Funny film, tragic JonBenet case put creepy pageants in spotlight

'So you're saying [the JonBenet case] actually helped theindustry?"

"Exactly. It gave it more of a national exposure and it gave thepeople the idea that this was a business model they could be a partof. . . . The industry experienced a growth in participation." --From a Newsweek/MSNBC.com interview with Carl Dunn, the CEO ofPageantry Magazine.

The final sequence in the darkly hilarious "Little Miss Sunshine"takes place at a child beauty pageant set in a depressingly generichotel banquet hall in Redondo Beach, Calif.

It's the funniest and also perhaps the most disturbing set pieceof the year -- a savage sendup of little girl beauty contests thathad me …

The Aftermath

Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, Americans have heard that if they want to be patriotic, if they want to show terrorists that they can't destroy the nation's will, they should go out and buy something.

It's been only a few weeks, but there are a great many signs that Americans are hearing that message but not heeding it, at least in a way that might calm the fears of retailers and economic analysts. The reasons are obvious. People don't feel secure - about their own safety or the prospects for the economy. After watching the terrorist attacks over and over again on television and reading about the layoffs announced in the days that followed, no one can blame …

Oil tumbles below $44 a barrel

Oil tumbled below $44 a barrel Thursday to levels last seen nearly four years ago as unemployment benefit claims hit a 26-year high and major companies announced more job cuts.

Though the unprecedented decline in energy prices provides some relief to consumers and businesses, it has occurred as the U.S. dips into recession.

Also hitting new lows were average retail gasoline prices, which fell below $1.80 a gallon (below 47 cents a liter) nationally for the first time since January 2005.

Part of the reason gas prices have fallen so low is that many people no longer have jobs to drive to and fewer people have money to spend shopping. Gasoline …

Society has no right to take life - whether by abortion or execution

The recent Supreme Court decisions expanding the scope of thedeath penalty reflects one of the more caustic ironies of thisrapidly evolving age of moral anarchy. In the majority of the courtdefending execution were those justices who are consistentlystringent in their opposition to abortion. In dissent were thosejustices who are most adamant in defense of a woman's supposed rightto kill a living being.

The court, shrouded in arcane legal reasoning, finds itselfdistracted by whether the death penalty is discriminatory or whetherthe public should fund abortions. Unfortunately, the court nowignores as resolved the basic issue of whether society has the rightto abort or …

WCHS anchor leaving station for job in home state: 'Good Morning West Virginia' co-host has been with organization; for seven years

DAILY MAIL STAFF

WCHS-TV anchor Laura Baker is leaving Charleston after sevenyears.

Baker, 30, is resigning Dec. 14 to take a position in her homestate of Florida. Baker will be director of Public Relations andCommunity Affairs for the Sembler Company in St. Petersburg. Thecompany manages retail centers throughout the Southeast.

Although Baker said she would miss the Charleston area, she saidit would be nice to be closer to her family.

"I haven't really spent a lot of time home since I was 17 yearsold and I missed everyone," Baker said. "I've been home from time totime for holidays, but now I'll get to be with them for everyholiday."

Baker grew …

Despite notable year, mainstream success eludes short films

The short has enjoyed a year of mainstream attention.

As a prelude to "The Darjeeling Limited," Wes Anderson created the 13-minute "Hotel Chevalier." Earlier this year "Paris, Je T'Aime" assembled 18 well-known directors to each make a short film set in a Paris arrondissement. And Pixar again released a highly anticipated animated feature ("Ratatouille") with a memorable short played beforehand ("Lifted").

Yet widespread popularity has proved elusive for the short film. While the short story remains a great tradition in literature, the cinematic equivalent is largely marginalized.

Shorts predate …

Obama picks fight on taxes, big or just symbolic

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is renewing an old fight with the business community by insisting that $400 billion in tax increases be part of a deficit-reduction package. His proposals have languished on Capitol Hill, repeatedly blocked by Republicans, often with help from Democrats.

Some would raise big money. Limiting tax deductions for high-income families and small business owners could raise more than $200 billion over the next decade. Others are more symbolic, such as scaling back a tax break for companies that buy corporate jets.

The corporate jet proposal would raise $3 billion over the next decade, according to GOP congressional aides. That's a relatively …

Fail-safe gyroscope for the automotive field

"Precise FMEA, multiple levels of circuit supervision and redundant transfer of a fault message have enabled us to create fail-safe sensors for a very wide market."

Hurbertus Christ, CEO of SensorDynamics

Onboard gyroscopes are helping improve safety-and they're getting smaller and more powerful.

One of the leaders in the field is SensorDynamics. The producer of sensors for the automotive and manufacturing industries, recently announced the launch of the micromechanical SD721 and SD751 gyroscopes (angular rate sensors), a solution that integrates monitoring circuitry at chip and module level to make it absolutely fail-safe. Automotive Industries (Al) interviewed …

Thai leg of Olympic torch relay route gets off to peaceful start

Thailand's leg of the Olympic torch run got off to a peaceful start Saturday, as thousands of flag-waving supporters in Bangkok's Chinatown celebrated while a lone protester stood nearby.

No trouble was reported along the route as about 100 human rights demonstrators faced off against an equal number of China supporters across from each other on the road where the torch passed.

From a stage by a large red Chinese-style gate, Thai dignitaries and the Chinese ambassador delivered brief speeches praising their countries' ties as athletes stood readying the torch for the relay.

Many in the festive crowd of onlookers waved Chinese and Thai flags.

…

Female sky marshals a first for Pakistan 9 finish grueling training alongside men, a major step in Islamic society

KARACHI, Pakistan--An elite force of karate-kicking anti-terrorist fighters will begin riding on domestic Pakistani passengerjets this month. The new sky marshals are gaining attention inPakistan's conservative Islamic society--not only for their skillsbut because they include nine women.

The first female sky marshals last month completed a 10-week, hand-to-hand combat course so grueling that some of their 49 maleclassmates dropped out. Only one woman failed to finish--because shebroke her wrist.

The women say they're ready to keep Pakistan safe from terroristattacks. But they also see themselves as making inroads in a societywhere women are widely seen as …

Danny Glover and Whoopi Goldberg to star in Showtime's `Good Fences'

On Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. in honor of Black History Month, Showtime presents the Original Picture "Good Fences" starring Oscar and Golden Glove Award-winner Whoopi Goldberg ("Ghost," "Strong Medicine," "Hollywood Squares") and NAACP Image Award winner and Emmy-nominated Danny Glover ("Lethal Weapon," "Lonesome Dove," "Beloved" and the Showtime Original Picture "3 A.M."). "Good Fences" is a dramatic portrait of an upwardly mobile African American family for whom the American Dream becomes a nightmare. Based on a novel of the same name by Erika Ellis, the screenplay was written by Emmy nominated Trey Ellis ("The Tuskegee Airmen," "Cosmic Slop").

Set in the 1970s, "Good Fences" is the story …

US mom is spared prison in son's jaywalking death

MARIETTA, Georgia (AP) — A woman who was arrested after her 4-year-old son was struck and killed by a van as they were jaywalking across a busy street was spared a prison sentence Tuesday following an outcry over her prosecution.

