Council calls for delay on waterfront

Council calls for delay on waterfront

Arguing that the city's Municipal Harbor Plan has cut the residents of the city off from Boston's waterfront, city councilors last week persuaded the state's environmental secretary to postpone approval of the plan until after a public hearing.

Environmental Secretary Robert Durand announced last week that he has extended the written public comment period on the Harbor Plan until October 18. The plan is currently being reviewed for compliance with state regulations by Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management, an office of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

In a heated hearing, councilors argued that the plan, already …

Court win opens way for Zuma presidency in SAfrica

The man likely to be South Africa's next president emerged victorious from a corruption case that dogged him eight years, getting a hero's welcome from supporters hungry for a charismatic leader who understands the pain of poverty.

Jacob Zuma, a 66-year-old former guerrilla chief who already survived a rape scandal to rise to the leadership of the governing African National Congress, cleared a legal hurdle to his presidential ambitions when a judge dismissed fraud, money laundering and corruption charges.

"It is a victory for democracy," a beaming Zuma declared Friday to thousands of supporters singing and dancing in a display of his intense …

Our views: ; After 48 years, a living legend retires; Professor Simon Perry knows politics and how to teach it, too

IN 1962, Simon Perry of Gilbert in Mingo County came home toteach political science at Marshall College, as it was then known.He had earned a doctorate from the University of Michigan.

But Perry also had a practical knowledge of politics,particularly as it was - and still is - practiced in Southern WestVirginia.

He also had the gift of knowing how to share his knowledge withstudents. A terrific storyteller, he used examples from life toillustrate his academic point. Students enjoyed his classes and hisstories.

At the infamous Rate My Professors Web site, where anonymousstudents often slam their teachers, Perry received much praise.

"Greatest …

U.S. Soldier Convicted in Iraq

BAGHDAD - A U.S. Army soldier has been convicted at a court-martial in Iraq of being disrespectful to a superior commissioned officer and intentionally missing a military flight, officials said Friday.

The court-martial was tried at Camp Victory, a large U.S. base on the outskirts of Baghdad, with a military judge sentencing Master Sgt. Penny F. Johnson, 39, of Washington, D.C., to be reduced in rank to staff sergeant, forfeit …

National League Standings

All Times EDT
East Division
	W	L	Pct	GB
Philadelphia	29	19	.604	—
Florida	27	19	.587	1
Atlanta	28	23	.549	2½
New York	23	25	.479 …

Safeway's 2nd-quarter net income falls 40 percent

National grocery operator Safeway Inc.'s second-quarter net income fell 40 percent and the company lowered its outlook on Thursday in the face of tough competition and declining retail prices.

The chain doesn't expect prices to rebound until the fourth quarter.

Quarterly net income fell to $141.3 million, or 37 cents per share, matching the average expectation of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters. It earned $238.6 million, or 57 cents per share, a year earlier. However, that figure included a benefit of 14 cents per share related to a tax issue.

Its revenue rose less than 1 percent to $9.52 billion, topping expectations for $9.47 billion.

…

Man convicted in Atlanta child killings points the finger at a child molester

ATLANTA - Lawyers for convicted killer Wayne Williams, blamed for the murders of two dozen boys and young men in the Atlanta area during the 1970s and '80s, are casting suspicion on a child molester they say lived or worked near where many of the bodies were found.

In court papers made public Friday, the defense asked a federal judge for access to police files on the molester.

The papers do not identify the man by name but say he is a multiple child molester serving time in a Georgia prison. They also allege that investigators knew the man was a viable suspect in the child murders but never told defense attorneys. Evidence about the man resurfaced within the last year after …

Jesuits in Rome election chose Spanish priest as their new leader

The Jesuits, a Roman Catholic order known for intellectual excellence and missionary work, on Saturday chose a 71-year-old Spanish priest with top academic credentials and extensive experience in Asia to be their new leader.

The Rev. Adolfo Nicolas was chosen to serve as superior general, the 29th successor to St. Ignatius Loyola, who found the Society of Jesus, as the order is formally known, in 1540.

The choice of Nicolas followed four days of prayer and discussion among 217 electors who came to Rome from around the world, the Jesuits said.

