A Republican gay rights group frustrated with the Obama administration's failure to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law is challenging the policy's constitutionality in federal court in Southern California.
The trial in Riverside starts Tuesday and is scheduled to last two weeks.
Dan Woods, attorney for the Log Cabin Republicans, says he wants a federal judge to halt the policy …
ABSTRACT
This study is a compilation of vascular flora data from previous reports and current findings from 1965 through 2003 of Fort Bragg Military Reservation and Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, located in the Sandhills region of North Carolina. Vascular plants are divided into four major groups: Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms (monocots) and Angiosperms (dicots). Reported for the study area are 143 families, 490 genera, and 1,206 species and infraspecific taxa, of which 203 (16.8%) are alien or adventive. Sixty one species are rare, of which three are federally endangered: Lysimachia asperulifolia, Rhus michauxii, and Schwalbea americana. The following five …
Premier League club Reading signed midfielder Marek Matejovsky from Mlada Boleslav to a 3 1/2-year contract Monday.
Financial details of the transfer were not given for the 26-year-old playmaker, who has played six matches for the Czech Republic.
…
The great Jimmy Calderwood treasure hunt has kicked-off yetagain.
A striker tops the Aberdeen manager's Christmas wish list, withNottingham Forest's Scott Dobie firmly on his radar.
Calderwood has long been looking for that perfect blend in attackand with the window of opportunity ready to open next month he'sscouring Europe for new talent.
Calderwood has been linked with some high-profile forwards andhas always set his sights high.
An ambitious loan move for former Aberdeen schoolboy ShaunMaloney when he was at Celtic failed to work out before his switchsouth to Aston Villa.
Garry O'Connor, now at Birmingham, was another Calderwood targetbut …
Within the next two years, the Chicago area will have at least18 and maybe as many as 37 new golf courses.
Eighteen new courses have just opened or are scheduled to openby next spring. Others are in various stages of planning andconstruction.
Those figures come from the National Golf Foundation, coursearchitects and club pros. They admit there may be courses going upthat they don't know about - but they are certain of one thing: Thecourses being constructed won't be enough.
The area course shortage is part of a world-wide trend. TheNational Golf Foundation calculates the United States needs 400 newcourses annually through the year 2000 to keep up …
WASHINGTON - Elizabeth Edwards, wife of White House hopeful John Edwards, apologized to Sen. Hillary Clinton after saying her choices in life have made her happier than the senator, a Clinton aide said Friday.
Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson said Elizabeth Edwards called the New York Democrat on Friday night just after she finished a debate in Rochester, N.Y., against Republican challenger John Spencer.
"Elizabeth Edwards called her and apologized," Wolfson said. "They had a good conversation."
Wolfson said the two spoke only for a couple of minutes.
"The senator thanked her for the call and wished her well on her book tour," Wolfson said.
The …
British conductor Edward Downes and his wife have died at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland, their family said Tuesday.
The family said Downes, 85, and his 74-year-old wife Joan died Friday "peacefully and under circumstances of their own choosing" at a Zurich clinic run by the group Dignitas.
The family statement said Downes had become almost blind and increasingly deaf. His wife, a former dancer, choreographer and television producer, had devoted years to working as his assistant.
"After 54 happy years together, they decided to end their own lives rather than continue to struggle with serious health problems," the statement said.
Dignitas refused to …
WASHINGTON The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Thursday endorsedfederal Judge Jose Cabranes for the Supreme Court vacancy, seeking toconvince President Clinton that it is time to put a Hispanic on thehigh court.
Other Hispanic groups, including the Hispanic National BarAssociation, also announced their support for the 53-year-old judge,named to the federal bench in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter.
But two major Hispanic organizations - the National Council ofLa Raza and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund - were noticeablyabsent from the support for Cabranes.
Their silence underscored the continuing division within theHispanic community about whether …
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted New Orleans rapper B.G. on gun and conspiracy charges, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said.
Letten said the 30-year-old rapper, whose real name is Christopher Dorsey, faces two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
If convicted, Dorsey faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the gun charges and up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine on the conspiracy charge.
The charges are from a 2009 traffic stop in which officers recovered three guns, two of which were reported stolen. Police told The Times-Picayune that Dorsey was arrested along with …
| Pittsburgh @ Detroit @ |
| ab r h bi @ ab r h bi |
| Iwamura 2b 5 0 2 0 Raburn cf 3 1 1 1 |
| J.de los Santos 3b 0 0 0 0 L.Castillo cf 1 0 0 0 |
| A.McCutchen cf 4 0 1 1 Damon dh 4 1 3 3 |
| A.McClune lf 0 0 0 0 Ordonez rf 4 0 1 1 |
| G.Jones rf 5 0 1 0 A.Dirks rf 0 0 0 0 | …
Thirty of the 218 candidates who sat for the Certified PublicAccountant Examination May 8-9 were successful, according to the WestVirginia Board of Accountancy.
Candidates who passed the exam:
Beaver: Michele Rae Walker. Charleston: Anthony Cipollone, Anna M.Rossi. Clarksburg: Brandy L. Loughrie-Moore, John D. Luchuck.
Elkview: Michael Lee Conley. Flatwoods: Eric Jason Brown. Hinton:Donna Dee Clinebell. Kenna: Brandy M.F. Whittington. Lost Creek:Zachary David Dobbins. Milton: Rodman G. Lowe, David K. …
NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald's Corp. says a key sales figure rose 4.8 percent in November, helped in the U.S. by the popularity of the limited-time McRib sandwich.
The world's largest burger chain also said Wednesday weaker foreign currencies will hurt its fourth-quarter earnings by a penny to 2 cents per share.
Sales in restaurants open at least 13 months rose 4.9 percent in the U.S. and Europe and 2.4 percent elsewhere. The figure is considered a key measure of a restaurant chain's health because it excludes stores that open and close during the period.
McDonald's McRib promotion ran nationally from Nov. 2 until last Sunday. The McRib sandwich, which consists of a ground …
Charles Glover, chairman/CEO of the Corporate Media Group, which is based in Ohio, Wednesday called on African Americans to organize and turn up the heat on U.S. senators who have the power to reverse a FCC ruling that will literally pull the plug on their stations forever.
