WASHINGTON ? Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is declining to weigh in on allegations of sexual harassment against rival Herman Cain.
Romney on Wednesday was asked about Cain during interviews. The former Massachusetts governor told Denver's KUSA that he only knows what he has seen on television and read in the newspapers.
He says questions about sexual harassment should be directed to Cain, not himself.
And he told Houston's KTRK that questions about candidates' personal lives are typically parts of campaigns and often keep some people from seeking public office. He was not asked specifically about Cain during that interview.
CONCORD, N.H. ? New Hampshire on Wednesday scheduled its first-in-the-nation presidential primary for Jan. 10, finally giving candidates a concrete calendar after months of uncertainty.
The date announced by Secretary of State Bill Gardner Wednesday had been widely expected since Nevada Republicans voted last month to shift their presidential caucuses to early February, ending what had become a bitter standoff among rival states. Gardner had warned that Nevada's initial decision to hold its contest in mid-January could force New Hampshire to vote in early December.
"I was sort of on the edge of a cliff," Gardner said. "I was hoping if I had to move, there would be a puddle of water to jump into if necessary."
It's a position Gardner knows well, though he said this year's wrangling over the date wasn't the worst he's faced by a longshot ? that distinction goes to 1984, when he faced intense pressure from the Democratic National Committee to change the date.
New Hampshire state law requires the primary to be held at least seven days ahead of any other similar contest and gives Gardner exclusive power to set the date. That has made him the target of criticism from other states hoping to grab some of the spotlight.
Critics also argue that New Hampshire is too small and too white to play such a major role in picking presidents, but Gardner and other defenders of New Hampshire say the country ? and the candidates ? are well-served because the primary requires close contact with voters, not just name-recognition or advertising cash. In fact, thanks to a random drawing, the first candidate listed on Republican ballot will be Joe Story of Jacksonville, Fl., whose website is theaveragejoeforpresident.com. Candidates will be listed alphabetically after him, putting front-runner Mitt Romney nearly at the bottom.
"Really, the election for the candidates begins today," said state Rep. Jim Splaine, who authored the state law that puts New Hampshire first.
New Hampshire's decision brings welcome clarity to the path for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. New Hampshire will vote a week after the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, with South Carolina's primary on Jan. 21, Florida's on Jan. 31 and the Nevada caucuses on Feb. 4.
Some feared that jockeying states might cram more contests into January, creating an informal national primary that would deprive second-tier candidates of opportunities to regroup and raise money as they raced from state to state. With the calendar set, campaigns can now launch strategies that had been held hostage to an uncertain calendar.
Already, there are signs they are ramping up. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, for example, begins airing his first television advertisements in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
Though Wednesday's announcement comes just 10 weeks before primary day, Gardner has cut it closer before. During the last presidential campaign, he waited until Nov. 21 to set the Jan. 8 date, the earliest date yet.
"I thought after last cycle we would not face this again, and I'm hopeful in next cycle we won't face it again," Gardner said Wednesday. "But there is no simple answer."
After seeing long-range surveillance's effectiveness during the first Gulf War, the UK acquired Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) technology and integrated it into its all-seeing Sentinel surveillance system. More »
All Critics (56) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (53) | Rotten (3)
It's a definitive example of naturalistic moviemaking -- you feel you're breathing the air that the characters are breathing.
Its final moments offer a vision of what a contemporary romance can achieve: an appreciative gasp of truth, a wet-eyed hope for more.
One of the truest, most beautiful movies ever made about two strangers.
If you've ever met someone who changed your life in the space of days, you'll relate to something in this movie.
The organ that "Weekend" is most concerned with isn't the one you might think, but the human heart.
In just a short period of time, a weekend hookup tests the boundaries each man has set for himself.
It is a tender, humane film, with an easy, unforced cinematic language: a film that doesn't need to try too hard.
Haigh's film is written with a shrewd, unpretentious feel for the way young people behave when they're getting to know each other, shot with a keen eye for urban solitude, and completely nails its seemingly modest tasks...
Haigh, writing, directing and producing, drives through the meeting-cute introductions and the medium-molten sex scenes as if they were merely marks on the map, to follow the simple, complex arc of an evolving love affair.
Impressively directed and superbly written, this is an emotionally engaging and strikingly naturalistic romantic drama with terrific central performances from newcomers Tom Cullen and Chris New.
A remarkable film that signals an exciting new voice in the LGBT landscape.
Sexy, provocative, engrossing and occasionally ornery, it should appeal to anyone whose curiosity about someone new has provoked them to question their own identity.
Terrific low-key turns from the two leads inject their growing bond with genuine emotion, making this a love story that will get under the skin of romantics everywhere.
Cullen and New are British stage actors with little background in film. Haigh's only previous film was a documentary. Perhaps because they don't feel bound by a set of rules, they've created one of the year's most enjoyable surprises.
