Friday, October 29, 2010

Top Stories

     
       
   
EU treads uncharted waters to defend single currency (AFP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:45 PM
 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to media prior to a European Union summit at the European Council headquarters in Brussels. The European Union faced a new round of risky treaty change Friday after its leaders agreed to embark on landmark reforms designed to wade off another financial crisis by shoring up the euro.(AFP/Georges Gobet)AFP - The European Union faced a new round of risky treaty change Friday after its leaders agreed to embark on landmark reforms designed to wade off another financial crisis by shoring up the euro.


   
   
U.S. on track for "fiscal train wreck": Roubini (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 12:31 PM
 
Reuters - The U.S. economy is a "fiscal train wreck" waiting to happen that risks ushering in a period of stagnation featuring by minimal growth, high unemployment and deflationary pressure, U.S. economist Nouriel Roubini wrote on Friday.
   
   
U.N. meeting to protect nature split on targets (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 12:15 PM
 

A staff member decorates a globe shaped frame with animal shaped origamis at the venue of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) in Nagoya, central Japan October 26, 2010. REUTERS/Yuriko NakaoReuters - Environment ministers from around the world tried to wrap up a U.N. meeting to preserve nature on Friday but remained split on targets to fight losses in animal and plant species that support livelihoods and economies.


   
   
Notre Dame student combined love of film, football (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:14 PM
 

This 2010 photo provided Wednesday Oct. 28, 2010 by H. Michael Miley shows Declan Sullivan, 20, from Long Grove, Ill. Sullivan, a junior at Notre Dame University died Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, in South Bend, Ind., after the tower he was in while videotaping football practice toppled as high wind gusts swept through Indiana. (AP Photo/Family photo courtesy of H. Michael Miley) NO SALESAP - Tony Michluda and Declan Sullivan lived in the same residence hall at Notre Dame and used to have long talks about their future. Sullivan "was always interested in who you were," Michluda said.


   
   
World's big enough for India and China: Wen (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 10:36 AM
 
Reuters - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday the world was big enough for their two countries to develop and cooperate, sounding a positive note ahead of a visit planned for later this year.
   
   
U.S. not seeking to "contain" China: Clinton (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 9:47 AM
 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives a foreign policy speech regarding U.S.-Asia Pacific relations before her trip to the Asian Pacific region, in Honolulu, Hawaii October 28, 2010. REUTERS/Hugh GentryReuters - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denied on Thursday the United States was seeking to contain China as she began a two-week trip to an Asia-Pacific region rattled by recent Chinese assertiveness.


   
   
Palin takes aim at Murkowski during rally (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 9:43 AM
 
AP - Sarah Palin took aim at U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski as she sought to rally Alaskans for Murkowski's beleagured GOP rival, Joe Miller.
   
   
Halliburton used flawed cement on BP well: panel (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 9:23 AM
 
Reuters - Halliburton Co. used flawed cement in BP Plc's doomed Gulf of Mexico well, which could have contributed to the blowout that sparked the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, a White House panel said on Thursday.
   
   
Mild increase in economic growth expected in Q3 (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 9:07 AM
 
AP - The economy likely expanded at a greater rate last quarter as Americans loosened a tight grip on their wallets. But the expected pickup in growth wasn't strong enough to make a noticeable dent in high unemployment.
   
   
Giants blank Rangers for 2-0 World Series lead (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 8:27 AM
 
Reuters - The San Francisco Giants seized a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven World Series by blanking Texas on Thursday behind the sterling pitching of Matt Cain and an embarrassing eighth inning by Rangers relievers.
   
   
Pentagon faults official in spy operation: report (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 8:17 AM
 
Reuters - A senior Defense Department official violated Pentagon rules and deliberately misled senior military officers when he created a spy operation using private contractors in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a Pentagon inquiry has found, according to the New York Times.
   
   
AP sources: Most US troops, families say gays OK (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 7:41 AM
 

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, right, hosts an honor cordon for Norwegian Defense Minister Grete Faremo, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, at the Pentagon. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)AP - An internal Pentagon study has found that most U.S. troops and their families don't care whether gays are allowed to serve openly and think the policy of "don't ask, don't tell" could be done away with, according to officials familiar with its findings.


   
   
Death toll from Indonesian disasters nears 430 (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 7:37 AM
 

Tsunami survivors weep on the tsunami-ravaged Pagai island, in Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010.  (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)AP - The fisherman was jolted awake by the powerful earthquake and ran with his screaming neighbors to high ground. He said they watched as the sea first receded and then came roaring back "like a big wall" that swept away their entire village.


