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NEW YORK. FINGERPRINTING VISITORS TO POLICE HEADQUARTERS.

The NYPD announced Thursday it will begin using fingerprint scanners on January 1 to screen everyone, including police officers, who enters Police Headquarters.

The Police Department says it also plans to issue high-tech photo identification cards to all 50,000 of its employees at the same time they get their index fingerprints taken. Those cards will have a microchip encoded with the holder's fingerprints and other personal data.

This technology will also enable supervisors to keep track of officers working at big events and disaster sites around the city.

Civilians who enter the building will have a print taken of their right index finger that will be kept on file along with the officers’ prints.

On October 9, 1982 A statue of Christopher Columbus is mounted atop the column that stands in what is now Columbus Circle.

In 1938...The Yankees defeat the Chicago Cubs in the World Series for their seventh world championship.

In 1975...In a televised news conference, President Gerald Ford restates his opposition to a federal bail-out of New York City during the city's financial crisis.

1985...Yoko Ono dedicates Strawberry Fields, a memorial garden in Central Park, to her late husband, Beatle John Lennon.

NEW YORK. BROOKE ASTOR'S SON ANTHONY MARSHALL FOUND GUILTY By Scott Strong The son of the late socialite Brooke Astor was convicted Thursday on 14 of 18 counts of plundering the estate of his mother. Anthony Marshall, 85, seen above, was convicted of taking advantage of his mother's failing health to get her to change her will. He was found not guilty of two counts and the jury failed to reach a decision on two other counts. Judge A. Kirke Bartley called the jurors a "good jury." "I'm stunned by the verdict. We're greatly disappointed. And we'll definitely be appealing the conviction," said Defense Attorney Fred Hafetz. Estate attorney Francis Morrisey was also convicted of all counts of scheming to defraud Astor. The late philanthropist, who died at age 105 in 2007, left an estate worth nearly $200 million. Marshall will be sentenced on December 8 where he will face a mandatory minimum of one year behind bars.

HARLEM, NY. JAVIER SANTIAGO KILLED BY POLICE CAR ON WEST 136TH ST. By Jerry Blumberg An elderly man was killed Thursday afternoon after being hit by a police car in Harlem while crossing the street. It happened around 4:30 p.m. at the intersection of West 136th Street and Broadway. Police say Javier Santiago Jackson, 79, was crossing the street when the cruiser made a turn and hit him. "He was on top of the car. Then the lady, she was driving it, then when they stopped then he fell," said one witness at the scene. "She was just hysterical. She was crying, and she's going through it. It was a mistake, but she should've slowed down at the intersection," said another witness. Jackson was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police say the cruiser was responding to a "police officer needs assistance" call and had its lights and sirens on. An investigation is now underway.

NEW YORK. PHIL PULASKI NAMED NYPD CHIEF OF DETECTIVES. By Jacques Dusseck New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced Thursday that Deputy Commissioner of Operations Phil Pulaski will take over the role of Chief of Detectives. Kelly says Pulaski has the experience, dedication, and enthusiasm for the job. Kelly also gave him credit for helping to lower the crime rate. "This is the greatest law enforcement agency in the world and one of the reason why is we have the greatest detectives in the world," Pulaski said. "And I am so grateful and I am so proud to be given the opportunity to lead these extraordinary men and women and to serve this great city as the Chief of Detectives of the city of New York." Pulaski was also designated the Commanding Officer of the NYPD element of the Joint Terrorism Task Force shortly after the September 11th terror attacks. He has been with the NYPD since 1980

HARLEM, NY. A 21 YEARS OLD STABBING SUSPECT SHOT DEAD. By Jacques Dusseck Police say a knife-wielding man who allegedly injured one man and killed another was shot dead by officers inside a Harlem apartment building last night. The officers responding to an emergency call at West 144th Street and Lenox Avenue found a 50-year-old man who said he was slashed in the hand and torso by his girlfriend's son that evening. Investigators say a 21-year-old man in a second-floor stairwell lunged at police with a six-inch dagger, seen right. He refused to drop his weapon and an officer fired six times. The suspect was hit four times and died on the scene. Police say they also found the body of another victim who they believe might have interrupted the attacker. "The apartment is secure, it's empty, no one's in the apartment. [A policeman] sees the door to the... adjoining apartment, Apartment 4C," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "He pushes the door open and in the hallway he sees the body of an individual, turns out to be the occupant of that apartment." "Bizarre, especially because somebody full of life with a beautiful kid, you cannot imagine," said a neighbor. "Just last week, we were sitting and talking and then you come and find out the way it happened." The 50-year-old man was taken to Harlem Hospital where his condition is described as stable

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos

IN MANHATTAN * A self-portrait of Charlie Chaplin r, worth about $3,000, was swiped from a Chelsea antique shop by a 65-year-old career thief, authorities said yesterday. On March 8, Daniel Cardebat allegedly grabbed the 12-by-14-inch painting from the wall of Showplace, at Sixth Avenue and 25th Street, tucked it under his jacket and strolled out. The storeowner gave police surveillance video, which the officers distributed to other antique stores in the area. Cardebat whose rap sheet dates to 1976, including three stints for robbery and burglary was picked up Saturday on grand-larceny charges after he entered one of the stores and employees recognized him from the photo, sources said. He was also charged with stealing two wall lights valued at $1,500 from another antique shop.

* Detectives nabbed a Brooklyn man for murdering a DJ aboard a party boat at the South Street Seaport, police said. The suspected triggerman, Londell Squire, 21, was stopped in a car outside Richmond, Va., where NYPD cops had been tracking him since the Aug. 22 slaying of Omar Trent, 21. Trent, who was spinning at a party aboard the Atlantica, was shot in the head when he chased the suspect from the boat following a brawl. The fight spilled into the complex of shops, restaurants and maritime attractions in lower Manhattan. Squire, an ex-con, faces extradition to face a murder charge, authorities said.

* A thief was charged with a Midtown burglary after cops nabbed him urinating in public, authorities said yesterday. Carl Cook, 48, allegedly climbed through a window to enter an apartment on West 38th Street near Eighth Avenue at 5 p.m. on May 29. He swiped two laptop computers and $30, cops said. Two days later, the owner discovered the break-in when he returned to work after the weekend. Police recovered a brown glove and took a DNA sample. Sources said Cook was nabbed Sunday for urinating in public, and a check of his DNA led to the burglary rap. The only clothes this suspected dress thief will be wearing is a prison jumpsuit.

* Darcel Kirby, 43, was nabbed for allegedly grabbing a $1,785 gown from Barneys on the Upper East Side at 7 p.m. Sunday. Her accomplice, Nicole Freeman, snatched a $6,695 skirt from the rack and shoved it into a bag at the store at Madison Avenue and 60th Street, sources said. As the two reached the front door without paying, security guards grabbed the suspects and held them for police, sources said.

IN BROOKLYN *A crazed woman pummeled and pepper-sprayed a cabby and broke his glasses in Canarsie after a fight over the fare, police said. The trouble started at 8 a.m. Wednesday when Jennifer Maldonado, 21, directed the driver to take her from the Upper East Side to Seaview Avenue and Rockaway Parkway, cops said. There she began arguing with the victim over the price of the ride, sources said. Maldonado tried to flee, but the driver grabbed her bag and she began attacking him, sources said. Police arrested the suspect on charges of assault and theft of services. The victim was not seriously hurt.

IN STATEN ISLAND * In a spree beginning Aug. 1, Dominique Henderson, 17, allegedly swiped five cars whose owners had left the keys in the ignition. In the final theft, this past Tuesday, Henderson drove off with a burgundy Cadillac parked at a 7-Eleven store, sources said. But her run came to an end when she plowed into a Toyota as she tried to elude cops. Henderson was charged with auto theft, said a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

IN QUEENS *Karen Lee, 37, of Flushing, clashed with a pregnant 25-year-old woman for unknown reasons outside the Babies 'R' Us store on 20th Avenue in Whitestone at 6:45 p.m. Sunday, sources said. The suspect cursed at the expectant mom and threatened her with a steering-wheel lock, authorities said.The suspect also followed the victim into the store, telling her she hoped she would lose the baby, cops said. Lee was charged with menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, disorderly conduct and harassment.

IN THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE OSLO. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA WON THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg U.S. President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for giving the world "hope for a better future" and striving for nuclear disarmament, in a surprise award that drew criticism as well as praise. The decision to bestow one of the world's top accolades on a president less than nine months into his first term, who has yet to score a major foreign policy success, provoked gasps of surprise from journalists at the announcement in Oslo. The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Obama for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." The first African-American to hold his country's highest office, Obama has called for disarmament and worked to restart the stalled Middle East peace process since taking office in January. "Very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said in a citation. While the decision won praise from statesmen like Nelson Mandela and Mikhail Gorbachev, both former Nobel laureates, it was also attacked, especially in parts of the Arab and Muslim world, as hasty and undeserved. The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and opposes a peace treaty with Israel, said the award was premature at best. "Obama has a long way to go still and lots of work to do before he can deserve a reward," said Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri. "Obama only made promises and did not contribute any substance to world peace. And he has not done anything to ensure justice for the sake of Arab and Muslim causes."

Issam al-Khazraji, a day laborer in Baghdad, said: "He doesn't deserve this prize. All these problems -- Iraq, Afghanistan -- have not been solved...The man of 'change' hasn't changed anything yet." Liaqat Baluch, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a conservative religious party in Pakistan, called the award an embarrassing "joke." But the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, Saeb Erekat, welcomed the award to Obama and expressed hope that "he will be able to achieve peace in the Middle East."

Nobel Committee Chairman Thorbjoern Jagland rejected suggestions from journalists that Obama was getting the prize too early, saying it recognized what he had already done over the past year. "We hope this can contribute a little bit to enhance what he is trying to do," he told a news conference. The committee said it attached "special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons," saying he had "created a new climate in international politics."

PARIS. FRENCH CULTURE MINISTER FREDERIC MITTERAND CLINGS TO POST. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand on Thursday rejected calls for his resignation for having written about paying boys for sex in Thailand, saying his partners had been consenting adults. The revelations were made in a 2005 book by Mitterrand, "The Bad Life." They re-surfaced after Mitterrand strongly defended film-maker Roman Polanski, who was arrested in Switzerland last month and faces extradition to the United States for having had sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Mitterrand described the book as "not totally autobiographical" in a television interview on Thursday and was evasive about the precise nature of his experiences in Thailand. "A mistake, certainly, a crime, no ... because each time I was with people of my own age and who consented," Mitterrand said, adding that he had no intention to resign. "In no way is it an apology of sex tourism ... even if one of the chapters is a journey through that hell, with the fascination that hell can provoke," said Mitterrand. Throughout the TF1 interview, he referred to his partners as "boys." Politicians from all parties have criticized Mitterrand for his attack on the United States, which he said had shown a "frightening" face by pursuing Polanski after so long. The far-right National Front party has called for him to step down. But in the interview, Mitterrand said French President Nicolas Sarkozy had expressed his support for him. The affair appeared to have provoked a split in the government, with Labor Minister Xavier Darcos saying Mitterrand needed to explain his behavior, and Sarkozy adviser Henri Guaino defending the minister. Guaino called the debate excessive and undignified. Asked whether Mitterrand should resign, Guaino said on France 2 television: "When there is a controversy as pathetic as this, with so much delay, I don't think there should be such drastic consequences." Guaino said there were no facts to back up the accusations and Mitterrand had not been subject to any legal complaints. But Darcos asked for an explanation. "There is no judge after him, nobody is pressing charges, he is being criticized for his personal behavior, moral behavior," Darcos said on France Inter radio.

The experiences in the book are presented as a mixture of straight autobiography and more dreamlike reflection. "I got into the habit of paying for boys," Mitterrand wrote, adding that his attraction to young male prostitutes continued even though he knew "the sordid details of this traffic." "All these rituals of the market for youths, the slave market excited me enormously ... the abundance of very attractive and immediately available young boys put me in a state of desire.

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN.CAR BOMBER KILLED 49. By Jacques Dusseck A suspected suicide car-bomber killed 49 people on Friday in the Pakistani city of Peshawar in an attack that the government said underscored the need for an all-out offensive against the Pakistani Taliban. There was no claim of responsibility but Interior Minister Rehman Malik said "all roads are leading to South Waziristan," referring to the headquarters of the Pakistani Taliban in the northwest. "One thing is clear, these hired assassins called Taliban are to be dealt with more severely," Malik told reporters in Islamabad. "We think we have no other option except to carry out an operation in South Waziristan," he added, while declining to say when that might happen. The suspected car-bomber set off his explosives as he was passing a bus, police said. The blast hurled the bus onto its side on a road in a commercial neighborhood of the northwestern city. Several cars were also destroyed. "The bus was making a turn when the blast occurred and it threw the bus into the air," a witness told the Duniya television channel. An official at Peshawar's main hospital said 49 people had been killed including seven children. The bomb dented trade at Pakistan's main stock market, which has gained about 66 percent this year after losing 58.3 percent in 2008. "There was some negative impact as the market has come off its intra-day high but there seems to be foreign support at lower levels," said Mohammed Sohail, chief executive at Topline Securities Ltd.

Islamist militants who have set off numerous bombs in towns and cities including Peshawar over the past couple of years, most aimed at the security forces and government and foreign targets. Early this year, the militants pushed to within 100 km (60 miles) of Islamabad, raising fears for nuclear-armed Pakistan's stability. The United States needs Pakistani help against militants crossing into Afghanistan to battle U.S.-led forces there. An exasperated U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said early this year the government appeared to be "abdicating" to the militants.

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NEW YORK CITY HISTORY By Jacques Dusseck

On this date, October 5, 1785, in Manhattan, the cornerstone is laid for St. Peter's Church at Barclay and Church Streets.

In 1921,.The World Series is broadcast on radio for the first time, as sportswriter Grantland Rice describes the action between the Yankees and the ultimately victorious New York Giants.

In 1942, .The Yankees lose the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 when they lose the fifth game 4-2 at Yankee Stadium.

In 1960,.New York's Casey Stengel sets a Major League record by appearing as a manager in his 10th World Series.

NEW YORK. COUNTERTERRORISM CAMERAS BEING EXPANDED IN THE CITY By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg The city's high-tech counterterrorism monitoring system is being expanded from Lower Manhattan into Midtown. The network of security cameras, license plate readers and weapons sensors known as the "Ring of Steel" will now cover Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal and Times Square. The system began last year and currently covers two square miles downtown and includes the New York Stock Exchange and the World Trade Center site. "Most times, you will either prevent it because you'll catch somebody or you'll prevent it because you're scaring people away. If people know, if people read about this system, they might very well decide to take their nefarious affairs elsewhere or just not do it," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "This system here will build uses and will build on predictive software. Let's say a truck goes around the block three times. Well, you can set off an alarm at that level," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. The city plans to add the technology to key spots between 30th and 60th streets. The expansion is projected to cost about $24 million in federal money. Meanwhile, police chiefs from big cities across the nation are backing an anti-terrorism program that educates people on when to report suspicious behavior. It comes after a store clerk expressed concern and curiosity as to why terror suspect Najibullah Zazi bought large quantities of beauty supply products. Officials say that type of civilian vigilance is needed in the collective effort to fight terrorism. Authorities are now pushing to adopt an i-Watch program that would educate and encourage civilians on what they should be looking out for. Federal authorities allege Zazi tried to make a homemade explosive from ingredients he bought at Denver-area stores. Zazi is being held without bail on charges of conspiracy to detonate a weapon of mass destruction. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON LEADS TRADE TO HAITI. By Jacques Dusseck- Less than two months after his last trip, and at the invitation of the Haitian government and private sector, President Bill Clinton welcomed 500 international business executives to Haiti, as part of the first delegation of this kind in over 25 years. Speaking before a conference of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) , President Clinton emphasized the significant business opportunities in Haiti, across a range of industries including agriculture, renewable energy, textiles, and infrastructure. “Haiti has great potential for development,” President Clinton said. “This is the right time to invest in Haiti, to help build a better neighbor, a reliable business partner, an alluring tourist destination, and a more prosperous home for its hard-working, resilient people.” "Three months ago, this was just a conversation between the government and people of Haiti and President Clinton. Today, we welcomed more than 500 investors interested in doing business here," said President Preval. "President Clinton's partnership with us has also helped to generate more than a billion dollars in debt forgiveness from the World Bank, the IMF and the IDB, as well a couple of hundred million more from the United States, Italy and other bilateral creditors via the Paris Club. Alongside these external measures, the Government of Haiti has been taking and will continue to take concrete steps to improve the business environment in order to attract foreign direct investment, begin to create the hundreds of thousands of needed sustainable jobs, and improve the lives of its citizens. Just this week, for the first time in decades, our national budget was passed into law by Parliament before the start of the new fiscal year," he added. The delegation’s two-day visit coincided with an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Investment Conference and an International Labour Organization (ILO) Betterworks Conference. Together, these events brought unprecedented numbers of companies and investors to Haiti, providing over 500 business leaders from four continents and multinational corporations with a unique opportunity to engage with their Haitian counterparts. President Clinton also met with Haitian President Préval and Prime Minister Pierre-Louis, and reiterated his support for the Government of Haiti’s comprehensive economic vision and recovery plan. President Clinton will travel to the northern coast of Haiti on Friday, where he will highlight the world-class tourism opportunities. He and members of his delegation will visit the Sans Souci Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site and national park also housing the Citadelle, a historic symbol of freedom for the people of Haiti. Since beginning work as UN Special Envoy for Haiti in June, President Clinton has announced a number of specific achievements, including: · The Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL) recently invested $55 million to develop Labadie – a beach resort area on Cap Hatien – and expects to bring 650,000 – 1 million tourists to Haiti by 2011. RCCL also will create a new vocational school in the region that will be operated jointly with the Ministry of Tourism and the local chamber of commerce, equipping Haitians with training for good jobs in the hospitality industry. In addition, RCCL has committed to contributing to the local economy by purchasing more food products from Haitian producers. Digicel Founder and Chairman Denis O’Brien has launched a new “young entrepreneurs initiative” with a commitment of $300,000 to allow young entrepreneurs to enter a contest by submitting business proposals which will be reviewed by an independent board. Placing a high priority on proposals that address the needs of women, the board will then provide training and a $15,000 grant to the winning project. The Haitian Minister for Gender Affairs, Madame Lassègue, has agreed to contribute to the Young Entrepreneurs Initiative. Bio Tek, a private biofuels company, and the Government of Haiti are entering into a Public Private Partnership to increase the use of biofuels in Haiti. This partnership will create hundreds of jobs for local sugar farmers. BioTek also has committed to providing job training, free seeds for crop substitution, and cleaning and maintenance of local watersheds. Responding to requests from Haitian businesspeople, President Clinton brought high-level r epresentatives from the arm of the World Bank Group that provides political risk guarantees to foreign investors (MIGA) , the Overseas Private Investment Corporation ( OPIC), and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), significantly enlarging the pool of investors in Haiti. Through the support of the Soul of Haiti Foundation, one of the Irish Entrepreneur of the Year finalists, Mr. Terry Clune of Taxback..com, has decided to establish an information phone line in Port au Prince that will provide tax documentation support for interested clients, operating from the new Digicel building. Taxback.com has committed to create new jobs by March 2010, with the initial launch planned for the end of October. Last week, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) announced twenty-one commitments valued at $258 million for projects for Haiti -- including a three-year $2 million pledge by actor Matt Damon’s Water.org to provide safe water and sanitation to 50,000 people. Also, Habitat for Humanity and the U.S. Agency for International Development pledged $4.5 million to repair 1,500 family homes in two cities damaged by last year's hurricanes. In addition, CGI member Mouhsine Serrar from Prakti Design Labs and a wide range of partners committed to provide affordable and fuel-efficient cook stoves, to limit the impact of deforestation and create healthier and cleaner indoor living environments for Haitians. As part of the $170 million in new projects generated through the 2008 meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, a new bridge in Boucan Carré, spanning Fonlanfè, was completed last week. The bridge was created as a result of a commitment by Digicel Founder and Chairman Denis O’Brien and Dr. Paul Farmer, with support from t he Government of Haiti and the United Nations. The International Finance Corporation is funding a two-year technical assistance initiative to assist Haiti to create approximately 10,000 new jobs through work on the industrial parks that host investment, and through outreach initiatives to bring new foreign investors Haiti. These commitments build on additional steps being taken by the Soros Economic Development Fund and the Haitian based WIN group, to invest $45 million to expand industrial capacity in Haiti, projected to create 25,000 new jobs, in collaboration with other Haitian businesses.

CAMBRIA HEIGHTS, QUEENS. POLICE MADE ARREST IN DEADLY SHOOTING By Scott STrong and Romy Dussek Police have arrested a 16-year-old in connection with a Queens shooting Friday that left one teenager dead and another wounded. Investigators say Kevin Miller, 13, was shot in the head outside a car wash at the corner of Linden and Springfield boulevards in Cambria Heights. A 17-year-old boy was also shot in the leg and taken to North Shore Hospital, where his condition is described as stable. Authorities say the unidentified suspect was fighting with another teen when he fired the shots in front of the Campus Magnet Humanities and the Arts High School. "I go to take a look, I get halfway and I see two kids in the street fighting and then I heard shots so I run back to my corner," said one witness. The suspect was taken into custody Saturday night and is awaiting charges.

NEW YORK. CITY CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF MANHATTAN BRIDGE. By Elizabeth Menos. A celebration was held Sunday to mark the 100th birthday of the Manhattan Bridge. The youngest of the four East River spans, the suspension bridge connects lower Manhattan to Brooklyn. "Although she's not the most beautiful, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and she does the job. Happy Birthday, Manny B," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. A number of commemorative events, including walking tours and lectures, will be held throughout the month. The 1,470 foot bridge has been plagued with problems stemming from its design flaws. It began undergoing reconstruction in the 1980s, but the city's Bridge Centennial Commission President says the span is in good condition.

MANILLA, PHILIPPINES. TYPHON CALAMITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES. By Jacques Dusseck and Libertito Pelayo Jr. The powerful storm hovered off the Philippines' northwestern coast this Monday, two days after thrashing remote mountain areas on the main island Luzon and killing 22 people. Parma, the strongest typhoon to hit the country since 2006, had weakened into a tropical storm but may remain stationary off the coast of the Ilocos provinces for the next three days, bringing more rains and possible floods and landslides."For the last two or three days, these areas have been experiencing heavy rains," Nathaniel Cruz, the weather bureau's chief forecaster, told a news conference. "This is the hazardous effect of a typhoon that has remained almost stationary." Parma's movement was affected by the much stronger Typhoon Melor, which was expected to enter Philippine territory but not its mainland from the east late on Monday, he said. "The interaction between the two typhoons has prevented Parma from moving out of the country," Cruz said. Melor, with center winds of 205 kph (125 mph) gusting up to 250 kph, was swirling in the Pacific at 25 kph (15 mph) and likely to veer into the country's northeastern waters before heading for Japan. Five more people were reported killed when Parma battered northern regions at the weekend, bringing total fatalities to 22, disaster and local officials said on Monday.More than 200,000 people were hit by the storm and a third of those were in temporary shelter areas due to floods and landslides. Power and communications have yet to be restored.

Heavy rain in and around Manila, about 350 km (210 miles) southeast of Parma's center, could worsen the situation in the Philippine capital, which is still recovering from floods brought more than a week ago by a previous storm, Ketsana. Nearly 300 people were killed and half a million were forced from their homes by Ketsana. About 6.8 billion pesos ($145 million) in crops, mostly rice about to be harvested, were damaged, forcing Manila to consider more rice imports this year. About 2.7 billion pesos in infrastructure - roads, bridges and schools - were also damaged, disaster officials said. The government is preparing a 10-billion peso supplementary budget to finance relief work and may issue dollar-denominated bonds of $250-500 million to fund it, in addition to previous plans to issue yen bonds. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said rice stocks were sufficient for the year despite the crop damage. Any imports would be for 2010 requirements and these would be done at "an appropriate time," he said.

In Taiwan, nearly 7,000 people, mostly villagers in the island's south, were evacuated as Parma brought heavy rains. Rivers and creeks were bursting their banks in other regions.