Raquel Nelson, 30, was convicted by a jury earlier this month of vehicular homicide and other charges for not using a crosswalk and could have gotten three years behind bars — far more than the six months the hit-and-run driver served.

Instead, without explanation, Judge Kathryn Tanksley gave the suburban Atlanta mother a year's probation, ordered 40 hours of community service, and took the unusual step of offering her a new trial. Nelson's lawyer …

Musharraf dismisses 'graceful exit' suggested by U.S. senators

President Pervez Musharraf's spokesman on Monday dismissed a suggestion from three U.S. senators that he make a "graceful exit" from power after the victory of his opponents in Pakistan's elections.

Musharraf was elected to a new five-year presidential term last year by Pakistani lawmakers, "not by any senator from the United States," his spokesman Rashid Qureshi told Dawn News television.

"So I don't think he needs to respond to anything that is said by these people," he said.

The three U.S. senators met Musharraf shortly after last week's parliamentary vote in which his political allies were routed. Some Pakistani political leaders have called for him to resign.

Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Sunday that he would advise Musharraf to seek a dignified way to leave office.

"I firmly believe if (political parties) do not focus on old grudges _ and there's plenty in Pakistan _ and give him a graceful way to move," then it could happen, Biden, a Democrat, said on ABC television.

Republican senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Chuck Hagel also endorsed a negotiated retreat rather than a push from power for Musharraf.

1 million Shiites march to Iraq shrine Some denounce U.S., but more vent their rage at Saddam

KARBALA, Iraq--Swaying and chanting, some bleeding from self-inflicted wounds of ritual mourning, an estimated 1 million ShiiteMuslims marched to this city's holy shrine Tuesday, celebrating theirfreedom from years of repression by Saddam Hussein's regime.

The large turnout for the pilgrimage, which ends Thursday,highlighted the power and potential of Iraq's majority Shiitecommunity. Despite bitter internal differences, the Shiites, whorepresent 60 percent of Iraq's 24 million people, were able to pulloff the event on short notice and thus far without violence.

Pilgrims, many with heads bleeding and limping from long journeysin 90-degree heat, pressed up against each other on roads. U.S.troops were largely out of sight, with a few members of the U.S.-backed Iraqi National Congress at checkpoints.

The collapse of Saddam's rule left a political vacuum, "So wemoved in a specialized and organized way to face this problem," saida Shiite official, Sheik Sadeq Jaafar al-Tarfi.

"All the religious leaders, Sistani and Sadr, united to make itsuccessful and had it not been for this unity it would have failed,"he said, referring to Grand Ayatollah Ali Hussein al-Sistani, Iraq'stop Shiite cleric, and Muqtada al-Sadr, the son of al-Sistani's slainpredecessor.

There was anti-American sentiment among the pilgrims Tuesday. Someheld signs that said "Bush equals Saddam" and "Down USA."

Anti-Saddam feelings, however, appeared stronger--perhaps because,in an apparent attempt to avoid friction with pilgrims, Americantroops mostly stayed clear of the city.

Pilgrims beat their chests and screamed: "You dirty Saddam, whereare you so that we can fight you?"

Water trucks were brought in for the pilgrims. Roving men sprayedworshippers with rose water, which cools and conveys a blessing.

Shiites from Iran joined those from Iraq and other countries toconverge on Karbala--site of the 7th century martyrdom of Hussein, agrandson of the prophet Muhammad. The extent of the Iranian presencewas unclear. The border between the two countries is officiallyclosed, but porous.

Division at UN

Despite a proposal by France to join in the U.S. call forsuspending economic sanctions against Iraq, the first SecurityCouncil meeting on the future of post-Saddam Iraq indicated that deepdivisions remain over who should disarm the country and how sanctionsshould be lifted.

Under council resolutions, sanctions cannot be lifted until UNinspectors certify that Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biologicalweapons have been destroyed along with the long-range missiles todeliver them.

But the United States has deployed its own inspectors to searchfor weapons of mass destruction--and U.S. Ambassador John Negropontemade clear Tuesday that the Bush administration doesn't want UNinspectors to return any time soon.

Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said he didn't see "anyadversarial arrangement" between his inspectors and the U.S.-ledcoalition's teams. "We're all interested in finding the truth aboutthe situation, whatever it is," he said.

"But at the same time I am also convinced that the world and theSecurity Council . . . would like to have inspection and verificationwhich bear the imprint of an independent institution."

Powered up

Baghdad celebrated the beginning of the end Tuesday of adevastating three-week power outage. Still, more than 80 percent ofthe city remained in darkness--and doctors reported the firstsuspected cases of cholera and typhoid, with no clean running wateryet.

Despite a lack of power, water and phones--in addition toshuttered shops, hourslong lines at gas stations and closed schools--Baghdad's people on Tuesday showed signs of bouncing back from theU.S. military invasion and the mob pillaging and burning thatfollowed the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime.

In crowded streets, pickups carrying families returning fromwartime havens in the countryside scraped up against trucks ferryingoranges to market.

Some drivers reveled in the once-forbidden act of stopping onBaghdad's bridges over the Tigris River--coming out of their vehiclesto stare down into the lavish riverside palace compounds of Saddam.

Residents across Baghdad have left their light switches flipped onfor weeks--waiting for electricity to return.

The money trail

Piles of U.S. currency, hundreds of millions of dollars so far,are being found in Iraq, even though the country has been undereconomic sanctions for nearly 13 years.

Investigators--on the ground in Iraq and in the United States--are trying to track the money back to where it came from, a Herculeantask, both officials and outside experts say.

In Baghdad, U.S. soldiers--trying to stop looting--discovered morethan $600 million in tightly wrapped packets of new $100 dollar billshidden behind a false wall, U.S. military officials said Tuesday.

The New York Post reported Tuesday that four soldiers with theArmy's 4th Battalion of the 64th Armored Division have been arrestedfor trying to steal $1 million of the cash and now face courts-martial.

Occupying Mosul

The U.S. Army occupied Mosul from the air and on the groundTuesday with little resistance except scattered small-arms fire,taking custody of a northern city they said was in good shape forquick rehabilitation once the security situation improves.

Marines had been holding parts of Mosul, including the airfield,awaiting the Army's arrival. Last week, 17 Iraqis were killed inconfrontations with American forces in Mosul, local hospitalofficials said.

"If people would stop shooting at each other, then the place wouldbe all right," said Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the 101stAirborne Division. "The bottom line is, if we provide security inMosul, it will blossom on its own."

AP

CORI reform activists pushing for legislation

It was bad enough that Stephanie Parrott got rejected for a job with a teen mentoring program. But the fact that the nonprofit that rejected her in 1998 didn't tell her why made things worse.

Parrott found herself treading the rugged road of rejection traveled by many people who have files with the state's Criminal Offender Record Information.

"I tried to get an apartment though the Boston Housing Authority," she said. "They never explained why I was rejected. I didn't know I had a CORI. I was ignorant of the law."

It was after she applied to be a foster parent that she learned the real reason for her rejection: her landlord's criminal complaint against her.

Parrott says her landlord tried to sexually assault her back in 1995 and then filed a complaint against her in court, alleging that she tried to attack him with a knife. Although the case was continued without a finding, the charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon has stayed on Parrott's CORI record like a stubborn stain.

