UPI NewsTrack articles from August 2005

UPI NewsTrack archives from August 2005

Saudi king Fahd dies at 83.
August 1, 2005... RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Saudi King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz died Monday in a Riyadh hospital. He was 83. The official Saudi television announced the death saying the king will be buried after an official funeral on Tuesday. ...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.
August 1, 2005... Byline: United Press International Unexpected key to best cosmetic names NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Nars Orgasm blush has become a popular product, but when it comes to naming U.S. cosmetics it's not all about sex, a study finds. ...

Fahd: Saudi King for over two decades.
August 1, 2005... RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Saudi King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, who died Monday at the age of 83, ruled the oil-rich kingdom since 1982, succeeding his late brother, King Khalid. Fahd suffered a severe stroke in 19995, which weakened...

Sudan President confirms Garang's death.
August 1, 2005... KHARTOUM, Sudan, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Sudanese Vice President and former southern rebel leader John Garang died in a plane crash in southern Sudan, President Omar al-Bashir announced Monday. Garang died with six aides and seven crew members...

Charismatic Abdullah is Saudi new king.
August 1, 2005... RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Charismatic Crown Prince Abdullah, who succeeded his half-brother King Fahd Monday, has effectively ruled Saudi Arabia since 1995. Abdullah has grown into his role as de facto ruler of the oil-rich...

Watercooler Stories.
August 1, 2005... Byline: United Press International Families are playing video games together DULLES, Va., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Video games are fast becoming a family pastime, according to an American Online game survey. The survey shows almost 80...

WNBA: Seattle 77, Los Ageles 72.
August 1, 2005... SEATTLE, July 31 (UPI) -- Betty Lennox hit a key three-pointer in the final minute Sunday to help Seattle beat the Los Angeles Sparks, 77-72. Lennox and Lauren Jackson each scored 17 points for the Storm, who tied a franchise record with...

Doyle bags big win at Kettering.
August 1, 2005... KETTERING, Ohio, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Allen Doyle shot an 8-under 63 Sunday to erase a nine-shot deficit in the final round and win the U.S. Senior Open. Doyle finished at 10-under 274. He won by a stroke over Loren Roberts and D.A. Weibring,...

WNBA: Sacramento 67, Minnesota 54.
August 1, 2005... SACRAMENTO, July 31 (UPI) -- Rebekkah Brunson had 14 points and Nicole Powell had 10 points Sunday as the Sacramento Monarchs beat Minnesota, 67-54. Brunson hit seven of her 10 shots from the field and Sacramento shot 52 percent overall....

WNBA: Detroit 66, Phoenix 63.
August 1, 2005... AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 31 (UPI) -- Kara Braxton scored a team-high 16 points Sunday to lead Detroit over the Phoenix Mercury, 66-63. Deanna Nolan added 12 points for the Shock, who overcome a 17-point deficit to win their second in a...

WNBA: New York 67, Indiana 53 (sun).
August 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 31 (UPI) -- Ann Wauters scored a career-high 24 points Sunday as New York beat Indiana, 67-53. Shameka Christon scored five of her 14 points during a decisive 14-0 second-half run for the Liberty, who snapped a two-game skid....

MLB: Chi. White Sox 9, Baltimore 4.
August 1, 2005... BALTIMORE, July 31 (UPI) -- Jermaine Dye had three RBI Sunday night as the Chicago White Sox drilled Baltimore, 9-4. Also at the plate, Juan Uribe was 3-for-5 with one RBI and Joe Crede added two hits and two RBI. Winning pitcher...

Chiefs ink No. 1 draft choice.
August 1, 2005... KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The Kansas City Chiefs Sunday signed their first-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, linebacker Derrick Johnson to a five-year contract. Johnson was the 15th overall selection out of Texas. He was a...

Toledo police hushed priests' abuses.
August 1, 2005... TOLEDO, Ohio, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The Toledo, Ohio, police department helped the Catholic Church hush-up cases of sexually abusive priests over decades, a Toledo Blade investigation shows. In a review of thousands of court and diocese...

Braves get Farnsworth from Tigers.
August 1, 2005... ATLANTA, July 31 (UPI) -- The Atlanta Braves Sunday acquired relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth from the Detroit Tigers on exchange for pitchers Roman Colon and Zach Miner. Farnsworth, a hard-throwing right-hander, was 1-1 with a 2.32 ERA and...

