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4-year-old RI boy's wheelchair stolen

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:01:43 +0100

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island mother is asking for the person who stole her 4-year-old son's wheelchair to return it, no questions asked.

Latarcia Bonds of Providence tells WPRI-TV that every day she brings the $2,800 wheelchair to the sidewalk in front of the family's home for her son's ride to school. Then she brings down her son, D'Mauri (duh-MAHR'-ee), separately.

The other day, in the few minutes she left the wheelchair unattended, it disappeared.

Bonds says D'Mauri can't walk or talk and hasn't been able to go to school since the chair was stolen. She says her insurance won't pay for a new chair.

She says she has reported the theft to police.

___

Information from: WPRI-TV, http://www.wpri.com

German striker Klose quarantined over swine flu

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:25:06 +0100

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich says striker Miroslav Klose and his family have been quarantined after his twin sons came down with swine flu.

Klose and his wife, Sylwia, are under observation and it is unclear whether he will be able to play in Germany's international exhibition against Ivory Coast next Wednesday.

Bayern Munich media director Markus Hoerwick said Thursday that "we have to wait and see how the situation develops."

Klose did not join the German national team ahead of the scheduled match against Chile on Saturday. That exhibition was canceled following the suicide death of goalkeeper Robert Enke.

Duangdecha leads Hong Kong Open by 1 stroke

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:27:47 +0100

HONG KONG (AP) — Udorn Duangdecha shot an 8-under 62 behind 10 birdies Thursday to lead Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands by one stroke after the first round of the Hong Kong Open.

The little-known Thai qualifier, who only has one top 10 Asian Tour finish in his career, also had two bogeys at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

"I played according to my game plan and was really pleased that everything went the way I hoped it would," said the 38-year-old Duangdecha, who nearly equaled the course record of 61 by Simon Yates in 2005 but bogeyed his final hole amid fading light.

Defending champion Lin Wen-tang (64) was two strokes behind Duangdecha, tied for third with Gregory Bourdy, David Dixon and Thongchai Jaidee, the current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader.

Eyeing the European Tour money title, Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy both shot 66. The duo are the top two money winners in the Race to Dubai, and the Hong Kong Open is the penultimate tournament before the season-ending event in the United Arab Emirates next week, which has a $7.5 million bonus prize pool.

They are tied with 11 others at 4 under, including PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang and 1998 British Open and Masters champion Mark O'Meara.

Westwood, who had six birdies and two bogeys, said he was happy with his performance considering it was his first competitive round in Hong Kong.

"It's all right learning a course tee to green — it's pretty obvious how you play tee to green — but on the greens, it's such an advantage having played a few tournaments round here," the fourth-ranked Englishman said. "So to start with 4-under 66, I'm delighted."

McIlroy, who had five birdies and a bogey, said he needed to step up his game a notch to have a shot at the title.

"I'm not sure if three more 66s will be good enough so I might need to go a little better over the next three days," the Northern Irishman said.

Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open champion, and Rory Sabbatini were tied at 5 under with seven others.

Also, Oliver Wilson (70) had three birdies but double-bogeyed the 18th. Ian Poulter (68) was tied for 40th, and eight-time European Tour Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie (69) was tied for 65th.

China cautions Obama over meeting Dalai Lama

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:25:50 +0100

BEIJING (AP) — On the eve of President Barack Obama's first visit to Asia, China floated a potentially provocative comparison, likening serfdom in Tibet to slavery in the U.S. — an apparent attempt to gain support for its policies in the Himalayan region.

Invoking Obama's African heritage and Civil War president Abraham Lincoln, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday that Obama should be more sympathetic to its contention it has brought development and prosperity to Tibet since 1959.

Asked about a possible meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama, Qin said the U.S. president should recognize the exiled Tibetan leader — a Nobel Peace Prize winner — as the former head of a slave state.

"In 1959, China abolished the feudal serf system just as President Lincoln freed the black slaves. So we hope President Obama more than any other foreign state leader can have a better understanding on China's position on opposing the Dalai's splitting activities," Qin told reporters at a regularly scheduled news conference.

Many Tibetans reject such arguments, saying Tibet was an independent state when Chinese communist troops entered in 1950. They also say that while Tibetan peasants were required to work on feudal estates, they enjoyed considerable freedoms and were not slaves.

