One dead, 2 wounded in Fort Bragg shooting

One solider killed another at Fort Bragg this afternoon and then turned his gun on himself, the Army says. The shooter and a third soldier were wounded.

The Army did not identify the soldiers. NBC News reports that the dead soldier is a battalion commander.

Update at 6:21 p.m. ET: A soldier from the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade is dead and two others are wounded, including the shooter, according to a statement from Fort Bragg. Neither the soldiers nor the weapon used were identified.

The statement said the soldier shot the other during a "unit safety brief," then turned his weapon on himself. A third soldier nearby was slightly wounded in the shooting, which happened about 3:30 p.m. ET.

The shooter is in custody. His condition was not revealed.

NBC News, citing a senior defense official, said the dead soldier was a battalion commander.

Here are the Facebook pages for the base and the 525th.

Update at 5:39 p.m. ET: NBC News is reporting that a battalion commander is dead and that at least one person was shot, citing a "senior U.S. defense official."

The officer, who has not been identified, was shot near the 18th Airborne Headquarters in a "distinctly military headquarters area," the official told NBC.

Update at 5:20p.m. ET: Sources tell WTVD that one Army officer was shot during a formation. The officer's condition is not known, and the Army has not yet released any details.

Original post: An unspecified shooting has occurred at Fort Bragg, N.C., and police are responding, according to news reports.

The shooting occurred on base about 3:30 p.m. ET. A news conference is planned for 6 p.m.

WTVD-TV says officials have urged vehicles and pedestrians to avoid the historic district of the post, home to U.S. Army airborne and special forces.

Google gives Google Docs offline capabilities

One of the big disadvantages to using cloud-based office apps is that you have to be connected to the Internet to use them.

Well, Google took care of that issue today.

At its annual Google I/O developers conference on Thursday, Google announced that it is adding the ability to work offline to Google Docs, the company's cloud-based office apps.

That means people working on shared documents will be able to do their work offline and then when they are back online, their document will automatically sync up with the cloud.

Such offline capability could be handy for people who might need to work while travelling by plane without wireless Internet access, as well as for people who need to keep working when the network goes down.

Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group, said this is a good move for Google Docs but he's not sure why it took Google so long to do it.

"Offline access is something that Google should have made a priority and delivered before now," Old said. "Web access isn't nearly as ubiquitous as some might think and being able to do useful work offline is critical to most business people."

Google has been embroiled in a competition with Microsoft, which also has been pushing cloud-based apps for the enterprise. Microsoft, which has an obvious foothold in the enterprise with its Office software, has taken those apps to the cloud with its Office 365 suite.

Both companies are going after the lucrative enterprise market and they're using office-related applications to help them get there.

Olds said adding offline capabilities to Google Docs could boost Google's enterprise efforts. "The lack of offline use was certainly a big stumbling block for many potential Google Docs business users," he added. "Now that they have it, Google might see adoption pick up a bit over time."

Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld.

RIM Shares Drop 15% After Big Loss

Research In Motion Ltd. RIMM -0.54%shares plunged 15% after the BlackBerry maker posted a big quarterly loss and said its next smartphone—a device the company has bet its survival on—won't be ready until next year.

The surprise delay shook investors, who had expected the phone in time for the crucial holiday-shopping season. RIM has bet on the BlackBerry 10 phone to reverse a sharp drop in sales that has pushed it into the red and triggered a massive restructuring.

The Canadian company posted a $518 million loss and a 33% drop in revenue in the latest quarter. It said Thursday it would cut as many as 5,000 jobs, or just shy of a third of its current workforce of 16,500.

RIM shares, which had been trading near multi-year lows, dropped $1.32 to $7.81 in after-hours trading. RIM's market value has now fallen under $4 billion, even though the company has $2.2 billion in cash.

The BlackBerry 10 could further strain RIM's finances as it battles with slowing device sales in the face of blistering competition from Apple Inc.'s AAPL -0.95%iPhone and devices that run off of Google Inc.'s GOOG -0.88%Android operating system.

RIM said Thursday its new phones will launch in the first quarter of 2013. That means the devices will not only miss the holiday selling season but likely arrive after Apple has already updated its iPhone and after the arrival of several new Android devices.

Chief Executive Thorsten Heins, on a conference call, said the delay was "not due to quality," but due to difficulties in integrated new features its engineers were developing. He said the earlier schedule the company had set "is no longer realistic."

RIM is also in the midst of a strategic review, but Mr. Heins said he's not yet ready to share results of that review. RIM has hired investment bankers to evaluate options, and Mr. Heins hasn't ruled out a sale of the company. He said his focus is on launching the BlackBerry 10, and turning things around as a stand-alone company.

