Ellis' home run lifts A's over Tigers 1 hour, 26 minutes ago

Ellis' home run lifts A's over Tigers 1 hour, 26 minutes ago



OAKLAND, Calif. - Mark Ellis hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 Wednesday in the fourth straight series loss for the defending AL champions.

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The AL Central-leading Tigers, who began the day one game ahead of second-place Cleveland, dropped two straight to the A's after winning the series opener. The Tigers have lost six of seven games overall and eight of 11.

Mike Piazza had two hits and drove in a run for the A's, who won their second straight following a four-game losing streak. Piazza is batting .354 (17-for-48) with 12 RBIs since coming off the disabled list on July 20. He has six multihit games since then.

Andrew Brown (1-0) allowed two hits in 1 1-3 innings for his first major league win, and Alan Embree got the five outs for his 12th save in 14 chances.

Oakland starter Dallas Braden, winless in 10 games since beating Baltimore on April 24, allowed two runs and four hits in 5 1-3 innings.

Craig Monroe and Magglio Ordonez each drove in runs. Placido Polanco had two hits and is batting .488 (39-for-80) against Oakland, tops among active players.

Nate Robertson (6-9) gave up three runs and nine hits in six-plus innings. He lost his third straight start and is 2-6 in his last 10 starts.

Since shutting out Minnesota over seven innings on July 17, Robertson has allowed 15 runs and 30 hits in 17 2-3 innings for a 7.64 ERA. He's winless with a 7.11 ERA in three career starts in Oakland

Monroe's RBI single put the Tigers ahead in the second, put Oakland took a 2-1 lead in the third on consecutive doubles by Travis Buck and Shannon Stewart followed by Piazza's single. Ordonez's single made it 2-2 in the sixth.

Robertson retired nine straight batters before Ellis' 13th homer of the season, which matched a career high.

Oakland left the bases loaded in the seventh when Piazza and Ellis grounded into outs. After Detroit loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, Embree came in and retired Curtis Granderson on a short flyout to left, then struck out Monroe.

Notes:@ Tigers SS Carlos Guillen, who was out of the starting lineup with a sore left knee, pinch hit in the ninth. ... A's RHP Esteban Loiaza pitched a rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday. ... Polanco's double extended the Tigers streak of at least one extra base hit to 68 games. ... The A's finished with a 9-18 record in July, the second worst in the AL. ... Ellis has gone 67 games without making an error, three short of the Oakland mark set by Rafael Bournigal. ... The Tigers are 6-13 in games started by Robertson.

Mara: Giants won't give Strahan new deal By TOM CANAVAN, AP Sports Writer

Mara: Giants won't give Strahan new deal By TOM CANAVAN, AP Sports Writer
2 hours, 16 minutes ago



ALBANY, N.Y. - The New York Giants are not going to renegotiate Michael Strahan's $4 million contract to persuade the seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end to stop mulling retirement and play this season.

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"I don't want to get into negotiating in the media," co-owner John Mara said Wednesday as Strahan's holdout entered its sixth day. "He is under contract and I think you all know what our position is on that. I don't want to make any statements on that."

In his gut, Mara said he feels the 35-year-old Strahan would eventually decide to play, but he said the team was prepared to move on without him.

The Giants on Wednesday planned to have veteran defensive end Simeon Rice in for a physical.

Mara also downplayed a report that Strahan felt betrayed because the Giants were fining him $14,288 for each day of his holdout.

"He hasn't expressed that to us," said Mara, who said the team had no choice but to dock Strahan. "I'm not sure I believe that."

Strahan's surprising absence has dominated the training camp at the University at Albany since players reported on Friday.

The team knew the recently divorced veteran was looking for more money, but was stunned when his agent said he was mulling retirement.

Had the Giants known that the NFL single-season sack record holder was considering retirement, they might have made moves in the free agent market or drafted differently in April.

"We would have liked to have gotten a little more notice," Mara said. "I understand the fact that he is just undecided about what he wants to do. Sometimes these things happen."

Mara insisted that the holdout has not been a distraction for a team trying to rebound from an 8-8 season that was good enough to get a playoff berth.

"I don't think any of us are that troubled by it," Mara said. "We'd like to have him come in. If he decided to come in, that's great. We will be a better team with him in here. If he doesn't, we'll move on."

Mara, who has known Strahan longer than coach Tom Coughlin and general manager Jerry Reese, has not spoken with him in recent weeks. He said he might reach out and make a telephone call if the holdout continues, but noted that nothing he says will probably influence Strahan's decision. He said No. 92 has to make up his own mind.

Mara's biggest concern would be if Strahan missed a lot of training camp.

"That is something we are concerned about because I have noticed that players who come in late do run a higher risk of being injured," he said. "But he's a veteran. He has been around a long time and always has been in excellent condition. You would like to think that would not be the case with him."

Strahan missed half of last season with a foot injury.

Mara called Strahan one of the greatest players in Giants history and a surefire Hall of Famer. He added retiring now would not be the way to end his career, but he was prepared to accept it if Strahan left football after 14 seasons and 132 1/2 career sacks.

"He has done too much for the franchise for me to be bitter about it," Mara said. "He has been a great player for a long time. These things happen."

Predators near sale with local group By TERESA M. WALKER, AP Sports Writer

Predators near sale with local group By TERESA M. WALKER, AP Sports Writer
1 hour, 15 minutes ago



NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold thinks he's finally sold his NHL franchise, this time to a group of local businessmen and one California venture capitalist that wants to keep the team in Music City.

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Leipold announced Wednesday he has signed a letter of intent to sell his team to the local group. The eight partners put down $10 million as a deposit toward the purchase price of $193 million.

"I'm thrilled to death the team is staying here," Leipold said.

The only partner from outside the Nashville area is William "Boots" Del Biaggio III, who will have to sell his minority share in the San Jose Sharks as this deal closes. Leipold said he is excited to pass ownership to a group he knows is committed to Nashville.

"We've certainly, as they say, put our money where our mouth is today," said David Freeman, one of the partners and chief executive officer of 36 Venture Capital LLC.

The bid was less than the $220 million offered by Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie when Leipold announced May 24 he had signed a letter of intent to sell his team. But Leipold said Balsillie ruined that deal by trying to move the Predators to Canada before money changed hands.

Balsillie renewed an arena lease in Ontario, took season ticket deposits in Hamilton using the Predators' logo and applied to the NHL to relocate before applying for ownership.

"Jim Balsillie went his own direction with a rogue lawyer who had no intention of honoring the process of being an NHL owner," Leipold said. "Obviously, we didn't go forward, so we began the process to find a new owner."

The Predators told the NHL during the draft in late June not to consider Balsillie's offer.

Leipold had been meeting with Freeman since the first letter of intent was signed. Talks picked up after Leipold backed away from Balsillie.

Del Biaggio previously offered $190 million for the team, and has an agreement with the Sprint Center in Kansas City to own any NHL team relocating there. He will be a minority owner in this deal, and Freeman said there are no circumstances where Del Biaggio could become majority owner.

This deal will end Del Biaggio's deal with AEG to bring a team to Kansas City, but he said in a conference call that he will push the NHL to consider putting a team there.

"I'm committed to Nashville," Del Biaggio said.

Leipold helped bring Del Biaggio into the local group, and Del Biaggio said he committed a week ago. He wouldn't comment on how much bigger his share will be than with the Sharks, but said he will have more say on business and hockey operations.

"I've been lucky enough to be in the NHL for a long time now, so I understand it. I'll be able to help the group as they will be able to help me with the local Nashville people," Del Biaggio said.

His involvement helps reduce the amount of debt the group will have. Leipold said the debt would be among the lowest in the NHL.

When asked if Del Biaggio's involvement meant the team's future in Nashville remained in doubt, Freeman said there was no assurance if hockey does not succeed in Tennessee.

"Our belief, as kind of the local group, is that given a second chance Nashville will support this team and that there will be a tremendous overall show of support. We have obviously agreed to write Craig some pretty large checks to back up that belief," Freeman said.

The biggest challenge in keeping the team in Nashville?

"Simply buy tickets and show up at games. That's really it," Freeman said.

They hope to finalize their application later this month and anticipate a closing date no later than Sept. 30. That would allow the new owners to take over before the season opener Oct. 4.

"Anything can happen, but having said that, clearly we've gone through the most difficult part of the process right now," Leipold said.

Leipold has been trying to sell the franchise because he said he has lost $70 million since being awarded the team in June 1997. He said he never thought about trying to retain a minority ownership share.

He believes this group and its local ties to businesses will help the Predators succeed in boosting corporate support from 35 percent. That is nearly half what other NHL teams enjoy.

The group also includes Herb Fritch, CEO of HealthSpring Inc. Freeman said the remaining five Nashvillians will be unveiled in two weeks.

The team still must average 14,000 in paid attendance this season to keep the arena lease in effect after the upcoming season. Freeman said they have no intention of breaking the lease but emphasized the Predators must average enough in ticket sales to collect under the NHL's revenue-sharing plan.

A 15-hour rally July 19 helped sell 726 season tickets, which Leipold called the biggest sales day in the franchise's short history.

Del Biaggio said there is no owner in the NHL who can survive losing up to $15 million a year as Leipold has done recently.

"Success to us will mean not just being able to survive financially, but we want the club to win," Freeman said.

Royals manager Buddy Bell resigns GREGG AAMOT, Associated Press Writer

Royals manager Buddy Bell resigns GREGG AAMOT, Associated Press Writer
22 minutes ago



MINNEAPOLIS - Buddy Bell chose family over baseball on Wednesday, resigning as the Kansas City Royals' manager effective at the end of the season.