   
   
FDA rejects highly-anticipated diet drug Qnexa (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 7:35 AM
 
AP - Federal health regulators have decided not to approve an experimental diet pill called Qnexa, which had been touted by many experts as the most promising weight-loss drug in more than a decade.
   
   
Cain, Renteria and Giants lead Texas 1-0 through 6 (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 6:57 AM
 

San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain throws during the first inning of Game 2 of baseball's World Series against the Texas Rangers Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)AP - Matt Cain zeroed in for six innings, Edgar Renteria reprised his role as a postseason star and the San Francisco Giants led the Texas Rangers 1-0 in Game 2 of the World Series on a windy Thursday night.


   
   
Toyota secretly bought problem cars, lawsuit says (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 6:46 AM
 
Reuters - Toyota secretly bought back from U.S. consumers vehicles it found with speed-control defects as part of a strategy to hide unintended-acceleration problems from safety regulators and the public, a revised lawsuit claims.
   
   
Ninja ringleader convicted in Florida killing (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 6:43 AM
 

FILE - These July 14, 2009, booking photos provided by the Escambia County Sheriff Department in Pensacola, Fla., show suspects in the home invasion and murder of Byrd and Melanie Billings who were found shot to death July 9, 2009.  From top left: Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr., Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr., Wayne Thomas Coldiron, Gary Lamont Sumner,  a juvenile whom police did not identify; Frederick Lee Thorton Jr., 19; and Donnie Ray Stallworth, 28, who was arrested in Alabama but lives in Florida.(AP Photo/Escambia Sheriff's Department, File)AP - Jurors have convicted a karate instructor of killing a wealthy Florida couple during a home invasion robbery while the couple's nine special-needs children cowered or slept nearby.


   
   
Indonesia tsunami death toll likely to pass 500 (AFP)
October 29, 2010 at 6:34 AM
 

A woman searches for her belongings in a collapsed house in Taparaboat village in the Mentawai islands, West Sumatra, on October 28, 2010 after a 7.7-magnitude quake triggered a tsunami that hit the area.(AFP/Bay Ismoyo)AFP - The death toll from a tsunami that pummelled remote Indonesian islands is expected to pass 500, an official said as questions mounted over whether a warning system had failed.


   
   
EU moves towards 'limited' treaty change (AFP)
October 29, 2010 at 6:26 AM
 

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrive for a family photo of a European Union summit at the European Council headquarters in Brussels. European leaders Thursday agreed the biggest reforms since the creation of the euro while reaching out for a compromise on a German demand for treaty change that aims to avoid new Greek-style crises.(AFP/Eric Feferberg)AFP - European leaders moved to meet a German demand for treaty change aimed at avoiding new Greek-style crises as part of the EU's biggest reforms since the 1999 creation of the euro.


   
   
Meek: Clinton didn't convince me to drop Sen. bid (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 6:03 AM
 

FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2010 file photo, Florida Democratic senate candidate Kendrick Meek, right, smiles as he listens to former President Bill Clinton address supporters during a campaign rally in St. Petersburg, Fla. Meek is denying reports that he agreed to drop out of the Florida Senate race under pressure from former President Clinton. Politico on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010 reported that Clinton attempted to persuade Meek last week while campaigning with him in Florida. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius, File)AP - Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek on Thursday denied reports that he agreed to drop out of the Florida Senate race under pressure from former President Bill Clinton. Politico reported that Clinton, while campaigning with Meek in Florida last week, tried to talk him into quitting, and that Meek agreed twice to drop out and endorse independent candidate Gov. Charlie Crist.


   
   
Microsoft beats Street, knocks down Apple worry (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 6:01 AM
 

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, left, listens as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer speaks during a City Hall news conference to announce a partnership to consolidate dozens of agency license agreements into one and provide new technology resources to city employees on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010, in New York.  (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)Reuters - Microsoft Corp beat Wall Street's expectations with a 51 percent jump in quarterly profit, as higher sales of its flagship Windows and Office software knocked down fears Apple Inc's iPad would take a bite out of its main business.


   
   
NJ governor shifting focus to state road projects (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 5:41 AM
 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gestures  Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, in Trenton, N.J., as he announces that he's standing by his decision to kill the nation's biggest public works project, a train tunnel connecting New Jersey to New York City. Christie, a rising star in the Republican Party for his fearless budget-slashing, has argued that his cash-strapped state can't afford to pay for any overruns on the $9 billion-plus rail tunnel under the Hudson River. The state is on the hook for $2.7 billion plus overruns. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)AP - A day after Gov. Chris Christie killed the nation's largest public works project, an underwater rail tunnel linking New York City to its populous New Jersey suburbs, he said Thursday that it's time to focus on badly needed improvements to the state's roads and bridges.


