SetFit/ag_news · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Iraq's Sistani in Najaf; 74 Killed in Two Cities NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's most revered cleric arrived in Najaf Thursday to try to end a bloody three-week uprising but attacks on crowds of Shi'ites that killed at least 74 inflamed tensions as tens of thousands converged on the city.	0	World
Smithfield Foods Profit High on the Hogs CHICAGO (Reuters) - Smithfield Foods Inc. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SFD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">SFD.N</A>, one of the nation's largest meat producers, on Thursday said quarterly earnings more than doubled due to higher hog prices and its acquisition of Farmland Foods last year.	2	Business
News: WinAmp flayed by skins attack A serious security flaw in NullSoft's popular WinAmp player opens the door for crackers to seize control of vulnerable systems.	3	Sci/Tech
Sprint Certifies Xserve and QuickTime Sprint and Apple announced that the Xserve G5 and QuickTime have been certified as mobile multimedia delivery platforms for Sprint #146;s new PCS Vision Multimedia Services. Aug 26	3	Sci/Tech
New Hungarian PM faces popularity test The man picked to take over as Hungary's prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, will have to convince voters that joining the euro is worth making sacrifices for.	2	Business
Maker of Antidepressant Drug to Release All Trial Results In a settlement that the New York State attorney general said would transform the drug industry, GlaxoSmithKline agreed today to release the results of all its drug clinical trials.	2	Business
My Fund Manager Ate My Retirement! How much of your retirement savings are consumed by your mutual funds?	2	Business
Judge Stops Partial-Birth Abortion Ban NEW YORK - In a highly anticipated ruling, a federal judge found the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional Thursday because it does not include a health exception. U.S...	0	World
Video Girlfriends Demand Diamonds A Hong Kong company has developed a virtual girlfriend for cell phones with video capability. Also: RealNetworks offers paid internet content hellip;.Vodafone, Nokia team up to simplify mobile software hellip;. and more.	2	Business
Toronto-Dominion to buy stake in Banknorth Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto said Thursday it agreed to acquire a 51 percent stake in New England regional bank Banknorth Group Inc.	2	Business
Glaxo Settles Paxil #39;Suicide Pill #39; Suit GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) has agreed to release all clinical studies of its drugs to settle a lawsuit that accused it of withholding negative information about the antidepressant Paxil, the New York	2	Business
Ride the Cyclical Wave Some stocks you buy and never sell. Others you bought and wish you #39;d sold. But there are those cyclical stocks that should be bought and sold repeatedly over the years as their prices move in time to the economy.	2	Business
Video Girlfriends Demand Diamonds She needs to be coddled with sweet talk and pampered with gifts, but you #39;ll never see her in the flesh. A Hong Kong company has developed a quot;virtual girlfriend quot; for new cell phones with video capability.	3	Sci/Tech
IBM to Buy Content Management Developer Venetica IBM on Thursday agreed to acquire Venetica Corp., a maker of content integration software that allows enterprises to access and embed unstructured data including business documents, e-mail, digital media, still images, and Web pages.	3	Sci/Tech
Olympics: Kenteris and Thanou to be investigated by athletics <b>...</b> ATHENS : Greek sprinters Kostadinos Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou are to be investigated by the world governing body of athletics and face being charged with a doping offence, it was announced.	1	Sports
Bertuzzi pleads not guilty Vancouver Canucks star Todd Bertuzzi has pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault causing bodily harm. The plea was entered during a brief arraignment hearing Thursday morning in a Vancouver court room.	1	Sports
Chile Court Lifts Pinochet Immunity in Rights Case Chile #39;s Supreme Court stripped former dictator Augusto Pinochet of immunity from prosecution on Thursday in one notorious human rights case, raising hopes of victims	0	World
Brown-Forman Earnings Jump 67 Percent Brown-Forman Corp. , which sells products ranging from Jack Daniels whiskey to Lenox china, on Thursday posted a better-than-expected 67 percent jump in earnings as aggressive marketing boosted sales of premium spirits and new wines.	2	Business
Oil Falls for Fifth Session as Iraq Truce Eases Supply Concern Crude oil futures fell for a fifth session, the longest period in 10 months, as a cease-fire in Najaf eased concern that shipments from Iraq will be disrupted.	2	Business
Prosecutors Again Raid Yukos Offices Russian prosecutors have again raided the offices of the country #39;s giant oil firm Yukos, seizing financial documents covering the past two years.	2	Business
Germany wins bronze ATHENS, Greece - Womens World Cup champion Germany settled for bronze at the Olympics, beating Sweden 1-0 Thursday on Renate Lingors goal and a spectacular game from goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg in her 100th international appearance.	1	Sports
Double Russian Air Disaster #39;A Terrorist Act #39; Suspicions grew today that terrorists were to blame for the twin airline crashes, with a top official saying terrorism was the main theory and many Russians insisting the double disaster could not be explained by mere coincidence.	0	World
Almost Half of Video Gamers Cutting TV Use --Study (Reuters) Reuters - Nearly half of video game players\watched less television last year or plan to cut their viewing\time this year, according to a report issued on Thursday that\lends credence to industry fears that young men are switching\off the tube.	3	Sci/Tech
Israeli, Palestinian ministers meet in Italy (AFP) AFP - Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and his Palestinian counterpart Nabil Shaath held "extremely useful" talks in the Italian Adriatic resort city of Rimini, Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said.	0	World
