Caymans ban cruise ships at port

The Cayman Islands government said Tuesday it has banned cruise ships from anchoring at a port where their huge chains have damaged coral reefs.

Environmental officials say some coral can be preserved despite extensive damage along the sea floor near the Spotts Dock facility, which is used as an alternative port when seas are too rough for cruise ships to call on the George Town harbor.

"Because cruise ships are the biggest vessels to use the area regularly, their chains tend to cause a lot of the damage," said John Bothwell, a research officer with the British Caribbean territory's environment department.

A cruise ship anchoring for one day can destroy nearly an 1 acre (0.4 hectares) of intact reef, he said.

Cruise ships capable of holding their position without anchoring will still be allowed to unload passengers in Spotts Bay, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) east of the capital.

The ban had been in place previously, but Port Authority director Paul Hurlston reinstated it effective April 19 after officials noticed ships were anchoring again.

A restaurant in Spain has been named by an international panel of judges as the World's Best Restaurant for the second year running.
El Bulli, near Barcelona, claimed the top spot in this year's list of the 50 best places to eat, announced in London on Monday evening.
A panel of 651 judges from around the world reviewed restaurants in 70 different countries to compile this year's S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurant list.
El Bulli's success relegated The Fat Duck in Berkshire, England, to the number two place for the second time.
The two restaurants have similar approaches to food -- both are known for dishes that combine unusual ingredients using sophisticated scientific techniques.
El Bulli chef Ferran Adria is the brains behind the restaurant's menu. He travels for six months every year in a quest for gastronomic inspiration, then returns to his Barcelona laboratory where he experiments with new tastes, temperatures and textures.
His ground-breaking techniques have inspired other chefs throughout the world to experiment. The waiting list to eat at the restaurant is in excess of a year.
France has the highest number of top restaurants with 12 entries in the top-50 list -- up from 10 last year. Paris was the best city for food enthusiasts, with nine restaurants in the top 50, followed by London with six.
The United States has eight entries -- the second-highest number for any single country. Spain and Italy tie in fourth place with six entries apiece.
There was no change in the top six restaurants in the list compared to last year.

Sony touts tiny, film-thin TV screen that bends

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- In the race for ever-thinner displays for TVs, cell phones and other gadgets, Sony may have developed one to beat them all -- a razor-thin display that bends like paper while showing full-color video.

Sony Corp. released video of the new 2.5-inch display Friday. In it, a hand squeezes a display that is 0.3 millimeters, or 0.01 inch, thick. The display shows color images of a bicyclist stuntman and a picturesque lake.

Sony said it has yet to decide on commercial products using the technology.

"In the future, it could get wrapped around a lamppost or a person's wrist, even worn as clothing," said Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa. "Perhaps it can be put up like wallpaper."

Tatsuo Mori, an engineering and computer science professor at Nagoya University, said some hurdles remained, including making the display bigger, ensuring durability and cutting costs.

But he said the display's pliancy is extremely difficult to imitate with liquid crystal displays and plasma display panels -- the two main display technologies now on the market.

"To come up with a flexible screen at that image quality is groundbreaking," Mori said. "You can drop it, and it won't break because it's as thin as paper."

The new display combines two technologies: Sony's organic thin film transistor, which is required to make flexible displays, and organic electroluminescent display.

Other companies, including LG. Philips LCD Co. and Seiko Epson Corp., are also working on a different kind of "electronic paper" technology, but Sony said the organic electroluminescent display delivers better color images and is more suited for video.

Sony President Ryoji Chubachi has said a film-like display is a major technology his company is working on to boost its status as a technological powerhouse.

In a meeting with reporters more than a year ago, Chubachi boasted Sony was working on a technology for displays so thin it could be rolled up like paper. He had predicted that the world would stand up and take notice.

Some analysts have said Sony, which makes Walkman portable players and PlayStation 3 video game machines, had fallen behind rivals in flat-panel technology, including Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea and Sharp Corp. of Japan.

But Sony has been marking a turnaround under Chubachi and Chief Executive Howard Stringer, the first foreigner to head Sony, by reducing jobs, shuttering unprofitable businesses and strengthening its flat TV offerings.

Contracts, clothes among Jackson items for sale

Workers pulled glittery suits and platinum records out of cardboard boxes Sunday ahead of what's being called the largest auction of Jackson family memorabilia ever.

Auction staff unpacked and displayed more than 1,100 lots including rhinestone-studded costumes, faded documents and other mementoes at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The items are expected to fetch millions of dollars from bidders from around the globe Wednesday and Thursday.

"This really is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence," said Arlan Ettinger, president of auction house Guernsey's. "I cannot imagine that somewhere down the road some other collection could come out of the woodwork and rival this. It's not going to happen."

There's a Bill Whitten-designed militaristic red coat with gold rope that belonged to Michael Jackson, and a 1987 contract detailing his $30 million purchase of the California ranch that became the infamous "Neverland."

There's also a frilly pink "Mae West" dress worn by Janet Jackson at age 8 during family performances at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 1974.

In a worn telegram from July 6, 1984, Marlon Brando encourages Michael Jackson before a show: "Please try not to make an (expletive) of yourself and please for God's sakes don't fall in the orchestra pit."

The items are to go on sale following a protracted court battle that ended two weeks ago when Michael Jackson's lawyers reached a confidential settlement and dropped an effort to block the auction.

Richard Altomare, chief executive of Universal Express Inc., the Boca Raton, Florida, luggage transportation company that owns the items, said Jackson's lawyers settled when they were convinced they had no legal claim to the goods.

"Despite his emotional attachment he had to accept he didn't have it," Altomare said.

As part of the settlement, Jackson was formally invited to attend, although it was unclear if he planned to do so.

Jackson, 48, has been living in Las Vegas planning his comeback after his 2005 acquittal in California on child molestation charges.

The collection's former owner, New Jersey businessman Henry Vaccaro, took possession of the memorabilia in 2002 after a failed business venture wound up in bankruptcy court.

Universal bought the items from Vaccaro for $5 million and spent more than $2 million transporting the goods from New Jersey to Las Vegas, Altomare said. The goods were insured by Lloyd's of London for more than $100 million, he said.

Japanese minister hangs himself

Japan's agriculture minister died Monday after hanging himself just hours before he was to face questioning in a political scandal, officials said, dealing a powerful blow to the increasingly beleaguered government ahead of July elections.

Toshikatsu Matsuoka, 62, was found in his apartment Monday unconscious and declared dead hours later.

An autopsy showed that he died after hanging himself, according to a Tokyo Metropolitan Police official who spoke on customary condition of anonymity. The minister was found hanging from a door in his apartment earlier Monday, and he left a suicide note, according to local media reports.

Matsuoka's death comes just ahead of upper house elections, and as support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet is plunging.

Abe, looking shaken after visiting the hospital where Matsuoka died, said although the minister had been "under intense questioning" in parliament, he had continued to be a useful member of the Cabinet.

"I am very disappointed," he said. "When I saw his face, he seemed to be at peace."

Matsuoka had faced heavy criticism over a scandal involving suspicious bookkeeping practices in his offices, and was scheduled to appear before a parliamentary committee Monday afternoon for further questioning.

He was under fire for allegedly claiming more than $236,600 in utility fees even though he rented a parliamentary office where utility costs are free. Opposition lawmakers had demanded his resignation, but Matsuoka denied any wrongdoing.

Abe had defended Matsuoka, saying that the agriculture minister reported to him all the alleged issues were properly handled and that his dismissal was not needed.

Matsuoka had been dogged by scandal. Along with the utilities questions, he apologized publicly just three days after taking office for not declaring $8,500 in political donations.

