Sony #39;s new handheld video game system PSP to enter market in Dec. TOKYO, Oct 27, 2004 (Kyodo via COMTEX) -- Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Wednesday it will release its new handheld video game system PlayStation Portable on Dec. 12 for the Japanese market.


Ballmer Confronts Linux Head-On Microsoft CEO tells customers that Windows carries lower total costs and is more secure than the open-source operating system. By John Foley.


Spencer arrested while police try to serve warrant on son NASCAR driver Jimmy Spencer was arrested and accused of interfering with police officers as they attempted to serve a warrant on his son.


VIRGINIA TECH NOTES ADIBI IS EAGER: Xavier Adibi, the redshirt freshman linebacker who will return to the Virginia Tech lineup tomorrow night (7:45) when the 22nd-ranked Hokies play at Georgia Tech, said he #39;s confident that his injured right arm won #39;t give him further


Broncos' Griffin Done for the Season (Reuters) Reuters - Denver Broncos\running back Quentin Griffin will miss the remainder of the\season after being placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a\knee injury.


AU Optronics Reports Lower Profit in 3Q (AP) AP - AU Optronics Corp., which makes liquid crystal display panels used for computer and TV screens, on Wednesday reported lower third-quarter earnings and cut its forecast for the full year as prices fall for the display panels.


Nets Waive Damone Brown, Darius Rice (AP) AP - Free agent forwards Damone Brown and Darius Rice were waived by the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday.


ZIMBABWE: ZCTU condemns deportation of COSATU delegation HARARE, 27 October (IRIN) - The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) on Wednesday condemned the deportation of a 14-member South African labour delegation that had arrived in the country on a fact-finding mission.


Broncos' Griffin Done for the Season  ENGLEWOOD, Colorado (Sports Network) - Denver Broncos  running back Quentin Griffin will miss the remainder of the  season after being placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a  knee injury.


US rolls out most expensive jet The US brings into service the first FA-22 Raptor, a stealth fighter rated as the most expensive jet in history.


Golf: Donald Sets Sights on 3rd European Title  SOTOGRANDE, Spain (Reuters) - Britain's Luke Donald, twice  a winner on this year's European Tour, can break into Europe's  top 10 for 2004 if he can triumph in the season-ending Volvo  Masters at Valderrama this week.


America West Posts Loss, More Losses Loom  CHICAGO (Reuters) - America West Holdings Corp. AWA.N on  Wednesday posted a third-quarter loss and forecast losses going  forward as soaring fuel prices, weak revenue and excess  industry capacity broke a stream of profits at the parent of  America West Airlines.


Will Bad News Be Bad for Bush in Election? (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush has been dogged by a\spate of bad news in the final days of the presidential\campaign but it is unclear whether that will sway enough voters\to affect the election outcome.


Japan to Keep Troops in Iraq Despite Hostage Case  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi  said Wednesday he would not withdraw troops from Iraq despite a  threat by a militant group to behead a Japanese hostage within  48 hours unless Tokyo pulled its forces out.


Wikinews And The Growing Wikimedia Empire After almost two months of deliberation and voting, the Wikimedia Foundation has now officially launched the Wikinews project in English and German editions. More languages will follow soon. Wikinews aims to be to news media what Wikipedia is to encyclopedias: a free, comprehensive and, eventually, reliable source of information, collaboratively created by volunteers around the planet.  Wikinews explicitly allows original reporting, making it somewhat similar to Indymedia, while adhering to a strict Neutral Point of View policy.    Read on to find out what the Wikimedia community has accomplished so far, what challenges it faces, and how Wikinews can become successful.


Injury Sidelines Broncos' Griffin for Year Denver running back Quentin Griffin is out for the year. The team placed Griffin on injured reserve Wednesday, two days after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a 23-10 loss at Cincinnati.


European Tour Investigating Ballesteros The European tour is investigating Seve Ballesteros, who is accused of assaulting another Spanish golfer off the course during an amateur tournament last month.


Merger fanfare short-lived with downgrades WASHINGTON-The fanfare surrounding final government approval of Cingular Wireless LLC #39;s \$41 billion acquisition of AT amp;T Wireless Services Inc.


Oil prices decline on rise in US crude inventories NEW YORK, October 27 (newratings.com) - Crude oil prices declined sharply today after the US weekly inventory data revealed a higher-than-expected increase in crude oil inventories last week.


Black  amp; Decker Q3 earns leap 51 SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - Black  amp; Decker on Wednesday reported a 51 percent surge in third-quarter earnings reflecting strong demand in Dewalt and Price Pfister brands despite a slide in the company #39;s namesake product line.


New-home sales up surprise 3.5 in Sept. New-home sales surged unexpectedly in September, climbing 3.5, as low mortgage rates attracted buyers, a government report showed Wednesday.


Major Water Main Break Floods Street Oct. 27 (BCN) - Fremont Boulevard was reopened at approximately 4:30 am after a water main break flooded an estimated ten million gallons of water over Fremont #39;s Centerville District Tuesday night, according to the Alameda County Water District.


Google Unfolds 3D Mapping Acquisition Augmenting its technology assets and pushing into subscription services, Google (Quote, Chart) announced today that it has acquired digital mapping specialist Keyhole for an undisclosed sum.


Dell to Offer SuSE Linux-Based PowerEdge Servers Dell Inc. and Novell Inc. announced Wednesday an agreement between the two companies to distribute Novell #39;s SuSE Linux distribution preinstalled on single- and dual-processor Dell PowerEdge servers.


Ont. puts parents on notice about new video game TORONTO -- Attention, Ontario parents: there may be a skull-cracking, car-stealing thug in your living room. Jim Watson, the province #39;s consumer and business services minister, put parents on notice Wednesday


Jonathan #39;s Space Report No. 537 - October 27, 2004 Soyuz TMA-5 docked with the Pirs module on Oct 16 at 0416 UTC. Sharipov, Chiao, Shargin, Padalka and Fincke spent a week aboard the Station and at 1814 UTC on Oct 23 Padalka, Fincke and Shargin entered Soyuz


McGrath puts Australia in command; India 146/5 NAGPUR: On his first real day at the office in his 100th Test match, Glenn McGrath showed why he ranks among cricket #39;s all-time greats.


Top officials to assess preparations A delegation of top Olympic officials arrived in Beijing on Wednesday with a clear message for its hosts: Preparation is the key to successfully hosting the 2008 Games.


Hungry Bayern now second BAYERN Munich moved to within one point of the summit of the German league Bundesliga with a 2-0 win over leaders Wolfsburg. Claudio Pizarro opened his account for the season with a brace on 24 and 45 minutes


FIFA launch plan to ensure top refereeing FIFA, determined that the refereeing at the 2006 World Cup finals will be the best ever, are launching an 18-month campaign to ensure the world #39;s top referees are fully prepared for the finals in Germany.


The Kashmir flashpoint The current mindset in Pakistan appears to be flexible on the Kashmir issue. Similarly, flexibility is needed from the Indian side.


Nigerian Woman Appeals Stoning Sentence Eighteen year-old Hajara Ibrahim waits at the court waiting room while a police officers stands guard in Dass, 40 km (25 miles) south of the state capital Bauchi Nigeria, Wednesday Oct. 27, 2004.


Livewire: Today's Pop Stars in It for the URLs (Reuters) Reuters - British rock band Marillion has gone a step further. Since\striking off on its own in 2000, the band has used its online\site, http://marillion.com, to raise over 500,000 pounds\( #36;913,200) from fans to finance its last two albums and support\its first North American tour since 1995.


Police: Driver Tried to Run Over Florida Rep. Harris (Reuters) Reuters - A Florida motorist was arrested Wednesday\on charges of trying to run down U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris at\an intersection where the controversial former state elections\chief was campaigning for re-election to Congress.


Arm collaborates with Philips on low-power processor LONDON - U.K. semiconductor design company Arm Ltd. is teaming with a division of Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV to develop a self-timed processor that promises low-power consumption and easy integration for use in smart cards and consumer electronics.


Cingular is US #39;s Largest Carrier Now Cingular Wireless said it has completed its previously announced merger with AT amp;T Wireless Services Inc., creating the US #39;s biggest wireless carrier with the largest digital voice and data network in the country.


Confidence index hits 7-month low Consumers worried about job prospects. Raises questions about whether Americans will be in spending mood during holidays. Worries about job prospects sent consumer confidence in the United States to a seven


Sales of Handheld Devices Dip for Third Straight Quarter The report blames a drop in shipments from market leader palmOne and market consolidation highlighted by a near complete exit of top vendors Sony and Toshiba from international competition.


Thousands of Volkswagen workers walk out as company might have to <b>...</b> Volkswagen and its union traded threats Wednesday ahead of renewed wage talks, with several thousand workers staging short work stoppages and the German carmaker #39;s personnel chief warning of dramatic job cuts if the company doesn #39;t get cost


Renault determined to quit F1  quot;We have not reached an agreement with Bernie Ecclestone, and we are absolutely not ready to accept that there is not a better redistribution among the teams of the money generated by F1, quot; Faure said.


Injury Sidelines Broncos #39; Griffin for Year DENVER - Denver running back Quentin Griffin is out for the year. The team placed Griffin on injured reserve Wednesday, two days after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a 23-10 loss at Cincinnati.


Ryder Cup reunion at Valderrama Europe #39;s Ryder Cup team is having a reunion this week at Valderrama. All 12 members of the team which beat the United States at Oakland Hills last month are playing in the European tour #39;s season-ending Volvo Masters.


China Rejects Powell Call for Dialogue with Taiwan China rejected on Wednesday Secretary of State Colin Powell #39;s call to resume dialogue with Taipei, saying Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian #39;s overtures


City, local biz on hook for ATA failure Chicago and its business community may take a harder hit from Tuesdays bankruptcy filing by ATA Holdings Corp. than the troubled airlines hometown of Indianapolis, a court document shows.


Labor market haunts consumer confidence Consumer confidence tumbled for the third consecutive month in October, private research group The Conference Board reported Tuesday.


US commercial oil inventories up last week The commercial stocks of crude oil in the United States surged by 4.0 million barrels to 283.4 million barrels in the week ending on October 22, near the lower end of average


Georgia makes secret wealth offer Georgia is offering a one-off  #39;tax amnesty #39; to people who hid their earnings under the regime of former president Eduard Shevardnadze.


Workers of Germany #39;s VW hold major protests ahead of wage talks Thousands of workers of German car giant Volkswagen on Wednesday held demonstrations ahead of a crucial round of wage talks. The company #39;s works council said Wednesday that about


Scientists Pore Over Pictures Of Saturns Mysterious Moon NASAs Cassini spacecraft pierced some of the thick veil of haze that hides Saturns giant moon at 8:25 pm CDT Tuesday as it passed within 750 miles of Titan.


