AP - When Katy Moreno heard the armed Basque group ETA had declared a permanent cease-fire, her thoughts rushed back to the day more than 11 years ago when gunmen ambushed her husband outside the couple's home — killing him with two bullets to the head.

USATODAY.com - While spring hasn't generated growth in the music industry, a sunny outlook prevails. With 119 million albums sold to date, sales in the first quarter of 2006 are down 3%. That disappointment is countered by the explosion of digital sales, up 96% with 122.9 million tracks downloaded so far this year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Reuters - Nearly three years after rebranding itself as the network for men, Spike TV on Wednesday unveiled a new logo and a new attitude it hopes will appeal to young, action-hungry viewers.

Reuters - The Dow soared to its highest close in nearly 5 years on Wednesday, boosted by gains in shares of industrial companies like Caterpillar Inc. amid hopes that corporate profit growth would stay strong even if the Federal Reserve keeps raising interest rates a bit longer than expected.

AP - Brian Griese made it clear: He will do all he can to become the Chicago Bears' starting quarterback. And coach Lovie Smith made this clear: the job is Rex Grossman's.

AdWeek.com - In what sources described as a holding company battle for Unilever attention, Omnicom Group has hired Asit Mehra, a global account leader on Unilever at Interpublic Group's Lowe in London. The hire came after WPP Group wooed the executive in hopes of shoring up its Unilever business at JWT.

Reuters - General Motors Corp. shares rose more than 5 percent on Tuesday amid hopes that the automaker is nearing a union deal that would offer buyouts to thousands of factory workers.

AFP - Andrew Flintoff survived a stumping chance and two other close calls to keep alive England's hopes of setting a stiff target for India in the third and final Test.

Reuters - LG Electronics (066570.KS) said on Tuesday it will start shipping its "Chocolate" mobile phone in Europe by early May, in an attempt to break through in the GSM markets where it lags far behind its direct rivals.

AFP - England's overnight decathlon leader Dean Macey's hopes of landing the Commonwealth Games title were cast into doubt after he limped away following the 110 metres hurdles.

AP - Major League Soccer announced Monday plans to put an expansion team in a stadium that Rowan University hopes to build on its new auxiliary campus, located in a fast-growing Philadelphia suburb.

AFP - In a new cliff-hanger, the judge in a lawsuit over whether author Dan Brown copied another book when producing his bestseller "The Da Vinci Code", said he will deliver his ruling within a month.

AP - Todd Helton broke camp last season bothered by a bad back, hounded by steroid suspicions and surrounded by a bunch of teammates experiencing growing pains.

Reuters - Workers from 12 newspapers that are being sold by McClatchy Co. are pressing ahead with efforts to acquire the papers, which include The Philadelphia Inquirer and San Jose Mercury News, union representatives said on Monday.

AP - Dialing into the fast-growing market for mobile games, a San Francisco-based startup is poised to unveil a new service on Monday that it hopes will make television viewers as hooked to their cell phones as they are to remote controls.

AP - The Florida Panthers are still fighting to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Joe Nieuwendyk helped the Panthers pick up two more points in the standings Saturday night, scoring the only shootout goal in Florida's 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals.

AP - With the clock running out on LSU's hopes, Darrel Mitchell stepped up and made the biggest shot of his life.

AP - Opposition supporters in Belarus face a ban on demonstrations against a vote they fear is sure to be fraudulent and the possibility of terrorist charges if they do gather. So they're pinning their hopes on flowers.

The American Film Institute has been teaching government scientists how to write convincing screenplays in the hopes of recruiting young people to the science field. The reviews are in, and a box office guru assesses their chance for success. By Erin Biba from Wired magazine.

AP - The Seahawks' hopes of keeping All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson will be decided by an arbitration process.