The Night

Local sports

2012-03-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

ELK VALLEY FALLS

Elk Valley Christian fell 41-39 to Grace Christian out ofHuntington in the semifinals of the West Virginia Christian AthleticAssociation state girls basketball tournament at Appalachian BibleCollege in Beckley. The Eagles were led sophomore Sarah Swor's 17points and Laura Mitchell's 15.

Elk Valley rebounded to win the consolation game 54-33 over WoodCounty to finish the season 16-8 as Mitchell led the way with 23points and Swor added 16.

HERD BASEBALL

After dominating the home-standing North Carolina A&T Aggies in a10-1 opening game win, the Marshall baseball team self-destructedwith three first-inning errors in the second game, which …

U.S. Sets Missile Defense for Europe, Space

2012-03-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

The Pentagon has plans to deploy missile interceptors in space and Europe over the next several years, even though it requested little or no funding for these activities in its latest budget proposal in February.

Speaking April 11 to a Washington audience, Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Director lieutenant General Henry Obering said he did not know if space-based missile interceptors would work, but argued they are "worth the experimentation." The general asserted there was "a lot of attractiveness" about space-based interceptors because of the broad coverage they could provide and their potential quick-response capability to an enemy's missile launch.

Obering said MDA did not …

Turkish prosecutors probe apology campaign

2012-03-15T02:55:00.000-07:00

Turkey's state-run news agency says prosecutors are investigating whether an online apology by Turkish intellectuals for the World War I massacres of Armenians is unlawful.

The Anatolia news agency says the probe was launched after six people formally complained that the campaign violates a law making it illegal to "humiliate" the Turkish nation.

…

Silence those squeaky floorboards

2012-03-15T00:32:00.000-07:00

Instead of walking around those squeaky floorboards, learn toquiet them. The solution can be as simple as driving a nail into theright spot.

Squeaks can be caused by loose boards rubbing against otherboards or against a nail, sagging or warped joists under the floor orwarped floorboards. These, in turn, may be caused by faulty originalconstruction, use of improperly seasoned lumber or just plain oldage.

Here's how to find the cause of the noise and then correct theproblem.

Wood floors are built of three layers: the floorboards, whichyou can see, the subflooring and the supports below, including thejoists and diagonal bridging between the joists. Since …

Ortiz and Ramirez Power BoSox Over Marlins

2012-03-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

MIAMI - Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz each homered twice and combined to drive in nine runs, powering the Boston Red Sox to an 11-5 win over the Florida Marlins on Saturday night.

Boston's major league-record run of 17 consecutive errorless games ended with two miscues in the first inning, but the offense easily atoned for those mistakes. The Red Sox - who are 13-1 in their last 14 games - had 13 hits, including nine for extra bases. Former Marlin Mike Lowell tied a career high with three doubles.

Ramirez had a three-run homer - his 2,000th career hit - in an eventful first inning, then added a two-run shot in the fifth. Ortiz had a solo homer in the third, a two-run …

Hitchens enlists the help of world's 'greats' to support argument that God is not Great.

2012-03-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

Christopher Hitchens believes it is time to disabuse people of several notions.

Mark Twain did not believe in God, Americans are not uncritically devout and an atheist can be president of the United States.

In fact, the extent of religion's hold on people, the British-born author, journalist and provocateur says, has been vastly exaggerated. Despite polls that suggest differently, people are not as religious as many think, he told The Associated Press in an interview.

"I knew that the zeitgeist of religion was changing _ that the parties of God would piss people off in their various forms: Republican or Shiite," Hitchens said.

…

Misleading doc makes it tough to level with him

2012-03-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

Dear ABBY: I have an embarrassing dilemma. I have a baby with a man I am no longer with. Our romance ended before I knew I was pregnant. He is not in our lives anymore -- his decision. I have moved on and am now in a solid, loving relationship.

My problem is my OB/ GYN has always been under the impression that my child's biological father and I are together and that we're married. The father attended some of the obstetrical appointments with me and was even there for the birth.

When my doctor initially referred to him as "my husband," I didn't correct him because I didn't feel I needed to spill the beans about such a personal issue.

But now when I go for my annual …

MEMOS FROM OUR MEMBERS

2012-03-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Gender equality

The Editor:

Kudos to Ron Hart for his letter in your March issue proposing the creation of a gender-equal system of government. He was thinking so far outside the box that I was entranced from the start.

I'm not sure, however, how his idea of appointing upward from one legislative chamber to the next would actually work. It's almost as if each chamber is cannibalized to create the next one. But, what the heck, details, details. Nor does he explain what would be the role of the political parties, if any, in his proposed system.

My suggestion would be at least to banish the party structure from his House of Proposals.

Anyway, the air …

More Guantanamo prisoners expected to snub tribunals

2012-03-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Defendants at Guantanamo Bay are turning their backs on U.S. war crimes trials, creating complications in the long-stalled effort to prosecute suspected terrorists.

Three alleged al-Qaida operatives have now chosen to boycott their upcoming trials and more are expected to do the same as the military attempts to prosecute dozens of Guantanamo prisoners at this isolated, high-security U.S. base overlooking the Caribbean.

