SetFit/ag_news · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Japanese bank taps RFID for document security NEC Corp. has signed a contract with a Japanese bank for an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) -based document management system, the company said Tuesday in a statement.	3	Sci/Tech
Google drops target price, extends auction to Wednesday Google Inc. lowered the target price per share for its initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, and asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to give buyers additional time to reconsider their bids, according to a notice on the company's IPO Web site.	3	Sci/Tech
Summer storms lash Europe, deaths in France (AFP) AFP - Freak storms packing howling winds and heavy rain that lashed Britain and France this week were set to continue after already causing significant destruction and the deaths of at least four people.	0	World
Before-the-Bell: Taser Climbs NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Taser International Inc. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=TASR.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">TASR.O</A> rose before the bell on Wednesday after the company said it had received five orders totaling more than \$741,000 for its stun guns.	2	Business
Google slashes target stock launch value (AFP) AFP - Internet research engine giant Google Incorporated slashed billions of dollars from the target launch valuation of its stock in a major upset for the biggest technology flotation since the dot.com bubble burst four years ago.	3	Sci/Tech
Singapore Suspends Some Poultry Imports (AP) AP - Singapore said Wednesday that it has suspended the import of all poultry and poultry products from neighboring Malaysia after avian influenza was discovered at a farm there.	0	World
Religion Experts Ask How Jesus Would Vote (AP) AP - Just a few miles from George W. Bush's former office at the state Capitol, a panel of religious experts weighed a question with relevance to many people of faith: How would Jesus vote?	0	World
Oil tops \$47 a barrel Crude oil prices reached a record high of \$47.04 (US) a barrel in pre-market trading Wednesday in New York on lingering concerns about supply from Iraq and Russia.	2	Business
Refinancings soar 21 as rates slump Demand for new home loans and refinancings jump as interest rates slide amid weak economic reports. NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for US home loans rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage interest rates fell to their lowest ...	2	Business
High oil costs hit more airlines Air France and KLM ticket prices are to rise after the carriers imposed further surcharges to counter high fuel costs.	2	Business
Nestle Reports First Half Net Profit Nestle, the world #39;s biggest food and drink company, on Wednesday posted a first-half net profit of \$2.28 billion, up 0.02 percent on the year-earlier figure of \$2.03 billion.	2	Business
Georgia Power wins ruling on research study Georgia Power and Savannah Electric will not have to pay for new research into energy-efficiency programs, the state Public Service Commission ruled Tuesday.	2	Business
Home users get key Windows update From today home users will be able to get hold of Microsoft #39;s long-awaited update for Windows XP. The version of the SP2 security update for the Home Edition of XP has become available via its auto-update service.	3	Sci/Tech
This information has been provided by the State Statistics Committee The Cassini spacecraft has discovered two new moons at Saturn that may be the smallest bodies seen so far around the ringed planet, according to a NASA press release.	3	Sci/Tech
Greek sprinters #39; withdrawals lift cloud over Games ATHENS, Greece -- Greece #39;s top two sprinters pulled out of the Olympics today after inflicting six days of embarrassment on their country over a hide-and-seek contest with anti-doping enforcers.	1	Sports
Germany #39;s Schroeder confirms adopting Russian toddler German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder confirmed on Wednesday that he and his wife have adopted a child, reported to be a girl from a Russian orphanage, but has called on the media to respect his family #39;s privacy.	0	World
Before-the-Bell: Taser Climbs (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of Taser International Inc.\(TASR.O) rose before the bell on Wednesday after the company\said it had received five orders totaling more than #36;741,000\for its stun guns.	2	Business
Dillard's Posts Narrower 2nd-Quarter Loss (Reuters) Reuters - Dillard's Inc. (DDS.N) on Wednesday\reported a narrower quarterly loss as the department store\operator cut costs.	2	Business
Gartner revises PC market forecast, warns of downside (MacCentral) MacCentral - The PC market won't grow as fast in 2004 as originally predicted by Gartner Inc. analysts, as concerns about the overall health of the U.S. economy weigh on the market, the market research company said.	3	Sci/Tech
Medical Experts Fear Charley's Aftermath PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Until the electricity hums again and the debris is cleared, health officials are worried that there could be more deaths and injuries in Hurricane Charley's aftermath than during the storm itself...	0	World
8 Terror Suspects Appear in British Court LONDON - Eight men accused of plotting to commit murder and cause mayhem with radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals or explosives appeared in court Wednesday in a case linked to a U.S. terror alert this month...	0	World
Greek Sprinters Withdraw From Olympics ATHENS, Greece - Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou pulled out of the Athens Games on Wednesday, nearly a week after they missed a drug test and were later hospitalized following a suspicious motorcycle crash. "I'm withdrawing from the Olympics," Kenteris said after meeting with the International Olympic Committee's disciplinary commission...	0	World
Google Cuts Its IPO Price Range SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign that Google Inc.'s initial public offering will not be as hot or big as expected, the Internet search giant reduced the number of shares to be sold by insiders and slashed its estimated per-share price range...	0	World
Google Slashes Price of Shares in Initial Public Offering Google cut the price of its share offering today as the new listing fell prey to worry about a slump in demand.	2	Business
How Old is the Milky Way? Observations by an international team of astronomers with the UVES spectrometer on ESO's Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory (Chile) have thrown new light on the earliest epoch of the Milky Way galaxy.	3	Sci/Tech
