Nextel 3Q Profits Increase 69 Percent (AP) AP - Nextel Communications Inc., the wireless telephone service provider, reported a 69 percent increase in profits in the third quarter, thanks to continued customer growth as well as a one-time tax benefit, and boosted guidance for the year.


Duma ratifies Kyoto protocol MOSCOW, October 22 (Itar-Tass) -- Russias State Duma has approved of a bill on the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.


Car bomb explodes in Mosul, wounding 5 MOSUL, Iraq -- A car bomb exploded Friday near an American armored vehicle in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, wounding five US soldiers, the military said.


Shock images to make smokers quit Controversial images of diseased lungs which health advisers want to see on every cigarette packet were revealed today. The hard-hitting anti-smoking campaign


Google Results Rekindle Internet Fervor Shares of Google jumped today after the Web search leader posted its first results as a public company, and one broker said the\stock could hit \$200, rekindling dot.com-era fervor.  -Reuters


Science salutes its ocean giant Deep-sea manned sub Alvin is hailed as it goes into retirement following 40 years of remarkable work.


Luther's lavatory thrills experts Archaeologists in Germany say they may have found the lavatory from where 16th century Reformation scholar Martin Luther revolutionised the church.


Steinbrenner to Cashman: You're Not Fired (AP) AP - Brian Cashman's job is safe  #151; at least for now. The rest of the New York Yankees have plenty to worry about this winter. Soon after the Yankees completed a historic collapse against Boston in the AL playoffs, volatile owner George Steinbrenner told Cashman, the team's general manager, that he will not be fired before next season.


Israel kills key Hamas bomb maker in air strike Israel has killed the top bomb maker of the Hamas Islamic militant group in a Gaza Strip air strike, days before a key parliamentary vote on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon #39;s plan to quit the occupied territory.


Belo Profit Slides on Scandal Costs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Belo Corp. BLC.N said on Friday that  quarterly profit fell 64 percent, weighed down by costs  connected to a recent scandal involving inflated circulation  data at its Dallas Morning News newspaper.


Google-licious! Last week I wondered about the logic behind a gutsy market call by American Technology Research advising investors to buy Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) and dump Google (Nasdaq: GOOG).


The day Hardie #39;s sums didn #39;t add up DENNIS Cooper is too much of a soft-spoken gentleman to publicly express anger, but the professional conflict between him and Peter Macdonald goes back a long way to a day in May 2001.


Tech Giant Ericsson Posts Solid 3Q Profit LM Ericsson, the world #39;s largest supplier of equipment for wireless phone networks, posted a third-quarter profit on Friday that was in line with analysts #39; expectations but said it expects only slight growth in mobile networks in the coming months.


Citigroup Says SEC May Take Action Against Jones (Update3) Citigroup Inc., the world #39;s largest bank, said the US Securities and Exchange Commission may take enforcement action against Thomas Jones, who ran the company #39;s investment-management unit.


Treasuries ease slightly on oil impact uncertainty US Treasury debt prices eased on Friday as a dearth of economic indicators led investors to ponder the impact of high oil prices on the economy and interest rates.


ALH battle demands far-sighted analysis THE battle between John Fletcher and Roger Corbett has nothing to do with their personal egos. As I detail below, Coles Myer realises that if Woolworths gains control of Australian Leisure  amp; Hospitality it


Google fix second phishing vulnerability Google have fixed a phishing vulnerability that was discovered by Netcraft on Wednesday. Google notified Netcraft that they had closed the vulnerability today at 06:30 BST, making this less-than-two-days response


Nokia: Consumers increasingly giving up their fixed line phones Global research by MORI, conducted for Nokia, has identified a strong trend for consumers to move from their fixed line phones to use their mobile handsets for all or most of their voice calls.


Guardian: Apple Must License or Perish Another mainstream tech columnist has written that Apple must license the iTunes Music Store/iPod, or perish from the wrath of its competitors.


Wenger to wait on Vieira for clash with ambitious United (AFP) AFP - Arsene Wenger said he will have to wait until Sunday before making a decision on whether to field his influential Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira in the Premiership clash against Manchester United.


Rams QB Leaves Game With Shoulder Injury (AP) AP - St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger left Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers after spraining his right shoulder while getting sacked in the first quarter.


Tennis Stars Clijsters, Hewitt Split - Belgium #39;s Kim Clijsters, left, kisses Australian Lleyton Hewitt, center, after their  quot;love match quot; tennis game at the Expodroom in Bree, Belgium, in this Saturday April 17, 2004 file photo.


Elvstroem to unseat favourite CAULFIELD Cup winner Elvstroem will displace Starcraft as favourite when bookmakers open betting on the \$3 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley today.


Video Airs British Hostage Asking for Troops Withdrawal British aid worker Margaret Hassan, kidnapped in Iraq, appeared in a video aired by Arab TV station al-Jazeera asking British Prime Minister Tony Blair to withdraw troops.


Israelis kill Hamas rocket expert ISRAEL has assassinated the Hamas arms expert said to be behind the development of the Qassam rockets that have been targeting Israeli towns.


Black Watch ordered to help US take Fallujah The Black Watch battalion was yesterday ordered by the Cabinet to help US forces throw a  quot;ring of steel quot; around Fallujah before an all-out assault on insurgents in the city.


Fidel Castro Falls Down Cuba #39;s  #39;legendary #39; leader, Fidel Castro, broke his knee and fractured his right arm when he fell down behind the podium during a speech at a graduation ceremony in Santa Clara.


Carrot offered on nukes, but Iran to say stick it BRITAIN, France and Germany have presented Iran with a package of economic and political incentives as part of a last-ditch attempt to persuade Tehran to abandon its nuclear enrichment program.


Karzai team '100 percent sure' of victory despite irregularities probe (AFP) AFP - Hamid Karzai's campaign team said it was  quot;100 percent sure quot; of victory in Afghanistan's first presidential election, even though the final result cannot be declared until complaints from all candidates are investigated and the last vote is counted.


Ljubicic Edges Into Madrid Semifinals  MADRID (Reuters) - Croatian Ivan Ljubicic edged into the  Madrid Masters semi-finals with a 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 victory over  seventh seed Joachim Johansson of Sweden on Friday.


Crane Shares Rise on Settlement News  BOSTON (Reuters) - Shares of Crane Co. CR.N rose nearly 6  percent in early trade on Friday, as the market breathed a sigh  of relief after the diversified manufacturer said it took a  charge to resolve all current and future asbestos claims  against the company.


Deep Impact Space Probe Aims to Slam Into Comet (Reuters) Reuters - Astronomers plan to slam an\armchair-sized "impactor" into comet Tempel 1 to see what's\inside -- and possibly help future scientists determine how to\keep such space rocks from colliding with Earth.


Falconbridge Profit Rises Eightfold on Nickel Prices (Update1) Falconbridge Ltd., the world #39;s third- biggest nickel producer, said third-quarter earnings rose more than eightfold as base-metal prices jumped.


FOCUS: N America Shares Vital In S Africa Gold Battle JOHANNESBURG (Dow Jones)--North American shareholders will play a decisive role in the outcome of the bitter takeover battle between South African gold giants Harmony Gold Mining Co.


Einstein Gravity Effect Demonstrated by NASA The phenomenon, known as frame-dragging, is quite small, amounting to 6 feet in the distance that satellites, moving at about 18,000 miles per hour, cover in their orbits in a year, but it is within the ability of NASA #39;s instruments to detect.


IBM unveils low-cost blades IBM announced on Friday a lower-cost blade server option--a pared-down chassis geared for small and medium-sized businesses. The new Express version of IBM #39;s BladeCenter chassis still can accommodate as many


Cisco buys network security company Perfigo Networking equipment maker Cisco Systems is to buy Perfigo for \$74m (40.5m), boosting the company #39;s efforts to secure network  quot;endpoints quot; and protect them from worms, viruses and hacking.


#39;Paparazzi #39; watch calls time on celeb searches Swiss watchmaker Swatch has teamed up with Microsoft #39;s MSN Direct division to launch a high-tech timepiece called Paparazzi. For wannabe celeb hunters, the smart watch offers specialised content from Time


Microsoft to charge on license for dual-core processors Microsoft Corp. announced this week it will only charge users one license for running its Windows Server products on a dual-core processor.


Audubon: Some Iowa birds in trouble The survival of some Iowa bird species is threatened, primarily because of habitat loss, according to a group dedicated to the conservation of wild birds.


Apple builds on iPod chic Good morning, and welcome to  quot;Name That Apple! quot; Fingers on buzzers? All right, let #39;s begin. For 100 points: It #39;s a compact rectangular slab that plays great-sounding music from a built-in hard drive.


Series to savor: Top highlights from 2004 ALCS The 2004 American League Championship Series created enough memories to last a lifetime. Here are some of the moments and men whose exploits in this historic series won #39;t soon be forgotten.


In the Cards: St. Louis wins NL title, date with Sox With all due respect to Roger Clemens, Jeff Bagwell and the Houston Astros, this is the matchup Major League Baseball wanted. The Red Sox and Cardinals, two of the game #39;s most storied


Nestor, Knowles in Madrid Masters final CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Daniel Nestor and partner Mark Knowles on Friday battled their way to a fourth championship appearance of the tennis season.


#39;Tin Tin #39; row: Congo recalls envoy The Democratic Republic of Congo has recalled its ambassador to Brussels and compared Belgium #39;s foreign minister to comic-book boy adventurer Tin Tin after he criticized the country #39;s leaders.


Higher metals prices boost Falconbridge TORONTO - Falconbridge Ltd. said higher prices for nickel, copper and zinc helped it post a big increase in its third-quarter results.


BHP Billiton Says Global Economic Growth Is Slowing (Update1) BHP Billiton, the world #39;s biggest mining company, said global growth and economic activity in China are slowing, partly as higher oil prices curb spending.


Mail Search Gets Hotter Yahoo (Quote, Chart) isn #39;t ready to concede the e-mail search market to Google (Quote, Chart). In a deal that signals aggressive response to the growing popularity of Google #39;s (Quote, Chart) Gmail service, Yahoo


Ljubicic Edges Into Madrid Semifinals Croatian Ivan Ljubicic edged into the Madrid Masters semi-finals with a 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 victory over seventh seed Joachim Johansson of Sweden on Friday.


Schlumberger Posts Profit But Shares Fall (Reuters) Reuters - Schlumberger Ltd. , the world's\largest oilfield services company, on Friday posted a\third-quarter profit but weakness in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico\and a pullback in its Russian operations weighed on shares.


Schlumberger Posts Profit But Shares Fall  HOUSTON (Reuters) - Schlumberger Ltd. SLB.N, the world's  largest oilfield services company, on Friday posted a  third-quarter profit but weakness in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico  and a pullback in its Russian operations weighed on shares.