Weekend is the year's wittiest hymn to romance.
Weekend might be a small film recounting an intimate relationship, but it speaks to the grandest of ideas.
By the end of their weekend together, it feels like you know these guys and, even better, like you're rooting for them.
A heartfelt romantic comedy, a touching rumination on sexual identity and a striking look at what it is to be gay in 21st Century Britain.
Like Before Sunrise, the real joy of writer/director Andrew Haigh's film is in watching two people make bedrooms, overpasses, kitchenettes, and couches feel alive with potent conversation and pregnant silences.
While you might appreciate its goal, the writing and execution aren't strong enough to reach it.
It's a thrill to watch, just as it's thrilling to be in the hands of such a gifted new filmmaking talent.
This appealing gay-themed drama, written and directed with intelligence by Andrew Haigh, is a British cousin to the American mumblecore movement...
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MANILA, Philippines?? The estranged father of singer Charice Pempengco of the hit TV show "Glee" was stabbed to death in her hometown in the Philippines, leading the teen star Tuesday to pull out of a concert in Singapore.
The singer apologized to her fans for having to skip the show scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday so she could travel home to the Philippines.
"I am not going to be there to be part of David Foster and Friends concert," she said in a post Tuesday on Twitter. "I have to go back to the Philippines as soon as possible to be with my family."
Her father, 40-year-old construction worker Ricky Pempengco, had been at a small grocery store in San Pedro township south of Manila late Monday when he brushed against a drunk man who became angry and stabbed him with an ice pick in the chest and back, according to the Laguna province police chief, Senior Supt. Gilbert Cruz.
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A manhunt has been launched for the suspect, with a 20,000 pesos ($470) award for information leading to his arrest. Cruz said the killing appeared random and there was no indication the suspect and victim had any prior grudges.
Charice had long been estranged from her father. Local media reported that Charice's mother left him when Charice and her younger brother were small children.
In another Twitter post Tuesday, Charice said she once had a "really great relationship" with her father before their family troubles began.
"I loved him and I will still love him," she wrote. "He's still my Dad after all."
Story: Steve Perry says Journey reunion unlikely to happen
The 19-year-old songstress, born Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco, is widely known throughout Asia from concerts and TV talent shows in the Philippines and South Korea.
She has said she would borrow bus fare to travel to amateur singing contests, and eventually broke into the American market when she was invited at age 15 to appear on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" after the show had seen a fan video of her on YouTube that went viral.
She also appeared on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" and has had a recurring role on "Glee" as the character Sunshine Corazon.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
NEW YORK ? An Oregon senator who was behind a 1996 federal law that has made content-sharing services such as YouTube and Facebook possible is among three recipients of Pioneer Awards from a leading digital-rights group.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., was co-author of a law that protects online service providers from legal liability for content produced by their users. That means Google can let users freely post video on YouTube, and Facebook can let users write status updates and share links without worry they would be sued for defamation and other issues. In such cases, any liability would rest with the user who posted the item.
In announcing the award, the Electronic Frontier Foundation also credits Wyden with recent efforts to block legislation deemed harmful to free speech and with proposing legislation to define when and how government and private parties can access location information in cellphones and other electronic devices.
Other recipients of the award were:
? Ian Goldberg, a University of Waterloo professor credited with exposing design weaknesses in encryption systems used to protect cellphone conversations and Wi-Fi traffic, resulting in improvements to the systems.
? Nawaat.org, a blog operated by four Tunisians and credited with spreading information on social and political unrest there.
"These Pioneer Award winners are all working to make sure that technology protects freedom instead of curtailing it," EFF Executive Director Shari Steele said.
The EFF will give the awards at a Nov. 15 ceremony in San Francisco. The award does not carry a cash prize.
LONDON - Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand will not comment on allegations that England captain John Terry racially abused him until the Football Association completes its investigation into the case.
"I have very strong feelings on the matter," Ferdinand said Monday in a statement issued by QPR. "But in the interests of fairness and not wishing to prejudice what I am sure will be a very thorough enquiry by the FA, this will be my last comment on the subject until the inquiry is concluded."
Ferdinand said he has made a statement to the FA.
Terry was accused of directing a racial slur at Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during Chelsea's 1-0 Premier League loss on Oct. 23, and footage of the incident has spread on the internet.
Terry has said his comments were taken out of context, and denies allegations of racial abuse.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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More newsJoe Klamar / AFP - Getty Images
Hat trick lifts Messi past 200 goals
??Lionel Messi broke the 200-goal barrier for his career with his second straight hat trick, and Barcelona won 4-0 at Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday night with its ninth straight shutout to advance to the European Champions League knockout stage.
Mike Stobe / Getty Images
'Cheap'?
Landon Donovan said the New York Red Bulls were the most unsporting team he had played against in Major League Soccer after a post-match melee on the field Sunday.