Now, as a member of the Boston Worker Alliance, Parrott spends much of her time helping others with CORI's find work and advocating for reform of the CORI system. Last Thursday, she joined hundreds of activists on the Boston Common for a demonstration calling on the state Legislature to reform the CORI system.

"When I found out what the cause was, I knew I had to do something," she said. "I have people in my family who have CORIs too. I truly believe that the only way we can effect change is to come together."

The demonstration, followed by a coordinated lobbying event at the State House, drew activists, ex-convicts and political leaders from across the state.

"This is oppression by government, instituted by the government," said Cambridge Mayor Ken Reeves. "And it should be ended by the people."

Last year, some lawmakers filed a raft of bills aimed at reforming the state's CORI system, while others filed bills aimed at strengthening the CORI laws. In the end, none of the bills passed.

This time around, state Senator Dianne Wilkerson says CORI reform is more likely to pass.

"Last year none of this happened," she said, gesturing towards the crowd gathered on the Common. "This is organized. Elected officials in every city in the state are hearing from constituents. This is no longer a black or brown issue. We've been able to demonstrate that this is a state-wide issue."

CORI reform advocates estimate that there are more than 2 million people in Massachusetts with CORI records.

That has made for a massive organizing base for the Massachusetts Alliance to Reform CORI, an effort spearheaded by activist Horace Small.

"We've had to work very hard, but we've been able to convince folks that it's in their best interests to work together," he said. "We've reached out to whites, to immigrants, we've gone to New Bedford, Lawrence, Lowell. And people get it. We've been able to build a multi-racial, multi-cultural movement that's led by people of color."

Not every CORI record represents a crime committed. Like Parrott, people who were charged with a crime and then later acquitted of that crime still retain a CORI record.

Employers and housing agencies use the CORI system to weed out applicants, often without checking what the crime was or whether the person has actually committed a crime.

Edwin Martinez, a Jamaica Plain resident, says his name is in a national CORI database for a drug conviction in Texas. But Martinez, who serves in the Army Reserves, says his name was confused with another Edwin Martinez who is currently serving time for possession of 25 pounds of marijuana.

"This bothers me," said Martinez, who was recently turned down for a job with Rent-A-Center. "If it was something I did, then I could accept it. But I didn't do the crime."

Wilkerson says there is currently no means for people in Massachusetts who have mistakes on their CORI record to change them. A reform effort Wilkerson is shepherding through the state Senate would impose a ten-year limit for misdemeanor crimes on CORI records, allow judges to seal juvenile CORI records and place the onus on the Criminal History Systems Board for clearing up mistakes like the one that is on Martinez's record.

"I think the CORI system is completely dysfunctional," she said.

While the Senate is poised to move forward with the Public Safety Act of 2006, which has CORI reform provisions, the House leaders reportedly have been slow to move on legislation.

Following last week's rally, CORI reform advocates began their lobbying effort, marching to the State House offices of their elected representatives. Small said the Massachusetts Alliance to Reform CORI plans to keep up the pressure on the Legislature.

In an election year, where Republicans are vying to keep control over the governor's office and pick up more seats in the House and Senate, CORI could still serve as a wedge issue. Last week the Globe ran a feature story on an ex-con who is struggling with his CORI, only to find later that he had participated in a 1960s robbery in which a police officer was shot to death. That story sparked ire from the police union - a key political player in law enforcement issues.

"We have to play it skillfully," Small said. "The media and the public are giving us a small margin of error. The fight right now is about getting the Public Safety Act of 2006 passed."

[Sidebar]

Stephanie Parrott addresses CORI reform activists during a rally on the Boston Common. The Criminal Offender Records Information Act requires courts to make arrest records public.

Job applicants with minor offenses or arrests that did not result in convictions are often barred from employment opportunities because of the law.

[Sidebar]

Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., center, leaves the Capitol building in Atlanta after qualifying to run for re-election. McKinney is also at the center of a growing investigation into the March 29 incident in which she hit a Capitol Police officer. Staffers from four congressional offices are believed to have witnessed the incident and received subpoenas this week. (AP photo/John Bazemore)

"We've reached out to whites, to immigrants, we've gone to New Bedford, Lawrence, Lowell. And people get it. We've been able to build a multi-racial, multi-cultural movement that's led by people of color."

- Horace Small

Book club's Nazi novel

A novel about Britain occupied by the Nazis occupied the minds ofAxbridge's Four Season's Book Club this month.

Owen Sheer's Resistance was selected by Georgie Syed for thewinter book to be discussed by the residents at their bi-monthlymeeting.

A group of the residents had been to see a film version of thenovel at Strode Theatre in January and were able to contrast thebook and the screen adaptation.

The club began in 1999 and concentrates on reading novels of thepast 50 years. There are two other book clubs in the town with morein most of the valley's communities.

If you'd like to share your collective thoughts on the novel yourgroup is reading or would like to appeal for new members then emailched darvalley@midsomnews.co.uk.

Hill: Glitch Holding Up NKorean Transfer

ULAN BATOR, Mongolia - North Korean funds that have held up a nuclear disarmament pact were in Russia on Saturday but technical problems were delaying final transfer to the country's accounts there, U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill said.

Hill, speaking on a visit to Mongolia, said he expects the issue to be resolved in the next several days.

"I heard that the money was transferred, it's in Russia, and they're having some technical problems in getting it to the bank where the actual North Korean accounts are," said Hill, who added that the next round of six-party nuclear disarmament talks could be held in early July.

The envoy did not provide details of the technical problem, which he said the U.S. side first learned about from the North Koreans.

North Korea has refused to act on its February pledge to shut down its nuclear reactor until it gets access to $25 million once frozen in a U.S.-blacklisted Macau bank.

Claiming the money freeze was a sign of Washington's hostility, North Korea boycotted international nuclear talks for more than a year, during which it conducted its first-ever atomic bomb test in October.

On Thursday, Macau's chief finance official said the money had been transferred from the bank, but it remained unclear if the entire amount had moved or whether it reached its destination. Officials knowledgeable about the transfer have said more than $23 million was involved but that the transaction was not complete.

Hill said that once the North Koreans get the money, "we hope they will get on with what they need to do in terms of implementing the February agreement."

He also said the six parties would hold consultations after the North Koreans receive the funds and anticipated the next round of talks to be held in early July, although the timing of the talks was up to the Chinese hosts.

The North Korean funds had been frozen at Macau's Banco Delta Asia since 2005, when the U.S. blacklisted the bank for allegedly helping North Korea's government pass fake $100 bills and launder money from weapons sales.

In an attempt to win North Korea's promise to start dismantling its nuclear program, the U.S. agreed earlier this year to give its blessing for the money to be freed.

The U.S., Japan, China, Russia and the two Koreas took part in the arms negotiations that prompted the February pledge from the North to stop making nuclear weapons in exchange for aid and political concessions.

On Friday, North Korea warned in a statement criticizing U.S. missile defense plans that it might increase its "self-defense deterrent," a term the communist nation usually uses to describe its nuclear program.

"The U.S. is claiming that it is building a global missile defense system to protect against missile attacks from our nation and Iran. This is a childish pretext," the North's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. "We cannot but further strengthen our self-defense deterrent if the arms race intensifies because of the U.S. maneuvers."