   
   
Lawmakers probe street harassment of NYC women (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 5:41 AM
 

Women walk past a group of construction workers gathered on the street during their lunch break Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010, in New York. Although these men did not harass any of the passersby, a New York City Council committee heard testimony Thursday from women who said men regularly follow them, yell at them and make them feel unsafe and uncomfortable. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)AP - Whistles, catcalls and lewd come-ons from strangers are all too familiar to New York City women, who say they are harassed multiple times a day as they walk down the street. Now lawmakers are examining whether to do something to discourage it.


   
   
Actor who played Danno on 'Hawaii Five-O' dies (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 5:41 AM
 

In this 1969 file photo originally released by CBS, actor James MacArthur is shown in character as Detective Dan Williams  in the TV show 'Hawaii Five-O,' MacArthur, the son of actress Helen Hayes and playwright Charles MacArthur, died on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010.  He was 72. (AP Photo/CBS, file)AP - Stage and screen actor James MacArthur, who played "Danno" in the original version of television's "Hawaii Five-O," died Thursday at age 72. MacArthur's agent, Richard Lewis, said the actor died in Florida of "natural causes," but no direct cause was specified.


   
   
Florida Senate candidate denies he was asked to quit (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 5:41 AM
 
Reuters - A Florida Democrat running a distant third in the state's three-way Senate race vowed on Thursday to stay in the contest and denied media reports that former President Bill Clinton asked him to withdraw.
   
   
Tests warned of cement troubles before BP blowout (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 5:40 AM
 

FILE - In this April 21, 2010 file aerial photo taken in the Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles southeast of Venice, La., the Deepwater Horizon oil rig is seen burning. Tests performed before the deadly blowout of BP's oil well in the Gulf of Mexico should have raised doubts about the cement used to seal the well, but the company and its cementing contractor used it anyway, U.S. investigators with the president's oil spill commission said Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)AP - Tests performed before the deadly blowout of BP's oil well in the Gulf of Mexico should have raised doubts about the cement used to seal the well, but the company and its cementing contractor used it anyway, investigators with the president's oil spill commission said Thursday.


   
   
Polls gone wild: Political gripes in Internet age (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 5:40 AM
 

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2010 file photo, Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich talks to supporters at a rally at the Strongsville Community Center,  in Strongsville, Ohio. When a widely publicized poll showed Kasich with a commanding, 10-point advantage in Ohio's governor's race, Gov. Ted Strickland's aides fought back hard. — Against the poll. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)AP - When a widely publicized poll showed Republican John Kasich with a commanding, 10-point advantage in Ohio's governor's race, aides to Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland fought back hard. Against the poll.


   
   
Officials: Muslim source turned in terror suspect (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 5:40 AM
 

In this photo provided by Staci Britton, federal agents prepare to raid the home of Farooque Ahmed in Ashburn, Va. Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010. Ahmed was arrested Wednesday and accused of casing Washington area subway stations in what he thought was an al-Qaida plot to bomb and kill DC-area commuters. (AP Photo/Staci Britton) NO SALESAP - The tip that led to the FBI's subway bombing sting came from a source in the Muslim community: A Pakistani-born man from a middle-class suburb was trying to join a terrorist group, law enforcement officials said Thursday.


   
   
AP ENTERPRISE: Interest groups target state races (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 5:40 AM
 

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2010 file photo, Wisconsin Senate candidates, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., left, and his Republican challenger Ron Johnson, right, take part in debate in Milwaukee. Interest groups have spent at least $150 million since just Labor Day to influence voters in close congressional races nationwide, and U.S. House and Senate candidates aren't the only ones targeted in these TV and radio ads. Outside money is pouring at similar rates into state elections for governors and down the ticket to city councils and even local sewage boards. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)AP - House and Senate candidates aren't the only ones targeted by interest groups in this year's campaign. While they have spent at least $185 million just since Labor Day to influence voters in close congressional races, outside money is pouring at similar rates into state elections for governors and down the ticket to city councils and even local sewage boards.


   
   
A Mexico massacre in unfamiliar place: the capital (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 5:40 AM
 

Army soldiers stand around a passenger bus in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, early Thursday Oct. 28, 2010.  According to Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state attorney general's office, a gang opened fire on two passenger buses carrying factory workers, killing four people and injuring more than a dozen.  Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, has become one of the world's deadliest cities since a turf war erupted nearly three years ago between the Juarez and the Sinaloa cartels.  (AP Photo/Raymundo Ruiz)AP - Armed men rumbled into a gritty neighborhood of the Mexican capital Thursday and gunned down six men hanging around a convenience store, fueling fears that one of the world's largest cities is falling prey to the cartel-style violence that has long terrorized other parts of the country.


