Billboard to Rank Cell Phone Ringtones (AP) AP - Back at No. 1 for the 29th straight week, it's everybody's favorite ringtone. The music market tracker Billboard will begin ranking the customized mobile phone sound snippets beginning next week  #151; another sign that ringtones are fast becoming a staple of recording industry sales,


Montgomery and Gaines Hearings Postponed  LONDON (Reuters) - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)  has postponed its hearings with American sprinters Tim  Montgomery and Chryste Gaines who have been charged with  serious doping violations.


Marines Set for Sunni Triangle Battle The U.S. Marines are preparing for a "decisive" battle in the Sunni Triangle area west of Baghdad, where insurgents are extending control outward from Fallujah through violence and intimidation, senior commanders said Friday.


Mexico rats survive cat onslaught Health officials in the Mexican state of Chihuahua fail to deal with a rat plague by sending in hundreds of cats.


Software-patent battle set to flare up In Europe, industry leaders, government officials and others debate whether patents would hinder or cultivate innovation.


Ex-manager at Oracle seeks \$679,000 IT sales account manager in England seeks compensation after winning her sex discrimination case.


Asian Markets Mixed on China Rate Hike (AP) AP - Asian financial markets showed a mixed reaction Friday to China's first interest rate rise in nine years, which analysts welcomed as a shift toward capitalist-style economic tools and away from central planning.


Cal #39;s Arrington has record-tying 11th 100-yard game California running back JJ Arrington needed less than three quarters to tie a 23-year-old Pac-10 Conference record against Southern Miss Saturday night at Roberts Stadium.


China hikes loans, deposit rates Chinas move to hike interest rate has come as a surprise. The central bank raised the benchmark rate on one-year yuan loans to 5.58 per cent from 5.31 per cent and the rate on one-year deposits to 2.25 per cent from 1.98 per cent.


Update 2: Clear Channel Earnings Plummet 60 Percent Clear Channel Communications Inc. #39;s third-quarter profit fell nearly 60 percent from the same period in 2003, which had been inflated by the nation #39;s largest radio station operator #39;s sale of its stake in a Spanish-language broadcasting network.


Detailed Image of Titan #39;s Surface Summary - (Oct 29, 2004) This image of Titan was taken when Cassini reached the closest point of its flyby on October 26. At this point, it was only 1,600 km (994 miles) above the surface of Titan.


Secret Service Nabs 28 in Online Fraud Sting The US Secret Service has arrested 28 people on charges stemming from an undercover investigation into cybercrime. Charges against the suspects include identity theft, computer fraud, credit-card fraud and consipracy.


Mutu #39;s agent hits out at Chelsea Adrian Mutu #39;s agent has accused Chelsea of failing to offer sufficient support to the shamed striker. Mutu was sacked on Friday by Chelsea who stated:  quot;Any player who takes drugs breaches his contract with the club quot;.


Australia #39;s Champion Cricketers Conquer Indian Final Frontier #39; Australia cemented its position as the dominant cricket team of the past decade with its first series win in India since 1969, conquering what former captain Steve Waugh called the final frontier.


Fitful Mauresmo Through to Linz Semifinals Top seed Amelie Mauresmo reached the semifinals of the Linz Open when she continued her run of success against Ai Sugiyama by beating the defending champion 6-2, 6-4 Friday.


UN report: Lubbers guilty of sexual misconduct AMSTERDAM - A UN inquiry has found UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers guilty of sexually harassing a female worker -ut Secretary-General Kofi Annan rejected the charges.


Antivirus companies warn of new Bagle variants New versions of the Bagle worm rolled onto the Internet Friday, prompting antivirus companies to warn customers about the threat and to push out software updates to spot the new worms.


News: US Secret Service busts 28 ID fraudsters A US-led operation targeting ID fraud crooks has led to the arrest of 28 people across seven countries this week.\


China Seeks to Soothe Markets on Rates China sought Friday to soothe concerns over a surprise interest rate rise, its first in nearly a decade and one which is expected to kick off a series of increases to cool growth in the world #39;s seventh-biggest economy.


The long good buy MICK Davis, the South African-born chief executive of Anglo-Swiss mining giant Xstrata, clearly has a thing for Australia. Perhaps it #39;s because this country keeps offering him the opportunity to buy great


Merck gets good news on drug to replace Vioxx Drug giant Merck says the Food and Drug Administration wants more information, but is prepared to approve the company #39;s successor drug to recalled pain reliever Vioxx.


Rivals await Ford #39;s plans Ford Motor Co. of Canada #39;s rivals will be watching closely today as the automaker makes a widely-anticipated announcement confirming its plans to build a \$1-billion flexible manufacturing plant in Oakville, Ont.


Mandrake Linux 10.1 Official MandrakeSoft co-founder Gal Duval has announced the release of 32-bit Mandrake Linux 10.1 Official. 64-Bit Mandrake Linux 10.1 might be ready as early as next week.


Cycling: Bid to rein in cycling great Next year #39;s Tour de France cycling race may give others a chance to test Lance Armstrong. The mountain-top finishes are less intense and the time trials shorter - meaning the six-time Tour winner possibly


AUSTRALIA ROMP TO HISTORIC WIN Australia wrapped up their first series win in India in 35 years after an overwhelming victory by 342 runs in the third Test in Nagpur.


We prepared from 2001: Gilchrist Adam Gilchrist punching the air and embracing his teammates after Australia got the last Indian batsman out in the third Test; the Australian players gathering in a huddle made famous by the Indians; Brett Lee calling for the Australian flag from the tour


Cavs #39; Wagner will be free agent after season Former Camden High School star Dajuan Wagner, who has had an injury-filled NBA career thus far, will become an unrestricted free agent after the season because the Cleveland Cavaliers declined to pick up the option on Wagner #39;s contract for the 2005-06


KU, OU to play in KC in  #39;05 For more than a month it has been public knowledge that Kansas was considering moving next season #39;s home football game against Oklahoma to Kansas City #39;s Arrowhead Stadium.


US marines prepare major assault in Fallujah US marines are preparing for a major assault to whack rebels in the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, a senior commander said on Friday.


Redeployed Black Watch come under attack Black Watch soldiers have come under attack within hours of moving into Iraqs rebel-held badlands, although none was injured. Troops and vehicles were halted in the searing desert by a series of roadside


Rapists to stay in jail they built THE child rapists of Pitcairn Island next year will move into the jail they helped build. Judges yesterday showed the mercy which for so long has been absent


Suicide attackers  quot;ready to strike quot; Russia Russia #39;s security service chief says that more than 80 suicide attackers have been trained abroad to attack the country, which he says has no adequate system of dealing with terrorism.


Several Insurers Are Named in Lawsuit (AP) AP - Several major insurance companies are named in a class-action lawsuit alleging they conspired with California insurance broker Universal Life Resources to steer business the broker's way in exchange for kickbacks, according to court papers.


Nine Britons confirmed dead in Jordanian coach crash Nine Britons are confirmed dead following a coach crash near the Jordanian tourist attraction of Petra yesterday. According to reports, a tyre of the tour bus blew out on a stretch of the Desert Highway motorway


Earnings of Electronics Makers Improve (AP) AP - Two Japanese electronics makers reported improved fiscal first-half earnings Friday, with profits at Hitachi Ltd. surging nearly eight-fold, while Toshiba Corp. rebounded to profitability from a loss the previous year.


Italians, Canadians gather to honour living legend: VC winner Smoky Smith (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - CESENA, Italy (CP) - Italians and Canadians gathered in a town square beneath the walls of an 800-year-old castle on Friday to honour Ernest (Smoky) Smith, Canada's last surviving winner of the Victoria Cross.


Mauresmo Beats Sugiyama in Quarterfinals (AP) AP - Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo eliminated defending champion Ai Sugiyama 6-2, 6-4 Friday in the quarterfinals of the Generali Ladies Open.


European Search Landscape - Search Engine Strategies Coverage European Search Landscape - Search Engine Strategies Coverage\\I was a bit late getting to the Search Engine Strategies conference, but I made it here for the second track. I decided to attend a new session named European Search Landscape. Here are my notes, please excuse any typos, this was done ...


Bush Asked to Stop Using 'Still the One' (AP) AP - The songwriter who helped pen the 1970s hit, "Still the One," is demanding that President Bush stop using the tune at campaign events, arguing that he's no fan of the Republican incumbent and the campaign never got permission to use the song.


Top Senate Democrat Fights for Political Survival (Reuters) Reuters - Senate Democratic Leader Tom\Daschle, fighting for political survival, walked into Shorty's\Cafe in this farm town and asked for help in Tuesday's\election.


Revelations should cast Thomas in a different light The news is not so much shocking as sad. Surely, everyone whose eyes were open suspected that Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds had been using performance-enhancing drugs for many years.


New 'Hawk' Game Most Thorough Ever There's only one thing better than riding a halfpipe ramp in "Tony Hawk's Underground 2" - doing it in real life. Since I'm pretty sure that's never going to happen, I'll keep on defying gravity in this new game from Activision.


Things that scare Sun's Schwartz Sun President Jonathan Schwartz has a pre-Halloween case of the creeps--and for good reason.


Secret Service busts suspected ID fraud ring Federal agents and international allies arrest 28 suspects thought to have stolen credit card numbers and other financial information.\<br /> Photo: Shadowcrew site in federal custody


Microsoft Files Seven New Spam Lawsuits Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) filed seven lawsuits against senders of spam, or unsolicited e-mail, for transmitting messages without labeling them as sexually explicit


Thai PM Says Will Punish 'Wrongdoers' Over Deaths  PATTANI, Thailand (Reuters) - Bomb blasts rocked southern  Thailand on Friday as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra  promised to get to the bottom of the deaths of 78 Muslims in  military custody and punish any "wrongdoers."


News: Bagle variant outstrips Google-bashing worm A new variant of the Bagle email worm is spreading rapidly across the internet today.\


London shares close lower, with NY down amid mixed data over US economy (AFP) AFP - Leading shares closed in negative ground, while Wall Street was looking for direction over mixed data on the state of the US economy, dealers said.


IBM improves on autonomic toolkit (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - IBM on Friday gave its autonomic computing strategy is boost unwrapping an enhanced version of a toolkit designed to help developers more quickly integrate a number of self-managing functions into their existing applications and services.


Kerry Criticizes Delay in Hunger Report (AP) AP - The Kerry campaign on Friday criticized the administration for putting off, possibly until after the election, issuing an annual report that could show an increase in the number of households that either don't have access to enough food or have experienced hunger.


Putin Gets Duma Nod for Reforms to Boost Power  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's parliament backed on Friday  President Vladimir Putin's plan to scrap elections for  governors under sweeping political reforms aimed at  strengthening his grip on power.


Bush Recalls 9/11 Leadership with Victim Relatives (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush on Friday\appeared with relatives of some Americans killed on Sept. 11,\2001, and vowed the country "will not be held captive by fear"\in a message intended to remind voters of his leadership in\that tense period.


