UPI NewsTrack articles from July 2008

UPI NewsTrack archives from July 2008

MLB: Detroit 5, Minnesota 4.
July 1, 2008... MINNEAPOLIS, June 30 (UPI) -- Curtis Granderson singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning Monday, keying the Detroit Tigers' rally to beat the Minnesota Twins 5-4. Granderson was 3-for-4 and scored a run for the Tigers,...

Better sex, increased libido, via produce.
July 1, 2008... COLLEGE STATION, Texas, July 1 (UPI) -- Watermelon has ingredients that deliver Viagra-like effects to the body's blood vessels and may even increase libido, U.S. scientists say. Dr. Bhimu Patil of Texas A& in College Station said...

Man fired over offensive children's rhyme.
July 1, 2008... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- A New York drug counselor says he is trying to get his job back after being fired for reciting a children's rhyme an African-American colleague found offensive. Donald Cross, 65, said he is "dumbfounded" by the...

Law aims to get lead out.
July 1, 2008... SACRAMENTO, July 1 (UPI) -- Conservationists say a new law may help save endangered California condors by keeping lead ammunition out of their habitats. The measure, which goes into effect Tuesday, will require hunters to use only non-lead...

SAG reviewing producers' offer.
July 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, July 1 (UPI) -- The Screen Actors Guild said Monday night its members will work sans contract while it reviews what TV and movie producers call their last contract offer. The contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and...

Calif. hospitals report 100 errors a month.
July 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES , July 1 (UPI) -- Health officials say serious patient errors occur about 100 times a month in California hospitals. More than 1,000 adverse events were reported to the California Department of Public Health between July 2007...

Inspector: Coney attractions are dangerous.
July 1, 2008... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- Amusement rides on land belonging to the man who wants to make New York's Coney Island a massive fairground are unsafe, an inspector says. Amusement-safety consultant Walt Reiss said if he had the choice, he would...

MLB: Kansas City 6, Baltimore 5 (11 inn.).
July 1, 2008... BALTIMORE, July 1 (UPI) -- Jose Guillen singled in Mike Aviles in the 11th inning Monday, securing a 6-5 Kansas City win over Baltimore. Miguel Olivo's pinch-hit homer off George Sherrill with two outs in the ninth forced extra innings as...

Clues sought in honey bees' demise.
July 1, 2008... LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- British scientists say they getting closer to discovering why billions of honey bees have died in recent years. Research published in the Journal of General Virology suggests the deadly wing virus that has been...

Golfers finish game after armed robbery.
July 1, 2008... MILWAUKEE, July 1 (UPI) -- A group of persistent golfers said they were shocked when an armed man robbed them on a prestigious Milwaukee course, but they finished their game anyway. The foursome and two caddies were on the 16th tee Saturday...

Beijing-Tianjin express train on test run.
July 1, 2008... BEIJING, July 1 (UPI) -- China began a month-long trial Tuesday of its express 185 mph express train connecting Beijing and Tianjin for the August Summer Olympics. The Railway Ministry said the service is the country's first self-developed...

Miracle fruit turns sour into sweet.
July 1, 2008... FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 1 (UPI) -- A Florida grower said demand is rising for a red berry nicknamed "miracle fruit" that can make sour things taste sweet. Curtis Mozie said the berries, which are native to West Africa, change taste for...

MLB: San Diego 15, Colorado 8.
July 1, 2008... DENVER, July 1 (UPI) -- Edgar Gonzalez homered twice Monday, helping power San Diego to a 15-8 come-from-behind win over Colorado. Gonzalez finished 4-for-5 with three RBI. Jody Gerut had a three-run homer and tallied 4 RBI and two runs...

MLB: Arizona 6, Milwaukee 3.
July 1, 2008... PHOENIX, July 1 (UPI) -- Mark Reynolds homered and drove in three runs Monday, propelling the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 6-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Reynolds finished 3-for-3 -- his other two hits were doubles -- as the Diamondbacks...

Loggerhead sea turtles returned to sea.
July 1, 2008... SEBASTIAN INLET, Fla., July 1 (UPI) -- Scientists in Florida returned 142 loggerhead sea turtles to the Atlantic Ocean Monday after two years in captivity. Ben Higgins, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,...

Babies missing out on 'tummy time'.
July 1, 2008... CHICAGO, July 1 (UPI) -- Having babies sleep on their backs reduces Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, but losing out on tummy time hurts their muscles, U.S. researchers say. With babies sleeping on their backs, they miss out on the 12 hours of...

