Today’s Highlight in History:

On July 31, 1910, Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, whose wife, Cora, had disappeared from their London home, was arrested along with his mistress, Ethel Le Neve (posing as Crippen’s son), aboard the steamship SS Montrose upon its arrival in Quebec, Canada. (Crippen was later convicted by a British court of murdering his wife and executed; Le Neve was acquitted of any involvement.)

On this date:

In 1777, the Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, was made a major-general in the American Continental Army.

In 1875, the 17th president of the United States, Andrew Johnson, died in Carter County, Tenn., at age 66.

In 1919, Germany’s Weimar (VY’-mahr) Constitution was adopted by the republic’s National Assembly.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman helped dedicate New York International Airport (later John F. Kennedy International Airport) at Idlewild Field.

In 1964, the American space probe Ranger 7 reached the moon, transmitting pictures back to Earth before crashing onto the lunar surface.

In 1969, the American space probe Mariner 6 flew by Mars, sending back images of the Red Planet.

In 1970, “The Huntley-Brinkley Report” came to an end after nearly 14 years as co-anchor Chet Huntley signed off for the last time; the broadcast was renamed “NBC Nightly News.”

In 1972, Democratic vice-presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton withdrew from the ticket with George McGovern following disclosures that Eagleton had once undergone psychiatric treatment.

In 1989, a pro-Iranian group in Lebanon released a grisly videotape showing the body of American hostage William R. Higgins, a Marine lieutenant-colonel, dangling from a rope.

In 1991, President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in Moscow.

Ten years ago: The Republican national convention opened in Philadelphia, with George W. Bush’s name put into nomination for president. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak (EH’-hud bah-RAHK’) survived a no-confidence vote. North and South Korea agreed to reopen border liaison offices and reconnect a railway linking their capitals.

Five years ago: Police arrested seven people during a raid on an apartment in southern England, bringing to 21 the number in custody in the relentless hunt for accomplices in the failed July 21 transit bombings in London. Jeong Jang shot a 3-under 69 to win the Women’s British Open by four strokes.

One year ago: Three American tourists were arrested by Iran on suspicion of espionage during what their families have said was a simple hiking trip along the Iraq-Iran border; Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal remain in Iranian custody. Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts returned to Earth, completing a long but successful construction job that boosted the size and power of the international space station.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Don Murray is 81. Jazz composer-musician Kenny Burrell is 79. Actor Geoffrey Lewis is 75. Actress France Nuyen is 71. Actress Susan Flannery is 67. Singer Lobo is 67. Actress Geraldine Chaplin is 66. Former movie studio executive Sherry Lansing is 66. Singer Gary Lewis is 65. Rock singer Bob Welch is 64. Actor Richard Griffiths is 63. International Tennis Hall of Famer Evonne Goolagong Cawley is 59. Actor Barry Van Dyke is 59. Actor Alan Autry is 58. Jazz composer-musician Michael Wolff is 58. Actor James Read is 57. Actor Michael Biehn is 54. Masssachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is 54. Rock singer-musician Daniel Ash (Love and Rockets) is 53. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban is 52. Rock musician Bill Berry is 52. Actor Wesley Snipes is 48. Country singer Chad Brock is 47. Musician Fatboy Slim is 47. Rock musician Jim Corr is 46. Author J.K. Rowling (ROHL’-ing) is 45. Actor Dean Cain is 44. Actor Ben Chaplin is 41. Actor Loren Dean is 41. NFL quarterback Gus Frerotte is 39. Actress Annie Parisse (pah-REES’) is 35. Actor Robert Telfer is 33. Country singer-musician Zac Brown is 32. Actor-producer-writer B.J. Novak is 31. Actor Eric Lively is 29. Country singer Blaire Stroud (3 of Hearts) is 27. Singer Shannon Curfman is 25.

Thought for Today: “The art of life is to show your hand. There is no diplomacy like candor. You may lose by it now and then, but it will be a loss well gained if you do. Nothing is so boring as having to keep up a deception.” — E.V. Lucas, English author and critic (1868-1938).