US poverty rate climbs, along with number lacking health coverage (AFP) AFP - The number of Americans living in poverty or without health insurance grew last year, a government survey showed, adding potential dynamite in the battle for the White House.	2	Business
Five killed, scores hurt as rebels bomb buses in India's northeast (AFP) AFP - Five people were killed and scores wounded in northeast India when militants blew up two buses, threw a grenade into a market and triggered twin blasts on a railway track, officials said.	0	World
US Sees Japan Beef Trade Unlikely in 2004 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japan's lucrative market for U.S. beef, ruptured by mad cow disease worries, is likely to remain closed for the rest of this year, U.S. meat industry officials said on Thursday.	2	Business
Almost Half of Video Gamers Cutting TV Use --Study LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Nearly half of video game players watched less television last year or plan to cut their viewing time this year, according to a report issued on Thursday that lends credence to industry fears that young men are switching off the tube.	3	Sci/Tech
HP's iPod to lead consumer push Friday product launch will count on music player to deliver cool factor to once-stodgy printer maker.	3	Sci/Tech
GlaxoSmithKline settles with NY, will disclose drug study info A lawsuit filed by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer against GlaxoSmithKline over charges that the pharmaceutical company withheld information about the safety and effectiveness of Paxil has been settled.	2	Business
Work Begins on US Missile Defense for Commercial Airliners US officials are taking steps to head off fears that terrorists could use portable anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down civilian airliners.	2	Business
Update 5: Oil Prices Slide, Despite Iraq Export Drop Oil prices fell for a fifth consecutive day Thursday despite a sharp drop in Iraqi exports after pipelines were sabotaged - evidence that the bull market may have lost some steam.	2	Business
BlackRock Paying \$375 Million for State Street Research MetLife expects the transaction to have a positive impact to net income of between \$145 million and \$165 million. Shares of New York-based BlackRock, an investment management firm, rose \$1.	2	Business
Yukos accounting division raided; Russian official warns of money <b>...</b> Russian prosecutors continued their onslaught against the country #39;s largest oil producer on Thursday, raiding the accounting division of Yukos and seizing documents.	2	Business
Update 2: German Business Confidence Dips in August An index of German business confidence dipped in August, reflecting worries about the strength of the country #39;s economic recovery, a survey of German executives showed Thursday.	2	Business
UK fires civil servants for viewing porn The British government has fired 19 civil servants and disciplined more than 200 in an unprecedented crackdown on viewing Internet pornography at work, officials said Thursday.	3	Sci/Tech
Nokia, Vodafone Partner on Mobile Service Architecture Nokia and Vodafone, in conjunction with Sun Microsystems, would define the licensing framework of the initiative, while the role of creating and licensing the Technology Compatibility	3	Sci/Tech
Intel expands Centrino capabilities SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - Intel expanded the capabilities of its Centrino chips Thursday by introducing support for an additional wireless networking standard known as 802.	3	Sci/Tech
Global Server Revenue Jumps in Second Quarter IBM held tight to its top ranking for server revenue, laying claim to a 30.7 percent market share in the quarter. HP -- which topped the charts in terms of units shipped -- remained in second place on the revenue list with 27.	3	Sci/Tech
EDS Sells Wireless Group Continuing its transformation process, EDS (Quote, Chart) sold off one of its wireless software ventures for \$57 million, officials said Thursday.	3	Sci/Tech
MS Pushes MOM 2005 out the Door Drowned by the hoopla surrounding SP2 for Windows XP, Microsoft announced yesterday that both versions of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 (MOM 2005) were released for manufacturing, the final step before they become officially available.	3	Sci/Tech
From Dreamers to Cinderellas Write down the date, Aug. 26, and the time, 2:30 pm in Athens. Its the moment that Olympic basketball entered a new era. Itsa real basketball tournament now, almost a	1	Sports
Olympics-German women beat Swedes to take bronze Germany beat Sweden 1-0 in a repeat of the 2003 World Cup final to take Olympic bronze in the women #39;s soccer tournament on Thursday.	1	Sports
Taiwan claims first two taekwondo golds Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - The first taekwondo medals of the Athens Games were awarded Thursday night in the men #39;s and women #39;s flyweight division, and Taiwan captured both golds.	1	Sports
Rangers bolster goaltending by signing Weekes Goaltender Kevin Weekes signed Thursday with the New York Rangers, who expect the unrestricted free agent to compete for the No. 1 job with Mike Dunham.	1	Sports
Eq. Guinea might seek Thatcher extradition Equatorial Guinea might seek the extradition of Mark Thatcher from South Africa where he is charged with bankrolling a coup attempt, The Sun said Thursday.	0	World
Saboteurs Attack About 20 Iraq Pipelines BASRA, Iraq Aug. 26, 2004 - Saboteurs have attacked about 20 oil pipelines in southern Iraq, reducing exports from the key oil producing region by at least one third, a top oil official said Thursday.	0	World
More BA flights cancelled British Airways passengers at Heathrow Airport have suffered further travel disruption with two more flights cancelled due to quot;technical quot; problems.	0	World
Janco Partners Initiates Google with 'Sell' Rating (Reuters) Reuters - Janco Partners on Thursday\initiated coverage of Google Inc. with a "sell" rating and a\target price of #36;76, saying while the world's No. 1 Web search\provider's fundamentals are strong, its current stock valuation\is too high.	3	Sci/Tech
Mountain West Changes TV Networks (AP) AP - Mountain West Conference football and basketball games will move from ESPN to College Sports Television in the fall of 2006.	1	Sports
