonging the row by even one more briefing, or one more book for that matter, has to exceed the benefit of having the last word, and getting your point in. If the rest of the party can enforce that, they'll have the protagonists retreating pretty quickly.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Lasting influence of legend Charles</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/lasting-influence-of-legend-charles</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/lasting-influence-of-legend-charles</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:40:56 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Cleo Bannerman]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Awards]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0253.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Ray Charles, who has won a string of posthumous Grammy Awards, belonged to a pioneering generation of artists that had a huge influence on the course of rock and pop music. His sound encompassed so many styles - blues, gospel, jazz, rock 'n' roll, even country - and had a real i…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Ray Charles, who has won a string of posthumous Grammy Awards, belonged to a pioneering generation of artists that had a huge influence on the course of rock and pop music.  His sound encompassed so many styles - blues, gospel, jazz, rock 'n' roll, even country - and had a real impact on the nascent UK beat and R&B scenes.  Compared in stature to Elvis Presley by some commentators, Charles' songs cast their spell on such 1960s stalwarts as Joe Cocker, Steve Winwood, Eric Burdon and Van Morrison. His influence has extended to contemporary artists such as Norah Jones, with whom he recently recorded a duet. If James Brown was the godfather of soul, then Ray Charles was indisputably one of its founding fathers. Along with Sam Cooke, he was instrumental in bringing together the gospel fervour of the deep south Baptist church with the "devil's" music of R&B to pave the way for a new generation of soul artists.  Without Charles, it is hard to imagine the tear-stained Atlantic R&B sound of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett. He was also a talented jazz composer, arranger and band leader, playing at the Newport Jazz Festival and Carnegie Hall and recording with noted jazz musicians such as Milt Jackson and David "Fathead" Newman. Unfortunately, he also shared another trait common among many jazz artists of the era - that of heroin addiction, which led to him being arrested in 1965. His string of 1950s Atlantic R&B successes included songs that would be covered by the first-generation rock 'n' roll greats, including I've Got A Woman (Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley) and Hallelujah, I Love Her So (Eddie Cochran). After the exuberance of his 1959 signature song What'd I Say, Charles turned towards a more pop-oriented style, recording Hoagy Carmichael's sentimental string ballad Georgia On My Mind, and the upbeat Hit The Road Jack.  He also won acclaim in the country arena with his interpretations of Hank Williams standards such as Your Cheating Heart and You Win Again. More than 40 years after its release, his 1962 ABC album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is still regarded as a classic. His version of Don Gibson's I Can't Stop Loving You topped the pop and R&B charts in the US. In 1972, he made a rare foray into protest songs with his album A Message from the People.  On it, he took a stand on poverty and civil rights - echoing similar recordings of the era from progeny such as Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye. More than 20 years later, he would embrace contemporary production with his 1993 album My World, which featured hip-hop beats - although Charles claimed at the time not to know what hip-hop was. Among the tributes that poured in from all sections of the music world when Charles died aged 73 in June 2004 was one from his friend, the producer Quincy Jones, who described him as a "brother in every sense of the word". "There will never be another musician who did as much to break down the perceived walls of musical genres as much as Ray Charles did," he said. Former Manfred Mann singer Paul Jones, who sang on 1960s hits such as Come Tomorrow and Sha La La, said Charles was one of his heroes. "I'm quite sure my own writing was influenced by him," he told BBC News Online. "I would put money on the proposition that Ray Charles will have an influence on music forever."]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Split-caps pay £194m compensation</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/split-caps-pay-194m-compensation</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/split-caps-pay-194m-compensation</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:40:56 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Priya Nair]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Markets]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0261.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Investors who lost money following the split-capital investment trust scandal are to receive £194m compensation, the UK's financial watchdog has announced. Eighteen investment firms involved in the sale of the investments agreed the compensation package with the Financial Servic…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Investors who lost money following the split-capital investment trust scandal are to receive £194m compensation, the UK's financial watchdog has announced.  Eighteen investment firms involved in the sale of the investments agreed the compensation package with the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Splits were marketed as a low-risk way to benefit from rising share prices. But when the stock market collapsed in 2000, the products left thousands of investors out of pocket. An estimated 50,000 people took out split-capital funds, some investing their life savings in the schemes. The paying of compensation will be overseen by an independent company, the FSA said.  