This And That

Federal government ending Wyoming wolf protections The federal government will end its protections for wolves in Wyoming, where the species was introduced two decades ago to revive it from near extinction in the United States. more info... No. 13 Michigan St. beats No. 24 Boise St. 17-13 Le'Veon Bell ran for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 8:12 remaining in No. 13 Michigan State's 17-13 victory over No. 24 Boise State on Friday night. more info...

Release date for third 'Hobbit' film announced "Hobbit" fans need only wait seven months between the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's highly anticipated trilogy. more info...

Caller hung up on University of Colorado minutes before shooting DENVER (Reuters) - A caller who phoned the University of Colorado Hospital less than 10 minutes before a mass shooting that killed 12 people hung up without speaking, officials said on Friday, a day after the accused gunman's lawyer said he may have made such a call. An attorney for James Holmes raised the call during a hearing on Thursday as she questioned university psychiatrist Dr. Lynne Fenton about her doctor-patient relationship with the former graduate student accused of carrying out the rampage at a midnight screening of the new Batman movie. ... more info... Documentary pays tribute to Jackson's genius Michael Jackson is bathed in light, his arms outstretched and head back, as if crucified, at the end of Spike Lee's documentary "Bad 25" — a fitting image for the late pop legend who to some extent basked in fame, but was also clearly tormented by i

An estimated 30 million watch Romney's speech Ratings for the final night of the Republican National Convention, which featured Mitt Romney and Clint Eastwood, weren't a blockbuster. more info... iPhone Powered Bike Trainer Lets You Ride Virtual Roads There are already a number of apps that sync wirelessly with fitness gadgets that track your speed and heart rate while you're out running or biking. But what happens when you can't get outside to train? more info... Government shuts probe of controversial Arizona sheriff, no charges filed PHOENIX (Reuters) - The government has closed a criminal probe into Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio, who styles himself "America's toughest sheriff," and no charges will be filed, the U.S. Attorney's Office said on Friday. Arpaio and his deputies have been under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department since 2008. Last December, the department said

U.S.-Israeli military exercise to be smaller than first planned WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S.-Israeli ballistic missile exercise postponed until this autumn will involve fewer U.S. military personnel than initially planned, the Pentagon said on Friday, but it rejected a media report portraying the decision as a sign of U.S. mistrust. The exercise is being planned amid rising war talk in the Israeli media and reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are debating a unilateral attack on Iran to knock out its nuclear installations. Washington has cautioned Israel against going it alone. ... more info... AMR, US Airways say evaluating potential merger (Reuters) - American Airlines parent AMR Corp and US Airways Group Inc have signed a non-disclosure agreement as they evaluate a potential merger that would create an airline that rivals leader United Continental Holdings Inc in scope. The two carriers said on F

Walmart Testing iPhone-Based Self Checkout System Walmart has reportedly started testing a new iPhone-based self-checkout system. Taking a test spin first at a Walmart in Arkansas, the program would allow a customer to scan merchandise using his or her iPhone, and then pay for the items in their cart without ever having to deal with a cashier in the process.. more info...

CDC says 10,000 at risk of hantavirus in Yosemite outbreak LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Some 10,000 people who stayed in tent cabins at Yosemite National Park over the summer may be at risk for the deadly rodent-borne hantavirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a health advisory on Friday. The advisory urges lab testing of patients with symptoms consistent with the lung disease, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and recommends that doctors notify state health departments when it is found. "An estimated 10,000 persons stayed in the 'Signature Tent Cabins' from June 10 through August 24, 2012," the CDC said in the advisory. ... more info...

Thousands join peaceful Bahrain anti-government protest ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people chanting anti-government slogans and holding up pictures of jailed activists took part on Friday in Bahrain's first authorized opposition protest since June. No clashes occurred at Friday's march along a 3-km (2-mile) stretch of a highway west of the capital of Manama. Protesters carried Bahraini flags and held up images of rights activist and protest leader Nabeel Rajab, calling for his release. Bahrain, where the U.S. ... more info...

Thousands call Yosemite hotline to ask about virus At least six rangers staffed phones this week at Yosemite National Park as visitors frightened about a growing outbreak of a deadly mouse-borne virus flooded lines seeking answers. more info... Bing’s new search feature lets you browse friends’ Facebook photos Looks like Microsoft's search engine Bing is trying to get up close and maybe a little too personal. A new feature called Friends' Photos allows you to log in to Facebook within Bing and search the pictures your connections have … Continue reading → more info...

