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Relief was etched all across Michael Phelps' face Wednesday after the American won his first gold medal of the world swimming championships in Shanghai, one year to the day before he begins his final Olympics campaign.

A 63-year-old American man with a hernia plunged a butter knife into his abdomen to try to fix the problem, and later put a lit cigarette in the wound, according to police.

A Belgian UFO photograph that became a worldwide hit was faked with a piece of polystyrene, one of the people behind the picture has revealed more than 20 years later in a TV interview.

In old movies, the inmate usually got a hacksaw blade secreted into his cell baked in a cake.

A British prop designer who makes replicas of the menacing Stormtrooper helmets featured in Star Wars films won a legal battle Wednesday against director George Lucas, who took him to the High Court in 2008 over copyright infringement.

Energizer Holdings Inc's (ENR.N) quarterly profit did not fall as much as expected, as strong razor sales helped mitigate the impact of higher costs for materials such as zinc and weak demand for batteries.

Hospira Inc (HSP.N) on Wednesday reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly net profit, driven by positive results for the prostate cancer treatment oncolytic docetaxel in the United States.

Analysts expect Boeing Co (BA.N) to report a narrowed quarterly profit on Wednesday, but Wall Street will be looking for executive comments on its high-profile commercial airplane programs.

Zimmer Holdings Inc (ZMH.N) reported higher quarterly net earnings on Wednesday on stronger sales, mainly outside the United States.

Clorox Co (CLX.N) once again turned down an offer from activist investor Carl Icahn, calling his latest bid of $80 per share "inadequate."

Perry Chen was working in the New Orleans' music industry when he faced a cash-crunch during the city's JazzFest. He wanted to bring a European musician to perform at the festival but couldn't raise the money. A decade later, other artists are now reaping the benefits of Chen's brainstorm: online fundraising site Kickstarter.

A decade ago Austin bookseller Steve Bercu faced a Texas-sized threat to his independent store: Borders was planning to build a megastore just blocks away. So he dug in his spurs and garnered community support that kept the franchise out of his area.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) is opening its first small store in Chicago on Wednesday as it tests a format it hopes will allow it to penetrate urban markets that have resisted its huge stores.

Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez was arrested in front of the White House on Tuesday afternoon while protesting deportation of illegal immigrants, a spokesman said.

South Korean scientists said on Wednesday they have created a glowing dog using a cloning technique that could help find cures for human diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, Yonhap news agency reported.

Will the sky fall on August 2 if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling?

A Republican proposal to cut the U.S. deficit faced delay and stiff opposition on Wednesday, raising the risk of a debt default and a ratings downgrade as the clock ticks toward a deadline less than a week away.

A Republican plan to cut the U.S. deficit faced delay and stiff opposition on Wednesday, raising the risk of default and a ratings downgrade as the clock ticks toward a deadline less than a week away.

Elizabeth Warren, the law professor who persuaded the Obama administration to create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will step down on August 1 from her role setting up the controversial new regulator, the Treasury said on Tuesday.

Will the sky fall on August 2 if the U.S. Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling?

It's not too late to find investor-friendly exchange-traded funds specializing in safe-haven currencies and precious metals, experts say, though the August 2 deadline for raising the U.S. debt ceiling is days away. For more intrepid individuals, there are even some tech ETFs that seem to be holding their own.

The dollar fell broadly on Tuesday as lawmakers remained deadlocked over raising the nation's debt ceiling to avoid a devastating default, while U.S. and European shares also declined.

Oil prices edged up in choppy trading on Tuesday, lifted by a weak dollar while markets were buffeted by the continued stalemate over the U.S. debt ceiling that hemmed in Wall Street.

Gold held steady on Tuesday after the last session's record high, as investors stayed on the sidelines, watching the stalemate in Washington's budget talks to avert a ratings downgrade or default.

Tea Party activists demanded House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner deliver on budget cuts at a rally on Monday at his Ohio offices, urging the Republican leader to "stand strong" in debt negotiations.

Paul Light has worked in and studied the institutions of government in Washington for more than three decades. He has written papers and taught about the great American legislative battles of modern times, where compromise has nearly always prevailed.

Oregon Democratic Congressman David Wu, accused of an unwanted sexual encounter with a campaign donor's teenage daughter, said on Tuesday he will resign his seat to defend himself against "these very serious allegations."

When Netflix reports second-quarter earnings late on Monday, financial analysts will look to the company to give not only an update on its financials but also some clarity into its future. With an ambitious plan to expand into 43 Latin American countries and a dramatic change to its pricing plans, Netflix has a lot of big changes expected in the second half of the year.

As Google rolls out its Google+ social network, it is struggling with the same questions about identity that have caused problems for Facebook in the past: namely, how much should it force people to use their ?real? names? The web giant has been disabling user accounts on Google+ for a variety of reasons over the past few weeks, but it has caused an outcry from many who feel it is being too strict in some cases and not enough in others. The big issue at the root of this battle, as we have point...