San Francisco - The longest budget battle in California's history came to an end after the two houses of the State Legislature agreed to 104 billion dollars in spending that was 80 days overdue.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that in the coming week, he would sign the budget passed Friday night in Sacramento.

He had threatened to veto an earlier version of the budget passed Tuesday because it did not contain his demand for spending limits in times of surplus so the state could invest in a "rainy day fund." Lawmakers gave in to his demands after they realized they didn't have the votes to override a veto.

San Francisco  - A national study in the US has concluded that computer games foster social interaction and civic engagement and that there was no evidence that they incited users to violence.

The study released Wednesday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that nearly all teens play video games and that their games' activity has become a major component of their overall social experience.

San Francisco  - Sarah Palin has taken the political world by storm since she was named the running mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain last month. Now comes evidence that she's also sparking record interest in the online world.

According to online tracking firm Hitwise, "Sarah Palin" was the most searched-for political term, accounting for 2 per cent of all political searches in the four weeks ending September 6, the Saturday after the Republican National Convention. At that time, the previously-unknown Palin had been in the national headlines for only eight days.

San Francisco - Shares of Take Two Interactive plunged Monday after Electronic Arts ended its seven-month pursuit of the maker of Grand Theft Auto.

In midday trading in New York, Take-Two shares fell 23 per cent to 16.84 dollars.

EA, the world's largest video-game maker and publisher of titles such as The Sims, has been fighting to acquire Take-Two since February, when it offered to pay up to 26 dollars per share, or about 2 billion dollars.

Take Two rejected the advances, saying that the offer undervalued the company and its expansion plans. However, the companies started formal talks last month, which EA ended on Sunday after deciding that it would not be able to integrate the company in time for the critical holiday shopping season.

San Francisco - Hewlett Packard, the world's largest computer maker, is to cut 24,600 jobs over three years as part of its plan to integrate enterprise technology firm Electronic Data Systems Corp, the company announced Monday.

The cuts represent about 7.5 per cent of HP's workforce and will force HP to take a 1.7-billion-dollar charge.

HP bought EDS in March for 13.2 billion dollars. The combined company had a workforce of 320,000 employees.

San Francisco  - California lawmakers are set to approve a new budget for the largest state in the US Monday night, allowing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to end the longest budget impasse in California history.

The 77-day impasse was prompted by a record 15 billion dollar shortfall in state finances. The Democratic majority in the legislature wanted to raise taxes and avoid drastic cuts but were stymied by the Republicans. The budget needs a two-thirds vote to pass.