UPI NewsTrack articles from April 2009

UPI NewsTrack archives from April 2009

NBA: Dallas 108, Minnesota 88.
April 1, 2009... MINNEAPOLIS, April 1 (UPI) -- Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and 12 rebounds Tuesday and the Dallas Mavericks coasted to a 108-88 victory over the toothless Minnesota Timberwolves. Jason Terry scored 21 points and Jason Kidd had 13 assists for...

Calif. plant's spice linked to salmonella.
April 1, 2009... SACRAMENTO, April 1 (UPI) -- California health officials added Uncle Chen pepper Tuesday to a list of spices from a Union City plant that may carry salmonella. Union International Food Co. spices have been linked to 42 possible salmonella...

NBA: Denver 111, New York 104.
April 1, 2009... DENVER, April 1 (UPI) -- The Denver Nuggets clinched a spot in the playoffs Tuesday by shooting a sizzling 54.8 percent from the field in a 111-104 victory over the New York Knicks. Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points to lead Denver. Nene...

Work starts on internment memorial.
April 1, 2009... BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash., April 1 (UPI) -- A 98-year-old woman who decades ago was interned during World War II broke ground in Washington state this week for a memorial to Japanese-American detainees. Fumiko Hayashida was a young mother...

NHL: Dallas 3, Los Angeles 2.
April 1, 2009... LOS ANGELES, April 1 (UPI) -- Brendan Morrison's two power-play goals Tuesday carried the Dallas Stars past the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. The win at Staples Center kept the Stars' faint playoff hopes alive by snapping a seven-game winless...

COL BKB (W): Oklahoma 74, Purdue 68.
April 1, 2009... OKLAHOMA CITY, April 1 (UPI) -- Danielle Robinson scored 23 points Tuesday to lead Oklahoma past Purdue 74-68 and into the NCAA women's Final Four. Courtney Paris added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Sooners (32-4), who will face...

'Emergency' declared in Filipino state.
April 1, 2009... PATIKUL, Philippines, April 1 (UPI) -- A state of emergency was in effect Wednesday in the Philippine province of Sulu where Islamic militants are holding three Red Cross workers hostage. The Abu Sayyaf Group reportedly had not yet carried...

Obama, Brown: Tough banking regs needed.
April 1, 2009... LONDON, April 1 (UPI) -- Tough banking system rules are needed to pull the world out of recession, U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in London. Obama and Brown met Wednesday in advance of the the Group...

U.S. seeks seat on Human Rights Council.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- The United States is seeking a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council this year, officials said, an about-face from the stand taken by the Bush administration. The U.S. State Department said joining the council...

GM looks at bankruptcy option.
April 1, 2009... DETROIT, April 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. government's plan for General Motors Corp. includes a bankruptcy process that breaks GM into "good" and "bad" components, sources said. The government is calling the process a "controlled" bankruptcy, The...

USA Today publisher retires.
April 1, 2009... MCLEAN, Va., April 1 (UPI) -- USA Today lost a second top executive with the surprise retirement of publisher Craig Moon, who said his departure wasn't connected to the newspaper's finances. Although revenues are down sharply at the...

Drone missile attack kills at least 12.
April 1, 2009... ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 1 (UPI) -- A least a dozen people were killed Wednesday when missiles from a U.S. drone struck a remote area of Pakistan, Pakistani officials said. The unmanned aircraft fired at least three missiles at two houses...

No widespread damage seen from Conficker.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- Fears that the computer worm Conficker.c would cause widespread April Fools' Day chaos were proving unfounded Wednesday, U.S. experts said. Computer security experts warily watching infected systems said that...

U.S., Russia OK new weapons reduction plan.
April 1, 2009... LONDON, April 1 (UPI) -- The United States and Russia agreed to "new and verifiable" reductions in arsenals, beginning with a new treaty, the countries' leaders said Wednesday. U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry...

Frito-Lay, Kraft recall pistachio nuts.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says Frito-Lay Inc. and Kraft Foods Inc. are recalling pistachio nut products due to possible salmonella contamination. Frito-Lay announced the recall of 1.75-ounce...

Karzai, Zardari meet, discuss security.
April 1, 2009... ANKARA, Turkey, April 1 (UPI) -- The leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan met in Turkey Wednesday to discuss a regional approach to battling terrorism and militant insurgencies, officials said. In a meeting hosted by Turkish President...

