• The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported that the SEC is investigating Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC) CEO Angelo Mozilo for selling $130.6M in stock in the first half of the year.
• While all eyes have been on a possible AT&T (NYSE: T) play for EchoStar Communications (NASDAQ: DISH), the Wall Street Journal's "Deal Journal" says AT&T may go after DirecTV Group (NYSE: DTV), and may be more likely, and could be a better deal for AT&T.

• The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs has decided to sharply limit the use of GlaxoSmithKline's (NYSE: GSK) once-popular drug for Type 2 diabetes, Avandia. The decision is likely to further reduce revenue from Avandia, whose sales have dropped in the U.S. by an estimated 60% in the last five months, reported the New York Times.
• Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) said it would pay $172M for a majority stake in Indian metal castings maker Sigma Electricals and its affiliated companies, reported the Business Standard.
• A molecular diagnostic test for HPV developed by Digene, which is now part of Qiagen (NASDAQ: QGEN), has been found to be almost 40% more accurate than traditional cytology in identifying women with advanced cervical disease, according to a report published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Newspaper wrap-up: AT&T to pursue DirecTV? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.