Ethnic Peace May Be in Jeopardy in Myanmar (AP) AP - One of the few unchallenged accomplishments of Myanmar's military junta  #151; securing peace with the country's armed ethnic rebel groups  #151; may be in jeopardy after Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt lost his job this week.


Peace Doves Dropped on South Thailand PATTANI, Thailand, December 5 (IslamOnline.net  amp; News Agencies) - A fleet of military and civil aircraft and helicopters dropped Sunday, December 5, some 120 million paper birds across Thailands troubled Muslim-majority south, described by activists as


Qwest to Pay \$250 Million in Fraud Probe Qwest Communications International Inc. yesterday agreed to pay \$250 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that the company fraudulently booked \$3.


Verizon Betting on A Bundle Verizon Communications Inc., the nation #39;s largest telephone company, announced yesterday it is digging up streets and stringing wire in six states, including Washington #39;s Maryland and Virginia


FCC Fines 2 Networks For Violating Limits On Kids #39; Show Ads Children #39;s television networks owned by Viacom and Disney have agreed to pony up \$1 million and \$500,000, respectively, to end Federal Communications Commission investigations into whether


Lewis Fires 62 to Lead Funai Classic (AP) AP - J.L. Lewis matched his best score on the PGA Tour and was kicking himself for two easy birdie putts that got away.


Knicks suffer second straight trouncing DALLAS (Ticker) -- The New York Knicks have 13 days before they play their season opener. From the looks of things, they have plenty of work to do.


Hamas Rocket Mastermind Killed In Israeli Strike Dubai, Oct. 22 (NNN) :Hamas rocket mastermind Adnan al-Ghoul and an aide travelling with him were killed in an Israeli air strike on a car in the north of the Gaza Strip.


29 North Koreans enter South Korean school in China--report Get INQ7 breaking news on your Smart mobile phone in the Philippines. Send INQ7 BREAKING to 386. SEOUL, Korea (North) -- A group of 29 people claming to be North Koreans entered a school for South Koreans


China's economic boom slows down China's economic growth slows for a third straight quarter as efforts by the government to rein in booming expansion continue to take hold.


Vikings Lucky to Have Tight End Wiggins (AP) AP - Cornerback Antoine Winfield and wide receiver Marcus Robinson were the two most heralded free agents signed by Minnesota last March.


Famous Faces Add Luster to House Races (AP) AP - Clooney, Paterno, Bird, Sheen: The guest list at a party for Hollywood "A"-listers and sports legends? No, just some of famous names running for House seats or helping House candidates around the country.


Colts' Jefferson Ready for First Action (AP) AP - Joseph Jefferson's right knee might never be completely healthy. He can't worry about it now.


Badgers' Starks Goes From Goat to Hero (AP) AP - Making the most of second chances is second nature to Wisconsin senior Scott Starks.


World ; Insurgents kill 23 Iraqis countrywide And later on Sunday, gunmen killed two National Guards and wounded four others in an attack near Latifiya, a town south of Baghdad that has seen persistent unrest, officials said.


Spitzer #39;s insurance fight gains steam At least two more states are planning to join New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in suing the insurance industry over allegations of bid-rigging and collusion.


Oil price hike has had  quot;limited quot; impact on China #39;s economy <b>...</b> BEIJING: Record oil prices have had only  quot;limited quot; impact on the Chinese economy but the country needs to be keep a close watch on the issue, a senior official said.


Ancient bird fossil found Washington - The fossil of what may be one of the earliest baby birds has been found in northeast China. The fossil, estimated at 121 million years old, is curled up as though still in its shell.


Mutu keen on Serie A return Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu says he has has no future at a Premiership club after his bust-up with boss Jose Mourinho and his drug shame.


Melo #39;s friend takes blame One of Carmelo Anthony #39;s friends flew to Denver Thursday to claim responsibility for the marijuana found last week in the Nuggets star #39;s carry-on bag and to attempt to clear Anthony #39;s name.


FALL OF FIDEL The 78-year-old Communist dictator stumbled, tumbled to the ground and fractured his left knee and right arm as he left the podium at a graduation ceremony Wednesday night in Santa Clara, central Cuba.


Defense sources: Killing of top Hamas man will weaken terror The killing of Adnan Al-Ghoul, the No. 2 leader of the Hamas military wing, is one of the most important assassinations Israel has carried out in the last few years, defense establishment officials told Army Radio on Friday.


In Dallas, Knicks See Big Man They Wanted Erick Dampier got everything he wanted this summer: money, security, a shot at a championship. The Knicks wanted Dampier this summer, but instead, they got a heavy dose of disappointment.


Europe's bourses seen starting higher (FT.com) FT.com - Europe's bourses are expected to track the climb on the Nasdaq overnight and open slightly firmer. Ericsson though is likley to suffer following a disappointing update and VW will be in focus after rejecting an union pay cuts offer as insufficient.


Israel to consider releasing Palestinian prisoners Israel says it #39;s considering releasing some Palestinian prisoners -- as part of a deal in which Egypt has freed an Israeli Arab man convicted of spying.


Hopes fade for China mine victims Rescuers express mounting fears for 86 people still missing after a gas explosion in a China coal mine killed 62.


Bankrupt airlines steer clear of cutting frequent-flier perks The two major US airlines in bankruptcy have made tough choices about jobs and wages while largely protecting the free tickets and other perks offered to their frequent fliers.


Court approves Interstate Bakeries financing Bankrupt Interstate Bakeries Corp. (IBC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , maker of Hostess Twinkies and Wonder Bread, received court approval on Thursday to incur new debt


20 7E7s ordered A startup company becomes the first domestic airline to place an order for the Boeing jet. By Bryan Corliss. An airline that started service six months ago with just one jet plans to buy 20 7E7s from the Boeing Co.


Supercomputer hits the shops JAPANESE TIN maker NEC has released a mass produced supercomputer computer which it claims knocks the socks off Big Blue #39;s Blue Gene/L.


Google patches one security hole, but another surfaces Search engine darling Google has patched a hole in its search engine the could have allowed malicious hackers to modify the content of the Google search results page or silently modify search results, but a new hole may have already appeared.


IBM expands China research site in midmarket push IBM on Thursday opened an expanded research center in China to bulk up its technology portfolio for midsize businesses worldwide. The SMB Innovation Center was added to the company #39;s research lab in Beijing


Yankees GM knows his next mission Told his job is safe for now, Cashman will seek answers to team #39;s pitching collapse. By Mike Fitzpatrick. NEW YORK -- Brian Cashman #39;s job is safe -- at least for now.


Hamm keeps gold More than two months after he won it in Athens, Olympic gymnastics champion Paul Hamm will get to keep his all-around gold medal.  quot;This is obviously a great day


Ricky #39;s rep, NFL talk An attorney for Ricky Williams met with NFL officials on Thursday in Santa Monica, Calif., hoping to pave the way for the former Dolphins running back to return this season.


China's economic boom slows down China's economic growth slows for a third straight quarter as efforts to rein in booming expansion continue to take hold.


Nikkei Ends Up as China Data Lifts Steel  TOKYO (Reuters) - The Nikkei average closed up 0.63 percent  on Friday, led by gains in Nippon Steel Corp. and its rivals  after data showing only a minor slowdown in China's robust  economic growth eased concerns about a sudden downturn in one  of Japan's biggest export markets.


Microsoft rings up multibillion dollar profit The world #39;s biggest software company, Microsoft Corporation, said last night that its first quarter profits swelled to \$2.9 billion as consumers and businesses pumped up demand for new computers.


China #39;s economic boom slows down China #39;s economic growth has slowed for a third straight quarter as efforts by the government to rein in booming expansion continue to take hold.


Judge OKs \$200M for operations Interstate Bakeries Corp. received bankruptcy court approval Thursday to use \$200 million in financing as it tries to reorganize its business.


Israel Kills Top Hamas Militant Ahead of Gaza Vote (Reuters) Reuters - Israel killed Hamas's top bomb and rocket\maker in Gaza and launched a missile strike on the home of\another leading militant on Friday in the run-up to a key\parliamentary vote on a plan to quit the occupied territory.


OECD Report Boosts Turkey's EU Case (AP) AP - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the most of an upbeat economic report on his country to press its case for membership in the European Union.


Oil Bubbles Near  #36;55, China Supports (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices simmered near  #36;55 a barrel\on Friday on rising fears of a winter fuel supply crunch and\robust but slowing economic growth in China, the world's number\two user.


China, India will sustain global economy despite high oil prices, BHP says (AFP) AFP - Rising oil prices are slowing growth across the world but key emerging economies such as China and India will continue to support the near-term outlook for commodities, the world's largest mining company said Friday.


Feathered embryo found in China A 121 million-year-old baby arboreal bird, fossilised while still curled in its egg, has been found in China, Science magazine reports this week.


Google your personal computer Do you love Google? Thanks to the search site, anyone can easily find the capitals of states, pictures of Lego pieces and the name of that NKOTB guy on The Surreal Life (Jordan Knight).


Yahoo Buys E-Mail Search Startup Yahoo Inc. continues its recent buying spree of e-mail startups with the acquisition of Stata Laboratories Inc. Yahoo confirmed on Thursday that it had bought Stata Labs, the maker of search-based e-mail client Bloomba.


IBM Taps into China SMBs Officials announced the launch of an IBM Innovation Center in Beijing Thursday to find better ways to get software from ISVs (define) around the world into the computers of small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in China.


Nvidia aims to take lead in K8 chipset market with nForce 4 MCP With its recent introduction of the PCIe-enabled Nvidia nForce4 media and communication processors (MCP) for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processors, Nvidia expects to extend its lead against other chipmakers for the worlds K8 chipset market, said Drew


Cardinals complete a classic matchup Red Sox and Redbirds, a classic matchup filled with rich history. After finishing off the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox face their biggest National League nemesis, the St.


Button unhappy with  #39;advice Jenson Button has revealed dissatisfaction with the way his management handled a fouled switch to Williams. Not only did the move not come off, his reputation may have been irreparably damaged amid news headline


Small Martinsville track can cause big problems for drivers Martinsville track can be difficult: Midway through their 10-race playoff, the Nextel Cup Series contenders are at the shortest and slowest oval on the NASCAR circuit - a place four-time series champion Jeff Gordon insists can be as damaging to title


New Zealand dominates Bangladesh to claim first test (Updated on <b>...</b> Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori claimed six wickets to demolish the Bangladesh second innings and help New Zealand claim the first test Friday by an innings and 99 runs.


Arsenal confident Vieira OK for Man Utd Arsenal are confident captain Patrick Vieira will be fit for Sunday #39;s showdown with Manchester United. Boss Arsene Wenger said Vieira only had a 20-80 chance of facing United, but the player has responded


Melo #39;s image going to pot The amount of grass found in the backpack of Carmelo Anthony was not enough to stoke a party. But a scathing story grew like a weed across the nation.