Google Lowers IPO Price, Limits Shares Google Lowers IPO Price, Limits Shares\\Google's IPO wasn't as popular as expected, apparently not as many fish bit at the Dutch Auction bait. Google will be lowering its estimated price range to between \$85 and \$95 per share, down from its earlier prediction of \$108 and \$135 per share ...	3	Sci/Tech
American Swimmers Fired Up by Relay Win ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. swimming team was slow off the blocks but is heading for home at full speed propelled by Tuesday's dramatic relay victory, U.S. women's head coach Mark Schubert said on Wednesday.	1	Sports
U.S. Rowers Advance Americans Aquil Abdullah and Henry Nuzum row their double scull furiously down the stretch to cross the line in a dead heat with Norway on Wednesday, winning both teams a spot in a rare seven-boat final.	1	Sports
Google Confounds European Investors (Reuters) Reuters - Web surfers from Beijing to Berkeley\have made Google their search engine of choice, but some of\Europe's institutional investors have gone sour on the dot-com\on the eve of its initial public offering.	0	World
Home users get Windows update Microsoft is making its important security update for Windows XP available on auto-update servers today.	0	World
Assam strike over rebel attacks A general strike called by students in the state to protest against rebel bombings brings life to a standstill.	0	World
Google Slashes the Size of Its IPO NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its closely watched initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.	2	Business
Yukos sells gas stake YUKOS has sold a 56 per cent stake in a Siberian natural gas company to the Anglo-Russian joint venture TNK-BP to pay off its crushing tax bill, Western oil sources and media reports said today.	2	Business
Futures point lower US stock futures pointed to a weaker start Wednesday as rising oil prices and a major price cut for Google Inc. #39;s highly anticipated initial public offering raised investors #39; eyebrows.	2	Business
Airlines under pressure from soaring fuel price PARIS (Reuters) - Europe #39;s largest carrier Air France-KLM has joined rivals in raising its ticket prices to offset soaring jet fuel costs, but a leading bank has questioned how effective the surcharges will be in protecting airline profits.	2	Business
Costco Tests Casket Market NEW YORK (Reuters) - From the cradle to the grave. You can buy baby food, groceries, computers, furniture and a whole host of things at Costco -- now you can even find caskets at some of its stores.	2	Business
Global miner BHP Billiton posts record net profit as demand soars SYDNEY : Global mining giant BHP Billiton posted the biggest net profit in Australian corporate history as soaring commodities prices and strong demand from China pushed net profit up 83 percent to 3.51 billion US dollars.	2	Business
Nestle Net Rises 2.1, Less Than Forecast, on Costs (Update6) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Nestle SA, the world #39;s largest food company, said first-half profit rose 2.1 percent, less than forecast, as sales in Western Europe declined and costs for sugar, milk and packaging increased.	2	Business
China Mobile increases earnings 7.8 HONG KONG China Mobile (Hong Kong), the world #39;s largest cellphone operator by customers, said Wednesday that first-half profit rose 7.8 percent from a year earlier after the company won more new customers than China Unicom by offering cheaper services.	2	Business
Cassini-Huygens discovers two new Saturnian moons The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, a joint project of the US space administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency (ASI), has discovered two more small moons orbiting the planet Saturn, bringing the total to 33.	3	Sci/Tech
Greek Sprinters Withdraw From Olympics ATHENS, Greece Aug. 18, 2004 Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou pulled out of the Athens Games on Wednesday, nearly a week after they missed a drug test and were later hospitalized following a suspicious motorcycle crash.	1	Sports
Can the peace in Najaf be achieved? Delegates to the Iraqi national conference in Baghdad are holding an unscheduled fourth day of talks.	0	World
Georgian, South Ossitian Forces Continue Fighting Officials in Georgia say at least two soldiers have been killed and five wounded in the latest battles with separatist fighters in the breakaway region of South Ossetia.	0	World
China battles for North Korea nuclear talks quot;We believe the six parties have the willingness to continue to promote the procedure of peaceful talks, quot; China #39;s Foreign Ministry said. quot;We ...	0	World
Nepal rebels cut off routes to capital in first-ever blockade KATHMANDU : Maoist rebels cut off routes to Nepal #39;s capital Kathmandu in their first blockade of the city since they launched their insurgency to overthrow the constitutional monarchy eight years ago.	0	World
Annan: Burmese Democracy Will Fail Without Participation By Opposition UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says the Burmese military government #39;s plan for democracy will fail without input from the opposition National League for Democracy.	0	World
Philippine Rebels Free Troops, Talks in Doubt PRESENTACION, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine communist rebels freed Wednesday two soldiers they had held as quot;prisoners of war quot; for more than five months, saying they wanted to rebuild confidence in peace talks with the government.	0	World
Stocks Set to Open Lower as Oil Hits High NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks are set to open lower on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high overnight and Google Inc. slashed its initial public offering price, which appeared to dampen investor sentiment.	2	Business
Zoo Separates Baby Rhino from Clumsy Mother (Reuters) Reuters - Vets at a Berlin zoo have been forced to\separate a baby rhino from his mother for fear she may\accidentally trample him to death, zoo officials said on\Tuesday.	0	World
Hong Kong Politician's Detention Condemned (AP) AP - Human rights activists on Wednesday condemned the detention of a Hong Kong pro-democracy politician for allegedly having sex with a prostitute, and his sentencing without trial to six months of "re-education through labor."	0	World