UAW membership down 7 percent.
April 1, 2009... DETROIT, April 1 (UPI) -- The United Auto Workers union said membership fell 7 percent in 2008, as job losses in the automotive industry cut into its ranks. In an annual financial report, the UAW said its membership fell to 431,037 last...

Spy planes will be downed, N. Korea warns.
April 1, 2009... PYONGYANG, North Korea, April 1 (UPI) -- North Korea warned Wednesday it will shoot down any U.S. spy aircraft in its airspace, ripping aerial surveillance over the area of a planned rocket launch. North Korea's state-run radio said the...

G20 protesters, police clash at bank.
April 1, 2009... LONDON, April 1 (UPI) -- Group of 20 summit protesters flooded into London's financial district Wednesday, engaging in a standoff with police at the Bank of England, witnesses said. Eleven arrests were reported outside Britain's central...

Cole gets kidney offers after King chat.
April 1, 2009... LOS ANGELES, April 1 (UPI) -- Singer Natalie Cole received dozens of e-mails from prospective kidney donors after she said on U.S. television that she is on a long list for a transplant. The Grammy Award-winning recording artist and...

U.S. drops charges against Sen. Stevens.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- The corruption case against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens has been dropped by the U.S. Justice Department, a statement issued by the department said. The 85-year-old Republican lawmaker was convicted last...

Author: Trial in the United States dying.
April 1, 2009... EVANSTON, Ill., April 1 (UPI) -- Legal decisions made behind closed doors are serving to greatly reduce the number of open-court trials being held in the United States, a scholar says. The number of U.S. legal cases that go to trial has...

Recession impacts college admissions.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- The recession may make it easier to gain admission to some private colleges in the United States this year, college officials say. A drop in the number of applications is prompting many private schools to send...

Karzai pressured to scrap women's law.
April 1, 2009... THE HAGUE, Netherlands, April 1 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai is being pressured to rescind a new law the U.N. says legalizes spousal rape and severely limits women's rights, ministers said. Scandinavian foreign ministers attending...

Polish naval plane crashes, kills 4 men.
April 1, 2009... WARSAW, Poland, April 1 (UPI) -- A twin-turboprop plane crashed in northern Poland killing all four Polish naval officers aboard, a navy spokesman said Wednesday. The Bryza aircraft was on a training flight Tuesday afternoon when it...

U.S., China pledge to enhance relations.
April 1, 2009... LONDON, April 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed Wednesday to enhance U.S.-China relations and strengthen economic and financial cooperation. Obama accepted Hu's invitation to visit China this year during...

Aquarium selling 'Nemo' fish.
April 1, 2009... TOKYO, April 1 (UPI) -- A Japanese marine science museum is selling clown fish for $25.28 to stop people from capturing the species popularized by the animated movie "Finding Nemo." The museum at Tokai University has bred 11 of the 28 kinds...

Survey: Stimulus spending creating jobs.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- U.S. stimulus funds approved as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act appear to be hitting their mark in the early going, a survey indicates. A survey performed by USA Today showed most of the early...

Construction spending down in February.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- Spending on construction in the United States fell in February, the U.S. Commerce Department said Wednesday. Construction spending fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $967.5 billion, a drop of 0.9...

Thousands die on trains in India.
April 1, 2009... MUMBAI, April 1 (UPI) -- An average of 17 people died every weekday commuting to work on overcrowded trains in Mumbai last year, figures released by the government indicate. Using India's Right to Information Act, The Times of London...

Alleged robber caught double-dipping.
April 1, 2009... NEW YORK, April 1 (UPI) -- A 27-year-old man has been arrested in New York after allegedly attempting to rob a bodega twice in one night, police sources say. Abdul Razzaq, 40, said he was in R&K Grocery Store the night Nicholas Dinanno...

U.S. markets turn up Wednesday.
April 1, 2009... NEW YORK, April 1 (UPI) -- U.S. markets shook off an early slump Wednesday, rising as a manufacturing report countered the effects of early morning employment data. The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index rose to 36.3 in...

Auditor: Canada lax on tax cheaters.
April 1, 2009... OTTAWA, April 1 (UPI) -- The Revenue Canada tax department is off-target and missing prime culprits in how it searches for cheaters, a federal auditor said in a report in Ottawa. The auditor general's report on the tax agency said more...

U.S. tax hike on tobacco takes effect.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- The largest U.S. tobacco tax hike took effect Wednesday, dramatically raising the price of tobacco products to fund a federal children's health insurance plan. The increase, which raises the so-called sin tax...

