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Pujols, Cardinals whip Mariners 9-3

Albert Pujols took one off the noggin for his team on a perfect day at the plate and stand-in cleanup hitter Ryan Ludwick homered to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Seattle Mariners 9-3 on Monday night.

Pujols singled three times and walked twice as the Cardinals bounced back after totaling 19 runs during a 1-5 West Coast swing that dropped them out of the NL Central lead. Plus, he stayed in the game after a throw to the plate glanced off his helmet ear flap in the fifth.

Ludwick finished with four RBIs and Adam Wainwright (9-4) pitched into the eighth after a shaky start. Matt Holliday also was a success batting second for the first time in his career, …

Wooing Young Workers

Joseph P. Nolt thinks the insurance industry has struggled to recruit young workers because the field hasn't communicated its job opportunities well and because many people view the trade negatively.

"You see how many TV programs (there are) involving lawyers and doctors? Do you ever see a program glamorizing insurance?" asked Nolt, chairman of the board at Murray Risk Management and Insurance. "...If you want to be a selfstarter, if you like meeting people, if you enjoy helping people, if you want to make your own hours, if you want to be an entrepreneur - all of those opportunities are available in insurance."

Lancaster-based Murray traditionally has not recruited many …

Court gives sole custody of Britney Spears' sons to ex-husband Kevin Federline

Britney Spears was derailed yet again in her struggle to get her life back on track, losing custody of her two sons to ex-husband Kevin Federline after being hauled off to a hospital for observation by paramedics and police.

A court commissioner Friday gave sole physical and legal custody of the former couple's two little boys to Federline and suspended the troubled pop star's visitation rights.

Spears was hauled away from her home to a hospital by paramedics a day before, after police had to intervene when she refused to return the children to Federline after a court-monitored visit.

Commissioner Scott Gordon ordered another hearing to be held …

Listen up, NYC cabbies! Phone use might be out

New Yorkers and tourists who have ever been frustrated by taxi drivers talking on the phone might get their full attention soon.

The city's Taxi and Limousine Commission plans Friday to propose prohibiting cab drivers from using an array of new communications technologies. That includes hands-free Bluetooth devices and smart phones.

A …

3 deputies lead police chief list

Mayor Washington soon will launch a nationwide search for asuccessor to Police Supt. Fred Rice, but insiders say the choice willcome down to three present top officials.

The three are First Deputy Supt. John J. Jemilo and DeputySuperintendents Rudolph E. Nimocks and Matt L. Rodriguez.

Such a lineup offers the mayor experienced police executives butalso hands him a touchy political decision: Jemilo is white, Nimocksis black and Rodriguez is Hispanic.

Four years ago, Rice became Chicago's first black policesuperintendent.

Rice, 60, whose retirement plans were revealed in this columnApril 12, has not yet announced a firm quitting date. Last …

Army to Rebid Halliburton Unit's Contract

WASHINGTON - The Army will rebid the multibillion-dollar contract under which a Halliburton Co. subsidiary has been providing services to troops around the world after years of complaints over how the deal has worked in Iraq.

Critics of the contract said the move was overdue and that hundreds of millions of dollars had probably been wasted.

Halliburton subsidiary KBR, also known as Kellogg Brown & Root, provides food, water, shelter, laundry service and other logistical support for troops under a 2001 contract that has been extended several times.

Halliburton is a Texas-based oil services conglomerate once led by Vice President Dick Cheney. Bush …

Turkey military denies involvement in alleged plot

Turkey's military has rejected a newspaper report of a military conspiracy against the Islamic-oriented government.

Turkish newspaper Taraf last week printed a document, allegedly drafted by a military colonel, outlining a plan to besmirch Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party and discredit supporters of an …

Field's Cinderella Exhibit Enchants Young at Heart

Why are there so many smiling faces lighting up State Street inChicago's Loop? Because those faces belong to the children andadults who have just enjoyed the enchanting, traditional story ofCinderella. The windows of Marshall Field's State Street storereflect the wonderful story of the poor little girl and her PrinceCharming.

To enjoy it properly, start at the window that is under theclock at the corner of State and Randolph. The first window to beviewed is on the Randolph Street side. Then proceed to State Streetand slowly observe each beautiful window in proper sequence. Thereare 36 windows that tell each nuance of the tale that has been handeddown by word of mouth …

No tricks, big treat: a White House Halloween

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, handed out Halloween treats to area children and military families at the White House Sunday evening.

Local students between 6 and 14 years old, along with children from military families, were invited to celebrate Halloween on the North Lawn.

The president and first lady, along with Mrs. Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, spent about 30 minutes passing out goodie bags. Obama wished each child a happy Halloween as he distributed the treats, pausing occasionally for hugs or to comment on costumes.