COPENHAGEN. RIO DE JANEIRO WILL HOST THE 2016 OLYMPIC. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympics after the Brazilian city won a landslide victory over Madrid and Chicago in the final round of voting on Friday. International Olympic Committee members shocked everyone at the Bella Convention Centre by eliminating favourites Chicago in the first voting round, despite the unprecedented personal support President Barack Obama gave the bid. Tokyo were the next city to fall before the IOC backed Rio to become the first South American city to host the Games by a final-round margin of 66 votes to Madrid's 32. A few seconds after the announcement, an almost speechless Carlos Osorio, general secretary of the Brazilian bid, told Reuters: "Overwhelming, spectacular, unbelievable." Brazil is already preparing to host the soccer World Cup in 2014 and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left in tears of joy by the announcement, said the country would have to work harder than ever to stage a Games they could be proud of. "We are going to have to sleep less, think more and work more," Lula said at a news conference. "Now our term of reference is going to be work for Brazil to do better than any other time in its history."

Chicago went out after polling just 18 votes in the first round, despite the eloquent speeches on their behalf made by Obama, the first sitting U.S. president to address an IOC session, and first lady Michelle Obama.

INDONESIA. MARKETS AND SCHOOL REOPENED IN PAGAN. By Scott Strong and Jerry Blumberg Markets reopened and some children attended school in the earthquake shattered city of Padang on Monday, but inland hamlets engulfed by landslides were to be left as mass graves to focus on getting aid to survivors. Relief workers saw little chance of finding anyone else alive in the rubble of buildings five days after a 7.6 magnitude quake hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Three hamlets in the foothills of the Gunung Tigo mountain wiped out by landslides would be left as mass graves. "Instead of the extra cost of evacuating the corpses, it's better to allocate the money for the living," Ade Edward, the head of the West Sumatra earthquake coordinating desk was quoted by Kompas newspaper as saying. While aid and international rescue teams have poured into Padang, a city of 900,000, help has been slow to reach remoter inland areas, with landslides cutting off many roads. When they have managed to reach the interior, rescuers have found entire villages obliterated by landslides and homeless survivors begging for food, water and shelter. "Yesterday all I had to eat was a packet of instant noodles. All of us are hungry. We hear on the radio very nice words that aid is pouring in, but where is it?," asked Erol, a resident with a 10-day-old infant in Pasa Dama, a village outside Padang. About 100 other residents were standing on the roadside asking for donations. "We need tents and water. There are shops selling bottled water, but no one I know has any money," said Yuliana. Health officials said five villages had been buried in torrents of mud and rock torn out of the lush green hills by the force of the quake, killing about 600 people. "I know that no one could have survived when the landslide happened," said Jumahadi Sultan, a resident in the village of Kapala Koto in Patamuan district, about 60 km from Padang. A rescue official said more than 100 people were at a wedding in Kapala Koto when the landslide hit. It was not clear how many people have been displaced, but Indonesia's disaster agency said about 180,000 homes and 20,000 buildings had been damaged in the quake.

Indonesia's health minister, Siti Fadillah Supari, estimated the death toll could reach 3,000, adding disease was becoming a concern, especially in Padang city, where a pervading stench of decomposing bodies hangs over the ruined buildings.

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos

IN QUEENS *Police are hunting for the gun-toting bandit pictured above who robbed the Francisco Deli on 157th Street near 111th Avenue in Jamaica at 9:30 p.m. Monday. The crook, who escaped with an undisclosed sum of cash, is about 18 years old, 5-foot-10 and 160-pounds.

*Jake Henry, 20, of Greenville, Miss., was boarding a Northwest Airlines flight last Sunday at La Guardia when he turned over two handguns to a ticket agent at the preflight check-in, sources said. When questioned by authorities, he identified himself as a police officer, then said he was a Mississippi corrections officer. Sources say he was unable to provide proper credentials or a gun license. Mississippi officials said they never heard of Henry, court papers state. He was charged with weapons possession and criminal impersonation, said a spokeswoman for DA Richard Brown.

*Aretha Rushing, 47, was in the Duane Reade on Beach Channel Drive near Beach 116th Street in Rockaway at 9 p.m. last Sunday when the manager spotted her swiping beauty supplies, sources said. He grabbed her and called cops, who arrested her.

*Using a crowbar, Taylor, 47, smashed three windows of a car parked outside his Hollis Hills home on 216th Place near 93rd Avenue at 1:30 p.m. last Saturday, sources said. The vehicle owner alerted police, who arrested Taylor.

IN STATEN ISLAND *Rawchaayah Wright, 17, had to be removed from arraignment proceedings for blaring music through his headphones Thursday, sources said. The court officer had to call in reinforcements as Wright tried to fought him off, sources said. He was finally restrained, and two court officers were hospitalized with minor injuries, said sources.

IN BROOKLYN *Robert Baxter, 55, a manager at Cleanse Tec, a manufacturer of industrial cleaning detergent, was arrested after allegedly assaulting his boss at their East New York office Thursday. The boss had cited him for insubordination and told him to go home, said sources. Baxter grabbed a milk crate and attacked the boss before fleeing with company paperwork, said sources. Cops arrested Baxter nearby.

*An enterprising crook busted in Brownsville for selling rides with a bent MetroCard begged cops to take pity on him because he "needed money to buy milk for my kids," a source said. Euladio Tavarez, 40, was at the Euclid Avenue C-line station Thursday when a cop spotted him offering straphangers discounted rides with a MetroCard altered so it never ran out of credit, sources said. The cop grabbed Tavarez and found another bent MetroCard in his pocket, sources said.

*Danny Maldanado, 32, was busted after scaling a fence outside a warehouse on Morgan Avenue near Lombardy Street in Greenpoint on Thursday when a cop in an unmarked car spotted him and stopped, sources said. Maldanado claimed he was there to make repairs, said sources. The cop contacted the owner of the property, who said he never heard of Maldanado.

IN THE BRONX *A 72-year-old man "who knew everyone" in his South Bronx neighborhood was found stabbed to death in his building yesterday morning after an apparent robbery, police said. The victim, who was retired, was found near a stairwell at East 153rd Street and Melrose Avenue where he had managed to crawl after being attacked in his apartment. He died at Lincoln Hospital. "Everybody around here knew him. He'd been here a long time. It's horrible. He never bothered anyone. He didn't deserve that," said a neighbor.

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NEW YORK CITY HISTORY By Jacques Dusseck

On September 30, 1931, The Waldorh Astoria Hotel opens at its present address on Park Avenue.

On September 30, 1927, Babe Ruth belts his 60th home run of the season, breaking his own major league record. His record stands until 1961, when Yankee Roger Maris belts his 61.

NEW YORK. PRIMARY RUNOFF DE BLASIO AND JOHN LIU CLAIM VICTORY City councilmen Bill de Blasio and John Liu beat out their political opponents in Tuesday's Democratic primary runoff for public advocate and city comptroller, respectively. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, de Blasio soared past former public advocate Mark Green with 62 percent of the votes. During his victory speech, de Blasio said the job of public advocate is to protect the will of the people from abuses of power at City Hall. "When our city government ignores its own people, its own neighborhoods that are its life blood, we deny our democracy," de Blasio said. "And when a mayor ignores the will of the people, we set back the notion of one person-one vote." With his on-the-job experience, Green was once considered the favorite in the race. But that changed two weeks ago when de Blasio outgained Green in the primary, forcing the runoff. "Big congratulations to Bill de Blasio for a very skillful and smart campaign," Green said. "Were he to do as well as Public Advocate it will be a good and a boon for the whole city." Come November, de Blasio will face Republican Alex Zablocki in the general election where he is heavily favored to win.

Meanwhile, in the race for city comptroller, John Liu defeated fellow City Council member David Yassky with nearly 56 percent of the vote. Following Tuesday night's win, Liu is expected to become the first Asian-American elected to citywide office. "We were taught that the inherent promise of this great city and country, that if you work hard, meet your obligations, recognize the social responsibility that belongs to each of us that you will have every opportunity to do better for yourself and your family and this certainly is the lesson that I've learned tonight," Liu said. In his concession speech, Yassky, a two-term City Council member, had kind words for his opponent. "Just a few moments ago, I called John Liu to congratulate him on his victory tonight," Yassky said. "He earned a well-deserved victory and I am sure he will be a terrific comptroller for the City of New York." Liu is expected to easily defeat Republican Joe Mendola when the two go head to head in the general election. Meanwhile, Tuesday's runoff election featured yet another low and, at times, sluggish voter turnout. Earlier this month, the Democratic primary saw historic lows in the number of voters coming out to the polls. The Board of Elections estimates the runoff elections cost the city between $13 million to $15 million.

BROOKLYN, NY. TERROR SUSPECTPLEADS NOT GUILTY IN FEDERAL COURT. By SCott Strong and Jerry Blumberg The suspect accused of plotting a terrorist bomb attack in the city pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction Tuesday in Brooklyn Federal Court. Najibullah Zazi, 24, stayed silent during the 10-minute hearing and is being held without bail. His attorney entered the plea on his behalf. Prosecutors say Zazi trained with al-Qaida in Pakistan and was planning an attack to coincide with the September 11th anniversary. They also say he tried to create bombs like those used in the London and Madrid transit attacks. According to officials, the plot might have targeted mass transit in the New York area. As a result, Zazi was transferred Friday from Colorado, where he faced lesser charges. A law enforcement official told the Press that investigators have identified at least three possible accomplices of Zazi. The official says the three people are from New York, but it's not clear where they are now. Court papers say the alleged accomplices helped Zazi buy beauty products containing hydrogen peroxide and acetone in Colorado. The chemicals can be used to make homemade bombs. Zazi, who was previously a Queens resident and a coffee vendor near the World Trade Center site, has maintained his innocence. He faced life imprisonment if convicted. He is due back in court in early December. J. Michael Dowling, Zazi's lawyer, would not comment on the accusations of terrorist training and said that buying beauty products is not against the law. He also denied allegations that his client has collaborators. "I have not seen any evidence whatsoever of an agreement between Mr. Zazi and anyone else, which is the essence of conspiracy charge," said Dowling. "I'm not saying the government does not have this evidence, but I haven't seen it yet." Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says he believes whatever plot may have once existed now appears to be contained. "I believe this case has been thwarted, has been broken up," said Kelly. "I see, at this time, no danger emanating from the people involved in this investigation." Zazi's father and a Queens imam are also charged with lying to federal investigators in connection with the case. They are both free on bail.

CITY HALL. MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND HIS REPORT CARD. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg Mayor Michael Bloomberg admits that times are tough, but insists the city is going a long way towards easing the burdens of its citizens. As proof, he pointed to his own report card, the Mayor's Management Report, released Tuesday at City Hall. "Despite economic hardship and shrinking city resources, we are helping New Yorkers that are in need in ways that I don't think any other big city is," The mayor's office says the report monitored the performance of each city agency including public safety, quality of life, education, human services, health and economy all based on calls to 311 and its own numbers crunching. According to the findings, crime continues to go down all over the city and english and math scores improved for third to eighth graders. But the report also detailed a nagging problem in reducing average class size almost across the board, an increase in the number of homeless families in city shelters and a continuing rise in unemployment. All of the numbers cited are said to be in line with national trends. "I'm sure there's something that's going up that you can write a column about," Bloomberg said. "The bottom line is there's always things that are going to be going in the wrong direction, over the long term, if they continue to go in the wrong direction, then it's a serious thing." Bloomberg's opponent in the mayoral race, City Comptroller Bill Thompson, says it's a serious thing now and pointed out some of the negatives in the report. "Mayor Bloomberg needs to get out of City Hall and talk to the people of New York City," Thompson said. "We're looking at the highest unemployment rate in 16 years. We're looking at unemployment in the African-American community that has skyrocketed in the last year. We're looking at people losing their homes and their jobs across the city, we're looking at a city that is struggling, and Mike Bloomberg says everything's great, everything's fabulous, and this is a a wonderful city. As I said, this is almost Bloombergland where this is no reality, the mayor needs to get real." Bloomberg responded by saying the city is coming out of its slump and insists he's the man to lead the charge for another four years.

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos

IN MANHATTAN *This crook (bottom) couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to withdraw money from a bank and or rob it. Last Wednesday, the thief approached a teller at the Bank of America branch on Sixth Avenue near 28th Street and said, "I want a withdrawal." Then he passed a note demanding money. The teller hit the panic alarm, prompting the bandit to flee. He was wearing a gray Giants hoodie, blue jeans and sneakers.

* At 1:10 a.m. Saturday, Rondell Smith, 21, walked into the Village Gift Shop on Christopher Street and asked the clerk for a Boost Mobile phone card. When the worker told him it would cost $22, Smith demanded a $2 discount and allegedly went berserk when he didn't get it, punching the man in the face and trashing the shop. He was charged with burglary, criminal mischief and assault.

* Cops bagged two shoplifters who allegedly swiped thousands of dollars in designer billfolds and a purse from swanky Upper East Side stores. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Sharkeen Henderson, 19, and Christopher Liburd, 21, taking more than $1,000 in wallets from a display case at the Gucci store on Madison Avenue on June 16. The thieves struck again on Sept. 11, grabbing scarves and a bag from the Bloomingdale's Louis Vuiton display on Third Avenue and East 60th Street, police said. Both were charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

IN STATEN ISLAND * A sloshed motorist got a ride to jail after she crashed into a police car in Port Richmond, despite her efforts to repent, cops said. Lucy Hernandez, 27, allegedly crashed her 1992 Toyota into the driver's side mirror of a parked cruiser at Castleton and Treadwell avenues just before 3 a.m. Saturday. She then pulled away, but was stopped minutes later and placed in cuffs. Investigators discovered that her blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit of .08 percent, sources said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hit your car," she allegedly told the officer. Hernandez was charged with DWI and leaving the scene of an accident, according to a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

IN QUEENS * A hot-head was raked over the coals in the Rockaways after he tossed part of a barbecue 12 stories to the ground, officials said. Dmitriy Klementiev, 23, allegedly tossed the grill and part of a table off the terrace of a building on Shore Front Parkway at about 7 a.m. Wednesday, after a security guard responded to a call of a noise complaint, sources said. He was charged with reckless endangerment, but pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, according to a spokeswoman for DA Richard Brown.

* A thug was nabbed with a cache of weapons after cops spotted him talking on his cellphone while driving in Laurelton, officials said Cops stopped Corey Mullings, 27, on Tuesday night as he drove on 224th Street near 135th Avenue. When the officer approached the 2000 Mercedes, he allegedly spotted a knife handle sticking out of the rear passenger seat. A further search uncovered a blade in his pocket and a machete, dagger and loaded handgun under the rear passenger seat. Mullings was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, the DA's office said.

* A South Jamaica man went ballistic on his wife, repeatedly smashing into her parked car after an argument, officials said. Eamon Silvera allegedly went on the rampage on 204th Street, near 117th Avenue in St. Albans on Sept. 17. He was charged with criminal mischief and released without bail, according to Brown's office.

IN THE BRONX * Police are hunting for a thug who stabbed another man to death in Mount Eden. The victim, who has a lengthy rap sheet, was found unconscious with at least four stab wounds to the chest on Jerome Avenue and Goble Place at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, police said. He died at Bronx Lebanon Hospital.

IN BROOKLYN * A woman was fighting for her life last night, after she was struck by a Mercedes in Crown Heights. The 29-year-old woman was hit on Eastern Parkway near Nostrand Avenue shortly after 8 p.m. "I saw something go flying in the air," said witness Sonya Nichols. "I wasn't sure it was a person." Paramedics who were working at a separate accident scene also saw what happened and aided the victim, who was in critical condition at Kings County Hospital. The driver, Pedro Hazel, was arrested for driving with a suspended license.

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NEW YORK CITY HISTORY By Jacques Dusseck On September 27, 1889, The first city's skyscraper the Tower Building opens at 50 Broadway. The innovation was made possible by a steel skeleton, elevators and a thick bedrock foundation. On the same date in 1993, crooked cop Michael Dowd breaks the Blue Wall of Silence when he testifies at the Mollen Commission hearings into Police corruption.

NEW YORK. MAYOR BLOOMBERG PUSHES FOR NUCLEAR SENSORS. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined area lawmakers Sunday in a push to secure federal funding for the Securing the Cities program. They say it will help protect the region from nuclear terrorism. The city is looking to receive an additional $40 million on top of the approximately $73 million already secured for the program. The money would be used to install sensors to detect radioactive material. "This funding needs to be fully restored immediately. Because it's not just New York City that gets short changed," Bloomberg said. "The longer it takes to build this system the longer it will be for cities around this country to apply what we learn here." "It's obvious that New York, for all the reasons, is a prime target of the terrorists who want to attack America," said Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. "But the good news is that under Mike Bloomberg and Ray Kelly, I would say there is no city in America that is better protected from terrorist attack than New York City." The mayor also announced a January police class that had been canceled due to budget cuts is now back on. More than 100 new police officers will be hired using a $36 million federal stimulus grant from the Transit Security Grant Program.

YANKEES BEAT THE SOX AND METS DEFEATTHE MARLINS. By Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos The Yankees kicked off a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox Friday night in the Bronx, looking to wrap up the American League East this weekend. Struggling starting pitcher Joba Chamberlain had his best outing in weeks, giving up just three runs and striking out five hitters over six innings of work, and the Yanks' batters backed him up. Alex Rodriguez notched four RBIs on the night, including a two-run homer in the third inning. The Yankees went on to beat Boston 9-5, and now their magic number to clinch the division is now three. Meanwhile, down in Florida, the Marlins were leading the Mets by a run when pinch hitter Cory Sullivan smacked a two-run single to put New York ahead. Mets closer Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez slammed the door shut in the ninth for his 34th save of the season, and his team won 6-5 Friday night. In basketball, David Lee and Nate Robinson will wear orange and blue again this season. The Knicks have resigned the forward and the guard, reportedly to one-year contracts.

BROOKLYN. OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICER ANDREW KELLY CHARGED IN DEATH. By Jerry Blumberg and Elizabeth Menos. An off-duty police officer was arrested in Brooklyn early Sunday morning for allegedly hitting a woman with his car and killing her. It happened around 1 a.m. on East 56th Avenue and Avenue N in Flatlands. Police say Andrew Kelly, 30, is charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. Investigators say Vionique Valnord, 33, was unconscious and unresponsive when they arrived at the scene. She was taken to Kings County Hospital where she later died. Police say there were other people in the car, including another off-duty police officer. "He's being questioned about the circumstances of the accident. The first officer was arrested as I say for DWI, there were other people in the car, we're trying to identify who those other people were," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. The incident is still under investigation.

NEW YORK. DEATH OF WILLIAM SAFIRE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES. By Jacques Dussck William Safire, the former speechwriter for Richard Nixon who won a Pulitzer Prize for columns on politics and language for The New York Times, died on Sunday, the newspaper said. He was 79. Safire died at a hospice in Rockville, Maryland, after suffering from pancreatic cancer, spokeswoman Diane McNulty said. Safire, known for his conservative voice on The Times' mostly liberal opinion pages, received a Pulitzer for commentary in 1978. In 1979 he began writing the newspaper's On Language column, in which he examined the origins of words and phrases and their proper usage. He served for a decade on the board that awards the Pulitzer, and retired from his twice-weekly political column in 2005. Safire's last column for the newspaper appeared just two weeks ago. Before joining The Times in 1973, Safire worked in politically oriented public relations and joined the Nixon White House speechwriting team in 1968. He was credited with coining the phrases "nattering nabobs of negativism" and "hysterical hypochondriacs of history," used by then-Vice President Spiro Agnew to describe the U.S. media. Safire was married and had two children. He wrote several novels including the bestseller "Full Disclosure," as well as several nonfiction books on politics and language. A New York City native, he was popular even with readers who took issue with his conservative political views in part because he enthusiastically engaged them and solicited contributions and input on the origins and foibles of modern language. His last On Language column appeared two weeks ago. Entitled "Bending the curve," it explored the history and popularity of that phrase. He ended the piece with a quote from a reader who had written to thank him for a recent column's citation, which the reader said had refreshed "the halcyon days of my youth

NEW YORK MADOFF'S SONS, BROTHER AND NIECE TO BE SUED FOR MILLIONS By Jacques Dusseck and Romy Dusseck Bernard Madoff's two sons, his brother and a niece will be sued this week for $198 million, the trustee winding down the Madoff firm told CBS News' "60 Minutes" broadcast on Sunday. Sons Mark and Andrew, brother Peter and niece Shana all held executive positions with the firm and should have known about the multibillion-dollar, worldwide 20-year-long Ponzi scheme, trustee Irving Picard and his chief counsel David Sheehan, told the program. Wall Street's biggest investment fraud, a Ponzi scheme in which early investors are paid with the money of new clients, collapsed in the declining economy last December. Madoff confessed to the fraud of as much as $64.8 billion and is serving a 150-year prison sentence. Asked by "60 Minutes" whether investigators were working under the assumption that there was money still hidden, Sheehan said: "Yes, we are" and Picard said, "We'd assume it's millions and millions of dollars." Sheehan told "60 Minutes" he estimated about $36 billion went into the whole scheme. "About $18 (billion) of it went out before the collapse. And $18 (billion) of it is just missing. And that $18 billion is what we're trying to get back." New York lawyers Picard and Sheehan said the latest lawsuit to recover money for defrauded investors under the Securities Investor Protection Act would accuse the family members of negligence and breach of fiduciary duty. The lawsuits to be filed in U.S. bankruptcy court in New York would also accuse them of profiting personally in the tens of millions of dollars while working at the firm. All of the family members have said in previous statements that they had no knowledge of Madoff's crimes. The sons withdrew $35 million from accounts with little or no investment, Picard told "60 Minutes". "Whether or not they have a criminal problem we will pursue them as far as we can pursue them," Picard said. "And if that leads to bankrupting them then that's what will happen." The trustee and his lawyers have filed 13 suits already in an effort to recover about $15 billion, including one against Madoff's wife Ruth and several claims against so-called Madoff feeder funds. Only $1.5 billion has been recovered so far and the estimates for the actual money that was lost in the fraud have varied from $13 billion to $64.8 billion. The case is Securities Investor Protection Corp v Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities 08-01789 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York

PARIS. POLANSKI ARREST. ANGER IN FRANCE AND POLAND By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong France's political elite rallied to the defense of Roman Polanski on Sunday, calling on Switzerland to free the 76-year-old film director rather than extradite him to the United States. Artists and film makers also urged the release of Polanski, who faces charges of having sex with a girl of 13 in 1977, accusing Switzerland of being overzealous in pursuing the case. Polanski was due to receive a prize for his life's work at the Zurich Film Festival on Sunday, but was arrested on a 1978 U.S. arrest warrant after arriving in Switzerland on Saturday. French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said he was "stunned" by the news, adding that both he and French President Nicolas Sarkozy wanted to see the acclaimed director returned swiftly to his family. "(Mitterrand) profoundly regrets that a new ordeal is being inflicted on someone who has already known so many during his life," the culture ministry said in a statement. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also issued a statement, saying he had spoken to his Swiss counterpart to demand that Polanski's rights were fully respected and that a "favourable" solution be rapidly found. Polanski holds French citizenship and is married to French singer actress Emmanuelle Seigner. He has spent much of his life here since fleeing the United States in 1978, but regularly visits countries where he does not expect extradition woe. Robert Harris, a British novelist who said he had been working with Polanski for much of the past three years writing two screenplays, expressed outrage over the arrest. "I am shocked that any man of 76, whether distinguished or not, should have been treated in such a fashion," he said in a statement, adding that Polanski had often visited Switzerland and even had a house in Gstaad. "It is hard not to believe that this heavy-handed action must be in some way politically motivated," he said. Born in Paris, Polanski moved to Poland with his Jewish family when still a toddler shortly before World War Two. His mother died in a Nazi concentration camp, but Polanski avoided capture and spent his youth in Poland before moving to the West. His ties with Poland are still strong and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said he might appeal directly to the United States over the cas

TEGUCIGALPA. HONDURAS AND THE PRESSURE OVER ZELAYA. By Jerry Blumberg and Jacques Dusseck Honduras' de facto government on Monday resisted pressure from opponents and the international community over ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who for a week has been holed up inside the Brazilian embassy seeking a return to power. Zelaya was overthrown in a military coup on June 28, but he secretly returned from exile last Monday, sparking a tense standoff with the de facto civilian government that has promised to arrest him on charges of treason. Hundreds of soldiers and riot police have surrounded the embassy all week, while Zelaya urges his followers to take to the streets to demand he be restored to office in the coffee and textile producing country. Honduras on Sunday suspended some civilian rights, gave Brazil an ultimatum to resolve Zelaya's status or close its embassy and denied entry to an Organization of American States delegation seeking to broker a solution to the crisis. OAS representatives will hold an extraordinary session on Monday to discuss the Honduran face-off, the worst crisis in Central America for years and a test for the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama that is promising engagement with Latin America. Honduras' tough stance sent a clear message it would not allow the leftist Zelaya's return to power. But the measures and threat to the embassy will likely bring further international condemnation for Honduras, which has already faced cuts in some overseas aid and funding. "It would be a terrible mistake on the part of the de facto government, they would be condemning themselves more than they already have," Zelaya told reporters from the embassy. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he would ignore a 10-day deadline set by de facto leader Roberto Micheletti to decide on the fate of Zelaya, who is in refuge with family and supporters in the embassy. Zelaya, a logging magnate who is rarely without his trademark cowboy hat, urged his followers to descend on the capital for the "final offensive" on Monday. Micheletti over the weekend issued a decree allowing a ban on public protests and suspension of freedom of speech and the media because of "disturbances of the peace." Soldiers toppled Zelaya at gunpoint and sent him into exile in his pajamas after the Supreme Court ordered his arrest. His critics say he broke the law by pushing for constitutional reforms they saw as a bid to change presidential term limits and extend his rule. Zelaya denies wanting to stay in power. Zelaya had upset conservative elites by allying himself with Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez. He demands to be restored to power, but the de facto government says presidential elections in November will resolve the crisis.