The Dalai Lama, who leads a self-declared government-in-exile in India, says he seeks only a high level of autonomy for Tibet within the constitutional framework of the People's Republic of China — something he terms "the Middle Way."

Responding to Qin's comments, Dalai Lama spokesman Tenzin Taklha called them "the usual accusations.

"China continues to accuse His Holiness of wanting to split the motherland. But His Holiness has been very clear in his position," Tenzin Taklha said.

"The whole world knows that the Dalai Lama is not seeking a separation. These are all baseless accusations," he said.

Chinese officials, including former President Jiang Zemin, have invoked Lincoln before, but usually in the context of unification with Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own territory.

Qin's apparently unscripted remarks were the first known instance of using Lincoln in reference to Tibet and the Dalai Lama.

China routinely excoriates the revered Buddhist figure as a scourge on his people and says his ultimate goal is to overthrow Chinese rule and restore the former feudal theocracy.

Beijing often protests his travel abroad and his meetings with heads of state. This week, the spiritual leader visited a region of India near the Tibetan border, drawing a sharp rebuke from China.

Obama was criticized for not meeting the Dalai Lama when the spiritual leader was in Washington in October, but there is a possibility the two will meet in the future.

___

Nirmala George in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Utah rock art canyon up for historic designation

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:03:42 +0100

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Parts of a remote central Utah canyon decorated with ancient Indian art are being nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.

The Bureau of Land Management this week nominated 63 sites along Nine Mile Canyon, which some call the world's longest art gallery. It contains more than 10,000 prehistoric rock carvings and paintings of bighorn sheep, owls, a two-headed snake, spear-wielding hunters and warriors engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

In the coming years, the BLM in Utah plans to nominate more than 800 sites in the canyon for the national register, according to Megan Crandall, an agency spokeswoman in Salt Lake City. She said it's the largest such attempt for archaeological sites in Utah.

The canyon is a prized destination for rock art enthusiasts. It's also been a place of controversy because of plans for nearby mineral development.

The BLM is about to launch another in-depth study on the nearby West Tavaputs Plateau. The agency has been considering a proposal that would allow about 800 more natural gas wells in the area and increase truck traffic on the narrow, 78-mile road that snakes through the sandstone and shale canyon.

Conservationists worry the extra truck traffic would kick up dust in the canyon and jeopardize the irreplaceable rock art.

Listing on the National Register is an honorific designation and wouldn't provide additional protections for the canyon's petroglyphs and pictographs. It may, though, prompt decision-makers to be more thoughtful about development in the area, said Wilson Martin, Utah's state historic preservation officer.

"People come from all over the world to see this level of concentration," Martin said.

Pam Miller, chair of the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition, which advocates for the canyon's protection, said her group is thrilled by the nominations — first sought more than 30 years ago — even though they would have preferred creation of a historic district rather than nominations for individual properties.

"What this listing will say is this is a place that's valued in this country," Miller said. "It doesn't stop anything but it's another way to get it on the table for discussion."

The canyon's drawings and carvings, easily spotted today from the unpaved road, have been a source of fascination and speculation since their discovery in the late 1800s. Some of the art is believed to be the work of the mysterious Fremont people, who lived in present-day Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Nevada from 700 to 1300 A.D.

Other inscriptions in the canyon's walls are from the Ute Indians, early explorers and members of the U.S 9th Cavalry.

The first batch nominated for the national register includes 19 rock art sites, 40 that include evidence of people living and working during the Fremont period and four sites with homesteads and cabins from the late 1800s and early 1900s. All the proposed properties are on BLM land.

The public has until Nov. 25 to comment on the nominations.

The next round of nominations likely won't be finished until next year.

Crandall said the designation for portions of Nine Mile Canyon, which is a mix of public and private property, is a clear statement of the area's cultural importance.

The National Register is administered by the National Park Service. The BLM says about 30,000 properties are added to the list each year, often for historic buildings or districts.

Texas group warns of weaknesses at land ports

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:00:07 +0100

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The country's understaffed land ports of entry need massive investments in infrastructure, technology and personnel to avoid becoming the path of choice for human and drug smugglers, according to a report released Wednesday by a border advocacy group.

The Texas Border Coalition, a group representing border city mayors, county judges and economic development commissions, called for $6 billion to improve land ports of entry and 5,000 new customs officers during the next four years. The group said the money is needed to correct the imbalance between the security at ports of entry and the security covering the points between.

