U.S. man returns after release from Myanmar jail

CHICAGO (AP) - Looking exhausted and being pushed in a wheelchair, American John Yettaw returned to the United States on Wednesday after being freed from a hard-labor prison sentence for his nighttime swim to the home of Myanmar's detained democracy icon.

New gov't study shows mercury in fish widespread

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — No fish can escape mercury pollution.

That's the take-home message from a federal study of mercury contamination released Wednesday that tested fish from nearly 300 streams across the country. The toxic substance was found in every fish sampled, a finding that underscores how widespread mercury pollution has become.

But while all fish had traces of contamination, only about a quarter had mercury levels exceeding what the Environmental Protection Agency says is safe for people eating average amounts of fish.

Wave of blasts in Iraqi capital kills at least 95

 

 

BAGHDAD (AP) — Nearly simultaneous truck bombs struck Iraq's Foreign and Finance ministries Wednesday as a wave of explosions killed at least 95 people, bringing the weaknesses of Iraqi security forces into sharp focus less than two months after U.S. forces withdrew from urban areas.

It was the deadliest day of coordinated bombings since Feb. 1, 2008, when two suicide bombers killed 109 people at pet markets in Baghdad. More than 400 were wounded in Wednesday's blasts.

In hot water: World's ocean temps warmest recorded

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Steve Kramer spent an hour and a half swimming in the ocean Sunday — in Maine.

The water temperature was 72 degrees — more like Ocean City, Md., this time of year. And Ocean City's water temp hit 88 degrees this week, toasty even by Miami Beach standards.

Kramer, 26, who lives in the seaside town of Scarborough, said it was the first time he's ever swam so long in Maine's coastal waters. "Usually, you're in five minutes and you're out," he said.

What killed Mozart? Study suggests strep infection

 

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - For more than two centuries, the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has endured - as has the speculation about what led to his sudden death at age 35 on Dec. 5, 1791.

Was the wunderkind composer poisoned by a jealous rival? Did he have an intestinal parasite from an undercooked pork chop? Could he have accidentally poisoned himself with mercury used to treat an alleged bout of syphilis?

Obama's position on public option is unchanged, White House says

WASHINGTON — It's an article of faith among politicians that voters admire consistency as evidence of backbone. No leader, least of all a president, wants to be seen as flip-flopping.

So the White House administration is unhappy about recent news coverage suggesting President Barack Obama and his administration have changed positions on an important piece of the health care proposal: creating a government-run medical insurance plan that would compete with private insurers.

PS3 price cut by $100; slimmer model to come

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) - After months of rumors and anticipation, Sony Corp. is slashing the price of the PlayStation 3 by $100 in hopes of boosting sales of the console ahead of the important holiday season.

Sony Corp. said Tuesday it will cut the price of the currently available 80 gigabyte PlayStation 3 effective immediately, to $299. It is also launching a slimmer, lighter model with a 120 GB hard drive in early September; that version will also cost $299.

Park Service says visits to national parks are up

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration says visits to national parks are up nearly 4 percent this year compared to a year earlier.

The National Park Service said Monday that 127.7 million visits were made to national parks in the first six months of the year, an increase of about 4.5 million over the same period in 2008. In June alone, officials say visits to national parks increased by more than 700,000.

Gov't: Man tried to steal 130M credit card numbers

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal prosecutors on Monday charged a Miami man with the largest case of credit and debit card data theft ever in the United States, accusing the one-time government informant of plotting to swipe 130 million accounts on top of 40 million he stole previously.

Albert Gonzalez, 28, broke his own record for identity theft by hacking into retail networks, according to prosecutors, though they say his illicit computer exploits ended when he went to jail on charges stemming from an earlier case.

5 who killed niece in exorcism avoid jail

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Five New Zealanders who were convicted of manslaughter for the drowning death of their niece in an exorcism ceremony avoided jail terms Friday.

The five siblings were sentenced instead to community service. In 2007, Janet Moses, 22, died after her aunts and an uncle poured water in her nose and mouth for several days in a bid to drive out an evil spirit, or makutu in Maori, the indigenous language of New Zealand.

They were convicted in June of manslaughter by a New Zealand High Court.

Poll shows Karzai leading ahead of Afghan election

 

 

KABUL (AP) - President Hamid Karzai holds a strong lead in the Afghan presidential race but is still short of the majority he needs for a first-round victory, according to a poll released Friday with less than a week to go before the balloting.

