July 30, 2012

Iran expects to hold more nuclear talks: foreign minister



Iran expects to hold more nuclear talks: foreign minister
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is seen during an interview with Reuters in Abu Dhabi July 9, 2012. REUTERS/Ben JobJul 30, 2012
(Reuters) - Iran expects to hold more talks with world powers on its nuclear program following an inconclusive round of negotiations in Istanbul earlier this month, its foreign minister said in a newspaper interview published on Monday.
The failure of the talks to secure a breakthrough over Tehran's uranium enrichment, which the West fears is aimed at developing nuclear weapons, has raised international concerns that Israel may carry out a military strike.

"I can't say it with certainty but if everything proceeds normally then there should be further negotiations," Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi told Austria's Der Standard.

"A breakdown (in talks) is in nobody's interests. The gaps can only be closed through talking."


Coverage of London Games has people talking


Coverage of London Games has people talking

By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

2012/7/30

If NBC wanted people talking about London's Summer Olympics, consider that goal achieved.
True, much of the talk inspired by NBC's coverage so far has been less than glowing. We're only four days in, and already there's a Twitter pile-on at #NBCfail (if you follow it, prepare to be deluged) and a growing chorus of complaints aimed at Ryan Seacrest, who seems to have tapped into the deep reservoir of disdain every annoyed sports fan has ever felt about any lightweight, extraneous sideline reporter.
In the long run, NBC would rather the chatter not include concerns about Michael Phelps' struggles or gymnastics missteps: If you think it's hard to get people to watch tape-delayed victories, try selling tape-delayed disappointments. But for now, as long as the Olympics stay in the forefront of the

Palestinian official: Romney comments unacceptable


Palestinian official: Romney comments unacceptable
2012/7/30

JERICHO, West Bank (AP) — Mitt Romney's assertion that Jerusalem is Israel's capital is absolutely unacceptable, a senior Palestinian official said Monday, voicing the strongest Palestinian criticism yet of the Republican presidential candidate.
Palestinian officials had largely maintained diplomatic silence during Romney's current visit to the region, even as the candidate embraced Israeli positions and in an apparent snub, avoided meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

July 29, 2012

Kevin Durant leads U.S past France: Men's basketball

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Kevin Durant leads U.S past France: Men's basketball
The Associated Press Posted: Jul 29, 2012
Americans Kevin Durant (5), Chris Paul (13) and Kobe Bryant (10) react during the first half of against France on Sunday in London.
The U.S. men's basketball team has won its Olympic opener in London, beating France 98-71 behind 22 points from Kevin Durant.

Kevin Love added 14 and Kobe Bryant had 10 for the Americans, who led by a point after one quarter Sunday but made six 3-pointers in the second on their way to a 52-36 halftime lead.

Durant and Bryant opened the third with 3s, and the reigning gold medalists cruised from there.


New CO2 findings may unlock secrets of global warming



New CO2 findings may unlock secrets of global warming (+video)
A team of British and Australian scientists has discovered an important method of how carbon is drawn down from the surface of the Southern Ocean.
The Capitol Column | Staff | Sunday, July 29, 2012 This article was updated at 8:46 p.m. EDT with a video released by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). A newly released study finds that giant whirlpools and currents 500 miles wide may allow scientists to unlock the secrets of how oceans absorb greenhouse gases and curb the effects of global warming.

GM global marketing chief leaving

GM global marketing chief leaving
@CNNMoney July 29, 2012
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Joel Ewanick, General Motors' global marketing chief, is leaving the company, the automaker said in a statement Sunday.
Ewanick, 52, joined GM (GM, Fortune 500) a little over two years ago as head of marketing for the U.S. Just seven months later, he was promoted to Global Chief Marketing Officer, then a new role at GM. That made him responsible for GM's marketing in places as far-flung as Asia, South America and Europe and brands unfamiliar to most Americans like Holden, Opel and Daewoo.
In a 2010 interview with CNNMoney.com shortly after his promotion at GM was announced, Ewanick outlined his strategy for boosting the automaker's image around the world. The basic ideas: Truly know the customer and respect the locals.
Before joining GM, Ewanick was Nissan's U.S. marketing chief. Prior to that, he headed up marketing for Hyundai Motor America, where he was credited with creating the successful Hyundai Assurance

France snatches gold from Lochte, U.S. relay team



France snatches gold from Lochte, U.S. relay team
By Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY
LONDON - Cullen Jones touched the wall, knowing he'd delivered the lead to Ryan Lochte with 100 meters to go. Jones told himself, Get out of the pool so you don't miss the pictures.
That's how sure Jones was - and how close the American men were to winning the 4x100-meter freestyle relay Sunday night at the London Aquatics Centre.