Glover, who owns two TV stations in Portland, ME, and is negotiating a Fox affiliation TV station in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, said the FCC ruling which expands ownership to a single company in several media outlets is designed "to shut out the smaller guys.
"We're probably one of the more onery people; so, we'll never sell out to any of the larger corporations, and we'll keep them at bay as long as it's humanly as possible.
"The ruling doesn't do anything to help minorities. It was pretty much a sell out on behalf of the FCC motivated by political considerations of George Bush and Dick Cheney," Glover said. He made his comments after attending a workshop entitled: "The State of Minority Ownership Within the Communications Industry: Will It Survive When Being No. 1 Is Not Enough" held at the 32nd annual Rainbow PUSH Coalition convention.
Born in Detroit, Glover, who said Blacks own 22 TV stations, stated: "Diversity takes the biggest hit in this situation because you're quieting the voices. The Republicans and the right-wing are using a smoke screen of cable TV as a fact that increases diversity.
"Actually, they own all of the cable channels," he added.
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Gunmen killed a German man in Mali's most famous city of Timbuktu and seized three men from the Netherlands, South Africa and Sweden, officials and witnesses said, as officials on Saturday ordered a plane to evacuate foreigners from the tourist destination.
The Dutch and Swedish governments confirmed Saturday that their citizens had been taken. A fellow traveler said the other man seized was South African and said she met the German man.
Tour guide Ali Maiga was with the tourists during Friday's attack at a Timbuktu restaurant and gave the same list of nationalities. A witness and an official said gunmen burst into the restaurant, grabbed four tourists dining there and executed one when he refused to climb into their truck.
Officials on Saturday evacuated foreigners from Timbuktu to the capital, said a man who owns a hotel in Bamako where the tourists previously stayed. He asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ward Bezemer confirmed that one Dutch man was among those kidnapped.
"In the interests of the people involved, we never comment on these cases," Bezemer told The Associated Press.
The kidnapping comes ahead of an official visit by Mali's president to the Netherlands next week.
Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt on Saturday confirmed on Twitter that one of those kidnapped was Swedish. He did not mention the nationalities of the others.
Germany's Foreign Ministry said in a Saturday statement that the killed foreigner is "with a high probability a German national" and updated its Mali travel advisory to mention the killing.
South African foreign affairs department spokesman Clayson Monyela said Saturday his government was trying to confirm whether one of those kidnapped was South African.
Canadian tourist Julie-Ann Leblond said she met a group consisting of a South African, a Swede and a Dutch couple in Mali. She said they invited her to join them as they headed to Timbuktu, but she took ill on Wednesday and had to stay behind.
"I was supposed to go there with them," Leblond, a 25-year-old resident of Quebec City, told the Associated Press by phone from Bamako. "I was never so happy to get a cold."
She did not provide the names of the travelers and said the German was traveling separately. She said the group of four met on the road as they were traveling from Europe to Africa.
"They're incredible people, so peaceful, so nice," she said. "That kind of thing cannot just happen to those kind of people. It's crazy."
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, also condemned the attack in a statement and said "these incidents show the need to continue and intensify the efforts against insecurity in the Sahel," the desert region stretching from Mauritania to Chad.
"Through its Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel, the EU is committed to help the Sahel countries in this endeavor," the statement said.
Until a few years ago, Timbuktu was one of the most visited destinations in Africa, but it is now one of the many former tourist hotspots in Mali that have been deemed too dangerous to visit by foreign embassies because of kidnappings by the local chapter of al-Qaida.
Friday's incident comes after two French citizens were grabbed in the middle of the night from their hotel in the Malian town of Hombori on Thursday. French judicial officials have opened a preliminary investigation into their kidnappings.
Neither kidnapping has yet been claimed by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, whose members have kidnapped and ransomed more than 50 Europeans and Canadians since 2003.
If Friday's kidnapping is by AQIM, it will mark the first time they have taken a hostage inside of Timbuktu's city limits. Thursday's kidnapping would be another first — the first hostage taking south of the Niger River.
The group's footprint has grown dramatically since 2006, when the Algerian-led cell first joined al-Qaida. Security experts estimate the group has been able to raise around $130 million from ransom payments alone.
___
Associated Press writer Mike Corder contributed to this report from The Hague, writer Juergen Baetz contributed from Berlin, writer David Stringer contributed from London and writers Anita Powell and Donna Bryson contributed from Johannesburg.
NEW YORK - Stocks rose moderately in early trading Tuesday as Wall Street awaited the earnings season's unofficial kickoff with Alcoa Inc.'s report and minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting.
An upbeat profit report from Yum Brands Inc., the parent of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, also lifted the market's mood.
The report from aluminum producer Alcoa, the first of the 30 constituent stocks of the Dow Jones industrial average to report results, could provide investors further insight into how well corporate profits held up during the third quarter. Wall Street expects the company to report a modest rise in profits after the closing bell Tuesday.
As the flow of earnings reports begins in earnest, Wall Street will also devote attention to minutes from the Fed's Sept. 18 meeting, when the central bank lowered the target federal funds rate by a larger-than-expected half percentage point.
The Fed's decision to make access to cash cheaper helped dismantle some of the intransigence in the credit markets that developed amid concerns about souring mortgage debt. Wall Street will no doubt be looking for any insights into whether the Fed is likely to cut again when it meets Oct. 30-31 or hold the target rate at 4.75 percent.
Wall Street's attention to the Fed will also likely extend to comments expected from two of the bank's officials. St. Louis Fed President William Poole and San Francisco Fed President Janet Yellen are slated to deliver speeches Tuesday.
In the first hour of trading, the Dow rose 34.71, or 0.25 percent, to 14,078.44.
Broader stock indicators also advanced. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 4.87, or 0.31 percent, to 1,557.45, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 8.81, or 0.32 percent, 2,796.18.
Bonds rose as investors appeared to consider whether Friday's sell-off was overdone. The 10-year Treasury note yield, which moves inversely to its price, fell to 4.62 percent from 4.64 percent late Friday. The Treasury bond market was closed Monday for the Columbus Day holiday.