Israelis say UN report strengthens Iran warnings Israeli officials said on Friday that a new United Nations report adds credibility to their warnings about Iran and could help make the case for an attack on its arch-foe's suspect nuclear program. more info... Defending champion Djokovic gets another easy win Keeping things quick in 90-degree heat, defending U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic wrapped up another easy victory to reach the third round, beating 112th-ranked Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 Friday. more info...

France's Hollande speeds launch of state investment bank CHALONS-EN-CHAMPAGNE, France (Reuters) - France will launch a public investment bank within days to help cash-strapped companies obtain financing, President Francois Hollande said on Friday, bringing forward the date as his government speeds up efforts to fight a downturn. The bank, originally due to be launched in January of next year, is designed to support small- and medium-sized firms which are struggling to obtain financing from private lenders amid tight credit conditions. "A public investment bank will be created in the coming days," Hollande told journalists in north-eastern France. ... more info...

10-year-old sculpts adorable “Lord of the Rings” clay figures; sells them via Etsy What did you do to make money when you were in grade school? You probably sold lemonade, did chores for your parents, or watered plants for a kindly old neighbor. 10-year-old Paul, however, had other plans. A budding artisan, Paul … Continue reading → more info... 'At Any Price' transports lush Iowa to Venice Director Ramin Bahrani's new film "At Any Price" functions on two levels: a drama about a family farm's future set among Iowa's lush cornfields or a sweeping commentary about the economic pressures of big agribusiness. more info... Analysis: Mexico's Pena Nieto to focus first on clean government MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Enrique Pena Nieto cast himself as an economic reformer to win the Mexican presidency but, after facing accusations of vote-rigging, his immediate focus is likely to be tacklin

Supreme Court to review class-action case (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider the constitutionality of a legal tactic that can make it harder for companies to defend against class-action lawsuits, in a case it will review in the term that starts on October 1. At issue is whether a company can be forced to defend itself in a state court, rather than in federal court as it might prefer, when a plaintiff's lawyer has his client sign a binding "stipulation" limiting the size of the case. ... more info... Defending champ Stosur wins in US Open 3rd round Defending champion Sam Stosur was pushed for the first time in this year's U.S. Open by American Varvara Lepchenko, but dominated the second set after winning the first in a tiebreaker. more info...

Pakistan: 7 killed in car bombing in northwest Police say a car bomb has exploded in a market in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least seven people. more info...

Major quake hits off Philippines; tsunami alert canceled MANILA (Reuters) - An earthquake of 7.6 magnitude struck off the Philippines on Friday damaging roads and bridges and sending people fleeing to higher ground in fear of a tsunami, a politician and authorities said. The quake was centered off the east coast, 91 miles off the town of Guiuan in Samar province at a depth of about 20 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for much of the region, but canceled it about two hours later. ... more info... Paralympics returns home a different Games LONDON (Reuters) - When Britain's Stoke Mandeville hospital staged its first sporting contest for disabled patients in 1948 it hoped to show soldiers injured in World War Two that a broken back did not have to mean a death sentence. Since then, staff have seen those early games transformed into a Paralympic showcase now in its 14th and largest ed

IAC picks up DateHookup.com Who says money can't buy love? Match.com and OKCupid owner IAC/InterActiveCorp has picked up another dating website, DateHookup.com. more info... Several dead in shootout in New Jersey shopping plaza: report NEW YORK (Reuters) - An early-morning shooting at a Pathmark supermarket in New Jersey has left at least three people dead, including the suspected gunman, local media said on Friday. Shots were heard inside the supermarket in Old Bridge, about 35 miles from New York City, just before 4 a.m. EDT as employees were preparing to open the store for business, said the local ABC television affiliate. Police found two windows bashed in, the station reported. Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry described the suspected shooter as a disgruntled worker, the Star-Ledger newspaper said. ... more info...