Asked specifically on the call Thursday if he was considering more radical strategic shifts, Mr. Heins said many options remain open for RIM—from remaining a stand-alone company to "whatever model you can think about," adding that any new tack would be up to the board.

"Now is not the time to share any detail," he said. "It will be the board deciding what strategic direction they want to take the company."

Mr. Heins also said the company is in "intensive talks" over possible deals to license the BlackBerry 10 operating system, its popular instant-messaging service and other RIM technologies, but didn't give details. RIM executives on the conference call also said the company would "streamline" the number of BlackBerry models the company offers.

"The window for BlackBerry to remain a platform with viable growth potential is closing, and this development illustrates the pace at which it is closing," Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin said.

RIM said it shipped 7.8 million BlackBerry handheld devices in the latest fiscal quarter ended June 2. That compares with 11.1 million in the preceding quarter and 13.2 million in the year-ago period.

The company said it expects the next several quarters "to continue to be very challenging" due to competition, lower BlackBerry shipments and its plans to "aggressively drive sales" of older BlackBerry models.

RIM said its cash position grew slightly in the quarter, to $2.2 billion from $2.1 billion. With no debt, that's still a considerable cushion, but analysts worry that the costs of launching BB10, along with falling margins that RIM is likely to suffer from its current stable of older phones, could strain its finances. RIM's Chief Financial Officer Brian Bidulka said the timing of RIM's layoffs and restructuring costs could impact its cash position in the near term, but it expects to maintain its current level of cash through the next quarter.

In previous statements, RIM said it was looking to work towards at least $1 billion in cost savings by the end of fiscal 2013. Today the company said it "may increase the scope and magnitude of these programs, and considers these original estimates as minimum numbers it will be pursuing."

RIM said it is consolidating its supply chain from 10 manufacturing sites to three and outsourcing some of its repair operations. It also said it would reduce layers of management "to drive better clarity, efficiency and accountability across the organization."

Medicaid expansion could help millions -- but not all states want in

In Thursday's ruling on healthcare, the Supreme Court said that states cannot be forced to expand their Medicaid programs. That expansion would have covered 17 million more of the working poor in this country. So what happens now?

Nikki Sweet has been a music producer in Hollywood for 25 years. But when she lost her full-time job in 2008, she also lost her health insurance.

"It felt like swimming in the middle of the ocean," she said. "I didn't know what to do."

The Medicaid expansion was designed for people like Nikki who cannot afford private insurance. Medicaid would grow to include those making 33 percent above the poverty line. The maximum income to qualify would go from $23,050 per year for a family of four to nearly $31,000.

"It's not just people that are on welfare and below the poverty level," Sweet said. "There is a group of people now that can't afford health care of any kind."

The court ruled that each state gets to decide if they want to expand their Medicaid rolls. States argued the expansion of the program would have placed an undue burden on the states, and the court agreed, writing in its opinion that the provision was like a "gun to the head of the states."

Twenty-six states oppose the expansion even though the federal government would pay all the costs for the first three years. States start contributing in 2017. For Texas, that would mean paying $4.5 billion over five years.

""We can make the best decision for the health care needs of our state without the bureaucrats in Washington DC telling us how to spend our money,' said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

So Medicaid may not be an option for Ismael Medellin, who lives near Dallas. He had a heart attack in February, is uninsured and is struggling to pay $160 per month for medication.

"There are a lot of us who want to work. We want the insurance, but we can't afford it," Medellin said. "Work something out with us so that we can afford it."

Seven states and the District of Columbia are already offering expanded coverage -- using state funds until the federal government starts paying in 2014.

Nikki Sweet comes to the Venice Family Clinic for blood work to treat her thyroid disease. She'll now be eligible for Medicaid, because California plans to go along with expansion.

"What it means for me now is I have some peace of mind," she said.

So what happens to the person who won't get the expanded Medicaid coverage in their state but also cannot afford private insurance?

They could be eligible for subsidies to help them buy insurance. If they don't buy, they would be forced to pay a penalty for being uninsured beginning in 2014.

Spain eliminates Portugal on penalties

Cesc Fabregas scored the deciding penalty Wednesday to give Spain a 4-2 shootout win over Portugal and a spot in the European Championship final.

Fabregas, who came on as a substitute in the second half of regulation time, scored the deciding penalty after Bruno Alves had hit the crossbar for Portugal moments earlier.

''I played poorly, but the team worked really hard,'' Fabregas said. ''I had this intuition that we could advance if we went to penalties and that's what we did.''

Spain, which is trying to win a third straight major trophy after claiming titles at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, will next face either Germany or Italy on Sunday in Kiev.

''Being in another final is a miracle,'' Fabregas said. ''It's really incredible.''

