| World News  | Authorities have no evidence of plot to shoot Obama
The Australian
US authorities have found no evidence of a plot to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Three men were arrested and a weapons cache seized this week amid claims the men planned to kill Obama. US Attorney Troy Eid told a press conference that following an exhaustive investigation, officials were satisfied that the arrested men were all drug abusers who did not pose a credible threat to Obama. "Let me be clear: we've...
photo: AP / Jae C. Hong
|  | Anwar wins Malaysian parliament seat
CNN
PERMATANG PAUH, Malaysia (AP) -- Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim won a landslide victory in a special election for a parliament seat Tuesday, strengthening his campaign to topple the government and become the next prime minister despite sodomy charges against him. The official count showed Anwar defeated the governing coalition's candidate for a seat from a semi-rural district in the northern industrial state of Penang....
photo: AP / Wong Maye-E
|  | Canada PM suggests election is near
The Boston Globe
TORONTO—Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Tuesday he might call an early election, a move that would head off opposition efforts to topple his minority government. Harper's Conservatives have a tenuous hold on power, and all three opposition parties have said or suggested they'll try to bring his goverment down with a no confidence vote soon. Harper seems bent on having the election now, with analysts saying his chances of winning...
photo: AP /CP, Tom Hanson
|  | Democrats hit McCain, though some urge caution
The State
DENVER -- Democrats used the second night of their four-day convention to punch back more aggressively at John McCain, even as some party insiders warned that hitting too forcefully might jeopardize Barack Obama's upbeat, all-inclusive image. With party leaders trying to strike the right balance between positive and negative messages, elected officials paraded to the convention podium Tuesday to portray Obama as an agent of change, and McCain as...
photo: AP / Jim Mone
|  | More living below poverty line
TVNZ
Aug 27, 2008 1:03 PM The World Bank said more people are living in extreme poverty in developing countries than previously thought as it adjusted the recognised yardstick for measuring global poverty to $US1.25 a day from $US1. The poverty-fighting institution said there were 1.4 billion people - a quarter of the developing world - living in extreme poverty on less than $US1.25 a day in 2005 in the world's 10 to 20 poorest countries. Last year,...
photo: WN / Renzelle Mae Abasolo
|  | Clinton bid to heal wounds
Gulf Daily News
DENVER: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sought to heal the wounds of their bruising nominating battle yesterday and unite the Democratic party behind Obama's bid to seize the White House. Clinton gave a speech meant to lift a shadow over this week's convention that will crown Obama, 47, a first-term Illinois senator, as the party's presidential candidate in the November 4 election...
photo: AP / Jose Luis Magana
|  | Mugabe booed at opening of parliament in Harare
Taipei Times
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was heckled by the opposition yesterday as he opened parliament and declared that “landmark agreements” were expected to be signed by the country’s political rivals. “Landmark agreements have been concluded with every expectation that everybody will sign up,” Mugabe said to boos and jeers from the house. While recognizing “regrettable and isolated” incidents of political violence, Mugabe went on to say that...
photo: AP/Karel Prinsloo
|  | Oil, inflation worries keep markets mixed
Omaha World-Herald
NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street ended mixed Tuesday as concerns about the path of Hurricane Gustav sent oil prices higher and offset a better-than-expected reading on consumer confidence. Comments from the Federal Reserve about rising inflation added to the market's uneasiness. The Fed's release of minutes from its Aug. 5 meeting showed that the central bank remains concerned about creeping inflation and that it expected it would need to raise...
photo: AP / Richard Drew
| Business News  | Immersion to pay Microsoft $20.75 million
Seattle Post
Settlement ends 2007 lawsuit that revealed maneuvering against Sony Microsoft Corp. will receive $20.75 million from Immersion Corp. after the companies agreed to settle a lawsuit that revealed the Redmond company's behind-the-scenes maneuvering against video-game console rival Sony. As part of the deal, Immersion said it would become a Microsoft partner and aim to make its technologies work with the next version of Microsoft's Windows operating...
photo: WN/Theresa
|  | Ready Credit can save money for people who don't use banks
Star Tribune
More than 40 million households are in the so-called "unbanked" category -- people with no bank accounts who pay a steep price in fees and inconvenience for their cash-only financial practices. They often are low-income folks, according to the nonprofit Center for Financial Services Innovation, and they typically pay 2 to 5 percent of face value to cash a paycheck or government stipend. Then they might fork over another buck or more for...
