Samoa fullback Williams escapes ban for red card

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Samoa fullback Paul Williams has escaped a ban after a World Cup judicial officer ruled Saturday that his slap to South Africa flanker Heinrich Brussow's face was on the lower end of the scale for a striking charge.

Williams was given a red card by Welsh referee Nigel Owens with 10 minutes remaining on Friday night in a torrid 13-5 loss to defending champion South Africa. It was the first red card of the tournament.

Replays showed Brussow punching Williams repeatedly in the arms, trying to break free of his grip at a breakdown as he appealed for a penalty.

When he got to his feet, Williams shoved Brussow in the face with an open hand before …

Pietersen rides luck at Edgbaston

Kevin Pietersen moved closer to a long-awaited century but luck continued to be a feature of his innings on day two of the second test, as England reached 191-3 at tea on Saturday.

Pietersen was dropped for a third time and caught off a dead ball but remained unbeaten on 78, from 137 balls and featuring 12 fours, when rain curtailed the afternoon session at Edgbaston.

Jonathan Trott made 55 from 125 balls with seven fours, while Umar Amin (1-11) was the only Pakistan bowler to take a wicket.

England began the day on 112-2, after the start was delayed by 40 minutes due to rain.

Having been dropped twice and missed by wicketkeeper and …

Judge R. Kelly, priests as men, not gods

We have heard the speculation as to the guilt or innocence of one Robert S. Kelly, the R&B superstar. We have even seen snippets of the R. Kelly video, watching with a discerning eye, trying to determine whether it was indeed Kelly who indulged in the prurient relations with an alleged minor.

It all will come out in court, beginning later this month in Chicago. In the meantime, it would be wise for persons to withhold their judgment of the singer.

As the old saying goes, innocent until proven guilty.

Just as Catholic priests should not be given a pass because of their heralded stations in life, neither should R. Kelly be raised to an hiarchy, or reduced to a …

Polish customs strike halts hundreds of trucks on Ukraine and Belarus borders

Hundreds of trucks lined up on Poland's border with Ukraine, Belarus and Russia Saturday, as a strike by Polish customs officers stretched into its sixth day.

Fourteen checkpoints on the border with the three ex-Soviet states have been clogged as only a handful of Polish officers showed up for work, according to Russia's NTV television. Only drivers with nothing to declare and vehicles with diplomatic plates are being allowed through, the report said.

A 43-year old Ukrainian driver was burned alive Friday at the Krakovitz checkpoint after a short circuit sparked a fire in his truck, and a Polish driver died of cardiac arrest at the Yagodin checkpoint …

Spinal Tap to reunite on tour without wigs

The amps won't be turned up to 11 for Spinal Tap's reunion tour.

Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer _ the actors who portrayed the faux heavy metal rock band in the 1984 mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap" _ are leaving their wigs and costumes in their closets for the "Unwigged and Unplugged" tour.

"When we were doing the Tap show, it was 90 minutes to 120 minutes of really, really hard work and …

Racism hurt black singers

Q. One of my favorite LPs of the early '60s was "You Always Hurtthe One You Love" (Argo 4009), by Clarence Henry. I am curious toknow its value.

Also, I always wondered why Clarence Henry, a black singer,isn't pictured on the front cover of his own LP. The three peopleshown on the cover are white, yet apparently have nothing to do withthe music.

A. Your Clarence Henry, aka "Frogman" Henry, LP now sells for$50 to $100.

Before the mid-'60s civil rights movement, many recordcompanies refused to picture their black stars on LP covers. As younoted with the Henry LP, white models were often hired to pose …

Tropical Storm Franklin forms well away from land

MIAMI (AP) — Forecasters say the sixth named storm of the Atlantic season has formed well off the U.S. East Coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said early Saturday morning that Tropical Storm Franklin was centered about 605 miles (974 kilometers) northeast of Bermuda. …

Jill Biden meets troops in Germany

Jill Biden, the Second Lady of the United States, observed U.S. Independence Day by visiting American troops in Germany en route to an education conference in Paris.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's wife stressed Friday that supporting soldiers and their families was important to her work as Second Lady, as well as being a personal priority. Her stepson, Capt. Beau Biden, is serving in Iraq with the Army National Guard.

"I am a military mom," she said after having lunch with soldiers and their families at the Army base in this Bavarian city. "I know what it's like to have a loved one in a war zone."

Biden chatted with half a …

BUSINESS APPOINTMENTS

Columbia College Chicago appointed Kay L. Pick of Hedlund Hanley& John a trustee.

Committee for Economic Development named Richard C. Notebaert ofAmeritech and Gary L. Neale of Nipsco Industries trustees.

Loyola University Chicago elected Anne M. Burke, special counselto the governor for child welfare services, a trustee.

Lake Forest Bank & Trust appointed Eugene Hotchkiss III of LakeForest College a director.

Cooper Industries named R. Fritz Zeck president, Cooper LightingDivision.

Paterno Imports named William A. Terlato president and chiefoperating officer.

Chicago Board of Trade appointed Kathryn M. Trkla associategeneral …

Latvian president moves to dissolve Parliament

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Latvian President Valdis Zatlers on Saturday called for the dissolution of the country's parliament after lawmakers blocked an anti-corruption investigation against a prominent politician.

His move means a referendum will be held in the next few months on whether to break up Parliament and hold new elections.

It sets the stage for political turmoil in recession-scarred Latvia, which was forced to seek a €7.5 billion international bailout to repair its crippled economy.

A presidential election is expected next week in Parliament, and Zatlers said he realized his chances of re-election could be hurt. But in a speech to the nation he said he …

Wired's first iPad issue comes out; costs $5

As the magazine for a digital generation, Wired has talked a big game about the opportunities for publishers on Apple's new iPad.

"We decided this was the big one," Wired editor Chris Anderson said last winter, even before Apple would comment on the much-rumored gadget.

Now it's time for Anderson to put his money _ and his magazine _ where his mouth is. After nearly a year of laboring on a tablet computer edition of the magazine, Wired released its application in Apple's digital newsstand Wednesday.

Other titles from Conde Nast, including Vanity Fair and GQ, had already come out for the iPad, which launched April 3. But Wired is the …

China says death toll in mine blast rises to 21

State media says the death toll in a coal mine blast in southwest China's Guizhou province has risen to 21.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Friday that 31 workers were in the mine when the blast happened Thursday night, and that 10 managed to escape. It did not immediately give any other details.

Although safety conditions have improved in the last several years, China's mining industry is by far the world's deadliest, with accidents and blasts killing more than 2,600 coal miners last year.

A New Swing Vote?

The voting patterns of Native Americans are often hard to quantify and in many places do not show a partisan tilt toward Democrats or Republicans. But political strategists in both parties are eyeing this group as a potential swing voting bloc in several key 2002 races.

The Democratic National Committee has launched an effort to win NativeAmerican votes in six states, including South Dakota, which features a close U.S. Senate race between Sen. Tim Johnson (D) and U.S. Rep. John Thune (R).

Party strategists, led by DNC chairman Terry McAulliffe, intend to send field organizers to states to register Indians to vote. Another part of the strategy includes providing Internet access to reservations.

"It's a very grassrootsoriented campaign," said DNC spokesman John Norton.

The DNC expects to hire a staff person soon who will be assigned exclusively to helping to increase voter registration among Indians, Norton said.

Republicans, too, are hoping to include Indians in voter registration and other outreach efforts. In Arizona, Sen. John McCain (R) has received substantial support from Indian communities, for work on issues dear to them, said Eileen Luna-Firebaugh, a professor of Indian law and policy at the University of Arizona.

According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are 559 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, with about 1.4 million members. Voter registration in such communities often falls below 10 percent, said Luna-Firebaugh, who is Choctaw and Cherokee.