"We definitely have to redirect the way we've been thinking," said Monica Weisberg-Stewart, chairwoman of the coalition's Border Security and Immigration Committee. In addition to shoring up security at the ports of entry, the additional funding and staffing would also help with facilitating legitimate trade and travel, said Weisberg-Stewart, a McAllen business owner.

From 1993 to a projected 2010, the Border Patrol budget has grown from $400 million to an expected $3.5 billion while funding for customs inspectors increased from $1.6 billion to an anticipated $2.7 billion during the same period, according to the report.

Comparisons between the security situation in the two areas are difficult. The only hard numbers available are for apprehensions of illegal immigrants, leaving how much gets by beyond that to guessing. But the coalition argues that the funding discrepancy is making ports of entry more attractive targets for smuggling.

"In the present environment, the (drug) cartels are choosing to conduct their trade across the bridges and highways, through the ports of entry and are rejecting the risk of crossing the Rio Grande and open spaces between the ports of entry," the report said.

It echoed one of the recommendations from the Southwest Border Task Force, created by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, which advised in September that the ports of entry were in serious need of improvement.

And last month, the president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents customs officers, testified before Congress that the federal Customs and Border Protection agency needed several thousand additional customs officers and agriculture inspectors.

A 2007 report by the Government Accountability Office noted that the agency's managers at land ports said understaffing contributed to "morale problems, fatigue, lack of backup support and safety issues when officers inspect travelers — increasing the potential that terrorists, inadmissible travelers and illicit goods could enter the country."

Representatives of Customs and Border Protection and the General Services Administration, which controls the majority of the land port facilities, were not immediately able to offer comment. Government offices were closed Wednesday for Veterans Day.

There are 42 land ports of entry on the southern and northern borders.

The Texas Border Coalition, which opposed the border fence built along 670 miles of the southern border, plans to formally present its report at a conference Friday in Laredo.

BLM now collecting higher drilling application fee

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:52:17 +0100

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A huge increase in the application fee for oil and gas companies to drill on federal land is unfair and won't speed up review of drilling permits, industry officials said Wednesday.

The $6,500-per-well fee was part of the Interior Department appropriations bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama on Oct. 30. The new fee amounts to a 62 percent increase over the previous $4,000 fee.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which oversees federal oil and gas rights and drilling on federal land, says the higher fee is needed to keep up with the cost of processing new drilling applications.

But oil and gas industry officials pointed out that the money goes into the U.S. Treasury and not specifically to the BLM, where it might offset the costs of reviewing drilling applications.

What's more, companies pay the fee with no assurance that the BLM will approve their permits. Even after winning approval, a company can't be certain that a well will produce enough to be viable, said Steve Degenfelder, vice president of Double Eagle Petroleum, a small gas drilling company based in Casper.

"There's no guarantee that you will get anything for your $4,000 — or now $6,500 — and that's what's unfair about this whole process," Degenfelder said. "It just adds another reason why it's difficult to drill wells on federal land."

The industry would be more receptive to the higher fee, he said, if the BLM would speed up the review process and decide on permits within, say, a month's time. Right now, Double Eagle waits as long as three years for BLM to approve wells and Degenfelder doesn't expect faster approval.

Instead of speeding things up, the fee has increased work for BLM field offices since President Bush signed it into law in late 2007, said Cheryl Sorenson, vice president of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming.

"If you are paying money for that fee, you expect a service," Sorenson said. "Better, faster service — and that is not guaranteed with this money. It won't even help those offices."

BLM officials weren't available for comment late Tuesday or Wednesday, a federal holiday. But an environmentalist said the agency needs more funding to adequately review drilling permits.

"BLM is charged with exercising oversight over the public lands and if it's going to do that in a careful, well-reasoned way, it has to have sufficient funds to allow for a good, thorough review," said Bruce Pendery, an attorney for the Lander-based Wyoming Outdoor Council.

The BLM manages 258 million surface acres of public land, most of it in 12 Western states. The agency also administers 700 million acres of subsurface minerals.

The BLM leasing program returns $46 in federal royalties for every $1 the government spends, said Kathleen Sgamma, director of government affairs for the Denver-based Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States.

Only the Internal Revenue Service generates proportionately more money for the federal government, she said.