Huge fire erupts at ammunition depot in eastern India; thousands evacuated (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - NEW DELHI (AP) - Firefighters and police evacuated thousands of villagers and battled a huge fire Thursday in a government ammunition depot in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, police said.	0	World
New Shuttle Tanks Should Not Shed Foam (AP) AP - NASA's redesigned space shuttle fuel tanks should no longer shed dangerous pieces of foam when launches resume next spring, officials said Thursday.	3	Sci/Tech
U.N. Warns of Full-Scale Locust Plague in Africa (Reuters) Reuters - Locust swarms infesting Mauritania and\other African nations could develop into a full-scale plague\without additional foreign aid, the U.N. Food and Agriculture\Organization said Thursday.	3	Sci/Tech
No. 1 Illinois Defeats Chicago St. 78-59 (AP) AP - Even though Illinois moved to the top of the college basketball poll for the first time in almost 16 years, the Illini were too busy preparing for Chicago State to celebrate.	1	Sports
Oil Prices Slide Despite Iraq Export Drop WASHINGTON (AP) -- Oil prices fell for a fifth consecutive day Thursday despite a sharp drop in Iraqi exports after pipelines were sabotaged -- evidence that the bull market may have lost some steam.	2	Business
Europe's New War with America The EU says competition is bad, especially if it might produce a winner.	2	Business
Business As Usual at Moscow Airport (AP) AP - From well-heeled businessmen with briefcases to mothers carting weather-beaten baggage, passengers streamed through Domodedovo Airport on Thursday #151; business as usual at the terminal from which two doomed airliners departed.	0	World
Nokia, Vodafone join forces to simplify mobile phone software (AFP) AFP - Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia and British mobile operator Vodafone said they would collaborate to simplify mobile phone software using the Java computer language, paving the way for cheaper mobile phones in the long run.	3	Sci/Tech
Liberal MP has no apology for calling U.S. missile defence supporters idiots (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin didn't ask Carolyn Parrish to retract her latest anti-American slur, and the maverick MP has no plans to back down, she says.	0	World
Survey: Powell, Guiliani Could Also Be VP (AP) AP - More than half the delegates to next week's Republican National Convention were willing to suggest a new running mate for President Bush if Dick Cheney leaves the ticket, an Associated Press survey found.	0	World
Olympics: Cut It Out, Give It Back, Cool the Hype ATHENS (Reuters) - Calls of "cut it out" and "give it back" competed with a hot United States-vs.-China medals race Thursday as the 28th Olympiad in Athens went into its final days with over 70 medals still to be won.	1	Sports
Ibrahim Wins Egypt's First Gold in 56 Years ATHENS (Reuters) - Greco-Roman wrestler Karam Ibrahim won Egypt's first Olympic gold medal in 56 years on Thursday, crushing Ramaz Nozadze of Georgia in just over three minutes to lift the 96kg title in Athens.	1	Sports
Stocks Down, Starbucks, Techs Fall NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were slightly lower on Thursday, as a broker downgrade on the semiconductor industry rattled investors, while coffee-shop chain Starbucks <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SBUX.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">SBUX.O</A> disappointed with slowing growth.	2	Business
Vaso Active: Settles SEC Fraud Charges CHICAGO (Reuters) - Drug maker Vaso Active Pharmaceuticals Inc. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=VAPH.PK target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">VAPH.PK</A> on Thursday said U.S. regulators approved a settlement with the company and its former chief executive over allegedly misleading disclosures in public documents.	2	Business
Bertuzzi Pleads Not Guilty to Assault (AP) AP - Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks pleaded not guilty Thursday to an assault charge stemming from a hit on Steve Moore during a game that left the Colorado Avalanche forward with a broken neck.	1	Sports
Vodafone Australia to share 3G network with Optus SYDNEY, AustraliaFollowing a similar announcement by rivals earlier this month, Vodafone Australia and Optus said they agreed to share third-generation network sites and infrastructure.	2	Business
Glaxo settles suit over Paxil GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to disclose information on all clinical studies of its drugs to settle a lawsuit that accused it of withholding negative information about the antidepressant Paxil, the New York Attorney General #39;s office says	2	Business
Mortgage Rates Inch Higher The weekly survey from mortgage company Freddie Mac had rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages inching higher this week, up to an average 5.82 percent from last week #39;s 5.81 percent.	2	Business
BIOTECH STOCKS LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) -- Biotechnology and pharmaceutical stocks fell Thursday, with Merck helping drag down the sector on word its Vioxx drug could increase the risk of cardiovascular trouble.	2	Business
Deutsche Bank, Weisel to Pay \$100 Mln to End Probe (Update1) Deutsche Bank AG and Thomas Weisel Partners LLC will pay a total of \$100 million to settle allegations they published misleading stock research to win investment-banking business, becoming	2	Business
S amp;P raises outlook on Ingersoll-Rand Standard amp; Poor #39;s on Thursday raised its outlook on Ingersoll-Rand Co. to quot;positive quot; from quot;stable, quot; citing the proposed sale of its Dresser-Rand business unit.	2	Business
State Street Research State Street Research, which isn #39;t related to State Street Corp., was founded in 1924 by investor and former Harvard University treasurer Paul Cabot in Boston.	2	Business
Guidant says stent #39;s market share up Indianapolis-based Guidant Corp., which co-promotes Johnson amp; Johnson #39;s Cypher drug-coated heart stent, says the device #39;s market share has risen by as much as half, helped by Boston Scientific Corp.	2	Business
IE Flaw Affects Windows XP SP2 Systems Microsoft on Thursday flatly denied reports that one of Windows XP Service Pack 2 #39;s most touted features leaves users open to possible attacks.	3	Sci/Tech
