World and people

SF Firm to Settle Anti-Spam Charges. An Internet marketing firm that offered free movie tickets in exchange for friends' e-mail addresses agreed to pay a $900,000 fine to settle charges it violated federal anti-spam laws, authorities said.
Aviva withdraws Prudential offer. LONDON: Facing unhappy investors and an unfriendly board, the British insurance company Aviva withdrew its 17 billion bid for the rival Prudential PLC on Friday.
Orders for Manufactured Goods Rise in Feb. Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods rose in February by the largest amount in three months, propelled by soaring demand for civilian aircraft.
Lucent and Alcatel in merger talks, again. Lucent Technologies Inc. and French telecom equipment maker Alcatel SA are discussing a merger in what could be the start of consolidation among the companies that help power telephone and Internet networks.
Microsoft Reorganizes Windows Unit. Microsoft Corp. announced a broad reorganization Thursday of the unit that produces its flagship Windows operating system, two days after the company said the new consumer version of Windows would not be ready..

Shareholder suits often don't pay. Suing. It's the American way. But when it comes to shareholder lawsuits, it may be time to reconsider.
Electroglas stock rises; revenue outlook above Street view. Electroglas Inc. shares climbed Friday, after the manufacturing equipment supplier said it expects fourth-quarter sales to be above Wall Street's expectations.
McClatchy Bidding Process Criticized By Union. A newspaper worker's union said that it didn't have full access to McClatchy's financial information.

Baghdad hit by 'suicide car bomb'. At least three people have been killed in a suspected suicide car bomb attack in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Police say the target was believed to have been a police building in Baghdad's eastern district of Karrada. ' '.
TSA Lawyer Subpoenaed In Moussaoui Case. Carla Martin, whose misconduct threatened to derail the trial, has been subpoenaed to testify at a court hearing about her conduct, sources say.

3 Western aid workers freed in Iraq. The previously unknown Swords of Righteousness Brigades claimed responsibility.The men were shown as prisoners in several videos, the most recent a silent clip dated Feb. 28 in which Loney, Kember and Sooden appeared without Fox.
Three Western hostages freed in military operation. The Iraqi Interior Ministry said it was believed the captives were freed in a town north of Baghdad, although there were conflicting reports on the location of the operation.
Sale of Tax Data Draws Protests. Privacy advocates attack proposed IRS rules on obtaining taxpayer permission to use information.
Three hostages freed in Iraq. News Time Warner Inc. BAGHDAD, Iraq-- Three Christian aid workers -- two Canadians and a Briton -- were freed from captivity Thursday morning after a multinational military operation in..

Eta calls for fresh peace moves. The Basque separatist group Eta has urged the governments of Spain and France to respond positively to its declaration of a permanent ceasefire.
Special forces free Iraq hostages. The two Canadians required hospital treatment, he said, but gave no further details.The men, members of aid group Christian Peacemaker Teams, were abducted along with American colleague Tom Fox, 54, in Baghdad on Nov. 26.
Workers riot at Dubai project to build tallest skyscraper. The violence, which caused an estimated $1 million damage, illustrated the growing unrest among foreign workers who are the linchpin of Dubai's breathtaking building boom.
Military operation frees 3 hostages in Iraq. They are currently going through a 'through medical check-up.'The Embassy said 'this follows constant work and cooperation between the UK, Canadian Embassies and the Iraqi Security Forces.' (.
Peace Activists in Iraq Freed. Multi-national forces rescue three men, colleagues of Va. man killed by captors two weeks ago.

Court Overturns Quattrone Conviction. A federal appeals court overturned the conviction on Monday of high-powered technology banker Frank Quattrone, granting him a new trial.
Chain of craft stores going on the block. IRVING, Texas -- Michaels Stores Inc., an arts and crafts retailer, put itself up for sale yesterday and said its longtime president and chief executive, R. Michael Rouleau, is retiring.

Kerzner Agrees to Buyout. Kerzner International , the resort and casino operator, agreed to go private in a $3.6 billion leveraged buyout Monday led by CEO Butch Kerzner and his father, Chairman Sol Kerzner.
Regulars Every bar has them. Text by Chris Walker Published March 21, 2006 Gino Lucente is sitting with two co-workers at the bar in Richard's at Grand and Milwaukee Avenues, sipping a beer and waxing poetic about why he loves the place.
February Economic Indicators Show Slight Dip. A closely watched gauge of future economic activity declined slightly in February following a sharp rise in January, a private research group said Monday.
Ex-China Aviation Oil CEO sentenced. The former chief executive of China Aviation Oil Ltd. was sentenced to four years and three months in jail and fined 335,000 Singapore dollars on Tuesday for his role in the Beijing-backed jet fuel trader's..

Verizon signs deal with CBS for company's new TV service. Verizon Communications Inc. and CBS Corp. said Monday that the companies reached a deal for Verizon to carry CBS programming on its new television service.
Bud-drinkin' football fans, this end zone's for you. Louie Villalobos The Arizona Republic Mar. 20, 2006 12:00 AM The Arizona Cardinals and Anheuser-Busch have partnered to give Cardinals Stadium what will be its most dominant internal feature.
Arrests, citations 'average' on St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick's Day revelers apparently held their green beer as well as their ordinary brew.
SABMiller in talks to buy Foster's breweries. A source close to SABMiller confirmed the group was interested in buying Fosters Asian breweries and that negotiations have taken place between the two firms.
Donnelley grows services with OfficeTiger buy. Printing giant R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. of Chicago agreed to buy OfficeTiger for $250 million in cash to expand financial services and research and analysis in its contracting-out business.