Light used to activate drugs in the body.
April 1, 2009... SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain, April 1 (UPI) -- Spanish scientists say the new practice of using light to activate medications in the body is efficient, especially when used in treating some cancers. Researchers at the University of...

Paris paints Iron Lady for 120th birthday.
April 1, 2009... PARIS, April 1 (UPI) -- The landmark Eiffel Tower in Paris is getting a face lift to mark its 120th birthday. A team of 25 painters attached to ropes headed to the top of the "Iron Lady" in Paris to begin the process of brushing on 60 tons...

UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News.
April 1, 2009... Cole gets kidney offers after King chat LOS ANGELES, April 1 (UPI) -- Singer Natalie Cole received dozens of e-mails from prospective kidney donors after she said on U.S. television that she is on a long list for a transplant. The...

Poll: Tobacco tax hits low-income hardest.
April 1, 2009... PRINCETON, N.J., April 1 (UPI) -- The federal tobacco tax hike will dramatically affect low-income U.S. smokers more than affluent puffers, a Gallup Poll released Wednesday indicated. Thirty-four percent of the lowest income Americans...

Poland ends army conscription Jan. 1.
April 1, 2009... WARSAW, Poland, April 1 (UPI) -- Poland will end the army's compulsory draft next year in a move to turn the military fully professional. New legislation would end the obligatory conscript draft Jan. 1 and create a National Reserve Force...

Sleep problems linked to suicidal behavior.
April 1, 2009... FLORENCE, Italy, April 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. study found the more types of sleep disturbances people had, the more likely they were to have thoughts of killing themselves or attempting suicide. Study author Dr. Marcin Wojnar of the University...

China says G20 should focus on reform.
April 1, 2009... BEIJING, April 1 (UPI) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao said the Group of 20 summit meeting in London should focus on financial system reforms to prevent a future financial crisis. "The international financial system should undergo necessary...

Tax problems haunt HHS nominee Sebelius.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- Health and Human Services secretary nominee Gov. Kathleen Sebelius paid more than $7,800 in back taxes and interest from unintended errors, documents show. The White House released a letter Sebelius sent to the...

Researcher: Doubleday baseball claim wrong.
April 1, 2009... COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 1 (UPI) -- A Texas A& University researcher says the historical stance that Abner Doubleday invented baseball is incorrect. Texas A& said in a news release Tuesday history Professor David Vaught said while...

Russia: Prefers NATO observer status.
April 1, 2009... BRUSSELS, April 1 (UPI) -- Moscow prefers to remain a NATO observer rather than join the alliance as a member, but doesn't rule it out in future, the Russian envoy says. Russian NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin made the statements Tuesday as...

Drug Suboxone linked to student death.
April 1, 2009... MILWAUKEE, April 1 (UPI) -- The prescription drug Suboxone may have been involved in the death of a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee freshman, a university official says. University spokesman Tom Luljak said investigators suspect...

Adviser resigns over high school sex story.
April 1, 2009... CHICAGO, April 1 (UPI) -- The faculty adviser for a high school newspaper in suburban Chicago is resigning her post in connection with an issue of the paper dealing with casual sex. Beginning next fall, Barbara Thill will no longer teach...

Pending home sales rose in February.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- The Pending U.S. Home Sales Index rose 2.1 percent in February, a hint home sales could rise in the next few months, the National Association of Realtors said. The index, based on contracts signed in the...

College porn screening intended to educate.
April 1, 2009... SACRAMENTO, April 1 (UPI) -- The screening of a pornographic film at the University of California-Davis is intended to elicit student discussion on certain issues, organizers say. Golda Criddle of the Entertainment Council said the group is...

Teen's trek to give voice to homeless kids.
April 1, 2009... ORLANDO, Fla., April 1 (UPI) -- Teenager David Ashby says he will visit children in homeless shelters on his walk of empathy from Orlando, Fla., to Washington in June. The 14-year-old plans to spend his summer trekking 1,100 miles to raise...

Low-level activity seen at Alaska volcano.
April 1, 2009... ANCHORAGE, Alaska, April 1 (UPI) -- Scientists said Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano remained relatively quiet Wednesday, producing only low-level emissions and weak seismic activity. The Alaska Volcano Observatory said ash clouds would...

Blast damages statue of Lenin.
April 1, 2009... ST. PETERSBURG, Romania, April 1 (UPI) -- Russian police say an explosion Wednesday badly damaged one of the few statues of communist leader Vladimir Lenin remaining in St. Petersburg. The blast left the 1926 monument to Lenin in such...