Scientists Discover Ancient  #39;Little People #39; Scientists have discovered a tiny species of ancient human that lived 18,000 years ago on an isolated island east of the Java Sea -- a prehistoric hunter in a  quot;lost world quot; of giant lizards and miniature elephants.


Finland fires national hockey coach CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Raimo Summanen, who signed a three-year deal through 2006 to coach Finland #39;s national hockey team, has been relieved of his duties.


Mikelsons: ATA Founder Has Grim Duty In Bankruptcy Filing As Delta Air Lines (nyse: DAL - news - people ) agonizes over whether to seek the shelter of Chapter 11, ATA Holdings (nasdaq: ATAH - news - people ) beat them to the punch.


Boeing Profit Up 78 Pct., Raises Forecast Boeing Co. on Wednesday topped Wall Street expectations with a 78 percent jump in quarterly profit on strength in its defense operations, and raised its earnings forecast for 2004.


Sony #39;s October surprise NEW YORK (CNN/Money ) - In recent weeks, analysts and pundits have filled the air with speculation that Sony would be forced to delay its entry in the handheld gaming market.


Azeri in a Breeders #39; Cup Classic Gamble Azeri, Horse of the Year in 2002 and a near certainty for the Distaff Race in the Breeders #39; Cup at Lone Star Park Saturday, is to run instead in the tougher but much more prestigious \$4 million Classic.


Thai Prime Minister admits army made mistakes PATTANI - Thailand #39;s Government faced withering criticism after nearly 80 Muslims suffocated to death while in Army custody, with one newspaper blaming the tragedy on the Prime Minister #39;s  quot;flawed quot; leadership.


Azeri in a Breeders' Cup Classic Gamble  GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (Reuters) - Azeri, Horse of the Year  in 2002 and a near certainty for the Distaff Race in the  Breeders' Cup at Lone Star Park Saturday, is to run instead in  the tougher but much more prestigious \$4 million Classic.


Anger at greenhouse 'climbdown' A cap on industrial carbon dioxide emissions is to be cut back by the government, angering green groups.


At wireless show, it's Yahoo vs. Google Yahoo adds a search feature for cell phones, following a similar move by Google. Also:  Start-up Seven gets addicted to Java.


Dot-Com Business Plan Archive David Kirsch will be online to talk about research at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business to preserve records from the dot-com era of the late 1990s.


Medical Journal to Be Available Online (AP) AP - A new online medical journal will make its research articles available to the public free of charge and accessible through the Internet.


Bush's Campaign Site Reported Blocking (AP) AP - U.S. President George W. Bush's official campaign Web site has blocked access to foreign Web surfers since Monday, an Internet monitoring company said Wednesday.


Hungary Bans Paprika; National Dish a Health Risk (Reuters) Reuters - Hungary on Wednesday ordered food\retailers to withdraw all products containing paprika, the\fiery red spice that is an essential ingredient in the\Hungarian national dish, goulash.


Samsung Electronics develops world's highest-capacity SRAM chip (AFP) AFP - South Korea's Samsung Electronics said it has developed the world's highest-capacity SRAM (static random access memory) chip for high-performance networking systems.


Newmont Strikes Gold, Profits, Costs Up  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The world's largest gold producer,  Newmont Mining Corp. NEM.N, said on Wednesday that higher  gold prices drove up quarterly profit by 12.5 percent, even  though it sold less of the precious metal.


Hungary Bans Paprika; National Dish a Health Risk  BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary on Wednesday ordered food  retailers to withdraw all products containing paprika, the  fiery red spice that is an essential ingredient in the  Hungarian national dish, goulash.


Fed: High oil constrains spending Reports from Federal Reserve districts say economy is growing but energy prices have cut spending. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US economy kept on growing in September and early October, even as higher prices


New home sales rise The US Commerce Department said Wednesday sales of new homes rose 3.5 percent in September to a 1.206 million annual rate, the third-highest pace on record.


A Saturn moon with echoes of Earth The Cassini spacecraft, in a dramatic flyby of the Saturn moon Titan, has sent back images of an alien expanse that has many of the hallmarks of a young Earth before the rise of organic life some 3 billion years ago.


Google buys digital mapping company Search enabler Google Inc. said Wednesday it acquired digital mapping company Keyhole Corp. for an undisclosed sum. Keyhole maintains a multiterabyte database of digital images of geographic locations, culled from satellite and aerial snapshots.


SanDisk intros higher capacity Memory Sticks, more SanDisk Corp. on Tuesday introduced new high-end capacities of 4GB, 1GB and 2GB for its Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD storage cards, respectively, as well as an increase to 512MB for its miniSD and RS-MMC media for cell phones.


Spanish MP3 site owner to pay RIAA \$10m Four men who attempted to use what they believed was a loophole in Spanish law to allow them to sell MP3s online legally, along with the company behind the site they ran, have agreed to pay music labels \$10.


Ferguson comes to Vogts #39;s aid Scotland #39;s run of poor results could not be blamed solely on manager Berti Vogts, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson claimed.


Germany to kick off 2006 World Cup Host Germany will kick off the 2006 World Cup, even though its coach didn #39;t want the honor. FIFA said Wednesday that Germany will play the opening match June 9, 2006, in Munich.


Green, Rackers, Rogers earn NFC honors (Oct. 27, 2004) -- Running back Ahman Green of the Green Bay Packers, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers of the Detroit Lions and kicker Neil Rackers of the Arizona Cardinals are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and


Three police officials charged over Beslan hostage taking MOSCOW - Russian prosecutors have charged three senior police officials with negligence over the Beslan school hostage taking, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.


Darfur talks falter over security Talks to find a solution to the Darfur crisis in Sudan are abruptly postponed, as the security situation worsens.


Gonzaga Coach Leaving Gonzaga's Don Smith, one of the area's most successful area soccer coaches over the past two decades, will retire at the end of the season.


Yahoo Unveils Mobile Search, Google Rivalry Rages  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Internet media company Yahoo Inc.  YHOO.O on Wednesday launched its Web search service aimed at  mobile phone users in the United States, opening a new front in  its rivalry with Internet search leader Google Inc. GOOG.O


NCAA Places Mississippi State on Probation (AP) AP - Mississippi State was placed on probation by the NCAA for four years, stripped of eight scholarships over the next two seasons and banned from postseason play this season because of recruiting violations.


Yahoo Unveils Mobile Search, Google Rivalry Rages (Reuters) Reuters - Internet media company Yahoo Inc.\ on Wednesday launched its Web search service aimed at\mobile phone users in the United States, opening a new front in\its rivalry with Internet search leader Google Inc.


Survivor recognises accused in Best Bakery case (Reuters) Reuters - A survivor of a massacre during Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 told a court on Wednesday he recognised seven men from the night of the attack accused of killing 14 people by hacking or burning them to death.


US economy 'continued to expand' The US economy has continued to grow in September and early October, but was hampered by record oil prices, a report from the Federal Reserve shows.


Musharraf arrives in UK for talks Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf arrives in London to hold talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.


Wireless Utopia \\In light of the new Treo release  from yesterday I've been thinking a lot\about wireless, bluetooth, and mobile devices.\\Its obvious to many that the future involves persistent connection.  Why would\you ever want to be off the Internet?  I want my cell phone to support IP and\the ability to connect to my laptop.\\Bluetooth gives me this now but VOIP will give it to me in the future.  Why do I\need cell phone with service from Sprint when I can use Skype or SIP?\\Thers no reason I couldn't have both my laptop and cell permanently connected to\the Net.  When my laptop isn't within range of a decent WiFi signal it can\revert to using my cell phone.\\You could then IM me or VOIP me at any time ...\\


Local effect of ATA woes unknown Key to bankruptcy filing is ATAs plan to sell most of its Chicago Midway operations to AirTran. By Linda Lipp. After months of speculation, ATA Holdings, parent of ATA Airlines, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday.


Beige Book shows growth, despite energy tab WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- The economy grew in most regions of the United States in September and early October, despite signs that higher energy costs are beginning to bite, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.


Fed: High Energy Costs Curbed Spending (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. economy kept growing in\September and early October, even as higher prices for energy\put a crimp in consumer and business spending, the Federal\Reserve said on Wednesday.


Small relatives may add layer to human history Detailing  quot;a new and surprising twig quot; on the human family tree, scientists report Thursday they #39;ve discovered the remains of a clan of tiny human relatives, standing about 30 inches tall, that


SanDisk Bumps Up SD and MS Pro Capacities SanDisk at CTIA introduced the world #39;s largest capacities of Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO Duo and SD cards with 4-gigabyte (GB), 1GB and 2GB capacities respectively.


Pak, Sri Lanka lock horns in Karachi Test today KARACHI, October 28 (Online): Bruised and battered Pakistan Cricket team will take on Sri Lanka to avenge the defeat of first test in final and decisive test of two match series here at National Cricket Stadium today (Thursday).


Broncos will lose Griffin for year Denver Broncos running back Quentin Griffin #39;s strange season came to an end Tuesday when the team #39;s worst concerns were realized.


FIFA to boost referee training for 2006 World Cup International soccer #39;s governing body said Wednesday it plans to boost training for the referees who will handle matches at the 2006 World Cup.


Fed's Beige Book says oil price curbs spending (AFP) AFP - The US economy is expanding but the performance is patchy as roaring energy prices begin to stifle spending, the Federal Reserve's Beige Book survey showed.


Does Your Car Have a Spy in the Engine? An event data recorder is the automotive equivalent of the black boxes used to reconstruct plane crashes.


When the Car Beside You Is an XXX Theater While many drivers entertain back-seat passengers with DVD's like "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," a surprising number choose racier fare.


Yahoo search goes mobile Yahoo Inc. for the first time is letting mobile phone users query its search engine, giving them access to conventional Web results, local business listings and related information, as well as images, such as pictures and maps, the company said Wednesday.


Cingular/AT T Wireless: Now for Integration (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - The US #36;41 billion merger of Cingular Wireless and AT T Wireless Services (NYSE: AWE) is the largest so far in the U.S. wireless telecom industry.


Open Source Makes Do-It-Yourself CRM Possible (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - For years, companies large and small have been convinced that if they want the sophisticated functionality of enterprise-class software like ERP and CRM systems, they must buy pre-packaged applications. And, to a large extent, that remains true.


Symantec Unveils Security Strategy (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) has launched a new strategy for enterprise I.T. security that is designed to help businesses manage and protect the massive\amounts of digital information on their networks.


iTunes Music Store Blankets EU (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Apple Computer (Nasdaq: AAPL) announced Tuesday the expansion of its well-received iTunes Music Store to nine additional European Union countries. The European version of the online store has been available in the UK, France and Germany since June.