Further details of how investors will be able to claim their share of the compensation package will be announced in the new year. "This should save investors from having to take their case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, something, no doubt, that will be very welcome," Rob McIvor, FSA spokesman, told BBC News. Agreeing to pay compensation did not mean that the eighteen firms involved were admitting any guilt, the FSA added. Any investor accepting the compensation will have to waive the right to take their case to the Financial Ombudsman Service.  The FSA has been investigating whether investors were misled about the risks posed by split-capital investment trusts. The FSA's 60 strong investigation team looked into whether fund managers colluded in a so-called "magic circle", in the hope of propping up one another's share prices.  Firms involved were presented with 780 files of evidence detailing 27,000 taped conversations and over 70 interviews. In May, the FSA was widely reported as having asked firms to pay up to £350m in compensation. Mr McIvor told the BBC that the final settlement figure was smaller because two unnamed firms had pulled out of the compensation negotiations. Investors in these two firms may now have to take any compensation claim to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the courts.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Game firm holds &apos;cast&apos; auditions</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/game-firm-holds-cast-auditions</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/game-firm-holds-cast-auditions</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 01:25:16 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sana Iqbal]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0286.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Video game firm Bioware is to hold open auditions for people to become cast members for future games. The company, which makes role playing games such as Knights of the Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights, is seeking people aged 18 to 99. The Canada-based company says it was loo…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Video game firm Bioware is to hold open auditions for people to become cast members for future games.  The company, which makes role playing games such as Knights of the Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights, is seeking people aged 18 to 99. The Canada-based company says it was looking for "a wide variety of people to use as face models for characters". Everyone chosen to appear in a video game will receive a performer's fee for the use of their image. The company is inviting people to come along to a shopping mall in West Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday and Saturday, bringing along a piece of photo identification.  "There are hundreds and hundreds of characters in a typical Bioware game," said Shauna Perry, Bioware's audio and external resources producer. "Those people live in any city and village and so we need ordinary people, people with interesting faces." She added: "Not everyone is a model in the world so we don't want just models in our games." People chosen to appear in a game will have their head scanned in three dimensions. Hundreds of photos of the person's head are taken so that a model of the head can be generated in 3D. "The 3D model will look exactly like the person - it's really quite incredible how detailed they are," said Ms Perry. She said chosen participants will have no control over how the image is used in a computer game. "We cannot give people any control over how the images are used. "But their face could be used in multiple games - so they could be the hero in one, the villain in another and just a merchant in a third."]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Chepkemei joins Edinburgh line-up</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/chepkemei-joins-edinburgh-line-up</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/chepkemei-joins-edinburgh-line-up</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 01:25:16 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[BBC News staff]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Athletics]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0285.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Susan Chepkemei has decided she is fit enough to run in next month's Great Edinburgh International Cross Country. The Kenyan was initially unsure if she would have recovered from her gruelling tussle with Paula Radcliffe in the New York Marathon in time to compete. But she has d…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Susan Chepkemei has decided she is fit enough to run in next month's Great Edinburgh International Cross Country.  The Kenyan was initially unsure if she would have recovered from her gruelling tussle with Paula Radcliffe in the New York Marathon in time to compete. But she has declared herself up to the task and joins a field headed by World cross country champion Benita Johnson. Race director Matthew Turnbull said: "Susan will add even more strength in depth to the world-class line up." Chepkemei, who won the six kilometre event three years ago when it was staged in Newcastle, endured an epic battle with Radcliffe in the Big Apple until the Briton outsprinted her in the final 400m. Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia will defend the title she won last year in Tyneside - before the race was moved north of the border. Recently-crowned European cross country champion Briton Hayley Yelling also competes in Edinburgh on 15 January, as does in-form Scot Kathy Butler.