Two men, a Saudi and a Yemeni, at pretrial hearings this week denounced the tribunals as a sham and said they would not cooperate with their defense or appear for future hearings.

Defense attorneys say they must uphold the wishes …

Suicide blast follows Palestinian OK of Abbas New prime minister pledges to disarm anti-Israel militants

2012-03-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

RAMALLAH, West Bank--The Palestinian parliament approved a newprime minister Tuesday, removing the last remaining obstacle for thelaunch of a U.S.-backed peace plan. But the historic event wasfollowed within 12 hours by a suicide attack on a Tel Aviv bar thatkilled three people.

The bomb blew the front off the seafront bar and demolished walls,doors and furniture inside, police said. A witness told Army Radiothat a security guard at the bar prevented the bomber from entering.The dead included the bomber. It was the 89th suicide attack in 21/2years of fighting.

The night spot features live music and stands on a promenade thatruns for several miles along the Tel Aviv …

Why I am a pacifist

2012-03-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

I am a pacifist--I am opposed to war. Since September 11, I have heard many people say that folks like me are naive, unrealistic, bleeding hearts, blind to the evil in the world. Some would even consider me traitorous.

Those challenges have made me think hard about why I claim to be a pacifist. I have concluded that I am a pacifist simply because of who I am. Here's why.

1. I am a pacifist because I am a Christian.

I am a follower of Jesus. Jesus lived and died committed to peace. He taught his followers to offer creative nonviolent responses to violence inflicted on them. He offered forgiveness to those burdened with sin and guilt. He befriended the outcasts. He …

Treasury and Fed to meet with financial executives

2012-03-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Officials from the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve are scheduled to meet later Monday with top executives from financial firms to work out details of the $700 billion plan aimed at thawing frozen bank lending that is stifling the economy.

Treasury Department spokeswoman Brookly McLaughlin said the meeting would take place at the White House. She said the talks were aimed at finalizing details on the financial market stability plan.

The plan could include the government taking partial ownership in banks and purchasing bad debt from financial companies. McLaughlin said leading financial market participants would participate in the discussions with …

Police: Car bomb explodes in Spain after warning call from ETA

2012-03-14T03:21:00.000-07:00

A car bomb exploded Friday outside a police station in Spain's northern Rioja region after a warning call from the Basque separatist group ETA, police said.

The bomb went off in the city of Calahorra. There was no immediate word on casualties, but Spanish media said the Civil Guard station targeted in the attack had been evacuated before the blast.

ETA, which ended a cease-fire in December 2006 after peace talks failed, killed a former town councilor in the Basque region two days before the Spanish general election on March 9.

The group has killed more than 800 people since the late 1960s in its battle to create an independent Basque homeland in northern Spain and southwestern France.

A man saying he represented ETA called highway police in the Basque region to warn of the bomb and the explosion came about half an hour later, the newspaper El Mundo and the Europa press news agency said.

Thank you for helping friend

2012-03-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all those people who supported my friend Mike as hewas having an angina attack outside St John's church on RemembranceSunday.

They included Catherine who called the ambulance, the firemen,members of St. John Ambulance Brigade, Mike the retired ambulanceman and Gavin and Shaun who came in the ambulance.

Mike left hospital on Monday and went home with my cousin.Luckily there was still a couple of friends from Sussex in the townwho had come for the carnival and they drove his car back home.

Jessie Henderson

Benedict Street

Glastonbury

NBA standings

2012-03-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

EAST

TOP 8 W L Pct GB

z-Cleveland 60 17 .779 --

x-Orlando 54 23 .701 6

x-Atlanta 49 27 .645 10�

y-Boston 48 28 .632 11�

Miami 43 34 .558 17

Milwaukee 42 34 .553 17�

Charlotte 40 36 .526 19�

Toronto 38 38 .500 21�

THE REST W L Pct GB

BULLS 37 39 .487 22�

Indiana 29 48 .377 31

New York 27 49 .355 32�

Philadelphia 26 50 .342 33�

Detroit 23 53 .303 36�

Washington 23 53 .303 36�

New Jersey 11 66 .143 49

WEST

TOP 8 W L Pct GB

y-L.A. Lakers 55 22 .714 --

x-Dallas 50 27 .649 5

x-Denver 50 27 .649 5

x-Phoenix 50 27 .649 5

x-Utah 50 27 .649 5

x-Okla. City 48 28 .632 6�

x-San Antonio 47 29 .618 7�

x-Portland 47 30 .610 8

THE REST W L Pct GB

Memphis 39 37 .513 15�

Houston 38 38 .500 16�

New Orleans 35 43 .449 20�

L.A. Clippers 27 50 .351 28

Sacramento 24 53 .312 31

Golden State 23 53 .303 31�

Minnesota 15 62 .195 40

x-clinched playoff spot; y-clinched division; z-clinched conference

Sunday's Results

Boston 117, Cleveland 113

San Antonio 100, L.A. Lakers 81

Indiana 133, Houston 102

Washington 109, New Jersey 99

Golden State 113, Toronto 112

Orlando 107, Memphis 92

Okla. City 116, Minnesota 108

New York 113, L.A. Clippers 107

Today

No games scheduled

Tuesday's Games

Milwaukee at BULLS, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Charlotte, 6 p.m.