Israeli Fuel Cuts Cause Hardship in Gaza

Israel refused to reopen crossings or allow crucial fuel supplies into Gaza Monday, holding firm in its campaign to keep Palestinian rocket fire at bay and prompting fears of a humanitarian crisis.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert insisted he would not allow a humanitarian crisis to unfold, but also warned that Gaza's 1.5 million residents would not be able to live a "pleasant and comfortable life" as long as southern Israel comes under rocket attack from Gaza.

"As far as I'm concerned Gaza residents will walk, without gas for their cars, because they have a murderous, terrorist regime that doesn't let people in southern Israel live in peace," Olmert told legislators from his Kadima Party.

In Gaza, children marched through dark streets holding candles, an angry Hamas TV announcer shouted at the camera "We are being killed, we are starving!" and Palestinian leaders pleaded for national unity. Israel accused Gaza's Hamas rulers of fabricating a crisis to gain world sympathy.

Electricity officials shut down Gaza's only power plant just before 8 p.m. Sunday, Gaza Energy Authority head Kanan Obeid said.

Health Ministry official Moaiya Hassanain warned the fuel cutoff would cause a health catastrophe. "We have the choice to either cut electricity on babies in the maternity ward or heart surgery patients or stop operating rooms," he said.

Gaza bakeries stopped operating because of the blockade, bakers said, because they had neither power nor flour. Residents of the impoverished strip, which has a population of some 1.5 million, typically rely on fresh pita bread as a main part of their diet.

Waiting in a line at the only open bakery for miles around, Mohammed Salman said he had spent far more on a taxi getting to the shop than he would on bread.

"I'm going to buy something that my family can keep for only two days because there is no electricity and no refrigerator," Salman said. "We cannot keep anything longer than that."

A U.N. aid agency spokesman said international food aid to Gaza would be suspended if the closure continues.

"We are going to have to suspend operations on Thursday or Friday ... because we are running out of plastic bags we use for food, and we are running out of fuel," said Chris Gunness, spokesman for the United Nations Relief Works Agency, which distributes food aid to 860,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

In addition to the fuel it receives from Israel to power its electrical plant, Gaza gets about 70 percent of its electricity directly from Israel _ and that has not been stopped, Israeli officials said.

The power plant supplies most of the remaining electricity, and Israeli officials acknowledged that the fuel used to supply it has been stopped.

Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror suggested the crossings would not be opened in the coming days, saying that a reduction of rocket attacks this week was not enough. The army said five rockets were fired on Sunday, down from 53 in the two previous days.

"If we open the crossings again tomorrow there will be rockets that fall again on Israel," Dror said. "They don't want to recognize Israel and want to destroy Israel, that's their problem. They shouldn't expect that we will help them destroy us."

Dror and other Israeli officials charged that Hamas was creating a false crisis and could resume the electricity if it wanted.

Hamas claimed that five people had died at hospitals because of the power outage. However, health officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were contradicting the official line, denied the claim.

Late Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to Israel to lift the blockade, said Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh. Abbas effectively rules only the West Bank after Hamas expelled his forces from Gaza last June.

Abbas renewed peace talks with Israel after a U.S. peace conference in November. On Monday, some Palestinians urged Abbas to break them off.

Negotiators for Abbas' government will raise the Gaza situation in the next session, but Abbas does not want to pull out of the talks because of what's happening in Gaza, said Nabil Shaath, Abbas' representative in Egypt.

The exiled leader of Hamas on Sunday evening urged Arab leaders and Abbas to forget their differences and help the Gaza Strip. It was a dramatic and emotional plea from the hard-line Khaled Mashal, who lives in exile in Damascus, Syria.

"Oh Arab leaders, every minute in which a Palestinian dies in Gaza, you are responsible for his blood and soul before God," he told Al-Jazeera satellite TV in a live interview from Syria.

Human rights groups condemned the fuel cutoff.

The British group Oxfam called it "ineffective as well as unlawful." Gisha, an Israeli group that has fought the fuel cutbacks in Israel's Supreme Court, said "punishing Gaza's 1.5 million civilians does not stop the rocket fire; it only creates an impossible 'balance' of human suffering on both sides of the border."

Although Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, many still consider it responsible because it controls most land, sea and air access to the territory.

Abbas Rebuffs Call to Resume Peace Talks

The U.S.-backed Palestinian president rebuffed the Bush administration's request Tuesday to quickly end a walkout of peace talks with Israel, saying Israeli military bombardment of civilians in the Gaza Strip is unacceptable under any circumstance.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said negotiations are the only solution, and defended Israel's right to seek out militants who use the tiny Hamas-held territory as a launching pad for increasing numbers of rockets targeting civilians in southern Israel.

"I understand the difficulties of the current moment," Rice said following meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. "We all must keep an eye on what is important."

She won no public promise that Palestinians would end their boycott soon. U.S. officials say they understand his political predicament and predict talks will resume after a brief lull. Abbas was not expected to relent before Rice leaves the Middle East on Wednesday.

"I call on the Israeli government to halt its aggression so the necessary environment can be created to make negotiations succeed, for us and for them, to reach the shores of peace in 2008," Abbas said. He was referring to the goal _ stated at a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference in November _ of reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty by the end of the year.

"Negotiations are going to have to be able to withstand the efforts of rejectionists to upset them, to create chaos and violence, so that people react by deciding not to negotiate, " Rice said in Egypt at the start of two days of Mideast meetings overshadowed by the Gaza crisis. "That's the game of those who don't want to see a Palestinian state established."

Abbas pulled out of negotiations Sunday in protest over Israel's weekend sweep, which has killed more than 120 Palestinians. Abbas has given no date for returning.

"No one can under any kind of pretext justify what the Israeli military have conducted over the past days," an angry Abbas told reporters, with Rice at his side.

The best Rice got from Abbas during their joint public appearance in Ramallah was affirmation that his government remains pledged to the peace path charted by Bush last fall. The negotiations are supposed to yield a deal outlining an independent Palestinian state this year.

The violence transformed Rice's scheduled mission to encourage progress in peace talks that have shown no public sign of breakthrough. Instead, Rice was just trying to restore the talks.

The Bush administration has staked peace hopes on Abbas' West Bank government, freezing out Hamas militants who seized the smaller, poorer Gaza Strip in June. Hamas is pledged to Israel's destruction.

Although Abbas has had little power over the coastal area of 1.4 million people since Hamas took over, the high death toll inflamed public opinion in both territories against Israel and made it difficult for him to continue the talks.

In Washington, President Bush said he remains optimistic.

With only 10 months left in his presidency, Bush said Tuesday he still believes there is "plenty of time" to get a Mideast peace deal before his term ends.

"This is a process that always two steps forward and one step back," Bush said after meeting at the White House with Jordan's King Abdullah II. "We just need to make sure that it's just one step back."

Fighting escalated sharply last week after Israel mounted an onslaught in northern Gaza to retaliate for Palestinian rocket fire that reached closer to Israel's heartland than ever before. Israel pulled out its ground forces on Monday, but has continued air assaults against persistent Palestinian attacks.

On Tuesday, militants hit a house in the rocket-weary town of Sderot, causing no injuries but extensive damage. Another landed in an open area.