Later, the military families continued the celebration inside the White House.

The first couple joked to …

Comrie lifts Oilers past Wild

Mike Comrie scored in regulation and added the shootout winner in the Edmonton Oilers' 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday night.

Comrie slipped a backhander through Niklas Backstrom's pads in the sixth round of the tiebreaker, and Jeff Deslauriers deflected Guillaume Latendresse's shot over the net with his glove to finish off the Wild.

Latendresse scored in regulation for Minnesota.

The Oilers, last in the NHL, snapped a three-game losing streak.

Comrie opened the scoring at 6:50 of the first …

NEW VIDEOS

Great Elephant Escape (1995; Cabin Fever; 93 minutes; closedcaptioned; $89.95). An adventure about two boys: an Americancomputer hacker and a Masai "elephant boy" who bond while trying tosave a baby elephant. Fairly predictable, but kids should enjoy thecolorful details. No MPAA rating. (STAR)(STAR) (Ginny Holbert)

Minbo or the Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion (1995; HomeVision; 123 minutes; subtitled; $79.95). When a Tokyo hotel loses achance to host an international summit because it's crawling withyakuza - the Japanese equivalent of the Mafia - the manager hiresMahiru Inoue to weed out the criminal element. Inoue (NobukoMiyamoto) is no bruising hulk, but rather a …

Why does Joe dislike Jackie? Buy the book

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno says his long-standingfeud with Jackie Sherrill started when the former Pitt and Texas A&Mcoach threatened Paterno and insulted his wife in a late-night phonecall.

In a book titled Paterno: By the Book, to be published nextmonth, Paterno said he had problems with underclassmen on his 1988team - the first losing Penn State team in 50 years - and that he hasa personal disdain for the negative reporting of some sportswriters.

Paterno's dislike for Sherrill stemmed from a 1978 incident -two years after Pitt won the national championship - in which Pittand Penn State were recruiting the same New Jersey high schoollinebacker.

Paterno wrote that when he visited the player's Paulsboro, N.J.,home and found him not there, he assumed Sherrill was baby-sittinghim. However, Sherrill was not with the player and assumed thatPaterno was.

After midnight, Paterno received a call from his wife, Sue, whosaid Sherrill had phoned and demanded to know where Paterno wasstaying. According to Mrs. Paterno, Sherrill called Paterno aderogatory name and threatened to find him and injure him. She addedthat Sherrill called her several names before hanging up.

Shortly after that, Paterno made his now-famous remark that hewasn't about to quit coaching "and leave college football to thelikes of Jackie Sherrill and Barry Switzer."

In the book, to be published Sept. 29 by Random House, Paternosaid he later apologized to Switzer because of his fondness for theOklahoma coach, but "I didn't give a damn about what Sherrill felt."

In the book, Paterno said reporters have brought a negative toneto the sports page and have increased the tendency for spectators tojeer poor performances and bet on college football.

New survey on sex in US, biggest since 1994

NEW YORK (AP) — The male-female orgasm gap. The sex lives of 14-year-olds. An intriguing breakdown of condom usage rates, by age and ethnicity, with teens emerging as more safe-sex-conscious than boomers.

That's just a tiny sampling of the data being unveiled Monday in what the researchers say is the largest, most comprehensive national survey of Americans' sexual behavior since 1994.

Filling 130 pages of a special issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, the study offers detailed findings on how often Americans have sex, with whom, and how they respond. In all, 5,865 people, ranging in age from 14 to 94, participated in the survey.

The lead researchers, from Indiana University's Center for Sexual Health Promotion, said the study fills a void that has grown since the last comparable endeavor — the National Health and Social Life Survey — was published 16 years ago. Major changes since then include the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the types of sex education available to young people, the advent of same-sex marriage, and the emergence of the Internet as a tool for social interaction.

Dr. Dennis Fortenberry, a pediatrics professor who was lead author of the study's section about teen sex, said the overall findings of such a huge survey should provide reassurance to Americans who are curious about how their sex lives compare with others.

"Unless, like al-Qaida, you feel there's something abnormal about the American people, what these data say is, 'This is normal — everything in there is normal.'"

The researchers said they were struck by the variety of ways in which the subjects engaged in sex — 41 different combinations of sexual acts were tallied, encompassing vaginal and anal intercourse, oral sex, and partnered masturbation.

Men are more likely to experience orgasm when vaginal intercourse is involved, while women are more likely to reach orgasm when they engage in variety of acts, including oral sex, said researcher Debra Herbenick, lead author of the section about women's sex lives.

