10 things you need to know today: August 10, 2012

1. MOURNERS HONOR SIKH TEMPLE VICTIMS

Thousands of people are expected to gather Friday in Wisconsin to pay their final respects to the six worshippers killed in a shooting rampage at a Sikh temple on Sunday. Attorney General Eric Holder and other dignitaries plan to attend. After the service, mourners will return to the temple to begin two days of religious rites to honor the five men and one woman killed when a white supremacist, Army veteran Wade Michael Page, allegedly opened fire before the start of Sunday services, then shot himself in the head. "We want to pay homage to the spirits who are still in there," said Harpreet Singh, nephew of one of the victims. [Associated Press]

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2. U.S. WOMEN BEAT JAPAN FOR SOCCER GOLD

The U.S. women's soccer team made it a three-peat today when they defeated Japan 2-1 to clinch their third straight Olympic gold medal. The victory held special meaning for the American team, as it avenged a loss to Japan in the World Cup final. Midfielder Carli Lloyd had a standout game, scoring both goals to bring Team USA to victory. In another big win for the U.S., 17-year-old boxer Claressa Shields took home the gold in the middleweight division. She made history — the London Olympics was the first to include women's boxing — and Shields marked the occasion with a joyful dance on the winner's podium. [NBC, (2)]

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3. BOLT MAKES OLYMPIC HISTORY

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt dashed to victory in the men's 200-meter run on Thursday, becoming the first man to win back-to-back golds in both the 100 and 200 meters. Finishing behind Bolt were fellow Jamaicans Yohan Blake, who took the silver, and Warren Weir, who won the bronze, completing a one-two-three sweep for the Caribbean island nation. [CNN]

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4. THREE U.S. SOLDIERS KILLED BY UNIFORMED AFGHAN

A man in an Afghan military uniform shot and killed three American troops on Friday. It was the third attack on NATO coalition soldiers in a week. Such "green on blue" violence has sharply increased in the last few years — 30 coalition troops have been killed by their Afghan counterparts this year, compared to just four such deaths in 2007 and 2008 combined. The gunman in the latest attack had been helping U.S. forces train Afghan police who will take over security duties when most foreign forces withdraw in 2014. A Taliban spokesman says he joined the insurgency after the attack. [Associated Press]

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5. NASA LANDING VEHICLE EXPLODES IN TEST

NASA's small, insect-like Morpheus craft, designed to land on the moon and even more distant destinations, crashed and burned on Thursday after veering off course in a test at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There were no injuries when the 1,750-pound prototype caught fire, then exploded before plummeting to the ground near the runway once used by returning space shuttles. NASA appeared unfazed, saying in a statement that such failures are a normal "part of the development process for any complex spaceflight hardware." [Reuters]

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6. GOOGLE HIT WITH $22.5 MILLION PRIVACY FINE

The Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday that Google will pay $22.5 million to settle charges that it "secretly bypassed the privacy settings of millions of people who use Apple devices." It's the largest penalty the federal regulator has ever levied against a company for violating an order. Google denies the allegations — that it used computer code to trick Apple's Safari web browser into allowing Google to monitor users via small files called cookies. Nevertheless, the search giant will have to pay, although it's unlikely the tech giant, which pulled in $37.8 billion in revenue last year, will feel much of a sting. [Wall Street Journal]

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7. U.S. LAUNCHES AGENT ORANGE CLEAN-UP

For the first time since the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the U.S. is launching an effort to clean up Agent Orange contamination. The project is targeting the airport in the central city of Danang. The U.S. military sprayed millions of gallons of the toxic plant-killer in Vietnamese jungles, to deprive the enemy of cover. An estimated 150,000 children have been born with severe birth defects blamed on Agent Orange, and millions of adults have been affected, too, according to the Vietnamese government. The clean-up is "a little late," says Agent Orange Victims Association Vice Chairman Tran Xuan Thu, but it's still "greatly appreciated." [BBC News]

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8. FEDS DROP GOLDMAN MORTGAGE INVESTIGATION

Federal authorities on Thursday ended investigations into whether Goldman Sachs and its employees broke any laws in mortgage-related deals before and during the 2008 financial meltdown. A congressional committee ordered prosecutors to look into whether the investment bank misled investors who sustained heavy losses, but the Justice Department said there was "not a viable basis to bring a criminal prosecution." The Securities and Exchange Commission ended another investigation, into a $1.3 billion sub-prime mortgage deal, without taking any action. Together, the two agencies' decisions lifted a dark cloud from Goldman. [New York Times]

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9. CHINA'S BOOM HITS A WALL

Weak trade data from China on Friday fueled fears that the country's manufacturing boom, which has helped lift the world economy in hard times, is grinding to a halt. Overseas shipments from China rose just 1 percent in July over a year earlier, far below expectations, and imports increased by a feeble 4.7 percent. The news confirmed fears that Beijing's efforts to stimulate its economy — its central cut interest rates in June and July — have proved insufficient, and raised expectations that China will try more aggressive moves to boost its economy ahead of a fall leadership transfer. [New York Times]

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10. IPHONE DISCOUNTS FUEL RUMORS ON NEXT IPHONE

Tech bloggers reported Thursday that Apple retail stores had begun matching iPhone discounts offered by major carriers and retailers, fueling speculation that the company is gearing up for a September launch of the next incarnation of the blockbuster smartphone, the iPhone 5. That could mean buyers can get an iPhone 4S for as little as $150, or an iPhone 4 for $50. Apple CEO Tim Cook says iPhone sales growth has been slowing thanks to all the iPhone 5 rumors, because people are putting off purchases to wait for the "next big thing." [Macworld, ArsTechnica]