Yahoo Unveils Mobile Search, Google Rivalry Rages
\

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Internet media company Yahoo Inc.\<YHOO.O> on Wednesday launched its Web search service aimed at\mobile phone users in the United States, opening a new front in\its rivalry with Internet search leader Google Inc. <GOOG.O>


Anheuser-Busch: World's Drinking More Bud  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. BUD.N, the  largest U.S. brewer, said on Wednesday quarterly profit rose  due to price increases on brands such as Bud Light and strong  growth in its international business, which benefited from the  acquisition of Harbin Brewery in China.


Eli Lilly Acquires Rights to Sleep Drug  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co. said on Wednesday it  has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to an insomnia drug  being developed by Germany's Merck KGaA.


ATP Plans 'Safe Supplements'  LONDON (Reuters) - Tennis chiefs will next year offer  professional players on the men's tour a range of "safe  supplements," the BBC reported Wednesday.


Light-Based Net May Mean Blazing Connections (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - If -- as Einstein proclaimed -- nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, then a supercharged Internet based entirely on light might be a great way to move mounting reams of digital data.


XM, Delphi Deliver Handheld Satellite Radio (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Satellite radio provider XM Radio has hooked up with hardware\manufacturer Delphi (NYSE: DPH) on a portable device that moves the emerging\entertainment service out of the car and into the hands of users.


Signs Point to Imminent Showdown in Iraq (AP) AP - An uptick in airstrikes and other military moves point to an imminent showdown between U.S. forces and Sunni Muslim insurgents west of Baghdad  #151; a decisive battle that could determine whether the campaign to bring democracy and stability to Iraq can succeed.


Japan Shocked, Perplexed Over Iraq Hostage (AP) AP - Shosei Koda did not go to Iraq to distribute aid, reconstruct the country or strike it rich in the oil business. He was not connected with Japan's government or its armed forces.


Europe OKs OracleSoft A favorable ruling and an uneventful civil trial could mean Oracle and PeopleSoft begin bargaining.


Prosecutor: Merrill Lynch, Enron Execs Conspired Four former Merrill Lynch and Co. executives and two former midlevel Enron executives conspired to push through a sham sale of barges in 1999 because they didn't think they'd get caught, a prosecutor said Wednesday.


Google Buys Digital Mapping Company Search company cuts price of Keyhole LT mapping software by more than half.


Hungary Bans Sale of Paprika (AP) AP - Hungary banned the sale of its signature spice, paprika, on Wednesday and told people not to use whatever supplies they had at home after more than a pinch of moldy toxin was found in products sold by three companies.


Al-Qaida Magazine Appeals to Iraq Fighters (AP) AP - An online al-Qaida magazine is urging Sunni Muslim fighters in Iraq to join hands with Osama bin Laden to defeat its enemies.


Bush campaign website inaccessible from outside US (AFP) AFP - President George W. Bush's campaign website was inaccessible from outside the United States.


ATA Airlines files for bankruptcy protection Indianapolis-based ATA Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection today. The airline has one of its major hubs at Chicago #39;s Midway Airport.


Oil prices curb spending - Beige Book The US economy is expanding but the performance appears patchy as soaring energy prices stifle spending in many regions, the Federal Reserve #39;s Beige Book survey showed tonight.


Affiliated Managers 3Q Profit Edges Up Investment management company Affiliated Managers Group Inc. said Wednesday that third-quarter profit rose 3 percent as expenses and challenges with high-cap funds offset sharp revenue growth.


Durable goods up slightly Overall demand for long-lasting goods below estimates, but ex-transportation orders show solid gain. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Orders for long-lasting goods rose in September, the government reported Wednesday


Google Buys Digital Mapping Firm Keyhole According to Google, current Keyhole users will benefit from the expanded resources and operational scale made possible by the company #39;s integration into Google.


Yahoo battles Google for the cell phone SAN FRANCISCO--Yahoo added a search feature for cell phones Tuesday, just a few weeks after rival Google launched one of its own. While Google SMS (Short Message Service) uses text-only messages to deliver


Sandisk Doubles Capacity Of Small Form Factor Memory Cards SanDisk Corp. has doubled the maximum capacities of its SanDisk miniSD and SanDisk RS-MMC memory cards to 512 megabytes. The popular cards are used in a variety of electronic


Microsoft Previews Vision of  #39;Software Factories #39; The tools are aimed at giving developers succinct representations of various Web applications, using detailed graphics that represent software components and helping developers to build better


Bonds #39; 700th homer ball draws bid topping \$800,000 Barry Bonds #39; 700th home run ball brought a top bid of \$804,129 Wednesday after a 10-day online auction. The ball had received 240 offers by the time Overstock.


Goor will fight five-game FIFA ban BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Belgium captain Bart Goor plans to appeal against a five game ban imposed on Wednesday after he was sent off for spitting at Spain #39;s Xavi earlier this month.


2-Year-Old Boy Rescued After Japan Quake TOKYO Oct 27, 2004 - In a dramatic rescue shown on live TV, a 2-year-old boy was pulled out alive Tuesday after four days trapped inside his family #39;s minivan, buried by an earthquake-induced landslide.


US Soldier Killed, Japan Threatened to Leave Iraq, British Troops <b>...</b> . British troops moved north from Basra Wednesday to take over a deadly area near Baghdad and free up US troops for a possible attack on Falluja.


EU Trio, Iran Fail to Reach Nuke Deal  VIENNA (Reuters) - France, Britain and Germany on Wednesday  failed to persuade Iran to scrap a program that could give it  the capacity to build nuclear weapons but both sides agreed to  meet again soon.


Wall Street Jumps as Oil Prices Fall  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks surged on Wednesday as  steep oil prices, which have held investor enthusiasm for  stocks in check for months, eased almost 5 percent after a  higher-than-expected rise in crude inventories last week.  NYMEX December crude CLZ4, which on Monday hit an all-time  high of \$55.67, settled \$2.71 lower at \$52.46 a barrel after  falling as low as \$52.10 -- more than a \$3 drop. Stock market  investors dislike high oil prices because they cut into  consumer spending and corporate profits.


Dollar Springs Higher as Oil Prices Slump  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rallied sharply on  Wednesday, erasing earlier losses, after oil prices plunged \$3  per barrel on news of a bigger-than-expected build in U.S.  crude oil supplies.


Update 2: Prosecutor: Execs Conspired on Sham Sale Four former Merrill Lynch and Co. executives and two former midlevel Enron executives conspired to push through a sham sale of barges in 1999 because they didn #39;t think they #39;d get caught, a prosecutor said Wednesday.


Growing plans: AC #39;s newest casino plans big addition A winner with gamblers, Borgata Hotel Casino  amp; Spa wants to make room to accommodate more of them. The 2,010-room casino hotel, which is to break ground on a \$200 million


Treasuries Dive as Oil Drops Below \$53  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices slid on Wednesday  as a major retreat in oil markets removed a key impetus for the  recent rally in bonds.


Photo: XM's portable satellite radio XM Satellite Radio Holdings  introduced a handheld portable version of its satellite radio.


A Small Jewel of a Company Blue Nile dominates its niche and offers growth and a clean balance sheet.


Activision Nails Second Quarter The video game publisher blows away expectations and ups the ante for fiscal 2005.


Sonoco: Which Side Is Up? The packaging firm's P/E looks reasonable, but free cash flow has dried up.


Compuware looks to cut risks in apps deployment Compuware this week is upgrading its Vantage application service management software to highlight predictive analysis and performance assessment.


Bulldogs Get Punished The NCAA places Mississippi State on probation for four years because of recruiting violations and bans them from postseason play this year.


Compuware looks to cut risks in apps deployment (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Compuware this week is upgrading its Vantage application service management software to highlight predictive analysis and performance assessment.


Israeli TV Says Arafat Health Has Worsened  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli television said on Wednesday  that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's health had  deteriorated.


Israeli TV Says Arafat Health Has Worsened (Reuters) Reuters - Israeli television said on Wednesday\that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's health had\deteriorated.


Low-Fare Airline, ATA, Seeks Bankruptcy Protection OCTOBER 27, 2004 -- Indianapolis, Ind. -- ATA Airlines yesterday filed for bankruptcy protection, the first domestic, low-fare airline to go the way of several traditional air carriers.


S amp;P raises rating on AT amp;T Wireless Services Standard  amp; Poor #39;s on Wednesday raised its ratings on AT amp;T Wireless Services following its acquisition by Cingular Wireless, a joint venture of SBC Communications Inc.


JoCo consumer confidence rises again Johnson County consumers were more confident in October than last month and October 2003, County Economic Research Institute Inc. said.


US economy  #39;continued to expand #39; The US economy has continued to grow in September and early October, but was hampered by record oil prices, a report from the Federal Reserve has shown.


Google Buys Digital Mapping Company Search enabler Google says it has acquired digital mapping company Keyhole for an undisclosed sum. Keyhole maintains a multiterabyte database of digital images of geographic locations, culled from satellite and aerial snapshots.


John Snow concedes  #39;deficits matter #39; US Treasury Secretary John Snow conceded Wednesday that government  quot;deficits matter, quot; but said an improving economy already is beginning to reduce red ink in the federal budget.


Boyd Reaps Its Winnings The chips are stacked so high that it #39;s becoming difficult to see the dealer. Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD) is on a roll. Its stock has doubled since February, and its most recent earnings have exceeded expectations.


Socks, Photos, and Rock n Roll Last week, I received an e-mail that read Steve Jobs, Bono and The Edge invite you to attend a special event. (Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton were indifferent about my attendance, I guess


New find raises questions about earliest humans LONDON - Modern humans began dominating the world far earlier than thought, according to anthropologists who say they #39;ve discovered fossils of a new human dwarf species.


Lunar Eclipse Expected Tonight Forecasts for mostly cloudy skies in the Washington area this evening could thwart hopes of seeing tonight #39;s lunar eclipse. But Elizabeth Warner, director of the University of Maryland Observatory


Energised Henman downs Dupuis Basel - Two-time Swiss Indoors champion Tim Henman bounced back from his disappointing Madrid Masters performance last week to ease through his first round match at the ATP event here on Wednesday, overwhelming Frenchman Antony Dupuis 6-3, 6-4.


Lukas emphasizes his past success with females against males In rationalizing the decision to enter Azeri in the \$4-million Breeders Cup Classic (G1), trainer D. Wayne Lukas emphasized his past success in starting females against males.


Darfur situation "unbelievably horrible": UN goodwill ambassador Jolie (AFP) AFP - Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie said the situation in Darfur was  quot;unbelievably horrible quot; and that security remained a major problem, after a tour of Sudan's war-torn region.


Boeing Quarterly Profit Up 78 Percent  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co. BA.N on Wednesday posted  a 78 percent jump in quarterly earnings that beat Wall Street  forecasts as stronger demand for its military networking and  weapons systems helped offset a decline in commercial airplane  revenue.


From SANs to SATAs, storage vendors continue product march (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Storage companies continued to demonstrate a wealth of new products and technologies Wednesday at the Storage Networking World in Orlando.


