UPI NewsTrack articles from October 2008

UPI NewsTrack archives from October 2008

Bar code reader scans at super speed.
October 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Engineers at the University of California-Los Angeles claim to have created the world's fastest bar code reader. The device, which is about one thousand times faster than other bar code readers, uses a new...

Missouri hit by hooping cough.
October 1, 2008... ST. LOUIS, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Health officials say 16 cases of pertussis have been reported in the past two months in St. Charles County, a suburban area outside St. Louis. St. Charles County officials said a dozen of the whopping cough cases...

Suspects arrested in banker's death.
October 1, 2008... NORWICH, England, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Three young men were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of being involved in the death of a prominent British banker who tried to protect a homeless man. Norfolk police said the suspects were all in their 20s,...

Man convicted in 1983 KFC killings.
October 1, 2008... BRYAN, Texas, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A jury deliberated less than two hours Tuesday before convicting a man in the so-called Kentucky Fried Chicken killings 25 years ago in Kilgore,Texas. Darnell Hartsfield, 47, of Tyler faces life in prison for...

Kaloba approved for sale in Britain.
October 1, 2008... LONDON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Health officials approved Kaloba, a traditional Zulu herbal cold remedy, for sale in Britain. Kaloba is derived from a species of geranium called Pelargonium sidoides. It has been used by members of the African tribe...

Man gets life for killing former colleague.
October 1, 2008... LONDON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A man fired from a London Internet company was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for killing a ex-colleague who caught him stealing laptops. Matthew Fagan, 33, a U.S. citizen, must serve at least 26 years, The...

Oregon students suspended for Obama effigy.
October 1, 2008... NEWBERG, Ore., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Four George Fox University students have been suspended for hanging presidential candidate Barack Obama in effigy, the Oregon school's president said Tuesday. The four students will be kicked out of the...

Court: Gurkhas can stay in Britain.
October 1, 2008... LONDON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Britain's High Court ruled Tuesday that five Nepalese veterans of the British army and a soldier's widow have the right to live in the country. A judge said denying the six British visas was "irrational and...

Architect shoots son in family row.
October 1, 2008... AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A Texas architect and developer has been charged with shooting and wounding a son during a family fight over a messy kitchen. Police in Austin said the shooting occurred late Saturday at the home of David...

Big Dig case settled for $28 million.
October 1, 2008... BOSTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The family of a woman killed in Boston's 2006 Big Dig ceiling collapse will get a total of $28.1 million to settle their case, their attorneys said Tuesday. The family of Milena Del Valle, 38, of Jamaica Plain,...

Missing man feared killed by crocodiles.
October 1, 2008... COOKTOWN, Australia, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- An Australian man disappeared Tuesday while camping with his wife on the remote Cape York Peninsula and is feared to be the victim of a crocodile attack. Two large crocodiles have been spotted near a...

Why more may die on Election Day.
October 1, 2008... STANFORD, Calif., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- There is an increased risk of fatal motor vehicle crashes on U.S. presidential Election Day, American and Canadian researchers contend. "We thought efforts that mobilize about 55 percent of the population...

Building fire kills 15 in Japan.
October 1, 2008... TOKYO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- An early Wednesday fire in a first-floor video-viewing shop in a seven-story building in Osaka, Japan, killed 15 people and injured 10 more, authorities said. All those killed were men who suffered carbon monoxide...

Boy left alone in daycare center.
October 1, 2008... CLEVELAND, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The parents of a baby left alone for hours in a Cleveland daycare center have been charged with child endangerment along with two workers at the center. Police say Eddie Humphrey and Ebonie Bridges dropped their...

Risky TV sexual behavior may be modeled.
October 1, 2008... SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- For those who have not had a one-night stand, viewing this behavior on TV significantly increases expectations of having one, U.S. researchers suggest. A study, published in the Journal of...

Asian markets rally.
October 1, 2008... TOKYO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Most Asian stocks rallied in early trading Wednesday, spurred by Wall Street's strong closing Tuesday on the likelihood of a revised bailout plan. Asian stocks took a beating Tuesday on the heels of Wall Street's...