Students suspended for hacking Two students are suspended by Oxford University after admitting infiltrating its computer systems.


New law sinks old practice of floating your checks Floating a check became riskier Thursday under a new law that makes it possible for banks to process them in a matter of hours, rather than days.


ADM Profit Rises Sharply, Shares Up 9 Pct Agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday posted a 77 percent jump in quarterly profit, helped by record North American harvests and lower


28 Arrested in Global Web Fraud Sting By going undercover on the Shadowcrew.com Web site, US investigators were able to find out which of the site #39;s 4,000 members were taking part in criminal conduct.


Official Alleges 17 Mass Graves in Serbia (AP) AP - Serbian territory has 17 mass graves containing bodies of ethnic Albanians slain during Kosovo's 1998-99 war, a former interior minister said Friday, accusing current authorities of a cover-up.


United prepare  #39;Battle of the buffet #39; evidence against Arsenal MANCHESTER, England (AFP) - The fall-out over the Old Trafford tunnel brawl between Manchester United and Arsenal continued with news that United were preparing to ask the Football Association to take action.


Juventus Dump Roma In The Rain Rejuvenated attacker Alessandro Del Piero inspired Juventus to a 2-0 win over AS Roma that restored their five point title advantage on holders AC Milan.


Suha: controversial but estranged supporter of husband Arafat RAMALLAH, West Bank, Oct 29 (AFP) - Suha Arafat, the estranged wife of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, has remained one of his staunchest supporters despite courting controversy for her extravagant lifestyle and lack of tact.


IBM improves on autonomic toolkit IBM on Friday gave its autonomic computing strategy is boost unwrapping an enhanced version of a toolkit designed to help developers more quickly integrate a number of self-managing functions into their existing applications and services.


Agassi Overcomes Verdasco Power  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Andre Agassi marched into the  Stockholm Open semifinals Friday, beating Spanish eighth seed  Fernando Verdasco 7-6, 6-2 in his hardest match of the  tournament.


British Ex-Guantanamo Detainees Sue Rumsfeld (Reuters) Reuters - Four British former inmates of the\U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay sued Defense Secretary\Donald Rumsfeld and others Wednesday saying they were tortured\in violation of U.S. and international law.


Cellular Companies Agree on Standards The nation's cellular companies have agreed on a common standard for multimedia messaging that should enable mobile phone users to exchange photos, video and audio clips just as they do e-mail, regardless of their wireless carrier.


Open Source Gets Nod From UK Govt. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC), UK, has finally given the green signal persuading governments to consider the deployment of open source while implementing new systems.


Web Help for the Voting Disabled A website goes the extra mile to make sure voters aren   rsquo;t confused this Tuesday.  Also: West Virginia organizes the first public supercomputer   hellip;.  FDA keeps its eye on a new pain relief drug   hellip;. and more.


Italians remember Canadians with fondness, gratitude as veterans return (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - CESENA, Italy (CP) - For a few stormy days in October 1944, a young Canadian tank sergeant became part of the Bocchini family in an ancient Italian town caught up in the whirlwind of a world war.


GDP Up, But Not Enough for Economists  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumers fed a pick-up in U.S.  economic growth in the third quarter but a sentiment survey for  this month showed oil prices were dampening their spirits,  government and private-sector data showed on Friday.


Martha Stewart: Scarier on Halloween Lower sales, bigger losses, and a sneaky-looking accounting change mean investors should watch their wallets.


HP developing 'smart rack' to ease data center work Company shows off labor-saving data center technology at Palo Alto research lab.


Oracle sex suit winner seeks \$679,000, apology IT sales account manager in England seeks compensation after winning her sex discrimination case.


Netino banks on growth in bioinformatics outsourcing MARSEILLE, FRANCE - Netino SARL sees a bright future for outsourcing in drug discovery: The 2-year-old company just landed a 10-year contract to handle the bioinformatics activities of a major French pharmaceutical company.


Gunmen rob cricket legend Imran Pakistani cricket star Imran Khan has been robbed by armed men in the country's capital, Islamabad.


Local and Shopping Search Are Growing Among Internet Users Local and Shopping Search Are Growing Among Internet Users\\According to a recent consumer search behavior study conducted by BizRate.com and The Kelsey Group of 3,887 online respondents, findings show that while general search engines rank the highest in terms of usage, with 72 percent indicating they use general search engines ...


Clear Channel Earnings Plummet 60 Percent SAN ANTONIO - Clear Channel Communications Inc. #39;s third-quarter profit fell nearly 60 percent from the same period in 2003, which had been inflated by the nation #39;s largest radio station operator #39;s sale of its stake in a Spanish-language broadcasting


Bank of America files for compensation in Parmalat case MILAN, Italy - Bank of America Corp. said Friday it had filed for damages against former officials and auditors of collapsed dairy giant Parmalat at a preliminary hearing in Milan, as the bank attempts to avoid blame in the massive fraud scandal.


#39;Approved #39; Stem Cells Found Faulty New research is casting doubts on the usefulness of the human embryonic stem cells available under the White House #39;s research policy.


E-voting: Can it be trusted? com October 28, 2004, 1:15 PM PT. This priority retains its ranking at number five as more and more companies deploy Web Services to share business logic, data and processes with each other and with clients.


\$3.0 million team option ST. LOUIS -- The Red Sox were the bold-faced headline on the 2004 season, the town crier in Kenmore Square. The long-suffering franchise fought its way through a cursed history to deliver a World Series triumph


Agassi overcomes Verdasco power Andre Agassi marched into the Stockholm Open semi-finals on Friday, beating Spanish eighth seed Fernando Verdasco 7-6 6-2 in his toughest match of the tournament.


Top seed Safin slumps in St. Petersburg Russia: Top seed Marat Safin was dumped out of the one-million-dollar ATP Saint Petersburg Open here on Friday following a shock straight sets defeat to Frenchman Michael Llodra.


Leicester get permission to speak to Levein English Championship side Leicester were given permission to speak to Hearts coach Craig Levein in the hope of persuading him to succeed Micky Adams.


Athletics: Montgomery and Gaines doping cases postponed LAUSANNE, Switzerland : Doping cases of world 100m record holder Tim Montgomery and Chryste Gaines have been postponed, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said.


Cavs to let injury-prone Wagner become free agent CLEVELAND -- Guard Dajuan Wagner will become a free agent after this season because the Cleveland Cavaliers declined their \$3.4 million contract option for 2005-06 on Friday.


Jones leads early push at Chrysler Kent Jones started slowly on Friday but consecutive birdies as he made the turn have boosted him to the top of the leaderboard at the Chrysler Championship.


Ailing Arafat Heads to Paris for Treatment Description: A French plane departs Amman, Jordan, carrying Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to Paris for urgent medical treatment.


Leaders sign EU #39;s first constitution However, their celebration of unity has been marred by uncertainty over its ratification and turmoil over the stalled European Commission.


VIEW: Europes new dawn Jan Peter Balkenende The Constitutional Treaty firmly enshrines fundamental rights in law and makes the EU more democratic, more transparent, and more effective.


FSB asks media to be responsible in covering terrorist attacks MOSCOW, October 29 (Itar-Tass) -- The mass media must be invariably aware of their responsibility while covering terrorist attacks, FSB federal security service director Nikolai Patrushev told the State Duma on Friday.


Lucian Freud portrait of Kate Moss, nude and pregnant, goes on sale (AFP) AFP - A portrait of the British super-model Kate Moss, heavily pregnant and looking uncharacteristically unglamorous, will be sold at auction next February, Christie's auction house said.


TransActing Up and Down Do the third-quarter numbers mean continued volatility for this small-cap stock?


ChevronTexaco Profit Up, Misses Forecasts  NEW YORK (Reuters) - ChevronTexaco Corp.CVX.N, the No. 2  U.S. oil company, on Friday reported a 62 percent rise in  quarterly profit from record oil prices and gains from asset  sales, but the results fell short of Wall Street forecasts.


Defense deals lead in federal IT contracts Study shows defense agencies accounted for three-quarters of the \$20 billion in federal IT contracts awarded last quarter.


Making the call as silly as the ring tone PhoneBites' cellular service inserts sound clips into conversations. Ridiculous? The same was said of the multibillion ring tone market.


A Look at Arafat's Low Platelet Count (AP) AP - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has been sick for the past two weeks, and blood tests indicate he has a low platelet count. Platelets are tiny components of blood that help the clotting process by sticking to the lining of blood vessels. Produced in the bone marrow, platelets are vital to life, preventing massive blood loss from trauma.


AstraZeneca's Crestor May Harm Kidneys  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Twenty-nine patients who took  AstraZeneca Plc's AZN.L AZN.N anti-cholesterol drug Crestor  have developed kidney damage, a U.S. consumer group said on  Friday as it called again for a ban on the medicine.


AstraZeneca's Crestor May Harm Kidneys (Reuters) Reuters - Twenty-nine patients who took\AstraZeneca Plc's   anti-cholesterol drug Crestor\have developed kidney damage, a U.S. consumer group said on\Friday as it called again for a ban on the medicine.


Update 1: ADM #39;s Earnings Skyrocket; Stocks Soars Archer Daniels Midland Co., the agribusiness giant, reported a 77 percent increase Friday in its first-quarter earnings, citing significant gains in oilseed and bioproducts processing and feed and ingredient sales and a major improvement in inventory


IDC sees decline in handheld market The global market for handheld devices continues to dwindle, according to data released by IDC this week. The industry has recorded a year-over-year fall for the third successive quarter, the researcher said.


Hearts say coach Craig Levein to leave for Leicester Heart of Midlothian Plc said head coach Craig Levein is holding talks to take over as manager at Leicester City in England after steering the Scottish soccer club to the group stage of Europe #39;s UEFA Cup this season.


Prince Charles visits Petra day after crash The Prince of Wales has travelled to Petra a day after nine British pilgrim tourists were killed in a coach crash near the ancient Jordanian city.


Zimbabwe #39;s Parliament jails white member Zimbabwe #39;s Parliament has sentenced to a year in jail one of its three white members for knocking down a government minister, the BBC reported Friday.


Telstra for sale at \$5 a share TREASURER Peter Costello yesterday declared Telstra would not be sold until its share price was more than \$5. That came despite the Coalition having secured a Senate majority.


Philippines Rushes Relief to Flooded Areas  GENERAL NAKAR, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine troops  rushed food and drinking water by foot and helicopters on  Sunday to areas cut off by four storms that left more than  1,300 people dead or missing as residents scrambled to flee the  region.


Ukraine votes for new leader as Russia and the West watch anxiously (AFP) AFP - Hundreds of thousands of pro-Western and pro-Russian activists mobilized across Ukraine as the former Soviet republic headed into a stormy weekend vote that Washington warned would spark unspecified  quot;measures quot; if rigged by the state.


