CAS upholds Landis’s two-year doping ban
LONDON (Reuters) - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected on Monday an appeal by American cyclist Floyd Landis against a two-year doping ban.
More: continued here
Federer trumps Hewitt to march on
LONDON (Reuters) - Roger Federer came out on top in the battle of the Wimbledon champions when he trumped Lleyton Hewitt 7-6 6-2 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals on Monday.
More: continued here
Rhapsody to challenge iTunes by embracing the iPod
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Digital music seller Rhapsody is launching a $50 million marketing assault on Apple’s iTunes, offering songs online and via partners including Yahoo Inc and Verizon Wireless, Rhapsody said on Monday.
More: continued here
China announces Olympics stability drive after riot
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has launched a nationwide campaign to defuse protest ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games, state media reported on Monday, days after a riot in the country’s southwest highlighted volatile social strains.
More: continued here
Disney’s “WALL-E” wows box office
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Animation giant Pixar scored its ninth consecutive No. 1 on Sunday with its robot love story “WALL-E,” while Angelina Jolie achieved a personal best with her violent assassination thriller “Wanted.”
More: continued here
Accidental fungus leads to promising cancer drug
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A drug developed using nanotechnology and a fungus that contaminated a lab experiment may be broadly effective against a range of cancers, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.
More: continued here
Olympic travelers advised to beware dogs
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If you’re heading to the Beijing Olympics, you should worry less about catching an exotic disease and more about bronchitis and dog bites, according to a report in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
More: continued here
Del Toro’s “Hellboy” sequel a devilish delight
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - When is a big studio picture not a big studio picture? When we’re talking Universal’s “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” and the filmmaker happens to be Guillermo del Toro.
More: continued here
HP purchase of EDS gets government clearance
BOSTON (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co’s planned $12.6 billion purchase of Electronic Data Systems Corp cleared U.S. government antitrust review, the companies said on Monday.
More: continued here
Yahoo questions how serious Microsoft was on deals
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc on Monday sought to rally shareholder support in the face of a proxy battle with billionaire Carl Icahn, saying the activist investor had an “ill-defined plan” for the future of the Internet company.
More: continued here
New lover moves in on “Housewives”
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A new male love interest is moving to Wisteria Lane next season.
More: continued here
LVMH wins compensation from eBay over counterfeits
PARIS (Reuters) - A French court ordered eBay Inc to pay 38.6 million euros ($61 million) to luxury goods group LVMH for allowing the sale of fake merchandise, in a ruling immediately appealed by the online auction website.
More: continued here
Sports attendance up, hot dog spending down
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A couple of times a year, David Holzhammer drives more than 200 miles from his home in Iowa City, Iowa, to see the Chicago Cubs play baseball. That is a luxury he is not giving up, despite high gas prices and other strains on his wallet.
More: continued here
WHO urges countries to adopt smoking bans
LONDON (Reuters) - Smoking bans are an effective way of preventing heart disease, getting cigarette users to quit and protecting children from second-hand smoke, a World Health Organization (WHO) report issued on Monday said.
More: continued here
Device puts steering at the tip of the tongue
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new device that uses a tiny magnet can help disabled people steer a wheelchair or operate a computer using only the tip of the tongue, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
More: continued here
California offers tax break to keep Tesla in state
SAN CARLOS, California (Reuters) - Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc said on Monday it will manufacture the lower-priced follow-up to its Roadster sports car in California after the state offered a tax break to keep the operations there.
More: continued here
Hayes, Krakowski bring “Damn Yankees” to NY stage
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - There’s an unwritten rule: Major stage shows just don’t open in this town in the summer, which makes this coming New York weekend sound particularly inviting.
More: continued here
Hollywood counts down to labor cliffhanger
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood’s actors and studios traded last-minute barbs on Sunday, a day before their film and TV labor pact was due to expire with no announcement of a new three-year deal.
More: continued here
Samsung SDI to invest $529 million to up OLED output
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean display maker Samsung SDI Co said on Monday it would boost production of next-generation organic displays to six times the current level by mid-2009, spending $529 million.
More: continued here
Track success brings smiles for Jamaicans
KINGSTON (Reuters) - Jamaica’s leading athletes have set their sights on winning gold at this year’s Olympics and their achievements offer the country some relief from the daily media deluge of gangland violence and murder.
More: continued here
Pavarotti’s widow and daughters reach inheritance deal
ROME (Reuters) - Luciano Pavarotti’s widow and the tenor’s three daughters from his first marriage have reached a deal over his inheritance following his death last year.
More: continued here
“Good” cholesterol may protect memory, study finds
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Middle-aged people with low levels of so-called good cholesterol may be at higher risk for memory decline that could foreshadow Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, European researchers said on Monday.
More: continued here
Fatty liver in kids tied to metabolic syndrome
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In overweight or obese children, fatty liver disease appears to be a specific risk factor for the metabolic syndrome, a precursor of heart disease and diabetes, according to a study appearing in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
More: continued here
Medicare proposes changes for imaging, dialysis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government proposed payment changes in the Medicare health insurance program on Monday that could impact reimbursement of medical imaging, diagnostic testing and dialysis providers.
More: continued here
High U.S. gas prices pinch NASCAR fans
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Many NASCAR fans think nothing of jumping in their recreational vehicles or pickup trucks and driving 300 miles or more to watch races in places like Talladega, Alabama; Bristol, Tennessee; and Las Vegas.
More: continued here
Coughlin and McGregory claim world records
OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) - Natalie Coughlin needed just a minute to reclaim her 100 backstroke world record after Hayley McGregory had snatched the mark during heats at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Monday.