Dillard's Loss Narrows But Off Estimates NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dillard's Inc. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=DDS.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">DDS.N</A> on Wednesday reported a narrower quarterly loss as it cut costs, but a drop in same-store sales caused the latest results to miss Wall Street's estimates by a wide margin.	2	Business
Eurozone inflation rate falls in July BRUSSELS, August 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Eurozone annual inflation fell from 2.4 percent in June to 2.3 percent in July 2004, the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), reported on Wednesday.	2	Business
US Sighs with Relief But Basketball Concerns Linger ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States men #39;s basketball team could breathe a sigh of relief on Wednesday after its first win but lingering concerns over a lack of outside shooting and team defense have coach Larry Brown scrambling for ...	1	Sports
Zijlaard-van Moorsel wins women #39;s road individual time trial ATHENS, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Dutch legendary cyclist Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel won women #39;s road individual time trial at Athens Olympics with a time of 31:11.53 on Wednesday, ahead of Deirdre Demet-Barry of United States and Karin Thuerig of ...	1	Sports
Najaf militants given hours to surrender or face lesson BAGHDAD, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraqi Defence Minister Hazem al-Shaalan on Wednesday demanded Shiite militants in the holy city of Najaf surrender within hours, or the Iraqi troops would launch a large-scale attack on them.	0	World
Burundi Summit Expected to Focus on Massacre African regional leaders gather Wednesday, in Tanzania for a summit on Burundi #39;s peace process, but the recent massacre of Congolese Tutsi in a UN refugee camp is expected to be high on the agenda.	0	World
Monsanto Says Justice Dept Closes Inquiry (Reuters) Reuters - Monsanto Co. (MON.N) on Wednesday said\the U.S. Justice Department has closed an inquiry into\potential antitrust issues regarding a key ingredient used in\its Roundup herbicide.	2	Business
Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent (Reuters) Reuters - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (BWS.N) on\Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt\by slack sales from its children's unit, Bass wholesale\business and Naturalizer chain.	2	Business
Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BWS.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">BWS.N</A> on Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt by slack sales from its children's unit, Bass wholesale business and Naturalizer chain.	2	Business
SAP users warned of false support calls German business software vendor SAP AG issued a warning to customers not to provide confidential information on the phone to people claiming to be company support staff.	3	Sci/Tech
Five killed in Kashmir violence Separatist militants kill four members of a Muslim family while police shoot dead a senior militant leader in Kashmir.	0	World
U.S. Men Qualify for Final in Shot Put ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - Two U.S. men advanced to the final of the shot put Wednesday, hoping to make even more history at the ancient site that gave birth to the Olympics 2,780 years ago...	0	World
Google Cuts Its IPO Price Range SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign that Google Inc.'s initial public offering will not be as hot or big as expected, the Internet search giant slashed its estimated per-share price range and reduced the number of shares to be sold by insiders...	0	World
Oil Prices Surge to a New High Today Oil prices surged to a new high above \$47 a barrel spurred by concern for the safety of oil facilities in Iraq.	2	Business
Iraqis Decline to Send 2nd Peace Mission to Najaf The decision was made today after the rebel cleric Moktada al-Sadr refused to meet with its first peace team on Tuesday.	0	World
Google lowers price range, number of shares, for its IPO When Internet search engine company Google, Inc., of Mountain View, begins to sell shares to the general public -- something expected to happen later this week -- the initial price is expected to be between \$85 and \$95 per share. The company had earlier ...	2	Business
China Mobile Reports Jump in Profits China #39;s largest cell phone service provider, China Mobile (Hong Kong) Ltd., reported a 7.8 percent jump in first-half profits Wednesday as its number of subscribers rose by 23 percent.	2	Business
Intel delays HDTV market debut Intel has delayed its planned entry into the widescreen high-definition television (HDTV) market until next year.	3	Sci/Tech
Script kiddies join forces with spammers The firm #39;s E-mail Security Intelligence report, which covers the first half of 2004, highlights the worrying trend of virus writers linking up with spammers; together they are creating a more refined threat to e-mail security.	3	Sci/Tech
Microsoft readies Host Integration Server 2004 Microsoft has announced the imminent availability of Host Integration Server 2004 in a bid to compete with IBM #39;s WebSphere.	3	Sci/Tech
Cryptography break threatens digital signatures Researchers in the field of cryptography have been successfully breaking the hash functions that are used to secure the privacy of electronic communications, threatening the integrity of digital signatures, according to a report on Slashdot.	3	Sci/Tech
Endurance swimmers short-changed at Olympics: Hackett Australia #39;s Olympic 1,500 metres champion Grant Hackett says long-distance swimmers are being robbed of their chance to shine at the Athens Games.	1	Sports
Oil at New Record LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices surged to a new high above \$47 a barrel on Wednesday on evidence from major economies that energy costs are not substantially slowing the economic growth that fuels oil demand. Fresh threats by rebel militia in Iraq against oil facilities helped underpin price gains.	2	Business
Radiation and Drug Combo Help With Prostate Cancer By LINDSEY TANNER CHICAGO (AP) -- Men with prostate cancer that doesn't appear to have spread have better survival chances when they get short-term hormone treatment along with standard radiation, rather than radiation alone, a small study found. Almost five years after treatment, six men in the radiation-only study group died of prostate cancer; none of the men who got combined treatment died of prostate cancer...	3	Sci/Tech
