China cop accused of drunken crash; crowds protest (AP)

BEIJING ? A police officer has been accused of driving drunk and killing five people in a central China crash that reportedly sparked angry crowds to smash and flip cars.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Sunday the officer in Henan province's Runan county has been charged with endangering public security for running his police van into two streetlamp poles on Saturday afternoon. The poles fell and crushed the victims.

Xinhua cites the Runan county publicity department as saying the officer was suspected of drunken driving.

The Southern Metropolis Daily said crowds overturned and smashed at least five vehicles out of unhappiness with how the police were handling the crash.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111030/ap_on_re_as/as_china_drunk_driving_police

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NZ's quake-hit cathedral to be partly torn down (AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand ? The iconic cathedral in downtown Christchurch will be deconsecrated and partially demolished due to earthquake damage sustained earlier this year, officials said Friday.

The safety measure will allow authorities to decide whether to retain any portion of the city's most well-known building, which was seriously damaged by a strong earthquake in February. The Anglican church said it plans to construct a new cathedral that incorporates parts of the old one.

In the next few months, crews will begin the painstaking task of taking down unstable parts of the building while trying to save artifacts and shore up more stable parts of the structure, a church statement said. Crews will assess how much ? if any ? of the building can be saved as they proceed, a church spokeswoman said.

The Anglican church's beauty, central location and climbable spire made it a popular tourist draw before the magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck in February, killing 182 people and destroying much of Christchurch's downtown area. In an enduring image, the quake toppled the cathedral's spire. Nobody died in that collapse.

The partial demolition and strengthening will cost 4 million New Zealand dollars ($3.2 million) and will allow artifacts to be saved, Church and government authorities said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_on_re_as/as_new_zealand

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Georgia Tech upsets No. 6 Clemson 31-17

Georgia Tech running back Orwin Smith (17) gets past Clemson's Jonathan Willard, bottom, and Xavier Brewer, right, to score a touchdown in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Georgia Tech running back Orwin Smith (17) gets past Clemson's Jonathan Willard, bottom, and Xavier Brewer, right, to score a touchdown in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Georgia Tech quarterback Tevin Washington, center, celebrates with running back Roddy Jones (20) and offensive lineman Shaquille Mason (70) after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Clemson Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Clemson's Sammy Watkins (2) gets away from Georgia Tech safety Isaiah Johnson (1) as he returns a kick-off in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill (5) makes a catch as Clemson cornerback Darius Robinson (21) defends in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd (10) drops back to pass as Clemson long snapper Jim Brown (53) blocks Georgia Tech defensive tackle T.J. Barnes (90) and Clemson guard Antoine McClain (74) protects in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

ATLANTA (AP) ? After all the big plays, Tevin Washington finally had it easy.

He dropped to his knee a couple of times, then celebrated with thousands of Georgia Tech students who stormed the field.

Washington rushed for 176 yards ? the most ever by a Yellow Jackets quarterback ? and broke the two longest runs of his career, leading a 31-17 upset of No. 6 Clemson that likely snuffed out the Tigers' national title hopes Saturday night.

The Yellow Jackets (7-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) raced to a 24-3 halftime lead and held off Clemson (8-1, 5-1) which was off to its best start since 2000, The Tigers had climbed to fifth in the BCS standings, but they figure to take a tumble and are unlikely to have enough games left to re-enter the national race.

"It's a very disappointed locker room. I'm disappointed in the turnovers in particular," coach Dabo Swinney said.

The Yellow Jackets snapped a two-game losing streak behind their junior quarterback, who had runs of 46 and 56 yards and touchdown among his 27 carries. He broke the school quarterback mark of 151 yards rushing, set by Joshua Nesbitt in 2008. Overall, Georgia Tech finished with 383 yards on the ground, compared to 95 for Clemson.

"I had some real big holes," Washington said. "Anybody could've run through 'em. I'm just lucky to have my number called."

Clemson, which had scored 115 points in its two previous games, turned it over four times. Tajh Boyd threw for 295 yards, and freshman Sammy Watkins had 10 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown. But starting back Andre Ellington didn't play because of a sprained ankle, and his replacements ? freshmen D.J. Howard and Mike Bellamy ? each lost a fumble.

Now, the Tigers have to adjust their goals.

They still lead their division. They still have the inside track to play in the ACC championship game.

Swinney told his players "too get your heads up. We're an 8-1 football team."

No one could've seen this coming. These were teams headed in opposite directions.

Georgia Tech got off to a dynamic start, winning the first six games for its best start since 1966. But Washington slumped and the triple-option bogged down badly, leading to losses at Virginia and Miami.

"We know what we can do as a team," Washington said. "It's not about falling down. It's about getting back up."

Clemson got off to a sluggish start with lackluster wins against Troy and Wofford. But a victory over defending national champion Auburn seemed to ignite the Tigers, who took command of the ACC race and arrived in Atlanta having put up more than 50 points the two previous weeks in wins over Maryland and North Carolina.

They couldn't keep it up.

"Give all the credit to Georgia Tech. They just flat-out whipped us," Swinney said. "The biggest problem was the quarterback. They kept running the quarterback follow."

Clemson drove right down the field on its first possession, settling for Chandler Catanzaro's 34-yard field goal. It was all Georgia Tech the rest of the first half.

"I know a lot of people are disappointed that wrote us off," coach Paul Johnson said sarcastically. "Let us finish the season before you do our tombstone."

The tide swung toward the Yellow Jackets when Howard caught a pass out of the backfield, but lost the ball just before he hit the ground. The officials initially ruled him down, but changed the call after a video review. Rod Sweeting was credited with a recovery at the Clemson 19, and Orwin Smith scored the first of his two TDs on a fourth-down run from the 1.

Washington broke off the 46-yard run down the sideline ? the longest of his career, though that mark wouldn't last long ? to set up Justin Moore's 23-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead. The Yellow Jackets followed by going 80 yards in 10 plays, making it 17-3 on Smith's 3-yard TD run.

Stephen Hill, who had earlier dropped a long pass that might've gone for a touchdown, made up for it ? and then some. The 6-foot-5 receiver stretched out with both arms to make a diving catch, pulling the ball into his body with the left hand before slamming into the turf. He rolled over and did a little dance with his arms, celebrating the 44-yard completion.

Two plays later, Washington ran it in from the 3 to push the lead to 24-3 with just 37 seconds left in the half.