Colombia Offers Rebels Prisoner Swap (AP) AP - Colombia's hardline government said Friday it is willing to meet with members of the country's main leftist rebel group in an unprecedented offer aimed at freeing dozens of rebel-held hostages, including three Americans.


Acer's 3Q Net Profit Plummets 63 Percent (AP) AP - Acer Inc., the world's fifth-largest computer company, said Friday its third-quarter net profit fell 63 percent from the same period last year in part because of investment losses from affiliates.


Laboratory Mice Produce Human Antibodies (AP) AP - For a small biopharmaceutical firm that has yet to get a drug on the market, Medarex Inc. has been keeping some impressive company. Top pharmaceutical and biotech firms, from Johnson  amp; Johnson to Amgen Inc., have been signing deals with Medarex to use its genetically engineered mice as they seek to develop new drugs. The doctored mice have the rare ability to produce human antibodies, which can help fight disease just as natural antibodies do.


Hurricanes Power Gillette's Duracell Net profit growth is keeping investors from worrying about Gillette's free cash flow.


World oil prices fall on profit-taking ahead of US election LONDON : Oil prices slid for a third day running as speculators banked profits ahead of next week #39;s US presidential election amid easing supply fears and China #39;s move to hike interest rates, analysts said.


US believes bomb caused Marriott blast in Pakistan, tells citizens to avoid area (AFP) AFP - The United States believes a blast that wounded several people at the Marriott hotel in Islamabad was caused by an improvised bomb and not an electrical short circuit as Pakistani officials have said, the State Department said.


Univ. of Calif. Reaches Settlement with Lehman  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The University of California said on  Friday that Lehman Brothers has agreed to pay \$222.5 million to  settle a class action suit for the bank's role in the sale of  Enron Corp. securities to it and other plaintiffs.


You broke it. Who fixes it? Apple thinks do-it-yourself PC repair is the wave of the future. But another PC maker has other ideas.


Lurking threats cast shadow on Net The Bagle worm shifts shape to outsmart antivirus software. Plus: Media player patches and Feds' fraud crackdown.


Stem cells scientists can use are tainted Washington -- All of the human embryonic stem cells available to federally funded scientists under President Bush #39;s 3-year-old research policy share a previously unrecognized trait that fosters rejection by the immune systems, diminishing their potential


Latest  #39;Leisure Suit Larry #39; lacking Too bad the newest installment in the  quot;Leisure Suit Larry quot; series isn #39;t much of a video game. The challenging puzzles and clever character interaction that boosted earlier titles in the franchise


WSJ, CNBC honor Apple's Jobs Business-focused publication, TV network, name Mac Maker's CEO the "Leader in Innovation." eBay's Whitman another honoree.


Webmail drops Windows for open source platform Webmail.us, which provides hosted e-mail service for small and medium-size businesses, will announce next week a raft of improvements to its service, including a major migration of its core e-mail platform from Microsoft Corp. Windows to an open source platform.


S and P watching Shell for possible debt downgrade (AFP) AFP - Standard and Poor's Ratings Services said it had its eye on Royal Dutch/Shell for a possible downgrade of the oil company's debt rating in case of a further restatement of its reserves.


Canada Eyes Internet Pharmacy Drug Supply to U.S. (Reuters) Reuters - Canada may have to toughen up rules on\Internet pharmacies' sales of medicines to the United States,\Industry Minister David Emerson said on Friday, amid public\concerns of shortages or price spikes despite controls.


Stocks Flat on Economic Data Mixed  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks barely budged on Friday  afternoon as data gave a mixed picture of the economy, which  grew at a slower-than-expected pace in the third quarter.


WRAPUP 2-US consumers help economic growth in third quarter US consumers fed a pick-up in US economic growth in the third quarter but a sentiment survey for this month showed oil prices were dampening their spirits


FDA seeks more safety data on Vioxx successor Merck  amp; Co. said the US Food and Drug Administration has requested additional safety and efficacy information on its Vioxx successor, Arcoxia, before it considers granting US approval for the drug.


Lehman Brothers settles Enron shareholder lawsuit HOUSTON - Wall Street brokerage house Lehman Brothers has agreed to pay \$222.5 million to a class-action lawsuit alleging that it and other banks and brokerages helped Enron Corp.


Hollinger Shares Soar on Buyout Proposal TORONTO - Shares of Hollinger Inc. soared Friday after embattled press baron Conrad Black announced plans to buy out other shareholders of the publicly traded Canadian company at the center of his business empire.


Radar Reaches Titan #39;s Surface Through Clouds After making the closest-ever flyby of mysterious Saturn moon Titan this week, the Cassini probe has sent back radar data that reveals some facts about the planet-like moon #39;s surface.


EarthLink, Partners File Spam Lawsuits October 29, 2004 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Internet service provider EarthLink (earthlink.com) announced on Friday that it has filed a new lawsuit in federal court in Atlanta as part of its continuing fight against spam.


Linux in Government: In Spite of Endorsements, Government Linux <b>...</b> Latest report from the UK, although indicative of serious change, tells us again what we already know. On Thursday, October 28, the press was abuzz with news of the United Kingdom #39;s formal publication of its


Secret Service Busts Cyber Gangs The US Secret Service Thursday announced arrests in eight states and six foreign countries of 28 suspected cybercrime gangsters on charges of identity theft, computer fraud, credit card fraud, and conspiracy.


Reheated Bagle smokes out antivirus defenses com October 29, 2004, 8:21 AM PT. Cyber threats, chiefly viruses like NetSky and Sasser, make security an ongoing concern as it holds steady over software infrastructure as the third top priority.


Adults-Only rated Leisure Suit Larry now available More nudity, more raunch, more sex scenes fill new  quot;Uncut quot; version of VU #39;s risqu college adventure. Is it even possible to make Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude--a video game characterized by nothing


Dravid blames batting for India #39;s debacle NAGPUR: India stand-in captain Rahul Dravid refused to blame the Nagpur pitch for the team #39;s loss against Australia in the third Test, and instead, censured the batsmen for the team #39;s downfall, saying they were capable of much more.


Arkansas State will also play in KC in  #39;05 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs will allow Kansas and Arkansas State to play one home game each at Arrowhead Stadium in 2005.


Future Looking Up for Flamel As the nanotech/biotech company earns a profit, keep an eye on two drugs in phase 3 trials.


Massu and Koubek Reach Basel Semis  BASEL, Switzerland (Reuters) - Double Olympic gold  medallist Nicolas Massu registered his best win since Athens on  Friday, striding into the semifinals of the \$1.26 million Swiss  Indoors tournament with a 6-2, 7-6 win over Bohdan Ulihrach.


UPDATE 1-Univ. of Calif. reaches settlement with Lehman The University of California said on Friday that Lehman Brothers (LEH.N: Quote, Profile, Research) has agreed to pay \$222.5 million to settle a class action suit for the bank #39;s role in the sale Enron Corp.


Bristol-Myers Squibb profit slips 16 percent Bristol-Myers Squibb said its third-quarter profit dipped 16 percent from a year ago to 758 million dollars as the pharmaceutical giant boosted research in the face of expiring patents.


Reheated Bagle smokes out antivirus defenses A new version of the fast-spreading Bagle mass-mailing worm was discovered Friday, with its threat level quickly rising to a moderate level, according to security experts.


Garcia battles for the lead Valderrama, Spain - Overnight leader Sergio Garcia came back from a disastrous start to his second round of the Volvo Masters to keep himself atop the leaderboard here on Friday.


Mourinho Wary of Baggies Backlash Jose Mourinho would rather be facing the likes of Arsenal or Manchester United than taking on managerless West Brom tomorrow. Frank Burrows will take charge of the Baggies against


Home star Sete grabs provisional pole. Sete Gibernau still cannot hide his bitter disappointment at losing the world title to Valentino Rossi, but he managed a wry smile after leading the first qualifying session for the final MotoGP race of the season, the Valencia Grand Prix, in his Spanish


Rangnick showing magic touch with Schalke Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Sports Network) - Since taking the reigns of Schalke on September 28, coach Ralf Rangnick has orchestrated a turn-around that has the club thinking of a Bundesliga championship.


U.S. thinks Pakistan blast likely caused by a bomb (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. State Department said on Friday it believed a blast at an Islamabad hotel was probably caused by a bomb, differing from the Pakistani view that it appeared to be the result of an electrical fault.


Iraq death toll  #39;soared post-war #39; Poor planning, air strikes by coalition forces and a  quot;climate of violence quot; have led to more than 100,000 extra deaths in Iraq, scientists say.


EU leaders sign first constitution The 25 European Union leaders on Friday signed the EU #39;s first constitution that aims to boost the union #39;s presence on the world stage but will face a tough ratification test at the hands of European parliaments and voters before it can take effect.


Italy govt set to begin European Constitution ratification The government, keen to make Italy the first country to ratify the EU constitutional treaty, was setto greenlight the necessary bill in a cabinet meeting late Friday afternoon.


Alaskans to Vote on Legalizing Marijuana (Reuters) Reuters - Voters in Alaska will decide on\Tuesday whether to make their state the first in the country to\legalize the sale, possession or use of marijuana by adults.


Lucent, Unions to Talk Beyond Deadline  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Lucent Technologies Inc. LU.N and  unions representing roughly 10 percent of the  telecommunications equipment maker's work force said on Friday  they have agreed to extend talks a week beyond a midnight EST  Sunday contract deadline.


Bush and Kerry Offer Competing Visions of the Future The president was in New Hampshire, the only state in the Northeast that he carried in 2000, while his Democratic challenger was in Florida.


Colombia Offers Rebels Prisoner Swap Colombia's hardline government said Friday it is willing to meet with members of the country's main leftist rebel group in an unprecedented offer aimed at freeing dozens of rebel-held hostages, including three Americans.


British Black Watch soldier killed in Iraq vehicle accident (AFP) AFP - A British soldier from the Black Watch regiment was killed and three others injured in a vehicle accident in Iraq's Babil province, where they had just moved from southern Iraq, a spokesman said.


Colorado could become the Florida of 2004 (AFP) AFP - Whether President George W. Bush serves another four years or is ousted by challenger John Kerry may depend on a last-minute amendment to the Colorado constitution that has deeply divided residents of the western state.


Black 'to resign from Hollinger' Lord Black will resign as chairman and chief executive of Hollinger Inc, enabling the board to consider his buy-out offer.


WR Grace Is Target of Federal Probe WR Grace  amp; Co. said Friday it is the target of a federal grand jury investigation involving possible obstruction of federal agency proceedings as well as violations of and conspiracy to violate federal environmental laws.


Avon #39;s US Sales Drop Sends Shares Lower; Net Rises (Update5) Avon Products Inc., the world #39;s largest direct seller of cosmetics, reported its first US sales decline in five years, sending the company #39;s shares down the most since 2000.


