A national poll indicates that nearly half of all Americans think the economy has stabilized, but only one in eight believes that a recovery has started.

Union members protest this week in New York outside a bankruptcy hearing for General Motors Corp.

Four in 10 questioned in the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday morning think the country’s still in an economic downturn.

“Although polls in recent months have shown some signs of growing optimism, that appears to have stalled,” said Keating Holland, CNN’s polling director. “In January, 50 percent said the economy was in very poor shape; that figure dropped to 37 percent in April, but now it has risen slightly, to 41 percent.”

Bill Schneider, CNN senior political analyst, said, “The prevailing view? We’re in a stall.”

The poll suggests that when it comes to an economic recovery, Americans agree with President Obama.

Discussing the economy last week at the White House, Obama said, “We’re still not at actual recovery yet. So I anticipate that this is going to be a difficult, difficult year.”

One in five questioned said the economic conditions in the country today are good, up 9 percentage points from March.

The economy remains the No. 1 issue on Americans’ minds, but that figure has dropped 12 percentage points from March.

“When asked to name the most important issue besides the economy, Americans name health care, followed by the federal deficit and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Holland added.

The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted Friday through Sunday, with 1,026 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey’s sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

- David Beckham has come under fire from U.S. Confederations Cup hero Landon Donovan, who has accused the former England captain of showing no commitment to their club Los Angeles Galaxy.

Landon Donovan, left, is unhappy with David Beckham’s contribution at LA Galaxy.

National skipper Donovan, who led the United States to the final in South Africa last weekend, said in a new book due out later this month that Beckham had been a negative influence since his high-profile move to the Major League Soccer outfit two years ago.

Beckham’s arrival was supposed to help lift the profile and standards of the U.S. league, but he has struggled to make an impact.

Donovan said Beckham, who brokered a loan move to AC Milan last season, had shown little interest in the Galaxy since coach Ruud Gullit resigned in August last year.

“All that we care about at a minimum is that he committed himself to us,” Donovan says in The Beckham Experiment, authored by Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl.

“As time has gone on, that has not proven to be the case in many ways — on the field, off the field. Does the fact that he earns that much more money come into it? Yeah. If someone’s paying you more than anybody in the league, more than double anybody in the league, the least we expect is that you show up to every game, whether you are suspended or not. Show up and train hard, show up and play hard.”

Donovan, who leads the Galaxy in Beckham’s absence, also cast doubt on the 34-year-old midfielder’s leadership abilities.

“Maybe he’s not a leader, maybe he’s not a captain,” he said. “Fair enough. But at a minimum, you should bust your ass every day. That hasn’t happened. And I don’t think that’s too much for us to expect. Especially when he’s brought all this on us.”

Beckham has brought in bigger crowds, but has made little impact on the playing field for LA since his surprise, big-money move from Real Madrid, with the Galaxy failing to make the end-of-season play-offs despite high hopes.

“When David first came, I believed he was committed to what he was doing,” Donovan said. “He cared. He wanted to do well. He wanted the team and the league to do well.

“Somewhere along the way — and in my mind it coincides with Ruud being let go — he just flipped a switch and said, ‘Uh-huh, I’m not doing it anymore’.

“He’s not shown (that he’s a good team-mate). I can’t think of another guy where I’d say he wasn’t a good team-mate, he didn’t give everything through all this, he didn’t still care. But with him, I’d say no, he wasn’t committed.”

Donovan cites Beckham’s desire to move to Italy, which saw him miss half the 2009 MLS season.

“My sense is that David’s clearly frustrated, that he’s unhappy and, honestly, that he thinks it’s a joke,” he said. “I also kind of feel (he has taken the team) for granted. I don’t see dedication or commitment to this team, and that’s troubling.”

Donovan believes it would be best if Beckham, due to make his Galaxy comeback against the New York Red Bulls on July 16 — two days after Wahl’s is published — seal a permanent move back to Europe.

“Let’s say he does stay here for three more years,” Donovan said. “I’m not going to spend the next three years of my life doing it this way. This is miserable. I don’t want to have soccer be this way.”

Serena Williams fought back from the brink of defeat to stay on course for her third Wimbledon title with victory over Elena Dementieva in the longest women’s semi-final in history.