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An emotional Bell, who will turn 55 on Aug. 27, announced the decision before Kansas City's game against the Minnesota Twins. He will join the Royals' front office in 2008 as a senior adviser to general manager Dayton Moore.

"I had to make a choice between managing and my family," Bell said, "and to me that's a no-brainer."

Health concerns also played a part in Bell's decision. Last September, he had surgery to remove a cancerous growth in his throat.

"There are some things I want to do in my life right now, and that's spending time with my family and with my daughter, in particular," Bell said.

The announcement comes as the Royals — again at the bottom of the AL Central at 47-59 entering Wednesday night's game — are showing signs of hope after two straight winning months. It was the first time they've had two straight winning months in four seasons.

Bell said his decision had nothing to do with the Royals' struggles and that he was seeing improvement in play and team chemistry.

"It doesn't have anything to do with what we've been through at Kansas City," he said of the timing of the announcement. "I wanted to wait until things got better and then decide if I still felt this way."

Bell said he planned to move to Cincinnati, where he played during an All-Star career, while continuing to work for the Royals organization. "I'm still going to be a part of what the Royals are all about," he said.

Before becoming the Royals' 14th manager on May 31, 2005, Bell managed the Detroit Tigers from 1996-1998 and the Colorado Rockies from 2000-2002.

"We've got a long way to go this year and we need to go out there and not let this bother us, not let it get into our brains," Royals outfielder David DeJesus said. "He's going to be our manager still so all we can do is go out there and keep playing the way we've been playing."

Second baseman Mark Grudzielanek said he was surprised by Bell's announcement but also said the manager is well-rounded with interests beyond baseball.

"It seems like he still has a lot left in the tank, but there are family reasons he has for moving on," he said.

Grudzielanek said Bell's leadership has been a big part of the team's improved play.

"It's gonna be huge to keep him around," Grudzielanek said. "With the young group we have here, just the way he goes about his business in spring training and during the season, he's been a big part of (the recent improvement)."

Whoopi officially joins ABC's `The View' By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer

Whoopi officially joins ABC's `The View' By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer
2 hours, 15 minutes ago



NEW YORK - Whoopi Goldberg will bring no celebrity feuds with her when she joins "The View," at least none that she's aware of.

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"Who knows?" she told The Associated Press. "Anybody could say `I don't like her.' That's OK. I just won't come to your home."

That already sets Goldberg apart from her predecessor. "The View," putting Rosie O'Donnell in its rearview mirror, officially introduced Goldberg to the show's audience as its moderator on Wednesday. She'll start full time the day after Labor Day.

The show is on the lookout for another cast member to join Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and creator Barbara Walters. That person won't be named until the fall, Walters said.

O'Donnell announced this spring she was leaving ABC's daytime talk show after less than a year filled with controversy and feuds with Donald Trump and co-star Hasselbeck, among others.

Despite O'Donnell's polarizing presence — or maybe because of it — ratings shot up last year.

Goldberg, 51, gives "The View" a genuinely big name and distinct personality in her own right. She's among the select few performers to win an Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy award.

She's no stranger to political controversy, although that part of her resume isn't quite as filled as O'Donnell's. Goldberg was dumped from a Slim-Fast advertising campaign in 2004 after making a speech mocking the Bush administration at a political rally, at one point using the president's surname as a sexual reference.

"She'll be potentially less controversial than Rosie but still have a bit of an edge," said Bill Carroll, an expert in syndication for Katz Television.

Advertisers are likely to be happy with the choice, he said.

Goldberg said she's looking forward to talking about what's going on during what promises to be an interesting year ahead. She'll be the moderator, meaning it will generally be her job to steer the discussion and keep the show running on time.

"I just figure I'm going to be me," she said. "They know who I am and know what I do, so nobody will be surprised if I disagree strongly but not meanly. I'll never be mean. It's just not in me."

Walters, in an interview, said Goldberg isn't being brought in to calm a troubled sea.

"What Whoopi will bring us is fun," she said. "This is an entertainment program. We are not a newsmagazine."

She said Goldberg brought a formidable combination of smarts and skills as an entertainer, and also adds diversity to the program. "The View" has been without a regular black cast member since Star Jones Reynolds left under stormy circumstances last summer.

There were reports last week that "The View" was also close to bringing actress Sherri Shepherd, who's also black, on as another cast member. But Walters said several candidates are still being considered.

Walters teased her "big announcement" throughout Wednesday's show before Goldberg appeared, slapping hands with audience members as she walked down the stairs to the stage.

"I'm not sure what the show needs," she said. "I won't know what my position is until I'm there and I'm doing it and I haven't given a lot of pre-thought to how I would be doing it. But I will tell you that each time I've been on, I have a good time."

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ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.

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On the Net:

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http://abc.go.com/

Getty to return antiquities to Italy By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer

Getty to return antiquities to Italy By ARIEL DAVID, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 11 minutes ago



ROME - The Italian Culture Ministry and the J. Paul Getty Museum have reached an agreement for the return of 40 artifacts to Italy — including a prized statue of the goddess Aphrodite.

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It was the latest victory in Italy's efforts to recover antiquities it says were looted from the country and sold to museums worldwide.

Italy and the Getty also agreed on widespread cultural cooperation, which will include loans of other treasures to the Los Angeles museum, the two sides said Wednesday in a joint statement.

"Both parties declare themselves satisfied with the fact that, after long and complicated negotiations, an agreement has been reached and now they move ahead with a relationship of renewed cooperation," the statement said.

The Getty has denied knowingly buying illegally obtained objects.

Most of the artifacts will be returned within the next few months, according to a calendar drawn up by experts from both sides.

The agreement includes one of the most disputed works, a fifth-century B.C. statue of the goddess Aphrodite, which will remain on display at the Getty until 2010, the ministry said. Italian authorities believe the 7-foot statue, bought by the Getty for $18 million in 1988, was looted from an ancient Greek settlement in Sicily.

The Culture Ministry said it would release further details on the agreement at a news conference scheduled for Thursday morning.

The ministry had threatened to suspend all collaboration with the Getty if a deal was not reached by the end of July. Despite the agreement, the fate of some treasures was left hanging.

The two sides agreed to postpone further discussion of at least one key piece that had held up negotiations for months: the "Statue of a Victorious Athlete," a Greek bronze believed to date from around 300 B.C. The museum believes the bronze was found in international waters in 1964 off Italy's eastern coast and that Rome has no claim on it. The Italians say the statue was pulled up by fishermen off the east-coast town of Fano and that even if the find occurred in international waters, the statue was still brought into the country and then exported illegally.

Italian authorities have launched a worldwide campaign to recover looted treasures and had been at odds with the Getty over dozens of antiquities they say were illegally dug up and smuggled out of the country despite laws making all antiquities found in Italy state property.

Authorities have signed separate deals with New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and Boston's Museum of Fine Arts for the return of a total of 34 artifacts — including Hellenistic silverware, Etruscan vases and Roman statues — in exchange for loans of other treasures.

Italy has also placed former Getty curator Marion True and art dealer Robert Hecht on trial in Rome, charging them with knowingly receiving dozens of archaeological treasures that had been stolen from private collections or dug up illicitly.

The two Americans deny wrongdoing. It was not immediately clear if the political agreement would affect the trial.

Spector's daughter testifies for defense By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent

Spector's daughter testifies for defense By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent
2 hours, 18 minutes ago



LOS ANGELES - Phil Spector's daughter took the witness stand Wednesday as the defense's case wound down in his murder trial, but the judge only allowed her to testify that he is right-handed and stopped questioning that suggested he was an attentive father.

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Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler then told the jury that the defense was considering calling a few more witnesses, but that the prosecution would begin presenting its rebuttal case in the meantime.

Spector, 67, is accused of shooting actress Lana Clarkson, 40, on Feb. 3, 2003. The defense claims she shot herself.

Nicole Spector, the 24-year-old daughter from the rock producer's third marriage, told of living in her father's house for the first eight years of her life, then seeing him frequently after her parents divorced.

During her high school years, her father would pick her up from school and often they would go to her mother's home for dinner, she said under questioning by defense attorney Linda Kenney-Baden.

"Yes, my mother would cook and we would go back to my — to our house — and he would eat dinner with us and we would watch 'All in the Family,'" the daughter said.

The prosecutor objected and the judge interjected, "Let's get to the point."

Nicole Spector then said under defense questioning that her father is right-handed. That question was aimed at supporting defense claims that Phil Spector could not have shot Clarkson, who died in his home from a bullet fired inside her mouth. The defense has called scientists to discuss the direction of blood spatter from the gunshot.

Prosecutors asked no questions of Nicole Spector, who has attended the trial a few times. So has another of the producer's children, Louis, 41, who was in court Wednesday.

Phil Spector is a legendary music producer whose "wall of sound" recording technique revolutionized rock music. Clarkson, one-time star of the cult movie "Barbarian Queen," was a down-on-her luck actress working for $9 an hour as a hostess at the House of Blues nightclub when she met Spector and went home with him for a drink.

Spector is accused of murdering her within a few hours. Defense forensic witnesses have said she killed herself.

Defense witnesses Wednesday included computer experts who had been tasked with extracting and analyzing thousands of e-mails from Clarkson's computer. They said it was impossible to extract all the e-mails from the older model Apple laptop. But sheriff's computer analyst Thomas Fortier said he was able to complete a search for the keywords "murder," "depression" and "suicide."

Fortier said he found one message using the word depression on Oct. 25, 2002, in which Clarkson wrote to a friend: "The depression level I am experiencing makes me very spent and worn out."

He also isolated one message received by Clarkson, which she did not erase, from the Screen Actors Guild announcing a depression screening being offered at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

"And the word suicide does not appear anywhere on Lana Clarkson's computer?" asked prosecutor Alan Jackson.