Intel formally introduces tri-mode Wi-Fi chip As expected, Intel introduced its tri-mode wireless chip Thursday with several software enhancements to the product to help improve security and reliability, it said during a Webcast.	3	Sci/Tech
Feds Raid P2P Users, RIAA Pushes Lawsuits US Attorney General John Ashcroft said the crackdown sent a message to quot;those who steal over the Internet, quot; with Assistant Attorney General Christopher Wray adding the crackdown represented the	3	Sci/Tech
Nokia, Vodafone Push For Java Standards Mobile phone giants Nokia and Vodafone are pushing to create a universal Java standard to create a more consistent platform for developers of different handsets.	3	Sci/Tech
CA Shareholders Reject Compensation Recovery Plan Executives urge patience as the company continues to review payments to executives who left in the wake of an accounting scandal. By Darrell Dunn.	3	Sci/Tech
Fishing Just for Fun Damages Stocks, Study Finds People fishing for sport are doing far more damage to US marine fish stocks than anyone thought, accounting for nearly a quarter of the	3	Sci/Tech
Russian Oil Project to Be Vetted for Whale Threat A top environmental group said on Thursday it had agreed to probe an oil and gas project led by Royal Dutch/Shell off the Russian far east coast because of fears it threatens endangered whales.	3	Sci/Tech
IBM Acquires Content-Managment Developer Venetica IBM has reached an agreement to purchase Venetica, a privately held developer of content-integration software. The acquisition will enable IBM to provide improved ability to integrate unstructured	3	Sci/Tech
Analysts Hint at Bounce in Chip Stocks Despite the beatings chip stocks have endured during the past few months, some analysts on Thursday hinted a bounce might lurk behind a sector whose shares have been punished on concerns customer demand has withered.	3	Sci/Tech
Siemens 65 series defect could lead to hearing damage A defect in Siemens 65 series mobile phones could lead to failures in audio transmission, the company warned. Because of the software defect, when a phone call is cut off due to a low battery, the disconnection	3	Sci/Tech
Janco Partners Initiates Google with #39;Sell #39; Rating Janco Partners on Thursday initiated coverage of Google Inc. with a quot;sell quot; rating and a target price of \$76, saying while the world #39;s No.	3	Sci/Tech
Triathlon: #39;Shagged #39; Docherty delighted Ultra-competitive Bevan Docherty rated himself a golden chance in the Olympic men #39;s triathlon last night - but he had a satisfied smile as he fingered the silver round his neck shortly after the finish.	1	Sports
Russia, Japan lead team sychronized swimming; Americans march to <b>...</b> Russia, Japan and the United States were 1-2-3 after the Olympic team technical event, the same places they finished in the duet competition a day earlier.	1	Sports
Andrejus Zadneprovskis of Lithuania grabs silver ATHENS, Greece -- Andrey Moiseev of Russia won the gold medal in the men #39;s modern pentathlon, beating out Andrejus Zadneprovskis of Lithuania.	1	Sports
Pinochet Stripped Of Immunity A court stripped Gen. Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution Friday, paving the way for the trial of the former Chilean dictator on human rights charges.	0	World
China Confirms Bird Flu in Pigs China has confirmed that it found a deadly strain of bird flu in pigs as early as two years ago. China #39;s Agriculture Ministry said two cases had been discovered, but it did not say exactly where the samples had been taken.	0	World
Attacks cut Iraq #39;s oil exports in half: report Oil exports from Iraq have been cut in half by a series of well-orchestrated attacks, officials said Thursday, but the news failed to have any immediate impact on oil prices.	0	World
Australian Air Force to be armed with stealth cruise missiles Australia will equip its Air Force with stealth cruise missiles to maintain military superiority over its neighbours, the Government announced yesterday.	0	World
British anti-terrorism police arrest radical cleric Abu Hamza British police Thursday arrested radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri under the Terrorism Act at a prison in southeast London where the cleric was already jailed under a US extradition warrant.	0	World
One million join ranks of US poor An extra 1.3 million Americans slid into poverty in 2003 while health care cover also fell, official figures show.	2	Business
Fewer mortgages approved in July The number of mortgages approved for house purchases fell by more than a fifth in July, the British Bankers' Association says.	2	Business
Sell Starbucks? Comparable sales growth in August was a little lighter than expected, causing a sell-off. That doesn't mean sell.	2	Business
Black Eyed Peas to Produce Music for 'Urbz' Game LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The band that brought the infectious grooves of "Hey Mama" and "Let's Get It Started" to nightclubs across America has signed up to do the same for a video game where success is measured by how cool players are.	3	Sci/Tech
Texas School to Offer Women's Gaming Scholarship LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As part of a drive to attract more women into the male-dominated video game industry, a program for aspiring game developers at Southern Methodist University will offer a women-only scholarship, organizers said on Thursday.	3	Sci/Tech
Black Eyed Peas to Produce Music for 'Urbz' Game (Reuters) Reuters - The band that brought the\infectious grooves of "Hey Mama" and "Let's Get It Started" to\nightclubs across America has signed up to do the same for a\video game where success is measured by how cool players are.	3	Sci/Tech
Calif. to Vote on #36;3B Stem Cell Project (AP) AP - Silicon Valley tycoons, Nobel laureates and Hollywood celebrities are backing a measure on California's Nov. 2 ballot to devote #36;3 billion to human embryonic stem cell experiments in what would be the biggest-ever state-supported scientific research program in the country.	3	Sci/Tech
Cool Midwest Summer Creates Bigger Spiders (AP) AP - Midwestern spiders always get big as they prepare to lay eggs, but this year they're even fatter thanks to a cool, wet summer that sustained their favorite snack #151; insects.	3	Sci/Tech