At 8:15 a.m., the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was flat at 1,046.88 points after opening lower and falling in the previous two sessions. The index was on track to record its best monthly gain since March.

“What I see in this market is a fight between macro-economic data and better-than-expected company results,” said Koen De Leus, economist at KBC Securities.

“We are at a point where the technical picture has improved considerably, but the problem is that the S&P 500 index doesn’t want to break through the 200-day moving average. It’s a worrying sign and if it stays like this for too long, then we can expect to go down again.”

The STOXX Europe 600 banking index fell 0.1 percent, while Barclays , BNP Paribas and Royal Bank of Scotland were down 0.4 to 1.3 percent.

Investors stayed cautious ahead of a government report, which is expected to show at 1:30 p.m. that U.S. economic growth likely slowed in the second quarter. St. Louis Federal Reserve bank President James Bullard’s comments on Thursday that he is worried about the risks the U.S. might fall into a Japan-style quagmire of falling prices and investment also hurt sentiment.

“The US consulate general in Ciudad Juarez has closed to review its security posture,” said a statement released by the US embassy in Mexico City.

“The facility will be closed all day on Friday, July 30, and remain closed until the security review is completed.”

US officials added: “American citizens are advised avoid the area around the consulate general until it reopens.”

A person familiar with negotiations for Lopez said she is close to signing a deal to join Fox TV’s hit singing contest as a judge.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity.

Actor-singer-dancer Lopez, whose films include Selena and The Back-Up Plan, has appeared as a mentor on American Idol.

DeGeneres announced she is leaving the show after one season, following fellow judge Simon Cowell out of the door. Fox has yet to announce a replacement for Cowell.

“A couple months ago, I let Fox and the American Idol producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” DeGeneres said in a statement.

The comedian-talk show host said she realised that while she “loved discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings”.

DeGeneres said she told the network she would delay any action until it had time to “figure out where they wanted to take the panel next”.

- The irresponsible fishing for mackerel which Iceland and the Faroe Islands have initiated as an attempt to secure future quota shares is a serious threat to the mackerel stock, and undermines the cooperation to secure the necessary conservation measures. I consider this situation very seriously, and it has been the topic of discussions between myself and the European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Lisbeth Berg-Hansen says in a comment.

Catches of mackerel from Faroese and Icelandic vessels are, according to Norwegian legislation, not allowed to be landed in Norwegian ports. An exemption is made for the 2000 tons of mackerel which the Faroe Islands are entitled to catch in Norwegian waters as part of the fisheries agreement for 2010 between the Faroe Islands and Norway.

The paper says ‘a serious option’ to come out of this week’s informal talks is a decision to proceed with a VVD CDA cabinet which has the formal support of the anti-Islam PVV in parliament.

This will allow the CDA to get round objections to ruling with the anti-Islam party, frees Wilders from the responsibility of having to find ministers and gives him free reign to continue his anti-Islam campaign, the paper says.

It would also be beneficial to the Netherlands’ reputation abroad not to have the PVV in government.

MPs

The three party leaders – Mark Rutte, Maxime Verhagen and Geert Wilders – will discuss this week’s talks with MPs in three separate meetings at 1400 hours today.

Their talks have taken place at a secret location and without the presence of coalition negotiator Ruud Lubbers. He wants a decision from the the three leaders by Saturday 1200 hours.

Together the three parties control 76 seats of the 150-seat lower house of parliament.
If the three parties agree, negotiations on forming a right-wing cabinet will begin next week.

Wilders will be involved in drawing up the coalition agreement and will sign it, but will not be part of the government.

Danish situation

In Denmark, the far-right DPP has given its parliamentary support to a right-wing government for nine years and Wilders would do well to copy this, Danish MEP and Morten Messerschmidt told the Volkskrant.

Wilders is often in Denmark and knows DPP leader Pia Kjaersgaard well.

‘The cabinet cannot do a thing without our support. In return we get our way in the fight against Islam and in tightening up immigration and integration policy,’ he told the paper.