Golden St. at Washington, 6 p.m.

Toronto at Cleveland, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

Boston at New York, 6:30 p.m.

Houston at Memphis, 7 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Utah, 8 p.m.

S.A. at Sacramento, 9 p.m.

Smoking chimp rescued in Lebanon, sent to Brazil

2012-03-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

BEIRUT (AP) — A 12-year-old chimpanzee was heading to a sanctuary in Brazil on Monday after animal rights workers discovered him smoking cigarettes to entertain visitors at a Lebanese zoo.

Omega, who weighs around 132 pounds (60 kilograms), has never climbed a tree or seen other chimpanzees and has a troubling smoking habit he maintained from picking up cigarettes that visitors threw into his cage.

"The chimp still regularly smokes ... if someone will throw him a cigarette he'd pick it up and go for it straight away," said Jason Meier, executive director for animal rights group Animals Lebanon.

Organizers of Omega's evacuation say it marks the first time a chimpanzee has been rescued in Lebanon, a country with virtually no animal rights protection laws.

In his younger years, Omega was used in one of the local restaurants to entertain people and was made to smoke cigarettes and serve water pipes to customers. After he grew stronger, he was locked up and taken to a zoo where for the past 10 years he has lived in a cage measuring 430 square feet (40 square meters).

Animals Lebanon has been pushing for Lebanon to join the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, and adopt laws that regulate the importation of primates. Lebanon, Iraq and Bahrain are the only Arab countries yet to sign the convention.

Chimpanzees and other highly endangered wildlife are regularly smuggled to the Middle East to be displayed in private zoos, hotels and for the pet trade.

Animals Lebanon heard about the zoo in Ansar, near the market town of Nabatiyeh, about six months ago. They have since successfully worked with the owner to close the zoo and find homes for the animals.

For Omega, home will be a sanctuary in Sao Paolo, Brazil where he is to be flown later Monday aboard an Emirates airlines flight.

Other animals found at the zoo, including seven baboons, a hyena and various bird species, are to be sent to new homes within Lebanon.

Quake Raises Fears of 2nd N. Korea Test

2012-03-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

UNITED NATIONS - A strong earthquake in northern Japan on Wednesday may have led the Tokyo government to suspect North Korea had conducted a second nuclear test, while key powers mulled punitive action against the communist nation for its first atomic blast.

In Washington, White House spokesman Blair Jones said U.S. officials had not detected any evidence of additional North Korea testing.

"Japanese officials are now saying that this occurrence may be related to an earthquake in northern Japan," Jones said.

The earthquake came at a time when the Japanese government and other countries in Asia were jittery about reports that North Korea planned a second nuclear test.

"We have very real concerns that they may conduct another nuclear test and that they may do so very soon," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told reporters on Wednesday, a day after he met with North Korean Ambassador Chon Jae-hong to condemn the atomic program.

The scare began when Japanese media reported the government had detected tremors in North Korea, leading it to suspect Pyongyang had conducted a second nuclear test.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's spokesman confirmed the government was checking whether the North had tested another nuclear device.

Around the same time, the Japanese meteorological agency said a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 shook northern Japan Wednesday morning. The quake, which struck at 8:58 a.m., was centered off the coast of Fukushima, 149 miles northeast of Tokyo. The agency said that the tremor was a genuine quake and had nothing to do North Korean nuclear testing.

Then Abe said he had no information to confirm North Korea had conducted a second nuclear test.

"I have had not received information about any indications ... that a test has take place," Abe said at a parliamentary budget meeting.

Meanwhile, scientists and other governments suggested that Monday's underground test was a partial failure, producing a smaller blast than planned.

The Bush administration asked the U.N. Security Council to impose a partial trade embargo including strict limits on Korea's profitable weapons exports and freezing of related financial assets. All imports would be inspected too, to filter out materials that could be made into nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

The United States reiterated that it would not talk with the North Koreans one-on-one, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured the North that the U.S. would not attack.

Rice rejected a suggestion that Pyongyang may feel it needs nuclear weapons to stave off an Iraq-style U.S. invasion. President Bush, she told CNN, has told "the North Koreans that there is no intention to invade or attack them. So they have that guarantee. ... I don't know what more they want."

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton sounded upbeat after Tuesday's round of talks at the Security Council, but said differences remained in advance of Wednesday's meeting.

"Look, we don't have complete agreement on this yet, that's hardly a news flash, but we're making progress and we're I think at a point we can try and narrow some of the differences we do have," Bolton said.

China, which reacted to Monday's blast with a strong condemnation but considers North Korea a useful buffer against U.S. forces stationed in South Korea, said it envisioned only a limited package of sanctions - not what the United States and especially Japan were demanding.

China and Russia object to plans to interdict shipments and block financial transactions. They also oppose a new suggestion that Japan proposed Tuesday - to include mention of the North's abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and '80s.

