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6 | Madrid OLD CRIMES UNEARTHED A judge launched Spain's first criminal investigation into executions under dictator Francisco Franco, who waged a campaign to eliminate political opponents during the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War. Nineteen mass graves (including the one above) were opened, and the Interior Ministry was instructed to locate any living members of Franco's regime to see if they might stand trial. Lawyers appealed the decision, citing a 1977 law granting amnesty to those who served in Franco's government. A National Court panel will ultimately decide whether the case proceeds.
7 | Chicago Former Top Cop Arrested Ex--Chicago police commander Jon Burge was arrested Oct. 21 at his home in Florida on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury stemming from a 2003 civil rights lawsuit alleging police torture. Madison Hobley, a convicted felon, claimed that Burge and other officers participated in beatings, electric shocks and death threats against dozens of criminal suspects. Burge could face up to 25 years in prison.
8 | India Up, Up and Away On Oct. 22, India became the latest entrant in a burgeoning Asian space race, launching its first lunar mission just a year after China's rookie effort. The unmanned spacecraft, Chandrayaan 1 (the name translates as Moon Craft), will orbit for two years in an effort to map the lunar surface. Critics say the project is a waste of the developing country's vital resources.
9 | Sri Lanka Closing In The Sri Lankan army captured the key strategic village of Vannerikulam from Tamil Tiger rebels on Oct. 20, in a day of fierce fighting that left 44 dead. Military officials claim that the victory puts the army closer to capturing the insurgent capital of Kilinochchi and ending a 25-year civil war.
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30-year fixed mortgage rates (weekly averages) (SOURCE: FREDDIE MAC)
10 | Washington Bank-Rescue Side Effects U.S. mortgage rates saw their steepest climb in more than 20 years in mid-October. Analysts say the spike may be an unintended result of the government's bank bailout, which may make bank debt more attractive to investors than that of beleaguered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Rates have fallen, but experts predict further volatility. Federal Housing Finance Agency director James Lockhart has tried to calm markets, saying Fannie and Freddie debt is "effectively" guaranteed.
* | What They're Recalling in Britain: The melamine-tainted milk products that sickened thousands of babies in China have turned up in an unlikely consumer product: Chinese-made chocolate- and strawberry-flavored body spreads sold in British sex shops. Tainted "I Love You" sets contained between 126 and 259 mg per kg of the chemical (more than 50 times the safe amount), according to Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA). "This is a first," the FSA noted on its website.