Wilders has repeatedly said he would be happy to support a right-wing government which the PVV is not part of.

That included encouraging German firms to pay cash incentives to lure foreign workers, he told daily Handelsblatt.

“The question of how Germany becomes lastingly attractive to skilled migrants is right at the top of my agenda,” he said.

That included encouraging payment of a Begrüßungsgeld or “welcome money” for guest workers.

“It is conceivable that some businesses who can afford it and have an urgent need, pay skilled foreign workers an incentive,” he said.

He ruled out, however, using taxpayers’ money to subsidise skilled migrants to relocated to Germany.

Economists agree that Germany’s export-driven economy, which relies heavily on skilled workers such as engineers to develop its high-end manufactured goods to sell overseas, will be gradually eroded in years to come by a dearth of such qualified professionals.

“The skills shortage, and not unemployment, will in the coming years be the key problem for the German job market,” Brüderle said.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On July 30, 1945, during World War II, the Portland class heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, which had just delivered components for the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine; only 316 out of some 1,200 men survived the sinking and shark-infested waters.

On this date:

In 1792, the French national anthem “La Marseillaise” (lah mar-seh-YEHZ’), by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, was first sung in Paris by troops arriving from Marseille.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces tried to take Petersburg, Va., by exploding a gunpowder-filled mine under Confederate defense lines; the attack failed.

In 1918, poet Joyce Kilmer, a sergeant in the 165th U.S. Infantry Regiment, was killed during the Second Battle of the Marne in World War I. (Kilmer is perhaps best remembered for his poem “Trees.”)

In 1932, the Summer Olympic Games opened in Los Angeles.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill creating a women’s auxiliary agency in the Navy known as “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service” — WAVES for short.

In 1960, the recently founded American Football League saw its first pre-season game, in which the Boston Patriots defeated the host Buffalo Bills 28-7.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Medicare bill, which went into effect the following year.

In 1975, former Teamsters union president Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in suburban Detroit; although presumed dead, his remains have never been found.

In 1980, Israel’s Knesset passed a law reaffirming all of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. The Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu became independent of joint British-French rule.

In 1990, British Conservative Party lawmaker Ian Gow was killed in a bombing claimed by the Irish Republican Army.

Ten years ago: President Hugo Chavez (OO’-goh CHAH’-vez) of Venezuela won a fresh six-year term in a landslide re-election.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush was pronounced “fit for duty” after a checkup that showed that the 59-year-old commander-in-chief, an avid mountain bike rider, had lost eight pounds since his last physical exam in December 2004.

One year ago: Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the Cambridge, Mass. officer who arrested him for disorderly conduct at his home, Sgt. James Crowley, had beers with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at White House to discuss the dispute that unleashed a furor over racial profiling in America.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Richard Johnson is 83. Actor Edd (correct) “Kookie” Byrnes is 77. Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is 76. Blues musician Buddy Guy is 74. Movie director Peter Bogdanovichis 71. Feminist activist Eleanor Smeal is 71. Former U.S. Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.) is 70. Singer Paul Anka is 69. Jazz musician David Sanborn is 65. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is 63. Actor William Atherton is 63. Actor Jean Reno (zhahn rih-NOH’) is 62. Blues singer-musician Otis Taylor is 62. Actor Frank Stallone is 60. Actor Ken Olin is 56. Actress Delta Burke is 54. Singer-songwriter Kate Bush is 52. Country singer Neal McCoy is 52. Actor Richard Burgi is 52. Movie director Richard Linklater is 50. Actor Laurence Fishburne is 49. Actress Lisa Kudrow is 47. Bluegrass musician Danny Roberts (The Grascals) is 47. Country musician Dwayne O’Brien is 46. Actress Vivica A. Fox is 46. Actor Terry Crews (“Everybody Hates Chris”) is 42. Actor Simon Baker is 41. Movie director Christopher Nolan (“Inception”) is 40. Actor Tom Green is 39. Rock musician Brad Hargreaves (Third Eye Blind) is 39. Actress Christine Taylor is 39. Actor-comedian Dean Edwards is 37. Actress Hilary Swank is 36. Olympic gold medal beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor is 33. Actress Jaime Pressly is 33. Alt-country singer-musician Seth Avett (AY’-veht) is 30. Actress Yvonne Strahovski (TV: “Chuck“) is 28.

