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Nixon blocks release of some papers

WASHINGTON (UPI) Former President Richard M. Nixon hastemporarily blocked the scheduled May 4 public release of about 5percent of the 1.5 million pages of his private presidential papers,the National Archives said yesterday.

Spokeswoman Jill Brett said Archives personnel have received "alarge list of objections . . . to specific documents" from lawyersfor Nixon. "Under the regulations, these documents must be withdrawnand reviewed according to their claim," she said.

Brett said Nixon …

Lab Tech Bites Boy, 3, During Blood Test

INDIANAPOLIS - A laboratory technician was fired after the parents of a 3-year-old boy claimed she bit his shoulder during a blood test, a hospital spokesman said.

Faith Buntin took her son Victor to St. Vincent Hospital on Friday to have blood drawn because of recent recalls of toys involving lead. She said she saw the worker put her mouth on Victor's shoulder as she restrained him so another lab worker could draw the blood.

"I looked at her like that was the craziest thing that I'd ever seen," Faith Buntin said Tuesday. "She looked …

German party fined for illegal donations

Germany's parliament on Thursday fined the opposition Free Democratic Party some euro4.3 million ($6.06 million) for accepting illegal donations between 1996 and 2000.

The fine is related to a series of untraceable cash donations passed by Juergen Moellemann, the one-time party chief in North Rhine-Westphalia state, to the regional party's treasurer.

The donations were then broken up and paid into the party coffers under false names, the lower house of parliament's administrative office said.

"These donations are each viewed as violating laws that prevent political parties from accepting donations from sources that cannot be …

Experts Search for Blast Center

How do you investigate a bombing?

Experts zero in on the center of a blast to determine what kindof explosive was used, a federal investigator said Wednesday.

"When you get to an explosion scene and the victims have beentaken care of, you basically go through the bomb damage," said AgentJerry Singer of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

"What looks like rubble to normal people will look like evidenceto our agents," said Singer, spokesman for the Chicago ATF office."You can get some idea of where the blast originated by how the itemsare damaged - the way things are mangled. Once you get close to thecenter of the explosion, you can find …

Shipper Moller-Maersk returns to full-year profit

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish container shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S said Wednesday it returned to a profit last year, citing a recovery in world trade flows and higher oil prices.

The company posted a net profit of 26.5 billion kroner ($4.84 billion) in 2010, compared with a loss of 7.0 billion kroner in the previous year, when the shipping industry suffered from the severe economic downturn.

Higher freight rates and volumes in its container activities helped boost Maersk's revenue to 315.4 billion kroner from 260 billion kroner in 2009. The company does not release a quarterly breakdown of its results.

"There has been a turnaround in the container …

Fashion students at Va. university design abayas

The assignment for Virginia Commonwealth University fashion students: design an abaya, an enveloping cloak worn by Muslim women, that is stylish yet acceptable in Arab countries.

The results: elaborately beaded designs, a flamenco-influenced abaya, a punk rock abaya _ and perhaps a better understanding of cultural norms in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, where the university has had a campus for 10 years.

"We were trying to make a feeling of youth _ but still be true to their culture," said Kendra Palin, a fashion design major who partnered with classmate Shelby Day to design an abaya with looped buttonholes, princess seams and a high waist. …

MOVE OVER MICHAEL MOORE Spike Lee takes aim at American corporate corruption with 'She Hate Me'

NEVER ONE TO SHY AWAY FROM CONTROVERSY, here comes Spike Lee withhis latest take on contemporary American corporate corruption -- butthere's a twist. * As much as the activist director is concernedwith launching "our salvo at what we think is the poor moral andethical climate of big business in America today" -- Lee is equallyinterested in entertaining viewers with "She Hate Me," when it opensFriday in Chicago. * In the film, Jack Armstrong (played by AnthonyMackie) is suddenly ostracized when his unscrupulous bosses make itappear he may be responsible for a corporate scandal jeopardizing hisfirm's ability to produce and market a groundbreaking new AIDSvaccine.

As his …

Payá Merece Nuestro Respeto

En esta larga lucha, ya de cuarenta y cinco a�os, �casi medio siglo!, es usual y casi perdonable que muchos, algunos bien intencionados, pierdan la perspectiva y sin percatarse de que los tiempos y las circunstancias var�an a golpe de cambios e historia, no quiera aceptar ni entender que viejas estrategias fracasadas deben ser sustituidas por nuevos procedimientos que sin ser definitivos pueden marcar pautas para lograr el anhelado fin.

El pueblo de Cuba, que debe ser uno solo, encuentra dividido en dos por razones pol�ticas formativas y geogr�ficas; m�s de once millones prisioneros dentro de la isla y un par de millones en el Exilio, prisioneros de humanas ambiciones personales y …

Stocks head for lower open after bank bailout plan

Wall Street headed to a lower start while the Treasury market calmed only slightly Monday as investors cautiously awaited further news about the government's plan to buy $700 billion in banks' mortgage debt.

Dow Jones industrial average futures were down moderately, and the yield on the 3-month Treasury bill remained below 1 percent, indicating that investors were still willing to take low returns on a safe asset.

Investors are relieved that federal authorities are taking action to relieve the nation's banks of their toxic assets. But it is not sure yet how successful the plan will be in loosening up the credit markets and propping up the sinking housing …

Nearly Pounds 900 was raised for school

Walton School Parent Teacher Association would like to thank allthe businesses and people that donated gifts for use in our summerfair raffle.

We would also like to thank those who …

U.S. Stocks Head for Higher Open

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks appeared headed for a moderately higher open Monday as investors examined a hostile $33 billion bid by Alcoa Inc. for Canadian aluminum rival Alcan Inc.