photo: creative commons
|  | Rupee up as dollar falls overseas
The Times of India
MUMBAI: Rupee strengthened on Wednesday as a weaker dollar overseas boosted sentiment, with traders also wary of the RBI stepping up dollar sales to protect the local unit from falling too sharply. At 10:15 am (0445 GMT), the partially convertible rupee was at...
photo: WN / Geeta
|  | FTC orders ANA to pull misleading Premium Class advertisements
Asahi News
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday ordered All Nippon Airways Co. to stop running its advertisements for a new high-end service following customer complaints that they never received the luxurious seating touted. The newspaper and television advertisements said the new Premium Class service would start on April 1 this year. They emphasized that the seats offer more legroom and are separated by partition...
photo: Creative Commons / Hideyuki KAMON
|  | Carmakers falling short on EU emissions targets: report
Turkish Press
Traffic makes its way down the east end of Berlin's Leipzigerstrasse in April 2008. Car makers are not doing enough to meet proposed EU targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions, according to a report Tuesday, with some German and Japanese brands facing the biggest challenge to make the grade. (AFP/File) Car makers are not doing enough to meet proposed EU targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions, according to a report Tuesday, with some...
photo: AP / Alden Pellett
|  | Low loan demand, high interest rate
Malaya
"In a global economy the challenges and changes are universal." * * * The Bangko Sentral has raised the interest rates by half a percentage point. The intention is to cushion inflation brought about by the rising prices of fuel. That is the upside. The downside is, even without raising interest rate, demand for commercial loans will continue to be low and small. The banking system will have to bear the brunt of the rise in prices. Higher interest...
photo: WN
|  | Gold rises to track firm oil, platinum up 1 pc
The Times of India
27 Aug 2008, 0903 hrs IST,REUTERS SINGAPORE: Gold extended gains on Wednesday as fears of rising inflation, tensions between Russia and the West and a rebounding euro spurred buying from speculators. Platinum gained more than one per cent to track gold but automakers were still on the sidelines. Palladium and silver also gained. Gold rose to $827.15/828.15 an ounce from $822.90/824.30 an ounce late in New...
photo: WN / deniseyong
|  | Recall: Some Hot Pockets might contain plastic
The State
By The Associated Press Nestle Prepared Foods Company is recalling about 215,660 pounds of frozen stuffed pepperoni pizza sandwich products, known as Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza, because the product might contain small pieces of hard red plastic and other foreign material, which pose a risk of serious injury to consumers. Spokeswoman Roz O'Hearn said the reported...
photo: WN/Theresa Poongan
|  | MEP on non-basmati rice goes
Dawn
ISLAMABAD, Aug 26: Pakistan, the worlds fifth largest rice exporter, has removed a minimum export price (MEP) on non-basmati rice after expectations of a bumper crop, a top industry official said on Tuesday. We have received a letter from the government on Aug 23 to the effect that the MEP for rice other than basmati has been...
photo: WN / Sweet Radoc
| Entertainment News  | Netting new fashion trends at the US Open
NZ Herald
Serena Williams is one of the tennis stars leading the way in on-court fashion. Photo / AP NEW YORK - Models have the runway, actresses the red carpet and - when it comes to showing off their latest styles - tennis players have centre court. One emerging trend is to incorporate a cocktail-attire look into their performance clothes, especially if they're playing under the lights at night. And, says tennis star Maria Sharapova, there's no better...
photo: WN / Aruna Gilbert
|  | Avril all set to paint KL pink
The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Pink will be the colour of Avril Lavigne's concert here this Friday. "The whole concert will feature a lot of the colour pink right to her microphone which is encrusted with pink crystals," Galaxy Group managing director Alan Chan said, adding that the show would incorporate the best...
photo: WN / Aruna Gilbert
|  | Campbell Soup Sacks NFL's Mothers
Wall Street Journal
Campbell Soup is canning the moms. For the past six years, the company has been running a well-received series of ads for its "Chunky" soup that feature National Football League greats and their mothers calling them inside for dinner and serving them soup. But starting with this NFL season, those moms will be riding the bench. The reason for the change? says its new research has revealed that the company's target consumers -- men in their 30s --...
