Times of the Internet

FIFA says to hold Maradona hearing on Sunday

GENEVA (AFP) --

FIFA said that it will hold a disciplinary hearing on Diego Maradona on Sunday over the Argentinian coach's sexually-explicit rant after his team's World Cup qualification.

"The FIFA Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Marcel Mathier, will grant the head coach of Argentina a hearing, which will take place the day after the international friendly match between Spain and Argentina in Madrid," said football's world ruling body in a statement on Tuesday.

Maradona rounded on his critics after Argentina's 1-0 win over Uruguay in October, a victory which saw the two-time world champions squeeze nervously into next year's finals in South Africa.

World football governing body's head Sepp Blatter said Maradona may have flouted regulations which could result in a fine of up to 29,400 dollars and/or suspension.

"According to article 58.a anyone who harms the dignity of a person through acts or words can be punished," he had said, reacting to Maradona's rant.

Katt Williams free on bail

ATLANTA, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Comedian Katt Williams has been released on bail following his arrest on burglary and trespassing charges, an official at a Georgia jail confirmed.

E! News reported Williams, 36, was released Monday from the Coweta County Jail on $41,150 bond. He is accused of breaking into a guesthouse on the Newnan estate where he was staying Sunday and stealing $3,555 in cash and rare coins.

As Williams was leaving the jail, he described the incident as a misunderstanding between me and two stupid detectives, E! News said.

Williams has starred in his own stand-up special on HBO and has served as host of the BET awards. He also appeared in the movies Friday After Next, Norbit and First Sunday.

Despite his successful career, he has experienced some personal and legal troubles, and was hospitalized last year for a psychiatric evaluation.

The comedian was previously arrested on gun charges in 2006 and placed on probation for three years.

Firearms charges brought against him for a subsequent 2008 arrest were dropped.

Health cost containment troublesome issue

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Some Democrats and analysts are raising alarms that bills to reform the U.S. healthcare system fall short of President Obama's pledge to slow health spending.

Obama has made cost containment a key leg to healthcare reform. However, health economists say it isn't possible to know whether the bills would meet that goal, with many saying they doubt they would even come close, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Both the House and the Senate propose cost-saving measures. The House bill, which passed Saturday, projects $440 billion in Medicare savings over 10 years. The Senate Finance Committee bill projects about $420 billion. White House officials said additional savings in the private sector would be realized as well.

Experts, even those whom the White House consulted, said the measures represent only small steps toward revising the existing fee-for-service system, which drives up costs by paying health providers for each visit or procedure performed -- and some lawmakers are paying attention, the Times said.

My assessment at this point, said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and a member of the Finance Committee, is that the legislation is heavy on health and light on reform.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, during a news conference Monday with Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., shared her concern about the cost-containment issue. Collins said she also has met with moderate Democrats who share her view.

I don't believe we need more pilot projects to show us that healthcare delivery reforms are necessary, Collins told the Times. I think people are much more upset over the cost of care than the administration is acknowledging.

Deaths threats painted on Jewish center

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Swastikas and the words Jews shall die were found painted on the walls of the Soref Jewish community center in Coral Springs, Fla., police said.

The vandalism was discovered Monday on the 71st anniversary of Kristallnacht, meaning the night of the broken glass, in Nazi Germany, which many consider the beginning of the Holocaust.

We don't know if it's circumstantial or there's some linkage right now, said Andrew Rosenkranz, regional director of the Florida Anti-Defamation League, which is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

Workers at the Soref center found the swastikas and threat that Jews shall die spray-painted in gold when they arrived at the center Monday morning, police told The South Florida Sun-Sentinel in a story reported Tuesday.

Kristallnacht was a Nov. 9, 1938 pogrom in Germany and Austria in which hundreds of Jews were killed, 30,000 sent to concentration camps and thousands of buildings and homes belonging to Jews ransacked and destroyed.

Discount airlines gaining an edge

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

The biggest game-changer in the U.S. airline industry in recent years is not the recession or fuel costs, but discount carriers, an industry expert said.

The biggest thing that has happened in this industry over the past decade isn't 9/11, or recession, or SARS, or bankruptcies or mergers, economist Dan Kasper at consulting firm LECG said. It's the deep penetration by the low-cost carriers.

Discount carriers maintained a 10 percent market share in 1999 and now boast a 30 percent market share, USA Today reported Tuesday.

The recession and high fuel costs haven't helped conventional carriers, but discount airlines fared better in recent years because they offer flights to more cities, analysts said.

The shift toward the low-cost carriers isn't about price … . The shift really is because of flight availability, said frequent flier Don Schmincke, who logs about 200,000 miles in the air each year.

You can get to so many more places these days on the low-cost carriers that you couldn't 10 years ago.

Baltimore mayor pleads 'not guilty'

BALTIMORE, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon has pleaded not guilty to theft charges, courtroom observers said.

Appearing Monday on the first day of her trial in Baltimore's Courthouse East, Dixon's lawyers entered a not guilty plea to charges she misappropriated city-issued retail gift certificates meant for the needy, allegedly using them to purchase items for her friends and family, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The newspaper said much of the rest of the trial's first day was taken up by jury selection, during which Dixon frequently conferred with defense lawyers and prosecutors at the bench and interviewed potential jurors.

The Sun reported that Dixon spoke only briefly, saying Yes, Your Honor when Judge Dennis Sweeney asked her to acknowledge that she had the right to accompany her lawyers during bench conferences.

Observers said Dixon appeared businesslike during the proceedings, and did not appear to use her BlackBerry as he does routinely during City Hall meetings. The Sun said the mayor occasionally wrote in a notebook or whispered to lead defense attorney Arnold Weiner.

Retail sales slightly down in the week

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Retail sales in the United States dropped slightly in the week ending Nov. 7, the International Council of Shopping Centers-USB reported Tuesday.

Sales were down 0.1 percent, but up 2.9 percent compared to the same week a year ago, the report said.

The slight tick downward broke a six-week trend of week-to-week increases.

In the recent week, consumer traffic increased at dollar stores, wholesale clubs, drug stores and department stores. Traffic in grocery stores declined.

Nationally, the average temperature in the week was 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the same week a year ago, Weather Trends International said. Gasoline prices, which also influence the nation's shopping habits, fell 2.8 cents from the previous week, following four weeks of increases, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said.

Taylor Swift - Her Nice Girl Problem

LOS ANGELES, CA., Nov. 10 (TOTI) --

Taylor Swift is a rarity in the music business. She is devoted to her parents, is unfailingly polite, and never parties the night away at the swankest Hollywood establishments.

In the entertainment business, that type of squeaky clean image can sometimes work against you.

"I feel like I disappoint people sometimes because I'm not edgy enough," Swift told J-14.

So far her image has hardly hurt her career. In just a few short years the 19 year old has managed to dominate the music business like few others. But when she meets people for the first time, they have different ideas of what being a popular music performer really means.

"In interviews, the funny thing is that people are like, 'You're not drunk right now? That's so weird to hear. You're not stumbling out of a club now at 6 a.m.? Why aren't you?"

When all is said and done, Taylor Swift is modeling herself after other pop singers. It's her mom she wants most to be like.

"She treats people well and she's kind to people," said Swift. "She's a great example!"

Indonesian forests on frontline of climate debate

by Jérôme Rivet TELUK MERANTI, Indonesia (AFP) --

With the approach of global climate talks in Copenhagen, activists are hoping to draw world attention to their fight to save the last tropical forests on Indonesia's Sumatra island.

If successful, they believe they will slow global warming by preventing the carbon trapped in the forest's timbers and dense peat soils from being released through logging and clearing.

In the complicated argot of climate negotiations, the idea is called REDD: Reducing Emmissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.

"We are here on the frontline of forest and climate destruction. This forest is under immediate threat," Greenpeace Indonesia forest campaigner Bustar Maitar said.

The battleground is the Kampar peninsular, 400,000 hectares (988,420 acres) of exuberant nature which is home to rare species such as Sumatran tigers, as well as indigenous people who live on fishing and gathering.

The spongy, peat soil that feeds the forest has stored organic material over thousands of years to a depth of about 20 metres (66 feet), forming part of one of the largest natural carbon "sinks" in the world.

The clearing and burning of Indonesia's peatlands account for four percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Greenpeace.

Vast areas of peatland and other forests have been cleared for pulp, paper and the booming palm oil industry, making Indonesia the third biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world after China and the United States.

Emissions linked to forest destruction account for about 80 pecent of the 2.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide -- a greenhouse gas blamed for global warming -- released each year by the Southeast Asian archipelago, according to government estimates.

Environment group WWF says forest loss and degradation, peat decomposition and fires in Riau province, which includes Kampar, cause annual carbon emissions equivalent to 122 percent of the Netherlands' total annual emissions.

But if the government gets its way, Kampar's peatlands will be drained and its carbon-rich forests turned into acacia plantations.

That's the plan of Indonesia's Asia Pacific Resources International Holding Ltd. (APRIL), one of the world's biggest pulp and paper companies, which has been given a huge concession over most of Kampar.

Not surprisingly, the company says it is helping to "manage" the forest for its own good. The acacia project will also create 20,000 jobs, it says.

"Leaving the Kampar peatland forests unmanaged will only accelerate the deforestation and degradation," APRIL sustainability director Neil Franklin said.

