Menu Foods, other pet food makers and retailers involved in last year's massive pet food recall will set up a $24 million cash fund to compensate pet owners, according to a proposed settlement filed Thursday in federal court. The fund is expected to compensate thousands of pet owners in the U.S. and Canada who bought recalled pet foods made by Menu and 11 others. The products had a contaminated ingredient from China that sickened dogs and cats.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday removed the smoking cessation drug Chantix from the list of medications considered safe for pilots and air-traffic controllers after a new study linked the medication to mental confusion and other problems that could put passengers at risk. FAA spokesman Les Dorr said the agency took that step after reviewing the study, which raises concerns about Chantix use by people operating vehicles. QUIT SMOKING: Social contacts are major motivators

China said the death toll from last week's powerful earthquake jumped to more than 51,000, while the government appealed Thursday for millions of tents to shelter homeless survivors. The confirmed number of dead rose to 51,151, a jump of almost 10,000 from the day before, Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin told a news conference. Another 29,328 people remained missing and nearly 300,000 were hurt in the May 12 quake centered in Sichuan province, he said.

Not long ago, the fledgling ethanol industry was the darling of investors, farmers, the federal government and a lot of Americans who liked the idea of turning corn into fuel. Suddenly, it doesn't have nearly as many friends. RISING PRICES: Is a bubble brewing in super-hot commodities markets?

Giovanni Marchitelli has something to show Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi when Italy's leader arrives Wednesday: a month's worth of garbage piled next to his pizzeria. Marchitelli, 64, hopes that Berlusconi will force local officials to solve the continuing problem due to full landfills, or his family's pizzeria will be out of business. "We can't stand to work anymore because of the garbage smell," he says. "People won't stop and eat because of the garbage."

A growing wave of companies in all sectors

Heavy rainfall in the Southeast and record snowpack in the Rockies have eased dramatically the nation's worst drought in more than a century. Drought conditions are the least severe since January 2006. A quarter of the USA is suffering some form of drought today, down from 65% last summer, federal agencies said. In the Southeast, where drought has been most severe, the area in drought has plummeted from 86% in August to 40% today.

More commuters are turning to bicycles today for national Bike-to-Work Day as gas prices continue to reach record highs. "It's going to be the biggest yet," says Bill Nesper of the League of American Bicyclists, which promotes May as national Bike Month. "Our phone is ringing off the hook. We're getting lots of calls from around the country. People are doing this because of gas prices." No one tracks exactly how many Americans participate annually, but Nesper says more than 84 cities are expected to take part this year with rallies and other events.

To its critics, the $307 billion farm bill heading to President Bush's desk is the poster child for what John McCain and Barack Obama promise to change about Washington. At a time of soaring food prices and record farm income, the legislation would authorize billions in subsidies for wealthy agribusiness interests that give millions in political contributions. More than half the subsidies paid out from 2003 to 2005 went to 19 of the 435 congressional districts, according to the non-partisan Environmental Working Group, an opponent of the bill.

White House floats new climate proposal WASHINGTON (AP)