O'Connor Extols Role of International Law (AP) AP - Justice Sandra Day O'Connor extolled Wednesday the growing role of international law in U.S. courts, saying judges would be negligent if they disregarded its importance in a post-Sept. 11 world of heightened tensions.


British Troops Head North for Mission Near Baghdad  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - British troops and armor rolled north  from Basra on Wednesday to take over a deadly area near Baghdad  and free up U.S. troops for a widely expected attack on the  Iraqi rebel-held city of Falluja.


Gallagher's Mixed Bag The insurance brokerage reports good earnings, but a subpoena sinks its stock.


Update 5: Boeing #39;s 3Q Profit Up on Military Sales Burgeoning military sales lifted Boeing Co. to a 78 percent increase in third-quarter profits, its bottom line thriving despite the ethics scandals that have roiled the aerospace giant for the past year.


Engram's Ankle Injury Is Slow to Heal (AP) AP - Receiver Bobby Engram's left ankle sprain is worse than initially believed, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said Wednesday.


Ballmer: Windows Safer than Linux Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Wednesday plunged headfirst into the controversial waters of comparing the benefits and advantages of the Windows platform with Unix and Linux in an executive e-mail he sent to customers, partners and subscribers.


Boston's Epstein on Verge of First Title (AP) AP - In the tumult of the visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, champagne pouring all around him, Theo Epstein held a beer. "I came in and there was no champagne left," he said this week. "I said, 'I'll have champagne if we win it all.'" Get ready to pour a glass of bubbly for Epstein. No I.D. necessary.


80 Thai Muslims suffocate after arrest at protest Almost 80 Muslim demonstrators arrested in southern Thailand suffocated after being crammed into army lorries, the Thai authorities admitted yesterday.


US downplays Allawi charge after massacre of recruits in Iraq WASHINGTON, Oct 27 (AFP) - The United States downplayed Wednesday interim Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi #39;s charge of  quot;negligence quot; by members of the multinational force in Iraq after 49 recruits for Iraq #39;s new army were massacred.


Milosevic #39;s Lawyers Ask to Be Taken Off War Crimes Case The lawyers who are defending Slobodan Milosevic have asked to be relieved of their duties, creating new hurdles for the troubled and drawn-out war crimes trial in The Hague.


Nepal ranks low in media freedom index According to the Third Annual Worldwide Index of Press Freedom released in Paris yesterday by the Reporters Sans Frontiers, Nepal is 160th out of 167 countries, with Denmark at top and North Korea at the bottom.


Ryder Cup Holding Reunion at Valderrama (AP) AP - Europe's Ryder Cup team is holding a reunion this week at Valderrama.


Oil Prices Fall Sharply on U.S. Inventories Crude oil futures prices plummeted today, falling by nearly \$3 a barrel, as traders shelved concerns about tight winter-fuel supplies.


iPod chipmaker edges toward stock market In a new filing, PortalPlayer says it expects to sell its stock for between \$11 and \$13 per share.


Sony sets price, date for PSP's Japan debut The handheld game player's surprising pricing in Japan may indicate what the U.S. market can expect.


From SANs to SATAs, storage vendors continue product march Storage companies continued to demonstrate a wealth of new products and technologies Wednesday at the Storage Networking World in Orlando.


Hedman - admitted he was lucky. (Getty Images) Magnus Hedman admitted he was lucky not to hand Hibs a point on a day when nerves got the better of the Celtic goalkeeper. In the end he had two-goal hero John Hartson to thank for putting Celtic back on top


Newfoundland premier invokes historic grievance amid fight with Ottawa (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - ST. JOHN'S, Nfld. (CP) - Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams raised the spectre of the bungled Churchill Falls hydroelectric deal Wednesday as he tried to explain what is at stake in his province's battle with Ottawa over offshore energy revenues.


Caddie: Woods to Return to Top of Game (AP) AP - A swing change, not romance, caused Tiger Woods to drop to No. 3 in the world rankings. That's the opinion of Woods' caddie, Steve Williams, who predicts a revival next year.


Study: Viagra Promising in Hypertension  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Viagra, Pfizer Inc's PFE.N famous  impotence treatment, demonstrated great promise in a late-stage  clinical trial for use in treating the often fatal disease  pulmonary arterial hypertension, researchers said.


Chile 'violates Indians' rights' Chile is violating the rights of indigenous people by resorting to an outdated anti-terrorism law, a leading rights group says.


"Hobbit" Discovered: Tiny Human Ancestor Found in Asia Scientists have found fossil skeletons of a human species that grew no larger than a three-year-old modern child. The species lived with pygmy elephants and Komodo dragons on a remote island in Indonesia.


Puffins Return to Scottish Island Famous for Curling Stones For the first time in nearly a half-century, puffins are returning to Ailsa Craig. The Scottish island is already well-known in the sport of curling as world's the best source of curling stones.


Prairie Dogs Poisoned by U.S. in South Dakota A politically charged program to poison prairie dogs has begun in South Dakota. Mixed in with the controversy is an endangered ferret and the rights of cattle ranchers.


Rare, "Weird" Snake Survives in Louisiana One of the rarest snakes in the U.S., the Louisiana pine snake is relatively abundant on a tract of commercial forest in the state. Scientists hope to learn why.


Birding Column: Robins at a Pyracantha Party Birder Mathew Tekulsky recalls how American robins and other species visited his California yard for a few weeks in January, when a pyracantha bush produced its ripe berries.


Yahoo follows Google; launches web search service for mobiles NEW YORK, October 27 (newratings.com) - Global Internet media giant Yahoo! Inc (YHOO.NAS) has introduced specialized web search services targeted at the mobile phone users in the US, within weeks of the


Movie studios take sides in fight over DVD formats (SiliconValley.com) SiliconValley.com - Maybe you were out of town last week, or maybe you just weren't paying attention. That's OK. Here's a quick rundown of what you missed, culled from reports by our staff and wire services.


Saturn Moon #39;s Mysteries Deepen Oct. 27, 2004 Humanity #39;s first look at the largest piece of unexplored real estate in the solar system raised more questions than answers among scientists on the Cassini Saturn project.


NASA-SGI Supercomputer Tops in Speed and Research  quot;It #39;s one hell of a system, quot; said Columbia project manager Bill Thigpen, who told TechNewsWorld the system is being submitted for a top spot on the upcoming Top500 Supercomputer list due next month.


CTIA Buzzers The first two days at the CTIA Wireless IT  amp; Entertainment Show in San Francisco this week resonated with exciting industry announcements that some attendees say hasnt been seen in previous years.


Henman dispatches Dupuis Tim Henman made light of his magnesium deficiency today to maul Antony Dupuis in straight sets in the first round of the Davidoff Swiss Masters.


Griffin Blows Knee---Out for the Season In his second year with the Denver Broncos, former OU running back Quentin Griffin has suffered a season ending blown right knee. Out for the season----former OU running back Quentin Griffin who #39;s now in his second season with the Denver Broncos.


UPDATE 1-FIFA orders Germany to play World Cup opener FIFA has ordered 2006 World Cup hosts Germany to play in the tournament #39;s opening match, dashing the hopes of their coach Juergen Klinsmann who wanted to delay his team #39;s first game to keep the pressure off his players.


Orders, House Data Shows Economy on Track  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. economic growth stayed on track  in September, with stronger durable goods orders and positive  news from the housing sector on Wednesday bolstering views the  Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again.


Tape: Hassan Urges British to Leave Iraq Margaret Hassan, the kidnapped British director of CARE International, is seen in this image made from an undated video aired on Al-Jazeera television Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2004.


US Federal Reserve #39;s Beige Book says oil price curbs spending WASHINGTON : The US economy is expanding but the performance is patchy as roaring energy prices begin to stifle spending, the Federal Reserve #39;s Beige Book survey showed.


Nortel Delays Release of Financial Reports Nortel Networks says it will again delay the release of its restated financial results. The Canadian telecom vendor originally promised to release the restated results in September.


Edwards Rips Into Perceived Moral Victor (AP) AP - Earlier this week, Jets coach Herman Edwards said his team could take something positive from playing a close game with New England despite losing. But Edwards took a different tack Wednesday, railing against the perception the Jets took a moral victory from the 13-7 loss.


Agassi Makes Short Work of Vliegen  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Andre Agassi made short work of  Kristof Vliegen in his opening Stockholm Open match on  Wednesday, beating the Belgian 6-2, 6-4 in just over an hour.


Florida authorities searching 58,000 missing ballots (AFP) AFP - Authorities in Florida were looking for 58,000 absentee ballots whose disappearance stirred renewed controversy in the state that held up the 2000 presidential election for five weeks.


Eagles' Westbrook Questionable Vs. the Ravens  PHILADELPHIA (Sports Network) - Philadelphia Eagles running  back Brian Westbrook is listed as questionable for Sunday's  game against Baltimore because of a rib fracture.


Arafat's Health Crisis Prompts Questions (AP) AP - Yasser Arafat's latest health crisis  #151; a severe flu, gallstones, a battery of cancer tests  #151; has exposed how unprepared the Palestinians are for their leader's death, making a chaotic transition period all but inevitable.


House Race Turns Ugly in Colorado (AP) AP - The race in Colorado's newest congressional district has turned ugly in the homestretch, with swastikas scrawled on the signs of Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez and deer entrails left on the doorstep of a Democrat.


Sony sets price, date for PlayStation Portable In Japan, that is. The game player's surprising pricing there may indicate what the U.S. market can expect.


Economy growing despite energy costs, Fed says The US economy continued to grow in September and early October despite rising energy costs and increased uncertainty caused by the presidential campaign, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday, in its last snapshot of business conditions


Update 1: Anheuser-Busch Earnings Rise, Meet Views Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. reported a slight rise in third-quarter earnings Wednesday, despite a general slowdown in its beer business.


Wall Street crash barriers stay put YESTERDAY - October 24 - was the 75th anniversary of the first day of the 1929 Wall Street Crash. As Professor JK Galbraith noted:  #39;That day 12,894,650 shares changed hands, many of them at prices which shattered


Will Tellabs Push Its Luck? Investors might be willing to forgive Tellabs (Nasdaq: TLAB) for missing expectations on its latest Q3 earnings. These things happen, especially when there are extenuating circumstances.


Cassini-Huygens Sends Ghostly Images from Titan The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft on Tuesday returned the first close-up glimpses of Titan, one of Saturn #39;s moons. Mission controllers at NASA #39;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena unveiled ghostly images from the flyby Tuesday night.


Apple Computer  quot;buy, quot; target price raised NEW YORK, October 27 (newratings.com) - Analysts at First Albany reiterate their  quot;buy quot; rating on Apple Computer (AAPL.NAS).