She noted there was a gap in perceptions — 85 percent of the men said their latest sexual partner had an orgasm, while only 64 percent of the women reported having an orgasm in their most recent sexual event.

One-third of women experienced genital pain during their most recent sex, compared to 5 percent of men, said Herbenick, citing this as an area warranting further study.

The study, which began taking shape in 2007, was funded by Church & Dwight Co., the manufacturer of Trojan condoms. Questions about condom usage figured prominently in the study, but the researchers — during a teleconference — insisted the integrity of their findings was not affected by the corporate tie.

Among the findings was a high rate of condom usage among 14- to 17-year-olds. Of the surveyed boys who had sexual intercourse, 79 percent reported using a condom on the most recent occasion, compared to 25 percent for all the men in the survey.

However, the sample for that particular question involved only 57 teens in the 14-to-17 age range. That's far smaller than the thousands involved in latest federal Youth Risk Behavior Survey last year which calculated condom use among sexually active high school students at 61 percent

Fortenberry nonetheless found the new findings encouraging.

"There's been a major shift among young people in the role condoms have in their sexual lives," he said. "Condoms have become normative."

Another intriguing finding — rates of condom usage among black and Hispanic men were significantly higher than for whites. The researchers said this suggested that HIV-AIDS awareness programs were now making headway in those communities, which have relatively high rates of the disease.

The lowest condom usage rates were for men over 50 — and the researchers said this was worrisome. Although men in that age group are more likely to be married than males in their teens and 20s, other surveys have shown 50s-and-over to be far more open to multiple sexual partners than in the past, raising the risk for disease.

Other notable findings:

—While about 7 percent of adult women and 8 percent of men identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, the proportion of individuals who have had same-gender sex at some point in their lives is higher. For example, 15 percent of the men aged 50-59 said they had received oral sex from another man at some point.

—Among adolescent boys, only about 2 percent of the 14-year-olds — but 40 percent of the 17-year-olds — said they had engaged in sexual intercourse in the past year.

The survey was conducted from March through May of 2009, with the assistance of Knowledge Networks, among a nationally representative sample of adolescents and adults. Once people were selected to participate, they were interviewed online; participants without Internet access were provided it for free.

The researchers said the 1994 survey was compiled through in-person interviews, while the new method — collecting data over the Internet — may help make respondents more comfortable about discussing sexual behaviors.

Dr. Irwin Goldstein, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, noted that the new study came more than 60 years after Alfred Kinsey — also based at Indiana University — published his groundbreaking report, "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male."

"Just like then, these papers contain material that is avant garde and often considered off-limits," Goldstein wrote in a forward to the study. "At a time when we can have nudity on HBO but cannot use the names of our genitals on the evening news, there remains a need to continue research on sexual health."

___

Online:

http://www.nationalsexstudy.indiana.edu

Sweden's Princess Lilian to miss royal wedding

A royal court official says 94-year old Princess Lilian, the oldest member of Sweden's royal family, has Alzheimer's disease and will miss Crown Princess Victoria's wedding in two weeks.

The Welsh-born Lilian has cut down on her royal duties in recent years for health reasons and Court Marshal Elisabeth Palmstierna says she won't attend Victoria's wedding to Daniel Westling on June 19.

Palmstierna told The Associated Press on Thursday that Lilian suffers from Alzheimer's disease, which wasn't previously known to the public.

In 1976 Lilian married Sweden's Prince Bertil, the uncle of the current king, Carl XVI Gustaf. Bertil died in 1997.

Victoria is the king's oldest child and next in line to the throne. The monarch in Sweden is a ceremonial figure.

GOP tries to sort out Palin's donor-funded duds

Republican Party lawyers are still trying to determine exactly what clothing was purchased for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, what was returned and what has become of the rest.

And they are discussing with Palin, who's back in Alaska, whether what's left of the tens of thousands of dollars worth of designer clothing and accessories purchased for her on the campaign trail will go to charity, back to stores or be paid for by Palin, a McCain-Palin campaign official said Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the campaign hadn't authorized comment.

The sorting should be completed in the next four or five days, the campaign official said, declining to say whether the RNC was sending anyone to Alaska to help take inventory.

The RNC spent at least $150,000 on designer clothing, accessories and beauty services for Palin after she became John McCain's running mate in September. The spending included $75,062 at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis; $49,425 at Saks Fifth Avenue; $9,447 at Macy's; and $789 at the luxury retailer Barneys New York. Some of the purchases were for Palin family members, such as $4,902 spent at upscale men's clothier Atelier and $92 at Pacifier, a Minneapolis baby boutique.

The McCain-Palin campaign said about a third of the clothing was returned immediately because it was the wrong size, or for other reasons. However, other purchases were apparently made after that, the campaign official said.