The dollar was generally lower against other major currencies, while gold prices rose.
Light, sweet crude rose 28 cents to $79.30 in premarket electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In corporate news, Yum Brands rose $1.91, or 5.2 percent, to $38.19 after the company on Monday reported stronger-than-epxected third-quarter profits. While revenue in the U.S. declined, strong international sales boosted results.
Sprint Nextel Corp. fell 52 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $17.98 after the phone company said after the bell Monday its Chairman, President and Chief Executive Gary Forsee would step down. The company also warned it expects full-year operating revenue to come in slightly below its targeted range.
Google Inc. rose again Tuesday after closing above $600 for the first time Monday. The stock rose $8.43 to $618.05.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 5 to 3 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 57.7 million shares.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 1.51, or 0.18 percent, to 841.65.
Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 0.56. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.99 percent, Germany's DAX index rose 0.34 percent, and France's CAC-40 advanced 0.37 percent.
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On the Net:
New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com
Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com
Scientists have proposed digging six miles into the earth ofsoutheastern Illinois, and using the hole as the nation's deepestresearch well.
The so-called Superdeep Drillhole could tell scientists where tofind oil and minerals, and reveal whether Illinois is a safe place tobury toxic wastes.
Monitoring equipment at the bottom of the well might detectunderground nuclear blasts and tell scientists whether the state isdue for another big earthquake.
About 120 geologists, chemists and drilling experts proposed thewell during a four-day workshop last week at the University ofIllinois at Chicago.
If approved by the National Science Foundation, the $35 millionhole will be dug in the area where the borders of Illinois, Indianaand Kentucky meet.
The site probably would be in Illinois, in either Gallatin orHardin counties, said Jonathan Goodwin of the State GeologicalSurvey.
The hole would be about four feet wide at the top, tapering tothree or four inches at the bottom. Drilling could start as early as1989, and take 1 1/2 to 2 years, Goodwin said. A diamond-studdeddrill, powered by a 3,000 or 4,000 horsepower diesel engine, wouldgrind through layers of sandstone, shale, coal and limestone.
The world's deepest hole is in the Soviet Union, nearScandinavia. It's nearly eight miles deep.
Rock samples from the research well might tell scientistswhether Illinois is likely to have deep oil reserves.
Underground water samples could also point to deposits offlourite, a mineral used in making steel and aluminum. Analyzingwater samples also would help scientists determine whether it's safeto bury poisonous liquid wastes, Goodwin said.
A seismograph at the bottom of the well would also recordstresses in the Earth's crust, which could indicate whether Illinoisis in for another earthquake.
In 1811, an earthquake in the southern tip of the stateswallowed more than a quarter-million acres of forest.
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Angelina Jolie has chosen young Bosnian actress Zana Marjanovic for the lead role in her directorial debut — a wartime love story between a Bosnian woman and a Serbian man.
Marjanovic told the Associated Press on Thursday that the screenplay was "fabulous" and she could not wait to start shooting with such a "great actress and humanist" like Jolie.
The 27-year-old actress said she was on her way to Hungary to prepare for the film shoot beginning later this year and take place both in Hungary and Bosnia.
Jolie has visited Bosnia twice this year — as UNHCR good will ambassador and to scout for her movie — and had promised she would cast only actors from the region. Marjanovic became known after her prominent role in award winning "Snow" by Bosnian director Aida Begic.
The stock market turned broadly lower today, hurt by falling bondprices, more bad economic data and lower share prices abroad.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 15.40 points at3,398.37.
Volume on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange was 282.27million shares. Decliners outnumbered advancers 16-3.
Bond prices were lower again, pushing up interest rates.
Bonds have been falling in response to continued weakness in thedollar. That could lead the Federal Reserve to raise interest ratesto defend the U.S. currency, analysts have said.
Another option the government has to shore up the dollar is toincrease import prices, analysts said. That could lead toinflationary pressures.
Consequently, gold prices and stocks were higher on Friday, andagain today.
Gold moved today despite news that President Boris Yeltsin hadwon a confidence vote from Russians and fresh Western support for hisreform drive. Spot gold shot up $5.50 to a new six-month high of$352 an ounce.
Gold rose in London to a late bid price of $350.10 a troy ounce,compared with $344.00 bid late Friday.
In Zurich, the metal rose to a late bid of $348.75, comparedwith $344.15 bid late Friday. In Hong Kong, gold rose $7.22 to closeat a bid of $348.24.
Also hurting stocks is concern about the strength of theeconomy.
A real estate trade group had more bad news on that front today,saying sales of previously owned homes fell 2.9 percent in March.That was below the 1 percent drop many private economists hadexpected.
And foreign markets were mostly lower. In Tokyo, the 225-issueNikkei Stock Average fell 80.52 points, or 0.41 percent. In London,the Financial Times-Stock Exchange 100-share index fell 17.8 points,or 0.79 percent.
Ron Doran, director of institutional trading at C.L. King &Associates, said President Clinton's economic policies wereundermining the stock market.
"There is a less confident atmosphere prevailing about wherePresident Clinton is taking the economic situation," he said. "Lowerinterest rates have driven the market to new highs but there are alot of questions as far as confidence and trust are concerned andthat bodes poorly for the stock market."
The dollar fell against the major currencies in European tradingtoday.
In Tokyo, the dollar closed at 110.05 yen, up 0.15 yen fromFriday's close. Later in London, the dollar was quoted at 110.40yen. At midday in New York, the dollar was worth 110.52 yen.
LANDOVER, Md. - After 10 quarters of going-nowhere football, the New York Giants finally rediscovered the secret to winning in the NFL: Play defense, take control of third down, make sure Plaxico Burress catches the ball, and make a harrowing goal line stand at the end of the game.
A Giants defense that had allowed 80 points in its first two games allowed only 83 yards after halftime, and stopped the Washington Redskins on four plays from first-and-goal at the 1 in the final minute to preserve a 24-17 victory Sunday.
New York scored the game's final 21 points and rallied from a two-touchdown deficit.