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BROOKLYN, NY. PARADE WITH PATERSON, BLOOMBERG AND POWELL. By Jerry Blumberg and Elizabeth Menos. The Millions of West Indians living in the New York area will bring today their music, dances and their foods on Eastern Parkway, for the 42nd West Indian American Day Parade. The sights, smells and sounds of the West Indies are taking over part of Brooklyn today. The 42nd Annual West Indian-American Parade stepped off at 11 a.m. Organizers expect about three-million people to watch dozens of floats, hear the music of 35 bands, and see thousands of people in colorful costumes march along Eastern Parkway. Governor David Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg are among those in attendance. Paterson and former Secretary of State Colin Powell are the grand marshals. "It's excitement, everyone's just like, you know, free and having fun and going crazy," said one parade-goer. "It's pretty intense." "I like the whole thing," said another. "I like the energy, the vibe." "It's not only a celebration, it is a time to meet your friends and your family," said Caribbean Center Executive Director Jean Alexander. "People who you've not seen for 30-40 years, you might seen them on Eastern Parkway. It's a nice time to come here and be happy and enjoy because you know you gonna be dancing." The theme for this year's parade is Jump Up for A Cure and Jump Up and Be Counted. The goal is to encourage regular cancer screenings and also to be counted in the census. The parade starts at Utica Avenue and wraps up at Grand Army Plaza. The organizers hope that there would not be any fighting and disorderly conducts this year .

NEW YORK. DEBATE OF CANDIDATES TO REPLACE DA MORGENTHAU By Jerry Blumberg The three Democrats hoping to replace retiring Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau made their cases known Tuesday night during their first and only debate. Leslie Crocker Snyder, Cyrus Vance, Jr., and Richard Aborn met at John Jay College for the square-off which was moderated by Dominic Carter. The three faced questions on some of Manhattan's most high-profile cases including Plaxico Burress, the Central Park jogger, and hot-button issues like how to prosecute drug offenders. Things got a little heated at the end when the candidates were allowed to question each other. "The problem is that you spent almost 17 years of the last 21 in Seattle, representing people who deserve representation, but murderers, someone who killed or wanted to kill his wife by lacing Sudafed with some kind of poison and killed two innocent people," Crocker Snyder said. "I believe that everybody in this country deserves the right to a fair trial, particularly those who are presupposed guilty like the individual in the Sudafed case," Vance argued. "I took on that case in a court-appointed capacity. I believe that is the job of a defense lawyer to protect people and to make sure the government proves its case. Now if you believe otherwise, you shouldn't be running for this job." Meanwhile, Aborn was critical of Vance's role in reforming the Rockefeller drug laws. "You praised those recommendations as bold reforms in a press release that you put out. Yet those recommendations were routinely denounced by the advocates, but the chairman of the codes committee, and the Assembly, by the chairman of the committee in the Senate, and by everyone else who follows this topic as being wholly inadequate. So I'm wondering why you chose to support such a week recommendation," Aborn said. With no Republican on the ballot, the winner of this month's primary will likely be voted in as the new district attorney come November.

NEW YORK. TWO BRIDGE GUARDS FIRED FOR SLEEPING ON THE JOB. By Jacques Dusseck Two guards at the George Washington Bridge have been fired after being caught sleeping on the job. A passerby snapped pictures of the sleeping guards. One of the workers was caught asleep at his post two times yesterday. The Port Authority says the two guards were fired by the security contractor. In a statement, a spokesperson says, "The Port Authority takes the safety of its passengers and facilities very seriously and has spent more than $4 billion dollars on security since 9/11." More than a 100 million cars and trucks crossed the span last year, which connects Manhattan to Fort Lee, New Jersey over the Hudson River. Authorities say bridges and tunnels remain a prime target for terrorists.

BROOKLYN. POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR TWO THIEVES IN TRAIN ROBBERY. By Romy Dussek Police are searching for two suspects wanted for an armed robbery on the subway. Investigators say the suspects followed two commuters onto the Manhattan-bound Number 2 train at the Newkirk Avenue station in Brooklyn. The suspects robbed a man and a woman at knife point, before fleeing at the next stop. Police say the first suspect is a man between 19 and 27 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 6 foot tall with a medium build. The woman is between 19 and 26 years old, 5 feet 2 inches tall, and was wearing a purple T-shirt, blue jean shorts and a purple baseball cap at the time of the attack. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS,

CABO SAN LUCAS, HURRICANE JIMENA LOST ITS PUNCH NEAR BAJA CA. By Scott Strong and Jacques Dusseck With 105 mph sustained winds, Hurricane Jimena closes in on the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. 1 of 3 A powerful Category 4 storm 12 hours earlier, Jimena had slipped to Category 2 status overnight. The hurricane's maximum wind speed dropped from 135 mph to 105 mph (165 kph) during that time, according to the National Hurricane Center's 2 a.m. PT (5 a.m. ET) update. "Additional weakening is forecast during the next 24 hours, but Jimena is still forecast to be a hurricane when it moves inland," the center said. Squalls from the storm were hitting the southern peninsula late Tuesday. Jimena was moving toward the north-northwest near 13 mph (20 kph) and was about 65 miles (110 kilometers) south-southeast of Cabo San Lazaro."On this course, the core of Jimena will be near or just offshore the west coast of the southern Baja California peninsula today, and near or over the central Baja California peninsula on Thursday," forecasters said. Mexico's government discontinued a hurricane warning for the southern part of the Baja California peninsula south of Agua Blanca on the west coast and south of La Paz on the east coast. The area includes the resort town of Cabo San Lucas. Watch how Cabo San Lucas was spared a direct hit » Hurricane and tropical storm warnings remain in effect to the north. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected in the next 24 hours and people should quickly prepare to protect life and property. "A dangerous storm surge, along with battering waves, will produce significant coastal flooding along the Baja California peninsula," the hurricane center said.

Tropical Storm Erika forms in Atlantic In addition to damaging winds, the storm could bring up to 10 inches of rain to the peninsula and western Mexico, forecasters said. On Tuesday, the skies in Cabo San Lucas were overcast and gusts of wind began to pick up. There were good waves for surfing, but popular beaches were devoid of tourists. Red flags warned people to stay out of the water. The day before, airlines offered extra flights to leave the area. Lionel Alvarez, who runs a resort hotel called Las Ventanas al Pariaso in the town of San Jose del Cabo, found a silver lining to the coming storm. "The wind is refreshing a little bit because of the high temperatures we've gone through in the past few days," he said. But Alvarez, like other locals, had work to do. "We protect the property by dismantling all that could be dangerous, fly or can be broken," he said. Authorities had asked about 10,000 people to evacuate, but many had decided to wait out the storm. Cuauhtemoc Morgan, a resident of Los Cabos Report, said residents had protected every home in his neighborhood, fortifying windows with masking tape. Lines at supermarkets snaked as residents prepared, Morgan said.Authorities were setting up shelters in schools and trying to devise a plan to protect the homeless.

CALIFORNIA. ARRAIGNMENT OF SEX OFFENDER PHILLIP GARIDO. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong Phillip Garrido was registered as a sex offender, required to meet with parole officers and fitted with an ankle bracelet to track his movements -- but nothing prevented him from being around children, according to a victims' advocacy group. Phillip Garrido, a registered sex offender, was arraigned in California last Friday. Garrido, who is charged with kidnapping and raping Jaycee Lee Dugard, a young woman who police say lived with her two daughters in a huddle of tents and outbuildings hidden behind Garrido's home was arrested last week along with his wife Nancy. Both have pleaded not guilty. Dugard grew up in the compound and raised the girls, now 11 and 15, that she bore and Garrido fathered, police said. Dugard was abducted in 1991 at age 11. "Here we have a guy who is essentially under every kind of supervision we allow. Law enforcement had every tool available to them, and [the tools] failed," said Robert Coombs, spokesman for the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Garrido "was technically allowed to be around minors," Coombs said, because his parole stemmed from the November 1976 rape of Katie Callaway Hall, who was 25 at the time of the assault. He was sentenced in 1977 to 50 years at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, for kidnapping, because he abducted Hall in California and transported her across the state line to Reno, Nevada, where he raped her in a warehouse, according to court documents. A Nevada court separately sentenced him to five years to life for the rape conviction, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported. While in prison in 1978, Garrido sent a handwritten letter to Judge Bruce R. Thompson, saying he was recovering from seven years of LSD use and progressing well. "I am so ashamed of my past. But my future is now in controle " he wrote. Court documents show Garrido requested that his 50-year sentence be reduced to 25, making him eligible for parole in eight years, "where he could be released to the state of Nevada as an educated person and being a rehabilitated person." According to a 1978 court transcript, attorney Willard Van Hazel Jr. told a judge, "Without the influence of any of this drug involvement, I think Mr. Garrido would pause before carrying out sexual fantasies." After more than a decade at Leavenworth, Garrido received a federal parole but was sent to Carson City, Nevada, in January 1988 to serve his rape sentence. However, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal, he was automatically eligible for state parole because of the time served in federal prison. The Nevada Offender Tracking Information System indicates he appeared four times before the parole board, which granted his request in August 1988, about 11 years after he was incarcerated. He moved to Antioch, California, where authorities said they learned Dugard, now 29, had been living in the backyard since her abduction. "He served about 20 percent of his sentence, and it doesn't take a mathematician to figure out if he served only one-third of his sentence, Jaycee Dugard doesn't end up in the predicament that she's in," said Andy Kahan, a crime victims' advocate in Houston, Texas. Citing revised federal sentencing guidelines, Kahan and Illinois defense attorney Stephen Komie concur that this is not something that could happen today. "If he got 50 years, say, he would have 600 months. He would only get 50 months off. He would do 550 months," Komie said. "So this would not be repeated in the federal system again." Added Kahan, "You're going to have to do at least a minimum of half of your term without any good time credits before you can even see the light of day or say hello to a parole board member." In 1993, five years after his release from a Nevada prison, Garrido was jailed on a parole violation, but it's unclear what that offense was. Tom Hutchinson, spokesman for the U.S. Parole Commission, said documents have been requested and should be available later this week. Garrido was released later that year. The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault's Coombs said Garrido was required to meet regularly with parole officers, who unearthed nothing about Dugard's abduction or Garrido's backyard secrets. Another visit by law enforcement was the direct result of a 2006 call a neighbor made to 911, reporting that women and children were living in tents behind Garrido's house. Contra Costa County Sheriff Warren E. Rupf said he didn't think the deputy who responded knew at the time that Garrido was a sex offender and the deputy spoke to Garrido in the home's front yard. "We should have been more inquisitive, more curious and turned over a rock or two," the sheriff said. "We missed an opportunity to bring earlier closure to this situation." Kahan partially blames the economics of the criminal justice system -- not just in California, but nationwide -- and said Garrido likely became less of a priority as the time since his crimes passed. Despite the heinous nature of Garrido's 1976 crime, it paled in comparison to allegedly holding a young girl hostage and raping her for 18 years, Coombs said. "Nothing in this guy's case history indicated he was capable of such evil, if you will," he said. "It was so far out of the picture, they didn't even look for it." Rather than there not being enough money to fund the proper supervision of parolees, it's more a matter of priorities, Coombs said, citing the GPS device Garrido wore on his ankle. Although CALCASA has no official tally, it estimates California spends roughly $500 million a year on GPS devices for 6,600 of the state's sex offenders. Garrido was fitted with a device after California voters passed Jessica's Law in November 2006. Each dollar spent on GPS equipment "is one dollar you're not spending on real, traditional parole techniques, like talking to collateral contacts and neighbors," he said. Had Garrido's parole officer spoken to the neighbor who made the 911 call in 2006, authorities might have found Dugard three years earlier, Coombs said. "We know where this guy is, so we think we're safe," he said, "but the place where we knew he was was the place where he was offending. GPS just tells you where they are. It doesn't tell you what they're doing."

CALIFORNIA. DYING SUSAN ATKINS OF MANSON FAMILY UP FOR PAROLE By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg A former "Manson family" member who stabbed actress Sharon Tate to death more than 40 years ago and is now terminally ill faces her 13th parole hearing on Wednesday. Susan Atkins, 61, has terminal brain cancer. As of earlier this year, she was paralyzed over 85 percent of her body and could not sit up in bed or be moved into a wheelchair, according to a Web site maintained by her husband and attorney, James Whitehouse. However, despite her declining health and an impressive prison record, Whitehouse wrote, "there is still a very real chance the Parole Board will nonetheless insist her release would be a danger to society." The hearing will be held at the Central California Women's Facility at Chowchilla, California, said Terry Thornton, spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Atkins was moved to the Chowchilla facility from the California Institution for Women at Frontera last year because of her illness. "Last we heard, she is expected to attend," Thornton said Tuesday of Atkins. The proceeding is scheduled to be held in a hearing room, but depending on Atkins' condition, it could be held at her bedside, Thornton said. The panel is expected to render its decision following the hearing after deliberating behind closed doors, she said. Atkins California's longest-serving female inmate has been denied parole 12 times previously, Thornton said. She was 21 when she and other followers of Charles Manson participated in a two-night rampage that left seven people dead and terrorized the city of Los Angeles in August 1969. She and the others -- Manson, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Charles "Tex" Watson were initially sentenced to death in the slayings of five people, including Tate, and two additional deaths the following night. Their sentences were automatically commuted to life in prison when the Supreme Court struck down the nation's death penalty laws in 1972.

By her own admission, Atkins held Tate down as she pleaded for mercy, and stabbed the actress, who was eight months pregnant, 16 times. In a 1993 parole board hearing, Atkins said Tate "asked me to let her baby live. I told her I didn't have any mercy on her." After killing Tate, according to historical accounts of the murders, Atkins scrawled the word "pig" in blood on the door of the home Tate shared with her husband, director Roman Polanski. Polanski was not home at the time, but three of Tate's houseguests were also slain by the killers, as was a teenager who was visiting the home's caretaker in his nearby cottage. If the panel decides to grant Atkins parole -- called a "tentative suitability finding" -- the decision is subject to a 120-day review process by the California Board of Parole Hearings, Thornton said. If it still stands, the matter then goes to the governor's office. The governor's options include allowing the decision to stand, actively approving it, modifying it or reversing it, according to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Web site. However, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has previously opposed Atkins' request for compassionate release a request made by terminally ill patients wishing to be released before death. The Board of Parole Hearings unanimously denied that request in July 2008. It was also opposed by Debra Tate, Sharon Tate's sister. If parole is not granted, another hearing will be set in three, five, seven, 10 or 15 years, at the discretion of the panel, Thornton said. Atkins has been described as a model prisoner who has accepted responsibility for her role in the slayings and now shuns Manson. "The 'Manson Family' murderers are sociopaths, and from that, they can never be rehabilitated," Debra Tate said. "They should all stay right where they are in prison until they die. There will never be true justice for my sister Sharon and the other victims of the 'Manson Family.' Keeping the murderers in prison is the least we, as a society who values justice, can do." In a manuscript posted on her Web site, Atkins, who was known within the Manson family as Sadie Mae Glutz, wrote that "this is the past I have to live with, and I have to live with it every day." "Unlike the reader, or the people who seem to think Charles Manson was cool, I can't think about it for an hour or so and then go on with my life. Just like the families and friends of the victims, this is with me every day. I have to wake up every day with this and no matter what I do for the rest of my life and no matter how much I give back to the community I will never be able to replace what my crime took away. And that's not 'neat,' and that's not 'cool.'" Atkins' brain cancer was diagnosed in March 2008, Whitehouse wrote on his Web site. On May 15, doctors predicted she would live less than six months. But she passed that deadline, he wrote, and celebrated her 21st wedding anniversary on December 7.

AFGHANISTAN. MORE PROBLEMS WITH THE DRUG CARTELS. By Jacques Dusseck As President Obama heads to Camp David for the Labor Day weekend, his vacation reading is the sobering Afghanistan war report by U.S. and NATO General Stanley A. McChrystal, "Afghan Opium Survey 2009," was released Wednesday in Kabul by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime

The report reads like a John Le Carré spy novel. The headline is that opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is down, but UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa also concludes the war-torn country now has its very own drug cartels; that insurgents are moving up the "value chain" in the drug trafficking business, not merely taxing supply but now working with criminal gangs and corrupt officials to produce, process, stock, and export opium. Costa's findings are ominous: More must be done to control drugs in Afghanistan, not just because it is a major source of income for poor farmers, but because it is the financing "in the killing fields of suicide bombers." The UNODC report says that, although interdiction is increasing, eradication continues to be a failure. He speaks of a "marriage of convenience" between anti-government insurgents (the same ones who have killed 734 American troops in Afghanistan and neighboring nations since the 2001 U.S. invasion) and criminal groups which has spawned narcotics cartels (similar to the ones in Colombia, South America) in Afghanistan with direct links to the Taliban. Collusion with corrupt Afghan government officials is creating a crisis of security and law enforcement, and promoting widespread money laundering, the report concludes. The only good news, if you can call it that, is that prices for opium are at a 10-year low and production is down because of oversupply in Afghanistan. The report recommends a regional approach to tackle the problem, which should include Iran and Central Asia a tough sell in Washington given what has happened in post-election Iran. "Afghan Opium Survey 2009" is a quick read, at 42 pages, with some positive notes on what has been done thus far, but the rise of cartels is something President Obama must seriously consider as he assesses U.S. policy in Afghanistan.

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos

IN MANHATTAN *Two goons accosted a 47-year-old man at his residence on East 80th Street near Lexington Avenue at 9 p.m. Monday, cops said. One of them stabbed the man in the torso while the other warned, "Stop talking to the cops." The assailants then threw him to the ground and ran off. The victim was not seriously hurt.

* A thug came up to an Upper East Side resident walking along Third Avenue at East 95th Street at 10:15 p.m. Monday, socked him in the face, snatched his BlackBerry and ran off. Driving while talking on a cellphone certainly can be dangerous, but sometimes so is walking and chatting on a smartphone. The victim suffered minor injuries.

* The key lesson in this story is, never put your key under your doormat. A crook got easy entry into a West Village apartment after kicking aside the mat and fled with $120 and a computer, police sources said yesterday. The theft occurred sometime around 12:45 p.m. Sunday in an apartment on Greenwich and Charles streets. The tenant discovered the break-in soon after.

* A thief made off with two computers, an iPod, jewelry and $300 in euros from a SoHo apartment as the tenant was picking up her daughter at the airport, police sources said yesterday. Cops said the intruder slipped inside the 44-year-old woman's apartment on Mercer Street near Spring Street by climbing through a bedroom window.

* Three men walked up to a 23-year-old woman and put her in a chokehold at knifepoint at Washington Place and Washington Square West at 4:20 a.m. Friday. They ordered her to let go of her purse, which she did. The trio fled with a pocketbook containing her BlackBerry, camera and driver's license.

IN BROOKLYN * A DNA match led to the arrest of a thief who stole $2,300 in cold, hard cash -- from a freezer -- in a Greenpoint bar, authorities said yesterday. Nur-Jean Voinea, 24, allegedly cut himself climbing through a broken window at the Lost and Found bar on Franklin Street near Greenpoint Avenue on May 25, 2008. He entered a walk-in freezer, grabbed the money and fled, sources said. Police later found blood on a beer keg in the freezer and matched it to his DNA on file, sources said. Cops on Monday found Voinea.

* A suspect was arrested in the fatal shooting of two men in Prospect Heights in July, authorities said yesterday. Sean Steer, 23, exchanged angry words with Derian Delk, 19, and Vance Rock, 23, at a block party at 10:40 on July 18, sources said. Later, Rock and Delk were seated in a car on Washington Avenue at St. John's Place when Steer came up with a handgun and started blasting, police said. The victims died at Kings County Hospital. The details of Steer's arrest were not immediately known.

* Two men were slain in an apparent gang-related rubout in Sunset Park, cops said yesterday. The shooter pumped bullets into the victims, ages, 22 and 28, on 41st Street at Seventh Avenue at 8:30 p.m. Monday, police said.

IN QUEENS * There was no clean getaway for a bandit who robbed a Jackson Heights Laundromat, authorities said yesterday. Jesus Orea, 26, allegedly brandished a gun and stormed into the Gremi Laundromat on Roosevelt Avenue near 93rd Street at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 25. He pointed the weapon at an employee and ordered her to fill a bag with cash, cops said. The employee handed over $80, sources said. Orea was busted nearby, said a spokeswoman for DA Richard Brown.

IN THE BRONX * At least four men are being sought for three early-morning bias attacks in Fordham, in which they spewed anti-Mexican epithets and assaulted four strangers. None of the victims -- including one who was stabbed -- suffered life-threatening injuries in the attacks, which occurred Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating. The victims were described only as Hispanic.

IN STATEN ISLAND * This hangover's going to linger. Lydia Botance, 36, was arrested after she got into a car wreck and failed a Breathalyzer test -- blowing nearly three times the legal limit, cops said yesterday. No one was injured in the accident, near Bradley and North Gannon avenues in Willowbrook at 7:30 p.m.Monday, said a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

MANHATTAN. BOUNCER ERIC PAGAN KILLED IN NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING One man was killed and two men were injured in a shooting in front of an East Village nightclub Sunday. The shooting happened at "Forbidden City" on Avenue A near East 13th Street shortly after 5 a.m. Police say there was a dispute outside the club and shots were fired. The bouncer, Eric "Taz" Pagan, was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The other two men were in stable condition. No arrests were made as of Sunday evening.

MOAMMAR KADAFI OF LYBIA TO STAY IN NEW JERSEY FOR THE GA. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg During the UN General Assembly meeting, Libyan President Moammar Khadafy plans to stay in Englewood New Jersey at the home owned by the Libyan Mission at the United Mission. Khadafy, who habitually travels with a large air-conditioned tent wherever he goes, will put up his shelter on the front lawn of the home in Englewood, NJ

Neighbors are none too pleased that the terrorist-coddling dictator will land among them. Khadafy was most recently photographed warmly embracing Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the convicted bomber of Pan Am Flight 103, as he returned home after being released from a Scottish prison.

The suburban New Jersey town has a large Orthodox Jewish population. A Jewish day school is one block from the Libyan property. And Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of such books as "Kosher Sex" and a one-time spiritual adviser to Michael Jackson, lives right next door. In a column in The Jerusalem Post, Boteach wrote that he was willing to be open-minded about the situation but still had reservations. Most residents had trouble understanding why Khadafy would want to go there at all. "Why would a head of government come to this small community to live?" asked Dr. Peter Scaglione. "He must have an ulterior motive." In fact, it's not the first time Khadafy has attended the meeting of the General Assembly, slated to begin on Sept. 23. Typically, he erects his tent on UN property, but since that area is under construction, he has to seek alternative accommodations. The Libyans asked city officials if the tent could be constructed in Central Park, but the request was rejected out of hand, sources said. That led them to turn to the Englewood property, where the mission has owned a small mansion since 1983 for use by its diplomats as a weekend home. Construction crews worked furiously yesterday to fix up the house, which neighbors said had recently fallen into disrepair.