photo: GFDL Photo / Coolcaesar
|  | New on DVD: 'What Happens in Vegas'
The Charlotte Observer
‘What Happens in Vegas' Cameron Diaz is a jilted Wall Streeter, Ashton Kutcher's an out-of-work carpenter, the two getting hitched on a drunken whim in Las Vegas then going to extremes to scheme each other out of the $3 million jackpot they won. The movie comes in a single-disc DVD with the theatrical version or a two-disc DVD and Blu-ray high-definition sets with an extended cut. The two-disc DVD and Blu-ray releases also pack a chat with...
photo: AP /
|  | Obama's celebrity dilemma
The Providence Journal
Back in 2004, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons was in Boston for John Kerry's coronation as the Democratic nominee, staging a big hip-hop summit to draw new voters. This year, though he's a Barack Obama supporter, he plans to sit out the Denver convention. "I didn't really feel they needed any more celebrities," says Simmons, chairman of Rush Communications, who'd been set to speak at a yoga convention on the sidelines, but changed his plans. "They...
photo: Creative Commons
|  | Go downtown with Petula Clark
Malaya
Petula Clark, the British female singing sensation who achieved worldwide fame for her string of upbeat popular hits in the 1960s, notably the classic "Downtown," is coming to Manila for a two-night performance that will be highlighted by a grand concert on September 13 at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. Billed as "Petula Clark: You & I," the limited musical engagement to be mounted by Renen de Guia's Ovation Productions will open...
photo: AP
|  | Clooney, Pitt Team Up For Charity
CBS News
Anyone would call it a coup to get George Clooney and Brad Pitt in the same place at the same time, what with Pitt's schedule now including the care of newborn twins. The pair will appear together not once, but twice, at the Venice Film Festival - first Tuesday night at a fundraising event for their charity Not On Our Watch. They'll be back on the red carpet Wednesday when the Coen brothers film "Burn After Reading" opens the 65th...
photo: AP Photo / Kathy Willens
|  | Brangelina on cover sells millions for People mag
Canada Dot Com
Does it seem crazy to you that gossip mags pay millions for celeb baby pix? Then you don't understand marketing. People mag's edition with the Brangelina babies on the cover sold 2.6 million copies, says Women's Wear Daily, making it the fourth-biggest-selling issue in People's 35-year life (behind Sept. 11, Diana Spencer's death, and JFK Jr.'s death). You'll recall that People and the British Hello! together paid $14 million for the pix. FAMILY...
photo: Creative Commons
| Health News  | Mumps outbreak traced to anti-vaccination religious group
Canada Dot Com
A growing outbreak of the mumps has been traced to a single original case in a Chilliwack religious group that is opposed to vaccination. It's believed visitors from Alberta brought the mumps to Chilliwack, infecting a "community with low immunization rates," the Fraser Health Authority said yesterday. Since February, 190 people have been infected with the virus. It has spread from Chilliwack to Abbotsford, Langley, Surrey and Burnaby. Now it's...
photo: WN
|  | Dental work program helps Oklahoma women
The Oklahoman
By Carrie Coppernoll Staff WriterSyreeta Long always felt self-conscious about the gap between her front teeth. The single mom knew she had other problems with her teeth, but she didn't have the insurance or extra money to pay for the dental work she desperately needed. ord=Math.random()*10000000000000000; document.write(' Bacteria outbreak claims Pryor gospel... Anonymous winner collects $29.3 million... NBA basketball player Eduardo Najera is...
photo: GFDL /
|  | Milk adulteration goes on unchecked
Dawn
By Shakeel Ahmad MULTAN, Aug 26: The use of chemicals and urea fertiliser in milk to increase its fat and volume by the middleman at milk collection centres of private companies is injurious to health, say doctors. The consumption of packaged milk spiked with chemicals can cause high blood pressure, cardiac problems, premature births,...