But Lochte got beat by a 46.74-second anchor leg by France's Yannick Agnel, who out-touched the American at the wall. The stunning comeback was nearly a mirror image of what American anchor Jason Lezak did to the French freestylers back in 2008.

PHOTOS: Best images of Olympic swimming
"I can definitely appreciate irony," Jones said. "To a certain degree, I was like, 'Ooh, payback.' "

Dick Cheney: picking Sarah Palin as running mate was 'mistake'


Dick Cheney: picking Sarah Palin as running mate was 'mistake'
Dick Cheney, the former US Vice President, said John McCain's 2008 running mate pick of Sarah Palin was a "mistake" because of her inexperience
29 Jul 2012Dick Cheney: picking Sarah Palin as running mate was 'mistake'
In an interview with ABC News, Mr Cheney, who was George W Bush's running mate in 2000 and 2004, said the main criterion for anyone being considered as a potential future vice president "has to be: Is this person capable of being the president of the United States."
Mr Cheney, who remains an influential figure in Republican circles, said he personally likes Mrs Palin, who was a first-term governor of Alaska when Arizona Senator McCain picked her as his running mate four years ago.
"I like Governor Palin. I've met her. I know her. She was an attractive candidate," he said.
"But based on her background – she had only been governor for what, two years? I don't think she passed that test ... of being ready to take over. And I think that was a – a mistake."
Mr McCain and Mrs Palin lost to the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and running mate Joe Biden.
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July 27, 2012

More Evidence That Shift Work Might Raise Heart Risks


More Evidence That Shift Work Might Raise Heart Risks
Review found chances of trouble increased most for those working nights
July 27, 2012
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- People working evening shifts, irregular shifts, night shifts and rotating shifts are at an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, a large, new review finds.

The best way to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke associated with shift work is to keep the usual risk factors -- such as blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and diabetes -- under control, experts say.

"Given the commonness of shift work in modern industrialized nations, and industrializing nations,

Madonna Fans Boo After 45-Minute Paris Club Show

Jul 27 2012
Madonna Fans Boo After 45-Minute Paris Club Show
Concert intended to promote tolerance ends in shouts of 'refund!
By Gil Kaufman
A Thursday night Madonna club show in Paris intended to promote tolerance ended with a round of boos and intolerance ... aimed at Madonna. What was billed as an intimate show at the City of Light's 2,700-capacity l'Olympia club by the pop icon, streamed live on YouTube, turned into a public relations disaster when the 53-year-old singer left the stage after just 45 minutes.

The abrupt end to the show prompted cries of "refund!" from some and forced YouTube to disable comments on the stream early Friday morning after it garnered more than 12,000 dislikes, according to the Associated Press.


Get More: Music News


In addition to some asking for their money back after Madonna took the stage at 10:15 p.m. and departed around 11 p.m., a few angered fans shouted insults such as "salope" (the French word for "slut") at the star, who has been embroiled in controversy over the past week for her use of a Nazi

Robin Roberts to Take Medical Leave for Bone-Marrow Transplant


Robin Roberts to Take Medical Leave for Bone-Marrow Transplant
BY ALISON SCHWARTZ

Friday July 27, 2012
Robin Roberts to Take Medical Leave for Bone-Marrow Transplant | Robin RobertsAs ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today show continue to vie for ratings, Robin Roberts is taking time out to focus on her own battle, with myelodysplastic syndrome.

The anchor, 51, expects to take a medical leave in late August or early September from her morning show, which has reigned over Today for the past four weeks, to undergo a bone-marrow transplant.

"It's fascinating-slash-scary how to prepare yourself for something like this," Roberts told reporters gathered for the Television Critics Association conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., via satellite from ABC's studios in New York, according to New York's Daily News.

Roberts – who revealed she was batting the rare disease of the blood and bone marrow in June with the subsequent news that her sister would donate bone marrow – says she feels "moments of fatigue" lately, although her job has helped her pull through.


Google's Lightning-fast Fiber Network Now Live in Kansas City


Google's Lightning-fast Fiber Network Now Live in Kansas City
By Melanie Pinola, PCWorld Jul 26, 2012

Google is launching its ultra-fast 1Gb-per-second Google Fiber Internet and Fiber TV service today in Kansas City.