Thought for Today: “An efficient bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty.” — Sen. Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005).

The ‘Fool’s Gold’ actress and the British rock star are looking for a property in New York after dating for just four months.

The couple have been inseparable since meeting at the Coachella Festival in California earlier this year and believe the time is right to set up home.

A source told The Sun newspaper: “They’re very loved-up, they just click.

“Kate’s had a place in the city for five years but she wants somewhere bigger, so Matt’s suggested pooling their resources.”

Kate wants the home to have a playroom for her six-year-old son Ryder – her child from her marriage to Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson -while Matt needs a studio to make music.

The source added: “Kate wants a studio for Matt and playroom for Ryder.”

Despite being snapped in public at the start of this year at a New York eatery, Kate and Matt decided to make their first official public appearance at the Glastonbury music festival in June – at which Muse was headlining.

The 31-year-old actress watched her man perform from the side of the stage and the loved-up pair spent the rest of their time at the famous event partying with pals.

Matt, 32, also met Kate’s mother, actress Goldie Hawn, earlier this month and admitted he was “quite nervous” beforehand.

And he also revealed marriage wasn’t out of the question.

He said: “We just have fun together and are seeing how it goes. Kate is great.

“It’s a little bit too soon to talk about weddings and stuff. Ask me in a few months though. I’ll let you know how it goes with Goldie – and then who knows?”

Berlusconi has been locked for months in open conflict with Gianfranco Fini, the lower house speaker and co-founder of his People of Freedom party, prompting growing speculation that his government could fall well before its term ends in 2013.

The prime minister is due to host a meeting of senior party leaders on Thursday evening, after final clearance of the government’s 25 billion euro (21 billion pound) austerity package, at which a motion to censure Fini is expected to be presented, according to a party source.

In an interview with the Il Foglio newspaper on Thursday, Fini said he was prepared to come to an agreement with Berlusconi to end their increasingly acrimonious rivalry.

“Let’s reset everything, without resentment,” he said. “Berlusconi and I don’t have a duty to be friends or even to appear to be friends but we should honour a political and electoral commitment with the Italian people.”

However Italian newspapers reported that Berlusconi had met senior party allies late on Wednesday and had decided that the offer from Fini, who is estimated to command some 50 votes in parliament, was too late.

“Berlusconi ready to expel Fini,” headlined the daily La Repubblica.

A break between the warring People of Freedom camps could lead to early elections but would not necessarily do so if Berlusconi could secure support in parliament from smaller centrist parties.

President Giorgio Napolitano could also appoint an interim government that would run business until new elections, such as the administration headed by former Finance Minister Lamberto Dini in 1995.

“NO POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE”

The hostility between the two leaders has overshadowed Italian politics for months, complicating moves to pass the austerity budget that is aimed at shoring up the country’s tottering public finances.

The government won a confidence motion on the bill in the lower house on Wednesday, clearing the way for final approval on Thursday and removing a key obstacle that had been restraining Berlusconi from an open break.

In a speech to Italian ambassadors on Wednesday, Berlusconi said that the governing coalition between the People of Freedom and the smaller Northern League was strong enough to survive even without Fini.

“There is absolutely no possibility of a change in the coalition or government,” he said.

As well as its internal splits, Berlusconi’s government has been engulfed by a wave of scandals that have cost two ministers and a junior minister their jobs and ensnared some of his close associates in a judicial investigation into influence-peddling.

Fini has enraged the prime minister by hammering away at the theme of morality and legality in government and insisting that officials implicated in judicial investigations should resign.

He has also helped force Berlusconi to water down a bill that would limit the use of wiretaps by magistrates and would have strongly restricted press reporting of wiretap transcripts, a move critics say would hamper the fight against corruption.