BERNARD MADOFF IS DYING OF PANCREATIC CANCER. By Jerry Blumberg and Scott Strong Rumors about Bernard Madoff's state of health are running wild where he is imprisoned. The Post reports that Madoff is dying of pancreatic cancer. The paper cites inmates at the prison in North Carolina who say the convicted Ponzi schemer takes about 20 pills a day to treat his terminal illness. "He talks about it all the time. He's doing very well"- The Post quotes an inmate. He's also, reportedly, undergoing Native American cleansing rituals. According to the paper, Madoff's lawyer will not confirm or deny the rumors. Madoff, 71, is serving 150 years at a federal prison for swindling more than $65 billion from investors.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS. VENEZUELA WINS MISS UNIVERSE. By Jacques Dusseck 18-year-old Stefania Fernandez, Miss Venezuela 2009, was crowned Miss Universe 2009 on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. Stefania Fernandez was crowned Sunday night. Miss Dominican Republic, Ada Aimee de la Cruz, was the runner up. The televised event included musical performances by Flo Rida, Heidi Montag, David Guetta and Kelly Rowland. Hosts were Billy Bush, co-anchor of "Access Hollywood," and Claudia Jordan, former Miss Rhode Island USA who has appeared on several TV shows. Judges include actor Dean Cain and supermodel Valeria Mazza. Miss China, Wang Jingyao, was named Miss Congeniality and Miss Thailand, Chutima Durongdej, won Miss Photogenic.

ATHENS, GREECE. FIRE CREWS ARE TRYING TO TAME GREEK FIRES. By Jerry Blumberg. Water-dropping planes and helicopters have resumed operations in Greece as wildfire crews outside Athens scramble to take advantage of a lull in high winds. Aircraft have been sent from France, Italy and Cyprus to join in the effort, with more help expected from other countries. The winds are expected back later. The massive wildfires broke out Friday and have leveled about 58 square miles of forest and brush, damaged or destroyed scores of homes and forced thousands to flee. Officials say dozens of nuns had to be rescued from a convent threatened by one blaze. At least five people are being treated for burns and several dozen had reported breathing problems, but none of the injuries is serious. Hundreds of forest blazes plague Greece every summer and many are set intentionally.

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos

IN MANHATTAN *A pedestrian got smoked by a thug who asked him for a cigarette in the West Village, police sources said yesterday. The 40-year-old victim was confronted by the assailant at West Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue at 4:15 a.m. Thursday. After asking for a smoke, the miscreant suddenly punched the victim in the head and ran off. The victim, who lives on the Upper West Side, was treated for minor injuries at St. Vincent's Hospital.

*An employee of Biscuits & Bath found crystal meth in the doggie day-care center on West 13th Street near Sixth Avenue in the West Village at 8 p.m. on Aug. 13, police sources said yesterday. But the worker didn't report the find until Thursday, a full week later. Cops are trying to sniff out the drug's owner. No arrests have been made. They wanted his shoes, but they had to settle for his money, cops said yesterday.

*Three thieves surrounded a 29-year-old man on East 12th Street near Second Avenue at 4:45 a.m. Saturday, police said. One of the robbers demanded the man's shoes, but he refused to give them up, cops said. So one thief punched him in the stomach and head, and swiped an unspecified amount of cash from him. The suspects, identified as Glenn Williams, 24, Jumar Devouil, 28, and Melissa Bishop, 29, were quickly rounded up and charged with robbery. The victim suffered minor injuries.

*It was a close shave for a 63-year-old woman attacked by a deranged man on the Lower East Side, police sources said yesterday. The woman was walking with friends on the Bowery near Bleecker Street at 2:24 p.m. Thursday when Donald Scawright, 47, assaulted her with a can of shaving cream, sources said. For unknown reasons, Scawright then allegedly swung a backpack containing, among other things, the shaving-cream can, hitting the woman in the head, face and neck. When a police officer on patrol got involved, Scawright allegedly punched him in the head and back before being arrested on assault charges. The woman and police officer suffered minor injuries.

*Three Upper East Side muggers targeted the right guy, at least from their viewpoint -- making off with more than $1,000, police sources said yesterday. The trio approached the 46-year-old man on East 88th Street near Second Avenue at about 1 a.m. Friday, authorities said. The man, who had just gotten off work and was headed to his car, was soon staring down the barrel of a gun held by one of the thieves, who demanded money. The victim forked over $1,050, and the crooks fled.

IN STATEN ISLAND *It took five days, but cops eventually flushed out Flash. Daniel Flash, 21, was arrested Thursday on robbery charges after he snatched a woman's purse and punched her in the face, police said. The Staten Island resident allegedly accosted the woman at Mulberry Avenue and Sleepy Hollow Road in New Springville at around 7:45 a.m. Aug. 15. After he grabbed the purse from her shoulder, the two struggled, but Flash got the best of her and bolted with the purse, police said. Police caught up to him five days later.

IN QUEENS *An underage drinker driving a 2008 Lexus fatally struck a man in Ozone Park yesterday, police said. Alfred Barcenilla, 18, was driving westbound on Sutter Avenue near 85th Street at about 1 a.m. when he plowed into Bryan Donald, 31, police said. He dragged Donald for about a block until crashing into a fence, police sources said. Donald was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he died. A neighbor said he worked as a security guard at the Javits Center. Police arrested Barcenilla for "operating a vehicle after consuming alcohol under age 21."

*A woman and a male acquaintance used a DVD player as a weapon against each other -- but she's the one who landed behind bars, according to court papers. Felicia Manu, 43, allegedly struck the man in the head with the DVD player in her apartment on 57th Avenue near 97th Place in Corona at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police were called and arrested Manu, who allegedly told cops, "Yeah, I threw the thing at his head; he threw it at me first." A spokeswoman for DA Richard Brown said Manu was charged with assault and weapon possession. Charges were not filed against the man for reasons that were not immediately clear. No one was seriously injured.

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MIAMI, FLORDA. A CERTAIN ALBERT GONZALEZ STOLE 130 MILLION DOL By Jerry Blumberg and Jacques Dusseck On Monday August. 17, federal investigators announced what is said to be the largest identity theft ring in U.S. history. Thieves targeted more than 130 million credit and debit card numbers used at 7-Eleven stores, supermarket chain Hannaford Brothers and those processed by Heartland Payment Systems. Heartland, coincidentally, suffered another major breach just last year. The data breach at Countrywide in 2008 was only the fifth largest of the year, with 2 million records exposed, but the company has had such bad headlines in recent times that the bad news only hit harder.

Albert Gonzalez, 28, broke his own record for identity theft by hacking into retail networks, according to prosecutors, though they say his illicit computer exploits ended when he went to jail on charges stemming from an earlier case. Gonzalez is a former informant for the U.S. Secret Service who helped the agency hunt hackers, authorities say. The agency later found out that he had also been working with criminals and feeding them information on ongoing investigations, even warning off at least one individual, according to authorities. Gonzalez, who is already in jail awaiting trial in a hacking case, was indicted Monday in New Jersey and charged with conspiring with two other unnamed suspects to steal the private information. Prosecutors say the goal was to sell the stolen data to others. How much of the data was sold and then used to make fraudulent charges is unclear. Investigators in such cases say it is usually impossible to quantify the impact of such thefts on account holders. Prosecutors say Gonzalez, who is known online as "soupnazi," targeted customers of convenience store giant 7-Eleven Inc. and supermarket chain Hannaford Brothers, Co. Inc. He also targeted Heartland Payment Systems, a New Jersey-based card payment processor. According to the indictment, Gonazalez and his two Russian coconspirators would hack into corporate computer networks and secretly place "malware," or malicious software, that would allow them backdoor access to the networks later to steal data.

Gonzalez faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the new charges. Gonzalez is awaiting trial next month in New York for allegedly helping hack the computer network of the national restaurant chain Dave and Buster's. The Justice Department said the new case represents the largest alleged credit and debit card data breach ever charged in the United States, based on a scheme that began in October2006. Gonzalez allegedly devised a sophisticated attack to penetrate the computer networks, steal the card data, and send that data to computer servers in California, Illinois, Latvia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. Also last year, the Justice Department announced additional charges against Gonzalez and others for hacking retail companies' computers for the theft of approximately 40 million credit cards. At the time, that was believed to be the biggest single case of hacking private computer networks to steal credit card data, puncturing the electronic defenses of retailers including T.J. Maxx, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority and OfficeMax. Prosecutors charge Gonzalez was the ringleader of the hackers in that case. At the time of those charges, officials said the alleged thieves weren't computer geniuses, just opportunists who used a technique called "wardriving," which involved cruising through different areas with a laptop computer and looking for accessible wireless Internet signals. Once they located a vulnerable network, they installed so-called "sniffer programs" that captured credit and debit card numbers as they moved through a retailer's processing networks. Gonzalez faces a possible life sentence if convicted in that case. Restaurants are among the most common targets for hackers, experts said, because they often fail to update their antivirus software and other computer security systems. Scott Christie, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice in New Jersey, said the case shows that despite the best efforts by companies to protect data privacy, there are still individuals capable of sneaking in. "Cases like this do cause companies to sit up and take notice that this is a problem and more needs to be done," said Christie.

BERLIN. JAMAICAN ARE THE SUCCESS OF THE SPORTS EVENTS By Jacques Dusseck and Romy Dusseck Usain Bolt, unsurprisingly, looked a little tired on Tuesday as he began his bid to add the 200 meters world title to the 100 he secured so spectacularly on Sunday, doing the bare minimum to ease into the second round. Bolt, the world record-holder at both distances having improved his 100 mark to 9.58 two days ago, made a sleeping gesture when his name was announced and duly looked stiff on the opening bend before lengthening his stride to come home safely in 20.70 seconds. With 2007 champion Tyson Gay out because of a groin injury, Bolt looks an unbackable favorite for Thursday's final when the only question should be whether he can beat his own world mark of 19.30, set in Beijing last year. To do so he will need better conditions than Tuesday's cool, blustery weather but after Sunday's astonishing display, nothing can be ruled out. Beijing 200m silver medalist Shawn Crawford clocked the best overall time of 20.60 and should vie with fellow American Wallace Spearmon for silver. The second round takes place later on Tuesday with the semi-finals on Wednesday. In the 400 meters, Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt and world champion Jeremy Wariner stayed on course for their expected showdown in Thursday's final by qualifying comfortably through the opening heats. High jump world champion Blanka Vlasic, a surprise loser in Beijing where she had been a hot favorite, also went through untroubled to Thursday's final. Germany's Ariane Friedrich, the 2009 world leader with 2.06 meters and another with a point to prove after her own Olympic disappointment, needed only one jump to join her. World and Olympic champion Gerd Kanter wasted little time in qualifying for Wednesday's discus final when he comfortably threw his opening attempt 66.73 meters. Double world and Olympic champion Virgilijus Alekna, Beijing silver medalist Piotr Malachowski and Berlin-based Robert Harting, a real local hero who won silver in Osaka as a 22-year-old, also went through safely. "In daily life I've tried not to use my throwing arm too much in the last two weeks. I haven't seen my girlfriend so there was nothing to touch," said Harting. All the favorites avoided trouble in some jostling in the women's 1,500 meters heats. The semi-finals are on Friday with the final on Sunday, the last day of competition. There are five medals available in the evening session - the men's 400m hurdles, steeplechase and triple jump and the women's 400m and javelin

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos

IN MANHATTAN *Two out-of-town women stole a man's passport and credit cards during a night out, then tried to sell them back to him, authorities said yesterday. Jennifer Hansen, 24, of Pennsylvania, and Karen O'Hara, 25, of Colorado, spent most of Saturday night with a man they met in a Times Square bar. The next afternoon, he realized his credit cards and passport were missing, cops said. He then received a call from the women, who demanded $2,000 for the return of his property, authorities said. They agreed to meet outside the same bar, but things went awry when the women drove up and a struggle ensued. The women sped away, crashing into several parked cars and getting arrested on charges of grand larceny and reckless endangerment.

IN BROOKLYN *Two armed robbers met their match in Fort Greene, police said. Dane Robinson, 20 and Juan Paris, 21, allegedly grabbed two victims as they walked along Carlton Avenue at 3 a.m. Sunday. The suspects allegedly demanded cash and pushed one of the men, who pushed them back. Robinson allegedly pulled a gun and pointed it at his head, but the man lunged for the weapon and knocked it away. Paris jumped in and punched him in the head before the two fled, police said. A witness called 911 and cops found the suspects nearby. Both were charged with attempted robbery, assault and menacing, said a spokesman for DA Charles Hynes.

* A crazed man was busted after he attacked a straphanger aboard a subway train in DUMBO, officials said. James King, 21, and two pals, boarded an F train at the York Street station at 1 a.m. Sunday. He began harassing passengers and allegedly punched a man in the face. The man hit him back and King's two friends pummeled the passenger, knocking him to the ground, police said. The victim broke free as the train pulled into the Jay Street station and found a cop. King was busted on a nearby platform. He was charged with assault and menacing. The two other suspects fled.

IN STATEN ISLAND *A woman, high from smoking pot and inhaling household dusting spray, crashed her car as she drove the wrong way down a one-way Charleston street, law-enforcement officials said yesterday. Cassandra Ramos, 21, was driving with a 17-year-old male friend and his 13-year-old brother on Aug. 12 when all three allegedly smoked pot and she handed them a can of Dust Off. She told them how to take a hit of the computer cleaner and promised, "it will give you a nice high," according to court papers. Ramos then collided head-on with another car at around 9:15 p.m. on Tyrellan Avenue. No one was seriously hurt. Three days later, the boys told their mother about the drug use and she reported Ramos. She was charged with reckless endangerment and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan said.

* A man falsely claimed to be an off-duty cop after his car was stopped in Arden Heights, authorities said yesterday. Charles Reilly, 38, was pulled over as part of a routine check on Arthur Kill Road on Saturday. Cops said he'd been driving without a license and his insurance had expired. He tried to weasel out of it by saying, "I'm a cop, cut me a break. My girlfriend is in the car," court papers claim. Reilly was charged with impersonating a police officer and driving without a license.

* A thug broke into a Graniteville house by punching his way through a screen window so he could settle a dispute with the homeowner, officials said yesterday. David Ostapiuk, 35, stormed into the house on Ada Drive near Farragut Avenue Sunday at around 4:40 p.m. and punched the victim in the eye, cops said. The victim fled the house and flagged down a cop, who arrested Ostapiuk. He was charged with burglary and assault.

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ALBANY. QUINIPIAC POLL SHOWS CUOMO BACKED BY DEMOCRATS. A new poll released by Quinnipiac University shows New York Democrats are backing State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo 4-to-1 in a potential primary matchup against Governor David Paterson. According to the poll, 61 percent of voters polled now favor Cuomo, up from 57 percent in June. Only 15 percent support Paterson, down from 20 percent in June. The poll also says Cuomo gets a 62 percent favorability rating among black voters, versus 49 percent for the state's first black governor. In a general election matchup, Cuomo beats Republican former mayor Rudy Giuliani 48 percent to 39 percent. But when pitted against Paterson, Giuliani beats the Governor 53 percent to 33 percent. Like Cuomo, Giuliani has not said yet whether he will run for governor. Meanwhile, Paterson now has a 30 percent approval rating, up slightly from 28 percent in May and June, according to the same poll. Quinnipiac surveyed more than 1,600 New York State registered voters for the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percent. The survey includes 708 Democrats with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

NEW YORK. A 25 YEARS OLD MAN SHOT IN THE VILLAGE By Jerry Blumberg A man is in serious condition after being shot Sunday morning in the East Village. It happened around 8 a.m. on Avenue C between East 10th and 11th streets. Police say the 25-year-old victim was shot while walking out of a deli. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital. No arrests have been made.

MANHATTAN. THOUSANDS CELEBRATED INDIA DAY ON MADISON AVENUE. By Jacques Dusseck Indian pride was on full display Sunday along Manhattan's Madison Avenue. Thousands celebrated the 29th annual India Day parade which made its way from 41st Street to 28th Street. This year marks 62 years of Indian independence from British colonial rule. Campaign rivals Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Comptroller Bill Thompson both made appearances.

JAMAICA, QUEENS. RAPPER 50 CENTS TO OFFER FREE CONCERT IN JAMAICA. By Scott Strong and Jacques Dusseck :The schoolyard of PS 40 in South Jamaica, the neighborhood where 50 Cent was shot nine times in 2000, is where the Queens-born rapper will possibly play a show on Aug. 30. Superstar rapper 50 Cent is secretly planning to stage a free concert in a schoolyard near the Queens projects where he grew up, and where he was nearly fatally shot sparking a wave of fear in the community and prompting cops to prepare for the worst. "We can't control the area," warned one law-enforcement source, noting that the performance on the grounds of PS 40 in Jamaica will be part of "an outdoor event -- people could walk in from anywhere." The sources said an army of cops is planning to shut down a massive, 20-block area around the South Jamaica Houses for the "surprise" Aug. 30 concert, which is expected to draw about 10,000 people. Fitty, who is scheduled to perform at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey the night before, is set to make at an appearance at the neighborhood's "Family Day" on the school's grounds at around 5:30 p.m. He plans to bring celebrity pals with him, the sources said. The school's yard will be packed with children and their families. There will be a stage set up for Fitty and other acts, and a DJ will be there with a mike and equipment. The day is being sponsored by the New York Restoration Project, a nonprofit founded by Bette Midler and the G-Unity Foundation, the rapper's charity that supports low-income communities. But the prospect of massive turnout and the violence that could ensue given the bulletproof-vest-sporting rapper's past run-in with gunfire already has some families heading for the hills. "There's word out there that there's going to be some shootings," said Mike Terrients, 15. "Some of my friends' parents are saying that they don't want them to go because something is going to happen."

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos

IN MANHATTAN *A man was shot and critically wounded near a Chelsea housing project yesterday, police said. The unidentified victim was shot on Ninth Avenue near West 17th Street at 5:50 p.m. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital. The shooter fled.

*A thief made off with a laptop after sneaking into a lower Manhattan penthouse apartment and then climbing out the window -- right in front of the stunned resident, police sources said yesterday. The burglary occurred at 9:05 p.m. Saturday, after a witness saw a suspicious man walking into the building on John Street near Broadway. The man, described as white and in his 50s, managed to get into the apartment to steal the laptop from the bedroom. The 20-year-old woman who lives in the apartment encountered the thief as he climbed out the bedroom window to the roof and fled.

*A man with a history of arrests was shot and critically wounded by a gunman in Alphabet City yesterday, police said. The victim, in his 20s, was shot by the assailant as he left a deli on Avenue C at East 10th Street at about 5 a.m. He was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital, where he was in serious condition. Sources said the gunman and, possibly, accomplices fled in a yellow cab.

*A Brooklyn man was arrested for assaulting his 11-month-old daughter while clashing with the baby's mother in her Upper East Side apartment, police said yesterday. Eugene Burshtein, 38, exchanged angry words with the woman as she was holding the child in her apartment on East 65th Street near Madison Avenue at 8:35 a.m. Friday, cops said. Burshtein shoved the woman to the ground, causing injuries to the baby that included a scratched nose and a knee abrasion, cops said. Sources said the woman prevented more serious injury to the child because she covered the baby's head during the fall. Burshtein was charged with child endangerment and assault.

*A thug was arrested for trying to attack a man with a glass crack pipe in Midtown, police sources said yesterday. Bradley Wood, 43, got into an argument with his 55-year-old victim at Ninth Avenue and West 55th Street at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, cops said. Wood shoved the victim and tried to strike him with the broken glass crack pipe, officials said. Responding cops nabbed Wood, who was charged with attempted assault and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Police said that the day before, Wood punched the victim in the face, giving him a black eye.

*A man was hospitalized after being hit with a beer bottle in an Upper East Side nightclub, police sources said yesterday. The 26-year-old man was struck on the head in Blondies on Second Avenue near 92nd Street after an assailant hurled the bottle at him at 1 a.m. Saturday. The victim was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. The suspect, whose motive was unknown, fled.

* A burglar swiped about $1,500 in property after slipping into a Greenwich Village ice-cream shop after hours, police sources said yesterday. The crook somehow entered Snow Mountain Ice Cream on Sixth Avenue near West 12th Street at around 12:20 a.m. Saturday. He took $700 in cash, an $800 computer tower and a lock before fleeing. A 32-year-old worker discovered the theft later that day.

IN BROOKLYN

*Three thieves robbed a man at gunpoint on a Park Slope street, police sources said yesterday. The trio confronted the 34-year-old man, who was heading to work on Sixth Avenue near 11th Street, at 4:50 a.m. Friday. While two of the crooks held the man by his arms, the third pointed a black gun at him and spewed, "Give me your wallet!" sources said. The victim handed over his wallet, and the suspects fled.

IN THE BRONX

*A man was shot and wounded in a Soundview apartment building, cops said yesterday. The victim was shot in the leg and chest in the lobby of the building at Boynton and Watson avenues after a gunman opened fire at him at around 11 p.m. Saturday. He was rushed to Jacobi Hospital, where he was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. The shooter fled.

WASHINGTON. JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR SWORN IN By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in Saturday in Washington, D.C. as the first Hispanic member of the United States Supreme Court. The Bronx-born justice dressed in a simple white suit and, with her hand on a bible held by her Puerto Rican mother, pledged to "administer justice without respect to persons." Chief Justice John Roberts first administered the oath to Sotomayor in a private ceremony in the justices' conference room. A second oath, which briefly took place before family, friends and the media, was the first swearing-in of a Supreme Court justice to be televised. After giving her oath, Sotomayor hugged her mother and brother before leaving. Sotomayor, the third woman and 111th justice to serve on the high court, grew up in the Bronx, graduated from Cardinal Spellman High School in 1972 and then graduated from Princeton University and Yale Law School. She served as a judge since 1992 and had served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since 1998. President Barack Obama appointed Sotomayor in May, and the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings over four days in mid-July. Thursday's 68-31 Senate vote to confirm Sotomayor was split along party lines, with nine Republican senators joining the Democrats. Critics argued that Sotomayor's past speeches and rulings showed she would bring her personal biases to the bench. Yet today viewing parties were held across the city for New Yorkers to watch and celebrate the historic swearing-in. "It feels great. She came from a poor neighborhood and she was able to rise up and become the highest level of what she could reach," said one attendee of an East Harlem viewing party. "It just feels so great and I love her so much." "I feel very excited. I see myself as a Puerto Rican woman reflected in her accomplishments," said Manhattan Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito. "Everybody here in this room sees a piece of themselves in her story." "Sonia offers us hope and pride," said another East Harlem viewer. "Latina women are stereotyped as emotional and sensual. Yes we are, but we are that, but we are also very bright and brilliant and compassionate women." The Supreme Court will hold a ceremony on September 8, Sotomayor will take her seat for the first time. Then all nine justices will meet to hear arguments in a campaign finance case the very next day.

NEW YORK. 9 KILLED IN FREAK MIDAIR COLLISION By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg A small plane carrying a family and a sightseeing helicopter packed with Italian tourists collided over the Hudson River yesterday in a horrifying spectacle that left nine people dead. Debris was showered as far as New Jersey as the mangled wreck of the crafts plummeted from the sky around noon. The accident "was not survivable," Mayor Bloomberg said. "It's a great tragedy," he said. Witnesses described an earth-shattering bang as the seven-seat plane clipped the helicopter mid-river near West 14th Street. The impact was so powerful that the helicopter's blades sliced off one of the plane's wings and the rotor was destroyed. The crafts splashed into the river in seconds. And then there was silence. "There was no noise," said tourist Rose Duck, who was on a Circle Line boat during the crash and saw rescuers pull a body out of the water. "Nobody else was pulled out that we could see," she said. "We were looking, and I was like, 'Come on. Come on. Where are they?' " The helicopter carried a pilot, identified by sources as Jeremy Clarke of Lanoka Harbor, NJ, and five Italian tourists. NYPD divers working 30 feet below the surface recovered the bodies of passengers Fabio Gallazzi, 49, and Michele Norelli, 52, sources said. A third body, said to be a young man, was found floating on the surface of the river. The divers combing the water which had visibility of just two to three feet discovered the wreckage of one of the two aircraft by mid-afternoon, though it was unclear which one. More victims could be seen inside. The single-engine 1976 Piper PA-32R plane had taken off at 11:54 a.m. from Teterboro Airport, bound for Ocean City, NJ, with pilot Steven Altman at the controls. Altman, 60, had flown in from Blue Bell, Pa., not far from his home in the Philadelphia suburbs. At Teterboro, he picked up his brother, Daniel, 49, and Daniel's son, Douglas, 15. The plane made its last communication with air-traffic controllers somewhere between the Holland and Lincoln tunnels, sources said.

