Associated Press News - Salon.com

Police arrest 6 protesters at Lieberman's office

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:40:12 PST

U.S. Capitol Police say six protesters have been arrested at Sen. Joseph Lieberman's office in Washington.

Sgt. Kimberly Schneider says officers arrested the protesters Tuesday morning at the Hart Senate Office Building. Schneider says the protesters were asked to leave Lieberman's sevent...

Sector Snap: Airline stocks fall

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:40:12 PST

Airline stocks fell Tuesday as the broader market paused after big rallies in recent days.

The Amex Airlines Index dropped 1 percent, with 11 of its 13 components lower in midday trading.

An analyst for UBS said revenue trends for the largest airlines appear to be improving, with D...

Military families head to Ft. Hood for ceremony

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:35:11 PST

Hundreds of military families and civilians are arriving at Fort Hood, Texas, where victims of last week's shooting spree will be honored.

Some were wearing red, white and blue ribbons to the Tuesday ceremony where President Barack Obama was scheduled to speak later.

Sheila Wormuth...

Harbin posts $1.9M loss for 3rd quarter

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:30:12 PST

Harbin Electric Inc. said Tuesday it lost $1.91 million in its third quarter, hurt by a substantial charge, though adjusted results showed a net profit.

The Chinese maker of electric motors said its loss amounted to 7 cents per share for the three months ended Sept. 30. That compares with...

Feds bust ATM hacking ring accused of stealing $9M

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:30:12 PST

Federal authorities say they've cracked a sophisticated computer hacking ring that stole more than $9 million within 12 hours last November, securing indictments against eight people from Russia, Estonia and Moldova.

The acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia said Tuesd...

British designer Luella Bartley stops trading

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:25:13 PST

Acclaimed British fashion designer Luella Bartley said Tuesday that her company has stopped trading because of financial problems.

The company, Luella Bartley Ltd., lost its financial backing from VSQ Ltd. It was also hit by the closure last month of the brand's ready-to-wear producer in ...

Jackson's dad seeks removal of will administrators

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:25:13 PST

An attorney for Michael Jackson's father is trying to convince a judge the administrators of his son's will have a conflict of interest and should not handle the case.

A motion by Joe Jackson's attorney, Brian Oxman, will likely be addressed at a hearing Tuesday regarding Michael Jackson'...

Prosecutors: SC trio promised unrealistic returns

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:25:13 PST

Federal prosecutors say three South Carolina men promised thousands of clients big returns on their investments, but instead spent millions on luxury items for themselves.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Holliday said in opening statements Tuesday that Joseph Brunson, Tony Pugh and Timoth...

Basketball Hall of Famer Al Cervi dies at age 92

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:25:13 PST

Al Cervi (SUR'-vee), a pro basketball star who coached the Syracuse Nationals to the 1955 NBA championship, has died in upstate New York at age 92.

The 5-foot-11-inch Cervi was one of the strongest backcourt players of the 1940s and 1950s. Nicknamed "Digger," he was the 1947 National Bask...

Rihanna talks about breaking down and her new CD

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:25:13 PST

Rihanna says recording songs on her new album was such an emotional experience that she sometimes had to leave the studio to prevent herself from breaking down.

"I walked out the studio a few times just trying not to be in tears," she said Monday about recording her fourth studio album, "...

Cumberland 3Q profit rose on Caldolor sales

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:20:10 PST

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday its profit rose 6 percent in the third quarter, as sales of its recently approved fever and pain treatment Caldolor were partly offset by costs to launch the drug.

Caldolor is an injectable form of ibuprofen that is intended for patients who ar...

Letterman plot suspect asks NY court to drop case

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:20:10 PST

The TV news producer accused of blackmailing David Letterman has asked a New York City judge to dismiss the extortion case against him.

A lawyer for Robert J. "Joe" Halderman says the TV producer was only trying to sell a screenplay when he contacted Letterman.