"This area is currently under serious threat of unabated degradation through population pressures, slash-and-burn farming, illegal logging and fires."

APRIL says it is negotiating with the Teluk Meranti forest people to "design a comprehensive community development programme" including scholarships, assistance to health services and infrastructure such as mosques and schools.

"We do not believe in giving money. Our philosophy is to teach them how to fish to feed themselves instead of giving them the fish," Franklin said.

Teluk Meranti villager Iras confirms that APRIL's offer has been the subject of much discussion among locals, who are unsure how to resist the might of the pulp-and-paper giant.

The 29-year-old fisherman says he is ready to give up his traditional land if the company pays "around 70 million rupiah" (7,350 dollars) per person and provides land for villagers to plant oil palms.

Others, however, warn against the lure of quick money.

"All our life comes from the forest. If we lose that, we lose our means of subsistence and our traditions," said village elder Mohammed Yusuf.

"The community is too weak to fight the company. It has everything: money, power, connections with politicians... It is very influential."

One way to overcome the power of the pulp companies, according to Greenpeace and other environmental groups, is for rich countries to intervene financially and make REDD part of a future global climate pact.

This would put avoided deforestation at the heart of carbon markets, creating a powerful incentive for countries like Indonesia to stop cutting down trees.

"Indonesia can eliminate, or at least dramatically reduce, its emissions from peatland," said Paul Winn, Greenpeace's Sydney-based forest and climate campaigner.

"For that, we are calling on industrial countries to give more money to help developing countries to compensate communities and to protect intact forests."

Companies like APRIL should get out of forests and do their business on degraded, low-carbon land, he said.

NASA releases unique view of the Milky Way

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

The U.S. space agency released a never-before-seen view of the center of the Milky Way galaxy Tuesday in celebration of the International Year of Astronomy.

NASA said the composite image commemorates the 400 years since Galileo first turned his telescope to the heavens in 1609.

The image was distributed to more than 150 planetariums, museums, nature centers, libraries and schools across the nation.

Each site will unveil a giant, 6-foot-by-3-foot print of the bustling hub of our galaxy that combines a near-infrared view from the Hubble Space Telescope, an infrared view from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and an X-ray view from the Chandra X-ray Observatory into one multi-wavelength picture, NASA said.

Officials said experts from the three observatories assembled the final image from large mosaic photo surveys taken by each telescope. NASA scientists said the composite provides one of the most detailed views ever of our galaxy's mysterious core.

The project is a collaboration of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; the Spitzer Science Center in Pasadena, Calif.; and the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Mass.

The composite image is available at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/multimedia/spitzer-20091110a.html.

Koalas could be extinct in 30 years: conservationists

SYDNEY (AFP) --

Australia's koalas could be extinct in 30 years, conservationists warned Tuesday, calling for the iconic creatures to be declared an endangered species.

The Australian Koala Foundation said a recent survey indicated numbers may have plunged by more than half in the past six years due to climate change, disease and over-development.

The study showed there were between 43,000 and 80,000 koalas on mainland Australia, down from an estimated 100,000 in 2003, said Foundation chief Deborah Tabart.

"We're saying (numbers) could be as low as 43,000 and as high as 80,000, Tabart told public broadcaster ABC Radio.

Large numbers have been killed by an outbreak of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, while others have been affected by loss of habitat due to deforestation and climate change, Tabart said.

Hotter, drier conditions had reduced the nutritional value of their staple food, eucalyptus leaves, leading to fatal malnutrition, she said.

"I really think climate change is starting to affect koala populations," she said.

Tabart said the findings, which were based on surveys of almost 2,000 forest sites, pointed to total extinction of the species within 30 years without government action.

Conservation groups unsuccessfully tried to have the animals declared a vulnerable species in 2006, but Tabart said the new data was proof of a "drastic decline".

"There has been a great deal of opposition to the protection of the koala over many years and I think that still exists," she said.

Researcher Bill Ellis said he'd found evidence of localised extinctions and there were "major declines in populations" along the east coast.

The government's threatened species committee was due to make a recommendation by mid-2010, but representative Bob Beeton said they would not be swayed by its status as one of the country's favourite animals.

"There's a number of species which are charismatic and emotionally charged. We don't consider that," said Beeton.

"I mean, we'd consider the koala with the same level of diligence and dedication as if it were the death adder."

SKorea launches $19 bln river project despite protests

SEOUL (AFP) --

South Korea on Tuesday launched a 19 billion dollar project to dredge and restore its four major rivers despite protests over the feared environmental impact.

Excavators started shifting soil to build temporary dams on two of the rivers after the environment ministry gave the green light following a four-month survey.

Under the plan the Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan rivers will be dredged, given new banks and equipped with dams along a total length of some 3,200 kilometres (2,000 miles).

Prime Minister Chung Un-Chan told a cabinet meeting the three-year programme will mean less water is wasted, will improve water quality and will boost the economy of local provinces.

When completed in December 2012, the government says the rivers will be opened up for transport and tourism and floods and droughts will be controlled.

It also hopes the project will create tens of thousands of jobs as the country emerges from the global economic crisis.

Critics say the river project is a recycled plan to build a massive cross-country canal once touted by President Lee Myung-Bak, a former construction CEO nicknamed the "Bulldozer".

The canal project was officially scrapped because of widespread objections.

The main opposition Democratic Party says the project is pointless and would gobble up funds for welfare, education and provincial development.

It vows to fight to scale down the project during parliamentary budget hearings.

Other critics say it would cause environmental and ecological disasters.

"We're going to see an environmental disaster. It's common sense that dammed water always worsens," Lee Cheol-Jae, director of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, told AFP.

"It must be noted that the survey on environmental impact from the great project was carried out hurriedly, being wrapped up just in four months."

Kenya's wind power project snagged

NAIROBI (AFP) --

A Kenyan wind power project aiming to be the biggest in sub-Saharan Africa suffered a setback Tuesday after talks with one of the key investors foundered, an official said.

Consortium chief of the Lake Turkana Wind Project in northern Kenya said British energy firm Globeleq pegged its participation on the building of a transmission line from the remote region.

"We did not agree on that because the project would have been delayed by 12 to 20 months," Carlo Van Wageningen told AFP by phone.

Van Wageningen said fresh talks would be opened with another investor, which he said was much bigger than Globeleq, an affiliate of the British CDC Group specialising in power projects in emerging markets.

The Kenyan wind project is set to produce 300 megawatts. Egypt currently produces 240 megawatts of power from wind and is expected to increase to 350 megawatts after expansion.

Police: Day-care lady pinned kids to beds

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn., Nov. 10 (UPI) --

A suburban Minneapolis day-care provider safety-pinned children to mattresses and used pajamas as straitjackets, authorities say.

Charges filed in Hennepin County District Court allege Arvilla Meinhardt, 70, of Golden Valley, Minn., admitted to authorities she had been using such tactics on 2- and 3-year-olds who attended her in-home day care for about eight years, the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said Meinhardt has been charged with gross misdemeanor malicious punishment of a child and false imprisonment.

Golden Valley Police Chief Stacy Altonen told reporters that while Meinhardt, her husband and her daughter were all arrested Friday, only Meinhardt currently is facing charges, adding there are potential charges for the others.

Altonen told the Star Tribune police were made aware of the situation when a 7-year-old girl told her mother Meinhardt had used safety pins to fasten her arms to a mattress during nap time while she had been under her care several years earlier.

Suspected gunman in custody at school

PINE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov. 10 (UPI) --

A suspected gunman was in custody and no one was injured after a principal was held hostage Tuesday at a school in Pine Plains, N.Y., officials said.

The principal was held hostage for nearly two hours at Stissing Mountain High School, about 90 miles north of New York City.

The suspect was taken into custody after state police isolated him to one room of the school and negotiated with him, a spokesman for the sheriff's department told CNN.

Pine Plains Supervisor Gregg Pulver said he had been told the gunman was a parent of a child at the school, which was surrounded Tuesday by nearly 100 state, county and local police officers.

Parents waiting in a nearby lot applauded when they heard the situation had been resolve safely, said Nancy Kotzur, a Pine Plains resident who has two sons at the school.

Now we're waiting for the children to be released, Kotzur said.

The gunman was at the school when it opened at 7:45 a.m., a time when as many as 500 children and 100 staff also were at the school, Pulver said. There was no immediate word on a motive for the hostage-taking.

Ex-astronaut, rival to appear in court

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 10 (UPI) --

A former U.S. astronaut and the love rival she is accused of attacking were set to appear together in a Florida courtroom Tuesday, observers say.

Lisa Nowak, 46, the mission specialist on space shuttle Discovery's July 2006 flight, was scheduled to appear at a pre-trial hearing in Orlando, Fla., on charges of attempted kidnapping and burglary with assault, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Also slated to appear was Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman, who was dating Nowak's boyfriend, Bill Oefelein, in 2007 when Nowack allegedly drove non-stop from Houston to Orlando in February 2007 to confront Shipman at the airport as she returned from a visit with Oefelein, Nowak's former boyfriend and NASA colleague.

Among other things Nowak is accused of spraying Shipman with pepper spray. Shipman reportedly is living with Oefelein in Alaska.

Nowak's attorneys say they are negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors. If one isn't reached, however, her trial is set to begin in December, the Sentinel said.

