Credit card debt rises faster for those 65 and older

By Kathy Chu, USA TODAY
Cash-strapped older Americans are racking up credit card debt faster than other consumers amid dwindling retirement portfolios and rising medical costs, a study shows.

The study, which will be released Tuesday by Demos, a liberal public policy group, shows that low- and middle-income consumers 65 and older carried $10,235 in average card debt last year, up 26% from 2005. Card debt for all borrowers surveyed rose 3% during that time, to $9,827.

Overall, revolving debt — mostly on credit cards — grew during much of 2008, the Federal Reserve says. But as consumers pared spending, outstanding debt also fell. From the fourth quarter of 2008 through the first quarter of 2009, revolving debt slipped 2.3% to $939.6 billion.

Vulnerable consumers are turning to credit cards for necessities, not luxuries, Demo's survey shows. For instance, more than half of households say medical expenses contributed to their credit card debt.

"The frivolous spending idea, that's not what's driving families into crazy debt," says Jose Garcia, a Demos associate director. "The expense that most affects families is the cost of living."

Demos' phone survey, conducted April through August 2008, polled 1,205 low- and middle-income households, defined as those with 50% to 120% of local median income. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

The data are in line with other industry research showing that seniors are becoming the face of the indebted.

From 1992 through 2007, the latest data available, older Americans' credit card debt grew faster than the overall population, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a non-partisan group that studies economic security.

"You see a great increase in credit card debt for people right near retirement age," says Craig Copeland, a senior research associate at EBRI. "They're probably still working, but they're also the most likely to become disabled," which could force them to rely on credit cards.

Demos' survey found that those carrying credit card debt are also paying more for it: Close to one in four households now pay more than 20% interest. And households charged late fees paid an average of four fees during a 12-month period.

These high rates and fees can upend consumers' budgets, advocates say. "When your interest rate goes up, it's another hammer blow to your ability to make ends meet," says Sally Hurme of AARP, the group for consumers 50 and older.

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ALEX FERGUSON BLASTS CITY

SIR ALEX FERGUSON has launched a savage attack on Manchester City over their controversial billboard of Carlos Tevez.

The United boss branded City arrogant and showed contempt for Tevez, who has been heralded with a huge poster on a main road in the centre of Manchester.

Fergie also claimed City new boy Emmanuel Adebayor called United to try and engineer a move to Old Trafford instead. But the former Arsenal striker was turned down flat.

Ferguson said: "The billboard is City, isn't it? They are a small club with a small mentality.

"All they can talk about is Manchester United, that's all they've ever done and they can't get away from it. That's stupid. That arrogance will be rewarded in the right way. It's a go at us, that's the one thing it is. I don't look upon City as my biggest challenge.

"They think taking Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff. I thought he would go to City a long time ago. Now I don't have to deal with certain players who are miserable because they are not playing. I have good professionals here.

"What's Mark Hughes got, 10 strikers? So if he picks a squad to go to Chelsea he has to leave seven behind, or five at least. He has to deal with that. It will not be easy."

Fergie also revealed striker Adebayor - desperate to sign for a club playing Champions League football - called United and Chelsea in the hope they would hijack his move to Eastlands from Arsenal.

The United chief added: "At the last minute, from what I can gather, I know Adebayor or his agent phoned us after he had agreed a deal with City and then did the same to Chelsea.

"You ask why he is going to Manchester City and it can only be for one reason. He was desperate to get to Chelsea and he was desperate to get to us.


"I am not saying they are different to any other player but when someone offers you more money, that is a big attraction. That is the reason those players have gone there. I can't say I'm enthusiastic about the season because of everything that has gone on but there is an edge being put on us because of all the buying City have done.

"Do you know what City's biggest triumph is? It's getting those players there. I don't know if they will do anything. It's not easy to get in that top four so the biggest success is just to get the players there. They might not get beyond that.

"The top four has been established a long time. Liverpool or Chelsea won't die. City's spending is only demoralising if you panic.

"The one who has the challenge is Arsene. I know he doesn't have the money and how he uses that £25m will be very interesting. The test might not come from City. Tottenham, Aston Villa and Everton will all have a say."

Red wine increases women's sexual desire

Researchers concluded that levels of sexual desire were higher in women who were moderate drinkers of red wine than in their counterparts who preferred other alcoholic drinks, or were teetotal.

One theory put forward by the team of Italian doctors who carried out the study is that chemical compounds found in red wine may improve sexual functioning by increasing blood flow to key areas of the body.


The researchers said: "While this finding needs to be interpreted with some caution, it nevertheless suggests a potential relationship between red wine consumption and better sexuality."

In the project, described as the first to examine red wine intake and women's sexual function, doctors at the University of Florence recruited 800 women aged 18 to 50. The women, none of whom had reported a sexual health problem, were split into three groups – those who regularly consumed one or two glasses of red wine a day, those who consumed less than one glass a day of any sort of wine or other alcohol, and those who were teetotal.

Women who drank more than two glasses a day were excluded from the study to avoid the possible confounding effects of drunkenness.

All participants completed a questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index, which is used by doctors to assess women and sexual health. It includes 19 questions with a total score range between two and 36, with higher scores meaning better functioning.

Overall the red wine drinkers scored an average of 27.3 points, compared to 25.9 for the less-frequent tipplers and 24.4 for the non-drinkers.

The researchers, who reported their findings in the Journal of Sexual Medicine last week, say the outcome is even more striking because the red wine drinkers were, on average, older than the other two groups, and age tends to be associated with a declining sex drive.

Just how red wine could have such an effect is not clear, although there are a number of theories. One suggestion is that antioxidants in red wine have a beneficial effect on the lining of blood vessels, widening the vessels and increasing blood flow to key areas of the body.

San Diego high-rise condo market goes from frenzy to fizzle

Drive through California's sprawling inland suburbs and you'll spot the familiar mileposts of a real estate bust: foreclosure signs, brown lawns and abandoned subdivisions.


There you'll see hundreds of unsold luxury condominiums stacked in vacant high-rises. Some units downtown are now selling for less than half what earlier buyers had paid during the market peak.

These see-through buildings, with names evoking European sophistication like Aria and Vantage Pointe, are the opulent spatter from the bursting of one of California's flashiest housing bubbles.

From 2001 through 2008, more than 8,000 condominium units were built in downtown San Diego. That's double the number of downtown units constructed over the same period in Los Angeles, a city three times its size. So while sales of urban high-rise units are convulsing elsewhere, nowhere is the collapse more dramatic than in downtown San Diego.

Flush with easy credit, developers and home buyers were eager to invest in "America's finest city," the nickname used by officials to tout San Diego's bay-side location and perfect climate.

At the height of the frenzy, hopeful purchasers queued up outside sales offices to plunk down deposits. There were occasional arguments over who was first in line. No one wanted to miss out with condo values riding an elevator to the sky.

Near the peak, in May 2004, median resale prices of downtown condos hit $647,500, a 56% increase in just three years, according to San Diego research firm MDA DataQuick.

One savvy flipper made a $91,000 profit in less than two months in 2005 by reselling a 560-square-foot studio for $340,000.

"There was a little bit of a mass hysteria mentality. . . . People thought they would be priced out of the market," said Bradford Willis, 47, who signed a contract in 2004 to purchase a $341,000, one-bedroom condo in a planned luxury development. Willis said he bought on speculation because there was little existing inventory on the market at the time, much of it priced above $500,000.

Irrational exuberance has long since given way to buyer's remorse. Median resale prices for downtown units stood at $370,000 in June. That pricey 560-square-foot studio? It was foreclosed and resold this year for $162,000, down more than half from its 2005 sale price.

Downtown San Diego, a 2.2-square-mile area, is now awash in condos. About 400 new and occupied ones are listed for sale, and more than 450 are in some stage of foreclosure and will eventually be put on the market. An additional 1,000 units that were under construction when the market soured are slated to be completed this year, adding to the glut and putting further downward pressure on prices.

So far this year, 159 new homes have been sold downtown, according to DataQuick. At that pace, it would take several years to sell all the units recently completed or being finished this year. Developers are holding units off the market.

Some companies have simply walked away. Los Angeles housing developer KB Home abandoned plans for a 184-unit luxury project in 2007, before construction began. The new owners of that downtown parcel are now building 226 units for low-income families.

"It was like the Gold Rush down there, and this is the fallout," said Peter Navarro, a UC Irvine professor of economics and public policy who in 1992 ran unsuccessfully for mayor of San Diego.

The same factors that led to overbuilding everywhere, such as loose credit and false expectations of ever-rising prices, were at work in San Diego, Navarro said.

Still, there were some unique forces pumping air into the bubble.

Canadian developers with little experience in Southern California, starting with Nat Bosa, a prominent Vancouver, Canada, condo builder, led the condo charge downtown, overestimating its potential, experts said. Buyers likewise bet too heavily on the urban revival triggered by the 2004 completion of the Petco Park baseball stadium, home to the San Diego Padres.

City policies encouraged multi-unit housing development in the lightly populated downtown area, where large projects could be built with little community resistance. Builders loved high-rise towers because they could sell more units on the same space.

But that almost exclusive focus on upscale high-rises was a mistake, said Howard Blackson, who heads a San Diego urban design firm. Towers aren't as attractive to families as other types of housing, such as row houses or smaller, walk-up buildings, Blackson said. Nor were they affordable for many. With some three-bedroom units priced at more than $1 million, the pool of purchasers was limited.

EU Ambassador Says Russia at Risk

By Michael Stott / Reuters

Russia risks being a Third World-style raw material exporter mired in economic crisis unless it boosts democracy and the rule of law, European Union Ambassador to Russia Marc Franco said in an interview.