Coach Hawkins the ringmaster of Boise #39;s biggest show BOISE, Idaho - It #39;s all a little funky. In a city where a cosmopolitan feel meets Jeeps and jean jackets, the football coach is reclining comfortably in his office outside the football stadium, the one with


Typhoon kills 66 in Japan, deadliest in 22 years Japan #39;s deadliest typhoon in more than two decades killed 66 people, news reports said on Thursday as rescuers searched frantically for 22 still missing in floods and landslides.


29 N. Koreans flee into South Korean school in Beijing A group of 29 North Koreans fled into a South Korean school in Beijing yesterday to seek asylum, exactly one week after an earlier group defected under similar circumstances.


The real dirt on Mawae Patriots safety Rodney Harrison was voted the dirtiest player in football in a recent poll conducted by Sports Illustrated of 354 current and former NFL players. Surprised?


Hamm keeps gold More than two months after he won it in Athens, Olympic gymnastics champion Paul Hamm will get to keep his all-around gold medal.


From Russia with oar It was not easy for Nikolay Kurmakov to leave the country where he was a national champion rower, enjoying as good a life as there was to be had in the old Soviet Union.


It was a heavenly Game 7 Sometimes, when you're living through an event, you can be too close to what's happening to realize the magnitude of it.


Hamilton says hearing will clear him Yesterday, Olympic gold medal cyclist Tyler Hamilton of Marblehead said he will clear his name at a January hearing in Colorado, and asked critics and supporters for patience over his positive test for blood doping last month. Hamilton faces a potential two-year ban from cycling after tests taken at the Spanish Vuelta race indicated he had received a blood transfusion ...


When team hits road, Ortiz will take field Even though David Ortiz has started only two games at first base in the last three months, he will play the position when the Red Sox face the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in Games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary) of the World Series. The way the Sox see it, they have no choice but to go with ...


Collapse gets New York's goat So how did the New York press treat the Yankees after their epic collapse. Some snippets from the pages of New York's newspapers:


But seriously, folks The game came down to one play, no time remaining, and the Patriots already had won the contest. There was not a thing at stake . . . except the fact that if the Seahawks punched it into the end zone, they would cover. My thoughts turned immediately to the folks who had a  quot;vested quot; interest in the game and ...


Revolution in fighting mood The Revolution are apparently prepared to fight to extend their season. Clint Dempsey and Pat Noonan shoved each other and flailed away briefly yesterday at the Gillette Stadium practice field, while the team prepared for tomorrow's playoff game against the Columbus Crew.


Bentley's Eddy is ready for passage into elite club In New England college football history, only Doug Flutie and Glenn Foley of Boston College have thrown for 10,000 yards.


College football games on TV NORTHWESTERN (3-3) vs. WISCONSIN (7-0) When, where: Tomorrow, noon, at Madison, Wis. TV: ESPN.


Key New England games NORTHEASTERN (3-3) vs. MAINE (3-3) When, where: Tomorrow, 2 p.m., at Orono, Maine. Radio: WJIB-AM (740). Last season: Northeastern won, 20-14. Comments: Northeastern (2-1 in conference) is looking to keep its lead at the top of the Atlantic 10 North Division. Last week, the Huskies suffered a 41-14 loss to Harvard. QB Shawn Brady is 86 of 137 for 1,271 ...


West Virginia in a rush to win Rasheed Marshall set a Big East career rushing mark for quarterbacks and threw three touchdown passes while leading No. 15 West Virginia over Syracuse, 27-6, last night.


Mass. launches insurance probes  Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly and the state Division of Insurance have each opened separate investigations of insurance companies and brokers to determine if any engaged in price fixing or other illegal sales practices that cheated customers out of the best prices for policies.


Google's earnings more than double  Web search provider Google Inc., posting its first financial results as a public company, yesterday said its third-quarter earnings and revenues both more than doubled from a year ago on the strength of an online advertising boom that continues to gather steam.


Cape Ann teams set for collision The battle for the Cape Ann League begins tomorrow. With four teams undefeated in league play and three boasting 6-0 overall records, the final four weeks of the season will pit prolific offense against immovable defense. The fight for supremacy begins as Wilmington (6-0) travels to Pentucket at 2 p.m.


Major glory, maybe,but major gains? No.  Phones across Boston went down yesterday when World Series tickets went on sale. Hotel rooms are already so scarce that Major League Baseball booked rooms at a dozen hotels to come up with the 800 it needs.


Billerica deals Andover its first loss The Billerica girls' soccer team took a unique approach to yesterday's match against Andover. It didn't worry about Andover's star scorers, Jackie Powers and Emily Pallotta.


On foot or by phone, fans chase few tickets Fans flocked to Fenway Park and tied the Boston phone system in knots yesterday trying to snare the few World Series tickets remaining after Major League Baseball, its corporate sponsors, and season ticket holders received their allotments.


Joe Herra Wilmington quarterback Joe Herra is a terror under center. A starter at the position since his freshman year, he has the Wildcats sitting pretty with a sterling 6-0 record going into tomorrow's game against unbeaten Pentucket. Herra, a junior, parlays that experience into this week's Q  amp;


This week's picks Boston Latin over Acton-Boxboro -- Please take this prediction cum grano salis. Wilmington over Pentucket -- The always accurate Boston.com 100 has Wilmington (No. 37) ranked over Pentucket (39). Can't argue with that.


Verizon plunges into cable wars with new technology Verizon Communications Inc. said yesterday it will extend a powerful new fiber-optic network capable of delivering cable television to 1 million US homes and businesses by year's end, including more than 100,000 in suburban Boston.


This week's schedule TODAY'S GAMES Division 1 BIG THREE -- Brockton at Durfee, 7. GREATER BOSTON -- Arlington at Everett, 7; Cambridge at Peabody, 7; Somerville at Revere, 7.


Leading indicators fall for 4th straight month NEW YORK -- A closely watched barometer of future economic activity fell in September for the fourth consecutive month, suggesting that the recovery may be cooling. A separate report from the Labor Department, however, suggested modest improvement in the job market.


Microsoft profit up 11 percent Microsoft made almost \$3 billion in profit in the past quarter, but it was Google that captured investors #39; fancy yesterday. The current and former Wall Street darlings reported their earnings after the stock


Insurance broker says no to commission Insurance broker Coyle Hamilton Willis is to stop accepting controversial contingent commissions from insurers, according to a report this morning.


China economy slows They suggest that government efforts to cool the economy are having some but possibly not enough of an impact. For the three months to September, the economy grew 9.1 per cent compared


Little startup carrier is first to buy 7E7s in US Boeing finally has a US launch customer for the 7E7 Dreamliner, but it is a virtually unknown carrier with just one 15-year-old plane in its fleet.


Stewart #39;s lawyers file 89-page appeal Even as she adjusts to prison life, Martha Stewart continues to try to clear her name. In an 89-page appeal filed Thursday, Stewart #39;s lawyers urged the US Circuit Court here to


China, techs give Asia a lift Asian stocks in the shipping, steel and trading sectors bounced higher Friday after China said its economy expanded 9.1 percent in the year to the end of September.


Lazard go-ahead has sting in tail MICHEL David-Weill, the septuagenarian chairman of investment bank Lazard, has finally given his consent to a 1.7bn Wall Street float that would end more than 150 years of private ownership for the venerable City firm.


The Vole has learnt a lot about security SOFTWARE  #39;MOTH Microsoft has admitted that it can #39;t beat hackers all the time, but will do its best. That argument was quietly put forward by the softly spoken, shy and retiring, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer


IBM launches research centre for SMEs Information technology (IT) giant IBM is ready to grab more shares in the IT related market of China #39;s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with more products at affordable prices.


CONTROVERSIAL MOVE TO LET AMERICANS HIT REBEL POSTS HARDER In a step fraught with risks for Prime Minister Tony Blair, Britain agreed yesterday to send 850 of its soldiers from relatively peaceful southern Iraq to a volatile area near Baghdad


Dollar Regains Ground on Yen  TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar regained some ground against  the yen on Friday, moving away from four-month lows hit the  previous day as the market proved reluctant to push the U.S.  currency below the 107 yen mark.


Britain moving troops nearer to insurgents LONDON -- Responding to a US request, Britain agreed yesterday to transfer 850 troops from relatively calm southern Iraq into a stronghold of the Iraqi insurgency near Baghdad.


5 charged with bidto kill president NIGERIA LAGOS -- The Nigerian government yesterday disclosed a foiled coup plot, charging four military officers and a civilian with conspiring to topple the government by shooting down a helicopter carrying President Olusegun Obasanjo. Major Hamza al-Mustapha, former chief of personal security to the late military dictator General Sani Abacha, and four others, were each charged with two counts of ...


Israeli airstrike kills a Hamas leader  GAZA CITY -- An Israeli aircraft fired two missiles at a car traveling in the Gaza Strip late yesterday, killing a senior Hamas commander who was among the government's most-wanted fugitives -- the latest in a series of Israeli assassinations that have weakened the militant group.


Castro injures knee, arm in fall  HAVANA -- Cuban President Fidel Castro's advancing age -- and ultimately his mortality -- were brought home yesterday, a day after he fractured a knee and arm when he tripped and fell at a public event.


Religious leaders ahead in Iraq poll WASHINGTON -- Leaders of Iraq's religious parties have emerged as the country's most popular politicians and would win the largest share of votes if an election were held today, while the US-backed government of interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is losing serious ground, according to a US-financed poll by the International Republican Institute.


Among flu variables, officials weigh losses in worker productivity WASHINGTON -- This year's flu vaccine shortage could cost the nation up to \$20 billion in lost productivity -- almost twice as much as in a typical year -- depending on the severity of the outbreak, according to one estimate.


Hamas Leader Killed in Airstrike  JERUSALEM, Oct. 21 -- A senior military leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas,  was killed late Thursday in an Israeli missile strike in Gaza City, Palestinian security sources and witnesses said.


Syrian Ally Named as Lebanon's Premier  BEIRUT, Oct. 21 -- Lebanon's president appointed a staunchly pro-Syrian politician, Omar Karami, as prime minister on Thursday, asking him to form the next government in a move that consolidates Syria's hold on Lebanese politics.


U.S. to Aid Albania in  Destroying  Chemicals Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) described the move  as a breakthrough in the elimination of such stockpiles around the world.


News of AIG federal inquiry drags blue-chips into the red US BLUE-CHIP stocks slid lower yesterday, pulled down by industrial bellwether Caterpillar, but technology shares remained higher after EBay posted strong earnings.


