Here’s the latest action:
Web data offers new info on presidential election — It remains to be seen whether Barack Obama’s tremendous lead over John McCain in Facebook friends will lead to a similar victory on election day. Meanwhile, another study looks at which social networking sites are big in which swing states.
Google CEO stumping for Obama — Eric Schmidt says he’s speaking for himself, not Google, and that he has previously been an informal adviser to the campaign.
Wall Street workers getting big bonuses — Discretionary bonuses at six banks, including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, will total $70 billion, one-tenth the size of the $700 billion bailout package.
The Sarah Palin video game backlash begins — Apparently, the number of Palin-themed Flash games has proliferated, and GamePolitics has had enough.
National Association of Broadcasters challenges FCC white space report — The report backs efforts by tech companies like Google and Motorola to open up white spaces (unused slivers of spectrum) for unlicensed use.
Satellite radio operator WorldSpace files for bankruptcy with $2 billion in debt — The company broadcasts to more than 170,000 paid subscribers in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Financial empires built on debt are crumbling — The trend is hitting Russia especially hard.
Federal takedown of HerbalKing didn’t reduce spam — The Federal Trade Commission predicted that after it shut down the HerbalKing spam network, spam levels would drop. But companies that track junk mail say that hasn’t happened.
Adbrite, Sequoia-backed online ad company, cuts 40 percent of staff — The company’s VPs of marketing and finance were among those laid off.
PressFlip founder resigns – The blog search engine was founded by Ted Dziuba, who also wrote the startup-mocking blog Uncov. Now, Dziuba says he’s quitting because he’s going to be a father next year, and because he’s “tired of the fight.”
Four of five Al-Qaeda web forums taken offline — A distribution network for Al-Qaeda supporters says “technical reasons” are to blame.
Heavy’s heavy layoffs — The video network announced 14 percent cuts last week, but Silicon Alley Insider calculates the company’s staff is actually down 45 percent since June.
Peer-to-peer lending systems undergo scrutiny — The largest network, called Prosper, stopped taking money for individual loans last week.
Financial crisis leads to boom in lawsuits — More than one-third of company lawyers expect to see more litigation next year.
Hong Kong magnate Richard Li mulls buyout of PCCW — Investors say a takeover of Li’s telecom company would face serious hurdles, including shareholders demanding a premium price.