The spending drew a complaint against Palin and the RNC by a Washington government watchdog group. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Palin and the GOP of violating a federal ban on the use of campaign funds for personal expenses such as clothing.

The RNC didn't respond to repeated requests by The Associated Press for comment Friday.

It's routine for candidates to get professional hair and makeup services at campaign expense before they go on camera, but Palin's shopping spree at GOP donors' expense is unusual. It contrasted with the down-to-earth "hockey mom" image that Palin sought to craft and gave the campaign unwanted publicity in the form of newspaper headlines, Internet chatter and comedians' jokes.

FEC spokesman Bob Biersack declined to comment on the spending beyond confirming that the commission has received CREW's complaint.

Palin and the campaign have characterized the purchases as legitimate campaign expenses and said there was never any plan for Palin to keep the items.

___

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: http://www.citizensforethics.org/

Federal Election Commission: http://www.fec.org/

Cable channel TNN's name gets 'Spike'd

NEW YORK--Soon Spike won't just be the name of a film director ora volleyball move.

The struggling cable channel TNN--which just two years ago changedfrom the Nashville Network to the National Network--announced that,effective June 16, it will call itself Spike TV and become the firstnetwork aimed specifically at men.

"We just like the idea of having a guy's name," said Albie Hecht,network president. "We thought that was smart and fun andirreverent."

Because it airs World Wrestling Entertainment, "Star Trek: TheNext Generation" and a game of basketball played on trampolinescalled "slam ball," nearly two-thirds of TNN's audience is male.

The switch enables TNN, and parent company Viacom, a chance tooutmaneuver the publishers of Maxim magazine, who are developing acable channel called the Maxim Entertainment Network, or MEN. AP

English Scoring Leaders

Leading scorers in the English Premier League after Saturday's games:

Wayne Rooney, Manchester United, 19

Jermain Defoe, Tottenham, 15

Darren Bent, Sunderland, 14

Didier Drogba, Chelsea, 14

Carlos Tevez, Manchester City, 12

Fernando Torres, Liverpool, 12

Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal, 11

Louis Saha, Everton, 11

Gabriel Agbonlahor, Aston Villa, 10

Nicolas Anelka, Chelsea, 8

Frank Lampard, Chelsea, 8

Magna: 10,500 Opel jobs in Europe could be cut

As many as 10,500 Opel jobs in Europe could be cut, including nearly half of them in Germany, the co-chief executive of Magna International Inc. said Monday _ a move likely to draw strident criticism in countries where the automaker has operations.

Speaking to reporters in Frankfurt, Siegfried Wolf said part of his company's plan for General Motors Co.'s European unit envisions possible job cuts, including 4,500 in Germany, where Adam Opel Gmbh is based. GM agree last week to the sale of its European subsidiary to Magna and Russia's Sberbank.

"We'll do everything we can to avoid job losses," Wolf said. "We might be able to save jobs with contract manufacturing."

Wolf did not say what plants would be affected or how many workers at them could be in danger of losing their jobs, but referred to Magna's original plan, part of the bid it made in July, which saw cuts of up to 2,045 at the plant in Bochum; 830 jobs at the Vauxhall plant in Ellsmere Port, Britain; and 2,321 jobs at its plant in Antwerp, Belgium.

Last week, General Motors Co. agreed to sell 55 percent of the unit to Canada's Magna International and Russian lender Sberbank in a 50-50 split. GM will keep 35 percent, the biggest single stake in Opel, and Opel workers will hold 10 percent.

Opel employs some 49,000 workers in Europe and has plants in Germany, Spain, Britain, Poland and Germany.

Last week, GM said that work at the Antwerp plant could be wound down and that some production at Zaragoza, Spain could be moved to Eisenach, in Germany, drawing criticism of Germany for seemingly negotiating the deal to protect its plans and work force, which numbers 25,000 people.

The deal, announced Thursday, still hinges on conditions that could take weeks or months to work out, such as final agreement for government financing and union support for what could be painful cuts. Chief GM negotiator John Smith indicated then that the Antwerp plant could be wound down.

Belgium has asked the European Union to investigate the deal to make sure German is not violating anti-trust rules.

The German government threw its support for the Magna/Sberbank bid with Chancellor Angela Merkel and the German government giving euro1.5 billion in bridge financing to keep Opel afloat and offering euro4.5 billion more in credit to complete the deal.

Magna had promised to keep Opel's four plants in Germany _ Eisenach, Bochum, Ruesselsheim and Kaiserslautern _ open.

Opel has been losing money for years. Its European operations, which include Opel, Vauxhall and Saab, posted an operating loss of about $2 billion in the first quarter of 2009 and a total of nearly $3.7 billion for the years 2006-2008. Analysts say most of the losses can be attributed to Opel and Vauxhall.