ADM #39;s Earnings Skyrocket; Stocks Soars DECATUR, Ill. - Archer Daniels Midland Co., the agribusiness giant, reported a 77 percent increase Friday in its first-quarter earnings, citing significant gains in oilseed and bioproducts processing and feed


AOL Takes  #39;Spimmers #39; to Court bulk messages clogging instant-messaging accounts. AOL and its Anti-Spam Alliance partners -- EarthLink, Microsoft, and Yahoo


NASA prepares for future risk As NASA readies the space shuttle fleet to fly again, the agency #39;s risk management teams are also paying attention to risk issues that affect the International Space Station.


GAME REVIEW: New  #39;Grand Theft Auto #39; will pull you in Like Al Pacino #39;s Michael Corleone says in  quot;Godfather III quot;:  quot;Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.


Discovery Shines Ray of Hope on Eye Diseases Human retinal stem cells can regenerate when implanted into the eyes of chicks and mice, says a University of Toronto study. After being transplanted into the animals, the


New Bagle virus declares cyber war IT security experts have warned that a newly intercepted mutant of the infamous mass-mailing Bagle worm, dubbed Bagle.bb, has begun to spread rapidly across the internet.


Road Bridge cable alert SAFETY tests are to be carried out on the Forth Road Bridge after broken wires and corrosion were found inside its main cables. The weaknesses were discovered during the first full-scale inspection of the 40-year-old bridges two main cables.


Longhorns Hope to Bypass Holiday Bowl (AP) AP - When Colorado coach Gary Barnett looks at the Texas roster or watches the Longhorns on tape, he comes to a simple conclusion. "They sure have a pretty team," he said. He means pretty, as in big, fast and talented. It's exactly the kind of team they should have at a school as renowned as Texas, which is why it's hard to understand how the Longhorns (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) keep winding up in the Holiday Bowl.


Garcia leads Volvo Masters by one after Valderrama victimizes <b>...</b> VALDERRAMA, Spain (PA) -- Add Darren Clarke #39;s name to the list of victims claimed by one of golf #39;s most controversial holes.


Angry Safin upset by call, Llodra at St. Petersburg Open a mark on the court. The point was replayed, and Llodra wound up holding serve. play dropped. Llodra broke him at love in the fourth game and then held for.


Nuggets pick up option on Nene DENVER (Ticker) - Power forward Nene, who led Brazil to a bronze medal in the Goodwill Games in 2001, will have through at least the 2005-06 season to help the Denver Nuggets contend for an NBA title.


Moscow: 500-plus terror attacks foiled Moscow says its anti-terrorism agents have foiled more than 500 terror attacks so far this year, Itar-Tass reported Friday. Nikolai Patrushev, the nation #39;s Federal Security


European Leaders in Rome for EU Constitution Signing At an historic ceremony in Rome on Friday, European leaders signed the treaty establishing the EU Constitution. Before it takes effect, however, the document must be ratified by all member states -- a process expected to take about two years.


Report: Japanese Hostage Killed in Iraq (AP) AP - A Japanese civilian taken hostage in Iraq by militants has been killed, Kyodo News agency reported Saturday, citing a member of Japan's ruling party. But national broadcaster NHK said the government was still trying to confirm the information.


Auburn Focused on SEC Championship Spot (AP) AP - Tommy Tuberville returns to Mississippi with a trip to Atlanta on the line, and he's bringing his best Auburn team yet. The third-ranked Tigers need one win to lock up a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game before their first off week of the season, and all they have to do is win Saturday at Mississippi  #151; where Tuberville hasn't lost since leaving Oxford for Auburn six years ago.


Headscarf row mars Turkey's 81st birthday (AFP) AFP - Turkey celebrated the 81st anniversary of its foundation, but the festivities were marred by an embargo that President Ahmet Necdet Sezer slapped on women with Islamic headscarves at a reception in his palace.


New Bagle Virus Declares Cyber War Luis Corrons, head of PandaLabs, said the Bagle worm variant  quot;is here to pick up the cyber war that started a few months ago between several groups of virus creators.


Study: PDA Market in Decline Shipments of PDAs and similar handheld devices declined for the third consecutive quarter, according to the latest data from IDC. Third-quarter global PDA shipments fell 8.7 percent compared to the same period last year.


Schalke, Stuttgart Aim to Topple Wolfsburg With the Bundesliga tightening at the top of the table, a resurgent Schalke 04 will take on a flagging VfB Stuttgart on Saturday. VfL Wolfsburg will try to fend off both teams as the league leader hosts Mainz 05.


Munoz recovering from a concussion KNOXVILLE - Tennessee senior offensive tackle Michael Munoz has been plagued by lingering effects from a concussion suffered last week in the Alabama game.


Secret Service Nabs 28 in Online Fraud Sting (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - An undercover investigation led by the U.S. Secret Service has led to the arrests of 28 individuals suspected of being part of a global organized cybercrime network. Charges against the suspects include identity theft, computer fraud, credit-card fraud and conspiracy.


Study: PDA Market in Decline (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - For the third consecutive quarter, shipments of handheld devices, including personal digital assistants (PDAs), have declined, according to a study by IDC.


Verizon Wireless Boosts Parent Company (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) posted profit of US #36;1.796 billion for its third quarter, up from  #36;1.791 billion a year ago. The company attributed the slight rise to its wireless segment, which brought in an additional 1.7 million wireless customers.


Trusted Mobile Platform Launches Early Stage Specifications (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - IBM (NYSE: IBM), Intel and NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM) have proposed a new industry platform to guide the development of security technologies in both software and hardware for wireless mobile devices. The companies are part of new group pushing the Trusted Mobile Platform.


Molik Beats Golovin in SEAT Open Quarters (AP) AP - Alicia Molik came back to beat French teen Tatiana Golovin 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the SEAT Open quarterfinals Friday, moving closer to winning her second WTA Tour title in two weeks.


Bristol-Myers Profit Lower, So Are Shares  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. BMY.N on  Friday said quarterly profit fell 16 percent on special charges  and lower U.S. sales amid competition from rival brands and  cheaper generics.


Study: 100,000 civilian deaths due to Iraq invasion Today, the Lancet medical journal published a report which concludes that 100,000 civilians died in the US-led invasion of Iraq. This is an incredibly high estimate, and at first may seem too farfetched not to be propaganda. But it cannot easily be dismissed. The report's authors are researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, and Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad. The Lancet is a highly-respected, peer-reviewed publication. The report appears to be a serious academic attempt to study the public health consequences of the invasion.  Also, The New Republic magazine has conducted an interview with Prof. Gilbert Burnham, the report's main author.   Excerpts and comments below.


Reds Pick Up Casey's Contract Option (AP) AP - The Reds picked up Sean Casey's contract option for 2006 on Friday, an indication they have no intention of trading the popular first baseman who is among the team's highest-paid players.


Schmid to Coach U.S. Under-20 Soccer Team (AP) AP - Sigi Schmid was hired Friday as coach of the U.S. Under-20 team, his second stint in the job.


Intel to debut new Itaniums Nov. 8 Entire updated chip line to be unveiled, sources say. Newest top-line Itanium 2 boosts high-speed cache memory from 6MB to 9MB.


Grace responds to letter about investigation WR Grace  amp; Co., a Columbia-based supplier of silica products, alerted shareholders Friday it received a letter saying it is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation.


Snecma and Sagem plan \$6 bn merger The French government today backed the creation of a new champion in the aerospace and defence sector as Snecma, the part-privatised aero-engine maker, and Sagem, the electronics group, announced plans to merge in a deal valuing Snecma at about 4.


Black  #39;to resign from Hollinger #39; Lord Black is to resign as chairman and chief executive of Hollinger Inc, clearing the way for the board to consider his offer to buy the firm.


Archeologists divided over  #39;Home floresiensis #39; Archeologists are at odds over the discovery of the skeleton of a dwarf-sized human species on the remote island of Flores, which is said could rewrite the history of human evolution.


A sky-high Swedish farewell cake poisons 13 (AFP) AFP - Thirteen employees of a botanical garden in Stockholm ended up in the hospital showing symptoms of drug poisoning after a departing intern served them cake as a goodbye gesture, police said.


Egypt, Israel free prisoners in exchange deal (AFP) AFP - Egypt and Israel completed a prisoner swap under which six Egyptian students held for plotting attacks on soldiers were freed in return for the release by Egypt of an Israeli Druze held for spying.


UPDATE 1-Garcia retains lead after lost-ball incident Sergio Garcia had to undergo an extensive investigation following a lost-ball incident at Valderrama on Friday before being cleared to keep his one-stroke lead in the Volvo Masters second round.


Reds pick up Casey #39;s option At season #39;s end there was a lot of talk about the possibility of Sean Casey being traded. That notion became extremely unlikely on Friday afternoon when Reds general


Times of London Shrinks to Tabloid Format Only After 216 years as a broadsheet newspaper, The Times will become a tabloid-only publication starting on Monday. The move follows a decision 11 months ago to publish the British national


SI.com #39;s BJ Schecter breaks down a key Big 12 showdown The Sooners #39; offense is so dangerous because it has an array of weapons and can beat teams in a number of ways. Fantastic freshman Adrian Peterson is the nation #39;s top running back, rushing for at least 100 yards in all seven games.


Ukraine votes for new leader as Russia and the West watch <b>...</b> KIEV : Hundreds of thousands of pro-Western and pro-Russian activists mobilized across Ukraine as the former Soviet republic headed into a stormy weekend vote that Washington warned would spark unspecified  quot;measures quot; if rigged by the state.


First EU constitution signed: World News: Rome, Oct 29 : The 25 members states of the European Union (EU) signed the bloc #39;s first constitution at a historic summit in Italy Friday, reports Xinhua.


ASU, Cal Defenses Looking for Respect (AP) AP - When two quarterbacks as good as California's Aaron Rodgers and Arizona State's Andrew Walter meet up, it usually leads to a thrilling game for fans  #151; and an embarrassing night for defenses.


Body Resembling Japanese Hostage Found in Iraq  TOKYO (Reuters) - A body resembling a Japanese hostage has  been found in Iraq and is being shipped to Qatar for  identification, Japanese officials said on Saturday.


New Photoshop Elements Now shipping, Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 gives you the power to perfect and transform your digital photos like a pro. Oct 29


National Foods continues merger talks with SPC MELBOURNE: Australian dairy group National Foods Ltd said yesterday it is continuing merger talks with SPC Ardmona despite becoming a takeover target itself.


Marlins Guarantee Mike Lowell's Contract (AP) AP - New ballpark or not, Mike Lowell is staying with the Florida Marlins. Lowell, who could have opted out of his contract because the team hasn't secured new stadium financing, agreed Friday to a revised deal in which the team guarantees the remaining  #36;25.5 million on his contract.