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Bill Clinton, Senate Dems talk healthcare

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton heads to Capitol Hill Tuesday to speak to the Senate Democrats' weekly lunch and push for healthcare reform, a memo said.

All Senators should be aware that former President Clinton will be making a presentation on (healthcare) at tomorrow's (Tuesday's) caucus lunch. (Senate Majority Leader Harry) Reid has requested that all Democratic Senators attend, read a notice obtained by CNN.

The former president was expected to tell the Senate Democratic caucus about what happened during his administration when efforts to pass healthcare reform failed, two senior Democratic sources told CNN.

Democrats in the House of Representatives approved its version of healthcare reform Saturday.

If the Senate passes a reform bill, a congressional conference committee will meld the House and Senate proposals into a consensus version that requires final approval from both chambers before being sent to President Barack Obama for his consideration.

Ida loses storm status over U.S. southeast

MIAMI, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Ida was downgraded to tropical depression status Tuesday morning as it saturated the U.S. Gulf coastal states with rain, forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 9 a.m. CST, all storm warnings ranging from Louisiana east to Florida had been discontinued.

Ida was about 30 miles east-southeast of Mobile, Ala., moving northeast at 9 mph. The former hurricane was packing winds of 35 mph and further weakening was expected throughout the day.

Forecasters warned as much as eight inches of rain was possible along the forecast path through Wednesday.

The center said high Gulf of Mexico coastal water levels would begin abating later Tuesday.

Ida surprised forecasters by quickly developing over the Atlantic Ocean last Thursday and becoming a hurricane that moved northward through Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Obama mulling five options for Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama and his senior advisers will consider five strategies for Afghanistan and Pakistan at their next meeting, administration officials said.

Obama and his advisers are to meet Wednesday to consider an Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, including recommendations on strategy and troop levels recommended by U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, ABC News reported Tuesday.

During his Oct. 30 meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Obama asked officials to assess four other strategy options -- including the missions, troop requirements and cost -- but hasn't reviewed them, ABC said. All five options would increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

I've been asking not only General McChrystal, but all of our commanders who are familiar with the situation, as well as our civilian folks on the ground, a lot of questions that, until they're answered, may -- may create a situation in which we resource something based on faulty premises, Obama said in an interview with ABC. And I want to make sure that we have tested all the assumptions that we're making before we send young men and women into harm's way; that if we are sending additional troops that the prospects of a functioning Afghan government are enhanced, that the prospects of al-Qaida being able to attack the U.S. homeland are reduced.

The White House has denied reports that Obama has decided a course in Afghanistan. An announcement of his final decision is expected after he returns Nov. 19 from a visit to four Asian countries.

Suspect warned of Muslims fighting Muslims

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The man accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, warned U.S. Army physicians 18 months ago against deploying Muslim soldiers to fight other Muslims.

As a senior-year psychiatric resident at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Maj. Nidal M. Hasan urged senior Army physicians to avoid adverse events by allowing Muslim soldiers be released as conscientious objectors rather than fight in wars against other Muslims, a copy of his presentation obtained by The Washington Post indicated.

It's getting harder and harder for Muslims in the service to morally justify being in a military that seems constantly engaged against fellow Muslims, he said during the presentation that was supposed to be about a medical topic, the Post reported Tuesday.

Investigators allege that Hasan opened fire in Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Center, killing 12 military personnel and one civilian Thursday.

An Army spokesman told the Post he was unaware of the presentation.

Hasan spent six years at Walter Reed as an intern, resident and fellow beginning in 2003. He was transferred to Fort Hood as a psychiatrist in July and was to be deployed soon for Afghanistan. A relative said Hasan asked not to be deployed, but it was unknown whether he sought conscientious-objector status, the Post said.

The title of Hasan's 50-slide presentation was The Koranic World View As It Relates to Muslims in the U.S. Military. In one slide, Hasan described the presentation's objectives as identifying what the Koran inculcates in the minds of Muslims and the potential implications this may have for the U.S. military.

Its recommendation was, Department of Defense should allow Muslims (sic) Soldiers the option of being released as 'Conscientious objectors' to increase troop morale and decrease adverse events.

Suspected gunman in custody at school

PINE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- A suspected gunman was in custody and no one was injured after a principal was held hostage Tuesday at a school in Pine Plains, N.Y., officials said.

The principal was held hostage for nearly two hours at Stissing Mountain High School, about 90 miles north of New York City.

The suspect was taken into custody after state police isolated him to one room of the school and negotiated with him, a spokesman for the sheriff's department told CNN.

Pine Plains Supervisor Gregg Pulver said he had been told the gunman was a parent of a child at the school, which was surrounded Tuesday by nearly 100 state, county and local police officers.

Parents waiting in a nearby lot applauded when they heard the situation had been resolve safely, said Nancy Kotzur, a Pine Plains resident who has two sons at the school.

Now we're waiting for the children to be released, Kotzur said.

Czech soldiers sacked for Nazi insignia

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Two elite Czech soldiers serving in Afghanistan have been fired for wearing Nazi insignia on their helmets, Defense Minister Martin Bartak announced Tuesday.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting in Prague, Bartak said the two soldiers, Hynek Matonoha and Jan Cermak, as well as their commander, Petr Prochazka, have been sacked after a Czech newspaper ran a photo of Cermak wearing a helmet adorned with the symbol of the SS Dirlewanger Brigade --- one of the most infamous Nazi combat units of World War II, Ceske Noviny reported.

The newspaper said both soldiers, members of the Czech rapid reaction brigade deployed in Afghanistan, were forced to leave the military without retirement allowance or severance pay. Bartak had said this week he would take tough strong measures against extremism in the military and has fired another soldier who reportedly admitted to planning abductions of Jews in high posts.

The two soldiers' commander was suspended after allegedly ordering the Nazi insignia and photographs of them be burned.

Ants can attack trees to make housing

NORWICH, England, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Plant ants generally live in harmony with their hosts, but a British-Brazilian study finds that when the ants run out of space they can become destructive.

The research led by Douglas Yu of the University of East Anglia and Glenn Shepard of Sao Paulo University is said to be the first to document that ants bore into live trees.

Scientists said ants and certain species of plants have harmonious relationships. Myrmecophytes, also known as ant-plants, have hollow stems or roots and ant colonies often take residence in those hollows. To protect their homes, the ants patrol the area around the plant, killing insects that want to eat the plant's leaves.

But while researching ant-plants in the Amazonian rainforests of Peru, Yu and Shepard discovered several non-myrmecophyte trees with swollen scars called galls on their trunks and branches. When the researchers cut into the galls, they found ants had excavated tunnels into the live wood.

The scientists said their finding is the first example of ants galling live trees to make housing.

The research appears in the journal The American Naturalist.

Storm brews over bill's offshore provision

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Representatives of multinational corporations says they're trying to preserve language in a spending bill that would dilute a ban on federal contracts.

The provision, inserted in the Senate bill at the request of the Obama administration, would weaken a ban on federal contracts for so-called inverted companies by saying the ban will not apply if it conflicts with U.S. obligations under an international agreement, The Hill reported Tuesday. Inverted corporations operate mainly in the United States, but incorporate overseas to reduce their U.S. tax exposure.

Before the 2002 ban began, four of the 100 largest federal contractors were inverted, a Government Accountability Office report indicated. In 2001, those four companies received $2.7 billion in federal contracts, but haven't won contracts since the ban was enacted.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said he and a bipartisan group of lawmakers said they want to protect the ban and prevent inverted companies from being awarded government contracts, the Washington publication said.

The only reason you want to invert and get rid of your American citizenship is to avoid paying U.S. taxes, Dorgan said during a floor speech last week. We say: 'You don't want to pay U.S. taxes, you know what? You ought not get to do business with the federal government.'

The Senate bill hasn't reached the floor. The House approved its version that doesn't include the language that would weaken the ban.

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U.S. markets stall

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. markets wavered Tuesday after a strong rally Monday that sent the Dow Jones industrial average up 203 points.

A day with no major government reports to ponder leaves investors to fend for themselves. Reports positive and negative -- the gross domestic product up 3.5 percent in third quarter versus rising unemployment -- have not stopped markets from steaming ahead in recent sessions.

In late morning trading Tuesday, the DJIA was off 0.13 percent, 12.92 points, to 10,214.02. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 0.35 percent, 3.84 points, to 1,089.24. The Nasdaq composite index dropped 036 percent, 7.72 points, to 2,146.34.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rose 8/32 to yield 3.454 percent.

The euro fell to $1.4976 from Monday's $1.4988. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 89.84 yen from Monday's 90.01 yen.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index rose 0.63 percent, 61.74, to 9,870.73.

Google buys mobile ad business

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. Internet giant Google said it would purchase AdMob, a mobile device advertising start-up, for $750 million in stock.

AdMob is an industry leader in selling banner ads that are viewed on the iPhone or appear on Web sites that mobile phones can handle, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The deal shows that Google is serious about becoming a major player in the mobile advertising ecosystem, Neil Strother, an analyst with Forrester Research, told the Times.

While the purchase, puts Google in the front-runner position, Strother said, the company paid more for the company than the entire mobile ad industry was worth in 2008, market researcher Kelsey Group said.

Kelsey Group estimates the mobile ad sales industry generated $160 million in revenue last year.

Google said it was looking at growth.