Franco, the outgoing head of the European Commission delegation to Russia, said that during his five years the relationship with Moscow had suffered “standstill, if not a regression” and many reforms of the 1990s had been reversed.

“My stay here coincided with the second term of President [Vladimir] Putin,” said Franco, 62. “Rightly or wrongly, I have the impression that in that period many reforms of the Yeltsin era seem to have been turned back.”

But he expressed optimism that in the long term a new generation of Russians would prevent a return to Soviet-style authoritarianism and reassert citizens’ rights — essential for the country to grow a modern, knowledge-based economy.

Asked whether it was impossible for the country to get out of economic crisis without political reform, Franco replied: “The simple reply to that would be yes. … Russia still has many characteristics of a Third World economy, exporting raw materials and importing finished products.”

“I am not sure you need fully fledged democracy to export oil, gas and nickel, but you do need it to build up a 21st-century, knowledge-based economy. That is impossible without a full realization of the rule of law.”

The EU is Russia’s biggest trade and investment partner, but flourishing business ties have not been matched in the political realm, where disputes over Russia’s alleged use of gas as a diplomatic weapon, its treatment of neighboring states and its record on human rights and democracy have soured the mood.

Asked what needed to change in Russia, Franco said it would be presumptuous to give recipes but added, “Where the problem in Russia starts is in a not-sufficiently developed and aware civil society and a lack of freedom of expression in media.”

“I do believe — no matter which country we are talking about — that you cannot have rule of law … without the basic elements of democracy, implying free elections and a vibrant civil society supported by a free press.”

Franco, a Belgian economist who has worked for the European Commission since 1978, said he felt comfortable making his observations — unusually direct for a head of mission here — because they did not contradict “what President Medvedev says.”

Medvedev has made the rule of law, the fight against corruption and the pursuit of a more open political system priorities for his presidency, although many diplomats and analysts complain that the results so far have been meager.

Aside from the reform agenda, a more urgent priority for the Kremlin is to combat a deep recession gripping Russia.

Franco said deep economic crises threaten governments anywhere but added that in Russia “the existing regime is to a large extent based on a social contract,” under which the administration guarantees prosperity in exchange for a leading role in the economy and a dominant role in society.

“The Russian government can only maintain its credibility and stability provided it can ensure that ‘Russia Incorporated’ functions or can be expected to function soon,” he said.

Billions 'wasted' in health system: report

KEVIN Rudd's hand-picked health reform adviser has warned that Australia is wasting much of the $94 billion it spends each year on health services and will not be able to afford even the current, flawed system without major reforms.

The Prime Minister's National Health and Hospital Reform Commission will publicly release more than 120 recommendations in Canberra today, handing the government a blueprint for change, but allowing for "long-term" implementation that pushes the most politically sensitive reforms beyond the next election. Among its recommendations will be taking responsibility for some health services away from the states and giving it to the commonwealth.

The commission, set up early last year to help redesign Australia's health system, will warn that healthcare services, already under strain, will be swamped by the rising tide of chronic illness, an ageing population and costly new health technologies.

The commission urges governments to build stand-alone elective surgery hospitals and set new performance benchmarks requiring most operations to be performed within three months and emergency patients to get treatment within minutes. It also urges the creation of a Denticare scheme, paid for by a 0.75 of a percentage point increase in the Mecicare levy.

The commission's final report cites figures indicating Australians are forgoing two years of life because of waste and duplication in the health system. Errors are also taking a human toll. "The number of adverse events each year (is) equivalent to 13 jumbo jets crashing and killing all 350 passengers on board," it says.

Australia could save $1bn in healthcare costs by preventing just half of these mistakes. Better care in the community, through general practice, community health centres and other frontline services, would also eliminate the need for 700,000 hospital admissions a year.

The current health system is "unlikely to be sustainable without reform", the 10-member commission argues.

It wants financial responsibility for key health and aged care services to be shifted from the states to the commonwealth.

The Prime Minister promised before the 2007 election that he would "end the blame game" by wresting financial control of public hospitals from the states if they failed to lift their game. He set a deadline of the middle of this year to take the issue to a referendum, but has stayed silent ahead of the release of the final NHHRC report.

Two of the commission's interim reform options, released late last year, proposed a more ambitious federal takeover of all state-run health and aged care services. But the final report is widely expected to opt for a more manageable transfer to the commonwealth of primary health services, such as child health clinics and drug and alcohol services, as well as hospital outpatient services.

Even such a comparatively modest reform would have to be phased in beyond Mr Rudd's current term since it could cost the states $3bn in funding, according to the commission's interim estimates.

The move would be a first or transitional step towards a more dramatic restructuring of responsibilities, involving $4bn in state-run health and aged care services.

Appeals court rules Sussex County man may show jury photos of his body in sex assault case

BUTLER -- A state appellate court will allow a Vernon man, who argues he is caught in a case of mistaken identity in a sex-assault case, to show a jury photos of his private parts - images he contends contradict the victim's description of her attacker.

In a decision released late this afternoon, the state Appellate Division overturned a Superior Court judge's ruling prohibiting explicit photos of Andrew Pena from being introduced as evidence in his upcoming trial in Superior Court in Morristown.

Pena's defense attorney, Alex Pagano, wanted the photos admitted into evidence at trial because he said they dispute the woman's description of her attacker's genitals.

On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Salem Ahto ruled the photos were inadmissible and agreed with prosecutors who wanted the photos blocked. A defense representative took the photos of Pena in jail in September, they argued, and there is no way to recreate in jail the motivation and circumstances the assailant had during the attack two years ago.

The victim picked Pena out of a lineup, a fingerprint from her vehicle was a match to Pena and a footprint matched his shoe, authorities said. Pena also told police he was at the scene, prosecutors said.

A ruling by a two-judge appellate panel stated the photos go to the heart of a defendant's constitutional right to confront witnesses, and prosecution concerns involve "the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility," meaning it should be left up to a jury to decide the relevance of the photos.

"We knew the judge was wrong -- we wanted to protect our client's rights," Pagano said.

Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi said his office will not appeal the latest ruling.

"We're ready to go forward. I'm glad we resolved it now, rather than go through a whole trial and have it reversed later on," Bianchi said. "We're not afraid of the ruling. We'll confront the evidence."

Jury selection has been under way in the trial in Superior Court in Morristown, and is expected to be completed Monday, followed by opening arguments.

The assault occurred Jan. 28, 2007, at 3:15 a.m. when the woman waited inside a car parked near G&A Bagels off southbound Route 23 as her friends went inside, an arrest affidavit said. A man sweeping outside the store told the woman she couldn't park there and directed her to the back of the building, where the attack occurred, the affidavit said.

Brave female MP takes on Taliban in her native Afghanistan

Malalai Joya is dressed in a striped T-shirt and trousers with a scarf draped over her shoulders.

She also likes wearing jeans or, on more formal occasions, a smart suit.

But in her native Afghanistan she has no choice but to wear a burkha - for fear of being raped, killed or doused with acid by male extremists.

At 31, she is her country's youngest and most outspoken MP - as well as its bravest woman. She has survived five assassination attempts and numerous death threats for speaking out against state corruption and the evil policies of the Taliban. And now she relies on 12 bodyguards who move her to a new safe house every few days. Yet, despite the threats, Malalai has defied her enemies to write a book - Raising My Voice - exposing corruption.

She has even denounced President Hamid Karzai's own brother as a drug-pusher and reveals how ministers travel on fake passports and take backhanders from the nation's massive opium industry.

Malalai also tells how poverty means women sell babies for as little as £6.

But she also thinks British troops are fighting a losing battle - as fundamentalists sit in government and the Taliban can never be overthrown.

Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Mirror, Malalai reveals how she was even under serious threat when she married four years ago. She says: "All the guests - even the flowers - had to be searched because I have been threatened many times. Another time, a bomb placed on a bridge we were about to drive over exploded but it missed us. We were lucky.

"I don't fear death. One day they'll probably kill me - but they'll never silence the truth." Malalai was born in Afghanistan in 1978 - a year before the Soviet Invasion.

Her family had to flee when she was four, so they lived in Pakistan and Iran before returning when the nation was under Taliban rule. She says: "I was educated in refugee camps. I am of a generation that has only known war and repression. That's why I wanted to get into parliament.

"Education and health for women is not a gift like a bunch of flowers - it's a right."

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In a landmark victory, Malalai was elected to one of the 249 seats in the Afghan national assembly as Afghanistan's youngest MP in 2005.

Her winning policies centred on education, health care and equal rights for won votes after women and she slamming the corrupt war lords who held power.

But she was thrown out in 2007 when she spoke out about corruption in government.

Technically she remains an MP, but cannot take her seat.

Speaking from a safe house on a trip to London, Malalai says: "Rape and violence are increasing against women. After the US-British invasion, the Taliban and fundamentalists only got worse.

"Now women are terrified to leave the house without a burkha on because they fear they will be raped or have acid poured on their face."

Malalai adds: "I have seen places where women were so poor they would sell their five-month-old babies for £6 each.

"We thought after 9/11 that the Taliban would be pushed out, but it just didn't happen.

"Now, teachers who educate girls are killed or have their noses and ears cut off."

Malalai says: "I don't want Britain to waste any more blood or money fighting a war in Afghanistan while terrorists sit within the government.

"The best way of helping is to leave - but to never forget Afghanistan."

New clues to Japanese interned in Siberia

MOSCOW--Previously unknown records uncovered in Russia could shed light on Japanese prisoners of war interned in Siberia and other parts of the former Soviet Union after World War II, officials say.

Records on about 700,000 Japanese combatants and civilians who were interned in the Soviet Union were found at a Russian state military archives building.

Japanese government officials are negotiating with their Russian counterparts on sharing the new information.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, details provided by Russia until now include personal information on about 470,000 repatriated Japanese as well as rosters for about 41,000 who died while working as forced laborers, often in freezing conditions.

