LONDON (Reuters) - Good shoes, a relaxed mind after negotiating a perilous tournament for top seeds and her experience 12 months ago are standing Agnieska Radwanska in good stead for a tilt at another run to the Wimbledon final.

The Pole eked every last sinew of energy out of her aching legs to reach the semi-finals on Tuesday after finally dousing Li Na's flame with a battling 7-6(5) 4-6 6-2 victory in a gripping Center Court match.

Radwanska, her right thigh tightly strapped after a medical timeout at the start of the second set, and requiring attention to her left leg before serving for the match at 5-2 in the third, held her nerve to prevail after spurning seven match points.

Massage, treatment, rest and watching compatriots Jerzy Janowicz and Lukas Kubot clash in the men's quarter-finals on Wednesday are foremost in her plans before the fourth seed faces German Sabine Lisicki on Thursday.

"It's not really the injury. My legs are a bit overused. A lot of treatment and massage tomorrow and I will be ready for the semi-final," she told reporters.

Radwanska came through another three-set battle with Tsvetana Pironkova on Monday having also been taken the distance by Madison Keys in the third round.

"A lot of tennis the last couple days, so it's been really tough," she said.

"Especially on grass... everything comes to your legs."

The Pole has, at least, not been getting as closely acquainted with the green turf as some at this year's championships with slipping and sliding players eyeing the courts with suspicion and scepticism.

"Just good shoes," came a smiling Radwanska's answer when asked how she was keeping a sure footing.

The 24-year-old has long been in the upper echelons of the women's game but it was not until last year that she reached her maiden grand slam final at the All England club.

Plenty wrote her off even before she even took to the court against Serena Williams but she made the nervous American work for her fifth Wimbledon title in three intriguing sets.

That experience is helping her maintain her focus this year.

"Being in the final of a grand slam, this is a very good experience... especially that I'm in the semi-final of the same grand slam," she said.

"So I know how it is, what I have to do, you know, to be in the final again.

"The bigger pressure is in the first week. Now I'm just more relaxed. I will just go on court and try my best again without that big pressure."

Radwanska, at four, is the highest seed remaining after the demise of Williams, beaten by Lisicki in the fourth round, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova.

"I think it was huge surprise for everyone, I guess," she said of Serena's exit.

"The last couple of months she was winning pretty much everything."

(Editing by Ed Osmond)

Billionaire-backed asteroid-mining company Planetary Resources is teaming up with 3D Systems, whosewill help craft components for the Arkyd line of prospecting spacecraft, officials announced Wednesday (June 26).

The collaboration should help Planetary Resources build certain parts of its Arkyd 100, 200 and 300 probes more cheaply and efficiently, officials said. []

"We are excited to work very closely with Planetary Resources engineering team to use advancedand manufacturing technologies to increase functionality while decreasing the cost of their Arkyd spacecraft," 3D Systems CEO Avi Reichental said in a statement.

"In success, we will create the smartphone of spacecraft and transform what has been an old-style, labor-intensive process into something very scalable and affordable that will democratize access to space, the data collected from space and off-Earth resources for scientists and the public," Reichental added.

Planetary Resources co-founder Peter Diamandis said that the use of 3D printing in the production of the Arkyd spacecraft series could help the company achieve its lofty goals.

"We are absolutely thrilled to partner with 3D Systems, the worlds pioneer and leader in 3D printing and advanced manufacturing, as we pursue our vision to expand the resource base beyond Earth," Diamandis said in a statement. "3D Systems has a long history of inventing, advancing and democratizing manufacturing and our vision of mass producing the Arkyd 100, 200 and 300 line will greatly benefit from their thinking and technology."

(Logo: )

A member of ULI since 2004, Thurber plans to emphasize building on the progress made by the institute in recent years to solidify its reputation as a trusted global authority on issues related to the planning, design and development of communities that foster a high quality of life, and which are economically competitive and environmentally sustainable. "ULI is the leading organization for studying and capturing industry knowledge related to the built environment, and for determining and sharing best practices. No other organization comes close to ULI's ability to aggregate and share expertise on a global level," Thurber said.