Burress, who had three drops and no catches in the first half, had five receptions for 86 yards in the second. The ankle injury that caused him to miss two practices last week didn't seem to affect him on the game-winning score - a 33-yard catch-and-run in which he received the ball in the left flat and put a move on Carlos Rogers before outrunning Sean Taylor to the end zone with 5:32 remaining.
When New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg took office early this year, it was expected that the city's recycling program would take some hard hits. Indeed, those expectations became reality, resulting in significant cuts in the recycling and composting programs. On the curbside recycling side, all that is left is collection of paper, with glass, plastic and most metals eliminated. "Technically, the city kept the metal portion of the curbside program, but in reality, that only consists of bulk metal collection," says Thomas Outerbridge of City Green, Inc. an organics and materials recycling consulting firm in Manhattan. "The blue bag program using materials recovery facilities (MRFs) is pretty much over. The whole leaf composting program got axed, including the programs at the botanical gardens in the boroughs. The only composting components left are the food residuals composting facility at the Rikers Island correctional facility and a yard trimmings composting operation at thE closed Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island that is servicing private landscapers. The city estimates it is saving about $30 million in costs for processing recyclables and another $10 million to $15 million in collection costs."
Outerbridge adds that Mayor Bloomberg and City Council have formed a task force that is looking at how the recycling program can be reinstated effectively. The task force's report is scheduled for completion in January 2003. "Unless they can come up with a way of reinstating the program that doesn't cost more than exporting, I doubt the program as it was will be reinstated," he adds. "Metals, glass and plastics collection costs were running about twice that of garbage collection and processing at the MRFs also was expensive. Realistically, both those need to be fixed before anything is brought back on line."
Right now, New York City's cost for exporting garbage is about $65/ton -- not including collection costs. The recycling program was diverting about 20 percent of the 12,000 tons of municipal waste generated daily. The recycling and composting programs that were cut accounted for about ten percent of that diversion, estimates Outerbridge.
Bulgaria's Customs Office says it has seized 95 kilograms (210 pounds) of heroin found in a Turkish truck bound for Germany. Officials valued the heroin at 11 million leva ($15 million).
The agency says the drugs were found hidden in the truck's spare tire early Monday during an inspection at the Turkish-Bulgarian border. The driver was detained.
Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains a major transit country for drug trafficking.
Customs officials say 273 kilograms (600 pounds) of heroin, including Monday's haul, have been seized over the last three weeks.
| San Diego | Arizona | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ab r h bi | ab r h bi | |||
| Venale rf | 4 0 1 1 | Blmqst ss | 4 0 1 0 | |
| Bartlett ss | 2 1 1 0 | A.Hill 2b | 3 1 1 0 | |
| Maybin cf | 3 0 0 0 | J.Upton rf | 4 1 1 1 | |
| Guzmn 1b | 3 0 1 1 | MMntr c | 4 0 2 0 | |
| Cnghm pr | 0 0 0 0 | RRorts 3b | 4 0 0 0 | |
| Hundly c | 4 0 1 0 | Overay 1b | 4 0 2 1 | |
| Blanks lf | 4 0 1 0 | CYoung cf | 4 1 2 0 | |
| Darnell 3b | 4 0 0 0 | GParra lf | 3 0 1 1 | |
| AlGnzlz 2b | 3 1 0 0 | DHdsn p | 2 0 0 0 | |
| Latos p | 3 0 0 0 | |||
| Qualls p | 0 0 0 0 | |||
| Totals | 30 2 5 2 | Totals | 32 3 10 3 |
| San Diego | 001 | 001 | 000—2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 000 | 001 | 11x—3 |
E_Hundley (5), Bloomquist (4). DP_San Diego 1, Arizona 1. LOB_San Diego 5, Arizona 7. 2B_Bartlett (21), Guzman (19), C.Young (31). 3B_G.Parra (8). HR_J.Upton (30). SB_Venable (25), Bloomquist (17), A.Hill (1). S_Maybin. SF_Guzman.
| IP | H | R ER BB SO | ||||
| San Diego | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latos | 7 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Qualls L,6-7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Arizona | ||||||
| D.Hudson W,16-9 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
PB_M.Montero.
Umpires_Home, Andy Fletcher; First, Tim Welke; Second, Tim Tschida; Third, Jim Reynolds.
T_2:34. A_29,639 (48,633).
QUINCY, Ill. -- Diane Roderick dreamed of walking down the aisleto marry her Tom Lane.
She just never dreamed the aisle would be in the restaurant diningarea of one of Quincy's biggest and busiest grocery stores.
Diane and Tom were married in June at the Hy-Vee before about 75family and friends in an intimate and humor-tinged ceremony. Tom isthe assistance produce manager at the store, and it's the place theyfirst met last year.
"Not really," said Diane, when asked if she thought she'd ever getmarried in a grocery store. "But I'm all for something different, soit didn't really faze me."
SHOPPERS AMAZED
"It turned out better than we could have ever envisioned," abeaming Tom said during the reception at his residence. "The floraldepartment and the bakery department, everybody at the store did agreat job."
Since this is the second marriage for both, they decided to keepthe wedding small.
Tom and Diane went on their first date May 1, 2004, and becameengaged on Feb. 12 of this year.
Store manager Lynn Gallagher suggested they get married in thestore, partly because it would be a good media relations story, butmainly because he wanted the couple to have a meaningful andmemorable ceremony.
"We wanted to make it what you would expect from a wedding, exceptthat it was in a grocery store," Gallagher said. "I've been toprobably about 50 weddings, and to be honest, you might remember thechurch, but they tend to all run together. This one, people willremember."
"Lynn was great," Diane said. "He thought it was very importantthat it be a religious and serious ceremony, and not a joke or acircus."
The wedding took place in the corner of the dining area. It wassectioned off by dividers to give the area privacy, though somediners perked up when they heard the music, and shoppers outside thestore looked through the glass window during the ceremony.
Diane walked around the store after the wedding and got someamazed looks from shoppers.
FAMILY ASTONISHED
"You got married? That's so cute!" said one elderly woman shopper.
Diane and Tom admitted family and friends were a little takenaback when hearing about the grocery store wedding idea.
"I think the initial reaction was astonishment. 'You are what?Where?' " Diane said.
Her son, 11-year-old Spencer, found the idea a little different.