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
|  | TV Ad Attacks Hot Dogs As Cancer Risk
CBS News
A new TV commercial shows kids eating hot dogs in a school cafeteria and one little boy's haunting lament: "I was dumbfounded when the doctor told me I have late-stage colon cancer." It's a startling revelation in an ad that vilifies one of America's most beloved, if maligned, foods, while stoking fears about a dreaded disease. But the boy doesn't have cancer. Neither do two other kids in the ad who claim to be afflicted. The commercial's...
photo: WN / hend
|  | Overweight? It's all your own fault, insist the Tories
London Evening Standard
People who are fat have nobody to blame but themselves and must take responsibility for their condition, according to the Conservatives. Health spokesman Andrew Lansley will speak out today as he outlines a raft of measures to tackle spiralling levels of obesity. Steps will include urging restaurants to serve smaller portions, encouraging people to eat more fruit and vegetables and getting role models, including Britain's Olympic gold medallists,...
photo: WN / Sweet Radoc
|  | Dementia drugs still prescribed, despite warnings
Globe and Mail
Prescription rates of certain antipsychotic drugs given to seniors with dementia have increased significantly despite safety warnings in recent years, according to a new study that questions the effectiveness of the warning mechanisms used by drug makers and Health Canada. The findings, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, reveal that overall prescriptions of atypical antipsychotic drugs to elderly people suffering from...
photo: Creative commons / Nina-no
|  | Renewing Vows to Save a Marriage
ABC News
By DAN CHILDS ABC News Medical Unit Aug. 26, 2008 FONT SIZE In an era when celebrity weddings have an almost unrivaled potential to catch the public eye, another kind of nuptial ceremony -- the renewal of vows -- seems just as noteworthy. Celebrities Madonna and Guy Ritchie reportedly celebrated a renewing of their vows during a kabbalah ceremony in Los Angeles. (ABC News Photo...
photo: WN
|  | Questions raised over Zardari mental health
The Independent
Fresh questions have been raised about Asif Zardari, the man poised to become Pakistan's next president, after it was revealed that doctors who examined him said he was suffering from severe mental health problems as recently as last year. In a revelation that adds to the concern about Pakistan's ongoing political turmoil, court documents filed by Mr Zardari's doctors suggest he had been diagnosed as suffering from a series of serious conditions...
photo: (AP Photo/Shakil Adil) / AP
|  | Kids follow parents' lead on fruits and vegetables
National Post
Reuters Change font size Story tools presented by try{ var arr_da = document.getElementById('ad-leaderboard').getElementsByTagName('script'); for(var i in arr_da){ if(typeof(arr_da[i].src) != 'undefined' && (/http:\/\/ad\.ca\.doubleclick\.net/.test(arr_da[i].src))){ var str_da_src = arr_da[i].src; str_da_src...
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
| Politics News  | US election: Hillary Clinton calls on supporters to rally behind Obama
The Guardian
Hillary Clinton waves as daughter Chelsea looks on at the Democratic national convention in Denver. Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images Hillary Clinton delivered an unequivocal endorsement of Barack Obama in her prime time speech at the Democratic convention in Denver tonight and called on her supporters to rally behind him. "I am honoured to be here tonight. A proud mother. A proud Democrat. A proud American. And a proud supporter of Barack...
photo: AP Photo / David Kohl
|  | Key excerpts: Hillary Clinton
BBC News
Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has spoken to the Democratic National Convention, with many keen to see how firmly she would stand behind the party's nominee, Barack Obama. Below are some key quotes from Mrs Clinton's speech. ON PARTY UNITY Whether you voted for me, or you voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team, and...
photo: AP Photo / Akira Ono
|  | Can McCain Back in Again?
Creators Syndicate
Podcast available through: If you like Robert D. Novak, you might enjoy Pat Buchanan Ben Shapiro Dick Morris WASHINGTON — In the contest for president, Barack Obama is a magnetic candidate supported by a disciplined, well-organized campaign. John McCain seems wooden, with a campaign that appears to be in shambles. Yet...
photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster
|  | Slovak PM attacks media
TVNZ
Aug 27, 2008 12:29 PM Slovakia's leftist prime minister accused the country's print media of engaging in opposition politics, having ties to communist-era secret services and sympathising with Hitler. It was one of the sharpest attacks by Robert Fico against broadsheets since his cabinet, which includes far-right nationalists and the HZDS party of authoritarian former prime minister Vladimir Meciar, took power in 2006....
photo: EC / EC
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