Capital succeeds even in a rebuilding season

State High School Soccer Tournament WHEN: Friday at 9 a.m. GirlsSemifinal: Elkins (21-0-3) vs. Fairmont Senior (21-1-1); Friday atabout 11:30 a.m. Girls Semifinal: George Washington (10-6-8) vs.Parkersburg (19-3-1). Friday at 4 p.m. Boys Semifinals: Martinsburg(17-4-3) vs. Fairmont Senior (21-1-0); Friday at about 6:30 p.m. Capital (17-2-3) vs. Parkersburg (21-1-1). WHERE: YMCA Soccer Complexin Beckley NOTE: Championship games will be played Saturday at thesame site, with the girls starting at 11 a.m. and the boys startingat about 1:30 p.m.

DAILY MAIL SPORTSWRITER

Last year was supposed to be the team at Capital.

The defending state champs had experience, …

Heart Infection Sidelines Wayne Newton

Wayne Newton had been sidelined with a recurring heart infection.

The Las Vegas icon and "Danke Schoen" crooner has cardiomyopathy, a viral infection of the heart muscle, said Deanna Pettit, a spokeswoman for Harrah's Entertainment Inc., on Friday. Pettit said Newton has been previously treated for the virus.

The 65-year-old singer has canceled a two-month holiday engagement at Harrah's Las Vegas and won't be performing on the Nov. 27 finale of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," Pettit said.

Calls to Lori Jonas, Newton's spokeswoman in Los Angeles, weren't immediately returned.

"I really want to apologize to the fans …

General Election - 2003: Nova Scotia

GENERAL ELECTION - 2003

�LECTION G�N�RALE

Legislature / L�gislature : Thirty-sixth/Trente-sixi�me

Voting / Scrutin: August 5, 2003 / le 5 ao�t 2003

Legend / L�gende: Ind: Independent/Ind�pendant; Lib: Liberal/Lib�ral; MP: Marijuana Party / Parti Marijuana; NDP: New Democratic Party/Nouveau parti d�mocratique; NSP: Nova Scotia Provincial Party; PC: Progressive Conservative/Progressiste conservateur.

Annapolis

McNeil, Stephen (Lib.) ................................................ 4,522

Chipman, Frank (PC) .................................................. 2,795

Nette, Adrian (NDP) ................................................... 1,395

Wilson, Harry (NSP) ...................................................... 185

Antigonish

MacIsaac, Angus (PC) ................................................. 4,256

Cameron, David (Lib.) ................................................. 3,650

O'Toole, MarTerry (NDP) .......................................... 1,755

Purdy, Gene (MP) .......................................................... 560

Argyle

d'Entremont, Chris (PC) .............................................. 2,345

d'Entremont, Aldric (Lib.) ........................................... 1,946

Muise, Charles (NDP) .................................................... 595

Bedford

Christie, Peter (PC) ..................................................... 4,114

Zurawski, Richard (Lib.) ............................................. 3,208

Watson, Robert (NDP) ................................................ 2,055

Cape Breton Centre

Corbett, Frank (NDP) ................................................. 3,929

McGillivray, Basil (Lib.) ............................................. 3,456

Tighe MacLeod, Rita (PC) ............................................. 373

Cape Breton North

Clarke, Cecil (PC) ........................................................ 3,754

White, Michael (Lib.) .................................................. 3,169

Snow, Cecil (NDP) ...................................................... 1,714

Cape Breton Nova

Gosse, Gordie (NDP) .................................................. 3,168

Crowe, Mel (Lib.) ........................................................ 3,094

Marsman, Todd (PC) ..................................................... 684

Cape Breton South

MacDonald, Manning …

Federal judge strikes down 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Days later, Sen. Reid schedules Senate hearing for repeal

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips in Riverside, Calif, struck down the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on open gays in the military Sept. 9.

Phillips found that the ban violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of free speech and due process under the First and Fifth Amendments.

"The 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Act infringes the fundamental rights of United States servicemembers in many ways," Phillips wrote in her 86-page opinion. "The act denies homosexuals serving in the Armed Forces the right to enjoy 'intimate conduct' in their personal relationships. The act denies them the …

Iraqi Leader to Address UN Today

UNITED NATIONS - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will address the United Nations General Assembly today as the high-level meeting of world leaders continue. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque is also expected to speak. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had been slotted to speak in the afternoon, but he pulled out at the last minute, leaving his foreign minister to take his place.