Medical Experts Fear Hurricane Charley's Aftermath By MIKE SCHNEIDER PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) -- Until the electricity hums again and the debris is cleared, health officials are worried that there could be more deaths and injuries in Hurricane Charley's aftermath than during the storm itself...	3	Sci/Tech
Malaysia's Sea Turtles Are in Trouble (AP) AP - Several species of sea turtles in Malaysia could vanish in a few years, largely due to illegal poaching of the creatures and their eggs, scientists warned on Wednesday.	3	Sci/Tech
Future Flyers: Pushing Forward for Personal Aircraft (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Ask science fiction fans about the future and no doubt they'll tell you it's full of flying cars.	3	Sci/Tech
Twisted Physics: How Black Holes Spout Off (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Black holes are complex beasts. Among their mysterious traits are intense jets of matter that sometimes shoot out from the rotational poles at nearly light-speed.	3	Sci/Tech
Kerry to Attack Bush Troop Withdrawal Plan (Reuters) Reuters - Democrat John Kerry on Wednesday\planned to attack President Bush's proposal to withdraw 70,000\American troops from Europe and Asia as a threat to national\security that could blunt the war on terror, campaign aides\said.	0	World
Google Cuts IPO Price by a Quarter to \$85-\$95 a Share (Update7) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., on the eve of pricing the second-biggest Internet initial public offering, slashed the value of the sale almost in half amid the worst market for US IPOs in almost two years.	2	Business
Supply worries push oil to record Oil prices have continued their record-breaking run on Wednesday, busting through the \$47-mark amid concerns that demand will outstrip supply.	2	Business
8/17/04 - Us Concerned About Yukos US officials have expressed concern about the fate of Yukos, the Russian oil company. Yukos shares have dropped sharply in value since the Russian government demanded it pay nearly three and a half billion dollars in back taxes. Russian authorities accuse ...	2	Business
Dillard #39;s Posts Narrower 2Q Loss Dillard #39;s Inc. posted a narrower second-quarter loss Wednesday due to cost cutting, but missed Wall Street expectations by a whopping 15 cents per share.	2	Business
Stocks Open Lower NEW YORK (Reuters) - US stocks fell at the open on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high and Google Inc. slashed its initial public offering price, which appeared to dampen investor sentiment.	2	Business
ETrade Says Customer Trading Dipped in July NEW YORK (Reuters) - ETrade Financial Corp. (ET.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , a major online broker, on Wednesday said customer stock trading for the month of July dropped 1.6 percent from June as investors curbed their enthusiasm for trading stocks.	2	Business
Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (BWS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt by slack sales from its children #39;s unit, Bass wholesale business and Naturalizer chain.	2	Business
Cendant Steals Home Cendant #39;s (NYSE: CD) got many revenue streams, and apparently they all lead home. So perhaps it #39;s understandable to see the multifaceted company pull back from the pending sale of its mortgage business. Last month Cendant revealed that it was in talks to ...	2	Business
Malaysia turtle nesting sites at risk -scientists KIJAL, Malaysia, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Malaysia, once a major breeding ground, is in danger of losing its ocean-roaming leatherback turtles as humans eat their eggs, trap them in fishing nets and encroach on nesting sites, scientists said on ...	3	Sci/Tech
American Swimmers Fired Up by Relay Win ATHENS (Reuters) - The US swimming team was slow off the blocks but is heading for home at full speed propelled by Tuesday #39;s dramatic relay victory, US women #39;s head coach Mark Schubert said on Wednesday.	1	Sports
Dope scandal athletes withdraw Greek Olympic 200 metre champion Costas Kenteris, the focus of an Olympic doping scandal, has withdrawn from the Athens Games quot;out of a sense of responsibility quot;.	1	Sports
Renewed focus ends nightmare ATHENS, Greece It began with Allen Iverson The Answer, the captain, the leader of Team USA forgetting about the fractured bone in his right thumb and courageously hitting the floor against Greece in full regalia.	1	Sports
Not quite good as gold THENS - The critical eye, firm hand and warm embrace of Bela Karolyi have molded women #39;s gymnastics for the past three decades, producing the perfection of Romania #39;s Nadia Comaneci in 1976 and the sparkle of America #39;s Mary Lou Retton in ...	1	Sports
Burundi police fire tear gas at massacre protest BUJUMBURA, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Police in Burundi #39;s capital Bujumbura fired tear gas at crowds on Wednesday, protesting against the massacre of at least 160 Congolese Tutsis at a United Nations refugee camp in the west of the country.	0	World
BellSouth: #36;3.3 Bln Rise in Benefit Costs (Reuters) Reuters - BellSouth Corp. (BLS.N) said on\Wednesday its new labor contract had triggered a #36;3.3 billion\increase in its estimates of future retiree medical costs,\reducing fourth-quarter earnings by 3 cents to 4 cents a share.	2	Business
Crude Oil Prices Surge Again Crude oil prices surged again Wednesday, rising above \$47 a barrel amid lingering concerns in supply from Iraq and Russia.	2	Business
UK challenge of India outsourcing The High Street bank could be facing legal action over the transfer sensitive customer data overseas to call centres in India.	2	Business
Google, Set for Offering, Cuts Share Price by About a Quarter Google cut its price range to between \$85 and \$95 a share, down from \$108 to \$135, valuing the company at as much as \$25.8 billion.	2	Business
Windows XP Security Update Delayed Microsoft Corp. has delayed automated distribution of a major security upgrade to its Windows XP Professional operating system, citing a desire to give companies more time to test it.	3	Sci/Tech
New PC Is Created Just for Teenagers This isn't your typical, humdrum, slate-colored computer. Not only is the PC known as the hip-e almost all white, but its screen and keyboard are framed in fuzzy pink fur. Or a leopard skin design. Or a graffiti-themed pattern.	3	Sci/Tech
Violence Tackled at Online Gaming Parlors Six days a week, teens crowd the Blue Screen Gaming cybercafe to hunt each other down with assault rifles inside virtual computer worlds. In these video game halls, nobody gets hurt. But real-life violence has flared around some of these businesses, prompting municipal crackdowns.	3	Sci/Tech

