May 9, 2004

Microsoft's Xbox Gains Ground in Tough Market Reuters -  When Microsoft Corp. announced four years ago that it was getting into the video game business, skeptics questioned whether the world's largest software company could be anything but a distant second-best. 11:16:08 PM

Nature.com Study: Molecule 'vacuums' fat in mice CNN - A new approach being used to fight cancer may also help fight fat, US researchers said Sunday. 11:10:08 PM

I'm not running away, says UN official in oil for food scandal Telegraph - Benon Sevan, the official at the centre of the United Nations' oil-for-food scandal, has broken his silence to claim that he is being persecuted after an independent inquiry was ordered into allegations of multi-billion dollar corruption relating to the scheme. Mr Sevan's name was among 270 individuals and companies to appear on a list of recipients who allegedly skimmed at least £5.5 billion from the oil-for-food scheme.  Documents found in the Iraqi oil ministry since Saddam's fall suggest that Mr Sevan secretly received vouchers to sell 14.3 million barrels of oil, which would have yielded an illicit profit of £2 million. When asked about Mr Sevan's whereabouts in recent weeks, the UN would say only that he was on holiday, pending his retirement in June at the age of 66. He is due to receive a £55,000 annual pension after serving the UN for 40 years. Now, however, those plans have changed. According to UN officials contacted by The Sunday Telegraph last week, Mr Sevan will stay in office to co-operate with the inquiry by the former US Treasury Secretary, Paul Volcker. In the deal struck with Mr Annan, Mr Sevan will continue for the next three months and be paid a token $1 (55p) a year as a consultant, while continuing to enjoy diplomatic immunity.   10:58:52 PM