FEMALE models are once more engaged in ball-collecting duties at this week's Madrid Masters and organisers say their male counterparts will take charge at the women's Tour Championships next year.

MORE pressure was heaped on Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, yesterday after official figures showed the economy has suffered its fifth consecutive quarter of below-trend growth.

And one of the great advantages of saving your own seed is that you always get more than you need. You can swap them with neighbours and friends, or you can join one of the gardening societies and take part

The exchange of ideas is important within the Linux community, but we all need to try to see things from others' viewpoints--a lesson learned by you editor this week.

BRITISH scientists are working on a radical vaccine that could protect the entire population within three months of a flu pandemic hitting the country.

DANIEL WINTERSTEIN THIS WEEK saw the completion of two flu-related genetics projects. One was the reproduction of the lethal 1918 flu virus. Fortunately, this Frankenstein's monster is now toothless, as most people will have immunity to it...

A NEW species of tentacled worm that lives off whale bones has been found in the North Sea. Named osedax mucofloris - which translates as "bone-eating snot-flower", the worm is between one and two centimetres long and has frond-like tentacles

THE Beeb's re-enactment of the Stanford Prison Experiment cast serious doubts over Professor Philip Zimbardo's conclusions at Stanford University, says IAN JOHNSTON .

This was D-Day for the owners of nearly two-dozen properties in a stretch of Southeast where the Williams administration wants to build a baseball stadium.

A federal jury convicted a Herndon man on charges connected to $6 million dollars he helped people wire to Pakistan and other countries.

UNAIDS Press Release - October 19, 2005 http://www.aegis.org/news/unaids/2005/UN051003.html Auckland, 19 October 2005 - The threat of HIV and AIDS in [A ...

During the final preparations for the launch of the European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft by a Soyuz-Fregat launcher, contamination was detected inside the launcher's fairing.

FEE-free fixed-rate mortgage deals have been launched by Barclays and Woolwich. The range includes a two-year fixed rate with no application fee at 4.89 per cent and a five-year fixed at 4.99 per cent.

ELECTRA Partners is aiming to raise £40 million with a new venture capital trust (VCT).

ABERDEEN Asset Management has revamped its private equity division as AAM Private Equity, dropping the long-standing Murray Johnstone name. The investment operation will also be split into two teams - private equity and growth capital.

THE Association of British Insurers (ABI), the trade body, has urged members to stop paying compensation to endowment-claim-handling firms.

LEADING actuaries predict further improvements in life expectancy which would hit annuity rates and final salary pensions.

STANDARD Life policyholders were this week given the long-awaited answer to their much-asked question: will they benefit from the planned float?

A QUARTER of young boys want to have cosmetic surgery to help them look like their idols, a poll revealed yesterday.