Israeli forces responded by launching several air and ground strikes on rocket squads and Hamas installations Tuesday, killing one militant and wounding another, Hamas said. The body of a Palestinian militant was also found near the Gaza-Israel border. Medics said it was not clear when the man had been killed.

D. C.

ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN LEADERS HAVE stepped up their work on a declaration of principles for a final status agreement in advance of a planned peace summit in Washington in November, but their efforts may be doomed because this chain has three weak links.

The Bush administration has so little confidence in the outcome that it insists it's just a "meeting" and NOT a peace conference, and that it is being convened by secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, not the President, who may not even show up.

Rice has been trying to persuade Gulf Arab leaders to attend, particularly the Saudis, but the best she's been able to get from any of them is a possible maybe.

Instead, they're preparing their alibis by pressing Washington to force Israel to accept their terms as the price of their participation, and even if they get that they won't commit to help with any of the heavy lifting.

The Saudis rebuffed Rice's - and Israel's - requests to take public steps toward normalization of relations with the Jewish state as a confidence building measure.

Instead they're sticking to their position of offering nothing until Israel meets their demands.

THE SUMMIT is A high-risk venture in which the Israelis and Palestinians may be doomed if they do and doomed if they don't make the attempt.

The ostensible goal is to come up with a declaration of principles on the key issues - borders, refugees and Jerusalem - for a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement.

Easier said than done; in nearly 15 years of negotiations they've been unable to do-that and chances don't look any better today.

Secretary Rice and her Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, are the driving force behind the "meeting," which they hope will produce a "horizon" that will show Palestinians what statehood will look like.

For President Bush it is an opportunity to rescue his legacy, which has been littered with failures across the Middle East. It has been five years since he set out to be the godfather of Palestinian statehood and isn't any closer today than he was then.

Bush is willing to talk about his "vision" for the Middle East but he has consistently been unwilling to devote the hands-on effort required to produce results, especially if that means pressufing Israel - a political daredevil act.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is going along for the ride, hoping the conference will boost his dilapidated political standing at home, where most Israelis are skeptical but want to see progress on the diplomatic front.

BOTH LEADERS WANT TO help PA President Mahmoud Abbas in the rivalry between his relatively moderate Fatah camp and the radical Hamas, which rules Gaza and threatens to take over the West Bank as well.

Abbas has done little if anything to resolve the problems that led voters to reject Fatah - corruption and abuse - and is hoping Bush and Olmert can give him a badly needed boost. And while his sincerity in seeking a negotiated solution is not questioned, his ability to deliver on any agreement is.

But that hasn't discouraged him from trying to raise expectations at a time when Bush and Olmert are doing just the opposite.

While Olmert is looking for a general statement of principles, Abbas is demanding the meeting produce an "explicit agreement on the establishment of a Palestinian state," including a "binding timetable and international guarantees" for completion.

Even if he could get that - and he won't - he can't deliver because half the Palestinian side isn't even invited to the meeting nor are Lebanon and Syria.

Israeli analyst Yossi Alpher predicts the uninvited will try to "sabotage any chances of success" to demonstrate their own importance.

He called Bush, Olmert and Abbas "failed leaders grasping at straws" and said they are unrealistically raising expectations they cannot meet.

IF THE WASHINGTON meeting - which could be postponed if Olmert and Abbas are unable to agree on a basic framework document - fails to meet public expectations, there could be a violent backlash among the Palestinians, even another Intifada, according to many observers.

Abbas will look even weaker and more irrelevant, and Hamas will cite his failure to produce a breakthrough as proof that negotiations with the Zionists don't work, and the only answer to the occupation is armed struggle.

Olmert will repeat his offer to withdraw from nearly all of the West Bank and offer a land swap for the remainder - the major settlement blocks - from other parts of today's Israel.

Abbas can't accept leaving even a single settler in the West Bank unless he has the full public backing of the Saudis and other Arab leaders, and none is willing to do that.

Nor will they support him on anything less than a full right of return for Palestinian refugees to Israel, which is a poison pill for Israel.

There is a greater chance for an agreement on redividing Jerusalem, with Arab neighborhoods going to the Palestinian state and Jewish neighborhoods to the Jewish State, and a cooperative arrangement for the holy sites.

THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO peace is not Jewish settlements or Arab terrorists but the failure of Arab - especially Palestinian leaders to prepare their publics for eventual compromise with Israel, and the acceptance of a Jewish homeland in Israel.

[Sidebar]

Danger ahead in a high-risk summit

[Author Affiliation]

By DOUGLAS M. BLOOMFIELD

WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

Man takes box cutters onto JetBlue plane at JFK

NEW YORK (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration is sending three screeners for remedial training after a passenger carried three box cutters onto a JetBlue plane at New York's Kennedy airport.

The box cutters fell out of the passenger's carry-on luggage as he was stowing it in an overhead compartment on Flight 837 to Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, on Saturday night, authorities said. Police evacuated the flight and questioned the passenger, who said he used the box cutters for his work and had forgotten to take them out of his bag.

TSA officers re-screened all the passengers, and the flight was allowed to take off at 12:35 a.m. on Sunday, about three hours late, JetBlue Airways Corp. said.

Three screeners will be disciplined and sent for remedial training for failing to spot the box cutters, TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis said.

"We do take the matter very seriously, and we will certainly ensure that the officers on duty at the time are remediated and disciplined appropriately," Davis said. She would not elaborate on the kind of punishment they would face.

She said images of the bag will likely be used to train officers in the future.

It was unclear if the passenger continued on to the Dominican Republic. TSA said he was released after questioning. JetBlue said the flight continued on "without incident" but would not comment further.

Hjackers used box cutters to take over at least one of the jets used in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the U.S. government's 9/11 Commission. Hijacker Mohamed Atta also told a co-conspirator that he and fellow hijackers Ziad Jarrah and Marwan al-Shehhi had carried box cutters on cross-country test flights in the United States, according to the commission's 2004 report.

One alleged Al-Qaida operative, Tawfiq bin Attash, described to investigators how he smuggled a box cutter aboard another test flight on a U.S. airline flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok, Thailand. He packed the box cutter next to metallic tubes of toothpaste and shaving cream to hide it from X-ray scanners, and brought along art supplies to help explain the box cutter if he was caught.

Al-Qaida dropped Bin Attash, who is also known by the single name Khallad, from the 9/11 plot after he had trouble getting a U.S. visa, the commission's report said. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2003.

Despite Saturday's security breach, the TSA said Wednesday it has become harder for hijackers to use box cutters to take control of a plane.

"There have been a number of additional security layers implemented on aircraft since 9/11 that would prevent someone from causing catastrophic damage with small cutting devices," the agency said in a written statement. It cited armed air marshals, bulletproof cockpit doors, pilots carrying firearms, flight crews trained in self-defense and "a vigilant traveling public who have demonstrated a willingness to intervene."

___

Iran hopeful world powers will accept nuclear deal

Iran said Tuesday it expects the U.S. and its allies to accept a nuclear fuel swap deal despite initial skepticism, as key U.N. Security Council member China welcomed the proposal as a way of reviving negotiations over Tehran's nuclear activities.

The U.S. and some of the other world powers involved in the standoff said a deal reached with outside mediation by Turkey and Brazil on Monday failed to ease their concerns that Iran is ultimately intending to develop a nuclear weapons capability.