Grandma's grief eased by a little green. GRANDMA'S sister died last month, which I told you about two weeks ago. Grandma is still dealing with the grief the only way she knows how -- pathetically.
Unsafe Imports Slip Through Regulatory Net. The poison arrived in a plastic bottle from India bearing a simple label in English and Hindi.
St. Patrick's revelry leads to 17 arrests. By KATHERINE ROSENBERG Staff Writer The green beer was flowing. So were the DUI's. At least 17 people were arrested in the High Desert on Friday evening and early Saturday morning for driving under the..
It's over for Davis. There's a lot more to Gonzaga than Adam Morrison and his wispy mustache. Good thing for the Zags, because they needed the whole package to get past Indiana and its vast collection of three-point shooters.
Just Enough Coffee Plus a Shot of Espresso. The other day at Smelling the Coffee, I linked to a video clip that shows what happens when you have had EXACTLY enough coffee.

Accountants face grilling in Enron trial. Lawyers for Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling have repeatedly grilled prosecution witnesses in their fraud and conspiracy trial on whether they have the expertise to decry..
FTSE seen adding to last week's strong run. The FTSE 100 is expected to rise on Monday, adding to its strong run last week when the index briefly rose above the 6,000-mark for the first time in five years.
Bulls aren't playing catch-up. If only this chase was as exciting as those televised live from the freeways of Los Angeles.

Luxury Hotels Take Dining Sky High. Pistachio-crusted blue fin tuna topped with shaved fennel and blood oranges. Prosciutto and burratta mozzarella on bone bread, garnished with arugula.
Zurich To Pay $171 Million In Probe Settlement. Zurich American Insurance Co. has agreed to pay $171 million in a deal with nine states to settle allegations of bid-rigging and price-fixing in the commercial insurance market, state officials said Sunday.
West Virginia stops Northwestern St., returns to Sweet 16. You got the feeling Northwestern State's improbable NCAA tournament run was going to end when West Virginia's Darris Nichols banked one in from downtown Detroit to end the first half.

Twinings of London Tea. What it is //For its 300th anniversary, Twinings has brewed new tea blends to capture global tastes.
Thousands expected for St. Patrick's Day events in downtown Gaslamp. Tens of thousands of revelers are expected to pack the Gaslamp Quarter on Friday night to swill green beer as they celebrate St.
Google Avoids Handing Over Records To Government. A federal judge on Friday ordered Google Inc. to give the Bush administration a peek inside its Internet-leading search engine, but rebuffed the government's demand for a list of people's search requests --..

Bucknell different day after second NCAA victory. The day after their shocking first-round NCAA tournament victory last year, the Bucknell Bison were still caught up in the excitement of what they had done.
Former Federal Reserve Chair Miller dies. Former Federal Reserve Chairman G. William Miller, who as President Carter's treasury secretary oversaw the government bailout that brought Chrysler back from the brink, has died.
CHP puts intoxicated drivers to the test. PLEASANTON - There was a time when a reporter could keep a bottle of scotch in the desk drawer and no one thought anything of it.
Washington stands in way of national status for Illini. To the casual March Madness coattail rider, it might not seem that big of a step.
Delta Pilots Union Defends Contract. The pilots union of Delta Air Lines Inc. sought to show Friday that flying a commercial plane with the lives of hundreds of passengers at stake is a stressful, time-consuming and heavily regulated job that..

Ads to Try to Reach Through the Madness.They may not be controversial Super Bowl commercials, but a series of humorous ads designed to remind the public and lawmakers of the broad benefits of higher education and the need for government support are set to start airing tonight on CBS and ESPN -- timed for March Madness.
Capital One to buy bank. Capital One Financial Corp., one of the nation's largest credit card issuers, said Monday it has agreed to buy North Fork Bancorp.
Mining for Legislation.With the coal industry's improving safety record pretty much shot already for 2006 by the explosion in a West Virginia mine in January and other incidents that have left 21 coal miners dead -- 22 died in all of 2005 -- about two dozen mine executives and industry representatives lobbied the Hill this week in support of mine safety legislation.

The stock slides as analysts note Intel's bid to regain market share. Advanced Micro Devices shares slid nearly 7% on Monday after a pair of downgrades from Wall Street analysts.
Lay's lawyer to cross-examine ex-Enron CFO. Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay knew the company faced massive losses and weakening finances when he made rosy public statements about its strength in the months before its 2001 collapse, according to the chief..

Gasoline prices rise to $2.35/gallon: survey. The national average for self-serve, regular unleaded gasoline was $2.35 per gallon on March 10, a rise of nearly 11 cents from two weeks earlier, according to the nationwide Lundberg survey of about 7,000 gas..
Japan's Livedoor faces criminal complaint. TOKYO - Japan's securities commission on Monday filed a criminal complaint against five former executives of the Livedoor Co.
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