Iraq's Sistani in Najaf; 74 Killed in Two Cities NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's most revered cleric arrived in Najaf Thursday to try to end a bloody three-week uprising but attacks on crowds of Shi'ites that killed at least 74 inflamed tensions as tens of thousands converged on the city.

0

World

Smithfield Foods Profit High on the Hogs CHICAGO (Reuters) - Smithfield Foods Inc. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SFD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">SFD.N</A>, one of the nation's largest meat producers, on Thursday said quarterly earnings more than doubled due to higher hog prices and its acquisition of Farmland Foods last year.

2

Business

News: WinAmp flayed by skins attack A serious security flaw in NullSoft's popular WinAmp player opens the door for crackers to seize control of vulnerable systems.

3

Sci/Tech

Sprint Certifies Xserve and QuickTime Sprint and Apple announced that the Xserve G5 and QuickTime have been certified as mobile multimedia delivery platforms for Sprint #146;s new PCS Vision Multimedia Services. Aug 26

3

Sci/Tech

New Hungarian PM faces popularity test The man picked to take over as Hungary's prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, will have to convince voters that joining the euro is worth making sacrifices for.

2

Business

Maker of Antidepressant Drug to Release All Trial Results In a settlement that the New York State attorney general said would transform the drug industry, GlaxoSmithKline agreed today to release the results of all its drug clinical trials.

2

Business

My Fund Manager Ate My Retirement! How much of your retirement savings are consumed by your mutual funds?

2

Business

Judge Stops Partial-Birth Abortion Ban NEW YORK - In a highly anticipated ruling, a federal judge found the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional Thursday because it does not include a health exception. U.S...

0

World

Video Girlfriends Demand Diamonds A Hong Kong company has developed a virtual girlfriend for cell phones with video capability. Also: RealNetworks offers paid internet content hellip;.Vodafone, Nokia team up to simplify mobile software hellip;. and more.

2

Business

Toronto-Dominion to buy stake in Banknorth Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto said Thursday it agreed to acquire a 51 percent stake in New England regional bank Banknorth Group Inc.

2

Business

Glaxo Settles Paxil #39;Suicide Pill #39; Suit GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) has agreed to release all clinical studies of its drugs to settle a lawsuit that accused it of withholding negative information about the antidepressant Paxil, the New York

2

Business

Ride the Cyclical Wave Some stocks you buy and never sell. Others you bought and wish you #39;d sold. But there are those cyclical stocks that should be bought and sold repeatedly over the years as their prices move in time to the economy.

2

Business

Video Girlfriends Demand Diamonds She needs to be coddled with sweet talk and pampered with gifts, but you #39;ll never see her in the flesh. A Hong Kong company has developed a quot;virtual girlfriend quot; for new cell phones with video capability.

3

Sci/Tech

IBM to Buy Content Management Developer Venetica IBM on Thursday agreed to acquire Venetica Corp., a maker of content integration software that allows enterprises to access and embed unstructured data including business documents, e-mail, digital media, still images, and Web pages.

3

Sci/Tech

Olympics: Kenteris and Thanou to be investigated by athletics ... ATHENS : Greek sprinters Kostadinos Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou are to be investigated by the world governing body of athletics and face being charged with a doping offence, it was announced.

1

Sports

Bertuzzi pleads not guilty Vancouver Canucks star Todd Bertuzzi has pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault causing bodily harm. The plea was entered during a brief arraignment hearing Thursday morning in a Vancouver court room.

1

Sports

Chile Court Lifts Pinochet Immunity in Rights Case Chile #39;s Supreme Court stripped former dictator Augusto Pinochet of immunity from prosecution on Thursday in one notorious human rights case, raising hopes of victims

0

World

Brown-Forman Earnings Jump 67 Percent Brown-Forman Corp. , which sells products ranging from Jack Daniels whiskey to Lenox china, on Thursday posted a better-than-expected 67 percent jump in earnings as aggressive marketing boosted sales of premium spirits and new wines.

2

Business

Oil Falls for Fifth Session as Iraq Truce Eases Supply Concern Crude oil futures fell for a fifth session, the longest period in 10 months, as a cease-fire in Najaf eased concern that shipments from Iraq will be disrupted.

2

Business

Prosecutors Again Raid Yukos Offices Russian prosecutors have again raided the offices of the country #39;s giant oil firm Yukos, seizing financial documents covering the past two years.

2

Business

Germany wins bronze ATHENS, Greece - Womens World Cup champion Germany settled for bronze at the Olympics, beating Sweden 1-0 Thursday on Renate Lingors goal and a spectacular game from goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg in her 100th international appearance.

1

Sports

Double Russian Air Disaster #39;A Terrorist Act #39; Suspicions grew today that terrorists were to blame for the twin airline crashes, with a top official saying terrorism was the main theory and many Russians insisting the double disaster could not be explained by mere coincidence.

0

World

Almost Half of Video Gamers Cutting TV Use --Study (Reuters) Reuters - Nearly half of video game players\watched less television last year or plan to cut their viewing\time this year, according to a report issued on Thursday that\lends credence to industry fears that young men are switching\off the tube.

3

Sci/Tech

Israeli, Palestinian ministers meet in Italy (AFP) AFP - Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and his Palestinian counterpart Nabil Shaath held "extremely useful" talks in the Italian Adriatic resort city of Rimini, Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said.