Mobilizing the votes of Native Americans can often be challenging because residents of Indian reservations in many cases do without phones, Internet access and other forms of rapid, modern communication technology.

Not all Indian reservations, however, are on the same level for communications. On each reservation, coordinators have their own systems, often geared toward new voters less distrustful of the federal government.

"It seems there's a lot of energized youth" to go out and vote, said Pat Smith, a Missoula, MT, attorney and Fort Peck Tribal member, who has helped coordinate the Indian vote for the Montana Democratic Party.

In that state, at least, those efforts seem to be paying off, as Indian voters are becoming a major factor in races for state office. When it came time to redraw state House district lines in Montana in 2002, the Districting and Apportionment Commission voted to create three new House districts designed to have a majority of Indian voters. The districts will take effect in 2004.

And during the 2000 election cycle, Indian voters helped elect six American Indian lawmakers to the Legislature.

Back in 1992, Indian voters were credited with helping presidential candidate Bill Clinton win Montana, an otherwise Republican stronghold.

In addition to South Dakota and Montana, other states where Indian votes are thought to be a potential factor in swinging elections are New Mexico, which this year features an open seat governor's race, and Nevada, where a new U.S. House seat has been created for the Las Vegas area.

And in Arizona's sprawling 1st Congressional District, Indians are considered a key swing voting bloc that must be wooed, for a newly drawn, competitive open seat, which could help determine which seat controls the House after the November elections.

Even voter mobilization efforts can have a limited effect, said LunaFirebaugh.

"A lot of American Indian voter don't think national, state or local elections affect them at all," she said.

And when there is a direct connection on an issue, some Native Americans are turned off by 30-second soundbites and slick campaign ads, she said.

That represents a very different way of solving problems than many tribal members favor, Luna-Firebaugh said. In tribal meetings, "you're attempt is not to have a vote - it's to have a consensus," she said.

-David Mark

Chinatown annual fair to spotlight eateries

The seventh-annual Chinatown Summer Fair will be held from noon to 8p.m. tomorrow and Sunday at Cermak and Wentworth.

The festival will feature illusionist Richard Tutacko, theEternal Dragon School of Ninjitsu, ethnic folk dances, a fashionshow, the Lion and Dragon Dancers and an art fair. A parade will beheld at noon on Sunday, and fireworks will end both days.

Foods from local restaurants will be sold. Admission is freeand parking is available. Call 326-5320. The David Adler Cultural Center's 1986 Festival of the Arts isscheduled for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday at 1700 N.Milwaukee, Libertyville.

Featured tomorrow will be the Heritage Dance Theater JazzEnsemble at noon; Bob Kann, juggler and storyteller, 1 p.m.;Mundelein's Kirk Players, 2 p.m.; the Liberty-Fremont ConcertSociety Madrigal Singers, 3 p.m., and Libertyville's Grove Theaterplayers, 4 p.m.

Scheduled for Sunday is the Festival of Illinois Folk and EthnicMusic, including the Volo Bog Trotters, rural string-band music, 1p.m.; Honeyboy Edwards, rural and urban blues, 1:40 p.m.; JethroBurns, mandolinist, 2:15 p.m.; Gaping Maw, Irish and Scottish vocalmusic, 2:50 p.m., and M'chaiya, Yiddish and Kiezmer music, 3:35 p.m.

There also will be painting, wood sculpture, juggling andpuppetry for children, an outdoor juried art show, demonstrations anda student/faculty exhibit. Refreshments will be provided by theTaste of the Mediterranean, the Pop Corn Co. and an ice cream social.Admission is free; call 367-0707. A Taste of Oak Park will be held today, tomorrow and Sunday at HollyCourt, Harlem and Ontario. Hours for the fest are 6 to 10 p.m.today; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. tomorrow and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Two stages will feature family entertainment, ranging from jazzto contemporary music. Featured on the main stage tonight at 6 willbe Mickey and the Memories. Tomorrow afternoon's musicalentertainment will include the Irish folk band Samhrad, Mobius Blue,Thursday's Child and Sounds of Joy. Evening performances willfeature pianist/vocalist Judy Roberts and her group, the Club of Romeand the Lynn Jordan Group. Sunday's schedule will include the folkgroup Friedlander and Hall, Hog Butchers of the World, Irish musicand dancers, the All American Chicago Grand Stand, Airtight, JohnnyMoe and the Returns, and the Village Players with "The Best ofBroadway." The Air Force Band will conclude the day at 6 p.m.

There also will be jugglers, mimes, street musicians, arts andcrafts displays, balloon artists, clowns and food from west suburbanrestaurants. Call 848-8151. The 28th-annual Dearborn Garden Walk and Heritage Festival will beheld from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The gardens of residents ofDearborn between Division and North will be open for viewing.

There will be entertainment under a tent in the 1300 block ofNorth Dearborn, with performances by magicians Donny Orleans and RonGandy, guitarist Tim Gawron, the Jesse White Tumblers, Jerry DiMuzio, Dudtin Parker and the Suzuki Players. Richard Hoskins willpresent a noon carillon concert at St. Chrysostem's Church, 1424 N.Dearborn.

Entertainment also will be provided by the Three Arts Club, andan art exhibit will be presented by the Palette and Chisel Academy ofFine Arts, 1012 S. Dearborn. There is a $3 donation; call 743-5210. An Arts and Crafts Flea Market Festival, sponsored by the Beecher Lions and Lioness Clubs, will be held tomorrow, 9 a.m. tilldark, at Fireman's Park, Penfield and Catalpa in south suburbanBeecher.

Handiwork to be displayed includes woodwork items, silk flowers,tole painting, children's novelties, jewelry, needlecraft, quilts,ceramics and hand-sewn, crocheted and knitted items.

Entertainment will be continuous throughout the day, with aperformance by the group Dimension from 3 to 7 p.m. Food will beavailable. Call 946-6871. Ship and Shore Festival '86 will be held tomorrow and Sunday in NewBuffalo, Mich., at Lakefront Beach.

The festival will begin at noon tomorrow with a Taste of HarborCountry, an arts and crafts fair, beach games, a men's legs contestand live entertainment. A lighted boat parade will take place atdusk. A dance is scheduled in the Lighthouse parking lot from 9 p.m.to 1 a.m.

Sunday's activities will include a barbershop quartet, themagician Kalita and the Iron Horse String Band. A Potato Festival at Leisure Time Music Park, Medaryville, Ind.,will include a Country and Bluegrass Festival 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.tonight, 2 p.m. to midnight tomorrow and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Featured performers will be George "Wildman" Rawls, Bob Long andFamily, and Buck Jackson and the Leisure Time Band.

Leisure Time Music Park is located 4 1/2 miles east ofMedaryville on Pearl Street or one mile west of Indiana 39 on CountyRoad 200 N. Call (219) 843-8171 or (219) 297-3933. Joliet's fifth annual Cornfest has been scheduled for noon to 9 p.m.Sunday on the parish grounds of St. John's Catholic Church, 400Hickory, Joliet.

Admission and parking are free. Call (815) 727-4788. Highlights of the Peterson Park Neighborhood Festival from noon to 6p.m. Sunday will include entertainment, clowns and food vendors inPeterson Park, Peterson and Central Park on the Northwest Side. Theevent is free; call 989-2628.

K-League bans 40 more players over scandal

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's K-League has imposed a lifetime ban on 40 more footballers indicted over their alleged involvement in a match-fixing scandal.

Last month, prosecutors indicted the players for allegedly taking bribes in return for trying to rig the results of games or bet on games after learning their outcome would be fixed.

The K-League said Thursday that it has decided to ban them from appearing in games and assuming any official football-related jobs.