"We certainly understand that Japan is close to the country. But I think you cannot ask by this resolution to kill a country," China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya told The Associated Press. He said the Security Council must impose "punitive actions" but that they have to "be appropriate."

Though far less than what the Americans and Japanese seek, even calling for some punishment was significant for China, which usually opposes sanctions, particularly against an ally such as North Korea.

Pyongyang again demanded one-on-one talks with Washington and threatened to launch a nuclear-tipped missile if the U.S. doesn't help resolve the standoff. Bolton dismissed the demand, saying the North should instead "buy a ticket to Beijing," and rejoin stalled six-nation talks over its nuclear and missile programs.

The war of words suggested tough negotiations before the U.N. takes any action against North Korea. In the meantime, scientists and governments tried to determine what exactly happened early Monday, deep below the earth in North Korea's northeast mountains. The North Korean government has released few details.

A South Korean newspaper quoted a North Korean diplomat, whom it did not name, saying that the blast was "smaller in scale than expected.

"But the success in a small-scale (test) means a large-scale (test) is also possible," he said in comments posted on the Web site of the liberal newspaper Hankyoreh, which has good ties with the communist nation.

The diplomat also said the North could take "additional measures" and that it doesn't fear sanctions.

Philip Coyle, at the Center for Defense Information in Washington, a nongovernment think tank, expressed a growing view that "they got a partial result" and not the full-power explosion that they sought. Several Western estimates said the blast was less than a tenth the size of the bomb that the United States dropped on Hiroshima in 1945; the force of the Hiroshima bomb was equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT.

But "for them it was enough ... to say that it was a success. It helps them to claim that they are a nuclear power, and that the world should take them seriously, which is what they want. But I wouldn't be surprised if after several months they don't try again."

The White House said there is a "remote possibility" that the world never will be able to fully determine whether North Korea succeeded in conducting a nuclear test Monday.

Democrats said the test was evidence of a failed Bush administration policy, which White House press secretary Tony Snow denied.

"The Chinese, the South Koreans, the Japanese - they all have more direct leverage over the North Koreans than we do," Snow said. "The people who have the greatest ability to influence behavior are now fully invested in equal partners in a process to deal with the government of North Korea."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said President Clinton was to blame for his 1990s program to entice the North Koreans toward more cooperation. "The Koreans received millions and millions in energy assistance. They've diverted millions of dollars of food assistance to their military," he said.

After the reclusive regime announced it had set off an underground atomic explosion, the Security Council quickly condemned North Korea's decision to flout a U.N. appeal to cancel the test. The 15-nation council urged Pyongyang to return to stalled talks, refrain from further tests and keep its pledge to scrap its clandestine weapons program.

Diplomats said Tuesday there was a general agreement that the Security Council must pass a sanctions resolution in the next few days. The council's image suffered badly the last time it deadlocked over a major crisis, over the summer when it needed a month to pass a resolution on ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

"All I can say is that we are having a very good discussion, trying to identify what really we are going to be able to achieve, and i think there is general understanding also about the need to get our act together, and fast," Japan's U.N. Ambassador Kenzo Oshima said. "On that we agree."

Despite the positive assessment, familiar fault lines that have plagued past negotiations over North Korea already began to appear.

Japan, which holds the presidency of the Security Council for October, demanded the toughest sanctions of all, possibly including a blanket air and naval blockade of North Korea, as well as a ban on senior North Korean diplomats traveling abroad. In Tokyo, Japan's leader said the country could slap sanctions on North Korea without waiting for confirmation that it did indeed test a nuclear weapon.

Yet China, traditionally an opponent of Security Council sanctions, warned that the world must not focus too much on punishment. China can use its veto power in the council to block any move, and would likely have the support of Russia.

"Instead, the international community and the United Nations should take positive and appropriate measures that will help the process of de-nuclearization on the Korean peninsula," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

One worry for Beijing is that too much pressure could cause economically unsteady North Korea to collapse, sending North Koreans streaming across the border into northeast China and inviting intervention by the American military.

Nonetheless, China was clearly rattled that the North went ahead with the test. Liu vented China's anger against its communist ally over the test for a second day.

"The nuclear test will undoubtedly exert a negative impact on our relations," Liu said. He said Monday's test was done "flagrantly, and in disregard of the international community's shared opposition."

The North warned that it would soon be able to put a nuclear warhead on one of its missiles.

"We hope the situation will be resolved before an unfortunate incident of us firing a nuclear missile comes," Yonhap, the South Korean news agency, quoted an unidentified North Korean official as saying. "That depends on how the U.S. will act." Yonhap did not say how or where it contacted the official, or why no name was given.

The news agency quoted the official as saying the nuclear test was "an expression of our intention to face the United States across the negotiating table."

---

Associated Press reporters Carl Freire and Edith M. Lederer contributed to this story.

Australia's central bank says interest rates may need to be raised further to curb inflation

2012-03-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

The Reserve Bank of Australia said Monday its key interest rates are likely to be raised further to restrain inflation and surging domestic demand growth.

Last Tuesday the bank lifted its key rate 25 basis points to 7 percent, bringing the cash rate to its highest level since 1996. It was the eleventh hike since mid-2002.