0

World

US poverty rate climbs, along with number lacking health coverage (AFP) AFP - The number of Americans living in poverty or without health insurance grew last year, a government survey showed, adding potential dynamite in the battle for the White House.

2

Business

Five killed, scores hurt as rebels bomb buses in India's northeast (AFP) AFP - Five people were killed and scores wounded in northeast India when militants blew up two buses, threw a grenade into a market and triggered twin blasts on a railway track, officials said.

0

World

US Sees Japan Beef Trade Unlikely in 2004 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japan's lucrative market for U.S. beef, ruptured by mad cow disease worries, is likely to remain closed for the rest of this year, U.S. meat industry officials said on Thursday.

2

Business

Almost Half of Video Gamers Cutting TV Use --Study LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Nearly half of video game players watched less television last year or plan to cut their viewing time this year, according to a report issued on Thursday that lends credence to industry fears that young men are switching off the tube.

3

Sci/Tech

HP's iPod to lead consumer push Friday product launch will count on music player to deliver cool factor to once-stodgy printer maker.

3

Sci/Tech

GlaxoSmithKline settles with NY, will disclose drug study info A lawsuit filed by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer against GlaxoSmithKline over charges that the pharmaceutical company withheld information about the safety and effectiveness of Paxil has been settled.

2

Business

Work Begins on US Missile Defense for Commercial Airliners US officials are taking steps to head off fears that terrorists could use portable anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down civilian airliners.

2

Business

Update 5: Oil Prices Slide, Despite Iraq Export Drop Oil prices fell for a fifth consecutive day Thursday despite a sharp drop in Iraqi exports after pipelines were sabotaged - evidence that the bull market may have lost some steam.

2

Business

BlackRock Paying \$375 Million for State Street Research MetLife expects the transaction to have a positive impact to net income of between \$145 million and \$165 million. Shares of New York-based BlackRock, an investment management firm, rose \$1.

2

Business

Yukos accounting division raided; Russian official warns of money ... Russian prosecutors continued their onslaught against the country #39;s largest oil producer on Thursday, raiding the accounting division of Yukos and seizing documents.

2

Business

Update 2: German Business Confidence Dips in August An index of German business confidence dipped in August, reflecting worries about the strength of the country #39;s economic recovery, a survey of German executives showed Thursday.

2

Business

UK fires civil servants for viewing porn The British government has fired 19 civil servants and disciplined more than 200 in an unprecedented crackdown on viewing Internet pornography at work, officials said Thursday.

3

Sci/Tech

Nokia, Vodafone Partner on Mobile Service Architecture Nokia and Vodafone, in conjunction with Sun Microsystems, would define the licensing framework of the initiative, while the role of creating and licensing the Technology Compatibility

3

Sci/Tech

Intel expands Centrino capabilities SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - Intel expanded the capabilities of its Centrino chips Thursday by introducing support for an additional wireless networking standard known as 802.

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Sci/Tech

Global Server Revenue Jumps in Second Quarter IBM held tight to its top ranking for server revenue, laying claim to a 30.7 percent market share in the quarter. HP -- which topped the charts in terms of units shipped -- remained in second place on the revenue list with 27.

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Sci/Tech

EDS Sells Wireless Group Continuing its transformation process, EDS (Quote, Chart) sold off one of its wireless software ventures for \$57 million, officials said Thursday.

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Sci/Tech

MS Pushes MOM 2005 out the Door Drowned by the hoopla surrounding SP2 for Windows XP, Microsoft announced yesterday that both versions of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 (MOM 2005) were released for manufacturing, the final step before they become officially available.

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Sci/Tech

From Dreamers to Cinderellas Write down the date, Aug. 26, and the time, 2:30 pm in Athens. Its the moment that Olympic basketball entered a new era. Itsa real basketball tournament now, almost a

1

Sports

Olympics-German women beat Swedes to take bronze Germany beat Sweden 1-0 in a repeat of the 2003 World Cup final to take Olympic bronze in the women #39;s soccer tournament on Thursday.

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Sports

Taiwan claims first two taekwondo golds Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - The first taekwondo medals of the Athens Games were awarded Thursday night in the men #39;s and women #39;s flyweight division, and Taiwan captured both golds.

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Sports

Rangers bolster goaltending by signing Weekes Goaltender Kevin Weekes signed Thursday with the New York Rangers, who expect the unrestricted free agent to compete for the No. 1 job with Mike Dunham.

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Sports

Eq. Guinea might seek Thatcher extradition Equatorial Guinea might seek the extradition of Mark Thatcher from South Africa where he is charged with bankrolling a coup attempt, The Sun said Thursday.

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World

Saboteurs Attack About 20 Iraq Pipelines BASRA, Iraq Aug. 26, 2004 - Saboteurs have attacked about 20 oil pipelines in southern Iraq, reducing exports from the key oil producing region by at least one third, a top oil official said Thursday.

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World

More BA flights cancelled British Airways passengers at Heathrow Airport have suffered further travel disruption with two more flights cancelled due to quot;technical quot; problems.

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World

Janco Partners Initiates Google with 'Sell' Rating (Reuters) Reuters - Janco Partners on Thursday\initiated coverage of Google Inc. with a "sell" rating and a\target price of #36;76, saying while the world's No. 1 Web search\provider's fundamentals are strong, its current stock valuation\is too high.

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Mountain West Changes TV Networks (AP) AP - Mountain West Conference football and basketball games will move from ESPN to College Sports Television in the fall of 2006.

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Sports

Huge fire erupts at ammunition depot in eastern India; thousands evacuated (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - NEW DELHI (AP) - Firefighters and police evacuated thousands of villagers and battled a huge fire Thursday in a government ammunition depot in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, police said.