It says seven indicted footballers-turned-gambling brokers have also been banned.

The league says some of those given bans could eventually be rehabilitated because they voluntarily reported their wrongdoing before their arrests.

Ten others were banned in June.

Elbow Pains Montana, Delays Comeback Bid

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana's ailing elbow hasforced him to suspend his comeback attempt for at least two weeks.

Club president Carmen Policy said Monday that Montana was underdoctors' orders to give his surgically repaired passing elbowcomplete rest for two weeks. His arm might be immobilized in a slingduring that period.

"Joe's impatient. Whatever can work and work fast, he's for,"Policy said. "But as I said, he's placed himself in the hands of theexperts, and he's going to be a very obedient patient."

If rest fails to heal the problem, Montana might need a thirdoperation on the elbow to keep his comeback hopes alive. Montana,who missed all of last season because of a torn right elbow tendon,had major surgery in October to reattach the tendon and a secondprocedure in May to loosen scar tissue.

49ERS EDGE BRONCOS: Quarterback Steve Bono completed aseven-yard touchdown pass to Ron Lewis in the fourth quarter thatlifted the 49ers to a 13-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in theexhibition opener for both teams in San Francisco.

The Broncos elected to rest starting quarterback John Elway, whohad arthroscopic shoulder surgery in February. Elway had beenscheduled to start and play a few series, but the Broncos preferredto give their other quarterbacks - Steve Pelluer and Shawn Moore -more playing time.

STEELERS, SEARCY AGREE: The Pittsburgh Steelers said top draftpick Leon Searcy has agreed to terms. The 6-3, 295-pound tackle fromMiami will receive $4 million over four years, including a signingbonus of $1.5 million, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

D'ONOFRIO CLOSE: A Green Bay Packers source would not confirmthe team had come to terms with second-round pick Mark D'Onofrio butindicated his signing is close. The signing of D'Onofrio, alinebacker from Penn State, would leave No. 1 pick Terrell Buckleythe Packers' only unsigned draft choice.

2 VIKINGS HURT: Second-round draft pick Robert Harris andfourth-round choice Roy Barker, both defensive linemen, were injuredin the Minnesota Vikings' morning workout in Mankato, Minn.

Harris, the team's first pick in the draft, was kneed in thehead by teammate Brian Smith during a pass-rushing drill and isday-to-day. Barker sprained his knee and probably will miss two tothree weeks.

CARDS' HILL ARRESTED: Phoenix Cardinals linebacker Eric Hill wasarrested after being accused of fondling three women at a bar, policein Flagstaff, Ariz., said. Hill, 25, was arrested Saturday forinvestigation of sexual abuse, a felony, and public sexual indecency,a misdemeanor.

Hill was released to the custody of general manager Larry Wilsonearly Sunday. Wilson said he will delay any decision on suspendingHill until the case is decided by authorities.

DOLPHINS WAIT: Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula said he would waituntil a court ruling before deciding whether to punish veteran tightend Ferrell Edmunds and rookie defensive end Larry Webster for anarrest for soliciting prostitution.

The club confirmed that just before the team's 11 p.m. curfewThursday, Edmunds and Webster were arrested by Opa-locka, Fla.,police in an undercover prostitution sting.

SURGERY FOR BROWN: Cincinnati Bengals receiver Eddie Brownunderwent surgery on his ruptured cervical disk at Christ Hospital inCincinnati. He was resting and in fair condition after theoperation, hospital spokeswoman Lauren Green-Caldwell said.

Even before the surgery, doctors said he faces six to eightmonths of rehabilitation.

Teen Choice Awards winners

Winners from the 10th annual Teen Choice Awards:

_ Choice Movie Action Adventure: "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian."

_ Choice Movie Drama: "Step Up 2: The Streets."

_ Choice Movie Chick Flick: "27 Dresses."

_ Choice Movie Bromantic Comedy: "What Happens in Vegas."

_ Choice Movie Comedy: "Juno."

_ Choice Movie Horror/Thriller: "I Am Legend."

_ Choice Summer Movie Action Adventure: "Hancock."

_ Choice Summer Movie Comedy: "Get Smart."

_ Choice Movie Actor Drama: Channing Tatum, "Stop-Loss."

_ Choice Movie Actress Drama: Keira Knightley, "Atonement."

_ Choice Movie Actress Action Adventure: Rachel Bilson, "Jumper."

_ Choice Movie Actor Comedy: Ashton Kutcher, "What Happens in Vegas."

_ Choice Movie Actress Comedy: Ellen Page, "Juno."

_ Choice Movie Actor Horror/Thriller: Will Smith, "I Am Legend."

_ Choice Movie Actress Horror/Thriller: Jessica Alba, "The Eye."

_ Choice Movie Villain: Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd."

_ Choice Movie Breakout Female: Ellen Page, "Juno."

_ Choice Movie Breakout Male: Drake Bell, "Superhero Movie."

_ Choice TV Show Drama: "Gossip Girl."

_ Choice TV Show Action Adventure: "Heroes."

_ Choice TV Show Comedy: "Hannah Montana."

_ Choice TV Reality Dance: "America's Best Dance Crew."

_ Choice TV Reality Music Competition: "American Idol."

_ Choice TV Celebrity Reality: "The Hills."

_ Choice Summer TV Show: "The Secret Life of the American Teenager."

_ Choice TV Actor Drama: Chad Michael Murray, "One Tree Hill."

_ Choice TV Actress Drama: Blake Lively, "Gossip Girl."

_ Choice TV Actress Action Adventure: Hayden Panettiere, "Heroes."

_ Choice TV Actor Comedy: Steve Carrell, "The Office."

_ Choice TV Actress Comedy: Miley Cyrus, "Hannah Montana."

_ Choice TV Breakout Show: "Gossip Girl."

_ Choice TV Breakout Star Female: Blake Lively, "Gossip Girl."

_ Choice TV Breakout Star Male: Chace Crawford, "Gossip Girl."

_ Choice TV Male Reality/Variety Star: David Cook, "American Idol."

_ Choice TV Female Reality/Variety Star: Lauren Conrad, "The Hills."

_ Choice TV Villain: Ed Westwick, "Gossip Girl"

_ Choice Music Single: Jonas Brothers, "When You Look Me in the Eyes."

_ Choice Hook-Up: Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown, "No Air."

_ Choice Music Male Artist: Chris Brown.

_ Choice Music Female Artist: Miley Cyrus.

_ Choice Music R&B Artist: Chris Brown.

_ Choice Breakout Group: Jonas Brothers.

_ Choice Music Love Song: Jonas Brothers, "When You Look Me in the Eyes."

_ Choice Music R&B Track: Chris Brown, "Forever."

_ Choice Music Rap/Hip-Hop Track: Lil Mama featuring T-Pain and Chris Brown, "Shawty Get Loose."

_ Choice Summer Song: Jonas Brothers, "Burnin' Up."

_ Choice Male Hottie: Jonas Brothers.

_ Choice Female Hottie: Vanessa Hudgens.

_ Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon Female: Carrie Underwood.

_ Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon Male: Jonas Brothers.

_ Choice Comedian: Adam Sandler.

_ Choice Male Athlete: David Beckham.

_ Choice Female Athlete: Shawn Johnson.

_ Choice Action Sports Male: Ryan Sheckler.

_ Do Something Award: Chad Bullock.

_ Choice Most Fanatic Fans: David Archuleta.

_ Choice MySpacer: Ryan Sheckler.

