Evening Edition

The High Court ruling, stopping any action before a further hearing Friday, came as bailiffs prepared to enter the Dale Farm camp outside the town of Basildon.

A party atmosphere erupted among the 200 residents and outsider activists, some of whom have chained themselves to the hastily-erected barricades blocking the entrance to the 2.4 hectare camp.

Senior Superintendent Aslam Khan escaped unhurt, but his home was destroyed and he said he knew he was the target, telling AFP that he had been threatened by the Al-Qaeda-allied Pakistani Taliban.

The Islamist militant group claimed responsibility for the attack and said Khan had been targeted for arresting, torturing and killing Taliban members.

In blunt remarks during a visit to New York, Ambassador Cameron Munter insisted that Pakistan has made progress in some areas — such as improving relations with India — but acknowledged shortcomings.

“I want to be straightforward about this. This has been a rough year for our time with Pakistan and the difficulties that we’ve faced, the difficulties in the relationship, are going to continue,” Munter said at the Asia Society.

“The revolutionaries came to Bani Walid this morning and engaged in a hard battle,” Abdullah Kenshil, a senior official in the National Transitional Council (NTC), told AFP.

Kenshil said the battle against Kadhafi’s mercenaries for control of Bani Walid, one of the ousted leader’s few remaining bastions southeast of Tripoli, was a “done deal and will be completed in the next two days.”

In Geneva, the UN human rights office said the regime’s bloody crackdown on protesters is intensifying.

President Bashar al-Assad’s forces pursued their repression of anti-regime protesters, killing five in the town of Houla, a Kurdish youth in the province of Latakia, and conducting arrests elsewhere.

The military, in charge since Mubarak was toppled in February, has said it will not hand over power until presidential elections are held. According to a timeline announced this week, that may not happen until August 2012.

The head of the electoral commission said this week a three-stage parliamentary election will start on November 21 and end on January 3. A senate election will begin on January 22 and end on March 4.

The embattled Berlusconi, who faces a string of other court cases, is alleged to have paid the money to his former British lawyer David Mills for false testimony in a case dating back to the 1990s.

The Milan court, resuming proceedings suspended in July, heard video testimony from Swiss fund manager Maria De Fusco, who is alleged to have transmitted the payment to Mills.

Lawmakers returned to a vastly changed House of Commons after a summer break with the New Democratic Party as official opposition for the first time in its history, but without its charismatic leader Jack Layton, who lost a battle with cancer last month. A tribute to Layton opened the session.

The Liberals, which had governed the country of 34 million people for most of the last century, were reduced to a paltry 34 seats in May elections just prior to the break, forcing leader Michael Ignatieff, a Harvard academic, to step down after losing his seat.

“Additional measures will be needed in order to reduce the budget deficit,” the IMF representative to Greece, Bob Traa, warned at a symposium.

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos admitted that the coming week would be “very difficult” for the eurozone as well as for Greece.

New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in October, dived $2.20 to $85.76 a barrel.

Brent North Sea crude for November sank $2.67 to $109.55 in late afternoon trade.

Output at the Japanese-controlled firm’s Manesar plant in northern India has been thrown out of gear for three weeks after Maruti accused disaffected workers of deliberately damaging cars on the assembly line.

The subsequent lock-out has rapidly come to be viewed as a test case for India’s car industry and wider foreign investment in the country’s fast-growing economy as Maruti bosses say they are determined to face down the workers.

“This is not class warfare, it is math,” Obama declared, arguing that without tax increases on those who could afford it, the budget gap, which is casting a shadow over future generations of Americans, could never be closed.

“All I’m saying is that those who have done well, including me, should pay their fair share in taxes,” Obama said in a speech that effectively staked out the ground on which the 2012 presidential election will likely be fought.

The historic change will enter into force one minute after midnight (0401 GMT) Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters.

“We are prepared for repeal. It will occur at 12:01 tomorrow,” Little said.

Padilla was the subject of a fierce tug-of-war between the administration of President George W. Bush and civil liberties groups after he was detained without charge for nearly four years on a military brig.

The former Chicago gang member and Muslim convert was transferred to the civilian court system in 2005 after his lawyers prepared to challenge his military detention before the Supreme Court.

In the latest protest, an estimated 150 to 200 demonstrators carried signs outside the closed-door hearing of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, saying, “Justice, Free Troy Davis,” and “We are Troy Davis.”

Another placard read: “Too much Doubt. Save Troy Davis.”

The six policemen were guarding the home of Karachi’s Senior Superintendent of Police Chaudhry Mohammad Aslam, who survived the attack, said police official Naeem Shaikh.