Collective bargaining agreement for NBA.
August 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 30 (UPI) -- The National Basketball Association and the NBA Players' Association have ratified and signed a new six-year collective bargaining agreement. As part of the new deal, the league said the salary cap for the...

Bush extends sympathy at jamboree.
August 1, 2005... FORT A.P. HILL, Va., July 31 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush offered condolences and prayers to the families of the Scout leaders who lost their lives at the Boy Scout jamboree in Virginia. Last week, four Boy Scout leaders were...

Arizona gets Groom from Yankees.
August 1, 2005... PHOENIX, July 31 (UPI) -- The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired left-handed reliever Buddy Groom from the New York Yankees for a player to be named later or cash. Groom, who was unhappy with Yankees Manager Joe Torre, was designated for...

Egypt to keep mission open in Iraq.
August 1, 2005... CAIRO, July 31 (UPI) -- Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif says his country will stay in Iraq, despite the recent killing of its top diplomat. U.S. and Iraqi officials have said they believe the slaying of diplomats from Egypt and Algeria...

Pirated 'Harry Potter' appears in China.
August 1, 2005... BEIJING, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- An unauthorized Chinese version of the latest Harry Potter book went on sale in Beijing, RTHK reported Monday. The rush translation of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" hit Beijing just two weeks after...

Japan's lawmaker hangs himself.
August 1, 2005... TOKYO, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Japanese lawmaker Yoji Nagaoka, who was criticized by fellow party members for a recent vote, died Monday after he hanged himself at his home. Nagoka, 54, who belonged to the Liberal Democratic Party's in-house...

Swine outbreak spreading in China.
August 1, 2005... BEIJING, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The human death toll totaled 34 and the number of places in China reporting outbreaks a swine-related disease continues to grow. State-run media reported Monday an increase in cases and places with the...

Work underway on six party joint statement.
August 1, 2005... BEIJING, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Delegates at talks on nuclear issues on the Korean peninsula are working a China-introduced document that outlines North Korean security and economic concerns. The found round of six-party talks to address North...

Post-riot unrest simmers in Chinese city.
August 1, 2005... CHIZHOU, China, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Tension remains high in the Chinese city of Chizhou, one month after thousands rioted over the beating of a student by a wealthy businessman's bodyguards. Police are reviewing videotapes of the June 26 riot...

Four die in tourist boat fire in Taiwan.
August 1, 2005... Taiwan, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Four Taiwanese died after a fire broke out on a boat carrying 138 people to Hsiao Liuchiu Island in Taiwan. The fire broke out at 12:50 p.m. Sunday, about 10 minutes after the tourist boat, Guan-Guang, left Tungkang...

China's defense chief gives speech.
August 1, 2005... BEIJING, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- China's Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan said China takes a defensive policy in national defense in support of the country's independent foreign policy of peace. Cao, speaking Sunday ahead of the 78th anniversary of...

Same-sex debate comes to Cherokee law.
August 1, 2005... TULSA, Okla., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The legal debate over the validity of same-sex marriages has come to test Cherokee tribal law in Oklahoma. Kathy Reynolds, 28, and Dawn McKinley, 33, requested and received a marriage application from the...

Land prices in Tokyo move upward.
August 1, 2005... TOKYO, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Land prices in Tokyo have turned upward for the first time since the bursting of the speculation-driven bubble economy in the late 1980s. National Tax Agency figures released Monday the average rosenka price, prices...

Japan, Thailand to set FTA.
August 1, 2005... BANGKOK, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Japan and Thailand Monday reached agreement to set a free trade deal later this month. The settlement was reached in meetings between Japanese Trade Minister Shoichi Nakagawa and Thai Prime Minister Thaksin...

Six dead in N.E. China train wreck.
August 1, 2005... BEIJING, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Traffic was partially restored Monday after a train on the Changchun to Dalian line derailed Sunday, killing six and injuring 30, Chinese media reported. A passenger train from China's northwestern city of Xi'an...

Noguchi encourages children from space.
August 1, 2005... TOKYO, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Japanese children fighting incurable diseases received a message from the Japanese astronaut who has carried their pictures into space on the shuttle Discovery. Soichi Noguchi sent an e-mail message to the Japanese...