MLB: Oakland 6, LA Angels 1.
July 1, 2008... ANAHEIM, Calif., July 1 (UPI) -- Greg Smith held the Los Angeles Angels to one run Monday in going the distance in a 6-1 Oakland victory. Smith scattered four hits and two walks in garnering his second complete game of the season. He struck...

MLB: Toronto 2, Seattle 0.
July 1, 2008... SEATTLE, July 1 (UPI) -- Roy Halladay threw his 10th career shutout Monday, a four-hitter that carried the Toronto Blue Jays to a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Halladay didn't give up a walk and struck out six batters in improving...

MLB: Chicago Cubs 9, San Francisco 2.
July 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO, July 1 (UPI) -- A grand slam and a two-run shot by Mark DeRosa helped the Chicago Cubs blow past the San Francisco Giants 9-2 Monday. The Cubs also got two RBI from Matt Murton and one from Kosuke Fukudome as they got the...

Maine prison hostages freed.
July 1, 2008... WARREN, Maine, July 1 (UPI) -- Two hostages taken by a knife-wielding inmate at a Maine prison were freed Monday and the inmate was back in custody, authorities said. Officials at the Maine State Prison said the hostages -- a staff member...

8 dead in Pakistan blast.
July 1, 2008... ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 1 (UPI) -- An explosion killed eight people and destroyed a pro-Taliban commander's compound in Pakistan's northwest region, the scene of an anti-insurgency campaign. The Pakistani military denied any involvement...

No indictment in killing of burglars.
July 1, 2008... HOUSTON, July 1 (UPI) -- A grand jury in Texas has declined to indict a man who shot and killed two men who were burglarizing a neighboring house, court officials said. The decision by the Harris County panel Monday not to charge Joe Horn,...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.
July 1, 2008... Golfers finish game after armed robbery MILWAUKEE, July 1 (UPI) -- A group of persistent golfers said they were shocked when an armed man robbed them on a prestigious Milwaukee course, but they finished their game anyway. The foursome...

Watercooler Stories.
July 1, 2008... Long-lost rings found in toilet CAPE COD, Mass., June 30 (UPI) -- A Cape Cod, Mass., 10-year-old reached into the family toilet and pulled out two wedding rings that the owners said had been lost for 12 years. Cameron Delonde, 10, said...

Hindu shrine land award draws protests.
July 1, 2008... SRINAGAR, India, July 1 (UPI) -- Protests over plans to give land to a Hindu shrine trust in Indian-ruled Kashmir threatened to bring down the Congress-led coalition in the Himalayan state. The region's Muslim majority remains agitated even...

Report: 23 Taliban killed in Afghanistan.
July 1, 2008... KABUL, Afghanistan, July 1 (UPI) -- Several Taliban insurgents were reported killed in battles Tuesday in Afghanistan involving Afghan police and coalition forces. A Xinhua news agency quoted officials as saying up to 23 suspected Taliban...

Appeals panel overturns man's detention.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. federal appeals court reversed a military tribunal finding for holding a detainee in the first case reviewing the government's secret evidence. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia...

Malaysian opposition leader fights charge.
July 1, 2008... KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 1 (UPI) -- Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, accused in a sodomy complaint by his former aide, has been promised fair treatment by police. Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Anwar need not...

Man arrested in puffer fish toxin case.
July 1, 2008... ROCKFORD, Ill., July 1 (UPI) -- A Chicago-area businessman was being held without bond Tuesday on charges of possessing a deadly poison found in puffer fish. Edward Bachner, 35, of Lake in the Hills, Ill., was arrested by an FBI agent as...

Iraqi war wounded say care is lacking.
July 1, 2008... BAGHDAD, July 1 (UPI) -- Some wounded Iraqi war veterans say the Iraqi government has turned its back on them, providing little, if any, financial and medical assistance. Iraqi government officials say the wounded are treated well and a...

Hewlett-Packard fax machines recalled.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of two models of Hewlett-Packard fax machines due to a fire hazard. The HP Fax 1010 and 1010xi fax machines can overheat, causing a risk...

Tiger victim's family to sue zoo.
July 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO, July 1 (UPI) -- An attorney for a California teen killed by an escaped tiger at the San Francisco Zoo says he'll file a negligence lawsuit against the city. Michael Cardozo of Walnut Creek, Calif., said the family of Carlos...