Early Monday, Alcoa offered $58.60 in cash and 0.4108 of a share for each share of Alcan. Based on the closing prices Friday, Alcoa's offer carries a 20 percent premium. Alcoa said it took its offer to shareholders after Alcan rejected the company's overtures for two years.

The move by Alcoa, one of the 30 stocks that makes up the Dow Jones industrials, could give stocks a lift Monday as investors often regard merger and acquisition activity as a bullish bet by companies on corporate profits.

…

In Vt. church, they pray for captain held hostage

Easter Sunday Mass is taking on added meaning at the Vermont church where hostage Capt. Richard Phillips normally worships.

In a 7:30 a.m. service, St. Thomas Church pastor Rev. Charles Danielson urged his congregation to pray for the safe return of the 53-year-old sea captain being held by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.

He drew a parallel between Jesus Christ's resurrection and Phillips' …

American League

East Division
	W	L	Pct	GB
z-Tampa Bay	94	63	.599	—
z-New York	94	64	.595	1/2
Boston	87	70	.554	7
Toronto	81	76	.516	13
Baltimore	62	95	.395	32
Central Division
	W	L	Pct	GB
x-Minnesota	92	65	.586	—
Chicago	84	73	.535	8
Detroit	80	76	.513	11 1/2
Cleveland	66	91	.420	26
Kansas City	65	92	.414	27
West Division
	W	L	Pct	GB
x-Texas	87	70	.554	—
Los Angeles	77	80	.490	10
Oakland	77	80	.490	10
Seattle	61	96	.389	26

z-clinched playoff berth

x-clinched division

___

Tuesday's Games

Detroit at Cleveland, ppd., rain

N.Y. Yankees 6, Toronto 1

Tampa Bay 5, Baltimore 0

Seattle 3, Texas 1

Chicago White Sox 5, Boston 4

Kansas City 10, Minnesota 1

L.A. Angels 4, Oakland 2

Wednesday's Games

Seattle at Texas

Oakland at L.A. Angels

Detroit at Cleveland, 2 games

N.Y. Yankees at Toronto

Baltimore at Tampa Bay

Detroit at Cleveland

Boston at Chicago White Sox

Witnesses say fight led to cab killing

A profanity-laced shouting match turned into a bloodyconfrontation last year when one man drove over the other repeatedlywith a cab, five witnesses said Tuesday.

Prosecutors allege defendant Michael Jackson, 38, deliberately ranover Haroon Paryani with Paryani's cab on Feb. 4, 2005. They'vecharged Jackson with murder and aggravated vehicular hijacking.

But in opening arguments Tuesday at the Cook County Criminal Courtbuilding, the defense countered that Paryani had a history ofviolence -- and that Jackson never had control of the cab.

Describing Jackson as an accountant originally from Peoria,defense lawyer Todd Pugh said that in prosecutors' version of events,"somehow Michael Jackson went from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde."

But Assistant State's Attorney Mercedes Luque-Rosales said Jacksondid "the unthinkable" that February night.

DRIVER A TROUBLEMAKER: DEFENSE

An AIDS activist who was then an employee of the city HealthDepartment, Jackson hailed Paryani's cab around midnight aftervisiting a friend, Pugh said. After a short ride to Jackson'sapartment, the men began arguing over the fare at the intersection ofBriar Place and Cambridge Avenue.

Defense lawyers labored to depict Paryani, 61, as a troublemaker.According to Pugh, the 270-pound Paryani began "beating upon" Jacksonafter a dispute over a fare erupted between the two men. During theshouting match that followed, Paryani yelled, "'F - - - you, you f - -- ing faggot. F - - - you, Jew. You're not going to rip me off,' "Pugh claimed.

Four of the five eyewitnesses who testified Tuesday lived near theintersection of Briar and Cambridge the night of Paryani's death.Susan Lichtman told of two men, later identified to her as Jacksonand Paryani, standing in front of the cab arguing "and began tothrottle each other."

Like the other eyewitnesses, Lichtman said after Jackson walkedaway, Paryani fell forward into the street. Jackson then got intoParyani's cab.

"Mr. Jackson then adjusted the steering ahead to the left andaccelerated into Mr. Paryani," she said, adding Jackson then backedthe cab up over Paryani and ran over him again.

Jackson is expected to testify in his own defense, his lawyerssaid.

eherman@suntimes.com

Chinese province checking pig deaths

A northern Chinese province has launched an investigation into the cause behind the recent deaths of more than 1,000 pigs, state media reported Monday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said 1,056 pigs, most less than a month old, were found dead in 10 villages in one county in Shanxi province.

China is especially wary of any unchecked spread of disease in its pig population. Two years ago, blue ear disease, also known as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, killed hundreds of thousands of pigs before it was brought under control.

The outbreak caused farmers to stop raising pigs because of worries they would become infected. That sent the price of pork _ China's staple meat _ sharply higher.

Xinhua said animal disease control officials in Shanxi were carrying out the investigation. Officials have already started burying or burning the dead pigs.

It said no contaminated pork had been found in stores or restaurants.

Another disease commonly found in pigs, the Streptococcus suis bacteria, is known to infect people through wounds.

An unusually large and lethal outbreak of Streptococcus suis killed at least 38 people in the southwestern province of Sichuan in 2005, mostly farmers who butchered or handled infected pigs. More than 200 people were infected. Pockets of infection were also reported then in Hong Kong and Jiangsu province in the east.

Symptoms include high fever, nausea and vomiting, followed by meningitis, hemorrhaging under the skin, toxic shock and sometimes coma. Some patients have also suffered organ failure.