Serena Williams celebrates her stunning semifinal victory over Russian Elena Dementieva.

The 27-year-old American was forced to produce all her battling qualities to overcome a spirited Dementieva, who produced a brilliant performance but still bowed out at the last-four stage for the second year in a row.

Williams saved a match point in the second set before forcing a decider and winning 6-7 7-5 8-6 in an epic duel on Centre Court that lasted 12 minutes short of three hours.

“It was really tough,” Williams told BBC Sport. “She’s been playing so well and has won a lot of matches against me in the past.

“I was not on my best game but my family were so positive. Elena played so well and we gave the crowd a wonderful match.”

People are accused of sharing games such as Dream Pinball

Some 20 net users have come forward claiming they have been wrongly accused of illegally sharing video games.

It follows an investigation by Which? Computing magazine into a couple who were accused of playing a game they claim they had never heard of.

That case was dropped but other internet users have come forward, claiming to be falsely accused.

They face the threat of court action - or fines of up to £665 - for sharing copyrighted games.

Some 6,000 letters have been sent out by law firm ACS Law, on behalf of firms such as Reality Pump and Topware Interactive, who are the copyright owners of video games Two Worlds and Dream Pinball respectively.

The government is keen to crack down on pirates, and the recently published Digital Britain report said that they could be pursued through the courts.

“The government is basically calling for a crackdown on illegal file-sharers, which is fair enough, but we’ve got serious concerns about the process which identifies alleged file-sharers and we believe that innocent people are being accused,” said Sarah Kidner, editor of Which? Computing.

The IP addresses of alleged file-sharers are initially obtained by anti-piracy firm Logistep which uses software that monitors file-sharing sites.

A court order is then sent to the relevant internet service provider, forcing them to reveal the identity of the person behind the IP address.

Imperfect

The Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) has admitted that the process could be flawed.

“We’re not convinced of the efficacy of the software and not confident in its ability to identify users,” it told Which? Computing.

Last year, the magazine highlighted the case of Scottish couple Gill and Ken Murdoch, aged 54 and 66, who were accused of sharing the game Race 07, published by Atari.

At the time, Mrs Murdoch told Which: “We do not have, and have never had, any computer game or sharing software. We did not even know what ‘peer to peer’ was until we received the letter.”

The case was dropped and the law firm responsible for sending the letter, Davenport Lyons, is being investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Habitat apologised for hijacking Twitter tags about Iran

Twitter users who lack an audience for their messages can now buy followers.

Australian social media marketing company uSocial is offering a paid service that finds followers for users of the micro-blogging service.

Followers are available in blocks starting at $87 (£53) for 1,000. The biggest block uSocial is selling is 100,000 people.

USocial said businesses and individuals were queuing up to use its follower finding service.

Find and follow

Leon Hill, chief executive of uSocial, said the company finds potential followers by searching Twitter and working out what individual users are interested in. It also profiles where people are so it can more closely match users with those they might want to follow.

USocial then sends messages to potential followers telling them about the new Twitter user they might want to follow.

“It’s up to the user to follow them or not,” said Mr Hill. He added that uSocial continues to look for followers until the specified number had signed up.

USocial has about 150 customers that had bought followers and had another 80-90 campaigns about to roll out.

A broad range of clients had signed up to buy followers, said Mr Hill including educational organisations, companies and marketing firms.

“A woman who runs yoga classes is one of our clients,” he said. “So are some religious organisations including one man that just wants to get the word out about God.”

“Twitter started as a way for just friends to keep in touch,” said Mr Hill. “As with any social media site once they get big, every business or marketer jumps on the bandwagon.

Twitter is becoming one of the key viral channels Robin Goad, Hitwise

“It’s an excellent marketing medium,” he said.

USocial estimated that each follower on Twitter was worth about 10 cents a month to a company that got them to sign up. The money would be made from adverts and sales on websites that followers click through to.

Robin Goad, a research director at Hitwise who has analysed Twitter growth, said businesses were definitely starting to sign up to the micro-blogging service.

“At the moment, it’s mainly media and internet content businesses,” he said. “Transactional companies are struggling to find a way to drive real pounds and dollars from it.