"That's correct," said the witness.

Scary Spice files paternity petition By AMANDA BECK, Associated Press Writer

Scary Spice files paternity petition By AMANDA BECK, Associated Press Writer
37 minutes ago



LOS ANGELES - Scary Spice went to court Wednesday to try to scare up some child support from Eddie Murphy.

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The 32-year-old singer, whose real name is Melanie Brown, filed a petition in Superior Court that seeks to legally establish Murphy as the father of her 4-month-old daughter, Angel Iris Murphy Brown.

Brown will also seek sole custody and reasonable child support, attorney Gloria Allred said at a press conference.

"I am here today for one reason and one reason only; her name is Angel," Brown said. "Angel is my baby and Eddie's. She will always know that she was planned and wanted by both of us."

Arnold Robinson, a spokesman for the 46-year-old actor, declined to comment.

Brown said she and Murphy dated for four months in 2006 before mutually deciding to conceive a child.

"The relationship was in full swing right at the beginning of my pregnancy," Brown said, adding that she was shocked when Murphy later said he was not sure he was the baby's father.

Allred said Murphy took a DNA test in June.

The test "established paternity but paternity has not been legally acknowledged," she said in a statement.

Brown, who dated Murphy last year, gave birth to her daughter April 3. She listed Murphy as the father on the birth certificate.

Murphy has five children from his marriage to Nicole Mitchell Murphy, who filed for divorce in 2005.

He got engaged last week to film producer Tracey Edmonds, according to Adris Debarge, Edmonds' executive assistant.

Brown also has an 8-year-old daughter.

The Spice Girls recently reunited for a tour that is scheduled to begin later this year.

Scary Spice files paternity petition By AMANDA BECK, Associated Press Writer

Scary Spice files paternity petition By AMANDA BECK, Associated Press Writer
36 minutes ago



LOS ANGELES - Scary Spice went to court Wednesday to try to scare up some child support from Eddie Murphy.

ADVERTISEMENT


The 32-year-old singer, whose real name is Melanie Brown, filed a petition in Superior Court that seeks to legally establish Murphy as the father of her 4-month-old daughter, Angel Iris Murphy Brown.

Brown will also seek sole custody and reasonable child support, attorney Gloria Allred said at a press conference.

"I am here today for one reason and one reason only; her name is Angel," Brown said. "Angel is my baby and Eddie's. She will always know that she was planned and wanted by both of us."

Arnold Robinson, a spokesman for the 46-year-old actor, declined to comment.

Brown said she and Murphy dated for four months in 2006 before mutually deciding to conceive a child.

"The relationship was in full swing right at the beginning of my pregnancy," Brown said, adding that she was shocked when Murphy later said he was not sure he was the baby's father.

Allred said Murphy took a DNA test in June.

The test "established paternity but paternity has not been legally acknowledged," she said in a statement.

Brown, who dated Murphy last year, gave birth to her daughter April 3. She listed Murphy as the father on the birth certificate.

Murphy has five children from his marriage to Nicole Mitchell Murphy, who filed for divorce in 2005.

He got engaged last week to film producer Tracey Edmonds, according to Adris Debarge, Edmonds' executive assistant.

Brown also has an 8-year-old daughter.

The Spice Girls recently reunited for a tour that is scheduled to begin later this year.

High-tech group: edit copyright warnings By MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Business Writer

High-tech group: edit copyright warnings By MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Business Writer
1 hour, 50 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - A trade group that includes Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and other high-tech companies has asked federal regulators to order changes in copyright warnings.

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Copyright statements that appear at the start of most DVDs and pro sports broadcasts and movies go too far and discourage legal use of the content, the Computer and Communications Industry Association said in a statement Wednesday.

The complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission protests statements used by Major League Baseball, the National Football League and NBC Universal and Dreamworks Animation Inc., among others.

The complaint asks the FTC to order the companies to stop using current copyright language and launch a marketing campaign to inform consumers of their rights under fair use laws.

NBC Universal said in a statement there is nothing "unlawful, untruthful or inaccurate about the warning labels on our movies, which adhere to long accepted legal standards and are nearly identical to warnings used by some of CCIA's own members."

A spokeswoman from Major League Baseball declined to comment on the complaint.

Unresolved copyright issues are more important than ever to digital media companies because they could hinder the growth of online video-sharing Web sites like YouTube.com, which Google purchased last year for more than $1.6 billion.

Earlier this year, Viacom, which owns MTV, VH1, Comedy Central and other cable networks, filed a $1 billion copyright lawsuit against Google, aimed at reducing the widespread posting of video clips by YouTube users.

Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., says it abides by copyright law and removes illegal clips as soon as it is notified of them. But Viacom and others allege the company's lax enforcement has helped spur traffic and revenue to the YouTube site.

CCIA spokesman Will Rodger said in a statement Wednesday that "the bottom line is that the copyright holder is not the final arbiter of how his work can be used. Copyrights are granted by the federal government and it's 'we the people' who decide where to draw that line between what's legal and what is not."

The FTC though is unlikely to take action against companies named in CCIA's complaint, given the lack of clarity on copyright law on the Internet, law professor Roger Schechter said.

"We're getting into these fights because the law is lagging behind technology," said Schechter, a professor at the George Washington University Law School. "At the end of the day people are going to use the Internet to clip and quote copyrighted material. And it may be that we need to start looking at very different legal solutions to the ones that are currently in use."

TV, theme parks boost Disney's profit By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer

TV, theme parks boost Disney's profit By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer
47 minutes ago



LOS ANGELES - The Walt Disney Co. delivered higher third-quarter profits on strong performance from its TV networks and theme parks, and acquired the online virtual world Club Penguin, expanding its presence in Web entertainment, the company said Wednesday.

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The Burbank-based media conglomerate reported net income for the three months ended June 30 of $1.178 billion, or 57 cents per share, compared to $1.125 billion, or 53 cents per share, in the same period last year.

Revenue climbed to $9.045 billion from $8.474 billion in the year-ago period.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call had expected profit of 55 cents per share on revenue of $9.015 billion.

The company saw double-digit growth in its theme parks, media networks and consumer products division in the quarter.

Despite the success of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," profits fell at Disney's film studio amid lower revenue from DVD sales.

The company announced it acquired Club Penguin for $350 million in cash, with the possibility of another $350 million if certain profit goals are reached in the next few years.

The Web site allows kids ages 6-14 to build virtual igloos and inhabit a world where they appear on-screen as plump cartoon penguins.

Disney said it sees profit potential in virtual online environments. The company already has an online game, Toontown, and has said it is creating an online multiple-player game based on its "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.

Disney chief executive Robert Iger said Club Penguin has high profit margins and would contribute to the company's earnings in the first year.

Operating income at Disney's media networks division jumped 23 percent during the third quarter to $1.358 billion on the strength of subscription fees paid by cable companies for its ESPN channel and ad revenue at ABC, the company said.

Iger said the company sold $2.4 billion worth of advertising for primetime programming on its ABC network, and increased the amount of ads on its ABC Family and ESPN networks.

The company's consumer products division delivered a 12 percent increase in operating income and a 23 percent rise in revenue from strong video game sales and continued growth in licensing revenue from items based on the animated film "Cars."

Operating profit at its parks and resorts division rose 13 percent on increased attendance and spending at Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts.

Attendance at Walt Disney World in Florida increased 4 percent in the quarter and per-guest spending also rose, Disney's chief financial officer Tom Staggs said.

At the Disneyland resort in California, attendance was flat for the quarter, but guest spending increased slightly, he said.

Attendance at Disneyland Paris was up 9 percent in the quarter, but Hong Kong Disneyland attendance continued to be disappointing, Staggs said.

Disney's film studio saw operating income drop 20 percent in the quarter, despite a 4 percent rise in revenue.

Ticket sales from the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" film were offset by marketing costs for its latest Pixar Animation Studios release, "Ratatouille," the company said. Disney also did not have any strong DVD release in the quarter, while last year's quarter included revenue from the sale of 18 million DVDs of "Chronicles of Narnia."

The company repurchased 55 million shares for $1.9 billion during the quarter.

For the first nine months of the year, Disney reported net income of $3.810 billion, or $1.81 per share, compared with $2.592 billion, or $1.28 per share, in the same period last year.

Revenue for the first nine months grew to $26.580 billion from $25.095 in last year's period.

The results were released after the close of regular trading. Shares of Disney rose 83 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $33.83 at the end of regular trading.

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On the Net:

http://www.disney.com

Stocks end higher after zigzagging By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer

Stocks end higher after zigzagging By TIM PARADIS, AP Business Writer
1 hour, 35 minutes ago



NEW YORK - Wall Street shot higher in a last-minute advance Wednesday after careening through a session made turbulent by ongoing concerns about U.S. home loans and the credit market.

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Stocks zigzagged for much of the day, with the Dow Jones industrials moving from positive to negative territory and back again before rallying to a gain of 150 points on bargain hunting during the last 20 minutes of trading. It was clear that any advance could be punctured by further bad news about soured subprime home loans, those made to borrowers with poor credit.

Wednesday's trading further revealed the fractious nature of the stock market after a series of triple-digit swings in the Dow over the past week. On Tuesday, Wall Street gave back a big early gain and resumed the sharp slide it began last week, as concerns about home loan defaults and their fallout re-emerged when American Home Mortgage Investment Corp. reported troubles with its credit lines.

Economic news — including a better-than-expected report on pending home sales — as well as record oil prices failed to peel investors' concentration much beyond credit.

"We've got a tug-of-war going on," said Arthur Hogan, chief market analyst at Jefferies & Co. He contends Wednesday's trading represents a microcosm of the market's performance in recent weeks, when investors alternately focus on concerns like subprime loans and rising energy prices and positives like low unemployment, low interest rates and still-growing corporate profits.