Japanese bank taps RFID for document security NEC Corp. has signed a contract with a Japanese bank for an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) -based document management system, the company said Tuesday in a statement.

3

Sci/Tech

Google drops target price, extends auction to Wednesday Google Inc. lowered the target price per share for its initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, and asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to give buyers additional time to reconsider their bids, according to a notice on the company's IPO Web site.

3

Sci/Tech

Summer storms lash Europe, deaths in France (AFP) AFP - Freak storms packing howling winds and heavy rain that lashed Britain and France this week were set to continue after already causing significant destruction and the deaths of at least four people.

0

World

Before-the-Bell: Taser Climbs NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Taser International Inc. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=TASR.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">TASR.O</A> rose before the bell on Wednesday after the company said it had received five orders totaling more than \$741,000 for its stun guns.

2

Business

Google slashes target stock launch value (AFP) AFP - Internet research engine giant Google Incorporated slashed billions of dollars from the target launch valuation of its stock in a major upset for the biggest technology flotation since the dot.com bubble burst four years ago.

3

Sci/Tech

Singapore Suspends Some Poultry Imports (AP) AP - Singapore said Wednesday that it has suspended the import of all poultry and poultry products from neighboring Malaysia after avian influenza was discovered at a farm there.

0

World

Religion Experts Ask How Jesus Would Vote (AP) AP - Just a few miles from George W. Bush's former office at the state Capitol, a panel of religious experts weighed a question with relevance to many people of faith: How would Jesus vote?

0

World

Oil tops \$47 a barrel Crude oil prices reached a record high of \$47.04 (US) a barrel in pre-market trading Wednesday in New York on lingering concerns about supply from Iraq and Russia.

2

Business

Refinancings soar 21 as rates slump Demand for new home loans and refinancings jump as interest rates slide amid weak economic reports. NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for US home loans rose last week while refinancings surged, as 30-year mortgage interest rates fell to their lowest ...

2

Business

High oil costs hit more airlines Air France and KLM ticket prices are to rise after the carriers imposed further surcharges to counter high fuel costs.

2

Business

Nestle Reports First Half Net Profit Nestle, the world #39;s biggest food and drink company, on Wednesday posted a first-half net profit of \$2.28 billion, up 0.02 percent on the year-earlier figure of \$2.03 billion.

2

Business

Georgia Power wins ruling on research study Georgia Power and Savannah Electric will not have to pay for new research into energy-efficiency programs, the state Public Service Commission ruled Tuesday.

2

Business

Home users get key Windows update From today home users will be able to get hold of Microsoft #39;s long-awaited update for Windows XP. The version of the SP2 security update for the Home Edition of XP has become available via its auto-update service.

3

Sci/Tech

This information has been provided by the State Statistics Committee The Cassini spacecraft has discovered two new moons at Saturn that may be the smallest bodies seen so far around the ringed planet, according to a NASA press release.

3

Sci/Tech

Greek sprinters #39; withdrawals lift cloud over Games ATHENS, Greece -- Greece #39;s top two sprinters pulled out of the Olympics today after inflicting six days of embarrassment on their country over a hide-and-seek contest with anti-doping enforcers.

1

Sports

Germany #39;s Schroeder confirms adopting Russian toddler German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder confirmed on Wednesday that he and his wife have adopted a child, reported to be a girl from a Russian orphanage, but has called on the media to respect his family #39;s privacy.

0

World

Before-the-Bell: Taser Climbs (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of Taser International Inc.\(TASR.O) rose before the bell on Wednesday after the company\said it had received five orders totaling more than #36;741,000\for its stun guns.

2

Business

Dillard's Posts Narrower 2nd-Quarter Loss (Reuters) Reuters - Dillard's Inc. (DDS.N) on Wednesday\reported a narrower quarterly loss as the department store\operator cut costs.

2

Business

Gartner revises PC market forecast, warns of downside (MacCentral) MacCentral - The PC market won't grow as fast in 2004 as originally predicted by Gartner Inc. analysts, as concerns about the overall health of the U.S. economy weigh on the market, the market research company said.

3

Sci/Tech

Medical Experts Fear Charley's Aftermath PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Until the electricity hums again and the debris is cleared, health officials are worried that there could be more deaths and injuries in Hurricane Charley's aftermath than during the storm itself...

0

World

8 Terror Suspects Appear in British Court LONDON - Eight men accused of plotting to commit murder and cause mayhem with radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals or explosives appeared in court Wednesday in a case linked to a U.S. terror alert this month...

0

World

Greek Sprinters Withdraw From Olympics ATHENS, Greece - Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou pulled out of the Athens Games on Wednesday, nearly a week after they missed a drug test and were later hospitalized following a suspicious motorcycle crash. "I'm withdrawing from the Olympics," Kenteris said after meeting with the International Olympic Committee's disciplinary commission...

0

World

Google Cuts Its IPO Price Range SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign that Google Inc.'s initial public offering will not be as hot or big as expected, the Internet search giant reduced the number of shares to be sold by insiders and slashed its estimated per-share price range...

0

World

Google Slashes Price of Shares in Initial Public Offering Google cut the price of its share offering today as the new listing fell prey to worry about a slump in demand.

2

Business

How Old is the Milky Way? Observations by an international team of astronomers with the UVES spectrometer on ESO's Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory (Chile) have thrown new light on the earliest epoch of the Milky Way galaxy.

3

Sci/Tech

Google Lowers IPO Price, Limits Shares Google Lowers IPO Price, Limits Shares\\Google's IPO wasn't as popular as expected, apparently not as many fish bit at the Dutch Auction bait. Google will be lowering its estimated price range to between \$85 and \$95 per share, down from its earlier prediction of \$108 and \$135 per share ...