He added that a woman and her son were also killed in the blast in which 300 kgs (136 lbs) of explosives were used.

Adding to concerns, Standard & Poor’s cut its ratings on Italy in a major surprise that threatens to stoke fears of contagion in the debt-stressed euro zone.

Greece is near a deal to continue receiving bailout funds, a Greek finance ministry official said after a conference call with lenders, though “some work still needs to be done.”

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said stock markets in developing countries have been hit and capital inflows have slowed since August when the euro zone’s debt crisis worsened and S&P cut the United States’ prized triple AAA-rating.

“The events of August have started to show the signals of contagion to emerging markets,” Zoellick told reporters ahead of meetings of global finance leaders in Washington this week.

Stocks spent most the session sharply lower after European leaders disappointed investors by failing to come up with any new solutions to the euro zone’s sovereign debt crisis over the weekend.

However, a Greek finance ministry official said after talks on Monday with the European Union and International Monetary Fund that the country was near an agreement with international lenders to continue receiving money.

UBS said its board of directors had set up a committee chaired by independent director David Sidwell, former chief financial officer at Morgan Stanley, to conduct an independent investigation into the trades and the bank’s control systems.

“External expectations are that the investigation should take weeks and not months,” a UBS insider told Reuters. “The internal investigation will be coordinating with the regulators on their probe.”

Social Democrat lawmaker Susanne Leutenegger Oberholzer narrowly failed to get enough support for her proposal to reopen debate on tough new capital measures for UBS and Credit Suisse so that a ban on investment banking could be added.

The plan to force the banks to hold more capital than under global rules so that they can be shielded from future crises was passed, and the Social Democrats have the option of bringing a separate piece of legislation on the proposed ban.

Following negative announcements from companies, lawyers for U.S. shareholders routinely file class-actions in American courts alleging that misrepresentations were made to investors. But so far, plaintiffs lawyers who specialize in these kinds of cases have been quiet in response to the UBS scandal.

As of Monday afternoon, there had been no public announcements of any securities fraud lawsuits filed over the UBS trading losses, although some lawyers said they are keeping their options open.

In its unusual complaint, Jefferies said Nasdaq’s majority-owned International Derivatives Clearing Group (IDCG) clearinghouse unit repeatedly misrepresented that the contracts were “economically equivalent” to similar transactions handled in the private over-the-counter (OTC) market.

Instead, Jefferies said the transactions were not similar, and that IDCG let an unnamed counterparty take advantage by setting market prices at levels that were not economically equivalent to the OTC swaps.

Analysts said they expect the move to shutter the British big box stores to come in early 2012 as the company instead needs to focus on strengthening its mainstay U.S. business against cut-throat competition from discounters and online rivals.

Closing the 11 British stores would be the biggest admission of failure so far in the U.S. retailer’s overseas expansion strategy.

“If there is a work stoppage … we will act to protect Canada’s economy,” Labour Minister Lisa Raitt told the House of Commons less than an hour before a scheduled meeting with airline and union representatives.

The Conservative government legislated striking Air Canada call-center and check-in staff back to work in June, citing the same concerns that a strike at Canada’s largest airline would hurt the economy.

Negative comments piled up on the company website on Monday, a little more than two months after Netflix raised prices for DVD services. Chief Executive Reed Hastings admitted to “arrogance” over failing to adequately explain the changes in an apology that rang hollow to many customers.

Hastings, in a blog post late on Sunday, said Netflix was changing the name of its DVD-by-mail business to Qwikster, the brand that will appear on the company’s signature red envelopes, and also offer video games. It will reside separately from the Netflix website, where instant streaming of television shows and movies will be offered.

The outbreak is a tough blow for the fast-growing beef industry in the South American country, a top 10 global exporter that had been expected to post record exports this year due to solid demand from key markets Russia and Chile.

“The suspension (of exports) is for prudence, with the aim of guaranteeing the quality of the meat shipped abroad, until we determine if the outbreak is isolated or is in other areas too,” Carlos Simon, interim director of the national veterinary service Senacsa, told online paper Ultima Hora.

“These years, China is showing stronger and stronger reaction to U.S.-Taiwan arms sales, and that (has) turned your country more wary with arms sales,” Andrew Yang, the deputy defense minister, told an annual U.S.-Taiwan defense industry conference running through Tuesday in Virginia.

The Obama administration informally told U.S. lawmakers on Friday that it would upgrade Taiwan’s 140-plus existing F-16 A/B jets while deferring a request for the more advanced F-16 C/Ds, the latest model.