Kidde Nixes United Technologies #39; Takeover The board of Kidde PLC said Friday that it had rejected a tentative takeover bid from United Technologies Corp., saying it significantly undervalues the company.


FOCUS: Ericsson Market Share Gains Set To Continue STOCKHOLM (Dow Jones)--Expectations for Telefon AB LM Ericsson #39;s (ERICY) third-quarter performance imply that while sales of mobile telephony equipment are expected to have dipped, the company


Declining habitat having an effect on bird populations It #39;s not just winter that drives birds away from Wisconsin. It #39;s us, says a report released this week by the National Audubon Society.


Bank Joins Team Fighting Man Utd Takeover Japanese investment bank Nomura has been working on a financial package to block a takeover of Manchester United, it was reported today.


Molder and Wilkinson share lead Miami Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Bryce Molder and Tim Wilkinson each fired rounds of seven-under-par 64 on Thursday to share the lead during the suspended first round of the Miccosukee Championship.


Blair grants US call to move 850 troops LONDONPrime Minister Tony Blair #39;s government has taken the politically risky decision to send British troops to back up an expected US military assault on the Iraqi rebel stronghold of Falluja.


Home phones face uncertain future The fixed line phone in the home could soon disappear, a study by mobile firm Nokia shows.


Microsoft sees profits climb 11 Microsoft, the world's largest maker of computer software,  reports an 11 rise in  quarterly profit but says sales may disappoint in the current period.


China stages modest economic slowdown China #39;s economy has slowed modestly for the third successive quarter, raising hopes of success in a delicate battle to reduce the risk of overheating without provoking a crash.


Update 1: Tech Giant Ericsson Reports Solid Quarter Wireless equipment maker LM Ericsson posted a third-quarter profit that was in line with analysts #39; expectations and said its mobile networks were expected to show signs of slight growth in the coming months.


Colo. bird population reported in sorry state By building homes on prairies, draining wetlands and clearing forests, humans are diminishing bird populations, according to a new National Audubon Society study.


Lincicome: Woe are the Red Sox? Maybe next week And, so, pending World Series gaffes, please, what we know about the Boston Red Sox is that they are not, after all, immune to the Heimlich maneuver.


Cardinals punch ticket to Series Put an end to all the pinstripes talk. The St. Louis Cardinals now stand between the Red Sox and their first World Series title since 1918.


Clijsters and Hewitt break up, cancel wedding plans BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Former top-ranked tennis players Kim Clijsters and Lleyton Hewitt broke up and abandoned their wedding plans less than four months ahead of their planned marriage.


SGT GETS 8YRS FOR BEATINGS Staff Sgt Ivan Frederick, 38, admitted eight charges of humiliating and abusing the inmates at Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad. In one incident he punched a prisoner so hard in the chest that he needed resuscitation.


SKorea investigates suspected NKorean asylum seekers in Beijing A South Korean embassy spokesman in China has confirmed that a group of people, claiming to be North Koreans, has entered a school for South Koreans in Beijing seeking asylum.


Ericsson returns to quarterly profit as world markets show growth (AFP) AFP - Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson reported a return to net profit in the third quarter, lifted by healthy growth in its international markets.


Auburn #39;s sweet and sour season: Sugar Bowl, no BCS title berth That #39;s the question confronting Auburn #39;s football team after the Tigers eased past Tennessee 38-28 in last night #39;s Southeastern Conference Championship game.


Astros' Beltran Keeping Options Open (AP) AP - Carlos Beltran's bat was silent in Game 7 of the NL championship series. Now, the Houston Astros center fielder will take some quiet time to ponder his future.


'Treasure hunt' for bandit's loot Police in India warn people not to look for bounty stashed by the outlaw Veerappan, after his death earlier in the week.


Robots set to get homely by 2007 The number of robots helping out and entertaining in the home is set to soar sevenfold by 2007, says the UN.


Teams to lobby for Silverstone The F1 teams will lobby Bernie Ecclestone to include the British GP on next years calendar - but admit that there isnt much they can do to sway the F1 supremo.


Jenson vows he can thrive at BAR In a remarkable - and predictable -hange of tune, Jenson Button says he can thrive at BAR next season. Having signed a contract with Williams for the next two seasons because he believed they offered


The war in Darfur Khartoum - War in western Sudan #39;s Darfur province is often called a clash between Arab herders and African farmers, but it #39;s not that simple: Combatants on both sides are largely black Africans, for example, and the divide between them is more about


Pakistan assembly discards anti-speaker motion (Reuters) Reuters - Pakistan's National Assembly discarded a no-confidence motion against its speaker on Friday after opposition deputies declined to vote when the deputy speaker refused to allow all 107 of those present to speak.


Irish eyes not smiling after Meyer #39;s decision And so it goes for poor, poor Notre Dame in the aftermath of losing its dream coach -- Pope Urban IX -- to those soul-less sinners down in Florida.


Coke reports drop in profits For the three months ending Sept. 30, Coke said it earned \$935 million compared to a profit of \$1.22 billion a year earlier. ATLANTA - The Coca-Cola Co.


Disney overpaid Ovitz, witness says Walt Disney Co. could have fired Michael Ovitz as president without paying him \$140 million in severance, a law professor testified Thursday in the trial of an investor lawsuit seeking return of the money.


Verizon #39;s hiring 5,000 Verizon, the largest US phone company, will hire as many as 5,000 workers from Massachusetts to Virginia to build a fiber-optic network to 3 million homes by the end of next year.


Stewart files appeal of conviction Martha Stewart asked an appeals court to overturn her obstruction conviction yesterday, saying misconduct by jurors and government prosecutors kept her from getting a fair trial.


Six for Vettori as New Zealand ease to victory Daniel Vettori took six wickets as New Zealand romped to victory by an innings and 99 runs against Bangladesh on the fourth day of the first test on Friday.


West Virginia pounds Syracuse MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Rasheed Marshall set a Big East career rushing record for quarterbacks and threw three touchdown passes while leading No.


Pacers #39; O #39;Neal Sidelined by Foot Injury Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle said yesterday that O #39;Neal probably would miss the remaining five games to rest a strained ligament in his left foot.


Mark Grace eliminated from team #39;s managerial search The Arizona Diamondbacks are starting to shorten their list of managerial candidates, and Mark Grace is out of the running for the job.


US soldier jailed for Abu Ghraib atrocities A military judge jailed a US army sergeant to eight years in prison for sexually and physically abusing Iraqi prisoners. The sentence for Staff Sergeant Ivan  #39;Chip #39; Frederick, 38, is by far the toughest of


Google Posts Big Gains Google Inc. reported Thursday that sales and profit more than doubled in third quarter, despite an expense of more than \$200 million, as the company issued its first quarterly financial report since going public.


Qwest to Pay \$250 Million in Fraud Probe Qwest agreed Thursday to settle with the Securities and Exchange Commission over charges that the company fraudulently booked \$3.8 billion in revenue over nearly three years.


Verizon to Build New Fiber Optic Network Verizon announced Thursday it is digging up streets and stringing wire in six states, including Maryland and Virginia, to deliver high-speed Internet service and cable-style television to customers.


Profit Up As Amazon Adds More Products Amazon.com Inc. officials reported a quarterly profit that just missed analysts' estimates, but the company said it expects a record holiday season and outlined a heady expansion plan.


MedImmune Quarterly Earnings Fall Again MedImmune Inc. reported a third-quarter loss Thursday, despite a \$61 million, 25 percent increase in sales of its lead product, Synagis, over the same period a year ago.


Microsoft Profit Up; Forecast Mixed Microsoft Corp.'s quarterly earnings rose 11 percent over the comparable quarter last year, with strongest growth in sales of server software.


Diamondbacks Pass on Grace for Manager (AP) AP - The Arizona Diamondbacks are starting to shorten their list of managerial candidates, and Mark Grace is out of the running for the job.


Knee Injury Forces Roddick to Withdraw (AP) AP - Andy Roddick withdrew from next week's Stockholm Open because of a knee injury, tournament organizers said Friday.


Those Witty, Mocking Germans Two local shows go beyond comic grotesque or the new objectivity and suggest that German modernism before World War II was united by a relentless scrutiny of the world.


Dowie backing for striker Johnson Crystal Palace boss Iain Dowie refused to blame striker Andy Johnson after his penalty miss in the defeat to Charlton.  quot;I wouldn #39;t blame Andy Johnson as he has been fantastic like he has been all season, quot; said


Cisco in  #36;74M network security deal (TheDeal.com) TheDeal.com - The networking gear maker buys privately held network security software developer Perfigo.


Brando Jr 'murder link' dismissed A US judge rules there is no evidence linking Marlon Brando's son with the murder of actor Robert Blake's wife.


Ericsson Posts 3rd-Qtr Profit; Stock Drops on Outlook (Update4) Ericsson AB, the biggest maker of mobile-phone networks, reported a fourth straight quarterly profit, helped by cost cuts and equipment demand.


Vivendi, EMI hit by Spitzer probe Shares of Vivendi Universal, the owner of Universal Music Group, and Britain #39;s EMI Group each traded down over 2 percent Friday amid a report that New York Attorney General


Week 7 preview: Unbeaten Patriots, Jets collide for AFC East lead The New England Patriots are finally getting what they say they #39;ve been craving - a game in which their record winning streak is secondary.


Vettori spins NZ to big win DANIEL VETTORI captured six wickets as New Zealand completed a hat-trick of victories over Bangladesh after clinching the opening Test by an innings and 99 runs in Dhaka today.


One strike away: The standard for booting victory is set The 1986 Red Sox were one strike away from winning the World Series. They came closer to winning - without actually winning - than any team in baseball history. When you watch a tape of Game 6 (shelved in the sci-fi/horror section of New England video stores), it's still impossible to believe.


Don #39;t cry for Barry THERE WILL be an asterisk next to Barry Bonds #39; home-run records. It may not appear in Major League Baseball #39;s official archives, but it will be ingrained in the public mind.


TI puts digital TV on mobiles Texas Instruments has announced development of the wireless industry #39;s first digital TV on a single chip for mobile phones, code-named  quot;Hollywood quot;.


Baseball 101: How to watch the World Series So you #39;re a casual baseball viewer who watches the game only when the playoffs roll around. Now, with the World Series about to begin Saturday, you realize you have no idea who #39;s playing, how they got there and how they play this game.


NEW YORK JETS  NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS BETTING ODDS New England Patriots have won 14 consecutive home games including play-offs and so on the face of it should be very confident of extending their unbeaten record.


Black Watch to take on Iraq rebels The Black Watch is being deployed as part of a US Marine expeditionary unit to take  quot;decisive action quot; against insurgents in Iraq, Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Michael Walker has revealed.


VW rejects union's salary offer Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, rejects a trade union offer  to limit workers' pay rises, saying it does not go far enough.