Oil production unaffected by king's death.
August 1, 2005... RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Saudi oil production, supply and exports are going on normally despite the death of Saudi King Fahd, Saudi oil company, ARAMCO, said Monday. An ARAMCO spokesman said employees at the company that...

British Muslims 'living in fear'.
August 1, 2005... LONDON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- All British Muslims are "living in fear" of police harassment, arrest and possible execution following the July bombings, a radical Islamic party says. Hizb ut-Tahrir said the entire British Muslim community is...

German parties' campaigns much cheaper.
August 1, 2005... BERLIN, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- German parties are saving millions of dollars in campaign costs because of federal elections happen one year earlier than planned. Because of the short time period ahead of elections on Sept. 18, expenditures for...

Iraqis vow to meet charter deadline.
August 1, 2005... BAGHDAD, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The 71 Iraqis drafting a new constitution for their country have shunned an extension and vowed to have one ready by the Aug. 15 deadline. Among the most divisive issues dividing Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds are the...

FBI memo reveals torture concerns.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Evidence has emerged that there was concern within the FBI about the legality of transferring terror suspects to countries that use torture in interrogations. A memo was obtained by Newsweek in which a former...

Arab states observe official mourning.
August 1, 2005... BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Arab countries deplored Monday the death of Saudi King Fahd and announced three days of official mourning with flags flying at half staff. In Beirut, President Emile Lahoud said Fahd's death "constituted a...

Islamists slam ending parliament session.
August 1, 2005... AMMAN, Jordan, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Jordan's Islamic legislators accused government of trying to weaken parliament by ending an extraordinary session just two weeks after it started. Azzam Honeidi, head of the Islamic bloc in parliament, Monday...

London alert: Fears of third terror cell.
August 1, 2005... LONDON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- London is on high alert after warnings a third terror cell may be planning to unleash further attacks on the British capital. Security sources told the Times of London a new cell is believed to be intent on...

Saddam partisan accused of Chalabi attempt.
August 1, 2005... BAGHDAD, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Iraqi National Congress accused ousted dictator Saddam Hussein's followers of the failed attempt to kill Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi. A spokesman for Chalabi's party, Intifad Kanbar, said Monday the...

No more thongs for German youth.
August 1, 2005... FRANKFURT, Germany, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The German mail-order giant Neckermann, because of energetic protest from customers and advocacy groups, has stopped selling thongs for young children. The Frankfurt-based company had offered the thongs...

UPI NewsTrack TopNews.
August 1, 2005... Saudi king Fahd dies at 83 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Saudi King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz died Monday in a Riyadh hospital. He was 83. The official Saudi television announced the death saying the king will be buried after an...

Fahd death delays emergency Arab summit.
August 1, 2005... SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- An emergency Arab summit set for this week in Egypt has been postponed due to the death of Saudi King Fahd. Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa announced the postponement Monday. "In view of...

Atkins files for bankruptcy.
August 1, 2005... NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Atkins Nutritionals Inc. has filed for bankruptcy 16 years after low-carb diet guru Robert C. Atkins founded the once high-flying New York company. Lawyers for the privately held firm are set to appear in a...

Report: Blair to quit British politics.
August 1, 2005... LONDON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Tony Blair is planning to quit the British Parliament entirely when he stands down as prime minister, it was reported Monday. The Guardian reported Blair told friends and family he wants a "clean break" from...

Britain to cut number of troops in Ulster.
August 1, 2005... LONDON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The British army is to withdraw half of its troops from Northern Ireland, as part of its response to the Irish Republican Army ending its armed campaign. The Northern Ireland-based battalions of the Royal Irish...

Nokia announced new leadership.
August 1, 2005... ESPOO, Finland, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Finnish cell phone giant Nokia Corp. plans to make the current head of its key mobile handset unit the company's chief executive. Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, a 20-year veteran of Nokkia, will be named president...

German inventors more active in 2004.
August 1, 2005... FRANKFURT, Germany, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The number of inventions in Germany significantly increased last year, the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported Monday. The German patent bureau Patentamt registered 1,000 more patents in...

German police wants Tasers.
August 1, 2005... BERLIN, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- German police officials have said they would like to use stun guns to fight criminals, the news magazine Der Spiegel reported Monday. Bernhard Witthaut, vice chief of the German Police Union, a labor group, said he...