The poll by a U.S. government-funded group suggests turnout will be crucial, especially in the Pashtun south - the president's support base where Taliban fighters have been warning voters to stay away from the polls.

Big bellies lead to big problems: Diabetes

ST. LOUIS — The scene plays out repeatedly in Dr. George Griffing's Brentwood, Mo., office: big round bellies come through his exam-room door well before the rest of his patients' bodies.

Weightlifting helps for Breast Cancer survivors

 Breast cancer survivors have been getting bad advice.

For decades, many doctors warned that lifting weights or even heavy groceries could cause painful arm swelling. New research shows that weight training actually helps prevent this problem.

Special Olympians, family celebrate Eunice Shriver

 

 

HYANNIS, Mass. (AP) - Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the presidential sister who founded the Special Olympics, was celebrated Friday at a funeral Mass as a fearless warrior for the voiceless who changed the world for millions and an unconventional woman who smoked Cuban cigars and played tackle football.

Obama denounces emphasis on health care protests

 

 

BELGRADE, Mont. (AP) - Trying to lower the temperature of the health care fight, President Barack Obama on Friday denounced news media emphasis on angry protesters at town-hall meetings.

Obama ventured west for the latest of his own town hall-style events, fielding polite but occasionally tough questions - one man declaring the president couldn't pay for his plan without raising taxes. Tieless and rolling up his sleeves in campaign mode, Obama pitched his overhaul plan to a crowd in an airport hangar near Bozeman.

Manson follower known as 'Squeaky' out of prison

 

 

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Three decades after basking in the national spotlight as "Squeaky" the infamous Charles Manson disciple who tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford, the now 60-year-old woman slipped quietly out of a federal prison Friday after being released on parole.

These are thrilling times for Jacko impersonators

 

 

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Michael Jackson impersonator Frederick Henry had to go overseas to find steady work in recent years as the pop star's behavior got weirder and weirder. Many of his colleagues quit the business altogether.

But in the past few weeks, Henry's act at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas has become so hot that the hotel-casino had to beef up security to keep fans from swarming him after the show.

"It's been crazy," Henry said. "But it's all in fun - they're showing love."

Fan mad about Archie engaging Veronica sells comic

 

 

DALLAS (AP) - When comic book store owner Dave Luebke heard that after 67 years, the carrot-topped everyman of the comic world, Archie, was proposing to va-va-voomy rich girl Veronica instead of girl-next-door Betty, he decided to protest by selling his copy of the series' rare first issue.

Training to fight the enemy, Fort Hood soldiers battle each other

FORT HOOD, Texas — There will be blood.

There will also be dislocated shoulders, eyes swollen shut and the occasional lights-out, smelling-salts-required knockout.

Soldiers aren't just fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sometimes they fight each other.

"Most of us like to fight," Spc. Zach Nichols, a medic in the 1st Cavalry Division, said before the semifinal of the Fort Hood Combatives Tournament last week. "It felt good."

Missing cargo ship found near Cape Verde

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian-manned cargo ship that vanished last month in the Atlantic was found Friday near Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa, according to French and Russian officials. There was no immediate information about the condition of the crew or whether there was anyone else onboard.

The Arctic Sea — carrying a load of timber and 15 Russian sailors — disappeared after passing through the English Channel on July 28. The Maltese-flagged freighter sent radio messages as it sailed along the coasts of France and Portugal, but then all contact was lost.

Polio cases surge in Nigeria due to virus mutation in vaccine

LONDON (AP) - Polio, the dreaded paralyzing disease stamped out in the industrialized world, is spreading in Nigeria. And health officials say in some cases, it's caused by the vaccine used to fight it.

In July, the World Health Organization issued a warning that this vaccine-spread virus might extend beyond Africa. So far, 124 Nigerian children have been paralyzed this year - about twice those afflicted in 2008.

Britons unite to defend health care amid U.S. debate

 

 

LONDON (AP) - Britons love to mock their National Health Service - just don't let anyone else poke fun at it.

They particularly resent the British universal health care system being used as a punching bag in the battle against President Barack Obama's proposed reforms.

Conservatives in the United States have relied on horror stories from Britain's system to warn Americans that Obama is trying to impose a socialized health care system that would give the government too much power.

GOP backs away from end-of-life counseling