He acknowledged the undeclared funds, which came in the form of purchased tickets to a fundraising party, saying he was unaware that the contributions had not been reported. Matsuoka had since corrected his political funds report for 2005.

Japan's political funds law requires politicians to declare such donations when they exceed $1,700, Kyodo News said. The contributions came from the World Business Expert Forum, a group associated with scandal-hit business consultant FAC Co., which was raided by authorities in June on suspicion of illegally collecting funds from investors, Kyodo said.

Lohan`s wild weekend ends asleep in car

Lindsay Lohan, who was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Saturday in Beverly Hills, California, was photographed less than 48 hours later slumped in the passenger seat of a car.

Web site X17online.com posted the photos Monday, which it said were taken early that morning at a gas station after the 20-year-old actress left the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California, with a girlfriend.

The photos show Lohan, wearing a gray hooded sweat shirt, with her mouth open and her eyes shut, apparently asleep. Another photo shows her kneeling on the ground, her back to the camera, apparently before getting into the vehicle.

Lohan was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Saturday after her convertible struck a curb in Beverly Hills, and investigators found what they believe is cocaine at the scene, police said.

Lohan, who spent time at a rehabilitation center earlier this year, was driven in another car to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Lt. Mitch McCann said.

She told Allure magazine during an interview for its May issue that she decided to enter the secluded Wonderland Center at the suggestion of her therapist.

Her latest movie, "Georgia Rule," is in theaters. Her other screen credits include "Mean Girls," "Bobby," "A Prairie Home Companion" and "Freaky Friday."

Miss Japan wins, Miss USA jeered at Miss Universe

A 20-year-old dancer from Japan was crowned Miss Universe 2007 on Monday night, marking only the second time her country has won the world beauty title.

Dressed in a black, red and purple Japanese-style gown, Riyo Mori nervously grabbed the hands of first runner-up, Natalia Guimaraes of Brazil, just before the winner was announced. Then she threw her hands up and covered her mouth, overcome with emotion.

But she gathered herself together enough to catch the diamond-and-pearl-studded headpiece valued at $250,000 as it slipped off her head when Miss Universe 2006 Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico crowned her. Mori immediately placed it back on her head.

The last time Japan won the pageant was in 1959 when Akiko Kojima became the first Miss Universe from Asia.

Miss USA Rachel Smith, who slipped and fell to the floor during the evening gown competition and was jeered by the Mexican audience during the interview phase, was the contest's fourth runner-up.

Mori, from the small town of Shizuoka at the base of Mount Fuji, won the cheers of the Mexico City audience when she opened her interview, saying 'Hola, Mexico!'

"I learned how to always be happy, be patient and to be positive, and this is what I want to teach to the next generation," she said during the interview competition.

The daughter of a dance school operator, Mori said her grandmother told her as a child that she wanted her to be Miss Japan before she turned 20.

"From the very beginning, I entered the competition with high hopes and an unswerving determination to make this dream a reality," she said in a pre-competition interview.

She wants to someday open an international dance school in Tokyo.

"Right now I am only 20 years old, so I'm really excited about what I'm going to be able to do at this age to benefit society," Mori said after winning.

Also finishing in the top five were second runner-up Ly Jonaitis of Venezuela and third runner-up Honey Lee of Korea.

The winner travels the world for a year on behalf of charities and pageant sponsors.

U.S. imposes new sanctions against Sudan

President Bush imposed sanctions Tuesday against Sudan in reaction to the "genocide" in Darfur, and has ordered actions against 31 companies and three people -- preventing them from doing business in or with U.S. companies.

The three Sudanese people affected include two high-ranking government officials and a rebel leader, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. They were targeted for their roles in fomenting violence and human rights abuses in Darfur, the agency said.

"For too long the people of Darfur have suffered at the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder and rape of innocent civilians.

"My administration has called these actions by their rightful name, genocide. The world has a responsibility to help put an end to it," Bush said.

Bush said he had ordered Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to write up a draft resolution that will be presented to the U.N. Security Council.

Bush intended to announce the sanctions last month in a speech at the Holocaust Museum in Washington but held off to give the United Nations and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir more time to try to resolve the situation.

Bush and other top U.S. officials have grown impatient with Bashir's reluctance to stop attacks by Arab militias widely believed to be supported by the government. The largest of these groups is known as the Janjaweed.

Bashir has also stalled efforts to increase international peacekeeping troops in the region.

Seven thousand African Union troops are in Darfur, and Bashir in April said Sudan would allow a U.N. support force of 3,000 troops into the country, the second phase of U.N. peacekeeping efforts in Darfur.

Review: Even Depp can`t save clogged `Pirates`

It takes an age before Johnny Depp shows his face in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," and when he does, it's the tip of his nose that looms into screen left, eventually succeeded by a flaring nostril.
The entire franchise seems on the verge of collapse, propelled to construct ever more grandiose flights of fancy. Without those sequences, there would be nothing there -- but a movie cannot exist on rollick alone (not by the second sequel anyway).
The problem is not so much that the energy -- or the invention -- flags. But the audience may. Screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio have been working overtime. Having fabricated an entire supernatural pirate mythology from odds and ends (a theme park here, a Flying Dutchman there), they now feel duty-bound to lay it all out for us as they go.
"World's End" features so many detailed negotiations between charlatans with obscure cross-purposes you head for the exit more confused than when you went in.
Still, it's all as splashy as $250 million can buy, and on occasion the CGI guys conjure something akin to poetry: for example, a sampan gliding through a vast arctic cave, then emerging like a spaceship into an inky black sea reflecting the stars above ("You have to be lost to find a place that's never been found," rationalizes Capt. Barbossa, once again played by Geoffrey Rush).
Or the Black Pearl surfing through the sand on the back of a million crustaceans. Or the climactic sea battle on the cusp of an oceanic whirlpool. Or its wonderful character creations, notably Davy Jones himself (again by the terrific Bill Nighy).
.It's really too bad this wonderful anarchy is swamped by the movie's noisy inconsequence. Fully an hour too long -- 2 3/4 hours! -- and emotionally frigid, "Pirates" is scuppered by nothing so much as its own inflated self-importance.

Spy`s rare Hitler photos published

Photographs of Adolf Hitler taken by a British secret agent just before the start of World War II were published on Thursday.
Charles Turner, a music composer who was recruited as a spy, took the photos at the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, Germany, in 1939, where he joined Hitler's entourage, his son David Turner said.
He was one of the last Englishman to speak to the dictator before Nazi forces invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.
The composer first attended the festival in 1934, and each year Hitler was also there. In 1938 -- when war seemed imminent -- Turner was recruited as a spy, his son said.
"The miraculous happened. My father was invited to join Hitler's entourage for the day, Wednesday, July 26. He was given carte blanche permission to photograph the fuehrer," David Turner said.
The composer met with Hitler and senior Nazi officials -- including propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, Turner's son said. Afterward he sent a detailed report back to London that remains classified.
The photos include images of the leader getting out of his car, in a relaxed conversation with a fellow Nazi and collecting flowers from children at the festival.
Charles Turner died in 1977 and the photos were kept as family mementos after his death. His son, a teacher, decided to make the photos public now after he started researching his family's roots.

Chavez closes opposition TV station; thousands protest

CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- Venezuelan police on Sunday used water cannons and what appeared to be tear gas to break up thousands of demonstrators protesting the government's decision to close the country's most-watched television station.

The protest began in front of National Telecommunications Commission headquarters after members of the National Guard seized broadcast equipment, including antennas, the result of a Supreme Court order on Friday.