The Tigers have been a great second-half team, and they came out of the locker room looking to pull off their biggest comeback yet. They took the kickoff and needed only four plays to reach the end zone for the first time. Boyd hooked up with Watkins on a 48-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-10.

But Georgia Tech quickly answered. Again, it was Washington with the big run. With Georgia Tech facing third-and-6 and the Clemson defense waving their arms to rev up a sizable contingent of orange-clad fans, the quarterback spotted a hole up the middle and took off for the 56-yard gain.

David Sims finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run, restoring Georgia Tech's 21-point lead.

After Clemson's second fumble of the game, this one by Bellamy, the Yellow Jackets were on the verge of putting the game away. They drove to a first down at the Tigers 1 and were back there on third down after a delay of game. Then, a break for the visiting team.

Defensive tackle Rennie Moore shot through a gap ahead of the snap, appearing on the replay to be clearly offsides. But the officials didn't catch it, and Moore snatched the ball away from Washington just as he was taking the snap. It was ruled a fumble, and Clemson took over at the 3.

The Tigers took advantage of their good fortune, driving 97 yards in 10 plays. Boyd tried to sneak it over, fumbled in the pile of bodies and 300-pound Brandon Thomas fell on it for the first touchdown by a Clemson offensive lineman since 1966, cutting the deficit to 31-17.

Clemson had one more chance to make a game of it. Rashard Hall picked off Washington and returned to the Georgia Tech 9 with about 10? minutes to go. But Clemson gave it right back with Jemea Thomas making an uncontested pick in the corner of the end zone.

Washington's reaction when Thomas pulled it down?

"I was happiest guy on the field," he said, breaking into a big smile.

It was time to celebrate.

___

Follow AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-10-30-FBC-T25-Clemson-Georgia-Tech/id-fdf66059854e45d78fda82e4211ec45a

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Oakland police action unnerves some protesters (AP)

OAKLAND, Calif. ? The display of police force in Oakland, Calif., and Atlanta has unnerved some anti-Wall Street protesters.

While demonstrators in other cities have built a working relationship with police and city leaders, they wondered on Wednesday how long the good spirit would last and whether they could be next.

Will they have to face riot gear-clad officers and tear gas that their counterparts in Oakland, Calif., faced Tuesday? Or will they be handcuffed and hauled away in the middle of the night like protesters in Atlanta?

"Yes, we're afraid. Is this the night they're going to sneak in?" said activist William Buster of Occupy Wall Street, where the movement began last month to protest what they see as corporate greed.

"Is this the night they might use unreasonable force?" he asked.

An Iraq War veteran marching with demonstrators suffered a cracked skull in the chaos between officers and protesters in Oakland, further raising concern among some in the movement. Scott Olsen, a 24-year-old Marine veteran, was in critical condition Wednesday after he had been struck, said a spokesman for Highland Hospital in Oakland.

It was not clear exactly what type of object hit the veteran or who might have thrown it, though the group Iraq Veterans Against the War said it was lodged by officers. Police Chief Howard Jordan said at a news conference that the events leading up to Olsen's injury would be investigated as vigorously as a fatal police shooting.

The message, meanwhile, from officials in cities where other encampments have sprung up was simple: We'll keep working with you. Just respect your neighbors and keep the camps clean and safe.

Business owners and residents have complained in recent weeks about assaults, drunken fights and sanitation problems. Officials are trying to balance their rights and uphold the law while honoring protesters' free speech rights.

"I understand the frustration the protesters feel ... about inequity in our country as well as Wall Street greed," Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said. "I support their right to free speech but we also have rules and laws."

Some cities, such as Providence, R.I., are moving ahead with plans to evict activists. But from Tampa, Fla., to Boston, police and city leaders say they will continue to try to work with protesters to address problems in the camps.

In Oakland, officials initially supported the protests, with Mayor Jean Quan saying that sometimes "democracy is messy."

But tensions reached a boiling point after a sexual assault, a severe beating and a fire were reported and paramedics were denied access to the camp, according to city officials. They also cited concerns about rats, fire hazards and public urination.

Demonstrators disputed the city's claims, saying that volunteers collect garbage and recycling every six hours, that water is boiled before being used to wash dishes and that rats have long infested the park.

When riot gear-clad police moved in early Tuesday, they were pelted with rocks, bottles and utensils from people in the camp's kitchen area. They emptied the camp near city hall of people, and barricaded the plaza.

Protesters were taken away in plastic handcuffs, most of them arrested on suspicion of illegal lodging.

Demonstrators returned later in the day to march and retake the plaza. They were met by police officers in riot gear. Several small skirmishes broke out and officers cleared the area by firing tear gas.

The scene repeated itself several times just a few blocks away in front of the plaza.

Tensions would build as protesters edged ever closer to the police line and reach a breaking point with a demonstrator hurling a bottle or rock, prompting police to respond with another round of gas.

The chemical haze hung in the air for hours, new blasts clouding the air before the previous fog could dissipate.

The number of protesters diminished with each round of tear gas. Police estimated that there were roughly 1,000 demonstrators at the first clash following the march. About 100 were arrested.

On Wednesday, Oakland officials allowed protesters back into the plaza where their 15-day-old encampment had been raided but said people would be prohibiting from spending the night, potentially bringing another clash with police.

In Atlanta, police in riot gear and SWAT teams arrested 53 people in Woodruff Park, many of whom had camped out there for weeks as part of a widespread movement that is protesting the wealth disparity between the rich and everyone else.

Mayor Kasim Reed had been supportive of the protests, twice issuing an executive order allowing them to remain.

Reed said on Wednesday that he had no choice to arrest them because he believed things were headed in a direction that was no longer peaceful. He cited a man seen walking the park with an AK-47 assault rifle.

"There were some who wanted to continue along the peaceful lines, and some who thought that their path should be more radical," Reed said. "As mayor, I couldn't wait for them to finish that debate."

Reed said authorities could not determine whether the rifle was loaded, and were unable to get additional information.

An Associated Press reporter talked to the man with the gun earlier Tuesday.

He wouldn't give his name ? identifying himself only as "Porch," an out-of-work accountant who doesn't agree with the protesters' views ? but said that he was there, armed, because he wanted to protect the rights of people to protest.

People who were arrested trickled out of jail as a crowd of several dozen supporters chanted "freedom" as they left.

"I think Mayor Reed would do well to learn quickly that you cannot intimidate, you cannot threaten, you cannot jail something whose time has come," activist Derrick Boazman said. "The fact of the matter is this movement's time has come."