We see mobile as a huge growth opportunity for us. We see an opportunity working with AdMob to really accelerate our efforts in an important industry for Google, said Susan Wojcicki, Google's vice president for product management.

Picower's estate to help Madoff victims

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The death of Jeffrey Picower, an investor with disgraced financier Bernard Madoff, may mean several billion more dollars for Madoff's victims, attorneys say.

Picower, who died last month in his Palm Beach, Fla., swimming pool, left an estate worth more than $1 billion and attorneys for victims of Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme say Picower's estate should go to compensate them, The New York Times reported.

The newspaper said Picower's will -- expected to be filed Tuesday -- leaves most of his money to charity, but is large enough for both charitable contributions as well as restitution for Madoff victims.

Picower attorney William Zabel refused to comment to the Times about settlement talks with Irving Picard, the trustee for the Madoff victims. But he did say figures under discussion range from $2.4 billion to $7 billion -- enough to least double the amount of restitution that Picard has been able to gather so far.

Lawmakers seek to speed up credit card law

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Legislators in Washington are pursuing options to close the grace period lawmakers gave credit card companies when they passed the credit card law in May.

When the law was passed, lawmakers gave credit card companies until Feb. 22 before the law was to take effect.

The law provides consumers with a mandatory 45-day warning before lenders can change rates and extends the period between when a bill is sent and when a company can declare the minimum payment overdue, among other measures.

Now lawmakers are seeking to have the bill take effect immediately. The House approved such a step last week, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., is backing a bill that would make it illegal to raise interest rates on existing credit accounts until the law takes effect.

Lawmakers are seeking changes as consumers have complained of sharply rising interest rates. In advance of the new law, some interest rates have jumped as high as 29.99 percent, the Times said.

Banks are facing increased defaults on accounts and fewer customers. In the past year, the number of accounts at four major companies dropped by 72 million, said David Robertson, who publishes The Nilson Report.

Study: Genomes can vary by region

DAVIS, Calif., Nov. 10 (UPI) --

U.S. researchers say they've found variations in genomes among ethnic groups and subgroups, with clear regional differences.

University of California-Davis Professor Michael Seldin and graduate student Chao Tian, along with Dr. Peter Gregersen of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, analyzed a multi-center genetics study that scanned the genomes of 4,000 people across Europe and found the regional differences.

The researchers said their findings are critical in the analysis of genetic studies because not knowing an individual's ancestry could result in statistical errors that alter the outcome of the study.

Until now, scientists have depended on a person's knowledge of their ancestral roots when they study human populations to look for risk genes, said Gregersen, head of the Center for Genomics and Human Genetics at the Feinstein Institute. But he said even among racial groups there can be significant differences in the frequencies of certain genetic alleles.

The study appears in the journal Molecular Medicine.

Emerging markets to spearhead recovery: HSBC

LONDON (AFP) --

HSBC, Europe's biggest bank, forecast on Tuesday that emerging markets will lead the global economic recovery and said that the "biggest jolt" of the world financial crisis was over.

In a trading update, chief executive Michael Geoghegan predicted emerging markets would "drive the global recovery", while the group said third-quarter profits were "significantly" ahead of one year earlier.

In a busy day for Britain's banking sector, rival Barclays posted a sharp drop in earnings, but remained profitable in the third quarter, while state-controlled Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) cut 5,000 more jobs.

Many British banks were hammered by the financial crisis, which forced the government to pump billion of pounds into major lenders such as Royal Bank of Scotland, LBG and Northern Rock.

But HSBC and Barclays have avoided the clutches of the state -- the former by raising billions of pounds on the stock market and focusing on emerging markets, and the latter by securing large investment from Gulf nations.

"The benefits of geographical diversification -- particularly in the Asian space -- was again underlined as (HSBC) pointed towards emerging markets in general having the brightest interim prospects," said analyst Richard Hunter at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers.

"At the same time, management suggested that the worst of the crisis was over, which will be of particular relief to those investors still concerned over the North American experience."

HSBC reported that underlying quarterly pre-tax profit was "significantly ahead" of figures a year earlier.

It also said that expenses linked to loan defaults fell to the lowest quarterly level for more than a year.

"Pre-tax profit for the third quarter of 2009 was significantly ahead of the third quarter 2008," HSBC said in a statement that did not provide exact figures.

Geoghegan added: "Driven by stabilised credit performance in the US, loan impairment charges have fallen to their lowest quarterly level for over a year."

Stripping out debt costs however, HSBC said third-quarter profits were lower compared with a year earlier.

"I believe that the biggest jolt has now passed through the global economy," Geoghegan said.

"But it is too early to claim victory, especially while unemployment is still rising in the West.

"The world will likely experience a two-speed recovery and emerging markets currently offer the brightest prospects for growth. Indeed, it now seems clear that they will drive the global recovery."

Geoghegan added that in Asia, HSBC has been "encouraged by renewed activity" in equity markets and increased demand for wealth management products.

"In Hong Kong, we increased commercial lending and maintained our leading position in mortgage lending," he also said.

Back in September, HSBC had announced plans to move Geoghegan to Hong Kong from London as the "centre of economic gravity" shifts from West to East.

HSBC, founded in Hong Kong and Shanghai in 1865, will remain headquartered in London and regulated by Britain but Geoghegan will relocate in February to be nearer the group's "largest and most important region" of operation.

Barclays meanwhile on Tuesday reported sharp falls in third-quarter net profits as the banking group's bad debts soared.

Barclays said profit after tax slumped 54 percent to 1.075 billion pounds in the three months to September 30 compared with the outcome for the third quarter in 2008.

Net profits slumped 29 percent to 2.73 billion pounds in the first nine months of the year.

Barclays said bad debt charges surged 63 percent to 1.4 billion pounds in the third quarter and by 65 percent to 6.2 billion pounds in the first nine months.

Barclays had last year won a seven-billion-pound capital injection largely backed by Abu Dhabi and Qatar, as it survived the credit crunch without government aid. But Abu Dhabi has since sold most of its holding.

In addition, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, recent trimmed its Barclays stake.

Luxury retail heads for the Internet

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

High-end British clothes maker Burberry, famous for trench coats, is establishing a presence on the Internet, a move increasingly popular among luxury brands.

Burberry has launched social networking site called artofthetrench.com, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Luxury brands have largely avoided the Internet, which is perceived more of a discounters' paradise than way to solidify brand identity, the Times said.

With luxury sales dropping 8 percent this year, some high-end companies are turning to the Internet.

They fear brand dilution, but also fear being left out of a growth opportunity.

Salvatore Ferragamo said it would establish and online store within a year. Prada, Bulgari and Faberge have already done so.

It's our differentiator. It's not so different from what competitors do. Maybe one was born from shoes and another from luggage; we come from a coat. It's our job to keep that category hot and cool and relevant for all ages, said Burberry Chief Executive Officer Angela Ahrendts.

Twilight Author Stephanie Meyer To Sit For Oprah Winfrey Interview

LOS ANGELES, CA., Nov. 10 (TOTI) --

Stephanie Meyer, creator of the amazingly popular Twilight series of books, is visiting Oprah Winfrey where the Queen of Talk will introduce Meyer to her huge audience.

"Since I'm only doing one interview, better make it really, really big," blogged Meyer.

Viewers can expect a relatively generic interview because Oprah Winfrey appeals to such a massive, mainstream audience. There won't be many specific questions about Twilight or its' characters.

Still this should be quite an event considering Stephanie Meyer has given so few interviews.

It looks like Twilight fans better set their DVRs to record Oprah at once.

Vets load up YouTube for Remembrance Day

OTTAWA, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

A Canadian government channel about war veterans on the YouTube video Web site has attracted tens of thousands of hits before Remembrance Day.

The annual Nov. 11 salute to soldiers who served in the last century's wars was taken to the Internet by Veterans Affairs Canada. Agency spokeswoman Heather MacDonald told the Canwest News Service the segments were posted Friday and more than 67,000 views had been logged and unsolicited videos from veterans and their families were being uploaded.

The response has been overwhelming for us, she said. We had no idea it would take off as it has.

She said one video was even posted by Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk, who is orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station. MacDonald said the department had been searching for a way to engage young people.

The reason we want to get youth involved is because they carry the torch or remembrance for future generations, she said. We know that if we want to engage youth, we need to go to where youth are.

The day that originally marked the Armistice of World War I is observed in the United States as Veterans' Day.

Jennifer Lopez - J.Lo Sex Tape Scandal Widens

LOS ANGELES, CA., Nov. 10 (TOTI) --

A Los Angeles judge will decide today whether to extend a court order from Jennifer Lopez that bars her former husband, Ojani Noa, from distributing a sex tape the couple made when they were newlyweds.

J-Lo sued Noa for $10 million and sought to bar the sex tape from ever being made public. A judge ruled in her favor and the tape has been kept privvate.

Today the judge will decide whether the order will be extended. If not, the world will see a video tape taken when Noa and Lopez were first married, involving intimate moments between the couple.

All told, Noa has 11 hours of "intimate moments" he collected from the period.

Google buys mobile ad business

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

U.S. Internet giant Google said it would purchase AdMob, a mobile device advertising start-up, for $750 million in stock.