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World

New Shuttle Tanks Should Not Shed Foam (AP) AP - NASA's redesigned space shuttle fuel tanks should no longer shed dangerous pieces of foam when launches resume next spring, officials said Thursday.

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U.N. Warns of Full-Scale Locust Plague in Africa (Reuters) Reuters - Locust swarms infesting Mauritania and\other African nations could develop into a full-scale plague\without additional foreign aid, the U.N. Food and Agriculture\Organization said Thursday.

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No. 1 Illinois Defeats Chicago St. 78-59 (AP) AP - Even though Illinois moved to the top of the college basketball poll for the first time in almost 16 years, the Illini were too busy preparing for Chicago State to celebrate.

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Sports

Oil Prices Slide Despite Iraq Export Drop WASHINGTON (AP) -- Oil prices fell for a fifth consecutive day Thursday despite a sharp drop in Iraqi exports after pipelines were sabotaged -- evidence that the bull market may have lost some steam.

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Business

Europe's New War with America The EU says competition is bad, especially if it might produce a winner.

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Business

Business As Usual at Moscow Airport (AP) AP - From well-heeled businessmen with briefcases to mothers carting weather-beaten baggage, passengers streamed through Domodedovo Airport on Thursday #151; business as usual at the terminal from which two doomed airliners departed.

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World

Nokia, Vodafone join forces to simplify mobile phone software (AFP) AFP - Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia and British mobile operator Vodafone said they would collaborate to simplify mobile phone software using the Java computer language, paving the way for cheaper mobile phones in the long run.

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Liberal MP has no apology for calling U.S. missile defence supporters idiots (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin didn't ask Carolyn Parrish to retract her latest anti-American slur, and the maverick MP has no plans to back down, she says.

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Survey: Powell, Guiliani Could Also Be VP (AP) AP - More than half the delegates to next week's Republican National Convention were willing to suggest a new running mate for President Bush if Dick Cheney leaves the ticket, an Associated Press survey found.

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World

Olympics: Cut It Out, Give It Back, Cool the Hype ATHENS (Reuters) - Calls of "cut it out" and "give it back" competed with a hot United States-vs.-China medals race Thursday as the 28th Olympiad in Athens went into its final days with over 70 medals still to be won.

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Sports

Ibrahim Wins Egypt's First Gold in 56 Years ATHENS (Reuters) - Greco-Roman wrestler Karam Ibrahim won Egypt's first Olympic gold medal in 56 years on Thursday, crushing Ramaz Nozadze of Georgia in just over three minutes to lift the 96kg title in Athens.

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Stocks Down, Starbucks, Techs Fall NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were slightly lower on Thursday, as a broker downgrade on the semiconductor industry rattled investors, while coffee-shop chain Starbucks <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=SBUX.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">SBUX.O</A> disappointed with slowing growth.

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Business

Vaso Active: Settles SEC Fraud Charges CHICAGO (Reuters) - Drug maker Vaso Active Pharmaceuticals Inc. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=VAPH.PK target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">VAPH.PK</A> on Thursday said U.S. regulators approved a settlement with the company and its former chief executive over allegedly misleading disclosures in public documents.

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Business

Bertuzzi Pleads Not Guilty to Assault (AP) AP - Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks pleaded not guilty Thursday to an assault charge stemming from a hit on Steve Moore during a game that left the Colorado Avalanche forward with a broken neck.

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Sports

Vodafone Australia to share 3G network with Optus SYDNEY, AustraliaFollowing a similar announcement by rivals earlier this month, Vodafone Australia and Optus said they agreed to share third-generation network sites and infrastructure.

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Business

Glaxo settles suit over Paxil GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to disclose information on all clinical studies of its drugs to settle a lawsuit that accused it of withholding negative information about the antidepressant Paxil, the New York Attorney General #39;s office says

2

Business

Mortgage Rates Inch Higher The weekly survey from mortgage company Freddie Mac had rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages inching higher this week, up to an average 5.82 percent from last week #39;s 5.81 percent.

2

Business

BIOTECH STOCKS LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) -- Biotechnology and pharmaceutical stocks fell Thursday, with Merck helping drag down the sector on word its Vioxx drug could increase the risk of cardiovascular trouble.

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Business

Deutsche Bank, Weisel to Pay \$100 Mln to End Probe (Update1) Deutsche Bank AG and Thomas Weisel Partners LLC will pay a total of \$100 million to settle allegations they published misleading stock research to win investment-banking business, becoming

2

Business

S amp;P raises outlook on Ingersoll-Rand Standard amp; Poor #39;s on Thursday raised its outlook on Ingersoll-Rand Co. to quot;positive quot; from quot;stable, quot; citing the proposed sale of its Dresser-Rand business unit.

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Business

State Street Research State Street Research, which isn #39;t related to State Street Corp., was founded in 1924 by investor and former Harvard University treasurer Paul Cabot in Boston.

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Business

Guidant says stent #39;s market share up Indianapolis-based Guidant Corp., which co-promotes Johnson amp; Johnson #39;s Cypher drug-coated heart stent, says the device #39;s market share has risen by as much as half, helped by Boston Scientific Corp.

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Business

IE Flaw Affects Windows XP SP2 Systems Microsoft on Thursday flatly denied reports that one of Windows XP Service Pack 2 #39;s most touted features leaves users open to possible attacks.

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Sci/Tech

Intel formally introduces tri-mode Wi-Fi chip As expected, Intel introduced its tri-mode wireless chip Thursday with several software enhancements to the product to help improve security and reliability, it said during a Webcast.