GM had sought to unload Opel since it ran into severe financial trouble late last year, seeking state help in November 2008. Industry analysts say the unit has too many employees and too much factory capacity for its sales level and its costs are too high.

___

McGroarty reported from Berlin.

New York to fete Giants with parade up Broadway

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Giants' Super Bowl victory will be celebrated in typical New York City style, with a ticker-tape parade through Broadway's Canyon of Heroes.

Members of the NFL champion Giants will be showered with a mile of confetti in a parade on Tuesday. Then, in a ceremony at City Hall, they'll be presented with symbolic keys to the city.

This is the second Super Bowl championship parade for the Giants in four years. They also beat the Patriots in the NFL title game in 2008.

Tuesday's big hero undoubtedly will be Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Eli Manning. The Giants quarterback and Mario Manningham connected on a vital play, as the receiver made an over-the-shoulder catch along the sideline on the opening play of the game-winning drive.

Wall St. Faces Down Spending, Jobs Data

NEW YORK - After the huge debacle the stock market suffered last week, it's hard to know what earnings or economic data being released this week might actually comfort Wall Street.

As the market tries to recover from its worst week in nearly five years, investors will be closely looking at profit reports from such heavyweights as General Motors Corp., Procter & Gamble Co. and Verizon Communications Inc. The stock market will also get a read on consumers Tuesday, when the Commerce Department reports on personal income and spending.

According to the median estimate of economists surveyed Friday by Thomson Financial, June personal income is expected to rise 0.5 percent, up from a 0.4 percent gain in May, while spending is expected to edge up 0.2 percent, less than May's increase of 0.5 percent.

Tuesday's report will also include the government's reading on core personal consumption expenditures, one of the Federal Reserve's preferred gauges of inflation. June's core PCE is projected to show a 2.0 percent year-over-year rise - up from 1.9 percent a month earlier, and at the very top of the Fed's comfort zone of 1 percent to 2 percent. Wall Street's inflation worries have taken a back seat to concerns about credit but could re-emerge if the PCE figure is higher than expected.

Wall Street, uncertain if the rise in subprime mortgage defaults is a trend that's leaching into other types of loans, could find some solace in solid employment figures, because people with steady paychecks are less likely to shirk debt.

On Friday, the Labor Department releases its widely watched monthly employment data. Economists forecast that July nonfarm payrolls rose by 133,000, a bit more than in June, but that the unemployment rate edged up to 4.6 percent in July compared with 4.5 percent in June.

The Dow tumbled 4.23 percent last week, the Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 4.66 percent, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 4.90 percent. The Russell 2000 index fell 7.01 percent and is now down 1.25 percent for the year.

ANOTHER SLEW OF EARNINGS ...

On Monday, Verizon is expected to report a profit of 58 cents a share. The company closed at $42 Friday, near the upper end of its 52-week range of $31.41 to $43.99.

On Tuesday, analysts project a profit of $1.13 a share from General Motors. The automaker closed at $31.10 Friday, in the lower half of its 52-week range of $28.49 to $38.66.

Time Warner Inc. on Wednesday is expected to report earnings of 20 cents per share. The company closed at $19.42 Friday, in the middle of its 52-week range of $15.77 to $23.15.

Walt Disney Co. also releases its quarterly earnings Wednesday. The company, expected to report a profit of 55 cents a share, closed at $33.74 Friday, at the upper end of its 52-week range of $28.53 to $36.79.

Friday, analysts anticipate Procter & Gamble will post a profit of 66 cents per share. The company closed at $62.82 Friday, in the upper half of its 52-week range of $55.70 to $66.30.

... AMID AN ONSLAUGHT OF ECONOMIC DATA

On Tuesday, Chicago purchasing manager's index - a precursor to the Institute for Supply Management's national manufacturing index - is expected to indicate slightly weaker growth in July than in June.

Also Tuesday, along with snapshots of personal income and spending, the Commerce Department will release data on construction spending, and the Conference Board will report on consumer confidence. Economists predict that construction spending was essentially flat in June compared with May, and that consumer confidence rose in July compared with June.

On Wednesday, the ISM releases its manufacturing index, which is anticipated to show that growth in July was marginally weaker than in June.

Also Wednesday, the National Association of Realtors reports on June pending sales of existing homes - which have fallen for three straight months - while the nation's big automakers release their July sales figures.

Thursday will bring the Commerce Department's June factory orders report, and on Friday the ISM releases its service sector index, which is expected to show slightly slower expansion in July than in June.

Vandals smash 30 windows andset fire to school

Vandals started a blaze at a North-east secondary school.