Freed priest says Filipino captors wanted money

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:56:38 +0100

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A 79-year-old Irish priest said he hiked through jungles, survived raging seas and slept in a swamp under a tarpaulin before his captors released him Thursday after a month, apparently without getting the ransom they demanded.

The Rev. Michael Sinnott said he was never harmed but complained of uncertainty of being released amid arduous conditions and a monotonous diet of sandwiches and rice.

Irish leaders hailed his freedom as an answer to prayers of millions in both countries, while the leadership of a large Muslim rebel group took credit for persuading the kidnapers to free Sinnott.

"Because I am a bit old and I found hiking a bit difficult at times, I think that they'd be glad to kidnap a younger man next time," a smiling Sinnott told reporters after being greeted by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at a Manila airport.

Six gunmen abducted Sinnott, a longtime missionary in the southern Philippines, on Oct. 11 from his home in the Mindanao region, home to several armed groups fighting for Muslim self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.

The abductors took him by boat and then by foot across the jungle, each day promising to release him in exchange for money.

"For the first 10 days, we were in a swampy area. It was a small place. I could not walk around," Sinnott said. "I was just sleeping on the hammock or sitting, doing nothing else."

Later on in the jungle, a gunman cut a pathway about 10 yards (meters) wide "and I walked up and down there," he said. "They did their best to make things as easy as possible for me."

Sean McDonagh, a priest in Navan, northwest of Dublin, who has known Sinnott for 45 years, told RTE radio in Ireland it was "a minor miracle" that the missionary survived his ordeal after quadruple bypass heart surgery four years ago.

In a video released Oct. 31, Sinnott said the abductors were demanding $2 million for his freedom. He said Thursday that he was not sure that any money changed hands, and the Irish and Philippine governments said no ransom was paid.

Officials had feared Sinnott could suffer a fatal heart attack because he was still recovering from his surgery. Rumors persisted he had died in captivity.

Philippine security officials blamed Sinnott's kidnapping on members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a separatist group that has entered into peace talks with the government.

The rebels denied involvement. Their leader, Mohagher Iqbal, said his group applied "pressure and our moral authority" on the kidnappers to release Sinnott.

"We did our part. It's a goodwill and humanitarian gesture, without any other consideration," Iqbal said.

Sinnott told reporters in Manila his abductors belonged to a "lost command," a term referring to former rebels who have turned to banditry.

However, Ireland Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said the Irish government talked directly with Moro rebel leaders and were left in no doubt that Sinnott was held by a rebel faction.

Sinnott said he was held by two groups of kidnappers and they told him they had no other means of getting arms and bullets except by money from ransom. They told him they were fighting for an independent Islamic state, he said.

Martin said paying a ransom "would only have jeopardized the vital work of aid workers and missionaries around the world. It would also place other Irish citizens in danger."

A Philippine government adviser, Jesus Dureza, denied speculation that Sinnott was released in time for a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Manila on Thursday.

The Philippines has grappled with a spate of kidnappings this year, most of them blamed on al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants. On Monday, the militants were suspected of beheading a kidnapped schoolteacher on nearby Jolo Island after his family failed to raise enough ransom money.

___

Associated Press writers Oliver Teves and Teresa Cerojano in Manila and Shawn Pogatchnik in Dublin contributed to this report.

Buffett, Gates to answer student questions in NY

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:18:13 +0100

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates will meet with Columbia University business students on Thursday and answer their questions about business and life.

The world's two-richest men planned this forum at Columbia because Buffett earned his master's degree there in 1951.

This will be the third such forum the two friends have done.

In 2005, Gates and Buffett met with students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where Buffett earned his bachelor's degree. The pair answered questions in 1998 from University of Washington business students near Gates' home in Medina, Wash.

Buffett, the chairman of investment company Berkshire Hathaway, also regular meets with groups of college students in Omaha.

Highlights of the Columbia forum will air on cable's CNBC in an hour-long special Thursday at 8 p.m.

Gates is the co-founder and chairman of Microsoft Corp.

Palestinian election commission recommends postponing presidential vote, blames Hamas, ML

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:24:28 +0100

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian election commission recommends postponing presidential vote, blames Hamas.

Nuevo cierre de puente colombo-venezolano

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:34:02 +0100

BOGOTA (AP) — Las autoridades colombianas confirmaron el jueves un nuevo cierre del paso desde Venezuela a Colombia por un puente fronterizo, pero destacaron que no se han presentado disturbios.

