The Monday Interview: Chief of the General Staff

The crackdown on smut on America's airwaves has entered new and surprising territory following reports that less than open-minded federal regulators have turned their attention to an unexpected target - the perennially popular Oprah Winfrey Show.

As The Neptunes, they've conquered R&B. As N*E*R*D, they're a rock/hip-hop band. Phil Meadley asks them what's next

RUNNING STAG, who was supposed to use a minor race at Lingfield yesterday as a gentle stepping stone towards a valuable Hong Kong event next month, contrived to get beaten at odds of 1-3. He attracted over pounds 20,000 in three- and four-figure bets alone.

The Walkabouts met and got the hell out of Seattle before the music industry had even heard of the place. Fifteen years on, having survived oblivion and grunge, they've found home. By Nick Hasted

An English driver finally emerges from shadow of Colin McRae confident of China Rally success.

THE MUSIC group, EMI, yesterday unveiled a key plank in its strategy to build an Internet presence by acquiring a 50 per cent equity interest in musicmaker.com, a private US Internet supplier of compilation music, writes Bill McIntosh.

Sir: A propos of embassies being accidentally bombed, the Austrian embassy, in Belgrave Square, London, was one of the early casualties of the Blitz - poetic justice! Not long before the war it had been completely redecorated by Harrods at enormous cost, which included yards of gold leaf. My father-in-law was foreman of the job.

First record

Lauryn Hill is stealing hip hop back from the menace of gangsta. How? By steeping herself in the history of black female divas. It's not just about rap; it's a battle for the soul.

THE CONTROVERSIAL world of Oxford poetry received a pleasant shock yesterday with the news that an eccentric, and mostly unread, British author has bequeathed pounds 5m to an Oxford college, to endow a fellowship specifically devoted to teaching students how to write poetry.

EMI, the world's third-largest recorded music company, said first- half profit from operations fell 22 per cent to pounds 39.8m as recession in parts of Asia and a slumping economy in Brazil hit sales. The shares fell 10 per cent last week.

EMI GROUP, the world's third-largest recorded music company, said first-half profit from operations fell 22 per cent to pounds 39.8m as a recession in parts of Asia and a slumping economy in Brazil dragged down sales. The shares fell 10 per cent last week. EMI, whose recording artists include Garth Brooks, Janet Jackson and the Beastie Boys, has been seeking partners. Speculation has centred on Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Germany's Bertelsmann, which last week denied plans for a merger.

REPUBLICA DINGWALLS LONDON