BROOKLYN. POLICE OFFICER SHOT WHILE IN PATROL. By Elizabeth Menos and Zynep Omar. A city policeman was recovering in the hospital after being shot while on patrol in Brooklyn Saturday. Police say the officer was on patrol on Gates Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant around 3:30 a.m. when he was struck. The blow did not penetrate his bulletproof vest. The officer was taken to Kings County Hospital and as of late Saturday was in stable condition. Investigators were trying to figure out whether the officer was hit with a low-caliber firearm or a pellet gun. As of Saturday evening, police were not clear who fired the gun or who the intended target was.

LOS ANGELES. FORMER NYPD WILLIAM BRATTON LEAVING WEST COAST By Jerry Blumberg. Former New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton is stepping down from his post at the Los Angeles police department. William Bratton announced his resignation as police chief saying it's the right time to leave. He's stepping down after serving seven years. City officials say Bratton helped reduce crime rates in Los Angeles and removed some of the stigma after the Rodney King beating trial in the 1990s. His decision comes after a judge recently released the police department from eight years of oversight by the Justice Department after an alleged pattern of abuse. Bratton was New York City's police commissioner from 1994 to 1996, under former mayor Rudy Giuliani.

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos IN BROOKLYN * Two bakers outsmarted a would-be bandit after he tried to rob a Fort Greene shop. Sean Almond, 42, allegedly grabbed an employee as he loaded a truck outside Beigels Bakery on Waverly Avenue near Atlantic Avenue shortly before 12:30 p.m. Thursday. Almond lifted his shirt to reveal what appeared to be a weapon and demanded money, cops said. The worker refused and Almond threatened to send the worker to "paradise," cop said. The robber followed the worker back inside the shop, where he confronted a second worker and made the same threat. One of the men managed to slip in the back and call 911. Almond was charged with attempted robbery and menacing.

IN QUEENS * Police are hunting for a killer who gunned down a man inside his St. Albans home. The 58-year-old man was found shot in the head inside his apartment on 180th Street near 112th Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. yesterday following a call from neighbors to 911 reporting gunfire, police said. The victim died at the scene, cops said.

* A woman was arrested on charges of beating a clerk who tried to stop her from stealing hair extensions for a St. Albans beauty shop. Chavaughn Jackson, 20, was inside the Sharon Beauty Supply shop on Linden Boulevard near 197th Street shortly after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday when a clerk saw her grab three hair extensions and slip them into her purse, sources said. The clerk tried to stop her and Jackson punched her in the face, then walked out with the extensions, sources said. Cops caught up with her a short time later. She was arrested and charged with petit larceny and assault.

IN THE BRONX * A man was gunned down and killed during an argument in Castle Hill. Gregory Velasquez, 20, had been arguing with another man on Castle Hill Avenue near Seward Avenue, near the Castle Hill Houses, shortly after midnight yesterday. The man pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting Velasquez once in the stomach, police said. He was taken to Jacobi hospital, where he died, said police.

* A teen was stabbed to death during a fight over a woman in East Tremont, police said. Miguel Baret, 18, had gotten into a fight with another man outside a building on Crotona Park North near Waterloo Place shortly after 10:30 p.m. Friday, police said. The man pulled out a knife and stabbed Baret several times in the chest, police said. The injured teen was taken to Bronx Lebanon Hospital, where he died.

IN STATEN ISLAND * Police yesterday were still hunting for the attacker. A man was arrested after he allegedly broke into his estranged girlfriend's Park Hill apartment and ransacked the home. Dennis Porter, 31, allegedly climbed up a fire escape and slipped through a fifth-floor window and into his ex-flame's apartment on Park Hill Avenue near Roff Street at the Park Hill Houses shortly after 1:30 a.m. Friday. Once inside, he smashed a TV set and a dresser, sources said. Cops caught up with him a short time later. He was arrested and charged with burglary and criminal mischief.

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QUEENS. LA GUARDIA BOMB SCARE SUSPECT A CRAZY HOMELESS. By Jerry Blumberg and Jacques Dusseck The man accused of bringing a fake bomb into LaGuardia Airport Saturday will undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Scott McGann, 32, will remain behind bars until his next court date on Thursday, when his test results are expected back. Police say he is homeless and has been arrested three times in the last two years. McGann appeared in court Saturday night for what was supposed to be an arraignment, but according to one court observer, he refused to answer either his lawyer or the judge. "The judge asked him 'Are you Scott McGann?', no response. He didn't shake his head, didn't look up, down or sideways, shrug his shoulders. McGann faces charges of placing a false bomb in a transportation facility and making terrorist threats. Police say he carried a bag full of batteries and wires that looked like a bomb into the airport. When asked for identification, investigators say McGann began to sweat and repeatedly pressed a red trigger button that was attached to a wire in his backpack. Police later determined the bag was not dangerous. The Queens District Attorney says McGann was headed to Oakland to meet his family, who had bought his ticket. The scare prompted police to evacuate the airport and shut down the main terminal for about four hours, causing massive flight delays.

BRONX, NY. GUIDO FELIX BRINKMAN'S CAR FOUND IN THE BRONX. By Jacques Dusseck Police found in the Bronx Saturday the car belonging to a slain Manhattan Holocaust survivor and former nightclub owner. The blue Honda Civic was abandoned at the intersection of 135th Street and Willis Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. Police said the Civic was in good condition and believed it was used by the suspects to flee the scene. Guido Felix Brinkmann, 89, was found dead in his East Side apartment Thursday night. Police said his hands were tied and he had a head injury. There were no signs the apartment had been broken into. Investigators were looking to question a man and woman in their 20s, but as of Saturday evening had not released any names. Friends say Brinkmann was a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp and he managed the popular Adam's Apple nightclub in the 1970s.

NEW YORK. PHARMACIES AND HMOS IN NEW YORK UNDER INVESTIGATION. By Scott Strong and Jacques Dusseck As debate rages in Washington over ObamaCare, New York is providing care for hundreds of dead people.State probers are hunting down pharmacies and HMOs that illegally or improperly billed Medicaid millions of dollars for dead patients, The top accused suspect thus far is Echo Pharmacy, in Miller Place, LI, and its owner Bryan McCutcheon, according to an ongoing probe conducted by New York Medicaid Inspector General James Sheehan's office. McCutcheon allegedly filed claims for 46 prescriptions on behalf of 17 dead patients from 2003 to 2005. Many of these patients had lived at a nearby nursing home where McCutcheon was previously employed, state investigators said. McCutcheon claimed that the prescriptions were called in from the nursing home, investigators said. But the nursing home forbids phone-in prescriptions, according to state officials. Effective tomorrow, Sheehan's office is imposing a three-year ban on McCutcheon and Echo from doing business with Medicaid. It is also demanding $269,173 in restitution and fines. Investigators would not say if the case will be referred to a law-enforcement agency. McCutcheon is contesting the order. "Bryan and the pharmacy have never prescribed medication for a dead patient," insisted Rex Whitehorn, the lawyer for Echo and McCutcheon. The state will soon take action against New York City pharmacies for billing Medicaid more than a million dollars for prescriptions for dead patients, sources said. The vast data-mining operation of Sheehan's office catches up with bogus billings for dead patients by cross-checking death certificates with the dates of claims filed. Investigators also conduct annual "deceased enrollee" audits that find HMOs routinely bill Medicaid for hundreds of dead members. The state recovered $5 million from insurers last year and is expected to recoup even more this year, a Sheehan spokeswoman said. For example, the office found Manhattan-based Health First billed Medicaid $635,371 for patients after they died; Metro Plus, $337,594; Americhoice of New York, $289,364; Neighborhood Health Providers, $251,474, and New York-Presbyterian Community PHSP, $242,985.

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Jerry Blumberg and Elizabeth Menos

IN THE BRONX *A 62-year-old homeless man was found stabbed to death yesterday in the stairwell of a Mott Haven apartment building, sources said. The victim, whose name was withheld pending family notification, had several wounds to the chest. He was found on the fourth-floor landing of the building, at East 143rd Street near Third Avenue, at around 1:40 p.m.

IN STATEN ISLAND *A drug dealer was arrested after an eagle-eyed cop spotted bags of marijuana, cocaine and pills falling out of his pocket in Heartland Village, authorities said yesterday. Michael Stuto, 25, started sprinting down Bridgetown Street near Bangor Street at 1:33 a.m. Thursday after an officer approached him, sources said. The cop then noticed the drugs spilling from his pocket -- six bags of pot, one bag of cocaine and one bag containing 45 oxycodone pills, officials said. Stuto was charged with multiple counts of drug possession and resisting arrest, a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan said.

IN QUEENS *A man died early yesterday after he was hit by two cars as he tried to walk across the Grand Central Parkway, cops said. Neither of the vehicles stopped afterward. The victim, who did not have identification on him, was first struck by a car going west in the right lane about a half-mile east of Northern Boulevard, officials said. Moments later, a dark-blue SUV ran over him as he was lying in the road, authorities said. The fender of the second car was found at the scene. There were no skid marks, so it appears neither driver hit the brakes before plowing into the man, who was in his 50s, sources said. He was rushed to Queens General Hospital, where he died at 1:12 a.m..

*A man was arrested for hitting a woman with a hot metal lid and threatening to cut her throat with shattered glass, cops said yesterday. José Reyes, 30, was in his home on Arlington Terrace near Spa Place at around 5:30 p.m. July 27 when he hit the victim with the lid twice on her elbow, sources said. He then smashed a glass cup, grabbed a piece, put it against her throat and shouted, "I know exactly where to cut you to make you bleed like a dog," according to court papers.

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NEW YORK. SQUEEZE ON SUBWAY CLEANERS BY MTA By Jerry Blumberg and Jacques Dusseck The bailout the state Legislature approved earlier this year allowed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to avoid a number of planned service cuts, but transit officials said Monday that cuts to subway maintenance are already having an impact. If the subways seem a little dirtier than usual lately, it may not be your imagination. The ongoing budget crunch at the MTA has put the squeeze on subway cleaners. "This is the reality of the numbers and the pressure that we're under," said New York City Transit President Howard Roberts. Roberts acknowledged the problem at a meeting of agency board members Monday. Despite a state bailout, the agency still plans to cut dozens of cleaner positions. Roberts says that's mostly because the agency is eliminating a pilot program that added cleaners to the Number 7 and L trains. But Roberts also cited a recent incident of human feces found on a subway stairwell in Lower Manhattan, at a time of morning when no cleaner was assigned to that station. "From 4:30 in the morning to noontime, we are in a situation where if somebody defecates all over the stairway, we are not staffed to deal with that," Roberts said. "That is part of our customer service package. I don't like it, but that's the way it is." There was also some good news Monday. New statistics show subway crime continues to decline. Through June, major felonies are down 22 percent from last year's historic lows. "They're up 70 percent on arrests over the last three years, and really doing that with less officers than when I arrived here in late 2005," said James Hall, chief of the NYPD Transit Bureau. "So they deserve a lot of credit." Moreover, after a recent decline in subway car reliability, statistics show breakdowns are now occurring much less frequently, as older-model subway cars go into retirement. "With the ongoing delivery of new car that riders are starting to experience and favorably comment on, I really think that it's only going to be better things that we're going to be hearing on that statistic from this point forward," said MTA Board Member Doreen Frasca.

NEW YORK. THE CITY IS LOOSING OUT ON FED COPS FUNDING. By Scott Strong. The city is getting stiffed out of economic stimulus money designed to help cities avoid laying off police officers. New York is one of four cities, including Seattle, Houston and Pittsburgh, that will not receive money through the $1 billion COPS program. Federal officials say New York has already received millions of dollars in funding from other programs -- adding it was not chosen to receive the aid because of its relatively low crime rate and stable city budget. Both Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg responded forcefully. In a statement, Kelly said, "There should be substantial and continuing federal support for the NYPD. We shouldn't be penalized for succeeding on both counts, and mainly on our own dime, over the last seven and a half years." Mayor Bloomberg added, "To punish our police department because they have driven down crime with fewer resources shows the backwards incentive system that is sometimes at work in Washington."

NEW YORK. MAN IS WANTED FOR ROBBERIES IN MANHATTAN AND BRONX. By Romy Dussek Police are asking for the public's help in finding a man wanted in connection with nine robberies of chain restaurants in the Bronx and Manhattan. The robberies occurred between June 24th and this past Sunday. In each incident, police say the suspect pretends to have a gun and demands money. No one was injured. The first robbery took place at a Subway Restaurant location, the next eight at Dunkin Donuts stores. Four of the incidents took place in Manhattan, and five in the Bronx, including two at the same Dunkin Donuts location. The suspect is described as being in his 30s, between 5' 10" and 6'0 tall, and weighing 170 to 200 pounds. He also has a goatee and wore a bandana and sometimes glasses in the robberies. Anyone with information about the case is being asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS.

NEW YORK. DANCER MERCE CUNNINGHAM DIES AT 90. By Jerry Blumberg and Elizabeth Menos. Famed dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham died Sunday night in Manhattan at age 90. In a career that spanned more than 60 years and produced more than 150 works, choreographer and dancer Merce Cunningham was hailed as a pioneer. Famous for separating the dancers' movements from the music and the décor, Cunningham made sure each of those things was created individually so often the right hand didn't know what the left was doing until performance time. "They all came together just on the day before or on the day of the first performance of the work, so the dancers hadn't necessarily heard the music before or never saw their costumes before, but they were given the costumes, put them on and did their performance it was usually a very happy collaboration," said Martin Wechsler of the Joyce Theater. Cunningham collaborated with the best including Mikhail Baryshnikov. Over the course of his career, Cunningham garnered numerous awards like the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts. Robert Swinston was a dancer with Cunningham's company for 29 years and assistant choreographer for the past 17. "He had, as I said, this intensity that made everybody dance better. And it made everybody's attention more keen," said Swinston. On the day of his death, Cunningham was lauded by friends and colleagues alike. Dancer Judith Jameson called him "A true giant and groundbreaker among dance artists, whose collaborations with composers, musicians and painters made him the consummate creative genius that shifted dancer's horizons and audience perceptions throughout the world." Cunningham recently created a plan of succession to insure the survival of his body of work. His namesake company will tour for two years, then the works will revert to the Merce Cunningham trust where they'll be preserved and passed on. "We're creating dance capsules that will contain all the information about the dances," said said Swinston. "The notes Merce made, the notes other people who staged his work have made, the music, the documentation of the costumes, the lighting as well as reviews and any other kind of information."

QUEENS. CITY'S NEWEST MILLIONAIRE IN LOTTO TO BE KNOWN TODAY. The city's newest multi-millionaire will end three weeks of secrecy and speculation today, finally coming forward to collect on a $133 million lottery win. The Mega Millions winner, who has kept his or her identity from the public since hitting the jackpot July 7, will get a lump-sum check for nearly $83 million, before taxes, from New York lottery officials at Grand Central Terminal today. Even workers at Shiv Convenience store in Jamaica, Queens, where the lucky ticket was bought, haven't been able to figure out which of their customers has been quietly sitting on a fortune. "It's going to be a surprise," said manager Bharat Patel. "But I'll know the person as soon as I see them." Suspense at the little Hillside Avenue store has been building for weeks, with customers regularly asking if the winner has stepped forward. Lottery officials have stopped by to give Patel a copy of the ticket. But Patel, who was invited to attend today's ceremony, couldn't wrangle the winner's name from tight-lipped lottery brass. Patel said the new megamillionaire shelled out $2 for two Quick Pick tickets, letting the machine choose his or her numbers. The magic combination -- 25, 27, 35, 38, 39 and Mega ball 28 -- appears on the second line of the ticket. The store gets a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket.

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Jerry Blumberg and Elizabeth Menos

IN MANHATTAN *Two teens were arrested after they smacked a woman with an umbrella in Greenwich Village, police sources said yesterday. Daniel Butler and Shamikah Baldwin, both 16, came up from behind the 26-year-old victim on Waverly Place near Gay Street at 11:05 p.m. Friday, cops said. They tried to grab her purse and struck her with the umbrella when she started struggling with them, police said. Cops were called and nabbed the youths, who were charged with robbery. The victim was not seriously hurt.

* Three thieves assaulted and robbed a man of his BlackBerry on the Upper East Side, police said yesterday. Ricardo Cordero, 17, and two accomplices accosted the 23-year-old man outside a building on Lexington Avenue near East 64th Street at 2:30 a.m. Sunday, cops said. The trio allegedly punched the man, knocked him to the ground and snatched his BlackBerry Curve. The suspects fled, but responding cops were able to arrest Cordero on a robbery charge.

* An Upper East Side man attacked his wife with a bottle during an argument over pictures of his girlfriend, police sources said yesterday. The man, 44, threw the bottle at his 28-year-old wife in their apartment on Second Avenue near East 82nd Street at 12:05 a.m. Friday. She was hit in the middle finger and suffered minor injuries. He fled.

* A burglar made off with $870 after breaking into an Upper East Side apartment, police sources said yesterday. The crook climbed through the living room of the apartment on East 81 Street near East End Avenue at around 3 p.m. Friday. He swiped the cash and fled.

IN BROOKLYN *A man whacked a waiter in the face with his cane at a Coney Island restaurant after being turned away because he was drunk, sources said. The victim barred Juan Boutin, 53, from being seated at Coney Island Surf & Turf at 1 a.m. Sunday after noticing he'd had one too many. When the waiter tried to hail Boutin a cab, the suspect allegedly whacked him in the face with the cane, giving him a nose bleed. Boutin was charged with assault, menacing and harassment. The victim was treated at and released from Coney Island Hospital.

* An irate woman was busted for punching and spitting at three cops at a Bushwick crime scene, authorities said. Eunice Neal, 29, was looking for her boyfriend when she crossed under the police tape on Hancock Street near Wilson Avenue Sunday morning. One cop stopped her and removed her from the area. But Neal allegedly pushed her way back in and punched one officer in the neck. Another tried to move her away, but she spat at him, police said. She also allegedly hit a sergeant in the face. Neal, who allegedly was carrying a stun gun and two ecstasy pills, was charged with assault, menacing and harassment, sources said.

IN QUEENS *Cops are seeking the public's assistance in finding this man, who disappeared from his Queens Village home. Dennis Roberts, 50, was last seen Wednesday morning leaving his house on Winchester Boulevard near the Grand Central Parkway. He is 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds and was wearing a green long-sleeve shirt and black pants.

IN STATEN ISLAND *A suspected drug dealer was busted in his Pleasant Plains home after cops executed a search warrant. Vito Leonardis, 34, allegedly told investigators, "Everything is on the counter," when they came knocking Friday evening. They allegedly found 23 bags of crack, a digital scale, empty Ziploc bags and a plate with a powdery substance on it. Leonardis was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, DA Daniel Donovan's spokesman said.

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NEW YORK. SENATOR SCHUMER INTRODUCES TEXTING BAN FOR DRVIVERS. By Jacques Dusseck Senator Charles Schumer unveiled a bill Sunday to ban train conductors and bus drivers from texting on the job. His bill would bar electronic devices inside any public or private vehicle. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority already has rules preventing drivers from texting but Schumer said they do not go far enough. "Our rules will be tougher and stronger. The MTA has a ban but our rule will have higher fines and penalties, require the driver education and the hotline will be available to make sure this isn't happening despite the MTA's rules," said Schumer. "And then there are no rules for operators of school buses, commuter buses that are run by private companies." Schumer said recent deadly mass transit accidents in Boston and Los Angeles prompted the legislation. In both incidents, operators texted on their cell phones while driving.

QUEENS. OFFICER RODNEY LEWIS SHOT BY EDWIN SANTANA. By Jerry Blumberg. A man with an extensive criminal record was arrested Sunday after his gun discharged and shot a police officer in Queens. Officer Rodney Lewis, 40, seen above, was shot under his left arm on Menahan Street in Ridgewood and was expected to make a full recovery. The suspect, 33-year-old Edwin Santana, was arrested by Lewis and his partner, Officer Mark Bublin, around 5 a.m. The police officers were looking for a bald man allegedly involved in an armed domestic dispute with his roommate over money. Santana, who fit the description, was frisked and the officers found an antique, loaded .32-caliber revolver in his pants' waistband. "They went to stop him, he continued to move," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "They grabbed him, they tussled with him. They took the weapon out of his waistband. It fell to the ground and a round went off, striking Officer Lewis." The bullet hit the skin of left side of Lewis's chest that his bulletproof vest did not cover. Police say the bullet broke the skin but did not penetrate the chest cavity. "This weapon may be a good 60 to 70 years old, but it still fires. And guns have a very, very long shelf life," said Kelly. Police say Santana was a convicted felon with an "extensive" criminal record, including manslaughter charge that dates back to 1991. They also say Santana was recently released from prison and is currently wanted on a parole violation. Therefore, he should not have been carrying a firearm. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the incident is proof there is more work to be done to make sure people do not have illegal access to handguns. "Guns kill people and we have to get guns off the streets, particularly out of the hands of criminals where there is a federal law that says they can't have guns," said the mayor. "And that's what we're trying to do." Bloomberg visited Lewis, a four-and-a-half-year NYPD veteran, in the hospital and found the police officer to be eager to get back to work. "I joked with him that we have a budget crisis and we need him back on the job and he assured me that he wanted to get back," said the mayor. The Queens district attorney said his office plans to rigorously prosecute the case. As of Saturday night, Santana was awaiting charges.

BROOKLYN. DECOMPOSING BODY FOUND IN APARTMENT. By Elizabeth Menos. Police were investigating how long a dead Brooklyn man was left in his housing project apartment before he was recovered Saturday. Authorities said they found the body of James Gayle, 60, inside his apartment at the Breukelen Houses in Canarsie. They said Gayle appeared to have died from natural causes. Residents were angry it took so long for authorities to investigate, since they complained about a rotting smell in the building since February. "Everybody complained because the flies were so bad, because I didn't know nobody had flies in the winter," said one resident. "They called me at my house and told me he hadn't paid rent and they were going to evict him," said Kenneth Gayle, the dead man's brother. "I said, 'Well I'll pay the rent but do you know where he's at because I hadn't spoken to him.' They said, 'No, but we're going to break into the apartment.' So they broke into the apartment, from my understanding, because next time I came there was a padlock on the door. But they didn't do a walk-through, so he was still in there."

MOUNT PLAISANT. 8 PEOPLE KILLED IN CAR ACCIDENT. By Jacques Dusseck Eight people, four of them young girls from Long Island, were killed yesterday when their minivan -- going the wrong way on a Westchester highway -- slammed head-on into an SUV, rolled down an embankment and burst into flames. The tragedy took place on the Taconic Parkway near Mount Pleasant, after a woman driving with five kids accidentally turned south into the northbound lanes while returning home from a camping trip. "It's mind-boggling. It's crazy what happened," said motorist Peter Dedvukaj, 29, of Yonkers, who pulled two children out of the burning vehicle. When Chief Joe LaGrippo of the Hawthorne Fire Department arrived, there were six people on the ground on fire. "I had five kids burning up, and I had to make a decision," he said. "I worked on one kid, giving her CPR and realized she was dead. I moved to three more and realized they were dead. But me and my crew were able to save the fifth kid. It was a good feeling, because I thought I lost them all." The child who survived was Brian Schuler, 5, of West Babylon, LI, the minivan driver's son. He was in critical condition at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla with bleeding on the brain and a broken arm, his grandmother, Irene Schuler, 67, of Levittown, told the press.Tragic mom Diane Schuler, 36, who was driving a Ford Windstar, was returning from Monticello, where the family owns a trailer, neighbors said. In the van besides Brian were her daughter, Erin, who had just turned 2, and three nieces, 5, 7 and 9. Schuler and the four girls all died. Neighbors said Schuler, who worked for Cablevision, had made the trip many times -- but somehow took the wrong turn, State Police Investigator Joe Becerra said. She was traveling in the left lane at an estimated 65 to 70 mph when she collided head-on with a Chevrolet Trailblazer carrying three men from Yonkers. Both vehicles were sent flying, said Dedvukaj's sister, Katrina. "Only in the movies do you see something like that," she said. After hitting the SUV, the minivan struck another car, carrying a man and a woman. The three men in the SUV also died. They were identified by Margaret Nicotina as her dad, Michael Bastardi, 81; her brother Guy Bastardi, 49; and a family friend, Don Longo. The three had been going to Yorktown Heights to "have dinner with relatives and do a little shopping," she said, adding that the family was "just devastated." The elder Bastardi and Longo had worked in the auto-parts business until they retired. Guy was still working. Michael Bastardi, an Army vet, had three other kids and 10 grandchildren, Nicotina said. Her brother Guy was single. The man and woman in the third vehicle suffered minor injuries. Twelve hours earlier, five people were injured in another wrong-way accident on the same highway, 20 miles north of the minivan crash site. No one died in that incident.