In Portland, Ore., the protest seems to be at a crossroads. Organizers have been dealing with public drunkenness, fighting and drug abuse for weeks, especially among the homeless who are also in the camp.

Some are floating the idea of relocating it, possibly indoors. Others see that as capitulation.

"I don't know if it would be a good idea. Part of the effectiveness of what's going on here is visibility," protester Justin Neff said. "Though I'd do it if there's a possibility that we'd get seen and noticed. I don't know how that would work indoors."

City officials haven't said what would cause them to forcibly evict the protesters. They said they evaluate the camp daily.

In Baltimore, protesters like Casey McKeel, a member of Occupy Baltimore's legal committee, said he wasn't sure aren't sure what to expect from city officials, noting that some cities have arrested protesters in recent weeks.

"Across the country we're seeing a wide range of reactions," he said. "For now we're hoping the city will work with us."

The mayor, Rawlings-Blake, said she is willing to work with them, but they should realize that they are camping out in a city park and that was not its intended use. She said their free-speech rights don't trump the public's right to enjoy the space.

"I have absolutely no interest in a violent exchange," she said. "We want to work with the protesters, but the point is to talk about inequity and talk about how we can work together to have a more just society or more equitable Baltimore.

"It's not about pitching a tent. It's about getting the work done," she said.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Marcus Wohlsen in Oakland; Nigel Duara in Portland, Ore.; Sarah Brumfield in Baltimore, Md.; Verena Dobnik and Samantha Gross in New York; Harry R. Weber, Errin Haines and Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Erica Niedowski in Providence, R.I.; Michael J. Crumb in Des Moines, Iowa; Ben Nuckols in Washington; and Jay Lindsay in Boston.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_on_re_us/us_wall_street_protests

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Restaurant foods that are ripping you off

If you thought you bagged a bargain by skipping the $29 burgundy-braised short ribs and opting for the $18 baked ziti with mushrooms, marinara sauce and chicken, you?d be wrong. With food costs only accounting for about 18 percent of the menu price, the pasta dish is where the restaurant is making the most profit. Believe it or not, the beef is actually the better deal, since it costs nearly half the menu price to source and prepare it.

If price alone isn?t the best indicator of value on a menu, what criteria should we use to ensure the most bang for our buck? ?Choose labor-intensive, time-consuming, complex dishes, that call for hard-to-find ingredients,? suggests New York-based restaurant consultant, Clark Wolf. ?If you can whip it up yourself in 20 minutes with stuff from your kitchen cupboard ? do that,? he says.

Wolf has a point. Avoid the ubiquitous, low-cost chicken breast dish. Dishes comprising of everyday, bulk ingredients like pasta or rice are cheap to prepare and as simple for the restaurant chef to put together as it is for the home cook. For this same reason, restaurants love brunch when they turn out highly-profitable, egg-centric meals, and bread, flour and dairy-based dishes, such as French toast, waffles and, pancakes.

Forbes.com slideshow: Restaurant foods that are ripping you off

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Then there?s making the most of specialized equipment ? and relationships ? that eateries have. Steakhouses, for example, Clark adds, not only have dry-aging cabinets to hang meat to develop flavor and add value, but the best ones have built links with suppliers that deliver the most prime cuts that aren?t available in retail.

Just as a diner should mull over these factors when selecting a meal, the restaurateur also considers them, and several others, when pricing his menu. ?Food cost, what nearby restaurants are charging for similar dishes, and perceived value ? what customers are willing to pay for certain foods, are all taken into account,? says Linda Lipsky who runs a Pennsylvania-based hospitality operations consulting firm.

While the average raw food cost for fine-dining restaurants is 38 percent ? 42 percent of the menu as a whole, there is no standard mark-up across the board for appetizers, entrees, and desserts. There is also significant fluctuation within these categories. If $1.50 worth of chicken and $1.50 worth of shrimp features in two distinct appetizers, the shrimp dish will be more expensive because customers perceive the crustacean to be of higher value, and so will shell out more for it. However, with a range of quality available, chefs can use a cheaper variety of shrimp unbeknownst to the diner who continues to pay a premium, says Lipsky.

Forbes.com: america?s best chain restaurants

Other than to avoid out low-quality shellfish, there?s another reason why diners should pay more attention to their appetizer order. According to Jody Pennette, founder of CB5 Restaurant Group, in the last 15 years restaurants have raised the price of appetizers disproportionately to the increase in food costs. ?This has gone under the radar because people form their perceptions of value by looking at the price of entrees,? Pennette explains. ?Restaurants keep mains as competitive as they can, knowing they have leeway in other parts of the menu.?

Sides are another area featuring unpalatably high mark-ups, especially when sold as ?family style? servings to be shared by the table. ?Diners have a hard time deciphering value when portion sizes become more abstract,? says Pennette, something that makes it easier to add extra dollars to the check. Throw in exotic, luxury or ethnic ingredients, like caviar, saffron, or fresh lemongrass even in the tiniest quantities, and again the diner swallows a disproportionate price hike. ?People are thrown off the scent of seeking out value with foods they are unfamiliar with and don?t know how to cost,? adds Pennette.

Despite inflated prices in the appetizer sections, there are still parts of the menu where diners can find good value. Red meat and seafood dishes will get more bang for your buck ? and don?t forget the dessert list. ?Dessert used to be a low-cost, money-maker until the ambitions of the modern day pastry chef got in the way,? says Pennette. Nowadays, indulging in elaborate, luxurious desserts is reason alone to eat out. Go on, order that triple-layered chocolate torte. You owe it to your wallet.

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? 2011 Forbes.com

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45019409/ns/today-money/

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Public workers, retirees oppose RI pension revamp (Providence Journal)

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Perry: Wall Street regulation was 'adequate'

Texas Gov. Rick Perry defends his plan to cut the corporate tax rate and urges scrapping new regulations on the financial industry.

By Martin Wolk

Texas Gov. Rick Perry?is suggesting that government regulators rather than Wall Street bankers were?behind the financial collapse of 2008.

In an interview with CNBC's John Harwood before unveiling his new economic plan, Perry urged scrapping the?Dodd-Frank Act, which was passed last year and aims to tighten regulation of financial markets after the historic industry collapse that ushered in a deep recession. He also urged scrapping a provision of the earlier Sarbanes-Oxley Act that requires public companies to explain their internal control?procedures.