As ULI chairman, Thurber will focus on three areas: pursuing a new ULI initiative related to building healthy places through a range of ULI programs, activities and products; assessing and strengthening the institute's global impact; and more tightly integrating all of ULI's networks for enhanced knowledge-sharing. These networks include the institute's district and national councils, which serve members at the regional and local level; and its council program, a knowledge-sharing exchange organized by property sector subject areas.

Thurber believes that as ULI continues to expand globally, it can be most effective by sharpening its focus on leadership in community building. "We need to ensure that ULI is striking the appropriate balance between connecting and convening, learning and education, and giving back. In this regard, staying focused is hugely important," she said.

For instance, ULI's potential as a proponent of healthy places can best be accomplished by focusing on specific aspects of the topic, and on how the institute's existing offerings support the topic, rather than becoming too broad in its scope of work, Thurber explained. Applying the increased emphasis on impact and integration to the healthy places initiative will allow ULI to set metrics for success and communicate progress in achieving the goals of the initiative, which will highlight the role of urban design and development in encouraging wellness and fitness.

A focus on healthy places is a logical extension of ULI's long history of supporting the creation of thriving, successful communities, she noted.

"The way we live is very much affected by the built environment in which we live," Thurber said. "This is a topic that is applicable globally. It may translate differently in different countries, just as it may be perceived differently in suburbs than in downtowns of cities. But, it is a topic that can be enriched by the insights of our experts around the world."

She noted that the work produced to support the healthy places initiative, together with tactics to measure impact and improve integration, could serve as a template for future initiatives or topics explored by ULI. For example, ULI will be able to measure visible signs of progress in advancing its mission and program of work; more thoroughly engage and deliver value to members; and maximize the value of its knowledge base by ensuring access to best practices and thought leadership for all members worldwide.

Thurber has a long record of volunteerism with ULI. She is a member of the Board of Directors for ULI and the ULI Foundation, and she serves on ULI's Global Strategy Committee as well as the advisory boards for the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance and the ULI Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate. She has served on the institute's Climate, Land Use and Energy advisory group and is a participant in the ULI McCoy Symposium, an annual gathering to discuss capital markets and real estate finance issues. In addition, she has served on the ULI Investment Committee, Awards for Excellence Management Committee, and the Urban Development Mixed-Use Council.

Thurber's expertise in real estate finance and business management will be an invaluable asset as ULI continues to evolve, said ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips. "We are very excited about the institute's prospects under Lynn's thoughtful guidance. Her wisdom, experience and innovative thinking will help drive ULI to new levels of excellence," Phillips said. "The staff and I have high expectations about this next phase of ULI's leadership."

Thurber holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College.

About the Urban Land InstituteThe Urban Land Institute () is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has nearly 30,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

SOURCE Urban Land Institute

Former President George W. Bush has weighed in on the Edward Snowden saga, telling CNN the former National Security Agency contractor threatened the security of U.S. citizens by leaking information about the surveillance program his administration created after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

"I know he damaged the country," Bush said in an interview from Zambia, where he and his wife, Laura, are on a humanitarian mission. "The Obama administration will deal with it. I think he damaged the security of the country."

, Snowden met on Monday with Russian officials, appealing to 15 countries for political asylum.

Like President Barack Obama, Bush deflected criticism of the spy program.

"I put the program in place to protect the country, and one of the certainties is civil liberties were guaranteed," Bush said in the interview, which is scheduled to air on Monday afternoon. "I think there needs to be a balance [between security and privacy] and as the president described, there is a proper balance."

Bush also refused to criticize his successor. "It doesn't do any good," he said. "It's a hard job. He has plenty on his agenda and it's difficult. [A] former president doesn't need to make it harder."

The White House said Obama will meet Bush on Tuesday in Tanzania at a wreath-laying ceremony at the site of the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing that killed 11 people.

Bush said he couldn't "care less" about his favorability rating, which has risen since he's left office.