Yesterday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told world leaders his country will defy any further U.N. Security Council resolutions imposed by "arrogant powers" seeking to curb its nuclear program, accusing them of lying and imposing illegal sanctions against Tehran.

He said it is …

Stocks waver as investors worry about US debt load

Stocks wavered Friday morning after a slide in the previous session as investors fretted over the health of government balance sheets.

Trading was quiet ahead of the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Investors are asking how the U.S. will pay for its programs to revive the economy and stabilize the banking system after a credit rating agency on Thursday issued a warning that Britain's credit rating could be lowered because of its huge debt load.

Those fears spilled over to the U.S., which is also selling debt at a rate of billions per week to bankroll programs aimed at fighting the recession. That helped push the dollar to its weakest level …

Year After Russia Coup, Diversity Has Strong Hold

MOSCOW Many political illusions have been shattered, andPresident Boris N. Yeltsin's popularity has slumped in the year thathas followed the collapse of communism in the former Soviet Union.But Russia has changed in one way that may profoundly affect thecountry's future: The Russian people no longer think and actuniformly in the political arena.

As long as the communists were in power, public opinion tendedto be unanimous. Most people were afraid to express anything butsupport for the regime. But when Mikhail S. Gorbachev, as theSoviet leader, inaugurated his policy of glasnost, or openness, therewas an outpouring of grievances. The stage was set for a strugglebetween …

Farmers adding plants to attract, nourish bees

DEL REY, Calif. (AP) — Dozens of farmers are starting to replace some crops with flowers and shrubs that benefit bees, hoping to lower their pollination costs and restore a bee population devastated in the past few years.

The effort comes as bees are perishing in great numbers. Bees are essential pollinators of about a third of the country's food supply and are especially important in California, the …

Jordan faces challenges in owning the Bobcats

NBA commissioner David Stern said Saturday he expects Michael Jordan to be approved as majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats by the end of next month.

Minutes before his exclusive negotiating window expired late Friday night, Jordan struck a deal with owner Bob Johnson to take over the money-losing team in his home state.

It puts the biggest basketball star of his generation in charge of a 6-year-old team that's never made the playoffs, has struggled to win over fans and has more than $150 million in debt.

Can Jordan's streak of business success continue?

"If he's going to be an absentee owner, just like Bob was, it's not going …

The Week Ahead

Out-of-townerPlans are in place for Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji to visit Chicagoon Monday and two days next week as part of a mission to increaseIllinois-China trade. Zhu is scheduled to meet with Mayor Daley,Gov. Ryan and the heads of companies that have or seek business withChina. However, the Chinese government is reportedly reconsideringthe visit.Bookie sentenceFormer Northwestern University football player-turned-bookie BrianBallarini is scheduled to be sentenced Monday by U.S District JudgeAnn Williams. Ballarini began taking bets and ran a campusbookmaking operation after an injury ended his career.DuPage 7 on trialJeanine Nicarico Opening statements in the DuPage 7 trial, …

Vettel fastest in Chinese GP practice

SHANGHAI (AP) — Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel gave another strong signal that he is the man to beat at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix by setting the fastest time in Friday's practice sessions.

Vettel's best time was almost two tenths of a second faster than McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who in turn was a tenth faster than teammate Jenson Button in an afternoon session that was shrouded in Shanghai smog.

Vettel's performance added to a sense of inevitability about a victory for the German this weekend. In both the opening two grands prix, he won the race after setting pole position, and had also claimed pole in the past two races in China.

Should he succeed on Sunday, …

Upton, Crawford, Aybar homer as Rays beat Jays 4-1

B.J. Upton, Carl Crawford and Willy Aybar hit solo homers and the Tampa Bay Rays won their seventh straight game, 4-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Matt Garza (6-5) allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings, walked two and struck out three to win consecutive starts for the first time since April 30 and May 5. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 0.60 ERA in his past six starts against the Blue Jays. He is 2-2 with a 0.91 ERA in four career starts in Toronto.

J.P. Howell worked the ninth for his sixth save.

Upton hit the first pitch of the game from Scott Richmond (6-5) over the wall in left-center for his seventh homer.

…

Mixture of views on skaters

A Tour round the city by skateboarders was met with mixedreactions.

Twenty-five North-east skateboarders took part in A Wee DirlAboot the Toon Likes event.