Ancient, Tiny Humans Shed New Light on Evolution The skull of Homo floresiensis, a newly discovered species of human, next to a modern human skull (right). Fully adult, H. floresiensis was barely three-feet-tall and had a skull the size of a grapefruit.


Sony sets price, date for PSP Sony upped the ante Wednesday in the looming handheld gaming war, giving its PlayStation Portable device a price and on-sale date likely to inspire fierce competition with Nintendo #39;s DS.


Microsoft #39;s Ballmer steps up attack on Linux Microsoft has renewed its attack on Linux, its primary rival in the business software market, with Chief Executive Steve Ballmer telling customers in a letter sent the


Mississippi St. placed on four years #39; probation Mississippi State #39;s football program was placed on four years probation, stripped of four scholarships during each of the next two seasons and banned from postseason play this year by


Tiger #39;s #39; caddie: Woods will return to top of his game A swing change, not romance, caused Tiger Woods to drop to No. 3 in the world rankings. That #39;s the opinion of Woods #39; caddie, Steve Williams, who predicts a revival next year.


Kodak Closing Labs in Europe, Cuts Jobs (AP) AP - Eastman Kodak Co. is shutting three photofinishing labs in Spain and Norway, shrinking a fourth lab in Switzerland and eliminating about 300 jobs as the world's biggest film manufacturer bets its future on digital photography.


Justice minister set to announce long-awaited Truscott decision (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - On a warm June evening in 1959, two kids rode a bicycle down a lonesome county road in southwestern Ontario.


No, broadband's doing fine, thanks Yesterday consumer groups released a study saying broadband policy in the U.S. was failing. Here's a counterpoint from the conservative Heritage Foundation. Broadband blog


Poll: Kerry Gaining Among Swing Voters (AP) AP - Democratic Sen. John Kerry gained some ground on President Bush among swing voters in the last month, with several citing the presidential debates as a factor in their shift, according to a poll released Wednesday.


Caroline Kennedy tells Bush to stop invoking JFK (AFP) AFP - Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, daughter of the late Democratic president John Kennedy, urged Republican President George W. Bush not to invoke her father's name in his campaigning against Democratic rival John Kerry.


Dollar Rebounds as Crude Oil Prices Drop  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rallied sharply on  Wednesday, erasing early losses, after oil prices plunged \$3  per barrel on news of a bigger-than-expected build in U.S.  crude oil supplies.


Palestinian Official Denies Arafat Lost Consciousness  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - An official from the  Palestine Liberation Organization told Reuters on Wednesday  that Yasser Arafat had not lost consciousness, denying media  reports.


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


Bush Web Site Bars Overseas Visitors The Bush-Cheney reelection campaign has barred people outside the United States from viewing its Web site following an electronic attack that took down the campaign's Internet address for six hours last week, according\to computer security experts. -washingtonpost.com


Oil Prices Tumble Nearly 5 Percent Oil prices fell sharply from near record peaks on Wednesday after a larger-than-expected build in US crude stocks spurred traders to take profits from a fierce rally.


Anheuser-Busch Profit Jumps Anheuser-Busch (BUD:NYSE - news - research) guzzled higher third-quarter profits thanks to a foreign acquisition and some price increases.


UPDATE 4-Nortel restatements now delayed to November Nortel Networks Corp. (NT.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) , one of the world #39;s biggest telecom equipment makers, again delayed the release of its long-awaited restated


Yahoo Takes Search Mobile SAN FRANCISCOMobile search gained another convert as Yahoo Inc. on Wednesday extended Web, local and image search to wireless devices.


Hedge fund advisers have to register with SEC now WASHINGTON: Hedge fund advisers will have to register with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and submit to examinations under a new rule approved on Tuesday in a 3-2 vote by the market-policing agency.


Smartphones Put Handhelds on Hold The incredible shrinking handheld market continued its decline in the third quarter, with market leader palmOne (PLMO:Nasdaq - news - research) continuing to lose its stature, according to a report issued Wednesday.


HP iPod Photo? So now that Apple has officially rolled out the new iPod Photo, we still have one nagging question: will HP follow suit and come out with an HP iPod Photo?


Microsoft Previews Developer Tools Microsoft has previewed  quot;Whitehorse, quot; a set of visual design tools intended to support the design and validation of Web services-based applications.


West Brom play down Robson appraoch West Bromwich Albion are refusing to comment on reports they have approached Bobby Robson to take over at The Hawthorns from sacked Gary Megson.


Henman progresses at Swiss Indoors AP - Second-seeded Tim Henman of Britain overcame fatigue to beat Anthony Dupuis of France 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round of the \$US1.


Text of NCAA statement INDIANAPOLIS - The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions has placed Mississippi State University on probation for four years and instituted several other penalties for numerous violations in the institution #39;s football program.


SERENA STUNNED BY RUSSIAN The Russian revolution in women #39;s tennis appears to be expanding further after Alina Jidkova saw off former world number one Serena Williams in the second round of the Generali Ladies Linz in Austria.


Team of doctors flown to Ramallah to treat Arafat There are reports from the Palestinian territories that the health of leader Yasser Arafat is deteriorating. There has been concern in recent weeks about the Palestinian Authority head #39;s health was worsening


Digital Agenda: 10 facts you should know about outsourcing The shipment of jobs overseas is one of the most pressing economic issues of the presidential campaign. Here are 10 key facts of the matter.\


Review: A Flat Panel That's Also Deep (AP) AP - Three-dimensional movies at home, without the silly glasses, have been a science-fiction dream for at least as long as Dick Tracy's wristwatch cell phone and the household robot.


Earthquake Hits Romania; Strength Unknown (Reuters) Reuters - An earthquake shook the Romanian\capital Bucharest on Wednesday night, Reuters witnesses said.


Apple posts Security Update 2004-10-27 (MacCentral) MacCentral - Apple on Wednesday posted Security Update 2004-10-27. Also available for download through the Software Update system preference pane, the update "delivers a number of security enhancements and is recommended for all Macintosh users," according to Apple. The release includes an updated version of Apple Remote Desktop v1.2.4 running on Mac OS X v10.3.


Schwarzenegger Says He Won't Travel More for Bush (Reuters) Reuters - Popular California Gov. Arnold\Schwarzenegger said on Wednesday he spurned White House\invitations to campaign more widely for President Bush and has\agreed to just one joint appearance.


Israel to Permit Arafat to Go to Ramallah Hospital  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has agreed to let Palestinian  President Yasser Arafat go to a hospital in the West Bank city  of Ramallah if necessary and allow Jordanian doctors to come  and examine him, Israel Radio reported on Wednesday.


Jail deaths 'disaster for Kenya' A Kenyan human rights group says the death of 56 inmates at a prison this year amounts to a "national disaster".


Bonds 700th Homer Ball Gets \$804,000 at Auction  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Baseball slugger Barry Bonds's  700th career home run ball drew a winning bid of \$804,129 in an  online auction that closed Wednesday.


Board OKs New Internet Domain Names (AP) AP - Two new Internet domain names  #151; ".post" and ".travel"  #151; could appear online as early as next year as the Internet's key oversight board announced preliminary approval on Wednesday.


Stocks Rise, Dow Over 10,000 as Oil Falls US stocks surged on Wednesday with the Dow back above 10,000 after oil prices fell almost 5 percent, alleviating worry that high energy costs will eat into corporate profits and consumers #39; wallets.


Anticipation builds for DreamWorks IPO DreamWorks Animation #39;s initial public offering scheduled Thursday may benefit from the company #39;s recent box-office success.


UPDATE 2-S amp;P says may upgrade Nextel to investment grade Standard  amp; Poor #39;s on Wednesday said it may upgrade Nextel Communications Inc. #39;s (NXTL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) corporate credit rating to investment-grade status, citing earnings and revenue growth and debt reductions.


Apple Unveils iPod Photo October 26, 2004 - Apple has announced the newest model in its iPod series of portable music players, the iPod Photo. The biggest improvement with the new model is its color screen, capable of displaying 65,536 colors on its 220x176 pixel display.


Lunar Eclipse Weather permitting, Marylanders will be able to witness a rare lunar eclipse tonight. What makes this eclipse so rare is it #39;s length.


Fatigued Henman wins in straight sets Tim Henman shook off a recent bout of fatigue to beat Antony Dupuis of France 6-3, 6-4 Wednesday in the opening round of the Swiss Indoors.


Mardy Fish Upset at St. Petersburg Open Marat Safin of Russia returns a shot during second round tennis match against Alexander Peya of Austria at the St. Petersburg Open tennis tournament in St.


Bonds #39; 700th Home Run Ball Draws Bid Topping \$800,000 SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds #39; 700th home run ball brought a top bid of \$804,129 Wednesday after a 10-day online auction. The ball had received 240 offers by the time Overstock.


FIFA to boost referee training for 2006 World Cup FIFA plans to boost training for the referees who will handle matches at the 2006 World Cup. FIFA said Wednesday it had decided to launch an 18-month program at the start of 2005, when it will


Ailton breaks goal drought Stuttgart suffered a surprise defeat at struggling neighbour Freiburg in the Bundesliga while Schalke won again, this time over Mainz.


Captors urged to set Japanese free Japan #39;s Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura has urged the captors of Shosei Koda in Iraq to set him free. In an interview to Aljazeera #39;s correspondent in Tokyo on Wednesday, he said,  quot;Koda is a civilian who


A So-So Debut For Microsoft's Blog Service (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - Microsoft Corp. made a belated entrance into the "blogosphere" Thursday, unveiling a free Web-log publishing service one day after Merriam-Webster Inc. proclaimed "blog" the word of the year.


Giants Fail to Follow Through After Bye (AP) AP - When it comes to winning after the bye week, the New York Giants are on the five-year plan. Every five years, they win a game after a bye week: 1990, 1995, 2000.


Yahoo Search Goes Mobile (PC World) PC World - Users can now access search engine from their cell phones.


O's Ink Veteran Palmeiro for 2005 Season (Reuters) Reuters - The Baltimore Orioles have\agreed to terms with veteran first baseman/designated hitter\Rafael Palmeiro Wednesday to a one-year contract. Financial\terms of the deal were not disclosed.


Hubris, Caution in Boston as Red Sox Eye Victory  BOSTON (Reuters) - Giddiness. Paranoia. Arrogance. Caution.  All were on display on Wednesday in Boston as the supposedly  cursed Red Sox moved within one victory of a baseball  championship that has eluded them for 86 years.


Wireless pioneer reflects on roots, looks to WiMax Craig McCaw discusses Cingular's acquisition of AT #38;T Wireless and looks toward his new WiMax venture.


Ramseys Have 2 Favorites in Breeders' Cup Kitten's Joy was made the even-money favorite Wednesday for the \$2 million Turf, and Nothing to Lose was the morning-line choice in the Mile, giving owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey two favorites in the Breeders' Cup.