AdMob is an industry leader in selling banner ads that are viewed on the iPhone or appear on Web sites that mobile phones can handle, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The deal shows that Google is serious about becoming a major player in the mobile advertising ecosystem, Neil Strother, an analyst with Forrester Research, told the Times.

Kelsey Group estimates the mobile ad sales industry generated $160 million in revenue last year.

Google said it was looking at growth.

ESA readies flexible Ka-band satellite

PARIS, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

The European Space Agency says Hylas, a Ka-band satellite, has been shipped from England to India for integration with its platform for launch next year.

The ESA said the move was completed by Astrium U.K., the prime contractor for the flexible broadband satellite, supported by Avanti Communications, the satellite customer-operator. The ESA is a partner and co-funder of the project.

The Hylas mission will address the large demand for broadband services in Europe that cannot be met by terrestrial networks, the ESA said. It will provide capacity to serve hundreds of thousands of Internet users, and broadcast up to 30 standard-quality or 15 high-definition TV channels in Ku-band.

The Indian Space Research Organization is providing the satellite platform and will test the integrated communications payload in preparation for the launch by Arianespace, the ESA said.

The Generic Flexible Payload technology, developed by Astrium, is at the heart of the communications module, said Andrew Murrell, the ESA's Hylas payload engineer. It is based on highly integrated equipment that provides in-orbit flexibility to adapt the satellite's frequency plan and connectivity to match evolving market demands. The use of the newly developed, flexible traveling wave tube amplifier … enables further optimization of satellite resources by allowing power to be reallocated between service regions according to changing needs.

John Travolta And Family Walk Red Carpet

LOS ANGELES, CA., Nov. 10 (TOTI) --

John Travolta, wife Kelly Preston, and daughter Ella Bleu walked the red carpet at the premier of the new movie Old Dogs, which is a family project.

John Travolta, Kelly Preston, and Ella Bleu are all in the movie. It's the first film appearance for the nine year old Ella Bleu.

The movie also stars Seth Green, Justin Long, and Robin Williams.

"Old Dogs" is about two business partners and friends who find their lives turned upside down when strange circumstances lead to them being placed in the care of 7-year-old twins. The audience gets to learn if 'old dogs' really can learn new tricks.

Please check out the video clip to see the Travoltas on the red carpet.

U.S.: Attorney bought cars, boat in scheme

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 10 (UPI) --

A high-powered Florida attorney used ill-gotten gains to buy luxury sports cars, an 87-foot yacht and a $6.45 million home, U.S. prosecutors say.

Court documents filed Monday in the case of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., attorney Scott Rothstein indicate authorities are seeking forfeiture of the items because the funds used to buy them were derived from a Ponzi scheme involving hundreds of millions of dollars, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.

Rothstein, 47, whose clients and social circle included the state's top politicians and sports figures, has been accused of running a secret investment business out of his attorney's office. Authorities were alerted to it two weeks ago when investors started questioning the status of their funds, the newspaper said.

Prosecutors say Rothstein allegedly forged documents to convince clients that money was being held in bank accounts when it wasn't. The scheme was based on the sale of structured settlements derived from sexual harassment and labor-related cases, the Sun Sentinel reported.

The investigation has established that no such settlement agreements had ever existed and the entire investment scheme was a fraud, the court documents said.

Three charged with burning teenager

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Three Florida teenagers accused of setting fire to a 15-year-old boy have been charged as adults with attempted murder, authorities said.

The Florida State Attorney's Office Monday charged Matthew Bent, 15, Denver Jarvis, 15, and Jesus Mendez, 16, with second-degree attempted murder, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The three last month allegedly set fire to Michael Brewer, who is in critical condition with second and third degree burns over two-thirds of his body, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Prosecutors declined to file charges against Jeremy Jarvis, 13, and Steven Shelton, 16, who initially were accused in the case.

This is a very active, ongoing investigation, said prosecutor Maria Schneider. As additional information becomes available, then we have the option to revisit our filing decision.

The Deerfield Beach teen was allegedly attacked in retaliation for thwarting the theft of a custom bicycle that belonged to Brewer's father. Brewer was doused with rubbing alcohol and set fire Oct. 12 as he sat by an apartment pool, prosecutors said.

Pakistan market blast kills 30: officials

by Lehaz Ali CHARSADDA, Pakistan (AFP) --

A suicide car bomb tore through a crowded shopping street in Pakistan on Tuesday, killing 30 people in the third militant attack to strike the nuclear-armed country in as many days.

The bomber blew up his vehicle in the heart of the northwest town of Charsadda on a road lined with fruit and juice shops, ripping off shop roofs and littering the ground with slippers, human flesh and broken push carts.

The United States has put Pakistan on the frontline of its war against Al-Qaeda and has been increasingly disturbed by deteriorating security in the country where attacks and bombings have killed about 2,500 people in 28 months.

"I was buying something before closing my shop. A car was parked on the other side of the road and all of a sudden there was a huge blast," said Hazrat Ali, a shopkeeper with shrapnel wounds to his chest and forehead.

"There was smoke and darkness everywhere. I passed out," he told AFP.

The blast damaged signboards and at least six vehicles, including two buses, during the afternoon shopping rush in the town's most popular market.

"At least 30 people died in the Charsadda blast and more than 100 wounded," North West Frontier Province (NWFP) information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told AFP. Seven children and three women were among the dead, police said.

The wounded were being treated in Charsadda and the northwestern capital Peshawar, on the edge of Pakistan's tribal belt that US officials call the most dangerous place on Earth and a chief Al-Qaeda sanctuary.

The government blames increasing attacks on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is the target of a major ongoing offensive and which wants to avenge the killing of their leader Baitullah Mehsud by a US missile in August.

Charsadda is the ideological centre of the secular Awami National Party (ANP), which is currently governing NWFP, and the town has been struck by a series of deadly bomb and suicide attacks targeting ANP leaders.

"The bombing today was the militants' reaction to the ongoing anti-Taliban operation in South Waziristan," said NWFP law minister Arshad Abdullah.

Pakistan authorities, embarrassed and weakened by the deluge of attacks, repeatedly bat aside suggestions that security services, which have a history of supporting Islamist groups in a bid to counter rival India, could do more.

"It is a war-like situation and foolproof security is not possible in such a situation. Our police force is geared up for any emergency... They are motivated and tackling terrorism with great courage," said Abdullah.

Police said all the victims were civilians, following a similar pattern in which militants have increasingly put market places in the cross-hairs of their violent campaign to destabilise the US-backed government.

It was the third suicide bombing in three days in northwest towns near Pakistan's tribal belt on the Afghan border, where the military is pressing a major offensive into a fourth week against TTP hideouts.

Since about 30,000 troops went into battle in a three-pronged ground and air assault against 10,000 fighters in South Waziristan on October 17, attacks and bombings have killed more than 200 people.

"The attacks in cities are a part of our permanent strategy. These attacks will continue and we will attack everyone who wants to harm us," Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq told AFP by telephone before the latest bombing.

The militia has embarked on a guerilla war from the mountains of South Waziristan, he said, hitting back at suggestions that they were being overrun or were merely escaping into nearby districts North Waziristan and Orakzai.

"We have started a guerilla war in different parts of Waziristan... We will prove that we can fight for years," Tariq said.

Pakistan's military meanwhile said troops had uncovered a Taliban jail, destroying a network of rebel caves, bunkers and towers, and killing nine militants.

No details from the army can be verified because communication lines are down and journalists and aid workers barred from the area.

The military says about 495 militants have been killed and 46 soldiers have died, a fraction of the number lost in past campaigns that ended in controversial peace deals that critics said allowed the militants to re-arm.

Unemployment to dog US for years: Fed official

WASHINGTON (AFP) --

US unemployment, now in the double digits, may remain "high" for several years and dampen economy recovery from a brutal recession, a regional central bank official warned Tuesday.

The United States had experienced so-called jobless recoveries following the previous two recessions in 1991 and 2001, when job creation remained weak for several years following the business cycle trough.

"In both cases, output growth was less robust than in the typical recovery and, unfortunately, things seem to be shaping up similarly this time around," said Janet Yellen, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Unemployment jumped to double digits in October for the first time since 1983, reaching 10.2 percent, although job losses narrowed to 190,000, the government said last week.

President Barack Obama called the numbers "sobering" and said his administration was considering "further steps" to spark job growth.

Yellen said overall economic recovery was likely to be gradual and "remain vulnerable to shocks" as weakness of the commercial property market combined with the muted outlook for housing and consumer spending.

"With such a slow rebound, unemployment could well stay high for several years to come. In other words, our recovery is likely to feel like something well short of good times," Yellen said.

The world's largest economy grew at a seasonally adjusted 3.5-percent annual rate in the July-September period. The increase was the first since the second quarter of 2008.

The United States plunged into recession in December 2007 following a home mortgage meltdown that sent a financial tsunami around the globe.

Carrie Prejean Sex Tape - 'Biggest Mistake Of My Life'

LOS ANGELES, CA., Nov. 10 (TOTI) --

Former Miss California Carrie Prejean appeared on Fox and was interviewed by Sean Hannity concerning a sex tape that is at the center of a dispute between Ms. Prejean and the Miss California USA Pageant.

Prejean had been suing the organization for $1 million. When evidence of the sex tape was presented at a meeting between litigants, the two parties privately settled their differences.