El cierre se produjo cerca de las 7:30 de la mañana (12:30 GMT) en el puente "Francisco de Paula Santander", que une las poblaciones venezolana de Ureña con la colombiana de Cúcuta, en el departamento de Norte de Santander a 400 kilómetros al noreste de Bogotá.

"La verdad es simplemente que está el puente cerrado, no sabemos exactamente las circunstancias pero sabemos que está cerrado en el sector venezolano", dijo en entrevista telefónica el coronel Raúl Riaño, comandante operativo de la policía en Norte de Santander.

El oficial aseguró que no se habían presentado disturbios o manifestaciones como se reportaron el fin de semana por parte de pobladores fronterizos.

Protestas el sábado, con manifestantes lanzando piedras a agentes de la guardia nacional venezolana, desembocaron en el cierre por unas cinco horas del puente "Simón Bolívar", otro de los pasos de frontera. Los manifestantes se quejaban de medidas de seguridad como intensos chequeos aplicados por la guardia al momento de cruzar.

Otros pasos entre los dos países, al extremo norte por la localidad colombiana de Paraguachón, o más al sur por Arauca, han permanecido abiertos a lo largo de estas semanas de tensión políticas entre las dos naciones.

Sin embargo, tales pasos son de mucho menor flujo que el eje Cúcuta-Ureña y Cúcuta-San Antonio, donde las autoridades calculan que cruzan cada día más de 20.000 vehículos y miles de personas.

Israel venderá a Brasil aviones no tripulados de vigilancia

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:30:31 +0100

JERUSALEN (AP) — Israel firmó un contrato por 350 millones de dólares para suministrar docenas de aviones de vigilancia no tripulados a la policía nacional brasileña, informó el jueves un funcionario de la defensa.

Los aviones Heron, fabricados por la Industria Aeroespacial Israelí, se emplearán para vigilar las fronteras brasileñas e impedir el contrabando de armas, drogas y recursos naturales no especificados, agregó.

También se usarán para reforzar la seguridad durante la Copa Mundial de fútbol del 2014 y las olimpíadas del 2016 en Brasil.

La Industria Aeroespacial Israelí también suministra aviones Heron a Alemania para su empleo en Afganistán.

El funcionario habló con la condición del anonimato por no estar autorizado a discutir la cuestión abiertamente.

El acuerdo fue firmado esta semana durante la visita del presidente Shimon Peres a Brasil, agregó la fuente.

La compañía entregará 14 sistemas, cada uno de los cuales incluye varios aviones y equipo auxiliar, dijo el funcionario. La entrega comenzará en algunos meses. No indicó cuántos aviones incluye la transacción.

Policías brasileños se encuentran en Israel entrenándose para el uso del sistema, agregó.

La empresa israelí ha expandido sus operaciones en Brasil en el último año y estableció una operación conjunta con Synergy Group, con sede en Estados Unidos, en busca de contratos brasileños.

Booming precious metal prices drive gold rush

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:13:46 +0100

CHICAGO (AP) — Gold futures climbed to a new high Thursday, giving another nudge to the gold rush on Main Street as some people scramble to turn in their old jewelry for cash.

The price of the gold futures hit a record $1,123.40 early Thursday — confounding market analysts who thought there was no way gold would remain so expensive when it first cracked the unheard-of $1,000 mark last year.

The remarkable run has implications far beyond savvy investors. In New York's diamond district, more people started showing up late last year to sell their gold, and the crush hasn't let up, said Anthony Iannelli, owner of Iannelli Diamonds.

"They're bringing in jewelry from the '70s and '80s they don't wear anymore," he said. "They're following the news and see prices are high. They realize they have a little cache, and want to take it out of the vault."

Typically, gold is a safe place for investors to park their money, not something they buy to make money. It doesn't earn any interest, and because it's always sought-after, its value tends to be fairly stable. For example, when gold first reached $1,000 it was in March 2008, shortly after the collapse of investment bank Bear Stearns. Investors bought it up then because they feared for the stability of the financial system.

This time is different. Investors — think of them as the '09ers — are buying gold to protect themselves against the falling dollar.

Currencies are weak investments around the world because of record-low interest rates. Foreign banks that hold substantial amounts of U.S. debt, such as China's, want to diversify their holdings. News earlier this month that India's central bank bought nearly $7 billion worth of gold from the International Monetary Fund triggered a frenzy of gold buying.

