1.   The chairman of Cheltenham Conservatives discounts any fears of an independent candidate splitting the Tory vote.

2.   Arieas discounted fears that the water transfer will have an adverse socio-economic effect on his old home town.

3.   But Aylesworth discounted any fears of a glut.

4.   But Chen denied the group is a cult and discounted fears of a mass suicide among his followers if God fails to show up.

5.   But there are several reasons to discount those fears, at least for now.

6.   Privacy advocates raise the specter of police demanding that citizens produce identification at any moment for checks against a security database, but Atkinson discounts such fears.

7.   Russia discounts the fears of American officials that Iran could convert the technology to weapons use.

8.   Aid opponents discount fears about the impact of cuts and tout growing free markets as the cure for world financial woes.

9.   Authorities, however, have largely discounted fears that the spill could contaminate the falls.