3

Sci/Tech

American Swimmers Fired Up by Relay Win ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. swimming team was slow off the blocks but is heading for home at full speed propelled by Tuesday's dramatic relay victory, U.S. women's head coach Mark Schubert said on Wednesday.

1

Sports

U.S. Rowers Advance Americans Aquil Abdullah and Henry Nuzum row their double scull furiously down the stretch to cross the line in a dead heat with Norway on Wednesday, winning both teams a spot in a rare seven-boat final.

1

Sports

Google Confounds European Investors (Reuters) Reuters - Web surfers from Beijing to Berkeley\have made Google their search engine of choice, but some of\Europe's institutional investors have gone sour on the dot-com\on the eve of its initial public offering.

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Home users get Windows update Microsoft is making its important security update for Windows XP available on auto-update servers today.

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World

Assam strike over rebel attacks A general strike called by students in the state to protest against rebel bombings brings life to a standstill.

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World

Google Slashes the Size of Its IPO NEW YORK (Reuters) - Google Inc. slashed the size of its closely watched initial public offering nearly in half to less than \$2 billion on Wednesday, splashing cold water on what has been touted as the hottest Internet IPO in years.

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Business

Yukos sells gas stake YUKOS has sold a 56 per cent stake in a Siberian natural gas company to the Anglo-Russian joint venture TNK-BP to pay off its crushing tax bill, Western oil sources and media reports said today.

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Futures point lower US stock futures pointed to a weaker start Wednesday as rising oil prices and a major price cut for Google Inc. #39;s highly anticipated initial public offering raised investors #39; eyebrows.

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Airlines under pressure from soaring fuel price PARIS (Reuters) - Europe #39;s largest carrier Air France-KLM has joined rivals in raising its ticket prices to offset soaring jet fuel costs, but a leading bank has questioned how effective the surcharges will be in protecting airline profits.

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Costco Tests Casket Market NEW YORK (Reuters) - From the cradle to the grave. You can buy baby food, groceries, computers, furniture and a whole host of things at Costco -- now you can even find caskets at some of its stores.

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Business

Global miner BHP Billiton posts record net profit as demand soars SYDNEY : Global mining giant BHP Billiton posted the biggest net profit in Australian corporate history as soaring commodities prices and strong demand from China pushed net profit up 83 percent to 3.51 billion US dollars.

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Business

Nestle Net Rises 2.1, Less Than Forecast, on Costs (Update6) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Nestle SA, the world #39;s largest food company, said first-half profit rose 2.1 percent, less than forecast, as sales in Western Europe declined and costs for sugar, milk and packaging increased.

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China Mobile increases earnings 7.8 HONG KONG China Mobile (Hong Kong), the world #39;s largest cellphone operator by customers, said Wednesday that first-half profit rose 7.8 percent from a year earlier after the company won more new customers than China Unicom by offering cheaper services.

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Business

Cassini-Huygens discovers two new Saturnian moons The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, a joint project of the US space administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian space agency (ASI), has discovered two more small moons orbiting the planet Saturn, bringing the total to 33.

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Sci/Tech

Greek Sprinters Withdraw From Olympics ATHENS, Greece Aug. 18, 2004 Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou pulled out of the Athens Games on Wednesday, nearly a week after they missed a drug test and were later hospitalized following a suspicious motorcycle crash.

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Can the peace in Najaf be achieved? Delegates to the Iraqi national conference in Baghdad are holding an unscheduled fourth day of talks.

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World

Georgian, South Ossitian Forces Continue Fighting Officials in Georgia say at least two soldiers have been killed and five wounded in the latest battles with separatist fighters in the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

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China battles for North Korea nuclear talks quot;We believe the six parties have the willingness to continue to promote the procedure of peaceful talks, quot; China #39;s Foreign Ministry said. quot;We ...

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World

Nepal rebels cut off routes to capital in first-ever blockade KATHMANDU : Maoist rebels cut off routes to Nepal #39;s capital Kathmandu in their first blockade of the city since they launched their insurgency to overthrow the constitutional monarchy eight years ago.

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Annan: Burmese Democracy Will Fail Without Participation By Opposition UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says the Burmese military government #39;s plan for democracy will fail without input from the opposition National League for Democracy.

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Philippine Rebels Free Troops, Talks in Doubt PRESENTACION, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine communist rebels freed Wednesday two soldiers they had held as quot;prisoners of war quot; for more than five months, saying they wanted to rebuild confidence in peace talks with the government.

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Stocks Set to Open Lower as Oil Hits High NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks are set to open lower on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high overnight and Google Inc. slashed its initial public offering price, which appeared to dampen investor sentiment.

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Business

Zoo Separates Baby Rhino from Clumsy Mother (Reuters) Reuters - Vets at a Berlin zoo have been forced to\separate a baby rhino from his mother for fear she may\accidentally trample him to death, zoo officials said on\Tuesday.

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World

Hong Kong Politician's Detention Condemned (AP) AP - Human rights activists on Wednesday condemned the detention of a Hong Kong pro-democracy politician for allegedly having sex with a prostitute, and his sentencing without trial to six months of "re-education through labor."

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Dillard's Loss Narrows But Off Estimates NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dillard's Inc. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=DDS.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">DDS.N</A> on Wednesday reported a narrower quarterly loss as it cut costs, but a drop in same-store sales caused the latest results to miss Wall Street's estimates by a wide margin.