The newly discovered records consist of separate index cards for each internee. The cards detail the person's name, date of birth, record of transport between prisoner camps and death.

Moscow confirmed last year that 757 cardboard boxes, each containing about 1,000 cards, had been found in storage.

Japanese welfare ministry officials have estimated that 561,000 Japanese were interned in Siberia, of whom 53,000 died.

Ministry officials hope the new records will shed light on when the internees died and where they were buried.

A sample study was conducted on about 300 individuals whose names were not recorded in previous documents provided by Russia.

Russian officials were asked to find information on those individuals in the newly found records. Details on about 20 individuals were discovered.

The number of internees covered by the records is about 140,000 more than the number previously estimated by the health ministry.

However, there is a possibility that duplicate cards for the same individual are included in the records, leading ministry officials to stress the need for a thorough inspection of the new information.

The new records could put to rest debates on the number of Japanese interned in Siberia. Russian and American experts have long disputed the figure.

The internees were mainly soldiers and civilians based in northeastern China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula during the closing stages of the war.

They were taken to Siberia and other parts of the Soviet Union, where they were forced to work in railway construction.(IHT/Asahi: July 25,2009)

Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man

A robot that can open doors and find electrical outlets to recharge itself. Computer viruses that no one can stop. Predator drones, which, though still controlled remotely by humans, come close to a machine that can kill autonomously.

Impressed and alarmed by advances in artificial intelligence, a group of computer scientists is debating whether there should be limits on research that might lead to loss of human control over computer-based systems that carry a growing share of society’s workload, from waging war to chatting with customers on the phone.

Their concern is that further advances could create profound social disruptions and even have dangerous consequences.

As examples, the scientists pointed to a number of technologies as diverse as experimental medical systems that interact with patients to simulate empathy, and computer worms and viruses that defy extermination and could thus be said to have reached a “cockroach” stage of machine intelligence.

While the computer scientists agreed that we are a long way from Hal, the computer that took over the spaceship in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” they said there was legitimate concern that technological progress would transform the work force by destroying a widening range of jobs, as well as force humans to learn to live with machines that increasingly copy human behaviors.

The researchers — leading computer scientists, artificial intelligence researchers and roboticists who met at the Asilomar Conference Grounds on Monterey Bay in California — generally discounted the possibility of highly centralized superintelligences and the idea that intelligence might spring spontaneously from the Internet. But they agreed that robots that can kill autonomously are either already here or will be soon.

They focused particular attention on the specter that criminals could exploit artificial intelligence systems as soon as they were developed. What could a criminal do with a speech synthesis system that could masquerade as a human being? What happens if artificial intelligence technology is used to mine personal information from smart phones?

The researchers also discussed possible threats to human jobs, like self-driving cars, software-based personal assistants and service robots in the home. Just last month, a service robot developed by Willow Garage in Silicon Valley proved it could navigate the real world.

A report from the conference, which took place in private on Feb. 25, is to be issued later this year. Some attendees discussed the meeting for the first time with other scientists this month and in interviews.

The conference was organized by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, and in choosing Asilomar for the discussions, the group purposefully evoked a landmark event in the history of science. In 1975, the world’s leading biologists also met at Asilomar to discuss the new ability to reshape life by swapping genetic material among organisms. Concerned about possible biohazards and ethical questions, scientists had halted certain experiments. The conference led to guidelines for recombinant DNA research, enabling experimentation to continue.

The meeting on the future of artificial intelligence was organized by Eric Horvitz, a Microsoft researcher who is now president of the association.

Dr. Horvitz said he believed computer scientists must respond to the notions of superintelligent machines and artificial intelligence systems run amok.

The idea of an “intelligence explosion” in which smart machines would design even more intelligent machines was proposed by the mathematician I. J. Good in 1965. Later, in lectures and science fiction novels, the computer scientist Vernor Vinge popularized the notion of a moment when humans will create smarter-than-human machines, causing such rapid change that the “human era will be ended.” He called this shift the Singularity.

This vision, embraced in movies and literature, is seen as plausible and unnerving by some scientists like William Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. Other technologists, notably Raymond Kurzweil, have extolled the coming of ultrasmart machines, saying they will offer huge advances in life extension and wealth creation.

“Something new has taken place in the past five to eight years,” Dr. Horvitz said. “Technologists are replacing religion, and their ideas are resonating in some ways with the same idea of the Rapture.”

The Kurzweil version of technological utopia has captured imaginations in Silicon Valley. This summer an organization called the Singularity University began offering courses to prepare a “cadre” to shape the advances and help society cope with the ramifications.

“My sense was that sooner or later we would have to make some sort of statement or assessment, given the rising voice of the technorati and people very concerned about the rise of intelligent machines,” Dr. Horvitz said.

The A.A.A.I. report will try to assess the possibility of “the loss of human control of computer-based intelligences.” It will also grapple, Dr. Horvitz said, with socioeconomic, legal and ethical issues, as well as probable changes in human-computer relationships. How would it be, for example, to relate to a machine that is as intelligent as your spouse?

Dr. Horvitz said the panel was looking for ways to guide research so that technology improved society rather than moved it toward a technological catastrophe. Some research might, for instance, be conducted in a high-security laboratory.

The meeting on artificial intelligence could be pivotal to the future of the field. Paul Berg, who was the organizer of the 1975 Asilomar meeting and received a Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1980, said it was important for scientific communities to engage the public before alarm and opposition becomes unshakable.

“If you wait too long and the sides become entrenched like with G.M.O.,” he said, referring to genetically modified foods, “then it is very difficult. It’s too complex, and people talk right past each other.”

Tom Mitchell, a professor of artificial intelligence and machine learning at Carnegie Mellon University, said the February meeting had changed his thinking. “I went in very optimistic about the future of A.I. and thinking that Bill Joy and Ray Kurzweil were far off in their predictions,” he said. But, he added, “The meeting made me want to be more outspoken about these issues and in particular be outspoken about the vast amounts of data collected about our personal lives.”

Despite his concerns, Dr. Horvitz said he was hopeful that artificial intelligence research would benefit humans, and perhaps even compensate for human failings. He recently demonstrated a voice-based system that he designed to ask patients about their symptoms and to respond with empathy. When a mother said her child was having diarrhea, the face on the screen said, “Oh no, sorry to hear that.”

A physician told him afterward that it was wonderful that the system responded to human emotion. “That’s a great idea,” Dr. Horvitz said he was told. “I have no time for that.”

Ken Conley/Willow Garage

TAKE STEPS TO AVOID IDENTITY THEFT CREDIT CARDHOLDERS ARE URGED

CONSUMERS are being urged to close down any credit card accounts they are no longer using to improve their credit rating, and help avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.

More than 16 million borrowers have an average of 2.3 credit cards they no longer use, according to research from comparison site uswitch.com.

Of those with unused credit cards, almost one in 10 consumers have as many as four unused credit cards, 7 per cent have between five and six.

Almost 10 million consumers try to recession-proof themselves by not using their cards, and a further 1.8 million cut them up altogether to avoid temptation.

Louise Bond, personal finance expert at uswitch.com said: “In times of such financial turbulence, it is not surprising people don’t want to let go of what they consider to be a financial lifeline.” However, this practice could have a negative impact on credit scores as providers examine the amount of credit available alongside the ability to repay debt on time. Fraud is also a consideration.

Bond said: “Dormant accounts are easy pickings for a fraudster as, in many cases, they could well be registered to an old address and it could take several months, if not years, to identify the abuse.

“While we’re not telling consumers to rush out and close down every account they don’t use, if you do have as many as six a little spring clean wouldn’t go amiss.”

Retaliation threat

SEOUL - NORTH Korea's defence minister promised to retaliation against tough new UN sanctions put in place following its missile and nuclear tests, state media reported on Sunday.

Kim Yong-Chun warned that 'a touch-and-go situation' was caused by what he called reckless sanctions and US-South Korean military provocations, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

'We will mercilessly and resolutely counter the enemy's 'sanctions' with retaliation, its 'all-out war' with all-out war,' Kim, minister of the People's Armed Forces, said in a report carried by the agency.

The communist state, however, regularly issues aggressive statements and rhetoric against its neighbours and the US.

Mr Kim, speaking at a public meeting in Pyongyang to mark the anniversary of the 1950-1953 Korean War, added: 'We will deal unimaginably deadly blows at the US imperialists and the South Korean puppets if they ignite a war.' He did not, however, elaborate further.

North Korea on Sunday separately denounced an annual upcoming US-South Korean military exercise as preparing to invade the communist country.

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) drill, scheduled for August 17-27, 'lays bare the black-hearted aim lurking behind 'peace keeping' and 'dialogue'", KCNA said in a separate dispatch.

Tensions have intensified following the communist state's missile and nuclear tests in recent weeks, resulting in a new flurry of UN sanctions amid a renewed standoff with the US.

Pyongyang quit the six-party talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programme after the UN Security Council censured it for a long-range rocket launch in April. In May it also staged its second nuclear test.

The Council has since imposed tougher sanctions, including an expanded arms embargo and beefed up inspections of air, sea and land shipments going to and from North Korea. A travel ban has also been imposed on Pyongyang officials suspected of being involved in the country's nuclear and missile programmes. -- AFP

Woman stripped in public in Patna, probe ordered

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has ordered state police chief DN Gautam to inquire into the alleged assault and stripping of a woman by
Activists

Officials said the chief minister ordered Gautam to undertake the probe on Thursday night although the police headquarters had already asked Inspector General (Patna zone) Sunil Kumar to look into the incident.

A group of men had allegedly abused, assaulted and then stripped a woman in her 20s in full public view at a busy road in the state capital on Thursday evening.