Starting at Transition Extreme Sports at the beach the boarderstoured a secret itinerary of city skate spots to celebrate global GoSkating Day.

However, skateboarder Craig Mitchell said reactions were notalways positive.

He said: "People's reaction has been mixed.

"A few people asked us to leave but there's been others who havebeen quite happy."

Military intercepts missile off Hawaii in first such test since Feb. satellite shootdown

The U.S. military intercepted a ballistic missile Thursday in the first such sea-based test since a Navy cruiser shot down an errant satellite earlier this year.

The military fired the target, a Scud-like missile with a range of a few hundred miles (kilometers), from a decommissioned amphibious assault ship near Hawaii's island of Kauai.

The USS Lake Erie, based at Pearl Harbor, fired two interceptor missiles that shot down the target in its final seconds of flight about 12 miles (19 kilometers) above the Pacific Ocean.

The target was shot down about 100 miles northwest of Kauai in its final seconds of flight, about five minutes after it was fired.

The $40 million test showed Navy ships are capable of shooting down short-range targets in their last phase of flight using modified missiles the service already has, the military said.

The Navy and the Missile Defense Agency have already demonstrated that ships equipped with Aegis ballistic missile defense technology can intercept mid-range targets in midcourse of flight.

The Lake Erie in February shot down a U.S. spy satellite that had lost power and become uncontrollable. Military commanders worried the satellite would break up and spread debris over several hundred miles if it fell to Earth on its own.

The shootdown was the Aegis ballistic missile defense program's first real-world mission.

Rear Adm. Brad Hicks, the program's director, told reporters in a conference call after Thursday's test that the Lake Erie fired two interceptors to increase the probability of interception.

The Navy does that when a target is close to hitting the surface, he said.

Over the next 20 months, the military plans to install terminal-phase missile interception capability on all 18 Navy ships equipped with Aegis ballistic missile defenses, Hicks said.

He said the technology would give commanders more options to defend against missiles, particularly if the Patriot missile defense system _ a land-based technology designed to shoot down missiles in their final phase of flight _ was unavailable.

"If I don't have a Patriot nearby on a shore station to do a short-range threat, near the defended area, I have nothing," Hicks said. "The flexibility of having a ship to complement the Patriot, or to be there when it can't be, is very high on a warfighter priority."

In the last Aegis missile defense test, in November, the Lake Erie fired two interceptors to destroy two ballistic missile targets simultaneously in space.

That marked the first time the U.S. missile defense system shot down two ballistic missiles at once in space.

In December, a Japanese naval vessel equipped with the Aegis ballistic missile defense system shot down a missile target off Hawaii. Japan became the first U.S. ally to intercept a missile from a ship at sea in that test.

Morrison triples twice, Marlins beat Braves 6-1

MIAMI (AP) — Logan Morrison hit two stand-up RBI triples, Andrew Miller worked five innings for his first win in more than a year, and the Florida Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 6-1 on Friday night.

Atlanta's loss, combined with Philadelphia's 1-0 win over Milwaukee, cut the Braves' NL East lead over the Phillies to one game.

Morrison became the eighth player to hit multiple triples in a game this season, according to STATS LLC, after hitting only one in his first 126 at-bats. Both came off Atlanta starter Kenshin Kawakami (1-10), who gave up five hits — all for extra bases — five runs and four walks in three innings.

Chad Tracy had two hits and two RBIs for Florida. Miller (1-0) allowed seven hits and one run for his first victory since July 4, 2009, and four relievers combined to finish with four no-hit innings.

The Braves have been alone in first every day since beating Philadelphia on May 31, when they held a half-game lead that eventually ballooned to as much as seven games.

By Saturday night, they may have company.

Roy Halladay will try for his 17th win in Philadelphia against the Brewers — while Atlanta faces Marlins' ace Josh Johnson, who has an 0.75 ERA in two starts against the Braves this season.

The Marlins were without manager Edwin Rodriguez, who served a one-game suspension handed down earlier Friday after baseball completed its review of incidents that took place in Florida's game against Washington on Wednesday night.

Florida pitcher Chris Volstad was suspended for six games, pitcher Alex Sanabia for five, first baseman Gaby Sanchez for three. All three Marlins are appealing, and Sanchez drew loud ovations each time he appeared at the plate after clothes-lining Washington's Nyjer Morgan during the melee.