Head of Nevada nuclear agency quits.
October 1, 2008... CARSON CITY, Nev., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The head of the Nevada Nuclear Projects Agency has resigned in the midst of a scandal about unauthorized pay hikes for his staff. Bob Loux, 59, has held the post for 23 years. He has been the point man in...

Skin removed from calves on farm.
October 1, 2008... SMITHFIELD, Pa., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Three calves have been found skinned on a western Pennsylvania farm. The calf in the most recent incident survived and is expected to recover, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. The other two died. ...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.
October 1, 2008... Stolen cash allegedly used to pay fine INYOKERN, Calif., Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Police in Inyokern, Calif., say five men were charged with stealing up to $8,000 from the walls of a restaurant after one used the bills to pay a court fine. ...

Watercooler Stories.
October 1, 2008... Woman allegedly attacked teen over remote TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Authorities in Tampa, Fla., say they arrested a 27-year-old woman who allegedly attacked a 17-year-old boy during an argument over the TV remote. Paula Geneva...

Phoenix zoo plans overhaul.
October 1, 2008... PHOENIX, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The zoo in Phoenix plans to spend $20 million on improved and new animal exhibits. Ed Fox, president of Arizona Public Service and co-chairman of the zoo's fundraising campaign, said officials decided the zoo needs...

Suspected U.S. drone strike kills four.
October 1, 2008... ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Pakistani security officials said a suspected U.S. drone missile strike Wednesday in a Taliban-haven tribal area killed at least four people. Nine other people were wounded in the alleged incident in...

Tropical Storm Laura no threat to land.
October 1, 2008... MIAMI, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Laura was over cold North Atlantic waters east of Newfoundland Wednesday morning and expected to pose no threat to land, U.S. forecasters said. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 5 a.m., the...

Spain breaks massive child porn ring.
October 1, 2008... MADRID, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Spanish authorities say they've broken a massive child pornography ring, arresting 121 people and charging 96 others with possessing such materials. Raids were conducted over a seven-day period in 42 Spanish...

Wall Street slipping in global status.
October 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Wall Street's status as the world's top financial district appears to be slipping, while Shanghai and others are growing in stature, analysts say. "Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai and Mumbai -- they are the probable...

Senate sets bailout vote.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate leaders scheduled a quick vote on a financial industry bailout plan they hope will be more palatable for opponents. After the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a $700 billion Wall Street rescue...

Clinton office hostage-taker in plea deal.
October 1, 2008... DOVER, N.H., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A New Hampshire man who took hostages at a Hillary Clinton campaign office accepted a plea deal that will result in two years in prison, prosecutors said. Leeland Eisenberg, 47, pleaded guilty to seven felonies...

Kardashian is eliminated from 'Dancing'.
October 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. reality television personality Kim Kardashian was the third celebrity to be booted off the Season 7 edition of "Dancing with the Stars." The star of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" follows in the...

Poll: Canadians anxious over Conservatives.
October 1, 2008... TORONTO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- More than half of Canadian voters polled said they are nervous of a majority Conservative government but not concerned enough to change their vote. The national poll of 1,000 voters was done Sunday and Monday for...

Mortgage volume down.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The volume of applications for U.S. mortgages declined last week, falling by a seasonally adjusted 23 percent, an industry group said. The Market Composite Index, which measures mortgage loan application volume,...

UPI NewsTrack TopNews.
October 1, 2008... Senate sets bailout vote WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate leaders scheduled a quick vote on a financial industry bailout plan they hope will be more palatable for opponents. After the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a...

Crude oil prices down slightly.
October 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices slipped overnight Wednesday to less than $100 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as traders wait for a petroleum status report. The bailout proposal that failed in its first attempt at...

Md. ACLU seeks state police spy files.
October 1, 2008... ANNAPOLIS, Md., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Dozens of activist groups say they want Maryland authorities to release information on spying activities by the state police. The request came as an independent review panel prepared to release the results...