"If the Western countries continue seeking excuses, it will be clear that they are not after a solution to the issue and have no logical option on the table," said Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast.

He told a weekly press briefing that he was optimistic the deal would go forward after those nations had time for more careful consideration.

Iran is offering to trade much of its enriched uranium for fuel rods needed for a medical research reactor in Tehran. It is similar to a U.N.-drafted deal proposed in October that would have deprived Iran _ at least temporarily _ of the material it would need to produce a nuclear warhead.

Giving Iran more highly enriched uranium in the form of fuel rods would not allow it to use that material for a weapon. Iran denies its program has a military dimension, but the U.N.'s nuclear monitoring agency says Tehran has not fully cooperated with an investigation meant to ensure its nuclear activity is only for peaceful purposes.

The White House showed deep skepticism about the new pact, noting that it allows Iran to keep enriching uranium, giving it a possible pathway to weapons.

"Given Iran's repeated failure to live up to its own commitments, and the need to address fundamental issues related to Iran's nuclear program, the United States and international community continue to have serious concerns," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said on Monday.

Mehmanparast, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, countered that the pact provided an opening "to move toward interaction instead of confrontation."

He refused, however, to answer several questions Tuesday about whether Iran would continue to enrich uranium on its own to the higher levels of 20 percent needed for the Tehran reactor, which produces isotopes used in cancer treatment.

Lower levels of enrichment _ around 3.5 percent _ are needed to make fuel for power plants, which is Iran's primary stated aim. But its path toward higher levels of processing is of serious concern because it brings them much closer to the 90 percent level of enrichment needed for a bomb.

On Monday, the official IRNA news agency quoted Mehmanparast as saying Iran would continue to enrich uranium to the 20 percent level _ a statement sure to trigger alarm among the U.S. and other nations pushing Iran to stop enrichment altogether.

Besides the U.S., the other nations involved in standoff with Iran are Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. Washington has been leading an effort to get the six nations to push through new U.N. sanctions.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu, whose nation has been reluctant in the past to impose harsher penalties, sounded positive about the new Iranian proposal.

"We welcome the agreement. ... We hope this will help promote the peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue through negotiations," he said.

Ma did not respond to a question on how the deal might affect negotiations over sanctions. China, which holds veto power on the Security Council, has repeatedly argued for more talks to resolve the situation but has expressed a willingness to discuss the possibility of new sanctions.

Turkey's foreign minister on Tuesday urged the United States and its allies to stop discussions on more U.N. sanctions, saying that would "spoil the atmosphere."

"Each side now should have a positive approach, constructive style and a real intention and objective of dialogue rather than focusing on mutual suspicion, skepticism, mutual threats, sanctions or other options," Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in Istanbul.

___

Associated Press writer Selcan Hacaoglu contributed to this report from Ankara.

UN: Pirates off Somalia paid up to $30 million

Pirates plying the waters off Somalia are estimated to have netted between $25 million and $30 million in ransom this year as lawlessness and insecurity increases across the country, the U.N. chief said Wednesday.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his quarterly report to the U.N. Security Council the surge in piracy and armed robbery against ships along the Somali coast has severely affected trade, contributed to a humanitarian crisis, and further weakened the country's transitional federal government.

From January through October, Ban said, about 65 merchant ships, with about 200 crew members each, have been hijacked off the coast of Somalia.

"It is estimated that, since the beginning of 2008, between $25 and $30 million has been paid in ransom to pirates," the secretary-general said.

That doesn't include the potential ransom for 17 vessels and more than 300 crew members which the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Malaysia said Wednesday were still in the hands of pirates. They include a Ukrainian ship loaded with weapons and a Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying $100 million in crude.

Ban said the global economic downturn has "has had severe repercussions on Somalia's already troubled economy," with the surge in piracy affecting trade so adversely the Somali shilling has depreciated by almost 80 percent.

Inflation is "unbridled," especially in south-central Somalia where fuel prices increased by almost 170 percent and staple food prices by more than 250 percent between August 2007 and August 2008, he said.

"If local communities are not empowered with the means to earn a sustainable livelihood in the wake of growing global and local challenges, Somalia will continue to be a potential breeding ground for frustrated extremists _ a challenge to its stability, that of the region and the rest of the world," Ban warned.

Somalia has been without a functioning government since 1991, when clan warlords ousted longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on each other. The current government was formed in 2004 with the help of the United Nations, but has failed to protect citizens from violence or the country's poverty.

Between July and October, Ban said, "the security situation in south-central Somalia deteriorated dramatically."

He said U.N. experts continue to note persistent violations of a U.N. arms embargo "in an environment of general lawlessness and lack of accountability."

The Security Council is expected to approve a travel ban and asset freeze Thursday on Somali citizens, companies and organizations that violate the arms embargo, support acts threatening peace, and impede the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The secretary-general applauded an Oct. 26 cease-fire agreement between the government and some Somali opposition parties, and he welcomed Ethiopia's readiness to withdraw its troops to support the cease-fire.

But the agreement did not include any of the hard-line opponents who have denounced any talks with the government and who are behind much of the bloodshed in Mogadishu.

The secretary-general urged all Somalis to sign on to the cease-fire agreement.

To help support the cease-fire agreement, Ban proposed that the current 3,450-strong African Union force be replaced by an international stabilization force with two multinational brigades, one of which could incorporate the AU troops. A brigade has about 3,000 troops.

Once there is "a credible, inclusive cease-fire," Ban said, a U.N. force with 22,500 troops could take over peacekeeping duties, accompanied by international police and civilians.

On the humanitarian front, the secretary-general said the situation "continues to deteriorate drastically," with the number of people in need of aid increasing by 77 percent since January _ from 1.8 million to 3.2 million.

Delivering humanitarian aid to those in need has become extremely difficult for a number of reasons: Ships carrying food and other items need naval escorts and aid workers on the ground are being targeted, with 29 killed, 19 kidnapped and 10 still held captive, Ban said.

U.N. efforts to help boost the economy won't be effective until the government is able to control the circulation of counterfeit money, he added.

Moderate quake rattles Dominican Republic

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A moderate 5.3-magnitude earthquake rattled the southern coast of the Dominican Republic just before dawn Thursday, resulting in cracks in several buildings but no injuries or evacuations.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake's epicenter was six miles deep (10 kilometers) in San Jose de Ocoa province, 34 miles (55 kilometers) west of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

The pre-dawn temblor sent hundreds of jarred islanders running out of buildings in the Dominican Republic, located near the intersection of the Caribbean and North American tectonic plates.

Civil defense official Alberto Pinales said minor cracks were reported mostly in houses and public buildings in San Jose de Ocoa, also the name of the province's capital city.

(null)

Scotland has raised eyebrows across Europe by preventing France and Italy from dominating their European Championship qualifying group.

The three-way tussle for two Euro 2008 berths may be decided Saturday, when the Scots can eliminate world champion Italy with a win at Hampden Park.

Even former players are dazzled by the sudden strength of Scotland, which has persistently underachieved and never captured a major title.

"It's not the best group that Scotland have ever had, but they are playing as a unit," said Graham Souness, who played 77 games for Scotland. "They are together and both the mangers that have had this group have got the most from the players _ and that's all a manager can do.