Egg agrees 96m French disposal Online bank Egg agrees to sell its French credit card and loans business to Banque Accord for about 96m.


Safety probe into arthritis drugs European drug regulators are conducting a safety review of four arthritis drugs amid reports that they could increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks.


Science 'excludes black people' British black scientists are vastly under-represented in their chosen field, says a leading commentator.


Chips Coming to a Brain Near You Researchers working with slices of rat brains come up with a microchip that mimics the part of the brain responsible for creating memories. They hope to create a prosthesis for the human brain within 15 years. By Lakshmi Sandhana.


Pumping Up the Power of the IPod Replacement batteries for older iPods give the gizmos a new lease on life. Newer Technology's high-capacity battery can double the life of an original iPod, granting an amazing 22 hours of continuous play. By Leander Kahney.


Contraception Controversy Advances in medical science should lead to improvements in birth control methods -- but current debates remain hung up on teenagers' sex lives. Adult women and men looking for better options shouldn't be left out in the cold. Commentary by Gina Lynn.


Indian Mounds Mystify Excavators Vast man-made mounds are nearly all that remain of an ancient city now called Cahokia, built along the banks of the Mississippi. In its heyday around A.D. 1050, the city was a bustling metropolis. Michelle Delio reports from Collinsville, Illinois.


On the Trail of the Analemma How do you photograph the sun's yearly figure-eight path in the sky? With a huge amount of patience, say the small handful of photographers who have managed the tricky feat. By Amit Asaravala.


Raise the Roof: Power Source Solar panels are a good source of home energy, but they can be an eyesore. Manufacturers want to make solar more popular by gussying up panels and integrating them into roofing materials. John Gartner reports from San Francisco.


Candidates Sound Off on Tech A computer industry group asks President Bush and Sen. John Kerry a dozen questions so voters can compare the presidential contenders' tech plans. By Staci D. Kramer.


Anti-Cloning Treaty Divides U.N. Two competing resolutions are put before members of the United Nations as they  debate the contentious issue of whether to ban cloning or to allow human embryos to be used for research.


Government measures slow China #39;s GDP growth Annual economic growth in China has slowed for the third quarter in a row, falling to 9.1 per cent, third-quarter data shows. The slowdown shows the economy is responding to Beijing #39;s efforts to rein in break-neck investment and lending.


Boeing signs first domestic 7E7 customer as SEC probes pension <b>...</b> Boeing on Thursday said regulators are seeking information on its pension-fund accounting, the same day it announced it landed its first domestic order for its new 7E7 aircraft from a carrier that #39;s far from a household name.


Spitzer Said to Pursue Record Labels - NYTimes New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who has confronted the financial services industry over its business practices, is now turning his attention on the record industry #39;s influence over the public airwaves, the New York


Intel finally cancels Digital TV screen project In another development in what is becoming a depressing year for Intel, the company has announced that it has finally abandoned plans to get into the digital TV screen business.


Color of your shirt determines if it was comeback or collapse A forest of trees will fall and a lake of ink will be emptied hashing and rehashing the baseball games played in Boston and New York over the past four days.


Pujols runner-up no more Runner-up in National League Most Valuable Player voting the last two seasons, Pujols was an obvious choice as MVP of the NL championship series after the St.


Mutu set to be charged by FA Adrian Mutu is expected to be charged by the Football Association today following his positive drugs test. The Chelsea striker had an informal meeting with FA officials on


Game over for Hewitt and Clijsters Kim Clijsters has stunned the tennis world by announcing her break up with Lleyton Hewitt, just four months before their scheduled wedding.


Julien plays target golf Swiss golfer Julien Clement would give anything today for a repeat of his seven-under first-round 64 at the Madrid Open. The 23-year-old is 174th in the European Order of Merit and must finish first or second in Spain to keep his tour card for next year.


US continues airstrikes, ground assaults against insurgent targets <b>...</b> US Marines clashed with insurgents on the outskirts of the rebel bastion of Fallujah and launched airstrikes at militant targets, the US command said Friday.


Death Toll 75 in Japan Typhoon, 15 Still Missing  TOKYO (Reuters) - As the death toll rose from Japan's  deadliest typhoon in two decades, experts warned on Friday that  climate change could herald a stormier future.


Eisner defends \$140 million pay for fired Ovitz ORLANDO, Fla. - Michael Eisner #39;s fighting back. The embattled Disney boss is gearing up to defend his hiring and firing of former Hollywood superagent Michael Ovitz as Disney #39;s No.


United Tech seeking holder support for its bid LONDON (CBS.MW) -- Shares of Kidde, the British fire safety equipment maker, surged for a second day on Friday on speculation investors will see an improvement to a 1.3 billion pound (\$2.


Leipzig Hopes to Gain DHL Hub Courier service DHL is expected to set up an intercontinental hub either in Vatry, France, or Leipzig, Germany. For the eastern German city, a lot is at stake.


Update 1: CEO of James Hardie Resigns Asbestos victims voiced outrage Friday at a multimillion dollar golden handshake given to the chief of building products group James Hardie Industries NV, who resigned in the wake of a scandal about the company #39;s treatment of thousands of people poisoned


Vettori spins Kiwis to victory Daniel Vettori bowled New Zealand to victory in the First Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka today. The home side crashed to defeat by an innings and 99 runs as they were dismissed for 126 immediately after lunch on the fourth day.


Israeli settlements pounded in revenge attacks Defiant Palestinian militants pounded Jewish settlements in the southern Gaza Strip with mortar fire today, following the killing of a top Hamas militant in an air strike.


Summary: Elections Find Kosovo Divided (AP) AP - TENSE ELECTIONS: Elections to fill Kosovo's 120-seat assembly on Saturday will test the depth of the province's ethnic divide and international attempts at reconciliation.


Army to Let Halliburton Keep Iraq Payment (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. Army is laying the groundwork\to let Halliburton Co. keep several billion dollars paid for\work in Iraq that Pentagon auditors say is questionable or\unsupported by proper documentation, the Wall Street Journal\reported on Friday.


Dollar Stabilizes Above Recent Lows  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar edged up against the yen and  steadied against the euro on Friday, but kept within sight of  multi-month lows hit this week on worries about the U.S.  economy and its ability to attract global investors.


Iraq Vote Preparations Said on Schedule (AP) AP - Preparations for the crucial January election are "on track" and the absence of international observers due to the country's tenuous security should not detract from the vote's credibility, the top U.N. electoral expert here said.


Peoplesoft bounces back to profit Peoplesoft, the software maker that is the target of a hostile takeover bid from industry heavyweight Oracle, returns to profit in the third quarter.


NY Stocks Seen Soft; Google Shines  LONDON (Reuters) - Wall Street was set for a soft start on  Friday as rosy results from Internet search engine Google  GOOG.O fails to dispel disappointment over software giant  Microsoft's MSFT.O downbeat outlook.


Coca-Cola posts sharp decline in 3Q profits NEW YORK, October 22 (newratings.com) - Coca-Cola Company (KO.NYS) reported a 24 decline in its 3Q04 profits, driven primarily by the sluggish sales of its soft drink, juice and bottled water products in the US and European markets.


UK economy slows in third quarter The UK #39;s economic growth slowed in the third quarter as manufacturing output declined, preliminary data has shown. Gross domestic output (GDP) increased 0.4 in the three months to 18 October, according to


Qwest to pay fraud settlement Qwest agreed to pay \$250 million Thursday to settle allegations that the telecommunications company falsified the books by at least \$3.


Einstein #39;s theory finds proof By measuring variations in satellite orbits, scientists have found the first direct evidence of one of the hallowed tenets of Albert Einstein #39;s theory of general relativity - that the Earth and other large celestial bodies distort space and time as they


Babies born after transplant surgery on eggs Twenty children have been born after doctors performed a kind of transplant surgery on the eggs of their mothers, for whom normal IVF had failed.


Cisco adds to NAC framework with acquisition Cisco Systems Inc is to buy Perfigo Inc for \$74 million, adding an endpoint security policy enforcement system aimed at small and medium sized organizations to the developing portfolio of products under its Network Admission Control program.


A Classic Series Awaits At approximately 12:05 yesterday morning, history was made in perhaps the most remarkable way imaginable. Amid the shouts of euphoria from transplanted Bostonians in rainy Collegetown, one singular theme could


Hamm gets to keep gold medal US gymnast Paul Hamm can keep the gold medal he won in the men #39;s all-around event at the Athens Olympics, a sports tribunal ruled Thursday in Lausanne, Switzerland.


PRINCE IN NIGHTCLUB PUNCH-UP: HEIR GOES SPARE THIS is the moment Prince Harry went spare at photographers early yesterday. The prince, third in line to the throne, snapped as he left a London club after four hours of knocking back cocktails.


6 Battlegrounds for Governors The presidential election may be decided along party lines, but in six states with close races for governor, local concerns prevail.


Sony wares win innovation award Electronics giant Sony has won an innovation award for its "brave" commitment to design.


Sacking  #39;sensible #39;: Ziggy SACKED Telstra chief executive Ziggy Switkowski has conceded his departure was  quot;sensible quot; for the company and its shareholders.


Google wows investors with first results since IPO (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Internet search giant Google, which raised  #36;1.7 billion in a highly publicized IPO, announced its first quarterly earnings as a public company Thursday, and the results were stellar. Google reported revenue of  #36;805.9 million, more than double last year's  #36;393.3 million.


Intel cancels chip for flat-panel TVs (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - Intel suffered another setback Thursday when it canceled a chip for flat-panel television sets.


PeopleSoft logs profit, rising sales (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - PeopleSoft reported a profit and rising revenue Thursday, as the Pleasanton software company sought to steady its footing after several setbacks in its fight against rival Oracle's  #36;7.7 billion hostile takeover bid.


Tech revival gains oomph with Microsoft earnings (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Microsoft said Thursday that its fiscal first-quarter earnings rose 11, beating analysts' expectations, as the company benefited from stronger-than-expected computer and server shipments.


Stocks Seen Weak on Oil Prices, Microsoft  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures were lower on  Friday, indicating a weak market open, as climbing oil prices  and a disappointing revenue outlook from software powerhouse  Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O weighed on Wall Street.


Dollar Stabilizes Above Recent Lows The dollar edged up against the yen and steadied against the euro on Friday, but kept within sight of multi-month lows hit this week on worries about the US economy and its ability to attract global investors.


Live digital TV arrives on mobile phones TV addicts need never again be far away from their next digital telly fix, thanks to a chip being developed by Texas Instruments (TI) for mobile phones.


Yahoo! buys email search firm Yahoo! Inc has bought Stata Labs Inc, maker of email search software, in a move apparently aimed at beefing up its Yahoo! Mail property in the face of competition from Google Inc #39;s Gmail service.