The Marlins landed plenty of hard shots against Kawakami on Friday.

Florida's first six hits all were either doubles or triples, including Morrison's long triples in the first and third innings.

Morrison's first-inning triple to the right field corner scored Cameron Maybin, and then the Marlins' left fielder came home on Hanley Ramirez's double for a 2-0 lead. Kawakami got his first career RBI in the second, cutting Atlanta's deficit in half.

But Morrison struck again in the third, this time going to deep center for his triple, and Tracy followed four batters later with a two-run double that helped Florida extend its lead to 5-1.

Dan Uggla made it 6-1 in the fourth with another RBI double.

NOTES: Atlanta OF Rick Ankiel struck out four times, the third time he's done that in his career. ... Troy Glaus hit a pinch-hit single for the Braves in the fourth inning, his first at-bat since Aug. 17 after a stint on the DL with left knee inflammation. ... Ramirez stole two bases, giving him 30 for the fourth time in his five full major-league seasons. ... The Marlins recalled RHP Chris Leroux and OF Scott Cousins before the game. ... Uggla returned after missing two games with a right groin strain. He made a stellar defensive play in the second, diving to knock down Matt Diaz's chopper, then throwing him out at first.

Late, tying safety dooms Steelers against Giants

Four interceptions by Ben Roethlisberger and half a dozen injuries to key players _ the Pittsburgh Steelers just might have overcome that.

An injured long snapper, however, was another story.

James Harrison centered the ball out of the end zone on a punt attempt for a tying safety, and Eli Manning drove the Giants for a go-ahead TD pass to Kevin Boss in their 21-14 win Sunday.

"I was nervous about snapping for the first time in a game," Harrison said. "But my feeling was that even if I shot it over his head, we still had a chance to stop them."

Pro Bowl linebacker Harrison, playing center due to long snapper Greg Warren's torn anterior cruciate ligament, snapped the ball over punter Mitch Berger's head with 6:48 to play.

Manning, who went just 19-of-32 for 199 yards, found Steve Smith for 25 yards to the 25 on the decisive drive before the TD pass to Boss with 3:11 remaining.

In Sunday's other NFL games, it was New Orleans 37, San Diego 32; Cleveland 23, Jacksonville 17; Seattle 34, San Francisco 13; Houston 35, Cincinnati 6; Miami 25, Buffalo 16; Dallas 13, Tampa Bay 9; Carolina 27, Arizona 23; New England 23, St. Louis 16; Philadelphia 27, Atlanta 14; Washington 25, Detroit 17; N.Y. Jets 28, Kansas City 24; and Baltimore 29, Oakland 10.

John Carney kicked four field goals for New York, hitting from 26, 35, 25 and 24 _ an indication of how many times the Giants threatened.

The Steelers (5-2) were already playing without injured left tackle Marvel Smith, left guard Kendall Simmons, running back Willie Parker and cornerback Bryant McFadden and suspended wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Then they lost safety Ryan Clark (dislocated right shoulder) during the physical game.

The Steelers had won their previous nine home contests against NFC teams, and Roethlisberger (13-of-29, 189 yards) had been 13-3 against the conference, but Pittsburgh couldn't hold on despite getting two big-play touchdowns from backups.

But another backup made a big play of another sort.

"Nobody has two long snappers on their team; what you have are emergency snappers," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "James Harrison is regarded as the lead candidate. We got some snaps on the sideline and we felt comfortable.... We just weren't able to get it done. That was the first game I have been involved in that we didn't have a snapper."

Saints 37, Chargers 32

In Wembley, England, a trans-Atlantic trip was just what Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints needed to get their season back on track.

Brees went 30-of-41 for 339 yards and three touchdown passes against his former team, leading the Saints to a 37-32 win over San Diego on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.

The Saints (4-4) held off a late comeback by the Chargers (3-5), who came from 37-20 down early in the fourth quarter and were driving for the tying touchdown. But linebacker Jonathan Vilma picked off a pass by Philip Rivers with just over a minute to go.

Browns 23, Jaguars 17

In Jacksonville, Fla., the Browns had just enough offense, even without Kellen Winslow. Jamal Lewis ran for 81 yards and a touchdown and Derek Anderson completed three huge passes.

It was Cleveland's second victory without the outspoken Pro Bowl tight end, who missed the game after criticizing the team following his staph infection. The Browns (3-4) played their best game of the season two weeks ago while Winslow was in the hospital and beat the Giants.