Lottery

Here are the winning numbers drawn Saturday:

WEST VIRGINIA Daily 3: 632 Daily 4: 7324

OHIO Day Pick 3: 407 Pick 4: 4076 Ten-Oh: 1-2-4-5-12-13-15-17-19-23-33-34-35-42-44-56-63-73-76-78 Evening Pick 3: 700 Pick 4: 0200Ten-Oh: 6-8-9-12-15-19-27-30-32-34-35-36-37-40-42-66-69-70-75-79Classic Lotto: 5-11-19-23-41-44 Rolling Cash 5: 2-27-28-33-36

KENTUCKY Midday Pick 3: 493 Pick 4: 8456 Evening Pick 3: 436 Pick4: 6257 Cash Ball: 723303228 Kicker: 61691 Win For Life:162123273241

HOT LOTTO 10-12-15-16-25 5

POWERBALL 1-14-26-33-41 37 Power Play: 4

Here are the winning numbers drawn Sunday:

OHIO Day Pick 3: 578 Pick 4: 8631 Ten-Oh: 3-10-13-15-17-24-28-29-31-36-37-38-39-47-50-63-64-65-66-74 Evening Pick 3: 409 Pick 4: 4066Ten-Oh: 2-10-18-21-25-27-31-33-35-36-41-43-45-48-56-62-65-66-68-69Rolling Cash 5: 16-24-30-33-37

KENTUCKY Evening Pick 3: 550

Ukrainian parliament ratifies protocol on joining WTO

Ukraine's parliament has signed off on its membership in the World Trade Organization.

The ratification Thursday by the Verkhovna Rada means the ex-Soviet republic will officially becomes a member of the world's biggest trading club 30 days after it notifies the WTO of the ratification.

Ukraine was formally invited to join on Feb. 5, beating its main trade partner and neighbor Russia to the invitation.

That mean Ukraine will effectively get a veto over Russian membership since all WTO decisions are made by consensus.

Russia is the only major economy still outside the WTO.

Ukrainian officials hope WTO membership will open new markets for industrial exports. Membership also obliges the country to continue economic reforms.

Japan police recommend charges in Prius crash

Japanese police are recommending charges against a driver who says his Toyota Prius crashed because of brake failure after an analysis of data from the car showed no defects.

The 37-year-old driver, whose identity was withheld because no charges have been filed, told police he pressed on the brakes but they didn't work, causing the Prius to hit a car stopping for a red light.

Two people in that car were slightly injured in the July 19 accident, which resulted in two other cars getting bumped at an intersection in Matsudo city, northeast of Tokyo.

Data from an event recorder, or "black box," in the Prius sent to a laboratory for analysis found the brakes were working properly, police said Friday.

The latest model Prius, the world's best-selling gas-electric hybrid, has been recalled in Japan and overseas because of a flaw in the antilock braking that made the brakes momentarily unresponsive under some driving conditions.

Toyota's quality control has come under scrutiny after recalls of more than 8 million vehicles in recent months, mostly in North America, for defective gas pedals, faulty floor mats and flawed braking.

Some drivers in the U.S. have complained about Toyota vehicles, including the Prius, speeding up on their own. An Associated Press analysis of U.S. government data found more than 100 reports of repaired cars continuing to accelerate on their own.

Consumer complaints about runaway Toyota models have been rising in Japan, especially for the Prius, according to government data.

The charge that Japanese police are recommending in the Prius accident is negligent driving resulting in damage or injury. It carries a maximum punishment of seven years' imprisonment and a fine of 1 million yen ($11,000).

But prosecutors may decide against pressing charges because the injuries were not serious and the two injured people are not demanding charges, police said.

Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said the automaker inspected the vehicle in the presence of police and could find nothing wrong.

"Toyota does not believe that the incident is related to the Prius brake issue," he said.

Transport Ministry official Kazumi Furukawa said the government has also conducted tests on the Prius in the Matsudo accident and found no braking problems.

But the government is continuing an investigation for possible defects, including 13 other consumer complaints, and has not ruled out additional recalls, Furukawa said, while refusing to elaborate.

As is customary with criminal cases in Japan, police sent documents from its investigation into the Prius accident to the prosecutors' office earlier this month. Japanese prosecutors do not comment on ongoing cases until charges are filed.

Separately, Kentaro Kai, another ministry official, said Japan may start requiring all automakers to install a backup technology allowing brakes to override acceleration.

The move underlines growing concern in Japan about Toyota's recalls, widely seen as a stain on the nation's manufacturing prowess.

Toyota has said it will install brake override in all future models and retroactively on some models already on the roads.

On Monday, California police stopped a runaway 2008 Prius after the driver said the gas pedal jammed. Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is looking into a Prius crash Tuesday in New York in which the driver said the vehicle accelerated on its own and crashed into a wall.

Zimbabwe pilots end strike

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Pilots from Zimbabwe's debt-ridden state airline resumed flying Thursday, ending a monthlong strike over pay and allowances.

The pilots reported for duty after reaching "an amicable agreement" with Air Zimbabwe managers and the transport ministry, chief executive Innocent Mavhunga said. He refused to give details of the deal.

The airline's 49 pilots were demanding $4 million in unpaid salaries and allowances. They grounded the airline March 22 in the second strike in the past six months.

Chartered carriers were hired to fly domestic and regional routes. Long haul flights to London and Asia were abandoned.

Striking pilots complained to a panel of lawmakers last week that poor salaries made them unable to meet their family and financial commitments and that their financial worries led to stresses that impaired their abilities at the controls, putting passenger safety at risk.

Senior captains at the airline earn just $2,600 a month, well below salaries of their regional counterparts.

The airline also failed to pay most crew allowances over the past two years that include school fees for their children and other benefits.

Pilots called on the airline to replace its aging fleet that could become a safety risk and accused executives of not honoring their contracts and heading up "dishonest and poor management" of all the airline's operations.

The last strike in September cost the airline an $3.5 million in lost business.

Striking pilots have twice been called up for what the airline described as "national duty" to fly President Robert Mugabe, 87, to Singapore where he received medical treatment.

Double bombing in Baghdad kills at least 7, wounds 25, officials and witnesses say

A double suicide bombing killed at least seven people and wounded 25 Monday outside the Baghdad office of a government agency that cares for Sunni mosques and shrines, witnesses and a hospital official said. A police officer put the death toll as high as 14.

In the initial attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the Sunni Endowment office in Baghdad's northern Azamiyah district, said Baghdad military spokesman Brig. Qassim al-Moussawil. As people rushed to evacuate the wounded, a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives just meters (yards) away, al-Moussawil said.

The dead included Riyadh al-Samarrai, head of a local U.S.-backed armed group, said one witness, who is an employee of the Sunni Endowment. His account was corroborated by a member of the armed group, who gave his name only as Abu Omar, and by an Iraqi army official.

Another witness, one of al-Samarrai's guards, said the suicide bomber walked up to al-Samarrai _ a former police colonel _ and embraced him before detonating his explosives.

In the first few hours after the Monday morning attack, the death toll varied. An official at Azamiyah's al-Noaman hospital said his hospital had received seven bodies. The police officer said some casualties had also been taken to another hospital in the city. Al-Moussawil said at least six people had been killed.

Most witnesses and officials spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals or because they were not officially authorized to speak to media. The differing death tolls could not immediately be reconciled.

The U.S.-backed groups _ predominantly Sunni Arab fighters who turned against al-Qaida and are known as "awakening councils" _ have been credited with helping reduce violence across Iraq by 60 percent since June. But they are increasingly becoming targets, with several recent bombings striking their offices and checkpoints. Monday's blast occurred near one of their offices.

The Azamiyah area had been a stronghold of Sunni insurgents since 2003 as well as a safe haven for al-Qaida in Iraq militants. Local insurgents, however, rose against al-Qaida last year and joined the U.S. military in the fight against the terror network.

The Azamiyah awakening group called for a vehicle ban in the district in the aftermath of Monday's bombing.