Gartner, IDC have different takes on Q3 PC market Warm or hot? What you believe about the state of worldwide PC shipments in Q3 depends on who you listen to. According to Gartner, Inc.


Palestinians Shell Gaza Settlements Palestinians medics wheel a wounded man to the Shifa hospital following an Israeli air strike at a car used by Adnan al-Ghoul,a senior member of the Hamas militant group, killing him and another militant, late Thursday Oct. 21, 2004.


MedImmune to Produce Additional Flu Vaccine The Gaithersburg-based biotech firm MedImmune Inc. will resume production of its nasal-spray influenza vaccine and deliver an additional million doses by early January, the company and federal officials announced yesterday.


AT T Reports \$7 Billion Loss NEW YORK, Oct. 21 -- AT T Corp. reported a third-quarter loss of \$7.12 billion Thursday because of huge charges resulting from the company's retreat from traditional telephone services, which included at least 7,500 more job cuts and a write-down in the value of the company's long-distance network.


AIG Says It Is Target of Midwest Inquiry Already under scrutiny from regulators in Washington and New York, the American International Group disclosed yesterday that it was the target of a federal grand jury investigation over


Three more judges rule Hamm gets gold medal Sports #39; highest court rejected an appeal from a South Korean gymnast on Thursday, ruling that Hamm is the rightful champion in the men #39;s all-around competition at the Athens Games.


UK troops prepare for Iraq move Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told MPs the deployment would last  quot;weeks rather than months quot;, and that the troops would stay under British command.


Bush Holds Two-Point Lead Over Kerry: Reuters Poll (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush holds a slim\two-point lead on Democratic rival John Kerry in the stretch\run of a tight race for the White House, according to a\Reuters/Zogby poll released on Friday.


EADS Co-CEO Hertrich to Step Down in 2005 BERLIN - Rainer Hertrich, a co-chief executive of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., will leave his position in 2005 when his contract expires, a company spokesman said Sunday.


GDP growth slows in third quarter Economic growth slowed sharply in the third quarter of 2004 to its weakest since the run-up to the Iraq war early last year, reinforcing expectations


Peoplesoft bounces back to profit Peoplesoft, the software maker that is the target of a hostile takeover bid from industry heavyweight Oracle, has returned to profit.


Intel bumps up the speed of fastest Centrino Intel added a faster Pentium M processor speed-grade to its Centrino chip-set bundle for laptops onn Wednesday (Oct. 20). The Pentium M 765 runs at 2.1-GHz, packs 2-Mbytes of level 2 cache, and uses Intel #39;s


Grand Theft Auto leaked on the web Internet pirates have released illegal copies of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the web just days shy of its official release.  quot;The proper authorities are investigating the theft and are continuing to investigate


Non-Cal computer linked to hacking A non-campus computer and server that were hooked to the campus network without proper security precautions have been linked to a University of California, Berkeley, hacker


Kidde rejects US takeover offer Fire equipment manufacturer Kidde saw its share price rise by 20 on Friday after it confirmed it had rejected a 1.35bn (\$2.46bn) takeover offer.


Better bet the Boss will be rebuilding his empire  quot;What a Choke, #39; #39;  quot;Hell Freezes Over, #39; #39;  quot;Damned Yankees, #39; #39; and  quot;Monumental Collapse #39; #39; were found on the front and back pages of Thursday #39;s New York newspapers.


Yahoo Acquires Another E-Mail Startup Yahoo Inc. appeared to move a step closer to challenging Google Inc. in searchable Web mail, acquiring the startup behind the powerful e-mail application Bloomba.


Intel Cancels TV Chip Project In another change of plans, semiconductor giant Intel Corp. canceled a project Thursday to develop a chip for projection TVs and said it planned to focus its resources in other areas.


Castro Says He's Working Despite Injuries (AP) AP - Demonstrating he retains firm control over Cuba after fracturing his knee and arm in a fall at a public event, President Fidel Castro told of conducting government business by cellular phone during an ambulance ride and later refusing general anesthesia.


North Korea Sells Food Aid on Local Market-South  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has been selling on its  domestic market international food aid aimed at helping to ease  food shortages in the impoverished country, South Korea's  Unification Ministry said on Friday.


EU's Solana Heads for Darfur, May Offer AU Funding  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana  heads for Africa on Friday where he is likely to announce a  contribution of more than 100 million euros to an African Union  force in Sudan's Darfur region, an EU diplomat said.


Doubts Increase Over Myanmar Democracy Plans  BANGKOK (Reuters) - Myanmar's military junta has pledged to  stick by its "roadmap to democracy," but analysts said on  Friday what little credibility the plan had has been shattered  by the purge of its main promoter, Prime Minister Khin Nyunt.


Iceland firms linked to Easyjet Shares in low-cost airline Easyjet jump by 15 on speculation it is a takeover target for one of three Icelandic carriers.


PeopleSoft Posts Profit
\

 By Spencer Swartz

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - PeopleSoft Inc. <PSFT.O> on\Thursday returned to profit in the third quarter from a year\earlier with a 12 percent rise in sales that upended market\fears that Oracle Corp.'s takeover bid had damaged PeopleSoft's\business in the quarter.


North Korea Sells Food Aid on Local Market-South (Reuters) Reuters - North Korea has been selling on its\domestic market international food aid aimed at helping to ease\food shortages in the impoverished country, South Korea's\Unification Ministry said on Friday.


Dollar in the doldrums amid economic jitters (AFP) AFP - The dollar hovered close to eight-month lows against the euro and a four-month trough against the yen amid worries about the US economic outlook.


Sri Lanka extend lead to 164 runs against Pakistan (AFP) AFP - Sri Lanka extended their lead to 164 runs against Pakistan on the back of an unbeaten half century by Sanath Jayasuriya on the third day of the first Test at Iqbal stadium here.


Oil prices climb towards \$55 World oil prices marched towards 55 dollars today on worries about low stocks of US heating fuel and tight crude supplies amid strong demand in key markets ahead of the northern hemisphere winter.


Coke Profit Drops on US, European Sales Coca-Cola Co. (KO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday reported a 24 percent drop in third-quarter net income due to weak sales of its soft drinks, juices and bottled


US Air Pilots Vote to Take 18 Pay Cuts Pilots at US Airways have voted in favor of giving \$300 million in annual wage and benefit concessions to the struggling airline, becoming the first major labor group to accept permanent


Trump cuts new deal to lessen debt load A month after a previous deal fell apart, Donald Trump announced a plan yesterday that he hopes will give his casino company a second act and make it a contender in Atlantic City once again.


Nearly All Lazard M amp;A Partners Back IPO - Source More than 99 percent of the around 120 Lazard partners who focus on mergers and acquisitions have signed or agreed to sign in favor of the investment bank #39;s plan to sell shares to the public, a source close to the matter said.


Intel backs away from TV chips Intel Corp. is scrapping plans to enter the digital television chip business, marking a retreat from a major component of its consumer electronics initiative.


Coulthard eyes Williams DAVID COULTHARD has thrown his hat in the ring to fill Jenson Buttons void at Williams. Williams had expected Button to partner Mark Webber next season but were left looking for a new driver after Formula


Death toll rises in Chinese coal mine explosion. Safety standards are ignored in the pursuit of profits. In the first nine months of this year, 4,153 miners were killed. Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The death toll in a gas explosion in a Chinese coal mine


Powell May Push China for Information on New York Times Researcher US Secretary of State Colin Powell may press Beijing for information regarding a New York Times researcher arrested for allegedly passing state secrets to foreigners.


Two Palestinians and one Israeli killed in Gaza Thursday, October 21: Israeli troops killed two Palestinian gunmen on Thursday while a soldier died in a militant attack on the territory #39;s border with Egypt, the army said.


US blames Islamic charities for funding Iraq attacks MARK COLVIN: In Baghdad, the family of the kidnapped head of CARE International have pleaded with the British Prime Minister to stop even speaking Margaret Hassan #39;s name.


Google sales, profit double on ad revenue Google Inc. said third-quarter profit and sales more than doubled as it sold more advertising and attracted more Internet surfers to its Web sites.


Schlumberger Reports 3rd-Quarter Profit of \$318.2 Mln (Update1) Schlumberger Ltd., the world #39;s second- largest oilfield-services company, had third-quarter net income of \$318.2 million after a year-earlier loss of \$55.


Stocks down 4.46 points; peso at 56.325:\$1 at mid-day The Phisix shed 0.2525 percent on Friday as the main index lost 4.46 points to close at 1,762.14. The All-shares, commercial-industrial, banks and financial services, property and mining subindicators retreated while the oil sector was unchanged.


economy slows in third quarter The UK #39;s economic growth slowed in the third quarter as manufacturing output declined, preliminary data has shown. Gross domestic output (GDP) increased 0.4 in the three months to 18 October, according to


Lazard chairman backs flotation - at a price MICHEL DAVID-WEILL has approved a flotation of Lazard that values the investment bank his family founded at \$3.4 billion. The approval is on condition that Bruce Wasserstein, the Wall Street dealmaker running the firm, resigns if the deal fails.


Review: AMD Athlon 64 FX55 AMD has proved time and time again that its processors offer better performance than the competitions - and better value for money too.


Clijsters and Hewitt call off engagement The 21-year-old Belgian former world No 1 announced the split on her website but did not divulge any further details about the break-up of her long-term relationship with the 23


75 killed in Japan by Typhoon Tokage Rescue workers in Japan say the death toll from the country #39;s worst typhoon in two decades now stands at 75, and that 15 people are still missing.


New leader: Democracy for Myanmar YANGON, Myanmar - Military-ruled Myanmar will stick to its plans for gradual democratization despite the abrupt appointment of a new prime minister believed to hold a hard line in dealing with the countrys political reform movement, Foreign Minister


Before the Bell: Ericsson Falls 6.8 Pct.  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Swedish company Ericsson  ERICY.O fell 6.8 percent before the bell Friday after the  world's biggest producer of mobile phone networks reported a  big jump in third-quarter profits but said market growth would  slow next year.


Scana Third-Quarter Profit Falls  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. power company Scana Corp SCG.N  on Friday said quarterly profit fell, on litigation costs and a  writedown related to an investment in a telecommunications  business.


148 Feared Dead in China Mine Blast  BEIJING, Oct. 21 -- Nearly 150 miners were feared killed by a gas explosion in a coal shaft in central China, the highest toll in a series of recent mine tragedies affecting the country's hard-pressed energy industry, the government said Thursday.


Detainees Returning to Conflicts From Cuba Detainees released from Guantanamo Bay have been recaptured or killed fighting U.S. forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan.