Weeping hostage pleads for life A new tape of hostage Margaret Hassan broadcast on al-Jazeera TV station shows her pleading for her life.


Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo absent from US presidential campaign debate (AFP) AFP - The abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib and detention without trial of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay may still draw headlines in US newspapers but the subjects have been notably absent from the White House race.


Unknown actor for Superman role US actor Brandon Routh is cast as the man of steel in the new Superman film, due for release in 2006.


Brazil Unemployment Falls to 10.9 Percent Unemployment in Brazil fell to 10.9 percent in September, the lowest rate so far this year, the government's statistics institute said Friday.


EU set to decide on Oracle next week European Commission is set to announce whether it will block the database giant's hostile takeover bid for PeopleSoft.


IBM unveils low-cost blades Express version of BladeCenter chassis accommodates up to 14 dual-processor servers but costs under \$1,000 instead of about \$2,800.


New Netsky worm linked to South Korea Copycats are keeping busy. Security researcher says the Net threat's source code is "hot stuff."


Stadiums go high tech Will Wi-Fi, mobile messaging and other enhancements improve the game, or wreck it?\<br /> Photos of tech-friendly parks\


Intel outlines Wireless USB security, use Intel Corp. is backing the 128-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption protocol for securing wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus) connections, which it hopes will replace USB cables for connections over very short distances, a company engineer said this week.


Besnard in cruise control THE best news was rookie Champ driver and Australia #39;s hope in the Indy 300 David Besnard brought the car back without a scratch.


Be Careful with Google Desktop Search Be Careful with Google Desktop Search\\Google Desktop Search like most Google products makes an awesome first impression. I have tried other desktop search tools, but none of them can match the convenience that Google Desktop Search comes with. It is just a 450K download and it integrates in Google Search ...


EMI to Face Spitzer Music Industry Probe  LONDON (Reuters) - EMI Group PLC, the world's third-largest  music company, confirmed on Friday it faced a New York probe  into how music companies influence what songs are played on the  radio.


Ex-Citigroup Executives May Face S.E.C. Charges The possible charges relate to the creation and operation of an internal transfer agent unit to serve primarily the Smith Barney family of funds.


Software patents raise hackles in Britain A U.K. foundation gathers testimony from British businesses and coders opposed to software patents.


Oil Bubbles Over \$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.


Photo gallery: Game on for tech gear Sports teams are putting high technology into stadiums to attract fans, generate cash and improve standings.


Sports venues look to score with wireless, HDTV But will Wi-Fi, high-definition broadcasts, mobile messaging and other enhancements improve the game, or wreck it?\<br /> Photos of tech-friendly parks\


High oil prices results in lower stock prices NEW YORK As oil prices surge again, moving above the 55 dollars-per-barrel mark, stocks prices are struggling. The Dow Jones industrial average is down 31 points at 98-hundred-34.


Chapter 11 now a sure bet for Trump casinos When Donald Trump writes his next book, he #39;ll have plenty of expertise in how to write Chapter 11. Trump Hotels  amp; Casino Resorts, the company that controls the real estate mogul #39;s casinos, said Thursday that


Unemployment drops in battleground states Unemployment declined last month in eight of 10 states that are hotly contested in the presidential race, including Ohio where job losses and a struggling economy have boosted Democrat John Kerry #39;s election hopes.


DOE awards \$235 million for clean-energy power plant in Fla. Oct. 22 -- The US Department of Energy has awarded a \$235 million grant to help fund the development of a clean, advanced technology coal-fired power plant near Orlando, Fla.


Yahoo Buys E-mail Search Company Yahoo has snapped up privately-held e-mail software company Stata Labs, which develops technology that allows users to quickly search through mail and attachments.


Google Phishing Holes Found Google has acknowledged two vulnerabilities in its Web site that could allow phishers to alter the appearance of its pages in order to dupe visitors -- and possibly lure them into giving away credit-card information.


Ethernet storage system brings 800GB to SMBs ZDNet #39;s survey of IT professionals in October kept upgrading hardware at number two on the businesses radar throughout the year.


Remaking The Red Sox The story of how the Boston Red Sox managed to beat the New York Yankees to make it to the 2004 World Series began in early 2002, when billionaire currency trader and former Yankees #39; limited partner John Henry, along with Tom Werner (producer of Roseanne


Gunners try to extend unbeaten run to 50 It will be more than just 50 league games without a loss if Arsenal beats Manchester United on Sunday. A demoralizing home defeat before a 67,000 sellout at Old Trafford would leave Man United


Death toll rises to 66 from Chinese coal mine explosion as <b>...</b> Rescue workers pulled more bodies out of a mine shaft choked with toxic fumes Friday as the death toll in China #39;s worst mining accident this year rose to 66, with 82 workers missing and feared dead.


Mbeki, Obasanjo in New Attempt to Spread Nepad PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki and a number of African leaders, donor agencies and civil society group s begin a two-day meeting in Sandton today to discuss possible new directions for the New Partnership for Africa #39;s Development (Nepad).


London shares close flat on NY losses, new record high in oil prices (AFP) AFP - Leading British shares pared earlier gains to close almost unchanged, weighed by losses on Wall Street, where renewed oil price concerns and earnings disappointments took their toll, dealers said.


McLellan defends Martin against questions on his attitude to health care (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA  (CP) - Liberal cabinet ministers are coming to the defence of Prime  Minister Paul Martin over revelations from a book written by Sheila Copps.


Sharapova Tops Venus in Swisscom Challenge (AP) AP - Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova needed just more than an hour to defeat Venus Williams 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Swisscom Challenge on Friday.


HCA Blames Hurricanes for Lower Earnings  NEW YORK (Reuters) - HCA Inc. HCA.N, the largest U.S.  hospital chain, said on Friday its third-quarter earnings fell,  hurt by hurricanes that hit the southeastern United States  earlier this year, causing disruption and a drop in admissions  at the company's hospitals in Florida.


Gateway spices up new notebooks The computer maker unveils four new laptops, with an eye on the upcoming holiday season.


Swing States Show 2,800 Net Job Loss (Reuters) Reuters - Five key states in the U.S.\presidential election lost 37,800 jobs in September, offsetting\the gains posted by other states considered critical in the\election now 11 days away.


EMI to Face Spitzer Music Industry Probe (Reuters) Reuters - EMI Group PLC, the world's third-largest\music company, confirmed on Friday it faced a New York probe\into how music companies influence what songs are played on the\radio.


Stocks Slip on Oil, Microsoft Forecast  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Friday as oil  prices touched another record high and Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O  dragged on the major indexes after the software maker's revenue  forecast lagged analysts' expectations.


Google #39;s Profits Go Ga-Ga Google generated most of its revenue -- \$411.7 million -- through text-based ads displayed on company-owned sites. That #39;s an important factor, because Google doesn #39;t have to share the money with other advertising partners.


Update 4: Crude Oil Prices Rise for 3rd Straight Day Crude oil prices rose for the third straight day Friday, hovering near \$55 a barrel as heating oil futures hit another record high over supply concerns ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter.


US Airways Pilots Accept 18 Percent Cut The US Airways pilots #39; deal extends through 2009. Along with an 18 percent pay cut, pilots will have to fly more hours each month, likely resulting in more furloughs.


Saab Posts Gain in Profit, Sales Saab AB on Friday reported a gain in its third-quarter profit as contracts for its military and aviation equipment remained steady during the quarter.


BHP confident of China demand The world #39;s largest miner, BHP Billiton, yesterday said that high oil prices were affecting spending worldwide but China #39;s demand for commodities over the longer term was heartening.


Gas pipeline feeding Arizona reopened A pipeline that supplies Arizona with about 70 percent of its gasoline, diesel and jet fuel was operating again today after being shut down in the aftermath of severe rain in Southern California.


Keane and Vieira in OT fitness race Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira and Manchester United skipper Roy Keane are both battling to be fit for Sunday #39;s Premiership showdown at Old Trafford.


San Jose vs. Kansas City This season #39;s format for the semifinals of the MLS playoffs has the higher-seeded team opening play on the road. That #39;s not a good thing for the Los Angeles Galaxy as they meet the Colorado Rapids in Game 1 of their two-leg aggregate score series.


NFL Still Barring Williams The NFL #39;s position on Ricky Williams #39;s playing status didn #39;t change following Thursday #39;s meeting in the Los Angeles area with attorney David Cornwell, who represents the retired Miami Dolphins tailback.


Kidnapped aid worker makes plea in video Please help me. Please help me, said a terrified Hassan, breaking down in tears and burying her face in a tissue. She said she might be killed like British hostage Kenneth Bigley, who was beheaded by his captors earlier this month.


Palestinians seek vengeance after Hamas killings Palestinian militants are seeking revenge Friday, pounding Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip with mortars. The violence flared up after a top Hamas militant was killed in an Israeli airstrike.


Yahoo Acquires Email Search Developer Stata Labs Yahoo Acquires Email Search Developer Stata Labs\\Yahoo announced on Thursday it has acquired privately held e-mail search company Stata Labs, opening up a new email and attachment file search market for Yahoo Search Technology and Overture Search Advertising. Stata Labs is the company behind its flagship software product Bloomba, which ...


EU presses US to follow suit, after Russia ratifies Kyoto (AFP) AFP - The European Union executive welcomed the Russian parliament's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on global climate change -- and immediately called on the United States to follow suit.


Oil Rises to Record as China #39;s Growth Expected to Boost Demand Crude oil futures rose to a record \$55.39 a barrel in New York after the release of a report showing that the Chinese economy grew more than expected last quarter.


Midland #39;s 3Q Is Slammed by Hurricane Losses Midland Co. on Thursday said third-quarter profits fell by almost half as the specialty insurer sustained heavy claims losses from the hurricanes that swept through the Southeast during the summer.


Japanese bank joins battle for control of Manchester United A Japanese investment bank is exploring ways of blocking a possible takeover of Manchester United by American businessman Malcolm Glazer.


Ask Vic: Another victory for Patriots Which do you think is the more impressive feat? The Pats winning 20 in a row -- including playoff games and the Super Bowl -- or the Dolphins going undefeated during an entire regular season?


Starcraft, Elvstroem, Paolini to meet in contentious WS Cox Plate The Moonee Valley Racing Clubs \$2,231,779 WS Cox Plate (Aus-G1) is set for its 82nd running on Saturday at Moonee Valley racecourse, and has drawn on of the strongest fields in recent years.


Solheim Cup handed Swedish return The Ladies European Tour has announced that the 2007 Solheim Cup will be staged at Halmstad Golf Club in Sweden. It follows a Swedish success in the 2003 event, which was held at Barseback Country Club and


Hamas militants vow revenge for assassination Hamas vowed revenge yesterday after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed one of its senior commanders - the latest assassination to have weakened the militant group.