"Only time I really cared was on Election Day," Bush said. "You know, I guess it's nice. Let me rephrase that. Thank you for bringing it up."

He added: "You know, ultimately history will judge the decisions that I made. And I won't be around because it's going to take a while for the objective historians to show up. So I'm pretty comfortable with it. I did what I did."

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - "House of Cards" star Kate Mara will join Aaron Paul to announce the Emmy nominees July 18 - a sign that Emmy voters are at least acknowledging the existence of Mara's Netflix series.

Whether Netflix will crack the major categories with the political drama is one of the biggest questions this Emmy season.

Being asked to present nominations is of course no guarantee of receiving nominations. But Mara's involvement in the announcement shows that the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is taking a friendly approach to Netflix's challenge to broadcast and cable TV.

Mara, who plays reporter Zoe Barnes on "House of Cards," will present with Paul, a two-time Emmy winner for "Breaking Bad," and Academy Chairman-CEO Bruce Rosenblum. The announcements will come at 8:40 a.m. ET/5:40 a.m. PT.

Spike Jones, Jr. will return as the producers of the program. The nominations will take place at the Television Academy's Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood.

This is the matchup they've been waiting to see: Four belts, two undefeated fan favorites and a title fight simply billed as "The One."

"Canelo, I appreciate you for taking the fight," Mayweather said on a steamy Monday in the heart of Manhattan in front of a few thousand fans standing behind metal barriers or sitting in temporary bleachers with Broadway marquees serving as a colorful backdrop.

"Now," Mayweather said, "let's give the fans what they want to see."

The fighters kicked off an 11-city tour to officially announce and promote their title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. The promotional tour includes stops in cities such as Washington D.C., Chicago, Miami and Mexico City, and is jumpstarting the hype ahead of one of boxing's most anticipated bouts in recent memory.

Mayweather, 36, is unbeaten in 44 fights with the last a unanimous 12-round decision over Robert Guerrero on May 4 in defense of his 147-pound title.

"The Earth is my turf," Mayweather said. "You can put me in any ring and I will always come out victorious."

Alvarez, a 22-year-old star from Mexico, is 42-0-1 and unified the 154-pound titles in April with a unanimous victory over Austin Trout on April 20.

"In the sport of boxing, it's everybody's time, and this is my time," Alvarez said through a translator as fans chanted "Mex-i-co!"

"I'm going to win."

The 12-round fight will be contested at 152 pounds with both men's super welterweight/junior middleweight titles on the line Mayweather's WBA super welterweight "super" championship, and Alvarez's WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine super welterweight championships.

The bout, expected to be a monstrous draw on pay-per-view for Showtime, also just might satisfy many fans who had been wishing during the last several years for Mayweather to take on Manny Pacquiao.

"In every sport, there are certain rare occasions when you have the best fighting the best," said Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports. "The Super Bowl, Final Four, the college football national championship. Sept. 14 will be one of those occasions the two biggest stars in the sport, the two biggest fan bases.

"We have America's No. 1 fighter versus Mexico's No. 1 fighter. We have the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport versus the No. 1 new star in the sport."

There remains some dispute over who set the 152-pound catch weight, with Mayweather's camp saying Alvarez's people brought it up first. Alvarez, however, insisted it was Mayweather who decided on having both fight at 152 pounds instead of 154.

"It wasn't me," Alvarez told reporters before the news conference. "I don't want to fight 2 pounds below my weight class."

There was also some contention between the two because Alvarez chose to headline his own fight card against Trout rather than be included on the undercard of Mayweather-Guerrero card. But both fighters agreed that this is a matchup that needed to happen.

"I've visualized this fight for years," Alvarez said, "and I feel I'm going to win."

The fighters each announced on Twitter last month that they would face each other, exciting boxing fans around the world. Monday's event marked perhaps the sport's most ambitious promotional tour since Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya also stopped in 11 cities before their 2007 bout won by Mayweather. Alvarez has been picking De La Hoya's brain about fighting Mayweather, and the former champion believes the young star has a few advantages including youth he didn't have.