"It was the biggest mistake of my life," Prejean said. "I was all by myself at the time, I was sending a boyfriend at the time that I loved and cared about a video of me."

Prejean has accepted responsibility for her role in the making of the sex tape.

"I'm taking total responsibility for it."

Prejean was at the center of a "family values" discussion after her appearance and loss at the 2009 Miss America Pageant.

Carrie Prejean also promoted her new book Still Standing, which will be due in book stores next month.

Mounties seek help in cold case

LAC LA BICHE, Alberta, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are appealing for help in a year-old investigation into the discovery of a man's burned body in a remote area in Alberta.

The Mounties released a photo of a piece of burned fabric with a distinctive color pattern found at the scene a year ago in Lac la Biche in east-central Alberta, and appealed for the public's help in identifying it.

Hunters who saw unusual smoke in the brush found and extinguished the burning body. Investigators determined it was a male between the ages of 25 and 55, but have made little further progress in identifying the remains.

No indication was given as to whether homicide or suicide is suspected.

The RCMP asked anyone with information to contact them through the anonymous Crime Stoppers telephone tip line or at the www.tipsubmit.com Web site.

Patients exposed to excessive radiation

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

A faulty CT brain scanner exposed 260 patients to eight times the necessary radiation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, officials said.

The patients were exposed to excessive radiation between February 2008, when the hospital reconfigured the scanner, and August of this year, when a patient who had undergone a scan reported hair loss, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

The hospital notified 206 patients of the problem in September and then discovered additional patients who had undergone scans on the device, Simi Singer, a hospital spokeswoman told the Times.

In a letter to patients Monday, the hospital apologized and said it would pay for any medical care associated with the scans.

An estimated 20 percent of the patients received exposure to the lenses of their eyes, putting them at higher risk for cataracts, Singer said.

Lawmakers seek to speed up credit card law

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Legislators in Washington are pursuing options to close the grace period lawmakers gave credit card companies when they passed the credit card law in May.

When the law was passed, lawmakers gave credit card companies until Feb. 22 before the law was to take effect.

Now lawmakers are seeking to have the bill take effect immediately. The House approved such a step last week, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., is backing a bill that would make it illegal to raise interest rates on existing credit accounts until the law takes effect.

Lawmakers are seeking changes as consumers have complained of sharply rising interest rates. In advance of the new law, some interest rates have jumped as high as 29.99 percent, the Times said.

Suicide car bomb kills 15 in Pakistan market: police

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) --

A suicide car bomb ripped through a busy shopping street in Pakistan's northwest town of Charsadda on Tuesday, killing 15 people and wounding more than 25 others, a police official said.

"We have reports that there are 15 people and between 25 and 30 wounded. The blast took place around 4:15 pm (1115 GMT)," Charsadda district police chief Mohammad Riaz Khan told reporters at the scene.

"This is a busy area. It is usually crowded in the evening time. It took place in the main bazaar.

"There was no security lapse. I had just crossed this area one minute before the blast," he added.

"Certainly, it was a suicide car explosion," Khan told reporters.

Bomb attack kills three in Pakistan town: hospital

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) --

A bomb blast that ripped through a busy traffic intersection in Pakistan's northwest town of Charsadda on Tuesday killed at least three people and wounded another 21, officials said.

Pakistan market blast kills 25: officials

by Lehaz Ali CHARSADDA, Pakistan (AFP) --

A suicide car bomb ripped through a packed shopping street in a small Pakistan market town on Tuesday, killing at least 25 people in the third militant attack in northwest in as many days.

The vehicle rigged with explosives blew up in the heart of Charsadda on a road lined with fruit and juice shops, ripping off shop roofs and littering the ground with slippers, human flesh and broken push carts, witnesses said.

"It was a terrible scene. There were injured and wounded everywhere," one witness told reporters. "I joined the relief and rescue operation and myself removed about a dozen casualties."

Frightened people gazed at the wreckage as the force of the blast tossed signboards and hoardings and damaged cars during the afternoon shopping rush in the town's most popular market, television footage showed.

"We have at present 25 dead. Six of them are children and three are women," Doctor Zulfiqar Ahmad told AFP at the main hospital where anguished relatives were sobbing in Charsadda, just outside the northwestern city of Peshawar.

"There are 42 wounded people," he said. Six seriously wounded were taken to Peshawar, on the edge of Pakistan's tribal belt that US officials call the most dangerous place on Earth and a chief Al-Qaeda sanctuary.

The United States has put Pakistan on the frontline of its war against Al-Qaeda, increasingly disturbed by deteriorating security in the country where suicide attacks and bombings have killed around 2,500 people in 28 months.

The government blames most of the attacks on the home-grown Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has vowed to avenge an offensive against its strongholds and the killing of their leader Baitullah Mehsud by a US missile in August.

A senior police official in the district confirmed the death toll was 25 and that all the victims were civilians who had been in the area was so crowded when the bomber unleashed mayhem at around 4:15 pm (1115 GMT).

"It was a suicide car bomb blast. Twenty-five people died and more than 40 were injured -- all of them are civilians," senior police official Liaquat Ali told AFP at the bomb site.

"This is a busy area. It is usually crowded in the evening time. It took place in the main bazaar," said district police chief Mohammad Riaz Khan.

It was the third suicide bombing in three days in northwest towns near Pakistan's tribal badlands on the Afghan border where the military is pressing a major offensive into a fourth week against TTP hideouts.

Since around 30,000 troops went into battle in a three-pronged ground and air assault against around 10,000 fighters in South Waziristan on October 17, attacks and bombings have killed more than 200 people.

Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location on Tuesday that the militia would continue to attack towns.

"The attacks in cities are a part of our permanent strategy. These attacks will continue and we will attack everyone who wants to harm us," he said.

He claimed the militia was waging a guerilla war from the mountains of South Waziristan, hitting back at suggestions that they were being overrun or where merely escaping into nearby districts North Waziristan and Orakzai.

"We have started a guerilla war in different parts of Waziristan and the Pakistan army has received heavy losses," said Tariq, rubbishing military projections that combat would only take six to eight weeks.

"We will prove that we can fight for years. The government cannot take Waziristan in three months, even in six months. It will take years and years to take control of Waziristan," Tariq said.

Pakistan's military said Tuesday that troops had uncovered a private Taliban jail, destroying a network of rebel caves, bunkers and towers while nine militants were killed during the last 24 hours of operations.

No details from the army can be verified because communication lines are down and journalists and aid workers barred from the area.

The military says around 495 militants have been killed and 46 soldiers have died, a fraction of the number lost in past campaigns that ended in controversial peace deals that critics said allowed the militants to re-arm.

Suicide car bomb kills 18 in Pakistan: officials

by Lehaz Ali PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) --

A suicide car bomb ripped through a packed shopping street in Pakistan's northwest town of Charsadda on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people and wounding around 30, officials said.

The suicide bomber detonated a vehicle in the heart of the small market town, on a road lined with juice shops and women's clothing stores, the third bomb attack in three consecutive days in northwest Pakistan, police said.

"We have received 18 dead bodies, three of them are children, more than 25 were injured," Doctor Zulfiqar Ahmad told AFP by telephone from the main hospital in the town, just outside the main northwestern city of Peshawar.

"We have declared an emergency in the hospital," he added. Other casualties were taken to Peshawar, where the main Lady Reading Hospital received at least five wounded victims in the immediate aftermath of the late afternoon attack.

The senior police official in the district put the death toll at up to 20.

"Fifteen to 20 people were killed, 25 to 30 were wounded in this blast," Charsadda district police chief Mohammad Riaz Khan told Geo television.

"This is a busy area. It is usually crowded in the evening time. It took place in the main bazaar. There was no security lapse. I had just crossed this area one minute before the blast," he added.

"Certainly, it was a suicide car explosion," Khan said.

It was the third suicide bombing in three days in the northwest, which lies on the edge of the tribal badlands infested with Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants where Pakistan is pressing a major offensive into a fourth week.

On Monday, a suicide bomber killed three people in Peshawar after stepping out of a rickshaw and detonating his explosives at a police checkpoint on the outer ring road of the metropolis.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan, which has suffered a wave of Islamist bombings since July 2007, has been rocked by a spike in bloodshed killing more than 350 people since early October and forcing troops onto the offensive in the tribal area.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber killed 15 people in a crowded cattle market in Peshawar, where devout Muslims were already making preparations to buy meat for the Eid al-Adha festival later this month.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack, saying it was in retaliation for efforts by Mayor Abdul Malik, who was killed, to raise a militia to fight Islamist rebels.

The government blames most of the attacks on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has vowed to avenge an offensive against its strongholds and the killing of their leader Baitullah Mehsud in a US missile attack in August.

The military says around 486 militants and 46 soldiers have been killed since the offensive began, but security officials and analysts say that many Islamist rebels have simply fled rather than staying to fight.

Bomb kills 15 in Pakistan market: police

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) --

A car bomb ripped through a busy shopping street in Pakistan's northwest town of Charsadda on Tuesday, killing 15 people and wounding more than 25 others, the district police chief said.

Obama mulling five options for Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

U.S. President Obama and his senior advisers will consider five strategies for Afghanistan and Pakistan at their next meeting, administration officials said.

Obama and his advisers are to meet Wednesday to consider an Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, including recommendations on strategy and troop levels recommended by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, ABC News reported Tuesday.