Oil prices climb Tuesday.
July 1, 2008... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices rose Tuesday in New York to more than $142 a barrel on supply jitters and a relatively weak U.S. dollar. Analysts predicted crude oil prices would continue to rise. "I don't see much...

'Santa Claus Bandit' found after jailbreak.
July 1, 2008... HOUSTON, July 1 (UPI) -- An escaped Texas convict known as the Santa Claus Bandit was back in jail Tuesday after allegedly going on a crime spree while free. Patrick Bigelow, 44, of Katy, Texas, apprehended Monday in Houston by Texas...

Mississippi River recedes; storms on way.
July 1, 2008... ST. LOUIS, July 1 (UPI) -- Low-lying areas along the Mississippi River in Missouri and Illinois are emerging from their watery cover as flood waters withdraw back into their banks. The region, however is bracing for another round of strong...

Teen sentenced for abandoning newborn.
July 1, 2008... MONTREAL, July 1 (UPI) -- The Canadian teenage mother of a newborn boy who left him in the woods where he died has been sentenced in Quebec to 18 months in jail. The mother was 16 in November 2006 when she gave birth at her parents' home...

UPI NewsTrack TopNews.
July 1, 2008... Oil prices climb Tuesday NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices rose Tuesday in New York to more than $142 a barrel on supply jitters and a relatively weak U.S. dollar. Analysts predicted crude oil prices would continue to rise....

Russia denies TNK-BP staff work visas.
July 1, 2008... MOSCOW, July 1 (UPI) -- Russian authorities told TNK-BP in Moscow that its foreign workers won't have their work visas renewed, company sources said. If the issue is unresolved and TNK-BP's foreign workers are mandated to leave the country...

Canadian auto industry loses 250 more jobs.
July 1, 2008... OAKVILLE, Ontario, July 1 (UPI) -- High gas prices were blamed for the closing of Canada's Polywheels automotive plastic molding company west of Toronto and the elimination of 250 jobs. Workers got the news of an "extended plant shutdown"...

McCann probe to end for lack of evidence.
July 1, 2008... ALGARVE, Portugal, July 1 (UPI) -- Portuguese officials said Tuesday the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance will be shelved because of lack of evidence. While effectively ending the 14-month probe, police said their...

Report: South Africa seeking Zimbabwe deal.
July 1, 2008... SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt, July 1 (UPI) -- Sources say South African President Thabo Mbeki is working on a deal to establish a power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe. Citing unnamed sources, the South African newspaper Business Day reported...

Mites decimating Canadian honeybees.
July 1, 2008... WINNIPEG, Manitoba, July 1 (UPI) -- Beekeepers in Manitoba, Canada, said they are concerned the spread of the varroa mite is decimating hive populations. Provincial apiarist Rheal Lafreniere told the Winnipeg Sun this past winter saw a...

Suspect in cop's death dies in jail.
July 1, 2008... UPPER MARLBORO, Md., July 1 (UPI) -- A man arrested on suspicion of killing a Maryland police officer was slain in his jail cell, state medical officials say. The state medical examiner's office ruled Monday that Ronnie White, 19, who was...

Merchant Kenneth Macke dies at 69.
July 1, 2008... NAPA, Calif., July 1 (UPI) -- Kenneth A. Macke, who rose from sales trainee to chairman and chief executive officer of Dayton Hudson, has died at the age of 69, his family said. Macke died Saturday near his Napa, Calif., home of...

Canada woos skilled British workers.
July 1, 2008... LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- Officials from the Canadian province of Alberta are in Britain, trying to lure as many as 50,000 skilled workers to emigrate on fast-tracked visas. Alberta's Minister of Employment and Immigration Hector Goudreau...

Illness investigators review tomato theory.
July 1, 2008... ATLANTA, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. investigators said they're rethinking the premise fresh, unprocessed tomatoes caused the salmonella outbreak, sickening consumers nationwide. People are becoming ill three weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug...

Toyota Canada reduces prices on 11 models.
July 1, 2008... TORONTO, July 1 (UPI) -- Toyota Canada used the country's national birthday Tuesday to announce price cuts on 11 models of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The cuts range from $1,350 to $7,900, depending on model, and apply regardless of whether...

U.S. states consider budget shortfalls.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Many U.S. states are looking at a new fiscal year starting July 1 with budget shortfalls and dwindling tax revenues, various sources said. Times are especially tough in states hit hard by the mortgage crisis,...