"The risk of inflation remaining uncomfortably high for some time is considerable," the RBA said in its February statement on monetary policy. "Absent a further shift in economic risks to the downside ... monetary policy is likely to need to be tighter in the period ahead."

The outlook leaves the door open for a further rise in interest rates at the central bank's next meeting on March 4, and implies there is a risk of multiple hikes in 2008 if the RBA is to keep inflation in its 2-3 percent target band.

The central bank's policy outlook is now in stark contrast with that of most other major central banks, with analysts expecting the European Central Bank to cut rates soon, following the lead of the United States, Canada and the U.K.

The RBA raised its forecasts for core inflation to 3.75 percent by mid-2008, up from a forecast of 3.25 percent issued in November 2007. Core inflation is still expected to be at the top of the RBA's band in 2010. It was running at 3.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007, its fastest pace in 16 years.

John Edwards, chief economist for HSBC in Australia, said there is a risk that the RBA could hike rates another three times. The slowing in domestic demand sought by the central bank is not yet apparent, Edwards said.

"We had thought 7 percent would be the top and clearly it's not going to be," he said.

Woman rescued 9 days after China quake

2012-03-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

Rescuers saved a 35-year-old woman who survived nine days trapped in a tunnel despite multiple fractures, the only survivor found Wednesday in the rubble of China's massive quake zone.

Meanwhile, the government ordered state agencies to cut planned spending by 5 percent this year, which will go to create a $10 billion reconstruction fund, the State Council, China's Cabinet, said in a statement.

Some signs of normalcy returned to the quake area, as schools opened in some of the camps where the homeless were being housed, but a lack of tents underscored the massive task facing the government in sheltering 5 million who lost their homes.

Countries and organizations heeded China's call for help in sheltering some of the homeless. The U.N. refugee agency said it has offered 11,000 tents, and the European Union offered 7,500 tents along with blankets and medical supplies.

As China switches to reconstruction and recovery operations, state media said the government plans to rebuild Beichuan city, one of the hardest hit, in a new location.

"Safety is the top priority in selecting a new location and reconstruction," the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Beichuan Communist Party chief Song Ming as saying. "We plan to build a monument and a memorial to commemorate the quake victims on the previous location."

The quake survivor found Wednesday, Cui Changhui, had been trapped in a water diversion tunnel at the hydropower plant construction site in Hongbai town in Sichuan province, Xinhua reported.

She was taken by helicopter to a hospital to treat multiple fractures in her right arm, ribs and lower back, but Dr. Pu Jinhui said her injuries were not life-threatening, according to the report.

Near the epicenter at Chengdu's Qingyang district sports center, 9-year-old Gao Luwei played with friends after attending classes in the camp's one-room elementary school.

"I don't know how long we'll be here, but I hope we are here the shortest time possible," said Gao, whose regular school in the resort town of Dujiangyan was damaged in the earthquake that killed more than 41,000 people.

Deng Yaping, four-time Olympic gold medalist in table tennis and an organizer with the Beijing Olympics, was shown on state TV talking to schoolchildren in a classroom in a blue tent in Mianyang, north of the provincial capital, Chengdu.

Two big tents were set up on basketball courts to serve as a school, but each class met for only an hour because of the lack of space.

"It is different from our school but the teacher is very nice. We don't have homework now so we can play," said Li Hong, whose school farther north in Beichuan was destroyed.

An official said it was important for children to return to their established routines of school and play to help overcome the trauma of loss.

"The most important thing is to return some semblance of normalcy to the kids' lives," said Zhu Jiang, a Chengdu city official who acts as spokesman for the camp.

"We don't want them to feel like they're refugees, but like they've simply moved to another place for a sort of extended holiday," he said.

Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin said the confirmed death toll from the earthquake rose to 41,353 on Wednesday. He told reporters another 32,666 remained missing. Officials expect the final death toll to exceed 50,000.

State-owned companies suffered losses worth $4.29 billion in the disaster, Li Rongrong, chairman of the state body that oversees the enterprises, told reporters in Beijing.

Officials said earlier this week that all companies had been hit with $9.5 billion in losses from the quake.

On the last day of a three-day official mourning period for quake victims, a crowd of some 2,000 people in Beijing's Tiananmen Square who had been chanting "Go China!" grew quiet in a display of mourning at 2:28 p.m., the exact time the May 12 quake rattled central Sichuan province.

After a hiatus during the mourning period, the Olympic torch relay was scheduled to restart on Thursday. Other plans for the games also were going forward.

Eight pandas from the world-famous Wolong Giant Panda Reserve, which is only 20 miles from the quake's epicenter, are expected to arrive by plane in Beijing this weekend to go on display for the Olympics, a spokesman for the Beijing Zoo said.

The pandas will be on display at the zoo until November, as part of a trip planned before the disaster.

The earthquake has evoked an emotional response among the Chinese public, and prompted more than $1.8 billion in donations from organizations and individuals.

The State Council said in a statement Wednesday that the country's top anti-corruption office will deal sternly with officials who misuse or delay distribution of relief money. Officials have said they will make public the information on where relief money comes from and where it goes.