The switch of allegiance by the Azamiyah insurgents was one of the most significant in a series of similar moves across Baghdad's Sunni neighborhoods. Azamiyah is home to Iraq's most revered Sunni shrine, the mosque of Imam Abu Hanifa and many in the Tigris-side area served as officers in Saddam Husssein's army and security agencies, giving an edge to the insurgency there.

In an audiotape released Dec. 29, Osama bin Laden warned Iraq's Sunni Arabs against joining the groups or participating in any unity government.

U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner said last week the attacks were the "clearest indication" that the foreign-led al-Qaida was worried about losing the support of its fellow Sunni Arabs.

A number of insurgent groups are thought to have switched allegiances and joined the Awakening movement. There are more than 70,000 men in about 300 such groups being bankrolled by the U.S. around Iraq, and the number is expected to grow.

Unlikely scorer emerges for Irish girls

W.Va. Girls Regionals Class AAA REGION 1 * Morgantown 79, WheelingPark 60. REGION 2 * Hedgesville 55, Hampshire 45. REGION 3 * FairmontSenior 57, East Fairmont 49. REGION 4 * Bridgeport 51, Elkins 40.REGION 5 * Greenbrier East 73, Beckley 65. REGION 6 * ParkersburgSouth 68, Capital 63 2 OT. REGION 7 * George Washington 57, Nitro 42.REGION 8 * Huntington 72, Cabell Midland 47.

CLASS AA All regional championships are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.today unless noted. Team listed second is classified as the hometeam. REGION 1 * Oak Glen vs. Magnolia, at Wheeling Park High. REGION2 * Petersburg vs. Frankfort, at East Hardy High. REGION 3 * RitchieCounty vs. Grafton, at Robert C. Byrd High. REGION 4 * Braxton Countyvs. Oak Hill, at Summersville Armory. REGION 5 * Sissonville vs.Winfield, at Capital High School. REGION 6 * Scott vs. Tolsia, atWilliamson Field House REGION 7 * PikeView vs. Summers County, atPrinceton High REGION 8 * Wyoming East vs. Iaeger, at Raleigh CountyArmory

CLASS A REGION 1 * Wheeling Central 70, Cameron 47 REGION 2 *Tucker County 54, East Hardy 44. REGION 3 * South Harrison 52,Hundred 42 3 OT REGION 4 * Parkersburg Catholic 51, Wirt County 40REGION 5 * Charleston Catholic 64, Pocahontas County 50 REGION 6 *Montcalm 34, Greater Beckley Christian 29 REGION 7 * Guyan Valley 54,Wahama 36 REGION 8 * Tug Valley 64, Man 39

Charleston Catholic 64,

Pocahontas County 50

Class A Region 5 championship

C. Catholic (20-3) FG 3Pt FT Pts

Mackenzie Maier 5-8 1-1 8-10 19

Lindsay Skaff 5-10 2-5 4-4 16

Kim Abcouwer 1-4 0-0 3-4 5

Sam Izat 6-11 0-0 4-8 16

Samantha Femia 3-7 0-0 0-0 6

Allison Smith 0-2 0-1 0-0 0

Meredith Bond 0-0 0-0 2-2 2

Jill Huxley 0-2 0-0 0-0 0

Meredith Davis 0-1 0-0 0-0 0

Totals 20-45 3-7 21-28 64

Percentages .444 .429 .750

Pocahontas Co. (17-7) FG 3Pt FT Pts

Mindy Sharp 6-17 0-0 1-2 13

Christin Shinaberry 3-7 3-5 1-2 10

Amy Coleman 0-2 0-1 0-0 0

Jaenna Burn 0-1 0-0 0-0 0

Heidi Beverage 4-7 1-1 2-2 11

Michelle Holestine 5-7 1-1 1-3 12

Nebraska Beverage 0-1 0-0 1-2 1

Madeline Jerome 0-4 0-1 1-2 1

Kachine Jonese 0-1 0-1 2-2 2

Abby McClung 0-0 0-0 0-0 0

Chelsea Gum 0-0 0-0 0-0 0

Totals 18-47 5-10 9-15 50

Percentages .383 .500 .600

Charleston Catholic 20 15 11 18 - 64

Pocahontas County 6 14 18 12 - 50

Rebounds: CC 29 (Maier 10, Izat 7); PC 28 (Sharp 14).

Assists: CC 11 (Abcouwer 7); PC 7 (H.Beverage 3).

Turnovers: CC 18, PC 18.

DAILY MAIL SPORTSWRITER

SUMMERSVILLE - There are big plans to host various events andshows at the shiny new Summersville Armory.

The Oak Ridge Boys are appearing just next month.

Wednesday night the facility played host to the Class A Region 5girls basketball championship game between No. 1 Charleston Catholicand No. 10 Pocahontas County and one Irish player turned in anunexpected star performance.

With two-time All-State junior Mackenzie Maier benched with foultrouble, senior forward Sam Izat, averaging under four points a game,stepped in and scored a career-high 16 points and pulled down sevenrebounds as the Irish advanced with a 64-50 win.

Charleston Catholic (20-3) will make its third consecutive statetournament appearance sometime Thursday at the Charleston CivicCenter.

Even though the Irish rode Maier's 10 first-quarter points to a 20-6 lead, the green-clad Charleston Catholic faithful among the crowdof 400 could not relax as their 6-foot-2 star came out of the gamejust 28 seconds into the second period after picking up her secondfoul.

When the Warriors (17-7) went on a little run to cut the lead to10, Irish Coach Ashley Shepler hustled Maier back into the contest.

Less than two minutes later she picked up her third foul going fora block on a breakaway. That sent reserve Meredith Bond back into thegame.

This time the Irish responded in a more determined manner as Bond,point guard Kim Abcouwer, Samantha Femia, and Lindsay Skaff all hitbaskets in the closing minutes of the half.

"The end of the first half the actually increased the lead,"Shepler said. "That's a good sign that we can step up."

And while Maier's usual co-stars Abcouwer and Skaff certainlyturned up their games a notch and the rest of the Catholic playersmade good showings, Izat's performance was huge.

With Maier opening the second half just as she finished the first -on the bench - Izat picked up the scoring slack with 11 points in thehalf, mostly off rebound put-backs or penetrating inside passes fromAbcouwer.

Catholic typically depends on Maier to get those points.

"The seniors had to step up when Mackenzie got into foul trouble,"Izat said.

Though Izat was giving up 6 inches to 6-1 Pocahontas star MindySharp, she felt prepared for the challenge after going against Maierin daily practices.

"She makes me better," Izat said.

"Just watching where she moves helps me."

Not that Izat is without talent of her own.

"Her biggest asset is her quickness," Shepler said. "She startedat the beginning of the year then a little injury knocked her out fora while."

Maier returned for good midway through the third period withCatholic leading 41-27, the same 14-point margin they held when sheleft.

Nobody was happier about Izat's performance.

"She did awesome," Maier said.

"It was very exciting, my teammates are very important to me andif they are doing well it really makes me feel good and it gets mepumped up to go in and play with them."

Once back in the game Maier struggled briefly in missing her firstthree shots but got back on track to finish with 19 points and 10rebounds.

She broke her brief cold spell with a 3-pointer to expand the leadto 11 after the Warriors had mounted their final serious threat withsix consecutive points late in the third.

"It was definitely different," she said of her in-then-out-then-in again evening.

"It was a challenge to turn it off and on," Maier admitted. "Itwas harder than it normally is."

Skaff did her share with 16 points also, while Abcouwer had an all-around strong outing with seven assists, five points, four rebounds,and three steals while committing only two turnovers.

"We thought we had a good game plan," Pocahontas Coach Tim McClungsaid. "If we could have just made more of those easy shots we had inthe first half."