North Korea Tops Powell's Agenda in Asia   Four years ago this weekend, then-Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright visited North Korea, in what appeared to be a breakthrough in U.S. relations with the reclusive Stalinist government. Today, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell leaves on what may be his last official visit to East Asia -- hopping through Japan, China and South Korea over three days -- with the crisis over North Korea's nuclear ambitions at the top of his agenda.


Second-Guessing Actions in Afghanistan   Soon after arriving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1, 2001, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers raised doubts about the war plan -- days from execution -- to topple the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Gen. Tommy R. Franks, then chief of U.S. Central Command, planned a single thrust toward the Afghan capital from the north.


Schlumberger 3Q Profit Misses Expectations Oilfield and information services firm Schlumberger Ltd. said Thursday that third-quarter sales and profit missed Wall Street expectations as hurricanes and a slowdown in drilling activity in Mexico hurt results.


Stocks Seen Flat as Microsoft Weighs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures fell slightly on  Friday, indicating stocks would open little changed, as Wall  Street weighed climbing oil prices and a disappointing revenue  outlook from software maker Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O.


HCA Net Falls, Hurt by Florida Hurricanes  NEW YORK (Reuters) - HCA Inc.HCA.N, the largest U.S.  hospital chain, reported on Friday lower third-quarter profit  due to unpaid patient bills and hurricanes that hurt admissions  at the company's hospitals in Florida.


Marsh   McLennan CEO May Be Ousted - WSJ  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The outside directors of Marsh    McLennan MMC.N have talked to New York's attorney general  about having its chief executive step aside amid a probe into  its business practices, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday.


Marsh  amp; McLennan CEO May Be Ousted - WSJ The outside directors of Marsh  amp; McLennan (MMC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) have talked to New York #39;s attorney general about having its chief executive step aside amid a probe into its business practices, the Wall Street Journal said


Nasdaq Ends Up, Dow Slips The tech-driven Nasdaq Composite Index got a 1 percent boost on Thursday on gains in the semiconductor sector, but the blue-chip Dow ended down slightly after Caterpillar Inc.


Intel abandons digital TV chip project NEW YORK, October 22 (newratings.com) - Global semiconductor giant Intel Corporation (INTC.NAS) has called off its plan to develop a new chip for the digital projection televisions.


Ballmer flags security features for a pre-Longhorn Windows  #39; <b>...</b> Speaking at the Gartner Symposium and ITxpo 2004 in Orlando, Florida, yesterday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer outlined new security initiatives, some of which would make it into a pre-Longhorn  #39;Release 2 #39; for Windows, next year.


Netscape: A decade of survival The Netscape browser turned 10 years old last week as a shadow of its former self, but the lights haven #39;t gone out yet on one of the most storied brands in Web history.


Golden treasure unearthed Bulgaria - Hundreds of tiny gold jewels crafted some 5 000 years ago have been discovered in Bulgaria, suggesting the country could have been the home of Europe #39;s earliest civilisation, a leading Bulgarian archaeologist said on Friday.


Curses! Gimme a break Consider the circumstances: The Boston Red Sox defeated the vaunted Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, and did so in the House That Ruth Built.


Mutu says cocaine was a sex pill ADRIAN MUTU admits he took drugs but claims it was not cocaine but a drug to improve his sex life.  quot;The only reason I took what I took was because I wanted to improve my sexual performance, quot; said the 25-year


Trial date set for defendant in Abu Ghraib prison abuse case A military judge ordered a US Army reservist on Friday to stand trial Jan. 7 in Baghdad for allegedly abusing Iraq inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.


Harry tussle:  #39;Apology to Charles #39; LONDON, England -- Britain #39;s Prince Harry has apologized to his father, Prince Charles, over his scuffle with a paparazzi photographer outside a nightclub, a London newspaper reported.


US presses Iran to respond to European nukes offer The United States pressed Iran to meet the demands of the UN nuclear watchdog after the three big European countries made a last-chance offer to make Tehran comply.


UN and US must stop the genocide Ruth W. Messinger is the president and executive director of American Jewish World Service, an international development and emergency relief organization.


Red Sox Fan Killed by Police Projectile (AP) AP - A college student celebrating the Red Sox come-from-behind victory over the New York Yankees was killed after a police officer called in to control the rowdy crowd shot her in the eye with what was designed to be a non-lethal projectile.


HCA Net Falls, Hurt by Florida Hurricanes (Reuters) Reuters - HCA Inc., the largest U.S.\hospital chain, said on Friday its third-quarter earnings fell,\hurt by hurricanes that hit the southeastern U.S. earlier this\year, causing disruption and a drop in admissions at the\company's hospitals in Florida.


Weyerhaeuser 3rd-Quarter Earnings Rise (Reuters) Reuters - Weyerhaeuser Co.'s \third-quarter profit rose on higher prices for lumber and a\large gain from the sale of timber lands in Georgia, the \company said on Friday.


Nextel's Profit Rises, Ups Outlook (Reuters) Reuters - Nextel Communications Inc., the sixth\largest U.S. mobile company, on Friday said its third-quarter\profit rose amid strong customer growth and it raised its\earnings forecast for the full year.


Nextel 3Q Profit Rises, Boosts 2004 View Wireless communications service provider Nextel Communications Inc. on Friday posted 69 percent growth in third-quarter earnings based on demand across its business sectors, and raised its outlook for 2004.


Ericsson Warns on Growth A predicted slowdown in future market growth has taken the shine off Ericsson AB #39;s (Nasdaq: ERICY - message board) impressive third quarter results today, sending its share price spiraling down (see Ericsson Ups Q3 Profit).


German government miffed by Bundesbank's scepticism on growth (AFP) AFP - The German government expressed annoyance at the Bundesbank following a press report which suggested the German central bank was sceptical about Berlin's growth forecast for next year.


Nextel's Profit Rises, Ups Outlook  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nextel Communications Inc., the sixth  largest U.S. mobile company, on Friday said its third-quarter  profit rose amid strong customer growth and it raised its  earnings forecast for the full year.


Dollar Hits 8-Month Lows Vs. Euro  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar hit 8-month lows against the  euro and traded near multi-month lows against other major  currencies on Friday on worries about the U.S. economy and its  ability to attract global investors.


Google patches new hole Google says it has patched a hole in its search engine that could have allowed hackers to modify the content of the Google search results page, reports PC World.


SCH-S250 phone has 5-Megapixel camera Samsung Electronics has showcased a mobile phone that integrates a 5-Megapixel digital camera. At present the highest resolution camera phones have 3-Megapixel class image sensors.


Germans Open UEFA Cup in Style It may be seen by some as the poorer relation to the Champions League but for those German teams in the UEFA Cup, it is an opportunity to go for European glory.


Israeli Airborne Attack Kills Inventor of Qassam Rocket Adnan Al-Gul, the inventor of the Qassam rockets used by Palestinians to attack Israel, was killed yesterday in an air attack on Gaza.


Castro governance intact HAVANA Cuban President Fidel Castro is recovering from surgery but leaving no question about his ability to govern. The 78-year-old Cuban leader fell Wednesday after a speech.


Prince Harry talks to father about nightclub fracas LONDON A spokesman says Prince Harry has talked to his father, Prince Charles, about his scuffle with a photographer outside a London nightclub.


Russia to vote on climate change Russia's lower house of parliament is to vote on ratification of  the international treaty on climate change.


'Nuclear' bishop quits campaign The former Bishop of Birmingham resigns from Friends of the Earth in a row over the promotion of nuclear power.


Bush, Kerry on swing-state tours US presidential candidates George W Bush and John Kerry tour states seen as important to win November's poll.


Verizon Betting on  A Bundle (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Verizon Communications Inc., the nation's largest telephone company, announced yesterday it is digging up streets and stringing wire in six states, including Washington's Maryland and Virginia suburbs, to build a new fiber-optic network that will deliver high-speed Internet service and cable-style television to homes and businesses.


EU to Rule on Oracle's Bid for PeopleSoft (AP) AP - European Union regulators will decide Tuesday whether Oracle Corp.'s hostile  #36;7.7 billion bid for rival business software concern PeopleSoft Inc. can proceed, the EU's antitrust chief said Friday.


Football games look to score A raft of football games are aiming to score with gamers\, but which top the league and which are heading for relegation?


Update 1: EU Trade Chief Seeks Tariff Break Overhaul The European Union #39;s top trade official proposed an overhaul of trade discounts to developing countries Wednesday, a move likely to anger China and India, both of which might no longer qualify for EU trade preferences for such products as clothing and


No excuses from Tim TIM HENMAN refused to make any excuses for his third-round defeat to Ivan Ljubicic in the Madrid Masters. The top seed had a blood test on Wednesday to discover the cause of his fatigue, but insisted his 4-6, 6-4, 2-6 loss was down to his own poor play.


Broadhurst makes move FORMER Ryder Cup player Paul Broadhurst moved into a share of the lead at the Madrid Open today. Three birdies in a back nine 32 took the 39-year-old to seven under par alongside Switzerlands Julien Clement


Paterno tries to light fire under Nittany Lions The head coach is revved up and ready to go. Is his Penn State team? By FRANK BODANI. If nothing else, at least 77-year-old Joe Paterno is still breathing fire to try and work his team out of it #39;s three-game slide.


Bulgaria dig suggests rich past Archaeologists say they have unearthed jewels dating back 5,000 years, possible proof of Europe's earliest civilisation.


Google says net profit, sales double (AFP) AFP - Internet search engine Google Inc said its net profit and sales more than doubled in the third quarter, spurring a spectacular jump in its share price.


Americans Using Online Reputation Systems (AP) AP - A quarter of online Americans have taken advantage of one of the Internet's true powers: the ability to let users collectively decide whether to trust a product, service or individual.


Nextel 3Q Profit Rises Wireless communications service provider Nextel Communications Inc. on Friday posted 69 percent growth in third-quarter earnings based on demand across its business sectors, and raised its outlook for 2004.


9.7 consumption increase  quot;encouraging quot; A spokesman for China #39;s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in Beijing Friday that the 9.7 percent increase of consumption in the first three quarters this year is  quot;encouraging quot;.


Nextel #39;s Profit Rises, Ups Outlook Nextel Communications Inc., the sixth largest US mobile company, on Friday said its third-quarter profit rose amid strong customer growth and it raised its earnings forecast for the full year.


UPS ordered to let deaf apply to drive trucks United Parcel Service must give deaf employees a chance to drive its smaller delivery trucks if they can show they can drive as safely as employees with normal hearing, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled Thursday.


Hot ticket item: \$1 million home The demand for homes above \$1 million -- a price point that increasingly refers to the move-up market in expensive parts of the Bay Area - - remained strong in the third quarter, though below the record-setting pace set in the second quarter.