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Jerry Blumberg and Elizabeth Menos

IN MANHATTAN *A 63-year-old woman was terrorized by a hulking female thug nicknamed "Rocky" in a West Village senior-services center, police sources said yesterday. The victim was having lunch in the Sage Center, which provides help for elderly gay and lesbian people, on West 13th Street near Seventh Avenue at 1:30 p.m. on July 16 when a 300-pound woman approached, pointed at her and shouted, "If you mess up with me again, I'll mess you up," sources said. The hulking suspect then fled.

*A pervert was arrested for offering a teenage boy $5 to expose himself in an East Village apartment building, police said yesterday. Roberto Ramirez, 40, was lurking in the building on St. Marks Place near First Avenue at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, when the 16-year-old entered and Ramirez said, "Let me see your penis," authorities said. Ramirez then pointed at the boy's crotch and offered him $5, sources said. The boy ran home and his mom called 911, leading to Ramirez's arrest on charges of promoting obscene sexual performance of a child.

*Three thieves were busted for mugging a man at knifepoint in Chinatown, police sources said yesterday. Ramzie Jawad, 18, Amjed Abdelrahman, 19, and Kamal Kheedr, 18, confronted the 20-year-old victim on Market Street near Madison Street at 1:16 a.m. on July 22, cops said. One of the crooks allegedly pulled a knife and snarled, "Empty your pockets." The victim turned over a wallet with $289, house keys and a cellphone. The suspects fled, but were soon busted and charged with robbery.

*A thief claiming to have a gun made off with more than $3,000 from a Greenwich Village bank, police sources said yesterday. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound crook passed a demand note to a teller in the HSBC on Sixth Avenue at Washington Place at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday. The note said that he had a gun and warned against giving him a dye pack or bait money -- bills that have already had their serial numbers logged by the bank and that can be easily tracked by authorities. But the teller gave him the items anyway along with the cash. The thief handed back the bait money and dye pack, and fled with the loot. He was described as a middle-aged white man, wearing sunglasses and carrying a shopping bag. He was dressed in an olive-green button down shirt, baggie pants and white sneakers.

*Cops are searching for a woman who damaged a glass case in a West Village cigar shop, police sources said yesterday. The 5-foot-10 suspect, wearing a skirt and a brown shirt, got into an argument with someone in Village Cigars on Seventh Avenue South near Christopher Street at 1:10 a.m. on July 22. She shoved merchandise off a counter to the floor, causing the case to shatter, before she ran out of the store.

IN THE BRONX *A man was killed by a hit-and-run driver yesterday in Parkchester, police said. The unidentified victim was at Metropolitan and Wood avenues at around 2:40 a.m. when a silver-colored-vehicle slammed into him and kept going. He suffered massive trauma to his body and died at the scene.

IN BROOKLYN *A young man was shot dead in Coney Island yesterday, police said. Micuan Serrano, 19, was shot several times in the head at Surf Avenue near West 30th Street at 3:40 a.m. By the time police arrived, he was already dead and the shooter was gone.

IN STATEN ISLAND *A drunken driver was arrested after police pulled him over for tailgating in Rossville, authorities said yesterday. Dwane Howell, 48, who lives in Sayreville, NJ, was driving a 2001 Ford at West Shore Expressway and Bloomingdale Road at around 1 a.m. Thursday, when cops noticed he was swerving and tailgating another vehicle, sources said. After police pulled him over, Howell was given a Breathalyzer test, which he failed. A spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan said Howell was charged with DWI.

IN QUEENS *A teen was arrested for stabbing a man during a fight on a Corona street, authorities said yesterday. Kevin Osorio, 17, clashed with the victim for unknown reasons at 46th Avenue and 111th Street at around 8 p.m. on July 19, cops said. Osorio then allegedly pulled a sharp object and swung it at the victim, stabbing him in the neck. The man was rushed to a local hospital, where he needed stitches to close the wound. Osorio was charged with assault and harassment, according to a spokeswoman for DA Richard Brown.

========= WASHINGTON. SONIA SOTOMAYOR SUPREME COURT NOMINEE ANSWERS. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor defended her judicial philosophy and prior rulings Tuesday as she embarked on the first full day of questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Six Democrats and five Republicans took up to 30 minutes each to question Sotomayor. Another eight members will speak Wednesday. During her responses, the Bronx native defended herself against charges that her speeches and rulings show racial bias. "I want to state upfront, unequivocally and without doubt: I do not believe that any racial, ethnic or gender group has an advantage in sound judging," she said. "I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge, regardless of their background or life experiences." She told critical Republican senators, a critic, that her record proves that she never let sympathies affect her judgement. The comments come in response to criticism over a 2001 speech where she suggested a "wise Latina woman... would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." Sotomayor, the daughter of Puerto Rican migrants, said she was attempting to make a play on words that fell flat, but that explanation did not appease Republicans. "I'm very troubled that you would repeatedly over a decade or more make statements that consistently argues that this ideal and commitment," said Republican Senator Jeff Sessions. "I believe every judge is committed, must be, to put aside their personal experiences and biases and make sure that that person before them gets a fair day in court." Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said, "If Lindsey Graham said, 'I will make a better senator than X, because of my experience as a Caucasian male makes me better able to represent the people of South Carolina and my opponent was a minority,' it would make national news, and it should." "You didn't in your speech say, 'That this is not good. We need to set this aside.' Instead, you seem to be celebrating it," said Republican Senator John Kyl. "The clear inference is it's a good thing that this is happening." Sotomayor was also grilled on the much-discussed case made by white New Haven, Connecticut firefighters who alleged reverse discrimination. The 55-year-old judge and two other judges ruled against the claim they were denied promotions because of affirmation action and quotas. She claimed she was following precedent. If confirmed, the Bronx native would become the first Hispanic to sit on the Supreme Court. At one point during the morning, Sotomayor spoke about her mentor, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, and said she owes what she has become to the Manhattanite. "I became a lawyer in his office," she said. Sotomayor also touched upon controversial issues. She said that she will keep an open mind about gun cases, and that one of her godchildren is a member of the National Rifle Association and that she has friends who hunt. She also said that abortion rights are a "settled law." For the fourth time in two days, the session was interrupted by anti-abortion protesters. On Monday, Sotomayor told the committee about her experiences as a corporate litigator, trial judge, and appellate court judge. Democrats have a majority in the committee and although opponents will have some tough questions, it appears no one is doubting her eventual confirmation. "Unless you have a complete meltdown you're going to get confirmed - and I don't think you will," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. "And the drama being created here is interesting and my Republican colleagues who vote against, I assure you could vote for a Hispanic nominee. They just feel unnerved by your speeches, some of the things you've said and some of your cases." "I will not vote for and no senator should vote for an individual nominated by any president who believes it is acceptable for a judge to allow their personal background, gender, prejudices or sympathies to sway their decision in favor of or against parties before the court," said Republican Senator Jeff Sessions. Meanwhile, outside the Capitol, supporters and opponents gathered to make their opinions on Sotomayor known. "This is a historical event, the first Latina in the Supreme Court," said supporter Zenaida Mendez of the National Dominican Women's Caucus. "Someone who came from the projects, through education, she's not going to just be the first Latina in the Supreme Court. That's the message. We have to be proud. Whether you are Latina, African-American, white, we all have to be proud at this moment." "Sonia Sotomayor is pro-abortion and she is going to continue to hold up Roe vs. Wade, which kills babies," said an opponent. "Roe vs. Wade is going to kill more babies. That is destructive and it's murder." Many critics of Sotomayor, including some Republican senators, said they expect her to be confirmed at the end of the process.

NEW YORK.MIGUEL MARTINEZ RESIGNED AS CITY COUNCILMAN. By Scott Strong Manhattan City Councilman Miguel Martinez submitted his resignation Tuesday amid an ongoing probe into a slush fund scandal. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said she accepted his resignation, which is effective immediately. In a statement, Quinn said, "This is a sad day for the City Council, for the 10th Council district and for the City of New York. The Council and I take this matter very seriously and we will continue to be fully cooperative with authorities." Martinez did not give a reason in his one-line letter, but it comes as he is being investigated in connection to some non-profit groups and a slush fund used to funnel money to council member's projects. This past March, city investigators seized documents from a Washington Heights nonprofit agency with ties to Martinez. "What's most important is that we respond in a very strong way," said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. "My endorsement of Mr. Rodriguez I hope will signal that we want to get the best representation in the New York City Council." Federal prosecutors Tuesday said they are likely pursuing charges against Martinez in the case. Martinez represented parts of Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill. He was first elected in 2001. There will be no special election to replace Martinez, as his resignation comes so close to the fall primary.

NEW YORK. STATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE TOSSED KOGAN'S CASE. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong A Manhattan judge yesterday tossed murder charges against a so-called "black widow" accused of having her hubby gunned down outside his mistress' apartment in 1990. Barbara Kogan, now 65, had been locked up since last November, when prosecutors were finally able to indict her for the murder of her millionaire husband, George. They had long suspected Kogan of orchestrating the killing -- she'd wished aloud that he were dead and had called to check on his $4 million life-insurance policy days before he was murdered. But their big break didn't come until April 2008, when they scored a conviction against her former lawyer, Manuel Martinez, who hired the hit man in the slaying. State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus tossed Kogan's indictment on a technicality. He said that because another grand jury had failed to indict her in the 1990s, prosecutors needed judicial permission to empanel the grand jury that did indict her last year, but had failed to get it. The judge's ruling allows the Manhattan DA's Office to refile their case against Kogan, but that process could take months.

BROOKLYN. POLICE OFFICER LOST PART OF HIS LEG IN ACCIDENT. By Elizabeth Menos A city police officer lost part of his leg Tuesday after two vehicles slammed into each other in Brooklyn. Investigators say the vehicles were traveling in opposite directions on Avenue U in Marine Park when it happened. According to police, a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer was traveling eastbound when it made a left turn onto East 34th Street and hit a 2008 Mazda CX7. Both vehicles then jumped the curb, forcing one to hit the plainclothes officer, who was standing with three others on the sidewalk. The officer was taken to Kings County Hospital, where his left leg was amputated below the knee. The officer is a five and a half year veteran and a member of the narcotics division.

NYPD REPORTS By Jacques Dusseck, Jerry Blumberg and Elizabeth Menos

IN BROOKLYN *A young man was arrested in Brownsville for choking his lover and threatening him, authorities said yesterday. Richard Phipps, 20, allegedly attacked the 23-year-old man in the victim's apartment on Jardine Place near Herkimer Street twice, Sunday and Monday, sources said. In the first incident, Phipps, who was intoxicated, was angry because the victim had refused his sexual advances, cops said. Phipps allegedly brandished two knives and bit the victim's neck. The next day, Phipps choked the man, said a spokesman for DA Charles Hynes.

*Two women choked and beat a Brownsville store owner in an attempt to steal a scooter, authorities said yesterday. Yvonne Alexander, 38, and an accomplice exchanged words with the owner in the store on Pitkin Avenue near Amboy Street at 2:30 p.m. Monday, cops said. Alexander grabbed the scooter and fled with it, police said. The owner caught up to Alexander, who allegedly socked him in the face. The owner still wrestled away the scooter and brought it back to the store, where the accomplice assaulted and choked him, sources said.

IN MANHATTAN *A pack of muggers attacked a man outside a Chinatown social club, police sources said yesterday. The assailants accosted the 29-year-old victim at the club on Division Street near Market Street at 9:30 p.m. Friday. They struck him with sticks and a hammer, then swiped his BlackBerry and a neck charm. He was not seriously injured.

*A Bronx resident smashed a woman in the head with a bottle in a Midtown nightspot, police sources said yesterday. Shay Harris, 21, confronted the 24-year-old victim in the China Club on West 47th Street near Eighth Avenue at 3 a.m. Saturday, cops said. Harris picked up a bottle of vodka and smashed it on her head, police said. A picture-taking perv was busted for snapping close-up cellphone shots of a woman's anatomy aboard a subway train in Midtown, authorities said yesterday.

IN QUEENS *A Jackson Heights shopkeeper got the shock of her life when she opened for the day and found an intruder inside, police sources said. An employee of Jimmy's Express, a cash-transfer and telecommunications store on Roosevelt Avenue near 52nd Street, unlocked the door and found Jay Arungah, 26, inside at 9 a.m. on June 4, cops said. The employee soon realized $23,000 was missing and called police. Investigators identified Arungah after the shop's surveillance videotape showed him inside after closing. It is not clear how he gained entry. Arungah was arrested Saturday and charged with burglary and grand larceny, said a spokesman for DA Richard Brown.

IN STATEN ISLAND *The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force says three white men, including the suspect shown above, engaged in a racially motivated bat attack in the Bulls Head section June 17 that left the victim still hospitalized. The violence took place on Greentree Lane when the 38-year-old Hispanic victim was attacked by the thugs, who exited a car and began pummeling him with baseball bats while at least one hurled racial epithets. Minutes earlier, one of the suspects had clashed with the victim at a store about a block away. The victim suffered serious head trauma.

*A knife-wielding man slashed his brother in their Willowbrook home, authorities said yesterday. Suresh Roy, 29, allegedly cut his 22-year-old brother near the eyes in their residence on Graves Street near Holden Boulevard at 11 p.m. Saturday. The victim called 911 after he was treated at Staten Island University Hospital. Roy was arrested two days later

NEW YORK. FIREWORKS OVER THE HUDSON FOR JULY FOURTH. By Jacques Dusseck For the first time since the 9/11 terror attacks, Independence Day fireworks lit up the sky over the Hudson River as New Yorkers celebrated the nation's 233rd birthday Saturday night. The fireworks display, previously held over the East River, was moved to the Hudson in honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage up the river that now bears his name. More then 40,000 fireworks made up the display, said by organizers to be the nation's largest. They were set off from six barges moored on the river between 24th and 50th streets. The display, nearly an hour long, was the city's biggest July Fourth fireworks show to date. An estimated two million spectators watched the nationally-televised event.

WASHINGTON. PRESIDENT OBAMA LEFT THIS SUNDAY FOR MOSCOU. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg President Barack Obama left for Moscow promising a far-reaching effort to "reset" U.S.-Russian relations that hit a post-Cold War low under the Bush administration. The president is looking for progress on the outlines of a new nuclear arms pact and improved cooperation in the Afghan war effort, but deep divisions remain over U.S. missile defense, NATO expansion and the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. Traveling to Moscow for the first time since taking office, he hopes to keep building pragmatic ties with President Dmitry Medvedev but is likely to have a more strained introduction to Vladimir Putin, who still dominates Russian politics. Obama set the stage with a pre-trip assessment that Putin still had "one foot" planted in the Cold War. Putin, who hand-picked Medvedev as his successor last year and has stayed on as prime minister, rejected Obama's criticism and insisted it was U.S. policy that needed to be updated. Despite the testy exchange, the two sides have settled on the old issue of arms control as the cornerstone for forging a less rancorous relationship between Washington and Moscow. "I seek to reset relations with Russia because I believe that Americans and Russians have many common interests, interests that our governments recently have not pursued as actively as we could have," Obama told the Russian opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta ahead of the summit. He left Washington on Sunday evening and was due to hold talks with Medvedev at the Kremlin on Monday afternoon. On the eve of Obama's visit, negotiators were still bargaining over how far the presidents will go in setting down markers for further cuts in nuclear arsenals. Such markers are supposed to form the basis for a treaty to be signed by December when an existing pact known as START-1 expires. The summit will also yield the Kremlin's permission to ship U.S. weapons supplies across Russian territory en route to U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, sources on both sides said. The transit deal will open up a crucial corridor for the United States as it steps up its fight against a resurgent Taliban in line with Obama's new Afghanistan strategy.

TEGUCIGALPA. OUSTED PRESIDENT ZELAYA TRIED TO RETURN TO HONDURAS By Scott Strong and Jacques Dusseck Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya departed on a flight for his country on Sunday, but the interim government that has defied international pressure over last week's coup said it would not let his plane land. The aviation authority in Honduras said Zelaya's plane had been directed to go to El Salvador. Zelaya had left Washington shortly before on a chartered plane, accompanied by U.N. General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto."I am sure that in the next few hours we will be telling you about our arrival in this plane in the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa," Zelaya said. Zelaya, a leftist who had been due to leave power in 2010, was bundled out of office at gunpoint by troops and flown into exile in Costa Rica a week ago in a coup that has been widely condemned abroad. In Honduras, Enrique Ortez, foreign minister of the caretaker government installed hours after the coup, said before Zelaya left Washington that any aircraft carrying him would not be allowed to land. The interim government has already said Zelaya will be arrested if he enters Honduras. "I have given orders that he not be allowed back. We cannot allow recklessness," Ortez told local radio. Zelaya's plan to return followed the strongest move yet by foreign governments to isolate the caretaker government since the coup which was the first in Central America since the Cold War era and was triggered by a dispute over presidential term limits. The OAS met into the early hours of Sunday in Washington and took the rare step to suspend Honduras after the interim authorities ignored an ultimatum by the 34-member body to reinstate Zelaya. OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo planned to travel to El Salvador to monitor Zelaya's return, said Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, who also planned to be in that group. Honduras, a coffee and textile exporter with a population of around 7 million, is the third poorest country in the hemisphere after Haiti and Nicaragua. Zelaya, a businessman who edged to the left after he came to power in 2006, upset traditional elites, including members of his own Liberal Party, with what critics say was an illegal attempt to lift presidential term limits and by establishing closer ties with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a U.S. foe. Political observers are expressing doubts about the possible return of Zelaya in Honduras where anything may happen to his security.

IN TENNIS. ROGER FEDERER BEATS RODDICK IN WIMBLEDOM. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong Roger Federer celebrated making Grand Slam history, a year removed from an epic five-set final in Wimbledon.

Federer waged another five-set marathon Sunday, and left as the holder of the most prestigious record in tennis. This time, the winner's trophy belonged to him, with the No. 1 ranking in his grasp again and his reputation enhanced as perhaps the greatest player in history. Federer won his record 15th Grand Slam title, outlasting Andy Roddick for his sixth Wimbledon championship in match that went to 30 games in the final set. "I'm happy I broke the record here because this is always the tournament that meant the most to me," Federer said. "It definitely feels like coming full circle, starting it here and ending it here." The match finally ended after 4 hours, 16 minutes when Federer broke for the first time all day, with Roddick missing on a forehand. Federer jumped high in celebration, punched the air and whacked the net with his racket. Roddick tossed his racket to the side and the two men shared a hug at the net. Federer kissed the trophy and brought it close to his chest. Watching from the front row of the Royal Box was Sampras, a seven-time Wimbledon champion who flew in from California, his first appearance at the All England Club since playing this tournament for the last time in 2002. Also on hand were Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver. "It's not really one of those goals you set as a little boy, but man, it's been quite a career and quite a month," said Federer, who saved four set points in the second-set tiebreaker to avoid falling behind 2-0 in sets. "It feels amazing, but this is not why I'm playing tennis to break all sort of different records. But it's definitely one of the greatest ones to have."

Turning to Sampras, Federer said: "Thanks very much for coming. I know it's a long way, but you're a member, man, we like to see you here. It's such a pleasure to play in front of such greats legends." Roddick said: "Sorry Pete, I tried to hold him off." The historic impact of the match hit home when Sampras arrived after the third game of the first set. Accompanied by his wife, Bridgette Wilson, he sat next to Spanish great Manolo Santana and a few seats from Laver and Borg. He wore sunglasses, a gray suit and light blue shirt and tie. "In a way, I still feel like we share (the record) because he was such a wonderful champion," Federer said, referring to Sampras. "He still has one up against me here at Wimbledon. It's nice that he shows appreciation for what I'm doing." Federer is the third player to win six Wimbledon championships — Sampras and William Renshaw each won seven. Federer reclaimed the No. 1 ranking he lost last year to Nadal, the Spaniard who beat him in the classic 2008 final that finished in near darkness at 9-7 in the fifth but missed this year's tournament because of knee problems.

The fifth set went back-and-forth with the players slugging huge serves at each other, offering few chances to break. Roddick saved one break point in the second game, and Federer erased two at 8-8 when he came up with two big serves when 15-40 down. "I was just trying to survive each time and hold serve and give myself a shot," Roddick said. "It didn't work out, but I definitely gave myself a look." Some people were writing off Federer after he lost to Nadal in the Australian Open final and broke down in tears in the trophy ceremony. Federer continued to struggle early in the season before winning the French Open for the first time to complete a career Grand Slam. On Sunday, Federer became the third man in 40 years to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, joining Borg and Nadal. "This year is crazy," Federer said. "Things didn't look so good when I lost in the final of the Australian Open, which was still just an unbelievable result. But to come through and battle back and win Paris and now Wimbledon back-to-back, something Bjorn did a couple of times, it's amazing." Playing in his record 20th Grand Slam final and sixth in a row overall, Federer beat Roddick for the third time in the Wimbledon championship match, adding to his victories in 2004 and '05. He extended his overall mastery over the American to 19-2, including 8-0 at Grand Slams.

IN WIMBLEDOM, SERENA WILLIAMS BEATS SISTER VENUS. By Romy Dussek, Elizabeth Menos and Zynep Omar. After six years, it was Serena's turn to hold up the Venus Rosewater Dish again. In the fourth all-Williams final at Wimbledon, Serena beat her sister Venus 7-6 (3), 6-2 yesterday for her third title and 11th Grand Slam championship. "It feels so amazing," Serena said. "I'm so blessed. I feel like I shouldn't be holding the trophy. I can't believe I'm holding it. It's named for Venus and she always wins." Serena came out on top by out-serving her big sister, lifting her game in the tiebreaker and dictating play throughout the second set, finally winning when five-time champion Venus slapped a backhand into the net on the fourth match point. Serena beat Venus in the 2002 and '03 finals, before Venus prevailed in last year's championship match. Venus was trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win Wimbledon three years in a row. Still, the Williams sisters proved their dominance at the All England Club once more, winning their eighth singles title this decade. As always with Williams vs. Williams matches, the celebrations were relatively muted. The sisters embraced at the net, with the 29-year-old Venus patting 27-year-old Serena on the back. "I didn't think about Venus at all today," Serena said. "I just saw her as an opponent. At one point, after the first set, I looked on the side of the court at the stats, and it was like 'Williams, Williams.' I couldn't figure out which was which." Later, the sisters captured the doubles crown with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs of Australia. It's their fourth Wimbledon doubles title and 10th Grand Slam crown. Venus had come into the final as the favorite after playing some of the best grass-court tennis of her career. She hadn't dropped a set in 17 straight matches at Wimbledon, but couldn't cope on this day with the

."

NYPD REPORTS By Romy Dussek, Jerry Blumberg and Elizabeth Menos

IN STATEN ISLAND * A man was caught switching price stickers to give himself a deep discount at a Home Depot in Westerleigh, cops said. Lawrence Malafonte, 46, was shopping at the store Wednesday when he swiped bar codes from one pair of inexpensive doors and slapped them on two others, sources said. He loaded a cart with doorknobs, roof shingles and moldings and tried to hide them under the doors, the sources said. Malafonte paid for the doors and security stopped him as he tried to leave. They found the concealed items and discovered the sticker switch and called police.