The Warriors made only 6-of-23 attempts before halftime while theIrish sank 12-of-21.

Sharp finished with 13 points while Michelle Holestine added 12,Heidi Beverage 11 and Christin Shinaberry 10 for the Warriors. Sharppulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.

The Irish are heavily favored to be the Class A top seed and willfind out at the end of the week who they will face next Thursday.

"I think we've done everything we could to put ourselves in thebest position we could be in," Shepler said.

Drinking & Writing

'DRINKING & WRITING' RECOMMENDED

WHEN: Through Jan. 18 (7 p.m. Saturdays, with no performance Dec.28)

WHERE: The Neo-Futurists at T's Bar and Restaurant, 5025 N. Clark

TICKETS: $8-$12

CALL: (773) 275-5255

'Writing is easy," said Gene Fowler, a journalist, editor and palof that yeasty Broadway chronicler, Damon Runyon. "All you do isstare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form at yourforehead."

This wonderful summation of the writer's plight (and you caneasily substitute "blank computer screen" for "blank page") came tomind as I watched "Drinking & Writing," the amusing little meditationby the Neo-Futurists, now being performed in the friendly, site-specific confines of a bar and restaurant in the Andersonvilleneighborhood.

"Five out of seven of America's Nobel Prize winners in literaturerecommend it," quips one of the trio of actor-writers--Sean Benjamin,Steven Mosqueda and Diana Slickman--who created the often amusing,periodically interactive piece that they also perform. Then theyproceed to name the members of this rather formidable group,including Eugene O'Neill, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, SinclairLewis and Ernest Hemingway.

In fact, by the end of the evening, you may have constructed astunningly long list of many of the other major American writers ofthe 20th century (the parameters the ensemble gave itself, despitebookend quotes from that wonderfully dissipated French poet CharlesBaudelaire) who similarly combined alcohol and "word processing." Andeach of them--from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jack London, Jack Kerouac,Charles Bukowski and Raymond Carver to Carson McCullers, DorothyParker and Dawn Powell (yes, the ladies who lunched also downed theirScotch)--are liberally quoted on the subject during this quirky,personal and alternately sad and entertaining theatrical essay.

The question that remains--and it is raised repeatedly--is whetherthe drinking fuels the writing, or the writing simply drives thewriters to drink. Or is there some unidentified emotional orbiological factor that leads a person to write, and that also mightlead him or her to the bottle?

Many of the writers quoted are honest enough to admit that they dosome of their worst work while under the influence, although some oftheir best writing may emerge out of the remorse that follows abinge. Of course, plenty of people who never raise a pen to paperhave a problem with alcohol, too; just listen to Raymond Carvertalking about how his blue-collar family, mostly electricians bytrade, are serious drinkers.

Alternating between these passages from the great writers are bitsof lore and social science--from a comic (and highly probable)description of how mankind first hit upon the process of fermentationand observed the effects of drinking such liquid, to a step-by-stepguide to the five stages of inebriation, including euphoria,excitation, confusion, stupor and coma, plus the worst-case sixthstep, death.

McCullers said she wouldn't want to live if she couldn't write.Kerouac said that because he was a Catholic he couldn't commitsuicide, but there was nothing to prevent him from drinking himselfto death. Bukowski, waxing poetic on the hangover, observed thatdrunks are never forgiven, but they forgive themselves in order todrink again.

The truth is, very few people, whether they are writers or not,become more literate, more charming or more entertaining when theyare drunk; in general, they only grow more obnoxious, pathetic, self-pitying, abusive or boring.

Use "wine, poetry or virtue," anything to free the imagination,Baudelaire once said. Last orders.

Después de Hugo Chávez

Caracas - Mientras resulta dificil entrever la forma en que Hugo Chavez, efectivamente, pueda ser sacado del poder, se discute ya en el seno de la oposicion lo que ocurrira "el dia despues'. La preocupacion es natural y encomiable porque es importante ir prefigurando lo que pueda ser el pais cuando comience la ansiada reconstruccion nacional.

Hay quienes se concentran en el problema de la etica y los valores, fundamental para no caer en los errores del pasado; quienes intentan disenar "proyectos de pais" para la nueva Venezuela, que puedan asumir el papel de pactos fundacionales para los proximos anos; estamos ademas los que pensamos que, en realidad, es mas importante tener ahora un instrumento mas practico y de mayor contenido politico, un pacto de gobernabilidad preciso que de garantias minimas a la oposicion y al chavismo sobre lo que ocuriria.

Las propuestas, aunque no coincidentes, tampoco son en realidad contradictorias: en todos estos planos se puede y se debe avanzar para que nuestra lucha por la libertad y el estado de derecho vaya asumiendo un contenido mas concreto y apunte hacia las metas que todos valoramos. Pero en el curso de estos largos y conflictivos meses han aparecido tambien signos sin duda preocupantes, ideas que nos inquietan y que no queremos dejar sin explorar o rebatir. Una, que es fundamental, se refiere a la critica del largo periodo democratico que vivimos antes de Chavez y que algunos denominan todavia como "cuarta republica". Muchos no entienden que esta etapa no fracaso porque la dirigencia haya caido en manos de hombres corruptos, o porque los partidos se alejaron de la ciudadania, sino porque tenia escondida, en sus raices, las causas de su propia destruccion. Lo que fracaso en Venezuela no fue la dirigencia de adecos y copeyanos, sino el modelo socioeconomico que estos dirigentes trataron de mantener cuando ya no era posible.

De alli, mas que de la corrupcion, surge Chavez: de un sistema de reparto del ingreso petrolero que concibio el estado como motor del desarrollo, pero que, al final, nos entrego veinte anos de retroceso economico, menor produccion, menor intercambio internacional y una inversion privada en constante retroceso. Los que fracasaron fueron los controles de cambios, los privilegios sindicales, los subsidios de toda clase y las industrias estatales falsamente "estrategicas" los precios regulados y la reforma agraria; las universidades que aumentaron sus gastos sin mesura mientras el resto de la educacion se estancaba y burocratizaba; la politica de la OPEP, que nos hizo perder mercados en todo el mundo mientras estableciamos un monopolio estatal sobre el negocio petrolero que nos llevo a producir menos que en los anos setenta; la ineficiente burocracia publica que crecio sin medida, hasta el punto de abarcar mas de un tercio del mercado de trabajo.

Quien hoy no entienda esto, quien piense que despues de Chavez es posible volver a los anos dorados que vivimos hace un cuarto de siglo, se equivoca hoy y siembra las semillas de nuevos conflictos y nuevos retrocesos para el futuro. Lo que esta haciendo el actual gobierno es poner en practica, con la ignorancia y la brutalidad que lo caracterizan, las peores recetas del pasado: un control de cambios mas rigido que los anteriores, una regulacion de precios absurda, la politizacion absolula de la industria petrolera, hasta los intentos de control sobre la prensa. Nada de esto estuvo ausente en el pasado aunque, es preciso destacarlo, nunca se actuo del modo barbaro en que lo hace ahora el chavismo. Pero me parece importante que la oposicion comprenda que no se trata solo de detener al totalitarismo, de impedir que nos volvamos otra Cuba: tambien es importante que, el dia despues, sepamos eliminar no solamente los excesos de Chavez, sino la propia concepcion socialista que esta detras `de su proyecto y que tantos todavia comparten.

Algunos pensaran que esto que proponemos no es mas que un intento de pescar en rio revuelto. Pero es otra cosa: es la conviccion de que el regreso al pasado es imposible, que la libertad por la que luchamos es tambien economica, que un pais cerrado como el que propone Chavez nos lleva hacia el destino de Corea del Norte, que la Venezuela paternalista e interventora del pasado, gobernada por quienes se sentian duenos de las riquezas, nos llevo a dos largas decadas de empobrcimiento.