Garang death announcement cause riots.
August 1, 2005... KHARTOUM, Sudan, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Riots erupted in Khartoum Monday following the announcement of the death of Vice President John Garang in a plane crash in south Sudan. A police spokesman told United Press International that riots...

WTO to rule soon on Europe's banana policy.
August 1, 2005... LONDON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Caribbean and African banana producers braced Monday for an imminent World Trade Organization decision that could cut European sales. The WTO was due to give its verdict Monday on plans to overhaul the rules for...

CIA sat on Iraqi arms dismantle info.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A former CIA officer is suing the agency over his dismissal and claiming it ignored intelligence in 2001 that Iraq had dismantled its nuclear weapons program. The plaintiff, whose identity remains secret, said...

UPI Thoroughbred Racing Roundup.
August 1, 2005... Byline: ROBERT KIECKHEFER October's $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic is shaping up as a battle of survivors. First defending champion Ghostzapper was injured and retired. Now Kentucky Derby and Peakness Stakes winner Afleet Alex is...

Europe urged to make Iran nuke proposals.
August 1, 2005... TEHRAN, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Iranian parliament Speaker Ghulam Ali Adel urged Europe to come up with proposals on Iran's nuclear activities before the expiration of a self-imposed moratorium. The moratorium was to expire Monday afternoon. ...

Qatar orders 12 LNG tankers from Seoul.
August 1, 2005... SEOUL, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Persian Gulf emirate Qatar has ordered 12 liquid natural gas tankers from South Korea's three biggest shipbuilders. The $2.9 billion order will go to Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine...

Ukraine may be leaving the CES.
August 1, 2005... KIEV, Ukraine, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Ukraine says it won't enforce key rules of an economic pact with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, an indication Kiev may leave the Common Economic Space. The CES was organized in February 2003 and entailed...

U.S. stocks up in early Monday trading.
August 1, 2005... NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. stocks were up on all major indexes early Monday despite rising oil prices that increased after Saudi Arabia disclosed the death of its king. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 14.08 or 0.13 percent to...

U.S. takes new anti-terror tack.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The Bush administration is shifting the focus of its anti-terror campaign from the military to a reaching-out approach to moderate Muslim groups. Philip Zelikow, special adviser to Secretary of State Condoleezza...

German sprinter Zabel to leave T-Mobile.
August 1, 2005... HAMBURG, Germany, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Erika Zabel, one of Germany's most successful cyclists, will leave German team T-Mobile after 13 years as their top sprinter. Zabel announced his decision after a race in Hamburg, the German daily...

China rejects Zimbabwe appeal for money.
August 1, 2005... HARARE, Zimbabwe, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- China has refused Zimbabwe's request for financial help, despite a visit and direct appeal by the African nation's leader to Beijing. President Robert Mugabe spent a week in China seeking a reported $1...

Hungary logs 13 heat-related deaths.
August 1, 2005... BUDAPEST, Hungary, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The heat wave affecting Europe contributed to a total of 37 weekend deaths in Hungary, the MTI news agency reported Monday. Police spokesman Lajos Nemeth said 13 people drowned while trying to escape the...

Palestinian police short on ammunition.
August 1, 2005... GAZA, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The Palestinian Authority police chief says his force is ready to take over security from Israel in the Gaza Strip but complained of a shortage of ammunition. Brig. Gen. Alaa Hosni told a news conference in Gaza, "We...

Bush appoints Bolton U.N. ambassador.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- President George Bush Monday appointed John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, bypassing Senate confirmation. The interim appoint would last until the next Congress is seated in January 2007. ...

Japan to slap U.S. with trade sanctions.
August 1, 2005... TOKYO, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Japan has joined Canada and the European Union in retaliating against the so-called Byrd Amendment, a controversial U.S. anti-dumping law. Named for Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., the amendment levies fees on imports...

Breakaway unions launch first project.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The three major U.S. worker unions that left the AFL-CIO said Monday their first joint venture would be organizing janitors at ABM Industries. A spokesman for the unions said janitors in Houston and...

Oil up on political developments.
August 1, 2005... NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- News that Saudi Arabia's king had died and Iran's notice that it intends to resume working on its nuclear program hiked crude oil prices Monday. High-quality crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange for...

Astronauts conduct their second spacewalk.
August 1, 2005... CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Space shuttle Discovery astronauts conducted the second spacewalk of their extended mission Monday, replacing an international space station gyroscope. But as crewmembers Steve Robinson and Soichi...