* Two men were busted after cops raided a drug den in Livingston. José Rivera, 30, and Isra Colon, 46, were both inside their home on Elm Street near Henderson Avenue shortly after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when cops stormed in. Cops found 27 small envelopes of heroin on a table and on top of the refrigerator in the kitchen, sources said. They searched Colon and found 20 more small envelopes of heroin in the pocket of his shorts, said a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

IN QUEENS * A man was busted after he was caught on camera using someone else's bank card to buy subway swipes and food during a shopping spree in Woodside. Carlos Ramos, 26, was captured on camera using the debit card to make a purchase at the Sports Authority on Northern Boulevard near Newtown Road on June 3, authorities said. He used the same card to buy $120 worth of MetroCards and $25 worth of food from McDonalds, authorities said. Cops finally caught up with Ramos on Tuesday, and when questioned by investigators, he claimed he had found the card and confessed to using it, sources said. He was arrested and charged with grand larceny and identity theft, said a spokesman for DA Richard Brown.

IN BROOKLYN * Police are hunting for two crooks (above) wanted for a string of stick-ups at grocery stores in Sunset Park. The bandits, both believed to be in their 20s, first struck when they robbed at gunpoint a grocery store on Fourth Avenue near 23rd Street shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday, police said. The same crooks struck again Wednesday, this time targeting a grocery store on Third Avenue near 44th Street, police said. On Thursday at 5:30 p.m., they held up a grocery store on Fourth Avenue near 35th Street, police said.

* An argument boiled over into bloodshed yesterday as a man was shot dead outside a party in East New York, police said. Elias Ramirez, 23, had been arguing with another man outside a bash near his home at the Louis Pink Houses on Loring Avenue at 5 a.m. when the other man shot Ramirez twice in the chest, police said. The victim was taken to Brookdale Hospital where he died a short time later.

* A teen was gunned down in East Flatbush yesterday, authorities said. Christopher Torres, 19, was found by police slumped outside a building on Midwood Street near Flatbush Avenue, shortly after 12:30 a.m. yesterday, police said. He had been shot once in the chest. He died at Kings County Hospital.

LOS ANGELES. DEBBIE ROWE MICHAEL'S EX-WIFE HAS SOME PLANS. By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Romy Dussek Pop star Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe cast a shadow over the unveiling of plans on Friday for the King of Pop's memorial service next week, as a legal battle shapes up over custody of their kids. Rowe told a TV station on Thursday she wanted to care for her two children with Jackson, and a court hearing over guardianship temporarily awarded to Jackson's 79-year-old mother Katherine Jackson was delayed one week. But Rowe's attorney said his client's words were distorted in the interview and she "has not reached a final decision" about whether to battle her ex-husband's mother in court. An elaborate public memorial for Jackson, who died suddenly last week, will be held on Tuesday in Los Angeles, and about 11,000 tickets will be given away for the service at the 20,000-seat Staples Center. Concert promoter and Jackson backer AEG Live said in the service was set for 10 a.m. PDT (1700 GMT) at the rock concert and sporting venue in downtown Los Angeles, and that further details would be unveiled on Friday. Jackson's death on June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest at his rented Los Angeles mansion has prompted tributes from fans and musicians worldwide and sent many of his records back into the top of music charts. Meanwhile Rowe -- the mother of Jackson's two eldest children, Prince Michael Jackson Jr. 12, and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11 appeared to be setting the stage for a legal wrangle with Jackson's parents over their future. "I want my children," Rowe was quoted as telling NBC4 television in Los Angeles. But her lawyer, Eric George, told reporters on Thursday that Rowe was still considering her position. "I am representing to you now, Debbie has not reached a final decision concerning the pending custody proceedings," George said.

"I have no reason to doubt that what was reported from that conversation was accurately and ethically recorded, but that said, it would be a distortion of the truth to allow that single snapshot of a single conversation to stand as the truth of Debbie's position," he said. A court hearing on guardianship originally set for July 6, has been changed to July 13. Temporary guardianship was granted earlier this week to Jackson's 79-year-old mother, Katherine Jackson. A 2002 will signed by Jackson specifically cut Rowe out of his estate and asked that his mother take care of the children. Celebrity magazine People characterized the brewing legal dispute as a "fierce custody battle" and said Rowe spoke to her former attorney Iris Finsilver, who said of the conversation: "She is going to be pursuing custody of the children." Although details of Tuesday's memorial service have yet to be unveiled, Los Angeles media said Jackson's family may hold a service at the Forest Lawn Mortuary then motorcade to Staples Center.

NEW YORK.US MARSHALS SEIZED THE $7 MILLION MADOFF'S NY APARTMENT U.S. marshals seized the luxury $7 million New York City penthouse apartment of imprisoned fraudster Bernard Madoff. A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service said Mrs. Madoff was present when agents took possession of the four-bedroom apartment on Manhattan's East Side under court orders and then she left. It was not known where she would live and her lawyer could not be reached for comment. The financier Bernard Madoff, 71, was sentenced on Monday to an effective life term for Wall Street's biggest investment fraud of as much as $65 billion. He was arrested by the FBI last December and he pleaded guilty in March. U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Roland Ubaldo told reporters and photographers outside the building that marshals spent about three hours securing the premises. "Restitution for the victims is the government's top priority," the United States Marshal for the Southern District of New York Joseph Guccione, said in an emailed statement. "Ruth Madoff has vacated the residence and surrendered all saleable personal property within the residence to the United States Marshals Service." The Madoffs agreed with U.S. prosecutors to forfeit any claims to their assets, property and accounts with proceeds going to the thousands of investors defrauded in his worldwide scheme. Court documents said the apartment's contents include a Steinway piano valued at $39,000, clocks, lamps, lighting fixtures and sconces worth about $1.7 million; paintings, prints and photographs of $1.6 million and other valuables. Under an agreement with prosecutors made public on Friday night, Ruth Madoff, 68, agreed to forfeit any claims to $80 million in assets and was left with $2.5 million in cash. She also gave up rights to $2.6 million in jewelry, a mink coat appraised at $12,500 and a Russian sable worth $36,000. The deal includes the Manhattan apartment, an $11 million house in Palm Beach, Florida and a $3 million residence on New York's Long Island. The deal does not rule out future criminal charges or civil charges by regulators. U.S. District Judge Denny Chin handed Bernard Madoff a sentence of 150 years imprisonment on Monday at an emotional proceeding in Manhattan federal court attended by angry former customers whose trust he betrayed. Madoff was returned to a jail cell near the courthouse until the Federal Bureau of Prisons decides which prison he should be sent to. Madoff was also ordered to forfeit claims to $170 billion, the amount U.S. prosecutors said flowed through the principal Madoff account over the decades. The figure is symbolic because he is not believed to possess anywhere near that much in money or assets.

TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS. INTERIM GOVERNMENT WARNED ZELAYA. By Jerry Blumberg and Jacques Dusseck An interim government in Honduras warned ousted President Manuel Zelaya to stay away but indicated it could be more conciliatory in talks on Friday with the Organization of American States over the country's crisis. Roberto Micheletti, head of a caretaker leadership set up after an army coup, said he welcomed the chance to talk with OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza, who was expected to arrive in Honduras early on Friday with an ultimatum to reinstate Zelaya or be suspended from the regional body. Micheletti said he could be open to holding an early presidential election and even a plebiscite on bringing Zelaya back to serve the last few months of his term, if that would calm the global storm over his ouster. Insulza was cautious, however, telling reporters late on Thursday he doubted he could defuse the crisis in one visit. "I cannot say I am confident," he told reporters in Guyana. "I will do everything I can but I think it is very hard to turn things around in a couple of days." The OAS, which groups most countries in the Americas including the United States, is a mostly symbolic organization that promotes peace and justice but has limited powers. The new Honduran administration has so far rebuffed any attempt to bring back Zelaya, who was ousted in a dawn coup in a dispute over presidential term limits that has become Central America's biggest political crisis since the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. The hitherto bloodless overthrow in the impoverished coffee and textile exporting country of 7 million people has created a test for regional diplomacy and for U.S. commitment to shoring up democracy in Latin America. "For the peace and calm of the country I would prefer he (Zelaya) does not come in," Micheletti told Honduran radio on Thursday. "I do not want even one drop of blood spilled in this country," he said, adding that Venezuela's firebrand socialist President Hugo Chavez was steering Zelaya's moves. Earlier, Micheletti told reporters he would be "in total agreement" with bringing forward a November 29 presidential election. "I have no objection if it would be a way of resolving these problems," he said. A referendum on reinstating Zelaya to serve the rest of his term also was possible, he said, although it would be difficult to hold one immediately. Speaking from Venezuela, Chavez, who leads a group of leftist leaders opposed to U.S. influence in the region, said late on Thursday he was in contact with people inside Honduras and outside over the crisis to help "avoid a bloodbath." Zelaya had riled traditional political parties and business leaders with his growing alliance with Chavez. "We are in contact with people inside and in various parts of the world," said Chavez, a Cuba ally. "Of course one wants to do more but that country has its sovereignty and we have to respect it. We are not an interventionist country."

NEW YORK. 250 NEW NYPD POLICE OFFICERS IN THE STREETS. By Jerry Blumberg The newest class of city police officers are ready to hit the streets following a graduation ceremony Thursday at Madison Square Garden. The latest class of police academy graduates join the New York City Police Department at a time when crime continues to fall. The department says it's down 12 percent so far this year compared to last. But this latest class is the smallest in years so small, they graduated in Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theatre rather than in the main arena where the ceremony normally takes place. "We're just happy to have a class. I'd like to have more police officers on the street," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Budget cuts limited the class to just 256 new officers, compared to 1,136 in December. All the rookies will now take part in Operation Impact. Launched in 2003, the program calls for some graduates to start their careers patrolling one of 14 high-crime areas. It's been lauded as a critical piece to the city's crime fighting success in recent years. But with such a dropoff in graduates, City Councilman Peter Vallone, who chairs the public safety committee says Commissioner Kelly has a tough task ahead. "He either has to rely less on Operation Impact, end Operation Impact, or our local precincts will get no police officers. In any instance, it will have a huge affect on policing in New York City," said Vallone. While the number of officers in Operation Impact was roughly 2,400 in January, it's since dropped to 2,100. When asked Thursday, Commissioner Kelly dismissed speculations that the program might be in jeopardy. "No, we're committed to fielding a significant impact team and we're doing it now. We're going to continue to do that for the foreseeable future. We're doing that because it works," said Kelly. Maki Haberfeld, who teaches police studies at John Jay College in Manhattans, says fewer police officers doesn't have to mean a jump in crime rates. "It's how you deploy the 2,000 or however many you have and not necessarily how many," said Haberfeld. One bright spot from the grim economy shows fewer uniformed service members are retiring right now, which has helped cushion the blow to NYPD precinct staffing. With another very small class coming into the academy next week, and no new hires planned for 2010 absent federal stimulus money, it's unclear how long the current drop in crime will last.

ALBANY. GOVERNOR PATTERSON AND THE UNPAID SENATORS. Democratic and Republican senators laid out separate power-sharing plans at a closed-door meeting Thursday afternoon with the governor, who is now acting as a moderator between the two sides. State Senate leaders emerged from the meeting, hopeful that the three-and-a-half-week long stalemate will soon be resolved.

The State Senate's Fourth Of July Plans. Should the State Senate spend July 4th holding a special session in Albany? The Democrats submitted a short-term solution, while the Republicans gave Paterson a long-term remedy. Both parties will meet with Paterson again Friday to iron out details of a possible plan, and by the governor's orders will meet every day for special sessions through the Fourth of July holiday weekend, until July 6. "He is attempting to mediate so that we can move the process forward by getting some bills passed and restoring some confidence in the people around the state," said Democratic Queens Senator Malcolm Smith. "The best approach is a bottom-up approach, but we cannot miss any opportunity to reach an agreement," said Democratic Bronx Senator Pedro Espada Jr., who is currently siding with Republicans. Meantime, until a deal is reached the senators will be paying out of pocket for the governor-prescribed emergency sessions. Paterson asked State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to freeze the travel vouchers for all state senators and is working on putting a hold on their salaries. Saying that the State Senate's "stalemate is costing taxpayers across the state millions of dollars a day," State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said his office is withholding more than 250 vouchers, totaling $560,000, until the legislative body's power struggle can be resolved. The withheld payments include lawmakers' daily $160 travel vouchers for transportation, lodging and food. The comptroller also released a report that says the Senate's failure to act has cost the city $902 million in lost sales taxes and business taxes. Mayor Michael Bloomberg previously said the Senate's failure to vote on a half-percent tax increase is keeping as much as $60-million in revenue from the city. "What $60 million buys you is 500 or 600 police officers for a year. What $60 million buys you is all the support services for the 200 engines and 150 new ladders that the fire department has," said the mayor. DiNapoli also filed a lawsuit in the state supreme court that asks judges to "clarify the constitutional and statutory obligations surrounding this matter." Governor David Paterson has threatened every day since last Wednesday to withhold senators' pay. Not surprisingly, lawmakers are speaking out against the salary freeze. "I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but if this session ended on July 2, we would be working in the district offices, we answer letters, we read letters," said Democratic State Senator William Stachowski of Erie County. "So we have all this work we are supposed to be doing out of session. The fact that you are in session or not does not constitute if you are working or not. The reality is there is a lot more to our jobs than just being in session, the short number of days that we are in session each year." The Senate held their now-daily meeting at 3 p.m. and gaveled in and out without voting on any legislation. Also, Bronx Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. will not be in Albany on Sunday. "Sunday, I will be in my church; I will not be here," he said. "And if he wants to send the troopers to arrest me in my church, he can do that." It remains unknown at this point how much comp time senators will eventually have to give staffers to cover overtime. The stalemate began on June 8, when all 30 Republicans senators and two Democrats voted to oust Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. One of the rogue Democrats, State Senator Hiram Monserrate, then changed his allegiance to the Democrats. Meanwhile, the State Senate's inaction caused the mayor's control over city schools to expire at midnight Wednesday. The five borough presidents then went right to work yesterday and quickly appointed a new Board of Education that is stacked with members who are likely to back Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Members have already voted to retain Joel Klein as schools chancellor, picked a board president and passed a resolution urging the State Senate to move quickly to give control over city schools back to the mayor. The board will not be meeting again until September, in what critics say is a sign that the mayor and schools chancellor will have free reign to continue running schools.

NYPD REPORTS By Romy Dussek, Jerry Blumberg and Jimmy LIMAGES,

IN MANHHATAN * A would-be thief tried to swipe a cellphone from a man as they waited under an awning for the rain to subside in Chelsea, authorities said yesterday. Eric Acosta, 38, rifled through the man's pockets on West 14th Street at Eighth Avenue at around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, cops said. Acosta then shoved the man in an effort take his cell, causing both to fall to the ground, police said. The victim grabbed Acosta and held him while calling police. Acosta was arrested on a charge of attempted robbery, a DA's spokeswoman said.

* A shoplifter was nabbed by a security guard after she stole nearly $2,000 in clothing and shoes from a J.Crew store in SoHo, authorities said yesterday. Joan Lee, 49, allegedly grabbed the merchandise off racks and stuffed them into a shopping bag in the store on Prince Street near Greene Street at about 5 p.m. Sunday. The guard grabbed Lee, who was charged with burglary and grand larceny.

IN BROOKLYN * Two sushi-restaurant employees were arrested after they attacked each other with a salad strainer and tongs, authorities said yesterday. Bin Xiao, 36, got into an argument with Wen Li, 35, in the restaurant on Neptune Avenue near West Fifth Street at 3 p.m. Sunday, cops said. Li told cops Xiao hit him with the salad strainer; Xiao told cops Li struck him in the chest with salad tongs, so he retaliated by hitting Li with the strainer. Li fled, but returned Wednesday and threatened to sue Xiao if he didn't give him $10,000, police said. When Xiao refused, Li called 911. Both men ended up getting arrested on charges of assault and weapon possession.

* A car-service driver was arrested for jamming a baseball bat into the eye of a co-worker in Canarsie, authorities said yesterday. Winston Miller, 32, accused the victim of stealing his fares as they waited in their respective vans at a red light near Remsen Avenue and Avenue N at 10 a.m. on June 25, cops said. Miller allegedly said, "When you don't have passengers anymore, I'm going to get you." After they each drove a bit further and pulled over, Miller allegedly approached the victim's van with a metal bat. He then pushed the bat through a window and into the victim's eye, police said. Miller was busted Wednesday on an assault charge. The victim suffered a cracked facial bone.

IN QUEENS. * In Flushing , early this morning, July 3rd, a 41 years old man was killed by a driver who left the scene of the accident at Sanford Avenue and 149th Place. Police from the 109th Preccint are investigating the hit and run.

* Two baseball fans were arrested for pummeling a man during an argument over the Yankees and Mets outside Citi Field, authorities said yesterday. At around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Jeremy Knapp, 32, and Brian Russo, 31, accosted the man outside the stadium, where the Yankees had beaten the Mets 4-2, police said. The thugs allegedly punched the man in the face, causing minor bruises. Cops were called and arrested the suspects, who were charged with assault, said a spokeswoman for Queens DA Richard Brown. One of the busted men allegedly told cops, "It was just a stupid fight between Yankees and Mets fans that got out of hand."

* A thug was arrested for robbing a woman at knifepoint in Ridgewood, cops said yesterday. Jean Rivera, 17, confronted the woman at Flushing Avenue near Randolph Street at 3:35 a.m. Monday. Rivera allegedly said, "Give me your bag, bitch," then pulled a folding knife and added, "Hand over your bag and hurry up or I will slice you." The victim handed over her bag and Rivera fled, sources said. Police were called and arrested Rivera, who was charged with robbery, menacing, and weapon possession, Brown's spokeswoman said.

IN THE BRONX * An 18-year-old man was shot yesterday near a Bronx school. The victim was hit in the chest in front of 700 E. 179th St., near PS 92, at about 1:15 p.m. The East Tremont school was closed. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

IN STATEN ISLAND * A middle-aged man was arrested for molesting a 14-year-old girl in a St. George house, where he rented a room from the victim's mother, cops said yesterday. Dennis Scaife, 47, allegedly accosted the girl in the home on Sherman Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday. He fondled and kissed her, then threatened to hurt her if she told anyone, police said. Two days later, she told her mother, who called police. Scaife was busted on sexual abuse charges, a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan said.

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LOS ANGELES. MICHAEL JACKSON MAYBE BURIED IN L A. By Romy Dussek An effort to bury Michael Jackson at Neverland Ranch fizzled and it appears more likely a funeral and burial will take place in Los Angeles, according to a person familiar with the situation. Authorities in Santa Barbara County had been preparing for tens of thousands of fans to descend on the 2,500-acre ranch after media reports that a public viewing would take place later this week. A private memorial service for family and friends could take place at the ranch, most likely after the funeral. "The family is aware a Neverland burial is not possible. They are expected to make decisions about whatever funeral and memorial service" will take place, according to the source. Heavy construction equipment and workers were seen passing through the wrought-iron gates of Neverland on Tuesday. The property is about 120 miles northwest of Los Angeles. At once a symbol of Jackson's success and excesses, Neverland, the 2,500-acre property nestled in the hills of Santa Barbara County's wine country became the site of a makeshift memorial after his death Thursday. In his will Michael Jackson named Diana Ross as Back-up Guardian

ALBANY. THE STATE SENATE STILL NEGLETS LEGISLATION By Scott Strong and Jerry Blumberg For another day, the bitterly-divided State Senate was forced by Governor David Paterson to meet Wednesday afternoon for a brief, fruitless special session. Both Democrats and Republicans gaveled in together, but the feuding political parties gaveled out separately. Republican Senator Dean Skelos and Democratic Senator Pedro Espada Jr. held a "leaders' meeting" before the special session, but no other Democrats attended. Espada voted for GOP leadership during a June 8 coup that brought the Senate to a standstill. "We're prepared to negotiate a long term agreement in terms of how the Senate should operate from this day through the end of 2010," said Skelos. "Their problems are our problems because without their full empowered participation we cannot resolve the impasse," said Espada. Paterson has pledged to continue to call special sessions through July 6th and has told senators to plan on being in Albany for the long holiday weekend. "I think that there has to be a coequal power sharing agreement," Paterson said. "I honestly think that as I read through the other agreements around the country, somebody was in charge before there became a tie. Remember in the United States Senate the Republicans controlled the Senate until there was a tie. So it's not who was in control in the last second before there was a tie, it's that there is now a tie." Meanwhile, some lawmakers are hinting at a possible resolution to the ongoing power struggle. Queens Democrat Hiram Monserrate, whose defection last month swung power to Republicans, has once again set the Capitol rumor mill into overdrive with word he'll defect yet again to reelect Espada Jr.

When asked by about the possible move, Monserrate shrugged and said "You can list me down as a no comment." In a statement, he later added "My vote for temporary president of the senate -- whether for John Sampson, Pedro Espada or Eric Schneiderman -- will only be done in consultation with my Democratic colleagues." Throughout the day Tuesday, all 62 senators met for court-ordered special sessions, but Republicans and Democrats quickly gaveled in and gaveled out without acting on legislation. Earlier in the week, Democrats claimed to have passed more than 100 bills after Republican Queens Senator Frank Padavan walked through the chamber, which Democrats say gave them a temporary quorum. Padavan said he was simply on his way to get a drink and was not present for the session. Paterson took the senator's word and refused to sign the bills. Senators failed to pass several other expired laws, including $7.2 billion in federal stimulus funds for New York State and an increased city sales tax that Bloomberg claimed would have brought the city $60 million a month. The Senate also failed to renew mayoral control of city public schools, so the seven-year-old system expired at midnight Wednesday, leaving schools under the control of a newly-formed Board of Education

NEW YORK. BOARD OF ED ASKED STATE SENATE FOR MAYORAL CONTROL By Romy Dussek and Elizabeth Menos On the first day of summer school, the city's Board of Education met for the first time in seven years in Lower Manhattan, unanimously voted to retain Joel Klein as schools chancellor and all but one member voted for the immediate return of mayoral control of public schools. The Board of Education, made up of five members appointed by the five borough presidents and two members appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, took control of the public education system at midnight Wednesday, when the State Senate's failure to renew the law for mayoral control forced the seven-year-old system to expire. However, by a vote of 6-0 and one abstention, the board also urged the State Senate to immediately approve an extension for mayoral control. Board members noted that the State Assembly had already voted to renew the system. The mayor congratulated the board and the borough presidents for their actions today, but said the State Senate needs to take urgent action to renew mayoral control. "The Senate has through its inactions handed our city a current governing structure not too dissimilar from the governing structure of the Senate, one made up of multiple and conflicting lines of authority, certainly the flaw of gridlock," said the mayor. "The temporary school board has attempted to sidestep all those consequences. But as prudent as its actions today have been, bear this in mind. These are band-aids, not solutions.” Borough Presidents Helen Marshall of Queens, Marty Markowitz of Brooklyn and Ruben Diaz Jr. of the Bronx echoed the mayor's sentiments, saying that mayoral control should be preserved. "This was a place where none of is wanted to be," said Diaz. “This is the continuation of mayoral control within the confines of the reality of constituting a new Board of Education. That is the lens that we’re looking at,” said Stringer. The borough presidents gathered at 8 a.m. in Gracie Mansion and made their appointments in little more than an hour. The board includes three deputy mayors - Dennis Walcott, who was appointed by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, and Edward Skyler and Patricia Harris, who were appointed by the mayor. Three borough presidents appointed their own staff members. Scott Stringer of Manhattan appointed his general counsel Jimmy Yan, Marty Markowitz of Brooklyn appointed his chief of staff Carlo Scissura and James Molinaro of Staten Island appointed his first deputy borough president Edward Burke. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. appointed Dolores Fernandez, the former president of Hostos Community College, who then abstained from the vote on pressing for the renewal of mayoral control. Once the board assembled, Walcott was unanimously elected its president. After holding three votes, the board moved to adjourn until September 10. "Everybody was in the right spirit, came together," said Klein after the initial morning meeting. "We're all concerned about the schools, keeping them operating as effectively as we can. All the borough presidents pulled together and there was constructive engagement... making sure the work goes forward for the kids." Critics of mayoral control and Bloomberg said that the new board is exactly like the system is was supposed to replace. “This is a fraud, this is totally a sham step,” said Jane Hirschmann of Time Out From Testing. “This is exactly like the panel on education policy, the mayor has gotten the borough presidents to do his bidding, the is no transparency, we the stateholders are not the table. Parents need to be at the table. They are not meeting until September 10? Why, there’s no business to do over the summer?” The borough presidents said that they needed to preserve mayoral control to prevent chaos in the public school system. Asked this morning whether he would support Klein, Markowitz said, "I think there's no question that for the immediate future, for the stability and the continuity of the system, I don't see any other thing but to do that. We're hoping, of course, that this will be only a few weeks or a few days." Stringer and Marshall have expressed wishes to alter the structure of mayoral control in the future. However, the State Senate is still struggling over which political party has majority control, and is not likely to address the issue of mayoral control at this afternoon's special session. On Monday, the Senate's Democratic conference said that mayoral control was not a "noncontroversial issue" and therefore not a legislative priority. If the State Senate does not renew mayoral control by May, the elections will be held to fill 32 community boards that will in turn have great influence over the Board of Education.