Pit disater set to be nation #39;s worst this year The death toll in the Central China coal mine accident rose to 66 on Friday, a figure set to rise as hopes of rescuing the 82 missing miners fades.


Bush calls out the wolves on Kerry (AFP) AFP - President George W. Bush derided his rival John Kerry as clueless in the fight against terror and drove the point home in a powerful commercial featuring a pack of wolves ready to pounce.


Swedes in danger of loving crayfish delicacy to death (AFP) AFP - Swedes worship crayfish, holding large parties every summer to celebrate the little red shellfish in a feast that is as important for its rituals as its gastronomic delight.


HCA 3rd-Qtr Net Falls, Hurt by Hurricanes  NEW YORK (Reuters) - HCA Inc. HCA.N, the largest U.S.  hospital chain, said on Friday its third-quarter earnings fell,  hurt by hurricanes that hit the southeastern United States  earlier this year, causing disruption and a drop in admissions  at the company's hospitals in Florida.


US Airways Pilots Approve 18 Pay Cut US Airways pilots yesterday approved a five-year, cost-cutting contract that will reduce their pay about 18 percent and save the airline about \$1.


Bush Signs \$145 Bln Corporate Tax Cut, Tobacco Buyout (Update1) US President George W. Bush signed into law a bill replacing an export tax subsidy that violated international trade rules with a \$145 billion package of new corporate tax cuts and a buyout for tobacco farmers.


Tribune #39;s Hoy cutting its staff by 20 percent CHICAGO -- Spanish-language daily Hoy -- owned by the Tribune Co. -- said on Thursday it is reducing its staff by 20 percent across the company.


F1: Montoya sets early pace Juan Pablo Montoya tops the times in the opening practice session at Interlagos.


Cardinals capture pennant in spectacular fashion ST. LOUIS - Entering Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday night at Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros had played six games about as evenly as two teams possibly could play.


EU envoy heads for Darfur talks Javier Solana travels to Africa for talks on Darfur amid hints that the EU will give \$126m for a peacekeeping mission.


Africa #39;s big plan  #39;disappointing #39; One of the architects of Africa #39;s home-grown plan for economic development has launched a scathing attack on its achievements.


EU court ruling on Microsoft could come by mid-Nov. The European Union (E.U.) judge ruling on whether to suspend sanctions against Microsoft could deliver his verdict as early as mid-November, sources familiar with the process said Friday.


Jury Finds No Fraud in Big Asbestos Case  HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Texas jury on Friday rejected  accusations chemical maker Union Carbide had failed to disclose  the dangers of asbestos and awarded no damages to Kelly-Moore  Paint Co. in a \$1.3 billion lawsuit.


Unisys boosts COO to CEO Joseph McGrath will take over as CEO of Unisys next year, replacing Lawrence Weinbach.


Google advertising boom p2pnet.net News:- Posting its first results as a publicly held company, Google says its third-quarter earnings and revenues have more than doubled from a year ago, riding on an  quot;online advertising boom that continues to gather steam, quot; says the Boston Globe


US Airways pilots OK wage rollback US Airways Group on Friday asked other unions to follow the pilots in accepting rollbacks as the airline struggles under bankruptcy.


Trump Forms Casino Reorganization Plan ATLANTIC CITY, NJ-Donald Trump will retain the position of chairman and CEO at Trump Hotels  amp; Casino Resorts as part of the complex restructuring of the company.


US-European Mission To Solve Mystery Of Saturn #39;s Enigmatic Moon A US-European spacecraft is preparing to explore the planet Saturn #39;s huge moon, Titan. The  quot;Cassini-Huygens quot; spacecraft that has orbited the ringed planet since July is to venture within 1,200 kilometers of the cloud-covered moon on 26 October.


IBM Cuts Blade Servers for SMBs IBM Friday sharpened it blade offerings to target small and midsize businesses with the announcement of new hardware and software bundles.


Sharapova downs Venus to reach Zurich semi-finals Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova beat former world number one Venus Williams 6-3 6-4 on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the \$1.


Montoya leads opening practice in Brazil Williams #39; driver Juan Pablo Montoya made the perfect start to his final race with the team when he set the fastest time in opening practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix today.


Pakistan move into slender lead FAISALABAD: Pakistan took a slender first innings lead over Sri Lanka at end of the second day #39;s play in the first Test. The home side reached 256-8, 13 ahead, after Sri Lanka earlier lost their last three wickets for 10 in Faisalabad.


Nepad under the microscope The New Partnership for Africa #39;s Development (Nepad) is under the microscope at two-day Nepad Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre.


Yahoo joins the search with Stata purchase Yahoo has snapped up privately-held e-mail software company Stata Labs, which develops technology that allows users to quickly search through mail and attachments. The move, announced Thursday, generated speculation that the Internet powerhouse is gearing up to take on Google Inc.'s Gmail Webmail service, which features broad capabilities to search e-mail messages.


Spain Seeks Terror Suspect's Extradition (AP) AP - Spain asked Switzerland on Friday to extradite the suspected ringleader of an alleged plot to kill Spanish judges investigating Islamic terror cases, but it could take months for him to be handed over, officials said.


China coal mine blast death toll rises to 66, hope fades for 82 missing (AFP) AFP - The death toll from a devastating coal mine gas explosion in central China's Henan province rose to 66 as hopes of finding survivors among a further 82 trapped workers faded.


Cassini Probe to Fly by Saturn #39;s Moon Titan Tuesday Cassini came within 210,600 miles (339,000 kilometers) of Titan on July 2, days after it entered orbit around Saturn. The spacecraft will fly by Titan at an altitude of 746 miles (1,200 kilometers) on Tuesday


Bama Game is Important to Fulmer Knoxville (WVLT/AP) - Beating Alabama is so important to Vols Coach Phillip Fulmer he has mentioned the annual game in his spiel to recruits.


Bush Signs \$136 Billion Corporate Tax Cut Bill With no fanfare, President Bush today signed the most sweeping rewrite of corporate tax law in nearly two decades, showering \$136 billion in new tax breaks on businesses and other groups.


Without fanfare, Bush OKs corporate tax cuts Without fanfare, President George W. Bush signed into law on Friday a nearly \$140 billion corporate tax cut bill derided by both Democratic presidential rival John Kerry and Republican Sen.


Google #39;s Profit Growth Continues Anyone who was concerned that Internet search giant Google would be hampered by going public in August can breathe easy as Google announces, in its first financial results since floating on the stock market, that its profits have more than doubled.


Five keys to the 2004 World Series between the Cardinals and <b>...</b> Will Curt Schilling #39;s ankle, apparently held together with baling wire, hold up so he can make two starts? The Red Sox will want him to start Games 2 and 6 in Boston, where he won #39;t have to bat or run the bases.


Police warn referee ahead of game Police will talk to referee Mike Riley before Manchester United #39;s home game with Arsenal on Sunday to try to avoid crowd trouble.


Sharapova beats Venus, advances to all-Russian semi Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova beat former winner Venus Williams 6-3, 6-4 in the Swisscom Challenge quarterfinals on Friday and extended her winning streak to 11 matches.


FIA mandates engine power cuts FIA, the governing body of Formula One, has approved new engine regulations which will see manufacturers switch to 2.4 litre V8 engines in place of the current 3-litre V10 powerplants in 2006.


Figure Skating: France #39;s Joubert leads Skate America after men #39;s <b>...</b> PITTSBURGH, United States : France #39;s Brian Joubert won the men #39;s short programme at Skate America, the first stop in the ISU figure skating grand prix series.


Icelandair buys 8.4-percent stake in EasyJet (AFP) AFP - Icelandair said it had bought an 8.4 percent stake in British low-cost carrier easyJet, describing the holding as a  quot;long-term trade investment. quot;


Sudanese opposition, government hold Cairo-mediated peace talks (AFP) AFP - Sudanese opposition groups and a government delegation held a first full day of peace talks in Cairo with both sides optimistic about a deal, sources close to the negotiations told Egypt's MENA news agency.


Infineon Execs Plead Guilty NEW YORK - With four of its executives pleading guilty to price-fixing charges today, Infineon will have a hard time arguing that it didn #39;t fix prices in its ongoing litigation with Rambus.


Oil prices climb towards 55 dollars LONDON (AFP) - World oil prices marched towards 55 dollars on worries about low stocks of US heating fuel and tight crude supplies, amid strong demand ahead of the northern hemisphere winter.


Bush quietly signs corporate tax-cut bill WASHINGTON - Without fanfare, President Bush Friday signed into law a bill containing nearly \$140 billion in corporate tax cuts denounced by critics on both sides of the aisle as a giveaway to special interests.


Donnelley settles decade-old suit RR Donnelley  amp; Sons settled a decade-old race discrimination case stemming from the 1993 closing of its Lakeside Press plant, the company said Thursday.


Citigroup Says SEC May Take Action Against Jones (Update6) Citigroup Inc., the world #39;s largest bank, said the Securities and Exchange Commission may take enforcement action against Thomas Jones, the investment- management chief who is leaving the company.


OECD Applauds Turkey #39;s Economic Growth, Urges Cutting Unofficial <b>...</b> While praising Turkey #39;s  quot;stunning quot; economic performance over the last three years, the OECD also outlined some major problems the country needs to address.


Integrity of Fla. Virtual Vote in Doubt (AP) AP - Edward Bitet fought in World War II, built affordable housing for veterans and taught sixth grade. When the Long Island native retired to Florida, he fulfilled another civic duty by becoming a poll worker. But Bitet, 77, isn't volunteering this year  #151; he says he doesn't trust Palm Beach County's electronic voting machines. He walked out of a county demonstration of touch-screen terminals convinced that software bugs could wreak havoc on Nov. 2.


A French fried policy Has America ever had a good relationship with France? I mean, besides in the movies? We probably cheered on les citoyens during the Revolution, which erupted only 13 years after our own


Commonwealth chief says parliament, courts should solve Musharraf row (AFP) AFP - Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon emerged from a meeting with Pervez Musharraf saying Pakistan's parliament and judiciary should solve a row over the president's efforts to remain army chief.


Sharapova Downs Venus to Reach Zurich Semifinals  ZURICH (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova beat  former world number one Venus Williams 6-3, 6-4 on Friday to  reach the semi-finals of the Zurich Challenge.


Broadhurst Honors and Obeys by Taking Madrid Open Lead  MADRID (Reuters) - Paul Broadhurst's wife gave him the  go-ahead to play this week's Madrid Open after the birth of  their son a month ago -- provided he did well -- and he  responded by taking over the second round lead on Friday.


