National briefs 7/11

Drug for depression may also fight obesity

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A drug used to quit smoking and treat depression helps obese people lose weight and keep it off, researchers say.

The drug, bupropion SR, is sold as Wellbutrin for depression and Zyban for nicotine addiction. In a yearlong study, it was shown to help reduce weight and keep it off when combined with diet and exercise, said Dr. James Anderson, professor of medicine and clinical nutrition at the University of Kentucky's College of Medicine. The study, reported in July's Obesity Research, was paid for by the drug's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline.

FBI opens investigation of videotaped arrest

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- The black teen-ager videotaped being punched in the face by a white policeman sued the officer, Inglewood and Los Angeles County on Wednesday. The FBI also opened an investigation of a case that has drawn comparisons to the Rodney King beating.

The federal civil rights lawsuit by 16-year-old Donovan Jackson and his father seeks unspecified damages.

It alleges negligence, misconduct and a violation of the constitutional right to due process and against unreasonable search and seizure.

Nevada tourism keeps rolling as Senate votes

LAS VEGAS -- The slot machines never stopped in Las Vegas while the U.S. Senate cast the crucial legislative vote designating a mountain ridge 90 miles away as the nation's nuclear waste dump.

And casino executives said Wednesday the state's lifeblood industry could continue to prosper when the trucks hauling tons of highly radioactive waste start rolling.

-- From wire reports