Poll: More U.S. swing voters this year.
July 1, 2008... PRINCETON, N.J., July 1 (UPI) -- There are more swing voters in the U.S. electorate this year than in 2004 and they're more receptive to pitches from candidates, a Gallup Poll indicates. The Gallup Organization, based in Princeton, N.J.,...

Sioux Falls tops U.S. best-driver rankings.
July 1, 2008... NORTHBROOK, Ill., July 1 (UPI) -- Maybe it's the lack of traffic but Allstate Insurance is ranking the folks in Sioux Falls, S.D., as the safest drivers in the United States. The annual "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report" unveiled...

Kawasaki ATVs recalled.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of Kawasaki 2008 model year ATVs due to a speed control problem. The KFX 50 and KFX 90 youth ATVs can have problems returning to idle, a...

DNA indicates late Texas inmate innocent.
July 1, 2008... LUBBOCK, Texas, July 1 (UPI) -- Texas prosecutors say DNA from a notorious sex-crime spree doesn't match that of the defendant who died in prison staunchly maintaining his innocence. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram said Tuesday that the...

Dems: GOP playing politics with Medicare.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Democratic lawmakers say the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is playing politics with Medicare payments to doctors. Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Monday accused HHS...

Extra security at Canada's war memorial.
July 1, 2008... OTTAWA, July 1 (UPI) -- Canada's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa had extra security Tuesday as throngs convened to Parliament Hill for the country's 141st birthday. "There will be a full barricade around the monument," Veterans...

Michael Lohan takes paternity test.
July 1, 2008... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. actress Lindsay Lohan's dad, Michael, said he has taken a paternity test to determine whether he fathered a child with an ex-girlfriend. Michael Lohan admitted he had an affair with Kristi Kaufmann, a Texas...

Poll: People split on change of status quo.
July 1, 2008... PRINCETON, N.J., July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. voters seem closely divided about not getting enough change and getting too much with the next president, a Gallup poll indicates. Nearly half of respondents to a USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday...

Malaysian medicine cuts chemo resistance.
July 1, 2008... MONTREAL, July 1 (UPI) -- A Canadian, U.S. and Austrian study has discovered a Malaysian folk medication reduces resistance to cancer chemotherapy treatments. McGill University researchers said the study focused on a class of natural...

Fire guts Madonna's childhood home.
July 1, 2008... DETROIT, July 1 (UPI) -- A fire that seriously damaged Madonna's childhood home in Rochester Hills, Mich., is being treated as suspicious, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said. The Detroit Free Press said arson investigators are...

Release of CIA Iran nuke papers sought.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- An ex-CIA agent is seeking the release of documents he says show that the spy agency ignored intelligence about Iran's nuclear program. The agent, who is not allowed to use his real name, filed a motion in...

Polish president won't sign EU treaty.
July 1, 2008... WARSAW, Poland, July 1 (UPI) -- Polish President Lech Kaczynski said Tuesday he won't sign legislation approving the European Union's proposed Lisbon Treaty. Kaczynski's declaration, published Tuesday in a Polish newspaper, throws further...

U.S. markets slide Tuesday morning.
July 1, 2008... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- Rising oil prices and declines in European markets helped push U.S. stock indexes lower at the opening bell in New York Tuesday. Oil prices rose to more than $142 per barrel Tuesday on the New York Mercantile...

Winehouse leaves London clinic.
July 1, 2008... LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse has left The London Clinic where she was undergoing treatment for the early stages of emphysema. The 24-year-old recording artist left the clinic to perform at a concert...

Steroid tests show Texas preps are clean.
July 1, 2008... AUSTIN, Texas, July 1 (UPI) -- A statewide test of high school athletes in Texas turned up only two positive results for steroids, the company announced this week. The preliminary results from 10,407 tests conducted since February have...

U.S. retail sales up slightly in week.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Retail sales in the United States increased marginally on the week ending June 28, the International Council of Shopping Centers-USB reported Tuesday. Shopping increased by 0.1 percent on the week but gained 2.2...

Kymco ATVs recalled.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of 2008 model year KYMCO ATVs due to a potential loss of speed control. Carburetor defects in some of the ATVs can cause the throttle to...

Swift boat bank-rollers donating to McCain.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- GOP Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign accepted nearly $70,000 from donors of a group whose tactics he condemned four years ago, an analysis shows. In 2004, McCain condemned the Swift Boat Veterans for...