Titan intrigues scientists p2pnet.net OT News:- A  quot;cold landscape carved by winds and perhaps puddled with organic lakes quot;.  quot;The take-home message, although preliminary, is that Titan may be sculpted by fierce winds and cradle vast lakes of organic chemicals.


Angry Safin Upset by Call, Llodra Marat Safin lost his temper and his quarterfinal at the St. Petersburg Open on Friday, getting surprised by seventh-seeded Michael Llodra 6-4, 6-1 after protesting a line call.


Terps #39; Jackson Plenty Motivated For FSU Clash D #39;Qwell Jackson grew up in Largo, Fla., 300 miles from Tallahassee and almost 1,000 miles from College Park. Geography was one obstacle Ralph Friedgen overcame to sign Jackson, who played


Campaign fails to change attitudes on Iraq: poll (AFP) AFP - For all their fussing and fuming over Iraq, the US presidential candidates have barely made a dent in the basic attitude of Americans towards the war, a new poll suggested.


Exiled Ansar founder could be linked to Allawi attack plot (AFP) AFP - The founder of radical Islamist group Ansar al-Islam was questioned in Oslo by German police ahead of the arrests in Germany of three men suspected of plotting to attack visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allaiwi.


NASA Picks May 2005 for Launch Date (AP) AP - NASA said Friday it is aiming for a mid-May launch of the first shuttle flight since the Columbia tragedy almost two years ago.


Snap-On Ratchets Down Expectations The hand tool manufacturer beats estimates, but internal growth can't match competition.


Leaders Sign European Union's First Constitution The treaty was the result of 28 months of sometimes acrimonious debate, and now faces ratification in national parliaments.


Henman Falls to Novak in Basel  BASEL, Switzerland (Reuters) - British world number four  Tim Henman was knocked out of the quarterfinals of the \$1.26  million Swiss Indoors tournament Friday, falling 7-6, 7-5 to  unseeded Czech Jiri Novak.


Oil Prices Rebound on Supply Worries  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices bounced back on Friday,  ending this week's 8 percent slide as supply fears were  rekindled ahead of the winter heating season and dealers  squared their books in advance of next Tuesday's U.S.  presidential election.


Al-Jazeera Says Will Play Bin Laden Tape (AP) AP - The Arab television station Al-Jazeera said Friday it would broadcast a tape from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden on an evening newscast.


Ukraine Challenger Predicts Mass Cheating in Vote  KIEV (Reuters) - Liberal challenger Viktor Yushchenko  predicted on Friday that Ukrainian authorities would resort to  mass fraud to ensure victory for the establishment candidate in  an increasingly tense weekend presidential poll.


Future's Cloudy for Clear Channel Earnings are up, but sagging revenues are more annoying than static.


US Economy: 3rd-Qtr GDP Grew 3.7, Confidence Ebbed (Update2) The US economy grew at a slower-than- expected 3.7 percent annual rate in the third quarter as rising oil prices contributed to a record trade deficit and companies added less to inventories.


Lord Black to resign from Hollinger Inc. Conrad Black intends to give up his management positions with Hollinger Inc.,  quot;within a matter of days, quot; to avoid conflicts with his offer to the board to privatize the Toronto holding company.


Intel to debut new Itaniums Nov. 8 com October 29, 2004, 12:02 PM PT. ZDNet #39;s survey of IT professionals in October kept upgrading hardware at number two on the businesses radar throughout the year.


Suit Accuses Microsoft of Selling  #39;Defective #39; Xboxes A Los Angeles man filed a class action suit yesterday against Microsoft, claiming that the company manufactured and sold thousands of defective Xbox video game systems.


Hard work paid off, says Gilchrist after series win Australian bowler Jason Gillespie congratulated by teamates after taking the wicket of Indian captain Rahul Dravid on the fourth day of the third Test match in Nagpur on Friday.


Reds pick up Casey #39;s option Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - The Cincinnati Reds exercised the 2006 contract option for first baseman Sean Casey. Casey, who is a three-time All-Star, signed a three-year contract extension in February 2002 with a club option for the coming season.


Auburn focused on clinching spot in SEC championship Tommy Tuberville returns to Mississippi with a trip to Atlanta on the line, and he #39;s bringing his best Auburn team yet. The third-ranked Tigers need one win to lock up a spot in the Southeastern Conference


Study puts civilian tollin Iraq at over 100,000 PARIS More than 100,000 civilians have probably died as direct or indirect consequences of the US-led invasion of Iraq, according to a study by a research team at Johns Hopkins University #39;s Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.


Iran Sees Small Chance of UN Economic Sanctions Iran believes there is only a 10 percent chance the UN Security Council will impose economic sanctions on it if Washington succeeds in sending its nuclear case there, a senior security official said on Friday.


Labor Memo Suggests Bush to Win Election (AP) AP - Labor Department staff, analyzing statistics from private economists, report in an internal memo that President Bush is likely to do "much better" in Tuesday's election than the polls are predicting.


Why Japanese Horror Films Are So Spooky Following the success of The Ring and, more recently, The Grudge, a slew of Hollywood remakes of Japanese horror movies are in the pipeline. But audiences beware: These are not your typical monster-in-the-closet scary movies.


Jerusalem Strife Echoes Ancient History It may be called the City of Peace, but no other city has been more bitterly fought over than Jerusalem. Eric Cline, a historian, archaeologist, and author of the new book <I>Jerusalem Besieged: From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel</I> discusses the holy city's turbulent history.


Samoa Worm Sperm Spawns Annual Fiesta Every October or November the reproductive swarming of an ocean worm known as the palolo is cause for a Samoan celebration. Fried in oil, baked into bread, or swallowed raw, worm sperm and eggs are a tasty treat.


Election Is Crunch Time for U.S. Secret Service With just days to go before the U.S. presidential election, the candidates are darting from one stop to the next #151;putting the pressure on the Secret Service in the process.


Natl Geographic Film Fest Gives Voice to Unsung Cultures This week the National Geographic All Roads Film Festival showcases indigenous filmmakers. Among the films, an Iranian documentary set in a public restroom, where women remove their veils, smoke, and discuss everything from drugs to sex to religion.


The Future of Alternative Energy Residential energy use in the United States is predicted to increase 25 percent by 2025. A small but increasing share of that power will trickle in from renewable energy sources, experts say.


Where's the spark on power line Net? The NYT has an optimistic overview on broadband over power lines, calling it "the ultimate plug and play." Broadband Blog


Future #39;s Cloudy for Clear Channel Multimedia monster Clear Channel Communications (NYSE: CCU) turned up the volume today with a third-quarter report that was decidedly better than the headlines hyping a  quot;60 drop quot; in earnings.


Secret Service Busts Cyber Gangs The US Secret Service Thursday announced arrests in eight states and six foreign countries of 28 suspected cybercrime gangsters on charges of identity theft, computer fraud, credit-card fraud, and conspiracy.


Bungie Founder Unearths New Game Alex Seropian #39;s Stubbs the Zombie in  quot;Rebel without a Pulse quot; uses Halo engine in new third-person action game. October 29, 2004 - Aspyr Media and Wideload Games today dug up their newest creation, revealing


Molik stays on course for second tournament win in row Alicia Molik came back to beat French teen Tatiana Golovin 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the SEAT Open quarterfinals Friday, moving closer to winning her second WTA Tour title in two weeks.


Lowell under contract with Marlins through 2007 Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Mike Lowell #39;s contract with the Florida Marlins is no longer contingent on the team getting a new stadium.


Thai PM Apologizes to Nation for Deaths in South Thailand #39;s prime minister apologized to the families of at least 84 people killed when troops put down a demonstration in the country #39;s mainly Muslim south, but blamed the riot on troublemakers.


Island men convicted on sex charges The mayor and five other men on the small Pacific island of Pitcairn were sentenced to as much as six years in prison for a string of rapes and sex attacks dating back 40 years on the remote and isolated home of the HMS Bounty


US says  #39;time running out #39; for Iran to comply with nuclear demands WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (AFP) - The United States said Friday that  quot;time is running out quot; for Iran to avoid being hauled before the UN Security Council for possible sanctions by complying with international demands to halt uranium enrichment activities and come


Violence Prompts Curfew in Liberia Capital Violence between Muslims and Christians engulfed Liberia #39;s war-battered capital Friday, with machete-wielding crowds rampaging through the streets and UN peacekeepers firing warning shots and tear gas to restore order amid burned mosques and churches.


Americans from Plattsburgh come to Quebec to get their flu shots (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - LACOLLE, Que. (CP) - Several hundred seniors from northern New York state  boarded buses and arrived in this Canadian border community on Friday to pay  #36;25 US each for their flu shots.


Oil Up on Supply Woes, Election Jitters  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices bounced back on Friday,  ending this week's 8 percent slide on renewed winter supply  fears and jitters ahead of next week's U.S. presidential  election.


Oil Prices Fall Nearly \$4 Over Past Week Oil prices bounced higher Friday following two days of sharp declines, but traders said they expect prices to move lower again by early next week in anticipation of the Energy Department's next petroleum supply report.


Delightful Discount or Devilish Decline? Slowing sales and income plus a warning about future profitability at Deluxe shows just how thin the line between deep value and permanent decline can be.


Garcia Leads Volvo Masters by One Stroke (AP) AP - Sergio Garcia recovered from a poor start and survived a rules scare, closing the second round with two birdies for a 2-under 69 and a one-stroke lead Friday in the Volvo Masters.


Jaguars Upgrade RB Taylor As Probable (AP) AP - Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor was upgraded to probable Friday and should start at Houston despite a leg injury.


Phone Magic (BusinessWeek Online) BusinessWeek Online - Hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons took one look at the Motorola  Razr V3 mobile phone and declared it "hot." After all, at half an inch thin and just 3.35 oz. -- with the look of a classic straight-edge razor -- the Razr is, well, quite sharp. But what's most remarkable about this svelte pocket pleaser is that it squeezes a video-clip player, zoom camera, and polyphonic speakers into a matchbook-thin frame no wider than a credit card. "Just like a cool pair of sneakers or a watch, a phone says something about who you are," says Simmons in an e-mail. ...


Klein's bizarre start to cakewalk election raises eyebrows in Alberta (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - CALGARY (CP) - Is Ralph Klein's political antenna broken?


Federal regulators want more data before approving new Merck pain <b>...</b> Most analysts and doctors had not expected the FDA to give Arcoxia a green light now because Merck pulled Vioxx from the market last month after a study showed it doubled patients risk of heart attacks and strokes.


Say Goodbye to the Float as Checking Enters 21st Century Consumer advocates are urging bank customers to be more careful about the checks they write now that new federal regulations designed to speed up check processing have taken effect.


ING Canada Files IPO Prospectus ING Canada Inc., a unit of Dutch bank and insurance group ING Groep NV, on Friday said it has filed a prospectus for an initial public offering of its common shares in Canada.


King, Knave, or Village Idiot? Troubled King Pharmaceuticals' latest accounting woes threaten to scuttle its merger with Mylan.