New details on Elder Scrolls IV Bethesda Softworks today announced new details on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the sequel to 2002 #39;s The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.


FIA force through rule changes Sao Paulo - Formula One #39;s governing body the FIA confirmed on Friday that they will force through new rules in 2005 and 2006 in a bid to slow cars down in the years ahead.


Clash of unbeatens While New England #39;s 20-game win streak will be forever etched in history, the prospect of the Patriots adding to their record run is a subplot in Sunday #39;s game with the New York Jets.


Video: Abducted Aid Worker Pleads for Life Margaret Hassan, the kidnapped director of CARE International in Iraq, appears in this image made from television in a videotape aired by the Arabic television station Al-Jazeera, Friday, Oct. 22, 2004.


Finally, right-minded on the right In a bold and controversial move, Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon has decided to pull out and destroy all Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza strip.


Google Results Revive 'Dot-Com' Fervor  NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Google Inc.  rose as much as 20 percent on Friday, to trade at more than  twice the level of it cut-price IPO, after the Web search  leader posted strong quarterly results in its first reported  quarter as a public company.


Veteran Umpire Montague to Call Game 1 (AP) AP - Veteran umpire Ed Montague will call balls and strikes in Game 1 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox on Saturday.


Appeals Court Won't Rehear Clarett Case (AP) AP - A federal appeals court has rejected running back Maurice Clarett's longshot bid to get the court to reconsider his lawsuit challenging the NFL's eligibility rule for the draft.


UK's EMI Says to Face Music Industry Probe in U.S.  LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - EMI Group PLC, the world's  third-largest music company, on Friday said it and other music  companies faced a New York probe into how music companies  influence what songs are played on the radio.


Give me back my rights, Milosevic tells appeals court (AFP) AFP - Slobodan Milosevic called on a UN appeals court to overturn a decision order imposing lawyers on the former Yugoslav president in his war crimes trial, a move supported by his reluctant defence team.


Unisys boosts COO to CEO This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been enterprise directories as organizations spawn projects around identity infrastructure.


Virgin CEO says thousands are signing up to take flight into space LONDON Ever since two successful flights into space were made from the Mojave Desert, thousands of people are signing up to take the same trip.


Nigerian Women to Appeal Death by Stoning (AP) AP - A court in northern Nigeria has sentenced two women to death by stoning for allegedly committing adultery, and both will soon appeal the sentences, a human rights group said Friday.


U.S. Embassy Says Laos Attacks Possible (AP) AP - The U.S. Embassy in Laos warned Friday that insurgents may launch bomb attacks in several parts of the communist country during next month's regional summit in the capital.


Love match over for Hewitt and Clijsters BRUSSELS: Kim Clijsters #39; romance with Australian Lleyton Hewitt is over and the two tennis stars will not be getting married in February as planned, the Belgian said yesterday.


Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Patriots-Jets: Zero in common and not <b>...</b> Sal DeFilippo #39;s pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at sallasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4076. On the surface, it seems as though the New England Patriots and New York Jets have a lot in common.


Tide-Vols feud may be nation #39;s biggest How do they feel about Phillip Fulmer and Tennessee in the state of Alabama these days? In its rawest form, the answer can be found in the feral environs of the Crimson Tide fan message boards.


Israel kills senior Hamas militant Hamas has vowed to hit back hard for Israel #39;s assassination of the  quot;Father of the Qassam quot; rocket, a weapon symbolising Palestinian militants #39; defiance of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his plan to quit Gaza.


EU envoy heads for Darfur talks The European Union #39;s chief of foreign affairs is travelling to Ethiopia and Sudan for talks on the troubled Darfur region. Javier Solana is travelling to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to meet African Union (AU) officials.


Myanmar #39;s friends  quot;The old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin #39; lazy at the sea quot;, the gentle  quot;Burma girl a-settin #39; quot;, and the temple bells calling out for the British soldier to  quot;come you back to Mandalay quot;.


EMI to Face Spitzer Music Industry Probe  LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - EMI Group PLC EMI.L, the  world's third-largest music company, on Friday said it and  other music companies faced a New York probe into how music  companies influence what songs are played on the radio.


British-Iraqi Hostage Pleads for Her Life  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A weeping British-Iraqi hostage pleaded  for her life in a video broadcast on Friday as British troops  prepared to move nearer Baghdad before an expected U.S.-led  offensive against rebels before January elections.


N.Korea Sets 3 Conditions for 6-Way Talks to Resume  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea set three conditions on  Friday to be met before it would consider returning to  six-party talks on its nuclear programs.


US OKs Device to Treat Uterine Fibroids  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new device to treat uterine  fibroids, fibrous clumps that can cause miscarriages, painful  menstruation and other related problems in women won U.S.  regulatory approval on Friday.


China Mine Blast Death Toll Rises to 66 (AP) AP - Desperate to know their loved ones' fates, grieving relatives scuffled with guards Friday at the scene of China's worst mining accident this year as rescue workers pulled more bodies out of a mine shaft choked with poison gas.


Dow Hits Intraday Low 9,803.74 for Year  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow Jones industrial average fell  to an intraday low for the year on Friday as oil prices surged  to another record and Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O dragged on  stocks after the software maker's revenue forecast lagged  analysts' expectations.


Marsh to Replace CEO Greenberg - FT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jeffrey Greenberg, chairman and chief  executive of embattled insurance broker Marsh   McLennan Cos.  MMC.N, is expected to step down within hours, a newspaper  reported on Friday, citing people close to the discussions.


Interlagos: Williams top first practice Friday morning usually sees the third cars star  but today, Juan Pablo Montoya took top spot.


Interlagos: The Race Preview Ferrari may have won both championships and for the Renault F1 Team, second remains only a remote possibility. But there will still be plenty to watch out for


Mercent making cents of Amazon for Guess The e-commerce Web services specialist is helping a growing list of retail manufacturers sell their wares via Amazon.


Vivendi, EMI hit by Spitzer probe Shares of Vivendi and EMI fell on reports that state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has subpoenaed firms for information related to promoters payments to radio stations.


Printing giant ends discrimination case CHICAGO -- After a decade-long court fight, printing giant RR Donnelley  amp; Sons Co. has agreed to pay \$15 million to settle a race discrimination lawsuit filed by black workers at a now-closed plant.


Intel kills TV chip plans Earlier this year, Intel delayed its chip for large screen televisions. Now the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company is killing it. Intel has stopped work on its liquid crystal on silicon semiconductor, stating


City  #39;getting stronger #39; The City is  quot;strong and getting stronger each and every day, quot; Mayor Gavin Newsom proclaimed during his first State of the City address since taking office in January.


Worried About Missing Your Favorite Show? Just Pull Out Your Cell <b>...</b> Texas Instruments, a company well-known for its calculators, says it has developed a computer chip that will let television fans watch their favorite shows on cellular phones.


Japan retailers report big DS preorders On preorders alone, the Nintendo DS is the third best-selling system in Japan this week. TOKYO--The Nintendo DS is the third best-selling video game console for the week of October 11-17, Nikkei BP Consulting reports today.


Certain Iowa bird populations in trouble The survival of some bird species in Iowa is threatened, and urban sprawl is part of the problem. That #39;s according to a state group that keep tabs on the conversation of wild birds.


Tennis: Ljubicic powers past Johansson in Madrid Masters MADRID : Croatia #39;s Ivan Ljubicic battered Joachim Johansson with 27 aces, upsetting the big-hitting seventh seed 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (1/7), 7-6 (7/3) for a place in the semi-finals of the 2.425-million-euro Madrid Masters.


Broadhurst Honors and Obeys by Taking Madrid Open Lead Paul Broadhurst #39;s wife gave him the go-ahead to play this week #39;s Madrid Open after the birth of their son a month ago -- provided he did well -- and he responded by taking over the second round lead on Friday.


Montoya tops Brazilian GP practice times Juan Pablo Montoya was fastest in the first practice session today for the Brazilian Grand Prix, and a young test driver surprisingly came second ahead of Ferrari #39;s top drivers.


Margaret Hassan shown pleading for her life October 22 2004 2000CET - Another video on the TV station Al-Jazeera showed Margaret Hassan, the aid worker kidnapped, pleading and crying.


Marsh to Replace CEO Greenberg - FT (Reuters) Reuters - Jeffrey Greenberg, chairman and chief\executive of embattled insurance broker Marsh   McLennan Cos.\, is expected to step down within hours, a newspaper\reported on Friday, citing people close to the discussions.


Indians Sign Howry to One-Year Deal (AP) AP - The Cleveland Indians avoided salary arbitration with reliever Bob Howry, signing the right-hander to a one-year contract on Friday.


Mass Intelligence (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - When Google finally gets its gargantuan market capitalization later this year, it will turn its founders into billionaires and make individual investors everywhere swoon. But it will also validate an idea: The most valuable resource on the Internet is the collective intelligence of everyone who uses it.


Amazon Stock Falls As Profit Misses Mark (AP) AP - Shares of Amazon.com Inc. dipped below a 52-week low in intraday trading Friday after the online retailer reported third quarter profits that tripled, but fell short of Wall Street estimates.


Arsenal Tries to Extend Unbeaten Streak (AP) AP - More than a record unbeaten streak is at stake when Arsenal plays at Manchester United on Sunday: The result could go a long way to determining who wins the Premier League championship.


Google earnings expectations create overnight confusion Whether Googleexceeded or missed earnings expectations for its third quarter remained unclear until mid-morning Friday.


Tomorrow #39;s Entrepreneurs at Univ. of N.Carolina-List The University of North Carolina is the best US collegiate breeding ground for budding entrepreneurs, according to rankings published by Forbes magazine on Friday.


Executive Life case lawyer questions Pinault PARIS : French business tycoon Francois Pinault, targeted in complex civil action over the collapse of California insurance company Executive Life, was questioned here by a US lawyer under the supervision of a French judge.


Google Wows Wall Street Google is making everyone who snubbed its unconventional initial public offering of stock regret their decision. In the latest rebuke to its skeptics, Google wowed Wall Street with its first quarterly earnings


San Francisco Wants Free Wi-Fi For All San Francisco #39;s mayor Thursday said he wants to see his city provide free Wi-Fi service to everyone. In his state of the city address, Mayor Gavin Newsom promised to put Wi-Fi within reach of the masses.


Dear browser, forgive us our sins.... Every run into an HTML page with bad code? If you were running IE, you #39;d still be able to see it. Are other browsers simply inferior, or is IE just that much better at handling faulty HTML?


Arsenal tries to extend unbeaten streak to 50, put away rivals More than a record unbeaten streak is at stake when Arsenal plays at Manchester United on Sunday: The result could go a long way to determining who wins the Premier League championship.


