Financial hazards stiffen Dakar challenge
Competitors in this year?s Dakar rally, which kicks off on Saturday in Buenos Aires rather than its traditional starting point in Europe, face 14 days of arduous driving across 5,600km of dunes, deserts, mountain ranges and sand.

Migrants chase driving licenses
Four out of 10 learners at Greek driving schools are immigrants seeking to get their licenses in order to boost their file of official documents and improve their job prospects, experts have told Kathimerini.

Imagination extends PowerVR, Ensigma IP core ranges
Imagination Technologies is demonstrating a flurry of new IP cores and platforms for the consumer and communications sectors at CES, including a multi-standard programmable comms platform and upgrades to its PowerVR range.

Snow possible for Denver metro
After Thursday's springlike temperatures, Denver's weather rollercoaster is expected to take another plunge today with nighttime temperatures at freezing and a 10 percent chance of snow.

Local groups to make trip to capital for inauguration
Warren County will be well-represented at the inauguration of Barack Obama as president on Jan. 20. A hundred people or more, from high school students to senior citizens, are making the trip to watch or participate in the historic occasion.

(With video)
Scottish Government plans for new literacy and numeracy tests for all primary pupils were yesterday attacked by headteachers and opposition politicians.

Relation street: 69 members of same family living in 1 road
If You think your family is close, meet the Halls. Sixty-nine members of the clan all live in the same small street.

JAPAN: Nissan launching 'racing' GT-R
Nissan Motor next month will start selling a limited-production SpecV version of its GT-R 'halo car' at seven dealers in Japan.

Scottish News: Business and Politics from Glasgow, Edinburgh - all Scotland - The Herald
A councillor who raised concerns over Donald Trump?s £1bn golf resort did not break his authority?s code of conduct, a watchdog has found. Forensic scientists took their case against centralisation of laboratory services to the Scottish Parliament yesterday.

MF5475 and 5480 tractors: Which is best? Farmers Weekly
Four or six cylinders? It's a debate that has raged for decades and is not one that will be settled easily. To make some sense of it, Nick Fone got hold of two seemingly similar 135hp Masseys to try to fathom out which is best

Danger awaits in the desert
Few sports make mountain climbing and around-the-world sailing seem almost tame, but the Dakar Rally rates among the world's great challenges.

Scottish News: Business and Politics from Glasgow, Edinburgh - all Scotland - The Herald
Forensic scientists took their case against centralisation of laboratory services to the Scottish Parliament yesterday. Police are investigating an attack on a woman in a shopping centre car park.

Chang?s in Asheville does Chinese food right
It had to be good, or, better yet, superb. While waiting for our table at P.F. Chang?s China Bistro, I glanced over the menu and mentioned to both bartenders that the Oolong Marinated Sea Bass looked appealing.

Valley View to raise driver ed fee
Faced with a $700,000 deficit in the driver education program, Valley View School Board made a move to increase its current fee of $50.

Lowest median price in 4 years; Some interest rates, also at historic lows, could drive buyers back to Bend market
The median sales price for a single-family home in Bend dipped in December to $226,000, the lowest it?s been in four years, according to an analysis of local real estate data released Wednesday by the Bend-based Bratton Appraisal Group.The December median price is more than 13 percent off the November median and down nearly 33 percent from the December 2007 price of $337,000. It?s off 43 percent ...

Nissan Announces New GT-R SpecV Model
TOKYO, Japan ? January 8, 2009: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced a new limited-production Nissan GT-R SpecV model, which goes on sale at seven specially selected Nissan dealers throughout Japan on February 2, 2009. The GT-R SpecV is targeted specifically at enthusiast drivers who desire race car-level performance in a street-legal vehicle.

2004 Audi A4 S-Line review from UK and Ireland
I had the car for 2 months, and the air con pump packed up with a grinding noise. The main dealer wanted £1000 pounds to sort. I took the car to my local garage, who sorted the issue using the same parts for £487.00 in labour and parts.

TomTom Unveils Connected Portable Navigation Device in the U.S.
TomTom, the world?s leading navigation solutions provider, today announces the GO 740 LIVE, a connected portable navigation device that provides the industry?s best routing and helps drivers take control of their daily drive via automatic delivery of helpful features including: real-time traffic information, TomTom Fuel Price Service, Local Search powered by Google, TomTom Weather, QuickGPSfix? ...

Meetings
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS COLDSTREAM GARDEN CLUB: 9:30 a.m. Monday at the home of Marguerite Vietzke. Sandy Raymond will give a presentation on antique gardening tools. All Coldstream residents invited. (803) 772-7831 SEVEN OAKS ART LEAGUE: 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, at Seven Oaks Senior Center, 200 Leisure Lane. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m., program will feature watercolorist Erica ...

School Chief Proposes Larger Classes, Fees
Class sizes will grow; student fees for sports, Advanced Placement tests and parking will be imposed or increased; and funding for special education and ESL classes will be cut in a budget proposed by Loudoun County Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III last night.