FDA OKs generic risperidone.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it's approved the first generic versions of Risperdal tablets for certain psychiatric disorders. The FDA said Risperdal (risperidone) is an anti-psychotic drug used for...

Guest to appear in 'Museum' sequel.
July 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. comic actor Christopher Guest reportedly has signed on to appear in the upcoming sequel to "Night at the Museum," starring Ben Stiller. Guest, who is married to actress Jamie Lee Curtis, has starred in the...

U.S. construction declined slightly in May.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Residential private construction in the United States fell in May, but non-residential private construction gained slightly, the U.S. Commerce Department said. The May figures showed private residential...

Charges expected in military show shooting.
July 1, 2008... PARIS, July 1 (UPI) -- A French army sergeant accused of mistakenly using live ammunition at a military show, injuring 17 people, faced charges Tuesday. Four people, including a child, were seriously hurt in the Sunday anti-terrorism...

Israeli attack on Iran worries Pentagon.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Department officials said there are two trigger issues that could lead to an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities before the end of 2008. The first issue is tied to when Iran's Natanz nuclear...

U.S. has highest level of cocaine, pot use.
July 1, 2008... SYDNEY, July 1 (UPI) -- The United States, despite its punitive drug policies, has the highest levels of illegal cocaine and marijuana use among 17 countries, researchers said. Study leader Louisa Degenhardt of the University of New South...

Utah moves to four-day work week.
July 1, 2008... SALT LAKE CITY, July 1 (UPI) -- Utah will become the first state to mandate a four-day work week for state employees, workforce experts said. Gov. Jon Huntsman said the change will reduce the state's carbon footprint and save energy, USA...

Firm recalls 531,707 pounds of ground beef.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the recall of approximately 531,707 pounds of ground beef due to possible E. coli contamination. The FSIS said Nebraska Beef Ltd. of Omaha initiated the...

Pot shops say Dutch tobacco ban hurts.
July 1, 2008... AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, July 1 (UPI) -- Some Dutch coffee shop owners say new a law banning tobacco smoking is threatening their marijuana-smoking customer base. That's because most customers of the coffee shops, which offer pot sales and...

UPI NewsTrack Business.
July 1, 2008... U.S. markets slide Tuesday morning NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- Rising oil prices and declines in European markets helped push U.S. stock indexes lower at the opening bell in New York Tuesday. Oil prices rose to more than $142 per barrel...

Cockroach insecticides may have long life.
July 1, 2008... WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've found one dose of an insecticide can kill three generations of cockroaches as they feed off each other, transferring the poison. Purdue University entomologists reached that...

Study might lead to new treatment for ARDS.
July 1, 2008... CHICAGO, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they've made a discovery that might lead to a new therapeutic target for acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS. In ARDS, the lungs become swollen with water and protein, and...

Denmark is the happiest, U.S. is No. 16.
July 1, 2008... ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 1 (UPI) -- Americans may be used to being No. 1 in many things, but when it comes happiness the United States ranks No. 16, a survey indicates. The World Values Survey, the work of a global network of social...

UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News.
July 1, 2008... SAG reviewing producers' offer LOS ANGELES, July 1 (UPI) -- The Screen Actors Guild said its members will work without a contract while it reviews what TV and movie producers call their last contract offer. The contract with the...

Brancato cohort lucid when he confessed.
July 1, 2008... NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- Prosecutors in the Bronx section of New York argue Steven Armento was clear-minded when he bragged from his hospital bed about outgunning a police officer. Armento is facing trial along with New York actor Lillo...

UPI NewsTrack TopNews.
July 1, 2008... Mississippi River recedes; storms on way ST. LOUIS, July 1 (UPI) -- Low-lying areas along the Mississippi River in Missouri and Illinois are emerging from their watery cover as flood waters withdraw back into their banks. The region,...

NRA sets $15M sight on Obama.
July 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The powerful National Rifle Association says it plans to spend $15 million to try to paint Sen. Barack Obama as a threat to the Second Amendment. "Our members understand that if Barack Obama is elected...

Chimp lost in Southern Calif. mountains.
July 1, 2008... DEVORE, Calif., July 1 (UPI) -- The owners of Moe, a celebrity chimp missing in the mountains of Southern California, say the aging animal is not equipped to survive in the wild. The 42-year-old chimpanzee disappeared from a refuge in San...