Dutch police arrest suspect in Greek prison break

Prosecutors say Dutch police have arrested an Albanian wanted in Greece in connection with a spectacular prison break.

Ruth Gorissen of the Amsterdam public prosecutor's office says Panagiot Papa has been arrested and will likely be extradited to Greece.

Papa is suspected of involvement in the 2006 jail break of Greek bank robber Vassilis Paleokostas and Albanian Alket Rizaj, a convicted murderer.

Both men escaped from Korydallos prison in a helicopter but later were recaptured. But they escaped again in a hijacked helicopter last month and remain on the run.

Gorissen said Thursday she had no details of when or where Papa was arrested.

Workers fired over prank-call shock treatments

Seven people have been fired over electrical shocks given to two emotionally disturbed teenagers at the direction of what turned out to be a prank caller, the operator of the group home where the incident occurred said Thursday.

A state agency concluded that six staffers at a residence run by the Judge Rotenberg Education Center had ample reason to doubt the orders to administer the shocks. The staffers and a video surveillance worker on duty the night of the incident have been fired, school spokesman Ernest Corrigan said.

On Aug. 26, a caller posed as a supervisor and said he was ordering the punishments for the two teens, ages 16 and 19, because they had misbehaved earlier in the evening. But none of the staffers had witnessed any problems, and other boys said the two teens had done nothing wrong. One boy suggested the call was a hoax.

The teens were awakened in the middle of the night and given the shock treatments, at times while their legs and arms were bound. One teen received 77 shocks and the other received 29. One boy was treated for two first-degree burns.

A report released to state lawmakers Wednesday by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care said the caller was a former resident of the center with intimate knowledge of the staff, residents and layout of the home.

No motive was given, and the caller's identity was not disclosed. Police are looking into filing criminal charges.

The center is believed to be the only school in the United States that uses two-second skin-shock punishments to change destructive behavior. The center says the treatments are used in a minority of cases and only with parental, medical, psychiatric and court approval.

The center has survived two attempts by the state to close it over allegations that its unorthodox methods amount to abuse.

At the time of the call, five of the six staffers had worked a double or triple shift, and most had been on the job less than three months. The staffers were described as concerned and reluctant about the orders, but failed to verify them with the central office or check treatment plans to make sure the teens could receive that level of shock therapy, the report said. Staffers also did not know who the shift supervisor was that night.

Staff members realized their mistake after someone finally called the central office.

One reason staffers might not have been suspicious of the phone call is that the Rotenberg Center uses surveillance cameras in its group homes to monitor residents and staff, and a central office employee is allowed to initiate discipline by phone.

As a result of the investigation, the center has expanded staff training, implemented new telephone verification procedures, added oversight at group homes and eliminated delayed punishment.

Corrigan said an incident like the faulty shock treatments after a phone call has never happened before.

Last-minute checklist helps closing

Realty Forum lets Chicago area real-estate executives sharetheir thoughts on issues affecting home buyers. Ronald C. Nelson issenior vice president of Draper and Kramer's residential mortgagedivision.

After the buyer has selected a home, filled out a mortgageapplication and received a commitment letter, the closing is thefinal step before taking ownership of the new home.

With all the excitement of finally owning your new home, it'shelpful to have a checklist to avoid overlooking any documents orsteps necessary for a problem-free closing.

And with the majority of buyers preferring to close on theirloans at the end of the month, having everything in …

Jones, Heyward return to Braves lineup

ATLANTA (AP) — Chipper Jones and Jason Heyward returned to the Atlanta Braves lineup Tuesday against Houston after dealing with injuries.

Jones said his right knee was feeling much better after he had two injections on Sunday to deal with the pain from a small meniscus tear. He had missed Atlanta's two previous contests, but went through batting practice and decided to return to the lineup for the finale of an eight-game homestand.

"It's good enough that I feel like I can play," Jones said beforehand. "I've got to go out there and prove it to them."

There was still the possibility of arthroscopic surgery if the knee doesn't hold up.

"I don't have near the pain that …

Cactus country

An Arizona canyon provides a taste of desert and a glimpse of uplands.

Rising above the Sonoran Desert, the Santa Rita Mountains extend north to south, falling roughly midway between Tucson, Arizona, and Nogales, Mexico. The highest peaks, including 9,453-foot Mount Wrightson, are topped off with verdant forests of Engelmann spruce and ponderosa pine, while cacti and other desert plants grow at the base of the mountains, at about 3,000 feet, and penetrate dry canyons up to 4,000 feet. The range is a favorite among naturalists because of its varied plant and animal life and the scattering of natural springs, but only a few routes provide easy access into the rugged terrain. The …

Cactus country

An Arizona canyon provides a taste of desert and a glimpse of uplands.

Rising above the Sonoran Desert, the Santa Rita Mountains extend north to south, falling roughly midway between Tucson, Arizona, and Nogales, Mexico. The highest peaks, including 9,453-foot Mount Wrightson, are topped off with verdant forests of Engelmann spruce and ponderosa pine, while cacti and other desert plants grow at the base of the mountains, at about 3,000 feet, and penetrate dry canyons up to 4,000 feet. The range is a favorite among naturalists because of its varied plant and animal life and the scattering of natural springs, but only a few routes provide easy access into the rugged terrain. The …

BUSINESS NH 2008 Business of the Year Awards: St. Mary's Bank

St. Mary's Bank is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, but isn't showing any signs of age. As it marks this milestone, the credit union is helping to revitalize a Manchester neighborhood and introducing new high-tech services for its members.

The anniversary also has historic significance. As America's first credit union, it sparked a financial revolution that has led to the establishment of 9,500 credit unions nationwide. St. Mary's opened in 1908 to help poor mill workers - a largely ignored and then under-served population in Manchester - save money and access loans to better their lives. Back then, as now, the membership fee was $5.

Today, St. Mary's has nearly …

Ativa deems Eletrobras's interest in stake acquisition beneficial for EDP no Brasil.

(ADPnews) - May 20, 2011 - The interest of Brazil's state-owned power holding company Eletrobras (SAO:ELET6) in entering the share capital of local utility EDP no Brasil (SAO:ENBR3) benefits the latter, Ativa brokerage said.

Eletrobras's aspirations may take pressure off the shares in EDP no Brasil's in the short-term, Ativa believes.

The stock has been suffering with the possibility of Portuguese power company EDP (ELI:EDP) selling up to 14% of the shares in its possession, via …

Use fresh bread for soft crumbs.(Life - Food)(Recipe)

Byline: MARY QUINLAN Staff Writer

In response to last week's request, we received letters with the same recipe for "Holiday Cake," from Ann Kulzer of Albany and Constance Lasalle of Loudonville:

Holiday (Gift) Cake Makes 3 cakes From Ann Kulzer of Albany and Constance Lasalle of Loudonville 2 1/4 cups of sifted flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups of sugar

8 ounces of cream cheese

1 cup (2 sticks) of margarine

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

4 eggs

3/4 cup of well-drained chopped red and green maraschino cherries

1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

…

Green standard: the Research Center will manage ANSI accreditation of the Model Green Home Building Guidelines.(THE NAHB RESEARCH CENTER CORNER,American National Standards Institute)

IIn 2005, the NAHB published the Model Green Home Building Guidelines to move green building further into the mainstream and to provide a practical baseline for resource-efficient, cost-effective home building. Through a recent vote by the NAHB Construction, Codes and Standards Committee, the association is now working to obtain accreditation of the guidelines from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Once finalized, the ANSI designation will impart consensus status to the guidelines and ultimately expand efforts to promote their use within jurisdictions developing green building programs.