Police told The Associated Press that at least four officers were slightly injured after some of the protesters threw rocks and bottles.

After police stopped using the water cannons, the crowd regrouped, and video of the scene showed a peaceful mood, with people waving flags and chanting as night fell.

Inside the studios of Radio Caracas Television, employees cried and chanted
"Freedom!" on camera, AP reported.

"We are living an injustice," presenter Eyla Adrian said, according to AP. "I wish that tonight would never come."

President Hugo Chavez announced in January that the government would not renew the broadcast license for the station, long an outlet for opposition parties.

Chavez has accused the station of supporting the failed 2002 coup against him and violating broadcast laws.

He called the station's soap operas "pure poison" that promote capitalism, according to AP.

RCTV, which has been broadcasting for 53 years, is slated to be off the air at midnight. It will be replaced by a state-run station.

"To refuse to grant a new license for the most popular and oldest television channel in the country because the government disagrees with the editorial or political views of this channel, which are obviously critical to Chavez, is a case of censorship," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, executive director of Human Rights Watch.

"We have arrived at totalitarianism," said Marcel Granier, president of Empresas 1BC, which owns RCTV.

"We will reorganize and continue working. One is beginning a fight -- not violent, but active, very active."

Granier accused Chavez of being "afraid of free thought, of opinion, of criticism."

Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution condemning the decision to shut down the station.

U.S. frees 42 al Qaeda kidnap victims in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. forces have freed 42 Iraqi citizens who were kidnapped, held by al Qaeda in Iraq for as long as four months and possibly tortured, a U.S. military spokesman said Sunday.

U.S. forces received a tip on where the hostages were held, said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver.

"There was some evidence of torture," he said.

Garver said he believed the kidnappings were part of al Qaeda's "fear and intimidation" campaign against Iraqi civilians.

"They will take members of a community, and hold them, trying to get the community to act in ways they want with the threat of killing these hostages," Garver said.

"We don't see much from al Qaeda in terms of actual monetary gain coming out of kidnappings, but we do see them trying to use kidnappings to hold whole communities hostage."

Some detainees had broken bones and are being treated for their injuries, he said.

"Some had stated that they had been hung from the ceiling," he said.

The overnight raid took place in Iraq's Diyala province, north of Baghdad, Garver said.

The military spokesman said tips that come from Iraqi citizens, including the one that led to the Diyala raid, are a sign of the growing trust with the U.S. military.

U.S., Iran to hold first formal talks in 27 years

U.S. diplomats said Monday's scheduled talks with Iran will be limited to discussions about Iraq's security, and not about the unresolved issues of detained Americans in Iran or the country's nuclear program.

The meeting in Baghdad will be the first public and formal meeting between U.S. and Iranian representatives since the United States cut off diplomatic relations 27 years ago.

"The issue at hand in the meeting between [U.S. Ambassador to Iraq] Ryan Crocker and the Iranian representative ... is going to be focused on Iraq and stabilizing Iraq," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said last week.

An Iraqi delegation will also be present at the talks, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told CNN.

The purpose of the meeting, Zebari said, is to "help ease tensions between the U.S. and Iran."

"We are not expecting miracles but it is in our interest for such a dialogue to start," Zebari said.

Tehran said on state-run media over the weekend that it has uncovered several U.S.-run spy rings inside Iran and would release more details in the coming days. There was no immediate response from the White House.

Tehran recently arrested Haleh Esfandiari, one of four Iranian-Americans detained in Tehran, on the suspicion of conducting activities against the Iranian government, an accusation dismissed by Washington.

The State Department has repeatedly called for Esfandiari's release, as well as for more information about three other Iranian-Americans who have been detained, imprisoned or had their passports revoked.

In addition, Robert Levinson, an American and retired FBI agent, has been missing since March 8, when he was last seen on Iran's Kish Island.

Washington's attempts to obtain information have been hampered by the lack of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The U.S. military is holding seven "Iranian intelligence service personnel" in Iraq, spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told CNN's "Late Edition" in an interview taped Friday.

Tehran has referred to five of the Iranians who were arrested in January as "diplomats" and is seeking their release.

When asked if he thought a prisoner swap would be discussed at Monday's meeting, Caldwell said "there's nothing of that nature that I know of."

The Iraq Study group late last year called on the Bush administration to initiate talks with Iran and Syria.

The United States broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in April 1980 in the midst of the seizure of the U.S. Embassy. Iranian students occupied the embassy from November 1979 until January 1981, when they released the remaining 52 hostages.

While Monday's meeting is the first time U.S. and Iranian diplomats meet bilaterally, they have taken part in informal meetings with Iraq's neighbors in recent months.

Lindsay Lohan suspected of DUI after crash

Lindsay Lohan was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Saturday after her convertible struck a curb, and investigators found what they suspect is cocaine at the scene, police said.

Lohan, 20, and two other people were in her 2005 Mercedes SL-65 when it crashed on Sunset Boulevard around 5:30 a.m., Sgt. Mike Foxen said. It appeared Lohan was speeding, Lt. Mitch McCann said at an afternoon news conference.

Officers at the scene found a "usable amount" of a drug tentatively identified as cocaine, McCann said. He declined to say where the drug was found other than to say Lohan was not carrying it.

Lohan, who spent time at a rehabilitation center earlier this year, was driven in another car to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, McCann said. The two other people in her car were not hurt.

Officers received a 911 call about the accident and arrested Lohan at the hospital for investigation of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, McCann said.

She was released from custody because she was admitted to the hospital, police said.

McCann declined to comment on Lohan's blood-alcohol level. He said the case will be presented to the District Attorney's Office where the actress could face more charges, including felonies. Her tentative arraignment date is August 24.

The crash was Lohan's third accident in about two years. In October 2005, Lohan and a passenger suffered minor injuries when her convertible hit a van in West Hollywood. Authorities said the van driver, who also received minor injuries, was at fault.

Sevilla retain trophy on penalties

Goalkeeper Andres Palop emerged as Sevilla's hero by saving three penalties in the shoot-out to give his side victory over Espanyol in a thrilling all-Spanish UEFA Cup final at Hampden Park on Wednesday.
The Andalucians became only the second side to retain the trophy after a pulsating game, played in driving rain, ended 2-2 after 120 minutes, condemning Espanyol to more European final heartbreak -- 19 years after they lost the 1988 final on penalties to Bayer Leverkusen.
Palop, whose headed goal against Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 16 had kept the holders in the competition, saved spot-kicks from Luis Garcia, Jonatas and Marc Torrejon to give Sevilla victory 3-1 on penalties.
Pandiani was Espanyol's only scorer in the shootout, but it was not enough to prevent Sevilla retaining their trophy.
Sevilla, emulating Real Madrid who achieved successive UEFA Cup triumphs in 1985 and 1986, remain on course for a treble. They play Getafe in the King's Cup final and are still in contention for the Primera Liga title.

Iraqi kindergarten: Smiles and vows to fight

At a recent kindergarten graduation ceremony, young girls smiled behind their brightly colored princess dresses and the boys showed off their best dress shirts. They sipped on juice boxes, played on swings and jumped on and off seesaws.

It was a welcome relief from the war that surrounds them. But when these 5-year-olds spoke, it became apparent just how much the ongoing violence has affected them.

"I'm going to bomb, bomb, bomb the school with everybody in it," said Omar Hussein, as he clutched a pink toy airplane.

At another point, a girl enthusiastically sang, "I give a knife to my father to slaughter the chicken. He gives me a machine gun and a rifle. Now, I am a soldier in the liberation army."