Anderson finished 14-of-27 for 264 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars (3-4).

Seahawks 34, 49ers 13

In San Francisco, fullback Leonard Weaver made two lengthy touchdown catches, Josh Wilson returned an interception 75 yards for a TD and the Seahawks ruined Mike Singletary's debut.

Seneca Wallace passed for 222 yards in his third career victory as a starter, including short passes turned into scores of 43 and 62 yards by his fleet-footed fullback. T.J. Duckett had an early 1-yard TD run as the Seahawks (2-5) calmly snapped their three-game losing streak and evened the season series with the Niners (2-6), who lost their fifth straight.

Texans 35, Bengals 6

In Houston, Kevin Walter scored two touchdowns against his former team, setting a career high by getting his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the year against Cincinnati (0-8).

Walter had help from a bevy of strong Houston performances led by Matt Schaub's three touchdown passes and Andre Johnson's fourth straight 100-yard game.

The win gave Houston (3-4) three consecutive victories in a single season for the first time in franchise history, and dropped Cincinnati to 0-8 for the fourth time. The Bengals are two losses away from their team-worst 0-10 start, which came in 1993.

Dolphins 25, Bills 16

In Miami, Ted Ginn had a breakout game with seven catches for a career-high 175 yards, and the Dolphins overcame a nine-point third-quarter deficit. Ginn's first 100-yard game was by far his biggest impact since Miami's much-mocked decision to take him with the ninth pick of last year's draft.

Ginn set up Miami's first two scores with receptions of 46 and 64 yards. Those completions were part of an efficient day for Chad Pennington, who was 22-of-30 for 314 yards with no picks.

Dan Carpenter kicked field goals of 43, 45 and 35 yards, all in the final 23 minutes after the Dolphins (3-4) fell behind 16-7.

Buffalo (5-2) committed four turnovers, all in the fourth quarter.

Cowboys 13, Buccaneers 9

In Irving, Texas, Brad Johnson made up for several missed chances at touchdowns by throwing one to newcomer Roy Williams at the end of a drive sustained by four defensive penalties. The maligned Dallas defense made it hold up.

The Cowboys (5-3) gained only 173 yards, but put the clamps on Jeff Garcia and the Bucs (5-3). Tampa Bay got two first-quarter field goals and another in the third quarter.

Johnson, starting for the second straight week because Tony Romo has a broken pinkie on his throwing hand, was 19-of-33 for 122 yards. His longest pass went for just 14 yards, on a dump-off to running back Marion Barber.

Panthers 27, Cardinals 23

In Charlotte, N.C., Kurt Warner put up the better numbers, but Jake Delhomme engineered the comeback that kept the Panthers unbeaten at home and atop the NFC South.

Delhomme threw for 248 yards and two scores, including a go-ahead 65-yard strike to Steve Smith. The Panthers (6-2, 5-0 at home) rallied from a 17-3 third-quarter deficit despite Warner's big day.

He threw for 381 yards _ by far the most given up by Carolina this season _ and two touchdowns to Anquan Boldin. But the Cardinals (4-3) continued their road woes in part thanks to a botched fake field goal and a missed extra point.

Patriots 23, Rams 16

In Foxborough, Mass., the Patriots (5-2) got by the Rams on a fingertip touchdown catch by Kevin Faulk. Their best pass-catching running back hung onto Matt Cassel's 15-yard pass on the left edge of the end zone with 3:19 remaining.

A juggling interception by Deltha O'Neal with 1:08 left ended the Rams' last threat.

The Rams (2-5) couldn't overcome the absence of Steven Jackson, their leading rusher and receiver who missed the game with a strained right thigh muscle. And defensive end Leonard Little left in the first half with a hamstring injury.

They lost for the first time since Jim Haslett replaced the fired Scott Linehan.

Eagles 27, Falcons 14

In Philadelphia, Brian Westbrook returned to his All-Pro form and rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns as part of a dynamic all-around effort. Westbrook missed two of the last three games with broken ribs and had been bothered by an ankle injury.

Westbrook scored on a 16-yard run early in the third quarter that gave the Eagles (4-3) 17 points in an 8 1/4-minute span.

Rookie Matt Ryan was 23-for-44 for 277 yards with two interceptions for Atlanta (4-3). He threw two TDs to Roddy White.

