Morning Digest: Akin furor knocks Republicans off message, again

	Click to View in Browser 08/23/2012 Akin furor knocks Republicans off message, again WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For Republicans, it could be another lost week in their effort to keep November's election focused on President Barack Obama's handling of the weak U.S. economy.. Syrian army batters parts of Damascus, 47 killed AMMAN/ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - The Syrian army shelled southern Damascus on Wednesday and helicopters fired rockets and machineguns during an assault meant to shore up President Bashar al-Assad's grip on the capital 17 months into an uprising, opposition activists said.. Stock futures signal higher open, focus on data (Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 up 0.3 to 0.4 percent.. Taylor Swift's "Never Ever" breaks music chart record LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country star Taylor Swift's latest single made a record-breaking entry in Wednesday's Billboard Digital Songs chart, scoring the biggest digital sales week ever for a song by a female artist.. Oakland's Colon banned 50 games for positive test (Reuters) - The Oakland Athletics' bid to snap a six-year playoff drought was dealt a severe blow on Wednesday as former Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for testosterone.. Fidel Castro at work on book with Chavez: blogger HAVANA (Reuters) - Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who has been out of the public eye for more than two months, is working on a book with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and is not at death's door, a pro-government blogger said on Wednesday.. Mars rover Curiosity aces first test drive CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA's Mars rover Curiosity took a 16-minute drive on Wednesday, its first since reaching the Red Planet to search for habitats that could have supported microbial life.. Gibbons on helium sing like opera stars LONDON (Reuters) - Gibbons are jungle divas. The small apes use the same technique to project their songs through the forests of southeast Asia as top sopranos singing at the New York Metropolitan Opera or La Scala in Milan.. Related Video Tropical Storm Isaac threatens Carribbean NASA's Curiosity takes first drive on Mars Great Debate A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today   The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. Register Today   » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add mail@nl.reuters.com to your address book. Details Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook Forward to a friend