"You?think the previous regluation of Wall Street was adequate?" Harwood asked.

"Yes, absolutely, I think it was adequate," Perry said. "You?had a bunch of regulators that weren't doing their job."

Click on the video above for the full exchange. (Updated: New video clip has been added.)

Perry also has been raising eyebrows with his plan for an "optional" flat tax that he unveiled Tuesday in an effort to revive his flagging presidential campaign. Filers would have the choice of following the exisiting tax code or Perry's new flat tax, whichever option offered the lower rate.

More on that in the video below.

?

CNBC's John Harwood has the details on presidential hopeful Rick Perry's spending plan. Perry says hard decisions will need to be made in order to get the U.S. economy back on track.

Related:

Perry wants flat tax with some deductions
Perry keeps pushing 'birther' issue
?

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/25/8480566-perry-wall-street-regulation-was-adequate

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Former top Wall Streeter denies insider trading (AP)

NEW YORK ? A former board member of Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges accusing him of acting as "the illegal eyes and ears in the boardroom" for a friend, a billionaire hedge fund founder sentenced this month to 11 years in prison in the biggest insider trading case in history.

The case, built partially on wiretaps used for the first time in insider trading, has offered unprecedented insight into greed at the highest levels of Wall Street. The arrest of Rajat Gupta took it one step higher.

The indictment unsealed Wednesday accuses Gupta of cheating the markets with Raj Rajaratnam, the 54-year-old convicted hedge fund founder who was the probe's prime target.

Gupta, 62, quietly surrendered early in the day at the FBI's New York City office, a few blocks north of the ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstration against what protesters call a culture of corporate greed. His lawyer called the allegations "totally baseless."

Swarmed by photographers, Gupta left the courthouse shortly before 4 p.m.

Gupta, of Westport, Conn., pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and five counts of securities fraud, charges that carry a potential penalty of 105 years in prison. He was freed on $10 million bail, and conditions require him to remain in the continental United States. An April 9 trial date was set.

The indictment in U.S. District Court in Manhattan alleges Gupta shared confidential information about both Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble at the height of the financial crisis from 2008 through January 2009, knowing that Rajaratnam would use the secrets to buy and sell stock ahead of public announcements.

In a release, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Gupta broke the trust of some of the nation's top public companies and "became the illegal eyes and ears in the boardroom for his friend and business associate, Raj Rajaratnam, who reaped enormous profits from Mr. Gupta's breach of duty."

Alluding to the wide scope of the prosecution, he added: "Today we allege that the corruption we have seen in the trading cubicles, investment firms, law firms, expert consulting firms, medical labs, and corporate suites also insinuated itself into the boardrooms of elite companies."

In all, 56 people have been charged in insider trading cases since Bharara took over shortly before Rajaratanam's October 2009 arrest. Of those, 51 have been convicted and 21 sentenced to prison terms ranging from no prison time to 11 years, the longest prison term ever given in an insider trading case.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice Fedarcyk said Gupta's arrest was the latest to occur in an initiative launched by the FBI in 2007 against hedge fund cheats.

"The conduct alleged is not an inadvertent slip of the tongue by Mr. Gupta," she said. "His eagerness to pass along inside information to Rajaratnam is nowhere more starkly evident than in the two instances where a total of 39 seconds elapsed between his learning of crucial Goldman Sachs information and lavishing it on his good friend."

Authorities said they relied on wiretaps for the first time because it became apparent inside traders were employing the tactics of common criminals to evade detection. If the Gupta case goes to trial, taped conversations would be key evidence, as it was in the Rajaratnam trial.

The Rajaratnam probe led to a major spinoff investigation of expert networking firms, with investigators targeting those who enabled corrupt employees at public companies to divulge secrets to hedge fund managers as if their conversations were legitimate research.

Gupta's lawyer, Gary P. Naftalis, said in a statement Wednesday that his client had only legitimate communications with Rajaratnam.

"The government's allegations are totally baseless," he said. "The facts in this case demonstrate that Mr. Gupta is innocent of any of these charges and that he has always acted with honesty and integrity. ... We are confident that these accusations ? which are based entirely on circumstantial evidence ? cannot withstand scrutiny and that Mr. Gupta will be completely exonerated of any wrongdoing."

Aside from being a former director of the Wall Street powerhouse Goldman Sachs, Gupta is the former chief of McKinsey & Co., a highly regarded global consulting firm that zealously guards its reputation for discretion and integrity.

Gupta was also a former director of the huge consumer products company Procter & Gamble Co., a pillar of American industry and one of the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones industrial average. P&G owns many well-known brands including Bounty, Tide and Pringles.

The Indian-born defendant's name played prominently at the criminal trial this year of Rajaratnam, who was convicted after prosecutors used a trove of wiretaps on which he could be heard coaxing a crew of corporate tipsters into giving him an illegal edge on blockbuster trades.

Jurors heard testimony that at an Oct. 23, 2008, Goldman board meeting, members were told that the investment bank was facing a quarterly loss for the first time since it had gone public in 1999.

Prosecutors produced phone records showing Gupta called Rajaratnam 23 seconds after the meeting ended, causing Rajaratnam to sell his entire position in Goldman the next morning and save millions of dollars.

Rajaratnam also earned close to $1 million when Gupta told him that Goldman had received an offer from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway to invest $5 billion in the banking giant, prosecutors said.

In one tape played at trial, Rajaratnam could be heard grilling Gupta about whether the Goldman Sachs board had discussed acquiring a commercial bank or an insurance company.

"Have you heard anything along that line?" Rajaratnam asked Gupta.

"Yeah," Gupta responded. "This was a big discussion at the board meeting."

Prosecutors sought to maximize the impact of the Gupta tape by calling Goldman Sachs chairman Lloyd Blankfein to testify that the phone call violated the investment bank's confidentiality policies.

The Securities and Exchange Commission also brought civil insider trading charges against Gupta on Wednesday.

Besides highlighting the Goldman allegations that came out during the Rajaratnam trial, the indictment also accused Gupta of providing Rajaratnam in January 2009 with a tip that P&G was not going to meet sales growth expectations for the fiscal year. As a result, prosecutors said, Rajaratnam told a portfolio manager about the tip and certain funds sold short about 180,000 shares of P&G stock.

Daniel Alpert, managing partner at the investment bank Westwood Capital LLC, said Gupta, who did not benefit financially, demonstrates that passing information to friends is just as dangerous as trading on secrets.