"I used reckless pressure and he's going to use smart pressure," De La Hoya said. "That's what going to be the difference. ... And I have three letters for (Alvarez): jab."

Each fighter took a stroll down a makeshift red carpet leading to the dais with pops of confetti marking their entrances. Mayweather received a noticeable amount of boos with the crowd appearing to slightly favor Alvarez.

One fan, though, got Mayweather to crack up when he held up a Chucky doll from the "Child's Play" movie franchise, taking a clear shot at Alvarez's hair color.

The two took their seats after their stare-down Mayweather next to Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO Mayweather Promotions, and Alvarez next to De la Hoya, the president of Golden Boy Promotions. It was a mostly tame news conference with the banter between sides at a minimum.

Before the news conference, Mayweather talked about shooting a commercial with the Spanish-speaking Alvarez and someone asked why he isn't doing his usual trash talking with his opponent.

"He wouldn't understand me anyway," Mayweather said, laughing.

It is the second in Mayweather's six-bout, 30-month contract with Showtime that could pay him more than $200 million. After Mayweather beat Guerrero, he said he wanted to fight again in September marking the first time since 2007 he will be in the ring twice in a calendar year.

"I said I was going to be very active so I could stay sharp and be at the top of my game," Mayweather said.

Mayweather showed little rust while dominating Guerrero by using superior defensive skills in his first ring appearance since serving a jail term for assaulting the mother of his children.

Alvarez is a confident and rapidly rising fighter who should provide a huge test for Mayweather. Alvarez was dominant against the previously unbeaten Trout, showing up some fans and media who speculated that perhaps he wasn't ready to face such an experienced opponent.

"To be the best," Alvarez said when asked before the news conference what his motivation is to fight Mayweather now. "(I want) to go down in history as the guy who beat the guy people consider the best."

When the news conference was over, both fighters got up and stared each other down one more time. And again, the crowd went wild.

"It's always been one of my ultimate goals to get to the pinnacle of the sport and push myself to the limit by facing the best," Mayweather said. "He's a young champion. What else can I say?"

(Reuters) - Biotech stocks are so hot that even some of the bulls are starting to find themselves on edge.

An index of biotech drugmakers' shares has climbed nearly 50 percent in the past 12 months to all-time highs as the industry starts to launch drugs developed by identifying genes associated with disease - a revolution made possible by decoding the first human genome more than 10 years ago.

The rise at such a fast pace is triggering the inevitable talk of a bubble, especially when investors are reminded that more than 90 percent of experimental drugs that reach mid-stage testing in humans do not make it past that point.

"Genetic information is providing a big opportunity for new drug development," said Rajiv Kaul, portfolio manager of Fidelity Investments Select Biotechnology Portfolio, in Boston. "There are exciting new opportunities, but you also need to be careful because most drugs fail."

Compared with a year ago, the Nasdaq Biotech Index, which is weighted by market cap, is up 45 percent, the dollar-weighted Arca Biotech Index has risen 35 percent, and the Pharmaceutical Index of large U.S. and European drugmakers' shares has increased 32 percent. Over the same period, the S&P 500 Index has gained 25 percent.

A more favorable regulatory environment and lower capital costs are helping fuel the rally. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved 39 drugs last year - a record beaten only in 1996. Deutsche Bank, meanwhile, estimates that interest costs for large-cap biotechs to borrow in the capital markets are about 2 percent lower today than in 2007, and are likely to remain there for several more years.

Still, with the Nasdaq Biotech Index trading well above its previous all-time peak in 2000 - just before the epic dot-com bust - some investors are thinking about locking in profits.

"The biotech industry is in good shape, but there's going to be a pause in news from medical conferences after ASCO (the American Society of Clinical Oncology), and I am thinking of taking profits on some of the large biotech names and switching some of the money into mid-cap companies," said Nathalie Flury, manager of the Julius Baer Biotech Fund at Swiss & Global Asset Management, in Zurich. "There are no big conferences to provide catalysts between June and August."

The annual ASCO meeting, where companies unveil their latest cancer drug research, will take place in early June in Chicago.