Intel pulls plug on TV chip plans In another sign that the hype is off the advanced television market, Intel said Thursday that it is scrapping plans to build microdisplay chips for rear-projection televisions.


EU #39;s Prodi ready to stay on if new Brussels team rejected European Commission head Romano Prodi would be ready to stay beyond November 1 if EU lawmakers veto a new executive, officials said Friday, but restated hopes that a new team will be approved next week.


Gunmen Ambush Iraqi Airways Employees Tahsine Ali Hassan, husband of kidnapped aid chief Margaret Hassan, gestures during a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Oct 21, 2004.


NEPAD urged to move forward for Africa #39;s development African leaders and heads of international agencies on Friday urged the African Union #39;s development program NEPAD to move forward to help accelerate the continent #39;s integration and growth.


Review: Local PC Search Not Perfect (AP) AP - If you want to find a needle of information in the seemingly endless haystack that is the Web, just punch a few words into your favorite Internet search engine. But if you want to pull up a file from your PC's hard drive, good luck.


Japanese Electronics Makers Raise Outlook (AP) AP - Japanese electronics makers Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. raised their earnings outlooks for the fiscal first half Friday on rising global demand for electronics products.


Ericsson returns to quarterly profit Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson today reported a return to net profit in the third quarter, lifted by healthy growth in its international markets.


Trump Hotels strikes bankruptcy deal Donald Trump is betting a deal with bondholders to cut the debt on his hotel and casino empire through a pre-arranged bankruptcy will give him a stronger hand in the gaming industry.


China urges EU not to put up textile trade barriers Beijing - China urged Europe yesterday to refrain from  quot;putting up barriers quot; in a new set of EU trade priorities that would hit Chinese textiles.


Verizon Expands FTTP Sites, to Hire Up to 5,000 to Accelerate <b>...</b> Verizon announced FTTP deployment to homes and businesses in Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia -- bringing to nine the total number of states where work is under way.


Video game posted on Web How #39;s this for rough justice: A video game named for an act of stealing was stolen. A version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, due to hit stores next week, ended up on the Web late Wednesday


Thousands sign up for British tycoon Branson #39;s space flights  quot;Star Trek quot; star William Shatner and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Dave Navarro are among thousands who want to fly on Virgin #39;s proposed commercial space flights, company chief Richard Branson said Friday.


Experts Warn of Security Flaws in Alternative Browsers Secunia issued a warning that the so-called tabbed browsing function in many alternative Web browsers from Mozilla, Opera, Netscape, Avant, Camino and others leave users vulnerable to spoofed


Hewitt, Clijsters Reach Break Point in Opposites-Attract <b>...</b> Belgian Kim Clijsters on her website Thursday announced that her relationship with Aussie Lleyton Hewitt has come to an end.  quot;Kim and Lleyton have agreed to end their relationship for private reasons.


Seoul Says Gando Convention Invalid South Korea #39;s top diplomat said Friday that the Gando Convention, signed about a century ago between China #39;s Qing Dynasty and imperial Japan on the dominion of the disputed Gando region, was null and void, #39; #39; at least by law.


Bus blitz targets rebuilding efforts BAGHDAD: Gunmen yesterday fired on a bus carrying workers to Baghdad airport, killing four people and wounding 11 in a brazen assault on Iraqis helping to revive a vital link in the country #39;s reconstruction.


Weyerhaeuser 3rd-Quarter Earnings Rise  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Weyerhaeuser Co.'s third-quarter  profit rose on higher prices for lumber and a large gain from  the sale of timberlands in Georgia, the company said on Friday.


New eggs surgery prodedure brings 20 babies, and many questions After doctors performed a kind of transplant surgery on mothers eggs, 20 babies were born to women for whom IVF had not worked.


EU to Rule Tuesday on Oracle's Bid for PeopleSoft European Union regulators will decide Tuesday whether Oracle Corp.'s hostile \$7.7 billion bid for rival business software concern PeopleSoft Inc. can proceed, the EU's antitrust chief said Friday.


Americans Using Online Reputation Systems A quarter of online Americans have taken advantage of one of the Internet's true powers: the ability to let users collectively decide whether to trust a product, service or individual.


10th World Series Title Beckoning for St. Louis (Reuters) Reuters - The Cardinals may be heading to their\first World Series since 1987 but there is nothing new about\post-season baseball in St. Louis.


10th World Series Title Beckoning for St. Louis  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Cardinals may be heading to their  first World Series since 1987 but there is nothing new about  post-season baseball in St. Louis.


Citigroup's Ex-Exec May Face SEC Action  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. securities regulators may  recommend enforcement action against the former head of  Citigroup Global Investment Management for his role in  activities under investigation at the company's mutual fund  unit, the No. 1 financial services firm said on Friday.


Slate #39;s Webhead: Google Desktop Search Concerns Description: NPR #39;s Alex Chadwick talks with Paul Boutin of Slate about Google.com #39;s newest service: software that allows you to search your desktop in the familiar way you search the Web.


Coach Sam raises bar Head coach Sam Mitchell has set some substantial goals for Carter, the club #39;s best swingman, and Bosh, the club #39;s best big man.


Hoon wavers on Black Watch Christmas return Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, appeared to back off last night from Tony Blair #39;s promise to Parliament that a Black Watch battle group being redeployed to help US Marines near Baghdad will be home by Christmas.


African Union Expands Darfur Mission DARFUR, October 22 (IslamOnline.net  amp; News Agencies) - The African Union announced has it was poised to boost the number of its peacekeepers in Sudans troubled Darfur region as the Sudanese government and the two rebel groups were set to launch a new


Israel inflicts heavy losses JERUSALEM A UN agency says Israel #39;s recent offensive in northern Gaza has killed 107 Palestinians, left nearly 700 homeless and caused more than three (m) million dollars in property damage.


Gunmen ambush Iraq airline staff; UK to move troops Gunmen opened fire Thursday on a bus carrying female employees of Iraqi Airways to the Baghdad airport, killing one woman and wounding 14 others, an airline official said.


Spitzer 'targets music industry' The music industry is the latest target to attract the attention of New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer, the New York Times reports.


Scotland: Celtic reconquer lead in Premier League GLASGOW, Dec 5 (SW) - Glasgow Rangers have lost their Scottish Premier League leadership to arch rivals Celtic again, after being held to a draw at Inverness.


Clijsters, Hewitt Said to Split Up (AP) AP - Tennis stars Kim Clijsters and Lleyton Hewitt called off their wedding, according to her Web site.


Radical fabric is one atom thick A new class of material, which brings computer chips made from a single molecule a step closer, has been discovered by scientists.


Chronology of Intel #39;s delays and cancellations Intel, the world #39;s largest chip maker, scrapped a plan Thursday to enter the digital television chip business, marking a major retreat from its push into consumer electronics.


Yahoo acquires another e-mail start-up NEW YORK Yahoo appears to be moving a step closer to challenging Google after making a purchase of a start-up company that has developed a promising e-mail application.


Mine blast: Death toll rises Beijing - The death toll in a gas explosion in a Chinese coal mine rose to 66 on Friday with 82 still missing, the government said, as another 41 miners were reported killed or missing in two other accidents.


#39;Bricolage #39; Barroso takes high risk EU gamble By refusing to sack controversial new justice commissioner Rocco Buttiglione, the new Brussels chief may face a protest vote in the European Parliament next Wednesday.


Al-Jazeera Airs Tape of Weeping Aid Worker (AP) AP - Al-Jazeera television aired a video Friday showing kidnapped CARE director Margaret Hassan weeping and pleading with the British people to act to save her life.


Kerry to head West to hunt for votes as Bush stays back East (AFP) AFP - Democrat John Kerry takes his quest for votes to the western states of Nevada and Colorado that polls show could be up for grabs in the presidential contest, as incumbent rival George W. Bush stumps in three eastern battleground states.


Coca-Cola profit hit by flat revenue CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- Coca-Cola on Thursday posted a 24 percent drop in quarterly profit and said the company is  quot;off our proper growth course, quot; hampered by weak sales growth and one-time charges.


Weyerhaeuser 3rd-Quarter Earnings Rise Weyerhaeuser Co. #39;s third-quarter profit rose on higher prices for lumber and a large gain from the sale of timberlands in Georgia, the company said on Friday.


Airline applauds pilots #39; contract US Airways hopes its other unions will follow with concessions so the company can emerge from bankruptcy. By Associated Press. ARLINGTON, Va.


Hilbert: Needs To Write Conseco \$62.7M Check It #39;s payback time. The former chief executive of Conseco (nyse: CNO - news - people ) and his family trusts must pay \$62.7 million plus interest to a unit of the insurance company, which may also foreclose on his mansion, a judge ruled.


Trump Has New Plan To Save His Casinos Donald Trump will invest \$71 million of his own money in Trump Hotels  amp; Casino Resorts. Bondholders will trade about \$575 million in debt for a stake in the casino company.


Verizon to Extend Fiber Optics to Parts of Six Eastern States Verizon Communications, the nation #39;s largest regional phone company, announced plans yesterday to start introducing fiber-optic connections for residential phone and data services in six Eastern states.


Ford to build new plant in Oakville: report TORONTO - Ford Motor Co. is reported to be on the verge of announcing a \$1-billion investment at its plant in Oakville, Ont. The company has decided to build a flexible manufacturing plant at the site, the Toronto Star reported Friday.


Chart your space odyssey  \$190k Richard Bransons plans for suborbital tourism may sound pie-in-the-sky, but he has details all worked out. When the first space vacations are available, Richard Branson will be there selling them.


Swatch #39;s Paparazzi Watch Receives Wireless Information Swatch has introduced the Paparazzi watch. The Paparazzi is a watch capable of displaying information it receives wirelessly through FM radio transmissions.


Man United fans take action London - The Japanese investment bank Nomura has been enlisted by Keith Harris, the chairperson of Seymour Pearce brokers, to help block the takeover of Manchester United by US billionaire Malcom Glazer, the Financial Times reported on Friday.


Tigers hit the rock bottom A career best 143 by wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum enabled touring New Zealand to take a convincing 225-run first innings lead against hosts Bangladesh on the third of the Pan Pacific Sonargaon first Test at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in city


Venus v Maria in quarters Venus Williams has set up an intriguing encounter with Maria Sharapova in the Swisscom Challenge in Zurich with a tight in over Ana Ivanovic.


Love game over: Clijsters, Hewitt split up, according to her Web <b>...</b> Tennis stars Kim Clijsters and Lleyton Hewitt called off their wedding, according to her Web site.  quot;Kim Clijsters and Lleyton Hewitt jointly decided to put an end to their relationship for private reasons.


Jayasuriya Strengthens Sri Lanka Position Sri Lanka have opened up a significant lead over Pakistan on the third day of the first Test in Faisalabad, closing on 285 for three, a lead of 264.