Nicolas succeeds Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, a Dutch priest who was elected leader in 1983 and who was widely …

LOLLIPOPS & ROSES

Katy Perry greeted the audience Sunday at the rear of the Allstate Arena by floating to them in the air while strumming a guitar on a fluffy pink cloud.

Yes, really. Perry delivered and then overdelivered songs that, indeed, sounded like they should be sung atop a confectionary constellation, high in the sky among rainbows, unicorns and bubblegum stars.

Perry entered her spotlight three years ago with a novelty hit ("I Kissed a Girl") that is less salacious than it sounds, especially today.

Not that it matters. Her second album transitions the singer into American Sweetheart territory. Songs tease, but indiscriminately so, in favor of catchy beats and frothy song …

Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe

Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe

COUNTRY CLUB

For anyone familiar with Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe's previous collaborations - from their initial exploration of speed psychosis (Hello Meth Lab in the Sun, 2008) to the more hallucinogenic Black Acid Co-op, 2009 - it would have been evident that, in their most recent effort, Bright White Underground, 2010, the drugs may have changed once more, but the song remained the same. Again we were shown the bitter fallout from a period of overextended euphoria, as manifested in architectural wreckage; the literal deconstruction of built space as a direct analogy to bodies flooded with toxins.

Up until now, Freeman and Lowe's …

Fox News criticized for using racially-tinged slang to describe Michelle Obama

Fox News Channel referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama" in a graphic on Wednesday, the latest in a trio of references to the Democratic presidential campaign that have given fuel to critics of the network.

The graphic "Outraged liberals: Stop picking on Obama's baby mama" was flashed during an interview with conservative columnist Michelle Malkin about whether Barack Obama's wife has been the target of unfair criticism.

'Baby mama' originated as urban black slang for a woman who has a baby with a man who is not her husband or her boyfriend.

In the past two weeks, Fox anchor E.D. Hill has apologized for referring to …

Figure Skating World Championships Results

MOSCOW (AP) — Results Tuesday from the figure skating world championships:

Women
Preliminary Round

1. Mae Berenice Meite, France, 98.88 points (qualified for the main competition).

2. Joshi Helgesson, Sweden, 91.70 (q).

3. Sonia Lafuente, Spain, 91.17 (q).

4. Ira Vannut, Belgium, 90.29 (q).

5. Amelie Lacoste, Canada, 87.04 (q).

6. Juulia Turkkila, Finland, 86.49 (q).

7. Karina Johnson, Denmark, 78.52 (q).

8. Dasa Grm, Slovenia, 77.42 (q).

9. Elena Glebova, Estonia, 76.13 (q).

10. Irina Movchan, Ukraine, 75.96 (q).

11. Belinda Schonberger, …

Patriots Lead Colts 14-3 in 2nd Quarter

INDIANAPOLIS - Asante Samuel returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown just after Corey Dillon's 7-yard scoring run as the New England Patriots took a 21-3 lead over the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter of Sunday's AFC championship game.

The Patriots were also handed a gift when Tom Brady's fumbled handoff to Laurence Maroney squirted through several Colts into the end zone and was recovered by left tackle Logan Mankins.

On third-and-1 from the Indy 4, Maroney dropped the handoff from Brady and kicked it forward. Somehow, under the big pile, the ball squirted out from underneath three Colts defenders and trickled into the end zone, where Mankins fell on it for his first career score.

It was the first time Indianapolis had trailed in the postseason - typical of how the Colts have lost other recent playoff games to the Patriots.

New England is trying to join the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers as the only teams with four Super Bowl victories in six years. The Colts last played in a Super Bowl 36 years ago when they defeated Dallas at Miami.

After the Patriots scored, Manning countered with a time-consuming, 14-play drive that stalled at the New England 25 after right tackle Ryan Diem was called for holding.

The Colts settled for a 42-yard field goal from ex-Patriot Adam Vinatieri to make it 7-3 with 48 seconds left in the quarter. The kick extended Vinatieri's career record to 35 playoff field goals, and was the 27th in a row he's made at the RCA Dome.

The rivalry between New England and Indianapolis has evoked even stronger passions since the Colts left the AFC East in 2002.