Jail urged for British DUI jockey.
October 1, 2008... NEWMARKET, Ontario, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Jail has been recommended for a famed Canadian jockey who never relinquished British citizenship and who killed a woman in a 2006 drunken driving crash. In Newmarket, northeast of Toronto, Crown...

New voters may not vote, poll indicates.
October 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The crush of newly registered voters may skew for Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race but they may not show up to vote, a poll indicates. A national poll of Americans eligible to vote for the first...

U.S. enters Katrina bridge shootings case.
October 1, 2008... NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Justice Department officials say they have agreed to examine a 2005 New Orleans incident in which witnesses claim police shot and killed two unarmed men. Four other people were injured in the incident on...

Early voting gaining popularity in U.S.
October 1, 2008... PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Voting early rather than waiting for Election Day in November is gaining popularity across the United States, political trackers say Paul Gronke, a researcher at the Early Voting Information Center in...

Russian court exonerates last czar.
October 1, 2008... MOSCOW, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Russia's top court has admitted that the 1918 execution of Czar Nicolas II and his family by the Bolsheviks was unlawful. The Supreme Court's appeals panel ruled Wednesday that the czar, his wife and five children...

Medicare drops 'never' procedure coverage.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Medicare has stopped paying hospitals for the added costs of treating U.S. patients who are injured while undergoing covered procedures, officials said. The United States' biggest insurer, which provides coverage...

Lawyer: Payout delayed in Ledger case.
October 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The ReliaStar Life Insurance Co. reportedly won't disburse a $10 million payment until it is certain Australian actor Heath Ledger's death wasn't a suicide. Ledger died in January at the age of 28 of a lethal...

Food labeling law has lots of exemptions.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Consumer groups complain there are too many loopholes in the food labeling law that took effect in the United States this week. The law requires that all meats, fish, and fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables be...

EU monitors fan out in Georgia.
October 1, 2008... TBILISI, Georgia, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The European Union began sending 200 civilian monitors to Georgia Wednesday, despite threats by Russia to bar them from buffer zones, officials said. The monitors were allowed to pass through Russian...

FDA funds 10-year modernization project.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has selected 10 contractors to receive up to $2.5 billion to help modernize bioinformatics technology. The 10-year contract is the cornerstone of the FDA's Information...

Stazzema makes Lee an honorary citizen.
October 1, 2008... FLORENCE, Italy, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The mayor of Sant'Anna di Stazzema said he has granted U.S. filmmaker Spike Lee honorary citizenship in the Italian village. Lee was given the honor because his new movie "Miracle at St. Anna," which is...

Woman says mango has Arabic words for God.
October 1, 2008... STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Muslims have been streaming to a home in southern Sweden to view a mango that reportedly has the Arabic words for Allah and Muhammad written inside. Rubina Sheikh of Helsingborg, Sweden. says black lines...

Bailout plan coloring races in Congress.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Legislative wrangling on the $700 billion Wall Street bailout is affecting tight U.S. House of Representatives races, campaign observers and operatives say. The non-partisan Cook Political Report noted 32 of 37...

U.S. markets open Wednesday down.
October 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. stock indexes edged lower Wednesday, although investors were reportedly betting on a bailout from Washington to ease credit and shore up financial firms. "Given the political capital invested by all sides, we...

Trial not hurting Stevens' re-election bid.
October 1, 2008... ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Standing trial in a Washington courtroom has not sunk Republican Sen. Ted Stevens' bid for re-election in Alaska, his supporters say. "I think he's electable," Florence Hall, 77, told The Washington Post....

Small businesses mixed about bailout.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Acceptance of a federal bailout for Wall Street is mixed among owners of small U.S. businesses with many wondering what's in it for them, analysts said. Many feel "Wall Street is being given a free ride," George...

China celebrates its founding.
October 1, 2008... BEIJING, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- More than 5,000 people gathered in Beijing's Tiananmen Square Wednesday to mark the 59th anniversary of the founding of modern China. The country's top leaders laid baskets of flowers at the Monument to the...

Miramax 'saddened' by planned protest.
October 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Miramax Films said it is "saddened" the U.S. National Federation of the Blind plans to protest the movie "Blindness" over its depiction of the sight impaired. Co-starring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover...