Donley, the service’s top civilian leader, said the United States needed Lockheed Martin’s next-generation jet fighter as well as a new long-range bomber if the United States is to maintain its air superiority into the future.

Donley’s pledge to protect the two high-cost weapons systems came as the Pentagon is grappling with how to cut $350 billion in national security spending over the next decade. That figure that could rise to $900 billion unless Congress agrees on a compromise package of reductions by year’s end.

The September 11, 2001, attacks prompted a major push for foreign language skills to track militants and trends in parts of the world that were not a Cold War priority.

But intelligence agencies have had to face the reality that the languages they need cannot be taught quickly, the street slang U.S. operatives and analysts require is not easy, and security concerns make the clearance process slow-going.

Vowing to veto any plan that relies solely on spending cuts to reduce deficits, the Democratic president’s recommendations set the stage for an ideological fight with Republicans opposed to tax increases that will stretch through Election Day 2012.

“I will not support any plan that puts all the burden of closing our deficit on ordinary Americans,” Obama said. “We are not going to have a one-sided deal that hurts the folks who are most vulnerable.”

The General Assembly session on noncommunicable diseases on Monday and Tuesday is only the second such meeting in United Nations history to focus on global health, after nations came together to address the AIDS epidemic 10 years ago.

“Our collaboration is more than a public health necessity. Noncommunicable diseases are a threat to development,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the meeting. “NCDs hit the poor and vulnerable particularly hard and drive them deeper into poverty.”

Researchers from the United States and Europe working in laboratories on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) found it is unable to damage the immune system if cholesterol is removed from the virus’s membrane.

“It’s like an army that has lost its weapons but still has flags, so another army can recognize it and attack it,” said Adriano Boasso of Imperial College London, who led the study.

After surgery or radiation, prostate cancer patients are typically treated with drugs, like Lupron, that trick the testicles into ceasing production of testosterone, the male hormone that fuels prostate cancer cell growth.

Better understanding of the molecular abnormalities underlying the disease has led to new approaches, including Johnson & Johnson’s Zytiga, which works inside cancer cells to block testosterone production, and Dendreon Corp’s Provenge, a therapeutic vaccine designed to spur the body’s immune system to attack malignant cells.

In the largest study so far to compare the two procedures, doctors found no significant differences in the number of patients who went on to develop new varicose veins two years after treatment.

Varicose veins are relatively common, but the precise estimates vary widely — from five to 30 percent of adults. Usually they don’t cause any problems, but in a small percentage of people they can be severe enough to cause pain and swelling, and even wounds or blood clots in rare instances.

Times may be hard, but experts say finding cost-free ways to get, or stay, fit has never been easier.

“Just going to the gym is not as important as an active lifestyle,” said Shirley Archer, spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. “We have to shift that mindset. There are tons of free options.”

The offbeat shirts are just one of the many items being handed to celebrities at gifting suites in Los Angeles this week in the lead-up to Sunday’s Emmy Awards, U.S. television’s top honors that bring out A-list Hollywood TV stars.

Gifting lounges have become important marketing tools for companies, and even in the recent gloomy economic climate, the suites open up as a way for established companies and upstarts to gain exposure for new products or reintroductions. In recent years, many have begun to give some proceeds to charities.

The capture of Sabha would be a welcome victory for Libya’s new rulers, who have struggled to rout forces loyal to Gadhafi a month after sweeping into Tripoli and forcing the ousted leader into hiding. He has not been found.

A push to capture Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte and the mountain enclave of Bani Walid has stalled as well-armed forces loyal to the fugitive leader fight back fiercely with rockets and other heavy weaponry. Libya’s new rulers have frequently claimed gains only to find their forces beaten back.

The protesters, joined by soldiers from the renegade 1st Armored Division, stormed the base without firing a single shot, according to witnesses and security officials. Some carried sticks and rocks. They used sandbags to erect barricades to protect their comrades from the possibility of weapons fire from inside the base, but none came and the Republican Guards eventually fled, leaving their weapons behind.

Although the base was not particularly large – the Republican Guards have bigger ones in the capital and elsewhere in Yemen – its capture buoyed the protesters’ spirits and signaled what could be the start of the collapse of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year-old regime.

Nationwide, there were an estimated 1.2 million violent crimes in 2010 and an estimated 9 million property crimes.

The rate for murder and non-negligent manslaughter fell to 4.8 per 100,000 population, less than half what it was two decades ago. The last time that rate was lower was in 1963, according to FBI crime data.

It’s a classic Washington trade-off.