Halderman appeared T...

Report predicts extreme weather on China's Yangtze

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:15:10 PST

Rising temperatures over the next few decades will unleash storms, floods and drought across China's Yangtze River Basin, a new report says, raising the prospect of catastrophe for a region that is home to nearly a third of the country's population.

While ecosystems along China's longest ...

Cheesecake Factory to pay $345K in harassment case

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:15:10 PST

National restaurant chain The Cheesecake Factory Inc. has agreed to pay $345,000 to settle a federal lawsuit alleging it let some male employees sexually harass other male workers in suburban Phoenix.

The settlement announced Tuesday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission inc...

GOP ex-candidate leaves NY Assembly leadership job

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:15:10 PST

A Republican upstate New York lawmaker has resigned from her state legislative leadership position more than a week after pulling out of a special congressional election and endorsing a Democrat in the race.

Republican Assembly minority leader Brian Kolb says Dierdre Scozzafava (skoh-zuh-...

Obama narrows Afghan strategy to 4 options

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:15:10 PST

The White House says President Barack Obama has narrowed down his decision for an Afghanistan strategy to four options.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the president will discuss those options with his national security team on Wednesday. Gibbs did not provide any details about the opti...

Okla.'s Langston Univ. receives $800,000 fed grant

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:10:12 PST

Langston University will receive an $800,000 federal grant that school officials say will be used for economic development in Langston and Oklahoma City.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the Historically Black Colleges and Universities grant to the university's...

Woman would like to buy back long-lost VW van

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:10:12 PST

Michele Squires once owned the 1965 Volkswagen van that was found recently in a shipping container at a Southern California port -- 35 years after she had it stolen from a repair shop.

She'd now like to buy it back.

Squires told The Spokesman-Review that she was watching television...

Qiagen 3Q profit jumps on boost in test sales

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:10:12 PST

Diagnostic products maker Qiagen NV said Monday its third-quarter profit jumped 81 percent on a boost in test sales and businesses acquired over the last year.

The company, based in the Netherlands, earned $37.7 million, or 18 cents per share, compared with profit of $20.8 million, or 10 ...

Entertainment Properties prices share offering

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:10:12 PST

Entertainment Properties Trust on Tuesday priced its offering of 5.5 million shares and an additional 825,000 shares to be bought by underwriters at $173.3 million.

The real estate investment trust's shares fell $2.84, or 8.4 percent, to $30.82 in midday trading.

Entertainment Prop...

Va. gov clears way for DC sniper's execution

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:10:12 PST

Gov. Tim Kaine denied clemency Tuesday for sniper John Allen Muhammad, clearing the way for him to be executed for the attacks that terrorized the nation's capital region for three weeks in 2002.

Muhammad is set to die by injection Tuesday night at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarra...

'Twilight' among People's Choice Awards nominees

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:05:12 PST

Nominees for the People's Choice Awards are out, and the people choose vampires.

"Twilight" and "True Blood" were among the top nominees announced Tuesday. Fans cast more than 18 million votes online to select the nominee slate and will also choose the winners in 35 categories.

"Tw...

GM appoints int'l exec to head Opel

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:05:12 PST

General Motors Co. said Tuesday that a senior executive who now runs its international divisions will take over responsibility for the European Opel and Vauxhall units while the company searches for a permanent chief executive.

Nick Reilly, GM's Shanghai-based president of international o...

Military contractors sued over Iraq "burn pits"

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:05:12 PST

An Air Force veteran and a one-time contractor who served in Iraq are suing military contractors Halliburton Co. and KBR Inc., accusing the companies of exposing them to toxic fumes and ash from "burn pits" for waste.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Louisville on Monday by forme...

'Glee' wheelchair episode hits bump with disabled

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:08 PST

The glee club members twirl their wheelchairs to the tune of "Proud Mary" and in joyful solidarity with Artie, the fellow performer who must use his chair even when the music stops.