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Brown visits slum on Africa trip</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/brown-visits-slum-on-africa-trip</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/brown-visits-slum-on-africa-trip</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 01:25:16 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ruth Adeyemi]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Parties]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0389.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Chancellor Gordon Brown has visited Kenya's biggest shantytown as he opened a week-long visit to Africa. Mr Brown's trip is designed to highlight how the UK wants to make Africa's problems a priority of its chairmanship of the G8 this year. He will see an HIV/Aids orphanage in T…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Chancellor Gordon Brown has visited Kenya's biggest shantytown as he opened a week-long visit to Africa.  Mr Brown's trip is designed to highlight how the UK wants to make Africa's problems a priority of its chairmanship of the G8 this year. He will see an HIV/Aids orphanage in Tanzania and a women's credit union in Mozambique before chairing a meeting of the Commission for Africa in Cape Town. At slums in Narobi on Wednesday, he said education needs had to be tackled.  Speaking outside the Olympic Primary School, Mr Brown said: "It is simply not acceptable in the modern age for the rest of the world to stand by and have hundreds of millions of children not getting the chance at education." He pointed to international plans to invest $10bn for education in Africa over the next decade. The school is on the edge of Kibera, where 800,000 live often in huts made of mud, scrap metal and cardboard. Mr Brown's aides say he wants to find out more about the Kenyan Government's education policies, which included introducing free primary education in early 2003. The chancellor has already unveiled proposals for a G8 aid package which he has likened to the Marshall Plan used by the United States to rebuild Europe after World War Two. The trip follows claims of infighting between Mr Brown and Tony Blair detailed in a new book. Conservative leader Michael Howard is expected to seize on those reports at prime minister's questions at 1200 GMT on Wednesday.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Paraguay novel wins US book prize</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/paraguay-novel-wins-us-book-prize</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/paraguay-novel-wins-us-book-prize</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 01:25:16 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rory Field]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
      <enclosure url="/media/2026/06/pic0024.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[A novel set in 19th century Paraguay has won the $10,000 (£5,390) fiction prize at the US National Book Awards. Lily Tuck's The News From Paraguay is a fictionalised tale about Paraguayan leader Francisco Solano Lopez and his Irish mistress. But the annual awards, which were pre…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[A novel set in 19th century Paraguay has won the $10,000 (£5,390) fiction prize at the US National Book Awards.  Lily Tuck's The News From Paraguay is a fictionalised tale about Paraguayan leader Francisco Solano Lopez and his Irish mistress. But the annual awards, which were presented in New York on Wednesday, were not without controversy. Children's author Judy Blume, who was given an honourary medal, used the ceremony to speak out over censorship.  Sales of Blume's books have exceeded 75 million, but her work - which features frank narratives about families, religion and sexuality - is closely watched by the censors. Blume said: "The urge to ban is contagious. It spreads like wildfire from community to community. Please speak out. Censors hate publicity." Her medal marks the second year in a row the honourary prize went to someone as notable for popular success as literary greatness. Last year's honorary winner, Stephen King, accused the industry during the 2003 ceremony of snobbery against popular writers. But his argument that the award should help sell books instead of honouring excellence is not shared by everyone.  This year's fiction panel overlooked high-profile works such as Philip Roth's The Plot Against America and instead chose five little-known books, all by New York-based women. One fiction judge, Stewart O'Nan, carried around a note written on a napkin that said: "I would hope that our caring more for the quality of a work than its sales figures make us a friend of books, not an enemy." The National Book Awards non-fiction prize was awarded to Kevin Boyle's for Arc of Justice, which focuses on a black family's fight to live in a white Detroit neighbourhood in the 1920s. The award had created a lot of interest this year after the surprise inclusion of the of the 9-11 Commission Report looking into the events of the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US. Pete Hautman won the young people's literature prize for his novel Godless. The winner in the poetry category was Jean Valentine for Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965-2003.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>US trade gap hits record in 2004</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/us-trade-gap-hits-record-in-2004</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/us-trade-gap-hits-record-in-2004</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 01:25:16 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Priya Nair]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Markets]]></category>