Many Democrats don’t like the trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama but are open to votes if Congress extends expired provisions of the Kennedy-era Trade Adjustment Assistance program, or TAA. Republicans are cool to TAA but won’t object as long as the trade deals are completed.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press show the Louisiana Republican wrote to the Energy Department at least seven times since 2009 seeking money for projects that would benefit his home state.

One of the projects backed by Vitter – for a company that makes activated carbon to reduce pollution at coal-fired power plants – has received preliminary approval for a $245 million loan guarantee.

“This is not class warfare. It’s math,” Obama declared, anticipating Republican criticism, which was quick in coming.

“Class warfare isn’t leadership,” House Speaker John Boehner said, in Cincinnati.

In fact, it’s the “all sides” nature that complicates the opposition’s message. Republican voters who watched last week’s presidential debate and its aftermath might wonder: Should I see Perry as too conservative or too moderate?

Perry is the newest face in the GOP race and his opponents are determined to define him for primary voters, casting him as liberal, conservative and unelectable. They hope their characterizations of the front-runner take hold before he has a chance to sway opinions.

A divided three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new sentencing hearing for Padilla, a U.S. citizen and Muslim convert convicted in 2007 along with two co-conspirators of several terrorism-related charges. Padilla, 40, was held for more than three years without charge as an enemy combatant before he was added to the Miami terror support case.

The ruling affirmed the convictions of Padilla, Adham Hassoun and Kifah Jayyousi on terrorism support and conspiracy charges. The sentences of Hassoun and Jayyousi – more than 15 years and more than 12 years, respectively – were also upheld.

The EPA approved the air permit for the drilling vessel Noble Discover, which Shell hopes to use for exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northwest coast, and its support fleet of oil spill response and supply vessels.

Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith said the permit was a hopeful step.

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, which has the power to change death sentences but rarely does, did not issue an immediate decision and gave no timeline for when they would decide. Defense attorneys and the victim’s family both said they were cautiously optimistic the five-member panel would side with them.

Davis, 42, has long claimed he’s innocent of killing Mark MacPhail, and the questions surrounding his case have attracted a host of high-profile supporters. After decades of legal wrangling, Davis is set to be put to death by lethal injection Wednesday, the fourth time in four years the state has tried to execute him.

Activists from more than a dozen groups including the Sierra Club, MassAudubon and the Conservation Law Foundation, said Monday that regulations proposed by the Patrick administration undermine the state’s commitment to green energy.

They say the administration should require the plants to adhere to stricter efficiency standards before receiving state subsidies.

That way, the two men could recite their vows at the first possible moment after the formal repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The partners of 11 years plan to get married at the stroke of midnight, just as the ban ends.

“We feel that it’s important that as soon as we’re allowed to commit to each other that we do,” Ross said Monday. “It’s important not to hide anymore.”

During an inaugural meeting of the Joint Task Force on the Sale of Wine and Beer in Grocery Stores, representatives of liquor store owners, wholesalers and distributors all made clear their opposition to any change in the status quo.

Some liquor store owners will be required to cut staff or shut down entirely, while nearly all will be forced to reduce the number of products they offer for sale, said J.P. Richard, the owner of Cache Road Liquor and Wine in Lawton and the president of the Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma.

A special election being held Saturday was ordered by the tribe’s highest court after recounts from a flawed election in June were reversed several times, with the longtime chief and his challenger each being declared the winner twice. Tribal experts believe the slave descendants – known as freedmen – could swing the vote to new leadership of one of the country’s largest tribes.

U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy will hear arguments Tuesday in Washington, D.C., from attorneys for the freedmen, who are suing to keep their right to vote and other tribal benefits after tribe members voted to cut them off. They’re asking for a preliminary injunction, which would allow freedmen to vote like other members of the tribe Saturday.

The study is small and preliminary, and its authors said the results need to be confirmed through more research. Nevertheless, the findings are likely to stir debate over whether children should get a booster shot earlier than now recommended.

“I was disturbed to find maybe we had a little more confidence in the vaccine than it might deserve,” said the lead researcher, Dr. David Witt, chief of infectious disease at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Rafael, Calif. Witt presented his findings Monday at the American Society for Microbiology conference in Chicago.

Netflix and the newly-minted Qwikster have a growing list of competitors that offer movies and TV shows streamed online, on DVDs, or through on-demand cable TV. Choosing the right service will depend on your appetite for video. Do you want the latest movies or the greatest classics? Would you prefer cheap or better on-the-go access?

Of the online options, Netflix has the most content available for streaming over the Internet, though cable TV providers have pay-per-view options with a better selection of recent movies. Apple and Amazon, meanwhile, let you rent a la carte if you don’t want to commit to a monthly plan but want the latest movies.