Human embryonic stem cells promising for replacement of blood <b>...</b> Researchers at the University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute are one step closer to understanding how blood cells develop through the use of human embryonic stem cells.


The Other Side of Oil Most people think oil companies are awash in cash -- until they look at the balance sheet.


Mauresmo charges into Linz semis Linz, Austria (Sports Network) - Former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo of France led the parade into the semifinals at the \$585,000 Generali Ladies Linz tennis event.


Argonauts offer free tickets after 38-point loss The Toronto Argonauts are offering a big giveaway to make up for a big loss. Apologizing to their fans after getting beaten 58-20 by the Montreal Alouettes, the CFL club said Friday that a ticket stub from


Diagnosis on Arafat Expected in a Few Days The Palestinian Authority #39;s representative in France says a diagnosis of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat #39;s illness will not be available until he undergoes a series of tests that could take several days.


Japanese hostage in Iraq reportedly killed TOKYO - There are conflicting reports about whether a Japanese man taken hostage in Iraq last week has been killed by his captors.


New Meta survey: Bush good for outsourcing Almost half of the IT execs responding to a new Meta survey expect offshoring to increase if George Bush wins reelection as president. Offshoring Blog


Henman Falls to Novak in Basel

 By Mark Ledsom

 BASEL, Switzerland (Reuters) - British world number fourTim Henman was knocked out of the quarterfinals of the \$1.26million Swiss Indoors tournament Friday, falling 7-6, 7-5 tounseeded Czech Jiri Novak.


Muslim gathering ends with prayers for peace Nearly 2 million Muslims from around the world have ended their three-day annual prayer for global peace and harmony outside the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka.


Update 1: Ovitz Says He Was Mistaken Over Bonus Michael Ovitz, Walt Disney Co. #39;s former president, said Friday he was mistaken in his previous testimony that his annual bonus was tied to Disney chief executive Michael Eisner #39;s bonus.


Help for Dialysis Patients The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a chewable non-calcium drug that can help kidney patients on dialysis manage their phosphorus levels.


Germany Expands Same-Sex Couples' Rights (AP) AP - German lawmakers expanded the rights of same-sex couples Friday, allowing registered domestic partners to adopt each other's children and making rules on splitting up and alimony similar to those for heterosexual marriages.


NASA Scientists Find Surface of Titan  #39;Very Alien #39; The surface of Saturn #39;s moon Titan may be covered by thick drifts of combustible organic  quot;snow quot; floating on lakes of liquid methane or water and ammonia ice flows, NASA (news - web sites) scientists said on Friday.


Evolutionary Shrinkage: Stone Age Homo find offers small surprise Big evolutionary insights sometimes come in little packages. Witness the startling discovery, in a cave on the eastern Indonesian island of Flores, of the partial skeleton of a half-size Homo species that


Eye on IT The Office of Government Commerce #39;s report into the viability of using open-source software in the public sector was toned down in its praise of Linux security before release, silicon.


Marquee Matchup Though they met in the preseason in Philadelphia, this is the game we #39;ve been waiting for since headline machine Terrell Owens spurned the receiver-needy Ravens for the receiver-needy Eagles this offseason.


Yankees Decline Options on Quantrill, Lee (AP) AP - The Yankees declined their 2005 option on first baseman Travis Lee on Friday and their 2006 option on reliever Paul Quantrill.


Japanese hostage probably killed in Iraq A body found in Iraq is probably that of Japanese hostage Shosei Koda, taken captive by an Islamic militant group in Iraq, according to information obtained by the Japanese government.


US urgres free, fair Ukraine vote The US State Department Friday reiterated the need for free and fair elections in Ukraine and urged Russia to support such a process.


Promoting free trade promotes security for Canada and U.S., ambassador says. (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - VANCOUVER (CP) - The promotion of free trade around the world will help fight terrorism and is in the security interests of the U.S. and Canada, the U.S. ambassador to Canada said Friday.


Michigan to Face Rival Michigan State (AP) AP - Bragging rights are at best the second-most important thing on the line for No. 12 Michigan when it plays rival Michigan State on Saturday.


Annan under fire as UN considers reform New York - The United Nations last week unveiled a wide-ranging blueprint to reform the organisation, but found media attention more focused on calls for UN secretary-general Kofi Annan to resign.


US ; US: 21 Iraqis killed in three attacks US News, A total of 21 Iraqis -- 17 civilians working for coalition forces and four Iraqi security personnel -- were killed Sunday in three separate insurgent attacks, US military officials said.


McDonald's Makes Millionaires The company recently crowned a winner in its Monopoly game, one of its best promotional programs.


Alabama Congressional Candidate Injured (AP) AP - A congressional candidate's antebellum home burned down early Friday, and he broke his knee jumping from the second floor.


Al-Jazeera Airs Video Said to Be of Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden directly admitted for the first time that he carried out the Sept. 11 attacks and promised to outline "the best way to avoid another Manhattan."


Blog Search Engine Adds MoBlog Search Blog Search Engine Adds MoBlog Search\\Blog Search Engine and IceRocket Search have partnered to bring cell phone pic blogs, or MoBlogs, into the search engine world with a new search feature which produces image results of the latest MoBlogs images available. Blog Search Engine has over 10,000 blogs indexed in ...


Dow Gains; Caution Rules Before Election  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue-chip stocks ended higher on  Friday, helped by gains in energy companies, although investors  showed caution before next week's presidential election.


Economy Grows at 3.7 Percent Annual Rate The economy grew at an annual rate of 3.7 percent in the summer as a big rebound in auto sales offset weakness from an exploding trade deficit, soaring oil prices and the Florida hurricanes, the government reported Friday.


Black to leave Hollinger Inc. board, stock soars on privatization <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - Conrad Black plans to retire as Hollinger Inc. #39;s chairman and chief executive  quot;within a matter of days, quot; a spokesman for the embattled press baron said in a statement Friday.


SOHU So Hurt by Suspension Talk about bad timing. SOHU #39;s (Nasdaq: SOHU) earnings release yesterday came on the heels of news that the Chinese central bank increased interest rates.


Canadians Buying More Liquor, Especially Foreign-Made Beer Canadians are buying more alcohol, including wine and beer, though less and less of the beer is being sold by domestic producers such as Molson Inc.


ISPs Take Spammers to Court For the second time this year, an alliance of major Internet providers filed a coordinated group of lawsuits aimed at stemming the flood of online junk mail.


Teresa Vanhooser Named Co-Deputy Director of Engineering at NASA <b>...</b> Teresa Vanhooser has been appointed co-deputy director of the Engineering Directorate at NASA #39;s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.


Approved Stem Cells #39; Potential Questioned All of the human embryonic stem cells available to federally funded scientists under President Bush #39;s three-year-old research policy share a previously unrecognized trait that fosters rejection


Your Daily Tech News Service... AnandTech have thrown up their Performance Preview for Nvidia #39;s nForce4 SLI MCPs using a pair of GeForce 6800GTs and 6600GTs! Here #39;s a snip.


Federer pulls out of Paris Masters Roger Federer will miss next week #39;s Paris Masters with a torn left thigh, making Andy Roddick the tournament #39;s No. 1-seeded player.


Yankees decline options on Quantrill, Lee The Yankees declined their 2005 option on first baseman Travis Lee on Friday and their 2006 option on reliever Paul Quantrill. Quantrill, who struggled late last season, agreed last December to a \$7 million


Veteran right-hander might be used in closer role The Chicago Cubs exercised the option of pitcher Ryan Dempster for the 2005 season and could look at the right-hander as a possible closer.


Bin Laden: US security depends on policy Osama bin Laden delivered a new videotaped message in which he told Americans their security does not depend on the president they elect, but on US policy.


US forces gearing up for showdown with up to 5,000 fighters in <b>...</b> American forces are gearing up for a major operation in the insurgent bastion of Fallujah, where up to 5,000 Islamic militants, Saddam


Constitution signing a springboard for Prodi #39;s return to Italy The signing of the European Constitution on Friday by the leaders of the 25 EU members will not only crown Romano Prodi #39;s five years as European Commission president but propel him into the political fray in his native Italy.


Gateway Computes Operating Profit Nation's third leading PC maker is turning operations in a positive direction.


ISPs unite, sue spammers Microsoft has joined big Internet service providers, America Online, EarthLink and Yahoo against spamming. The companies announced they are filing three new antispam


NVIDIA SLI Performance Preview with MSI #39;s nForce4 SLI Motherboard The MSI motherboard we tested is actually the very first working sample of the K8N Neo4 Platinum/SLI; in fact, as of right now there are only 4 working nForce4 SLI samples at MSI in Taiwan, two of which happen to be in my hotel room.


Boston Prepares For Red Sox Parade Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O #39;Toole said officials chose not to hold a rally for the Red Sox on City Hall Plaza because of fears that it could create a  quot;dangerous situation.


Sask. looks at adopting daylight time as the country falls back this Sunday (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - REGINA (CP) - When it comes to political hot potatoes in Saskatchewan, there are few that could burn a government more than daylight time change.


Google Shares Flirt With \$200 Mark Google Inc. shares came within a nickel of reaching \$200 on Thursday before investors buckled to weakness seen throughout the technology sector as trading came to a close.


Consumers Feed Pick-Up in Economic Growth  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumers fed a pick-up in U.S.  economic growth in the third quarter but a sentiment survey for  this month showed oil prices were dampening their spirits,  government and private-sector data showed on Friday.


Van Nistelrooy pleads guilty Ruud van Nistelrooy has apologised to Arsenal #39;s Ashley Cole for his Old Trafford horror tackle on Sunday, after confirming he will not contest a Football Association charge of serious foul play.


Arab Network to Show New Bin Laden Tape Arab television network Al Jazeera reported it would air a video from al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden Friday. The tape will address the American people and discuss the reasons for the 9/11 attacks.


US congratulates new Cambodian king (AFP) AFP - The United States congratulated Cambodia's new king, Norodom Sihamoni, following his coronation but said it was unsure he could restore political stability in the Southeast Asian nation.


Agassi Tames Verdasco as Johansson Quits  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Top seed Andre Agassi marched into  the Stockholm Open semifinals Friday, beating Spanish eighth  seed Fernando Verdasco 7-6, 6-2 in his hardest match of the  tournament.


Update 1: Conrad Black to Step Down As Hollinger CEO Conrad Black, the embattled press baron, said Thursday he would give up his posts as CEO and chairman of Hollinger Inc., a Canadian holding company, to ease his plan to take the company private.


ChevronTexaco Profit Up, Misses Forecasts ChevronTexaco Corp.(CVX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the No. 2 US oil company, rode the wave of record oil prices to post a 62 percent rise in quarterly profit on


Ontario, feds pledge to kick in \$100M each for Ford \$1B Oakville <b>...</b> OAKVILLE, Ont. (CP) - Ford Canada #39;s \$1-billion expansion of its plant in Oakville, Ont., was promised \$100 million each from the federal and provincial governments Friday, a deal that the automaker says will save jobs and boost the economy.