      <enclosure url="/media/2026/06/pic0024.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[The gap between US exports and imports hit an all-time high of $671.7bn (£484bn) in 2004, latest figures show. The Commerce Department said the trade deficit for all of last year was 24.4% above the previous record - 2003's imbalance of $496.5bn. The deficit with China, up 30.5%…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[The gap between US exports and imports hit an all-time high of $671.7bn (£484bn) in 2004, latest figures show.  The Commerce Department said the trade deficit for all of last year was 24.4% above the previous record - 2003's imbalance of $496.5bn. The deficit with China, up 30.5% at $162bn, was the largest ever recorded with a single country. However, on a monthly basis the US trade gap narrowed by 4.9% in December to £56.4bn. The US consumer's appetite for all things from oil to imported cars, and even wine and cheese, reached record levels last year and the figures are likely to spark fresh criticism of President Bush's economic policies.  Democrats claim the administration has not done enough to clamp down on unfair foreign trade practices. For example, they believe China's currency policy - which US manufacturers claim has undervalued the yuan by as much as 40% - has given China's rapidly expanding economy an unfair advantage against US competitors.  Meanwhile, the Bush administration argues that the US deficit reflects the fact the America is growing at faster rate than the rest of the world, spurring on more demand for imported goods. Some economists say this may allow an upward revision of US economic growth in the fourth quarter. But others point out that the deficit has reached such astronomical proportions that foreigners many choose not to hold as many dollar-denominated assets, which may in turn harm growth. For all of 2004, US exports rose 12.3% to $1.15 trillion, but imports rose even faster by 16.3% to a new record of $1.76 trillion. Foreign oil exports surged by 35.7% to a record $180.7bn, reflecting the rally in global oil prices and increasing domestic demand. Imports were not affected by the dollar's weakness last year. "We expect the deficit to continue to widen in 2005 even if the dollar gets back to its downward trend," said economist Marie-Pierre Ripert at IXIS.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Remote control rifle range debuts</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/remote-control-rifle-range-debuts</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/remote-control-rifle-range-debuts</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 06:51:17 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Leo Marsh]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Internet]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0454.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Soon you could go hunting via the net. A Texas company is considering letting web users use a remote-controlled rifle to shoot down deer, antelope and wild pigs. For a small fee users will take control of a camera and rifle that they can use to spot and shoot the game animals as…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Soon you could go hunting via the net.  A Texas company is considering letting web users use a remote-controlled rifle to shoot down deer, antelope and wild pigs. For a small fee users will take control of a camera and rifle that they can use to spot and shoot the game animals as they roam around a 133-hectare Texas ranch. The Live-Shot website behind the scheme already lets people practise shooting at targets via the internet.  John Underwood, the man behind the Live-Shot website, said the idea for the remote-control hunting came to him a year ago when he was watching deer via a webcam on another net site. "We were looking at a beautiful white-tail buck and my friend said 'If you just had a gun for that'. A little light bulb went off in my head," Mr Underwood told the Reuters news agency. A year's work and $10,000 has resulted in a remote-controlled rig on which sits a camera and .22 calibre rifle. Mr Underwood is planning to put one of these rigs in a concealed location in a small reserve on his Texas ranch and let people shoot at a variety of game animals. Also needed is a fast net connection so remote hunters can quickly track and aim at passing game animals with the camera and rifle rig. Each remote hunting session will cost $150 with additional fees for meat processing and taxidermy work. Species that can be shot will include barbary, Corsican and mouflon sheep, blackbuck antelope and wild pigs. Already the Live-Shot site lets people shoot 10 rounds at paper and silhouette targets for $5.95 for each 20-minute shooting session. For further fees, users can get the target they shot and a DVD recording of their session. Handlers oversee each shooting session and can stop the gun being fired if it is being aimed off-range or at something it should not be. Mr Underwood said that internet hunting could be popular with disabled hunters unable to get out in the woods or distant hunters who cannot afford a trip to Texas. In a statement the RSPCA said it had "grave concerns" about people being allowed to go online and remotely control a rifle. "We assume it would be extremely difficult to accurately control a gun in this way and therefore it would be difficult to ensure a 'clean kill', something the RSPCA accepts is the intention of those shooting for sport," it said. "Animals hit but not killed would without doubt be caused to suffer unnecessarily," said the statement. Mike Berger, wildlife director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said current hunting statutes did not cover net or remote hunting. He said state laws on hunting only covered "regulated animals" such as native deer and bird species. As such there was nothing to stop Mr Underwood letting people hunt "unregulated" imported animals and wild pigs. Mr Underwood also lets people come in person to the ranch to hunt and shoot game animals.