The Dow rose 150.38, or 1.14 percent, to 13,362.37.

Broader stock indicators also advanced. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 10.54, or 0.72 percent, to 1,465.81, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 7.60, or 0.30 percent, to 2,553.87.

Investors in recent sessions have succumbed to concerns about the credit markets that have dogged them for months. Stocks plunged at the end of last week amid such worries, taking the Dow down 585 points over Thursday and Friday.

Hogan said the market's sell-off since its July 19 high — when the Dow closed above 14,000 for the first time — has at times drawn out some bargain hunters, as occurred late Wednesday. In an about-face from recent sessions, a crush of sell orders didn't arrive late in the day to drive stocks down in the final minutes.

"We've got that dichotomy between fear and greed. This is greed kicking in," he said of the rush of last-minute buy orders.

"You get to a point where are you more afraid of the fallout from credit spreads or are you more afraid of missing the market bottom?," he said of investor sentiment. "I think it's going to be a recurring pattern over the next several weeks," Hogan said of Wednesday's volatility.

Peter Dunay, an investment strategist with New York-based Leeb Capital Management, contends hedge funds are likely to pounce once they determine the market has bottomed out.

"This was hedge fund buying, they are the only investors that would do this at the end of the day," he said.

The surge also likely reflects the work of computers, which handle much of the trading in the stock markets, and execute transactions when stocks hit specific levels.

Bond prices, which move opposite yields, fell as stocks rallied. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 4.79 percent from 4.75 percent late Tuesday.

Besides the weak home loan market and credit worries, investors are facing concerns over the threat of inflation due to record-high crude oil prices.

Light, sweet crude fell $1.68 to $76.53 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after rising to a new all-time high of $78.77 during the session after the government reported a drop in inventories. The previous trading high of $78.40 came in July 2006; on Tuesday crude had its first record close in more than a year.

The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.

Among the forces weighing on stocks was another slump in financial services stocks, especially after Bear Stearns Cos. said it moved late Tuesday to prevent investors from pulling money out of a third hedge fund, which had $850 million invested in highly rated mortgage-backed securities.

A week ago, the company riled the markets when it said two hedge funds that bet on risky home loans were essentially worthless — and declared bankruptcy for both on Tuesday. Bear fell $2.92, or 2.4 percent, to $118.30.

In economic news, a report from the National Association of Realtors found that pending sales of existing homes rose 5 percent in June from a month earlier. It was the largest monthly gain in more than three years. In addition, the Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index rose to 53.8 in July from 56.0 in June. The reading, while showing an improvement in the manufacturing sector, was weaker than the 55.0 analysts expected.

"The economic data were a modest negative but I don't think that economic data has been driving the markets as much as changes in perceptions in risk in private equity and mortgage-related investments," said Alan Levenson, chief economist at T. Rowe Price.

In corporate news, Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, confirmed it struck a deal to be acquired by Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate News Corp. for $5 billion. Dow Jones rose 72 cents to $58.10, while News Corp. rose 16 cents to $22.82.

Corporate earnings reports offered investors a mixed picture on Wednesday. Time Warner Inc. saw strength in its cable TV business help boost second-quarter earnings by 5 percent. However, investors grew concerned after its AOL Internet unit saw a 38 percent decline in revenue. Time Warner fell 62 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $18.64.

Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steelmaker, posted a $2.72 billion profit in the second quarter. That compares with earnings of $1.82 billion a year ago, based on the combined results of the company's predecessors, Mittal Steel Co. NV and Arcelor SA. Although Mittal expects to complete its takeover later this year, the companies largely operate as a combined entity. The stock rose $4.29, or 7 percent, to $65.31.

Despite gains by the major market indexes, declining issues outnumbered advancers by more than 9-to-7 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to a heavy 4.93 billion shares compared with 4.18 billion traded Tuesday.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 1.80, or 0.23 percent, to 777.92.

Worries about U.S. home loan defaults haven't affected only the U.S. markets; they have been rippling through the world markets, too.

In Asian trading, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 2.2 percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 3.2 percent, and China's Shanghai Composite Index dipped 3.8 percent.

Britain's FTSE 100 fell 1.72 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 1.45 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 1.68 percent.

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On the Net:

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

Dow Jones enters News Corp. fold By SETH SUTEL, AP Business Writer

Dow Jones enters News Corp. fold By SETH SUTEL, AP Business Writer
1 hour, 26 minutes ago



NEW YORK - Had it continued on its own, The Wall Street Journal would have faced a brutal slump in print advertising that is plaguing the newspaper industry as well as fierce competition in the market for delivering business news.

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Now that it's part of Rupert Murdoch's media empire, Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co. will have access to several things it would have had a tougher time finding alone: capital to invest in new digital distribution channels; ready access to multiple media platforms and more muscle to compete against rivals at home and abroad.

Many had opposed the deal, both within Dow Jones and outside. Numerous people posting on a discussion board on http://www.WSJ.com promised to cancel their subscriptions, and Leslie Hill, a member of Dow Jones' controlling shareholder group, the Bancroft family, quit the company's board in protest.

In her resignation letter, Hill said that while the "short term financial benefit is difficult to deny," she also believed that it was "not enough to outweigh the potential ramifications of the loss of an independent global news organization with unmatched credibility and integrity."

At the same time, senior Dow Jones executives acknowledged the tough road the company would have had to slog had it elected to remain a standalone entity and the new opportunities the company has for expansion under Murdoch.

Despite its tremendous clout in the business world, Dow Jones remains a relatively small company in a media landscape that is increasingly dominated by far larger companies, with just $1.8 billion in revenues last year.

Dow Jones CEO Richard Zannino told his staff in an all-points memo Wednesday that joining up with News Corp. meant greater opportunities to expand.

"With nearly $30 billion in annual revenue, News Corp. has the money — and the intention — to invest in our business on a scale we can't," Zannino said.

Even after paying the $5 billion for Dow Jones, Murdoch has said he plans to invest even more in building up the paper's Washington coverage at home — where it will compete even more fiercely with The New York Times for national readers and advertisers — as well as overseas, where it goes head-to-head with Pearson PLC's Financial Times.

The global reach of News Corp. will also help the Journal's news find new readers and advertisers in other media at home and abroad.

Murdoch is already planning to launch a business-themed cable news channel in the fall, but the opportunities for using the powerful Dow Jones and Wall Street Journal brand names go far beyond that.

Dow Jones is currently in an exclusive deal to share news and content with General Electric Co.'s CNBC cable news channel through 2012, but clearly Murdoch is already thinking well past that point, and is sure to try to end that contract early.

At home, news from the Journal as well as other Dow Jones properties including Dow Jones Newswires, the financial weekly Barron's, and SmartMoney magazine — co-owned with Hearst Corp. — could easily find new outlets for viewers and advertisers on a variety of properties in the News Corp. media family, including the Fox broadcast network or Fox News Channel.

Murdoch also is a major proponent of delivering news and entertainment online, as seen by his acquisition of social-networking site MySpace, which has already paid major financial rewards.

The Journal, for its part, has proved to be an adept player online itself, and has built the largest paying subscriber base of any U.S. newspaper, close to a million people.

Murdoch hasn't laid out specific plans for what changes he might make to Dow Jones' online strategy, but it's clearly going to be a key area of focus as the Journal continues to remake itself from delivering financial news on paper to a variety of electronic distribution methods, including the Internet, mobile devices and broadcast media such as television.

"We have done well as part of a modest-sized company to make the transition to the Digital Age," Journal publisher Gordon Crovitz wrote in a memo to his staff Wednesday. "... But as part of News Corp., we can grow faster and serve more readers and more advertisers."

Dow Jones' absorption by a larger company also comes as two of its rivals in delivering real-time financial news are combining.

Just days after the Bancroft family initially rejected Murdoch's offer in early May, word began to leak out that Thomson Corp. would buy Reuters Group PLC, both of whom rival Dow Jones Newswires in delivering financial news and information to investors.

Murdoch, who has kept a low profile during the three months since his campaign to acquire Dow Jones became public, declined to be interviewed about his latest acquisition.

But in brief remarks to Associated Press Television News early Wednesday as he entered News Corp.'s global headquarters in midtown Manhattan, Murdoch summed up the weeks of wrangling that preceded the final announcement to buy Dow Jones, which came in the wee hours of Wednesday morning: "It's done."

U.S. automakers market share lowest ever By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer

U.S. automakers market share lowest ever By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer
51 minutes ago



DETROIT - The Detroit automakers' share of the U.S. market dropped below 50 percent in July for the first time in history, according to two analysts who track industry numbers.

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Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for the Edmunds.com automotive Web site, and Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates, each said that foreign-based automakers took more than half the U.S. market for the first time, citing sales data released by the companies Wednesday.

Autodata Corp., an industry sales tracking company, pegged the market share controlled by Chrysler Group, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. at 49.5 percent including foreign nameplates they own such as Saab, Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar.

Excluding the foreign nameplates, Detroit's market share drops to 48.1 percent, Autodata said.

The market share drop came during a month in which all major automakers but Nissan Motor Co. saw sales declines.

GM sales dropped 22.3 percent when compared to a strong July of 2006, while Ford declined 19.1 percent and Chrysler fell 8.4 percent. Even Toyota Motor Corp., which had been posting strong gains most of the year, reported a decline of 7.4 percent after a record-setting July of last year.

The fact that foreign nameplates now control more than half the U.S. market will mean little to the average consumer, but it likely will damage the psyche of Detroit's automakers, Toprak said.

"It's probably a turning point for people who look at the record books. Domestics on their home turf are being beaten by the foreign automakers in terms of their market share," he said.

