USA
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will speak about his Mormon faith in an address Thursday at the library of former President George H.W. Bush in College Station, Texas, his campaign said Sunday. The speech will focus on religious liberty and tolerance, as well as what role Romney's faith would play if he becomes the first Mormon to be elected president.
Given the ubiquity of cellphones, AT&T Inc. said Monday it would end its pay phone business by the end of 2008. Its BellSouth subsidiary has already dropped pay phones. The number of AT&T pay phones has dwindled from 2.6 million in 1998 to 1 million today.
Activision Inc., an American video-game company based in Santa Monica, Calif., said Sunday that it would merge with French telecom and media group Vivendi in a complex $9.85 billion deal. The merger creates the world's largest video-game publisher and paves the way for Activision to market in China.
The national debt grows by about $1.4 billion a day, according to an analysis by the Associated Press. That breaks down to an estimated $30,000 debt for each man, woman, and child.
The mayors of five Texas cities – Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso – have declared compact fluorescent light bulbs as the state's official "state bulbs." They are urging residents to replace incandescents with fluorescents that use 80 percent less energy.
Faith Iames Schremp of Wausau, Wis., who missed out on a Girl Scout camping experience 69 years ago because of a childhood illness, was finally presented the Golden Eaglet Award, the predecessor of the Gold Award, the organization's highest honor. The camping trip was the missing link in earning the award.
Bowl Championship Series selectors named top-ranked Ohio State (11-1) and second-ranked LSU (11-2) to square off in the Jan. 7 national title game in New Orleans. Meanwhile, LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini was named to succeed Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan, who was fired after the Cornhuskers' second losing season in four years. Above, Pelini is joined by his wife and son at the announcement.