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Business

Eurozone inflation rate falls in July BRUSSELS, August 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Eurozone annual inflation fell from 2.4 percent in June to 2.3 percent in July 2004, the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), reported on Wednesday.

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Business

US Sighs with Relief But Basketball Concerns Linger ATHENS (Reuters) - The United States men #39;s basketball team could breathe a sigh of relief on Wednesday after its first win but lingering concerns over a lack of outside shooting and team defense have coach Larry Brown scrambling for ...

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Zijlaard-van Moorsel wins women #39;s road individual time trial ATHENS, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Dutch legendary cyclist Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel won women #39;s road individual time trial at Athens Olympics with a time of 31:11.53 on Wednesday, ahead of Deirdre Demet-Barry of United States and Karin Thuerig of ...

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Sports

Najaf militants given hours to surrender or face lesson BAGHDAD, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraqi Defence Minister Hazem al-Shaalan on Wednesday demanded Shiite militants in the holy city of Najaf surrender within hours, or the Iraqi troops would launch a large-scale attack on them.

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World

Burundi Summit Expected to Focus on Massacre African regional leaders gather Wednesday, in Tanzania for a summit on Burundi #39;s peace process, but the recent massacre of Congolese Tutsi in a UN refugee camp is expected to be high on the agenda.

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World

Monsanto Says Justice Dept Closes Inquiry (Reuters) Reuters - Monsanto Co. (MON.N) on Wednesday said\the U.S. Justice Department has closed an inquiry into\potential antitrust issues regarding a key ingredient used in\its Roundup herbicide.

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Business

Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent (Reuters) Reuters - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (BWS.N) on\Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt\by slack sales from its children's unit, Bass wholesale\business and Naturalizer chain.

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Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. <A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BWS.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote">BWS.N</A> on Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt by slack sales from its children's unit, Bass wholesale business and Naturalizer chain.

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Business

SAP users warned of false support calls German business software vendor SAP AG issued a warning to customers not to provide confidential information on the phone to people claiming to be company support staff.

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Sci/Tech

Five killed in Kashmir violence Separatist militants kill four members of a Muslim family while police shoot dead a senior militant leader in Kashmir.

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World

U.S. Men Qualify for Final in Shot Put ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - Two U.S. men advanced to the final of the shot put Wednesday, hoping to make even more history at the ancient site that gave birth to the Olympics 2,780 years ago...

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Google Cuts Its IPO Price Range SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign that Google Inc.'s initial public offering will not be as hot or big as expected, the Internet search giant slashed its estimated per-share price range and reduced the number of shares to be sold by insiders...

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Oil Prices Surge to a New High Today Oil prices surged to a new high above \$47 a barrel spurred by concern for the safety of oil facilities in Iraq.

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Iraqis Decline to Send 2nd Peace Mission to Najaf The decision was made today after the rebel cleric Moktada al-Sadr refused to meet with its first peace team on Tuesday.

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World

Google lowers price range, number of shares, for its IPO When Internet search engine company Google, Inc., of Mountain View, begins to sell shares to the general public -- something expected to happen later this week -- the initial price is expected to be between \$85 and \$95 per share. The company had earlier ...

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Business

China Mobile Reports Jump in Profits China #39;s largest cell phone service provider, China Mobile (Hong Kong) Ltd., reported a 7.8 percent jump in first-half profits Wednesday as its number of subscribers rose by 23 percent.

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Business

Intel delays HDTV market debut Intel has delayed its planned entry into the widescreen high-definition television (HDTV) market until next year.

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Sci/Tech

Script kiddies join forces with spammers The firm #39;s E-mail Security Intelligence report, which covers the first half of 2004, highlights the worrying trend of virus writers linking up with spammers; together they are creating a more refined threat to e-mail security.

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Sci/Tech

Microsoft readies Host Integration Server 2004 Microsoft has announced the imminent availability of Host Integration Server 2004 in a bid to compete with IBM #39;s WebSphere.

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Sci/Tech

Cryptography break threatens digital signatures Researchers in the field of cryptography have been successfully breaking the hash functions that are used to secure the privacy of electronic communications, threatening the integrity of digital signatures, according to a report on Slashdot.

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Sci/Tech

Endurance swimmers short-changed at Olympics: Hackett Australia #39;s Olympic 1,500 metres champion Grant Hackett says long-distance swimmers are being robbed of their chance to shine at the Athens Games.

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Sports

Oil at New Record LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices surged to a new high above \$47 a barrel on Wednesday on evidence from major economies that energy costs are not substantially slowing the economic growth that fuels oil demand. Fresh threats by rebel militia in Iraq against oil facilities helped underpin price gains.

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Business

Radiation and Drug Combo Help With Prostate Cancer By LINDSEY TANNER CHICAGO (AP) -- Men with prostate cancer that doesn't appear to have spread have better survival chances when they get short-term hormone treatment along with standard radiation, rather than radiation alone, a small study found. Almost five years after treatment, six men in the radiation-only study group died of prostate cancer; none of the men who got combined treatment died of prostate cancer...

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Sci/Tech

Medical Experts Fear Hurricane Charley's Aftermath By MIKE SCHNEIDER PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) -- Until the electricity hums again and the debris is cleared, health officials are worried that there could be more deaths and injuries in Hurricane Charley's aftermath than during the storm itself...

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Sci/Tech

Malaysia's Sea Turtles Are in Trouble (AP) AP - Several species of sea turtles in Malaysia could vanish in a few years, largely due to illegal poaching of the creatures and their eggs, scientists warned on Wednesday.