The same kindergarten taught up to 180 children just four years ago, before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein. Today, the class has just 16 children, a result of families fleeing the war or parents keeping their children at home, fearful of bombs or kidnap gangs.

A report issued Tuesday by UNICEF, the United Nations' children organization, found such stories are not uncommon. It says Iraq's children are "caught up in a rapidly worsening humanitarian tragedy."

"Violence is creating widows and orphans on a daily basis, many of whom are left to struggle for survival," the report says. "Many women are afraid to walk in the street while parents are afraid to let their children play outside."

UNICEF says since the start of the war in March 2003, nearly 15 percent of Iraq's total population has fled their homes. About 2.2 million Iraqis have fled to neighboring countries -- mostly Jordan and Syria. Another 1.9 million are displaced within Iraq, the report says.

Half of the nearly 4 million displaced Iraqis are children, according to UNICEF.
"The needs of Iraq's vulnerable young citizens are quickly outstripping available help," the report says. "Displaced children are seeing their chance to learn slip away."

It adds, "Few safety nets are available to children who fall out of the education system altogether."

UNICEF says it urgently needs about $42 million for the next six months to help the displaced children -- funds that would be used for education, health care, sanitation and other humanitarian needs.

BP partially shuts down oil field

BP officials said it was too early to determine what caused a water-pipe leak that led to the second partial shutdown in 10 months of the nation's largest producing oil field.
"The best estimate is that it's going to be a few days where we are going through a repair plan," BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said Tuesday. "We will work as quickly and as safely as we can."
Production at Alaska's Prudhoe Bay was cut by one fourth after the company discovered the leak early Monday morning, company officials said.
Some 400,000 barrels a day of oil are pumped at Prudhoe Bay, about half of the total North Slope production.
Beaudo said the company discovered a hole about the size of a pencil's diameter to a water line in a facility used to separate oil, water and natural gas.
BP discovered the leak around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday, Beaudo said. By the time work crews diverted the leak to proper drainage and placed a patch over the leak, about 20 barrels of water had escaped from the pipe.
BP is Prudhoe Bay's operator, and it has a 25 percent stake in the field it shares largely with ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil, which hold 36 percent interest each.
The British company said its production loss would be 25,000 barrels per day; losses for the two majority owners would be about 36,000 barrels a day each.
The facility where the water leak occurred is the same one where the largest-ever oil leak on the North Slope occurred, last year.

China urges U.S. patience in trade talks

At high-level economic talks that wrap up Wednesday, China is urging frustrated U.S. officials to be patient as the two powers work to manage a delicate trade relationship. The United States, by contrast, is pushing for quick action.

The talks began Tuesday and could yield some results, including increased U.S. airline flights to China and a lowering of barriers to sales of American energy technology products in China.

Senior U.S. officials have tamped down expectations of major breakthroughs, however, as they described the meetings as strategic discussions, not negotiating sessions. U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said the twice-a-year talks are "all about the long-term; developing a common understanding of the future."

Still, the U.S. side made a point of noting simmering frustration. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Americans are by nature impatient people; Gutierrez described the "need to make progress in all areas as soon as possible."

The urgency is reflected in an increasingly restive U.S. Congress, where lawmakers are considering a spate of bills that would impose economic sanctions on China. Many blame America's soaring trade deficits and the loss of one in six manufacturing jobs since 2000 in part on claims of Chinese currency manipulation and copyright piracy.

In blunt words, Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi cautioned the United States against making accusations.

"We should not easily blame the other side for our own domestic problems," Wu said through an interpreter. "Confrontation does no good at all to problem-solving."

Wu, known as a tough negotiator, said that both countries should "firmly oppose trade protectionism." She warned that any effort to "politicize" the economic relationship between the two nations would be "absolutely unacceptable."

Wu and her delegation were scheduled to meet privately this week with major congressional leaders.

The U.S. delegation raised the issue of food safety highlighted by such incidents as the deaths of pets who had eaten pet food made with tainted wheat gluten imported from China.

U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, briefing reporters at the end of the first day of talks, said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns had made a forceful presentation to the Chinese about the concerns Americans have about food safety. In response, she said, Chinese officials sought to assure the Americans that they would fully investigate any problems discovered.

Jolie: I`m taking a year off from acting

Angelina Jolie says she plans to take a year off from filmmaking to spend more time with her partner, Brad Pitt, and their children.

"We're getting work out of the way at the moment," said the 31-year-old actress, who has been shooting the thriller "Wanted" in Prague, Czech Republic.

After that, she said, "I take two months off, then I work for two months. Then I take a year off."

Jolie and Pitt, 43, have four children: 5-year-old Maddox, who was adopted from Cambodia; Pax Thien, 3, from Vietnam; 2-year-old Zahara, from Ethiopia; and daughter Shiloh, who was born to the couple last May 27.

She told a Vietnamese newspaper in March that she would stay at home to help Pax adjust to his new life. "I have four children and caring for them is the most important thing for me at the moment," the Ho Chi Minh City Law newspaper quoted her as saying.

The celebrity supercouple are in Cannes to promote the Michael Winterbottom-directed "A Mighty Heart," in which Jolie plays Mariane Pearl, widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Pearl was abducted by Islamic militants while researching a story in Pakistan in 2002 and later beheaded. (Watch a preview of "A Mighty Heart" )

Pitt is a producer on the movie, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday. Jolie has drawn praise for her portrayal of Mariane Pearl, a strong woman put under unbearable pressure.

The two women are friends, and Jolie said she felt a responsibility to get the depiction right.

Jolie, who has visited Pakistan three times as a United Nations goodwill ambassador, said she hopes to return to do more humanitarian work.

"I don't want to live inside a box," she said. "I will be smart, but I will lead a very bold life and I will learn about the world."

`Prison Break` actor pleads guilty

Actor Lane Garrison, who played an inmate on the TV drama "Prison Break," pleaded guilty Monday to vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving for a car crash in December that killed a 17-year-old student.

Garrison, 26, was driving a Land Rover that crashed into a tree in Beverly Hills injuring two 15-year-old girl passengers and killing 17-year-old passenger Vahagn Setian. He had met the teens at a store and was on his way to a party with them when the accident occurred.

Prosecutors said Garrison had a blood alcohol level nearly twice California's legal limit and was also under the influence of cocaine. He also pleaded guilty to providing alcohol to a minor.

Garrison faces a maximum sentence of 6 years, 8 months in prison when he returns to court for sentencing August 2.

His lawyer told reporters earlier this month that Garrison would accept responsibility for his conduct.

Garrison's "Prison Break" character David "Tweener" Apolskis was killed off the Fox TV drama earlier this season. The Dallas native's other credits include the 2006 film "Crazy" and this year's "Shooter."

`Rocky` fined on hormone charge

Actor Sylvester Stallone was formally convicted Monday of importing restricted muscle-building hormones into Australia and ordered to pay more than $9,870 in fines and court costs.

New South Wales state Deputy Chief Magistrate Paul Cloran said the "Rocky" and "Rambo" star had failed to show he had a valid prescription for vials of human growth hormone that were in his luggage when he arrived for a promotional tour in February. Stallone also had failed to declare the male hormone testosterone on a customs entry form, although he had a valid prescription.

Cloran fined Stallone $2,500 and ordered him to pay $8,200 in prosecution costs. Stallone, who was not present in court, had pleaded guilty last week.

A customs search of Stallone's luggage during a February 16 visit to Sydney revealed 48 vials of the human growth hormone product, Jintropin.

Three days later, Stallone threw four vials of testosterone from his Sydney hotel room when customs officials arrived to search it, prosecutors said.

