31 July 2010

Debris in relief well sets back work on gusher (AP)

James Lee Witt, right, listens to BP PLC CEO of Gulf Coast Restoration Organization Bob Dudley as he speaks at a news conference to announce Witt's hiring as an advisor to BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill response in Biloxi, Miss., Friday, July 30, 2010. Witt, the former FEMA director under President Bill Clinton, is expected to advise BP through its long-term response and recovery efforts. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)AP - Tropical Storm Bonnie left crews working to plug the Gulf oil gusher a little memento that is expected to push their work back about a day.


31 July 2010

Germany: memorial service for Love Parade victims (AP)

Yvonne Schroeder, left, and Dominique Pavone, who attended this year's Love Parade in Duisburg demonstrate in front of the city hall of Duisburg on Thursday, July 29, 2010, against the responsible persons of the disaster at the Love Parade.  21 people were killed in a crush at the Love Parade techno festival in Duisburg on Saturday. (AP  Photo/dapd/Mark Keppler)AP - Germany is holding a memorial service for the victims of the Love Parade techno music festival, where 21 people were crushed to death and 500 injured.


31 July 2010

Air tanker drops fire retardant, slows LA wildfire (AP)

Firefighters spray water on burning plants as flames race across the desert floor in Palmdale, Calif., Friday, July 30, 2010. (AP Photo/Mike Meadows)AP - Water-dropping aircraft slowed the progress of a wildfire that was bearing down on hundreds of homes in the high desert north of Los Angeles.


31 July 2010

Obama: Rangel case troubling; some Dems say resign (AP)

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., leaves his office for a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, July 30, 2010. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)AP - Rep. Charlie Rangel is getting sympathy from some fellow Democrats but scant support from others as he faces trial on several ethics charges.


31 July 2010

Oswalt's Philly debut a dud; Berkman headed to NYY (AP)

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Roy Oswalt delivers against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 30, 2010, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)AP - Roy Oswalt's debut with the Philadelphia Phillies was a dud. Maybe ex-teammate Lance Berkman will make a better first impression for the New York Yankees.


31 July 2010

The big day: Chelsea Clinton to wed in upstate NY (AP)

Bill and Hillary Clinton leave a party in honor of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky Friday, July 30, 2010 in Rhinebeck, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)AP - Chelsea Clinton was poised to marry her longtime boyfriend at an exclusive estate along New York's Hudson River after weeks of intrigue, secrecy and buzz that caused hundreds to crowd into this small village hoping to catch of a glimpse of a former president, a secretary of state or their publicity-shy daughter.


31 July 2010

Ariz. governor considers changing immigration law (AP)

Arizona Republicans Gov. Jan Brewer, left, and Sen. John McCain abruptly end a news conference in Glendale, Ariz., Friday, July 30, 2010.  Brewer and McCain held the news conference in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale to applaud a U.S. Air Force decision to base new F-35 combat jets at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, but the event abruptly ended when the barrage of questions were regarding the Arizona immigration law and the next steps the governor was taking in the court battle.. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)AP - A federal appeals court has decided not to step into the controversy over Arizona's tough immigration law until November, leaving state officials to consider other steps they might take in the meantime.


31 July 2010

Hamas vows revenge after Israeli strikes on Gaza (AFP)

A man carries a wounded young child into a hospital following Israeli air strikes on Gaza City on July 30, 2010. Israeli warplanes attacked the territory, killing one person and wounding eight, the army and medics said on Saturday, a day after a rocket fired from the strip hit a southern Israeli city.(AFP)AFP - Hamas vowed revenge on Saturday after Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip killed a senior militant and wounded eight other people.


31 July 2010

Gore will not be charged over masseuse allegations (AP)

FILE - In this  Friday, July 16, 2010 file photo, former Vice President Al Gore introduces Vice President Joe Biden at the annual Tennessee Democratic Party Jackson Day in Nashville, Tenn. Former Vice President Al Gore was cleared Friday, July 30, 2010 of allegations he groped and assaulted a masseuse in a luxury Portland hotel room in 2006, closing a case that could have tarnished the Nobel prize winner's reputation.  (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)AP - The case of the Nobel Peace Prize winner and the massage therapist has been closed.


31 July 2010

Floods kill 37 in China's northeast: media (AFP)

A general view shows the town of Kouqian in China's Jilin province, on July 28. The death toll from floods sweeping through northeastern China has risen to 37, state media said Saturday, as the country continues to battle the worst floods in a decade.(AFP/File)AFP - The death toll from floods sweeping through northeastern China has risen to 37, state media said Saturday, as the country continues to battle the worst floods in a decade.


31 July 2010

Ethics panel to charge California Rep. Waters (AP)

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2009 file photo, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. A House investigative panel has decided to charge Rep. Maxine Waters of California with ethics violations, raising the possibility of a second trial this fall. People familiar with the investigation, who were not authorized to be quoted, said Friday July 30, 2010 the charges could be filed next week. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)AP - A House investigative panel has decided to charge Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California with ethics violations, raising the possibility of a second high-profile trial with political implications for Democrats this fall.


31 July 2010

Arizona immigration law appeal set for November (Reuters)

An inmate serving a jail sentence rests his hand on a fence at Maricopa County's Tent City jail in Phoenix July 30, 2010. The controversial jail is run by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who supports Arizona's new illegal immigration Senate Bill 1070 law. The jail is known for housing illegal immigrants who are caught living in Arizona without proper legal documents. Picture taken July 30, 2010. REUTERS/Joshua Lott (UNITED STATES - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS CRIME LAW)Reuters - A U.S. court denied a request for an expedited hearing on Friday and instead set a November date for Arizona's appeal to a federal court ruling that blocked key parts of a state law cracking down on illegal immigration.


31 July 2010

Snooki of 'Jersey Shore' arrested in NJ beach town (AP)

FILE - In this July 27, 2010 file photo, Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi , a cast member of MTV's 'Jersey Shore' reality series is shown at the New York Stock Exchange.  (AP Photo/Richard Drew, file)AP - "Jersey Shore" cast member Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi has been arrested in the New Jersey beach town where the MTV show is based.


30 July 2010

U.S. bank failures total 108 after 5 shut on Friday (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. bank failures reached 108 so far in 2010 on Friday as regulators seized five small banks in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast, none publicly traded.

30 July 2010

Enbridge says no restart date for ruptured line (Reuters)

Reuters - Enbridge Inc's chief executive said on Friday he was unable to say when the company would be able to restart the Michigan pipeline that ruptured earlier this week, spilling more than 800,000 gallons of oil.