   
   
Jury convicts Smith's psychiatrist, boyfriend (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 5:40 AM
 

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2009 photo, Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer and ex-boyfriend, Howard K. Stern leaves Los Angeles Superior Court after a hearing of the conspiracy trial of Howard K. Stern, Kapoor and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich.  A jury reached verdicts Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010 in the Anna Nicole Smith drug conspiracy trial in which the boyfriend-lawyer and two doctors of the former Playboy model were accused of providing her with excessive amounts of prescription drugs. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)AP - A jury on Thursday convicted Anna Nicole Smith's psychiatrist and boyfriend of conspiring to use false names to obtain prescription drugs for the former Playboy model and reality TV star but acquitted the doctor who prescribed a plethora of drugs for her.


   
   
Sandy Alderson hired as Mets general manager (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 5:06 AM
 
AP - Sandy Alderson was chosen as the New York Mets general manager, and is now responsible for rebuilding a big-spending organization beset by problems on and off the field.
   
   
Officials: Muslim source turned in terror suspect (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 4:52 AM
 

In this photo provided by Staci Britton, federal agents prepare to raid the home of Farooque Ahmed in Ashburn, Va. Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010. Ahmed was arrested Wednesday and accused of casing Washington area subway stations in what he thought was an al-Qaida plot to bomb and kill DC-area commuters. (AP Photo/Staci Britton) NO SALESAP - The tip that led to the FBI's subway bombing sting came from a source in the Muslim community: A Pakistani-born man from a middle-class suburb was trying to join a terrorist group, law enforcement officials said Thursday.


   
   
A Mexico massacre in unfamiliar place: the capital (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 4:50 AM
 

Army soldiers stand around a passenger bus in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, early Thursday Oct. 28, 2010.  According to Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state attorney general's office, a gang opened fire on two passenger buses carrying factory workers, killing four people and injuring more than a dozen.  Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, has become one of the world's deadliest cities since a turf war erupted nearly three years ago between the Juarez and the Sinaloa cartels.  (AP Photo/Raymundo Ruiz)AP - Armed men rumbled into a gritty neighborhood of the Mexican capital Thursday and gunned down six men hanging around a convenience store, fueling fears that one of the world's largest cities is falling prey to the cartel-style violence that has long terrorized other parts of the country.


   
   
NJ governor shifting focus to state road projects (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 4:25 AM
 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gestures  Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, in Trenton, N.J., as he announces that he's standing by his decision to kill the nation's biggest public works project, a train tunnel connecting New Jersey to New York City. Christie, a rising star in the Republican Party for his fearless budget-slashing, has argued that his cash-strapped state can't afford to pay for any overruns on the $9 billion-plus rail tunnel under the Hudson River. The state is on the hook for $2.7 billion plus overruns. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)AP - A day after Gov. Chris Christie killed the nation's largest public works project, an underwater rail tunnel linking New York City to its populous New Jersey suburbs, he said Thursday that it's time to focus on badly needed improvements to the state's roads and bridges.


   
   
Lawmakers probe street harassment of NYC women (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 3:20 AM
 

Women walk past a group of construction workers gathered on the street during their lunch break Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010, in New York. Although these men did not harass any of the passersby, a New York City Council committee heard testimony Thursday from women who said men regularly follow them, yell at them and make them feel unsafe and uncomfortable. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)AP - Whistles, catcalls and lewd come-ons from strangers are all too familiar to New York City women, who say they are harassed multiple times a day as they walk down the street. Now lawmakers are examining whether to do something to discourage it.


   
   
Scientist: Dino ancestor's skeleton found in China (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 3:02 AM
 
AP - Scientists say they've found the first complete skeleton of a dinosaur that is an ancestor to the sauropod, the largest creature ever to walk the planet. The 30-foot-long skeleton, complete with skull, may help reveal the story of how the 120-foot-long, giant-necked sauropods evolved and became solely plant eaters.
   
   
Tancredo stays competitive in Colorado gov race (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 2:21 AM
 

In this photo taken on Oct. 15, 2010, Colorado American Constitution Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo, smiles during  a debate with his opponents  in Denver.  Former GOP congressman Tom Tancredo has baggage. Lots of baggage. Like the time he got thrown out of the White House for suggesting then-President George W. Bush was soft on illegal immigrants, or the time he recommended that the United States bomb Islam's holy sites. Tancredo says the baggage is not an issue anymore and he's surging in the polls against Democrat John Hickenlooper in the race for governor. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)AP - Tom Tancredo is quick to admit he brings plenty of baggage to the Colorado governor's race. Like the time he called Miami a "Third World country." Or when he got thrown out of the White House for suggesting then-President George W. Bush was soft on illegal immigration. Or when he refused to take part in a presidential debate because it was on a Spanish-language network.