Meanwhile, the Tibetan government-in-exile called for a temporary stop to anti-China protests "to express our solidarity" with quake victims, according to a Tuesday evening statement.

The quake area is near Tibetan parts of China that saw unrest earlier this year when authorities cracked down on anti-government riots.

France says China will join talks on Iran

2012-03-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner announced that China will participate in a first round of talks Thursday in New York on possible new sanctions against Iran, the start of what are likely to be tough negotiations.

China agreed to discuss possible new sanctions during a phone conversation in late March with senior diplomats from the five other countries trying to get Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and start negotiations on its nuclear program, but no date had been set for the start of the discussions.

France's Foreign Ministry said Kouchner told a French parliamentary hearing that China would join the United States, Britain, Russia, France _ all veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council _ and Germany for the talks.

Kouchner said the Chinese participation is a "positive factor," according to the ministry. He did not give any details.

China's Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley would not confirm Thursday's meeting, saying there will be discussions in coming days in several locations and "I'm not going to sit here and advertise every single meeting that takes place."

China, which relies on Iran for much of its energy, traditionally opposes sanctions, but it went along with the first three sanctions resolutions. Beijing has said it opposes nuclear weapons for Iran but supports an Iranian civilian nuclear energy program.

It has been skeptical of the need for a fourth round of sanctions, which Western powers are seeking to step up pressure Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment program.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported recently that Tehran may be making nuclear bombs. But Iran insists its nuclear program is aimed solely at producing nuclear energy and is purely peaceful.

According to well-informed U.N. diplomats, the proposed new sanctions circulated by the United States would target Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard and toughen existing measures against its shipping, banking and insurance sectors. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are taking place among capitals.

Both China and Russia have repeatedly said they believe there is still room for negotiations with Iran.

After reports that China had agreed to discuss a new round of sanctions, Iran's nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili flew to Beijing and met with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi last Thursday.

"The relationship between Iran and China is very important, and it is very important for our two countries to cooperate on all the issues," Jalili told reporters just after arriving in Beijing.

Yang told Jalili before their meeting that his visit was "very important" and "we attach great importance to China's relations with Iran."

China depends on oil- and gas-rich Iran for 11 percent of its energy needs and last year became Tehran's biggest trading partner, according to Iranian figures. But China has other choices for oil supplies.

___

Associated Press Writer Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the United Nations.

CHICAGO AREA'S TOP 100

2012-03-13T02:41:00.000-07:00

QUARTERBACKS Player, School Ht. Wt. Yr. Ryan Beaco, Hillcrest 6-0 175Sr. Terry Cameron, St. Patrick 6-0 165

Sr. Tom Cerasani, Schaumburg 6-1 1/2185 Jr. Greg Cox, Fenton 6-5 190Sr. Jeff Fischer, York 6-2 1/2188 Sr. Nate Florell, Sullivan 6-3 180Sr. Lloyd Kerr, Bolingbrook 6-2 1/2195 Sr. Henry Klein, Loyola 6-1 180Sr. Jason Knapp, Morris 6-1 175 Sr. Jamie Pass, Rich East 6-1170 Sr. Chris Pietrangeli, Naperville Central 6-3 200 Sr. Scott Puck, Hinsdale Central 6-2

190 Sr. Bryant Taylor, Oak Park5-11 180 Jr. Duke Tobin, Hersey 6-1 175 Sr. Brad Wojick, Lyons

6-2 1/2 195 Sr. RUNNING BACKS Bishop, Evanston 5-5 185Sr. Todd Bishop, Marian Catholic 5-10 175 Sr. Edson Castillo, Streamwood 5-10175 Sr. Ernest Crank, Bolingbrook 5-11 175 Sr. David DeMumbrum, Reavis5-10 175 Sr. Brian Dunlavy, St. Viator 6-1 195 Sr. Martin Ellens, Hinsdale South

5-11 175 Sr. Paul Gordon, St. Rita

5-6 155 Sr. Chris Herb, Lisle

5-11 185 Sr. Steve Johnson, Hersey

5-11 185 Sr. Yonel Jourdain, Evanston

6-1 185 Sr. Cliff King, Stevenson

6-1 212 Sr. Brock Montgomery, Downers GroveNorth 6-2 1/2 195 Sr. Bob Morris, Leo 6-1 190Sr. Erick Robinson, Leo 5-9 195 Sr. Eddie Thomas, Bishop McNamara 5-11175 Sr. Tilson Thompson, Oswego 6-0 210 Sr. Craig Williamson, Libertyville5-10 160 Sr. Percy Willingham, Homewood-Flossmoor 6-1 198 Sr. Rob Woodward, Deerfield

6-4 225 Sr. WIDE RECEIVERS Fernando Cervantes, St. Patrick 6-3 170Sr. Ray Griggs, Crete-Monee 6-3 190 Sr. Carl Henry, Walther Lutheran 6-1200 Sr. Brian Howard, Julian 5-10 165 Sr. Pat Nelson, Palatine5-11 160 Sr. Dean O'Brien, Wheeling 5-9 160 Sr. Greg Penza, Marian Central