A police team was reportedly present at the site and watched the attack on the woman for nearly an hour before taking the culprits to the police station.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Neelmani said Assistant Sub-inspector Shiv Nath Singh, who was in charge of patrolling the area, has been suspended for not helping the woman in time.

The woman was identified as resident of Jesidih, a town in the neighbouring state Jharkhand. Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Punaichak here, had lured her to Patna with a promise of providing a job to her.

Soon after she came here, Rakesh forced her to have sex with his friends. She ran away from the hotel where she had been staying with him for the last few days. However, Rakesh and his friends caught up with her and attacked her.

Police have arrested Rakesh, who is said to be involved in the flesh trade.

"Police have lodged a case against Rakesh and others on the basis of the statement of the woman," an official said.
The state women's commission has asked Patna Senior Superintendent of Police R. Mallar Vizhi to submit a report on the incident.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad condemned the incident and said that it shows that no government existed in the state.

Little league death threats

DEATH threats in letters to two Hobart families have shocked a junior football league.
Police have launched a hunt for the letters' authors, who have repeatedly threatened to kill two boys playing for an under-10 club in the Southern Tasmania Junior Football League.

The boys' families have been forced to change their daily lives, fearing for their safety.

The team has changed training venues and adapted match-day rituals to improve protection.

The boys remain unaware of the threats.

The concerned parents contacted the Sunday Tasmanian in the hope that making the threats public would assist investigations.

The coach of the under-10 team, John (not his real name) has received 24 letters, each typed using a computer and addressed to his family home.

All of the letters were shown to the Sunday Tasmanian.

"We're just sickened by these people," John said.

"We want them to be caught and receive the justice they deserve.

"This is under-age football for goodness sake -- it's about having fun and learning the game.

"This kind of harassment is disgusting and unacceptable."

Initially, the letters demanded that the two boys, who are among the successful team's best players, play for a different team.

"We will leave you alone if you give us -- -- and -- -- because we think this will damage your team and make ours a better one ... if this is not done, they could end up getting hurt and then no one will be able to have them."

When the demands were not met, physical threats followed.

"We are going to gang up on them at training. One boy will bash -- -- in the face and break both legs and arms of -- --. If we can't have them nobody will, including you or their parents."

Within weeks, sickening death threats began.

"We have been watching -- -- this week and just waiting until it's the right time to kill him. You don't seem too worried, if you think this is a joke, well think again, because it's not. You should start to take this seriously because it will happen."

Each weekend the parents find themselves looking around suspiciously from the sidelines as their boys play, fearing the worst.

"We're constantly watching, sizing everybody up. We can't trust anyone," a mother of one of the boys said.

Both families admit that they have adjusted their lives in a bid to protect the boys.

"I now meet him at the bus stop because I don't want him to be unaccompanied between the bus stop and home," a mother of one of the boys said.

"I'm angry that these sick people have forced us to do this."

A father of one of the boys told the Sunday Tasmanian that he had considered pulling his son from the team in an effort to protect him.

"But I just know it would crush him if he couldn't play though," he said.

"He loves the game. He wants to be an AFL player. How could we do that to him?"

Glenorchy CIB said several people of interest had been identified.

Politicizing hotel bombings ‘setback for democracy’

A group of activists urged the government Saturday to stop linking Friday’s hotel bombings to the recent presidential election as they said it would only worsen the situation.

They said that politicizing the deadly bombings was a setback for democracy in Indonesia.

“Stop politicizing the bombing tragedy, uphold the law and give priority to helping the victims,” the activists said in a joint statement.

The coalition of activists included members of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (Demos), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Indonesian Woman’s Coalition and the National Alliance of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika.

The activists made the call after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s statements that the perpetrators of the bombings were also targeting him in an attempt to derail the presidential election.

Yudhoyono said the terrorists were planning to take over the General Elections Commission (KPU) as ballot counting continues.

He further said the group planned to make Indonesia like Iran, and that they would try to prevent him from being sworn in for his expected second term.

The KPU has yet to officially announce the winner of the election, but quick counts have put Yudhoyono well in front.

Demos’ director Anton Prajasto said bringing the bombings into the political arena would confuse the process of democracy in the country.

“This is the right moment for the government to uphold the law. It is the task of police to arrest the perpetrators of the bombings and bring them to court,” he said.

Head of Kontras’ impunity watch and fulfilment of victims’ rights department, Yanti Andriani, deplored Yudhoyono for his provocative speech, made just hours after the bombing.

“Yudhoyono’s speech came at the wrong time and in the wrong place. For us, it is too also early to believe [his claims] but also too important to ignore,” she said.

“People are shocked by the bombings but President Yudhoyono does not need to make such provocative statements.”

She said that Yudhoyono could have directly ordered the police to follow up information from intelligence if a group of people were out to assassinate him.

Meanwhile, director of the National Coalition of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, Nia Syarifuddin, agreed Yudhoyono’s statements would breed distrust.

“The priority should be put on humanitarian efforts, not politics, as this was a human tragedy,” she said.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who also ran in the recent election, insisted Friday that the hotel bombings had nothing to do with the presidential election.

The third presidential candidate, Megawati Soekarnoputri, also rebuked Yudhoyono’s statements and questioned why the president hadn’t simply ordered the police to take direct action.

Meanwhile, Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party denied Saturday Yudhoyono’s statements were an attempt to politicize the bombings.

“President Yudhoyono is in no way politicizing the bombings. The president’s statements reflect his anger at the terrorist acts that are having disastrous impacts on the development of the country,” deputy party chairman, Anas Urbaningrum, said, as quoted by Antara.

Recession maintains grip on UK as GDP plunges at record rate

Output in Britain is falling at an alarming rate, fuelling fears of another surge in unemployment.

Production was down 0.8% in the last past three months - almost three times as much as experts predicted.

That took the annual rate to 5.6%, the biggest slump since records began in 1955.

Separate figures revealed UK car production fell 30% last month.

While this was less than the 43% drop in May it suggests the Government's £2,000 scrappage scheme is having limited impact.

Economists said the "shockingly bad" slump in Gross Domestic Product dashed any hopes of the recession ending quickly.

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They warned it would lead to further rises in unemployment, putting extra strain on Government finances at a time of falling tax revenue. Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said a "ballooning" deficit would force the Government to choose between cuts in public services, such as schools and hospitals, or increasing taxes.

Tuc general secretary Brendan Barber said ministers should resist calls for public spending cuts.

He added: "Big spending cuts are the last thing we need. They could tip the economy into an ever deeper downturn and make the deficit worse when the tax take falls and spending on unemployment rises.

"As consumers and companies fail to spend, the public sector must fill the gap."

The construction industry was the hardest hit sector, with a 2.2% collapse in output. There were also big falls in transport, agriculture and even the service sector.

Vicky Redwood, economist at the Capital Economics research consultancy, said: "The figures are shockingly bad. It looks like being a long hard slog to get the economy back on track."

Earliest human relics in Taiwan unearthed in Taitung cave

TAITUNG, Taiwan -- A team from Academia Sinica, Taiwan's highest research institute, has recently discovered a neolithic stone hearth in a cave in the eastern county of Taitung that has been confirmed as the earliest human relic to have been discovered in Taiwan, the Taitung county government said Friday.

After a year of investigation and research, the prehistoric archaeology research team discovered the hearth at the Basiandong (Eight Deities) Historic Site, which carbon-dating reveals to be 20,000 years old, according to an official with the county's Cultural and Tourism Bureau.

"The sample proves that humans were living in Taiwan more than 20,000 years ago, " the official quoted Tsang Chen-hua, deputy director of the Academia Sinica Institute of History and Philology, who led the research team, as saying.

In addition to the fire place, the research team has also discovered seven new caves, bringing the number of caves found at the Basiandong Historic Site to 24 from the previous 17, the Taitung official said.

According to the Taitung Cultural and Tourism Bureau, the Basiandong site attracted the attention of Japanese archaeologists during Taiwan's Japanese colonization who explored the main cave, located in a coastal cliff area in the county's Changbin township.

Between 1968 and 1969, a National Taiwan University archaeologist team led by Professor Sung Wen-hsun worked on the Basiandong Historic Site again, discovering four samples that were later carbon dated as dating back between 5,000 and 15,000 years.

To further prove the dates of the Basiandong relics, the Cabinet-level Council for cultural Planning and Development later entrusted Academia Sinica to conduct a new round of research into the site.

"The discoveries by Tsang and his team are tremendously meaningful in terms of Taiwan's neolithic archaeological research, " the official said.

Years of experience saved skier from avalanche

A Melbourne man who survived a deadly avalanche in New Zealand believes years of skiing and watching documentaries on avalanches are what saved him.

Three Australian tourists triggered an avalanche while heli-skiing with two guides near the town of Methven on New Zealand's south island yesterday afternoon.

Melbourne real estate agent John Castran, 53, his 23-year-old son Angus and the guides survived the disaster.

Sydney man Llynden Riethmuller, 60, died when he was buried under a metre of debris and could not be revived.

Mr Castran says he kept calm and does not remember his son digging him out of the snow.

"I was unconcious at that stage," he said.

"I don't have any recollection of that. He said when they got to me my face was blue and my eyes were rolled back in my head."

Skiing group blamed

The manager of New Zealand's mountain safety council, Steve Schrieber, says the avalanche was triggered by the skiing group itself.

The council had issued warnings of dangerous conditions in its Southern Alps, where the accident happened.

Mr Schrieber says that the warnings were aimed at recreational skiers and that the guides with the group were experienced.

"These guys are professionals, they work out there every day," he said.

"In the case of the two guides who were working out there, the lead guide has over 25 years experience. This was a very, very accomplished and professional group of people.

"The avalanche phenomena is an unpredictable thing and there's a risk to going heli-skiing. Unfortunately today the risk showed itself."