More: continued here
Tech majors to join hands against patent suits: report
(Reuters) - Information technology giants are teaming up in defense against potential patent-infringement lawsuits, the Wall Street Journal said on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
More: continued here
Laptops banned in Bhutan assembly over gaming fears
THIMPU, Bhutan (Reuters) - The national assembly in newly democratic Bhutan has stopped lawmakers from bringing laptop computers into the house for fear they might spend their time playing computer games.
More: continued here
Glaxo’s Cervarix vaccine faces further delay
LONDON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc does not expect to win U.S. approval for its key cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix until late 2009, marking a further delay for the product.
More: continued here
Grumpy Jankovic beaten as Venus rolls on
LONDON (Reuters) - Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova joined the scrapheap on Monday, in a Wimbledon second week starting with more shocks and with the Williams sisters steaming inexorably towards a third family final.
More: continued here
New breast imaging technique seen promising
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A technique called molecular breast imaging appears to be about as accurate as MRI for detecting breast cancers, but is less costly.
More: continued here
Spain cast aside under achievers millstone in style
VIENNA (Reuters) - “Football was the winner” is one of the most over-worn cliches in the game but it happened to be true about Spain’s victory in Euro 2008.
More: continued here
Major labels benefit from non-music sales: report
LONDON (Reuters) - British record companies saw revenues from non-music sales rise sharply in 2007, partly compensating for declining recorded music sales, a report said on Monday.
More: continued here
Ledger frightening in final role in “Dark Knight”
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - He hired actor Heath Ledger to portray a frightening villain whose chaotic life threatens audiences, and Chris Nolan, director of new Batman movie “The Dark Knight,” says he got exactly what he wanted.
More: continued here
Bonham Carter joins the “Terminator” cast
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Helena Bonham Carter could soon be joining the battle between man and cyborg.
More: continued here
Pros and cons of the Pill tricky for black women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - African-American women taking a low-dose oral contraceptive may see an increase in markers of increased risk for developing heart disease or diabetes, a study shows.
More: continued here
“Mamma Mia!” will pull in money, money, money
LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) - No matter how many blockbusters there are, Universal’s screen version of the global hit stage musical “Mamma Mia!” is the most fun to be had at the movies this or any other recent summer.
More: continued here
New drug-resistance test gives hope to TB fight
GENEVA (Reuters) - A new diagnostic test unveiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday will allow doctors in poor countries to find out within hours — instead of months — whether patients have drug-resistant tuberculosis.
More: continued here
Park Inbee aims to inspire young Koreans, just like Pak
EDINA, Minnesota (Reuters) - Teenager Park Inbee’s imposing four-shot victory at the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday underlined the strong influence of South Korean players on the modern women’s game.
More: continued here
Phelps starts trials in ominous form
OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) - Michael Phelps launched his bid for Olympic history in ominous style on Sunday by coasting to the second fastest time in qualifying for the 400 meter individual medley at the U.S. swimming trials.
More: continued here
Championships looking to recover after shocks
LONDON (Reuters) - For three days running, a series of seismic shocks ripped through Wimbledon, causing destruction rarely witnessed so early at a grand slam tournament.
More: continued here
Big haul of Crohn’s genes shows disease complexity
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have linked 32 genetic variations to Crohn’s disease, a bowel disorder, highlighting the complexity of many common diseases and the difficulties facing researchers seeking treatments.
More: continued here
Surprise package Lewis takes charge at Interlachen
EDINA, Minnesota (Reuters) - Just 19 days after turning professional, Stacy Lewis stole the limelight from the game’s best players by grabbing a one-shot lead in the U.S. Women’s Open third round on Saturday.
More: continued here
Bolt beats Powell in 100 showdown
KINGSTON (Reuters) - World 100 meters record holder Usain Bolt defeated his closest rival Asafa Powell to qualify for the Beijing Olympics on Saturday, but his coach remained tight-lipped about whether he will run in the prestige event.
More: continued here
Gay equals fourth-fastest 100 after near miss
EUGENE, Oregon (Reuters) - World champion Tyson Gay equaled the fourth fastest 100 meters of all time when he clocked an American record 9.77 seconds in the quarter-finals at the U.S. Olympic trials on Saturday.
More: continued here
Spain triumphs at Euro 2008 final
VIENNA (Reuters) - Spain finally ended their 44-year wait for a trophy when Fernando Torres’s exquisite first-half goal gave them a deserved 1-0 victory over Germany in a fast and furious Euro 2008 final on Sunday.
More: continued here
Kazakh model in apparent suicide plunge: reports
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A 20-year-old woman identified by local media as Kazakh supermodel Ruslana Korshunova plunged to her death from a Manhattan apartment on Saturday in an apparent suicide.
More: continued here
Ballmer becomes lone voice at Microsoft’s helm
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Steve Ballmer has been CEO at Microsoft Corp for eight years, but he will finally get to move into the corner office vacated by Bill Gates, the college friend who brought him to the company nearly three decades ago.
More: continued here
Rapper Wyclef Jean working to develop Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - When Wyclef Jean went to Haiti recently, he had in tow the television cameras you might expect of a big-time rapper and producer.
More: continued here
Pacquiao knocks out Diaz to claim WBC crown
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Manny Pacquiao became the first Asian boxer to capture world titles at four different weight divisions when he knocked out David Diaz in the ninth round to claim the WBC lightweight championship on Saturday.
More: continued here
Rookie Larrazabal stays cool to win French Open
VERSAILLES, France (Reuters) - Rookie Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal held his nerve on Sunday to claim one of Europe’s top prizes by winning the French Open in only his 17th European Tour start.
More: continued here
Lincecum blanks Athletics in Giants’ 1-0 victory
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - San Francisco pitcher Tim Lincecum tossed seven stellar innings, striking out 11 to steer the San Francisco Giants to a 1-0 road victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday.
More: continued here