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Santini resigns as Spurs manager</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/santini-resigns-as-spurs-manager</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/santini-resigns-as-spurs-manager</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 06:51:17 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[BBC News staff]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Football]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0461.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[Tottenham manager Jacques Santini has resigned for "personal reasons". The former France manager moved to White Hart Lane this summer but now wants to return to France. Santini said: "My time at Tottenham has been memorable and it is with deep regret that I take my leave. I wish…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[Tottenham manager Jacques Santini has resigned for "personal reasons".  The former France manager moved to White Hart Lane this summer but now wants to return to France. Santini said: "My time at Tottenham has been memorable and it is with deep regret that I take my leave. I wish the club and the supporters all the best. "Private issues in my personal life have arisen which caused my decision. I very much hope that the wonderful fans will respect my decision." He added: "I should like to thank (sporting director) Frank Arnesen and (chairman) Daniel Levy for their understanding." Assistant coach Martin Jol has been put in temporary charge and will take care of team affairs for Saturday's Premiership match against Charlton.  Arnesen said the club were sad to see Santini go: "We are obviously disappointed that Jacques is leaving us. We fully respect his decision. "I can assure you that the club will act swiftly to minimise the impact of Jacques' departure. "Our priority is to ensure that this season's performance remains unaffected by this move. "I shall make a further statement on Monday, clarifying our position. We wish Jacques well."]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Tories opposing 24-hour drinking</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/tories-opposing-24-hour-drinking</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/tories-opposing-24-hour-drinking</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 06:51:17 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ruth Adeyemi]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Parties]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0067.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[The Tories say plans to extend pub opening times should be put on hold until binge drinking is under control, despite backing a law change last year. Spokesman David Davis said ministers had failed to make his party aware of concern among senior police that plans would cause mor…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[The Tories say plans to extend pub opening times should be put on hold until binge drinking is under control, despite backing a law change last year.  Spokesman David Davis said ministers had failed to make his party aware of concern among senior police that plans would cause more anti-social behaviour. Notts police chief Steve Green said innocent people would suffer. But Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said a delay would be "disastrous" and she accused the Tories of opportunism. The government would go ahead with the changes which would give police more power to tackle excessive drinking, she added. Earlier chief constable Green questioned how his officers would be able to practically apply powers allowing them to shut down problem premises. "If you look at the Market Square in Nottingham, if a fight takes place which licensed premises do you go and lay the responsibilty at the door of?" he asked on BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.  He warned that if drinking establishments were allowed to open until three or four in the morning the police would have to take officers off day shifts in order to do their job effectively at night. Earlier this year the Royal College of Physicians said it opposed the plan to extend drinking hours when there was already an "epidemic" of binge drinking. Minister Richard Caborn said the government was tackling the causes and the symptoms of the problem by allowing more powers to close down problem premises. It is hoped that allowing pubs and clubs to stay open longer will stagger closing times and end the current situation where drinkers spill on to the streets all at once. Earlier Tony Blair defended the plans against criticism from one of his own backbenchers.  "My view of this is very clear: we should have the same flexibility that other countries have and then we should come down really hard on those who abuse that freedom and don't show the responsibility," he told MPs. "The law-abiding majority who want the ability, after going to the cinema or theatre say, to have a drink at the time they want should not be inconvenienced, we shouldn't have to have restrictions that no other city in Europe has, just in order to do something for that tiny minority who abuse alcohol, who go out and fight and cause disturbances. "To take away that ability for all the population - even the vast majority who are law abiding - is not, in my view, sensible." This week a judge claimed easy access to drink was breeding "urban savages" and turning town centres into no go areas. Judge Charles Harris QC made his remarks as he sentenced three men for assaults carried out while drunk and high on drugs after a night out.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>BBC &apos;should allow more scrutiny&apos;</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/bbc-should-allow-more-scrutiny</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/bbc-should-allow-more-scrutiny</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 06:51:17 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rory Field]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Television]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0197.