AOL #39;s Viral Marketing The Internet is pretty scary these days. I wish I could say that it was always a treat, but more often than not, you encounter plenty of tricks while surfing the Web.


E-Voting to Face Major Test Tuesday Among the security concerns that have been raised is the possibility of someone being able to cast multiple ballots. Other concerns are about a sudden power outage and whether data would be lost in such a scenario.


Man Utd launch investigation Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger welcomed the news that Manchester United had launched an investigation into the tunnel fracas after Monday #39;s bad-tempered contest.


Pacers sign Tinsley to extension INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) - The Indiana Pacers made a commitment to their floor general Friday, signing point guard Jamaal Tinsley to a contract extension.


#39;Fever Pitch #39; Gets World Series Footage Boston Red Sox #39;s catcher Jason Varitek jumps into the arms of pitcher Keith Foulke after beating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 to win the World Series Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2004, in St.


More than bragging rights at stake for Michigan and Michigan State Bragging rights are at best the second-most important thing on the line for No. 12 Michigan when it plays rival Michigan State on Saturday.


Osama Bin Laden Criticizes President Bush in New Video Al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin-Laden has threatened new attacks on the United States in a new videotape aired on al-Jazeera television.


Ailing Arafat Examined in French Hospital Seriously ill and perhaps fighting for his life, Yasser Arafat was rushed Friday to a military hospital near Paris that specializes in blood disorders.


Canada Eyes Internet Pharmacy Sales to US  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada may have to toughen up rules on  Internet pharmacies' sales of medicines to the United States,  Industry Minister David Emerson said on Friday, amid public  concerns of shortages or price spikes despite controls.


Agassi in Semifinals Top-seeded Andre Agassi beat Spain's Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (4), 6-2 Friday to reach the Stockholm Open semifinals for the first time.


Black to Quit Hollinger Inc., Stock Soars  TORONTO (Reuters) - Former press baron Conrad Black will  quit as chairman and chief executive of his Canadian holding  company, Hollinger Inc. HLGc.TO, to facilitate his offer to  take it private.


Oil: Oil rebounds on supply woes, election jitters Oil prices bounced back on Friday, ending this week #39;s 8 per cent slide on renewed winter supply fears and jitters ahead of next week #39;s US presidential election.


The End User: What price cheaper ink? One measure of how much consumer technology you can get for the buck, yen or euro is today #39;s lowly printer. The reproduction capability of basic inkjet models that can be had for well under 200, or even


Former US figure skating champ arrested on gun charge Former US figure skating champion Christopher Bowman was arrested on charges he pointed a loaded gun at a friend while drunk. Police were called to Bowman #39;s apartment Wednesday night after a woman said he


Japanese hostage feared killed in Iraq TOKYO: A body resembling a Japanese hostage who was studying English in New Zealand just weeks ago has been found in Iraq and is being shipped to Qatar for identification.


Thai PM Says Will Punish  #39;Wrongdoers #39; Over Deaths Bomb blasts rocked southern Thailand on Friday as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra promised to get to the bottom of the deaths of 78 Muslims in military custody and punish any  quot;wrongdoers.


NBA Champ Pistons Eye Another Title Shot (AP) AP - Chauncey Billups couldn't stop a grin from slowly spreading across his face. Could the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons be even better this season? You bet.


New Internet worm spreading quickly: experts (AFP) AFP - A new Internet worm was spreading quickly, threatening to overload computer systems around the world by generating copies by e-mail, security experts said.


Oracle CEO: His Bid to Buy 49ers Spurned (AP) AP - Billionaire software executive Larry Ellison said Friday that he inquired about buying the San Francisco 49ers only to be told by the current owners that the team isn't for sale.


Kerry Pledges to 'Destroy' Bin Laden (AP) AP - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry pledged Friday "to hunt down and destroy" Osama bin Laden as a new videotape of the terrorist leader surfaced four days before the election.


Al Jazeera Airs Videotape Said to Be of Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden said for the first time that he ordered the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to a tape made public today.


Sources: Sony Eyes File-Sharing Venture (AP) AP - Sony BMG Music Entertainment and online peer-to-peer software distributor Grokster are working on a new venture that is expected to offer paid and free song downloads over the Internet, sources say.


NASA Aims for May Space Shuttle Launch (Reuters) Reuters - NASA, recovering from the\four hurricanes that halted work at its Florida spaceport, said\on Friday it has set a launch target in May, 2005, for the\first space shuttle flight since the 2003 Columbia disaster.


First Look: Axim X50v Versus Tungsten T5 Dell and PalmOne roll out their latest pure PDAs, and heap on the extras.


McNair, Brown Questionable Vs. Bengals (AP) AP - Injuries again kept Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair and running back Chris Brown out of practice Friday, casting doubt on their availability Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.


GM, Boeing push identity management General Motors plans to install a global identity management system that will provide single-sign-on access to applications for about 500,000 internal and external end users, and Boeing is in the midst of a similar project -- both aimed at cutting IT costs and improving user productivity.


Bocada upgrades backup reporting software for SLAs Bocada Inc. is releasing an upgrade of its backup reporting software tailored to help CIOs and other executives meet business goals and achieve regulatory compliance.


Webmail leaves Windows for open-source platform Webmail.us is announcing improvements to its service next week and will migrate its core e-mail platform from Microsoft Windows to an open-source platform.


Brief: CSC signs \$1B outsourcing deal with Textron Computer Sciences Corp. will provide Textron Inc. with infrastructure and network support services under a 10-year, \$1 billion contract, the companies announced.


Antivirus companies warn of new Bagle variants Antivirus software companies warned of three new versions of the Bagle worm that were spreading through infected e-mail attachments.


Tech standards set tone for on-demand systems IT vendors are championing highly integrated and flexible systems through offerings such as IBM's 'on-demand computing' initiative and HP's 'adaptive enterprise' strategy. But what's really important, users say, is support for open standards.


ISPs file more antispam lawsuits Microsoft, AOL, EarthLink and Yahoo filed three new lawsuits to stop the spread of unsolicited e-mail.


Symantec tries to widen reach beyond security tools Symantec is making a play for a broader market with a new "information integrity" strategy, which users and analysts said meshes with their needs for corporate security. The question is whether the vendor can execute on its wider vision.


Update: California lawmakers rip handling of data theft at university Four California legislators want the the state's Department of Social Services to take more aggressive steps in notifying 1.4 million residents that their personal information may have been stolen by hackers.


Wiki start-up JotSpot draws crowd for product beta Nearly 3,000 companies have signed up for test accounts to try a beta version of its wiki application for Web-based collaboration.


Decision reserved in case of Alberta woman charged with abducting son to U.S. (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - RED DEER, Alta. (CP) - The fate of an Alberta woman charged with abducting her son and fleeing to the United States hangs on the interpretation of a court order.


Henman Falls to Unseeded Novak in Basel  BASEL, Switzerland (Reuters) - World number four Tim Henman  was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the 989,750-euro Swiss  Indoors tournament Friday, falling 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 to unseeded  Czech Jiri Novak.


Brazil #39;s Globo Media Empire Reaches Deal Brazilian media giant Globo has reached a tentative agreement with creditors on terms of a deal to restructure US\$1.3 billion of debt it racked up during the 1990s.


First Look: Axim X50v Versus Tungsten T5 (PC World) PC World - Dell and PalmOne roll out their latest pure PDAs, and heap on the extras.


AMD #39;s Low-Cost Web Device Targets Developing World Chipmaker AMD has developed a low-cost Web access appliance called the  quot;Personal Information Communicator quot; (PIC) that it plans to sell in developing countries.


Week in review: iPod rocks on With all the splash and glitz of a Hollywood premiere, Apple Computer this week introduced the latest version of its popular iPod music player.


Kabul hunt for seized UN workers By Declan Walsh in Islamabad and Duncan Campbell and Ewen MacAskill inLondon. Oct 30 (Guardian News Service):NATO troops are hunting for three United Nations workers kidnapped in Afghanistan #39;s first Iraqi-style abduction on Thursday.


First Look: Roku's Sleek Audio Streamer SoundBridge M2000 eloquently frees your digital tunes from the PC, but it's pricey.


GDP: Not Great, but Encouragingly Solid The pace of economic growth has been a point of contention throughout the Presidential campaign, and just in time for Election Day, the government #39;s advance report on third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) arrived on Oct. 29.


Delta Pilots Take Pay Cut as Bankruptcy Looms Description: Delta Airline pilots agree to a 32 percent pay cut to help the airline avoid bankruptcy. Analysts say it #39;s not yet clear whether those cuts will be enough to put Delta back in the black.


Ovitz accused of leaking rumors to press in 1990s The shareholder lawsuit against Disney leadership took a melodramatic turn Thursday as a plaintiffs #39; lawyer accused former president Michael Ovitz of leaking


Lehman Forks Out \$225 Million to Enron Shareholders Lehman Brothers (LEH:NYSE - news - research) agreed Friday to pay \$225 million to Enron shareholders to settle allegations arising from the company #39;s 2001 insolvency.


28 Identity Theft Suspects Arrested in Transatlantic Sting Law enforcement authorities on both sides of the Atlantic have arrested 28 people on suspicion of operating Web sites that were allegedly designed to steal, sell and forge credit cards and identification documents.


Sources: Sony Eyes File-Sharing Venture LOS ANGELES - Sony BMG Music Entertainment and online peer-to-peer software distributor Grokster are working on a new venture that is expected to offer paid and free song downloads over the Internet, sources say.


NASA Aims for May Space Shuttle Launch NASA, recovering from the four hurricanes that halted work at its Florida spaceport, said on Friday it has set a launch target in May, 2005, for the first


McAfee Profit Growth Offsets AOL Questions Shares of McAfee (MFE:NYSE - news - research) were up sharply Friday on news that the antivirus software maker posted stronger-than-expected third-quarter results and boosted revenue guidance for the fourth quarter.


Monty #39;s hopes of winning are distinctly paella in the sky There has been no shortage of media interest in Colin Montgomerie #39;s new Spanish girlfriend ( quot;Monty Bags Birdie! quot; etc), and the news that she plays off a handicap of 30 has prompted speculation


Safin upset in St. Petersburg ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Ticker) - Top seed Marat Safin of Russia met his match Friday in the quarterfinals of the \$1 million St. Petersburg Open.


Pacers extend Tinsley Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - The Indiana Pacers announced Friday that Jamaal Tinsley has signed a contract extension with the team.


How Much Will Moss Play? After playing only two downs last Sunday against Tennessee, Randy Moss will get another opportunity to increase his role against the Giants.