The scene in Wednesday's episode of the hit Fox series "Glee," which regularly celebrates diversity and the...

DC transit union wants Metro pay raises enforced

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:08 PST

Metro's largest union has filed a federal lawsuit asking a court to enforce wage increases for bus and train operators.

The lawsuit filed Monday in Maryland comes after last week's announcement by Metro that it would ask for a review of an arbitration award that gave pay raises to about 7...

Iraqi PM: Cabinet to discuss Zubair deal next week

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:08 PST

Iraq's Cabinet will meet next week to ratify a deal with a consortium led by Italy's Eni SpA to develop a prized southern oil field, the prime minister said Tuesday.

Eni, the U.S.'s Occidental Petroleum Corp. and South Korea's KOGAS last week initialed a deal to develop the 4.1 billion ba...

AP: Pa. music church settles suit, bans concerts

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:08 PST

The leader of a western Pennsylvania church is settling a federal lawsuit by pulling the plug on jam band concerts he says were religious services.

William Pritts sued Fayette County in 2006, saying zoning restrictions that stopped the concerts years before violated the religious freedom ...

The top 10 singles and albums on iTunes

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:08 PST

iTunes' top 10 selling singles and albums of the week ending Nov. 9, 2009:

Singles:

1. "Fireflies," Owl City

2. "Replay," Iyaz

3. "Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)," Jay-Z

4. "Russian Roulette," Rihanna

5. "Party in the USA," Miley Cyrus

6...

Va. gov clears way for execution of sniper

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:08 PST

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has cleared the way for the execution of sniper John Allen Muhammad.

Kaine denied Muhammad's clemency request Tuesday. Muhammad is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday night at a Virginia prison for killing Dean Harold Meyers at a gas station during a three...

Officials deny nepotism claims about Sarkozy's son

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:55:10 PST

French officials have denied reports suggesting that President Nicolas Sarkozy's office used its clout to try to help one of his sons win a grant for hip-hop music projects.

The allegations about Pierre Sarkozy -- the president's oldest son, a rap producer -- are the latest claims of nepo...

Ida weakens to a depression, heads east to Fla.

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:55:10 PST

Tropical Storm Ida sloshed ashore with rain and gusty winds Tuesday before weakening to a depression, leaving weather-hardened Gulf Coast residents largely unscathed.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Ida's center first touched land on Dauphin Island before heading across M...

Newcastle fans trying to raise funds to buy club

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:55:10 PST

A Newcastle fan group is trying to raise funds from supporters to buy the northeast England club from unpopular owner Mike Ashley.

Newcastle United Supporters Trust says it is mailing 40,000 fans to ask them for contributions and has formulated "a buyout structure led by local firms and r...

Carbon capture projects around the world

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:55:10 PST

A quick survey of carbon capture projects and efforts around the world:

-- Sleipner, Norway: Since 1996, Statoil has been piping more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide a year from a gas field under the North Sea into a nearby water-bearing rock formation to avoid a government carbon t...

White House communications chief to step down

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:50:11 PST

The White House on Tuesday shook-up its communications team, with Anita Dunn stepping down and an aide taking over President Barack Obama's vaunted messaging machine.

Dan Pfeiffer will become White House communications director and Dunn will became an outside adviser to Obama's White Hous...

W.Va. groups back Rahall on health vote

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:50:11 PST

West Virginia Democrats, labor unions and other groups are planning to thank U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall in person for his vote on a sweeping health care measure.

The state AFL-CIO, West Virginia Education Association and others will meet with the 3rd District Democrat in Charleston on Tuesday....

HSBC Finance sells auto loan business to Santander

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:45:08 PST

HSBC Finance Corp. said Tuesday it will sell its auto loan servicing business and $1 billion in car loan receivables for $904 million.

A cash deal has been reached with Santander Consumer USA Inc. It is expected to close in the first quarter of 2010.

HSBC said it also plans to ente...