Redskins 25, Lions 17

In Detroit, Santana Moss had a go-ahead touchdown reception in the third quarter and returned a punt for another score in the fourth. Jason Campbell threw for 328 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Moss nine times for 140 yards.

Clinton Portis joined O.J. Simpson in the NFL record book with his fifth straight game with at least 120 yards rushing. He had 126 yards for the Redskins (6-2).

Detroit (0-7) got the ball at its 23 with no timeouts left _ needing a touchdown and 2-point conversion to force overtime _ but the drive ended near midfield on fourth down.

Jets 28, Chiefs 24

In East Rutherford, N.J. _ Brett Favre connected with Laveranues Coles for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute left. The heavily favored Jets (4-3) overcame three interceptions by Favre and an upset-minded Chiefs (1-6) team using its third-string quarterback.

Favre finished 28-of-40 for 290 yards and two touchdowns and the three INTs. Washington caught a pass for a score and ran another in, and Thomas Jones also ran for a touchdown.

The Chiefs, in former Jets coach Herm Edwards' return to the Meadowlands, appeared on their way to victory when rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers returned his second interception of the game 91 yards for a touchdown.

Ravens 29, Raiders 10

In Baltimore, the unquestionable highlight was a 43-yard pass from one Ravens quarterback to another. Baltimore (4-3) unveiled its own version of the single wing, inserting Troy Smith at quarterback and using starting quarterback Joe Flacco as the wide receiver on the left side.

In the third quarter, Smith heaved a pass down the sideline to Flacco, who made an excellent grab on the run after getting behind linebacker Ricky Brown.

The completion set up a field goal for a 22-3 lead.

Baltimore limited the Oakland Raiders to 35 yards while building a 19-point halftime lead, and the Ravens got a safety and four sacks. The win was particularly sweet for Bob Ryan, whose twin brother Rob is defensive coordinator for the Raiders (2-5).

Bulgaria holds Italy to 0-0 draw

Bulgaria held injury-weakened Italy to a 0-0 draw on Saturday in a World Cup qualifier.

With half of their first-choice lineup out with injuries, the reigning world champions struggled in the Group 8 match at Sofia's Vasil Levski Stadium.

"The guys played with authority and good personality," Italy coach Marcello Lippi said. "We tried everything we could to win. But (Bulgaria) has good players and we're content with this result."

Bulgaria came close to scoring in the 13th when Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov took a cross from Blagoi Georgiev, but his strong volley was blocked by Italy goalkeeper Marco Amelia.

In the 59th, Alberto Gilardino's header from a corner was saved by Dimitar Ivankov, and a few minutes later the striker _ who has scored seven goals for Fiorentina this season _ dribbled past the defense before shooting narrowly wide.

In the 79th, Daniele De Rossi's long, dipping shot sailed just over the bar.

"The game was equal and we are glad we achieved this result against the world champions," Dimitar Berbatov said.

Italy has seven points from three matches, and Bulgaria two points from two games.

Bayern Munich forward Luca Toni, who came in to replace Gilardino, will miss Italy's match against Montenegro on Wednesday after getting a second booking.

____

Lineups:

Bulgaria: Dimitar Ivankov, Zhivko Milanov, Aleksandar Tunchev, Valentin Iliev, Lucio Wagner (Ivan Ivanov, 36), Blagoi Georgiev, Velizar Dimitrov, Dimitar Berbatov, Stilian Petrov, Chavdar Yankov, Martin Petrov.

Italy: Marco Amelia, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta, Andrea Dossena, Giorgio Chiellini, Gennaro Gattuso, Ricardo Montolivo (Simone Perrotta, 68), Daniele De Rossi, Simone Pepe, Antonio Di Natale (Giuseppe Rossi, 68), Alberto Gilardino (Luca Toni, 73).

Joan Burnham

Joan Burnham, 57, a marketing representative for a bloodprocessing firm, died of cancer Monday at Northwestern MemorialHospital.

Mrs. Burnham, who lived in St. John, Ind., was employed byUnited Blood Services, 1211 N. La Salle, a subsidiary of BloodServices Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz. The company collects and processesblood and distributes it to medical facilities and physicians.

"Her life was devoted to meeting and liking people. She was agourmet cook and anyone always was welcome in her home for a meal,"said her husband, Frank.

Also surviving are her mother, Magdelena Coppola, and a brother,Lazurus Coppola.

