Hello and thanks for stopping by as we present this week's edition of The Neopian News Brief, your all-in-one guide to the hottest headlines from the land of Neopia. These past few days have been packed with plenty to talk about, so let's not delay any further...
 Our lead item is the long-awaited return of the Champions of Meridell. When we last left them, our heroes were pleading their case in the court of King Skarl. As the eighth installment began, Skarl explained to Lisha and her friends how poverty and despair had once overrun Meridell. However, ever since the discovery of a powerful orb, Meridell had been a land of prosperity and beauty. Surely, the king suggested, the intruders they had encountered were envoys of a sinister horde set on capturing the orb. Who could be behind this force of evil, and how will King Skarl be able to stop them? We're sure to learn more when installment #9 arrives...
 This past week saw a flurry of new sponsor games, beginning with three titles on Monday. One such new arrival was A Brush With Fate, a game sponsored by Oral B which has been incredibly popular since its premiere. Guide the Kacheek and his Oral-B Stages 4 Toothbrush as they attempt to wipe out plaque and food particles while saving the Mutant Grundo's teeth. Hurry, though... as the teeth get worse, more and more baddies tend to pop up!
 Yet another of this week's debuts is Solar Surfer, a game that is based on Disney's upcoming film Treasure Planet. You play as Jim Hawkins, a courageous young thrillseeker who has embarked on an intergalactic hunt for treasure. Navigate your trusty Solar Surfer to dodge rocks, barrels and other assorted obstacles while piling up treasure. Also, be sure that you keep an eye out for a scurvy gang of pirates, who would love nothing more than to stop you from reaching the Legacy and fulfilling your quest.
 The third of Monday's new sponsor games was Cheetos Chase, an adventure set in the foreboding wild of an untamed jungle. Navigate Chester Cheetah as he jumps over those pesky Cheesinators, and pick up bonuses for finding all the Cheetos and reaching the flag ahead of schedule (the bonus for finding all the Cheetos on Level One is 500 NPs; not too shabby!). Once you've been through the maps a few times and mastered the art of getting around quickly, this game can really start to give out a pretty decent amount of points, so give it a shot!
 On Tuesday, this week's fourth sponsor game was added to the site... Hit Clips: Dance Krawk Dance! In this new title, the object is to control the Krawk by matching the arrows as they come across the screen. Once you have shown your stuff and advanced to the second round, that's when the REAL fun begins. Stay with the beat and show that you have all the right moves, and great prizes may await you!
 In another exciting game development, on Monday there was an announcement that Whackabeast would be replaced with a new version featuring members of the NeoPets Team. The best part was, the voters of Neopia would get to decide which staff members were included in the game.
 For two days, Neopians voiced their opinion on who they wanted to bash upside the head. On Wednesday, word was released that the top six vote-getters were: Pop Tart, Snowflake, Mr. Roboto, El Pickulsaur (aka Mister Pickles), Number Six, and J. Boogie. So, be sure to keep an eye out in the days to come for the premiere of... Whack-A-Staff-Member!
 Another new arrival that has created a whole heap of buzz has been the Wheel of Misfortune, which turned up this past week. Though similar in some ways to the other wheels in Neopia, this new wheel has a cool lever function at the beginning, and a whole host of new treats (as well as tricks). Will you gain NP, or watch your winnings wither? Is there a plushie in the cards for you, or will you be the recipient of a nasty pox? Then again, you could just watch one of your items turned into a heaping helping of sludge... wouldn't THAT be nice? It's all part of watching the wheel go round and round at the Wheel of Misfortune...
 In merchandising news, it was revealed on Wednesday that white Kougra plushies would be going on sale for Christmas. More details will be revealed in the weeks to come, but one important thing to note is that these white Kougra plushies are substantially larger than previous releases.
 Additionally, on Friday there were details released concerning the return of NeoPets to Singapore. Word has it that from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, November 16th at Isetan Scotts, Event Hall, level 4, two NeoPets artists will be there to draw sketches for those who turn up.
 Also, plushies of Neopets and Petpets, as well as other NeoPets merchandise, will be available on both the 16th and 17th. As a bonus, sticker packs containing Rare Item Codes will be given out to the first thousand people who show up. If you have an opportunity to make it out, this is one opportunity you're definitely not going to want to miss. See ya there!
 With this Friday's arrival, nearly all of Neopia was frantic with excitement as the time came to celebrate the Pteri flying championships. Crowds stared in awe as flocks of highly skilled Pterii whizzed throught the sky, performing aerial acrobatics and executing a number of mindbending formations. Congratulations to all who participated in this stunning spectacle!
 As is customary with such holidays, there were a vast array of brand new books, baked goods and Battledome accessories to ring in the festivities, as well as a new paint brush style. Now, your Pteri can look rather stunning as it sports a starry design. Pterii were also featured in this week's Caption, Poetry and Pet Spotlight contests, as well as receiving a two-page Art Gallery special. Yay, Pterii!
 Now, let's take a look at our top stories from the financial sector. After five straight weeks of posting a loss, one would have thought that a twenty-seven-point climb would be seen as cause for investors to celebrate. However, it was not to be, as a modest turnaround in the economy was dwarfed by the week's biggest story--a mindnumbing collapse by Kacheek Telecomm, whose shares were going for 39 NP when the company suddenly filed for bankruptcy on Thursday afternoon.
 This incredible turn of events came after it was revealed that, for the past three years, KATE had been mis-stating their earnings. Apparently, a whistleblower from within Kacheek Telecomm filed a report with the Neopian Securities and Exchange Committee, alerting the NSEC to Kacheek Telecomm's shady accounting practices, and providing documents as proof to back up these charges.
 So then, instead of being one of Neopia's most valuable companies, it turned out that Kacheek Telecomm was actually tens of millions of NP in debt. When asked to comment on what happened, and whether there would be an investigation of the company's Board of Directors, KATE's public relations department refused to comment on the matter, stating only that, "Once the smoke has finally cleared, we're confident that our leadership will be found innocent of any willful wrongdoing."
 However, a source within KATE, who spoke upon condition of anonymity, was quoted as saying, "Of course we cooked the books! I'm surprised it stayed a secret this long... but I'll tell you one thing; we only did it because we had to! With so many crooks out there nowadays, there's just no way to compete, unless you're cheating right along with them. Oh sure, we might be the first to be busted, but I assure you... we will not be the last. Heads are gonna roll!"
 In an attempt to head off any speculation as to their current financial well-being, Neopia's most valuable company (and this week's biggest gainer) Mynci Imports held a press conference on Friday morning. At the press conference, MYNC's president proudly declared that his company was on the level, and extended a willing invitation to any and all regulatory agencies who might want to review the company's accounting. "Our books are as clean as they come!" the president said defiantly. Shoyrux and Unis Beauty Salon soon followed suit with press conferences/proclamations of their own.
 Given all that we have learned during these past few days, a million questions suddenly spring to mind. Chief among them: Can Neopia's companies be trusted to play fair, or have a few rulebenders really forced everyone else into cheating? If KATE is just the first of many, then who could be next? Moreover, what is to be made of these assertions by companies like Mynci Imports? Could they be for real, or are such declarations a cheap publicity stunt and an attempt to throw authorities off the trail? Only time will tell....
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