Admirers mark 15 years since Princess Diana died Admirers from around the world are paying tribute to Princess Diana at the Paris tunnel where she was killed in a car crash 15 years ago. more info... In the digital age, whither the campaign button? Eugene Ola was on a street corner hawking some political buttons with phrases like "Believe in America" and featuring photos of a smiling GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan. But most passersby simply smiled and kept on walking, barely looking at the piece of cardboard he carted around with 50 buttons fastened to it. more info... FDA questions Novartis cystic fibrosis drug WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. drug reviewers questioned whether Novartis AG's inhaled antibiotic treatment truly helped cystic fibrosis patients breathe better, according to documents posted online by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday. Staff

UK's Cameron looks to reshuffle to revive fortunes LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to reshuffle his cabinet early next month, hoping fresh faces will appease his party's restive right and reboot a government half way through a recession-hit term. Britain's dismal economic performance has triggered calls for Cameron to replace finance minister George Osborne with Foreign Secretary William Hague - a move which could give cover for a softening of Cameron's flagship austerity plans. ... more info... Analysis: Syrian Kurds sense freedom, power struggle awaits BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Some towns in northeastern Syria are flying yellow, green and red Kurdish flags as long-oppressed Kurds exploit an uneasy vacuum left by President Bashar al-Assad's retreating forces. Syrian Kurds may be enjoying a breath of freedom after Assad appears to have ceded control of some areas to focus on the battle agains

Isaac rain stalls U.S. crop harvest, some damage done CHICAGO (Reuters) - Rain and wind from the remnants of Hurricane Isaac are expected to move into the central U.S. Midwest on Friday and into the weekend, stalling crop harvests and causing some localized damage, an agricultural meteorologist said. Isaac continued to cause headaches, bringing heavy rainfall and the threat of flash flooding to the lower Mississippi Valley as Gulf Coast residents prepared to start their cleanup efforts. Before Isaac slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast on Wednesday, the U.S. ... more info...

Mother of GMA co-host Robin Roberts dies The mother of "Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts has died. more info... California lawmakers set to approve pension reforms SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California lawmakers were poised to pass a sweeping pension reform measure and a flurry of other bills on Friday as they prepared to break until after the fall elections. The pension law, unveiled by Governor Jerry Brown on Tuesday after months of talks with fellow Democrats who control the legislature, would put new limits on pensions for future state and local government to save tens of billions of dollars in retirement-related spending. ... more info...

Emotional Vitt ready to hand over Saints Joe Vitt coached to the very last minute, sprinting down the field and screaming for a timeout as his team moved into scoring territory. more info... Campers Question Yosemite Response to Hantavirus The Yosemite hantavirus scare has people asking whether the park is to blame. more info...

North Korea holds rare talks with Japan, agrees to meet again TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea and Japan, normally barely on speaking terms other than to exchange accusations, ended their first direct talks in four years on Friday by agreeing to meet again, the latest sign of Pyongyang's recent attempts to come in from the cold. The destitute state's new young leader Kin Jong-un has been pushing hard to soften the stern image of his ruling dynasty, signal plans to reform the economy and win more support from its only real ally, China. ... more info... Tigers tamed by Royals in Kansas City (Reuters) - The Detroit Tigers failed to make up ground on the pacesetting Chicago White Sox in the hotly contested American League Central division when they lost 2-1 to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. The White Sox were beaten 5-3 by the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the day but the Tigers did not take advantage as the Royals rode strong pitching

McElroy leads Jets to TD in 28-10 to Eagles If Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow don't get it done in the red zone, the New York Jets can turn to Greg McElroy. more info... Angolans vote amid calls for better wealth share-out LUANDA (Reuters) - Angolans voted on Friday in a one-sided election expected to keep President Jose Eduardo dos Santos at the helm of Africa's No. 2 oil producer, but the long-serving leader faces swelling popular pressure to share the nation's riches more evenly. In the seaside capital Luanda, where gleaming new office and apartment blocks contrast with sprawling, grimy slums, and in cities and towns across the southern African state, polling stations opened in schools and other public buildings. ... more info... Investors cast doubts on Sharp's future, ability to pay debts TOKYO (Reuters) - Sharp Corp shares fell almost 13 percent and ratings agency Standard & Poor's down

Texas A&M Wins 'College Gameday' Ad Contest [VIDEO] Providing the setting for a quirky ad for ESPN's College GameDay show has become a badge of honor of sorts in the gung-ho and image-conscious world of college football fandom. The spots validate national stature, and guarantee an audience of millions for school colors and traditions. more info...

Mexican court nixes election appeal, upholds vote Mexico's old ruling party cleared the last hurdle in regaining the presidency it held for 71 years, after the country's highest electoral court dismissed legal challenges brought by a leftist opponent trying to overturn the July 1 election. more info... Health officials probe virus exposure at Yosemite Two more Yosemite National Park visitors have been found with a mouse-borne virus blamed for the deaths of two people, bringing the total number of infections to six, state health officials said. more info...