“Companies are building up as many followers as they can and trying to monetise them in the future,” he added.

The growing commercial use of Twitter was presenting the network with a few problems, said Mr Goad.

In particular, he said, Hitwise was starting to see the hijacking of hashtags - labels that bring all the messages about a subject together.

In late June, furnishings firm Habitat used tags associated with protests in Iran to attempt to drive people to its site. The firm has since apologised for its actions.

Some Twitter users were also starting to send out messages that are only about a product or service - effectively spam, said Mr Goad.

“Twitter is becoming one of the key viral channels,” he said.

Twitter might cope better with the creeping commercialisation than other social media sites, he said.

“It’s interesting in the way it has developed,” said Mr Goad. “Hashtags and re-tweets have developed organically rather than been designed from the top down.

“One advantage it has over other services is that it can change quickly if hashtags become a polluted medium and it might keep one step ahead of the spammers,” he said.

“We’ve yet to see people defecting to the next big thing.”

The economic crisis is partly blamed for rising obesity rates

Obesity rates in the US have surged over the last year, a report shows.

The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found adult obesity rates rose in 23 of the 50 states, but fell in none.

In addition, the percentage of obese and overweight children is at or above 30% in 30 states.

The report warns widespread obesity is fuelling rates of chronic disease, and is responsible for a large, and growing chunk of domestic healthcare costs.

Obesity is linked to a range of health problems, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

BODY MASS INDEX Calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared Normal: 18.5 - 24.9 Overweight: 25 - 29.9 Obese: Above 30 Calculate your BMI

Dr Jeff Levi, TFAH executive director, said: “Our health care costs have grown along with our waist lines.

“The obesity epidemic is a big contributor to the skyrocketing health care costs in the US.

“How are we going to compete with the rest of the world if our economy and workforce are weighed down by bad health?”

The US government has set a target of cutting obesity rates in all 50 states to 15% by next year.

However, the report said this target was certain to be missed.

Fattest state

For the fifth year in a row, Mississippi had the highest rate of adult obesity at 32.5%. Three other states - West Virginia, Alabama and Tennessee - also had adult obesity rates in excess of 30%.

In just one state - Colorado - was the adult obesity rate below 20%.

In 1991, no state had an adult obesity rate above 20%, and in 1980 the national average for adult obesity was 15%.

Mississippi also had the highest rate of obese and overweight children (ages 10 to 17) at 44.4%. Minnesota and Utah had the lowest rate at 23.1%.

Childhood obesity rates in the US have more than tripled since 1980.

The report warns that the current economic crisis could exacerbate the obesity epidemic by driving up food prices, particularly for nutritious foods.

In addition, it blames increased rates of depression, anxiety and stress for fuelling unhealthy living.

A recent analysis commissioned by TFAH found that the Baby Boomer generation has a higher rate of obesity compared with previous generations.

This suggests that the percentage of obese adults aged 65 and older could soon increase significantly.

Schizophrenia affects one in 100 people

Scientists have identified thousands of tiny genetic variations which together could account for more than a third of the inherited risk of schizophrenia.

They also showed the condition is genetically similar to bipolar disorder also known as manic depression.

The findings came from work by three separate teams, who analysed DNA from thousands of people.

The studies - the biggest ever into the genetics of schizophrenia - appear in the journal Nature.

We fully expect that future work will assemble them into meaningful pathways that will teach us about the biology of schizophrenia Dr Pamela Sklar Massachusetts General Hospital

The findings suggest that schizophrenia is much more complex than previously thought, and can arise not only from rare genetic variants, but common ones as well.

It is hoped the work could lead to new diagnostic tests and treatments for the condition.

Schizophrenia is a common form of mental illness, affecting up to 1% of adults worldwide.

Symptoms tend to appear in late adolescence or early adulthood, and can include delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, and depression.

The cause of schizophrenia remains unclear, but it is thought that up to 90% of cases may be inherited.

Research linking the condition to specific genes was published last year, but it is thought they accounted for only a few cases.

Potentially, the findings of the latest studies could be much more significant.

The researchers say that individually many of the genetic variations they have identified play only a tiny role in raising the risk of passing schizophrenia down the generations.

