Business
Gates's aid for Blair IT education plan remains hazy
A day before Tony Blair meets Bill Gates to discuss how Britain can become a world leader in IT development and infrastructure, details of the deal the pair are said to have struck remain hazy.
Reports over the weekend suggested that Gates will help the UK premier in an ambitious plan to install PCs and software into British schools and provide teacher training, free Internet access and subsidised telephone bills.
However, Microsoft is keeping quiet on the topic except to confirm that Blair and Gates are scheduled to meet tomorrow morning. "There is no specific announcement [regarding the nature of Gates's assistance to Blair]," said a spokesman today.
Tomorrow afternoon, Gates travels to Cambridge where a press conference will take place in the afternoon. There, Gates is to talk about "the future of IT in Britain and how Britain can be a leader in personal computing", the spokesman said.