"There is not a single person out there who doesn't know he is playing at the edges of propriety when he is doing it, and few who don't feel a pang of guilt after having done so," Alpert said.

"This has many of the same attributes as organized crime prosecutions," he said. "Until you throw the kingfishes in jail, there is unlikely to be any deterrent effect."

___

AP Business Writer Daniel Wagner contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_on_re_us/us_hedge_fund_insider_trading

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Northrop Grumman 3Q profit up 5 percent (AP)

ST. LOUIS ? Northrop Grumman says its third-quarter profit rose 5 percent despite declining revenue as profit margins improved. The results beat analyst expectations and the company raised its full-year profit outlook.

The Falls Church, Va., defense contractor says it earned $520 million, or $1.86 per share, in the July-September quarter. That's up from $497 million, or $1.67 per share, during the same period last year. Revenue fell 6.5 percent to $6.61 billion, from $7.07 billion last year.

The net income results beat expectations, although revenue was below forecasts. Analyst polled by FactSet had expected a profit of $1.68 per share on $6.82 billion in revenue.

Northrop's operating profit climbed, even as sales fell, because of a $101 million gain due to a pension effect.

Stripping out the effect of the pension, operating income was almost unchanged from a year ago.

Shares fell $2.68, or 4.7 percent, to $53.89 in early morning trading.

Defense spending is growing more slowly as the government tightens its belt and the U.S. military reduces its presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Spending is expected to decline further. The Pentagon is slated to cut $450 billion in spending over 10 years.

Revenue fell 5 percent in Northrop's biggest division, aerospace, and dropped 8 percent in its information systems and 22 percent in its technical services businesses. Sales rose 2 percent in its electronic systems unit.

Still, Northrop raised its outlook for 2011 to earnings between $6.95 per share and $7.05 per share, saying it expects higher margins and a lower average share count. That's up from its previous estimate of between $6.75 per share and $6.90 per share. Analysts had expected net income of $6.88 per share.

The company spent $1.6 billion buying back stock during the quarter. Such share buybacks increase the income available to the remaining public shareholders. Northrop says it has $2.4 billion left under its current program to buy back more stock.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_northrop_grumman

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Highlights: Comments from European Union leaders' summit (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? European Union leaders hold talks on Sunday to try to hammer out a comprehensive plan for tackling the euro zone debt crisis, but a breakthrough is not expected until another summit on Wednesday.

Following are comments ahead of Sunday's talks:

EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT HERMAN VAN ROMPUY:

"Today we will agree on measures to stimulate growth and to create jobs and we will also deal with the crisis in the euro zone. Useless to say that the current economic challenges are deeply serious: slowing growth, rising unemployment, pressure on the banks and risks on the sovereign bonds.

"Our meetings of today and Wednesday are important steps, perhaps the most important ones in the series to overcome the financial crisis, even if further steps will be needed.

"Some of those steps were and are unpopular -- be it measures taken in your countries or our joint decisions taken here as a union. I thank you for your political courage, often underestimated.

"These steps forward also require simple and plain hard work, so let's start."

AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR WERNER FAYMANN ON ROLE OF EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK:

"The ECB has legally only limited possibilities; we should not ask more of it than what is possible with regard to its independence."

ON THE WAY FORWARD:

"Even the next summit on Wednesday will not resolve all problems in the debt crisis."

IRISH PRIME MINISTER ENDA KENNY:

"The world is watching the European leadership. I hope that we can have progress today toward a set of comprehensive and clear decisions and a joined up thinking process.

"The prevention of contagion and the construction of firewalls is of critical importance."

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON:

"The crisis in the euro zone is affecting all our economies, Britain included. It's having a chilling effect. We have to deal with this issue."

SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER FREDRIK REINFELDT:

"We need a solution, of course. I'm not sure we'll have it today. I hear we might have a new meeting in the middle of next week. We need a solution how to control the situation in Greece."

ON BANK RECAPITALISATION:

"We need a solution to understand that this will in fact have an impact on the banking systems in Europe. When we control that, when we recapitalize the banks, we need to take a clear standpoint that the losses should not be covered by taxpayers, but by the owners and that we control managements inside these financial institutions."

ON COUNTRIES CUTTING THEIR DEBTS:

"We also need again to ask for more measures to put countries on the right track when it comes to clearing their huge deficits and public finances and huge national debts.

"Look at Ireland -- they have now started a process where they are meeting the situation they had and they are getting positive market signals back once they have started to reform. That's the Swedish experience. That's the way we have to do this."

GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL ON TREATY CHANGE:

"We want more Europe, stronger rights to intervene. Treaty changes for that should not be a taboo."

ON CHANGES TO THE EFSF (EUROPEAN FINANCIAL STABILITY FACILITY):

"Today, we are preparing for decisions on Wednesday. This concerns technical details of complicated process such as how the EFSF works, for example.

"Therefore, we must consider all details.

"One should not expect decisions from the euro (leaders')group today but rather on Wednesday. I want to emphasize that so as to make clear what to expect."

GREEK PRIME MINISTER GEORGE PAPANDREOU:

"Greece has proven again and again that we are making the necessary decisions to make our economy sustainable and make our economy more just. We are a proud people. We are a proud nation and we demand that respect of what we're doing.

"And we are doing what we need from our side, the responsibility that we are taking on, with great pain, to make Greece a different country.

"It's been proven now that the crisis is not a Greek crisis. The crisis is a European crisis. So now is the time that we as Europeans need to act decisively and effectively."

BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER YVES LETERME ON SITUATION IN BELGIUM:

"We are in a very different situation from Italy (on our debt to GDP ratio). I am sure that before 2014 we will get it below 90 percent (of GDP).

"Belgium is a country with strong growth."

ON SUNDAY'S DISCUSSIONS ON THE EUROPEAN CRISIS:

"It is essential that by tomorrow morning, when markets open, we have made enough progress so that the credibility of the euro is not in danger."

(Reporting by Julien Toyer, Ilona Wissenbach, John O'Donnell, David Brunnstrom, Robin Emmott, Barbara Lewis, Matt Falloon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111023/bs_nm/us_eu_summit_highlights

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Argentine president to win re-election: exit poll (Reuters)

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) ? Argentine President Cristina Fernandez swept to a landslide re-election on Sunday, winning about 55 percent of the vote with a huge lead over her nearest rival, an exit poll showed.