Cumulative effect

However, Dr Shaun Purcell, from Harvard University, who co-led one of the three teams, said: “Cumulatively, they play a major role, accounting for at least one-third - and probably much more - of disease risk.”

The researchers stress that more work is needed to establish exactly how the genetic variants translate into schizophrenia.

But researcher Dr Pamela Sklar, of Massachusetts General Hospital, said: “We fully expect that future work will assemble them into meaningful pathways that will teach us about the biology of schizophrenia.”

All three studies highlight genes found on Chromosome 6 in area known as the Major Histocompatibility Complex, which plays a role in the immune system, and in controlling when other genes are switched on and off.

The researchers believe this might help explain why environmental factors also seem to affect risk for schizophrenia.

For example, there is evidence that children whose mothers contract flu while pregnant have a higher risk.

Bipolar disorder

In total the researchers identified 30,000 tiny genetic variants more common in people with schizophrenia.

A similar pattern was found in people with bipolar disorder - indicating a previously unrecognised overlap between the two conditions.

Dr Thomas Insel, of the US National Institute of Mental Health, said: “These new results recommend a fresh look at our diagnostic categories.

“If some of the same genetic risks underlie schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, perhaps these disorders originate from some common vulnerability in brain development.”

The three research teams, who shared their data, were the International Schizophrenia Consortium, the Molecular Genetics of Schizophrenia consortium and SGENE.

In total, they analysed genetic data from 8,014 people with schizophrenia, comparing them to samples from 19,090 people who did not have the condition.

Paul Corry, of the mental health charity Rethink, said: “This exciting research brings us one step closer to understanding the causes of schizophrenia, but we are still a long way from a full explanation.

“Most of the genetic contribution to this illness is still unknown and it is crucial to realise that genes are only part of the picture - environmental and social factors, such as drug use or trauma, can exacerbate or even trigger schizophrenia.”

Schools across Argentina have sent students home

Leaders and experts from 50 countries are meeting in Cancun, Mexico, to discuss the global swine flu outbreak.

The two-day event, starting on Thursday, is aimed at examining the response to the H1N1 virus and seeing what lessons can be learned.

The meeting is taking place as Paraguay reported its first swine flu death and some parts of Argentina have declared a public heath emergency.

It has been more than two months since the initial alert over swine flu.

Since then, the H1N1 virus has entered more than 100 countries, infected more than 70,000 people and killed more than 300 worldwide.

Vaccine

As the experts and leaders meet in Cancun, authorities across South America are becoming increasingly concerned as the peak flu season approaches.

Schools across Argentina have sent students home and pregnant women have been told they can take two weeks off work to avoid contracting the virus.

It is hoped the Cancun meeting will address many of the issues that might help slow the spread of swine flu.

However, many people are concerned that an effective vaccine has still not been developed.

US actor Karl Malden, best known for his roles in films such as A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront, has died at home in Los Angeles aged 97.

He was arguably best known for playing Lt Mike Stone in the long-running TV series The Streets of San Francisco, opposite a young Michael Douglas.

Malden was twice nominated for an Oscar, winning best supporting actor in 1951 for A Streetcar Named Desire.

The actor, who died of natural causes, had been in poor health for many years.

Malden served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences from 1989 to 1992.

“Karl lived a rich, full life,” said Academy president Sid Ganis.

“He has the greatest and most loving family; a career that has spanned the spectrum of the arts from theatre to film and television, to some very famous commercial work.”

Malden was born Mladen Sekulovich in Chicago on March 22, 1912 to a Czech mother and a Serbian father.

He changed his name in order to become an actor, but insisted that Fred Gwynne’s character in On the Waterfront be named Sekulovich to honour his heritage.

Early on in his career, Malden said he realised that his average looks and distinctive nose - twice broken on the sports field - were unlikely to make him a leading man.

He liked to say he had “an open-hearth face”.

‘Tremendous discipline’

Many of his more memorable performances - both on stage and screen - came in supporting roles.

“He was the consummate actor and he loved acting,” said Eve Marie Saint, who co-starred with Malden in On The Waterfront, for which he received his second Oscar nomination in 1954, playing Father Corrigan.

“He was dear and smart. Whatever he did he enjoyed life.”