"They've been clever with their tactics, been well organized a ridden their luck at times and that's why they are in the situation they are in."

Scotland has won eight of its 11 matches, including two celebrated victories over France under both Walter Smith and Alex McLeish. The revival survived Smith's potentially destabilizing exit to Rangers in January.

"Tactically they are aware, they are doing all the right things during the game and I hope they do the same on Saturday," Souness said. "That will be a hard, hard ask for them."

A sixth straight home win would send Scotland to its first major tournament in a decade _ and its third European finals. A draw would leave the team relying on Ukraine upsetting France on Wednesday.

Souness, a former manager at Rangers and Liverpool, said the Scots have "a fighting chance" to decide matters on their own.

"The Italians on the domestic scene don't step out and chase games, so they will be going to Hampden, sitting in, waiting for Scotland to step out and hopefully punish them," he said. "For Scotland's part, they have to play a very, very clever game. I would sit tight, I wouldn't step out and instead try to get something from a set piece."

Scotland's recent soccer successes haven't been limited to the national team. Both Rangers and Celtic are in strong positions for progressing into the Champions League knockout phase.

"There's a bit of a glow going on at this time," said Souness, who will don a jersey and scarf and, with his son, join the 52,000 fans expected at Hampden Park.

The Scotland manager is aware of the national unity his team has generated.

"We've certainly captured the imagination of the nation _ there has been so much goodwill over the last few months," McLeish said. "We have to win the game to cement it."

Facebook hires former Clinton press secretary

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook has hired Joe Lockhart, who served as press secretary during President Bill Clinton's second term, as vice president of global communications.

The 51-year-old Lockhart will start on July 15 in his new post. He will move to California from Washington, D.C.

Facebook, the world's largest online social network, has been padding its ranks with Washington insiders as it grows. Recently the company hired two aides of former President George W. Bush as lobbyists.

Lockhart has also worked as a TV journalist on CNN, NBC News and Sky Television of London. He founded Glover Park Group, a communications firm.

At Facebook, he will report to Elliot Schrage, vice president of global communications, marketing and public policy.

U.S. TEMPS:

Tomorrow's highs and lows

Hi Lo Otlk

Albany,N.Y. 78 60 Cldy

Anchorage 63 51 Rain

Atlanta 92 74 Cldy

Atlantic City 80 68 Cldy

Billings 94 62 Clr

Boston 72 60 Cldy

Buffalo 79 62 Cldy

Burlington,Vt. 77 59 Cldy

Chas.,S.C. 95 77 Cldy

Charlotte 92 72 Clr

Chicago 84 65 Cldy

Cincinnati 87 67 Cldy

Cleveland 82 63 Cldy

Dallas 103 80 Clr

Denver 84 57 Cldy

Detroit 84 63 Cldy

Honolulu 86 75 Clr

Houston 99 77 Cldy

Kansas City 87 68 Cldy

Las Vegas 104 80 Cldy

Los Angeles 84 65 Cldy

Louisville 90 71 Cldy

Miami Beach 93 80 Cldy

Minneapolis 84 62 Cldy

Nashville 95 75 Cldy

New Orleans 92 79 Rain

New York 80 65 Cldy

Norfolk,Va. 88 73 Cldy

Orlando 95 76 Rain

Philadelphia 86 68 Cldy

Phoenix 107 82 Cldy

Pittsburgh 84 64 Clr

Raleigh 90 74 Cldy

Reno 92 58 Clr

Salt Lake City 88 66 Rain

San Diego 74 65 Clr

San Francisco 64 53 Cldy

San Juan,P.R. 90 77 Cldy

Seattle 78 59 Clr

Tampa 91 79 Cldy

Washington 88 70 Cldy

Festivals

National Black Theatre Festival. The National Black Theatre Festival� (NBTF), one of the most historic and culturally significant events, not only in the history of Black theatre but also in American theatre will again turn out the city of Winston-Salem in celebration of its biannual theatre festival. This year's celebrity hosts are T'Keyah Crystal Keym�h and Lamman Rucker. Highlights include Phylicia Rashad, Kene Holiday and Hattie Winston's performances in A Charleston Olio, a love story based on the new novel Some Sing, Some Cry by Ntozake Shange and Ifa Bayeza. In addition to a week full of theatre …

Treasury winds down bank bailouts with $29M outlay

Treasury Department says it has pumped $29.3 million into 10 banks, which will be the last to receive investments as part of the taxpayer-funded program to shore up the financial system.

The aid comes from a $700 billion financial bailout program created last year during the height of the financial crisis.

The investments in the 10 banks …

Padres Win NL West for 2nd Straight Year

PHOENIX - It took San Diego until the final inning of the final game to lock up the NL West title. That's fitting, because these Padres have a penchant for doing things the hard way. They watched as Trevor Hoffman, baseball's career saves leader, gave up consecutive home runs Sunday before closing out a 7-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on one of the season's strangest plays.

"It's kind of the way it's gone," San Diego manager Bruce Bochy said. "Nothing is easy."

The Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers each finished 88-74, and both teams had already clinched playoff spots. San Diego earned its second straight division title and the Dodgers got the wild card because of …

MediaPEGS.(Brief Article)

www.mediapegs.com

Running on NT and SGI systems, PEGS is a vector- and pixel-based system that handles complex camera movements and provides features for animated effects, interactive compositing, real-time colour previews, and full sound integration.

According to the company, its semi-automatic painting capability detects most colours from previous cels. The newest version of the software, PEGS 3.2, features scan and line test capability, pixel and vector painting, an intuitive exposure sheet, compositing and special effects tools, and recording and data management.

MediaPEGS is targeting …

Voice of London subway says a bit too much.(Main)

Byline: RAPHAEL G. SATTER - Associated Press

LONDON - The woman behind the gentle, even voice that warns London's subway commuters to "Mind the gap" was fired after telling a newspaper she thought the transit network was dreadful.

Emma Clarke has been recording messages for London's sprawling subway network, popularly known as the Tube, since 1999. In addition to warning passengers to watch their step in walking between subway cars and the platform, she also reads the trains' stops, tells Londoners how long they have to wait until their next ride, and delivers service updates.

Transport for London, the body responsible for running the subway, said …

CUOMO VETOES BILL TO OUTLAW BEER WAREHOUSE PERMITS.(Business)

Byline: YANCEY ROY Staff writer

The governor on New Year's Eve granted Stewart's Ice Cream a holiday wish: He vetoed a bill that would have outlawed beer warehousing permits.

Stewart's, the 190-store convenience chain based in Saratoga Springs, is one of just four permit holders in the state and the only one taking advantage of it.

Stewart's warehouses Molson beer, and, according to the company president, is able to deliver that brand at a lower cost to consumers.

Backers of the bill included Anheuser-Busch and the New York State Beer Wholesalers Association.

Gov. Mario M. Cuomo hinted that he might be willing to make a later …

Israel denies attack on clan members in Gaza town

The Israeli military says an initial investigation indicates its forces were not involved in the deaths of 9 Palestinians in the northern Gaza town of Jebaliya.

The military says an investigation into the incident Saturday is continuing.