But George Pipas, Ford's top sales analyst, said the drop doesn't mean much to anyone since the Detroit Three have been below a 50 percent share of retail sales before. Retail sales do not include sales to rental car companies and fleet buyers.

"I don't think it is particularly significant," Pipas said during a conference call with reporters and industry analysts. "The reason is because there is relatively little fleet content in July, and obviously the Big Three do more fleet business than do the foreign manufacturers."

Erich Merkle, vice president of forecasting for auto consulting company IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids, said the Detroit Three are much more dependent on trucks, which are faltering as housing starts drop. Trucks represent around 30 percent of the vehicle mix for Ford and GM, compared to 5 percent of the mix at Toyota, Merkle said.

"They have their work cut out for them," Merkle said. "The Big Three are going to have to figure out how to be competitive outside of pickup trucks."

Analysts attributed the overall auto market dip in July to high gasoline prices, declining home values, higher payments on adjustable rate mortgages and reluctant consumers.

Toyota sold more vehicles than Ford last month. Its truck sales were flat thanks in part to heavy incentives, but its car sales fell 11.8 percent. Year to date, Ford still held a lead of 11,561 vehicles over Toyota, keeping it No. 2 in the U.S.

GM, still the biggest carmaker in the U.S., said overall sales were down 9.4 percent for the year. Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of global market and industry analysis, said GM's sales were down largely because the company had strong sales in July of last year. But the industry overall saw soft sales on both coasts and in the upper Midwest.

Still, GM is not meeting targets set in its restructuring plan.

"This is certainly not the way we wanted to start the summer selling season," Ballew said.

Nissan bucked the trend with sales up 1.7 percent, thanks to the addition of the subcompact Versa and the Altima coupe to its lineup. Nissan sales were up 4.2 percent for the year.

But for most companies, the news was dismal. Ford's U.S. sales were down 12.2 percent for the year. Part of the decline came from cuts in sales to rental car companies, Pipas said. Ford slashed rental sales by 57 percent, or 14,000 vehicles, in July as part of a broader effort to reduce rental sales by 30 percent in 2007.

Ford said one bright spot was sales of crossover vehicles, which were up 40 percent for the month thanks to new entries such as the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX. GM and Honda also reported brisk sales of crossovers.

Honda Motor Co. said its U.S. sales were down 7 percent for the month, including a 9.7 percent drop in truck sales. Its sales were up 1.7 percent, year to date.

DaimlerChrysler AG said its U.S. sales fell 9.1 percent in July. Chrysler Group said sales were down 8.4 percent for the month, while Mercedes-Benz said U.S. sales fell 13.9 percent from the same month a year ago. The carmaker has fallen 2.3 percent so far this year.

Merkle said with high gas prices and rising rates on adjustable mortgages and home equity loans, consumers simply have less money to buy cars.

"You've got a consumer right now that's really being stretched," Merkle said. "In many cases debt levels are incredibly high to the point where you're seeing a lot of foreclosures."

The Associated Press reports unadjusted figures, calculating the percentage change in the total number of vehicles sold in one month compared with the same month a year earlier. Some automakers report percentages adjusted for sales days. There were 24 sales days last month and 25 in July 2006.

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AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

DaimlerChrysler AG: http://www.daimlerchrysler.com

General Motors Corp.: http://www.gm.com

Ford Motor Co.: http://www.ford.com

Honda Motor Co.: http://www.honda.com

Nissan Motor Co.: http://www.nissanusa.com

Toyota Motor Corp.: http://www.toyota.com

Fisher-Price to recall nearly 1M toys By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO and NATASHA T. METZLER, Associated Press Writers

Fisher-Price to recall nearly 1M toys By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO and NATASHA T. METZLER, Associated Press Writers
7 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys — including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters — because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.

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The worldwide recall being announced Thursday involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August. It is the latest in a wave of recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products.

The recall is the first for Fisher-Price Inc. and parent company Mattel Inc. involving lead paint. It is the largest for Mattel since 1998 when Fisher-Price had to yank about 10 million Power Wheels from toy stores.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, David Allmark, general manager of Fisher-Price, said the problem was detected by an internal probe and reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall is particularly alarming since Mattel, known for its strict quality controls, is considered a role model in the toy industry for how it operates in China.

Fisher-Price and the commission issued statements saying parents should keep suspect toys away from children and contact the company.

The commission works with companies to issue recalls when it finds consumer goods that can be harmful. Under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.

Allmark says the recall was "fast-tracked," which allowed the company to quarantine two-thirds of the toys before they even made it to store shelves. In negotiating details of the recall, Fisher-Price and the government sought to withhold details from the public until Thursday to give stores time to get suspect toys off shelves and Fisher-Price time to get its recall hot line up and running. However, some news organizations prematurely posted an embargoed version of the story online.

Allmark said the recall was troubling because Fisher-Price has had a long-standing relationship with the Chinese vendor, which had applied decorative paint to the toys. Allmark said the company would use this recall as an opportunity to put even better systems in place to monitor vendors whose conduct does not meet Mattel's standards.

He added: "We are still concluding the investigation, how it happened. ... But there will be a dramatic investigation on how this happened. We will learn from this."

The recall follows another high-profile move from toy maker RC2 Corp., which in June voluntarily recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line. The company said that the surface paint on certain toys and parts made in China between January 2005 and April 2006 contain lead, affecting 26 components and 23 retailers.

"Anytime a company brings a banned hazardous product into the U.S. marketplace, especially one intended for children, it is unacceptable," said Nancy Nord, acting chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. "Ensuring that Chinese-made toys are safe for U.S. consumers is one of my highest priorities and is the subject of vital talks currently in place between CPSC and the Chinese government."

Carter Keithley, president of the Toy Industries Association, praised Mattel's quick response to the problem, and suggested Mattel will use this setback as a lesson for not only the company but for the entire industry. However, he expressed concern about how the recall and other toy recalls will play out in consumers' minds in advance of the holiday season.

"We are worried about the public feeling," said Keithley, adding he observed how toy companies are embracing strict controls during a recent toy safety seminar in China. "We have thought all along that (consumers) can be confident in the products," he said. "But if companies like Mattel have this, then you have to ask how did this happen?"

Owners of a recalled toy can exchange it for a voucher for another product of the same value. To see pictures of the recalled toys, visit http://www.service.mattel.com. For more information, call Mattel's recall hot line at 800-916-4498.

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Anne D'Innocenzio reported from New York.

___

On the Net:

Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov.

Romney: Remake Homeland Security Dept. By GLEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

Romney: Remake Homeland Security Dept. By GLEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer
Wed Aug 1, 4:58 PM ET



AMHERST, N.H. - Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney on Wednesday complained that the Bush administration had established an inefficient Homeland Security Department and had presided over a bungled response to Hurricane Katrina.

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Amid a tour of southern New Hampshire, Romney contrasted the private-based universal health care system he created as governor in Massachusetts with government health expansions advocated by some Democrats, saying to laughter, "The last thing I want is the guys managing the Katrina cleanup managing my health care system."

He also said one of President Bush's signature domestic security achievements — the formation of the Department of Homeland Security — created "one big bureaucracy" rife with inefficiency and in need of major restructuring.

Romney was a member of a Bush administration homeland security advisory panel while Massachusetts governor from 2003 to 2007.

"There is such duplication in Washington that you'd really like to take the place apart and put it back together, just smaller and simpler and smarter," Romney told about 100 people attending a coffee-and-doughnuts gathering at a cinema in Pelham.

The former management consultant said if he is elected president, the department would survive but "it probably needs to be streamlined."

Romney said he would shift homeland security dollars from equipment grants for first responders to prevention through intelligence, in particular supporting and expanding the FBI's intelligence-gathering capabilities.

"When we talk about homeland security, we hear about money coming from Washington, which is fine, coming to the states and localities — and most of it goes to buy interoperable radios, mobile command centers, fire trucks — and that's fine, but all that's going to be used after the bomb goes off," Romney said. "What I want to do is make sure we're spending money to keep the bomb from going off."

Later, during a stop at the Red Arrow diner in Manchester, N.H., Romney was asked about the federal investigation of Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska and his dealings with a wealthy oil field services contractor.

"I hope the allegations against him are not true. We've seen far too many ethical violations by Republicans," Romney said. "I expect it sometimes across the aisle. I expect a little on our own side of the aisle. But to see as many reported violations of Republican conduct have been really disappointing and we have got to hold ourselves to a higher standard."

At least a half dozen federal investigations are focused on the activities of Republican lawmakers.

Romney's earlier focus was on homeland security. Bush pushed for the creation of the department — an idea initially championed by congressional Democrats in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — saying it would reduce the nation's vulnerabilities and help the country respond better to any future terrorist attacks.

Signed into law in November 2002, it amounted to the largest reorganization of the federal government in more than half a century. The department now contains once-disparate government entities, from the Secret Service to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

During a stop at a country market in Amherst, Romney reprised his "Katrina-health care" line, prompting one woman in the crowd to note his fellow Republicans had managed the federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Romney complained about "insufficient management and oversight" of the recovery effort, and said he would have appointed a "czar" to oversee the $70 billion in federal spending since then. He also appeared to take a poke at the Democrats who led New Orleans and Louisiana at the time of the disaster.

Noting his fellow Republican, Gov. Haley Barbour, led Mississippi, Romney said recovery efforts he recently witnessed in Pascagoula were being "very effectively managed."

By contrast, he said, "I was also in New Orleans and I was disappointed in the degree of progress there. And I wonder why: Is it the mayor? Is it the governor? Is it FEMA? Is it the federal guys? I don't know where the problem lies, but $70 billion is an awful lot of money, and I'd hope to have seen a lot more progress."

