House passes credit card bill that helps consumers
(AP)

AP – Riding a crest of populist anger, the House on Thursday approved a bill to restrict credit card practices and eliminate sudden increases in interest rates and late fees that have entangled millions of consumers. The legislation, dubbed the Credit Card Holders’ Bill of Rights, passed by a bipartisan vote of 357-70 following lobbying by President Barack Obama and members of his administration.

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WHO raises swine flu alert level as virus spreads
(AP)

AP – The Geneva-based World Trade Organization on Wednesday raised its alert level for the fast-spreading swine flu to its next-to-highest notch, signaling a global pandemic could be imminent. The move came after the virus spread to at least 10 U.S. states from coast to coast and swept deeper into Europe.

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World health officials race to stem deadly flu
(AP)

AP – World health officials, racing to extinguish a new flu strain that is jumping borders, raised a global alert to an unprecedented level as the outbreak claimed more lives in Mexico. The U.S. prepared for the worst even as President Barack Obama tried to reassure Americans.

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US declares public health emergency for swine flu
(AP)

AP – The U.S. declared a public health emergency Sunday to deal with the emerging new swine flu, much like the government does to prepare for approaching hurricanes.

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Mexico fights swine flu with ‘pandemic potential’
(AP)

AP – A new swine flu strain that has killed as many as 68 people and sickened more than 1,000 across Mexico has “pandemic potential,” the World Health Organization chief said Saturday, and it may be too late to contain the sudden outbreak.

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Badly mixed supplement blamed in polo horse deaths
(AP)

AP – At the same time polo fans gathered to mourn 21 prized horses that died before a championship match, they learned that a wrongly mixed supplement was likely to blame for their deaths.

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Police investigating death of Freddie Mac official
(AP)

AP – The chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, one of the mortgage giants at the heart of the nation’s financial meltdown, was found dead in his basement early Wednesday morning in what police said was an apparent suicide. David Kellermann, 41, apparently hanged himself in his suburban Washington home, said a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. He asked not to be identified because the investigation was ongoing.

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Scientists discover a nearly Earth-sized planet
(AP)

AP – In the search for Earth-like planets, astronomers zeroed in Tuesday on two places that look awfully familiar to home. One is close to the right size. The other is in the right place. European researchers said they not only found the smallest exoplanet ever, called Gliese 581 e, but realized that a neighboring planet discovered earlier, Gliese 581 d, was in the prime habitable zone for potential life.

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AP IMPACT: Tons of released drugs taint US water
(AP)

AP – U.S. manufacturers, including major drugmakers, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways that often provide drinking water — contamination the federal government has consistently overlooked, according to an Associated Press investigation.

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Italian scientist, turning 100, still works
(AP)

AP – Rita Levi Montalcini, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, said Saturday that even though she is about to turn 100, her mind is sharper than it was she when she was 20.

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