"I thought they were lying when they told me," he said. "I reallydidn't think they'd get married in a grocery store. I thought they'dhave to widen the aisles or something."
WASHINGTON The House Telecommunications subcommittee yesterdayheard the leaders of the three television networks insist thatbudgetary cutbacks have not affected the quality of broadcast news.
Though the panel was looking into news operations at each of thenetworks, one congressman zeroed in on NBC and suggested that GeneralElectric Co. be required to divest the network it purchased from RCACorp. for $6.3 billion only last year.
Rep. Jim Slattery (D-Kan.) noted that General Electric hasDefense Department contracts valued at $6.8 billion - one-quarter ofGE's annual revenues - and questioned whether NBC News can reportobjectively on issues of concern to its parent company.
Lawrence Grossman, NBC News president, said, "GE hasdemonstrated the capacity to keep news operations separate from otherparts of the business," and said that from the time the GE-RCA mergerwas first proposed, keeping news separate from GE's other businesseswas considered essential.
"It's a legitimate question but the track record of GE has beenvery clear," Grossman said.
Slattery suggested "some kind of legislation" might be necessaryto prevent other companies with large government contracts frompurchasing networks in the future. "Maybe we should consider havingGeneral Electric divest of NBC," he said.
The three-day-long hearings, which conclude today with thescheduled appearance of each network's chief officers, were called bysubcommittee Chairman Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and came afterbudgetary cutbacks throughout the network television business.
The focus of the hearings centers on the new management at thenetworks. Along with NBC ownership changes, ABC, in 1985, alsomerged with Capital Cities Communications Inc. And though CBStechnically was not taken over, last year its board deposed itsformer president and replaced him with Laurence Tisch, who also isCBS's largest shareholder.
"I can state with confidence that the news reportingcapabilities of today's CBS News are equal to those at any other timein its history," said Howard Stringer, president of the network'snews division, who addressed the subcommittee along with RooneArledge, president of ABC News, and Grossman, each of whom also saideconomies in the news division haven't affected what viewers see.
The bulk of the questioning, however, had to do with the networknews cuts, particularly at CBS, where the news division's $300million annual budget has been slashed by $30 million and 200staffers were laid off.
"Each network has undergone major reconstructive surgery," Markeysaid, referring to the management changes and budget cuts at thenetworks. "We wonder whether they will function as well as before.We wonder whether their values will be changed."
SAN FRANCISCO - Randy Winn entered the game for defense in Barry Bonds' spot and made a leaping, game-saving catch in the ninth. A night earlier, Dave Roberts did the same thing - and both balls came off Aaron Hill's bat.
"I didn't realize it was the same guy," Winn said.
A few of the breaks the Giants couldn't get during their recent 10-game road trip are going their way the last couple of days.
Bonds is doing his part, too. On this night, the slugger's double set up the go-ahead run.
Ray Durham's RBI groundout after Bonds' double in the third put the Giants ahead and Ryan Klesko drove in two runs on his 36th birthday, helping Noah Lowry end a three-start winless stretch in a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
Roberts doubled, singled and scored two runs in another strong performance at the top of the order and shortstop Omar Vizquel dazzled with a leaping catch to rob Curtis Thigpen of a hit in the fourth - a play in which he did the splits in the air, showing off the form that has earned him 11 Gold Glove awards.
Winn, nursing a strained right rib cage that kept him from batting, timed his jump perfectly to haul in Hill's hard-hit ball near the top of the wall in left-center for the second out of the ninth.
"It must be dumb hitting to go to that part of the ballpark," Hill joked. "I can't worry about results though. I have to be team-oriented in that sense. I have to keep trying to hit the ball hard."
Bonds, stepping in to chants of "Barry! Barry!" and with cameras lighting up the Giants' waterfront ballpark, went 2-for-2 with the double, a single and his 23rd and 24th intentional walks of the year a night after connecting for his 747th career home run. He is within eight of Hank Aaron's record of 755.
One fan held a sign "Pitch to Barry," while others waved rubber chickens - the common practice here when pitchers intentionally put him on first.
Alex Rios hit a two-run homer off Lowry (6-5) in the third for Toronto, which lost right-hander A.J. Burnett in the fifth inning with a strained throwing shoulder. His status for his next start wasn't immediately known.
"(The trainers) don't think it's any big deal," manager John Gibbons said. "It's a mild strain. You're always concerned when a pitcher feels something and has to come out. They did all the tests and everything came out good but that's not the final say. He'll get checked tomorrow."
Aside from Rios, the Blue Jays managed little else against the left-handed Lowry. The pitcher's previous appearance came in a crazy game Friday night, when he was forced to play right field in the 10th inning of a 5-3 loss to Oakland after the Giants ran out of position players and backup catcher Eliezer Alfonzo left with a knee injury.
Back to his regular job on the mound, Lowry gave up two runs and four hits, struck out five and walked four in six innings. He won for the first time in four starts since beating Houston on May 21, including a pair of no-decisions in games that went extra innings.
Jack Taschner, Kevin Correia and Brad Hennessey each pitched a scoreless inning of relief, with Hennessey finishing for his third save in four chances.
"You need stoppers, and that's what they did," Lowry said. "And they did it with authority."
Blue Jays slugger Frank Thomas, a designated hitter who's been relegated to pinch-hit duties for this interleague series, struck out swinging in the seventh.
Bonds is scheduled to have Wednesday afternoon's game off.
"If he doesn't play, does that mean he doesn't pinch hit or maybe he doesn't even come to the park?" Gibbons said. "He's still one of the best in the game. He's dangerous. Just watching him take BP, he's still got that short, quick stroke."
Catcher Bengie Molina also will get a day off and backup Guillermo Rodriguez - a 29-year-old Venezuelan who has spent nearly 12 seasons in the minors and was promoted after Alfonzo's injury - is slated to make his major league debut.
The Blue Jays fell to 0-5 all-time on the road against the Giants and 1-7 overall. They lost 4-3 in the series opener Monday night, when San Francisco snapped a six-game home skid.
Burnett (5-6) intentionally walked Bonds with a runner on second with one out in the first after Klesko's RBI groundout. Bonds received another intentional free pass in the seventh before being lifted for pinch-runner Winn, who replaced him in left in the eighth.