Nonetheless, Romney pledged continued federal support for the Gulf Coast recovery should he be elected president.

Analysis: Obama talks tough on terror By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

Analysis: Obama talks tough on terror By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 7 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama warned Pakistan Wednesday that he would use military force if necessary to root out terrorists, the second time in two weeks that he's staked out a dramatically different road for U.S. foreign policy.

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The Illinois senator's tough talk against Pakistan comes after he pledged to meet with leaders of rogue nations who have been rebuffed by President Bush.

And while Bush has embraced Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf as a valued ally in the war on terror, Obama said he would take a harder line. He said Musharraf must do more to shut down terrorist operations along the Afghan border or risk a U.S. military attack against the foreign fighters and the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid.

"Let me make this clear," Obama said. "There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al-Qaida leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf will not act, we will."

Obama's stance against Pakistan comes after last week's dispute with top rival Hillary Rodham Clinton in which the New York senator accused him of being "irresponsible and naive" for saying he would meet with heads of states such as Cuba, North Korea, Syria and Iran without conditions.

This new policy is designed to show that Obama would be a tough commander in chief when times demand it, even though he opposed the Iraq war and wants to open a dialogue with foreign foes.

Obama's foreign policy ideas all have one thing in common — they stake ground on the flip side of current U.S. policy when many voters are dissatisfied with the country's direction in the world. The first-term Illinois senator is determined to show he can give diplomacy a fresh start.

"It's time to turn the page," Obama said four times in a 45-minute speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The speech was written by Ben Rhodes, a longtime aide to Center president, Sept. 11 Commission Vice Chairman and former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton.

While he is rejecting Bush's approach, Obama is also trying to lump Clinton in with the administration. His speech also criticized Congress' approval of the Iraq war resolution four times.

"With that vote, Congress became co-author of a catastrophic war," Obama said. In 2002, Clinton vote for the resolution authorizing Bush to topple Saddam Hussein's regime.

Thousands of Taliban fighters are based in Pakistan's vast and jagged mountains, where they can pass into Afghanistan, train for suicide operations and find refuge from local tribesmen. Intelligence experts warn that al-Qaida could be rebuilding to mount another attack on the United States.

Analysts say U.S. military action could risk destabilizing Pakistan, breeding more militancy and undermining Musharraf. A military response also could be difficult, given Pakistan's hostile terrain and the suspicion of its warrior-minded tribesmen against uninvited outsiders.

Husain Haqqani, director of the center for international relations at Boston University and a former adviser to several Pakistani prime ministers, said Obama and other presidential candidates should be cautious about moving from Bush's stance of "putting all of the eggs in General Musharraf's broken basket to the other extreme of just talking too tough without listening to all the nuances."

"They should not look at the sledgehammer approach because the people of Pakistan are not America's enemies, and any lashing out may create more enemies of the United States there," Haqqani said.

Obama's speech opened him to new criticism from rivals for the presidential nomination. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said the United States should practice tough diplomacy with Musharraf, but "it is important not to unnecessarily inflame the Muslim world."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden was harsher, saying Obama was showing inexperience in foreign policy.

"The way to deal with it is not to announce it, but to do it," the Delaware senator said. "The last thing you want to do is telegraph to the folks in Pakistan that we are about to violate their sovereignty, putting Musharraf in the position that makes it virtually impossible for him to do anything other than what he's done, basically cut a deal with the warlords on the border."

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd said he would make fighting terrorists a top priority if elected president, "but I will not declare my intentions for specific military action to the media in the context of a political campaign."

"It is dangerous and irresponsible to leave even the impression the United States would needlessly and publicly provoke a nuclear power," Dodd said.

The Clinton campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

President Bush has said he would order military action if intelligence showed top terror leaders were hiding in Afghanistan. But the relationship with Musharraf has been friendly and cooperative.

Said Bush spokesman Tony Snow: "Our approach to Pakistan is one that not only respects the sovereignty of Pakistan as a sovereign government, but is also designed to work in a way where we are working in cooperation with the local government."

Greg Craig, who served as an assistant to President Clinton and led his defense during impeachment, worked with Obama on the speech and said the senator would turn to Musharraf first before taking military action.

He pointed out that when Obama announced his opposition to an Iraq invasion in 2002, he said he wasn't opposed to all wars, just "dumb wars." Action in a state that is harboring terrorist groups is another matter, Craig said.

"This is an example where he is willing to have increased reliance on military options," Craig said.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Nedra Pickler covers presidential politics for The Associated Press.

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On the Net:

http://www.barackobama.com

Police finish search of Md. mom's home By KRISTEN WYATT, Associated Press Writer

Police finish search of Md. mom's home By KRISTEN WYATT, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 59 minutes ago



OCEAN CITY, Md. - Police on Wednesday finished a three-day search of the property of a woman accused of hiding four dead fetuses, but planned to monitor the home to prevent retaliation against her family.

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Investigators found no more human remains in the run-down home of Christy Freeman, 37, who is accused of causing her 26-week-old fetus to be stillborn last week.

Police searching for that fetus found the boy wrapped in a towel under Freeman's bathroom sink, plus two more sets of fetal remains wrapped in plastic in a bedroom trunk and a fourth in a Winnebago outside.

Police said they still haven't confirmed that the three additional sets of remains — all described as bones — belonged to Freeman or how or when they died, though all are thought to be pre-term babies.

Four investigators spent about three hours in the house Wednesday morning, loading at least eight brown paper bags into an evidence van. Ocean City police spokesman Barry Neeb said the bags contained potential evidence, but not human remains.

"Nothing they got was a surprise," he said without elaborating.

Freeman's longtime boyfriend, Raymond W. Godman Jr., and their four children were free to return to the home. Neeb said officers on patrol would come by the house frequently until further notice for the family's safety.

By late afternoon, someone had set up a roadside memorial on the family's lawn — a small, plastic angel and votive candle with a handwritten note in cursive script that read, "Pray all the unborn children. Rest gently in the Arms of God."

The allegations against Freeman have unsettled people in this beach resort town, which hasn't had a slaying in five years. Police say retaliation was the suspected motive in a case of vandalism earlier this week at the couple's taxi business in West Ocean City, where four classic cars had busted windows.

Neeb had said having an officer at the site was "the prudent thing to do given the high-profile nature of this case."

Freeman, who is being held without bail, was charged with murder under a state law that allows murder prosecutions of those who cause the death of a fetus that may have been able to survive outside the womb.

Freeman is awaiting grand jury indictment proceedings that have not yet been announced. She is being represented by a public defender, Burton Anderson, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

Prosecutors and police concede it could take months to sort out all the physical evidence and determine what charges, if any, may be appropriate for Freeman.

Godman has not been charged with a crime. Police say they've interviewed him, but they couldn't share any explanations he may have given about Freeman's pregnancies.

Now investigators await word from the Maryland medical examiner's office to prove the fetuses were Freeman's. "She says they are. We don't have any reason to believe they're not," Neeb said.

The medical examiner's office told police that it was "conferring with other experts" and that further results shouldn't be expected before at least next week, Neeb said.

Neeb told reporters that there is little police and the county prosecutor can do until a lab analysis reveals more about the fetuses and how and when they died.

The prosecutor, Worcester County State's Attorney Joel Todd, told reporters Monday that authorities believe Freeman caused her baby to be stillborn last week. He refused comment Wednesday through an aide about additional possible charges.

The stillborn fetus found in the vanity was determined to be about 26 weeks old. Investigators still need to figure out how old the others were when they died, when they died, and whether Freeman or someone else was responsible for the deaths.

The timing is critical. If the pre-term infants were too young to be considered viable outside the womb, Freeman can't be charged with murder. And if they died before Maryland passed its 2005 fetal homicide law, it may not be a crime even if they were old enough to live outside the womb and Freeman caused their deaths.

The fetal homicide law was designed to penalize those who kill a pregnant woman or her viable fetus, but it includes a provision shielding pregnant women from prosecution for actions that result in the death of their own fetuses.

State Delegate Susan K. McComas, a Republican who co-sponsored the bill, said the exemption was added by majority Democrats who feared the bill would restrict a woman's right to abortion. "We weren't contemplating a woman doing something to her own fetus," McComas said.

Marine guilty of Iraq murder conspiracy By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer

Marine guilty of Iraq murder conspiracy By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer
52 minutes ago



CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine was found guilty Wednesday of conspiracy to murder an Iraqi man, but acquitted of premeditated murder and kidnapping in a bungled attempt to kill a suspected insurgent last year.

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Cpl. Marshall Magincalda also was found guilty of larceny and housebreaking, and cleared of making a false official statement. He stood rigidly alongside his two attorneys as sighs and gasps filled the packed courtroom.

A separate jury continued to deliberate in the case of his squad leader, Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, who faces the same charges.

Prosecutors said that during a nighttime patrol in Hamdania, Iraq, in April 2006, the Marines' squad hatched a plan to kidnap and kill a suspected insurgent from his house. When they couldn't find him, they instead kidnapped a man from a neighboring house, dragged him to a hole and shot him.

Prosecutors said squad members tried to cover up the killing of Hashim Ibrahim Awad by planting a shovel and AK-47 by his body to make it look like he was an insurgent planting a bomb.

Magincalda, 24, of Manteca, would have received a mandatory life sentence had he been convicted of premeditated murder. The murder conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, but a squad mate convicted of the same charge last month did not get any prison time from a different military jury.

Magincalda was accused of being part of the four-man "snatch team" that seized the victim from his home, but was not accused of firing any shots. His defense attorneys argued that the Marine is a religious man who wanted no part in the conspiracy and told his squad mates he would not shoot anyone.

The verdict was rendered by a jury of five enlisted men and one officer. All have served at least one combat tour in Iraq.