During his Oct. 30 meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Obama asked officials to assess four other strategy options -- including the missions, troop requirements and cost -- but hasn't reviewed them, ABC said. All five option would increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

I've been asking not only Gen. McChrystal, but all of our commanders who are familiar with the situation, as well as our civilian folks on the ground, a lot of questions that, until they're answered, may -- may create a situation in which we resource something based on faulty premises, Obama said in an interview with ABC. And I want to make sure that we have tested all the assumptions that we're making before we send young men and women into harm's way; that if we are sending additional troops that the prospects of a functioning Afghan government are enhanced, that the prospects of al-Qaida being able to attack the U.S. homeland are reduced.

The White House has denied reports that Obama has decided a course in Afghanistan. An announcement of his final decision is expected after he returns from a visit to four Asian countries.

Ida loses storm status over U.S. southeast

MIAMI, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Tropical Storm Ida was downgraded to tropical depression status Tuesday morning as it saturated the U.S. Gulf coastal states with rain, forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 9 a.m. CST, all storm warnings ranging from Louisiana east to Florida had been discontinued.

Ida was about 30 miles east-southeast of Mobile, Ala., moving northeast at 9 mph. The former hurricane was packing winds of 35 mph and further weakening was expected throughout the day.

Forecasters warned as much as eight inches of rain was possible along the forecast path through Wednesday.

The center said high Gulf of Mexico coastal water levels would begin abating later Tuesday.

Ida surprised forecasters by quickly developing over the Atlantic Ocean last Thursday and becoming a hurricane that moved northward through Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

GM names turnaround expert interim head of Opel

by William Ickes FRANKFURT (AFP) --

US automaker General Motors named executive vice president Nick Reilly on Tuesday as interim head of its Opel/Vauxhall brands in Europe and said it has begun to pay back emergency German loans.

Reilly "will immediately assume responsibility for the operations of Opel/Vauxhall Europe while an external search for a new CEO (chief executive officer) commences," said a statement from GM's US headquarters in Detroit.

Reilly, a specialist in turning around troubled operations, "will support the European leadership team in running the business and will oversee the creation of a strategy to position Opel/Vauxhall for long-term success."

Former GM Europe chief executive Carl-Peter Forster is stepping down following the parent group's decision to hang on to Opel/Vauxhall and restructure the companies itself.

Forster had backed their sale to Canadian auto parts maker Magna and its Russian partner Sberbank.

Meanwhile, GM also said it has paid back 200 million euros (300 million dollars) of a bridging loan provided by Germany to keep Opel running, and would reimburse the balance before November 30.

"We now have an outstanding balance of 600 million euros," GM Europe finance director Enrico Digirolamo noted in a statement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed again on Tuesday that Berlin wanted its money back after GM chose to keep Opel, a decision Merkel said she "regretted enormously."

GM was now expected to quickly submit a plan on how it would get Opel back on its feet.

German authorities had pushed hard for Opel's sale to Magna and Sberbank because of assurances no German plants would subsequently be shut down, a guarantee that GM has not given.

GM's ditching of the sale to Magna caused an uproar last week in Berlin.

The government had granted a loan of 1.5 billion euros to tide Opel over, and was set to make another three billion euros available as loan guarantees.

Opel has tapped only about 900 million of the initial credit however.

GM chef executive Fritz Henderson has said the group would need around three billion euros in financing to restructure Opel/Vauxhall, but also suggested recently that GM might have other means to fund the operation.

Meanwhile, Reilly, a British national who has already worked at Vauxhall, will maintain overall direction of GM's international operations in Shanghai, China, the statement said, further evidence his German stay would be temporary.

Henderson and Reilly toured Opel headquarters in Ruesselsheim, near Frankfurt, and met Tuesday with the head of the workers council.

"As we announced last Tuesday, Opel/Vauxhall will remain a fully integrated member of the New GM family, a decision that is in the best interests of Opel/Vauxhall, its customers, employees, other stakeholders and GM," one of the statements quoted Henderson as saying.

"With his deep experience with the Opel and Vauxhall brands, Nick is well suited to lead this transition and to work toward the earliest possible normalization of the business."

Reilly, a graduate of Cambridge University, was hired by GM in 1975, and has previously helped turn around operations at the Daewoo brand in South Korea.

Higher carotid stenting, poorer outcomes

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

U.S. researchers link increased use of carotid arterial stenting to poorer outcomes such as heart attack and stroke.

The study, published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, associated carotid arterial stenting -- a procedure treating the narrowed neck artery to increase blood flow to the head -- to higher death rates and adverse clinical outcomes, including heart attack and stroke.

The researchers attribute worsened clinical outcomes to the greater number of procedures done -- going from 266 to 1,015 per month after the procedure was covered by Medicare in 2005.

Lead author Dr. Peter Groeneveld of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine said carotid arterial stenting is often the only option for patients who are not healthy enough to undergo surgery. However, the state of health of the patients may inevitably affect clinical outcomes from the procedure, Groeneveld said.

Nevertheless, stenting should remain a viable and effective treatment option that doctors and patients consider judiciously, Groeneveld said in a statement.

Czech soldiers sacked for Nazi insignia

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Two elite Czech soldiers serving in Afghanistan have been fired for wearing Nazi insignia on their helmets, Defense Minister Martin Bartak announced Tuesday.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting in Prague, Bartak said the two soldiers, Hynek Matonoha and Jan Cermak, as well as their commander, Petr Prochazka, have been sacked after a Czech newspaper ran a photo of Cermark wearing a helmet adorned with the symbol of the SS Dirlewanger brigade --- one of the most infamous Nazi combat units of World War II, Ceske Noviny reported.

The newspaper said both soldiers, members of the Czech rapid reaction brigade deployed in Afghanistan, were forced to leave the military without retirement allowance or severance pay. Bartak had said this week he would take tough strong measures against extremism in the military, and has fired another soldier who reportedly admitted to planning abductions of Jews in high posts.

The two soldiers' commander, Petr Prochazka, was suspended after allegedly ordering that the Nazi insignia and photographs of them be burned.

British trade deficit expands to eight-month high

LONDON (AFP) --

Britain's trade-in-goods deficit expanded to an eight-month high at 7.2 billion pounds in September, as car imports surged thanks to the government's new-for-old vehicle scheme, data showed on Tuesday.

The figure, equivalent to 8.0 billion euros or 12 billion dollars, compared with a revised deficit of 6.1 billion pounds in August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

August's trade-in-goods deficit had originally been put at 6.2 billion pounds. Market expectations had been for a September deficit of 6.1 billion pounds, according to economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires.

"Looking behind the headline figure, the UK's deficit on trade in goods widened ... as total imports rose by 7.5 percent compared with growth in exported goods of 3.9 percent," said economist Benjamin Williamson at the Centre for Economics and Business Research consultancy.

He added: "The UK imported an additional 0.4 billion pounds worth of cars in September from August. This represents an increase of 29.2 percent over the month as UK consumers took advantage of the car scrappage scheme."

Britain's 400-million-pound (446-million-euro, 662-million-dollar) scheme mirrors similar projects in France, Germany and the United States.

The initiative -- giving buyers a 2,000-pound discount when they trade in a car over 10 years old -- was launched in April. The government and car manufacturers each contribute half of the cost.

In October, sales of new cars in Britain soared by 31.6 percent as a result of the scheme, industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders had revealed last week.

Office for National Statistics

Ronaldo to undergo tests in Portugal: Real

MADRID (AFP) --

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is to travel to Portugal Tuesday to undergo medical tests to determine his fitness before his country's crucial World Cup play-off matches, the club said.

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz has insisted he intends to call up the striker for the matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina on November 14 and 18 despite opposition from Real.

Real Madrid doctors last week estimated that Ronaldo would be out of action for at least two more weeks as he recovers from an ankle injury, effectively ruling him out of the two international matches.

"Cristiano Ronaldo will travel to Portugal in the next few hours to put himself at the disposal of the medical services of the Portuguese" football federation, Real said in a statement Tuesday.

The Portuguese federation said Monday that it expects all the players called up to the squad, including Ronaldo, to make themselves available.

Ronaldo initially injured his right ankle in Real's 3-0 Champions League victory over Marseille at the end of September and aggravated the problem while playing for Portugal on October 10.

"It's impossible for Ronaldo to play with Portugal," Real coach Manuel Pellegrini said on Friday. "I feel sorry for the Portugal squad and for the player, but he hasn't trained for a long time now and he is still in pain."

Gunman holds principal hostage

PINE PLAINS, N.Y., Nov. 10 (UPI) --

A gunman believed to be a parent held a school principal hostage Tuesday at Stissing Mountain High School in Pine Plains, N.Y., authorities said.

State Police took the man into custody following negotiations, WCBS-AM, New York, reported. The school remained on lockdown but all students were reported safe.

The school, about 90 miles north of New York City, was surrounded by an estimated 100 state, county and local police officers. It was not clear whether the principal was from the high school or the middle school, which shares the building.

The gunman was at the school when it opened at 7:45 a.m., a time when as many as 500 children and 100 staff also are at the school, Pine Plains Supervisor Gregg Pulver told CNN.

Pulver said he had been told the gunman was a parent of a child at the school.