Trouble with the chair: Clint mocked for RNC bit Clint Eastwood earned plenty of bad reviews for his latest performance: a bizarre, rambling endorsement of Mitt Romney. more info... WikiLeaks' Assange sees up to a year in Ecuador embassy QUITO (Reuters) - Julian Assange expects to wait six months to a year for a deal to free him from Ecuador's embassy in London, and hopes Sweden will drop its case against him, the WikiLeaks' founder said in an interview broadcast on Thursday. The former computer hacker has been holed up at the embassy for more than two months, seeking to avoid being sent to Sweden for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations - and triggering a diplomatic spat with Britain. ... more info...

Tokyo court: Samsung didn't infringe Apple patent A Tokyo court has ruled that Samsung did not infringe on an Apple patent, in the latest development in the legal battle between the two technology titans. more info...

Virgin Airlines giving away a free trip into space to its best customer Are you the type to save up frequent flyer miles? If so, Virgin Airlines may have something better to offer you than a free trip to visit your in-laws. Today, the company announced that the customer who accumulates the most … Continue reading → more info... Mexico electoral judges reject challenge to Pena Nieto victory MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's electoral tribunal on Thursday unanimously rejected a legal bid to overturn Enrique Pena Nieto's victory in the July 1 presidential election, paving the way for the centrist to take office and press ahead with his reform agenda. Pena Nieto, 46, and his Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, were accused by runner-up Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of laundering money and buying votes to secure victory, but the judges said there was insufficient evidence of wrongdoing. ... more info...

HBO announces a new market with HBO Nordic and a long-awaited standalone subscription HBO announced that it will launch a new service called HBO Nordic that will bring its shows to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. The linear and on-demand television service is expected to roll out in October, and it has a … Continue reading → more info... Lighting and Music Reduce Fast Food Meal Size Patrons in part of a fast-food restaurant that had a fine-dining atmosphere consumed almost a fifth fewer calories per meal than those in the regular section. Steve Mirsky reports. more info... Eastwood goes off-script in Romney endorsement Clint Eastwood, the Hollywood filmmaker who knows all about sticking to the script, turned in a bizarre, unscripted endorsement of Republican Mitt Romney Wednesday night. more info...

HTC announces Desire X Struggling smartphone vendor HTC (2498) on Thursday unveiled a new entry-level smartphone it hopes will resonate with buyers who by and large haven’t been sold on the company’s One-series Android handsets yet. While pricing hasn’t yet been announced, the HTC Desire X appears to be a budget-friendly smartphone with a dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4-inch WVGA touchscreen display, a 5-megapixel camera with HTC’s fantastic ImageChip technology, Beats Audio and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich beneath HTC’s Sense UI and service layer. The Desire X will be released in select European and Asia Pacific markets beginning next month, and U.S. launch details were not announced. HTC UNVEILS HTC DESIRE X: BLAZING PERFORMANCE, STATE OF THE ART CAMERA AND AUTHENTIC SOUND more info... Colombia's Santos appoints Renjifo as energy minister BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos named close ally Federico Ren

Romney's Campaign is First to Buy a Twitter Trending Topic Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is becoming the first in history to buy a national trending topic on Twitter on Thursday, the last night of the Republican National Convention. #RomneyRyan2012, the official hashtag of the campaign, will appear as a trending topic throughout the night. more info... Chelsea owner Abramovich faces $6 billion court ruling LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich will find out on Friday whether he owes his former partner Boris Berezovsky as much as $6 billion after a British court battle that has laid bare the post-Soviet carve-up of Russia's vast natural resources. After a legal odyssey stretching from the gilded corridors of the Kremlin to the offshore enclaves favored by Russia's richest tycoons, Judge Elizabeth Gloster will rule on whether Berezovsky was extorted out his business empire by Abramovich. ...

Waning Isaac heads north but eyes turn to stricken dam NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Torrential rain dumped by Hurricane Isaac threatened to burst a dam in Mississippi on Thursday, triggering the mass evacuation of local residents, while large areas of the region were still flooded and without power but getting ready to mop up. Isaac, which was downgraded to a tropical depression on Thursday, did little damage to New Orleans, where stronger barriers were installed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Only one fatality linked to the storm has been confirmed so far. But it produced a soggy mess across widespread areas of the U.S. ... more info... Coroner: Sage Stallone died from heart condition Coroner's officials have determined that Sylvester Stallone's 36-year-old son died from natural causes due to a heart condition. more info...