All eight members of Magincalda's squad were initially charged with murder and kidnapping. Four lower-ranking Marines and a Navy corpsman cut deals with prosecutors in exchange for their testimony and received sentences ranging from one to eight years in prison.

A jury acquitted another defendant of murder last month, despite several of his former squad mates testifying that he helped kidnap and shoot Awad. Cpl. Trent D. Thomas was convicted of kidnapping and conspiracy. His rank was reduced to private and he was given a bad-conduct discharge — but no prison time.

Prosecutors have pointed to Hutchins, 23, of Plymouth, Mass., as the ringleader in the plot. Hutchins' defense attorneys argued the squad leader participated in the plot because his officers had set a poor leadership example and given approval for Marines to use violence in capturing and interrogating suspected insurgents.

Police: Mom bathed, dressed dead kids By BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press Writer

Police: Mom bathed, dressed dead kids By BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 10 minutes ago



HANAHAN, S.C. - Two children found dead under an apartment sink had been bathed and dressed by their mother before being wrapped in trash bags, according to arrest warrants released Wednesday.

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The warrants provide new details of the events that police say led to the arrest of Sametta Heyward, a single mother suspected of leaving her children in a hot car for hours while she was at work.

Authorities could not immediately determine if the children died in the car as temperatures outside reached 88 degrees, or if they died after being wrapped in the trash bags. Lab tests to determine the exact causes of death were not expected for a couple of weeks.

Heyward, 27, was charged Tuesday with homicide by child abuse after the bodies of 1-year-old Triniti Campbell and 4-year-old Shawn Campbell Jr. were found in her apartment.

The warrants said Heyward called her ex-boyfriend and told him she had "killed her babies."

Heyward, who works with disabled people for a nonprofit agency, had taken her children to work with her about 3 p.m. because her baby sitter plans fell through. According to the warrants, Heyward told relatives that when she returned to her Chevy Cavalier about 11:30 p.m., the children were not responding and had weak pulses.

Before the children were put in the bags, they were bathed. The boy was dressed in a shirt and shorts; the little girl in a sun dress, Hanahan police Lt. Michael Fowler said.

"The medical examiner is trying to nail down did they die of the heat exhaustion in the car or were they possibly technically alive when she put them in the bags," Fowler said.

Berkeley County Coroner Glenn Rhoad said if the children were alive when wrapped in the bags, they would have been unconscious, because the bags weren't torn or stretched, he said.

"They had to be so weak they couldn't move," he said.

Officers investigating a report of a disturbance at Heyward's apartment on Monday found her crying and yelling, "Oh, my babies," and a man holding her told them about the bodies, according to a police report. She told officers she wanted to die and asked them to kill her, according to the report.

At the scene Monday "most of the officers were young and some of them had to turn away," Fowler said. "You get conditioned to deal pretty much with anything, except when kids are involved. That's the hardest thing."

Heyward was being held at a Berkeley County jail. Her attorney said he didn't know when he would ask for a bail hearing.

Employed by the Disabilities Board of Charleston County, Heyward travels to clients' homes around the county, which runs nearly 100 miles along the coast. It was unclear where she had been working Sunday.

Board spokeswoman Laura Villeponteaux said the nonprofit group is "deeply saddened by the tragedy." She declined to give out any more information, saying the agency was cooperating with police.

Family and neighbors described Heyward as a hard-working single mother who provided for her children. The mother of four put a newborn up for adoption in January, police said, and a 12-year-old son was living with her ex-boyfriend in Maryland.

Heyward has been arrested at least twice in the past three years, according to records from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. However, she was not prosecuted on a hindering an officer charge and found not guilty of first-degree criminal domestic violence in February 2006.

Hanahan is a bedroom community of about 14,000 people about 15 miles from Charleston. The city had two homicides last year, its first in more than five years, Fowler said.

___

Associated Press Writer Seanna Adcox in Columbia contributed to this report.

Bridge collapses into Miss. River 7 minutes ago

Bridge collapses into Miss. River 7 minutes ago



MINNEAPOLIS - A freeway bridge spanning the Mississippi River collapsed during evening rush hour Wednesday, sending many cars into the water.

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Tons of concrete collapsed and there were injuries, authorities said. Survivors were being carried up the riverbank.

Some people were stranded on parts of the bridge that weren't completely submerged.

The entire span of the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed about 6:05 p.m. where the freeway crosses the river near University Avenue in Minneapolis.

Brazil crash data hints error, failure By MICHAEL ASTOR, Associated Press Writer

Brazil crash data hints error, failure By MICHAEL ASTOR, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 12 minutes ago



RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Moments before their jetliner skidded off a runway and exploded as it slammed into a building, pilots of a TAM Airlines Flight 3054 screamed "slow down!" and "turn, turn, turn," flight recorder transcripts revealed Wednesday.

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The horrific details read before a congressional commission investigating air safety suggest mechanical failure or pilot error contributed to last month's accident in Sao Paulo, taking some heat off a government widely blamed for failing to improve the challenging runway, which pilots worldwide liken to landing on an aircraft carrier.

The pilots were unable to activate the spoilers — aerodynamic brakes on the Airbus A320's wings — as they touched down on the short, rain-slicked runway at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport, according to the transcripts.

"Only one reverser. Spoiler nothing," 53-year-old pilot Henrique Stephanini Di Sacco says in the transcript, giving the first indication that something is wrong.

"Look at that. Slow down, slow down," says co-pilot Kleyber Lima, 54. Di Sacco replies: "I can't. I can't. Oh my God! Oh my God!"

Lima's last words are: "Go! Go! Turn! Turn! Turn!"

The recording ends with screams and a woman's voice, followed by an explosion.

The July 17 crash killed all 187 aboard the jetliner and 12 people on the ground in Brazil's deadliest air disaster.

The Brazilian daily Folha de S. Paulo reported that according to the flight data recorder, one of the plane's throttles was in the wrong position as it touched down, causing it to speed up instead of slow down.

The congressional commission did not review that data publicly Wednesday. But putting the throttle in the wrong position would have only complicated an already challenging landing for the pilots.

TAM previously acknowledged that one of the jet's two thrust reversers, used to slow planes during landings, was inoperative. And speculation also has focused on the urban airport's runway, which is so short that pilots are warned to abort landings if they make any errors while touching down.

"That is the classic aircraft accident," said J.A. Donoghue, editor in chief of Aerosafety World. "There is not just one thing that causes it, but rather it is a cascading series of events."

The commission's president, Rep. Marco Maia, said Wednesday that he believes mechanical failure was a factor.

"From what we have determined, we can confirm that the machine failed," Maia told reporters in Brasilia. But he added that investigators must still "thoroughly examine all the possibilities."

Donoghue said that while it is too early to draw conclusions, the government's public probe hasn't helped matters.

"The accident investigation process is not going along according to international standard practices. Holding an accident investigation in public is usually not the way it's done. It's usually done in a quiet, academic way, as quickly as possible, but also taking time to get a complete picture," Donoghue said.

TAM's press office declined to comment on the crash until the investigation is finished. Airbus spokeswoman Barbara Kracht said the aircraft manufacturer also could not comment on the probe, citing international aviation rules.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration has been widely criticized for failing to do more to address aviation problems since last September, when a Gol jetliner went down in the Amazon, killing 154 people. That crash touched off months of flight delays, cancelations and work stoppages.

Wednesday's revelations "will probably take the pressure off the government a bit, but the demand to improve the country's airport infrastructure will not go away," said Alexandre Barros, a political risk consultant for the Early Warning Institute in Brasilia.

The runway at Congonhas had been shut earlier this year for renovations, but was opened before it could be grooved — a process that helps water run off and provides better traction in rain.

US, Israeli diplomats push Mideast talks By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer

US, Israeli diplomats push Mideast talks By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer
2 hours, 52 minutes ago



JERUSALEM - Top U.S. and Israeli diplomats said Wednesday they would push quickly for a political settlement with the moderate-led West Bank in spite of the bitter internal split among Palestinians there and in Gaza.

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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said they would not squander what each called a rare chance for progress in the 60-year-old conflict between the Jewish state and the Palestinians.

"Israel is not going to miss this opportunity," Livni said as Rice began her first visit to Israel since long-standing divisions among the Palestinians hardened into rival governments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Bush administration, which has been tentatively exploring a renewed peace initiative for months, insists that what may seem to be a debacle is actually a moment of hope. In a few days of fighting in June, Islamic Hamas militants in Gaza routed badly organized forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a U.S. ally.

Abbas formed a new emergency government of like-minded moderates in the West Bank, which Hamas says is illegitimate. Although Abbas and his U.S. backers insist he remains the titular head of all Palestinians, Hamas holds control of one of the two territories that the U.S. envisioned as an eventual Palestinian state.

"Ultimately the Palestinian people have to choose what kind of world they will live in, what kind of state they will have," Rice told reporters. "We do have in the Palestinian territories a government that is devoted to the ... foundational principles for peace, and this is an opportunity that should not be missed."

Livni, her Israeli counterpart, said the West Bank can be an example for cooperation or negotiation with Israel.

Their words confirmed what has been an increasingly obvious strategy: isolate the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip while lavishing money and political legitimacy on Palestinian President Abbas and his government.

Later, Rice discussed the matter with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, agreeing to "keep Hamas out of the game" on all levels, said Israeli government spokesman David Baker.

Israel has released frozen tax money as a sign of good will, and in a symbolic gesture has freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Thousands more remain in Israeli jails, but the move lent Abbas street credibility he has often lacked.

Olmert recently floated the idea of a joint declaration on the contours of a Palestinian state, and Abbas said last week he hopes to reach a full peace deal with Israel within a year.