"It's nice. We were talking about how we've got to find ways to win those (close) ballgames, instead of finding ways to lose," Klesko said.
Burnett left the game with two outs in the fifth, walking off the field with trainer George Poulis. The right-hander allowed three runs, two earned, and six hits, struck out four and walked two in an 82-pitch effort.
Notes:@ The Giants won their second straight one-run game. ... Blue Jays SS Royce Clayton was in the leadoff spot for the first time all season. ... Nate Schierholtz started in RF in Winn's place a day after making his major league debut as a defensive replacement in the ninth. Schierholtz singled to right in the first in his first major league at-bat and received a standing ovation.
A foot-high cowboy hat from the movie "Paleface." An autographed photo of Lucille Ball with some teeth blackened out. A money clip from Jack Benny. These were a few of Bob Hope's favorite things.
Nearly 800 items of Hope history, from foolishness to fine art, will be sold to fans and dealers alike at a mid-October charity auction in Los Angeles commissioned by the family of the famed comedian, who died in 2003 at age 100. The auction will be televised live and online by the Auction Network, allowing viewers worldwide to participate in real time.
"Dad was a pack rat," daughter Linda Hope told The Associated Press. "He loved to collect things. Even when he wasn't conscious of collecting, people would give him things. They would be brought home, listed, photographed and placed in storage. There are 11,000 items in his memorabilia collection."
Now keeper of the family flame, Linda Hope, 68, made the first public announcement of the Bob Hope Estate Auction on a recent sunny morning at the comedian's longtime compound in North Hollywood _ 7 acres of mansion, office building, swimming pool, greenery and short-hole golf course. A selection of the items to be auctioned were spread atop two large tables.
"A lot of the things will go to the Library of Congress," Linda explained in a lounge where her father gave many an interview over lunch, including to this reporter. "Most of the paper goods will be going there, scripts and photographs and other things that Dad donated before he died. The Library isn't interested in three-dimensional items."
The sale, which will benefit charities and causes that were important to Hope, is being organized by Darren Julien, president of Julien's Auctions, who has arranged sales for Cher, Barbra Streisand, Ozzy Osbourne and other celebrities. He's now staging a benefit auction May 31 in New York for Music Rising, co-founded by The Edge of U2.
Hope's widow, Dolores, was recovering from a fall and not in attendance at the unveiling. Yet at 98, going on 99, she still keeps a close eye on the family business. "Mother agreed that (the auction) would be the thing to do and we got an agreement from the Library of Congress," Linda said.
"We decided that after giving important gifts to museums, there was still a lot of wonderful stuff that people could enjoy," Linda Hope said.
Julien devised the idea of sending some of the auction items to Hope's native England on Cunard's Queen Mary 2, departing New York for London on Sept. 4, so passengers _ and prospective bidders _ can get an advance look.
The items will then be shown at a press event in London, followed by a 10-day display at Newbridge Silverware's Museum of Style Icons in County Kildare, Ireland, one of Hope's favorite countries to visit. All items will be returned to Los Angeles for the actual auction in October.
For those who can't make the QM2 cruise or get to County Kildare, the collection will be displayed online and proxy bids taken beginning Sept. 1 at http://www.juliensauctions.com.
Hope's connection with the Queen Mary dates back to the late 1930s, Linda Hope explained.
"Dad took my mother to England on the first Queen Mary so she could meet his grandfather, who was just shy of 100 years old," she said. "They were scared to death on the trip back because the Germans had started torpedoing English ships."
In the years that followed, Hope sailed to Europe aboard the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth 2 on numerous occasions, performing in the ships' lounges and even practicing golf drives from their upper decks.
Linda, who will be aboard the September cruise of the Queen Mary 2 to explain the auction items, offered the AP a preview of her preview. Predictably, the collection is heavy on Hope's beloved golf:
_ A pair of red-and-white golf shoes marked "Made for Bob Hope." ("I don't know who would have the courage to wear those," Linda quipped. )
_ A golf bag jammed with clubs given to Hope by various pros. ("It seemed that every time he met a golf pro with golf clubs, they would send them to him.")
_ A huge golf cap the size of a large pizza. ("He enjoyed having fun with golf and had pretty outlandish outfits.")
_ A cap signed by President Ford and some golf pros. ("This is from the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Va.")
Hollywood, too, gets star billing in the Hope collection:
_ A letter from then-actors Ronald and Nancy Reagan, thanking Hope for appearing on a March of Dimes event and congratulating him on winning the Jonas Salk humanitarian award.
_ A letter from Bette Davis during World War II thanking Hope for entertaining GIs at the Hollywood USO.
_ A large sign for Hope's parking space at NBC in nearby Burbank.
And then there's just the stuff of Bob Hope:
_ A set of small knives and forks once belonging to Queen Elizabeth II, which yes, Hope bought at a charity auction.
_ A large metal suitcase with signs of where it had been. ("Now you couldn't use anything like that because of the weight," Linda explained. "It ended up in a little sitting room next to his bedroom. When he came home from trips, he would put things in it.")
_ A desk plaque that reads: "Bob Hope. Thanks for the Memories."
___
On the Net:
WASHINGTON - Families of those who died aboard United AirlinesFlight 93 asked lawmakers and Obama administration officials onWednesday to set aside federal money to complete a 9/11 memorial atthe crash site in Pennsylvania.
The dedication of the first phase of the $62 million Flight 93National Memorial was held in September. The memorial will honor the40 passengers and crew members who died when the airliner crashed ina field near Shanksville on Sept. 11, 2001. Passengers foughtterrorists for control of the hijacked plane that was targetingWashington, D.C.
The meetings began Wednesday and will continue for the next fewdays. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is among the governmentofficials that the group is expected to meet with.
"We need to remind them that we are not done," said Gordon Feltof Remsen, N.Y., whose brother, Edward Felt, participated in therevolt by other passengers and crew. "We still have a ways to go."
Felt is president of Families of Flight 93.
