AP - Stung by his recent indictment in Texas, Tom Delay is trying to turn his legal woes into a financial boon for his re-election. The former House majority leader is using his congressional campaign to distribute to voters derogatory information about the prosecutor who brought the charges against him and to solicit donations for his re-election.

AP - Oil prices are climbing on signs that China's economy may avoid a sharp slowdown and keep global demand strong.

Nicolas Sarkozy concedes defeat to Socialist party candidate, who has become first leftwing president in almost 20 yearsFrançois Hollande has won power in France, turning the tide on a rightwards and xenophobic lurch in European politics and vowing to transform Europe's handling of the economic crisis by fighting back against German-led austerity measures.The 57-year-old rural MP and self-styled Mr Normal, a moderate social democrat from the centre of the Socialist party, is France's first leftwing president in almost 20 years. Projections from early counts, released by French TV, put his score at 51.9%.His emphatic victory is a boost to the left in a continent that has gradually swung rightwards since the economic crisis broke four years ago.Nicolas Sarkozy, defeated after one term in office, became the 11th European leader to lose power since the economic crisis in 2008. He conceded defeat at his headquarters in the Mutualité in Paris: 'I will never be like those who have defeated us,' he said. 'From the bottom of my heart I want France to succeed with the challenges it faces. It is something much greater than us; France. This evening we must think exclusively of France.'He thanked the French people for letting him lead for five years. 'In the life of a man presiding over the destiny of France, it is something I will never be able to forget.'The defeat of the most unpopular French president ever to run for re-election was not simply the result of the global financial crisis or eurozone debt turmoil. It was also down to the intense public dislike of the man viewed by many as the 'president of the rich' who had swept to victory in 2007 with a huge mandate to change France. The majority of French people felt he had failed to deliver on his promises, and he was criticised for his ostentatious display of wealth, favouring the rich and leaving behind over 2.8 million unemployed. Political analysts said anti-Sarkozy sentiment had become a cultural phenomenon in France.Hollande is the first Socialist president to win a French election since François Mitterrand's re-election in 1988. Hours before the official announcement, hordes of cheering supporters began gathering at Paris's Place de la Bastille, a flashpoint of the 1789 French revolution, where the left had celebrated Mitterrand's first historic victory in 1981. The right has held the French presidency since Jacques Chirac's victory in 1995.Hollande's first move as president will be to push Germany to renegotiate Europe's budget discipline pact to include a clause on growth. He has vowed to push growth measures to the centre of Brussels' handling of the eurozone crisis.Ségolène Royal, Hollande's former partner who was defeated by Sarkozy in 2007, said France had voted for change and a new approach to European economic policy. Manuel Valls, tipped for a cabinet post, said Hollande now had to reconcile a France that had been divided during Sarkozy's term.Hollande's victory comes after a brutal and vitriolic campaign marked by the high score of the farright Front National's Marine Le Pen, who came third in the first round with 17.9% and 6.4m votes. Sarkozy, who had launched his campaign in F

Apple will announce earnings, and will likely beat forecasts. What everyone seems to ignore is the sales of Apple personal computers. Those sales are increasing at a very rapid pace, generating lots of money for the company. So, those of you who continue to buy Windows PCs will soon be in the minority. I suggest you stop buying junk. --