Milosevic's Lawyers Seek to Quit Case (AP) AP - AMSTERDAM, Netherlands AP)  #151; Slobodan Milosevic's court-appointed lawyers have asked to quit because they cannot properly defend an unwilling client, leaving the U.N. tribunal in a dilemma over how to conclude the most important war crimes trial in half a century in a way history will judge as fair.


Ballmer: Windows TCO the way to go (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - In the face of growing competition from Linux, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivered a four-page memo to customers on Wednesday outlining the economic and security advantages Windows has over Linux, the potential dangers of open source involving indemnification, and the intent to aggressively convince Unix shops to migrate to Windows.


Boeing Quarterly Profit Up 78 Percent (Reuters) Reuters - Boeing Co.  on Wednesday posted\a 78 percent jump in quarterly earnings that beat Wall Street\forecasts as stronger demand for its military networking and\weapons systems helped offset a decline in commercial airplane\revenue.


Oil prices below \$54 a barrel Crude futures prices fell sharply Wednesday, falling below \$54 a barrel, as traders shelved concerns about tight winter-fuel supplies and focused on government data showing faster-than-expected growth in US oil inventories.


Bush Web Site Bars Overseas Visitors The Bush-Cheney reelection campaign has barred people outside the United States from viewing its Web site following an electronic attack that took down the campaign #39;s Internet address for six


Is US Wireless Industry Catching Up on 3G? SAN FRANCISCOWireless software developers and content producers attending the CTIA Wireless show here say the United States is on the verge of catching up with Europe and Japan in the deployment of the latest wireless technology and content.


Cricket: Spotlight back on Fleming as Black Caps take charge Chittagong - The Black Caps 2004 cricket tour of Bangladesh is quickly turning into a benefit gala for Stephen Fleming. Through some significant statistics and some classy batting, Fleming has again been thrust


Shoaib ruled out of 2nd Test Karachi: Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka starting on Thursday because of a shoulder injury.


O #39;s ink veteran Palmeiro for 2005 season Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to terms with veteran first baseman/designated hitter Rafael Palmeiro Wednesday to a one-year contract.


Sun Devils Tailback Reinstated (AP) AP - Arizona State tailback and leading rusher Hakim Hill will be available Saturday when the 20th-ranked Sun Devils face No. 7 California on the road, after being benched last week.


Jubilation greets boy #39;s miracle rescue ALMOST four days after being engulfed by a collapsing hill, two-year-old Yuta Minagawa was lifted alive yesterday afternoon from the wreckage of his mother #39;s car.


Anheuser Profit Up on Price Hikes, Growth  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. BUD.N, the  largest U.S. brewer, said on Wednesday quarterly profit rose on  price increases for brands such as Bud Light and strong growth  in its international business, which benefited from the  acquisition of Harbin Brewery in China.


OutKast Tops First Digital-Music Sales Awards (Reuters) Reuters - Hip-hip duo OutKast took top honors\on Wednesday as the recording industry handed out its first\awards for music sold through Internet-music services like\Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes.


Players Have Different Goals for Chrysler (AP) AP - It seems that the players in the Chrysler Championship all have different goals.


Ads Make Closing Arguments in Campaign (AP) AP - President Bush promises to do "whatever it takes" to keep the country safe. Democrat John Kerry says Bush has failed and calls for "a fresh start."


Ballmer: Windows TCO the way to go In the face of growing competition from Linux, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivered a four-page memo to customers on Wednesday outlining the economic and security advantages Windows has over Linux, the potential dangers of open source involving indemnification, and the intent to aggressively convince Unix shops to migrate to Windows.


Experts Warn of Net Flu Vaccine Scam Vaccines for sale online can be dangerous, and sellers could be perpetrating credit card fraud.


JC Penney Picks Questrom Successor JC Penney (JCP:NYSE - news - research) said Wednesday it hired a new chairman and chief executive, Myron Ullman. Ullman, a former executive at LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH:Nasdaq - news - research), will succeed Allen Questrom.


Federal Reserve #39;s Eighth District economy mixed While some manufacturers in the Federal Reserve #39;s Eighth District planned to expand and add jobs in the last few months, about the same number planned to close plants and cut jobs, according to the Fed #39;s Beige Book report.


JDS Uniphase Posts Deeper 1Q Loss JDS Uniphase Corp., a maker of fiber-optic equipment, on Wednesday posted a deeper loss for the first quarter despite sharply higher revenue.


Boeing Quarterly Profit Up 78 Percent Boeing Co. (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday posted a 78 percent jump in quarterly earnings that beat Wall Street forecasts as stronger demand for its military


Titan Surface Still a Mystery NASA #39;s Cassini spacecraft successfully photographed one of the most mysterious objects in our solar system on Tuesday in a flyby that brought it within 745 miles of Saturn #39;s hazy moon Titan.


Seattle Suspends Use of Controversial Gun At least one big-city police department has suspended use of pepper-spray pellet guns blamed for the death of a 21-year-old college student who was shot by police trying to break up a rowdy crowd of Red Sox fans last week.


Child found after Japan earthquake RESCUERS sifting through the devastation of the Niigata-Chuetsu earthquake have found a two-year-old boy who survived for four days buried under a landslide.


Boston's Pierce fined 15,000 dollars for spitting (AFP) AFP - Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce was fined 15,000 dollars for spitting during a National Basketball Association pre-season game.


J.C. Penney Taps Former Macy's, LVMH Head (AP) AP - J.C. Penney Co. Inc. named a former chairman and chief executive of both Macy's and luxury retailer LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, to lead the department store company, replacing Allen Questrom.


Internet Broadens U.S. Political Debate, Survey Says (Reuters) Reuters - The Internet serves more as a town\hall in the United States than an echo chamber as users are\more likely to be exposed to a wide range of political views,\according to a survey released on Wednesday.


UN envoy blames Darfur rebels for deaths of aid officials (AFP) AFP - The United Nations special envoy to Sudan blamed ethnic minority rebels in Darfur for the deaths earlier this month of two humanitarian aid workers in the war-torn region.


Man threatens to run over Katherine Harris, of 2000 Florida fiasco fame (AFP) AFP - Police arrested a man who threatened to run over US Representative Katherine Harris, the former Florida Secretary of State blamed by critics for much of the 2000 presidential election debacle.


Arafat 'Very Sick,' Palestinian Leaders Summoned  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President  Yasser Arafat's health worsened sharply on Wednesday and he was  slipping in and out of consciousness at his besieged West Bank  headquarters, officials and medics said.


Ireland Battered by Year's Worst Storm (AP) AP - The city of Cork and several towns were severely flooded Wednesday as the year's strongest Atlantic storm arrived with heavy rain and wind gusts of more than 70 mph. No deaths or injuries were reported.


Pedestrian Ban Reversed A Prince George's County appeals board has voted to overturn a ban on pedestrians on the streets and sidewalks around FedEx Field.


Microsoft battles piracy with free software Company lays out booty for nonpirates who prove their Windows software is the real thing.


Europe gets iTunes, Canada is next Along with the launch of 2 new iPods in iPod U2 Special Edition and iPod Photo, Apple also launched their flagship digital music store iTunes in European countries.


#39;Hobbit #39; joins human family Australian scientists have found a new species of hobbit-sized humans who lived about 18,000 years ago on an Indonesian island. The discovery adds another piece to the complex puzzle of human evolution.


Skygazers, baseball fans watch for lunar eclipse If skies are clear, people can expect to see the full moon turn a deep reddish colour as the Earth #39;s shadow falls over the face of the moon, astronomers say.


Yahoo search goes mobile OCTOBER 27, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Yahoo Inc. for the first time is letting mobile phone users query its search engine, giving them access to conventional Web results, local business listings and related


Sender ID, round two Microsoft #39;s earlier attempts at a specification for Sender ID, the technology which is used for verifying the authenticity of e-mail with Internet Protocol records


EMC Takes Storage Router for a Spin Here #39;s the skinny: The EMC Storage Router made its debut at Storage Network World here this week, but only in ballroom demonstrations (see EMC on Virtualization: Wait for Us).


Celtic suffers its first loss of the season against Aberdeen Scottish champion Celtic suffered its first loss this season, with an injury time goal from John Stewart securing a 3-2 for Aberdeen at Parkhead.


police department suspends use of pepper pellet gun At least one big-city police department has suspended use of pepper-spray pellet guns blamed for the death of a 21-year-old college student


Doctors Visit Arafat As His Health Worsens Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat attends a PLO executive committee meeting at his office in the West Bank town of Ramallah, in this Sunday, Aug. 8, 2004 file photo.


Hosted SAP service targets midmarket SAP is rolling out a hosted service it hopes will appeal to midsize customers that can rent the software for as little as \$325 per user per month while avoiding the complexity of in-house installations.


E-vote vendors to submit software for safekeeping, possible recounts Five voting machine makers have agreed for the first time to submit their software to the National Software Reference Library for safekeeping, federal officials said


Java integration spec pushed Many vendors join the effort, but IBM and BEA Systems choose not to participate, leading to harsh words from Sun executive.


Brazil Raids Kroll Offices in Spy Probe Police raided the Brazilian offices of international security consultant Kroll Inc. and other businesses Wednesday as part of their investigation into allegations of illegal spying by Kroll during the company's probe of a nasty corporate dispute, the company said.


Nortel again delays earnings restatements Nortel Networks has again delayed posting its long-awaited restated financial results, moving its target release date to mid-November.


EDS offers early retirement to 9,200 U.S. staffers Electronic Data Systems has offered voluntary early retirement options to about 17, of its U.S. employees and will take a pretax charge of about \$150 million in the fourth quarter as a result of the move.


Dell, Novell expand partnership to push Linux Dell and Novell today announced plans to offer Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 on Dell's single- and dual-processor PowerEdge servers worldwide.


Storage Networking World: ILM a business matter Users at Storage Networking World are developing information life-cycle management schemes within their storage networks to more efficiently and cost-effectively store data according to business policies.


Red Hat sees half of sales outside U.S. within a year Demand for the Linux OS is gathering steam as it becomes more popular outside its core market of computer enthusiasts, helped in part by interest in open-source software from European governments.


Israel, Egypt Swap Prisoners in Sign of Warmer Ties (Reuters) Reuters - Egypt sent a convicted Israeli spy\home after eight years in jail and Israel released six Egyptian\infiltrators Sunday in the clearest sign of a warming of\relations strained by a Palestinian uprising.


Q A: Dell's Kevin Rollins on EMC ties, storage standards At Storage Networking World yesterday, Dell President and CEO Kevin Rollins talked about his company's relationship with EMC and the development of standards to help users manage complex storage-area networks.


Google buys digital mapping company Google Inc. has bought digital map maker Keyhole Corp., extending the search engine leader #39;s bid to fend off rivals with a toolbox that can catalog almost anything in the world.