The louts set fire to a mobile office at Aberdeen's HazleheadAcademy.

Rubbish bins were also set alight.

Around 30 windows were also smashed at the Groat's Road school -some of them from the heat of the flames from the out-building andothers by the wreckers.

Police said they were treating the fire as suspicious.

A spokesman for the force described the incident as "adisgraceful act of vandalism". Fire and Rescue Service crews racedto the school when the alarm was raised around 11pm.

Firefighters had to put on breathing apparatus to tackle theflames from the mobile office.

Used to store drama equipment, the building was totallydestroyed.

A Grampian Police spokesman said: "This is a totally disgracefulact of destruction to a community building.

"Someone will have information regarding the person or personsresponsible for these offences.

"We appeal to them to bring this information forward to theauthorities."

The cost of the damage has not yet been assessed.

One of the councillors for the area, Jennifer Stewart, todayslammed the culprits.

She said: "This was a mindless attack and so worrying.

"You move forward then you take several steps back with this kindof thing.

"I think those responsible, when found, should be made to financethe damage and reinstate what they have done.

"It's such a waste of resources.

"This just opens up a whole new set of questions. Do we need morepolice patrolling the area and better CCTV? When the teachers andpupils go back to school after their break, I imagine they will doso with very heavy hearts."

Comment, Page 6

World leaders slam North Korea, Iran

The leaders of the world's eight top industrial democracies on Saturday condemned the alleged sinking by North Korea of a South Korean warship and called on Iran to do more to respect human rights.

The countries _ the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia _ also called current restrictions on the flow of goods to Gaza "not sustainable." And they sketched out a five-year exit strategy on Afghanistan.

But the joint statement by the so-called Group of Eight powers did not go as far as some nations, including the United States and Japan, had wanted.

The statement was released at the end of a meeting in Canada of the eight powers and before a larger group of 20 nations convenes. That group includes fast-growing economies like China and India.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told reporters at the conclusion of the G-8 talks that there was a consensus among world leaders that "we can't afford some sort of cataclysmic event" like the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

"We remain very engaged and very watchful of those situations," he said.

The G-8 discussions took place at a resort in Canada's forested Muskoka lakes region. The leaders took helicopters back to Toronto. President Barack Obama gave British Prime Minister David Cameron a ride in his helicopter, Marine One. The two were scheduled to have one-on-one talks later in the day.

The G-8 leaders turned to foreign policy matters after finding themselves at odds on how to continue to spur world economic growth in the aftermath of the worst recession since the 1930s. The countries were divided over whether to continue government stimulus spending, as the United States wants, or to cut mushrooming deficits, as Europe and Japan want.

On the March sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan, the leaders cited a report by an international commission that found that the ship had been sunk by a North Korean torpedo. The leaders said: "We condemn in this context the attack which led to the sinking of the Cheonan."

Japanese officials said that the Russians were the only ones in the G-8 to resist tougher language condemning North Korea.

An official in the Russian delegation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the leaders were meeting, said that Russia still did not consider the results of the commission to be final and because of this, felt that condemning Pyongyang further could lead to negative consequences.

South Korea has already referred the ship sinking to the U.N. Security Council, which could adopt a resolution condemning the North for the sinking or issue a less stringent presidential statement. Either action would require support from China, North Korea's main ally, and Beijing has thus far resisted. China is a member of the G-20 but not the G-8.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy denied there was a disagreement among G-8 leaders. He said there was "willingness of all the G-8 members to convince our Chinese friends to be as severe as we are against North Korea and to have as much solidarity as us with South Korea."

The communique urged Iran "to respect the rule of law and freedom of expression." It also criticized Iran's nuclear program.

"We are profoundly concerned by Iran's continued lack of transparency regarding its nuclear activities and its stated intention to continue and expand enriching uranium," it said.

The U.S. and European nations are pushing other countries to join them in imposing tough new sanctions on Tehran over its suspect nuclear program, a move that would build on expanded Security Council measures adopted this month. But China and Russia only reluctantly supported those sanctions.

On Afghanistan, the statement said that a conference in Kabul in July would be an important setting for assessing progress in implementing commitments made in January to train more than 100,000 additional Afghan security forces by the end of next year.

The G-8 leaders said it was important to accelerate efforts to make sure the country's own security forces can "assume increasing responsibility within five years."

Previous summits have attracted massive protests by anti-globalization forces. But so far the Canadian protests have been smaller. The largest demonstration, a march in downtown Toronto sponsored by labor unions, was scheduled for Saturday.

Police said 40 summit-related arrests had been made as of Saturday afternoon with security being provided by an estimated 19,000 law enforcement officers drawn from all regions of Canada.