"I still think the sector has some room to grow, but it is not going to be as easy as it has been," said David Heupel, senior healthcare analyst at Thrivent Investment Management, in Minneapolis.

He and others said the sector's latest run-up is also being prompted by a newfound attraction to medical biotech from managers of general-interest mutual funds hunting for strong earnings growth potential.

"The reason is because they are looking for significant earnings growth, driven by new products over the next few years at Gilead, Biogen and Celgene," said Michael Yee, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, in San Francisco.

BEST AND WORST BUSINESS

Gilead Sciences, the world's largest maker of branded HIV drugs, is viewed as the leader in a race to develop a more safe and effective therapy for hepatitis C, a market Wall Street expects to garner billions of dollars in annual sales.

Short interest - a potential red flag that measures shares borrowed by investors expecting a price drop - has changed little over the past year for large-cap biotechs, standing at 2.3 percent of outstanding shares in early May, according to Jefferies & Co.

Short interest in biotech companies with market caps between $2 billion and $10 billion has fallen to 9.2 percent from 11.3 percent in the past 12 months, while short interest for companies with market caps of $500 million to $2 billion has increased to 15.2 percent from 12.7 percent over the past year.

Wall Street analysts estimate that shares of large-cap Gilead, which have more than doubled over the past year, trade at about 26 times 2013 earnings and 12 times 2015 earnings.

"That type of earnings growth is very impressive," Yee said. "And it all comes against a backdrop of a really tough macro-environment."

Concerns about overall consumer sentiment have served to cool investor interest in other growth-oriented sectors, including technology. The S&P Information Technology Sector Index has gained about 13 percent in the past year.

"That's why you are seeing more money moving into biotech," Yee said.

Even with the rally, some investors say biotech valuations remain attractive.

"These companies seem to be earning a much better return on their capital," Heupel said. "They are not off the charts expensive."

Earnings multiples for biotech shares remain well below the levels seen before the latest stock market crash in 2008.

The discount is even steeper when compared with multiples reached before the bursting of the biotech bubble in 2000. Amgen, for example, traded at an average price-to-earnings multiple of 59 in 2000, compared with its current P/E ratio of 14.4 times expected 2013 earnings, according to Deutsche Bank.

The question is how long the rally will continue.

Consensus estimates call for average combined annual earnings growth of 21 percent for biotechs in the next three years, compared with 9 percent for S&P 500 companies, according to Deutsche Bank.

"Biotech is both the worst business in the world and the best business in the world," Kaul said. "It is high risk ... but when you have a good business, there tends to be value there over long periods of time."

(Additional reporting by Ben Hirschler in London; Editing by Ed Tobin and Jan Paschal)

So when it came time to test his leg, it passed with flying colors.

Kemp ran a long way and made a marvelous catch for the final out of a 6-5 victory over the slumping San Francisco Giants, extending Los Angeles' winning streak to a season-best four games.

"You can't really think like that," Kemp said when asked if he was relieved he didn't hurt his hamstring again. "I mean, I've thought like that after I came back from it last year, and it happened again. So I can't play timid. I have to let it go. And if it goes, it goes. Hamstrings are tricky, and you never know when they're good. But right now it feels good and I'm glad we got the win."

With runners at first and second, Marco Scutaro hit a long drive to center. Kemp, playing shallow with the potential tying run at second base, raced back and reached over his shoulder to make a sliding catch on the warning track. He popped up and smacked the wall hard, then shouted in excitement.

"Scutaro doesn't really drive the ball to center field like that, so he surprised me a little bit," the two-time Gold Glove winner said. "He's a good contact hitter that likes to drive the ball the other way in the hole and back up the middle, so I was just anticipating him trying to hit a ground ball up the middle, and he hit it pretty good. So I had to drop my head and run back."

Scutaro is homerless in 142 career at-bats against the Dodgers.

"I thought it had a good shot to go out," Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford said. "It looked like he hit it well, but I knew Kemp was out there and he's a good center fielder. So he was going to do all he could to not let it drop. It was bad luck for us. That's kind of what's been happening a lot to us lately."