Cristiano Ronaldo had several chances for Portugal, but he sent three shots well over the bar as his team held its own for the entire match. The Real Madrid star, who came alive with three goals in his last two matches at Euro 2012, did not take a penalty in the shootout. He had been slated to take the fifth one, but he never got that far.

''Our players trained and were prepared for a situation like this,'' Portugal coach Paulo Bento said. ''We didn't have much luck.''

After an often dour opening 90 minutes in which the Spanish failed to impress, the match livened up in the 30 minutes of extra time. Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta forced Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio into a superb reflex save in the 103rd minute. Iniesta ghosted into the penalty area, then held his head in disbelief as Rui Patricio reacted brilliantly to get a strong hand to his shot after Jordi Alba cut the ball back toward the penalty spot.

Rui Patricio made another fine save to deny substitute Jesus Navas in the 111th.

''Both teams were stronger in defense in the first 90 minutes, but that balance was broken in extra time,'' Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said.

Working as a unit, Portugal started to gain the upper hand midway through the first half. Moutinho flicked the ball into the path of Ronaldo, whose wild shot flew over.

''Everyone helped to control Ronaldo,'' Del Bosque said.

Working as a unit, Portugal started to gain the upper hand midway through the first half. Moutinho flicked the ball into the path of Ronaldo, whose wild shot flew over.

''Everyone helped to control Ronaldo,'' Del Bosque said.

Diet Drug Wins FDA's Approval

The Food and Drug Administration Wednesday approved a new weight-loss drug made by Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., ARNA +28.70%marking the first new drug treatment in more than a decade.

The drug, lorcaserin, will be marketed under the brand name Belviq and distributed by Eisai Co. Ltd. 4523.TO +0.90%The approval comes more than a month after an FDA advisory panel voted to back the use of the product. The approval of Belviq and other anti-obesity drugs has been held up for several years amid potential safety concerns that included heart-valve disease and in some cases cancer.

Another small drug developer, Vivus Inc., VVUS +7.35%is hoping to win FDA approval for its weight-loss drug Qnexa by mid-July.

The FDA said Belviq is meant to be used as part of an overall weight-management plan that includes a reduced calorie diet and exercise. More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight and one-third are considered obese. This raises the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Shares of Arena, which had been halted pending the announcement, surged 29%, or $2.54, to $11.39 at 4 p.m. on the Nasdaq Stock Market following the FDA's decision. The drug would be the first commercial product for the San Diego company, which was founded in 1997 and has been unprofitable.

However, Belviq won't immediately be available for sale. The drug has to go through a four-to-six month process at the Drug Enforcement Administration for a scheduling classification used for drugs that have a likelihood or potential of being abused. Once that process is over, Eisai will announce pricing and when the drug will be available.

Analysts have been cautious in their estimates for Belviq's annual sales, and they generally expect Qnexa, if approved, to grab a larger share of the market. However, the potential market size is worth billions of dollars, and Belviq is expected to be used alone and in combination with drugs like Qnexa, assuming they are approved. Studies of Qnexa showed many patients could lose 10% or more of their body weight.

The FDA said clinical studies of Belviq showed it was associated with an average weight loss of 3% to 3.7% lasting up to one year, compared with patients receiving a placebo medication. However, another study looking at patients with diabetes showed many of them were able to lose at least 5% of their body weight.

The drug is designed to activate a receptor called serotonin 2c in the brain, which may help a person eat less and feel full after eating.

The FDA said Belviq should be stopped in patients who fail to lose 5% of their body weight after 12 weeks of treatment because they are unlikely to "achieve clinically meaningful weight loss." The drug was approved to treat people who are obese, which is defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher, and people who are overweight, with a BMI of 27 or higher, and who also have at least one weight-related problem like high-blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. BMI is a measure of body fat that uses height and weight in the calculation.

The development of obesity compounds has been a tough area for companies since the fen-phen drug combination was taken off the U.S. market in 1997, after one of the medication's components was linked to heart-valve damage. Abbott Laboratories ABT +0.83%removed its weight-loss drug Meridia from the U.S. market in 2010 amid concerns about the drug's risk of side effects like heart attack and stroke.

Arena will be required to conduct a long-term cardiovascular-outcomes study to access the risks of heart attacks and strokes, in addition to five other post-marketing studies, the FDA said.

Earlier this year an FDA advisory panel voted to back Qnexa, but in April the FDA delayed a decision until July 17. The agency is requiring another antiobesity drug, Contrave, from Orexigen Therapeutics Inc., OREX +20.29%to undergo testing in a cardiovascular-outcomes study before the FDA will consider approving the drug. Orexigen said earlier this month that it has started enrolling patients in that study