6-0 155 Sr. Jason Reid, Homewood-Flossmoor

6-2 180 Sr. Mike Rummell, Streamwood

5-9 145 Sr. Joe Spells, Thornton

5-9 165 Sr. TIGHT ENDS Cleo Brewster, Lisle 6-2 1/2 235Sr. Brady Buford, Phillips 6-4 220Sr. Eric Dominow, Rich South 6-3 223 Jr. Vaughn Johnson, Glenbard West 6-3 225

Sr. Marty Laurich, Marmion 6-4225 Sr. Jeff Wroblewski, Carl Sandburg 6-3 205 Sr. OFFENSIVE LINEMEN Ninef Aghakhan, St. Viator 6-4 240Sr. Randy Bierman, Carmel 6-6 230 Sr. Joe Calcagno, Fenwick 6-4230 Sr. Vito Cinquepalmi, St. Patrick 6-3 245 Sr. Billy Clince, St. Rita 6-5

238 Sr. Bob Cox, Joliet Catholic6-3 230 Sr. Eric Foggy, Vocational 6-4 290 Sr. Jason Jakovich, Joliet Catholic

6-3 240 Sr. Pat Kneller, Morris

6-3 248 Jr. Chet Lacheta, Bloom

6-3 260 Sr. Bart Newman, Mount Carmel

6-2 238 Sr. Tim O'Brien, Joliet Catholic

6-4 280 Sr. Phil Rathke, Lake Zurich

6-6 220 Sr. Kevin Reilly, Marian Catholic

6-4 270 Sr. Sonjee Roberson, Oak Park

6-5 260 Sr. John Spohn, Morris

6-4 1/2 253 Sr. Paul Watson, Hinsdale South 6-5 285Sr. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN Andrew Amaya, Walther Lutheran 6-6 215Sr. Chris Beck, Palatine 6-1 205 Sr. Eric Dahlberg, St. Viator 6-6265 Sr. Dave DuBois, Evergreen Park 6-31/2 225 Sr. Dave Kent, Marmion 6-4 235Sr. Bill Lange, Palatine 6-7 240 Sr. Vito Maurici, Rolling Meadows 6-4255 Sr. Wally Stanwood, Marian Central 6-5 200 Sr. Reggie Ward, Thornridge 6-5

240 Sr. Jim Zajicek, Hinsdale Central6-3 225 Sr. LINEBACKERS Pete Bercich, Providence 6-2 217Jr. Kirk Christensen, Libertyville 6-2 205 Sr. Dave Garnett, Naperville North 6-2215 Sr. Chris Holder, Stevenson 6-2 220 Sr. Kelvyn King, Romeoville 6-3

195 Sr. Mike Nelson, Morris6-2 195 Jr. Randy Scianna, Homewood-Flossmoor

6-2 230 Sr. John Sidari, Mundelein 6-2 1/2 232 Sr. Dave Stachura, St. Charles 6-2 210Sr. Russ Szadowski, Dundee-Crown 6-2 215 Sr. Dan Watkins, Gordon Tech 6-3210 Sr. Daren Williams, St. Martin de Porres 6-2 215 Sr. DEFENSIVE BACKS Eric Dircks, Hinsdale South 6-2 180Sr. Effrem Haymore, Richards 5-10 170 Sr. Scott Ingram, Evanston 5-6150 Sr. Carlos James, Rich East 6-0 175 Sr. Alvin Jones, Bremen 6-1

165 Sr. Joe Maddie, Romeoville6-1 180 Sr. Jamie Ringenbach, Elk Grove 5-11 180 Sr. Jason Robertson, Hillcrest

6-1 185 Sr. O.J. Simmons, Weber

6-2 185 Sr. Chris Sodeberg, Schaumburg

5-11 180 Sr.

Vagner Love signs for Flamengo from CSKA Moscow

2012-03-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Flamengo says it has signed star forward Vagner Love from CSKA Moscow.

The 27-year-old Brazilian says in a statement on Flamengo's website that "I plan to stay for a long time and I want to help the team win all the tournaments possible."

There were no further details, but Rio de Janeiro's O Globo newspaper says Flamengo will pay CSKA $12.9 million over the next three years.

Flamengo says Love will be presented to fans at a date to to be determined.

3 US coalition troops killed in Afghanistan

2012-03-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

A roadside bomb in western Afghanistan hit a U.S. coalition vehicle, killing three troops, while 18 Taliban fighters died in clashes elsewhere in the country, officials said Thursday.

In the southern Kandahar province, meanwhile, a bomb placed on a donkey hit a police vehicle patrolling west of the provincial capital on Thursday, killing an officer and wounding two other people, said Sadullah Khan, a police officer.

The bomb that struck the U.S. coalition vehicle Wednesday also wounded another coalition member, the U.S. military said in a statement. It did not provide the exact location of the attack or the nationalities of the victims. The majority of the coalition troops are American.

Taliban militants regularly target Afghan, U.S. and other foreign soldiers with roadside and suicide bombs in their campaign to weaken the government of President Hamid Karzai and its Western backers.

The number of insurgent attacks has risen 30 percent this year compared to 2007.