The fast-moving events have all but overtaken the cautious path toward negotiations that Rice had been pushing with limited success this year. Her visits this spring accomplished little other than pledges of further meetings between Olmert and Abbas, while Abbas struggled to end the increasingly violent internal Palestinian turmoil.

Rice planned to see Abbas and his new prime minister, Salam Fayyad, in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Thursday. The prime minister's post had been held by a Hamas leader since shortly after the Islamist group unexpectedly won Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006.

There is skepticism in Israel about the near-term chances for peace, and among many Palestinians about the depth of U.S. commitment to shepherd a deal. U.S. officials, although more confident than at any time in years, caution that a deal is still unlikely before President Bush leaves office less than 18 months from now.

Declaring a "moment of choice" in the Middle East, Bush last month said he would call together Israel, the Palestinians and others in the region for an international peace conference. Although the United States wants Arab states such as Saudi Arabia to attend, giving a boost to both Israel and the new Palestinian leadership, Rice said she did not issue invitations during meetings in Egypt and Saudi Arabia this week.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia signaled it might attend the meeting. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said the kingdom, which does not have diplomatic relations or a peace deal with Israel, wants assurances that the meeting would "deal with issues of real substance, not form."

"Should we then get an invitation to attend, we will look very closely and very hard at attending," Saud said during a news conference with Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The U.S. Cabinet secretaries were in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, for the second day of meetings with Arab allies. The United States wants stronger Arab endorsements of the fragile Iraq government, and the joint visit also included talks on proposed new U.S. arms sales to Persian Gulf nations worth at least $20 billion.

The proposed sales were announced in tandem with new 10-year military aid packages for Israel and for Egypt, the first Arab state to make peace with Israel.

U.S. officials stressed that the sales would not cut into Israel's decades-old military advantage over its neighbors.

Catholic dean on leave after YouTube outburst 22 minutes ago

Catholic dean on leave after YouTube outburst 22 minutes ago



CANBERRA (Reuters) - A Roman Catholic priest who unleashed a torrent of expletives and racist abuse against skateboarders outside his Australian cathedral, only to have the outburst filmed and placed on YouTube, has been put on leave.

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The Reverend Monsignor Geoff Baron, the dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Australia's second biggest city, Melbourne, was videotaped swearing at and abusing a group of teenagers using the cathedral grounds as a skate park.

"Move, you f****** fool," Baron tells one skater in the video, slapping one of the group across the head and prompting a torrent of abuse in reply.

Pointing to a skater lying on the ground, Baron is heard telling the youth "Little foreigner there, look at the sleepy eyes, black hair."

"At least he's got hair. You f****** bald p****," one youth replies. Others spat on and shoved the furious priest.

The embarrassed Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, placed Baron on indefinite leave after the outburst appeared on YouTube, while security guards began patrolling the cathedral grounds Wednesday amid threats of reprisal attacks.

"I want to relieve the dean of the pressures and responsibilities he carries as dean of the cathedral," Hart said, promising further action.

Baron apologized for the outburst Tuesday, but on radio described the skaters as "jackals and hyenas" who had provoked him with allegations he was a pedophile.

"It was outrageous behavior. I let myself down terribly badly, quite clearly, and I've also brought scandal and shock to other people," he told local radio.

The video clip of the outburst, which was filmed a year ago but only recently posted on YouTube, was viewed tens of thousands of times but is now listed as "removed by the user."

Bull imprisoned with owner to avoid slaughter 22 minutes ago

Bull imprisoned with owner to avoid slaughter 22 minutes ago



BELGRADE (Reuters) - A bull was incarcerated in a Serbian prison farm this week along with his recently convicted owner so he could look after the 1.5 tonnes animal which would otherwise have risked going to the slaughter house.

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Four-year old Micko was taken to the farm at Novi Sad District Prison to join his owner Hamdija Djuric, who was jailed on July 21 for stabbing a man, Beta news agency reported.

Micko had been left untended following Djuric's arrest.

"Since there are no animal quarantine facilities in Novi Sad, it was important to find a solution to accommodate the bull.

"So it was agreed to move him to the prison farm, where Djuric can occasionally visit him and take care of him," said Branka Pasko of the animal protection society Arka.

Lottery player wins twice by mistake 21 minutes ago

Lottery player wins twice by mistake 21 minutes ago



LONDON (Reuters) - A lottery winner doubled his share of the jackpot to nearly 1 million pounds after he mistakenly bought two lucky tickets for the same draw, organizers Camelot said Wednesday.

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Derek Ladner, 57, from Cornwall, and his wife Dawn, 60, won with their usual numbers in the mid-week draw, sharing the 2.4 million pounds jackpot with four other tickets.

A week later, he found a second identical ticket in his wallet and realized he had absent-mindedly entered twice.

Their double-share of the jackpot is worth just under a million pounds.

The pair have handed in their notice at work and are taking a break to decide how to spend their windfall.

"It's beginning to sink in," Ladner told a news conference. "We are going on holiday first...and then think about what we are going to do for the rest of our lives."

Yankees hit 8 homers in win over Chisox By The Associated Press

Yankees hit 8 homers in win over Chisox By The Associated Press
2 hours, 11 minutes ago



Alex Rodriguez didn't hit a home run. Almost all the other Yankees did. On a night the New York Yankees tied a franchise record with eight homers, the one player chasing a home run milestone failed to go deep. The Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 16-3, but A-Rod stayed stuck on 499 homers Tuesday night.

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"I'm sure if you polled everybody in baseball who didn't see the game and saw eight home runs being hit, they would have guessed that Alex hit two or three of them," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.

Hideki Matsui homered twice, and Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Bobby Abreu, Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano and Shelley Duncan hit one apiece to back Mike Mussina (6-7). New York pulled within three games of Cleveland, the AL wild-card leader — the closest the Yankees have been to playoff territory since after games of April 25.

A-Rod is hitless in 17 at-bats since he connected against Kansas City last Wednesday.

Each time he batted, flashes popped throughout Yankee Stadium.

"They took pictures of the wrong guy tonight," he said.

After completing his 0-for-5 performance, he flipped his bat into the stands behind the dugout — giving a boy one memorable souvenir.

It was a potential night of milestones in the major leagues, but Barry Bonds failed to tie Hank Aaron's career record of 755, and Mets pitcher Tom Glavine fell short in his quest for his 300th win.

Rodriguez was taken out after seven innings and will go for 500 homers again Wednesday night against John Danks and the White Sox.

In other AL games, it was: Baltimore 5, Boston 3, Texas 3; Cleveland 1, Toronto 2, Tampa Bay 0; Minnesota 5, Kansas City 3; Oakland 7, Detroit 3; Los Angeles 8, Seattle 0.

Abreu hit a three-run drive and Matsui connected in the first against Jose Contreras (5-14), who has lost his last seven starts and nine of his last 10. Abreu's ninth of the year reached the second row of the upper deck in right.

Matsui also connected in the sixth, giving him 13 homers in July and 21 this season.

"I was quite surprised," Matsui said of the Yankees' eight homers. "I've never really experienced anything like this."

Cano and Cabrera joined the power surge in the third, Posada went deep in the fourth and Damon connected in the seventh before Duncan's drive.

Mussina was the beneficiary of the support, winning his second straight start. He gave up three runs and six hits in six innings. Contreras allowed seven runs and eight hits in 2 2-3 innings against his former team, his shortest outing since he lasted just one against Cleveland on April 2.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was ejected by plate umpire Phil Cuzzi in the first inning. Cuzzi also tossed Konerko from the game in the sixth.

"Since 1985, I've never seen any umpire disrespect players and managers the way this guy does," Guillen said.

Orioles 5, Red Sox 3

Erik Bedard (11-4) allowed two hits over six innings to win his seventh straight decision, and visiting Baltimore won despite two homers by David Ortiz.

Brian Roberts homered on the first pitch from Josh Beckett (13-5) and added an RBI double in the Orioles' three-run third. Beckett allowed five runs and nine hits, striking out six to lose consecutive starts for the first time this year.

Angels 8, Mariners 0

Gary Matthews Jr. hit two home runs, his first in six weeks and John Lackey (13-6) threw a seven-hitter in his first complete game of the season for visiting Los Angeles.

Matthews had four hits to tie a season high and drove in three runs. It was his third career multihomer game and second of the season.

Seattle's four-game winning streak ended in part because Jeff Weaver (2-10) allowed six runs and seven hits in four innings.

Athletics 7, Tigers 3

Kurt Suzuki and Jack Cust hit two-run singles in the sixth inning to help host Oakland snap a four-game losing streak.

Dan Haren (13-3) was the beneficiary of the four-run rally and outpitched fellow All-Star Justin Verlander (11-4) to win his third straight start. Haren allowed three runs — two earned — and six hits in six innings.

Twins 5, Royals 3

Torii Hunter homered and Carlos Silva (9-11) cruised through eight innings as host Minnesota won its fourth straight.

Hunter's homer, his 22nd, led off the second against Jorge De La Rosa (8-11). Three hits and two errors later, the Twins had a 4-0 lead.

Rangers 3, Indians 1

Brandon McCarthy won for the first time in more than two months, beating host Cleveland Fausto Carmona (13-5).

McCarthy (5-7), who had been winless since May 27 with three losses and four no-decisions, took a shutout into the seventh before Ryan Garko homered.

Blue Jays 2, Devil Rays 0

Former Tampa Bay bat boy Jesse Litsch threw 6 2-3 shutout innings against his old team.

Litsch (4-4), who worked for the Devil Rays from 2000-02, gave up seven hits in his first pro start at Tropicana Field. He struck out two and walked one.

Edwin Jackson (2-11) gave up one unearned run and five hits in six innings for the Devil Rays, who were looking for their first three-game winning streak since June 9-12.