UPI NewsTrack articles from July 2005

UPI NewsTrack archives from July 2005

MLB: Colorado 7, St. Louis 0.
July 1, 2005... ST. LOUIS, July 1 (UPI) -- Jeff Francis allowed three hits over six scoreless innings Thursday night to guide the Colorado Rockies past St. Louis, 7-0. Francis, who improved to 7-5, had two walks and six strikeouts. Dan Miceli, Jay...

MLB: San Francisco 9, Arizona 2.
July 1, 2005... PHOENIX, July 1 (UPI) -- Lance Niekro hit a three-run homer Thursday night as the San Francisco Giants belted Arizona, 9-2. Winning pitcher Noah Lowry, who threw six innings of one-run ball, raised his mark to 5-7 and also drove in two runs...

MLB: Florida 6, Atlanta 2.
July 1, 2005... MIAMI, July 1 (UPI) -- Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer Thursday night to key a 6-2 win by the Florida Marlins over the Atlanta Braves. Winning pitcher Josh Beckett, just off the disabled list, surrendered only one hit over six shutout...

Police officer convicted in plane bombings.
July 1, 2005... MOSCOW, July 1 (UPI) -- A police captain at a Moscow airport has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the suicide bombings of two airplanes in which 90 people died. Capt. Mikhail Artamonov was found guilty of negligence...

Polluted water kills 13 in Lahore.
July 1, 2005... LAHORE, Pakistan, July 1 (UPI) -- At least 13 people have died and more than 1,000 others needed medical treatment in the Pakistani city of Lahore after drinking water contaminated with sewage. A Health Ministry official said sewage seeped...

Japan to add $500 million to global fund.
July 1, 2005... TOKYO, July 1 (UPI) -- Japan will contribute an additional $500 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has announced. Japan has already contributed $327 million to the fund,...

Top wildlife poacher captured in New Delhi.
July 1, 2005... NEW DELHI, July 1 (UPI) -- Indian police have arrested a notorious wildlife smuggler who is wanted for poaching in several states. Sansar Chand was arrested in New Delhi, India's capital, after being hunted by the police since last year,...

Pakistanis are 'disillusioned' with courts.
July 1, 2005... ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 1 (UPI) -- As Pakistan's new chief justice takes his seat, he says the general public is "dismayed and disillusioned" with the country's judicial system. Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry said, "There is a...

Two convicted in Russian lawmaker's murder.
July 1, 2005... ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, July 1 (UPI) -- A St. Petersburg court has convicted two men in the 1998 murder of liberal Russian lawmaker Galina Starovoitova, The Moscow Times reported Friday. Vitaly Akishin was sentenced to 23 u years in prison...

Japanese banks lose customer information.
July 1, 2005... TOKYO, July 1 (UPI) -- Japanese banks have lost information on more than 2 million customers in the three months since a law went into effect calling for protection of personal data. The figures were compiled from reports of financial...

Three Sri Lanka soldiers killed in attack.
July 1, 2005... COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, July 1 (UPI) -- Three Sri Lankan soldiers have been killed in a gun battle with suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in the island's eastern district, the defense ministry said. Gunmen ambushed the two intelligence officers and...

S.Korea defense chief vows military reform.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (UPI) -- South Korea's defense chief, after surviving an opposition-led dismissal motion, vowed Friday to push ahead with reforms in the armed forces. Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung will keep his post as the ruling party and...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.
July 1, 2005... Byline: United Press International Girl says mom made her take nude pictures MILWAUKEE, July 1 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin woman is under investigation for allegedly forcing her 11-year-old daughter to take nude pictures of her for an online...

Two tons of hashish seized in east Lebanon.
July 1, 2005... BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 1 (UPI) -- Security forces seized two tons of hashish in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley after clashing with drug traffickers, security sources said Friday. A police statement said the incident occurred in the village...

MLB: Houston 2, Cincinnati 2 (rain).
July 1, 2005... CINCINNATI, July 1 (UPI) -- Houston and Cincinnati played to a 2-2 tie in a game halted by rain after seven innings Thursday night and will start over Saturday. The game, which began almost two hours late because of the downpour, will be...

Outlawed group seeks national alliance.
July 1, 2005... CAIRO, July 1 (UPI) -- Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood Organization stepped up its opposition to the government by calling for a national alliance to change the regime peacefully. The Brotherhood's call for an alliance to remove...