If the result is confirmed, the center-leftist will win a second four-year term with a strong mandate to deepen interventionist economic policies hated by big business but popular with many Argentines.

The government-funded exit poll put Socialist provincial governor Hermes Binner a distant second with around 14 percent, local media said, declaring Fernandez the victor. The results of the poll were in line with numbers published earlier by Reuters.

Fernandez, the widow of former President Nestor Kirchner, has been helped by an economy growing at about 8 percent per year and a field of feeble opposition candidates.

Her policies anger pro-market farmers and business leaders but have the support of voters who benefit from generous welfare spending for poor families and the elderly.

The former senator may also regain the control of Congress she lost in the 2009 mid-term election, with help from allies.

The sharp-tongued Fernandez has nationalized private pension funds, raised soy export taxes and kept quotas on wheat and corn shipments. Growers say such measures hurt investment in farming, Argentina's top source of hard currency.

The president was swarmed by followers as she voted in her home province of Santa Cruz. She defended her policies, saying they have brought solid growth at a time of global turmoil.

"When you look at what's happening in the world, you can feel very proud to be Argentine," Fernandez, dressed in black and her hair tinted red, told reporters just after casting her ballot at a voting station at a school.

(Additional reporting by Jorge Otaola; Editing by Kieran Murray)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111023/ts_nm/us_argentina_election

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7.2 quake causes damage, casualties in Turkey

People try to save people trapped under debris in Tabanli village near the city of Van after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Turkey Sunday Oct. 23, 2011, collapsing some buildings and causing a number of deaths, an official said. ( AP Photo/ Abdurrahman Antakyali, Aatolia) TURKEY OUT

People try to save people trapped under debris in Tabanli village near the city of Van after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Turkey Sunday Oct. 23, 2011, collapsing some buildings and causing a number of deaths, an official said. ( AP Photo/ Abdurrahman Antakyali, Aatolia) TURKEY OUT

People try to save people trapped under debris in Tabanli village near the city of Van after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Turkey Sunday Oct. 23, 2011, collapsing some buildings and causing a number of deaths, an official said. ( AP Photo/ Abdurrahman Antakyali, Aatolia) TURKEY OUT

Shocked people seen in the city center of Van after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Turkey Sunday Oct. 23, 2011 , collapsing some buildings and causing a number of deaths, an official said. ( AP Photo/ Abdurrahman Antakyali, Anatolia) TURKEY OUT

Residents take to the streets after a earthquake in Van eastern Turkey in this image taken from Sunday Oct. 23, 2011. _ A powerful earthquake struck eastern Turkey Sunday, collapsing at least two buildings in the center of eastern city of Van, the mayor said. (AP Photo/Anatolian TV. via APTN) TURKEY OUT TV OUT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ? A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey Sunday, collapsing about 45 buildings according to the deputy prime minister.

Only one death was immediately confirmed, but scientists estimated that up to 1,000 people could have been killed.

The worst damage was caused to the town of Ercis, in the mountainous eastern province of Van, close to the Iranian border. The city of Van also suffered substantial damage.

"Around 10 buildings have collapsed in the city of Van and around 25 or 30 have collapsed in Ercis, including a dormitory," Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said.

Atalay said authorities had no information yet on remote villages, adding that the governor was now touring the region by helicopter to assess damage. The quake's epicenter was in the village of Tabanli.

Authorities did not provide a casualty figure but the Kandilli observatory, Turkey's main seismography center, said the quake was capable of killing many more people.

"We are estimating a death toll between 500 and 1,000," Mustafa Erdik, head of the Kandilli observatory, told a televised news conference. His estimate was based on the structure of the housing in the area and the strength of the quake.

The Turkish Red Crescent said its rescuers pulled several injured people out of the collapsed dormitory in Ercis, which sits on a geological fault line.

In Van, a bustling city with many apartment buildings, at least 50 people were treated in the courtyard of the state hospital, the state-run Anatolia news agency said.

"There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed. There is too much destruction," Zulfikar Arapoglu, the mayor of Ercis, told NTV television. "We need urgent aid. We need medics."

Serious damage and casualties were also reported in the district of Celebibag, near Ercis.

"There are many people under the rubble," Veysel Keser, mayor of Celebibag, told NTV. "People are in agony, we can hear their screams for help. We need urgent help."

"It's a great disaster," he said. "Many buildings have collapsed, student dormitories, hotels and gas stations have collapsed."

Some houses also collapsed in the province of Bitlis, where at least one person, an 8-year-old girl was killed, authorities said. The quake also toppled the minarets of two mosques in the nearby province of Mus, reports said.

NTV said Van's airport was damaged and planes were being diverted to neighboring cities.

Terrified residents spilled into the streets in panic as rescue workers and residents using their bare hands and shovels struggled to find people believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings, television footage showed.

Several Cabinet ministers headed to the area as authorities mobilized rescue teams across the country.

The quake had a depth of 20 kilometers (12.4 miles), which is relatively shallow and could potentially cause more damage.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, which is crossed by fault lines.

In 1999, about 18,000 people were killed by two powerful earthquakes that struck northwestern Turkey. Authorities blamed shoddy construction for many of the deaths.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-10-23-EU-Turkey-Quake/id-ece54ae2ef324ed6aee07ab0a34e1558

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Iraq war over, US troops coming home, Obama says (AP)

WASHINGTON ? America's long and deeply unpopular war in Iraq will be over by year's end and all U.S. troops ""will definitely be home for the holidays," President Barack Obama declared Friday.

Stretching more than eight years, the war cost the United States heavily: More than 4,400 members of the military have been killed, and more than 32,000 have been wounded.

The final exit date was sealed after months of intensive talks between Washington and Baghdad failed to reach agreement on conditions for leaving several thousand U.S. troops in Iraq as a training force. The U.S. also had been interested in keeping a small force to help the Iraqis deal with possible Iranian meddling.

The task now is to speed the pullout of the remaining U.S. forces, nearly 40,000 in number.

Staying behind in Iraq, where bombings and other violence still occur, will be some 150-200 U.S. military troops as part of embassy security, the defense attache's office and the office of security cooperation. That's common practice but still a danger to American forces.

Obama, an opponent of the war since before he took office, nevertheless praised the efforts of U.S. troops in Iraq. He said American soldiers would leave "with their heads held high, proud of their success."

For Obama, Friday's announcement capped a remarkable two days of national security successes, though there's no indication how much they will matter to re-election voters more concerned with economic woes at home.

