AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - Massive power outages in Brazil in 2005 and 2007 that impacted millions were caused by cyber hackers attacking control systems, the US television network CBS said Sunday.

AFP - SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Industry tracker comScore on Friday released a study showing that Internet users in September spent more time at Microsoft websites that at any other online properties.

Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Forget the buzz over the next "Twilight" film or James Cameron's "Avatar." The biggest entertainment hit of the holiday season may come on Tuesday, when "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" hits stores.

AFP - OSLO (AFP) - A court in Norway on Friday rejected calls from the entertainment industry to force communications giant Telenor to block its customers from accessing popular file sharing website The Pirate Bay.

AFP - MADRID (AFP) - Experts from 50 nations meeting in Madrid have reached a draft agreement on international standards for the protection of privacy and personal data, participants said Friday.

AFP - GENEVA (AFP) - Solar Impulse, the Swiss bid to make the first solar-powered flight around the world, rolled out its prototype on Friday at an airbase near Zurich.

AFP - MADRID (AFP) - The new "smart meters" utilities are installing in homes around the world to reduce energy use raise fresh privacy issues because of the wealth of information about consumer habits they reveal, experts said Friday.

AFP - SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - A Motorola Droid smart phone goes on sale Friday, joining the growing ranks of smart phones on the open-source operating system backed by Google.

The Canadian Press - NEW YORK - It's been a rough year for the video game industry, but Activision Blizzard Inc. reported a profit for its third quarter because of a lower costs and a good response for games such as "Guitar Hero 5" and "World of Warcraft."

AFP - SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Google on Thursday opened a window for users to see what records the Internet giant keeps regarding their activities at YouTube, Gmail, Reader and other accounts.

The Canadian Press - MONTREAL - CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau took another swipe at what he called the lack of competition in the cellphone industry as Quebecor Inc. (TSX:QBR.B) announced a 52 per cent jump in third-quarter profit on Thursday.

AFP - BRUSSELS (AFP) - The European parliament and EU nations have agreed new rules to improve the rights to European mobile phone and Internet users, and offer more protection against illegal Internet porn and copyright abuse.

AFP - OTTAWA (AFP) - Blackberry smartphone maker Research in Motion (RIM) announced Thursday it would buy back 1.2 billion US dollars worth of its stock to prop up the sagging share price amid heightened competition.

AFP - SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Packaged software powerhouse Microsoft on Thursday released a paper outlining privacy concerns businesses should consider prior to leaping into the computing "cloud."

The Canadian Press - SAN FRANCISCO - Cisco Systems Inc. doesn't want Wall Street to interpret its forecast for its first quarterly revenue growth in a year as evidence that the U.S. and other economies are roaring back.

AFP - TOKYO (AFP) - Most eyewear improves vision or cuts through solar glare, but a new gadget from Japan may soon sharpen linguistic skills and cut down language barriers instead, inventors said Thursday.

AFP - BEIJING (AFP) - China has issued rules banning the beating and confinement of youths being treated for Internet addiction after revelations of abuse at rehabilitation clinics, including the death of one teenager.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - Contrary to popular belief, technology is not leading to social isolation and Americans who use the Internet and mobile phones have larger and more diverse social networks, according to a new study.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Wall Street Journal is launching a San Francisco edition on Thursday, joining The New York Times and the ailing local newspaper, the Chronicle, in a battle for readers in the Bay Area.

The Canadian Press - NEW YORK - The legal challenges to Intel Corp.'s sales tactics mounted Wednesday as New York's attorney general accused the world's biggest computer chip maker of using "illegal threats and collusion" to dominate.

The Canadian Press - SAN FRANCISCO - Cisco Systems Inc. is forecasting revenue growth for the first time in a year, offering further evidence that orders are rising again after passing what CEO John Chambers called a "tipping point" in the downturn this summer.

AFP - WASHINGTON (AFP) - Global media giant News Corp. posted an 11 percent rise in quarterly net profit on Wednesday as strong results from its movie, cable television and book publishing divisions offset a newspaper slump.

AFP - SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - British music giant EMI on Wednesday confirmed it is suing a California online music service that streams and digitally delivers Beatles songs to users.

AFP - SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Microsoft is rolling out a revamped MSN home page that incorporates its new Bing search engine and easy access to trendy online services Twitter and Facebook.

AFP - SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Apple on Wednesday announced that outside developers have crammed the virtual shelves of its App Store with more than 100,000 mini-programs for iPhones and iPod Touch devices.

The Canadian Press - REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. says it is cutting 800 more jobs. That's in addition to the 5,000 layoffs it announced in January.

AFP - NEW YORK (AFP) - New York's attorney general filed an antitrust lawsuit against Intel Corp. on Wednesday alleging the US computer chip giant engaged in illegal practices to dominate the market.