In southern Uruzgan province, a U.S. coalition airstrike killed 15 militants Wednesday, including a Taliban commander, another coalition statement said.

The militants were killed near a riverbed in Deh Rawood district, away from local villages, it said.

Three other militants were killed inside a cave in western Farah province's Bala Buluk district during a raid Wednesday by American and Afghan troops, the U.S. military said.

More than 5,200 people _ mostly militants _ have died in insurgency-related violence this year, according to an Associated Press count of figures from Western and Afghan officials.

Fire subsiding on Turkish freighter near Croatian coast

2012-03-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

A fire on a Turkish cargo ship carrying 200 trucks and tons of hazardous material was subsiding Thursday afternoon, and it was being kept away from the Croatian coast. Officials said a potential ecological disaster seemed to have been averted.

The ship, the Und Adriyatic, "is absolutely under control now," Minister for Sea and Transport Bozidar Kalmeta told the Cabinet.

It is "stable, there is no more open fire on it," Kalmeta said. "All evaluations show that the situation will remain like that, so there is no danger of pollution."

The ship was pushed by overnight winds to within 5 miles (8 kilometers) of Croatia's Brijuni Islands in the northern Adriatic Sea, but moved away later Thursday as the wind changed course, local emergency official Klaudio Karlovic said. The islands are home to one of Croatia's national parks and are a popular tourist destination.

Five tugboats, including two from neighboring Italy, were dousing the ship with water, officials said.

Maritime salvage specialists from Dutch company Smit Salvage B.V. _ hired by the ship's owners in Turkey _ were to board the ship and assess how best to deal with it, said Stjepan Huzjak from the government's office for interventions at sea. He said one option was to drag the ship to a so-called safe harbor.

The incident alarmed Croatia and neighboring Slovenia and Italy, as officials worried the ship could sink or leak chemicals to pollute the waters.

The company that owns the ship said in Istanbul there was no danger of it sinking. "A situation that would lead to environmental damage is out of the question," said Cuneyt Solakoglu, manager of UN Ro-Ro Company.

He said the fire started Wednesday in one of the 197 trucks aboard, and that only three of the trucks were carrying hazardous material, mostly paint and matches.

Croatian authorities had said earlier that the ship carried about 9 tons of hazardous materials, including matches, and that the ship's tanks contained about 800 tons of fuel.

Vjeran Pirsic, an ecological expert, said that while there apparently is no pollution of the sea, the fire has already polluted the air. He also warned that Croatia should prepare itself better for such incidents: "Luckily, the ship did not carry oil, because if oil had spilled into the sea, there would be no tourism in Croatia this year."

The Und Adriyatik had been sailing from Istanbul to the Italian port of Trieste when it caught fire about 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Croatia's northwestern coast.

All nine passengers and 22 crew members were rescued from the ship Wednesday and transferred to Italy.

South Carolina edges No. 19 Baylor 85-84

2012-03-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Zam Fredrick hit a go-ahead layup with 5.1 seconds left and South Carolina rallied for an 85-84 victory over No. 19 Baylor on Friday.

Devan Downey led the Gamecocks (10-2) with 23 points. Fredrick scored 19, Mike Holmes had 11 points and Dominique Archie and Brandis Raley-Ross scored 10 each.

Curtis Jerrells scored 22 for Baylor (12-2). Kevin Rogers had 14 points and 13 rebounds, Tweety Carter scored 18 and Henry Dugat 16.

Baylor cut the lead to one on Rogers' tip-in with 32.5 seconds to play. After a Bears timeout, South Carolina's Evaldas Baniulis was called for traveling on the inbounds play.

On Baylor's next possession, Dunn rebounded Carter's missed jumper and was fouled by Holmes. Dunn made both free throws for an 84-83 Baylor lead with 12.9 seconds left.

After a South Carolina timeout with 8.6 seconds remaining, Fredrick got free inside for a layup to put the Gamecocks up for good.

Baylor's last-second shot by Carter was blocked by Raley-Ross.

Baylor trimmed the lead to 74-73 on a 3-pointer by Dugat with 4:03 left, but South Carolina responded with a tip-in by Holmes and a dunk by Archie.

South Carolina trailed by five before Downey hit a layup and a 3 to tie the game at 44 with 15:14 left. Baylor answered with a rebound and dunk by Quincy Acy and a steal and layup from Dugat to go up 48-44. South Carolina came back with a 3-pointer by Archie and took its first lead on a jumper in the lane by Downey.

From there, the Gamecocks went on a 16-9 run to go ahead 63-53 with 8:30 to play. Downey scored eight points during the stretch.

Baylor took a 10-point lead midway through the first half when Jerrells converted a three-point play to put the Bears up 23-13 with 10:54 remaining.

Later in the half, South Carolina cut the lead to three on a 3-pointer by Austin Steed. Baylor answered with a five-point spurt to go back up by eight before Holmes' dunk pulled South Carolina to 37-31 with 2:50 left. Baylor led 40-36 at halftime after Rogers' tip-in at the buzzer of Jerrells' off-balance 3-point attempt was waved off by officials after review.