"Uncharacteristic" Isaac lacked punch but not size MIAMI (Reuters) - Meteorologists tracking Hurricane Isaac this week struggled to pin down the vexing storm's next move, variously referring to it as "disorganized" and "uncharacteristic." For George Dubaz, a New Orleans tour guide, Isaac was simply a "pain in the ass." After two days of lost business he'd had enough of the lumbering Isaac. "Most of them blow through and are over with. This one is just hanging around too long," Dubaz said, comparing it to "somebody that comes for Mardi Gras and they stay two weeks afterwards. ... more info...

FDA warns against use of Pfizer's Revatio in children (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators recommended against use of Pfizer Inc's pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) drug Revatio in children up to 17 years of age, saying it had a higher risk of death when taken in a high dose. While the drug has never been approved for treatment of PAH in children, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's warning is against off-label use of the drug. ... more info... Lufthansa cabin crew to strike from Friday in Frankfurt FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Lufthansa passengers face widespread flight disruption from Friday after cabin crew representatives said they would start a series of strikes over pay and cost-cutting measures at Germany's largest airline. The UFO union, which represents around two-thirds of Lufthansa's 19,000 cabin crew, late on Thursday called on its members to strike from 0300 GMT to 1100 GMT on Friday in Frankfurt. "UFO ca

Spacewalking astronauts stymied by sticky bolts Sticky bolts proved too much for spacewalking astronauts Thursday, forcing them to leave a new power-switching box dangling from the International Space Station instead of bolted down. more info... Surgeon, officials review Ohio transplant error Health officials and a consulting surgeon are reviewing a living-donor kidney transplant program that's been temporarily suspended by a northwest Ohio hospital, where a donated kidney apparently was put with medical waste instead of going to the intended recipient in what medical experts describe as a rare accident. more info... 'Spider-Man' ex-director, producers settle lawsuit The original director of a lavish Broadway production of "Spider-Man," who was fired following a series of mishaps, has settled a lawsuit against the producers, a federal court in New York said Thursday. more info...

University of Iowa rejected accused Colorado gunman :records DENVER (Reuters) - The University of Iowa denied accused Colorado gunman James Holmes admission into a neuroscience graduate program despite stellar test results, with a key faculty member writing, "do NOT offer admission under any circumstances," documents showed on Thursday. That decision, made in early 2011, stands in stark contrast to decisions by the University of Illinois and the University of Colorado to offer Holmes large scholarships at similar programs at those schools. ... more info... Ivory Coast using attacks as pretext for crackdown: opposition ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's main opposition party on Thursday accused the government of a campaign of repression against supporters of former president Laurent Gbagbo, using attacks on soldiers and police as a pretext. Around 20 people, most of them soldiers, have been killed in the raids, which have revived

Ghana's NDC backs Mahama, seeks unity ahead of vote KUMASI, Ghana (Reuters) - Ghana's ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party nominated interim president John Dramani Mahama on Thursday as its candidate for a December presidential race, hoping a near-unanimous vote will restore unity after months of infighting. Mahama, who replaced the late president John Atta Mills as head of the cocoa, gold and oil-producing nation when he died last month, was the party's intended candidate but had to be confirmed by a vote of the party congress in the town of Kumasi. He won 99. ... more info... US swimmer allowed to compete at Paralympics American swimmer Victoria Arlen is free to compete in the London Paralympics following an assessment of her impairment. more info...

Film, television actor Steve Franken dies at 80 The wife of Steve Franken says the veteran film and television actor has died. more info... Ivanovic, Jankovic move into US Open 3rd round Former top-ranked players Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic of Serbia are quietly into the third round of the U.S. Open with impressive performances so far. more info... 18 Facebook Users You Should Subscribe To 1. Sheryl Sandberg more info...

'Jersey Shore': Washed up after the coming season It's one more for the road — one more season of "Jersey Shore," that is. After that, MTV is shutting down the party. more info...

Bizarre 'Penis Head' Fish Discovered A new species of fish with a penis on its head has been discovered in Vietnam. But it's not what you're picturing — actually it's probably worse. This penis includes a rod and a jagged hook used for grabbing the female during sex. more info... Iran doubles underground nuclear capacity: IAEA VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has doubled the number of uranium enrichment machines it has in an underground bunker, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Thursday, showing Tehran's defiance towards Western pressure to stop its atomic work and the threat of Israeli attack. The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency also said in a report that "extensive activities" - a reference to a suspected clean-up - at Iran's Parchin military complex would hamper its investigation of possible past nuclear weapons development there, if inspectors are ever granted access. ... more info...