♦ Samantha Ronson's Lohan defence

Samantha Ronson has slammed rumours she hates Ali Lohan's new song. The DJ, who is believed to be dating Ali's older sister Lindsay Lohan, insists reports she refused to play the track at a party recently are "s**t".	1 vote

♦ Clarke CHT352

An immediate drawback is that there are no really compact pliers included. But there are two decent sized curved tools, plus a useful long-nosed version. Performance is average rather than brilliant, with notchy adjusters the biggest problem. A surprisingly comfortable operationand excellent price more than compensate.	1 vote

♦ Israeli officer in prisoner abuse video quits post

JERUSALEM (AP) — An officer filmed ordering a soldier to abuse a bound and blindfolded Palestinian prisoner was indicted Thursday and has resigned his command of an army battalion but will continue to serve elsewhere, the Israeli military said. Lt.Col. Omri Borberg and the soldier were charged in a military court with "unworthy conduct," the military said in a statement.	1 vote

♦ Iranian prez finds 'common ground' with West over nukes

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's president said in an interview broadcast Monday that he sees "common ground" with the West over his country's disputed nuclear program, and "new behavior" from the United States that could merit a positive response. "If the approach changes, we will be facing a new situation and the response by the Iranian people will be a positive one," Ahmadinejad said. The U.S.	1 vote

♦ Web Firms Embrace International Approach

By Anick Jesdanun The Associated Press NEW YORK AOL splashes images of Bollywood celebrities on its new home page for India. MySpace accepts sign-ups from mobile phones in Japan.	1 vote

♦ Consultants Say They Can Rescue Med -- Two Firms Are Finalists in Search for Hospital Solutions

By Daniel Connolly Two consulting firms are trying to convince leaders of the Regional Medical Center at Memphis that they have the solutions to its long-standing financial problems, and some of their proposals would lead to big changes.	1 vote

♦ Wall Street woes boost therapists' business

Wall Street is reeling from losses, and bankers are fearful of losing bonuses at best and jobs at worst. But while New York braces for the economic fallout, one group is benefiting -psychotherapists. Bankers suffering from anxiety or depression and looking for pills or deep therapy are making beelines for the couch. And for some it has gotten so bad they want to quit the money game forever.	1 vote

♦ Champions Trophy faces pull-out threat

Karachi: Cricket's Champions Trophy faces the threat of a pull-out by players from several key nations on Friday after a decision to go ahead with September's tournament in troubled Pakistan. The Australian and New Zealand players' associations advised cricketers to stay away after the International Cricket Council decided Thursday to go ahead with the event...	1 vote

♦ Nine face stoning death in Iran

At least eight women and one man are reported to have been sentenced to death by stoning in Iran. The group, convicted of adultery and sex offences, could be executed at any time, lawyers defending them say. The lawyers have called on the head of Iran's judiciary to prevent the sentences from being carried out.	1 vote

♦ First Unitarian Forum to Discuss 'Maize Maze'

The First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake, 569 S. 1300 East, will continue its summer forum at 10 a.m. Sunday with "The Maize Maze: Complexities of Corn and Alternative Fuel Vehicles," by Alyson Brennan and Tim Loftis. For more information, call 582-8687.	1 vote

♦ Who is the greatest Russian?

Josef Stalin and Tsar Nicholas II are the two leading contenders to be crowned 'The Name of Russia', a domestic version of the BBC series Great Britons. Who do you think should get the title? The programme has lead to a major push by communists and monarchists in the country to push support for their candidate. Lenin is currently third with nearly 187,000 votes...	1 vote

♦ Iowa Telecom Completes Acquisition of Bishop Communications

Iowa Telecommunications Services, Inc. (NYSE:IWA) today announced that the communications company has completed its acquisition of Bishop Communications Corporation, headquartered in Annandale, Minnesota for the purchase price of approximately $43.9 million.	1 vote

♦ Knee High in July a Tough Year for Corn

By Hubbuch, Chris Even after a late start and the wettest June on record, area crops are behind but beginning to rebound. "We'll have knee high by the fourth of July," said Bill Heider...	1 vote

♦ Is marriage all about children?

This debate is now closed. Are you worthless if you can't bear children? Nearly one in four couples in Africa have problems giving birth to their own children, according to the World Health Organisation. Many women in this position find themselves shunned by their families or communities, while for men infertility is often a taboo subject.	1 vote

♦ Souchi expands

Not "double knits" but "double the knits." The Souchi shop in Portland just doubled its space. Suzi Johnson, the creative brain behind those gorgeous handmade cashmere pieces, was thrilled to stretch out.	1 vote

♦ Scotiabank to buy to E*Trade Canada for US$442M

Bank of Nova Scotia has boosted its online wealth-management business by picking up the Canadian unit of struggling U.S. broker E*Trade Financial Corp.	1 vote

♦ Enterprises become the battleground for social networking (InfoWorld)

The battle to provide social networking in the enterprise is under way between solutions from established software vendors and readily available offerings such as Facebook and LinkedIn, with these sites possessing a lot of momentum...	1 vote

♦ BCE's new executive team less of the same

The parent of Bell Canada announced this morning a new executive team that is comprised entirely of incumbent executives, save for one sort-of outsider: executive vice-president David Wells, who is returning to Bell...	1 vote

♦ How bank failures happen and what they mean

Q: Why do banks fail? A: Banks fail, and are taken over by federal regulators, when they are in danger of running out of cash to meet their financial obligations. In IndyMac's case, customers withdrew an average of $100 million a day or more than $1.3 billion overall from the savings and loan during an 11-day period, putting it at risk, says the Office of Thrift Supervision.	1 vote

♦ Man charged in attack on US consulate in Turkey

Three Turkish policemen and three gunmen were killed on July 9 in an attack on the US Consulate in Istanbul. Here, Turkish officers escort one of the suspects in the attack on July 13. ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) Authorities arrested and charged a man Sunday for his alleged involvement in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported. The man...	1 vote