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Sci/Tech

Future Flyers: Pushing Forward for Personal Aircraft (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Ask science fiction fans about the future and no doubt they'll tell you it's full of flying cars.

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Sci/Tech

Twisted Physics: How Black Holes Spout Off (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Black holes are complex beasts. Among their mysterious traits are intense jets of matter that sometimes shoot out from the rotational poles at nearly light-speed.

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Sci/Tech

Kerry to Attack Bush Troop Withdrawal Plan (Reuters) Reuters - Democrat John Kerry on Wednesday\planned to attack President Bush's proposal to withdraw 70,000\American troops from Europe and Asia as a threat to national\security that could blunt the war on terror, campaign aides\said.

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Google Cuts IPO Price by a Quarter to \$85-\$95 a Share (Update7) Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., on the eve of pricing the second-biggest Internet initial public offering, slashed the value of the sale almost in half amid the worst market for US IPOs in almost two years.

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Business

Supply worries push oil to record Oil prices have continued their record-breaking run on Wednesday, busting through the \$47-mark amid concerns that demand will outstrip supply.

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Business

8/17/04 - Us Concerned About Yukos US officials have expressed concern about the fate of Yukos, the Russian oil company. Yukos shares have dropped sharply in value since the Russian government demanded it pay nearly three and a half billion dollars in back taxes. Russian authorities accuse ...

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Business

Dillard #39;s Posts Narrower 2Q Loss Dillard #39;s Inc. posted a narrower second-quarter loss Wednesday due to cost cutting, but missed Wall Street expectations by a whopping 15 cents per share.

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Business

Stocks Open Lower NEW YORK (Reuters) - US stocks fell at the open on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high and Google Inc. slashed its initial public offering price, which appeared to dampen investor sentiment.

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Business

E*Trade Says Customer Trading Dipped in July NEW YORK (Reuters) - E*Trade Financial Corp. (ET.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , a major online broker, on Wednesday said customer stock trading for the month of July dropped 1.6 percent from June as investors curbed their enthusiasm for trading stocks.

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Business

Brown Shoe Earnings Drop 32 Percent NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (BWS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly earnings, hurt by slack sales from its children #39;s unit, Bass wholesale business and Naturalizer chain.

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Business

Cendant Steals Home Cendant #39;s (NYSE: CD) got many revenue streams, and apparently they all lead home. So perhaps it #39;s understandable to see the multifaceted company pull back from the pending sale of its mortgage business. Last month Cendant revealed that it was in talks to ...

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Business

Malaysia turtle nesting sites at risk -scientists KIJAL, Malaysia, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Malaysia, once a major breeding ground, is in danger of losing its ocean-roaming leatherback turtles as humans eat their eggs, trap them in fishing nets and encroach on nesting sites, scientists said on ...

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Sci/Tech

American Swimmers Fired Up by Relay Win ATHENS (Reuters) - The US swimming team was slow off the blocks but is heading for home at full speed propelled by Tuesday #39;s dramatic relay victory, US women #39;s head coach Mark Schubert said on Wednesday.

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Sports

Dope scandal athletes withdraw Greek Olympic 200 metre champion Costas Kenteris, the focus of an Olympic doping scandal, has withdrawn from the Athens Games quot;out of a sense of responsibility quot;.

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Sports

Renewed focus ends nightmare ATHENS, Greece It began with Allen Iverson The Answer, the captain, the leader of Team USA forgetting about the fractured bone in his right thumb and courageously hitting the floor against Greece in full regalia.

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Sports

Not quite good as gold THENS - The critical eye, firm hand and warm embrace of Bela Karolyi have molded women #39;s gymnastics for the past three decades, producing the perfection of Romania #39;s Nadia Comaneci in 1976 and the sparkle of America #39;s Mary Lou Retton in ...

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Sports

Burundi police fire tear gas at massacre protest BUJUMBURA, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Police in Burundi #39;s capital Bujumbura fired tear gas at crowds on Wednesday, protesting against the massacre of at least 160 Congolese Tutsis at a United Nations refugee camp in the west of the country.

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BellSouth: #36;3.3 Bln Rise in Benefit Costs (Reuters) Reuters - BellSouth Corp. (BLS.N) said on\Wednesday its new labor contract had triggered a #36;3.3 billion\increase in its estimates of future retiree medical costs,\reducing fourth-quarter earnings by 3 cents to 4 cents a share.

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Business

Crude Oil Prices Surge Again Crude oil prices surged again Wednesday, rising above \$47 a barrel amid lingering concerns in supply from Iraq and Russia.

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Business

UK challenge of India outsourcing The High Street bank could be facing legal action over the transfer sensitive customer data overseas to call centres in India.

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Business

Google, Set for Offering, Cuts Share Price by About a Quarter Google cut its price range to between \$85 and \$95 a share, down from \$108 to \$135, valuing the company at as much as \$25.8 billion.

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Business

Windows XP Security Update Delayed Microsoft Corp. has delayed automated distribution of a major security upgrade to its Windows XP Professional operating system, citing a desire to give companies more time to test it.

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Sci/Tech

New PC Is Created Just for Teenagers This isn't your typical, humdrum, slate-colored computer. Not only is the PC known as the hip-e almost all white, but its screen and keyboard are framed in fuzzy pink fur. Or a leopard skin design. Or a graffiti-themed pattern.

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Sci/Tech

Violence Tackled at Online Gaming Parlors Six days a week, teens crowd the Blue Screen Gaming cybercafe to hunt each other down with assault rifles inside virtual computer worlds. In these video game halls, nobody gets hurt. But real-life violence has flared around some of these businesses, prompting municipal crackdowns.

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Sci/Tech