British hostage begs London to scrap redeployment BAGHDAD : Kidnapped British aid worker Margaret Hassan pleaded for London to save her life by scrapping a plan to redeploy Britain #39;s troops in Iraq, as seven people died in US air and artillery strikes on rebel-held Fallujah.


Hooters Opens First China Outlet in Shan (AP) AP - The beer is flowing, John Fogerty is singing on the stereo and six scantily clad young Chinese women are doing the hokey-pokey.


Wisconsin Won't Have James Vs. N'western (AP) AP - Wisconsin won't have tenacious and talented defensive end Erasmus James in the lineup Saturday when it faces nemesis Northwestern. That doesn't stop Wildcats coach Randy Walker from fretting over the Badgers' relentless pass rush.


U.S. attorney general says his country needs Canada's help to thwart terror (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft says his country needs Canada's help to thwart terrorism in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election Nov. 2.


Thousands Sign Up for Space Flights (AP) AP - "Star Trek" star William Shatner and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro are among thousands who want to fly on Virgin's proposed commercial space flights, company chief Richard Branson said Friday.


Despite Marketing, Cigarette Sales Fall Tobacco companies are spending more than ever to market cigarettes, but sales still are falling, according to a new government study.


2004 US Senate Outlook With all the hoopla over Bush and Kerry, some of you may not have been paying close attention to the other races going on in this loaded US political season. I've read a good dozen or so Senate outlooks, and my blurry eyes and spinning brain kept getting lost in all the numbers and losing track of who, ultimately, was likely to control the Senate on November third. So I made my very own Senate outlook to figure it out (or add further confusion, depending on what you think of my predictions). The bad news is, we probably won't know who controls the Senate on November third. The good news, if you're a Democrat (or a person who loves one), is that my best guess at this point is that when the dust settles, Democrats will probably be in control by the very slimmest possible margin. Shock! But everyone knows the Dems have no chance of taking either house of Congress. I think everyone hasn't been paying attention. Read on for my rundown.


British Economic Growth Slows British economic growth slowed considerably in the third quarter of 2004 due to poor performance in the industrial sector. Preliminary figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that gross domestic


Google Gaps Leave Search Susceptible While Google has risen in prominence and popularity, the details of its search software, even though it is open source, are largely unknown to outsiders.


Mourinho accuses Mutu of untruths Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has insisted troubled striker Adrian Mutu #39;s claim the pair had a furious row over the Romanian #39;s international duty is false.


Fast Forward: NFL Week 7 breakdown It will never be Yankees-Red Sox, but this may very well be the best rivalry in the NFL. All the big ones - Bears-Packers, Redskins-Cowboys, Steelers-Browns, Broncos-Raiders - have lost some of their luster


College football team hopes Big Boi concert keeps team in Division <b>...</b> NASHVILLE, Tenn. The football team at Middle Tennessee State is pinning its hopes on Big Boi. He #39;s not a football player -- he #39;s the guy who #39;s part of the hip-hop duo OutKast.


Powell leaves on Asian tour for talks on NKorea, US troops, Taiwan WASHINGTON : US Secretary of State Colin Powell left here for a three-nation tour of north Asia focused on resolving the North Korean nuclear deadlock, China and Taiwan and the presence of US troops in Japan and South Korea.


British Economic Growth Slows (AP) AP - British economic growth slowed considerably in the third quarter of 2004, hit by a poor performance from the industrial sector.


Google Phishing Holes Found (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Two Google site vulnerabilities that could be used to mount phishing attacks have been reported, says the Internet search giant. It already has fixed one, and expects to patch the second shortly.


Product Review: Blackberry 7100t Smartphone (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Research In Motion's (Nasdaq: RIMM) quad-band \BlackBerry 7100t with \PDA capabilities is a GSM/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) cellular handset that can make and receive phone calls in more than 100 countries around the world.


Consumers Give up Land-Lines for Cell Phones (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Consumers increasingly are moving away from using fixed-line phones together with cell phones to using cell phones for all or most of their voice calls, according to a study carried out for Nokia (NYSE: NOK) by UK market research company MORI.


Security Flaw in Browsers Poses Phishing Threat (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - A security issue has been discovered in a common feature included in several Web browsers, including Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, Konqueror and Camino.


Robot Future Hinges on Software (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Robot sales to consumers and enterprises are on the verge of exploding, according to a new study.


NEC Tops IBM with Speedier Supercomputer (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - NEC (Nasdaq: NIPNY) continues to play "can you top this" with IBM (NYSE: IBM), as the Japanese company claims that its latest supercomputer is faster than the ultra high-performance machine rolled out less than a month ago by Big Blue.


Marsh to Replace CEO Greenberg - FT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jeffrey Greenberg, chairman and chief  executive of embattled insurance broker Marsh   McLennan Cos.  MMC.N, is expected to step down within hours, the Financial  Times reported on Friday.


3Com opens research center in India \The facility's 35 engineers will focus on Net telephony, says the firm, which plans to double the center's head count within a year.\


AMD offering blueprint for \$249 PC "Personal Internet Communicator" is geared toward families in so-called emerging markets, such as China and India.


Ex-Citigroup execs may face SEC charges, banking company says in <b>...</b> NEW YORK -- The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering recommending charges against a Citigroup executive whose departure was announced this week, the financial-services giant said Friday.


Someone Hacked Into Purdue's Computers (AP) AP - Someone gained unauthorized access to Purdue's computer network, prompting school officials to urge all students, staff and faculty to change their passwords.


Wakefield #39;s nightmare becomes a dream Shortly before throwing the first pitch in Saturday night #39;s opening game of the World Series, Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield will pause for just a second to locate his wife


Sharp Departs U.S. PDA Market (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - In yet another indication that the U.S. market for PDAs is losing momentum, Sharp Electronics has announced it will stop selling its Linux-based handheld computer -- the Zaurus SL6000 -- in the United States.


Siebel Systems Delivers Q3 Profit (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Siebel (Nasdaq: SEBL) topped expectations in its \third-quarter earnings results, registering a profit, higher sales and an increase in software-license revenue from the previous quarter.


Google #39;s revenues spike, still short on profits Internet search engine giant Google Inc. trumped analysts #39; revenue forecasts in its first quarter as a public company, but still fell far short of the mark on earnings.


Citigroup #39;s Ex-Exec May Face SEC Action Citigroup Inc. on Friday said US securities regulators are thinking of recommending enforcement proceedings against the former head of Citigroup Global Investment Management.


Status for Vikings #39; Moss Uncertain EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - Vikings receiver Randy Moss tested his strained right hamstring on Friday, but his status for Minnesota #39;s game against Tennessee this weekend remained uncertain.


Stocks Off on Microsoft; Dow at Year Low  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The blue-chip Dow average fell to a  new intraday low for the year on Friday as oil prices climbed  to another record and Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O dragged on  stocks after the software maker's revenue forecast lagged  analysts' expectations.


Ohio State RB Ross Suspended for Game Versus Indiana  COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sports Network) - Ohio State head football  coach Jim Tressel announced Friday that senior running back  Lydell Ross has been suspended for Saturday's home game against  Indiana.


Moody #39;s upgrades JC Penney #39;s debt ratings Moody #39;s Investors Service on Friday upgraded JC Penney Co. Inc. #39;s (JCP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) debt ratings to just one step below investment-grade status, citing factors


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


VARs Question IBM #39;s SMB Blade Push To move the blade server market from the enterprise to small and midsize businesses, IBM on Friday unveiled a new BladeCenter chassis and new blade solutions for SMBs.


Art as Game: Grand Theft Auto Hi Nothing announces the molasses-like onset of autumn as much as the cooling temperatures, and colorful fronds and leavessomething I refer to as a sort of pleasant depression or a delightful malaise.


Coulthard tries to sell himself to Williams With a faint air of desperation, David Coulthard has told Williams that he is the best man to be Mark Webbers team-mate in 2005.


Vikings WR Moss tests injured hamstring Moss ran on a treadmill and missed his third straight practice. Coach Mike Tice said his star receiver looked  quot;pretty good quot; and would do more work on Oct. 23.


Canadian ice dancers sit third at Skate America CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Canadian ice dancers Aaron Lowe and Megan Wing are off to a strong start at the Skate America competition in Pittsburgh.


Iraq captors repeat Bigley tactics British-Iraqi aid worker Margaret Hassan #39;s captors have released a tape of her pleading for Tony Blair to save her life, repeating a tactic used with political effect in the case of slain hostage Kenneth Bigley.


Palestinians Fire at Gaza Settlements A relative cries during the funeral for Israeli soldier Moshe Almaliach, in the southern Israeli town of Dimona, Friday, Oct. 22, 2004.


Injured Castro  #39;still in control #39; CUBAN President Fidel Castro, 87, wrote from his hospital bed today that he was doing well after an operation on a knee he broke in a fall.


Former Costa Rican President Ordered Held (AP) AP - A court on Friday ordered that former President Rafael Calderon be jailed for nine months as investigators probe corruption allegations.


Nextel Profit Rises on Customer Growth  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nextel Communications Inc. NXTL.O,  the sixth largest U.S. mobile provider, on Friday said its  quarterly profit rose on strong subscriber growth, including  better-than-expected sales to young customers.


It may have been the last title, but it was hardly the best Decades of derisive chants, combined with the Nation's obsession with the date, make it natural to believe 1918 was the high-water mark for the Red Sox team that won five of the first 15 World Series.


Poland Rejects Return of Death Penalty (AP) AP - Polish lawmakers narrowly voted Friday against reintroducing the death penalty following a series of killings that outraged the nation, including the case of a young woman who was tortured and killed on a train, then dumped out the window.


U.S. Secret Service's Other Side: Fighting Fake Money Half of all U.S. Secret Service agents are dedicated to protecting President Washington #151;and all the other Presidents on U.S. currency #151;from counterfeiters.


Cassini Probe to Fly by Saturn's Moon Titan Tuesday The Cassini spacecraft is set to buzz through the upper atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan on Tuesday, using high-tech cameras to peek at its mysterious surface.


Are Earthquakes Encouraged by High Tides? A new study indicates that very high tides are linked with substantial earthquakes along Earth's continental margins. Does the theory hold water?


Earliest Unhatched-Bird Fossil Found #151;Old as Dinosaurs A 121-million-year-old fossil of an unhatched bird has been found in China. The fossil suggests early bird species, like dinosaurs, were well developed at birth, scientists say.


FM Shalom meets with German FM Fischer Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom began a joint press conference with visiting German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer today by praising the release of Israeli Azzam Azzam by Egypt.


Lunar Eclipse Wednesday to Have Easy Viewing Hours Just in time for Halloween season, the moon next week will treat us to its most famous trick: changing from bright white to pumpkin orange as it passes through Earth's shadow.