On Thursday, the president heralded the death of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and a day later the end to one of the most divisive conflicts in U.S. history.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the U.S. more than $1.3 trillion.

Obama did not declare victory.

He did speak, though, about the string of wins on his watch ? none bigger than the killing of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader behind the Sept. 11, 2011 terrorist attacks. The Afghanistan war still rages, but there, too, Obama has moved to end the combat mission by the end of 2014.

This was, in essence, the third time Obama had pronounced an end to the war, allowing him to remind the nation he had opposed it all along ? a stance that helped his White House bid in 2008.

Shortly after taking office, Obama declared in February 2009 that the combat mission in Iraq would end by Aug. 31, 2010. And when that milestone arrived, he said it was "time to turn the page" on Iraq and put the focus back on building up the United States. On Friday, he said: "After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over."

The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was launched in March of 2003 after reports, later discredited, that the country was developing weapons of mass destruction. By early April, American Marines were helping Iraqis pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. Saddam was captured in December of that year and executed in 2006, but the war dragged on.

The ending was set in motion before Obama took office. In 2008, President George W. Bush approved a deal calling for all U.S. forces to withdraw by Dec. 31, 2011.

At issue was whether that deal would be renegotiated to keep thousands of U.S. forces in Iraq. The Obama administration and Iraqi government spent months debating whether the United States would keep troops to maintain a training force, to provide added stability in a country where spectacular attacks still occur, and to serve as a hedge against Iran.

Throughout the talks, Iraqi leaders refused to give U.S. troops immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts, and the Americans refused to stay without that guarantee.

Obama never mentioned that issue on Friday.

He said that after speaking with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, both were in agreement on how to move forward. Obama said the two nations will now deal with each in the normal fashion of sovereign countries and will keep open the idea of how the United States might help train and equip Iraqi forces.

"Over the next two months, our troops in Iraq, tens of thousands of them, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home," Obama said. "The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing the American people stand united in our support for our troops."

The Associated Press first reported last week that the United States would not keep troops in Iraq past the year-end withdrawal deadline, except for some soldiers attached to the U.S. Embassy.

"Both countries achieved their goals," said Iraqi government spokesman, Ali al-Moussawi. "Iraq wanted full sovereignty while the United States wanted its soldiers back home, and both goals are achieved."

In addition to remaining military forces, Denis McDonough, White House deputy national security adviser, said the U.S. will have 4,000 to 5,000 contractors to provide security for American diplomats.

Obama's announcement was applauded by congressional Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who called it "the right decision at the right time."

Republicans were more skeptical. Many praised the gains made in Iraq and gave Obama at least partial credit but expressed concern that getting troops out would bring that progress into question.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he feared that "all we have worked for, fought for and sacrificed for is very much in jeopardy by today's announcement. I hope I am wrong and the president is right, but I fear this decision has set in motion events that will come back to haunt our country."

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney accused Obama of an "astonishing failure" to secure an orderly transition in Iraq, and said, "The unavoidable question is whether this decision is the result of a naked political calculation or simply sheer ineptitude in negotiations with the Iraqi government."

The U.S. said repeatedly this year it would entertain an offer from the Iraqis to have a small force stay behind, and the Iraqis said they would like American military help. But as the year wore on and the number of American troops that Washington was suggesting could stay behind dropped, it became increasingly clear that a U.S. troop presence was not a sure thing.

The issue of legal protection for the Americans was the deal-breaker.

But administration officials said they feel confident that Iraqi security forces are well prepared to take the lead in their country.

McDonough said that one assessment after another of the preparedness of Iraqi forces concluded that "these guys are ready; these guys are capable; these guys are proven; importantly, they're proven because they've been tested in a lot of the kinds of threats that they're going to see going forward."

The president used the war statement to once again turn attention back to the economy, the domestic concern that is expected to determine whether he wins re-election.

"After a decade of war," he said, "the nation that we need to build and the nation that we will build is our own."

__

Associated Press writers Sameer N. Yacoub in Baghdad and Jim Kuhnhenn, Erica Werner and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111021/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_iraq

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Udinese compounds Atletico's woes

/

By The Associated Press

updated 6:03 p.m. ET Oct. 20, 2011

Udinese compounded Atletico Madrid's miserable start to the season with a 2-0 victory Thursday in the Europa League.

Tottenham edged Rubin Kazan 1-0 and group rivals Schalke and Maccabi Haifa won in 5-0 routs. PSV Eindhoven and Sporting Lisbon made it three wins in three games.

Atletico has won just twice in seven Spanish league games and is three points behind leader Udinese in Group I after yielding goals by Mehdi Benatia and Antonio Floro.

Tottenham got a goal on a free kick from Roman Pavlyuchenko to win its second straight in Group A and put its season back on track.

In Group J, Schalke stayed in first by beating AEK Larnaca. The German club is a point ahead of Maccabi Haifa, which won big against Steaua Bucharest.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Easy win

Barcelona set a club record by extending its unbeaten streak to 13 games with a 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic's Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44981823/ns/sports-soccer/

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Mexican truck is first in delayed NAFTA program (AP)

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico ? A Mexican truck crossed into the U.S. on Friday bound for the nation's interior, fulfilling a long-delayed provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement that had been stalled for years by concerns it could put highway safety and American jobs at risk.

The crossing came nearly two decades after passage of NAFTA, which was supposed to give trucks from both countries unhindered access to highways on either side of the border.

At a ceremony before the tractor-trailer set off for a Dallas suburb, the owner of the Transportes Olympic trucking company said he considers his fleet's access to the U.S. interior like being invited to a friend's house.

"We have to be extra orderly and very respectful," Fernando Paez told dignitaries of both countries and a crowd of 300 people. "We will demonstrate that we can operate safely and efficiently."

The Freightliner truck was hauling a large steel drilling structure. At the wheel was Josue Cruz, who waved from the cab, flashed a thumbs-up and thundered toward the bridge over the Rio Grande leading to Laredo, Texas. He was expected to unload in Garland on Saturday or possibly Monday if the business couldn't receive the cargo immediately.

Trucks have crossed into the interior before but only as part of a short-lived pilot program that began in 2007 with a limited number of vehicles. President Barack Obama's administration canceled it in 2009, and Mexico retaliated by placing tariffs on a wide range of American goods.

Hours before Friday's ceremony in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico announced it was suspending the tariffs. But the Mexican government warned that they could be reinstated if the U.S. does not honor the accord.