Watercooler Stories.
July 1, 2005... Byline: United Press International Woman celebrates win over nudity law DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., July 1 (UPI) -- A Florida housewife plans to bare her breasts this weekend next to three topless statues to celebrate a legal victory over...

Indonesia arrests 24 suspected terrorists.
July 1, 2005... JAKARTA, July 1 (UPI) -- Indonesian police have arrested 24 suspects linked to the 2002 Bali bombing and the 2003 bombing of Jakarta's J.W. Marriott hotel, the Jakarta Post said Friday. The suspects, who were arrested over several days this...

Missing girl suspect admits lying to cops.
July 1, 2005... PALM BEACH, Aruba, July 1 (UPI) -- A disc jockey arrested in the case of missing American teenager Natalee Holloway says he lied to Aruba police to protect another suspect. Steve Croes, who works on a party boat that docks near the Holiday...

Officials seek cause of ferry crash.
July 1, 2005... VANCOUVER, July 1 (UPI) -- Authorities sought Friday to determine why a Canadian ferry, which recently had a $36-million renovation, lost power and crashed into a private marina. The Queen of Oak Bay ran aground with 589 passengers and crew...

Activists dilute Hong Kong democracy march.
July 1, 2005... HONG KONG, July 1 (UPI) -- Thousands of protesters and activists of various stripes braved rain showers to march in what has become an annual July 1 pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong. Organizers said 45,000 people took part in the march, but...

Mauritanian rights trial a first in France.
July 1, 2005... PARIS, July 1 (UPI) -- In the first trial of its kind, a French court tried a Mauritanian accused of torturing people in his own country. Human rights groups charge Ely Ould Da, a former Mauritanian security chief, with torturing hundreds...

Married man ordained priest.
July 1, 2005... PARIS, July 1 (UPI) -- A married Swiss pastor who converted to Catholicism has been ordained a priest in Belgium. Patrick Balland was ordained a priest on June 26 after the Vatican granted him a special celibacy dispensation, according to...

Popular Socialist eyes French presidency.
July 1, 2005... PARIS, July 1 (UPI) -- Former French Socialist minister Jacques Lang says he wants to run in the country's 2007 presidential election. In an interview on France 2 television, Lang said he would be "one of the candidates" in the jostling...

France battles first summer blazes.
July 1, 2005... PARIS, July 1 (UPI) -- The first summer forest fires, spurred by drought and heat, have arrived in France with large blazes reported in Corsica. Firefighters are battling two raging fires that broke out late Thursday. A fire in the region...

U.S. copter downed by 'lucky shot'.
July 1, 2005... KONAR, Afghanistan, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. authorities credit a "lucky shot" for the rocket-propelled grenade that brought down a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan. All 16 soldiers aboard the helicopter died when it crashed on its way to the...

Blair set to snub Bush on climate change.
July 1, 2005... LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair is considering a split from the United States over climate change at the Group of Eight summit, it was reported Friday. The unprecedented move would lead to seven countries agreeing...

New DaVinci drawing found.
July 1, 2005... LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- A new Leonardo da Vinci work has been discovered under the surface of another painting at a London gallery. Experts at the National Gallery, using infra-red techniques, found a drawing under the surface of Da Vinci's...

Canadian officer suspected Arar torture.
July 1, 2005... OTTAWA, July 1 (UPI) -- The senior police officer in the 2002 investigation of Maher Arar says he suspected the seized Canadian computer engineer was being tortured in Syria. But, Superintendent Michel Cabana of the Royal Canadian Mounted...

Al Jazeera scraps U.S. border documentary.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Arab news network al-Jazeera has postponed plans to film a documentary about security conditions along the U.S.-Mexico border. Al-Jazeera told the Washington Times it dropped plans to film operations by the...

U.S. pump-and-run gas thefts increasing.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- At least 10 states have taken legislative action to increase penalties for gasoline theft, a crime that has been increasing with the rise of U.S. gas prices. The average price for a gallon of gas in the United...

Deep Throat almost unmasked 30 years ago.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The identity of Deep Throat, the key source in the Washington Post's Watergate expose, was almost revealed nearly 30 years ago, a new book says. In "The Secret Man," Bob Woodward's upcoming book on his...

UPI NewsTrack TopNews.
July 1, 2005... U.S. copter downed by 'lucky shot' KONAR, Afghanistan, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. authorities credit a "lucky shot" for the rocket-propelled grenade that brought down a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan. All 16 soldiers aboard the helicopter...