At least two dead in Ore. airplane crash.
April 1, 2009... NEWBERG, Ore., April 1 (UPI) -- At least two people were killed when a small airplane crashed Wednesday near Newberg, Ore., after colliding with a pole, officials say. The Federal Aviation Administration said a Piper PA-22 crashed...

Group: Don't overreact to N. Korea launch.
April 1, 2009... BRUSSELS, April 1 (UPI) -- Regional neighbors of North Korea should avoid overreacting to a rocket launch planned by Pyongyang, a Brussels non-government research institute says. The International Crisis Group said in a report released...

Club's membership prompts fundraiser move.
April 1, 2009... NEW YORK, April 1 (UPI) -- Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., moved a New York fundraiser after learning the original site was a club criticized for having no minority members, an aide said. But questions raised by Politico about the...

St. Louis Zoo says animal deaths natural.
April 1, 2009... ST. LOUIS, April 1 (UPI) -- St. Louis Zoo officials say the recent deaths of a polar bear and two simians aren't an indication of something unusual going on. Steve Bircher, curator of mammals and carnivores, told the St. Louis...

More body parts found in England.
April 1, 2009... LEICESTER, England, April 1 (UPI) -- Investigators were trying to determine Wednesday if a head found in central England is from the same body as an arm and leg found in the London suburbs. The limbs from Hertfordshire have been confirmed...

Swedish papers celebrate April Fools' Day.
April 1, 2009... STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 1 (UPI) -- April Fools' Day jokes in Swedish media this year included hoax news stories on royal weddings, wind turbines and dog poo DNA. Northern newspaper Sundsvall Tidning reported an April Fools' story...

Simulated Mars mission under way in Moscow.
April 1, 2009... MOSCOW, April 1 (UPI) -- Two European Space Agency and four Russian volunteers have embarked on a 105-day simulated mission to Mars to help prepare for such a real space trip. The crew of six entered a dedicated isolation facility Tuesday...

Hit man who killed Miami mogul dies.
April 1, 2009... MIAMI, April 1 (UPI) -- Robert "Bobby" Young, convicted for the $60,000 contract-killing of Miami powerboat mogul Don Aronow in 1987, died Tuesday, apparently of natural causes. Young, 60, died at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where...

Serial car thief allegedly took FBI car.
April 1, 2009... TAMPA, Fla., April 1 (UPI) -- Police in Florida said a man with 11 previous auto theft convictions has been arrested and charged with stealing an unmarked FBI car from a mechanic's garage. Investigators said Harold Scheidemann, 48, of...

Fate of Chinese Gitmo detainees mulled.
April 1, 2009... GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, April 1 (UPI) -- A decision by the Obama administration on the fates of 17 Chinese Muslim terror detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may be nearing, sources say. Administration officials were at the military...

Honorary deputies: Kid Rock, Steven Seagal.
April 1, 2009... CHALMETTE, La., April 1 (UPI) -- The sheriff of Louisiana's St. Bernard Parish said celebrities with honorary badges, including Kid Rock and Steven Seagal, have renewed their commissions. Sheriff Jack Stephens said that since his new term...

British homeowners reduce their debt.
April 1, 2009... LONDON, April 1 (UPI) -- The Bank of England said British homeowners paid off a record amount on their home mortgage debts in 2008, lowering the debt by $11.5 billion. In past years, as homes rose in value, home owners were busy borrowing...

Testimony: Madoff associates ignored signs.
April 1, 2009... FAIRFIELD, Conn., April 1 (UPI) -- A securities investigator in Connecticut testified that Madoff associates knew he was running an illegal Ponzi operation, but chose to ignore the warning signs. Investigator Edward Seidle testified that...

Three N.Y. students charged in frat death.
April 1, 2009... GENESEO, N.Y., April 1 (UPI) -- Officials in upstate New York say they have charged three fraternity members with criminally negligent homicide in the drinking death of a pledge. The trio are members of a fraternity known around SUNY...

Dallas cop resigns after traffic incident.
April 1, 2009... DALLAS, April 1 (UPI) -- Dallas police officer Mike Powell resigned Wednesday following a controversial traffic stop March 17 when the mother-in-law of an NFL player died of cancer. Powell stopped Houston Texans' running back Ryan Moats for...

Crude oil prices decline.
April 1, 2009... NEW YORK, April 1 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices dropped Wednesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange as the government said crude oil stockpiles rose 2.8 million barrels in the week. Crude oil prices fell $1.13 to $48.53 per barrel. Heating...