The surge has been remarkable. Gold is up 7 percent just this month, and 26 percent for the year. Some forecasters see it going to $1,200, $1,500 or beyond — unless the buying frenzy comes to a halt.

Some analysts are panning the gold speculation.

"You just don't see increases like this over the short term" that last, says Steve Condon, director of investor advisory services for Truepoint Capital in Cincinnati. "This isn't materially different from gambling."

Nevertheless, people across the country are cashing in. More than 100 people a day now come to sell their gold at Ernest Perry's antique and estate jewelry store in Charlotte, N.C., up significantly in recent weeks.

But the rising price of gold has put a dramatic dent in jewelry sales, already suffering from the recession. Far fewer customers are looking to buy gold jewelry because of the soaring price, Perry said.

"I think it will just about kill the gold jewelry business" if the price rises and remains above $1,500 an ounce, Perry said. He predicted silver would become the primary metal used in jewelry if gold prices drive customers out of the market.

For the most part, though, demand for gold is coming from investors and speculators, not from people who actually want to use it. Demand for gold for jewelry and for industrial and dental uses was already falling during the second quarter, according to the latest data available from the World Gold Council.

Perry said customers looking to sell their gold should go to dealers with plenty of experience and expect to get, on average, about 70 percent of the current price. And there are other ways to get into gold than selling family heirlooms.

There are gold funds, publicly traded gold mining companies and gold bullion or coins, depending on what makes someone the most comfortable. No way is certain to be the safest or most lucrative.

And of course, there's no guarantee the bubble won't burst.

Gold prices could fall when interest rates rise, the dollar strengthens, or when optimism about the economy takes hold again, as happened briefly the first time gold reached $1,000. If that happens, the damage could be long-lasting: Gold reached $850 an ounce in 1980, then took 28 years to return to that level. (Gold's peak in 1980 is about $2,300 in 2009 dollars.)

Anyone who's not sure whether this is a good time to buy can take heart from a Goldman Sachs forecast on Wednesday that said gold prices could reach $1,200 by year's end. But it's hard to forget what happened with crude oil prices, which shed more than half their value in less than a year after peaking at $147 a barrel in July 2008.

No one knows when a seemingly unstoppable rally will end badly.

___

AP Business Writers Stephen Bernard, Candice Choi and Sara Lepro in New York contributed to this story.

Attorney: Parents in runaway balloon case will plead guilty to some charges in alleged hoax

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:34:06 +0100

DENVER (AP) — Attorney: Parents in runaway balloon case will plead guilty to some charges in alleged hoax

AP NewsAlert, US

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:34:41 +0100

DENVER (AP) — Attorney: Parents in runaway balloon case will plead guilty to some charges in alleged hoax

First-time jobless claims fall to 502,000, lowest level since early January, US

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:31:53 +0100

WASHINGTON (AP) — First-time jobless claims fall to 502,000, lowest level since early January.

Top 20 Concert Tours

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:45:46 +0100

The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.

TOP 20 CONCERT TOURS

1. (1) U2; $7,689,626; $93.77.

2. (2) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band; $3,485,661; $84.16.

3. (3) AC/DC; $1,950,931; $83.96.

4. (4) Jonas Brothers; $1,378,532; $67.84.

5. (New) Metallica; $1,372,098; $68.13.

6. (5) Kenny Chesney; $1,307,405; $66.43.

7. (7) Depeche Mode; $1,096,432 $63.71

8. (6) Dave Matthews Band; $1,096,240; $49.14.

9. (8) Britney Spears; $1,022,687; $66.58.

10. (9) Miley Cyrus; $959,000; $68.71.

11. (10) Keith Urban; $861,143; $64.15.

12. (11) Rascal Flatts; $812,936; $54.81.

13. (13) Nickelback; $717,233; $41.73.

14. (15) Taylor Swift; $623,743; $47.75.

15. (14) American Idols Live; $607,924; $62.25.

16. (16) Brad Paisley; $607,249; $40.07.

17. (17) Blink-182; $545,766; $33.17.

18. (18) Lil' Wayne; $541,235; $42.13.

19. (New) Maxwell; $509,002; $72.31.

20. (19) Kings Of Leon; $504,868; $41.81.