Public and private donors have contributed $52 million, butofficials say an additional $10 million more is needed to completethe project. Felt said a visitor center, an education center and anentry portal with high walls framing the plane's flight path arepart of the next phase for the memorial.
Family members said they are optimistic about getting the neededfunding despite the pressures to cut budgets in Congress.
"We certainly recognize that budgets are tight," Felt said."That's why from the beginning we have been working with thegovernment and raising funds from the private sector as well."
Patrick White, vice president of the Families of Flight 93, saidabout 1.4 million people have visited the memorial, which has becomea popular stop for school groups on their way to and from visits toWashington.
"It's a story that continues to resonate with the Americanpeople," said White, whose cousin was killed on the flight.
"The Uncertainty of Objects and Ideas: Recent Sculpture"
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN, WASHINGTON, DC
LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING, in sculpture especially so. However expanded its field of activity has become, "sculpture" today might be seen to cohere around the dei'iousness of physical matter-its inexhaustibility, opacity, and guile. This, at least, was the common proposition of the works in the recent show "The Uncertainty of Objects and Ideas: Recent Sculpture": You will never be able to apprehend all aspects of a sculpture at once, and it will always evade availability as universal (phenomenological) or collective (ideological) experience, despite modernist hopes to …
Candidates endorsed by anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr will appeal the results of last weekend's election results in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces because of alleged voting irregularities, a spokesman said Saturday.
The allegations are among a chorus of questions raised by Shiite religious parties and Sunnis about the outcome of provincial elections, in which allies of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki won a sweeping victory.
"There are huge differences between results announced by the electoral commission and the figures we have from our observers in some provinces," said Tahir al-Kinani, spokesman for one of two candidate lists backed …
SAN FRANCISCO - Oracle Corp.'s fiscal third-quarter profit climbed 35 percent amid surprisingly strong sales growth that provided the business software maker with an additional boost as it heads into its busiest time of the year.
The Redwood Shores-based company said Tuesday that it earned $1.03 billion, or 20 cents per share, for the three months ended in February. That compared with net income of $765 million, or 14 cents per share, at the same time last year.
If not for certain expenses unrelated to its ongoing operations, Oracle said it would have earned 25 cents per share. That was 2 cents above the average estimate among analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.
…
In related news, Ziff-Davis has filed documents with the SEC for an initial public offering for its exhibition division, Key3Media Group …
Byline: ALAN WECHSLER - Business writer
CAMBRIDGE - They're not serving pie a la mode just yet, but the venerated Cambridge Hotel is open for business once again.
About 18 months ago, a bank foreclosed on the three-story, 120-year-old inn. Now, a group of seven investors has spent more than $1 million to get the business up and running. The 17-room hotel has been open weekends for nearly a month, and will be open all week later this August. A restaurant will open this week.
With rooms now at a discounted $99 per night as refurbishments continue, the hotel has seen occupancy at up to 90 percent, said General Manager Brian McMorland.
"It's …
Byline: Michael McKeon Staff writer
County Legislator John J. McEneny won the county Democratic Committee's backing for the 104th Assembly District post Wednesday, but the promised floor fight for the endorsement fizzled.
Green Island Mayor John McNulty tried to convince the committee not to endorse anyone in the race. He contended that it would be a disservice to the voters to back one person when 13 candidates were interested in the post.
However, committee Chairman Harold L. Joyce immediately recognized 3rd Ward committee member Anthony Brown, who moved for closing discusssion.
Joyce quickly called a voice vote on the motion, which was …
Sprint Nextel Corp. is making a big push to help customers understand their phones, creating a formal program to make store employees available to explain their products and set them up for buyers.
The campaign to be announced Tuesday is the first official program for in-person help by a cell carrier, but is similar to moves in the wider consumer electronics industry to demystify gadgets through one-on-one contact.
Sprint closed all of its 1,219 stores on Sunday Aug. 17 to train its employees for the "Ready Now" program. The goal is that customers should leave stores with their phones "completely set up and personalized," said Kim Dixon, …
An eight-run first inning enabled Mount Carmel to coast pastShepard 11-1 on Saturday and give Tony Manville his 200th coachingvictory.
"It feels great," Manville said. "All of the kids over theyears have worked hard. It's a tribute to not only me but all of thecoaches over the years, and the administration which has given thebaseball program a lot of support.
"It's nice to get it with this group of kids because they'reyoung and enthusiastic."Pat Ross went 2-for-2 with two RBI and Steve Black went 2-for-3for the Caravan (3-1).Glenbrook North 5, Mather 0: Sophomore Andy Margolis pitched ano-hitter for Glenbrook North (5-0), striking out 14 and walking …
Embrex Inc. of Research Triangle Park has appointed ROBIN SHYR as regional director of Asian operations. She will be responsible for all …
AN EXHIBITION of the proposed plans for the redevelopment of Saturday Market proved popular with townsfolk as around 1,000 stopped off for a look.
The display was held last Saturday in the market place, with council officers on hand to answer questions and listen to residents' views.
The scheme, estimated to cost around [pounds sterling]2.3m, has proved controversial since it was first mooted by East Riding Council, with residents voting against the so-called piazza during a public referendum.
Now revised plans have been drawn up and council officers say they are keen to work with the public to agree a scheme.
The council's assistant chief …
Byline: BRUCE A. SCRUTON Staff writer Clifton Park It was an excuse for being late that's seldom heard: ``Boss, I stopped to help out at an accident, and one of the drivers stole my car!'' -
In the case of Eugene Martin, the excuse was legitimate. Martin was among several people who stopped early Sunday to help at a Northway accident that critically injured one man and left a five-hour traffic tie-up after a sport utility vehicle and another vehicle crashed and went off the highway.
While Morris was helping the injured sole occupant of the SUV, the driver of the other car involved in the crash sneaked up to the highway, jumped in Morris' green Nissan and …
Byline: Andrew Nelson Copley News Service
Let's make one thing clear. You are not to compare the mountain resort town of Highlands, N.C., to the Hamptons. Or Lake Tahoe. Or Palm Springs.
The folks who come from all over the Southeast each summer to help swell the population from 971 to 20,000 wouldn't stand for all those glitzy allusions.