Sunday's game was the seventh meeting between the teams since the division change, with the Patriots holding a 4-2 advantage, including two straight playoff wins - both in Foxborough, Mass., following the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

But Manning and the Colts have had the upper hand on their old nemesis recently. They won the two previous games, both regular-season contests at New England, including a 27-20 victory in November.

Indy fans had waited since 2003 to get the Patriots back to the climate-controlled environment of the RCA Dome. That time, the Patriots stuffed Edgerrin James four straight times near the goal line to preserve a 38-34 victory that eventually gave New England the home-field advantage for the AFC championship game.

Indianapolis has won four straight AFC South titles and earlier this season became the first team in league history to go 9-0 in consecutive seasons.

New England played without safety Rodney Harrison, out with an injured right knee. He hasn't played in any of the Patriots three postseason games this year.

Pens beat Islanders 9-2 as Sykora finally scores 3

Scoring three goals felt as good to Petr Sykora as he always believed it would. No longer having to hear that he lacked a hat trick might feel even better.

Sykora ended the longest streak in NHL history without a hat trick by a player who had at least two goals in a game and Pascal Dupuis also scored three times, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins' 9-2 rout of the New York Islanders on Thursday.

Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, and Sidney Crosby set up three goals in Pittsburgh's first nine-goal game since beating the Philadelphia Flyers 9-4 on Feb. 7, 2001.

Sykora previously had 38 games with two goals without getting a third, far surpassing the 28 games by Hall of Fame defenseman Larry Murphy, who played for the Penguins' Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1991 and 1992.

Sykora long had a routine following two-goal games _ the Czech star insisted it didn't matter he had never scored three. Turns out, it did.

"I won't have to talk about it (not scoring three) anymore. It is a relief. As much as I talked that it didn't bother me, it did bother me, and now I feel pretty good," said Sykora, who also had an assist during his sixth career four-point game, also his personal high.

It was the seventh time in Penguins history that two players had hat tricks in a game and the first since Mario Lemieux and Joey Mullen accomplished it on April 9, 1993, against the New York Rangers.

Sykora put Pittsburgh ahead 3-1 by scoring 19 seconds after Mark Streit's goal for the Islanders briefly cut Pittsburgh's lead to one goal, then followed goals by Philippe Boucher and Malkin by scoring at 7:53 of the second on a power play to make it 6-1.

"This was one of those nights the puck kept coming to me," Sykora said.

With his teammates pressing to get him the long-elusive third goal, Sykora looked to have scored it from the side of the net two minutes later. But the play was waved off and, afterward, Sykora said Ruslan Fedotenko probably would have been credited with the goal even if it counted.

Sykora finally got No. 3 at 15:42 of the second, also on a power play, when Crosby put a pass on his stick in the slot and Sykora wristed it by goalie Yann Danis, who replaced Joey MacDonald to begin the second period.

"You're looking for a guy when he's got two goals, especially with that score, you might force it more than you normally would," Crosby said. "He knows where to go and I just put it on his stick."

Sykora leaped into Crosby's arms to celebrate, triggering a brief delay to clear the scores of hats that were tossed onto the ice. It was his 10th goal of the season.

"I can't say enough about Sid, he told me the play _ he's going to walk down the right side and he's going to give it to me," Sykora said. "Sid made that play."

NFL suspends Vikings DT KWilliams for 2 games

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams has been suspended for the first two games of the regular season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances, ending a three-year court fight.

The league announced the suspension on Friday, nine days before the Vikings open the season at San Diego on Sept. 11. Williams was initially suspended for four games before the court struggle ensued, but the league reduced that suspension and fined Williams an additional two game checks.

Williams and former teammate Pat Williams had been embroiled in a long court fight over their positive tests for the banned diuretic bumetanide in 2008. They argued that the supplement StarCaps did not include the ingredient on its label.

In April, the Minnesota Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Pat Williams, who is a free agent and has not signed with a team.

The Vikings were off Friday and unavailable for comment.

The suspension could help Kevin Williams, who is dealing with a painful case of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Taking the first two weeks of the season off could give it more time to heal, even though Williams said this week that he expected to play through pain all season.

There is no question that his absence is a big blow to the Vikings defense. The former All-Pro is the anchor of the defensive line and one of the most versatile players at his position in the game, excelling both at stopping the run and rushing the passer.

