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ChangeQuakes Of The Week

February 13, 2006

TOP CHANGEQUAKES OF THE WEEK
** Drug Breakthrough May Be An AIDS Cure
** U.S. Trade Deficit Hits All-Time High
** 'A La Carte' Cable Gets FCC's Backing
** Sweden Aims For Oil-Free Economy
** FDA Considers Weight-Loss Pill For U.S. Market

MORE CHANGEQUAKES TO WATCH

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TOP CHANGEQUAKES OF THE WEEK

Drug Breakthrough May Be An AIDS Cure

(DISCOVERY CHANGEQUAKE) -- Researchers believe they have found a new compound that could finally kill the HIV/AIDS virus, not just slow it down as current treatments do.

www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com

U.S. Trade Deficit Hits All-Time High

(ECONOMIC CHANGEQUAKE) -- The U.S. trade deficit soared to an all-time high of $725.8 billion in 2005, pushed upward by record imports of oil, food, cars and other consumer goods.

money.cnn.com

'A La Carte' Cable Gets FCC's Backing

(REGULATORY CHANGEQUAKE) -- The chairman of the FCC backs cable providers offering consumers a choice to buy individual channels rather than cable packages, and just last week the FCC released a report showing that consumers could cut their cable TV bills by up to 13% if they were given the option of a la carte.

www.usatoday.com

Related story: President Bush Signs Digital TV Transition Bill
www.pcworld.com

Sweden Aims For Oil-Free Economy

(DISCOVERY CHANGEQUAKE) -- Sweden says it aims to completely wean itself off oil within 15 years by replacing all fossil fuels with renewables before climate change damages economies and growing oil scarcity leads to price rises.

msnbc.msn.com

Related story: Bug Waste An Alternative To Oil?
news.yahoo.com

FDA Considers Weight-Loss Pill For U.S. Market

(FDA APPROVAL CHANGEQUAKE) -- Sanofi-Aventis' new treatment, Acomplia, also known as rimonabant, has shown promise in a half-dozen clinical trials in curbing the cravings that make people hungry and reach for a cigarette, and could be approved by the FDA as soon as this month.

www.columbiatribune.com

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MORE CHANGEQUAKES TO WATCH

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGEQUAKES

MIT Scientists Working On Battery Alternative

MIT scientists say they're close to developing a new alternative to conventional batteries that could revolutionize how cars, cell phones and other gadgets are powered by improving on technology currently used in hybrid cars.

business.bostonherald.com

Google 3.0 Prompts Privacy Fears

Google is launching its Google Desktop 3, which includes search features that make finding and sharing information easier for users. However, several digital rights groups say the software poses an increased risk to personal privacy due to a feature in the software that lets Google keep personal data on its servers for up to 30 days.

news.ft.com

Google Testing Software Distribution With Dell

Dell and Google have confirmed that they are testing a pre-installed package of Google software on Dell computers, in a potential blow to Microsoft Corp.'s dominance of desktop software.

today.reuters.com

A Wealth Of Opportunities In Healthcare RFID

The U.S. healthcare industry represents a large percentage of the overall U.S. economy and an area well known for being a late adopter of information technology.

www.rfidjournal.com

Related Story: Employees Implanted With Electronic Chips
news.ft.com


CORPORATE CHANGEQUAKES

GM To Reduce Dividend, Trim Exec Pay

General Motors announced it is cutting in half its yearly dividend to $1 a share and reducing the salaries of its chairman and senior leadership team. The cut in its dividend will reduce GM's yearly cash payout by about $565 million, and the automaker also plans to cut health benefits for salaried retirees and evaluate ways to restructure its pension plan for salaried U.S. workers.

news.yahoo.com

Amazon's Chief Executive Joins Google

The head of Amazon.com's online search effort is leaving to join Google, the latest in a series of high-profile hires for the search engine leader.

biz.yahoo.com

Volkswagen To Cut 20,000 Jobs

Car manufacturer Volkswagen said it may cut up to 20,000 jobs in the next three years at its core VW brand in a sweeping restructuring program that could also lead to a reduction in production capacity.

abcnews.go.com

Embattled BlackBerry Feels Heat From Microsoft

Microsoft has won backing from major cellular networks for a new generation of phones designed to transform mobile e-mail from executive accessory to standard issue for the corporate rank-and-file.

news.yahoo.com

Related Story: Research In Motion Unfazed By Tech Giants' Competition
news.yahoo.com


REGULATORY CHANGEQUAKES

NRC Approves Duke Energy's Acquisition Of Cinergy

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has cleared Duke Energy's planned $9 billion acquisition of Cincinnati-based Cinergy Corp.

news.moneycentral.msn.com


ECONOMIC CHANGEQUAKES

AIG, Regulators Reach $1.6 Billion Settlement

In one of the largest regulatory settlements ever, American International Group has agreed to pay $1.64 billion to resolve allegations that it used deceptive accounting practices to mislead investors and regulators.

news.yahoo.com

India's Economy Projected To Grow 8.1% This Year

India's economy is expected to grow by 8.1% the current fiscal year due to robust growth in the manufacturing and service industries, according to a new government report.

www.cbc.ca


FDA APPROVAL CHANGEQUAKES

FDA Recommends Warnings On ADHD Drugs

An FDA advisory panel narrowly voted to recommend putting the strongest type of warning possible on widely prescribed stimulant drugs for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, after a prior FDA report showed that 25 children and adults had died suddenly from 1999 to 2003 after taking ADHD drugs.

www.usatoday.com


DISCOVERY CHANGEQUAKES

Researchers In A Frantic Search For Bird Flu Vaccine

Medical researchers bracing for a global influenza epidemic are in frantic search of a way to perform a loaves-and-fishes miracle with the world's skimpy annual production of flu vaccine.

www.msnbc.msn.com

Related Story: European Governments Urge Calm As Bird Flu Spreads
www.boston.com