The guides described the deceased man as an experienced skier who was fit and loved the outdoors.

Microsoft to unbundle IE from Windows: EU

The European Commission says Microsoft has agreed to open up Windows to different web browsers in order to fend off European Union litigation.

"Microsoft has proposed a consumer ballot screen as a solution to the pending antitrust case about the tying of Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser with Windows," the commission said in a statement.

It said computer users would be able to "easily install competing web browsers, set one of those browsers as a default, and disable Internet Explorer" from the ballot screen.

"We believe that if ultimately accepted, this proposal will fully address the European competition law issues relating to the inclusion of Internet Explorer in Windows and interoperability with our high-volume products," Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said in a release.

"This would mark a big step forward in addressing a decade of legal issues and would be good news for European consumers and our partners in the industry."

The commission, Europe's top competition watchdog, opened a new front in its epic anti-trust battle with Microsoft in January.

It hit the company with fresh charges of unfairly squashing competition by bundling its Internet Explorer web browser into its ubiquitous Windows personal computer operating system.

'Consumer ballot'

Under the plan, rival browsers including Mozilla Firefox, Google's Chrome or Opera by Norway's Opera Software will now be placed before consumers at the point when they set up a new computer's operating preferences.

European consumers who buy new Windows-based personal computers with Internet Explorer pre-set as the browser would be shown a "ballot screen" from which they could easily install competing browsers from the web, Mr Smith said.

If the commission accepts the proposal, Microsoft will ship Windows 7 in Europe with IE built-in, as will be the case in the rest of the world with the software release in October, according to the Redmond, Washington-based firm.

In an effort to appease EU regulators, Microsoft currently plans to ship in Europe "E versions" of Windows 7 without web browsers.

Mr Smith said that Microsoft's proposal includes a "public undertaking" designed to promote interoperability between third party software and products including Windows, Windows Server, Office, Exchange and SharePoint.

This week Microsoft declared its next-generation Windows 7 operating system ready for delivery to computer makers.

Because of the regulatory wrangling in Europe, the Windows 7 version going on sale there was originally to have seen Internet Explorer completely removed.

Obama Shifts Tone on Gates After Mulling Debate

WASHINGTON — President Obama tried Friday to defuse a volatile national debate over the arrest of a black Harvard University professor as he acknowledged that his own comments had inflamed tensions and insisted he had not meant to malign the arresting officer.


Police officials held a news conference on Friday in Cambridge, Mass., about the case involving Sgt. James Crowley, left.

Mr. Obama placed calls to both the professor, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and the man who arrested him, Sgt. James Crowley, two days after saying the police had “acted stupidly” last week in hauling Professor Gates from his home in handcuffs. Mr. Obama said he still considered the arrest “an overreaction,” but added that “Professor Gates probably overreacted as well.”

“I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up,” the president said in an appearance in the White House briefing room. “I want to make clear that in my choice of words, I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically, and I could have calibrated those words differently.”

Mr. Obama’s unusual personal intervention and public statement came just four hours after the White House said he had no more to say on the matter. But after talking with Michelle Obama and some of his closest friends amid unrelenting publicity, his advisers said, the president reversed course in hopes of quashing a dispute that had set off strong reactions and made it harder for the White House to focus attention on his efforts to pass health care legislation.

The Gates case has become the first significant racial controversy Mr. Obama has confronted since being sworn in as the nation’s first African-American president. The improvisational handling of it underscored the delicate challenges for a leader who has tried to govern by crossing old lines and emphasizing commonalities over differences.

Advisers said both his sharp statement, which was made at Wednesday night’s news conference, and his toned-down remarks on Friday reflected strains of his experiences. He was personally outraged by the arrest and wanted to speak bluntly about it, aides said. And they said he was distressed that his words proved polarizing and contrary to his instincts for conciliation.

Whether he succeeded in tamping down the emotions of the case remained to be seen. In their telephone conversation, Mr. Obama said, Sergeant Crowley suggested that he and Professor Gates come to the White House to share a beer with the president. Mr. Obama then conveyed that idea in his phone call with Professor Gates.

Professor Gates said in an e-mail message afterward that he was “pleased to accept his invitation” to come to the White House and meet Sergeant Crowley. “After all, I first made the offer to meet with Sgt. Crowley myself, last Monday,” he wrote. “I told the president that my entire career as an educator has been devoted to racial healing and improved race relations in this country. I am determined that this be a teaching moment.”

Sergeant Crowley made no public comments after his conversation with the president. He has denied doing anything wrong and has declined to apologize to Professor Gates.

The episode stemmed from a misunderstanding when Professor Gates returned to his Cambridge home on July 16 and found his door stuck. A woman reported seeing someone trying to break into the house and the police responded. Although the arresting police officer became aware that Professor Gates was in his own home, the police said he was belligerent and arrested him for disorderly conduct. The charge was later dropped.

Mr. Obama defended his decision to weigh in. “The fact that this has become such a big issue I think is indicative of the fact that, you know, race is still a troubling aspect of our society,” he said. “Whether I were black or white,” he said, commenting “is part of my portfolio.”

Mr. Obama first discussed with aides how to address the arrest during a meeting before his Wednesday news conference. Aides said Mr. Obama, a Harvard-trained lawyer, zeroed in on the fact that the arrest came after police confirmed that Professor Gates was in his own home.

But his use of the word “stupidly” at the news conference that evening generated angry responses from Cambridge police, and some of his aides privately rued the word choice. Mr. Obama, who said he was surprised at the response, discussed the issue over dinner with friends at his home in Chicago on Thursday during a quick trip there for a fund-raiser, according to people close to the family. On Friday morning, they said, he also talked it through with Mrs. Obama.

By then, the controversy had dominated White House staff meetings. Robert Gibbs, the press secretary, had told reporters at 10 a.m. that Mr. Obama had nothing more to say. Some advisers had concluded the furor would not dissipate unless Mr. Obama made another statement, while others were wary of him revisiting the episode and particularly did not want him to apologize, they said.

During the morning, police union members held a news conference in Cambridge calling on Mr. Obama to apologize for demeaning Sergeant Crowley and suggesting it was Professor Gates who had made it a racial incident.

“The facts of this case suggest that the president used the right adjective but directed it to the wrong party,” said Sgt. Dennis O’Connor, president of the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association.

Sgt. Leon Lashley, an African-American officer at the Gates house that day, separately told The Associated Press that he supported Sergeant Crowley’s actions “100 percent.”

The police event contributed to what one White House aide called a “critical mass,” but aides said it was not the deciding factor, noting that Mr. Obama had not watched. Shortly after noon, Mr. Obama called his senior adviser, David Axelrod. “I’m going to call Sergeant Crowley and then I think I ought to step into the press room and address it,” Mr. Axelrod said he said.

The president dictated some thoughts intended to avoid directly blaming either the professor or the officer, and speechwriters had less than two hours to craft remarks. Mr. Obama called Sergeant Crowley about 2:15 p.m. and they spoke for five minutes. He went to the briefing room to make his statement, then called Professor Gates about 3:15 p.m.

Mr. Obama said the issue was making it harder for him to focus attention on health care. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but nobody has been paying much attention to health care,” he said.

He did not apologize but softened his language. “I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station,” he said. “I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Professor Gates probably overreacted as well.”

Mr. Obama described Sergeant Crowley as an “outstanding police officer and a good man” who has “a fine track record on racial sensitivity.” But he said the incident showed that “because of the difficulties of the past, you know, African-Americans are sensitive to these issues.”

John Payton, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said that unlike white presidents who could dance around racial issues, Mr. Obama had to be direct. “That’s the whole difference. Bush could punt. Obama can’t punt,” he said. “This issue resonates with him.”

Christopher Edley Jr., a former adviser to President Bill Clinton on race issues and now law school dean at the University of California, Berkeley, said the episode dispelled the “rosy hopefulness” stemming from Mr. Obama’s election “in case anybody needed more evidence that we’re not beyond race.”

Steven Gerrard speaks of his relief after being found not guilty of affray

England footballer Steven Gerrard spoke of his relief today after he was cleared of unjustly attacking a man in a bar.

The Liverpool captain admitted hitting Marcus McGee, 34, in a Southport bar last December and a jury at Liverpool Crown Court accepted his explanation that it was in self-defence.

The 29-year-old was the only one of seven defendants to be cleared over the "explosion of violence" at the Lounge Inn during which Mr McGee lost a tooth and suffered facial cuts.

Gerrard left Liverpool Crown Court to applause from fans and shouts of "come on Rocky".

Speaking to reporters, he said: "Can I just say how pleased I am with today's verdict.

"I'd like to put this case behind me. I'm really looking forward to the season ahead and concentrating on football.

"I'd like to say a big thank you to my legal team, my friends and family and to everyone at Liverpool Football Club for supporting me."

His comments were met with a further round of applause from onlookers before he was ushered away.

The trial heard that Gerrard was at the Lounge Inn in Southport, Merseyside, on December 29 to celebrate Liverpool's 5-1 demolition of Newcastle United hours earlier.

The Reds' captain, who scored twice in the game, was enjoying a night out with a party of friends including Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish, 58.

CCTV footage from the bar showed Gerrard and his friends drinking beer, downing shots and dancing round while chanting football songs.

But trouble flared at around 2am when the father-of-two wanted to change the music on the CD player.

Prosecutor David Turner QC told the jury of seven women and five men that Gerrard lost his cool after Mr McGee refused his request to change the music.

He said the millionaire footballer stormed off in a huff and then confronted Mr McGee at the bar seven minutes later, talking to him for 23 seconds before swinging three upper-cut punches at him.

However, Gerrard's version of events differed. The footballer, who denied affray, told the jury yesterday that he was "shocked" by Mr McGee's attitude.