The foreign policy discussions among the leaders of the G-8 took place Saturday after an opening day of talks during which the group failed to resolve a dispute over the proper mix of government spending and deficit reductions needed to keep the global economy on track.

Obama made the case that the global economy remained fragile and should not be put at risk by countries moving too rapidly to trim their bulging deficits through spending cuts and tax increases, which can slow economic growth.

But leaders of Britain, Germany, Canada and Japan argued that deficit cuts were needed to reassure nervous investors, given the severe market turmoil experienced in May after the near-default of Greece on its huge debt burden.

The G-20 will begin with a dinner Saturday night at the Royal York, one of Toronto's oldest hotels. The topic at dinner will be the state of the global economy.

The meetings will continue Sunday and will conclude with a joint communique and closing news conferences by various leaders including Obama.

The G-20 leaders' summit, launched in response to the global financial crisis in the fall of 2008, has now replaced the G-8 as the world's premier forum for discussing and coordinating economic policy.

But Harper said the G-8 leaders had discussed over dinner Friday night the need to continue meetings of the smaller group which he said was more capable of getting to consensus in crisis situations.

In addition to the group discussions, the leaders were holding a series of one-on-one talks.

Obama's talks with Cameron were expected to cover the difficulties posed by the BP oil spill, the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Obama was also to meet with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday.

___

Crutsinger reported from Toronto. Associated Press writers Jane Wardell, Emma Vandore and Jeannine Aversa contributed from Huntsville; Rob Gillies, Foster Klug and Tom Raum from Toronto; and Matthew Lee from Washington.

No. 4 Sooners down Marist 83-57, UConn next

Freshman guard Whitney Hand scored a career-high 20 points and Danielle Robinson added 17 points and a career-best eight assists as No. 4 Oklahoma beat Marist 83-57 Wednesday night in a tuneup before its showdown against top-ranked Connecticut.

Courtney Paris extended her streak of double-doubles to 97 straight with 12 points and 11 rebounds in a season-low 22 minutes as the Sooners (4-1) opened a 15-point lead in the first 6 minutes and were never challenged.

Rachele Fitz scored 17 points and Erica Allenspach added 10 for the Red Foxes (3-1), the top vote-getter outside the Top 25 this week.

Next up for the Sooners is a trip to Connecticut on Sunday to face the No. 1 Huskies, who they've never beaten in six tries. It could be their last chance with Paris, unless the teams meet again in the NCAA tournament.

It'll be the second Top 5 showdown in two Sundays for Oklahoma, which was ranked No. 2 before losing 80-79 to then-No. 4 North Carolina in the finals of the Women's Preseason NIT.

Marist caught the Sooners in between, and ended up paying for it.

Hand scored nine quick points as Oklahoma opened the game on a 17-2 run, keeping Marist from hitting a field goal for the first 6 minutes. The Red Foxes got back within 10 before another drought of 6 minutes later in the half, and Hand's 3-pointer capped a 12-0 run to push the lead to 37-15.

Marist got closer than 20 points only once in the second half, following a 10-0 run that closed the gap to 65-46. Sooners coach Sherri Coale put her starters back in, and the Red Foxes' surge came to an abrupt end.

(No. 4 Oklahoma 83, Marist 57; This version CORRECTS spelling of Fitz's first name in 3rd graf)

Thome, Griffey carry White Sox to AL Central crown

Thanks to Jim Thome's bat and Ken Griffey Jr.'s arm, the AL Central has a winner at last: the Chicago White Sox.

John Danks pitched eight innings of two-hit ball on short rest, Thome homered and Griffey threw out a runner at the plate with a tough tag by A.J. Pierzynski, helping Chicago beat the Minnesota Twins 1-0 in a 163rd-game tiebreaker for the division title Tuesday night.

The White Sox joined the crosstown Cubs in the postseason, the first time since 1906 that both Chicago teams made it. And just as the Cubs did when they clinched the NL Central crown, several White Sox players came back on the field after the final out and sprayed fans with champagne.

"We're so happy from our end that Sox fans get to enjoy this ride," Thome said.

Next up for the South Siders, a first-round matchup with the surprising Rays. Game 1 is Thursday at Tampa Bay, which won the AL East.

"Look at this," Thome said with the crowd roaring all around him. "This is what it's all about _ October baseball."

The White Sox got a huge boost Tuesday from two of their oldest players: Thome and Griffey, both seeking their first World Series championship.

Thome's long drive on a 2-2 pitch from rookie Nick Blackburn cleared two rows of shrubs in center field, traveling an estimated 461 feet to snap a scoreless tie in the seventh. It was the 541st homer for Thome, who raised his right fist as he rounded first base. He hadn't been to the playoffs since 2001 with Cleveland.