Mexican drug smuggling a $400B business.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Drug traffickers from Mexico have supplanted Colombians as major illegal drug smugglers, sneaking some $400 billion worth of drugs into the United States. U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency officials told...

Demand rises for bomb specialists.
August 1, 2005... FORT MEADE, Md., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Demand for bomb specialists in the U.S. Army has risen sharply and with it their remuneration because of the insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan. Known as explosive ordnance disposal specialists, their job...

U.S. manufacturing tops expectations.
August 1, 2005... TEMPE, Ariz., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. manufacturing grew more than expected in July, marking the 26th consecutive month it has increased. The private Institute for Supply Management said Monday two categories of the group's purchasing...

Call made for NYC to use terror profile.
August 1, 2005... NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A New York state legislator has called for police to use racial profiling in random searches of people using New York's transit system. Brooklyn Democrat Dov Hikind said he plans introduce legislation allowing...

UPI NewsTrack Business.
August 1, 2005... U.S. stocks mixed in late morning trading NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. stocks were mixed Monday on rising oil prices that increased after Saudi Arabia disclosed the death of its king. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 19.98...

Syria eases restrictions on Lebanon border.
August 1, 2005... DAMASCUS, Syria, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Syria eased border restrictions Monday, allowing hundreds of trucks carrying Lebanese and transit merchandise to cross into Arab countries. The development occurred a day after Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad...

U.S. construction falls unexpectedly.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. construction spending in June fell 0.3 percent to $1.093 trillion, the Commerce Department reported Monday. That is less than the revised figure for May of $1.096 trillion but above the June 2004 level of...

Venezuela: Cardinal calls Chavez 'dictator.
August 1, 2005... CARACAS, Venezuela, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A Venezuelan Roman Catholic cardinal lashed out against President Hugo Chavez over the weekend calling him a "paranoid dictator" among other things. Cardinal Rosalio Castillo said that the Venezuelan...

15-foot sinkhole halts Florida trains.
August 1, 2005... ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A 15-foot sinkhole in central Florida stranded or delayed 10 trains, including more than 1,200 Amtrak passengers. The hole was spotted Sunday afternoon by a crew on southbound CSX freight train near Deland,...

Bank of England seen upping rates.
August 1, 2005... LONDON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The Bank of England is widely expected to use the next meeting of its critical interest rate-setting committee to increase rates. Analysts believe that the Monetary Policy Committee will choose to cut rates...

Bacteria, clams thrive in very cold water.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The discovery this year of bacteria on the seabed below near-freezing Antarctica waters may be more evidence life is possible on other planets. In March, researchers discovered an enormous community of bacteria...

WWII-era Nazi case going to U.S. trial.
August 1, 2005... CHICAGO, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- An 86-year-old Illinois man faces trial with his U.S. citizenship at stake because of his alleged involvement with Nazi death camps in World War II. Osyp Firishchak is alleged to have been part of a Ukrainian...

Suspect in Sharm el-Sheik bombings killed.
August 1, 2005... CAIRO, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Egyptian police said they killed a main suspect in the July 23 bombings at a Red Sea resort in which more than 80 people died. Security sources said Monday that Mohammed Saleh Fleifel was killed and his wife wounded...

Dating violence common for teenage girls.
August 1, 2005... BOSTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A survey of 1,641 sexually active teenage girls found 31.5 percent had been forced to have sex or physically hurt by boys. Lead researcher Michele Decker of the Harvard School of Public Health termed the finding...

London's bomb suspect's real name emerges.
August 1, 2005... ROME, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Police in Rome said Monday the suspect they are holding in connection with bombings in London has been using a false name and is really from Ethiopia. The suspect, who was originally identified as Hussain Osman, is in...

Tunnel between France, Italy reopens.
August 1, 2005... PARIS, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Two months after a fire swept through the Frejus tunnel, the Alpine link between France and Italy is due to reopen Thursday. French Transportation Minister Dominique Perben, who made the announcement in an interview...

Lawmaker to introduce anti-smoking bill.
August 1, 2005... PARIS, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A bill banning smoking in French public places such as restaurants and offices is expected to be introduced in the fall, Liberation newspaper reported Monday. The measure bill aims to offer an alternative to a...