CA Technologies to pay $330M for Interactive TKO

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Business software company CA Technologies said Wednesday that it agreed to buy privately held Interactive TKO Inc. for $330 million in cash.

Islandia, N.Y.-based CA said the purchase expands its IT management portfolio to include software that allows developers to simulate how their applications would work.

"ITKO's technology allows customers to anticipate how their applications will perform in alternate environments, significantly reducing risk," said David Dobson, CA customer …

Finnish, Swedish economies shrink in Q4

The Finnish and Swedish economies shrank in the fourth quarter of last year, as the global downturn continued to hit the Nordic countries.

Finland's gross domestic product was down 5.1 percent compared to the same period in 2008, while Sweden's GDP fell 1.5 percent, the countries' …

NBC cancels `3rd Rock from the Sun'

LOS ANGELES The NBC comedy "3rd Rock from the Sun" will end itssix-season run May 22.

"We're grateful to the `3rd Rock' producers and the out-of-this-world cast who provided NBC with so many seasons of sheer lunacy,"Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement."Their loopy and creative humor will make this one of the classicseries of the 1990s."

Zucker gave no reason for dropping the program.

Now off the schedule, "3rd Rock" will …

Obama won't weigh in on Georgia execution

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is refusing to weigh in on the pending execution in Georgia of inmate Troy Davis.

Less than half-hour before Davis' scheduled execution Wednesday, White House press secretary Jay Carney issued a statement saying that Obama has long worked to ensure accuracy and fairness in the criminal justice system especially in capital cases. But Carney said it would not …

Campaign cash cows are put out to pasture

This fall, many members of Congress will see a major source of campaign contributions disappear, possibly never to return.

Political action committees affiliated with mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are now banned from engaging in lobbying activities, including making donations. They were ordered to cease when the Bush administration engineered a government takeover of the quasi-governmental companies and put them under a conservatorship in an effort to help reverse a housing and credit crisis.

Whether the PACS come back in some form is likely to depend on the next Congress, says Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who, as chairman of the House Financial …

RichRod's future unclear: ; Michigan coach, athletic director will resume meeting today

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Rich Rodriguez has his job for at leastanother day.

Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon and Rodriguez met Tuesdayand will get together again this morning to discuss the embattledfootball coach's future, The Associated Press has learned.

A person familiar with the situation told the AP that Brandon hasnot decided whether to fire Rodriguez, who is 15-22 after threeseasons running college football's winningest program. The personspoke on condition of anonymity because the details of theevaluation were supposed to remain confidential.

Wolverines defensive back James Rogers said a Tuesday night teammeeting was postponed until this …

White House Hangs Veto Over Pullout Plan

WASHINGTON - House Democratic leaders vowed Thursday to pass legislation setting a deadline of Sept. 1, 2008, for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq, a challenge to President Bush's war policy that drew a blunt veto threat in return.

"It would unnecessarily handcuff our generals on the ground, and it's safe to say it's a nonstarter for the president," said White House spokesman Dan Bartlett.

Little more than two months after Democrats took control of the House and Senate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said the bill would set "dates certain for the first time in the Congress for the redeployment of our troops out of Iraq."

Officials said the …