Featured

American with swine flu dies

May 6, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer – Wed May 6, 8:38 am ET HARLINGEN, Texas – This week should have been a joyous time for Judy Trunnell, a 33-year-old schoolteacher who had just given birth to a healthy baby girl. But the friends and relatives whose cars lined the quiet street in front of her home in a quiet subdivision Tuesday instead were mourning her, the first American with swine flu to die. “We’re grieving now,” said a woman with tear-streaked eyes who declined to give her... [Read the full story]

World

Despair among Sri Lanka’s refugees

May 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

The true figure of the total number of war refugees is unknown but the UN now calculates that 192,000 people have fled the conflict zone in north Sri Lanka in recent weeks. Aside from the terrible humanitarian cost, this is a crisis which has proved particularly heavy for a relatively small country and its 20 million population. The UN, foreign governments and NGOs have all given aid but there’s been deep concern about the conditions in which many refugees are being held by the Sri Lankan government. We visited several... [Read the full story]

Business

Stocks poised for another advance

May 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Wall Street was set for a higher open Thursday after Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner offered reassuring comments about U.S. banks, investors awaited chain store sales and General Motors posted a quarterly loss that beat expectations. At 7:16 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures were higher. Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance and offer an indication of how markets may open when trading begins in New York. U.S.... [Read the full story]

Science

Counting Down to the Hubble Rescue

May 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

Hubble lovers around the world have pinned their hopes on the shuttle mission launching Monday from the Kennedy Space Center – making its fifth and final visit to the space telescope. Hubble is the one telescope everyone knows, and its spectacular images are downloaded daily. Hubble is the comeback kid of telescopes. Launched in 1990 — over budget and behind schedule — to great fanfare, it immediately became a late night joke when it turned out the telescope’s mirror had problems which caused blurred... [Read the full story]

Technology

Dell Netbook Rumor Prompts Questions About Android

May 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

Reports that Dell might use Google’s Android OS in a netbook raises questions about what the device might look like and whether Android is ready for use beyond smartphones. Software vendor Bsquare appeared to have leaked the news Wednesday that Dell is developing an Android-based netbook. In a press release, Bsquare said it was porting Adobe’s Flash Lite technology to “Dell netbooks running Google’s Android platform.” The release has since been pulled from Bsquare’s Web site and Dell has... [Read the full story]

Sports

Sox in good frame of mind

May 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

The Red Sox hustled into their dugout after the top of the sixth inning last night, and this is what occurred next: single, walk, double, walk, single, walk, double, single, single, single, single, home run. Now read that line again slowly, and consider just what happened at Fenway Park in a 13-3 Red Sox victory before 37,541. Twelve batters crossed the plate before Indians pitchers - three of them - could record one out in the sixth. When Julio Lugo walked toward the batter’s box at 8:34 p.m., the Sox trailed, 2-1.... [Read the full story]

Entertainment

Allison leaves ‘Idol’ with head high: ‘I stayed true to myself’

May 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

By Kim Thai, USA TODAY Last girl standing Allison Iraheta was kicked off American Idol Wednesday night, leaving an all-male top three. We caught up with the 17-year-old rocker during a conference call. Q: Were you feeling pretty confident last night? A: It was weird. I’ve been in the bottom three before. When it was down to me and Danny (Gokey), it was like, “It’s either him or me.” And it was me. I’m glad I got the opportunity to perform on that stage. Q: The link between you and Adam (Lambert,... [Read the full story]

Lifestyle