For free upcoming tour information, go to www.pollstar.com

Auctioneer: T. rex fossil headed for museum

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:42:13 +0100

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex that failed to sell at auction in Las Vegas last month has been bought by a private buyer who intends to see it displayed in a museum, an auctioneer told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Tom Lindgren, a natural history specialist for auction house Bonhams & Butterfields, said the buyer is talking with several museums in North America that want to showcase the bones of the 40-foot-long, 7.5-ton dinosaur that lived 66 million years ago. Lindgren said the buyer wants to keep the skeleton in the United States.

Lindgren said he could not reveal who bought the T. rex dubbed "Samson" or say how much he paid for the bones because of an agreement with the buyer. He said the selling price was near pre-auction estimates of $5 million to $8 million.

"We expect her to be on public viewing within the next couple months, hopefully before Christmas," Lindgren told the AP. "She's found a very good home."

Lindgren said the buyer contacted at least four museums and found two that were interested. Lindgren said the buyer was discussing terms to loan the T. rex for display.

"By the time you look at the insurance and everything else that has to be provided, some of the museums may not be able to afford to have her," he said.

Bidders didn't meet a minimum price when Samson went on the block at the Venetian hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Auctioneers were hoping it would fetch $6 million, but the highest bid came in at only $3.7 million.

The T. rex found 17 years ago in South Dakota and its 170 fossilized bones represent more than half of the dinosaur's skeleton.

A similar T. rex fossil sold for $8.3 million in 1997 and is now housed at the Field Museum in Chicago. That dinosaur, named "Sue," is 42 feet long and has more than 200 bones.

Lindgren has said "Samson" is the third most complete T. rex skeleton ever discovered and has the "finest skull" of any T. rex ever found.

The female dinosaur's lower jaw was found by the son of a rancher in 1987, and the rest of its bones were excavated in 1992, Lindgren said. It was sold twice to private owners and was last owned by an American whom Lindgren wouldn't name.

"The fellow that owns her now has just as much an interest in science as I do, so it makes me feel good that we'll find a good exhibit space for her," Lindgren said.

Foreign Ministry official says Libya is putting 2 detained Swiss businessmen on trial, AF

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:41:29 +0100

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Foreign Ministry official says Libya is putting two detained Swiss businessmen on trial.

Paraguay: agentes especiales salen a rescatar a secuestrado

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:51:24 +0100

ASUNCION (AP) — Unos 300 agentes especiales salieron el jueves hacia los norteños departamentos de San Pedro y Concepción a intentar rescatar con vida al agroempresario Fidel Zavala, secuestrado por un grupo guerrillero el 15 de octubre, informó el ministro del Interior Rafael Filizzola.

La banda insurgente se autodenominó Ejército Popular Paraguayo (EPP), de extrema izquierda, un desprendimiento del opositor partido Patria Libre, sin representación parlamentaria, dedicada al plagio extorsivo.

Su primer golpe lo dio en 2001 al capturar a Nika Debernardi, nuera del ex ministro de Economía Enzo Debernardi. Fue liberada tras el pago de un rescate de 2 millones de dólares.

Sin embargo, el grupo asesinó a Cecilia Cubas, de 31 años, en febrero de 2005 luego de cuatro meses de cautiverio y pese al rescate pagado de 800.000 dólares. La joven era hija del ex presidente Raúl Cubas (1998-1999).

"Nuestra prioridad es que Zavala retorne sano y salvo", dijo Filizzola, en una entrevista colectiva, luego de despedir en Asunción a las fuerzas de seguridad.

Agregó que "no nos dejaremos chantajear por ninguna banda de delincuentes", aparentemente en referencia a radioemisoras que difundieron la versión de que el EPP habría propuesto un trueque: la vuelta de Zavala por la liberación de ocho de sus compañeros condenados por la muerte de la hija de Cubas.

Ni Filizzola ni el comisario José Giménez, comandante policial, aclararon si la totalidad de los agentes son policías o también fueron involucrados suboficiales del ejército.

La ofensiva gubernamental se produce una semana después de que EEUU donara equipamiento tecnológico y armas modernas al Batallón Antiterrorista, incluyendo visores nocturnos, por un valor total de 1,3 millones de dólares.

Los departamentos vecinos de San Pedro y Concepción, a unos 320 y 470 kilómetros al norte de la capital tiene bosques vírgenes en un 60% de su territorio. El resto es utilizado por fincas pecuarias y productoras de soja.

