Tuesday, July 31, 2012

House, Senate negotiators back new Iran sanctions

House, Senate negotiators back new Iran sanctions

House, Senate negotiators back new Iran sanctions

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:49 PM PDT

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 file photo, an Iranian security guard stands at the Maroun Petrochemical plant at the Imam Khomeini port, southwestern Iran. Iranian officials unleashed sharper attacks against tightening Western sanctions Tuesday, equating the financial pressure to ``warfare'' and vowing to counter by retooling the country's oil-dependent economy. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)A new package of severe sanctions on Iran's energy, shipping and financial sectors gained strong congressional support Tuesday as lawmakers sought to ratchet up the economic pressure in hopes of halting Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program.

Rowling webcast will promote new Potter kids club

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:33 PM PDT

FILE - This July 7, 2011 file photo shows British author JK Rowling at the world premiere of "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2," in London. Rowling's next book is for adults, but she will be on hand this fall to help promote a new club for kids, the Harry Potter Reading Club. Scholastic Inc. announced Tuesday, July 31, 2012 that Rowling will participate in a live webcast at noon, Oct. 11 from her hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland, taking live questions from her young fans for the first time since 2007, when the last Potter book came out. The discussion will take place on www.scholastic.com/hpreadingclub , the website for an online Potter club launched Tuesday by Scholastic. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, file)J.K. Rowling's next book is for adults, but she will be on hand this fall to help promote a new club for kids, the Harry Potter Reading Club.

Apple lawyer: Samsung deliberately chose to copy iPhone

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:29 PM PDT

An employee of South Korean mobile carrier KT holds an Apple Inc's iPhone 4 smartphone and a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S II smartphone as he poses for photographs at a registration desk at KT's headquarters in SeoulSAN JOSE, California (Reuters) - Apple Inc told jurors on Tuesday that Samsung's internal documents show it made a decision to copy the iPhone because the South Korean company could not compete in the smartphone market on its own. However, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd contended that Apple could not claim a "monopoly" over the rectangular design with rounded corners, as it was invented before the iPhone. "Samsung is not some copyist, some Johnny come lately doing knockoffs," Samsung attorney Charles Verhoeven told the jurors. Opening statements began on Tuesday in the high profile U.S. ...

Police make arrest over tweets to diver Daley

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:26 PM PDT

Britain's Tom Daley rests in between dives in the men's synchronised 10m platform final during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics CentreLONDON (Reuters) - UK police have issued a harassment warning to a teenager arrested on Tuesday after offensive tweets were sent to British diver Tom Daley when he failed to win a medal in his first event at the London Olympics. The Olympic poster boy and his partner Pete Waterfield were in with a chance of grabbing the host nation's first gold of the Games in the synchronised 10-metre platform event on Monday, but fluffed their fourth dive and wound up just outside the medals. ...

Gay marriage ban backers seek Supreme Court review

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:25 PM PDT

Backers of California's ban on same-sex marriages asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to overrule a federal appeals court that struck down the measure as unconstitutional, a move that means the bitter, four-year court fight over Proposition 8 could soon be resolved.

White House prepping for budget cuts, to shield military pay

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:24 PM PDT

The White House is pictured after sunrise in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Tuesday it was starting to get ready for potentially painful year-end spending cuts, and was committed to shielding U.S. military pay from any government budget crunch. Jeffrey Zients, acting director of President Barack Obama's Office of Management and Budget, said discussions would start soon on how to weather the looming automatic spending cuts, known as "sequestration," that would take place if Congress cannot achieve a deficit reduction deal. ...

NY couple, 85, to remarry 48 years after divorce

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:23 PM PDT

They got hitched while still in their teens, divorced 20 years and four children later, and are getting remarried after nearly a half-century apart.

Rising home prices show traction in housing recovery

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:22 PM PDT

File photo of a house for sale in Alexandria, VirginiaNEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Home prices rose for the fourth month in a row in May, suggesting the recovery in the housing market continued to gain traction, even as the broader economy wobbles. Other data on Tuesday showed consumer confidence unexpectedly rose in July but spending fell in June for the first time in nearly a year as Americans saved more. The S&P/Case-Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas gained 0.9 percent in May from April on a seasonally adjusted basis, topping economists' expectations for a 0.5 percent gain. ...

Wild West town for sale in Utah for $3.9 million

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:17 PM PDT

A llamas walks freely in Woodside, Utah, in Emery County on July 27, 2012. The family that owns the 700-acre townsite has put it up for sale. They are seeking $3.9 million. Woodside once bustled with about 300 residents in the early 1900s when it was a water stop for steam engines. Now the town sits empty. (AP Photo/The Deseret News, Geoff Liesik) SALT LAKE TRIBUNE OUT; PROVO DAILY HERALD OUT; MAGS OUTThe real estate listing reads like a Wild West exhibit: An old gold mine, a geyser, and a supposed hideout of famed outlaws.