He said the businessman told him: "You are not putting no f****** music on in here" and swore at him.

Gerrard said they argued for a few seconds before he walked away.

The footballer said that minutes later he decided to smooth things over, against the advice of his friends, because he did not want the row to ruin his night.

He told the court: "I asked Marcus what was the problem with the music machine and why he treated me like that.

"Very quickly he came off the bar stool and was in my face right by me."

He told his defence counsel, John Kelsey-Fry, that he hit out at Mr McGee in self-defence.

He said: "I firmly believed Marcus came towards me to hit me."

Gerrard described raising his left arm to grab the back of Mr McGee's jumper.

He said: "I grabbed the back of his jumper as he moved forward to me. When I had hold of Marcus, I remember swinging my right hand two or three times."

He said the incident took about four or five seconds before he was "pushed and pulled" away from Mr McGee.

Gerrard apologised for what happened, telling the jury: "I am sorry about the whole incident."

CCTV footage showed that Gerrard's friend, John Doran, actually struck the first blow.

Five of Gerrard's friends who accompanied him that night admitted affray.

They are Ian Smith, 19, of Hilary Avenue, John Doran, 29, of Woodlands Road, and Paul McGrattan, 31, of Linden Drive, all Huyton, and Accrington Stanley footballers Robert Grant, 19, of Enstone Avenue, Litherland, and Ian Dunbavin, 28, of Guildford Road, Southport.

Another friend, John McGrattan, 34, of Rimmer Avenue, Huyton, admitted threatening behaviour.

50 ways to make and save money: Essential recession-beating tips

We're all feeling the pinch. Here's your chance to bite back against the credit crunch as we present 50 ingenious ways to make and save money...
Around the home

1) Don't take a tumble

Tumble dryers use a huge amount of energy. Hanging clothes on the line or an indoor drying rack could knock £45 a year off energy bills.

2) Turn it off!

Switching off lights, TVs and other appliances as you leave a room can save the average family £37 a year.

3) Turn heating down in winter

Most people set their home thermostat at more than 22c. Next winter try setting it at 18 to 21 degrees and wearing a sweater or fleece around the house. Turning your heating down by one degree could slice a tenth off your bill.
Woman in the laundry room

Hang clothes on a line rather than using a tumble dryer and save £45 a year
With your bills

4) Pay by direct debit

Energy firms frequently reserve their best deals for those who sign up to direct debit. And there are firms which penalise you if you don't sign up - BT, for example, charges £4.50 a quarter for those who won't use direct debit.

5) Swap energy provider

Go to a comparison site such as uSwitch.com, moneysupermarket.com or compare.dailymail.co.uk and you could cut up to £170 a year off energy bills by finding a cheaper tariff. To get the cheapest possible bill, you'll need to take both electricity and gas from the same firm, accept internet billing and pay by direct debit.

* Energy bills calculator
* Is now the time to switch?

6) Switch insurers

Don't simply accept the renewal policy when your car or house policy comes to an end. Go to comparison websites to see if you can get a better deal. Then see if your insurer can do better.

* Compare cheapest car policies
* Compare cheapest home policies

7) Bundle

By taking out gas and electricity with the same company you can usually save. Likewise phone and broadband deals are usually cheaper bundled by the likes of TalkTalk. Sky and Virgin Media go a step further and add TV.

* Broadband comparisons

8) Switch or ditch?

Millions of us pay for TV packages with Sky or Virgin Media, but have channels we don't watch. Several TV channels are sold in packages, so channels you don't use could be costing you money. Take note of what you actually watch for a month.

If you only watch a couple of films, it may be cheaper to sign up to a DVD subscription such as easycinema rather than paying Sky or Virgin for films, or use a free channel such as Film4. Comparison sites Simplifydigital and uSwitch have searches that allow you to compare the different packages.

* Compare digital TV packages
* How to cancel Sky TV

9) Get web savvy

Many companies give discounts to those who receive bills by email instead of through the post - for example, TalkTalk will knock £1.25 off your monthly bill. Moneysupermarket comparison site says British Gas's standard average yearly rate is £1,202.43.

But if customers were to move to its online product, the rate would be £1,018. And O2 offers a £29.38-a-month contract where you would get 400 minutes and 1,000 texts if purchased online. However, if you turned up to a store, you would only get 400 minutes and 500 texts.
On the phone
cloe

Save: Cleo Eden has saved £80 by changing her mobile network provider

Cleo Eden reckons she has saved £80 a year by moving from her old mobile phone tariff to Virgin Mobile. Money is tight for single mother-of-two Cleo, 33, as she is taking a teaching course at Birmingham University.

So cutting her mobile bill was an obvious way to save costs. She compared some of the other tariffs on the market, but by moving to Virgin she discovered she could get more minutes and a new phone for around £7 a month less than she was paying with O2.

Cleo, who lives in West Bromwich, West Midlands with her son Joseph, seven, and daughter Harriett, two, says: 'When an essay is due or there is an exam, I am constantly phoning and texting people and my old tariff was costing me a lot of money. I needed more minutes.' She has 100 minutes and 100 texts for £15 a month, plus she also got a new Samsung phone.

10) Say no to expensive calls

If you are calling an 0845 and 0870 number, then visit saynoto0870.com to see if there is a local number you can call. Most credit cards have an alternative number printed on them from abroad - use this number in the UK, too, but substitute a 0 for the 44. Consider blocking calls to 07 and 09 numbers - your phone company should do this free of charge. You'll be amazed at how much this can save.

* An alternative way to take revenge on 0870

11) Talk can be cheap

Calling abroad need not be expensive, as certain companies charge a minimum flat rate (normally the cost of a standard UK landline call) for connecting you. Some phone packages such as those offered by TalkTalk include international calls to certain countries. Then there are internet phone services such as Skype or Sipphone. You will need

a headset and a microphone, but once you have downloaded the right software you can talk free of charge to anyone else in the world on the same phone service. Be wary because PC to phone calls can be more expensive.

12) Change your contract

Don't just sign up to the same provider at the end of your mobile or landline contract. Check how many calls you make and texts you send. Most phone companies will allow you to transfer your existing number to the new network.

* Compare cheapest home telephone deals

13) Sell your old mobile

Almost every time you switch to a new contract you are given a new mobile phone. Even the oldest handset can be worth cash. Money4urmobile.com, for example, could give you up to £150 for an unwanted mobile phone depending on its age and model. Other sites include envirofone.com and mopay.co.uk - or you could just give it to a charity.
On the move
Sharing a car has saved us £1,300 a year

Michelle and Darren: Sharing a car has saved us £1,300 a year

Michelle and Darren Pitt have saved hundreds of pounds by switching their energy bills and using their car less.

They are expecting their first baby in September and were looking for ways to cut costs.

Michelle, 26, a human resources officer, says: 'When we found out I was pregnant, we wanted to find ways to save some money - the cost of nappies alone are eyewatering.'

'So we sat down to figure out areas where we could save - it took us no time to realise where we could cut back and probably only half an hour to sort it out.'

They used to pay around £1,400 a year for gas and electricity at their house in New Haw, Surrey, but switched to a 12-month contract with EON - cutting their monthly bill by £35. And paying by direct debit knocked another £112 off their payments.

Darren, 35, a group publishing manager working in Teddington, Middlesex, used to drive to work - spending £100 a month on petrol and £45 on insurance. Now he carshares with a friend and sometimes cycles - saving around £1,300 a year, and keeping fit, too.

14) Ditch your car

Joining a car club or car-share scheme might help you save money.

Instead of paying the one-off cost of buying a car, annual insurance, tax, petrol, MoT, and running repairs, you just pay for the time you actually use it. Firms such as Streetcar allow you to book a car for as little as £3.95 an hour or £49.50 for 24 hours.

15) Be a better driver

Keeping your tyres correctly inflated, removing heavy objects from the boot, taking off the roof rack and turning off the air conditioning will save money. Likewise filling your tank up only half way will mean you are carrying less weight and use less fuel. Drive in the correct gear and change when the revs get to 2,500rpm in a petrol car or 2,000rpm in a diesel. Accelerate and brake gently.

* More advice on how to cut the cost of motoring

16) Find cheap fuel

At petrolprices.com, enter your postcode and you can track down the cheapest pump in your neighbourhood.

17) Pay in one go

Many car insurers charge interest of upwards of 15 per cent to pay your insurance in monthly instalments. So pay in one lump sum.

* More car insurance advice and tips

18) Get a rail card

There are five types of railcards that knock almost a third off your train journeys: for 16-25 year olds; senior citizens; family and friends; Network card (which confusingly means just the South-East); and disabled.
With your banking

19) Give yourself a financial health check

Look at your bank and credit card statements and highlight in different colours 1) necessary bills 2) food and transport 3) other spending. Now roughly add up this final column. Most people are staggered to see how much they spend on unnecessary items.

* Household budget calculator

board properties.

Pay extra off your mortgage while interest rates are so low

20) Overpay your home loan

While interest rates are low, pay a little extra each month off your mortgage and you could clear your debt years early, saving thousands of pounds in interest. London & Country Mortgages says if you paid an extra £50 a month on a typical £150,000 loan, you would save £12,965 in interest and clear your loan two years and five months early.

* How to clear your mortgage early

21) Ditch packaged accounts

Bank current accounts which charge a monthly fee for extra services may be good for some people. But if you aren't using the breakdown cover or mobile phone insurance that comes with it, stop paying around £15 a month for it. Move to a standard free account.

* Compare current accounts

22) Make your savings work

Check what rate your savings are earning. If you haven't opened a new savings account in some time, you could be earning as little as 0.1 per cent. But the best High Street account from Abbey pays 2.5 per cent and the best internet deal pays 3 per cent. This could give you an extra £29 interest a year on every £1,000.