DreamWorks Animation Raises \$812 Million in IPO (Update1) DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the creator of the Shrek #39; #39; and Shark Tale #39; #39; animated films, raised \$812 million in an initial public offering to pay debt and to fund more movie making.


NZ #39;s Sixth Rate Increase in 2004 Probably the Last (Update2) New Zealand central bank Governor Alan Bollard raised the benchmark interest rate to a four-year high and said the sixth increase in 2004 may be the last as the economy slows and the local currency surges.


The Red Sox-Cardinals Legacy Description: A look at the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, past and present. The Red Sox and this evening and same date on the last day in the season players on a nice day between a Polish champagne.


Arafat #39;s Health Has Worsened RAMALLAH, West Bank - Yassir Arafat #39;s failing health is the number one topic in the Mideast today, and sources say his is getting worse.


Iran threatens to boycott nuclear talks Iran #39;s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened to boycott nuclear negotiations if European states press Tehran to totally suspend the process of uranium enrichment, as a new round of talks ended Wednesday without reaching an agreement.


Defense sales boost Boeing profit 78 -ebounding from an ethics scandal that torpedoed a \$22 billion deal to lease new refueling tankers to the Air Force, Boeing (BA) on Wednesday reported a 78 jump


JC Penney Taps Former Macy #39;s, LVMH Head PLANO, Texas - JC Penney Co. Inc. named a former chairman and chief executive of both Macy #39;s and luxury retailer LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, to lead the department store company, replacing Allen Questrom.


JDS Uniphase loss widens, views below Street SAN JOSE, Calif. (Dow Jones/AP) -- JDS Uniphase Corp., a leading maker of fiber-optic gear, posted a wider loss for its latest quarter despite an increase in revenue and provided a forecast below analysts #39; expectations.


DreamWorks Animation IPO Prices Above Estimates The initial public offering of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. raised a more than expected \$812 million on Wednesday after the shares of the film producer priced well above expectations.


Torstar 3rd-Qtr Net Falls on Buyout Costs, Harlequin (Update2) Torstar Corp., which publishes Canada #39;s biggest daily newspaper, said third-quarter profit fell 62 percent because of declining sales at its book-publishing unit and costs for employee buyouts at the Toronto Star.


Nortel delays third-quarter earnings announcement MANHASSET, NY - Nortel Networks Corp. announced Wednesday (Oct. 27) that it will postpone releasing its third-quarter 2004 earnings until December, as the network infrastructure company continues to work


Daley Gets Top Marks From Council For Skyway Deal - CHICAGO -- Chicago aldermen have unanimously endorsed the Chicago Skyway plan which gives the city 1.8-billion dollars while a private company gets to run it and collect the tolls for 99 years.


Eclipse will bring a Halloween glow to the moon Indianapolis, Oct. 27 - A mere four days from Halloween, you can #39;t beat the sight of a full moon lighting up the night sky. Nothing except a full moon bathed in orange, almost like a pumpkin.


Sony #39;s New PSP To Hit Japan in December Equipped with a wireless LAN feature, the Sony PSP enables users to connect to the Internet through access points, making it possible for them to download game characters and content and also to play games online with families, friends and online


#39;GTA #39; Expected To Drive Holiday Sales The holiday gaming season officially opened Tuesday with the release of  quot;Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. quot; The third in the immensely popular line of video games is expected by analysts to sell


Microsoft battles piracy with free software As part of its growing effort to thwart piracy, Microsoft is offering free photo slideshow software to customers who verify that they have a genuine copy of Windows.


O #39;Neill - dealt double blow. (Getty Images) Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood admitted he had initially been angered by the four extra minutes which allowed his team a shock 3-2 win at Celtic.


Wenger signs again English champion Arsenal has been boosted by the news that manager Arsene Wenger has signed on until the end of the 2007-2008 season.


Palmeiro signs one-year contract with Orioles Rafael Palmeiro didn #39;t want his homecoming with the Baltimore Orioles to end after just one season, so he took a pay cut and accepted a one-year, \$3 million contract Wednesday.


Ft Chelsea 1 West Ham 0 Chelsea were awarded a penalty in the 77th minute when Tomas Repka clearly brought down Robben despite the heated protests from the disgruntled West Ham players.


Bonds #39; 700th home run ball fetches 800 grand but legal battle <b>...</b> The man who emerged from a pile of baseball fans clutching Barry Bonds #39; 700th home run ball last month is now richer by \$804,129.


Ann Heisenfelt, AP His coaches, his players, his mother, his wife, Daunte Culpepper can #39;t thank them enough for their efforts in this world. Then there #39;s the small matter of help from beyond.


Japan looks for int #39;l help to free Japanese hostage TOKYO - Japan sought international help Wednesday to secure the release of a Japanese man taken hostage in Iraq and pledged to do its utmost to gain his freedom after refusing to bow to the kidnappers #39; threat to behead him unless Japan withdraws its


Conference Board reports lower confidence in October Optimism in Hawaii remains high while employment woes nationwide have driven consumer confidence to lower levels. US consumer confidence dropped to lower levels in October for the third consecutive month, according


Fed Reports Continuing Economic Growth The US economy continued to grow in the early fall despite being buffeted by rising energy costs and hurricanes, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday, providing its last snapshot of business conditions before Election Day.


Update 2: JC Penney Taps Former Macy #39;s, LVMH Head JC Penney Co. Inc. named a former chairman and chief executive of both Macy #39;s and luxury retailer LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, to lead the department store company, replacing Allen Questrom.


Hollinger deal with Conrad Black Hollinger International has reached a deal with its ousted chairman, Conrad Black, that would allow the media tycoon to share in the proceeds of the \$1.


DreamWorks Animation IPO Raises \$812 Mln  NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - DreamWorks Animation SKG  Inc.'s initial public offering raised a more-than-expected \$812  million on Wednesday in a deal that marked the first IPO by a  major movie studio in seven years.


DreamWorks Animation IPO Raises  #36;812 Mln (Reuters) Reuters - DreamWorks Animation SKG\Inc.'s initial public offering raised a more-than-expected  #36;812\million on Wednesday in a deal that marked the first IPO by a\major movie studio in seven years.


Favres Fight Year of Hardships (AP) AP - More than ever, Brett Favre needs football as his escape. His wife, Deanna, is fighting breast cancer, the latest bad news for the star quarterback's family, which has dealt with two deaths in 11 months.


Phillies Consider John Russell for Manager (AP) AP - John Russell might be perceived as a long shot among Philadelphia Phillies managerial candidates.


Arafat 'Very Sick,' Palestinian Leaders Summoned  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian President  Yasser Arafat's health has worsened sharply and he is slipping  in and out of consciousness at his besieged West Bank  headquarters, officials and medics said Thursday.


Watchdogs: Broadband policy a bust Consumer advocate organizations say U.S is trailing in broadband and that inequality is increasing.


Bush campaign cuts website off from foreign access for "security reasons" (AFP) AFP - President George W. Bush's reelection campaign said it had cut its website off from access from certain foreign countries  quot;for security reasons, quot; but declined to elaborate.


Afghanistan set to regain "land bridge" role for Asia: US (AFP) AFP - Afghanistan is set to reestablish its role as a  quot;land bridge quot; linking much of Asia and drive growth in the four trillion dollar broader regional market, a top US official said.


Earthquake Hits Romania, No Reports of Casualties  BUCHAREST (Reuters) - An earthquake hit Romania on  Wednesday night, shaking buildings in the capital Bucharest but  apparently causing little damage, Reuters witnesses said.


Ask Jeeves Third Quarter Profit Up, But Stock Falls (Reuters) Reuters - Ask Jeeves Inc.  posted a\higher third-quarter profit as Web-search advertising continued\to fuel revenue growth.


Americans a Bit Taller, Much Heavier, Report Says (Reuters) Reuters - Americans are getting taller on\average but they are much heavier too, according to government\figures released on Wednesday showing that the U.S. population\is, literally, growing.


MySQL calls open source database enterprise-ready MySQL on Wednesday announced general availability of Version 4.1 of its MySQL open source database, which the company is positioning as production-ready for large-scale enterprise usage.


Phoenix exercises option on Amare Stoudemire (AFP) AFP - Amare Stoudemire, who will make 2.32 million dollars this season, had his fourth-year option picked up on his contract, the Phoenix Suns announced.


Marsh ex-CEO exercises stock options WASHINGTON -- Jeffrey W. Greenberg, who resigned this week as chairman and chief executive of Marsh  amp; McLennan Cos. Inc., amid a regulatory inquiry into its policies, exercised options to obtain 540,000 shares


New Zealand interest rates lifted for sixth time this year WELLINGTON : New Zealand #39;s central Reserve Bank lifted interest rates for the sixth time this year. Governor Alan Bollard said in a statement the cash rate had been raised to 6.50 percent from 6.25 percent.


Bush website inaccessible from Australia United States President George W Bush #39;s campaign website is inaccessible from outside the United States, blocking access for Americans living in Australia.


Moon to disappear Wednesday night - temporarily Astronomers say the Moon might look like a pumpkin Wednesday night before it completely disappears in the Earths shadow in the last total lunar eclipse until March 2007.


Yahoo Search Goes Mobile Yahoo for the first time is letting mobile phone users query its search engine, giving them access to conventional Web results, local business listings and related information, as well as images such as pictures and maps, the company says.


SGI Takes Off With NASA Supercomputer Forget the Earth Simulator and IBM #39;s Blue Gene/L, Silicon Graphics (SGI) (Quote, Chart) is laying claim to the fastest supercomputer in the world.


Vikings #39; Moss practices despite hamstring injury Eden Prairie, MN (Sports Network) - Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss practiced on Wednesday despite nursing a strained right hamstring and is listed as questionable for this Sunday #39;s game against the New York Giants.


RB McGahee earns Bills starting job Willis McGahee will start at running back Sunday for the Buffalo Bills in hopes of igniting a sputtering offense.  quot;He #39;s made some more yards after first contact, quot; coach Mike Mularkey said in announcing that


Bremen come from behind to stun Stuttgart Stuttgart, Germany (Sports Network) - Werder Bremen scored twice in the last 12 minutes as the defending Bundesliga champions beat Stuttgart in a physical match, 2-1.


Japan hostage faces execution TOKYO - Japan insisted yesterday it would not bow to the demands of militants in Iraq who threatened to behead a young Japanese unless Tokyo pulls its troops from the country within 48 hours.


Google Plans To Acquire Keyhole Search giant Google Inc. on Wednesday said it has acquired Keyhole Corp., a digital-mapping company that shows satellite pictures from around the world.


Stocks Rally on Oil, Economic News With oil prices dropping, stocks rallied to their second consecutive day of sizeable gains today, with the Dow again rising by triple-digits and the Nasdaq turning in the day #39;s best overall performance.


Weaned on Video Games Video gamers are getting younger and younger. And parents and the video game industry agree that the implications are likely to be enormous.