Mercent to help Guess sell on Amazon E-commerce Web services specialist is helping retailers take the guesswork out of setting up shop on Amazon.


Taking Ethernet the distance A group of international researchers transmits data over a 10-Gigabit Ethernet link farther than anyone else to date.


Photo gallery: Playing for keeps Game publishers and hardware makers will battle for consumers' holiday dollars with a slew of high-profile releases.


QB Tate to Lead Injured Hawkeyes Vs. PSU (AP) AP - No. 25 Iowa is having a hard time keeping its tailbacks healthy.


Dollar Weakens, Seen Falling Further  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar sank on Friday as  persistent concerns over the U.S. economy and comments  throughout the week from European Central Bank and Federal  Reserve officials afforded the currency no respite.


Euro holds its ground against dollar on Fed comments LONDON, Oct 22 (AFP) - The euro held its ground against the dollar here Friday as the US currency was hampered by comments from Federal Reserve officials that suggested US interest rates might stay where they are for a while.


Update 3: Pinault Questioned Over Executive Life Lawyers representing the state of California questioned French tycoon Francois Pinault in Paris Friday over his alleged role in the illegal buyout of bankrupt insurer Executive Life.


Icelandair Buys 8.4 Pct. Stake in EasyJet Icelandair Group said Friday it had bought an 8.4 percent stake in budget airline easyJet PLC, whose share price has soared during two days of hectic trading.


Jury Finds No Fraud in Big Asbestos Case A Texas jury on Friday rejected accusations chemical maker Union Carbide had failed to disclose the dangers of asbestos and awarded no damages to Kelly-Moore Paint Co.


No Intel Inside TV The chip originally was to be released in the second half of this year, helping the microprocessor giant in its big push into the consumer electronics market.


Scientists Obtain Evidence Earth #39;s Spin Twists Space-Time Around <b>...</b> An international research team has found the first direct evidence that the Earth is dragging space and time around itself as it rotates, like a spoon spinning in honey.


Epson announces R-D1 availability Epson has announced that the world #39;s first digital rangefinder camera, the R-D1 is to begin shipping in the US on November 1 and is expected to cost around \$2,999.


Ferrari on top in practice for Brazilian GP Rubens Barrichello set the pace Friday in his native city, just ahead of Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher, as the two took the top times in practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix.


Mainz a pleasant surprise Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Sports Network) - Mainz has shocked everyone in the Bundesliga this season. The newcomers, who were expected to finish near the bottom of the table, are currently stationed in third.


N. Koreans Seek Asylum in Beijing School Chinese parents pick up their children at the gate of the Korean School in Beijing Friday Oct. 22, 2004. As many as 29 North Korean asylum seekers entered the school earlier Friday, and told school authorities


Belgian PM seeks to calm spat with DR Congo BRUSSELS, Oct 22 (AFP) - Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt sought to calm a row with the Democratic Republic of Congo Friday, voicing encouragement for the ex-colony #39;s political transition in a call to President Joseph Kabila.


Ex-CEO, Buyout Firms Eye Toys R Us (Reuters) Reuters - Toys R Us Inc. \has opened its financial records to more than a dozen\prospective suitors, including a consortium being led by the\retailer's former chairman and chief executive Michael\Goldstein, sources familiar with the situation said on Friday.


Ex-CEO, Buyout Firms Eye Toys R Us  NEW YORK/PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Toys R Us Inc. TOY.N  has opened its financial records to more than a dozen  prospective suitors, including a consortium being led by the  retailer's former chairman and chief executive Michael  Goldstein, sources familiar with the situation said on Friday.


EU to Give  #36;125M for Darfur Peacekeeping (AP) AP - Officials said the European Union will provide up to  #36;125 million to back African peacekeepers in Darfur, as the United Nations warned Friday that crucial relief convoys are in danger.


Joint Irish-Palestinian appeal for release of kidnapped aid chief (AFP) AFP - A joint appeal for the release of Dublin-born humanitarian aid worker Margaret Hassan kidnapped in Iraq was issued by the Irish and Palestinian foreign ministers.


China Mine Blast Death Toll Rises to 66 Grieving relatives scuffled with guards Friday at the scene of China's worst mining accident this year as rescue workers pulled more bodies out of a mine shaft choked with poison gas.


Mourinho Keeps Close Tabs on Players Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes vigilance is the key to knowing whether a player has developed problems outside of his footballing life.


Bush Signs Corporate Tax Cut Bill  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Without fanfare, President Bush  signed into law on Friday a nearly \$140 billion corporate tax  cut bill derided by both Democratic presidential rival John  Kerry and Republican Sen. John McCain as a giveaway to special  interests.


McAfee CFO joins Cray board Stephen Richards, CFO of security software maker McAfee, joins the board


Total Lunar Eclipse to Grace World Series Game 4 (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A unique date in the annals \  of baseball history will be recorded Wednesday, Oct. 27 when for the first time \  a total lunar eclipse will occur during a World Series game.


Astronaut Candidates Taste Zero G (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - NASA's \newest nbsp;astronaut candidates nbsp;experienced their first taste of zero gravity and are\now preparing nbsp;to make their first jet flights without the company of instructors.


Economy cools in third quarter Economic growth slowed sharply in the third quarter to its weakest level since the run-up to last year #39;s Iraq war, reinforcing expectations the Bank


UPDATE 2-Fed #39;s Santomero says rate hikes depend on economy The Federal Reserve can slow down the pace of interest rate rises if the economy grows less rapidly than it expects, Philadelphia Fed President Anthony Santomero said on Friday.


State of Hawaii bonds sell well The State of Hawaii has sold \$225 million of general obligation bonds at an interest rate of 4.11 percent. It is, state officials said, the lowest interest rate offered in more than 30 years.


Bush Signs Corporate Tax Cut Bill (Reuters) Reuters - Without fanfare, President Bush\signed into law on Friday a nearly  #36;140 billion corporate tax\cut bill derided by both Democratic presidential rival John\Kerry and Republican Sen. John McCain as a giveaway to special\interests.


More uses planned for the  quot;Cell quot; processor We recently reported on Cell processor details that were unveiled to the public. This time around Sony and partners IBM and Toshiba made clear in a joint statement


Yahoo Purchases E-Mail Search Company Yahoo has quietly purchased e-mail software company Stata Labs, in what could be an investment in a coming PC search tool to rival Google and Microsoft.


San Francisco Aims For Citywide WiFi How cool would this be? Free WiFi for everyone in San Francisco. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom set a goal Thursday of providing free wireless Internet activity in his city.


The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Developer Diary Well, we started the project soon after Morrowind, and our team was split into two groups -- one working on technology for Oblivion, and one working on expansion packs.


Formula One gets sweeping technical changes Formula One #39;s governing body imposed sweeping technical changes Friday designed to slash costs and improve the qualify of racing starting next year.


Fearless Freddie #39;s hooked on Funday ARSENAL #39;S Fredrik Ljungberg belives Sunday #39;s clash at Manchester United will be great fun for the high-flying Gunners. Arsenal can not only reach a half-century in unbeaten league games if they avoid defeat


LJUBICIC EDGES THROUGH Croatian Ivan Ljubicic rifled down 27 aces as he progressed to the semi-final of the Madrid Masters, by beating seventh seed Joaquin Johansson by two sets to one on Friday.


Football Team Hoping to Score With Big Boi The football team is 2-4 and attendance is down, but Middle Tennessee State is hoping OutKast #39;s Big Boi can save the day. No, the rapper isn #39;t suiting up.


Gerets - eyeing top spot. (Getty Images) Wolfsburg can reclaim top spot in the Bundesliga for 24 hours at least if they can pile more misery on misfiring Bochum on Saturday.


Dow at Year Low as Oil Hits Record  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow Industrial average fell to a  new low for the year on Friday as oil prices jumped to a fresh  record and tech bellwether Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O weighed on  stocks after its revenue forecast lagged Wall Street  expectations.


The Business Week In Pictures NEW YORK - Oil and corporate earnings reports dominated the week. Oil bobbled around \$55 a barrel for much of the week. US Federal Reserve Gov.


Company closes after salmonella outbreak Publicity from a salmonella outbreak has put a West Virginia produce company out of business, even though inspections found no trace of the bacteria at the plant.


The Cardinals win over the Astros St. Louis rallied for three runs in the sixth inning off 42-year-old Roger Clemens and beat Houston 5-to-2 to win the National League pennant for the first time since 1987.


UN Cloning Treaty on Hold Until After U.S. Election (Reuters) Reuters - The Bush administration on\Friday urged quick U.N. action on a global treaty to ban all\cloning of human embryos, including for medical research, but\diplomats said the measure would go nowhere before the Nov. 2\U.S. elections.


Predicting a President: Slight Shift to Bush on Newspaper Sites' Electoral Maps (Editor and Publisher) Editor and Publisher - NEW YORK For the second day in a row, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today were the only newspaper sites to shift their electoral-college numbers in E P's exclusive tracking of seven major newspaper Web sites with electoral-college maps.


Saab Posts Gains in Profit and Sales (AP) AP - Saab AB reported higher third-quarter profits on Friday and project growth of 5 percent through 2004 as contracts for its military and aviation equipment remained steady during the quarter.


The Man Who Could Have Been Bill Gates (BusinessWeek Online) BusinessWeek Online - The saga of the computing industry is rich with outsize characters and surprising plot turns, but there's one story that has risen over time to mythic proportions. It's the tale of how software pioneer Gary Kildall missed out on the opportunity to supply IBM  with the operating system for its first PC -- essentially handing the chance of a lifetime, and control of tech's future, to rival Bill Gates and Microsoft Corp. . In the process, he may have missed out on becoming the world's richest man.


Edwards: Bush, Cheney Manipulate Facts (AP) AP - Democratic Sen. John Edwards accused President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday of manipulating facts and trying to frighten Americans in a desperate effort to win re-election.


quot;Blog quot; the word of the year The word  quot;Blog quot; is the word of the year by Merriam-Webster, the renowned American dictionary publisher. According to Merriam-Webster, the word  quot;blog quot;, short for Weblog, is a


Briefly: McAfee CFO joins Cray board roundup Plus: Unisys boosts COO to CEO...Turn your fingerprints into passwords...IBM gives grants to universities.


UN Cloning Treaty on Hold Until After U.S. Election  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Bush administration on  Friday urged quick U.N. action on a global treaty to ban all  cloning of human embryos, including for medical research, but  diplomats said the measure would go nowhere before the Nov. 2  U.S. elections.


Protesters Attack Fox's Car in Mexico Border City  CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - Public health and  education workers kicked and punched a sports utility vehicle  carrying Mexican President Vicente Fox on Friday as he toured  Ciudad Juarez on the U.S. border, local media said.