Experts OK with Cnooc buying Unocal.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. and other western oil industry experts dismiss Congressional warnings a Chinese company's bid for Unocal Corp. is any kind of a threat. Cnooc, a state-owned unit of China's third largest oil company, is...

EU unemployment fell slightly in May.
July 1, 2005... LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- Unemployment in Spain and Germany slipped below 10 percent in May, according to Eurostat data released Friday. Germany's unemployment rate fell to 9.6 percent, while Spain's slipped to 9.9 percent in May. The...

CAFTA faces opposition in U.S. House.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate approved the seven-country Central American Free Trade Agreement, but the future of the pact in the House is unclear. The Senate voted 54-45 Thursday to approve CAFTA, which removed some $32...

South Korean exports booming.
July 1, 2005... SEOUL, July 1 (UPI) -- South Korea said Friday its exports increased 10.4 percent in June, lifted in part by soaring car exports, even as domestic car sales fell. Exports last month were $23.9 billion over May's level, largely on big car...

Bulls have their way with the markets.
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. stocks rose Friday on all major indexes on an encouraging consumer sentiment report. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 60.62 or 0.59 percent to 10,335.59 in mid-morning trading. The Nasdaq composite gained...

Armstrong goes for seventh win.
July 1, 2005... AUSTIN, Texas, July 1 (UPI) -- As Lance Armstrong prepares to win the Tour de France cycling race for the seventh time, his mother says the key to his success is his competitive drive. The competition, which begins Saturday, will see the...

Jen and Ben make it official.
July 1, 2005... LOS ANGELES, July 1 (UPI) -- It's official: Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, who are expecting their first child this fall, are married. The two stars exchanged vows at the Parrot Cay resort in the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos, E!...

Record shows murder suspect denied lawyer.
July 1, 2005... INVERNESS, Fla., July 1 (UPI) -- John Couey confessed to killing a 9-year-old Florida girl but a jury may never hear it because his request for a lawyer was ignored, reports say. Whether the confession in the death of Jessica Lunsford can...

Rocker Bo Bice ties the knot.
July 1, 2005... LOS ANGELES, July 1 (UPI) -- Bo Bice, "American Idol's" long-haired rocker, and his girlfriend have gotten married in their Alabama hometown, it was reported Friday. The "Idol" runner-up and Caroline Fisher, wed at New Hope Presbyterian...

Federal study planned on children drugs.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. study is planned into Ritalin and other stimulant drugs for children to determine whether these drugs increase the risk of cancer in later life. The concern has been raised by a recent University of Texas...

Oil prices show slight gain.
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- High-quality crude oil for August delivery sold Friday for $56.74 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, and $55.08 in London. The rising futures prices marked a small rebound from the previous day's...

O'Connor stepping down from high court.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a key swing vote on the U.S. Supreme Court, is retiring, giving President Bush a chance to shape the court for years to come. Bush said he was proud to know O'Connor and praised her...

Disney's 'Tarzan' musical aimed for spring.
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- Walt Disney's stage musical version of "Tarzan" is scheduled for Broadway next spring, the company has announced. A theater and specific dates have yet to be named, Variety said, and there has been no comment on...

Israelis' support for pullback increases.
July 1, 2005... TEL AVIV, Israel, July 1 (UPI) -- Israeli public support for the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip has increased in the past month, a public opinion poll indicates. The poll, whose results were published Friday in Yediot Aharonot, showed the...

July 13 set for Discovery space launch.
July 1, 2005... CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 1 (UPI) -- NASA has set July 13 as the Discovery shuttle launch date, the first U.S. space flight since the 2003 Columbia disaster. Commander Eileen Collins and her crew are scheduled for a 3:51 p.m. EDT liftoff....

Budget impasse shuts Minnesota gov't.
July 1, 2005... ST. PAUL, Minn., July 1 (UPI) -- Minnesota's state government partially shutdown because the legislature failed to reach a budget agreement, affecting some 9,000 state employees. The Senate, which adjourned immediately after Thursday...

Denials Ahmednajad was on embassy raid.
July 1, 2005... TEHRAN, July 1 (UPI) -- Former students who assaulted the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took hostages in 1979 said Friday President-elect Mahmoudi Ahmednajad did not participate. Several of the U.S. hostages Thursday said they recognized...

