A trading update for the first nine months of the year, which was issued yesterday, was more positive than some of the more bearish City analysts had expected. Pearson said group sales were 10 per cent ahead, while operating profits would be up 20 per cent for the nine-month period.Marjorie Scardino, the chief executive, said: "2005 is turning out to be the strong year we predicted, boosted by our steady investment in products and services and continued gains in operating efficiency. A survey by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply showed that growth in output and export orders accelerated in October.But retailers suffered an eighth successive monthly fall in sales, according to a survey of retailers with a combined total of 20,000 stores. House prices posted their sharpest increase in 15 months in October, Nationwide building society said. The 1.3 per cent rise pushed up the annual rate for the first time since June last year, from 1.8 per cent in September to 3.3 per cent last month. Nationwide said the spike was probably a delayed reaction to the Bank of England's cut in interest rates in August. The survey comes after a string of data from estate agents and mortgage lenders pointing to an upturn in the market.Nationwide said it was too early to judge that prices were on an upward trend.

Fionnuala Earley, its economist, said: "We think it is far too early to say that ... prices will continue to accelerate from here." She said house prices remained unaffordably high, the economic outlook "uncertain" and the threat of rising interest rates would dampen confidence.Most analysts agreed the data pointed to a stabilisation rather than a boom, but said it would be enough to prevent the Bank from cutting rates again. Yesterday Mourinho shrugged off all mention of the fire he has lit under the Premiership's biggest feud and turned his attention back to his all-conquering side. First the storm and then, as is Jose Mourinho's way, comes the calm. If the report is substantiated, the player can expect a heavy fine and a written warning. "This is an internal matter and I have no other comment," Bruce said yesterday.Three years ago, Bruce revived a struggling Birmingham during the January transfer window by bringing in Christophe Dugarry, Matthew Upson and others.

It would be good to have two Champions' League games without pressure because then I can use the squad more, try different things with the players, and I can prepare for Premiership games with more time. The group of potential purchasers is headed by the brothers Brian and Luke Comer, owners of the Irish property company Comer Homes Group. "I am reasonably pleased with where we are at the moment but with the run of play I still feel we could have been unbeaten this season and we know we can play much better."Vassell may not have left Villa Park in a deal worth £2m this summer amid much acrimony, but he played with the intent and passion of a scorned striker here and was welcomed with several gifts by his former employers, beginning after only 210 seconds when Jlloyd Samuel headed the ball over his advancing goalkeeper Stuart Taylor and presented his old team-mate with the easiest of his five City goals this season.It was a suitable Halloween moment for Villa manager David O'Leary, who must have anticipated the worst when his first-choice goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen injured his back in the warm-up and thus forced a debut upon the former Arsenal reserve.Worse was to come for the visitors in the 26th minute when Cole and Vassell combined superbly for the latter to volley beyond Taylor after an exquisite chip from his strike partner who, after Liam Ridgewell had scrambled in a 65th-minute goal, made the contest safe with a deflected shot over Taylor eight minutes from time.O'Leary insisted there were no excuses for the defeat. Last night they stepped over their dispirited neighbours into fourth in the Premiership, with Darius Vassell netting twice against former employers Aston Villa to settle a few scores. Being 60 for 6 is not ideal preparation, but it is still very early into the tour," said Trescothick.As conditions eased, he began to get the measure of a tiring attack with a series of sweetly-timed off-side shots and pulls off the pace bowlers, and variations of the sweep against the spinners as he hit 16 fours and two sixes .Even Trescothick needed some early good fortune as Rawalpindi-born 20-year-old left-arm seamer Najaf Shah removed Andrew Strauss and the captain, Michael Vaughan, in a spell of 2 for 16 in nine overs, before Arafat took three wickets in 12 deliveries.Strauss and Vaughan were both beaten by good pieces of bowling as well as their own misjudgments - but after Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood had gone for the addition of only one run, it seemed that the warning of the coach, Duncan Fletcher, yesterday that batsmen need to learn patience on subcontinental pitches had failed to sink in.Strauss shouldered arms to a ball from Najaf which held its line to hit off stump from a fuller length than the left-hander had bargained for, and then Vaughan was trapped in front on the crease. One of the most respected figures in the sport's history, Mara had inspired generations of players, and it seemed as if the current crop of Giants felt they owed their one-time mentor a special send-off. They certainly produced one, thrashing the Washington Redskins 36-0 in one of the most one-sided games of the season.