* Compare savings accounts based on different criteria

23) Use your Isa allowance

You can put a total of £7,200 into an Isa this year rising to £10,200 next year (the new limit applies from October for those aged 50 and over). Money in an Isa grows free of income tax and capital gains tax. All this up to £3,600 (£5,100 from next April) can go into a cash Isa and earn tax-free interest. This can boost the interest of a basic rate taxpayer by 25 per cent and a higher rate taxpayer by 66 per cent.

* How to pick the best Isa: Accounts and funds

24) Balance savings and debts

Check the interest rate on your savings and on your debts, especially credit cards. If you are being charged more interest on your debts than you are earning after tax on your savings (and you almost certainly will be), then use the savings to pay off your debt. Beware of early repayment penalties on personal loans.

* Loan repayments calculator
* How long to clear your credit card on current repayment rate

On holiday
Young family splashing on poolside

Make a switch: Cut the cost of a holiday by swapping homes with another family

25) Get a cheap credit card

Most credit and debit cards charge you when they convert foreign currencies back to sterling - typically this will be 2.75 per cent of whatever you spent, though can be as high as 2.99 per cent. However, some cards don't charge this. Abbey Zero charges nothing, and Saga is the same for spending in Europe, though charges 1 per cent for the rest of the world. Nationwide is free in Europe and 0.84 per cent elsewhere.

* How to get the cheapest foreign currency and holiday cards

26) Hide your mobile

The cost of using your mobile is not the rip-off it once was - but it still can be expensive. From July 1, the European Union capped charges at around 10p for sending a text, and around 37p for receiving a call. Bills for using the internet are much higher. Keep it turned off most of the time.

27) House swap

Cut the cost of your holiday by swapping homes with another family. You will normally have to pay for an agency to help arrange the switch - between £30 and £150 a year. After this there are no other costs other than getting to your destination. The most common countries that take part in these schemes are the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

* How to swap houses for a cheaper holiday

Making money

28) Sell your junk

Put your unwanted clothes and furniture up for sale. Put anything up. Start the bidding on websites such as eBay or Gumtree for 99p. Take a photo, write a description and then watch it sell. It only takes a few minutes.

You'll be amazed at how much you can make from what you think is trash. Remember to add a delivery charge and send it recorded delivery. And for heavy items mark it as 'pick-up only', then the buyer must come and collect it. Or go to a car boot sale. Pitches vary between £5 to £20. Find sales in your area at www.carbootjunction.com.

* How to get the best price on eBay

29) Make your opinions earn you money

You can earn a few pounds by taking part in online research and doing product reviews. Sign up to companies such as Ciao, Valued Opinions and One Poll and you will from 10p for a quick survey, to £20 for reviewing a product.

* Get paid to write about your holiday on simonseeks.com

30) House sitting

You can earn between £25 to £30 a day plus transport costs for looking after the pets and plants of people who have gone away. It could be that all you have to do is wait at the house for a package to be delivered. It is best to sign up with agencies such as housecarers.com which take care of insurance etc.

* More ideas on cutting the cost of holidays

31) Rent your drive out

Is parking at a premium in your neighbourhood? Rent out your driveway as a parking place. Visit www.parkatmyhouse.com or www.yourparkingspace.co.uk.

32) Rent a room

This is a tax efficient way of earning some extra cash if you are struggling for money. You can get up to £4,250 a year tax free from a lodger in your main residence - this would make the monthly rent £354.

* Inventive ways to make money from your home

D-I-Y tax cuts

33) Check your PAYE code

Dig out your coding notice from HM Revenue & Customs. If it's wrong, you could be paying too much tax. Read the details of the benefits the taxman believes you are receiving to check they are correct. If in doubt, call the tax helpline.

* Easy ways to pay less tax

34) Trust your partner

If you are married or live with someone in a different tax band, then you should consider allowing the person who pays least tax to hold the savings. Higher earners are charged 40 per cent on their savings, while basic rate payers only get charged 20 per cent and non taxpayers can get tax-free income.

* More news and advice on income tax

35) Get tax-free interest

If you are a low earner and don't use up your personal allowance, then ask the tax office for form R85. This will entitle you to have no tax deducted from your savings. If you're on a low income, you may qualify to pay just 10 per cent tax on savings. Get a form R40 from HM Revenue and Customs for details.

36) Think how you give to charity

Slipping cash into a charity collection tin is the simplest way to give to charity, but it's the least tax efficient both for you and them. If you use GiftAid, then the charity gets more money and, if you are a higher rate taxpayer, you benefit, too.

One method of doing this is via the Give As You Earn scheme which many employers offer through their payroll. A basic rate taxpayer who gives one pound to charity using GiftAid will have their donation bumped up to £1.28. Higher rate taxpayers can reclaim extra tax relief, cutting the cost of their donation to 77p.

* More advice on tax-efficient giving
* Gift aid calculator

At work

37) Join your company pension

If your company offers a pension scheme to which it contributes, then sign up. You're not only getting free money from your employer, you'll also get tax relief on your own contribution. Basic rate taxpayers get an extra 25p for every £1 they contribute and higher rate taxpayer get even better tax relief.

* Company pensions explained

38) Salary sacrifice

Some employers offer schemes that let you pay for things directly out of your salary. There are bike purchase, pension, travel card and share save schemes. The advantage of these is that your repayment of the item is deducted before your tax and National Insurance are calculated. So, for example, the £100 you are paying is actually only equivalent to paying £80 if you are a basic rate taxpayer, or £60 if you are a top earner.

* What's the snag with salary sacrifice pensions?

Claim your entitlements

39) Invest child trust fund vouchers

These vouchers are sent to all new parents. Since September 2002 parents get a one-off voucher worth £250 to invest in their child's name. They get a further £250 when the child reaches seven. You can add up to £1,200 a year.

A quarter of child trust vouchers are not even used. This means that instead of the parent investing the money, the Government puts it into a default fund. Performance of these funds to date has not been good.

* How to pick the best child fund

40) Claim your benefits

Check you are getting all the benefits to which you are entitled. If you are a low earner, live alone, are old or have children, you could be entitled to get money off your tax bill or get a regular payment from the government. Likewise, those that live alone can get 25 per cent off their council tax bill. The government's information website is www.direct.gov.uk.

41) Cut education costs

Whether you are sending your child to private school, going to the local comprehensive or packing them off to university, there are ways to save on education. The Education Maintenance Allowance can pay up to £30 a week to some 16 to 19-year-olds who stay in higher education.

You can also get transport costs paid for travel to sixth form college, and adults in higher education can get discretionary support. At university, you may be able to get a support grant of up to £2,906. On top of this, individual universities have different bursaries and grants.

* More advice on being a better-off student

42) Trace missing money

Whether it's a dormant account, an old Premium Bond, a lost pension or a not-too-old Lottery ticket, it's easy to find missing funds. Each organisation has its own system. Best places to start are www.mylostaccount.org.uk and www.unclaimedassets.co.uk. They will point you in the right way to search.

43) Reclaim your payment insurance

Thousands of borrowers who signed up for loans were also flogged insurance policies for their repayments. Many were not told the true cost of the insurance or were even unaware that the policy was there. You can often reclaim the cost of the cover. Visit our sister website www.thisismoney.co.uk/reclaimppi to find out how.

* How to reclaim payment protection insurance

Out and about
FILMS:Ice Age 3

Enjoy: Take advantage of cheap days at the cinema

44) Hunt for discounts

Search the internet for the latest offers and vouchers. Among the best sites is vouchercodes.com. Then there are more specific sites such as toptable.co.uk and squaremeal.co.uk which have money-off vouchers for restaurants and bars.

* A round-up of 2 for 1 restaurant deals and other offers

45) Become a savvy shopper

Write down what you want to buy before going to the supermarket and only buy the things on your list. Consider using a cheaper supermarket or, better still, use your local street market. Go an hour before closing and you'll be amazed at the bargains you'll pick up. And always shop on a full stomach!

46) Earn rewards

Swap to a credit card that gives cashback on your shopping. American Express Platinum, for example, gives you 5 per cent cashback on your shopping for the first three months then falls to between 0.5 per cent and 1.5 per cent. Others offering cashback include M&S, John Lewis and Tesco. Then there are shopping rewards schemes such as those offered by Boots, Tesco and Nectar.

* Compare loyalty and cashback credit cards

47) But don't forget to claim them

There is an estimated £413million worth of these unclaimed benefits on cards such as Nectar, Boots and Air Miles that shoppers are missing out on.

* More on the best loyalty schemes

48) Cheap films

Take advantage of cheap days at things such as the cinema. For example, Orange mobile phone customers get two-for-one offers on Wednesday night at the cinema (even for Ice Age 3 Dawn Of The Dinosaurs, above). And some cinemas have money off on Tuesdays.

49) Join a library

Why spend so much money on buying books that you will probably read only once? Join your local library and you can take them out free. And DVD and CD rentals can be much cheaper there, too. Alternatively, buy second-hand books from a charity shop.

50) Cheap cuts

Go to a hairdresser on a model night. Top salons can charge as little as £5 if you are willing to allow a junior hairdresser to cut your hair. Some may even give a free cut. It may take longer, because the trainee has to be supervised.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/article-1201291/50-ways-make-save-money-Essential-recession-beating-tips.html#ixzz0MBnbLePI

Mission for peace targets terrorists

Senior members of the Chinese and Russian armed forces Wednesday vowed to jointly fight terrorists and extremists as the nations kicked off a massive joint anti-terror drill.

Mission for peace targets terrorists

Russian soldiers train before a joint military exercise between China and Russia in Taonan, in northeast China's Jilin province, July 21, 2009. [chinadaily.com.cn]Mission for peace targets terrorists

"Terrorist organizations are taking more and more forms, including launching terrorism attacks under the flag of Islam," Chief of General Staff of the Russian armed forces, Nikolai Makarov, told his visiting Chinese counterpart, Chen Bingde, in Khabarovsk, Russia's biggest city in the Far East and the headquarters of its Far East Military Command.