Settlements can house 250,000 Palestinians.
July 1, 2005... GAZA, July 1 (UPI) -- Palestinian Minister for Civilian Affairs Mohammed Dahlan Friday said lands occupied by Jewish settlements in Gaza can accommodate up to 250,000 Palestinians. He said Israel is bound to destroy all the buildings in the...

Army reopens settlement bloc to visitors.
July 1, 2005... TEL AVIV, Israel, July 1 (UPI) -- The Israeli army Friday opened the Gaza Strip settlement area to visitors but placed restrictions on the equipment allowed into the area. The new order was issued the morning after the army declared the...

Spielberg already working on next thriller.
July 1, 2005... LOS ANGELES, July 1 (UPI) -- Steven Spielberg, whose "War of the Worlds" was released this week, already has begun filming his next thriller based on Israel's Mossad. When his latest movie opened Wednesday, Spielberg was in Malta working...

UPI NewsTrack Business.
July 1, 2005... Bulls have their way with the markets NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. stocks rose Friday on all major indexes on an encouraging consumer sentiment report and strong manufacturing data. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 39.36 or 0.38...

Microsoft paying IBM $775M to settle case.
July 1, 2005... ARMONK, N.Y., July 1 (UPI) -- Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash., said Friday it would pay $775 million to IBM to settle a 10-year-old antitrust dispute between the two companies. Besides the $775 million, Microsoft agreed to extend $75...

Car bomb south of Beirut injures woman.
July 1, 2005... BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 1 (UPI) -- A car bomb exploded south of Beirut Friday, injuring a woman in the latest in a series of bombings that have rocked Lebanon in recent months. Initial reports said the explosion occurred outside a seaside...

Israeli settler allegedly runs down woman.
July 1, 2005... GAZA, July 1 (UPI) -- A Jewish settler allegedly ran over an elderly Palestinian woman Friday with his car near the city of Bethlehem in the West Bank. Palestinian security sources and witnesses said Mariam Khalil Salah, 75, was riding her...

UPI NewsTrack TopNews.
July 1, 2005... O'Connor stepping down from high court WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a key swing vote on the U.S. Supreme Court, is retiring, giving President Bush a chance to shape the court for years to come. Bush said he...

U.S. manufacturing grew in June.
July 1, 2005... TEMPE, Ariz., July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. manufacturing grew in June for the 25th consecutive month, as the overall U.S. economy grew for the 44th consecutive month, a private group said Friday. The Institute for Supply Management, in its monthly...

U.N. fears humanitarian crisis in Colombia.
July 1, 2005... UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (UPI) -- A humanitarian crisis is building in southern Colombia due to continued fighting between government and rebel forces, says the U.N. refugee agency. The situation is particularly dire in Narino Province, where...

Dylan documentary due this fall.
July 1, 2005... LOS ANGELES, July 1 (UPI) -- "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan," Martin Scorsese's feature-length documentary, will be released on DVD this fall, a week before its TV debut. Paramount Home Entertainment will release the DVD, which will include...

17 reportedly injured in West Bank clash.
July 1, 2005... TEL AVIV, Israel, July 1 (UPI) -- As many as 17 people were injured Friday in clashes over the security barrier Israel is building near the West Bank village of Bil'in. The clashes reportedly erupted when security officers declared the...

Sopranos actor turns down no-jail deal.
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- For the second time in two months, character actor Vincent Pastore has declined to accept a no-jail deal on charges he beat his girlfriend. A Manhattan Criminal Court judge set Sept. 26 as a trial date, the New...

U.S. construction fell slightly in May.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. construction spending in May fell nearly 1 percent in May to $1.113 billion, the Commerce Department said Friday. Despite the 0.9 percent decline, May's figure remained 7 percent higher than the comparable...

Paris Hilton wants 'royal' wedding.
July 1, 2005... LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- Celebrity Paris Hilton says she wants to get married in London, as close to a royal wedding as possible, preferably in the place Prince Charles tied the knot. "I've always wanted to be a princess on my big day and...

PA plans housing project in vacated sites.
July 1, 2005... TEL AVIV, Israel, July 1 (UPI) -- The Palestinian Authority plans to replace the Gaza settlers' homes with housing projects for 250,000 people, Civil Affairs Minister Mohammad Dahlan said. In an interview with the Saudi Al-Watan newspaper,...

U.S. drug co-pay costs soar.
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. employers increasingly are raising employees' co-pay cost for prescription drugs as a way to rein-in their own cost for such drug benefits. In what may be the highest drug co-payment in the country, state...