The $2 billion worth of tariffs were imposed on 99 U.S. products, including Christmas trees, onions, oranges, apples, juice concentrates, toothpaste, deodorant, sunglasses, among others. Mexico reduced the tariffs after signing the trucking agreement with the U.S. in July and then removed them completely Friday.

"With this program, we're initiating a new stage of competition, of prosperity, of regional integration," said Bruno Ferrari, Mexican secretary of the economy.

NAFTA, signed in 1994, had called for Mexican trucks to have unrestricted access to highways in border states by 1995 and full access to all U.S. highways by January 2000. Canadian trucks have no limits on where they can go.

But until now, Mexican trucks have seldom been allowed farther than a buffer zone on the U.S. side of the border, where their cargo was typically transferred to American vehicles.

The public debate surrounding the accord had mostly focused on the safety of Mexican trucks. But labor unions and other groups were strongly opposed to the agreement, saying it would cost Americans trucking and other jobs.

The U.S. Department of Transportation says the safety concerns have been resolved. Electronic monitoring systems will track how many hours the trucks are in service. Drivers will also have to pass safety reviews, drug tests and assessments of their English skills. Mexico has the authority to demand similar measures from American drivers.

The impact of the program will be limited at first. Only 10 other Mexican trucking companies are going through the certification process right now.

Juan Carlos Munoz, president of Mexico's largest trucking trade group, known by its Spanish initials as CANACAR, noted that opposition remains in Mexico. Some Mexican trucking companies doubt that the U.S. will treat them the same as American drivers.

"But we can't cry before they hit us, as we say here in Mexico," Munoz said. He called Friday's activity the "first step on a long climb."

U.S. Ambassador Anthony Wayne said governments "have to support the businesses in their efforts to reduce costs and accelerate trade."

Paez said the approval process was rigorous, even though his company already qualified under a Department of Homeland Security trusted carrier program.

But American groups that fought the program for years remained opposed to the entry of Mexican trucks.

Mexico "does not meet our safety standards and a violent drug war is raging there, which the Mexican government is powerless to control," Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said.

Rep. Duncan Hunter from San Diego said the program offers no benefits for American truckers, who will be forced to compete against Mexican carriers.

___

Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo in Mexico City and Julie Watson in San Diego contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111021/ap_on_re_us/us_mexico_trucking

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Introducing Engadget: The Comic!

If you haven't picked up a copy of Distro yet, you're missing out on all sort of great content, including a little gem hidden away on the back page of each issue. We asked some of our favorite indie cartoonists to create strips based on tech news, and thus Engadget: The Comic was born. It's a weekly feature by a cast of revolving artists, including Box Brown, Dustin Harbin, Ed Piskor and more, that will appear first in the pages of Distro and eventually make its way onto our site. To give you some idea of what you're in store for, we've included a gallery below. We hope you enjoy reading these as much as we have.

Gallery: Engadget: The Comic

Introducing Engadget: The Comic! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/DVlmlNWR7pI/

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Health groups issue proposed cervical cancer screening guidelines

ScienceDaily (Oct. 20, 2011) ? The American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) have proposed new guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer. The proposed guidelines, which are now posted for public comment, generally advise that women reduce the number of tests they get over their lifetime to better ensure that they receive the benefits of testing while minimizing the risks.

The proposed guidelines also include a preference for co-testing using the Pap test and HPV test for women age 30 and over.

After a public comment period that begins immediately and a multi-stakeholder symposium in November to discuss the proposed recommendations among a broad group of experts, the recommendations will be revised and incorporated into a final guideline from the American Cancer Society, anticipated in mid-2012.

The proposed guidelines were released on the same day that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) formally released its proposed guidelines update for cervical cancer screening. ACS, ASCCP and ASCP worked independently of the USPSTF to review existing evidence and develop these draft recommendations.

• The ACS-ASCCP-ASCP proposed guidelines would include some changes from the current ACS guidelines.
• They would recommend that all women start screening at age 21, and drop the recommendation that women under 21 begin screening three years after starting vaginal intercourse.
• They propose that for women 21 to 29, Pap tests (conventional or liquid-based) be done every three years, and recommends against annual Pap testing. Current guidelines call for a conventional Pap test every year, or a liquid-based Pap test every two years for this age group.
• For women 30 and over, the guidelines propose that Pap tests be done every three years, recommending against annual or more frequent Pap testing. Current guidelines say women 30 and over who have had three normal Pap tests in a row may be tested less often, every two to three years.
• The guidelines propose that Pap test plus HPV testing every 3-5 years be the preferred strategy for women aged 30 and older, and recommend against screening with any test or combination of tests more often than every three years. Current ACS guidelines call for testing no more frequently than every three years with a Pap test plus the HPV DNA test 'an option' for women over 30 who have normal immune systems and no abnormal Pap results.
• The proposed recommendations also say screening is not recommended for women 65 or older who have had three or more normal Pap tests in a row and no abnormal Pap test results in the last 10 years, or who had two or more negative HPV tests in the last 10 years. Current guidelines say women may choose to stop being tested at age 70 when they've had three or more normal Pap tests in a row and no abnormal Pap test results in the last 10 years.

"These draft recommendations are being presented for review by interested individuals and stakeholders, primarily clinicians and researchers, who are invited to provide feedback through a web-based open comment period," said Debbie Saslow, PhD, director of breast and gynecologic cancer for the American Cancer Society."The six working groups that developed these recommendations will then consider the submitted comments, and make revisions to these proposed recommendations based on that input and available evidence."

Other new recommendations included in the proposed guideline:

• Women who have a normal Pap result and a positive HPV test result should receive genotyping for HPV 16 and 18 or repeat both the Pap and HPV tests in one year.The proposed guideline recommends against immediate colposcopy.
• Women having a mildly abnormal Pap result (called ASC-US) and a negative HPV test result should be followed by either HPV testing plus Pap or HPV testing alone at intervals of three years or longer.
• At this time there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against a comprehensive program for primary screening with HPV testing alone (with defined follow-up testing) in the US.
• Women who have been vaccinated against HPV should begin cervical cancer screening at the same age as unvaccinated women, i.e. at age 21.

The proposed recommendations can be reviewed at: www.asccp.org/practice-management/molecular-screening-symposium

The proposed recommendations from the USPSTF can be viewed at: http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/tfcomment.htm

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Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111020025027.htm

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