U.S. transfers Awakening fighters to Iraq.
October 1, 2008... BAGHDAD, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. military Wednesday began transferring control of the roughly 100,000 fighters belonging to the Sunni "Awakenings" councils to the Iraqi government. Government and military leaders agreed in principle to the...

Chinese Olympic gymnasts found old enough.
October 1, 2008... LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Three gold medal-winning Chinese female gymnasts were old enough to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, officials said Wednesday. The International Gymnastics Federation in Lausanne, Switzerland,...

Lotte-brand cookies recalled in Canada.
October 1, 2008... OTTAWA, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people not to consume Lotte-brand Koala's March filled cookies because of possible contamination. The CFIA said the cookies, manufactured by the Lotte China Foods Co....

Johnny Rotten stars in butter commercial.
October 1, 2008... LONDON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- British rock 'n' roll singer Johnny Rotten said he couldn't resist starring in a commercial for Dairy Crest's Country Life butter because it was made for him. Rotten, whose real name is John Lydon, is best known as...

Pepsi chief named most powerful woman.
October 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Indra Nooyi, chairman and chief executive officer of Pepsi Co. was ranked first on Fortune Magazine's annual list of the 50 most powerful women in 2008. The list draws heavily from the ranks of U.S. corporations...

General says U.S. has no designs on Africa.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The United States won't use its military presence in Africa to gain control of the continent's natural resources, the region's top U.S. military officer says. "There is no hidden agenda," said Gen. William Ward,...

Mom and Pop businesses feeling pinched.
October 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Mom and pop businesses around the United States report business is slow as the U.S. credit crisis has trickled down to Main Street. Business owners say customers are spending less and complaining more, USA Today...

UPI NewsTrack Business.
October 1, 2008... U.S. markets fall Wednesday NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. stock indexes fell Wednesday, although investors were reportedly betting on a bailout from Washington to ease credit and shore up financial firms. "Given the political capital...

Naked suspect dies after stun gun use.
October 1, 2008... VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A naked man who was a bank robbery suspect near Vancouver, Canada, died after Royal Canadian Mounted Police used a stun gun on him, the RCMP said. The incident happened Tuesday in suburban...

Georgians show mixed feelings about Stalin.
October 1, 2008... GORI, Georgia, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The nation of Georgia has a complex relationship with its most famous son -- the late Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, residents say. Stalin, whose real surname was Dzhugashvili, enjoys an enduring cult of...

Fear Aussie eaten by giant crocodile.
October 1, 2008... COOKTOWN, Australia, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A search resumed in far northeastern Australia Wednesday for a 62-year-old man who authorities fear was snatched from the water's edge by a giant crocodile. Scottish-born Vietnam War veteran Arthur...

Border Patrol targeting inland transport.
October 1, 2008... BLAINE, Wash., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. immigration authorities say they're making more arrests by focusing on bus and train stations many miles from the nation's borders. U.S. Border Patrol agents have the authority to search any kind of...

Florida adoption law has new challenge.
October 1, 2008... MIAMI, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A gay Florida man resumed his effort Wednesday to adopt two half-brothers who have been living in his foster home since 2004. Frank Martin Gill and his American Civil Liberties Union attorney are asking Miami-Dade...

Suspect sought in firecracker attack.
October 1, 2008... MALMO, Sweden, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Police in the Swedish city of Malmo say they are hoping to locate the unidentified individual who set off a firecracker in a woman's mouth. Police said a female train driver at the city's central train...

Canadian debates big draw at 'White House'.
October 1, 2008... STANSTEAD, Quebec, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Debates between the leaders of Canada's political parties are more popular among elders at The White House than the U.S. vice presidential one, officials said. The White House in question isn't in...

Jet Blue pilots accused of beating cabbie.
October 1, 2008... FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A cab driver was physically beaten by two Jet Blue pilots over the cost of a fare in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., police said. Officers arrested 40-year-old William Hart Smith and 38-year-old Brad Leopard...