'Environment threat' to Caucasus Damage to the environment could make existing tensions in the southern Caucasus even more intractable, researchers say.


Barrichello Fires Up the Fans in Brazil  SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello fired up  his passionate home crowd on Friday with the fastest lap in  practice for Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.


Spitzer Probing Record Biz Promoters pay radio stations annual fees for advance copies of playlists and bill record companies for each new song played, running up a tab that costs the industry tens of millions of dollars annually.


Icelandair buys stake in easyJet Iceland #39;s flag carrier Icelandair has bought 8.4 percent of easyJet but stopped short of launching a takeover bid for the low-cost carrier.


New Plant Bringing 420 New Jobs To Area MUNCIE, Ind. -- Officials announced an agreement Friday to build a manufacturing plant in Muncie that will create 420 jobs. Magna Drivetrain of America, Inc.


Falconbridge Profit Rises Eightfold on Nickel Prices (Update3) Falconbridge Ltd., the world #39;s third- biggest nickel producer, said third-quarter earnings rose more than eightfold as base-metal prices jumped.


IMF chief asks oil producing nations to boost investment GENEVA: International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Rodrigo Rato on Friday called on oil-producing nations to boost investment in production facilities in response to ever rising oil prices.


Eagles' McDougle Has Irregular Heartbeat (AP) AP - Philadelphia defensive end Jerome McDougle missed practice Friday because of an irregular heartbeat and was doubtful for the Eagles' game this weekend against Cleveland.


Campaign probe names SF official The No. 2 official at the San Francisco Department of Public Works threatened workers under contract to clean city streets with loss of pay if they didn #39;t campaign for Gavin Newsom for mayor, according to


Cisco To Pay \$74 Million for Security Vendor Perfigo Yankee Group senior analyst Zeus Kerravala told the E-Commerce Times that CleanMachines is a good fit for Cisco #39;s Network Admission Control (NAC) architecture.


Bird species showing decline A report released recently by the National Audubon Society indicates a number of bird species are decreasing in number all over the country.


Irish Out to Protect Home Turf Against BC (AP) AP - Notre Dame is out to protect its turf against Boston College on Saturday.


Four Infineon Executives Headed to Prison Four Infineon Technologies executives have agreed to pay US\$250,000 fines and serve prison time in the US for their roles in an international conspiracy to fix prices for DRAM computer memory chips, the Justice Department announced yesterday.


Mutu #39;s Lying Claims Mourinho Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has accused Adrian Mutu of lying about a clash between the pair over the striker #39;s availability for Romania #39;s World Cup qualifiers earlier this month.


Ferrari on top in practice for Brazilian GP Rubens Barrichello took advantage of a warm afternoon track in his native city to record the fastest time in practice Friday for the Brazilian Grand Prix, edging out Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher as the pair set the pace for


Indians lock up Howry SPORTS NETWORK - The Cleveland Indians on Friday agreed to a one-year contract with reliever Bob Howry. Howry, who was eligible for salary arbitration, went 4-2 with a 2.74 earned-run average in 37 games this past season.


Oil Hits New Highs, China Growth Supports  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rallied 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.


Google Results Evoke 'Dot-Com' Fervor  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Google Inc. gained more  than 15 percent on Friday, to trade at more than twice the  level of its cut-price IPO, after the Web search leader  delivered strong quarterly results in its first reported  quarter as a public company.


Dollar Slumps Broadly, More Losses Seen  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar stumbled on Friday as  persistent concerns over the U.S. economy and comments  throughout the week from European Central Bank and Federal  Reserve officials allowed the currency no respite.


Google Shares Surge On Market Forecasts Google Shares Surge On Market Forecasts\\On Friday Google stocks soared up 20 percent on earnings news to trade at over 100 of its lower than expected IPO price two months ago. Google reported an earnings report on Thursday which showed large gains in come due to to the Google AdWords ...


Stocks tumble as oil surges again The Dow Jones industrial average fell 108 points to about 97-hundred-58. Decliners on the New York Stock Exchange outnumbered advancers by a five-to-three margin.


Yahoo Buys E-Mail Search Firm Stata Labs Yahoo is eager to improve its Web-based Yahoo Mail, which competes most directly with market-leader Hotmail from Microsoft. Though many of the users of those services do not pay for them, the


UPDATE 2-Barrichello fires up the fans in Brazil Ferrari #39;s Rubens Barrichello fired up his passionate home crowd on Friday with the fastest lap in practice for Sunday #39;s season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.


Vikings #39; Culpepper off to fastest start in league history  quot;Maybe a couple times my senior year at UCF, (the University of Central Florida), or even back in high school, #39; #39; said the Minnesota Vikings quarterback on Thursday, in a quickie phone interview between preparations for Sunday #39;s home game against


Global Warming Effects Faster Than Feared - Experts (Reuters) Reuters - Recent storms, droughts and heat\waves are probably being caused by global warming, which means\the effects of climate change are coming faster than anyone had\feared, climate experts said on Thursday.


Second Free Practice: Setting a fast pace Rubens Barrichello went fastest this afternoon  with a lap 2.7s faster than the 2003 pole position.


Ind. Woman Suffers Stage Fright at Debate (AP) AP - An Indiana congressional candidate abruptly walked off the set of a debate because she got stage fright.


This week in Apple news Apple Computer introduced a slew of new machines as it gears up for the annual holiday-shopping season.


Less Than Lethal Weapon Proves Lethal Modern police departments have been deploying modified paintball guns like the ones provided by Pepperball, Inc. to help police officers balance the American people's First Amendment right of free assembly against the demands of politicians. The "less than lethal" designation of these weapons was highlighted recently by the shooting death of Victoria Snelgrove, a baseball fan, by Pepperball equipped police near Fenway Park in Boston.


Ancient Bird Fossil May Suggest Link with Dinosaurs Scientists in China have found a 120 million-year-old fossil of a baby bird which is believed to have died just before it hatched and which could shed light on the relationship between dinosaurs and birds.


Belgians find Canadian jokes about them "less than flattering" (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - The Belgians are less than flattered by all the wisecracks these days about their country from the federal Liberals.


Judge Investigates Another Total Executive (AP) AP - A judge investigating suspicions that Total paid bribes to access markets has opened legal proceedings against one of the oil giant's Middle East directors, judicial officials said Friday.


Zimbabwe to Bar Observers From Elections (AP) AP - Zimbabwe's government will prohibit African observers from monitoring national parliamentary elections next year if they have close links with Western countries, an official said Friday.


Tigers Reach Deal With First-Round Pick (AP) AP - The Detroit Tigers reached a five-year deal with right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander, the second overall pick in the June draft.


Dow Slides to Year Low on Oil, Microsoft  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The blue-chip Dow closed at its lowest  point this year on Friday as oil prices climbed to another  record and Microsoft Corp.'s MSFT.O revenue forecast lagged  analysts' expectations.


Abramovich: Sells Stake To Countryman From one billionaire to the next: Two members of the Forbes list of the world #39;s richest people are players in deal surrounding Russian Aluminum, the world #39;s third largest producer of what #39;s known on the periodic table as  quot;Al quot;.


Ford, DaimlerChrysler close in on confirming thousands of new auto <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - Thousands of jobs could be created over the next two years by two Big Three automakers closing in on official announcements of significant plant expansions in southern Ontario, the president of the Canadian Auto Workers union said Friday.


Yahoo buys e-mail software firm Stata OCTOBER 22, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Yahoo Inc. has snapped up privately held software company Stata Labs, which develops technology allowing users to quickly search through e-mail and attachments.


Intel Abandons Projection TV Chip Intel first unveiled its plans to develop a liquid on crystal silicon chip in January. In August, the company said the chip would not be released by the end of the year.


IBM Slashes Blade Prices For SMBs IBM on Friday unveiled its lowest-priced-ever BladeCenter chassis and a series of ready-to-go solutions, dubbed  quot;business-in-a-box quot; to push blades deeper into small- and mid-sized businesses (SMB).


Epson intros rangefinder digital camera Epson America Inc. on Thursday introduced the R-D1, a rangefinder digital camera. The American introduction of the R-D1 trails its Japanese unveiling earlier this year.


Internet Life  #39;Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas #39; Leaked to Web Pirated copies of the American version of Rockstar #39;s  quot;Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas quot; for PlayStation2 are showing up the Internet weeks before the game is set to go on sale.


Bhupathi, Mirnyi lose in last four Madrid: Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi bowed out of the \$2.45 million Masters Series meet on Friday. The third seeds were beaten 4-6, 6-7 (3-7) by No.


Broadhurst keeps promise to wife in Madrid Paul Broadhurst #39;s wife gave him the go-ahead to play this week #39;s Madrid Open after the birth of their son a month ago -- provided he did well -- and he has responded by taking over the second round lead.


Vast Turkmen mosque opens \A new mosque, thought to be the largest in central Asia, is inaugurated in the isolated republic.


Wife of soldier sentenced in prison abuse scandal speaks out BALTIMORE - The wife of an Army reservist sentenced to prison for abusing prisoners in Iraq said she knows her husband was wrong, but she also blames higher-ranking officials who  quot;sit behind the curtains quot; for the abuse.


Quantum buys Certance for \$60M Tape storage vendor Quantum Corp. this week announced that it's buying Certance LLC, a maker of a competing tape drive technology.


Avis Europe is latest to get stung by IT Avis Europe PLC has dumped a new ERP system based on software from PeopleSoft Inc. before it was even rolled out, citing substantial delays and higher-than-expected costs.


EU court ruling on Microsoft could come by next month A European Union judge's decision on whether to suspend sanctions against Microsoft Corp. could come as early as mid-November, sources familiar with the process said today.


IT pay to rise 10 to 15 through 2007, study says As the economy improves and companies begin to invest more in IT projects, demand for senior IT workers will help drive double-digit salary increases for top techies through 2007, according to a new Meta Group report.


Yahoo buys e-mail software firm Stata Stata Labs' e-mail client, Bloomba, won't be continued, but the move generated speculation that Yahoo may be gearing up to take on Google's Gmail webmail service.


U.K. officials criticize secrecy in EDS system probe The U.K. government is under fire from Parliament over IT system failures at the Department of Work and Pensions' Child Support Agency and what members see as secrecy surrounding government efforts to identify and fix problems.


Report: Corporate security undermined by lack of cooperation A lack of communication between information security, physical security and risk management functions could be leaving gaps in corporate security.


PeopleSoft posts solid Q3 revenue growth PeopleSoft reported a 12 increase in revenue, to \$698.8 million, and a slight uptick in revenue from software license sales in the quarter that ended Sept. 30.


Bad times boost efforts to align IT, business goals CIOs from three organizations this week outlined steps they're taking to align IT with business goals and detailed some of the results they are seeing from their efforts.