Buoyed by awards success, Malden’s film career flourished in the 1950s and 60s, with parts in films such as Birdman of Alcatraz, How the West Was Won, Gypsy, The Cincinnati Kid and Patton.

Malden starred with Michael Douglas in The Streets of San Francisco

He avoided moving into television for many years, but succumbed to the role of the gruff homicide detective Mike Stone in The Streets of San Francisco, which ran from 1972 to 1977.

The role saw him cast opposite 28-year-old Michael Douglas, as on-screen police partner, Inspector Steve Keller.

“He was fantastic. He just had a tremendous discipline, tremendous ethics,” Douglas told US TV news last month, ahead of a ceremony to honour Malden’s lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute.

West Wing

Malden also became a household name fronting a long-running advertising campaign for American Express travellers cheques, with the slogan “Don’t Leave Home Without Them”.

The actor was nominated five times for an Emmy for his work on The Streets of San Francisco, finally winning in 1984 for the mini-series Fatal Vision.

Malden acted sparingly in recent years, appearing in 2000 in a small role on TV’s The West Wing.

He was married to actress Mona Graham for more than 70 years, one of the longest partnerships in Hollywood history.

He is survived by his wife, daughters Mila and Cara, three granddaughters, and four great-grandchildren.

Jermaine Jackson announced his brother’s death to reporters

Jermaine Jackson “would be hurt” if he found out that reports about his brother Michael’s drug use were true, he has said in an interview.

Unconfirmed reports following the star’s death last week have suggested he was taking the painkiller Demerol and that he abused prescription drugs.

Jermaine told US TV that Michael had been “against anything like that”.

“But in this business, the pressure, and things that you go through - you never know what people might turn to.”

“I’m not saying it’s right, because it’s not right,” he added.

To hear my mother say, ‘Michael is dead,’ to feel and hear the tone in her voice to say her child is dead, is nothing that anyone can ever imagine Jermaine Jackson

Toxicology tests

Following an autopsy on Friday, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said there was no evidence of foul play, but gave no cause for Jackson’s death.

It said the results of toxicology tests could take weeks to come back.

A spokesman said Jackson had taken “some prescription medication”, without specifying which.

Jermaine, who confirmed his brother’s death to journalists last Thursday, was interviewed for NBC’s Today programme in the grounds of the sprawling Neverland ranch, 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Fighting back tears, the 54-year-old described how his mother, Katherine, had called him to break the news.

“She was crying, saying he was dead.”

He added: “To hear my mother say, ‘Michael is dead,’ to feel and hear the tone in her voice to say her child is dead, is nothing that anyone can ever imagine.”

When he arrived at the UCLA medical centre, he had seen his brother’s body, he said.

“To see him there lifeless and breathless was very emotional for me.

Jackson had been due to stage comeback concerts in London

“But I held myself together because I knew he’s very much alive in his spirit, and that was just a shell.

“I kissed him on his forehead, and I hugged him, and I touched him and, I said, ‘Michael, I’ll never leave you - you’ll never leave me’.”

He said he was his younger brother’s “backbone” and wished he could have died instead.

“I wanted to be there for him - I was there and he was sort of like Moses.

“Things he couldn’t say, I would say them - during trials, during everything.”

‘No viewing’

Jermaine, who appeared on UK reality series Big Brother in 2007, asserted that Neverland should be his younger sibling’s final resting place.

“He created this,” he said. “Why wouldn’t he be here? I feel his presence.”

People will be hearing a lot of that unreleased material for the first time ever. There’s just some genius and brilliance in there Tommy Mottola Former Sony Music chairman

The Jackson family, who have ruled out a “public or private viewing” of Michael’s body at the ranch, are due to announce a public memorial soon.

Meanwhile, Tommy Mottola, former chairman of Sony Music - which owns distribution rights to Jackson’s music - has said new releases of unheard tracks “could go on for years and years”.

“There are dozens and dozens of songs that did not end up on his albums,” said Mottola, who was in charge of Sony from 1998 to 2003.

“People will be hearing a lot of that unreleased material for the first time ever. There’s just some genius and brilliance in there.”

The material includes unused tracks from sessions for some his classic albums as well as new songs recorded with singer and producer Akon and Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am.