New arena in fight against heart disease.
October 1, 2008... LA JOLLA, Calif., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. medical researchers say they are focusing on a new approach in the fight against heart disease. Scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology say statins -- cholesterol-lowering drugs...

GOP leaders urge McCain to attack Obama.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Some U.S. Republican Party officials are urging presidential nominee John McCain to step negative attacks on his Democratic opponent Barack Obama. With recent polls showing McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona,...

Wetlands restoration: A false hope?
October 1, 2008... CULLOWHEE, N.C., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist says Louisiana Coastal residents counting on wetlands restoration to protect storm buffeted infrastructure are waging a losing battle. Western Carolina University researcher Robert Young,...

UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News.
October 1, 2008... Miramax 'saddened' by planned protest NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Miramax Films said it is "saddened" the U.S. National Federation of the Blind plans to protest the movie "Blindness" over its depiction of the sight impaired. Co-starring...

Florida house fire kills three.
October 1, 2008... MACCLENNY, Fla., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- An early Wednesday morning house fire in Baker County, Fla., left three people dead, Baker County Sheriff Joey Dobson confirms. Dobson said the fire at a home south of Macclenny, Fla., killed 73-year-old...

Mixed verdict delivered in Joe Cool case.
October 1, 2008... MIAMI, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A federal jury in Miami has convicted a 20-year-old man on firearms charges in the shooting deaths of four people aboard the charter boat "Joe Cool" last year. Guillermo Zarabozo was found guilty of providing the gun...

FDA awards food-feed safety program grants.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has awarded 17 grants with a combined value of $5.2 million to enhance state and local food and feed safety programs. The FDA said the grants will fund major cooperative...

Marine takes the Fifth in Fallujah hearing.
October 1, 2008... CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marine Corps had yet to decide whether to charge a Camp Pendleton Marine for refusing to testify about the alleged killing of prisoners in Iraq. Marine Sgt. Jermaine Nelson faced the...

Officer's acts probed in campus shooting.
October 1, 2008... KAUHAJOKI, Finland, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The officer who didn't take the gun from the man who then went on a fatal shooting spree at a Finnish college could face criminal charges, prosecutors said. Timo Lousma, the investigating prosecutor, said...

Wild moose killed after city rampage.
October 1, 2008... WORCESTER, Mass., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A wild bull moose that wandered into Worcester, Mass., and startled machinists at a factory warehouse has been killed by police, officials say. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs...

State: No testimony for brain-damaged girl.
October 1, 2008... SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A prosecutor for Hampden County, Mass., says a brain-damaged girl shouldn't testify in an abuse case against her stepfather. In a reversal of her previous stance on the matter, Hampden County prosecutor...

NASA assigns crew for STS-129 mission.
October 1, 2008... CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency has assigned the crew for space shuttle Discovery's STS-129 mission, which is targeted for launch in October 2009. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said STS-129...

'Smog Blog' For Central America initiated.
October 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency and its partners have launched a "Smog Blog," designed to coordinate satellite air quality data for Central America and the Caribbean. The MesoAmerican and Caribbean Smog Blog, a Web site...

Zoo needs to separate fighting tigers.
October 1, 2008... LONDON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A male and female tiger that don't get along are prompting the London Zoo to seek $10 million to finance a new big cat enclosure. Keepers at the 180-year-old facility said they were hoping that Sumatran tigers Sarah...

Police: Kids in freezer dead for a year.
October 1, 2008... PRINCE FREDERICK, Md., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Maryland authorities say two children whose bodies were found in a woman's freezer may have been dead for a year or more. Police say they suspect the bodies may belong to two missing children adopted...

Police: Dogs killed after human attack.
October 1, 2008... PHOENIX, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Two American Bulldogs were shot by police after the animals allegedly attacked a city worker in Phoenix, police say. Phoenix police spokesman Tony Morales said officers responding to a 911 call Tuesday allegedly...

U.S. missile plan on Czech agenda in Nov.
October 1, 2008... PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The Czech Republic Parliament may take up ratification of a Czech-U.S. missile defense treaty next month, a member of parliament said Wednesday. The agreement to establish a U.S. radar station in the...