Oil prices fall as Ida fades, dollar climbs

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:45:08 PST

Oil prices fell Tuesday as workers headed back to deep sea platforms that were bypassed by a rapidly weakening storm in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ida, once a Category 1 hurricane, was downgraded to a tropical storm Monday and then lost even that status Tuesday as its winds lost their punch.

...

Qiagen buying test maker for $90 million

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:45:08 PST

Netherlands-based diagnostic products maker Qiagen NV said Monday it is buying privately held diagnostic test maker SABiosciences Corp. for about $90 million in cash.

Qiagen said the Frederick, Md., company has about 100 employees and focuses on tests used in biomedical research and in th...

Miss. regulators, utility agree more power needed

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:40:09 PST

Mississippi Power Co. has received the first level of regulatory approval in its effort to build a new coal-powered generating plant in the east-central part of the state.

The three-member state Public Service Commission ruled Monday that the company has demonstrated a need to increase it...

Pa. House panel OKs ban on texting while driving

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:40:09 PST

A bill to bar text messaging while driving in Pennsylvania is headed to the House floor.

The bill won a unanimous vote of support Tuesday from the House Transportation Committee.

The legislation would ban texting by all drivers and prohibit drivers under 18 from using hand-held cel...

Cisco says 9.3 percent of Tandberg shares tendered

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:40:09 PST

Cisco Systems Inc. said Tuesday that Tandberg SA stockholders have tendered only about 9.3 percent of the Norwegian company's shares.

Cisco needs 90 percent of the stock to complete its acquisition of Tandberg, the world's largest provider of videoconferencing equipment for business users...

Marine base debate opens rift in US-Japan ties

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:40:09 PST

Political wrangling by Japan's new government over plans to move a major U.S. Marine base on Okinawa has opened a wide rift in Washington's most important Asian alliance ahead of President Barack Obama's visit later this week.

The relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is the cent...

United Rentals issues $572.5M offering

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:35:08 PST

Equipment-rental company United Rentals Inc., along with its subsidiary, is offering up to $572.5 million in convertible senior unsecured notes, the company said Tuesday.

United Rentals' will offer $150 million in senior notes due 2015, plus offer an additional $22.5 million in notes to u...

Frozen foods company plans S. Indiana expansion

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:35:08 PST

A company that produces frozen foods for restaurants and retailers has announced plans to expand its southern Indiana operations and possibly add hundreds of jobs in the coming years.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. said Tuesday that Kemper Foods International would spend more than...

Ga. regulators to look at nuke plant expansion

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:35:08 PST

Georgia Power's plans to expand their Plant Vogtle Nuclear plant are up for another hearing before the state Public Service Commission.

Earlier this year the PSC gave Georgia Power the OK to move forward with the $6.4 billion expansion and state lawmakers approved legislation allowing the...

Wyo. Sen. Enzi critical of House health care bill

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:30:09 PST

U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi says legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would increase the cost of health insurance.

The Wyoming Republican is a member of the Senate finance and health committees, and he's been closely involved in negotiations over health care reform.

Enzi...

Halle Berry to receive Sherry Lansing award

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:30:09 PST

Halle Berry has something else in common with fellow Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Jodie Foster: The Sherry Lansing Leadership Award.

The Hollywood Reporter says Berry will receive the honor next month at the paper's 18th annual Power 100: Women in Entertainment breakfast.

The awa...

GM appoints Reilly to head Opel

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:30:09 PST

General Motors Co. said Tuesday that Nick Reilly will take over responsibility for the European units Opel and Vauxhall while the company searches for a permanent chief executive.

News of Reilly's appointment as GM Europe's head came as GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson wrapped up a seco...

AMA votes to seek repeal of 'don't ask,don't-tell'

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:30:09 PST

The nation's largest doctors' group has agreed to join efforts to repeal the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.

The American Medical Association also voted to declare that gay marriage bans contribute to health disparities for gay couples and their children.

Both gay-rights...