Philadelphia Orchestra emerges from bankruptcy

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:12 PM PDT

The Philadelphia Orchestra has officially emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Reid, Boehner announce stopgap spending pact

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:12 PM PDT

The top Republican and Democrat on Capitol Hill have announced an agreement to keep the government running on autopilot for six months when the current budget year ends on Sept. 30.

Gervais to launch Web series 'Learn English'

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:11 PM PDT

FILE - This Nov. 9, 2011 file photo shows British actor-comedian Ricky Gervais at the New York Comedy Festival's Stand Up For Heroes benefit in New York. Gervais announced Tuesday, July 31, 2012, on his blog that he's working on a Web series called Ricky Gervais wants to teach you English.

Stark choice for GOP voters in Texas Senate runoff

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:10 PM PDT

Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, center, is surrounded by supporters and media at a voting precinct Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in Houston. Cruz faces Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Republican primary runoff election for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)The question for voters in Tuesday's Texas runoff isn't whether a Republican will likely succeed Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate, but what kind of Republican? The answer figures to reverberate far beyond the Lone Star State.

Regulator rejects government mortgage write-down plan

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:09 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top housing regulator rebuffed the offer of taxpayer funds to reduce mortgages held by struggling homeowners on Tuesday, a blow to the Obama administration which is keen to show voters it can help fix the housing market. Calling it a challenging decision, the regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said using funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program would not make a meaningful improvement in reducing foreclosures in a cost-effective way for taxpayers. ...

Philly library features Colbert with Joyce, Sendak

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:07 PM PDT

The children's book "I Am A Pole (And So Can You!),Talk show host Stephen Colbert's foray into children's books has landed him alongside some exalted literary company.

Is your problem gluten? Or faddish eating?

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:05 PM PDT

In this Thursday, July 14, 2012 photo, Michele Kelly, owner of Pure Knead bakery, poses with a rack of freshly baked gluten-free sandwich bread in Decatur, Ga. A research team led by the Mayo Clinic's Dr. Joseph Murray looked at blood samples taken from Americans in the 1950s and compared them to samples taken from people today, and determined celiac disease, triggered by gluten, has been increasing, confirming estimates that about 1 percent of U.S. adults have it today, Murray and his colleagues reported Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)It sounds like an unfolding epidemic: A decade ago, virtually no one in the U.S. seemed to have a problem eating gluten in bread and other foods. Now, millions do.

Snoop Dogg becomes Snoop Lion, readies reggae CD

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:04 PM PDT

This Monday, July 30, 2012 photo shows Snoop Dogg, who now goes by Snoop Lion, posing for a portrait at Miss Lily's in New York. Snoop Dogg says he was Snoop Dogg wants you to know that he's tired of hip-hop, is Bob Marley reincarnated and is embracing reggae instead of the culture of guns he once rapped about.

Panetta: Egypt's leaders promise full democracy

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:03 PM PDT

Egypt's newly elected President Mohammed Morsi, right, meets with US defense Secretary Leon Panetta in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. Panetta is seeking assurances from Egypt's new Islamist government that the country will remain a military partner at a time of political tumult in the Middle East and growing worry about Iran's nuclear ambitions. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta left meetings with Egypt's new leaders Tuesday with an optimistic outlook for the valuable American ally emerging from its Arab Spring revolution, saying that he believes new Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and the country's military chief both are committed to democratic rule.

New alliance further fractures Syria opposition

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:59 AM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - A group of exiled Syrian activists announced a new opposition alliance on Tuesday that aims to form a transitional government - a challenge to the Syrian National Council (SNC), a longer established group that they said had failed. The launch of the "Council for the Syrian Revolution" marks the latest effort by Syria's divided opposition to forge a political alternative to President Bashar al-Assad whose forces are trying to put down a 16-month armed uprising. ...

Obama team sees promise in 3rd party candidacies

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:57 AM PDT

President Barack Obama arrives at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Monday, July 30, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)President Barack Obama's re-election effort is paying close attention to two candidates mounting third-party campaigns for the presidency, believing they could draw votes from Republican rival Mitt Romney and help Obama win a few tightly contested states.

Easy win for NBC in Nielsens

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:55 AM PDT

The weekly television ratings competition was no competition with the start of the Summer Olympics.

Shell Oil scales back Arctic drilling plan

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:55 AM PDT

Shell Oil Co. says it has downsized its plan for off-shore drilling in the Arctic this year.

US wants tougher Pakistani action against Haqqanis

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:48 AM PDT

U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan-nominee Richard G. Olson, arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tuesday, July 31, 2012, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)The Obama administration expressed renewed frustration with Pakistan on Tuesday, urging its reluctant counterterrorism ally to break remaining links between its security services and the Haqqani network and stem the flow of bomb-making material into Afghanistan.

AdWatch: Ad glosses over Romney's Mass. record

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:47 AM PDT

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks with Polish WWII veterans and a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp after laying a wreath at the Warsaw 1944 Uprising monument in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)TITLE: "Believe In Our Future"

Obama orders new sanctions on Iran

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:40 AM PDT

President Barack Obama is leveling new sanctions on banks in China and Iraq that the White House says have helped Iran evade international sanctions.