Google announced last week that the gigabit network was coming, and here it is. Lucky residents of Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, can pre-register now at the Google Fiber website and rally their neighbors to pre-register to get Google Fiber (Google is building the network by demand).
Google Fiber promises to be 100 times faster than the average American broadband speed. To put this

24.6% Unemployment Rate in Spain

EURO WATCH
24.6% Unemployment Rate in Spain
By RAPHAEL MINDER
Published: July 27, 2012
MADRID — A day after markets registered relief at comments from the European Central Bank president in strong support of the euro, data from Spain showed the fragility of the underlying economy as the region’s debt crisis drags on.
Just over 5.69 million Spaniards ended the second quarter jobless, raising the unemployment rate to a record 24.6 percent, compared with 24.4 percent in the first quarter, according to the latest national employment statistics published Friday.


Wary consumers, trade curb U.S. growth in Q2



Wary consumers, trade curb U.S. growth in Q2
By Lucia Mutikani
WASHINGTON | Fri Jul 27, 2012 A shopper walks down an aisle in a newly opened Walmart Neighborhood Market in Chicago in this September 21, 2011 file photo. REUTERS/Jim Young/Files
(Reuters) - U.S. economic growth slowed as expected in the second quarter as consumers spent at their slowest pace in a year, potentially pushing the Federal Reserve closer to pumping more money into the economy.
Gross domestic product expanded at a 1.5 percent annual rate between April and June, the weakest pace of growth since the third quarter of 2011, the Commerce Department said on Friday.


Mayor Bloomberg spouts off for tight gun laws


July 27, 2012
Mayor Bloomberg spouts off for tight gun laws following Colorado movie theater massacre, but records show he's showered thousands of dollards on lawmakers who drew high marks from gun lobby
Mayor will host Aug. 15 fund-raiser for Massachusetts' Scott Brown despite senator's long history of supporting gun rights. Brown, who opposes assault weapons ban, earned 'A' from National Rifle Association
 010/11/10 New York Military Island Time Square .Mayor Michael Bloomberg . Campaign to obtain photographs for each of the over 58,000 veterans whose names are listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, during ceremony with United War Veterans Council Inc
BY KENNETH LOVETT / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
THURSDAY, JULY 26
ALBANY — Mayor Bloomberg has been all over the airwaves calling for better gun control following the Colorado movie theater massacre — but he doesn’t always put his money where his mouth is.
Even as he’s pushed for tougher gun laws, he has showered thousands of dollars on lawmakers who drew high marks from the gun lobby over the past decade, campaign finance records show.

Storms knock out power as they rip through Northeast


Storms knock out power as they rip through Northeast
By Khara Lewin, CNN
July 27, 2012
(CNN) -- Storms ripped through the Northeast, killing at least two people as they unleashed strong winds and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers, authorities said Friday.
The storms struck Thursday, and at one point that evening, severe thunderstorm watches were in effect for a continuous stretch from Oklahoma through New Jersey.
In Pennsylvania, a tree crushed a woman in her car as she sought shelter at a campsite, killing her, said Glenn Dunn, the emergency management coordinator for Potter County.

Will you ring Creed's bell to mark the start of the Olympics?


Will you ring Creed's bell to mark the start of the Olympics?
26 July 2012
by Jonathan Jones



Martin Creed bell ringerArtist Martin Creed has asked us all to ring a bell on the first day of the Olympics. Creed believes in public art of the collective, but what does it really mean if we all ring a bell at once?
Everything is going to be alright. Those are the words Martin Creed wrote in neon in one of his public artworks. This white-light message has been seen on buildings all over the world. I have read it in Hackney, in Milan. Maybe it should have been written around the Olympic stadium to reflect the hope that, as one of Europe's most struggling economies hosts the world's biggest sporting event, this will boost us, save us, put some Olympic fire in our finances.


Europe's risk assets bolstered by ECB action hopes


Europe's risk assets bolstered by ECB action hopes
Friday, 27 July 2012 Written by Asad Naeem
european-stock 400
LONDON: European equities rose and peripheral bond yields fell on Friday on growing expectations of ECB action to bring down Spanish and Italian borrowing costs, but concerns about possible German opposition to such a move kept risk appetite in check.
Euro zone governments and the European Central Bank are preparing to intervene on financial markets, French daily Le Monde reported, citing unnamed sources.
The report came a day after ECB President Mario Draghi boosted risk assets across the globe with his pledge do whatever it takes within the bank's mandate to defend the single currency.
"Now all of a sudden everybody thinks he (Draghi) is going to start printing. He has backed himself into a corner, if he doesn't come up with anything then he could be in trouble," said Ioan Smith, strategist at Knight Capital.
"You wouldn't want to be short (equities) at the moment given the market's reaction, the market is very skittish."