Kemp returned to the lineup after missing 24 games with a right hamstring strain. He was injured May 29 while running down a double in right-center by Mike Trout at Angel Stadium. It was the fourth time in his career that Kemp landed on the DL, including two stints last season because of a left hamstring strain that cost him a combined 51 games.

"I had to beg him to let me play today," Kemp said, referring to manager Don Mattingly. "I was telling him I was just sick of watching my team play without me. It kind of feels like you're not part of the team when you're on the DL, so I just wanted to get back out there with the guys."

Mark Ellis and Hanley Ramirez each hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers, and rookie Stephen Fife pitched effectively into the seventh inning. Los Angeles handed the defending World Series champions their third loss in a row and eighth in 11 games, dropping them under .500 for the first time since losing to the Dodgers on opening day.

It's the latest the Giants have been below the break-even mark in any season since 2008, when they finished 72-90 in Bruce Bochy's second year as manager.

"Honestly, I didn't even know we were under .500. I just knew we haven't been playing well. That's a wake-up call in itself," Crawford said.

Fife (2-2) allowed three runs and four hits, including solo homers by Brandon Belt and NL MVP Buster Posey, in 6 2-3 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked two in his 11th major league start, only the second in which he gave up more than two runs.

With closer Kenley Jansen unavailable after pitching three consecutive days, demoted closer Brandon League came on in the ninth to protect a 6-3 lead and did not retire any of the three batters he faced.

Belt hit an RBI double and Andres Torres added an RBI single off League before Paco Gonzalez got three outs for his first major league save barely.

Mike Kickham (0-2) was charged with six runs, five earned, and eight hits over 5 1-3 innings in his second big league start.

The Dodgers broke a 2-all tie with four runs in the sixth. Adrian Gonzalez doubled and Ramirez followed with a drive off the left-field foul pole for his fifth homer. Kickham gave up singles to his next two batters before rookie Jake Dunning came in and gave up an RBI single by Tim Federowicz.

Nick Punto kept the inning alive when he beat the relay throw to first base with a headfirst slide on a potential double-play grounder. Andre Ethier then scored on Dunning's wild pitch to Fife.

Belt, who was 3 for 4 after coming in 4 for 43 lifetime at Dodger Stadium, got one of the runs back for the Giants in the seventh with his eighth homer.

Fife retired his first 11 batters before Posey drove an 0-1 pitch barely over the left-field fence for his ninth homer. The Giants tied it in the fifth on a run-scoring groundout by Torres.

Ellis opened the scoring with his fourth homer, a two-run shot with two outs in the third after Federowicz led off with a double.

NOTES: Punto, starting at 3B while Juan Uribe got the night off, jumped to pull down Pablo Sandoval's line drive in the second inning. Hunter Pence, the next batter, lifted a popup toward the stands and Punto stretched over the barrier before landing in the first row with the ball in his glove. ... Kemp was 1 for 4 with a single. He is homerless in 106 at-bats at Dodger Stadium since his two-run shot off Colorado's Jorge De La Rosa last Sept. 20. ... The Giants have been outhomered 19-5 over their last 15 games. ... The Dodgers, who were 11-13 in Kemp's absence, opened a roster spot for him by optioning INF-OF Elian Herrera to Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Giants CF Angel Pagan had surgery in Los Angeles to repair a tendon in his left hamstring, an injury that has sidelined him since May 26.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan dropped to 3.40 percent. That's down from last week's rate of 3.49 percent, which was the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage, a popular refinancing option, fell to 2.73 percent, down from the record low of 2.77 percent last week.

The Fed is spending $40 billion a month to buy mortgage-backed securities. The goal is to lower mortgage rates and help the housing recovery. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says the program will continue until there is substantial improvement in the job market.

Some economists expect mortgage rates to fall even further because of the Fed's bond purchases.

The housing market already is benefiting from the lowest mortgage rates on record.Sales of both previously occupied and newly built homes in the U.S. are up from last year. Home prices are rising more consistently. And builders are more confident in the market and are starting to build more homes.