Wednesday Night Features Full Lunar Eclipse Just in time for Halloween, the moon will look more like a pumpkin than green cheese during a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday night.


Preminet: Nokias Mobile Content Move Courtesy of Nokia, mobile content distribution and transaction will reside in a one-stop-shop, making life easier for mobile networks and perhaps more interesting for the owners of some 350 million Java-enabled handsets (at last count.


Plugging Into the Net, Through the Humble Wall Outlet An emerging technology known as broadband over power lines may soon provide a new channel for high-speed data into homes through ordinary electrical outlets.


Red Sox retrospective The last time the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, Woodrow Wilson was president, suffragettes were demanding that women get to vote and doughboys were  quot;over there, quot; fighting a war in France that wasn #39;t called World War I because


O #39;s ink Palmeiro to one-year deal The Orioles made quick work of what was expected to be one of their most difficult offseason decisions, re-signing Rafael Palmeiro to a one-year deal Wednesday and practically


Moss goes through Vikings morning walkthrough Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Tice says his star receiver is looking better this week after being limited last week by a strained hamstring.


McGahee earns Bills starting job ORCHARD PARK, NY Willis McGahee (muh-GAY #39;-hee) will start at running back Sunday for the Buffalo Bills in hopes of igniting a sputtering offense.


When the Big-Game Ticket Is Just a Big Fake New technology and a faceless distribution network over the Internet are contributing to a rising number of counterfeit tickets to sports events and concerts.


The IPod's New Trick: Photo Show The iPod Photo looks and feels exactly like the existing iPod -- except it can display your photos on a bright screen. Should you buy it?


Sharon savours victory for Gaza pullout JERUSALEM: Israeli PM Ariel Sharon was savouring a dramatic victory for his Gaza pullout plan on Wednesday after MPs gave the green light to the first ever evacuation of occupied Palestinian territory.


Scampering to the Height of Fashion On the Web, a parallel universe of tiny, adorable accessories for tiny, adorable dogs.


MySQL calls open source database enterprise-ready (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - MySQL on Wednesday announced general availability of Version 4.1 of its MySQL open source database, which the company is positioning as production-ready for large-scale enterprise usage.


Mets Interview Riggleman for Managing Job Jim Riggleman, the Dodgers' bench coach, was the Chicago Cubs' manager for five seasons before being fired in 1999.


Haitians Say Police Killed 13 in Pro-Aristide Slum  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - Residents of a  Port-au-Prince slum accused Haitian police on Wednesday of  executing 13 people believed to be supporters of ousted  President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.


Boeing profit up 78 percent in quarter, upbeat on 2005 CHICAGO : Aerospace giant Boeing reported a 78 percent increase in third-quarter profit on Wednesday and gave an upbeat forecast for the rest of 2004 and into 2005.


OPEC President Urges US To Tap Oil Reserves Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries President Purnomo Yusgiantoro said he has requested that the US use more of its oil reserves to calm the markets.


Summary: Wall Street #39;s Major Indexes The Dow Jones industrial average posted its second straight triple-digit gain Wednesday, as a government oil inventory report sent crude futures tumbling.


Foreigners Blocked From Bush Site LONDON -- President Bush #39;s official campaign website has blocked access to foreign surfers since Monday, an internet monitoring company said Wednesday.


Ballmer: Windows TCO the way to go In the face of growing competition from Linux, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivered a four-page memo to customers on Wednesday outlining the economic and security advantages Windows has over Linux, the potential dangers of open source involving


Intel Launches Storage Processor Intel also unveiled a key optical design win with Emulex Corporation and a new compiler for storage applications. Intel introduced the 64 bit-capable Low Voltage Intel Xeon Processor 2.8 GHz with 800


Calderwood #39;s added time quandary Jimmy Calderwood admitted he had been angry the referee added on four minutes with Aberdeen holding Celtic to a draw, only for the Dons to grab a late goal.


Bills look to McGahee for a spark Willis McGahee has emerged as the Buffalo Bills starting running back based on his ability to provide more of a spark to a sputtering offence.


Safin gets free ride TOP-seeded Marat Safin advanced to the second round of the St Petersburg Open today when Austrian Alexander Peya retired with an injured ankle.


BREMEN FOIL STUTTGART RISE Ten-man Bremen came from behind to inflict Stuttgart #39;s second successive defeat with a win at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium on Wednesday evening.


REGION: EU and Iran fail to reach nuclear deal VIENNA: France, Britain and Germany failed to reach a deal with Iran on Wednesday under which Tehran would scrap its uranium enrichment programme in exchange for nuclear power technology, but the two sides agreed to meet again.


British troops start perilous Iraq mission BAGHDAD: Hundreds of British soldiers left southern Iraq on a risky mission closer to Baghdad on Wednesday to free up US forces for a possible assault on rebel-held Fallujah, as Tokyo stood firm after militants threatened to behead a Japanese hostage.


Out with the old at EDS Electronic Data Systems' early-retirement plan aims to save hundreds of millions of dollars, but saying goodbye to veteran employees could be hard on the firm.


Powerful blast rocks Bordeaux city hall (AFP) AFP - The city hall of the southwestern French city of Bordeaux was damaged by a powerful explosion overnight, witnesses saw.


Day from Hell May Have Killed Off Dinosaurs (Reuters) Reuters - One minute you're a big\T-Rex, the next you're toast.


DreamWorks Animation IPO Raises \$812 Mln DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. #39;s initial public offering raised a more-than-expected \$812 million on Wednesday in a deal that marked the


Cassini Takes A Close Look At Saturns Moon Titan Saturn #39;s mysterious moon Titan held onto its secrets despite a close reconnaissance by the Cassini spacecraft #39;s cameras and instruments.


Bush campaign site blocks traffic from abroad The folks in charge of the United States president #39;s re-election campaign seem to have forgotten that the first two letters of WWW stand for  quot;world wide.


1572 AD Explosion Supports Supernova Theory Hubble Space Telescope -- An international team of astronomers is announcing today that they have identified the probable surviving companion star to a titanic supernova explosion witnessed in the year 1572 by the great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and


Celtic are rocked by Stewart Temerity is suddenly in fashion in the Scottish Premier League. Dundee United forced a draw with Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday and last night Aberdeen.


Tennis quote provides food for thought... If Roger Federer or Andy Roddick were credited with the above quote, to win all the four Grand Slam titles in 2005, I would have, perhaps, not written this column.


Prediction: Georgia Tech 23, Virginia Tech 20 GAME NOTES: The ACC #39;s two Tech schools meet up in Atlanta this weekend, as the 22nd-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies come calling on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a Thursday evening clash from Bobby Dodd Stadium.


Patience pays off for Kezman Chelsea moved into the fourth round of the Carling Cup thanks to Mateja Kezman #39;s first goal for the club. But there were unpleasant scenes towards the end of this closely fought contest when the


Real-life rescue played out on TV IN A drama played out live on Japanese television, a two-year-old boy was rescued from beneath huge boulders yesterday, four days after a deadly earthquake triggered a landslide that buried the car carrying him and his family.


UK report says Linux is 'viable' A UK government study finds the open-source Linux operating system is a  "viable" alternative to rival products.


PayPal Makes Amends for Recent Outage (AP) AP - Online payment service PayPal said it will essentially waive transaction fees for some customers on Thursday to make amends for the inconvenience caused by about five days of intermittent service outages earlier this month.


PDA Sales Continue to Drop (PC World) PC World - Consumers are giving PDAs the hand as they move toward smart phones.


Earthquake Shakes Romania; No Injuries (AP) AP - A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 shook Romania late Wednesday, Romania's Earth Physics Institute said. Authorities said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.


Saturn #39;s moon Titan holds mysteries despite close Cassini flyby PASADENA, Calif. Scientists don #39;t know what to make of new close-up images of Saturn #39;s giant moon Titan. Pictures taken by the European-US Cassini spacecraft show distinct dark and bright areas -- but scientists


Jobs unveils Apple #39;s Photo iPod APPLE has introduced a new larger-capacity iPod with a colour display as well as a first-of-its-kind digital compendium of the rock band U2 #39;s songs.


Look to the sky tonight for eclipse If you still don #39;t believe the Earth is round, check out tonight #39;s lunar eclipse: It was enough to convince the ancient Greeks.


Hain hit with eggs in hunt demo Commons leader Peter Hain is pelted with eggs and his aide punched during a pro-hunt demonstration in Oxford.


Cingular keeps BBDO Atlanta In a vote of confidence for BBDO Atlanta, the now-largest cell phone company Cingular Wireless will keep its business with the Atlanta advertising agency.


Two Wireless Broadband Standards Get A Boost The battle lines between two leading wireless broadband technologies were drawn more clearly this week as the major proponents of each approach announced that a large hardware company had joined their camp.


SanDisk Intros New Memory Sticks and SD Cards with World #39;s Largest <b>...</b> The 4GB SanDisk Memory Stick PRO will cost \$799.99, while 2GB SanDisk SD Card will be \$199.99. They will be available in November.


African Union to finalize security protocol on Darfur crisis The African Union (AU) said Wednesday at the end of the third day of peace talks on Sudan #39;s Darfur in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, that it would finalize a protocol on security


Fall in oil price provides welcome boost for Wall Street Investors have grown increasingly anxious about how soaring energy costs might dent consumer spending ahead of the what is widely expected to be a chillier than normal winter.


Developments concerning Iraq Britain begins redeploying some 800 troops toward the restive area south of Baghdad area in a move aimed at freeing up US forces for an assault on insurgent areas north and west of the capital.


Trapped toddler freed four days after Japanese quake TOKYO - After five days of disaster and death, Japan was given some reason to cheer yesterday when a toddler who had been trapped alive in a car for four days was miraculously pulled to safety.


Red Sox Go for World Series Sweep Tonight There's no other outcome now: The Red Sox will either win the World Series or add another historic collapse to their legend.


Mississippi State Penalized for Football Violations  STARKVILLE, Mississippi (Sports Network) - The NCAA  Wednesday placed Mississippi State on probation for four years  because of football recruiting violations.


Mondavi Posts Loss After Restructuring The Robert Mondavi Corp. swung to a loss in its latest quarter as the wine maker recorded restructuring and sales charges. The Napa-based company on Wednesday reported a net loss of \$57.


Market spurts ahead after RB brings tightening to end The sharemarket spurted ahead nearly 1 per cent in early business despite the Reserve Bank (RB) today raising interest rates for the sixth time this year.


PDA Sales Continue to Drop If a handheld device doesn #39;t have voice capabilities, a growing number of users around the world aren #39;t interested, according to IDC.


Cassini probe reveals detailed images of Saturn #39;s largest moon Scientists cheered yesterday as the first detailed images emerged of Titan - the largest moon of Saturn - though they are still unsure whether its surface is liquid or solid.