   
   
Jury acquits Smith's doctor in drug case (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 2:03 AM
 

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2009 photo, Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer and ex-boyfriend, Howard K. Stern leaves Los Angeles Superior Court after a hearing of the conspiracy trial of Howard K. Stern, Kapoor and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich.  A jury reached verdicts Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010 in the Anna Nicole Smith drug conspiracy trial in which the boyfriend-lawyer and two doctors of the former Playboy model were accused of providing her with excessive amounts of prescription drugs. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)AP - A jury has acquitted Anna Nicole Smith's doctor of all counts in the late model's prescription drug conspiracy case. Dr. Sandeep Kapoor is the first of three defendants to hear the jury's verdicts Thursday in Los Angeles. The jury found the prosecution did not present enough evidence to convict Kapoor of six charges that he funneled excessive prescription drugs to Smith.


   
   
Syria flouts Lebanon sovereignty, arms militants: U.S. (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 1:56 AM
 
Reuters - The United States launched a diplomatic assault on Syria at the United Nations on Thursday, accusing it of joining forces with Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas to destabilize and undermine Lebanon.
   
   
U.S. not seeking to "contain" China: Clinton (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 1:49 AM
 
Reuters - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denied on Thursday the United States was seeking to contain China as she began a two-week trip to an Asia-Pacific region rattled by recent Chinese assertiveness.
   
   
Britain urges U.S. to take down extremist websites (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 1:40 AM
 
Reuters - Britain on Thursday called on the United States to take down websites used by extremists and urged more concerted action to thwart militant threats before resorting to war.
   
   
Microsoft profit up 51 percent, shares rise (Reuters)
October 29, 2010 at 1:23 AM
 

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, left, listens as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer speaks during a City Hall news conference to announce a partnership to consolidate dozens of agency license agreements into one and provide new technology resources to city employees on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010, in New York.  (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)Reuters - Microsoft Corp reported a 51 percent jump in quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by higher sales of its flagship Windows and Office software and the launch of the latest blockbuster Halo video game.


   
   
EU moves towards compromise on treaty change (AFP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:51 AM
 

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrive for a family photo of a European Union summit at the European Council headquarters in Brussels. European leaders Thursday agreed the biggest reforms since the creation of the euro while reaching out for a compromise on a German demand for treaty change that aims to avoid new Greek-style crises.(AFP/Eric Feferberg)AFP - European leaders Thursday agreed the biggest reforms since the creation of the euro while reaching out for a compromise on a German demand for treaty change that aims to avoid new Greek-style crises.


   
   
Russia's Kamchatka volcanoes spew giant ash clouds (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:49 AM
 

Smoke rises from the Shiveluch volcano in the Kamchatka Peninsula  eastern Russia  is this image taken from TV Thursday Oct. 28, 2010.  Volcanic eruptions on Russia's far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula have tossed massive ash clouds into the air, forcing flights to divert and blanketing a town with ashes.  (AP Photo/RTR, via APTN)  **  RUSSIA OUT TV OUT  **AP - Two volcanoes erupted Thursday on Russia's far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, tossing massive ash clouds miles (kilometers) into the air, forcing flights to divert and blanketing one town with thick, heavy ash.


   
   
Tests warned of cement troubles before BP blowout (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:46 AM
 

FILE - In this April 21, 2010 file aerial photo taken in the Gulf of Mexico more than 50 miles southeast of Venice, La., the Deepwater Horizon oil rig is seen burning. Tests performed before the deadly blowout of BP's oil well in the Gulf of Mexico should have raised doubts about the cement used to seal the well, but the company and its cementing contractor used it anyway, U.S. investigators with the president's oil spill commission said Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)AP - Tests performed before the deadly blowout of BP's oil well in the Gulf of Mexico should have raised doubts about the cement used to seal the well, but the company and its cementing contractor used it anyway, investigators with the president's oil spill commission said Thursday.


   
   
AP ENTERPRISE: Interest groups target state races (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:43 AM
 

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2010 file photo, Wisconsin Senate candidates, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., left, and his Republican challenger Ron Johnson, right, take part in debate in Milwaukee. Interest groups have spent at least $150 million since just Labor Day to influence voters in close congressional races nationwide, and U.S. House and Senate candidates aren't the only ones targeted in these TV and radio ads. Outside money is pouring at similar rates into state elections for governors and down the ticket to city councils and even local sewage boards. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)AP - House and Senate candidates aren't the only ones targeted by interest groups in this year's campaign. While they have spent at least $185 million just since Labor Day to influence voters in close congressional races, outside money is pouring at similar rates into state elections for governors and down the ticket to city councils and even local sewage boards.


   
   
Polls gone wild: Political gripes in Internet age (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:35 AM
 

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2010 file photo, Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich talks to supporters at a rally at the Strongsville Community Center,  in Strongsville, Ohio. When a widely publicized poll showed Kasich with a commanding, 10-point advantage in Ohio's governor's race, Gov. Ted Strickland's aides fought back hard. — Against the poll. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)AP - When a widely publicized poll showed Republican John Kasich with a commanding, 10-point advantage in Ohio's governor's race, aides to Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland fought back hard. Against the poll.


   
   
Pa. pair: Baby taken after bagel altered drug test (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:34 AM
 
AP - A Pennsylvania couple claims in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that their newborn was taken by county officials when a drug test the mother took came out positive because she had eaten a poppy seed bagel.
   
   
Actor who played Danno on 'Hawaii Five-0' dies (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:28 AM
 

FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2003 file photo, actor James MacArthur holds a photo from the late 1940s, of himself as a child with his mother, actress Helen Hayes and Bob Hope, as he arrives for 'The Bob Hope Memorial Tribute' show at the Academy of Television  Arts and Sciences headquarter in Los Angeles. MacArthur, who played 'Dano' in the original version of television's 'Hawaii Five-0' and was the son of actress Helen Hayes and playwright Charles MacArthur, died on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010.  He was 72. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, file)AP - Stage and screen actor James MacArthur, who played "Danno" in the original version of television's "Hawaii Five-0," died Thursday at age 72. MacArthur's agent, Richard Lewis, said the actor died in Florida of "natural causes," but no direct cause was specified.


   
   
Woman, 88, says she hit 'vital spot' on intruder (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:27 AM
 
AP - A feisty 88-year-old Kentucky woman said she must have had perfect aim when she fought off an intruder by kicking him. Kathryn Byassee said she came upon the intruder, who was wearing a pumpkin mask, at 5 a.m. Tuesday in her kitchen. Byassee told WPSD-TV that she asked him who he was and what he wanted and he never answered her, instead wrestling her into her bedroom and trying to smother her with a pillow.
   
   
AP source: Girardi, Yanks agree to outline of deal (AP)
October 29, 2010 at 12:26 AM
 

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi answers questions during a news conference at Yankee Stadium in New York, Monday, Oct. 25, 2010.  A six-game loss to Texas in the AL championship series was mostly a wipeout, and New York heads into the offseason with gaps in its starting rotation, holes in its bullpen and an offense that never did recover from the loss of Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon.  (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)AP - Joe Girardi and the New York Yankees have agreed on the outline of a $9 million, three-year contract for the manager, according to a baseball official familiar with the negotiations. Although the agreement is not complete, the sides "are dotting the 'i's and crossing the t's,' the person said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.


   
   
Man arrested in DC plot trained for Afghanistan (Reuters)
October 28, 2010 at 11:34 PM
 
Reuters - A Pakistani-born man, who believed he was part of an al Qaeda plot to bomb the Washington subway system, was also training to fight U.S. forces in Afghanistan, according to an FBI affidavit released on Thursday.
   
   
EU leaders adopt landmark eurozone reforms: diplomats (AFP)
October 28, 2010 at 11:18 PM
 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for a European Union summit at the European Council headquarters in Brussels. EU leaders on Thursday adopted a vast plan of action to tighten budgetary discipline across bloc borders, the biggest change since the euro currency's introduction in 1999, a diplomatic source said.(AFP/Jean-Christophe Verhaegen)AFP - EU leaders on Thursday adopted a vast plan of action to tighten budgetary discipline across bloc borders, the biggest change since the euro currency's introduction in 1999, a diplomatic source said.


   
   
AP IMPACT: Mismanagement rampant in public housing (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 11:14 PM
 
AP - There were accusations of an executive slush fund, financial shenanigans and dictatorial management. But it was the $900,000 in secret sexual harassment payments that got the head of the nation's fourth-largest housing authority fired and had the mayor asking how the housing board missed it all.
   
   
Judge fines McDonald's for obese employee (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 11:14 PM
 
AP - A Brazilian court has ordered McDonald's to pay a former franchise manager $17,500 because he gained 65 pounds while working there a dozen years.
   
   
Halliburton cement job played role in BP Macondo blowout: panel (Reuters)
October 28, 2010 at 11:13 PM
 
Reuters - The foam cement that Halliburton Co. used to seal BP Plc's doomed Macondo well was unstable and may have contributed to the blowout that led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, a presidential commission said on Thursday.
   
   
GM says to cut $11B in debt, pension obligations (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 10:57 PM
 

The General Motors Company World Headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. General Motors will buy back 2.1 billion dollars' worth of its shares from the Treasury Department, officials announced on Thursday, as the government moves to offload its massive stake in the auto giant.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Bill Pugliano)AP - General Motors Co. says it will cut its debt and pension obligations by $11 billion.


   
   
GM to repay $2.1B of government's investment (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 10:44 PM
 
AP - The government says General Motors will pay back $2.1 billion of the funds that taxpayers invested in the company. That brings the total it has repaid to $9.5 billion out of the nearly $50 billion the government loaned to and invested in the company.
   
   
Special report: Tech money flows to Whitman, bypasses Fiorina (Reuters)
October 28, 2010 at 9:03 PM
 
Reuters - The Valentine's Ball thrown by venture capitalist Alan Salzman and his wife Jillian Manus every year is one of Silicon Valley's hottest tickets. People are still talking about the Bailey's Irish Cream flowing from the nipples of ice sculptures at the soiree last year.
   
   
Duke No. 1 in AP's preseason Top 25 (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 9:02 PM
 
AP - Defending national champion Duke is a runaway No. 1 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25 men's basketball poll.
   
   
U.S. announces $2.4 billion for high-speed rail (Reuters)
October 28, 2010 at 8:48 PM
 
Reuters - The federal government will send $2.4 billion to 54 high-speed rail projects in 23 states, the Transportation Department said on Thursday, following up on announcements made by members of Congress and governors earlier in the week.
   
   
Argentine president mourns husband and predecessor (AFP)
October 28, 2010 at 8:44 PM
 

A TV screen shows Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (second right) and her daughter Florencia (second left), next to Nestor Kirchner's sister Alicia (left) mourning next to the coffin of late former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner during his wake at Casa Rosada presidential palace, on October 28. His sudden death has triggered mourning across the nation.(AFP/Daniel Garcia)AFP - Argentine President Cristina Kirchner appeared Thursday at the wake for her husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, whose sudden death has triggered mourning across Latin America.


   
   
AP source: Mets choose Sandy Alderson as new GM (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 8:41 PM
 
AP - A person familiar with the process tells The Associated Press that Sandy Alderson has been chosen as the New York Mets' general manager.
   
   
Russia's hungry bears dig up graves for food (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 8:09 PM
 
AP - Famished bears in northern Russia have resorted to digging up graves in cemeteries - and reportedly eating at least one body - after a scorching summer destroyed their natural food sources of forest berries and mushrooms, officials said Thursday.
   
   
U.S.: North Korean leadership transition in early stages (Reuters)
October 28, 2010 at 8:03 PM
 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (C), his son Kim Jong-un (2nd L), secretaries of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee and members of the Party Central Military Commission visit the cemetery for Chinese soldiers who died during the 1950-53 Korean War to lay wreaths before the grave of Mao Anying, son of Mao Zedong, to mark the 60th anniversary of the entry of Chinese troops into the war, in Hoechang County in this October 26, 2010 picture released by North Korea's KCNA news agency on October 27, 2010. REUTERS/KCNAReuters - The White House said on Thursday that North Korea appeared to be in the early stages of a leadership transition and it would still take some time to discern the final outcome.


   
   
Indonesian volcano's spiritual caretaker dies (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 6:46 PM
 

FILE  - In this May 18, 2006 file photo,  Maridjan, center, the spiritual guardian of  Mount Merapi, with other villagers perform a midnight walk in silence circling their village as a part of a ritual of a prayer for protection from disaster, in Kinahrejo village which lies on the slope of the volcano, Indonesia.  For 33 years, Maridjan spoke to Mount Merapi, appeasing its unpredictable spirits by throwing offerings of rice, clothes and chickens into the volcano's gaping crater. As Merapi began spewing 1,800 degree Fahrenheit (1,000 Celsius) gases and thousands of villagers streamed down the mountain's slopes, Maridjan
refused to budge. His rigid body was found Wednesday, prostrate on the ground in the typical Islamic prayer position and caked in heavy white soot.  (AP Photo /Dita Alangkara, File)AP - For 33 years, Maridjan spoke to Mount Merapi, appeasing its unpredictable spirits by throwing offerings of rice, clothes and chickens into the volcano's gaping crater.


   
   
Jobless claims drop to three-month low (Reuters)
October 28, 2010 at 6:00 PM
 

Construction worker Trent Gardner carries a column to be installed on a new home in Matthews, North Carolina April 15, 2010. REUTERS/Chris KeaneReuters - New claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to a three-month low, hinting at some improvement in the listless labor market.


   
   
Mariah Carey announces she's pregnant (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 5:59 PM
 

FILE - In this June 4, 2010 file photo, Grammy Award winning singer Mariah Carey performs during the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. shareholders' meeting in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/April L. Brown, File)AP - Mariah Carey is going to be a mommy.


   
   
Unemployment claims drop sharply to 434K (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 5:50 PM
 
AP - Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, the second drop in a row and a hopeful sign the job market could be improving.
   
   
Exxon Mobil 3Q income jumps 55 percent (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 5:48 PM
 

A Mobil logo is seen at a gas station on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, in Los Angeles. Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday, Oct. 28, income jumped 55 percent in the third quarter on higher oil prices and increased production.(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)AP - Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday that income jumped 55 percent in the third quarter on higher oil prices and increased production.


   
   
Indonesia disaster toll hits 377 as volcano erupts again (Reuters)
October 28, 2010 at 5:43 PM
 

Volunteers carry the bodies of those who died after Mount Merapi erupted, at Kinarrejo village in Sleman, near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, October 27, 2010. REUTERS/BeawihartaReuters - Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted on Thursday for the second time in a week, blasting vast plumes of ash into the sky, as the death toll from the initial eruption and a tsunami that hit remote western islands reached 377.


   
   
EU heads for showdown at economic crisis summit (AFP)
October 28, 2010 at 3:45 PM
 

EU Council President, Herman Van Rompuy seen on October 20, 2010. The European Union heads into a showdown summit Thursday determined to draw up new rules to avoid economic crises but divided on a risky Franco-German drive to write them into a new treaty.(AFP/File/Elvis Barukcic)AFP - The European Union heads into a showdown summit determined to draw up new rules to avoid economic crises but divided on a risky Franco-German drive to write them into a new treaty.


   
   
AP survey: Painfully slow economic gains into 2011 (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 3:28 PM
 

Carrie Warden, manager of The Sconelady's Coffee Shop, paints a sign for their fall coffee sale in Lawrence, Kan., Monday, Oct. 25, 2010. Americans' confidence in the economy rose only slightly in October from September, according to a monthly survey, as they continue to grapple with job worries.(AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)AP - The job market and the economy will improve only slightly next year, according to an Associated Press survey of leading economists whose outlook for 2011 has dimmed over the past three months.


   
   
China vows not to use rare earths as leverage (Reuters)
October 28, 2010 at 3:10 PM
 
Reuters - China said on Thursday it will not use its dominance of supplies of rare earths as a bargaining tool with foreign economies, and the United States said it hoped trade in the high-tech ores would continue as normal.
   
   
MI6 chief says spying crucial to stop Iran nuclear drive (AFP)
October 28, 2010 at 2:58 PM
 

Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) chief John Sawers addresses a gathering of academics, officials and editors in London. Diplomacy is not enough to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons, the head of Britain's foreign spy service said, urging an AFP - Diplomacy is not enough to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons, the head of Britain's foreign spy service said Thursday, urging an "intelligence-led" approach to stopping nuclear proliferation.


Media Files
capt.photo_1288258364078-1-0.jpg?x=87&y=130&q=85&sig=OquxE6VrZmFKrPF0PDjHYg-- (JPEG Image)
   
   
UK spy boss Nukes a wider threat than terrorism (Reuters)
October 28, 2010 at 2:10 PM
 

Former British Ambassador to the U.N. and present SIS chief John Sawers speaks at United Nations headquarters, in New York, April 13, 2009. REUTERS/Chip EastReuters - Britain's top spy, in the first public speech by a serving UK espionage chief, said on Thursday terrorists might hit the West again "at huge human cost" but nuclear proliferation by states was a more far-reaching danger.


   
   
APNewsBreak: Urgent request for Jackson tests (AP)
October 28, 2010 at 2:07 PM
 

FILE - In this March 5, 2009 file photo, US singer Michael Jackson is shown at a press conference in London.  (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, file)AP - Defense lawyers are seeking urgent tests of two syringes and an IV bag found in Michael Jackson's mansion, arguing that the evidence in the manslaughter case against the singer's doctor is drying up and deteriorating.