The Vikings likely will rely on LeTroy Guion and rookie fourth-rounder Christian Ballard to pick up the slack. Both performed well in the preseason.

President Bush calls to congratulate Celtics

President Bush has offered his congratulations to the Boston Celtics for winning their 17th NBA championship.

Team owner Wyc Grousbeck says the president called him Wednesday, one day after the Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 and secured their first title in 22 years. Grousbeck says "that helped it sink in."

Grousbeck says Bush told him he really enjoyed the game and that the Celtics made Boston proud.

Grousbeck says it was "a very gracious, generous phone call."

Sri Lanka: Rebel bases bombed; clashes kill 30

Air force fighter jets bombed two Tamil Tiger rebel bases in northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday while infantry clashes across the region killed 26 rebels and four soldiers, the military said.

Fighters pounded the headquarters of the Charles Anthony Brigade, an elite rebel infantry unit and another base housing female fighters in the Tiger stronghold of Kilinochchi district, said Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara, an air force spokesman.

Early Wednesday, air force planes bombed a jungle hide-out in the Mullaitivu district believed to be used by top leaders of the Tamil rebels, he said.

Nanayakkara did not have details of damage or casualties.

Ground battles Tuesday in Kilinochchi, Vavuniya and Welioya districts killed 26 guerrillas and four soldiers, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said.

With nearly all communications to the north severed, rebel spokesmen could not be contacted for comment.

It was not possible to verify the military's reports because most journalists and other independent observers are barred from the war zone. Both sides often exaggerate their enemy's losses and underreport their own.

The Tamil Tigers have fought since 1983 to create an independent state for Sri Lanka's minority Tamils.

Law of the Sea Convention Marooned in Senate

A HANDFUL OF Republican senators are warning that U.S. accession to the UN Law of the Sea Convention might undermine a U.S.-led initiative to intercept dangerous weapons as well as U.S. sovereignty. Their opposition has helped hold up Senate consideration of the treaty, despite Bush administration and Pentagon support.

With 145 states-parties, the Law of the Sea Convention sets maritime rights and rules for the world's oceans. The United States warmed to the treaty in 1994 after it was amended to address U.S. concerns about its deep seabed mining provisions that had blocked U.S. signature of the convention when it was first negotiated in 1982.

Despite White House and Pentagon blessings, the treaty has not since been ratified by the United States, in part because of vehement opposition from Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina, who had been the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee until he retired last year. Helms opposed the treaty for a number of reasons, including his longstanding distaste for multilateral organizations.

The pact, however, has long enjoyed the backing of the current chairman and top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Richard Lugar (Ind.). With his support, the Foreign Relations panel unanimously approved the accord Feb. 25 and sent it to the full Senate for a vote. Other key lawmakers urging passage include Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-Va.) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).

They want the Senate to act soon because the convention becomes open to amendment this November. "If the United States is not party to the Convention at that time, our ability to protect Convention rights that we fought hard to achieve will be significantly diminished," Lugar said in a Feb. 25 statement

Some conservative Republicans, such as Sen. James Inhofe (OkIa.) and Sen. John Ensign (Nev), have opposed the convention on the basis that it could hinder the U.S.-led Proliferation security Initiative (PSI), which is a coalition of 14 states committed to stopping shipments of weapons of mass destruction and missiles in transit. "I am concerned about.. .being able to board and search ships," Inhofe said March 23.

Bush administration officials and the Pentagon say such fears are unwarranted. "Far from impeding PSI, joining the convention would actually strengthen the United States' PSI efforts," John Turner, assistant secretary of state for oceans and international, environmental, and scientific affairs, said in March 23 testimony.

In an April 7 letter supporting U.S. accession to the convention, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers wrote, "The rules under which U.S. forces have operated for over 40 years to board and search ships or to conduct intelligence activities will not be affected." he also stated that the convention "ensures the ability of the U.S. Armed Forces to operate freely across the vast expanse of the world's oceans under the authority of widely recognized and accepted international law."

Despite its rhetorical support for the treaty, the administration does not appear to be pressing the Senate to act. A senior administration official told Arms Control Today April 21 that "[t]he administration fully supports the Law of the Sea Convention. The issue of timing of Senate action is properly addressed to the Senate leadership."

