The Upshot - Here's our daily roster of stories that evaded full-on blog treatment: • In a rare interview with the American press, Fidel Castro slammed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for "slandering the Jews." (The Atlantic) • Despite the White House's declaration that combat operations are over in Iraq, two U.S. soldiers were killed there today. (MSNBC) • A recent [...]

Macworld.com - If you’re using iWeb to host your blog, photo gallery, travel guide, or portfolio, Apple has a hefty-sized update for you.

Reuters - The U.S. Justice Department is looking into allegations that Google Inc's purchase of airline ticketing firm ITA Software Inc will cost rivals access to data they need to compete with the search giant as it moves into the travel market, sources familiar with the probe said.

PC World - Look out Google, you may have a new, unlikely challenger.

NewsFactor - Google, the company that seems intent on becoming a force in anything that uses electrons, said Tuesday that it expects to expand its Web TV service across the globe. CEO Eric Schmidt said at the big IFA consumer electronics show now in Berlin that he expects other TV set manufacturers to join Sony, which is scheduled to launch Web TV in the U.S. beginning this fall. Samsung has recently said it is considering releasing TV sets with the Google software.

NewsFactor - If the measure of a good logo is that it is memorable, Google is setting new records. On the day after Labor Day, the search giant is featuring a new variation on its well-known name in which the logo breaks up and runs from your cursor -- and people are wondering why.

PC World - A Japanese journalist freed over the weekend by captors in Afghanistan managed to send two Twitter messages before his release while teaching a captor how to access the Internet on a new cell phone, he said Tuesday.

Macworld.com - Apple announced last week that more than one million users signed up for Ping in the service’s first 48 hours of availability. Ping, as apparently a million of you already know, is the music-focused social network built into iTunes 10, which the company released just last week.

Reuters - Google Inc will launch its service to bring the Web to TV screens in the United States this autumn and worldwide next year, its chief executive said, as it extends its reach from the desktop to the living room.

Appolicious - News app Blancspot is truly taking advantage of iPhone 4’s retina-display and giving visual news a social twist. In addition to headlines, Blancspot ($1.99) offers specialized categories in the areas of sports, business, politics, culture, war and the environment. Within each category, users will be treated to high-resolution images displayed with a “Ken Burns”-style movement and backed with a variety of songs, available for purchase through the iTunes cart icon. ...

Appolicious - The iTunes App Store was full of good stuff this week for the iPad, including some great new magazines with awesome presentation designed specifically for the digital medium, a couple of fun games to help pass the time, and yet another Facebook app.

PC Magazine - Search engines are all about finding the information you want right now, and the next step is to do that automatically – before you even think to conduct that search, Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said Tuesday.

Mashable - Mashable is proud to be partnering with the UN Foundation, 92Y, Livestream.com, CNN and a host of teams and organizations to produce a unique opportunity to make UN Week accessible to the public -- both online and offline.

PC Magazine - The new Samsung Fascinate smartphone for Verizon Wireless will be available online starting Wednesday, according to Verizon.

AP - AOL is adding talk show host Ellen DeGeneres to its family of Web properties as it looks for ways to draw more people to its sites.

PC World - Web-based polls and views express online show popular opinion is against the censoring of adult services ads on Craigslist. A poll at Mashable shows 71 percent of the respondents voted no to the question "Should Craigslist's Adult Services be censored?" Meanwhile, the Washington Post asked its readers, "Do you agree with Craigslist's decision?" to block access to its Adult Services section. Fifty-two percent of them said no.

PC World - Web-based polls and views expressed online show popular opinion is against the censoring of adult services ads on Craigslist. A poll at Mashable shows 71 percent of the respondents voted no to the question "Should Craigslist's Adult Services be censored?" Meanwhile, the Washington Post asked its readers, "Do you agree with Craigslist's decision?" to block access to its Adult Services section. Fifty-two percent of them said no.