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[MPs have urged the BBC to give watchdogs more freedom to scrutinise how £2bn in licence fee money is spent. The Public Accounts Committee called for the National Audit Office to be given a "free hand" to investigate how the BBC offers value for money. Although six areas are to b…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[MPs have urged the BBC to give watchdogs more freedom to scrutinise how £2bn in licence fee money is spent.  The Public Accounts Committee called for the National Audit Office to be given a "free hand" to investigate how the BBC offers value for money. Although six areas are to be opened up to scrutiny the audit office should have more power to choose what it investigated, the MPs said. The call was made in a report into the BBC's Freeview digital service. "Our aim is not to rewrite the storyline of EastEnders but simply to ensure that the BBC is as accountable to parliament as any other organisation spending public money," said the committee chairman, MP Edward Leigh. "The BBC's spending is not subject to the full independent scrutiny, and accountability to parliament. "Parliament requires television owners to pay a licence fee and expects the comptroller and auditor general, on behalf of parliament, to be able to scrutinise how that money, over £2 billion a year, is used."  A BBC spokeswoman said: "We share the committee's interest in ensuring the public money we receive is spent well. Though in its infancy, we think the arrangements with the NAO are working well and should be given time to mature." The report said the Freeview digital service has had an "impressive" take up since its launch but the BBC must still dispel confusion about the service. The committee found the BBC had succeeded in ensuring subscription-free access to digital channels following the collapse of ITV Digital in 2002. But the fact that one in four homes could not access Freeview remained a problem.  The report said that while gaps in the coverage were largely due to landscape issues, there was need for detailed explanations on the Freeview website and on promotional literature as to why it was not available in specific areas. The government has proposed switch off of the analogue television signal, with 2012 the most recently proposed date. The BBC launched Freeview in 2002 as an alternative to satellite subscription services such as Sky, to allow its digital channels such as BBC Three and News 24 to be seen. There have been an estimated five million Freeview set-top boxes sold since the launch and prices have fallen considerably. The corporation plans to spend up to £138m on Freeview before 2014 to ensure people can receive the service throughout the UK, and are aware of it.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>MCI shareholder sues to stop bid</title>
      <link>https://bluepress.international/p/mci-shareholder-sues-to-stop-bid</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="true">https://bluepress.international/p/mci-shareholder-sues-to-stop-bid</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 06:51:17 +0000</pubDate>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Priya Nair]]></dc:creator>
      <category><![CDATA[Markets]]></category>
      <enclosure url="https://bluepress.international/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pic0202.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <description><![CDATA[A shareholder in US phone firm MCI has taken legal action to halt a $6.75bn (£3.6bn) buyout by telecoms giant Verizon, hoping to get a better deal. The lawsuit was filed on Friday after Qwest Communications, which had an earlier offer for MCI rejected, said it would submit an im…]]></description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[A shareholder in US phone firm MCI has taken legal action to halt a $6.75bn (£3.6bn) buyout by telecoms giant Verizon, hoping to get a better deal.  The lawsuit was filed on Friday after Qwest Communications, which had an earlier offer for MCI rejected, said it would submit an improved bid. MCI's directors have backed Verizon, despite it tabling less money. They are accused of breaching their fiduciary duties by depriving MCI shareholders "of maximum value".  According the legal papers filed in a Delaware court, Verizon is set to pay an ""unconscionable, unfair and grossly inadequate" sum for MCI, which was formerly known as Worldcom. Qwest said on Wednesday that MCI had rejected a deal worth $8bn. A number of large MCI shareholders expressed unhappiness at the decision, saying that Verizon's offer, made up of cash, shares and dividends, undervalued the company. Friday's lawsuit argues that the Verizon offer makes no provision for future growth prospects and that consolidation in the US phone industry will put a premium on MCI's network, assets and clients. MCI's directors have argued that Verizon is bigger than Qwest, has fewer debts and has built a successful mobile division. Chief executive Michael Capellas spent last week meeting with shareholders in an effort to win their backing.  In 2002, investors in the then-named Worldcom lost millions when the company filed for bankruptcy following an accounting scandal. However, the firm - now renamed MCI - has put its operations in order and emerged from bankruptcy protection last April. It is a long-distance and corporate phone firm, and would provide the buyer with access to a global telecommunications network and a large number of business-based subscribers. MCI shares jumped on Friday, hitting their highest level since April 2004 amid speculation that it would be the focus of a bidding war. A takeover of MCI would be the fifth billion-dollar telecoms deal since October as companies look to cut costs and boost client bases. Earlier this month, SBC Communications agreed to buy its former parent and phone pioneer AT&T for about $16bn.]]></content:encoded>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>