Randolph scores 34 points to lead Portland 88-85 over Toronto TORONTO (CP) - Zach Randolph scored 34 points and snared 17 rebounds to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to an 88-85 pre-season victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.


Two major Japanese electronics companies raise earnings forecasts (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TOKYO (AP) - Japanese electronics makers Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. raised their earnings outlooks for the fiscal first half Friday on rising global demand for electronics products.


1 Iraqi Worker Killed, 14 Hurt in Ambush A bus carrying female employees of the national airline is targeted. An Iraqi captive #39;s husband pleads for her release. By Monte Morin and John Daniszewski.


Stocks Open Flat, Earnings News Mixed (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. stocks opened near unchanged on\Friday after mixed corporate results showed Web search company\Google Inc.   had better-than-forecast earnings, but\software maker Microsoft Corp.  gave a revenue forecast\that lagged Wall Street expectations.


Cell Phone Market Growth Slowing-Ericsson (Reuters) Reuters - Ericsson, the world's biggest\producer of mobile phone networks, said market growth would\slow next year, sending its share price down sharply despite\reporting a big jump in third-quarter profits on Friday.


McCain calls for stricter testing The Arizona Republican said Major League Baseball has to act quickly to restore its  quot;integrity. quot; This is after players Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds reportedly testified that they used steroids.


World Living Beyond Its Environmental Means-WWF (Reuters) Reuters - The world is consuming some 20 percent\more natural resources a year than the planet can produce,\conservationist group WWF warned on Thursday.


Car Bomb Explodes in Mosul, Wounding 5 (AP) AP - A car bomb exploded Friday near an American armored vehicle in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, wounding five U.S. soldiers, the military said.


U.S. Expat Voters Out in Record Numbers in Germany (Reuters) Reuters - American expatriates in Germany are\turning out in record numbers for the presidential election,\spurred on by the German public, U.S. military commanders or a\newfound sense that every vote could be decisive.


Democrats, Republicans battle for suburban vote in US presidential election (AFP) AFP - This suburb of Pennsylvania's largest city, with its carefully-groomed lawns lined with signs supporting President George W. Bush or Democrat John Kerry, represents one of the many fronts in the battle for the White House.


Hassan Pleads for Her Life British-Iraqi hostage Margaret Hassan made an emotional appeal for British forces to withdraw from Iraq, in a videotape broadcast on Arabic television channel Al Jazeera on Friday.


Stocks are little-changed in the early going NEW YORK Wall Street is sorting through the latest earnings news and stocks are narrowly mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up three points in today #39;s early going.


Erdogan: No Troop Withdrawal in Cyprus At an Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) meeting yesterday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to a question about Cyprus by saying:  quot;Turkey will not withdraw any troops from Cyprus.


Citigroup #39;s ex-investment head may face SEC action Citigroup Inc. (CN: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday said US securities regulators are thinking of recommending enforcement proceedings against the former head of Citigroup Global Investment Management.


Trump casino group to file for Chapter 11 Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, Donald Trump #39;s troubled casino business, is to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after reaching agreement with bondholders to recapitalize debt.


EXEC IS FIGHTING TO KEEP MANSION October 22, 2004 -- Stephen C. Hilbert, founder and former CEO of life insurer Conseco Inc., said he plans to appeal a ruling that allows the company to foreclose on his mansion.


Scana Third-Quarter Profit Falls US power company Scana Corp. (SCG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday said quarterly profit fell, citing litigation costs and a writedown related to an investment in a telecommunications business.


Barrett: Intel Scraps Projection TV Chip On again, off again. Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) has canceled a project to create a chip for projection TVs. The announcement perhaps wasn #39;t much of a surpise.


Shatner aims for real  #39;Star Trek #39; LONDON, England -- William Shatner wants to boldly go where he #39;s only pretended to go so far. The  quot;Star Trek quot; star is among more than 7,000 people who have told Richard Branson they would gladly pay him \$210,000


Tabbed windows make Safari vulnerable - Secunia A security firm has warned of a vulnerability in Safari that allows hackers to hijack confidential data entered into Web sites. Secunia says the flaws affect Safari, Mozilla and Firefox, Opera


Curse of the Bambino remains in effect I thought it was over last Saturday night. A lopsided 19-8 Game 3 win gave my beloved New York Yankees a 3-0 lead over the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.


Fergie: Only A Win Will Do Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced Manchester United will end Arsenals 49-game unbeaten run on Sunday - because they simply have to.


Israel kills Hamas #39;s top bomb-maker Israel has killed Hamas #39;s top bomb and rocket-maker in Gaza ahead of a Knesset vote on a pull-out from the area. Adnan al-Ghoul died when an Israeli missile hit his car, witnesses said.


Russian Firms Head List of Oil Buyers from Saddam Russian firms bought about 30 percent of the oil sold under Iraq #39;s now-defunct oil-for-food program, according to a UN investigator #39;s extensive list of companies that did business with Saddam Hussein #39;s government.


Google Shares Rise as Profit, Sales More Than Double (Update2) Google Inc. #39;s shares surged to more than twice its initial public offering price after third-quarter profit and sales more the doubled and the company said the market for Web advertising shows no signs of slowing.


Weyerhauser Posts Sharply Higher Profit Timber harvesting company Weyerhaeuser Co. said Friday that third-quarter profit rose sharply year-over-year on gains from a sale of timberlands in Georgia and a tenure reallocation agreement with the goverment of British Columbia.


Google Profits Fail to Push Stocks Higher Stocks were little changed today as tepid earnings from Microsoft and Coca-Cola offset Google's strong third-quarter report.


Three Kings Bearing Profits There was a trifecta in tech earnings yesterday, with Google, Microsoft and Amazon.com all posting quarterly profits, a positive sign overall for the technology sector's recovery. -washingtonpost.com


Column: Jordan Will Not Go Down Without a Fight  SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Last year Jordan won the Brazilian  Grand Prix against the odds, now they are fighting for  survival.


Rumbling on After 30 Years - the Clash in Kinshasa  LONDON (Reuters) - The action was set for 4 a.m., two or  three hours before the African dawn.


EU Set to Announce Funding for AU Darfur Force (Reuters) Reuters - The European Union is likely to\announce a contribution of more than 100 million euros to an\African Union force in Darfur, amid calls for extra AU soldiers\to be deployed in Sudan's troubled region.


Three Kings Bearing Profits (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - There was a trifecta in tech earnings yesterday, with search engine king Google Inc., software giant Microsoft Corp. and online shopping leader Amazon.com all posting quarterly profits, a positive sign overall for the technology sector's recovery.


Juventus Wins in Italian League (AP) AP - Juventus came back from an early deficit to beat Lazio 2-1 Sunday and restore its four-point lead in the Italian league.


Andrew Kantor: CyberSpeak - Ultra-accurate clocks are all around us (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - It's not just cell phones taking advantage of a time standard. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colo., sends out a radio signal that any properly equipped device in much of North America can pick up and use to set itself to the proper time.


EU Set to Announce Funding for AU Darfur Force  ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The European Union is likely to  announce a contribution of more than 100 million euros to an  African Union force in Darfur, amid calls for extra AU soldiers  to be deployed in Sudan's troubled region.


Asbestos scandal bosses still get golden handshake Sydney - The head of James Hardie Industries has resigned with a payout of \$6.5 million (R40.8 million) in the aftermath of a scandal over the building products group #39;s efforts to dodge its liabilities to asbestos victims.


BHP retains confidence in China BHP Billiton played down jitters in commodity markets over the Chinese economy on Friday, by predicting demand would  quot;be sustainable over the long term quot;.


Securities Regulation Panel To Rule On Gold Fields Offer JOHANNESBURG (Dow Jones)--South Africa #39;s Securities Regulation Panel will next week hear objections from Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI) to the takeover offer the company received earlier this week from Harmony Gold Mining Co.


ALH at the vanguard of retail space race Dominance of Australia #39;s retail wine market, and the high margins on offer, is just one issue at the core of the battle for ALH.


Phishing may have hit Google users Internet search giant Google #39;s aficionados may just have lost some vital information that could hurt their wallet! Hackers exploiting a flaw in Google #39;s desktop search tool launched a week back could have


Shanghai keeps abreast of Western trends Zhang Yanping is not what you would call a big girl, but with her leggy, slender frame shown off by a small white vest bearing the legend  quot;Delightfully tacky but unrefined quot;, high-cut orange shorts, sneakers and white socks, she is doing her best to be a


PM keeps change to minimum Prime Minister John Howard has added only two new faces to his frontbench line-up. Queensland Liberal Peter Dutton has been promoted to the new portfolio of Workforce Participation, and


Oil Hits New Highs Above \$55 a Barrel  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices forged to a record high above  \$55 a barrel on Friday on rising fears of a winter fuel supply  crunch and robust economic growth in China, the world's number  two user.


Gateway To Reenter Japanese PC Market Gateway has announced it will start sales on December 10 of own-brand high-performance personal computers in Japan through four consumer electronics volume retailers.


HCA posts 26 percent drop in 3Q earnings NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- HCA, the nation #39;s largest for-profit hospital operator, reported Friday that earnings fell 26 percent in the third quarter, in line with a lowered outlook released last week.


Yahoo! Adds to E-mail, RSS Assets Yahoo! has acquired privately held Stata Labs, developer of the searchable e-mail client/RSS reader Bloomba and the SAproxy Pro spam filter.


Mutu: I took drugs but not cocaine LONDON, Enland -- Adrian Mutu has admitted taking a drug, but claims it was not cocaine but a drug to improve his sex life. The Romanian striker tested positive for cocaine last month, and is waiting to see


It #39;s splitsville for Clijsters and Hewitt Brussels, Belgium (Sports Network) - Tennis stars Kim Clijsters and Lleyton Hewitt have ended their relationship, according to Clijsters #39; web site.


Cricket: Sri Lanka extend lead to 164 runs against Pakistan FAISALABAD, Pakistan : Sri Lanka extended their lead to 164 runs against Pakistan on the back of an unbeaten half century by Sanath Jayasuriya on the third day of the first Test at Iqbal stadium here.


2007 Solheim Cup pitting US against Europe to be played in Sweden The biennial Solheim Cup will return to Sweden in 2007 and will be played in Halmstad, organizers said Friday. Founded in 1990, the Solheim Cup pits Europe #39;s top women golfers against their


France #39;s Rothen out for two months with ankle fracture French international midfielder Jerome Rothen, forced out of Paris St Germain #39;s 2-0 victory over Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday, will be out for two months with an ankle fracture, PSG said on their website.


Galaxy, Rapids to get reacquainted quickly Although they met four times in the regular season, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Colorado Rapids don #39;t know each other that well heading into their first-round playoff