EU financial reforms at 'make-or-break' point

BRUSSELS (AFP) --

Plans for new cross-border European Union supervisory bodies to oversee banks, insurers and markets are at a "make-or-break" point, the bloc's Swedish presidency said on Tuesday.

Amid British opposition to a new system, first agreed in principle in the summer as a response to the financial crisis, the Swedes fear key EU member states have "not drawn the right lessons from the economic crisis."

"The most important part of the (exit strategy) is building the new financial supervisory infrastructure," said Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg after a meeting of EU counterparts.

Borg warned failure to reach a deal would be "very problematic for Europe," adding: "That is the make or break issue."

"If we don't have a decision in December, on the whole package, both the macro and the micro supervision, then I have to say we have not drawn the right lessons from the economic crisis.

Britain in October blocked EU financial reform proposals it said impinged on its fiscal sovereignty.

Agreement will only come after the London parliament revisits the issue after ministers agreed then to allow "further political negotiation."

The British Treasury has said it wants to preserve the City of London's status as the most powerful financial centre in Europe and fears that current proposals risk leaving loopholes that could undermine that status.

Head injuries driving new helmet designs

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

Only longtime use will determine whether new football helmet designs protect the brain against dangerous concussions, head injury experts said.

An estimated 1.6 million to 3.8 million recreation-related concussions are sustained annually in the United States, many of them on football fields.

Football helmet makers are redesigning their products in hopes of providing protection against both routine and extreme blows, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Adams is lining its helmets with foam of varying degrees of density, while Riddell is marketing a helmet that sends a wireless alert to a team's training staff when a player takes a potentially dangerous hit. Xenith is marketing the X1, a helmet with air-cushioned shock absorbers.

While the redesigned helmets show promise, they still can't stop a player's brain from rattling inside the skull like a scrambled yolk inside a raw egg, said Dave Halstead of the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, an independent group that certifies helmets.

Anyone who says to you that they have a helmet that eliminates concussions is lying to you, Halstead told the Post.

Kurdish leader pleads for EU investment

BRUSSELS, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

The president of Iraq's Kurdistan region says the European Union should assist it in setting up its health, judicial and educational systems.

Speaking Tuesday in Brussels to the European Parliament's foreign relations committee, Massoud Barzani urged the EU to help Kurdistan on how we can establish a successful administration, a good health and education system, and to have an independent judicial system and proper governance, the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reported.

Barzani urged European companies to invest in Kurdistan and promised his government would cooperate with the central government in Baghdad to fight terrorism, saying, Our people have accepted coexistence with the rest of the people in the region. Baghdad is the capital of federal republic of Iraq. It is our capital.

KUNA said Barzani noted continuing disputes with Baghdad over oil revenue, saying that Kurdistan gets 17 percent of Iraq's oil proceeds and calling for the money to go directly to the autonomous region rather than passing through the Iraqi Finance Ministry.

He asserted Baghdad uses its control of the revenues to pressure Kurdistan into doing its bidding, the news service reported.

France says force not option for Iran

PARIS, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

The French foreign minister Tuesday dismissed a military option to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis, saying resorting to force would be catastrophic.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on French radio a military option would be a catastrophe and efforts by Western countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear aspirations are to avoid the military option, the Kuwait News Agency KUNA reported.

An Iranian official recently said a proposal for Iran to send semi-enriched uranium out of the country to be processed into nuclear fuel rods has been called off. Under the proposed deal struck by the IAEA and approved by Western nations, Iran would ship its low-enriched uranium abroad, where it would be further enriched and sent back for use in medical treatments.

The Middle East is already a powder keg, without adding an additional conflict, Kouchner said.

Because Tehran so far has rebuffed international requests to halt its suspected program to produce nuclear weapons, Kouchner said the international community should ask the U.N. Security Council in December for further sanctions against Iran.

The French official stressed Western powers were not forbidding anything to Iran and wanted to facilitate its access to civil nuclear power, KUNA reported.

Rocket with new module for space station blasts off

MOSCOW (AFP) --

A Soyuz rocket carrying a new Russian-made module for the International Space Station blasted off on Tuesday from the Baikonur space base in Kazakhstan, television pictures showed.

The Poisk (Search) module, also known as the Mini-Research Module 2, will provide additional facilities for scientific experiments aboard the orbiting space station, Russia's space agency said in a statement.

Russian news agencies quoted the space agency as saying that the launch had been successful, and state television images showed the rocket flying smoothly into the night sky.

The unmanned Progress spacecraft carrying the new module, along with food and water supplies, is due to dock with the ISS on Thursday at 1544 GMT.

ESA plans student-built moon orbiter

PARIS, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

The European Space Agency says it has selected a British company to manage development of the first European student-built moon orbiter.

The contract was awarded to Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd for the European Student Moon Orbiter, which is expected to be launched as a secondary payload during 2013 or 2014. The mission involves delivering a spacecraft to lunar orbit, followed by 6 months of operations that include mapping the lunar surface.

Unlike a typical space project, each spacecraft subsystem, payload and ground segment element is being designed, built and operated by groups of university students based in ESA member states or cooperating states, the space agency said in a statement. As with the previous satellites sponsored by the ESA Education Office, the objective … is to prepare the next generation of European engineers and scientists by providing valuable hands-on experience with a real and demanding space project.

Officials said more than 200 university students from various countries and institutions have already participated in early phases of the project.

Study finds how to stop some cancer growth

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., Nov. 10 (UPI) --

U.S. scientists say they might have found a way to stop the growth of certain aggressive tumors for which there are currently no treatments.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory researchers in New York say more than half of human cancers have mutations that disable a gene called p53. When cells lose that gene, tumors grow aggressively. But a research team led by Associate Professor Alea Mills says it's discovered a way of stopping the growth of such cancers.

The scientists said their technique involves turning up the production of TAp63 proteins, which make up one class of proteins produced by the p63 gene. The TAp63 proteins completely blocked tumor initiation by inducing senescence, a state of growth arrest in which tumor cells are still metabolically alive, but fail to divide.

The scientists said they also discovered that by increasing the levels of TAp63 in cells that did not have p53, they blocked the progression of established tumors in mice.

We were very excited to see that TAp63 shuts down cancer completely independently of p53, Mills said. This means that we now have a way of attacking cancers that have damaged p53, which are very difficult to treat in the clinic.

The study appears in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

U.S. markets rise tentatively

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

U.S. markets wavered at the start of trading Tuesday after a strong rally Monday that sent the Dow Jones industrial average up 203 points.

In midmorning trading Tuesday, the DJIA was up 0.06 percent, 5.75 points, to 10,232.69. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 0.02 percent, 0.18, to 1,093.26. The Nasdaq composite index gained 0.08 percent, 1.77, to 2,155.83.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rose 8/32 to yield 3.454 percent.

The euro fell to $1.4976 from Monday's $1.4988. Against the yen, the dollar fell to 89.84 yen from Monday's 90.01 yen.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index rose 0.63 percent, 61.74, to 9,870.73.

'Modern Warfare 2' game sparks battle in Britain

LONDON (AFP) --

The hotly-anticipated video game "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" was launched in Britain on Tuesday amid a political row over its levels of violence.

Its launch saw tanks and soldiers descend on London's Leicester Square, the first game launch in the square normally home to red-carpet film premieres, as shops opened at midnight to sell the first-person shooter game.

Set in Russia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Brazil, the conflict also spread to the British parliament as lawmakers battled over the game's content.

Keith Vaz, a former Europe minister, urged the government to ensure children did not get their hands on the game, created by California-based video game publisher Activision Blizzard.

"It contains such scenes of brutality that even the manufacturers have put in warnings within the game telling people how they can skip particular scenes," Vaz told parliament's lower House of Commons.

Former digital minister Tom Watson said he had seen the game and it "wasn't pleasant, though no worse than many films and books".

"Everything that comes out of parliament in relation to video games is relentlessly negative."

Lawmakers should "support the many thousands of games designers and coders and the many millions of games users, rather than... create moral panic over the use of video games."

In a review in The Guardian newspaper, Charlie Brooker said the game was "the 'Citizen Kane' of repeatedly shooting people in the face".

"The storyline makes less sense than a gas ladder, but in terms of technical achievement, this is an undoubted masterpiece... not so much a game as a borderline nightmare experience.

"Don't worry. It won't turn anyone into a killer."

Some 722 British stores opened overnight for the game's launch.

At the launch at HMV's flagship store in central London, around 700 fans queued up to get their hands on the game.

"The guy at the front had been queuing for 22 and a half hours," a spokesman for the launch told AFP.

"He was queuing up in full combat gear, he had camouflage, netting a mask and goggles, the full ensemble."

Games retailers have taken more than 750,000 pre-orders, The Guardian said.

"We estimate that the game will exceed one million UK sales in its first week, which would be a new record," HMV spokesperson Gennaro Castaldo said, according to the BBC.

Meanwhile online retailer Amazon said its pre-orders were the highest they had ever seen for a video game.

"Grand Theft Auto 4", released last year, holds the first week sales record with 800,000.

The console version of "Modern Warfare 2" costs around 54 pounds (90 dollars, 60 euros) in Britain, while the PC product retails for around 35 pounds.

Suspect warned of Muslims fighting Muslims

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 10 (UPI) --

The man accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, warned U.S. Army physicians 18 months ago against deploying Muslim soldiers to fight other Muslims.