Amazon.com net sales jump 29; Google reports \$52M in net income Amazon.com Inc. reported net sales of \$1.46 billion in its third quarter, while Google reported \$805.9 million in revenue, an increase of 105 over the same quarter last year.


Quantum buys Certance for \$60M OCTOBER 22, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Tape storage vendor Quantum Corp. announced this week that it has acquired Certance LLC, a maker of a competing tape drive technology for \$60 million in cash.


Cisco Beefs Up Security Through Acquisitions Cisco Systems will pay \$74 million for Perfigo, a developer of packaged network access control products. Perfigo #39;s product, CleanMachines, will bolster up Cisco #39;s network security offerings for the small and mid-size business market.


Anti-Kerry Veterans Send Mail to 6 States (AP) AP - Vietnam veterans who oppose John Kerry's presidential campaign sent out 2.4 million pieces of mail in six battleground states over the past two weeks, restating their complaints against the Democratic candidate.


Army Studying Halliburton Compromise  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army is studying a possible  compromise with Halliburton Co. that might allow the company to  keep several billion dollars in disputed billings for work in  Iraq, defense officials said on Friday.


Google Doubles Profits Google #39;s first quarterly earnings statement since its recent IPO rewarded investors with the news that the company has doubled its profits in the past year.


Chinas Q3 growth slows BEIJING, OCTOBER 22: China #39;s economy expanded by 9.1 per cent in the third quarter compared with a year earlier, marking the third consecutive quarter of slower growth as Beijing reins in investment and lending.


Bush signs \$136 billion corp tax cut bill President George Bush Friday, without ceremony, signed into law a \$136 billion US corporate tax cut bill. The bill gives tax breaks to a range of businesses from farmers to Hollywood producers to large corporations.


Muncie to Get 300 New Jobs (Muncie) - Governor Joe Kernan announced a deal Friday that will lead to a new auto parts factory in Delaware County. Magna Drivetrain will create more than 300 jobs.


Microsoft fixes date for desktop search tool com October 22, 2004, 1:56 PM PT. This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been enterprise directories as organizations spawn projects around identity infrastructure.


New IBM Blade Cuts into Small Businesses  quot;We are dispelling the industry notion that blade servers are only a large enterprise play, quot; Jeff Benck, vice president for IBM eServer BladeCenter, said.


Cisco to Acquire Perfigo In another move to address the increased threat and impact of worms and viruses to networked businesses, Cisco Systems, Inc. (www.


TI to put DVB-H in Single Chip Texas Instruments have just announced they will be building a single chip that will that will allow cell phones to receive digital television broadcasts over a wireless network.


Ljubicic advances MADRID, Oct. 22. - Ivan Ljubicic edged No. 7 seed Joachim Johansson in three tough sets on Friday to reach the semi-finals in the \$3 m Madrid Masters.


Vettori sets up innings victory Dhaka: Daniel Vettori captured six wickets as New Zealand completed a hattrick of victories over Bangladesh after clinching the opening Test by an innings and 99 runs on Friday.


For one week at least, Boston lives up to its name: the Hub More than a hundred thousand fans are expected to descend on the city this weekend to watch some crew races. A playoff game kicks off on Saturday evening


CalPERS chief tries for new seat on pension board Bee Staff Writer. Sean Harrigan, ousted from the board of the California Public Employees #39; Retirement System, is lobbying for a return to the powerful pension fund, but his campaign does


U.S. Discourages North Korea WMD Attack (AP) AP - The United States promised South Korea on Friday that any North Korean use of weapons of mass destruction after a planned U.S. troop pullout "would have the gravest consequences."


Michigan Secondary Looks to Bully Purdue (AP) AP - Michigan's defensive backs have bullied and beaten Purdue's receivers in three straight wins over the Boilermakers.


RCMP are looking into explosive comments made by Vancouver Muslim cleric (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - VANCOUVER (CP) - RCMP and Vancouver police are investigating explosive comments made by a Vancouver Muslim cleric who has preached the virtues of "offensive jihad" and called Jews "the brothers of monkeys and swine."


Marsh Chief May Step Down as Part of Settlement Independent directors at Marsh   McLennan have begun talking to the New York attorney general about forcing the resignation of Jeffrey W. Greenberg, the chief executive.


Rumsfeld: US to keep 'healthy deterrent' on Korean peninsula (AFP) AFP - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld assured South Korea the United States will keep a  quot;healthy deterrent quot; in the Korean peninsula even as it shifts defense responsibility to South Korea.


Wakefield Ready for the Bright Lights of World Series  BOSTON (Sports Network) - When the lights go on Saturday at  Fenway Park it will be exactly 18 years to the day the last  World Series game was played at the famed stadium.


President Bush signs new corporate tax-cut bill US President George W. President Bush signed on Friday a new corporate tax bill which will shower 136 billion dollars on US businesses, farmers and other groups in coming years.


Agassi, Ljubicic advance in Madrid Masters Ivan Ljubicic edged No. 7 seed Joachim Johansson in three sets Friday to reach the semifinals in the \$3 million Madrid Masters. The unseeded Croatian, who knocked out top seed Tim Henman


CICA Foreign Ministers sign declaration RBC, 22.10.2004, Almaty 17:38:00.Foreign Ministers of the members of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building measures in Asia (CICA) have signed a declaration on the meeting of CICA ministers and approved the Confidence-Building Measures


Provisional Vote Fight Nears High Court (AP) AP - The Supreme Court, which settled the last presidential election, may be drawn into this one even before Election Day.


Halloween Evolves Into High-Tech Holiday (AP) AP - As a child, Tom McGannon always had the most decorated house on the block during the Halloween season. At 36, he still does, but the decorations are more high-tech.


Yahoo to Close PayDirect Online Payments Service (Reuters) Reuters - Yahoo Inc. in November will close\PayDirect, its online payments service that aimed to compete\with eBay Inc.'s PayPal, the company said on Friday.


Premiership: Manchester United V Arsenal - Clash of the Titans Forget the three league points at stake. The only thing on the line in Sundays mouth-watering clash between the Premierships two superpowers is pride.


Rapids look for playoff revenge vs. LA DENVER -- The second-seeded Los Angeles Galaxy travel to INVESCO Field at Mile High to face the third-seeded Colorado Rapids in the opening game of the 2004 MLS playoffs Friday.


Paint the Town Red: Red Sox and Redbirds (AP) AP - The World Series logo was back on the field at Fenway Park, just like last year.


Google v. Microsoft: Trustbusters Not Needed Last week, Google, a company renowned for its search service, released the Google Desktop, a software program that lets users search through materials stored on their


Agassi Moves Into Semis in Madrid Tourney (AP) AP - Andre Agassi was greeted by a banner before his quarterfinal match at the Madrid Masters saying: "Agassi, thanks for keeping on playing. Spain loves u!!!"


Abuse  #39;ringleader #39; gets 8-year sentence A military court sentenced Staff Sgt. Ivan Frederick yesterday to eight years in prison for abusing Iraqi prisoners last year in the grim chambers of Abu Ghraib.


Darfur security situation amplifies humanitarian crisis, United <b>...</b> Darfur #39;s security situation remains unstable with gunmen attacking relief convoys, civilians and African villagers, causing roads to be blocked and areas to be classified as no-go zones, the United Nations said Friday.


Ontario delivers long-awaited gas-tax revenue to cash-strapped cities (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (CP) - The Ontario government finally made good Friday on its long-awaited promise to start siphoning millions in gas-tax revenue to municipalities desperate to fix crumbling infrastructure and underfunded transit systems.


Democrat Seeks Probe of Bush Aides' Travel (AP) AP - The chairwoman of the House Democrats' homeland security task force is asking Congress' independent auditors to examine travel by senior Bush administration officials in light of recent trips to hotly contested states in the 2004 presidential election.


ADV: Free Weeks of The Wall Street Journal Global events, financial markets, your personal finances - The Wall Street Journal is the one source that tells you how all the pieces fit together. Subscribe now and get up to 8 free weeks!


Pentagon threatens 'gravest consequences' if North Korea attacks South (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States promised South Korea on Friday any North Korean use of weapons of mass destruction after a planned U.S. troop pullout from the South "would have the gravest consequences."


Marsh Stock Jumps on Talk of CEO Change  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Marsh   McLennan Cos. shares were  whipsawed on Friday amid conflicting reports that a change in  the insurance broker's top management was imminent.


Ex-Citigroup Executives May Face S.E.C. Charges Citigroup said that federal regulators had warned the bank that an investigation of its asset management unit could result in an enforcement action.


Report: Intel shelves another chip Intel Corp., the world #39;s largest maker of computer chips and a major employer in Folsom, has reportedly dropped plans to develop a chip for projection TVs, the latest in a series of product shifts by the Santa Clara company.


NASA Cassini Titan Flyby Mission Description The first targeted flyby of Titan occurs on Tuesday, October 26, 2004 at 15:30 UTC (8:30 am Pacific time). Cassini #39;s closest approach to Saturn #39;s largest satellite is at an altitude of 1200 km (746 miles) above


Hacker Exposes UC Private Information UC Berkeley officials issued a statement of regret about a computer hacking that may have exposed the names and social security numbers of about 600,000 people.


Red Sox in shape to lift The Curse with historic win TO CALL it premature elation would be wrong: having spectacularly vanquished the New York Yankees, their smugly superior rivals and progenitors of The Curse, the Boston Red Sox nation was entitled to party as if there was no tomorrow.


Broadhurst takes charge in Spain Paul Broadhurst fired a six-under-par 65 to claim a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Madrid Open. The Englishman had seven birdies to end the second round on 10 under, one ahead of Miguel Angel Jimenez, Darren Fichardt and Johan Edfors.


Ohio St. RB suspended for Indiana game COLUMBUS, Ohio - Mired in a three-game losing streak, Ohio State will be without senior running back Lydell Ross for Saturdays game against Indiana.


Tigers ink top pick Verlander Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - The Detroit Tigers reached agreement Friday on a five-year contract with Justin Verlander, the second overall selection in the 2004 amateur draft, one week after the club announced it had given up on attempting to sign the


Sudanese opposition, government start peace talks Sudanese opposition groups and a government delegation on Friday held the first full day of peace talks in Cairo with both sides optimistic about a deal, sources close to the negotiations told Egypt #39;s MENA news agency.


Ottawa balking over new offshore royalty regime for Nfld., says minister (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - ST. JOHN'S, Nfld. (CP) - Ottawa and Newfoundland have agreed to disagree over offshore oil royalties.


'Typical' Alabama Team Faces Tennessee (AP) AP - Alabama has the Southeastern Conference's best defense and rushing offense, and leads the nation in kickoff returns.