Palestinian medical officials say nine people were sitting in the garden of a home in …

TODAY'S NEWS

German officials said yesterday they had disrupted a plot to bombU.S. targets in Germany.

At least three people were arrested and charged with beingmembers of a terrorist group. Police who raided a house where themen were staying found several barrels of a chemical often used tomake homemade bombs.

A Chinese school has scrapped its waltz routine because it leftstudents red-faced and sweaty.

Beginning this month, dance lessons are required at schools inChina as a form of exercise.

Teachers at a middle school in Hunan province added a finishingflourish to the waltz in which girls fell backward into theirpartners' arms. But when students said they were …

Corus Brands.(Brief Article)

Corus Brands has released the 1995 Millennium, an ultra-premium Bordeaux-style red wine created by three top Washington winemakers. The limited …

Audi to launch diesel SUV in Japan by 2010.

Auto Business News-11 September 2008-Audi to launch diesel SUV in Japan by 2010(C)2008 ENPublishing - http://www.enpublishing.co.uk

Auto Business News - 11 September 2008(c)2005 - Electronic News Publishing - http://www.enpublishing.co.uk

Audi AG (Audi), a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG (Xetra: VW), is launching a diesel sport-utility vehicle in …

REYES CARRIES ORANGE.(SPORTS)

Byline: JOHN KEKIS Associated Press

Syracuse38 C. Florida14 SYRACUSE -- When Central Florida figured it finally had a chance to beat Syracuse for the first time, Walter Reyes dashed those hopes in a big way.

Reyes ran for a career-high 241 yards and four touchdowns and the Syracuse defense forced five turnovers as the Orangemen beat Central Florida 38-14 on Saturday.

Reyes, who rushed 31 times, scored on runs of 25, 1, 3 and 58 yards as Syracuse (2-1) remained unbeaten in three games against UCF (1-2). Reyes gained 161 yards and scored twice in the second half alone as the Orangemen rested tailback Damien Rhodes, who is nursing a bad ankle. …

'VIDEO DIAL TONE' GETS A BOOST SKIDMORE HOSTING TRADE TALKS CLIFFORD DENIES ALLEGATIONS INSURER TAKEOVER ADVANCES S&L FURNITURE, ART AUCTIONED.(Business)

Byline: Associated Press Staff report Associated Press Associated Press Associated Press

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday took the first step toward allowing telephone companies to carry cable programs and enhanced video services over their wires.

Such "video dial tone" offerings would "ensure that cable operators face direct, head-to-head competition in the delivery of cable services to consumers," said Commissioner Sherrie Marshall.

The cable industry quickly responded with several criticisms of the proposal, including a suggestion that phone companies might subsidize the ventures from profits generated by basic telephone service, which is a regulated monopoly with guaranteed profits.

"Until and unless the (telephone companies') monopoly in voice telephony is ended, no level of government …

Young mom finds temporary home for her newborn

EDITOR'S NOTE _ Already the mother of twin girls, a teenager who has no job and no home of her own discovers she's pregnant again. "What are you going to do?" asks her own mother, who's helped raise her twins. There are no easy answers _ but there is a compromise that this young woman believes will help keep her family together, eventually. The first of three installments.

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) _ Jessica-Anne Becker clasped her husband's hand tightly as they walked, a bit tentatively, down the hospital hallway.

"I just want to make sure Hazel is OK," the mother of three young daughters said. She and husband David had reason to feel nervous, …

Soyuz Craft Undocks for Return to Earth

MOSCOW - A Soyuz craft left its docking port at the international space station on Sunday, starting a return trip to Earth with two Russian cosmonauts and Malaysia's first space traveler aboard.

The capsule was to bring back Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov after a six-month stint at the station, along with Malaysian Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who arrived at the orbital outpost Oct. 12.

The Soyuz briefly fired thrusters to distance itself from the station after leaving its berth on schedule at 3:14 EDT, said Valery Lyndin, spokesman for Russian Mission Control outside Moscow.

It was scheduled to touch down about 50 miles north of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, about three …

Ford Credit folds subprime unit.(Fairlane Credit L.L.C.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Ford Motor Credit Co. will continue to buy subprime loans at lower volumes, but the captive finance company said last week it will phase out its Fairlane Credit LLC subprime subsidiary.

Fairlane, of Colorado Springs, Colo., will be phased out in July. Most of its 350 employees will find jobs at Ford Credit, said John Noone, Ford Credit executive vice president. Ford Credit will service existing Fairlane contracts.

Fairlane was created in 1997 to purchase subprime loans from Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers.

Ford Credit has no immediate plans for major changes at its other subprime subsidiary, Triad Financial Corp. of Huntington Beach, Calif., which …

Super Steve stars with 15.

BUTCHERS Arms B won the battle of the top two in Division One of the Banbury and District League.

Steve Walton top-scored for the Butchers with 15 dolls, including a maximum six, as they beat White Lion Fewcott 2-1.

Bowling Green moved into third place with a 3-0 win over the Bowls Club. Steve Wright hit 13 dolls for the Bowling Green.

Division Two leaders Dolphin Middleton Cheney beat Three Tuns B 2-0.

Top of Division Three Horse and Groom A won 2-1 at Middleton Cheney SC. Mick Jeffs scored 11 dolls for Middleton.

Three Conies top Division Four after a 2-1 win over the Reindeer.

Red Lion Middleton Cheney are now joint …

QUINTON R. SMITH.(CAPITAL REGION)

GANSEVOORT -- Quinton R. Smith, 48, passed away Saturday July 27, 1996 in Glens Falls Hospital. Mr. Smith was born on September 8, 1947 in Utica, NY, the son of Mrs. Clara (Royce) Smith of Malone, NY, and the late Quinton F. Smith. Mr. Smith was employed by Hudson River Construction Co. He was a member of Local 106 International Union of Operating Engineers in Albany, NY. Mr. Smith's hobbies included hunting, fishing, and motorcycling, and he was an avid boxing fan. Survivors besides his mother include his wife of 28 years, Debra L. Smith of Gansevoort, NY; two sons, Ronald Q. Smith of …

Ethnic divide in Guinea widens, threatens election

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Ibrahima Diallo spends his days in Bed No. 7 of the municipal hospital here, waiting for the bones in his face to glue themselves back together. His teeth are tied shut, so it is hard for him to talk — but even if he could, he'd have little to say to the patient in Bed No. 8.

That man also has a broken cheekbone. And like Diallo, he too was injured in the spasm of pre-election violence that swept Conakry last month. Yet the gulf between the two hospital beds is a mirror of the ethnic divide at the heart of Guinea's political life, which is threatening to derail what was supposed to be the country's first democratic election since independence in …

Banks post record earnings in first quarter

FDIG-insured financial institutions earned a record $29.4 billion in the 2003 first quarter, surpassing their previous quarterly record by more than $2 billion.

"Should the economic recovery strengthen in the second half of the year, prospects for industry earnings will remain positive," said FDIC Chief Economist Richard Brown. "Commercial loan performance improved again for the second straight quarter and this is a trend that should continue in the foreseeable future."

The FDIC said lower expenses for bad loans were a key factor in the industry's earnings improvement. Provisions for loan losses were $2.2 billion (19.9%) lower than a year ago. Another source of earnings …