Human growth hormone, a naturally occurring substance that can be replicated synthetically and is used to build muscle mass, is considered a performance enhancing drug in Australia and it cannot be imported without a permit from the national drug regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Stallone's lawyer had said the actor should be spared a criminal conviction, saying Stallone took the hormones for medical reasons that he did not specify.

But prosecutors said Stallone had demonstrated a "consciousness of guilt" by throwing the testosterone from the hotel.

During his visit to Australia, Stallone shrugged off the airport incident.

"It was just a minor misunderstanding," Stallone told reporters "They were just doing their jobs. I just didn't understand some of the rules here."

He came to Australia on a three-day tour to promote the latest movie in the "Rocky" series, "Rocky Balboa."

Diaz and friends enjoy the princess life

In "Shrek the Third," Cameron Diaz's ogre bride shares tea time with the fairy-tale world's fairest princesses -- Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel.
With Diaz's plump Fiona expecting a litter of tiny ogres with hubby Shrek, her old princess pals throw her a baby shower in the animated sequel that opens May 18. True to the Shrek world, these are not the well-behaved princesses of classic children's stories.
Snow White (voiced by Amy Poehler) is a haughty queen bee, Cinderella (Amy Sedaris) is an obsessive clean freak and Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri) is a narcoleptic who's constantly nodding off. Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph) looks down on her royal cousins as if from a high tower and hides a terrible secret about her glorious hair.
After Prince Charming leads a coup, Fiona must teach her pampered friends -- whose natural inclination is to assume passive positions and wait to be rescued -- how to stand up for themselves.
Diaz and her princess posse sat down with The Associated Press to share their thoughts on the "Shrek" films, their favorite animated tales and why these modern damsels don't sit around waiting for men to rescue them.

Q: What are your favorite animated films? And you can't say one of the "Shrek" movies.

POEHLER: Well, we can say whatever we want, sir. You may not write about it, but I can say it!

SEDARIS: I always liked Mr. Magoo. I liked his eyes, and whenever I have allergies I feel like him. I always liked how swollen his eyes were, slammed shut, and he couldn't see. That Christmas movie of his is really good.

POEHLER: I have a really obscure movie I love. It's not animated, but live-action with puppets. Did anyone ever see "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas"? It's a Jim Henson Christmas movie with puppets, but they ice-skate and they're on water and in rowboats. It's so good. That's an old chestnut nobody knows about, and you won't write about it.

OTERI: I remember "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." It combined live action with animation, and I thought that was crazy! Is it a cartoon? Is it a movie? I don't know! But I think there was such an appreciation with any of the Disney cartoons, because they only came on once a year. You didn't have the video and DVD we have. I always stayed up for those cartoons that came on once a year. Or even like "The Ten Commandments." (slipping into an impersonation of nasally Edgar G. Robinson) "Where's your messiah now, Moses?" I used to go around the house and imitate Edward G. Robinson.

SEDARIS: I loved all the Disney movies. I saw "Snow White" not too long ago. It's just beautiful.

RUDOLPH: Did you have a party? Did you have people over to watch it?

SEDARIS: Actually, no. I watched it by myself.

DIAZ: The animated film that would come on television that I could not wait to see, and it was a family event, was "The Hobbit."

RUDOLPH: I remember going to see "Bambi" in the theater, and then Bambi's mom dies, and I went, "What? Why is that in a kid's movie?" If I had to show that to my daughter, I think I'd wait on that maybe a little bit.

Q: This seems like a female-empowerment or princess-empowerment film. What's that say about the old fairy-tale notion of, as the princesses say, "assume the position" and wait for some man to save them?

SEDARIS: Sounds good to me now. It does.

DIAZ: The princesses' "assume the position," that comes from the old-school fairy tales that at one point were a comment on society. That's what these fairy tales are for, to recognize what the values are and how society is constructed at the period of time those stories are being told.

And current-day storytelling obviously is that. It's telling what currently we are as a society, how we perceive ourselves. I love that it's commenting on where we're at right now as women.

POEHLER: Well done. ... What's also nice is we go through this transformation, where we kind of literally rip off our feminine things to fight.

Big Apple`s yellow taxis go green

The fleet of yellow taxicabs in New York City will go entirely hybrid within five years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg says.

"There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City," Bloomberg said Tuesday. "These cars just sit there in traffic sometimes, belching fumes.

"This does a lot less. It's a lot better for all of us," he said of the hybrid plan.

Nearly 400 fuel-efficient hybrids have been tested in the city's taxi fleet over the past 18 months, with models including the Toyota Prius, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, the Lexus RX 400h and the Ford Escape.

Under Bloomberg's plan, that number will increase to 1,000 by October 2008, then will grow by about 20 percent each year until 2012, when every yellow cab -- currently numbering 13,000 -- will be a hybrid.

Hybrid vehicles run on a combination of gasoline and electricity, emitting less exhaust and achieving higher gas mileage per gallon.

The standard yellow cab vehicle, the Ford Crown Victoria, gets 14 miles per gallon (6 kilometers per liter) . In contrast, the Ford Escape taxis get 36 miles per gallon (15 kilometers per liter).

In addition to making the yellow cab brigade entirely green within five years, the city will require all new vehicles entering the fleet after October 2008 to achieve a minimum of 25 miles per gallon (10 kilometers per liter). A year later, all new vehicles must get 30 miles per gallon (13 kilometers per liter) and be hybrid. Bloomberg made the announcement on NBC's "Today" show.

Hybrid vehicles are typically more expensive, but the city said the increase in fuel efficiency will save taxi operators more than $10,000 per year. Yahoo said it would donate 10 hybrid Ford Escapes for the city's effort.

Shifting the taxi fleet to hybrids is part of Bloomberg's wider sustainability plan for the city, which includes a goal of a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. Part of the plan could include congestion pricing for drivers entering some of the busiest parts of Manhattan.

Turning over the taxi fleet by 2012 is not an impossible goal. The life of a New York City taxi is typically about three to five years; the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission requires all vehicles to be retired within a certain time frame.

Fernando Mateo, president of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, an advocacy trade group, applauded the city's effort to go green.

"In the short term, they're going to have to spend more money, but in the long run they will save money," he said. "We support getting more hybrids on the road."

The government does not own the city's yellow cabs, but sells licenses to individual drivers and operators, who must purchase their own vehicles that meet the specifications of the Taxi and Limousine Commission. The agency serves as the regulating and licensing authority for all vehicles per hire in the city.

Strong evidence of wet past on Mars

The Mars rover Spirit has uncovered the strongest evidence yet that the planet used to be wetter than previously thought, scientists reported Monday.

The robot analyzed a patch of soil in Gusev Crater and found it unusually rich in silica. The presence of water would have been necessary to produce such a large silica deposit, scientists said.

"This is a remarkable discovery," principal investigator Steve Squyres of Cornell University said in a statement. "It makes you wonder what else is still out there."

Spirit previously found clues of ancient water in the crater through the presence of sulfur-rich soil, water-altered minerals and explosive volcanism. But the latest find is compelling because of the high silica content, researchers said, raising the possibility that conditions may have been favorable for the emergence of primitive life.

It's unclear how the silica deposit formed. One possibility is that the soil mixed with acid vapors in the presence of water. Others believe the deposit was created from water in a hot spring surrounding.

The durable Spirit and its twin, Opportunity, have been working on overtime since completing their primary, three-month mission in 2004.