There is money here - little in- town cottages are a steal at $169,000 - but it's quiet money. Ostentation is as unwelcome as bare feet in a four-star restaurant. And there are dark mutterings heard about "all those flashy new Atlanta people."
One comes to Highlands to relax (read; tennis and golf). Practically the only angst to be found is backing out of a parking space on Main Street and trying not to scratch either the Rolls-Royce on one side or the Jaguar on other side.
It also is romantically beautiful. …
Both candidates claimed victory in Romania's presidential race Sunday, leaving the outcome uncertain in an election Romanians hope can pull the country out of its worst political and economic crisis in 20 years.
Three exit polls showed the country's left-leaning ex-foreign minister Mircea Geoana appearing to lead incumbent Traian Basescu with just over half the vote.
Geoana, an ex-foreign minister and leader of the Social Democrats who has branded himself a unifier and team builder, declared himself the winner, calling the results of the exit polls "a victory for normalcy, a victory for decency, for all citizens who want a better life."
But …
MINNEAPOLIS - The hard-driving Phoenix Suns finally hit a road block in Kevin Garnett. Garnett almost single-handedly snapped the Suns' 17-game winning streak, scoring 44 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in Minnesota's 121-112 victory on Monday night.
The All-Star forward was everywhere in the final period against the Suns, dropping turnaround jumper after turnaround jumper to give Phoenix its first loss of 2007.
He scored 15 points in the fourth, including a looping fallaway from the baseline that gave Minnesota a 118-109 lead with 1:55 to play, and put new coach Randy Wittman on the way to a win in his home debut.
Raja Bell scored 26 points and Steve Nash had 20 …
DAVID VAUGHT, Cultivating california: Growers, Specialty Crops, and Labor, 1875-1920 (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. Pp.x + 280; illus.; maps. ISBN 0 8018 6221 3, [pound]29.50).
In this book, David Vaught seeks to understand labor relations in California agriculture by examining thc culture of growers of California's specialty crops. His approach is unique in several ways. The focus is on thc culture of the growers rather than the workers. Instead of assuming that the industrial model best describes California agriculture from its beginnings, Vaught treats this as an empirical question. He examines the records and writings of growers of raisins, …
Beiersdorf Inc. has introduced the Nivea Body Beauty Program--a regimen that uses a combination of the company's Good-bye Cellulite gel-cream and dietary supplement capsules to combat cellulite.
The …
Byline: GARY HAHN Staff writer
``Batman'' was a comic before it was a movie. But so were many others. Try this quiz: 1. This 1954 film was based on Hal Foster's comic strip. What was it? 2. Who did Gene Hackman play in 1978's ``Superman?''
3. John Huston directed this musical in 1982 that was based on a comic strip. What was it? 4. Who did Stubby Kaye play in the 1959 version of ``L'il Abner?'' 5. Who directed the first two ``Batman'' films? 6. ``A Boy Named Charlie Brown'' was the first Peanuts film. What was …
Stoic as always, Roy Halladay's expression never changed.
Until the end, that is.
Until there was history _ a perfect game, the marquee performance of his All-Star career.
The Philadelphia Phillies' ace threw the 20th perfect game in major league history, beating the Florida Marlins 1-0 on Saturday night.
At 9:23 p.m., when he got pinch-hitter Ronny Paulino to hit a grounder to third for the 27th out, only then could Halladay bask in his moment _ breaking into a big smile and wrapping his arms around catcher Carlos Ruiz before disappearing in a joyous, jumping gray-and-red mob of teammates.
"It's never something that you …
Defender Staff Report
It was 47 years ago when a young, brash boxer from Louisville, Ky. named Cassius clay captured the world's imagination by winning the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Rome, going on to even greater glory as the heavyweight champion.
Monday night, Muhammad Ali returned to glory as a surprise guest at the opening ceremonies of the AIBA World Boxing Championships.
"Muhammad Ali personifies all the values that the Olympic Movement stands for; commitment, excellence and a devotion to making the world a better place," said Jack Sandifer chairman of the local organizing committee during the opening ceremonies, held at the Chicago Theatre.
The …
David Brown, CEO of the Capital District YMCA, effectively slammed the lid down and banged the final nail in the coffin of the Washington Avenue Y with his remarks in the March 3 story, "CEO: Y pace falling short." Who would join that branch when it appears all too certain to close? Mr. Brown appears adept at pushing the goal posts further and further to keep the Y open. After his earlier warnings about the Y possibly closing, it would be expected that many members would not renew their memberships. Unfortunately, the now imminent closure is much Mr. Brown's own doing. He pours money into new suburban facilities but does not replace equipment at the …
Byline: BRENDAN LYONS Staff writer
Albany Traffic is heavy on Interstate 90 when Officer Harold Warner punches the gas of his patrol car to get behind a driver who just switched lanes without using a turn signal.
As the driver of the blue pickup swerves slightly -- apparently to avoid a large pothole -- Warner shifts his large frame and his dark hair brushes the roof of the patrol car. ``Did you see that?'' he says, pointing at the nondescript truck.
Within 90 seconds, the nervous driver is standing between his truck and Warner's patrol car, staring skyward on the shoulder and following orders to touch his nose with a finger. This driver passes the roadside sobriety test and is sent on his way with a ticket for failure to signal.
It's not always the case. A one-year tally of the drugs and weapons that Warner has seized from cars on Albany interstates reads like an …
A brief look at Thursday's first round of the 91st US PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club:
Leading: Tiger Woods at 5-under 67.
Just behind: Defending champion Padraig Harrington was a shot back at 68.
Where's Rich? Rich Beem, who won his only major championship at Hazeltine in 2002, shot a 71.
Tiger's streak: Woods is trying to win his third straight tournament, and first major championship of the year.
Key …
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Hundreds participated in a demonstration this Friday in Tahrir Square mid of Baghdad, while one of the participants said that four of the demonstrators were arrested.
The demonstrators demanded eradication of corruption, Iranian interventions in Iraqi affairs and projects to divide Iraq.
The protestors, on the other hand, burnt British, US and Israeli flags, in addition to an attempt to burn the Iranian flag.
They raised placards denouncing division of Iraq into regions or federal provinces, demanding early elections …