Confronted by the conflicts within his own party, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has not scheduled the treaty for review. Frist aides did not respond to inquiries asking why the convention had not been put on the Senate calendar. -Wade Boese

No. 20 Ohio State rallies past Iowa 65-57

David Lighty scored 20 points, including 18 in the second half, and No. 20 Ohio State rallied past pesky Iowa 65-57 on Wednesday night for its fourth straight Big Ten win.

Evan Turner added 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Buckeyes (15-6, 5-3), who closed the game with a 20-7 run and won on the road for only the second time this season.

Ohio State took its first lead of the second half with 2:46 left, jumping ahead 52-50 on a runner by Lighty. Turner, who also had just two points in the first half, then got a steal and an easy dunk to put the Buckeyes ahead 55-50. Turner's layup through traffic made it 57-50 with 1:04 left.

Freshman Eric May tied a career high with 18 points for Iowa (8-13, 2-6).

Ohio State, whose only other road win came at Purdue on Jan. 12, now returns home for a three-game homestand and a chance to make its move up the Big Ten standings.

That's certainly good news for the Buckeyes, who are 12-0 at home this season.

The Buckeyes scored a season-low 20 points in the first half and trailed by five at the break. They shook off that sluggish start behind Lighty and Turner, who had 32 of Ohio State's 45 points in the second half to help stave off Iowa's upset bid.

Turner broke through with a long 3-pointer to help Ohio State pull even at 28, but he picked up his third foul with 15:29 left and had to be careful defensively the rest of the way.

The Buckeyes then fell into a shooting funk, and the Hawkeyes stretched a slim lead to 42-36 on a pair of 3s by May with just under 10 minutes to go.

Ohio State closed within two before May's 3 from the corner made it 50-45 Iowa with 4:46 left. But the Hawkeyes' inexperience was evident from then on, as Ohio State grabbed control shortly thereafter.

May was the only Iowa player in double figures. Jarryd Cole scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds, and freshman Cully Payne added six assists and six rebounds.

Iowa held Turner to 1-of-3 shooting in the first half, and Payne cut through the lane for a nifty reverse scoop off the glass to help put the Hawkeyes ahead 25-20 at halftime.

Ohio State shot a somewhat respectable 40 percent in the first half, but didn't hit a 3-pointer or a free throw until the second half.

The fortunes of the inexperienced Hawkeyes had improved in the past two weeks after an ugly start to league play. Though they crumbled down the stretch, Wednesday's effort was yet another sign of progress for a team with four underclassmen in the starting lineup.

The Hawkeyes snapped a four-game losing streak with a 67-62 home win over Tennessee State _ a game they were lucky to win _ and then beat Penn State 67-64 for their first Big Ten victory.

Iowa put a decent scare into No. 5 Michigan State on Jan. 20, closing within three late before falling 70-63, and then pounded host Indiana 58-43 on Sunday.

William Buford scored 11 points with eight rebounds and three assists for Ohio State, which fell at ninth-ranked West Virginia 71-65 on Saturday.

The Buckeyes committed just five turnovers, shot 13-of-17 from the free throw line in the second half and held Iowa's Aaron Fuller to six points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Immigrant protest turns violent in southern Italy

Hundreds of African immigrants took their anger over the alleged mafia killing of six Africans to the streets on Friday, hurling rocks and smashing windows in a town north of Naples.

Several hundred people participated in the demonstration, which continued into the evening, police said.

Television footage broadcast on Italian SkyTV24 showed protesters marching in the rain and blocking traffic. They taunted police who were deployed in vans and riot gear to control them as they marched more than six miles along a state highway.

One protester threw himself in front of a car before being pulled away by a police officer.

The ANSA news agency reported that some people in the crowd were armed with broken bottles and shouted insults about Italians.

The demonstrators were protesting the shooting deaths of six immigrants from Ghana, Togo and Liberia late Thursday in what authorities say may have been a hit by the Camorra crime syndicate _ punishment for trying to compete in the drug trade.

The victims were slain by automatic gunfire as they stood outside a store that sold ethnic goods in Castel Volturno, a town of 22,000 people about 20 miles north of Naples. A seventh immigrant was being treated for injuries suffered in the shooting, ANSA reported.

The protesters denied the victims were involved in drug trafficking, news reports said.