My big fat American gas tax

It seems completely counterintuitive: Raise the gasoline tax to help American commuters.
Motorists are already paying well over $3 a gallon, and there are signs that it's beginning to cut into demand and hurt consumer spending.
But if a big gas tax was levied - like the $1 or $2 tax Europeans have to keep prices permanently over $3 or $4 a gallon - how could that possibly help American consumers?
One argument says a tax would crimp demand, lowering wholesale prices.
"Anybody with any brains has advocated that, but not the politicians." said Fadel Gheit, an energy analyst at the financial services company Oppenheimer.
Lower wholesale prices, which would mean less profits for oil firms, combined with a higher tax could transfer money from Big Oil to the government, which could then use the cash for public programs.
Consumers would have to pay the same amount - or even more than now - but at least that extra cash could be returned to them in some way.
It might be used as a tax credit to offset the sting for those with a lower income, countering one of the most common arguments against such a tax. It could also go towards improvements in mass transit, expanded student loans or lower health insurance premiums.
Lower gasoline consumption would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a growing concern in the face of global warming.
"We still don't pay very much in gas taxes," said Lee Schipper, research director at Embarq, the World Resources Institute's Center for Sustainable Transport.
While wholesale prices for gasoline are generally the same in Europe as they are in the U.S., Schipper noted the $5, $6 or $7 a gallon Europeans pay, thanks to the high tax.
Americans, by contrast, pay a federal tax of about 18 cents a gallon. State taxes vary but are generally lower than 40 cents a gallon.
"As long as the marginal cost of driving is so low, the big changes aren't going to happen," said Schipper, who supports both a larger U.S. gas tax and more fuel-efficient vehicles.
By big changes, he means driving attitudes that more closely resemble Europe's, where he said there are 30 percent fewer cars per person, 30 percent fewer miles traveled per car and cars that use 30 percent less fuel.

Villagers riot over China`s family planning

Villagers rioted in southwestern China, attacking officials and burning cars, in protest against attempts to enforce strict family-planning policies, witnesses said on Monday, the latest in a series of protests nationwide.
The villagers in Shabei county in Guangxi, one of five "autonomous" regions in China, clashed with officials and police armed with guns and electric cattle prods, pulling down a wall surrounding the government office, turning over cars and burning part of its main building, witnesses told Reuters.
"The government office was a big mess," a villager, who witnessed the scene, said by telephone.
"The big gate and two cars near it were all burnt and black, and broken glass, bricks and rubbish were everywhere."
One villager said dozens had been detained by police.
A doctor at the Shabei hospital said several injured people had been treated there. One protester had been hit on the head by a brick thrown from the government building, and two injured officials had also been brought in for treatment, he said.
The protests were linked to local government moves to intensify family-planning policies, villagers said. Some couples with more than one child must pay fines of up to tens of thousand yuan (thousands of dollars), the villagers said.
China launched its one-child policy in 1980 to curb a ballooning population, now at more than 1.3 billion. The restrictions, which vary from city to countryside, have bolstered a traditional preference for boys and have drawn fire from Western countries and human-rights watchdogs after widespread reports of forced abortions and female infanticide.

Surgeons go to new lengths to avoid scarring

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A 4-year-old boy lay on an operating table in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago with a tumor that had eaten into his brain and the base of his skull. Standard surgery would involve cutting open his face, leaving an ugly scar and hindering his facial growth as he matured.

But doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center knew a way to avoid those devastating consequences. They removed much of the tumor through the boy's nose.

Since then, doctors in New York and in France have announced they removed gall bladders through the vaginas of two women. And doctors in India say they have performed appendectomies through the mouth.

It's a startling concept and a little unpleasant to contemplate. But researchers are exploring new ways to do surgery using slender instruments through the body's natural openings, avoiding cutting through the skin and muscle.

Many questions remain about that approach. But doctors say it holds the promise of providing a faster recovery with less pain and no visible scars. And in the brain, it can avoid a need for manipulating tissue that could disturb brain and eye function.

For abdominal surgeries, going through the mouth, vagina or rectum would avoid the need to cut through sensitive tissues. And deep inside the body, where tissue doesn't feel lasting pain, the procedures themselves might be less traumatic.

Some abdominal surgeries like bowel operations can require patients to spend a week or more recovering at home. With the natural-opening surgery, the theoretical hope is that "they really can go back to work the next day," said Dr. David Rattner of Massachusetts General Hospital.

UK to put stamp on `Potter` series

Britain's Royal Mail is issuing a series of seven stamps depicting the covers of the best-selling "Harry Potter" books just before the final volume goes on sale.

Millions of the stamps will be issued on July 17 as part of the post office's tradition of celebrating "social themes and important occasions central to our way of life," said Julietta Edgar, who is in charge of special stamps at Royal Mail.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" goes on sale July 21.

"There's no doubt that J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, published in dozens of languages worldwide, have made a phenomenal impact on our reading habits," Edgar said.

Rowling's fantasy series has sold more than 325 million copies worldwide. She has said two major characters will die in the final book, which is being released under tight security.

Woman: Blame devil for infant in microwave

A woman blames the devil, and not her husband, for severely burning their infant daughter in a microwave, a Texas television station reported.

Eva Marie Mauldin said Satan compelled her 19-year-old husband, Joshua Royce Mauldin, to microwave their daughter May 10 because the devil disapproved of Joshua's efforts to become a preacher.

"Satan saw my husband as a threat," Eva Mauldin told Houston television station KHOU-TV.

A grand jury indicted Joshua Mauldin last week on child injury charges after hearing evidence that he placed the two-month-old in a motel microwave for 10 to 20 seconds.

The infant, Ana Marie, remains hospitalized. She suffered burns on the left side of her face and to her left hand, police said.

Police said Joshua Mauldin told them he put Ana Marie in the microwave because he was under stress. Eva Maudlin denied it.

"He would never do anything to hurt her. He loves her," she said.

She is hoping to be reunited with her daughter, but Child Protective Services is working to have the parental rights severed.

Starbucks shares hit 18-month low

Starbucks shares hit their lowest level since late 2005 Tuesday as investor concerns about slower sales and profit growth continued to chip away at the once high-flying stock.
Some on Wall Street said the free fall -- including a 20 percent decline in 2007 -- represents the best buying opportunity for Starbucks shares in years as sales comparisons against year-ago results get easier later this year.
But others remain skittish about the future given increased competition in the United States, rising dairy and labor costs, and concerns about overall consumer spending.
Starbucks shares closed at $28.39 Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange, 30 percent below a lifetime high of $40.01 hit on November 16 of last year. The stock hit a low of $28.37 during Tuesday's session, a level unseen in 18 months.
According to analysts, much of the stock's recent weakness stems from concerns that labor and other rising costs are hampering profits while increases in sales at stores open at least 13 months, a key measure of retail health, are contracting. At the same time, competition from McDonald's new coffee offerings and Dunkin' Donuts' U.S. expansion has heated up in recent months.
J.P. Morgan analyst John Ivankoe said in a research note earlier this month he expected Starbucks' multiple to stay at the high end of the 25 to 30 range, adding that "the potential reward outweighs recent risk."
Ivankoe has an "overweight" rating on Starbucks shares.
Others think the stock may have farther to fall.
"The shares are undervalued, but we wouldn't recommend buying," said Morningstar analyst John Owens.