Strip Clubs in Tampa Are Ready to Cash In on G.O.P. Convention


Strip Clubs in Tampa Are Ready to Cash In on G.O.P. Convention
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
Published: July 26, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. — Over at the back door of the 2001 Odyssey, a limo-size tent with flaps — especially designed for discretion and camera-shy guests — is ready to go up. Déjà Vu is welcoming extra “talent” from around the country in its V.I.P. rooms.
And Thee DollHouse is all Americana: women plan to slip out of red, white and blue corsets and offer red, white and blue vodka. The headliner that week is expected to bear an uncanny resemblance to a certain ex-governor from a wilderness state, known for her strong jaw and devotion to guns and God.


Tweet show: Stewart-Pattinson scandal in 140 characters


Tweet show: Stewart-Pattinson scandal in 140 characters
July 27, 2012
By Arienne Thompso USA Today
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart met while filming 'Twilight' in 2008.
A pop culture sensation like the Robert Pattinson-Kristen Stewart-Rupert Sanders cheating scandal only comes around so often in Hollywood, so it makes sense that Twitter would be, well, all atwitter with the news.

On Wednesday, Stewart, 22, confirmed that she had been unfaithful to her "Twilight" co-star and boyfriend of three years, Pattinson, 26, and then apologized within the span of just three sentences: "I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected. This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I

July 26, 2012

China Charges Wife of Bo Xilai in Killing of British Man


China Charges Wife of Bo Xilai in Killing of British Man
By ANDREW JACOBS
Published: July 26, 2012
BEIJING — Gu Kailai, the wife of the disgraced political leader Bo Xilai, has been charged with the intentional homicide of a British businessman, a crime that triggered China’s most serious political crisis in decades, the state media reported Thursday evening.
The official Xinhua news agency published a brief dispatch announcing that Ms. Gu and an aide employed by the family had been formally charged in the poisoning death of Neil Heywood, the 41-year-old Briton whose body was found in November in a hotel in Chongqing, the municipality in southwest China led by Mr. Bo until he was deposed by Communist Party leaders.

Although the announcement repeated earlier accusations that tied the murder of Mr. Heywood to “a conflict over economic interests,” it added fresh detail, saying that Ms. Gu committed the crime in order to protect her son, Bo Guagua. The article did not mention Mr. Bo’s full name, suggesting prosecutors have decided not to implicate him in the crime.

The announcement said no trial date had been set.


Teen Doing Well 2 Years After Stem Cell Windpipe Transplant


Teen Doing Well 2 Years After Stem Cell Windpipe Transplant
Treatment may offer hope for other ill children, researchers say
July 26, 2012PHOTO: Ciaran Finn-Lynch
WEDNESDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- Two years after he became the first child to receive a stem cell-supported trachea (windpipe) transplant, a 13-year-old boy is able to breathe normally, has grown about four inches taller, does not require any anti-rejection drugs and has returned to school.

Ciaran Finn-Lynch, born with a structural defect of his large airway, underwent the transplant in March 2010 at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. After his windpipe was removed, it was

Three-planet system's regular orbits hint at orbital chaos elsewhere


Three-planet system's regular orbits hint at orbital chaos elsewhere
Systems evolve from one disk then have orbital interactions destabilize them.

by Matthew Francis - July 26 2012
The Solar System is remarkably regular, its eight planets orbiting the Sun in the same direction in very nearly circular trajectories. Their orbits lie nearly in the same plane, which is aligned with the Sun's equator. These facts point toward a common origin for the Solar System, where everything collapsed from a single protostellar disk.

However, many exoplanetary systems are very different: exoplanets often orbit in highly elliptical orbits, and some "hot Jupiters" (giant planets in very small orbits) even revolve in the opposite direction from their host stars. A current major challenge in astrophysics is to understand why irregular systems exist.


Americans rally past France in women's soccer


Americans rally past France in women's soccer
Down 2-0 early, US storms back with a 4-2 win
United States' Megan Rapinoe, right, Alex Morgan, centre, celebrate together after Morgan scores her second goal against France on Wednesday at Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.An early start to the Olympics turned into an early hole for the U.S. women's soccer team in Glasgow, Scotland on Wednesday, after they gave up two quick goals before unleashing an attack the rest of the world will find hard to stop.