Chimp strength: Brains as well as muscles.
April 1, 2009... STATE COLLEGE, Pa., April 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. evolutionary biologist says chimpanzees, which are several times stronger than humans, gain strength from their brains, as well as their muscles. Although great apes are known to have more...

Toronto animal euthanizing challenged.
April 1, 2009... TORONTO, April 1 (UPI) -- The city of Toronto's animal services agency is under criticism from the privately funded humane society for the number of animals it euthanized. Some 25,000 cats and dogs were given lethal injections between 2002...

DiMasi aide agrees to testify in probe.
April 1, 2009... BOSTON, April 1 (UPI) -- A prominent Massachusetts political operative is cooperating in a federal probe of former state House of Representatives Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, sources say. Lawyer Daniel Toscano, who served as chief counsel in...

University sends welcome to all applicants.
April 1, 2009... SAN DIEGO, April 1 (UPI) -- Officials with the University of California, San Diego, said an orientation e-mail message was mistakenly sent to everyone who applied to the school. The officials said the e-mail, which invited those accepted to...

House GOP unveils alternative budget.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- U.S. House Republican leaders Wednesday revealed their alternative to the proposed Democratic budget, calling for a repeal of the $787 billion stimulus plan. "(We) propose to rescind the Democrats' stimulus...

911 call: Woman locked inside car.
April 1, 2009... KISSIMMEE , Fla., April 1 (UPI) -- Authorities in Florida said a woman dialed 911 to report that she had locked herself in her car and the electrical system wasn't working. The Kissimmee, Fla., woman told the dispatcher that the locks...

Solar activity lowest in nearly 100 years.
April 1, 2009... GREENBELT, Md., April 1 (UPI) -- U.S. solar physicists say the sun is experiencing the least sunspot activity since 1913 and activity is becoming less frequent. National Aeronautics and Space Administration solar physicist Dean Pesnell at...

Plant growth gene may shape global warming.
April 1, 2009... LEICESTER, England, April 1 (UPI) -- British scientists say they have made a discovery about plant growth that might have an enormous impact on crop production as global warming increases. Researchers at the universities of Leicester and...

ASA grounds 60 jets for inspections.
April 1, 2009... ATLANTA, April 1 (UPI) -- Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a regional carrier for U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines Inc., said it grounded 60 jets Wednesday after an internal inspection audit. The airline operates 112 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 jets,...

Gang sweep nets 125 arrests in Toronto.
April 1, 2009... TORONTO, April 1 (UPI) -- At least 125 people were arrested Wednesday in and around Toronto as more than 1,000 police officers from Canada and the United States targeted gang members. Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair told a news conference...

First lady lauds London cancer center.
April 1, 2009... LONDON, April 1 (UPI) -- First lady Michelle Obama and the wife of Britain's prime minister joined in the 1st-year anniversary celebration of a London cancer care center. Obama and Sarah Brown arrived at Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre at...

UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News.
April 1, 2009... Jobless gather for games in New York NEW YORK, April 1 (UPI) -- Organizers of the Unemployment Olympics at New York's Tompkins Square Park said dozens of jobless people turned out to throw phones and bash pinatas. Nick Goddard, 26, an...

Ariz. schoolyard chemical incident probed.
April 1, 2009... QUEEN CREEK, Ariz., April 1 (UPI) -- An Arizona school district says it will review its emergency procedures after a chemical incident that injured nine middle-school students. Jan Langer, superintendent of the J.O. Combs Unified School...

Many smokers don't seek doctor's help.
April 1, 2009... WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- Twenty-one percent of U.S. smokers never talk to a healthcare provider about their smoking, a survey indicates. Cheryl G. Healton, president and chief executive officer of the American Legacy Foundation says on...

Michigan set for medical pot applications.
April 1, 2009... LANSING, Mich., April 1 (UPI) -- Medical marijuana activists say they are planning an application rally in Lansing next week to encouraging ailing Michigan residents to seek pot permits. Michigan begins accepting applications Saturday for...

U.S.-Russia statement result of groundwork.
April 1, 2009... LONDON, April 1 (UPI) -- Efforts to negotiate a new U.S.-Russian treaty limiting nuclear weapons resulted from weeks of talks before the joint announcement in London, U.S. aides said. The sweeping joint statement by U.S. President Obama and...

China aircraft carrier said years away.
April 1, 2009... LONDON, April 1 (UPI) -- China is years away from realizing ambitions to build an aircraft carrier force and is instead rehabbing an old Russian carrier, British naval experts say. The London publication Jane's Navy International Wednesday...