Wolfowitz to resign as World Bank chief

Embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz agreed to resign Thursday after weeks of controversy over his handling of a pay package for his girlfriend, a bank employee, the institution's board of directors announced Thursday.
In a statement announcing the decision, the bank said "a number of mistakes were made by a number of individuals" in the matter.
Wolfowitz said the bank board accepted his contention that he acted "ethically and in good faith."
In a statement from Wolfowitz, he said it is "necessary to find a way to move forward. To do that, I have concluded that it is in the best interests of those whom this institution serves for that mission to be carried forward under new leadership."
Wolfowitz was appointed to the World Bank post in 2005 after serving as deputy U.S. defense secretary, where he was one of the leading architects of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. His resignation will take effect June 30.
A World Bank committee concluded Wolfowitz violated staff rules when he arranged a raise and transfer for his girlfriend, Shaha Ali Riza, a longtime bank employee. After Wolfowitz took over at the bank in 2005, Riza was transferred to a U.S. State Department job at a tax-free government salary of almost $194,000 a year.
Wolfowitz, the White House and bank officials held talks Wednesday afternoon to work out details of his resignation. Wolfowitz's lawyer, Bob Bennett, had left the door open for departure if Wolfowitz wasn't singled out for blame. "He will not resign under this cloud and that remains his position," Bennett said Wednesday.
Earlier Thursday, President Bush sounded as if he was resigned to the fact that Wolfowitz's tenure was coming to an end.
"I regret that it has come to this," he said. "I admire Paul Wolfowitz, I admire his heart, and I particularly admired his focus on helping the poor."

Paris Hilton drops appeal

Paris Hilton won't appeal the 45-day jail term she was sentenced to earlier this month for violating probation, according to court documents filed Thursday.
A lawyer for the 26-year-old socialite notified Los Angeles Count Superior Court that she is abandoning her appeal, said court spokeswoman Katherine Roberts.
Hilton was ordered earlier this month to report to jail by June 5 for violating the terms of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.
Hilton initially called the sentence unfair, and lawyers representing her filed a notice to appeal the sentence.
She then switched attorneys and is now represented by drunken driving specialist Richard Hutton. Hutton did not immediately return several calls for comment Thursday.
Hilton will be jailed for about 23 days of a 45-day sentence and will be separated from the general inmate population, authorities decided after reviewing her case.
The shorter sentence reflects an expectation that Hilton behaves behind bars.
She will be held in a "special needs housing unit" at the Century Regional Detention Center in suburban Lynwood.
Hilton will stay in a unit that contains 12 two-person cells reserved for police officers, public officials, celebrities and other high-profile inmates.
She could have a cellmate.
Like everyone else in the 2,200-inmate facility, Hilton will get at least an hour outside her cell each day to shower, watch television, participate in outdoor recreation or talk on the telephone.

Brown unchallenged in PM contest

After an agonizing 13-year wait to lead Britain's Labour Party, Gordon Brown will now become prime minister without a fight and with clear signs he is benefiting from a post-Blair bounce in the polls.

Brown will take over when Tony Blair resigns on June 27 after his only potential party rival -- a left-winger whose challenge was always viewed as a token effort -- failed to win enough support from parliamentarians to get on the ballot paper.

On Thursday, Labour said Brown had won the support of 313 of the party's 353 lawmakers and declared nominations closed. The leader of the ruling party automatically takes over as prime minister.

Brown knows he has his work cut out to ensure a fourth straight victory for Labour at a national election due by May 2010 at the latest, and has wasted no time in moving on.

Brown has stressed how different he is from his predecessor, both in terms of policy and in his approach to politics.

Critics accused Blair of centralizing power, bypassing lawmakers and being obsessed with celebrities and appearance.

Brown has pledged to give more power to parliament, to put "citizens in control" of their lives and to end personality-driven politics.

He has unveiled plans for more affordable housing, ecologically-friendly towns and said investment in education and health remained a top priority.

"He has started off talking about the right kinds of things. Affordable homes wasn't a bad start, sorting out the NHS (National Health Service) is a good start," said Labour lawmaker Ian Gibson, a frequent critic of Blair and the government.

Brown, often described as dour, now has six weeks of hustings events to put over his message without interruptions from party rivals.

Opinion polls show the start of Brown's leadership campaign has given Labour a bounce in support, but the Conservative opposition under youthful leader David Cameron still leads.

Dad dumps preschooler in box for unwanted newborns

A Japanese drop box for unwanted babies triggered a wave of nationwide soul searching Wednesday, a day after it was discovered a preschooler -- and not an infant -- had been dumped there by his father on its first day of operation.
Nationally circulated newspapers warned that the anonymous drop-off, known as "Stork's Cradle," is open for abuse and could traumatize youngsters. They also condemned the father, saying his action could spur copycats.
The drop-off was opened last Thursday by the Catholic-run Jikei Hospital in the southern city of Kumamoto to discourage abortions and the abandonment of children in unsafe public places.
The boy, who was in good health, reportedly said he was dropped off by his father, who was seen holding the youngster's hand as they approached the hospital. They apparently rode Japan's bullet train to Kumamoto, but it was unclear where they lived.
The find triggered a wave of outrage among political leaders on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying "Anonymously throwing out a child is unacceptable."
Local media reported that the boy was able to identify himself by name. But it was unclear whether the father had been identified.
The hospital has refused to comment on the case, citing privacy concerns, but said there were age limits on its drop-off service.
Police have decided no crime was committed in the current case because the child was left in a situation in which it was not exposed to immediate harm, Kyodo News reported Wednesday.
"We must rethink the meaning of the baby drop-off," the conservative Sankei newspaper said in an editorial. "Unlike a baby, a toddler may suffer from trauma."
The drop box was created after a series of high-profile cases in which newborn babies were left behind in parks and supermarkets, triggering a public outcry and government warnings against abandoning babies.

Judgment day for Wolfowitz

The World Bank's executive board will meet on Tuesday to decide the future of the organization's president, Paul Wolfowitz, after an internal panel concluded he had violated staff rules by arranging a promotion and pay rise for his girlfriend and and suggested the bank was suffering "a crisis in leadership."

The special ad hoc committee looked into allegations Wolfowitz broke conflict of interest rules in dealing with his girlfriend, Shaha Riza, who left the World Bank when Wolfowitz took over the top spot in 2005.

While findings show Wolfowitz broke bank rules in arranging a handsome pay package for his girlfriend, the White House came to the defense of the embattled World Bank president Tuesday, saying his behavior did not amount to "a firing offense," an Associated Press report said.

According to the committee report, released Monday evening on its Web site, the executive board of the organization must consider whether Wolfowitz "will be able to provide the leadership needed" to effectively carry out the mission of the World Bank.

Tony Snow, a White House spokesman, said he did not think Wolfowitz's actions warranted his resignation, according to an AP report. Snow also said Wolfowitz continued to enjoy the support of U.S. President George W. Bush.

After Wolfowitz took over at the World Bank, Riza was transferred to a State Department foundation and received a government salary of almost $194,000 a year, tax free.

Wolfowitz has rebutted statements from former World Bank officials who claimed he ignored Bank ethics committee directions on the Riza case and acted improperly. He blames what he calls "ambiguous bank rules and unclear governance mechanisms."

The panel concluded that Wolfowitz's role in the matter "went beyond the informal advice" given by the bank's ethics committee, and that he "engaged in a de facto conflict of interest," according to the report.

"I am very disappointed that the ad hoc committee that insisted on confidentiality put its report on its Web site before the full board had a chance to consider the report," Wolfowitz's attorney, Robert Bennett, told CNN.

The meeting of the 24-member World Bank board on Tuesday will have the final say on Wolfowitz's future. A decision could come this week and could include reprimanding him, asking him to step down, or firing him.

