‘The Daily Show’ Host Jon Stewart Announces Retirement

Frazier Moore The Associated PressJon Stewart’s fans were gobsmacked by the sad news he delivered on Tuesday’s edition of “The Daily Show”: He’s leaving his phoney anchor desk and ending his reign as phoney newsman, and the loss is to real news.

“This show doesn’t deserve an even slightly restless host and neither do you,” he told his audience. He said he might depart in July, September or maybe December. He didn’t say what he means to do next.

To appreciate the impact of his 16-year Comedy Central reign, and the loss his impending exit represents, the distraught viewer need only consider Monday’s broadcast.

It was then that Stewart turned his attention to what was the biggest story in the journalism biosphere that night: the scandal surrounding NBC News’ Brian Williams.

Wearing a woeful expression, he summed up everyone’s befuddlement with crystalline efficiency: “Bri! Why? Why, Bri? Why lie? Sigh.”

New Superman coin collection unveiled at Fan Expo

One of four new collector coins from the Royal Canadian Mint featuring Superman are displayed during an unveiling ceremony at Fan Expo in Toronto on Friday, August 29, 2014

The Royal Canadian Mint on Friday unveiled four limited-edition Superman coins, reproducing colourful iconic images from DC Comics’ book covers.

Three of the new coins have been minted in silver, with face values of $10, $15 and $20 and the fourth in gold with a face value of $100. The mint is only producing 10,000 of each silver coin, and the gold coin is limited to a run of 2,000.

The coins were unveiled at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto by a federal minister who said he grew up with the “fantastic” adventures of Superman.

House Leader Peter Van Loan was also quick to point out the Man of Steel’s Canadian roots, saying Superman’s co-creator was Joe Shuster of Toronto.

“Folks of my generation will know him as a cousin of the famous comedian Frank Shuster of the Wayne and Shuster duo and Joe Shuster was, of course, born in the city,” said Van Loan, who brought his daughter and son along to the unveiling.

President Obama Annouces U.S. Can’t Control Global Agenda

During a news conference Friday, President Obama addressed the growing border crisis, the conflict between Israel and Gaza and other topics. Here are highlights of his remarks in two minutes. (The Washington Post)

As he moved to wrap up his impromptu news conference Friday afternoon, President Obama pleaded with the public to remember how much he’s accomplished.

“In my first term, if I had a press conference like this, typically everybody would want to ask about the economy and how come jobs weren’t being created and how come the housing market’s still bad and, you know, why isn’t it working?” he said, speaking on a day when it was announced that 209,000 jobs were created in July. “And, well, you know what? What we did worked, and the economy’s better.”

Obama’s frustration is understandable: Republicans refuse to cooperate with him on almost anything, including urgent crises like managing the thousands of migrant children at the border. Russian President Vladi­mir Putin ignores his threats on Ukraine. A massive investment in Israeli-Palestinian peace by his administration has collapsed in violent, unending hostilities.

The limits of his presidency have become one of the dominant themes of his second term. He’s now trying to shatter that perception, arguing that neither the nation nor the presidency was endowed with the power to control events around the world. And he insisted he still retained power to make a difference.

“This is a common theme that folks bring up,” Obama said, in response to a question about whether the United States has lost its global influence under him. “Apparently people have forgotten that America, as the most powerful country on earth, still does not control everything around the world. And so, you know, our diplomatic efforts often take time

The president noted that in Eastern Europe, the United States is doing what it can do, aiding the Ukrainians and sanctioning Russia, but “we can’t control how Mr. Putin thinks.”

In the Middle East, he affirmed Israel’s right to self-defense while calling for more efforts to protect Palestinians in Gaza. But with the conflict escalating, he also pointed out that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for decades.

Breaking News! WHO Declares Ebola an International Health Emergency

The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola Epidemic an International Health Emergency, stating that "a coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop and reverse the international spread of Ebola" which has killed almost a 1000 people in four west African countries.

 

At an emergency meeting today August 8th, the Geneva based UN health agency said the declaration of an international emergency will help in raising the level of vigilance for transmission of the virus.

 

WHO advised countries identified to have been infested by the deadly Ebola virus - Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Lieone and Liberia - to declare a state of emergency and that there should be no general ban on international travel or trade on these countries.

Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's head of health security in a telephone interview with reporters stressed that Ebola is not a mysterious disease and that with the right steps and measures to deal with infected people, Ebola's spread could be stopped.

Apple Announces iOS 8, OS X update, Iphone 6 and Tons of Changes

Apple's Mac operating system is getting a new design and better ways to exchange files, while new features in the software for iPhones and iPads include one for keeping tabs on your health.

Apple executive Craig Federighi pointed out that data from various fitness-related devices now live in silos, so you can't get a comprehensive picture of your health. That will change, he says, with
HealthKit coming to the new mobile software, iOS 8. Apple is also working with the Mayo Clinic to make sure your weight, calorie intake and other health metrics are within healthy ranges.

Apple is also making it easier for various devices to work together. You can share songs, movies and books you purchase with your entire family. Macs and mobile gadgets will share more features, and you can share and sync files between the two more easily.

The company is previewing the new features at its 25th annual conference for software developers in San Francisco. Here are the highlights on what's been announced and what's coming:

CHANGES TO MAC COMPUTERS: 

• The next Mac system will be named Yosemite, after the national park, now that Apple is naming it after California locales rather than cats. 
• You'll be able to search for content on the computer and on the Internet at once, similar to a feature available with Microsoft's Windows 8. 

Steve Kerr, TNT Analyst Becomes Golden State Warriors Coach

Five-time NBA champion and former general manager Steve Kerr is set to make his NBA coaching debut after agreeing to terms with Golden State Warriors.

Steve Kerr has agreed to a 5 year, approximately $25 million deal with Golden State, source tells Yahoo. The 48-year-old TNT broadcast analyst was rumored to be the leading candidate for a plethora of coaching vacancies around the league, including the New York Knicks.

Although there are plenty of question marks surrounding Kerr as a result of his inexperience on the bench, he clearly understands what's required of a championship team, having won five rings with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

A former second-round draft pick by the Phoenix Suns in 1988, Kerr was one of the game's most lethal three-point shooters.