The two generals kicked off the five-day joint anti-terror drill, codenamed Peace Mission - 2009, along with dozens of high-level military leaders from both sides, at strategic talks that marked the start of the exercise.

"The recent events (in Urumqi) show that more and more terrorist, separatist and extremist forces are emerging, and, recently, to that we have to add pirates (in Somalia)," Makarov said.


"I believe the joint task of our two armed forces is to fight such illegal forces," he added.

The riot in Urumqi on July 5 was instigated by terrorist, separatist and extremist forces, the government has said.

The incident claimed the lives of 197 people.

Russia and China are holding the joint exercise to tell the world "the two armed forces have the capability to handle new challenges and protect regional stability and security," Makarov told reporters at a joint press conference after the talks.

Chen said the drill was "a mission for peace which bears far-reaching political significance".

Wang Haiyun, a former Chinese military attache in Russia, said Makarov mentioned Islamic extremists as being one of the main threats to regional security.

"Terrorist, separatist and religious extremist forces are the root of long-term turmoil in the region," Wang said.

Chen took the opportunity Wednesday to repeat China's stance on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"As neighbors of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), China and Russia have similar strategic interests and security concerns on the peninsula issue," Chen said. "Though the DPRK has recently had a nuclear test, we still insist on denuclearization of the peninsula."

The US and Japan are reinforcing their security efforts and speeding up the implementation of a missile defense system following Pyongyang's missile launches, Chen said.

"That has severely darkened the situation in Northeast Asia," he added.

Chen noted that Peace Mission - 2009 was aimed at terrorism, not nations, dismissing speculation that it was in some way related to the peninsula issue.

Wang Fan, director of the institute of international relations at China Foreign Affairs University, said the ramping-up of US and Japanese security initiatives in the region will add to the challenges.

"Dialogue and mutual trust is more important (than military expansion)," he said.

In the coming days, 2,600 soldiers from China and Russia will take part in a series of drills at a military training base in Horqin Grassland in Baicheng, Jilin province.

Jackson's doctor is target of manslaughter probe Buzz up!

Court records filed today in Houston show that Michael Jackson's personal physician is being investigated for manslaughter in the death of the pop icon, according to news reports.

Yesterday, U.S. drug agents and Los Angeles police investigators searched Conrad Murray’s medical clinic and a public storage unit he rented, seeking “items constituting evidence of the offense of manslaughter that tend to show that Dr. Conrad Murray committed the said criminal offense,” according to the warrant filed in Harris County District Court.

The Los Angeles Times says among the items seized from the storage unit were two computer hard drives, a Medical Board certificate, letters to a former employee, a list of contacts and papers pertaining to his practice. Among those is a “suspension notice Doctor’s Hospital” and “papers regarding incomplete chart Doctor’s Hospital.”

Investigators also seized letters from the Internal Revenue Service, Texas Department of Public Safety controlled substance registration and public records from the Texas controller.

Shanghai encourages aging population to have 2nd baby

SHANGHAI: Eligible couples in the city are for the first time being encouraged to have a second child, as authorities make an effort to tackle the burden of an aging population.

Family planning officials and volunteers will make home visits and slip leaflets under doorways to encourage couples to have a second child if both grew up as only children. Emotional and financial counseling will also be provided, officials said.

Shanghai encourages aging population to have 2nd baby


"We advocate eligible couples to have two kids because it can help reduce the proportion of the aging people and alleviate a workforce shortage in the future," said Xie Lingli, director of the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission.

Shanghai, the country's most populous city, has more than 3 million registered residents aged 60 and above, nearly 22 percent of the population. By 2020, the proportion is expected to rise to about 34 percent.

The country's family planning policy has been relaxed in recent years, allowing couples who are the only children in their families to have a second child. Shanghai encourages aging population to have 2nd baby

"The rising number of aging people will put pressure on the younger generation and society. We need to find ways to solve the problem, but it doesn't mean the country's family planning policy will be reversed," Xie stressed.

One salesman was cheered by the new attitude in Shanghai.

"I'm not sure, but such policy really gives us one more option. If family finance permits, I want to have two kids with my wife in the future," said 25-year-old Xiao Wang, who works at a local company. He and his girlfriend are both single children in their families.

However, not all residents are so keen on the idea.

"I don't think we will have a second kid," said 26-year-old Xiao Chen, an office worker. "After all, it is stressful work raising a child."

Cop in Gates arrest says he will not apologize

The Cambridge police officer at the center of the controversy over the arrest of a black Harvard professor says he will not apologize for the incident, the Boston media report.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct at his home near Harvard last week after a neighbor called in a report of a possible break-in. Gates, who was returning from a trip abroad, and his driver, had been trying to force open a front door.

The professor eventually got inside, by using a back door, when police arrived. The police report indicates that a heated exchange occurred although Gates showed his Harvard ID police allege that Gates initially refused to identify himself. In any case, Gates was handcuffed and arrested, although charges were later dropped.

Gates, 58, who charges that the arrest was racially motivated, has demanded that the police officer, Sgt. James Crowley, apologize for the incident. USA TODAY reports that the incident has ignited a long-simmering national debate over racial profiling.

Q1X00080_9 Crowley, in an exclusive interview with the Boston Herald, says he harbors no “ill feelings toward the professor” but will not apologize.

“I just have nothing to apologize for,” he tells the Herald. “It will never happen.”

The Boston Globe reports that Crowley says Gates' arrest was not racially motivated. "I am not a racist," The Globe quotes the officer as saying.

The paper says Crowley had no comment to President Obama's statement last night that the policeman acted "stupidly" in arresting Gates in his own home.

The Globe also reports that a Cambridge police union expressed "full and unqualified support" for Crowley.

Update at 10:20 a.m. ET: Crowley gives a long interview this morning with WEEI, a Boston sport radio station, in which he offers more details about the incident.

Click here to listen to the entire interview.

He tells The Dennis & Callahan Morning Show that Gates refused to answer whether there was someone in the house with him. He also says he asked Gates to step outside for the officer's "own safety."

Crowley tells WEEI that Gates was very upset from the beginning. "It's not just what he said, but how he said it. It was somewhat peculiar."

The police officer says he asked Gates for a driver's license even after seeing his Harvard ID because the university document does not include an address, which would have verified that Gates was, in fact, in his own home.

Crowley says that Gates followed him outside and continued to speak loudly and that the officer twice warned him about possible arrest, the second time while holding a pair of handcuffs.

He tells WEEI that arresting Gates was "something I really didn't want to do."

As for President Obama's comments on the incident, Crowley says it is "disappointing that he waded into what should be a local issue."

Update at 10:52 a.m. ET: The Boston Globe initially offered a link on Monday to the original Cambridge police report, however it was only up for a short time. Click here to view the report. This link has been provided by two conservative websites, the media watchdog group called NewsBusters and View from the Right.

Update at 11:53 a.m. ET: The AP reports that Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who is black, said he was troubled and upset over the incident. Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, who also is black, has said she spoke with Gates and apologized on behalf of the city, the AP reports. An earlier statement from the city called the incident "regrettable and unfortunate."

Update at 12:10 p.m. ET: At one point in the interview with WEEI, Crowley apologizes for not knowing before he got the professor's ID that he was an eminent scholar.

Here is how Crowley put it:

There are so many things in this incident that keep me scratching my head wondering. I apologize, I was not aware who professor Gates was. And when I read the name off the card, it wasn't like I said, 'Oh, wow, that's professor Gates.' I'm still just amazed that somebody of his level of intelligence could stoop to such a level and berate me, accuse me of being a racist, of racial profiling, and speaking about my mother. It's just beyond words.

Update at 12:16 p.m. ET: For more on the White House angle on the story, click here for The Oval.

Update at 12:43 p.m. ET: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, responding to questions by reporters on Obama's statement, says, "Let me be clear, he was not calling the officer stupid. But at a certain point the situation (in Gates' house) got out of hand." Gibbs says "cooler heads" should have prevailed once it was clear this was not a break-in.

Update at 12:49 p.m. ET: Gibbs says Obama did not regret saying that he thought the Cambridge police had "acted stupidly" but wanted to clarify that he was not calling the arresting officer stupid.
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Update at 4:06 p.m. ET: The Cambridge Police Department will hold a news conference at 5 p.m. ET to talk about the arrest of Gates.

The AP is reporting that the arresting officer is an expert at racial profiling, which he has taught at the police academy for five years. The academy director, Thomas Fleming, says the course teaches about different cultures that officers could encounter in their community "and how you don't want to single people out because of their ethnic background or the culture they come from."

Comedian Bill Cosby reacted to Obama's remark last night, initially saying he was "shocked" but later backing off a bit, The Christian Science Monitor writes.

“I’ve heard about five different reports [on the details of the arrest],” Cosby said on Boston’s WZLX. “If I’m the president of the United States, I don’t care how much pressure people want to put on it about race, I’m keeping my mouth shut. I was shocked to hear the president making this kind of statement.”

Here's what he said later, on Boston’s FOX 25 TV:

“People who have not been there, people who don’t know are beginning to have their own personal feelings, but they weren’t there,” Cosby said.

“Does this include the president?” the FOX reporter asked.

“It includes everybody,” Cosby said. “[But] I would have to take into consideration that he lived in Cambridge for some time so he may know more than he’s saying about situations of that sort.”

Update at 5:53 p.m. ET: In his first statement since the arrest, Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas just said that his department is "deeply pained" by the president's statement that his officers "acted stupidly." He said at a news conference that Crowley's actions were not motivated by racism.