Drew Peterson murder trial under way in Illinois

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:36 AM PDT

FILE - In this July 23, 2012 file photo, Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow leaves court during a lunch break on the first day of jury selection in former Bolingbrook, Ill., police officer Drew Peterson's murder trial in Joliet, Ill. Glasgow will be the lead prosecutor when opening statements begin Tuesday, July 31. Peterson, 58, is charged with killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio, in 2004. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)Drew Peterson's murder trial began Tuesday with dueling stories.

Jamey Johnson salutes songwriter with duets album

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:33 AM PDT

FILE - A Jan. 12, 2009 file photo shows singer and songwriter Jamey Johnson in Nashville, Tenn. Johnson's new album, "Living For a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran," is set for an Oct. 16 release. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, file)Jamey Johnson sang at Hank Cochran's bedside in the hours before his death. Now he's showing his love for the legendary songwriter again.

QUICKQUOTE: 10 OUT OF 10

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:32 AM PDT

American women's gymnastics coach Martha Karolyi on McKayla Maroney's vault in the team final.

Scout Willis gets community service in NYC case

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:32 AM PDT

FILE - This May 4, 2009 file photo shows actress Scout Willis, the daughter of actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, at the Nylon and MySpace Young Hollywood Issue Party in Los Angeles. Willis, the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, is set to do community service to resolve her New York City public-drinking and fake-ID case. A Manhattan judge agreed Tuesday, July 31, 2012, to close Willis' case without jail time or probation if she does two days of service. Willis was arrested last month. Police said she was sipping a beer in Union Square in violation of an open-container law. Police said she also gave them phony identification _ a misdemeanor. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, file)Scout Willis, the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, can do community service to resolve her public-drinking and fake-ID case, a judge said Tuesday.

THE RACE: Economic train wreck may lie ahead

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:25 AM PDT

U.S. Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, facing camera, speaks with Polish WWII veterans and a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp after laying a wreath at the Warsaw 1944 Uprising monument in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)A "fiscal cliff" of steep tax increases and deep spending cuts scheduled to begin next year looms darkly over the presidential race.

Kohli powers India to ODI series win

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:18 AM PDT

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli plays a shotVirat Kohli cracked a century and part-timer Manoj Tiwary bagged four wickets as India posted a comfortable six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the fourth one-day international on Tuesday.

Thomson Reuters posts 2Q net income jump

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:09 AM PDT

Thomson Reuters said Tuesday that second-quarter net income rose 64 percent due to a gain from the sale of two business units.

Bhupathi and Bopanna crash out of doubles

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:09 AM PDT

Indian seventh seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna crashed out of the OlympicsIndian seventh seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna crashed out of the Olympics on Tuesday after suffering a shock 6-3, 6-4 second round defeat by France's Richard Gasquet and Julien Benneteau.

US consumers more confident in the economy in July

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:04 AM PDT

Americans breathed a bit easier about the economy in July, as a better outlook on short-term hiring and lower gas prices offset lingering worries about poor income growth.

Gov't bars Fannie-Freddie from reducing principal

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:02 AM PDT

A federal regulator is standing by its decision to bar Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from reducing principal for borrowers at risk of foreclosure, resisting pressure from the Obama administration.

Golden again, US wins 1st Olympic title since '96

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:58 AM PDT

U.S. gymnasts celebrate after their routine on the vault during the Artistic Gymnastic women's team final at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)The Americans grabbed hands and backed up, eager to get a better view of the scoreboard.

Review: NBC offers plenty of live Olympics online

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:54 AM PDT

Soccer and balance beam gymnastics on the desktop. Swimming and badminton on the laptop. Boxing on the iPhone. Gymnasts' floor exercises on the iPad. Vault routines on an Android phone. And rowing on TiVo.

Popular Irish author Maeve Binchy dies at 72

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:46 AM PDT

FILE This is a April 26, 2001 file photo of author Maeve Binchy. Binchy, one of Ireland's most popular writers who sold more than 40 million books worldwide, has died in Dublin after a brief illness, according to Irish media reports Tuesday July 31, 2012. She was 72 years old. (AP Photo/Myung Jung Kim/PA File) UNITED KINGDOM OUTBestselling Irish author Maeve Binchy, one of Ireland's most popular writers who sold more than 40 million books worldwide, died in Dublin after a brief illness, Irish media and national leaders said. She was 72 years old.

LIFE OF A TOP CYCLIST

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:42 AM PDT

Britain's Mark Cavendish pedals during the Men's Road Cycling race at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)Mark Cavendish is a busy man. The ace sprinter from the Isle of Man has raced in Belgium and France since missing out on an Olympic medal last weekend. He's now expected in the Netherlands.

AP: Nearly 1 in 5 wrongly got Irene food aid in NJ

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:42 AM PDT

Nearly 1 in 5 New Jersey households that received emergency food stamps after Tropical Storm Irene crashed into the state last year were ineligible for the benefits, a review found, the result of a mix of mistakes, confusion and fraud as some rushed to cash in what was a new program for the state.
Posted by Harshad at 1:05 PM

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