Diego Zavala, hermano menor de la víctima del plagio, se mostró preocupado tras conocer que agentes especiales partieron al norte "porque los secuestradores nos pidieron de manera categórica que, si queríamos a Fidel con vida, no debían intervenir las fuerzas de seguridad ni los periodistas".

Flu test sales boost Meridian 3Q profit 16 percent

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:57:26 +0100

CINCINNATI (AP) — Meridian Bioscience Inc. said Thursday its profit rose 16 percent in its fiscal fourth quarter due to strong sales of its rapid flu test, which is marketed as a potential detector of swine flu.

Meridian said its profit grew to $8.9 million, or 22 cents per share, from $7.7 million, or 19 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 16 percent to $42.5 million from $36.5 million.

According to a Thomson Reuters survey, analysts were expecting 21 cents per share and $38.7 million in revenue.

The company reported strong sales of respiratory products, including its TRU FLU kit, which is approved to detect seasonal flu. It also said sales of its test for the respiratory syncytial virus were solid. RSV is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract illnesses in infants and young children.

In mid-September, the Food and Drug Administration allowed Meridian to update the packaging of TRU FLU to indicate it is sensitive to two swine flu strains. TRU FLU's ability to detect the strains has not been proved.

Meridian said its fiscal 2009 profit increased 8 percent to $32.8 million, or 80 cents per share, from $30.2 million, or 74 cents per share. Revenue grew 6 percent to $148.3 million from $139.6 million.

The company backed its profit guidance for fiscal 2010. Meridian expects a profit of 90 cents to 95 cents per share in fiscal 2010, on $160 million to $165 million in revenue. Analysts are forecasting 92 cents per share and $160.2 million in the year ending Sept. 30.

Venezuela destroys more than 30,000 firearms

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:47:01 +0100

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan authorities have destroyed more than 30,000 illegal firearms as part of an effort to combat soaring crime.

The government plans to sell the demolished guns as scrap metal and donate the proceeds to a foundation that cares for children suffering from cancer.

Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami says workers used blow torches to destroy the weapons Wednesday. He says the initiative will further the fight against criminal organizations.

Violent crime is one of Venezuela's most pressing problems. The government stopped releasing complete annual murder figures in 2005, but last year the Justice Ministry said homicides averaged 152 a week, or roughly 7,900 for 12 months.

Head-on crash kills 3 college students in Pa.

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:55:15 +0100

EDINBORO, Pa. (AP) — Authorities in western Pennsylvania say a head-on crash killed three Edinboro University students.

State police say a car tried to pass another vehicle at the crest of a hill and hit an oncoming car early Wednesday evening.

Police say the crash killed 18-year-old Domenico Crea, of Erie; 18-year-old John Eyrolles, of Pittsburgh; and 21-year-old Sheldon Harmon, of Bolivar, N.Y.

Crea was driving the car that attempted the pass. Eyrolles was his passenger. Neither was wearing a seat belt. Harmon was the driver of the other car and was wearing a seat belt.

Edinboro, a state-owned university, is located about 15 miles south of Erie.

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Information from: Erie Times-News, http://www.goerie.com

Intel to pay AMD $1.25 billion in settlement of all legal disputes, US

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:05:50 +0100

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — Intel to pay AMD $1.25 billion in settlement of all legal disputes.

Health care issues: Controlling medical costs

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:23:00 +0100

A look at key issues in the health care debate:

THE ISSUE: How can Americans control medical costs without it leading to rationing of health care?

THE POLITICS: There's broad agreement that health care costs are too high and that if left unchecked, they could bankrupt the government, not to mention businesses and families. The $2.5 trillion the United States spends each year should be enough to provide quality care for everybody — even if that means fewer tests and procedures. But politicians of all stripes are reluctant to confront the public with that message. That means any health care overhaul may wind up adding to costs, instead of curbing them.

WHAT IT MEANS: Cuts in Medicare and Medicaid payments to service providers may only check costs temporarily. Prevention programs can sometimes cost more than they save because of the additional services provided to large numbers of patients. The key to controlling costs seems to lie in changing the economic incentives for hospitals and doctors, so that they focus on keeping patients well and preventing serious complications among those who are in poor health. Such a cultural change could take a generation to bring about, and many experts believe that although Congress' health care bills take some steps in the right direction, they don't do nearly enough.

— Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar