Various '7 billionth' babies celebrated worldwide

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Countries around the world marked the world's population reaching 7 billion Monday with lavish ceremonies for newborn infants symbolizing the milestone and warnings that there may be too many humans for the planet's resources.

While demographers are unsure exactly when the world's population will reach the 7 billion mark, the U.N. is using Monday to symbolically mark the day. A string of festivities are being held worldwide, with a series of symbolic 7-billionth babies being born.

The celebrations began in the Philippines, where baby Danica May Camacho was greeted with cheers and an explosion of photographers' flashbulbs at Manila's Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital. She arrived two minutes before midnight Sunday, but doctors say that was close enough to count for a Monday birthday.

The baby received a shower of gifts, from a chocolate cake marked "7B Philippines" to a gift certificate for shoes.

"She looks so lovely," the mother, Camille Galura, whispered as she cradled the 2.5-kilo (5.5-pound) baby, who was born about a month premature.

The baby was the second for Galura and her partner, Florante Camacho, a struggling driver who supports the family on a tiny salary.

Dr. Eric Tayag of the Philippines' Department of Health said later that the birth came with a warning.

"Seven billion is a number we should think about deeply," he said.

"We should really focus on the question of whether there will be food, clean water, shelter, education and a decent life for every child," he said. "If the answer is 'no,' it would be better for people to look at easing this population explosion."

No anthrax vaccine testing on children for now

An advisory board said Friday that ethical issues need to be resolved — but if that can be accomplished the vaccine can be tested in children to be sure it's safe and to learn the proper dose in case it's needed in a terrorist attack.

Because of concerns that terrorists might use the potentially deadly bacteria, the government has stockpiled the vaccine. It has been widely tested on adults but never on children.

The question is whether to do tests so doctors will know if children's immune systems respond to the shots well enough to signal protection. The children would not be exposed to anthrax.

The National Biodefense Science Board said Friday a separate review board should look into the ethical issues of doing such tests in children. If that is completed successfully, the panel, said, the Department of Health and Human Services should develop a plan for a study of the vaccine in children.

How to protect young people after an anthrax attack is a challenging issue, said Dr. Nicole Lurie, a member of the board and assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Public Health Service. "Protecting children still stands, for me, among the most important responsibilities that we have as a nation."

The board gives advice to the Department of Health and Human Services on preparations for chemical, biological and nuclear events. Its vote was 12-1.

There is no deadline for the government to decide whether to go along. And if it does agree, it's not clear how much time it would take to find money for such research and get clearance from review boards at medical centers that would conduct studies.

Another big question is whether parents would sign up their children to test a vaccine when there is no immediate threat. It's not possible to get anthrax from the vaccine, but there are side effects. In adults, shot-site soreness, muscle aches, fatigue and headache are the main ones, and rare but serious allergic reactions have been reported.

Anthrax is among several potential bioterror weapons and is of special interest because it was used in letters sent to the media and others in 2001, claiming five lives and sickening 17. That prompted extensive screening of mail and better ventilation and testing at postal facilities and government agencies.

The FBI has blamed the attacks-by-mail on Bruce Ivins, a scientist at an Army biodefense laboratory, who committed suicide before he could be charged.

Anthrax can be difficult to treat, especially if someone has breathed anthrax spores. Millions of doses of antibiotics have been stockpiled since the 2001 episode, and two experimental toxin-clearing treatments also are being stored.

U.S. troops deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan and some other countries are required to get anthrax shots. Since 1998, more than 1 million have been vaccinated. After lawsuits objecting to the requirement, a federal judge suspended the program in 2004, finding fault in the Food and Drug Administration's process for approving the drug. The next year, the FDA reaffirmed its finding that the vaccine was safe.

Oregon, Texas activists defy city requests

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Occupy activists in Portland, Ore., vowed to expand where they protest after the mayor told them to focus on their goals instead of the real estate they occupy.

"I hope in its next phase of growth it gets back to its core mission. The Occupy movement is not about expanding the takeover of local parks in cities like Portland where the mayor and the City Council are very supportive of the founding purpose of Occupy Wall Street," Mayor Sam Adams was quoted in The (Portland) Oregonian as saying.

"If this becomes about picking fights with local governments that are generally supportive of its founding purpose, I think it will lose its way," he said.

Cameron Whitten, 20 -- among 27 Occupy Portland activists arrested in a heated encounter with police early Sunday for refusing to leave a city park after a midnight curfew -- said protesters intended to expand their efforts beyond their downtown encampment in the wealthy Pearl District's Jamison Square park.

"Now we realize this is not just that park," Whitten told The Oregonian. "You've got Colonel Summers, you've got Holladay Park, you've got Piccolo Park, you've got Overlook Park.

"Each one of those has their own crowd" to which the movement can direct its message, he said.

City officials had no immediate response.

Meanwhile, Austin, Texas, officials asked activists to appoint leaders to work out new rules for the occupation after police arrested 30 men and seven women early Sunday for violating new rules forbidding a food-distribution table at the encampment from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The food table does not violate city ordinances, but officials thought prohibiting it would weed out troublemakers who have infiltrated the protest, Assistant City Manager Michael McDonald was quoted in the Austin American-Statesman as saying.

Authorities have received complaints about public urination, drug use and public sex in the City Hall encampment, Police Chief Art Acevedo said.

City leaders said they wanted Occupy Austin protesters to appoint leaders because negotiating with the amorphous group has been difficult, Acevedo said.

Working with a steering committee of occupiers would allow for more consistent, efficient decision making, he said.

The Occupy Austin activists had no immediate response.

In Tennessee, Occupy Nashville protesters arrested this weekend for refusing to leave a public park after curfew were freed by a judge who said the state had no authority to impose the curfew.

Gov. Bill Haslam's administration imposed a curfew in the encampment park citing safety concerns, and police took 29 activists into custody early Friday and then 26 more early Saturday.

But Night Court Magistrate Thomas Nelson let the activists go both times, refusing to sign arrest warrants for which he found no legal basis.

Nelson said the state changed the rules midstream, without giving the protesters time to apply for permits.

"For three weeks they've sat up there and protested, under no admonition whatsoever that they are violating state policy with regard to camping out ... or that they are committing a crime," WKRN-TV, Nashville, said Nelson told a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer. The highway patrol made the arrests.

"When the state issued its memorandum imposing a curfew and changing the rules, right in the middle of a protest, they can do that, but they have to give them adequate time to comply with those rules," he said.

The highway patrol issued a statement Sunday saying "the curfew remains in effect."

The ACLU of Tennessee said it would file a lawsuit challenging the curfew, The Tennessean reported.

Promising session brings new hope to league's lockout negotiations

At long last, the NBA looks forward to a day of promise. For the first time since Dirk Nowitzki's Mavericks finished off LeBron James' Heat in the NBA Finals four months ago, the league is within reach of rescuing itself from ruin.

On Friday, the owners and players will convene in the privacy of a New York meeting room in order to salvage the NBA's season by seeking accord on the crucial elements of a collective bargaining agreement that could enable basketball to be played by early December.

Talk of salvaging an 82-game slate -- as helpful as that would be financially and inspirationally -- is far less important than getting the details right on Friday. The negotiators spent more than 22 hours Wednesday and Thursday hammering away at a new system of financial rules that can maintain guaranteed contracts and free-agent opportunities for players while shrinking the competitive gap between the richest and less-rich franchises.

Those recent talks have provided commissioner David Stern with a vision for the rules that will govern the league in a new agreement, as he acknowledged Thursday night with unprecedented optimism. "I think we'll get there tomorrow," he said of Friday's talks, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Union executive director Billy Hunter agreed, describing a deal as "within striking distance."

Once they reach agreement on the "system issues" -- salary cap exceptions, luxury tax, raises, contract lengths -- they will attempt to work out a split of revenues. Last week the owners demanded a 50-50 sharing of the money, but then agreed to put aside that demand in order to renew conversations on the system this week.

"I expect that tomorrow we'll be in a position to see whether we've made adequate progress on that, to be able to turn to the split," said Stern.

Union economist Kevin Murphy was unavailable for Thursday's session, but will be back Friday to help resolve the most difficult financial issues.

Months of conversation and argument have enabled both sides to understand each other's positions. Weeks ago, the players were openly willing to surrender money in order to install a system to their liking. That barter has influenced the latest round of talks this week: If the owners want players to compromise down from their latest proposal guaranteeing them 52.5 percent of basketball-related income -- down from the 57 percent earned by players last season -- then the union's interests in the system have to be taken into account.

But that view is not necessarily shared by the NBA. "We don't see the two issues as tradeoffs," said deputy commissioner Adam Silver. "We don't need to know where we are or they are on BRI in order to discuss the system issues and vice versa. One goes to the overall economic health of the league, the other goes to competitive balance and parity.

"We need to resolve both issues and both issues are critical. One is not dependent on the other."

At the end, however, there may be a need for the owners to relent on the system in order to net the split of money they need in order to reach agreement. "For deal-making purposes, everything is on the table," offered Silver. "There's no question that trades are often made when you have the final pieces of a deal that you need to put together."

The optimism was tempered by an understanding that promising talks have broken down in previous weeks. Union president Derek Fisher pointed out that the momentum of this week's talks guarantee nothing, that finding agreement can grow "tougher down at the end."

A breakthrough would provide enormous relief to a league that simply cannot afford to lose the entire season. That both sides came back to the table after the acrimonious ending of last week's mediated talks served as proof of their shared understanding: They need each other desperately, because their league may not be able to recover from the consequences of an extended loss of games.

"There are no guarantees that we'll get it done, but we're going to give it one heck of a shot tomorrow," said Stern. "I think that Billy and the union's negotiators feel the same way. I know that ours do."

Rick Perry may pull out of Republican debates

Texas Governor Rick Perry may skip some upcoming Republican presidential debates in the race to challenge President Barack Obama, his campaign says, after he saw his frontrunner status fizzle out following a string of poor debate performances.

A decision to sidestep a campaign staple could cause other Republicans to bow out of the more than half-dozen face-offs scheduled between now and the first primary voting at the Iowa caucuses on 3 January.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who is considered the Republican candidate to beat because of his leads in national polls, fundraising and organisation, also has not committed to debating beyond Michigan.

Perry was a late entry in the Republican race, missing the first debate, and he quickly became the frontrunner only to fall behind following a series of mistakes.

Romney has failed to break away from the pack in polls, unable to ignite the party's conservative base who are suspicious about some of his liberal positions and his Mormon faith. Perry has attacked Romney on both such points .

Perry is essentially returning to the play-it-safe strategy he successfully employed in running three times for governor of Texas.

The state's longest-serving governor, he never has lost an election and has debated his rivals only when it could not be avoided. Perry has long conceded he's not a strong debater, and he contends that his up-close charisma and ability to take a more personalised message directly to voters is key. His closest advisers have built campaigns around that approach and their candidate's ferocious campaign-trail energy.

It remains unclear whether this approach will work in a national campaign, where debates provide candidates new to the national stage with a huge dose of free media as they look to make themselves better known to primary voters. The stakes are high. Do well, and you could enjoy a burst of momentum as Minnesota representative Michele Bachmann did over the summer. Perform poorly, and you risk falling out of favour, as Perry can attest.

Perry does plan to participate in a debate on 9 November, his sixth, but he has not committed to any others.

"We haven't said no, but we're looking at each debate," spokesman Mark Miner said. "There are numerous 15, 16, 17 debates, and we're taking a look at each one and we're making the appropriate consideration."

This year, the Republican primary debates have drawn large audiences and have significantly shaped the contours of the race. Eight debates have been held, and nearly a dozen more are scheduled before January's end.

In the debates so far, Perry has fluffed his lines of attack and rambled through answers. He has looked unprepared, if not angry and confused at times. In one debate, in which Perry's advisers thought he had improved, observers tagged him as a bully.

Last witness on stand for defense in Conrad Murray trial

Tune in to HLN for full coverage and analysis of the Conrad Murray trial and watch live, as it happens, on CNN.com/Live and CNN's mobile apps.

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Round two in the battle of the propofol experts enters its final stage Friday in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor as the defense anesthesiology expert resumes his testimony that began Thursday.

Dr. Paul White is expected to counter the conclusions of prosecution anesthesiologist Dr. Steven Shafer, whose earlier testimony spanned more than a week of Dr. Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial.

When the defense direct questioning of White concludes, likely around noon Friday, the court will recess until Monday morning when the prosecution will begin its cross-examination, according to the transcript of a meeting in the judge's chambers.

Closing arguments could come as soon as Tuesday in the trial that began in late September.

Dr. White said that after reviewing the reports, evidence and analysis from investigators in Jackson's death he was not convinced Dr. Murray was responsible.
Dr. Conrad Murray listens to testimony Thursday during his involuntary manslaughter trial into Michael Jackson\'s death.
Dr. Conrad Murray listens to testimony Thursday during his involuntary manslaughter trial into Michael Jackson's death.

"I was somewhat perplexed at how a determination has been made that Dr. Murray was infusing propofol," White said. "It wasn't obvious to me, I thought there were questions."

A drug-addiction specialist testified earlier Thursday that Jackson was "probably addicted" to a powerful painkiller given him during frequent visits to a Beverly Hills dermatologist in the three months before his death.

Dr. Robert Waldman was called by the defense in an effort to show Jackson's insomnia the day he died could have been caused by withdrawal from Demerol shots he was given along with botox injections, treatments that Dr. Murray didn't know about.

White, who is the last witness before the defense rests, spent most of the first two hours establishing his credentials as one of the world's foremost experts on the surgical anesthetic propofol, which the coroner ruled was the chief drug that killed Jackson.

The personal and professional rivalry between Dr. White and Dr. Shafer played an odd role in Thursday's testimony.

White's longtime friendship with Shafer has been tested during the Murray trial, including an incident last week that resulted in the judge scheduling a contempt-of-court hearing against White for next month.
Jackson 'probably addicted to opioids'
Dr. Drew, Dr. Klein's attorney debate
Former patient kisses Dr. Conrad Murray

At one point Thursday, White suggested someone "tell Dr. Shafer he needs to learn how to spell plasma," because it was misspelled on a graph he created. The prosecutor said Shafer did not make the graph.

White, however, attempted to downplay his rivalry with Shafer when the judge mistakenly called White "Dr. Shafer" for a second time.

Syrians stage yet another pro-regime rally

BEIRUT (AP) — State-run Syrian TV is broadcasting footage of another massive pro-regime gathering in support of President Bashar Assad as authorities try to galvanize supporters in the face of a seven-month uprising.

Thousands took to the streets on Thursday in the coastal city of Latakia, carrying Syrian flags and chanting in support of reform measures that Assad recently proclaimed.

The large turnout was the second in as many days, after a similar rally Wednesday in the capital, Damascus.

The uprising against Assad is the most serious threat to his family's four-decade dynasty. Protest leaders reject any dialogue with the regime while it continues its brutal crackdown, which the U.N. says has killed more than 3,000 people since March.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BEIRUT (AP) — Arab officials held a "frank and friendly" meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad Wednesday, the head of the delegation said at the beginning of a regional effort to resolve a bloody 7-month revolt, the most serious challenge yet to the four decade Assad dynasty.

The Arab committee is trying to start talks between Assad's government and its opponents, but protest leaders reject any dialogue with the regime while it continues its brutal crackdown, which the U.N. says has killed more than 3,000 people since March.

Activists said at least 15 civilians were killed Wednesday in military operations across the country, 12 of them in the flashpoint central city of Homs.

The meeting in Damascus between the Arab ministerial committee and Assad came hours after tens of thousands of Syrians packed a main square in the Syrian capital, chanting, "the people want Bashar Assad." Assad succeeded his father, and together the family has ruled Syria for more than 40 years.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabr Al Thani was quoted as saying that the Arab delegation felt that the Syrian government is eager to work with the Arab committee "in order to reach a solution."

Sheik Hamad told reporters that the Arab committee and the Syrian government will hold another meeting on Sunday either in Syria or in Qatar.

"What is important for us is that there are no victims from any side in Syria," Sheik Hamad told reporters. "The fighting should stop and the dialogue should begin between the Syrian brothers so that, God willing, they agree on points that fulfill people demands."

Syria has rejected previous Arab initiatives, and it was not clear if this would be different, or if the regime was trying to gain time to try to crush the uprising.

The Arab officials' visit follows a meeting in Cairo last week by the 22-nation Arab League, which gave Syria until the end of the month to end military operations, release detainees arrested in the crackdown, and start a dialogue with the opposition.

Human Rights Watch quoted Syrian activists as saying at least 186 protesters and residents have been killed in Syria since the Cairo meeting.

The activists said towns and villages in southern and central Syria, as well as some areas in the north and east, closed their businesses in compliance with an opposition call for a general strike.

Amateur videos showed shops closed in different parts of the country as well as counter-demonstrations to the one held in Damascus. One of the largest took place in the village of Halfaya in the central province of Hama.

A giant banner raised on an electricity pole there read: "To the Arab League. How do you want us to have a dialogue with the killer of children and women when all laws say that the killer should not be negotiated with, but put on trial?"

The Syrian government has staunchly defended its crackdown on protesters, saying it is the target of a foreign conspiracy.

Bassma Kodmani, spokeswoman for the broad-based opposition group, the Syrian National Council, said it is "impossible" to talk about a dialogue within the current security crackdown.

"And even if the right conditions for dialogue prevail, the only thing to discuss would be a roadmap for the peaceful transfer of power," she told The Associated Press.

"Russia gives Bashar international protection, Iran gives him weapons, and Arabs give him time," read a banner carried by protesters in northern Syria Tuesday evening. "No dialogue with the killer of children," read another.

Human Rights Watch called on the Arab ministers to demand that the government allow independent, civilian monitors into Syria to observe the behavior of security forces.

In a pro-government rally timed to coincide with the Arab ministers' visit, tens of thousands of Syrians carrying white, red and black flags and posters of Assad gathered at Damascus' Omayyad square .

The opposition says authorities regularly stage such rallies in support of the embattled leader.

Assad still has significant support among Syrians, including those who benefited financially from the regime, minority groups who fear they will be targeted if the Sunni majority takes over, and others who see no clear and safe alternative to the president. He also still has the loyalty of the bulk of the armed forces, key to his remaining in power.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other rights groups said 15 civilians were killed Wednesday in shootings by security forces nationwide, including 12 in the rebellious city of Homs. The Observatory also reported 11 soldiers were killed in Hama province when the bus they were traveling in was hit by a rocket propelled grenade.

The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group, also said 15 people were killed Wednesday nationwide, most of them in Homs.

In Washington. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland expressed hope that U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford would return to Damascus in a month. He was withdrawn this week after the U.S. said "credible threats" were made against him. Ford often defied Syrian demands that he refrain from visiting areas where protests are strong.

She said the U.S. will expect Syria's government to stop its attacks on Ford through state-sponsored media.

"He's bought his Thanksgiving turkey for his embassy staff," Nuland told reporters. "So that's our expectation. It'll be, you know, sometime before Thanksgiving," which is in late November.

Zeina Karam can be reached on http://twitter.com/zkaram

U.N. To Consider Plan That Could End NATO’s Libya Mission

The U.N. Security Council is expected to consider a draft resolution that would effectively end authorization of NATO's mission in Libya, in spite of calls from Libyan officials for the mission to be extended.

Diplomats say the Council may consider the plan as early as Thursday.

Last week, NATO announced preliminary plans to phase out the six-month-old air campaign on October 31. But, NATO ministers meeting in Brussels on Wednesday decided to postpone a decision until Friday.

Meanwhile, Libya's interim leaders urged NATO to continue its mission until at least the end of the year. National Transitional Council head Mustafa Abdel Jalil said the move would help prevent fighters loyal to Moammar Gadhafi from regrouping and posing a security threat.

A possible decision on ending the mission comes in the wake of Gadhafi's death last week. He was fatally wounded as provisional government forces stormed his hometown of Sirte.

The NATO operations in Libya were launched under a Security Council resolution to protect civilians from attacks by Gadhafi's military during the conflict.

Lung cancer screening with X-rays isn't beneficial

CHICAGO, IL -- A major government study is challenging a once-common type of screening for lung cancer.

The study of more than 150,000 older Americans shows routine chest X-rays do not prevent lung cancer deaths, not even in smokers or former smokers.

The study found those who had four annual chest X-ray screenings were just as likely to die of lung cancer as participants who didn't have those tests.

The results from the National Cancer Institute-funded research confirm previous, smaller X-ray studies. They follow another big study from that institute favoring a newer, more sophisticated imaging test.

That study found fewer lung cancer deaths among current or former heavy smokers who had special CT imaging scans.

CT scans provide much more detailed images and while no major medical group recommends any type of routine lung cancer screening, several are preparing new guidelines.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

2nd UPDATE: Olympus' Kikukawa Resigns As Chairman, President

-Olympus says Tsuyoshi Kikukawa has resigned as chairman and president

--Shuichi Takayama replaces Kikukawa as president, effective immediately

--Kikukawa's resignation comes amid questions about the company's past deals raised by its British former president

(Adds Woodford's comment in 7th and 8th paragraphs)

By Juro Osawa

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Olympus Corp. (7733.TO) said Wednesday that Tsuyoshi Kikukawa has resigned as chairman and president and becomes a director without representative rights, effective immediately.

The decision, made at a board meeting earlier in the day, comes as the Japanese maker of medical equipment and cameras faces a major crisis because of questions about acquisitions in recent years raised by the company's British former chief executive who was removed from all executive posts Oct. 14.

Olympus said in a statement Kikukawa is stepping down as the company takes into account "the fact that a series of media reports and declines in share prices arising from the change in presidency Oct. 14 have caused concerns and inconveniences in various places such as our customers, business clients and shareholders."

Director Shuichi Takayama replaces Kikukawa as president, the company said.

Former CEO and president Michael Woodford has said he was fired after raising questions about payments relating to acquisitions made before Woodford joined the board. The company said Oct. 14 that Woodford was removed due to "major differences in management style."

The payments questioned by Woodford include the acquisitions of small Japanese companies for a total of Y73.49 billion between 2006 and 2008, and $687 million paid to a company that provided financial advice in the 2008 acquisition of U.K. medical technology firm Gyrus Group Ltd.

Whether Kikukawa's resignation alone can really change the company is unclear, said Woodford in a phone interview shortly after the company released the statement.

"All board members acted as one entity," he said, noting that Takayama, the new president, was one of the board members who voted to remove Woodford.

Separately, a person familiar with the matter said Japan's securities watchdog is monitoring whether Olympus has appropriately disclosed information on past M&A activities in financial statements.

"The SESC is closely watching the company's disclosure-related activity," the person said.

The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission said it cannot comment on individual cases or companies.

Olympus also said in its disclosure that Takayama only holds Y16,700 shares in the company.

In trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Olympus shares closed down 7.6% at Y1,099.

-By Juro Osawa, Dow Jones Newswires; 813 6269 2794; juro.osawa@dowjones.com

Tear gas used on Occupy protesters in Oakland

(CNN) -- Authorities made a series of arrests at Occupy Wall Street protests in California and Georgia Tuesday with clashes in one city that involved tear gas being used on demonstrators.

Police said they sprayed protesters in Oakland, California, after the crowd hit them with paint and other objects.

The crowd of about 500 people defied calls to leave an area of downtown Oakland on Tuesday, according to police. Protesters had camped for weeks in several areas in the city, including near City Hall, police said.

"The city remains committed to respecting free speech as well as maintaining the city's responsibility to protect public health and safety," Oakland police said in a statement.
Police arrested demonstrators at Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, overnight. The arrests came after Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said he sent ministers to the park "to see if we can find a way to resolve this amicably." A protester at the park said he was scared.

"It's very intimidating," said Malcolm McKenzie. "I believe what we're doing is right, but we're going to jail. It hurts to see America do this to people who want change."

It was unclear how many people were arrested in both cities. CNN affiliate KGO reported that at least 85 people were arrested during an early morning raid in one part of Oakland and there were other arrests throughout the day.

Oakland and Atlanta are two of many cities worldwide dealing with the Occupy Wall Street protests, the leaderless movement that started in New York in September.

Demonstrators have typically railed against what they describe as corporate greed, arrogance and power, as well as repeatedly stated their assertion that the nation's wealthiest 1% held inordinate sway over the remaining 99% of the population.

U.S. dismantles last of powerful nuclear bombs

(Reuters) - The United States dismantled the oldest nuclear bomb in its Cold War arsenal -- and one of the most powerful it ever built -- on Tuesday as part of President Barack Obama's nuclear security policy.

The magaton-class nuclear bomb the size of a minivan and weighing about 10,000 pounds was dismantled at a nuclear weapons storage facility outside Amarillo, Texas.

"This was one of the largest bombs in the American arsenal," said Joshua McConaha, Public Affairs Director for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

He said the exact strength of the bomb -- known as the B53 -- remains classified, but it is believed to have been many hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.

Built at the height of the Cold War in the 1962, the bomb was designed to be dropped onto a target by a massive B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber. McConaha says it contained about 300 pounds of high explosive surrounding the uranium, referred to as 'the pit.'

"The world is a safer place with this dismantlement," said Thomas D'Agostino, Under Secretary of Energy and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

"The B53 was a weapon developed in another time for a different world. Today, we are moving beyond the Cold War nuclear weapons complex that built this type of weapons," he said.

The process of eliminating the massive nuclear weapons, known as "the last of the big dogs," began 14 years ago.

"It started with retiring a weapon from active or inactive service," McConaha said. "In this case, President Clinton did that back in the nineties, in 1997."

Many B53s were retired before that, but a "significant number" had remained in the U.S. arsenal, McConaha said.

In addition to challenges related to the bomb's massive size and awesome explosive punch, the dismantlement process was made more difficult by the weapon's use of older technology developed by engineers who have since died.

The explosive is carefully separated from the nuclear materials, McConaha explained. Some materials will be reused, while most of the bomb will be shredded and disposed of.

The number of B53s that were once in service, and the number that have been disassembled, remains classified, but McConaha confirmed that Tuesday's bomb was the final one.

(Editing by Jerry Norton and Anthony Boadle)

Cigna Agrees to Buy Healthspring Inc. for $3.8B, Expands Medicare Business

Cigna Corp., the fifth-largest U.S. insurer, agreed to buy Healthspring Inc., a health-maintenance organization, for $3.8 billion as a way to increase the number of Medicare customers it serves, Bloomberg reports.

With the purchase of Healthspring, Cigna will add an additional 1.17 million customers served by Medicare.

“Our focus will be on ways to expand in the individual market in the U.S.,” Cigna Chief Executive Officer David Cordani told Bloomberg. As for Healthspring, “We're excited about the growth potential. We have wanted to do this for a while and the timing seems right.”

The Healthspring acquisition fits with the way the market is growing because of an aging population and the 2010 healthcare overhaul, Cordani told Bloomberg on a conference call. Medicare managed-care plans are among the fastest-growing products for health insurers as the baby boomer generation ages.

The Healthspring purchase is the largest managed-care deal announced this year, according to Bloomberg data. It is the second for Cigna in 2011. The company agreed last month to buy Firstassist Insurance Services, a U.K. travel and protection insurer.

According to Bloomberg, Cordani said in the telephone interview that Cigna will also seek to expand in the individual-policyholders market as the nation prepares to open state health insurance exchanges for consumers as mandated by the 2010 healthcare overhaul.

2,000-year-old stellar mystery solved

(CBS/AP) 
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Astronomers finally know why the first documented supernova was super-sized.
The exploded star was observed by the ancient Chinese in the year 185, and visible for eight months. It was later found to be a bigger-than-expected supernova remnant, 8,000 light years away.
New observations in the infrared show the explosion took place in a cavity in space. Researchers said that this "hollowed-out cavity" of space was relatively free of gas and dust, thus allowing the stellar shrapnel to shoot faster and farther out into the universe.
The star - similar to our sun - died peacefully and turned into a dense white dwarf. It sucked up material from another star, and then exploded in a supernova.
NASA announced the findings Monday. Four space telescopes were used in the study.
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer were used to take infrared views of the supernova.
What caused the explosion nearly 2,000 years ago. Astronomers now believe what the locals saw was a Type Ia supernova, in which an otherwise-stable white dwarf, or dead star, got pushed beyond the brink of stability when a companion star dumped material onto it.
"This supernova remnant got really big, really fast," said Brian Williams, an astronomer at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, in a statement. "It's two to three times bigger than we would expect for a supernova that was witnessed exploding nearly 2,000 years ago. Now, we've been able to finally pinpoint the cause."

Jagr busts out of scoreless slump with first 2 goals for Flyers since return from Russia

PHILADELPHIA — Jaromir Jagr flashed a few reminders of his old MVP style.
That signature move. He broke out a salute to fans and his Philadelphia Flyers teammates after each of his two goals — a trademark Jagr hadn’t regularly displayed since his Pittsburgh Penguins days.

That smile. After a rough start to the season, Jagr had a pair of wide grins to celebrate the goals that helped snap the Flyers out of a two-game funk.
That celebration. Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds leapt into Jagr’s arms after his first goal and the rest of his teammates mobbed him as if he had scored the winning goal in a playoff game. In NFL terms, it was Mile High Salute meets Lambeau Leap.
In his NHL return, Jagr has become an instant team leader and fan favorite, even as concerns over his scoring slump lingered.
Not any more.
“I’ll take Jagr on any goalie in the league, any time,” Flyers forward Scott Hartnell said.
All that was missing was the mullet.
Jagr and Hartnell each scored two goals in Philadelphia’s 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, giving the Flyers a reason to feel good about a game where they lost captain Chris Pronger to a serious eye injury.
Jagr had the breakout game courtesy of the breakaway.
Both of his goals came when it was Jagr-on-Jonas Gustavsson and nothing but ice between them. Jagr scored his first NHL goal since April 6, 2008, courtesy of a sweet feed from Claude Giroux, when he split a pair of defenders and skated into the open ice for a power-play goal late in the first period.
After the Maple Leafs cut the deficit to 3-2 in the third, Jagr found himself all alone on a breakaway for the easy score — and one more salute.
“You don’t want to see Jaromir Jagr coming in alone with nobody around him,” Toronto coach Ron Wilson said. “He is going to more than likely bury it. Another breakaway. We had them on the fullcourt press. He’s a fantastic player when he gets time and space like that.”
Jagr had his best game as a Flyer since he returned from a three-year stint in the Kontinental Hockey League for Avangard Omsk. He enjoyed Russia, but wanted one more shot at the NHL. He played last spring for the Czech Republic in the world championships, totaling nine points in nine games, and proved he had still had something left in the tank.
The preseason returns for the 1999 league MVP showed he hadn’t lost much of a step. Jagr scored four goals and it was natural to think that would carry over into the regular season.
Not quite. Jagr had four assists, but struggled to find shots, much less the net. Even for a veteran and a Stanley Cup champion, the goal-scoring drought affected his confidence.
Jagr changed everything from his skates and gloves to mix up his luck. He laughed when he said he was hit during warmups, which might have jostled free the recipe for that old scoring touch.
“I thought I was going to play better than I did, that’s for sure,” Jagr said. “After a while, you’re mentally tired and you’re pressing and you just can’t score. You stop playing your game. A lot of stuff is mental, trust me. You could see the difference on anybody when they score and when they don’t score.”
Jagr now has 648 goals in his NHL career, ranking among the game’s all-time best. The Czech star is one of 25 players with a Stanley Cup and gold medals from the Olympics and world championships. His teammates preached patience as Jagr adjusts to an evolved NHL game.
“He had a great preseason and I think everyone was expecting 50 goals in 50 games,” Hartnell said. “It’s not reality.”
Jagr had so much fun, he bust out the salute for busting out of the slump. Jagr said he hadn’t pulled off the move in 15 years.
“We had a little wager going on the side to see if he was going to do it or not,” Hartnell said. “He hasn’t lost a step with that. It’s nice to see him with a big grin on his face.”
The Flyers needed a reason to smile after losing Pronger, their star defenseman and leader, to a serious eye injury. Pronger will miss two to three weeks and spend the next few days on bed rest after taking a brutal blow to the outside of the right eye.
Pronger and Toronto’s Mikhail Grabovski sprinted for a loose puck in the circle after a rebound off Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in the first period. Grabovski slapped at the puck, but his stick connected with Pronger’s and the blade shot straight up into the defenseman’s face.
Pronger, who does not wear a visor, complained of blurred vision.
“I think he was very scared and rightly so,” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. “When something like that happens to your eye, you’re worried about what’s going on. I think he settled down over a period of time and was fine when he left.”
In the postgame locker room, Flyers were visibly relieved when questions shifted from Pronger to Jagr.
Jagr had his 114th career two-goal game — but with both scores on breakaways, he knows he has to find more creative methods.
“I’ve got to find another move,” Jagr said, with one final big smile on the night.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Officials say India close to wiping out polio

India has not had a case of polio in nine months, raising hopes the country is on the verge of defeating the debilitating disease, health officials said Monday.

India remains one of only four countries in the world where polio is still endemic, but the period without a case marks the longest the country has been polio free since eradication efforts were launched here nearly two decades ago.

"We are close to our goal, but are not taking any chances," said Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The last new case was reported in January in West Bengal state and no cases have been reported in the traditional polio reservoirs of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states in more than a year, he said.

India's success has followed "persistent efforts over the last few years in the highest risk areas and in reaching the most vulnerable populations, such as newborns, migrants and mobile populations," said Azad.

A sustained immunization campaign continues in all high risk areas and any fresh case of the virus would be declared a public health emergency, he said.

Health officials remain concerned about the possibility of the virus slipping back into the country from neighboring Pakistan, another polio-endemic country, where a spate of cases have been reported.

Health authorities have set up polio immunization booths at the two border crossings with Pakistan and all children who enter by road and train are being administered a vaccine.

Polio is also endemic in Nigeria and Afghanistan.

Uttar Pradesh, the epicenter of almost all polio virus outbreaks in India, has not reported a case of the disease since April 2010, while the neighboring state of Bihar has not reported a case since September 2010, according to UNICEF.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/science/article_4926b418-91eb-5c22-841b-5741d05e7156.html#ixzz1bgzFKpgZ

Jennifer Lopez Pays Tribute to Exes Ben Affeck, Diddy, Marc Anthony During Concert

Jennifer Lopez
FOX
"A little trip down memory lane," the actress-singer says as several dancers -- resembling her past loves -- perform onstage and she tears up.

Jennifer Lopez acknowledged her past romances in a concert over the weekend.
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In her Mohegan Sun concert in Montville, Conn., on Saturday, the singer-actress trotted out a parade of dancers --- resembling her past exes, including ex-boyfirned Diddy, ex-fiance Ben Affleck and husband of seven years Marc Anthony, with whom she separated in July -- for a montage about "love," according to Us Weekly.

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"You want to talk about love? I can talk about love. Oh, the stories!" the American Idol judge said before singing her hit "If You Had My Love."

Of the song, she said: "That's the first song I wrote about love. And this is the last song I wrote about love. A lot has happened since then!"

She then sang one of her newer songs as a group of male and female dancers performed behind her -- including the lookalikes.

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"A little trip down memory lane," she said before pausing and looking down. The camera at the concert then zoomed in on her face, showing her about to tear up. Upon seeing this, the crowd gave her a standing ovation.

Despite her split from Anthony, the duo are still scheduled to shoot their Latin talent show Q'Viva: The Chosen -- along with director-choregrapher Jamie King -- from October through January. During that time, they’ll scour Latin America for untapped talent -- singers, dancers, musicians, and performers -- while also documenting their own transcontinental travels.

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Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment recently reveale its first three broadcast network partners for the program, which include Univision, Televisa and Caracol TV in the U.S., Mexico and Colombia, respectively.

A total of 21 countries are slated to carry the show, which is being filmed in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Apple Posts Video of Steve Jobs Celebration

SAN FRANCISCO—Apple Inc. posted a video on its website Sunday of last week's employee memorial for co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in early October after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer.
SAN FRANCISCO—Apple Inc. posted a video on its website Sunday of last week's employee memorial for co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in early October after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer.
The posting of the video comes after more than two weeks of grieving for the technology icon. Immediately following Mr. Jobs's death Oct. 5 at the age of 56, thousands of fans around the world flocked to blogs, social networks and Apple's retail stores to post messages honoring Mr. Jobs and to express their condolences.

Apple's decision to publish the video comes as a highly anticipated biography of Mr. Jobs is due to begin selling by Monday. Preorders for the book, which was written by Walter Isaacson following more than 40 interviews with Mr. Jobs, have topped best-seller lists for weeks.

It isn't clear when the video will be made available to visitors to the site with non-U.S. IP addresses.

Police: Cadaver dog 'hit' at missing baby's home

The affidavit, released Friday after being filed earlier this week in support of a search warrant targeting the family's home, also stated that the girl's mother, Deborah Bradley, "made the statement she did not initially look for her baby behind the house because she 'was afraid of what she might find.'"

Those details and others in the affidavit, publicly released for the first time Friday, led to a daylong search Wednesday of the family's home, where the parents say then-10-month-old Lisa Irwin must have been snatched in the middle of the night as the mother and two other boys slept. Bradley and the baby's father, Jeremy Irwin, reported the girl missing on Oct. 4 and have denied any role in the disappearance while insisting police have pointed the finger at them.

The affidavit stated that an FBI cadaver dog taken into the house Monday indicated a "positive 'hit' for the scent of a deceased human in an area of the floor of Bradley's bedroom near the bed."

The FBI dogs, which often are used at both disaster and crime scenes, are trained "specially to recognize the scent of decaying, decomposing human flesh," retired FBI special agent Jeff Lanza said Friday.

"That can be the scent of an actual body decomposing, or residual scents after the body is no longer there," Lanza said.

Dr. Edward David, a deputy chief medical examiner for the state of Maine and co-author of the "Cadaver Dog Handbook," said that when a body is left in one spot for several hours, cells are left behind. They continue to decompose and create an odor, giving the dog scents to detect.

He said that while trained dogs may fail to detect the smell of human decomposition about 30 percent of the time, they generally don't alert when nothing is there. One exception is when human waste is present.

Joe Tacopina, a New York lawyer hired by a benefactor he has not identified to represent Bradley and Irwin, said the dog could have detected "a dirty diaper or 10 other non-human-remains items."

But granting that cadaver dogs are trained chiefly to detect decomposing flesh, "There's really no scenario where this baby, God forbid she was dead, would have decomposed in that short a period of time," Tacopina told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday night.

The court document also indicated police felt they needed handheld digging tools after an investigator noticed dirt in a garden area behind the home appeared to have been "recently disturbed or overturned." During Wednesday's search, investigators could be seen digging behind a shed in the backyard. Among other revelations in the affidavit:

—Officers searched all rooms in the house and the basement after being called to the home Oct. 4. Officers sought evidence but because the parents said the baby had been abducted, the only areas extensively processed for DNA and fingerprints were the baby's bedroom and possible entry points.

—The parents had told police that three cell phones were missing. The affidavit said a phone had since been found in a desk drawer, but that phone wasn't one of those reported missing. The missing phones haven't been found.

—Interviews with people involved in the case revealed "conflicting information for clear direction in the investigation."

Another document released Friday revealed some of what police recovered from the home during Wednesday's search: a comforter and blanket, some clothes, rolls of tape and a tape dispenser. The family's local lawyer, Cynthia Short, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on the documents, and police declined to discuss what they found.

But before the affidavit was released, a statement issued by Short's office insisted the parents had no role in the disappearance and disputed claims that the parents aren't cooperating with police. The statement said the parents have consented to "unfettered access" to their property and allowed police to take hair and other samples.

"They have taken all calls from detectives, and answered questions posed again and again," the statement read. "In the initial hours of the investigation, they tolerated accusations, volunteered to take polygraph examinations; continued to work with detectives even after the interviews turned into pointed accusations.

Thailand’s prime minister says floods may take 6 weeks to recede, more than 110,000 displaced

BANGKOK — Thailand’s catastrophic floods may take up to six weeks to recede, the prime minister said Saturday, as the human toll from the crisis rose to 356 dead and more than 110,000 displaced.
Excessive monsoon rains have drowned a third of the Southeast Asian nation since late July, causing billions of dollars in damage and putting nearly 700,000 people temporarily out of work.

Colossal pools of runoff from the north have been bearing down on the capital for the last two weeks. In recent days, water has overwhelmed districts just outside Bangkok’s northern boundaries, while on Friday, floodwaters began spilling over canals in some of the city’s outermost districts, causing minor damage to homes.
Some flooding on Bangkok’s outskirts was expected after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered floodgates opened in a risky move to drain the dangerous runoff through urban canals and into the sea. So far, most of the vast metropolis of 9 million people has escaped unharmed, and its two airports are operating normally.
In a weekly radio address Saturday, Yingluck said that “during the next four to six weeks, the water will recede.”
In the meantime, the government will step up aid to those whose lives have been disrupted, including 113,000 people Yingluck said were living in temporary shelters forced to abandon submerged homes.
The government said at least 356 people had died in the floods since July.
The floods are the worst to hit the country since 1942, and the crisis is proving a major test for Yingluck’s nascent government, which took power in July after heated elections.
The Labor Ministry says the flooding has put nearly 700,000 temporarily people out of work, many of them from five major industrial estates north of Bangkok that were forced to suspend operations. Among those affected are Japanese carmakers Toyota and Honda, which have halted major assembly operations, and a slew of automotive parts makers.
The electronics industry has also suffered, with the best-known victim being U.S. hard drive maker Western Digital, which has two major production facilities in the flooded zone.
While Bangkok has mostly survived unscathed, images of disaster just outside the city have spooked residents, who are girding for the worst after Yingluck urged all Bangkokians to move valuables to higher ground.
Thousands of cars are parked alongside elevated highways as drivers try to safeguard their vehicles. And some supply lines are being affected; one Thai company that delivers drinking water to city residents and businesses sent out an SMS to customers announcing its services had been halted because of the crisis.
“The flooding this time is a critical problem,” Yingluck said. “We need cooperation and sacrifice from everyone.”
To fight the crisis, Yingluck on Friday invoked her powers under a disaster law that give her overriding authority over all other official bodies, including local governments. The move should allow better coordination with the municipal authorities in Bangkok and helps project Yingluck as a take-charge leader, after weeks of seeming indecision and confusion.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Eurozone finance ministers agree banks should take bigger losses, key to reducing Athens’ debt

BRUSSELS — Eurozone finance ministers agreed that banks should accept bigger losses on their Greek bonds but would not say Saturday how large the writedowns would be.
The move is a key step in helping Athens eventually dig out from underneath its debt burden. But asking banks to more significantly write down their Greek debt will raise concerns about their ability to withstand the losses. As a result, EU ministers meeting in Brussels are also expected to force the banks to raise billions in capital for their rainy-day funds.

Both measures are critical to solving Europe’s debt crisis, which is now threatening to engulf larger economies like Italy and Spain and is blamed for dampening growth across Europe and even the world.
“The crisis in the eurozone is doing real damage to many of the European economies, including Britain,” George Osborne, Britain’s chancellor of the exchequer, said as he headed into Saturday’s meeting. “We have had enough of short-term measures, sticking plasters that get us through the next few weeks.”
European leaders had promised just such a solution would come from a summit on Sunday, but they have now scheduled another one for Wednesday. Still, this weekend, they appeared to be making progress.
And a not a moment too soon: A new report from Greece’s international debt inspectors said Athens won’t be able to raise money on financial markets until 2021 unless it is allowed to write off more of its debt load.
In July, banks had tentatively agreed to take a loss of about 21 percent on Greek bonds. But if that percentage doesn’t increase, the inspectors said the country will need as much as €252 billion ($350 billion) in new loans through 2020, according to the report, which was given to the ministers on Friday and seen by The Associated Press.
To avoid having to pour more money into Greece, finance ministers from the 17 countries that use the euro have agreed that the banks need to take on more losses.
“Yesterday we agreed that we need a substantial increase in the contribution from the banks,” said Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg’s prime minister who also chairs the meetings of eurozone finance ministers.
Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter said the eurozone’s chief negotiator with banks had been asked to restart those discussions.
Juncker would not say how big the contribution would be, but Germany is pushing to have Greece’s private creditors take losses of 50 percent to 60 percent
According to the report, Greece’s debt will peak at 186 percent of GDP in 2013 and only decline to 152 percent by the end of 2020. Germany wants that brought down to 120 percent of GDP.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Red Bulls Bring Home Final Spot in Playoffs

HARRISON, N.J. — On a cool autumn night, the Red Bulls were at their most crisp and intense when anything less would have been unacceptable. Playing without their suspended captain and leading scorer, Thierry Henry, the Red Bulls took advantage of an early goal to defeat the Philadelphia Union, 1-0, before their fourth sellout crowd of the season at Red Bull Arena and pocket the 10th and final playoff berth in Major League Soccer. The team is unbeaten when scoring first under Coach Hans Backe.

Now it is time for the Red Bulls to sit back over the weekend and watch the rest of the games play out before finding who they will play in the first round of the postseason. The only certainty is that the match will be on the road, next Wednesday or Thursday.

“This season has been crazy, with injuries, national team call-ups, all the ties,” defender Tim Ream said. “It’s something I don’t ever want to experience again.”

After an abysmal summer in which the Red Bulls went eight games without a victory, the team now has a clean slate and the belief that it is capable of raising its game. The mantra was that they would be dangerous if they reached the playoffs. Now they will have a chance validate those sentiments.

“I think there are a lot of teams out there that don’t want to see the Red Bulls in the playoffs,” said defender Jan Gunnar Solli, whose cross from the right led to an own goal in the eighth minute of play. “It’s about restarting our season. We showed passion tonight. It shows we have a big potential. Yes, it’s been a bumpy season, but tonight we had a bit of luck and a good performance.”

Dax McCarty was slotted into the midfield in Henry’s absence while Luke Rodgers and Dane Richards, perhaps the two shortest players on any team’s front line, threatened the Union with their speed. Minutes into the match, McCarty sent Solli down the right flank with a lead pass. Solli touched the ball once and hit a cross into the 6-yard box where Richards, only 5 feet 7 inches, lost his marker, leaped and got his head to the ball. It bounded off the near post, hit the back of Philadelphia goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon and rolled into the net.

Richards and header are not words that usually go together. Asked if he had ever seen himself using his head to make a difference, Richards smiled and said: “I’d probably laugh at you. I was just trying to keep the ball on target.”

The Red Bulls, who finished 10-8-16 for 46 points, played with more commitment, intensity and flair than they had most of the season. They played as if the game mattered, which it most certainly did. There are many playoff possibilities, enough to give the most ardent mathematician a headache.

“We’re in, that’s all that counts,” Backe said. “This game means so much after such a rough season.”

He added: “This game is special because we’ve given away so many games with unforced errors. For this game we needed to be direct and a bit cynical. Don’t give away chances. Today we were direct, trying to get long balls to Luke and Dane.”

Philadelphia, playing in its second season in M.L.S., came into the match with a chance to take over first place in the Eastern Conference. Coached by Peter Nowak, the club was hoping to secure one of the top three spots in the conference and earn a first-round bye. Now Philadelphia could fall into the four-team play-in that starts the postseason.

Throughout the season, the Union have been sparked by the play of the tireless striker Sebastien Le Toux, who leads the team with 11 goals. But against the Red Bulls, Le Toux was shadowed tenaciously by Teemu Tainio in the midfield, then by Stephen Keel and Ream on the back line.

“Our key was to find him at every point on the field,” Backe said. “He has phenomenal timing and he’s able to spin and find the ball with his speed. The key was for us to put on pressure up high on the pitch and force the play.”

The Red Bulls could easily have put the game away in the first 45 minutes had it not been for Mondragon. Other than his unfortunate mistake on the own goal, he denied scoring attempts by Richards in the 17th minute, Rodgers in the 27th and Joel Lindpere in the 43rd minute.

No matter. The lone goal stood up and the regular season is only a painful memory, easily forgotten.

UCLA staggers to a 48-12 loss to Arizona

Reporting from Tucson -- A man dressed as a referee waved a play dead, walked in from the sidelines and then tried to disrobe as he ran across the field.

UCLA and Arizona players squared off at midfield, bringing teammates charging from both sides.

Arizona's Shaquille Richardson and UCLA's Taylor Embree were ejected.

Four seconds still remained in the first half and what the Bruins had hoped would be a defining moment under Coach Rick Neuheisel had been reduced to an embarrassing one.

By the time the Wildcats wrapped up a 48-12 victory and were done kicking desert sand in Bruin faces, there was little evidence that UCLA belonged in the Pacific 12 Conference race.

"I'm disappointed and at loss for words in respect to the fact that this thing got out of hand so quickly," Neuheisel said.

"This was definitely a step in the wrong direction. But I still hold out my feeling that we can and will turn the corner."
The Bruins walked into Arizona Stadium with a chance to slip into a first-place tie for the South Division lead with Arizona State and USC. They stumbled out embarrassed and downcast.

"Leaving the hotel, I absolutely felt we were prepared to play," a pensive-looking Neuheisel said. "I had zero worries about our ability to come out and play."

UCLA (3-4 overall, 2-2 in Pac-12) faces California on Oct. 29, a game that the Bruins hoped would add momentum. Instead, it now looms as a rehabilitation game after the Bruins suffered their third-worst defeat since Neuheisel became coach.

Arizona, meanwhile, had lost to sixth-ranked Oklahoma State, seventh-ranked Stanford and ninth-ranked Oregon this season, then lost coach Mike Stoops, who was fired last week. The Wildcats (2-5, 1-4) took out those frustrations on the Bruins.

There was little doubt where the weight of responsibility rested. UCLA's defense, and defensive coordinator Joe Tresey, were left with a game tape that is part comedy, part tragedy.

Asked if there were fixes to the Bruins' problems, Tresey said, "I don't know now. I thought we were headed in the right direction."

Arizona scored on its first six possessions and finished with 573 total yards.

"The outplayed us in all facets," linebacker Sean Westgate said.

Nick Foles completed 22 of 27 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Gino Crump and Juron Criner had eight receptions, three of Criner's for touchdowns. The Wildcats, who were 119th out of 120 in rushing offense, had 174 yards on the ground.

And that was in the first half.

But before the Wildcats walked off the field with a 42-7 lead, things got worse.

The would-be streaker was wrestled to the ground. As that insanity ended, UCLA and Arizona players were involved in a series of skirmishes.

Floodwaters begin seeping into Bangkok suburbs

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's prime minister urged Bangkok's residents to get ready to move their belongings to higher ground Friday as the country's worst floods in half a century began seeping into the capital's outer districts.
The warning came one day after the government opened several key floodgates in a risky bid to let built-up water flow through the city's canals toward the sea. Authorities had said the canals could overflow, but it was not known to what degree.
An Associated Press Television News team that visited the area on Friday saw water entering homes in Bangkok's northern Lak Si district, which is located along the capital's main Prapa canal. The water had risen to knee-level in some places but damage has so far been minor and not affected Bangkok's main business district.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told reporters the Prapa canal was a big concern as water levels running through it had risen significantly overnight.
"I would like to ask people in all districts of Bangkok to get ready to move their belongings to higher ground as a precaution," Yingluck said, adding that people should "not to panic."
Gov. Sukhumbhand Paribatra said managing the Prapa canal was a "top priority" but vast pools of runoff draining through it from the north are expected to intensify.
Authorities have said immense networks of sandbagged barriers could deteriorate under pressure from the water, since they were not designed as dams. Yingluck said Wednesday there were no other options to slow down the approaching water.
Excessive rains and storms have wasted a vast swath of Asia this year, killing 745 people — a quarter of them children — in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines, according to the United Nations.
Thailand's government said Friday at least 342 deaths occurred here, mostly from drowning as floodwaters crept across this Southeast Asian nation since July. The floods have submerged land in about one-third of the country, leaving some towns under water more than six-feet-high (two-meters-high).
The threat of floodwaters swamping glitzy downtown Bangkok and ruining treasured ancient palaces and chic boutiques along skyscraper-lined avenues has loomed large over this giant metropolis for weeks.
No major damage has occurred yet, and life is mostly normal in most of the capital. But many Bangkokians are girding for the worst.
"The water is coming, it's inevitable," Oraphin Jungkasemsuk, a 40-year-old employee of Bangkok Bank's headquarters, said Thursday. Its outer wall is protected by a six-foot-high (two-meter-high) wall of sandbags wrapped in thin plastic sheeting.
"They are fighting a massive pool of water. They cannot control it anymore," Oraphin said. "There are barriers, but it can come into the city from any direction, even up through the drains."
Much is at stake. Economic analysts say the floods have already cut Thailand's 2011 GDP projections by as much as 2 percent. Damages could run as high as $6 billion — an amount that could double if floods swamp Bangkok.
This week, Bangkok's governor called for 1 million sandbags to reinforce vulnerable spots — on top of 1 million more called for earlier this month. The Thai military and volunteers have been bolstering flood walls that ring Bangkok for miles (kilometers), many of them along a complex network of swamped canals.
Oraphin Milintanon, who works at a camera shop in the capital where customers must step across sandbags to get inside, has watched the floods advance with increasing alarm.
The water first swept through her hometown in the now-heavily submerged city of Ayutthaya, just north of Bangkok. Then it poured through her current home in Nonthaburi province.
Oraphin now lives with a sister in a dry part of Bangkok, but tales of water creeping closer are spooking residents. She said her brother, living elsewhere in Nonthaburi, was recently awaken by the flood water itself — which welled up suddenly into his home as he slept on his bed.
"It can come very fast ... the problem is, nobody knows from where it will come," Oraphin said Thursday. The only thing certain, she added, "We know it is coming soon."

Congress passes 3 free trade agreements

WASHINGTON -- Congress approved free trade agreements Wednesday with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, ending a four-year drought in the forming of new trade partnerships and giving the White House and Capitol Hill the opportunity to show they can work together to stimulate the economy and put people back to work.
In rapid succession, the House and Senate voted on the three trade pacts, which the administration says could boost exports by $13 billion and support tens of thousands of American jobs. None of the votes were close, despite opposition from labor groups and other critics of free trade agreements who say they result in job losses and ignore labor rights problems in the partner countries.
"We don't do much around here that's bipartisan these days," said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who was U.S. Trade Representative during the George W. Bush administration. "This is an example of where we can come together as Republicans and Democrats realizing that with 14 million Americans out of work, we need to do things to move our economy forward."
President Barack Obama said passage of the agreements was "a major win for American workers and businesses."
"Tonight's vote, with bipartisan support, will significantly boost exports that bear the proud label `Made in America,' support tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs and protect labor rights, the environment and intellectual property. ... I look forward to signing these agreements."
The agreements would lower or eliminate tariffs that American exporters face in the three countries. They also take steps to better protect intellectual property and improve access for American investors in those countries. The last free trade agreement completed was with Peru in 2007.

The House also passed and sent to Obama for his signature a bill to extend aid to workers displaced by foreign competition. Obama had demanded that the worker aid bill be part of the trade package.

iPhone 4S launch: What's different this time?

After much fanfare, a minor pre-order meltdown, and what was perhaps the largest collection of Apple software updates to go out in a single week, the next arrives tomorrow.
If it feels like a long time since the went on sale, you're not mistaken. The iPhone 4S, Apple's follow-up to the iPhone 4, comes a few months later than Apple has typically released previous handsets, and it seems even longer given that leaks led to the world seeing the final design months before it was officially unveiled.
From the looks of it, Apple appears to have used that extra time to polish the latest version of its iOS software, which went out to users yesterday, as well as to ready Siri, the iPhone 4S that's being launched as an uncharacteristic "beta." That's not all that's different though. This year's launch brings a number of other changes, which we've detailed beneath.
More carriers
When the iPhone 4 launched (and every previous iPhone for that matter), the only carrier you could get it on in the U.S. was AT&T.

6 months pass after Tenn. woman's abduction

(AP)  NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The abduction of a nursing school student from her home in west Tennessee drew more than a thousand volunteers to search for clues where she was last seen being led into the woods by a man in hunting camouflage.

Six months later, the family of Holly Bobo continues their own searches and investigators are still developing leads and working on the case daily. This week marked not only a half-year since Bobo was last seen on April 13 but also her 21st birthday on Wednesday.

Investigators said early in the search that whoever took Bobo must have been familiar with the rugged woodlands surrounding the family's home near Parsons, about 100 miles northeast of Memphis. Holly's brother, Clint Bobo, saw her being led into the woods by a man in hunting gear that morning but initially thought it was her boyfriend. He called authorities when he saw a small amount of blood outside the home.

In the weeks after she went missing, volunteers pushed through thickets and the governor offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. More than 850 tips have come in to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on their 1-800-TBI-FIND hotline.

Jury to decide case of 3 NC men in terror trial

(AP)  NEW BERN, N.C. — Jurors are scheduled to begin deliberations in the case of three North Carolina men accused of plotting terrorist attacks on the U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va. and targets overseas.

U.S. District Court Judge Louise Flanagan plans to give the jurors instructions Wednesday morning, a day after closing arguments wrapped up in the month-long trial.

Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, Ziyad Yaghi and Hysen Sherifi have all pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors say they were part of a group of men led by Daniel Boyd who raised money and trained to carry out acts of terrorism. Boyd and his two sons pleaded guilty earlier this year in the case.

Attorneys for the men say they're guilty of nothing more than discussing ideas that others might find objectionable.

Germany's Schaeuble Confident Slovakia Will Ratify EFSF

BERLIN (Dow Jones)--German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble remains confident that Slovakia will soon ratify Europe's temporary bailout fund, despite a rejection in that country's parliament Tuesday.
"We regret the outcome of the vote but remain confident that Slovakia will take the necessary steps leading to the enactment of the law in the coming days or weeks. After all, there is a majority for the law in the house," a spokesman for Schaeuble said Wednesday.
Slovakia's parliament Tuesday rejected a bill to expand the European Financial Stability Facility, casting doubt on whether all euro-zone governments would ratify the EFSF before a crucial European Union summit on Oct. 23 that is expected to focus on Europe's response to the widening euro-zone debt crisis.
It is widely expected that Slovakia will ultimately ratify the EFSF, but for now the bill is captive to national politics. Rejection of the bill caused the government to fall, but Slovakia's outgoing prime minister and her main rival have pledged to work together to pass the EFSF bill.

China, Russia pledge closer cooperation on world stage

BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia pledged Wednesday to boost their cooperation when handling international affairs on the world stage.
"The two sides stress that the United Nations with its Security Council should play a core role in international affairs," said a joint communique inked by the two countries during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's two-day official visit to China.
The two sides said they will continue efforts to advance the multi-polarization of the world, make international relations more democratic and put international laws first in order to establish a fairer and more rational international political and economic order.
According to the communique, China and Russia will strengthen their coordination on energy and food security, sustainable development, non-proliferation and other global issues within the framework of the United Nations, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and other international organizations.
The two sides will continue working closely with each other to address the nuclear issue on the Korea Peninsular and other regional issues, said the communique.
In the document, China and Russia said a timetable should not be set to reform the UN Security Council.
It will not do any good toward reaching a consensus if some country or country bloc puts forward a reform suggestion without support of the majority of UN members, said the communique.
The two sides said the East Asia Summit is an important forum for dialogue to safeguard security, development and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
They also pledged to boost their coordination in the Group of 20 (G20) to improve the global economic governance and the international financial system.
In the communique, China and Russia said a special account will be opened and a development bank established to deepen practical cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and prompt development in the region in a harmonious way. .
"The two sides are willing to cooperate more closely to advance the development of the SCO and make it an effective organization to safeguard regional security and an important means for sustained growth of SCO members," said the communique.

City's overseas population above 200,000--Changvs

MORE than 200,000 overseas people had been living in Shanghai for at least three months when the sixth national census was conducted at the end of 2010, according to the Shanghai Statistics Bureau.
Shanghai had 208,300 overseas people living in the city at the time, ranking second in the country behind only Guangdong Province.
According to the bureau, nine people out of every 1,000 were from either Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan or a foreign country. The rate is the highest among mainland provinces and cities.
Overseas residents- - excluding diplomats, tourists and people on business trips - were included in the census for the first time, thus no comparative figures were available.
The top three home countries of foreign residents in Shanghai were Japan, the United States and South Korea. Together they made up more than half of the overseas residents in Shanghai.
Among the overseas residents surveyed, about half were here for work, while others were here to study, settle or visit relatives.
The Pudong New Area was home to more overseas people than any other district in the city with more than 20 percent, the bureau said. Changning, Minhang and Xuhui districts were also popular places for overseas people to live.
"Foreign residents have largely concentrated in downtown areas," the bureau said.
Since the beginning of 2010, six types of overseas professionals and investors have been eligible to live in the city for five years, instead of the usual one year. The move is to help boost economic growth and attract scientists, senior managers and investors to stay longer in the city.
Individuals with highly specialized skills, celebrities, private investors and foreigners awarded special status in light of their contributions to China can apply for the five-year residence permits.
Nationwide, a total of 593,832 foreigners were living on the Chinese mainland, data from the sixth national census revealed.

Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh found dead in hotel room--Changvs

Slipknot bassist Paul Dedrick Gray was found dead in a hotel room in Urbandal, Iowa, at the age of 38, according to media reports Tuesday.

Police said there was no evidence of foul play and the investigation was ongoing.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. Toxicology tests will be done.

The bass guitarist was a founding member of Slipknot, a band that had been nominated for seven Grammy awards and won in 2006 for best metal performance.

The band's publicist verified his death on Monday, but did not provide additional details. "I can confirm that the news is sadly true," she told EW, "But that is all I can offer at this time."

In 2003, Gray was arrested on drug-possession charges after police discovered small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and two syringes in his vehicle following a traffic accident in Des Moines. Those charges were eventually dropped; Gray admitted he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident.

Beijing cautious on republic centenary-Changvs

As China marks the centenary of the 1911 Revolution, which ended 2,000 years of imperial rule and led to the founding of modern China, the subject is being treated carefully by the authorities.

It was Sun Yat-sen who led the revolution against the Qing empire and founded Asia's first republic - the Republic of China. He remains highly respected by almost all Chinese in the mainland, Taiwan and elsewhere in the world.
The Communist Party overthrew the republic in 1949, forcing it to retreat to Taiwan. But in order to boost its own legitimacy and promote reunification, the party says it has inherited Sun's cause.
At a ceremony held in Beijing on Sunday, President Hu Jintao hailed Sun's "thoroughly modern, national and democratic revolution", saying that it "opened the door of progress for China and searched for ways for the Chinese nation's development and progress".
The way forward was eventually found "through painstaking efforts and enormous sacrifices", said Mr Hu.
"The correct path is the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the core force is the Chinese Communist Party," he emphasised.
Mr Hu also took the opportunity to call for peaceful reunification with Taiwan.
"Rejuvenating China, which was the cherished goal of Dr Sun Yat-sen and other pioneers of the Revolution of 1911, should be the common aspiration of all compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait," the official Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.