Mass will be offered today in St. Anthony Catholic Church,Schenectady, N.Y.

Schumacher to defend lead in 5th stage of Tour

German rider Stefan Schumacher wore the overall leader's yellow jersey for the start of the fifth stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday.

Schumacher took the jersey after winning Tuesday's fourth stage. He held a small lead as cyclists embarked on the longest and flattest stage of the race, a 144-mile trek from Cholet to Chateauroux that favors sprinters.

Schumacher, who is not among the favorites to win the Tour, led Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg and David Millar of Britain by 12 seconds.

Cadel Evans, last year's runner-up, is 21 seconds behind in fourth place and in a strong position for the first medium-sized mountain stage on Thursday.

Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde, who is also among the Tour contenders, fell about 50 miles into the stage but got back on his bike with cuts on his right arm.

Colombian rider Juan Mauricio Soler, who has ridden with injured wrists since crashing in Saturday's first stage, pulled out of the race early into the stage. He was the King of the Mountains champion as the Tour's best climber last year.

Ecuador auditor urges debt default

The official overseeing an audit of Ecuador's foreign debt said his committee found evidence of abuses and irregularities tied to almost all of the country's bonds and will recommend a default on $10.3 billion in national debt.

Auditors have uncovered "indications of illegality" in the debt contracts and negotiation processes, said Hugo Arias, coordinator of the Special Commission for Foreign Debt Audit, in an interview published Monday by the Ecuadorean newspaper El Universo.

Arias did not respond to telephone calls Monday.

If Ecuador defaults, one debtor left holding the bill will be the government of close Correa ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, though it is unclear how much of the debt Venzuela holds.

Ecuador has delayed $30.6 million in interest payments that was due Saturday on 2012 bonds, using a 30-day grace period to assess the results of the audit scheduled for release on Thursday.

President Rafael Correa suggested that previous governments mishandled debt negotiations and abused privileged information for personal financial gain, ordering the audit in 2007. Finance ministers allegedly forced down the price of Ecuador's bonds by threatening to default, then bought them on the cheap before refinancing the nation's debt and restoring the value of their holdings.

Arias, the auditor, did not give names, but called the debt "a giant and unpayable monster" and said a default on the bonds _ held by foreign governments, private investors and others _ would be "a historic achievement for the country."

Suspending the interest payment already sent Ecuador's benchmark bonds plummeting and will likely freeze already tight credit flows and investor interest in the nation's oil and mining sectors.

Standard & Poor's has slashed Ecuador's long-term debt rating.

Correa ran for president in 2006 vowing to default on Ecuador's foreign debt and use the money to fund anti-poverty programs. He has not acted on that threat, but recently warned that falling oil prices may force his hand. Oil is Ecuador's top source of foreign income, and prices have dipped 60 percent since July.

Exactly how many Ecuadorean bonds Venezuela holds is unknown, but market speculation is that the country could lose up to $800 million in the case of a default, said Enrique Alvarez, head of research for Latin American financial markets at IDEAglobal in New York.

"At no time do I believe we are going to get a solid figure, these are mere speculations of the market born from parties with a stake in the matter," Alvarez told The Associated Press from New York.

Chavez and Correa have called for a new brand of "21st century socialism" and have agreed to develop joint oil and natural gas projects in Ecuador.

Alvarez said defaulting on the debt would be an unprecedented and isolating decision, though he does not expect Correa to go through with it.

Analysts say despite falling oil prices, Ecuador has the resources to make the payment due Saturday, including $6.5 billion in foreign currency reserves.

But budget shortfalls are expected for next year, as oil is now trading at less than half of what the government anticipated in its 2009 budget and the country's new constitution calls for more social spending programs.

Irregular activity was identified under every administration the country has had for more than 30 years, with the exception of Abdala Bucaram's six-month presidency in 1996-1997, which did not negotiate any debt, Arias told the newspaper.

According to the audit, the most troublesome debt is the country's so-called Global 2012, 2015 and 2030 bonds, which Arias called "the most expensive and the most corrupt."

The 2012 and 2030 paper was sold in 2000 in exchange for so-called Brady Bonds, which had been issued in 1994 to refinance the country's overdue loans.

Ecuador's total foreign debt reached $10.3 billion in August, or 21 percent of gross domestic product. Just one-fifth of those bonds were issued to raise money for development, while the rest correspond to refinancing costs, Arias said.