The guidelines were originally unveiled following a one-year …

England will work to avoid more RWC missed kicks

QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand (AP) — England will be trying hard to break-in the match ball for Sunday's Rugby World Cup encounter against Georgia in an effort to avoid a repeat of the missed kicks that could have cost the side dearly against Argentina.

Between them, England and Argentina succeeded with just six of 17 kicks at goal at Otago Stadium, with the usually accurate Jonny Wilkinson …

Hulk Hogan vs. vandals

World Wrestling Federation heavyweight champ Hulk Hogan istaking a beating in Jackson, Miss.

Clerks in the 31 Circle K stores in Jackson say …

BFA to Resume Competitions next Week.

Football competitions will be resumed next March 18, announced the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) today. Al Riffa and Al Najma clubs will meet next Friday at the Bahrain …

Assault charge.

A MAN has been charged with GBH with intent following an assault.

Richard Murray, 25, of Hayman Road, Brackley, appeared at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Saturday and remanded in custody.

He is due to appear at Oxford Crown Court this Friday (14/12).

It follows an assault on a 21-year-old man in Marlborough …

ONE WAY TO ORGANIZE CLOTHES FOR A TRIP.(LIFE & LEISURE)

Byline: HELOISE

DEAR HELOISE: When organizing my clothes for a long trip, I add an extra expanding shower rod inside the tub enclosure in my guest bathroom to create an additional hidden closet.

Well in advance of the actual packing, I use this extra closet to hang the clothes I'm thinking about taking. It is easy to see everything, then eliminate unnecessary items and coordinate outfits without having piles of clothes folded and stacked around the house. Also, my clothes are out of view behind the closed shower curtain. -- Dale Brannon, Kemah, Texas DEAR DALE: Planning for a trip rather than waiting until the last minute sure saves hassles, doesn't it? …

Freedom to focus: director Kelvin Tong is elated to have been given free reins to direct his latest feature. The former film critic talks to Asia Image about 'Love Story', a Singapore production funded by Focus Film's Asia-wide initiative.(profile)

Kelvin Tong is no stranger to accolades. Beginning in 1995 with a quirky short film, Moveable Feast, Kelvin's film career has not looked back since. Moveable Feast garnered a Special Mention at France's 1996 Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, the Cannes of short films. The short film also enjoyed the honor of being the first and, to date, only piece of Singapore cinema to be showcased at the prestigious Museum Of Modern Art in New York. In 1999, Kelvin made his feature directorial debut with Eating Air. His direction and original screenplay won The Young Cinema Award at the 2000 Singapore International Film Festival and the FIPRESCI prize at the 2000 Stockholm International Film Festival.

Even more remarkable is Kelvin's most recent triumph, marked by his entry into the ultra-exclusive club of Singapore filmmakers who actually made it to the top of the local box office--a fraternity for which even Canneslauded Eric Khoo was denied membership. In its opening weekend, his 2005 genre flick 'The Maid' raked in S$758,000, no slouch considering that it costs S$1.5 million in all to make. With a Hollywood remake purportedly in the offing--rumor has it that actor Brad Pitt's company is keen on buying filming rights to 'The Maid'--KelvinTong must be basking in the afterglow of his newfound success. Not really. Before critics can finish saying the words "flash-in-the-pans", Kelvin has already completed a new feature film, titled 'Love Story'.

The film represents onesixth of a HD film …

5 people shot after Chicago high school ball game

Five people were shot as spectators left a crowded high school basketball game Friday in what police called a possibly gang-related attack that sent panicked students running into a snowy street on the city's South Side.

Five males _ three in serious condition and two in critical _ were taken from Paul Laurence Dunbar Vocational Career Academy around 8 p.m., said Chicago Fire Department spokeswoman Eve Rodriguez. Hospital spokespeople said later that at least three were expected to be treated and released.

"It was crazy. It was like killers on the loose," said Joshua Glaze, 15, a freshman at the school.

The game was in overtime and some …

allergy-free summer living

Even if you're sensitive to more than gluten, summer can still be a breeze with these easy, quick food ideas

Traveling. Hiking. Entertaining guests with refreshing desserts. These are fun sides of summer. But all these situations can become challenges if you are sensitive to other foods besides gluten.

You might have a true food allergy, in which adverse symptoms can develop within minutes-or have a delayed-onset food sensitivity, in which symptoms can occur several hours to up to two or three days after eating a food. Either way, if you steer clear of troublesome foods, you avoid uncomfortable symptoms. Cow's milk, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, and fish are the …

Climate change means southern Cape extreme weather risk to soar - study.

INSURANCE claims in the disaster-hit southern Cape reveal that more than 80 percent of losses from extreme weather events since 1996 have occurred in the last five years, a study has shown.

The study, commissioned by Santam and conducted by the WWF, UCT and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, focused on the Eden District which has been hit hard recently by floods, droughts, fires and sea storms.

Between 2003 and 2008 the Western Cape experienced eight severe storms which caused damage worth R2.5 billion. More than 70 percent of the damage was in the Eden District. This increase was reflected in global insurance claims. In the first nine months of 2011 …

Data Link Solutions.(Business)

Data Link Solutions received a $ 34.8 million contract from the US Air Force to provide Link 16 Mids to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This marks the Kingdom's …

RALPH GEERHOLT, 72.(CAPITAL REGION)

Ralph E. Geerholt, 72, of Echo Park died Wednesday in the Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass., after being stricken at home.

He was born in Stephentown. He attended New Lebanon High School and was a gradaute of the machinist school at Pittsfield High School.

Mr. Geerholt worked at the General Electric Co. in the ordnance section as a machinist. He retired from the company in 1983.

He was an Army veteran of World War II and served in the Pacific Theater.He was a member and past president of the Berlin Rod & Gun Club and a member of the …

Havlat lifts Blackhawks past Ducks

Martin Havlat scored 1:40 into overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.

Havlat broke down the middle from center ice, and despite being pulled down from behind by Anaheim's Corey Perry, he managed to loft a shot past Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

Chicago's Troy Brouwer and Andrew Ladd scored in the first period to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead.

Anaheim's Drew Miller and Bobby Ryan scored early in the second to tie it at 2. Ryan leads NHL rookies with 22 goals.

Giguere made 34 saves in his sixth straight start as the Ducks completed a season-high six-game road trip at 3-2-1.

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Spotlight swings to PGA Championship

All eyes this weekend will focus on Shoal Creek Golf Club inBirmingham, Ala., the controversial site of the PGA Championship.Shoal Creek has come under fire recently for its club admissionpolicy.

ESPN covers the second round today at noon and 4 p.m. ABC (Ch.7) picks up the third and final rounds tomorrow and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Reporting for ABC will be Roger Twibell, Jack Whitaker, DaveMarr, Peter Alliss, Jerry Pate, Judy Rankin, Bob Rosburg and EdSneed.

BOXING: HBO presents a tripleheader tomorrow at 8 p.m. whenPernell Whitaker meets Juan Nazario, Meldrick Taylor battles LouieLomeli and Hector "Macho" Camacho squares off with Tony Baltazar.Jim Lampley, …

All set for a happy new year? (European chemical industry)(Industry Overview)

The European Chemical Industry Council's economic outlook offers some light at the end of the tunnel. Maria Burke reports.

Economists for the European chemical industry were determined to instil some good cheer into company executives in Brussels last month. They insisted that the difficult times are over with signs of improvements heralding a brighter New Year.

Chemical production could rise by over 3% next year, according to Richard Freeman, chief economist at ICI, and chair of the economic outlook panel of the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC). This follows an estimated increase of about 1.2% in 1996. The panel believes that stock levels are low in most …