Mexico defends 'racist' stamps.
July 1, 2005... MEXICO CITY, July 1 (UPI) -- Mexicans reacted incredulously to complaints from U.S. race activists about a new Mexican postage stamp depicting a black cartoon character from the 1940s. Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez said criticism...

U.S. to protect Internet authority.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The United States, rejecting outside calls for a worldwide Internet governing body, has decided to keep its management authority over the Internet. The Bush administration, in a policy statement, stressed its...

Concerts around world spur African aid.
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- The Live 8 concerts being held in 10 cities Saturday bring together 150 bands in what organizer Bob Geldof calls the "final push" in aiding Africa. Concerts are scheduled in London, Edinburgh, Scotland, Paris,...

China hunts for oil in Asia, Russia.
July 1, 2005... BEIJING, July 1 (UPI) -- The trip to Europe and Asia by China's president has been largely focused on securing more oil for his nation's booming economy. President Hu Jintao was in Moscow Friday to discuss construction of a crude oil...

Suspected suicide bomber killed in Turkey.
July 1, 2005... ANKARA, Turkey, July 1 (UPI) -- A suspected suicide bomber in Turkey was killed Friday by police in Ankara. Eyup Beyaz was killed moments after he was seen running from the Justice Ministry, which is next to the office of Prime Minister...

Russia OKs big titanium company merger.
July 1, 2005... MOSCOW, July 1 (UPI) -- Two Russian mining companies Friday merged to form the world's largest titanium corporation. Avisma Co. and the Verkhnesaldinskoye Metallurgical Association joined after Moscow antitrust authorities approved their...

Special forces team in Afghanistan missing.
July 1, 2005... KABUL, Afghanistan, July 1 (UPI) -- A small number of U.S. special operations forces are unaccounted for following an Army helicopter crash in Afghanistan, military officials said Friday. The team was engaged in a firefight with insurgents...

Single drug therapy for bipolar disorder.
July 1, 2005... CLEVELAND, July 1 (UPI) -- Researchers have shown that a single drug therapy may be effective in treating both the manic and depressive phases of bipolar disorder. Usually, a combination of drugs is used to manage bipolar disorder symptoms...

Mexico: Fox warns of authoritarian rule.
July 1, 2005... MEXICO CITY, July 1 (UPI) -- Mexican President Vicente Fox warned the country about the possible return of authoritarian rule, El Universal reported Friday in an exclusive interview. "In a democracy there are always risks and we are...

Saddam book a hot seller.
July 1, 2005... AMMAN, Jordan, July 1 (UPI) -- The novel's plot is not at all gripping nor is its prose elegant, but a bootlegged version has become a hit in Jordan because its author is Saddam Hussein. The Times of London says the book's sales appeal has...

Mexico investigating murder ranch.
July 1, 2005... MEXICO CITY, July 1 (UPI) -- Mexican investigators are searching a ranch near Nuevo Laredo where suspected drug cartel hostages were detained, killed and disposed of by burning. Investigators said they have already found human bones and...

Leader says poison made in Ukraine lab.
July 1, 2005... KIEV, Ukraine, July 1 (UPI) -- The dioxin used to poison Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko while he was still a candidate was made inside the country and not in Russia. The first freely elected president, who was chosen after the...

Study shows link berween sleep, behavior.
July 1, 2005... ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 1 (UPI) -- A new University of Michigan study offers evidence of a link between how children sleep and later behavior problems. Michigan researchers found in an earlier study that children who snore when they sleep...

Green tea unlikely to reduce cancer risk.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The evidence that green tea may reduce risk of some cancers is weak and its unlikely to cut cancer risk, U.S. Federal Drug Administration officials said. "Two studies do not show that drinking green tea reduces...

Al-Jazeera plans English-language version.
July 1, 2005... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- The Qatar-based cable channel al-Jazeera has begun talks with U.S. executives for a English-language version of the Middle East news channel. Some U.S. cable and satellite operators told Daily Variety talks with...

FDA issues new antidepressant warning.
July 1, 2005... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned adults taking antidepressants should be closely watched for suicidal tendencies. The advisory, posted on the FDA Web site, goes further than the agency has before...

Schroeder loses confidence vote.
July 1, 2005... BERLIN, July 1 (UPI) -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder Friday lost a confidence vote in parliament by a 296-to-151 vote as he had hoped to force early elections. Schroeder's strategy of deliberately losing the motion in the German...