The broader economy is also likely to benefit from a revival in the housing market. When home prices rise, Americans typically feel wealthier and spend more.

Still, the housing market has a long way back. Sales and construction rates remain below healthy levels.

And some economists question whether lower rates will make much of a difference. The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage has been below 4 percent since early December. So most people who can qualify have likely already taken advantage of the lower rates.

Many people who would like to refinance or buy a home can't because they fail to meet stricter lending requirements or don't have enough money to make a down payment.

To calculate average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday of each week.

The average does not include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.

The average fee for 30-year loans was 0.6 point, unchanged from last week. The fee for 15-year loans also held steady at 0.6 point.

The average rate on one-year adjustable-rate mortgages dipped to 2.60 percent from 2.61 percent. The fee for one-year adjustable rate loans was unchanged at 0.4 point.

The average rate on five-year adjustable-rate mortgages fell to 2.71 percent from 2.76 percent. The fee remained at 0.6 point.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Internal Revenue Service agents used more than just "Tea Party" and other conservative terms to screen tax exempt applications, the newly-appointed IRS chief said on Monday after a month-long review ordered by President Barack Obama.

The IRS has scrapped use of the "be on the lookout" (BOLO) lists, newly appointed IRS chief Daniel Werfel said in a conference call with reporters. His disclosure about the breadth of the lists added a new twist to a six-week-old controversy that has embarrassed the Obama administration, forced the exit of several IRS officials and triggered probes by the FBI and Congress.

"We did determine and discover there are other BOLO lists in place," Werfel said on the call. "There was a wide ranging set of categories and cases that spanned a broad spectrum."

A top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, Sander Levin, said the word "progressive" was on one of the lists, which agency officials have said they used to flag applications for potential scrutiny.

The IRS has been blasted for the lists since May 10 when a senior official apologized for scrutiny of conservative groups. On May 14, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) issued a report on the lists.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama met with Werfel on Monday, and called the report a good first step.

"As the President has made clear, the misconduct identified in last month's Inspector General report is unacceptable," Carney said in a statement.

In response to the controversy, Obama last month fired then-acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller and ordered a 30-day review. At least three other IRS officials have been replaced or are on administrative leave.

Werfel said the IRS review found no intentional wrongdoing by employees inside or outside the agency.

Republican lawmakers, who have been suspicious that the White House played a role in the added scrutiny, said that many questions remained unanswered.

"The IRS still needs to provide clear answers ... who started this practice, why was it allowed to continue for so long, and how widespread was it?" said Dave Camp, the Republican chief of the Ways and Means Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Werfel is set to testify before the committee on Thursday.

LISTS ALSO FLAGGED "PROGRESSIVE" GROUPS

The IRS has provided hundreds of pages of documents to congressional investigators. Levin released some of the lists later on Monday, including one that included "progressive."

Levin, a Democrat from Michigan, said the May 14 TIGTA report is flawed because it ignored this fact.

"The audit served as the basis and impetus for a wide range of Congressional investigations and this new information shows that the foundation of those investigations is flawed in a fundamental way," Levin said.

According to documents released by Levin, the lists also included applications from groups interested in "disputed territories in the Middle East" and Obama's controversial health care law, among other hot-button topics.

FAST TRACK

Werfel's full report also outlines a new fast-track process for tax-exempt, 501(c)(4) applications stalled for more than 120 days, allowing them to "self-certify" by pledging to not spend more than 40 percent of their activities and expenditures on political activity.

"If they are less than 40, we think they are in a good place to self-certify and move forward," Werfel said, adding that those with 40 percent to 50 percent would likely require IRS review.

Political activity must not be the primary purpose of groups earning 501(c)(4) status, according to IRS interpretation of the law.

But the murky definition of "primary" led to some of the short-cuts used by IRS agents that got them into trouble, IRS officials have said.

(Reporting by Patrick Temple-West and Kim Dixon; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz and David Gregorio)

(This story was refiled to fix typo in the second paragraph)