Rivals Phelps, Lochte share a suite in Olympic Village


Rivals Phelps, Lochte share a suite in Olympic Village
By Erik Brady, USA TODAY 2012/7/26
ONDON – Michael Phelps shares a four-bedroom suite in the athletes' village with six other American swimmers, including rival Ryan Lochte. The two are partners at cards, but aren't roommates — Phelps has the suite's only single.
"We're able to request if we want a roommate or not," Phelps said Wednesday, appearing relaxed as he chatted amiably with reporters at a Speedo event. "For the competition part, I don't really like a roommate."

Phelps does like having suitemates, and he offered a glimpse of village life, talking about nightly

'So You Think You Can Dance': Amber Jackson, Brandon Mitchell Bite The Dust

Jul 26 2012 9:17 AM EDT 37
'So You Think You Can Dance': Amber Jackson, Brandon Mitchell Bite The Dust
Plus Witney Carson and Chehon Wespi-Tschopp soar on Wednesday night's show.
image?.CaptionBy Natasha Chandel
"So You Think You Can Dance" might be taking two weeks off during the Olympics, but they left on a very high note. Season nine has seen an exceptional group of dancers who flourished with their mesmerizing routines, a testament to the show's six Emmy award nominations. Starting the night off with a Tyce Diorio Broadway number honoring the late Charlie Chaplin and the silent film era, the top 16 set the stage for success.

While it was unfortunate to see contemporary dancer Amber Jackson and the show's first top 20 stepper Brandon Mitchell eliminated, it was still a night to celebrate. Here's how the pairs performed.
Tiffany Maher and George Lawrence II
One of season nine's favorites, Tiffany and George opened the show with a fun Nappytab hip-hop routine inspired by the impending birth of their first child. Although they hit hard, the talented duo was surpassed by their cuteness and lack of "grundge."


Nas Explains How He Went From 'Life's A Bitch' To 'Life Is Good'

Jul 26 2012 8:27 AM EDT 107
Nas Explains How He Went From 'Life's A Bitch' To 'Life Is Good'
'There's bad, there's joy, pain, all the emotions ... life is still good, no matter what,' MC says in MTV's Hip-Hop Music Preview.
image?.CaptionBy Rebecca Thomas
Listening to Nas' Life Is Good is like dropping a golden subway token into a mechanical turnstile, one that grants you instant entry into a New York City of days long gone.

A product of the gritty Queensbridge Houses, Nas navigates his borough in dizzyingly poetic detail, shouting out 'hood-famous hustlers and incense-burning Five-Percenters over a bed of rich horns and pounding knocks. "Colosseum downstairs, gold-teeth mouth," the baby-faced 39-year-old spits on "A Queens Story," giving a nod to the mall on Jamaica Avenue and 165th Street where a basement throbbed with jewelers and hair-extension purveyors.

If that sounds like golden-era nostalgia, then fair enough, but as God's Son told us when we sat down with him in L.A. for MTV's Hip-Hop Music Preview, "I got jazz in my soul." On Life Is Good, Nasty

Samsung trounced iPhone twice over in Q2 smartphones claim analysts


Samsung trounced iPhone twice over in Q2 smartphones claim analysts

Chris Davies, Jul 26th 2012
Samsung had an iPhone-squashing Q2 2012, analysts predict, shipping twice as many smartphones in the three month period, though the specter of the iPhone 5 is expected to put a dampener on Korean celebrations. The Galaxy S III helped lead Samsung to a total of 52m smartphones in Q2, Juniper Research estimates, more than double Apple’s market-disappointing 26m iPhone sales.
Of course, Samsung’s strength is its spread across the smartphone playing field. The Galaxy S III shipped 10m devices itself, but Samsung also has “Galaxy products hitting all price points” Juniper highlights, having “leveraged its global brand strength and the popularity of the Android OS to drive sales of smartphones in all price tiers.”


Bill O'Reilly: New poll has President Obama up big


Bill O'Reilly: New poll has President Obama up big
Published July 25, 2012 | O'Reilly Factor | Bill O'Reilly
By Bill O'Reilly
A new NBC News/"Wall Street Journal" poll says the President is ahead of Mitt Romney by six points; 49-43. Wow, how about that?
However, that poll may not be accurate. In a Rasmussen Daily Tracking poll today, taken among the likely voters, Mitt Romney leads 47-44. That is a stunning nine point difference from the "Wall Street Journal"/NBC survey. So, what is going on?
Well, first of all the NBC deal is registered voters, not likely voters. Secondly, there is an 11-point difference Democrats over Republicans in the NBC/Journal poll. It's not that they stack the deck. It's just that the random sample came out that way.