Griffey, who came to the White Sox in a trade with the Reds so he could have a chance at playing in the postseason, cut down Michael Cuddyer with a nice throw from center in the fifth. Griffey, who like Thome is 38, will be making his first postseason appearance since 1997 with Seattle.

"He did a heck of a job," Thome said. "I'm so happy for him, too."

Bobby Jenks worked a perfect ninth for his 30th save in 34 chances. After replacing Griffey in center field, Brian Anderson ended it with a diving catch of Alexi Casilla's blooper.

Soon after it was over, Pierzynski, Danks and Nick Swisher grabbed a microphone on the field and addressed the delirious crowd.

Danks, pitching on three days' rest for the first time in his career and with just one win in his previous seven starts, held the Twins hitless through the first four innings on a 56-degree night. Cuddyer led off the fifth with a double and moved to third on Delmon Young's fly to center.

When Brendan Harris hit a fly to Griffey in shallow center, Cuddyer took off for the plate. He crashed into Pierzynski, who held onto the low, two-hop throw from Griffey while tagging Cuddyer for the out. Pierzynski then popped up and showed the ball as the crowd of 40,354 _ mostly dressed in black _ roared.

Danks (12-9) delivered in the biggest came of his brief career. He won a duel with Blackburn (11-11), who retired 13 of 14 before Thome led off the seventh with his long homer.

The White Sox hosted the game because they won a coin flip earlier this month and what an advantage it was: Chicago went 8-2 against the Twins at U.S. Cellular Field this season and 1-8 at the Metrodome.

"That's a battle between friends," Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said, referring to the rivalry. "We just got the last laugh."

It was the eighth one-game playoff in major league history and the first in the AL since 1995 when Seattle beat the California Angels 9-1 to win the AL West. Playing for the Mariners in that game was Griffey and Chicago bench coach Joey Cora.

A late-season slide by the White Sox began at the Metrodome last week. The White Sox entered a three-game series with a 2 1/2-game lead in the division but the Twins pulled off a sweep to take over first place.

Chicago came home and lost two more to the Indians but was able to stay close because the Twins dropped two in a row to the Royals at the Metrodome. Both teams won Sunday, leaving Minnesota up by a half-game. The White Sox had to beat Detroit in a rain-delayed makeup game Monday to force Tuesday night's tiebreaker.

"We bounce back every time we are against the wall," Guillen said.

Their styles are different. The White Sox relied more on power, the Twins on speed. But going into the game they not only were 88-74, they had identical marks at home (53-28), on the road (35-46) and in their division (43-29).

"That probably says we should be playing this game," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said before the game.

The Twins withstood the departures of ace Johan Santana and Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter by utilizing the speed of youngsters such as Denard Span and Carlos Gomez, sound fundamentals that are taught throughout their system and clutch hitting.

Joe Mauer went 0-for-3 Tuesday night but still won his second AL batting title at .328. Justin Morneau, who drove in 129 runs, slumped in the final week.

The White Sox overcame late injuries to surprising star Carlos Quentin, who was leading the AL in homers when he broke his right wrist by hitting it on his bat in frustration Sept. 1, and third baseman Joe Crede, who had back problems. Neither is expected to return for the playoffs.

Notes:@ White Sox first base coach Harold Baines was not able to perform his duties because of an ulcer and was replaced by organizational instructor Omer Munoz. ... The White Sox are the first team in major league history to win their final three games against three different opponents, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. ... It was the largest crowd for a White Sox regular-season game since Aug. 4, 2003. ... The 1906 White Sox, known as "The Hitless Wonders," beat the Cubs in the World Series.

City schools are struggling with budgets

A Robertson's letter ("It makes sense to look at budgets", EveningExpress, October 4) makes reference to no cuts having been made atthe moment.

I presume, Mr Robertson has no connection with the schoolcommunity as the schools in Aberdeen are currently suffering fromhuge cuts to their budget.

Examples of this are schools struggling to purchase necessarymaterials such as jotters and books; restricted budgets resulting inprimary teachers having to teach specialised subjects to theirpupils, knowledgeable parents being called upon to assist in othersubjects.

Where does it end?

So I disagree with A Robertson - it is in no way too premature forthe citizens of Aberdeen to be concerned.

Let's look at it this way - Aberdeen's largest income comes fromthe business and tourism community.

Marischal College is one of the most beautiful buildings in theworld and would perhaps lend itself better to an upmarket hotel thana council headquarters.

Now is the time for the council to re-think its plans.

The money saved could be ploughed back into the area which needsit most ... education, education, education.

J MannDanestoneAberdeen