Japanese hostage reported killed in Iraq A JAPANESE hostage abducted in Iraq has been killed, the Kyodo news agency reported last night. A body found near the town of Tikrit was identified as that of Shosei Koda, a 24-year-old


Ukraines Choice Europe #39;s second-largest country -ill go to the polls in an election that will have a profound influence on European politics for years to come.


Pacers' O'Neal Expected to Go on Injured List (Reuters) Reuters - Indiana Pacers forward\Jermaine O'Neal is expected to be placed on the injured list\prior to the beginning of the regular season as he continues to\suffer from a sore left foot.


This week in iPod news Steve Jobs brings U2 on stage for an iPod photo op, and Wall Street likes what it's hearing.


Google Plans Desktop Search Tool for Apple PCs  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Google Inc. GOOG.O plans to  release a version of its desktop search tool for computers  running on the Mac operating system from Apple Computer Inc.  AAPL.O, Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said on Friday.


Red Sox Give Mueller Another Year The Red Sox exercise their option Friday on third baseman Bill Mueller, a former batting champion who had the season-saving single against the Yankees in the ALCS.


McNair, Brown Questionable Injuries again kept Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair and running back Chris Brown out of practice Friday, casting doubt on their availability Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.


Simpler ID management readied by Microsoft DENVER  Microsoft is developing a portal-like interface for its identity management platform that will let users self-manage their identity information and provision network services.


Dell Expands Consumer Services to Spyware, Peripherals A new 24-hour help desk will cover non-Dell or non-PC problems--for a charge.


Spitzer: Marsh may face more than \$500 million penalty NEW YORK New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer says the price for settling state charges of collusion and bid rigging by the nation #39;s largest insurance broker could be  quot;far higher quot; than 500 (m) million dollars.


Dow Up; Bin Laden, Election Cloud Outlook US blue-chip stocks finished higher on Friday, helped by gains in energy companies #39; shares, although investors showed caution before next Tuesday #39;s presidential election.


Ottawa Says Time to Stop Protecting Air Canada The Canadian government, in a radical shift, said on Friday it was time to stop protecting national carrier Air Canada as it mulled whether to lift foreign ownership restrictions on the country #39;s airlines.


Sources: Sony Eyes File-Sharing Venture Sony BMG Music Entertainment and online peer-to-peer software distributor Grokster are working on a new venture that is expected to offer paid and free song downloads over the Internet, sources say.


It #39;s flak jacket time for Microsoft #39;s Linux guy What kind of E-mail is landing in Martin Taylors in-box right about now? Its probably not unlike some of the messages Ive been getting in response to a story I wrote about Steve Ballmers Oct. 27


Chelsea plea to FA over Mutu Chelsea have asked the Football Association to hold on to Adrian Mutu #39;s registration while the club investigate ways of gaining compensation for sacking the player.


Henman crashes to Novak British world number four Tim Henman was knocked out of the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors tournament, falling 7-6 7-5 to unseeded Czech Jiri Novak.


Boston Expects Millions at Red Sox Parade (AP) AP - Because so many members of Red Sox Nation are expected in Boston on Saturday to celebrate the team's World Series triumph, the victory parade won't be making any stops and won't culminate with a staged rally, either.


Despite Google's Glitter, Other Dot-Coms Face Risks (Reuters) Reuters - Internet stocks are\as volatile as ever, with growth-starved investors flocking to\the sector in the hope they've bought shares in the next online\blue chip.


Google Plans Desktop Search Tool for Apple PCs (Reuters) Reuters - Google Inc.  plans to\release a version of its desktop search tool for computers\running on the Mac operating system from Apple Computer Inc.\, Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said on Friday.


'Sabado Gigante' Interviews Bush, Kerry (AP) AP - President Bush and his Democratic rival, John Kerry, both gave interviews to the Spanish-language network Univision that will appear on the popular Saturday night variety show "Sabado Gigante."


'Weightless Wonder' Makes Final Flight (AP) AP - The NASA turbojet notoriously known as the "vomit comet" for its use in training astronauts for weightlessness made its final flight Friday. Few among the two dozen seasoned passengers aboard got sick.


Black quitting posts at Hollinger Inc. TORONTO Press baron Conrad Black says he #39;d give up his posts as head of the Toronto-based Hollinger Incorporated to ease his plan to take the company private.


Lifting of curse creates dilemma for marketers Unbelievable as it may seem, not everyone in New England is thrilled about the Red Sox winning the World Series. Retailers of everything from T-shirts to ice cream and cookies had been making money off the team #39;s championship drought for years.


British soldier killed in redeployment A British soldier was killed and three others injured on Friday as the Black Watch regiment travelled from southern Iraq to its more dangerous new base near Baghdad, a military spokesman confirmed.


Two bombs explode in Thailand injuring 20 : Two bombs exploded Friday near a teashop and wounded 20 people in southern Thailand, police said, asviolence continued unabated in the Muslim-majority region whereresidents are seething over the deaths of 78 men while in


Bush, Kerry Vow to Destroy Bin Laden After Tape (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush and his Democratic\White House rival John Kerry united on Friday in a promise to\hunt down Osama bin Laden after the al Qaeda leader released a\new videotape threatening fresh attacks on the United States.


Brazil's Globo Media Empire Reaches Deal Brazilian media giant Globo has reached a tentative agreement with creditors to restructure \$1.3 billion of debt it racked up during the 1990s.


Abkhazia in Confusion After Court Reversal (AP) AP - The high court in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia again reversed itself on whether presidential election results were valid, saying Friday an earlier ruling nullifying them should be ignored because court officials made it while being held hostage.


Berlusconi Says Will Sacrifice Buttiglione  ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi,  seeking to defuse an unprecedented crisis in the EU executive,  said Rocco Buttiglione would most likely be replaced as Italy's  candidate for the European Commission.


Google Buys Digital Mapping Company Google has bought digital map maker Keyhole Corp., extending the search engine leader's bid to fend off rivals with a toolbox that can catalog almost anything in the world.


This week in supercomputers A new list of the top machines is  about to be released and SGI, IBM and others are jostling for bragging rights.


Disney Nominated Ovitz to Board Before Ousting Him Walt Disney Co. #39;s directors nominated Michael Ovitz to serve on its board for another three years at a meeting just weeks before forcing him out of his job as


Enron jury asks for index to evidence A Houston jury Friday requested an index to dozens of exhibits in the first Enron criminal trial. US District Judge Ewing Werlein asked lawyers to prepare evidence indexes to


Update 2: Friday #39;s Commodities Roundup Crude-oil futures rose Friday on fears of a possible terrorist attack before Tuesday #39;s US election, but the market #39;s recent downturn may continue next week.


Times drops broadsheet edition The Times has abandoned the broadsheet edition of the newspaper, almost a year to the day since it launched a tabloid version for commuters.


Sony Announces Price On Portable Video Game Machine TOKYO -- Sony Corp. #39;s PlayStation Portable isn #39;t in US stores yet but that #39;s not stopping Sony from putting a price tag on the much anticipated item.


Lexmark loses case on toner Static Control Components scored a big legal win Tuesday after a US appeals court lifted a ban on sales of the Sanford company #39;s rebuilt toner cartridges.


Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel without a Pulse Announced Former Bungie members in Wideload Games announce a new zombie game using the Halo engine. Today Wideload Games, made up of a team consisting of some former Bungie members who worked on Halo, has announced


Phaneuf wins women #39;s short program Cynthia Phaneuf of Canada won the women #39;s short program at Skate Canada with 57.76 points on Friday. Fumie Suguri of Japan shook off a fall on a triple flip to place second with 53.


Rangers decline 2005 options on Greer, Jordan Greer hasn #39;t played since July 11, 2002, but has collected \$21.8 million for the 2002, 2003 and 2004 seasons. He will receive a \$600,000 buyout from the Rangers, who declined a \$8,066,667 option for 2005.


NBA  #39;04- #39;05: Kobe expected to carry Lakers It #39;s a good thing Kobe Bryant gained weight during the offseason, since it #39;s his job to carry the Los Angeles Lakers. Phil Jackson was told in June he wouldn #39;t return as coach.


Hosted E-Mail Service Leaves Windows for Linux (PC World) PC World - Company outsources e-mail for small to medium businesses.


Putin plan for political overhaul easily passes its first vote MOSCOW Russia #39;s lower house of Parliament took its first step on Friday toward adopting President Vladimir Putin #39;s sweeping overhaul of the country #39;s political system, despite signs of popular dissent, particularly in regions distant from the capital.


No. 9 Utes Face Last-Place Aztecs (AP) AP - All Urban Meyer really wanted to talk about during the week was San Diego State, the next opponent for his ninth-ranked Utah Utes.


Bin Laden Casts Shadow Over Stock Market  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A video appearance by al Qaeda leader  Osama bin Laden, in which he said the United States may face  renewed attacks, cast a shadow over the outlook for the U.S.  stock market, analysts said on Friday.


Byrd Ties Sluman for Chrysler Lead  PALM HARBOR, Florida (Reuters) - Jonathan Byrd shot his  second successive five-under-par 66 on Friday and joined Jeff  Sluman on top of the leader board after two rounds at the  Chrysler Championship.


White House says bin Laden tape authentic (AFP) AFP - The White House said that US intelligence agencies believe a newly broadcast videotaped threat by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was authentic and recorded recently.


Fiji UN-Iraq security force to head out next month (AFP) AFP - A 163-strong Fiji military unit will fly out to Iraq on November 7 to provide security for United Nations personnel, a Fiji Military Force statement said.


Edwards Casts Early Vote in North Carolina (Reuters) Reuters - Democratic vice presidential\candidate John Edwards interrupted a final state-hopping\campaign blitz on Friday to cast his ballot in his home state\of North Carolina, which Democrats acknowledge the\Kerry-Edwards ticket has slim chance of carrying.


This week in Dell news A trip by CNET News.com editors and reporters to Dell's headquarters in Texas yields a bonanza of information about the PC maker's plans and operations.


Sun to launch next version of Solaris on Nov. 15 SAN FRANCISCO - Sun Microsystems Inc. will formally launch the next major release of its flagship Solaris operating system at a press event Nov. 15 at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California, company officials confirmed Friday. The launch will be part of Sun's quarterly Network Computing product announcement, which is expected to include new product offerings from a variety of Sun's product groups.


Deutsche rides Germany #39;s tepid recovery FRANKFURT Deutsche Bank said Friday that third quarter net income rose a better-than-expected 18 percent from a year earlier, to 680 million, helped by the sale of property in New York that was damaged by the Sept.


Stocks: US GPD leaves investors lukewarm NEW YORK A lackluster report on US gross domestic product sent stocks lower Friday as Wall Street worried that a lack of jobs and high energy prices were holding back economic growth.


Clear Channel posts drop in profit, but tops forecasts The owner of several Denver-area radio stations, and other properties in 63 countries worldwide, says third-quarter earnings dropped 59 percent from last year -- but still beat analysts #39; expectations.