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Sci/Tech

Feds Raid P2P Users, RIAA Pushes Lawsuits US Attorney General John Ashcroft said the crackdown sent a message to quot;those who steal over the Internet, quot; with Assistant Attorney General Christopher Wray adding the crackdown represented the

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Sci/Tech

Nokia, Vodafone Push For Java Standards Mobile phone giants Nokia and Vodafone are pushing to create a universal Java standard to create a more consistent platform for developers of different handsets.

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Sci/Tech

CA Shareholders Reject Compensation Recovery Plan Executives urge patience as the company continues to review payments to executives who left in the wake of an accounting scandal. By Darrell Dunn.

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Sci/Tech

Fishing Just for Fun Damages Stocks, Study Finds People fishing for sport are doing far more damage to US marine fish stocks than anyone thought, accounting for nearly a quarter of the

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Sci/Tech

Russian Oil Project to Be Vetted for Whale Threat A top environmental group said on Thursday it had agreed to probe an oil and gas project led by Royal Dutch/Shell off the Russian far east coast because of fears it threatens endangered whales.

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Sci/Tech

IBM Acquires Content-Managment Developer Venetica IBM has reached an agreement to purchase Venetica, a privately held developer of content-integration software. The acquisition will enable IBM to provide improved ability to integrate unstructured

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Sci/Tech

Analysts Hint at Bounce in Chip Stocks Despite the beatings chip stocks have endured during the past few months, some analysts on Thursday hinted a bounce might lurk behind a sector whose shares have been punished on concerns customer demand has withered.

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Sci/Tech

Siemens 65 series defect could lead to hearing damage A defect in Siemens 65 series mobile phones could lead to failures in audio transmission, the company warned. Because of the software defect, when a phone call is cut off due to a low battery, the disconnection

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Sci/Tech

Janco Partners Initiates Google with #39;Sell #39; Rating Janco Partners on Thursday initiated coverage of Google Inc. with a quot;sell quot; rating and a target price of \$76, saying while the world #39;s No.

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Sci/Tech

Triathlon: #39;Shagged #39; Docherty delighted Ultra-competitive Bevan Docherty rated himself a golden chance in the Olympic men #39;s triathlon last night - but he had a satisfied smile as he fingered the silver round his neck shortly after the finish.

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Sports

Russia, Japan lead team sychronized swimming; Americans march to ... Russia, Japan and the United States were 1-2-3 after the Olympic team technical event, the same places they finished in the duet competition a day earlier.

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Sports

Andrejus Zadneprovskis of Lithuania grabs silver ATHENS, Greece -- Andrey Moiseev of Russia won the gold medal in the men #39;s modern pentathlon, beating out Andrejus Zadneprovskis of Lithuania.

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Sports

Pinochet Stripped Of Immunity A court stripped Gen. Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution Friday, paving the way for the trial of the former Chilean dictator on human rights charges.

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World

China Confirms Bird Flu in Pigs China has confirmed that it found a deadly strain of bird flu in pigs as early as two years ago. China #39;s Agriculture Ministry said two cases had been discovered, but it did not say exactly where the samples had been taken.

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World

Attacks cut Iraq #39;s oil exports in half: report Oil exports from Iraq have been cut in half by a series of well-orchestrated attacks, officials said Thursday, but the news failed to have any immediate impact on oil prices.

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World

Australian Air Force to be armed with stealth cruise missiles Australia will equip its Air Force with stealth cruise missiles to maintain military superiority over its neighbours, the Government announced yesterday.

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World

British anti-terrorism police arrest radical cleric Abu Hamza British police Thursday arrested radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri under the Terrorism Act at a prison in southeast London where the cleric was already jailed under a US extradition warrant.

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World

One million join ranks of US poor An extra 1.3 million Americans slid into poverty in 2003 while health care cover also fell, official figures show.

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Business

Fewer mortgages approved in July The number of mortgages approved for house purchases fell by more than a fifth in July, the British Bankers' Association says.

2

Business

Sell Starbucks? Comparable sales growth in August was a little lighter than expected, causing a sell-off. That doesn't mean sell.

2

Business

Black Eyed Peas to Produce Music for 'Urbz' Game LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The band that brought the infectious grooves of "Hey Mama" and "Let's Get It Started" to nightclubs across America has signed up to do the same for a video game where success is measured by how cool players are.

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Sci/Tech

Texas School to Offer Women's Gaming Scholarship LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As part of a drive to attract more women into the male-dominated video game industry, a program for aspiring game developers at Southern Methodist University will offer a women-only scholarship, organizers said on Thursday.

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Sci/Tech

Black Eyed Peas to Produce Music for 'Urbz' Game (Reuters) Reuters - The band that brought the\infectious grooves of "Hey Mama" and "Let's Get It Started" to\nightclubs across America has signed up to do the same for a\video game where success is measured by how cool players are.

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Sci/Tech

Calif. to Vote on #36;3B Stem Cell Project (AP) AP - Silicon Valley tycoons, Nobel laureates and Hollywood celebrities are backing a measure on California's Nov. 2 ballot to devote #36;3 billion to human embryonic stem cell experiments in what would be the biggest-ever state-supported scientific research program in the country.

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Sci/Tech

Cool Midwest Summer Creates Bigger Spiders (AP) AP - Midwestern spiders always get big as they prepare to lay eggs, but this year they're even fatter thanks to a cool, wet summer that sustained their favorite snack #151; insects.

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Sci/Tech