Siege ends at Russian Embassy in Costa Rica

A 20-year-old Kazakhstan native turned himself over to police Friday, ending a three-hour standoff and safely releasing a man he had been holding at the Russian Embassy in Costa Rica, authorities said.
Roman Bogdanyants covered his face as he was escorted by police from the building, followed by a Russian man that police spokesman Francisco Ruiz identified as a former hostage.
Officials originally reported an armed man had seized eight hostages, quickly releasing five.
But Russian Ambassador Valery Nikolayenko told Channel 7 Telenoticias in a phone interview during the standoff that he and three other officials had remained in the building to help negotiate a peaceful end to the situation.
Immigration spokeswoman Heidi Bonilla told The Associated Press that Bogdanyants arrived in Costa Rica in 2005. Police earlier had described him as an Uzbek.
A family friend, Artur Mitiniani, told Channel 7 that the family had lost $54,000 because of problems with a Russian citizen whom Bogdanyants met at the embassy.
In July 2004, a Costa Rican security guard took several hostages at the Chilean Embassy where he worked in San Jose, eventually killing himself and three embassy employees. The guard, Orlando Jimenez, 54, was upset about a pending transfer.

Rampant Roma hit six against Inter

AS Roma scored four goals in the first half hour to beat holders Inter Milan 6-2 in an extraordinary first leg of the Italian Cup final on Wednesday.
Captain Francesco Totti, whose team now take a healthy lead into next Thursday's second leg at the San Siro, gave the home side a dream start when he slammed in Rodrigo Taddei's pullback in the first minute.
Roma, who lost to Inter in the last two finals, were desperate to avoid a third straight defeat and quickly doubled their lead when Daniele de Rossi diverted a volley from Philippe Mexes into the net on five minutes.
Simone Perrotta soon made it 3-0 when he slid in to convert Cristian Chivu's low cross, which completely outwitted a dormant Inter defense.
The match had been brought forward to an early evening kickoff because of fears of crowd trouble and league champions Inter finally woke up when Hernan Crespo took advantage of a defensive error to round goalkeeper Doni to make it 3-1.
The unusually open Italian final refused to revert to type in the second half with both defenses leaving wide open spaces at the back.
Roma's raiding right back Panucci made it 5-1 on 54 minutes before Crespo hit back almost immediately when he nodded home Maicon's perfectly-flighted cross from a quick break.
"We made a terrible start to the match and they started very well," Inter coach Mancini told RAI television. "Roma probably had more incentive than us. We have a match to play and we will see what we can do. We need a miracle."

Pleas, anger in missing girl hunt

The anguished parents of Madeleine McCann, the British girl missing for more than a week after appparently being snatched from a Portuguese vacation resort, have made a fresh appeal for her return.

"Words cannot describe the anguish and despair that we are feeling," said Madeleine's father, Gerry McCann.

"Please, please, do not hurt her. Please do not scare her, please tell us where to find her," the girl's mother, Kate McCann, said in a video plea for the girl's release.

Police say Madeleine, who turns four on Saturday, was abducted from her parent's resort apartment in Portugal's Algarve. The McCanns had left their daughter in bed as they dined nearby.

Amid fierce media criticism in the UK of Portuguese police efforts to find the toddler, Portugal's ambassador in London , Antonio Santana Carlos, released a statement Friday saying, "Trust the authorities. They're doing their best."

But British media filming roadblocks on Portugal's border with Spain caught police sitting in their cars and waving vehicles by during a recent rainshower.

Andrew Forrester, from Wales, was helping search for Madeleine and found the effort of Portuguese police underwhelming.

Portuguese police said they were following procedures and that they operated differently than their counterparts in the UK.

Armando Ferreira, president of the National Police Union, also defended the search.

"Portuguese police are making a great effort. I have colleagues volunteering during their days off to help," he said, according to a Reuters news service report.

"We're doing everything to find the child alive," Reuters quoted Portugal's President Anibal Cavaco Silva as saying.

Hilton plans to appeal ruling, rehires publicist

Paris Hilton has rehired the publicist she dumped over the weekend after being sentenced to 45 days in jail.

Elliot Mintz confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday that he is again representing the 26-year-old socialite, who was ordered to report to county jail by June 5 for violating the terms of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

Mintz, 62, wouldn't elaborate on why he reunited with Hilton. The publicist, whose clients have included John Lennon and Bob Dylan, issued a statement Sunday night that he and Hilton had parted ways over an apparent "misunderstanding she received from me regarding the terms of her probation."

In a court appearance Friday, Hilton told the judge Mintz informed her it was all right to drive on a suspended license for work obligations. Mintz also testified Hilton believed she was allowed to drive. The judge called Mintz's testimony worthless.

Hilton -- star of reality TV show "The Simple Life" on the E! network -- has parlayed her party lifestyle into worldwide fame.

She has called the sentence unfair, and her fans have posted a petition on the Internet urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to pardon her.

The petition, which had more than 900 signatures by Tuesday morning, urges the California actor-turned-governor to pardon Hilton because she provides "beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives."

Meanwhile, Hilton's lawyers have filed a notice with the court indicating their intent to appeal the decision. The document is required before a formal appeal can be lodged.

Toyota set to overtake GM

Toyota Motor Corp. posted a stronger-than-expected 8.9 percent rise in quarterly net profit on buoyant sales in Western markets, and forecast modest growth this year as it adds production capacity all over the world.
Demand for Toyota's cars has climbed steadily in sputtering U.S. and European markets, driven by segment-leading models such as the Camry sedan and RAV4 crossover, while local brands have struggled to hold their own.
Toyota is set this year to end General Motors Corp.'s 76-year reign as the world's biggest automaker after the U.S. group last week forecast global sales of 9.2 million vehicles against Toyota's plan to move 9.34 million.
Toyota has ensured steady growth by spending on new factories, added capacity and research and development -- all of which has kept profit margins in check.
Given this level of spending, a possibly stronger yen and high input costs, Japan's top automaker forecast a modest rise in profits for this year, joining its local rivals in providing cautious guidance.
Toyota forecast annual operating profit of 2.25 trillion yen, up 0.5 percent from 2.239 trillion yen last year, for a seventh straight year of record earnings.
Net profit for January-March -- a quarter that saw Toyota overtake GM in global sales volume -- was 440.1 billion yen, well ahead of a consensus estimate for 416.1 billion yen. GM earned a net $62 million that quarter.
Excluding China, Toyota's sales in Asia declined last year along with the broader market, but the automaker is set to crank up volumes in 2007 with a new factory in Thailand. Toyota will also open a new plant in China soon to meet surging demand.

Sarkozy`s `scandalous` yacht trip

Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president-elect, was criticized by political enemies Wednesday after refusing to apologize for a post-election luxury yacht trip amid violent protests over the election result.
Sarkozy whisked his wife and son off for a tour around Malta a day after his election Sunday. However, even before dropping anchor as expected by Wednesday evening, he defended his mini-vacation aboard the 60-meter (nearly 200-foot) yacht on loan from billionaire investor Vincent Bollore as a reasonable right.
"I have no intention of apologizing," he said by telephone to Europe-1 radio, adding that he had a full week before taking on "the supreme responsibilities of president of the Republic in as calm a mood as possible.
"I'm taking two and a half days. I don't think anyone can argue with that."
Outgoing President Jacques Chirac is to turn over power to Sarkozy on May 16 after 12 years in office. Chirac held his final Cabinet meeting Wednesday.
Former Socialist Justice Minister Elisabeth Guigou called Sarkozy's escapade "scandalous" and "indecent."
"All this money when he pretends to be the ... president of all French (people)," she said on the TV station iTele.
Former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin also defended Sarkozy's retreat, saying the president-elect needed to "recharge his batteries" after a grueling campaign.
"Nicolas Sarkozy has the right to three days of happiness with his family," Raffarin said on RTL radio. "It's from May 16 that the French will judge the new president."