STATEN ISLAND. 15 INJURED AS FERRY SLAMS INTO DOCK By Jacques Dusseck More than a dozen people were injured Wednesday evening after a Staten Island ferry encountered a "hard docking" at the St. George terminal. U.S. Coast Guard officials say the John J. Marchi lost power during its approach just after 7 p.m. and ran into the pier. A total of 15 people were transported to Richmond University Medical Center with minor injuries. The impact caused minor damage to the ferry's bridge deck and a handrail on the passenger walkway. The Department of Transportation says it appears the crew followed proper procedure. They are now being interviewed and will also undergo routine drug-and-alcohol tests. Fire department officials say between 750 and 800 passengers were onboard at the time. Ferry service has not been interrupted. The city currently runs nine vessels which carry commuters five miles between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan. In 2003, the Andrew J. Barberi crashed into a pier at full speed, killing 11 people. Assistant Captain Richard Smith was alone in the wheelhouse -- in violation of regulations -- when he blacked out. Investigators said he was suffering from extreme fatigue and was on painkillers at the time.

NYPD REPORTS By Romy Dussek, Jerry Blumberg and Jimmy LIMAGES,

IN BROOKLYN *A raging, foul-mouthed motorist threatened a fellow driver with Mace in Park Slope, authorities said yesterday. Michael Macneill, 43, went berserk when he got snarled in traffic and several drivers began honking their horns at Second Street and Fifth Avenue at 9:32 p.m. Tuesday, cops said. Macneill allegedly walked up to a Chevrolet Suburban and shouted at the man behind the wheel, "What are you in such a f--ing hurry for?" Macneill then allegedly pulled the can of Mace and spewed, "Yeah, tough guy, how about some of this?" The victim called 911 and Macneill was arrested, said a spokesman for DA Charles Hynes.

* A knife-wielder was busted yesterday for threatening a bouncer who wouldn't let him depart a Bensonhurst bar with an open container of beer, cops said. Jesus Esquivel, 42, argued with the bouncer at the saloon at 86th Street and Bay 35th Street at 4 a.m., sources said. Esquivel allegedly pulled a knife and threatened the bouncer, who managed to disarm him and call police.

IN MANHATTAN * Police grabbed an East Side serial groper who had assaulted four women within two hours, authorities said yesterday. Greg Poirier, 36, accosted the women on the street and in their apartment buildings in Murray Hill and Turtle Bay from 6:50 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. on May 13, a court complaint says. Surveillance tape caught Poirier in the act, which led to his arrest last Saturday, a DA spokeswoman said.

* A woman was busted after smashing a former roommate over the head with a laptop computer in the victim's Upper East Side apartment, cops said yesterday. Takaye Winters, 34, moved into the 24-year-old victim's apartment apparently against building regulations, but was asked to leave when the super learned of it, a source said. She returned to the apartment on East 67th Street near Second Avenue at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and got into an argument with the victim over a lamp, cops said. Winters allegedly flew into a rage and bashed the woman with the computer.

* A Hell's Kitchen resident was busted after taking a hammer to a neighbor who had complained to the victim about a water leak, police said yesterday. Vincent Darata, 45, clashed with the 34-year-old victim in the building on West 42nd Street near Eighth Avenue at 8:30 p.m. Friday, cops said. Darata was irritated because water was trickling into his apartment, sources said. The victim went to clean up the mess in Darata's apartment, but was hit in the shoulder by the hammer-wielding suspect, the sources said.

* A thief assaulted a woman and swiped her iPhone on the Upper West Side, police sources said yesterday. The unidentified man punched the 26-year-old woman in the face on West 84th Street near Broadway at 3:30 p.m. Monday, snatched her phone and fled. The victim suffered minor injuries.

* A female thug attacked a woman with a bottle in a Murray Hill barbecue joint, police sources said yesterday. The assailant smashed the 31-year-old woman in the face with the bottle and fled Brother Jimmy's on Lexington Avenue near East 31st Street at 1:30 a.m. Sunday. The victim suffered a forehead laceration.

IN QUEENS * A man was arrested in Rockaway Beach for smashing a champagne bottle against a police car, authorities said yesterday. Vaughn Martin, 32, allegedly picked up the bottle and threw it at the police car on Beach Channel Drive and 81st Street at 9 p.m. Saturday. The bottle shattered against the passenger-side door. Two patrol officers inside were not hurt, said a spokeswoman for DA Richard Brown.

IN STATEN ISLAND *A bone-headed motorist who forgot to turn on his headlights was busted in possession of 15 glassine envelopes of crack Tuesday night, authorities said yesterday. Police stopped Jason Gonzalez, 25, in a 2002 Mitsubishi at Tompkins Avenue and Broad Street at 9:45 p.m., cops said. An approaching officer saw Gonzalez shove a sandwich bag containing the contraband into the glove compartment, said a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

========= LOS ANGELES. MICHAEL JACKSON DEAD AT 50 YEARS OLD IN HIS HOME. By Jacques Dusseck Michael Jackson, whose rise to fame began some 40 years ago at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater, died Thursday afternoon after suffering an apparent heart attack in his Los Angeles home. He was rushed, unconscious, to UCLA Medical Center shortly before 12:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, where doctors tried for more than an hour to revive him, UCLA officials said in a statement read to reporters by Jackson's brother Jermaine Thursday night. His personal physician was with him at the time he was stricken, and paramedics tried to resuscitate him en route to the hospital, hospital officials said.

Jackson, who suffered a health setback last year, had been working diligently to get back in shape for a planned comeback tour next month. He reportedly passed a four-hour physical this spring. Hospital officials said they believed Jackson suffered cardiac arrest, but that the exact cause of his death wouldn't be determined until results of the autopsy are known. As the news spread Thursday afternoon, crowds congregated in front of the UCLA hospital awaiting word of the pop star's fate.

Jackson gained national attention as a youth in the 1960s, where he performed at the Apollo Theater as a member of The Jackson 5, in Harlem, NY. Fans gathered Thursday evening in front of the theater to remember the performer and play his music.The Reverend Al Sharpton, who said he was Jackson's friend for 35 years, spoke at a press conference outside the famous venue, recalling his friendship and spotlight-filled career. "Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama," said Sharpton. "Michael did with music what they later did in sports and in politics and in television. And no controversy will erase the historic impact." Sharpton said he plans to reach out to the Jackson family to see if they would agree to hold a funeral service at the Apollo, similar to one held for the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, in 2006.

NEW YORK. BERNARD MADOFF SENTENCED TO 150 YEARS. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong Really, people are too busy with the sudden death of Michael Jackson and the problems at the New York State Senate to pay attention to the sentencing of Bernard Madoff with all of his cronies and clients who lost their money while they were looking for profits from their incredible investments. Some of them did profit from the scheme. The next step is for the federal Bureau of Prisons to decide in the coming weeks where Madoff will spend the rest of his life. The 71-year-old disgraced financier was sentenced to 150 years in prison, meaning he could end up at one of two maximum security prisons in Pennsylvania. In court yesterday, Madoff apologized to the victims of his multi-billion-dollar fraud. Judge Denny Chin called Madoff's crimes "staggering" before imposing the maximum sentence. His wife Ruth Madoff, who was not in court for the sentencing, said in a statement that like everyone else she "feels betrayed and confused." She said, "The man who committed this horrible fraud is not the man whom I have known for all these years." Madoff has also been ordered to give up $171 billion in proceeds and property.

ALBANY, NY. JUDGE ORDERS SENATE TO WORK. REPUBLICANS WILL APPEAL. By Jerry Brown and Yebhe Diallo. A judge ruled Monday that all 62 New York State senators must attend a session together Tuesday in the Senate chamber, siding with the governor's attempt to end the political stalemate which has crippled Albany for the past three weeks. However, State Supreme Court Judge Joseph Teresi's ruling does not say that anything needs to be accomplished in the session. Republicans say they will appeal the ruling and ask for a stay to postpone the planned 10 a.m. session. Governor David Paterson brought the suit against the Senate, claiming that the special sessions being held on his orders were not valid under state law, since all 62 senators have not convened at the same time. "Having sessions as separate groups is a fiction, an illusion," said the judge. "Each senator who is in violation of the order to come to the special session has violated his or her Oath of Office that they swore to under the Constitution," said the governor at a press conference today following the ruling. "There are extraordinary issues that need to be addressed soon." The governor emphasized that it is time for lawmakers to get back to business and urged residents to call their senators and demand that action is taken on vital legislation. "I say this to the people of New York: this is your government and you own and control this government," Paterson said. There are also questions over the legality of the sessions because the State Assembly has not been present. Democrats and Republicans have taken the Senate floor separately for six special sessions, but have only gaveled in and gaveled out without acting on any legislation. The governor met with Democrats during a closed-door session Sunday night, but said the meeting did not result in a solution to the power-sharing struggle that has lasted since the June 8 vote to overthrow Senator Malcolm Smith as majority leader. Republicans and Democrats previously sued over the contested vote but a state judge refused to rule on the matter and asked legislators to settle the matter among themselves. The governor says he will continue calling senators back into special sessions until they tackle important legislation still on the table, including mayoral control of city public schools. Mayoral control of the city's public school system may expire Wednesday, as a group of Democratic state senators proposed today that the divided legislative body only meet to vote on "noncontroversial" bills. Claiming that they want to set aside questions of leadership questions until next month, the group of Democrats said they wanted the divided State Senate to meet at noon Tuesday to vote on nine bills that would provide the state with $7.2 billion in federal and stimulus spending. They also proposed that the Senate meeting have rotating leadership. "It's not about June 8, it's about June 30. That's what's important," said Democratic State Senator John Sampson, citing first the date that 30 Republicans and two Democrats voted to change the Senate's leadership, and then the deadline of action for many Senate bills. "The Republican Party is completely fixated on nothing other than controlling the State Senate," said Democratic State Senator Malcolm Smith. "They want to control the presidency and the majority leadership of the Senate, but yet they want to call that a coalition. We think that's unacceptable and it's also not true." "Enough is enough. Let's get back to work," said Bronx Senator Jeffrey Klein. "We need to stop arguing about who's in charge. What we need to do is do legislation we can all agree upon." Republicans offered their own power-sharing agreement, and say it's the Democrats who will not come to the table. They argue anything short of a long-term solution will breed continued gridlock. "If three weeks isn't enough to resolve an equal-sharing arrangement that's permanent from now until the end of next year, when there will be a new elected legislative body, then I don't know how much time you really need," said Republican State Senator John DeFrancisco. The nine bills proposed by the Democrats concern health care, child care, jobs and education. The controversial bill for gay marriage was not mentioned in Monday's Democratic press conference. Unless mayoral control is renewed by midnight Tuesday, the city will revert to the disbanded Board of Education system. Both Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned that inaction would be devastating. "Summer school starts July 1st and July 1st those kids that have to go to summer school are kids who really need more help, not less," said the mayor. Opponents of mayoral control say the system does not give parents with enough input. The State Assembly passed a version of mayoral control earlier this month that the mayor says does give parents a greater role.

NYPD REPORTS By Romy Dussek, Diarraye Nkazen and David Nkazen

IN MANHATTAN *A visitor from South Dakota was pummeled in the West Village by a stranger who wanted to "kill him," on Monday night.. "I did knock that motherf - - er out," said suspect Miguel Miranda, 44, of Brooklyn as he arrived at the Sixth Precinct station house shortly after the alleged assault at 3 a.m. Saturday. "I should have killed him." Miranda allegedly approached the 32-year-old victim as the man walked with a friend on Christopher Street near Seventh Avenue South and punched him in the face. The victim suffered cuts to his face and was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital for treatment. Miranda was charged with assault.

* Authorities are investigating a New Jersey woman's claim that she was fondled by a livery driver she hailed in the West Village. The 40-year-old victim was waiting for a cab at Hudson and Morton streets last Thursday at 5 p.m. when a Lincoln Town Car pulled up and the driver offered her a ride to Penn Station for $12. Once she got inside, he allegedly groped her. The victim got out at 30th Street and Eighth Avenue and later reported the incident to cops. She described the suspect as an Asian man in his 40s.

* A thug coldcocked a Massachusetts man on an Upper East Side street, officials said yesterday.The attacker set upon the 36-year-old victim early Saturday morning on East 85th Street at East End Avenue and yelled, "F - - you, faggot" before punching him in the face. The victim suffered a 3-inch cut to his head after falling, and was hospitalized.

* A West Village man who tried to confront another man who was urinating in public got punched in the face for his trouble. After the two began to fight just before midnight Friday on Christopher Street at Hudson Street, the suspect clocked the 62-year-old victim, who was unable to provide a description of the attacker.

IN BROOKLYN * A pistol-packing thug fired several rounds at a car in East Flatbush after a man inside said the gunman had an "ugly face," police said yesterday. When the 24-year-old "victim" and his pals pulled up to a red light at East 21st Street and Dorchester Road early Sunday morning, the suspect, Gemayel James, 26, said, "What are you looking at?" The man snapped back, "Your ugly face." James allegedly fired off four rounds, hitting the car. The driver sped off through a red light and was pulled over by a nearby cop. When he explained what had happened, James was cuffed and charged with attempted assault and reckless endangerment, sources said.

* A couple was busted for beating a man and smashing his car after he bumped into them at a Bushwick restaurant, sources said. The victim made incidental contact with Verona Lemogene, 34, as she stood in the entrance to the eatery on Broadway at Halsey Street just after 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Lemogene and her common-law husband, Edwin Bernard, 57, allegedly began whaling on the man. At one point, Lemogene grabbed a car anti-theft device and whacked the victims' car, causing $200 in damage to the headlight. She and Bernard were charged with assault, menacing and harassment, sources said.

IN BROOKLYN * An unlicensed driver was nabbed for DWI after he fell asleep at the Verrazano Bridge tollbooth, sources said yesterday. An officer roused the drowsy Charles Watts, 32, of Queens, as he sat in his 1999 Lincoln Navigator just after midnight on Saturday. Investigators allegedly found his blood-alcohol level to be .098 percent, over the legal limit. Watts was charged with DWI and driving without a license, according to a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

* A Brooklyn teen was nabbed for swiping a portable video game system from a stranger at a Rosebank taco joint, authorities said yesterday. Shateek Roberts, 18, allegedly grabbed the Nintendo DS Lite from the 14-year-old victim on Sunday afternoon at Yummy Taco on Bay Street. Several witnesses gave chase and nabbed the suspect, who ditched the game system, nearby. Roberts was charged with grand larceny and petit larceny.

* An undercover cop busted a pill pusher in New Dorp, officials said yesterday Susan Comery, 59, got into a car with the officer last month on Cedar Grove Court near Topping Street. Sources said she handed him a bag of 17 Xanax pills in exchange for $100. Comery was hit with a slew of drug raps, the DA's spokesman said

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FARRAH FAWCETT DIES AT 62 YEARS OLD. By Romy Dussek Farrah Fawcett, the "Charlie's Angels" star who became a poster girl for the 1970s generation, died at age 62 Thursday after a prolonged battle with cancer. Farrah Fawcett, the poster girl for a generation, was catapulted to TV stardom on the series "Charlie's Angels," and her unique hairstyle was copied by countless women in the 1970s. Around the time that "Charlie's Angels" made its debut in 1976, Fawcett, sporting a red swimsuit and a toothy smile, was featured on a poster that went on to become one of the biggest sellers of all time. For a time she was a sex symbol, but Fawcett quickly grew tired of appearing in the campy action TV series, so she dumped out of her contract early and decided that she wanted to be taken seriously as an actress. Fawcett achieved that goal by appearing off-Broadway in the play "Extremities," where she played a rape victim who turns the tables on her attacker. She later starred in the 1986 movie version. She also received critical praise for her role as a battered wife in the TV movie "The Burning Bed," which was based on a true story. Fawcett was married to fellow actor Lee Majors, who was instrumental in launching her career. They eventually divorced and Fawcett got involved with another popular actor, Ryan O' Neal, who became her longtime partner. In 1997 she appeared on "The Late Show With David Letterman," and her partly-incoherent ramblings left some to speculate that she was on drugs. Fawcett denied the allegations, claiming that she was simply nervous, but the incident became front-page tabloid news. Despite the negative press, she continued to act and earned good notices for her work. She was chosen by director Robert Altman to appear in his film "Dr. T And The Women," and she turned in a solid performance. In recent years, she was diagnosed with anal cancer and went public with her battle against the disease. But ultimately Fawcett earned pop culture immortality for the unforgettable poster and her role in "Charlie's Angels."

ALBANY. STATE SENATORS AGREE TO SPECIAL SESSION By David Nzaken and Debhe Diallo. Following a legal threat Wednesday by Governor David Paterson, state senators from both sides of the political aisle have agreed to be on hand this afternoon when they convene for yet another special session inside the State Capitol. Paterson said if by Wednesday evening he did not receive the senators' promises to attend Thursday's special session of the State Senate, he would be in court at 9 a.m. to ask for a court order compelling the lawmakers to arrive. Such a measure could by enforced by state police. The governor also said he would order the State Treasury to withhold the salaries earned by the senators since June 8, when a Republican-led coalition voted to oust Democratic leadership and brought the state lawmaking process to a halt. The governor's attempt to dock pay, however, falls short since lawmakers have already received checks for their most recent pay period. Their next pay day isn't until July 8th. Earlier in the day, Republicans boycotted the Senate session and some Democrats said they were returning home Wednesday night from Albany. "I think the people have had enough. I know I have," said the governor. "And so, what we are simply going to do here is to compel them to work, which is what they swore on their oaths that they would do for the people of the State of New York. And so senators, get to work tomorrow. You're not going home, you're not getting paid, and you're not going to disrespect the people of the State of New York any longer." At a news conference ahead of the planned 3 p.m. session Wednesday, Republican leaders said they believe binding arbitration may be needed to solve the power dispute. The governor, however, said he could "care less about the leadership of the Senate," and said that arbitration would further delay action before major legislative deadlines. "This is the group that can't agree on who the arbitrators would be for two weeks," said Paterson. "So combining arbitration, they suggested one from each side and then a third arbitrator they would mutually agree on. How long will that take?" Paterson says he will keep the senators in Albany until they settle their leadership dispute. He says the senators need to be punished and should have to stay in Albany every day, including weekends and holidays. Republican leaders argued that outside arbitration is a necessary step before the Senate can reconvene. "I don't want to participate in another day of that kind of embarrassment to the institution and all 62 senators," said Democratic State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., a member of the Republican coalition. "We really want to go in and do real business. The question is does it really count for anything other than the circus atmosphere that has been created by our Senate Democratic colleagues." They said they would follow whatever the outside arbitrators decide. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he supports the use of arbitrators. "Binding arbitration is something we can support to get us to finish the work that needs to get done before July 1," said Bloomberg spokesman Matthew Gorton in reference to mayoral control of schools, which expires June 30. On Tuesday, both parties refused to work with each other and essentially held their own separate sessions on opposite sides of the chamber. There were two presiding officers, two podiums, and two sets of bills being voted on. Republicans created their own podium in the middle of the floor and passed a number of bills. "That was not a legitimate session," said Democratic State Senator Malcolm Smith. "There were no jackets to the bills. There was no journal clerk here. There was no stenographer. They were going through a mock session, kind of what we did earlier today, getting prepared for this." "The governor was very clear that he had sent the bills to Minority Leader Malcolm Smith to review," countered Republican State Senator Dean Skelos. "And I guess, through the secretary of the Senate, they refused to acknowledge that the governor had actually sent them. And that's very disappointing."

The governor said Wednesday that he would not sign any of the bills that were independently voted on. Both Paterson and his counsel insisted that the governor has a right in the state constitution to call separate special sessions of the State Senate. "At this point, when we haven't had sufficient time to analyze and look at the tape, read the transcripts and to make some determination as to whether is has the color of validity, we haven't had a chance to do that yet," said Peter Kiernan, counsel to the governor. "But if it creates a lot of legal ambivalence and ambiguity, were the governor were to sign those and to call those laws, I think we would have litigation, and we might have chaos and that's not our intention." In another escalation of conflict, Republicans took Democrats to court Wednesday, charging that they were treated unfairly by the party during Tuesday's session. Democrats shut off the lights and microphones. Meanwhile, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani offered up some advice to lawmakers during an interview on "Road to City Hall" Wednesday. Giuliani is calling for a state constitutional convention to smooth out procedural issues like replacing the Lieutenant Governor. "This is a proposal I would have made whether the question of running for governor was out there, it wasn't out there. It's something that should be done," said Giuliani. "It is true that the impasse that has taken place and the embarrassment for the state is the proximate motivation for it, but this is something that should have been done ten years ago."

Giuliani said his proposal, detailed in Wednesday's Op/Ed section of the New York Times, does not mean he's trying to run for governor. The former mayor also said his input is not a partisan criticism and that there is enough blame for all to share. In the article, Giuliani called for a range of other reforms including budget restrictions, term limits for state officials and more checks on tax increases.

ALBANY. TUESDAY, IN STATE SENATE, OTHER SETBACK FOR GOVERNOR. By Diaraye Nkazen and Romy Dussek A special legislative session called by Governor David Paterson hit yet another political setback Tuesday as both Republicans and Democrats held their own separate proceedings inside the chamber. Earlier in the day, the Democratic presiding officer could be seen standing at the main podium, as Republicans created their own podium in the middle of the floor and passed a number of bills, a move Democrats say does not constitute a real session. "That was not a legitimate session. There were no jackets to the bills. There was no journal clerk here. There was no stenographer. They were going through a mock session, kind of what we did earlier today, getting prepared for this," said State Senator Malcolm Smith. "They come in here and just do political theater. Why didn't you guys stop it? Because we were just here, preparing for this extraordinary session, waiting for the extraordinary bills that have not yet shown up," said State Senator Bill Stachowski. Adding to the delay in proceedings in the State Senate are the actual bills. Since the Senate has been called in for a special session, the bills have to be renumbered and reprinted -- a mistake Senate Democrats say is the result of an oversight by the governor's office. More than a dozen Democratic State Senators unexpectedly took over the chamber hours before the special session was due to start Tuesday, beating out the Republicans who had announced their plans to arrive early. Negotiations earlier in the morning reportedly failed and left both sides pointing fingers at each other. Senator Pedro Espada Jr., who helped Republicans stage their political coup on June 8th, released a statement saying, "Senate Democrat leaders are refusing to negotiate reforms that would allow our session to proceed today and beyond. We are trying to negotiate a bipartisan governing agreement so we can go forward and get the members of the Senate Democrat conference in the Chamber, and get the people's business done." Meanwhile, Governor Paterson says he'll keep calling the Senators back every day, including weekends and holidays, until they deal with legislation such as mayoral control of schools and the city's request to raise its sales tax. The regular session ended Monday with no resolution to the power struggle that began when Democrats Pedro Espada Junior and Hiram Monserrate voted with the GOP to oust the Democratic leadership. Monserrate has since gone back to the Democrats, creating a deadlock. The governor refused a request by State Senators to delay Tuesday's special session so they could keep working on a power-sharing deal. "The people's business has been delayed long enough," said the governor. "We have to get back to completing this session's agenda, and it's important for us to continue and finish that job." Even though senators are required to attend the special session, the governor cannot force them to vote. State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo also weighed in on the turmoil Tuesday, saying the people of New York are counting on the senators to vote on key issues that can't be put off. "My advice to them is very simple: put your political business aside and do the people's business, period," said Cuomo. "That's what this is all about, people have very real problems as we see today, and the people's business comes first and I hope they put everything else aside and focus on the people's business." Cuomo says the State Senate should work as though there's a 50/50 split among Democrats and Republicans. He adds that other governments find ways to work effectively when they're evenly divided. The dispute in Albany could heat up even more on Wednesday when, under Governor Paterson's orders, lawmakers will have to consider the highly debated issue of same-sex marriage.

NEW YORK. BOARD APPROVED RENT GUIDELINES By Yebhe Diallo and Jacques Dusseck Tenants of the city's one-million rent stabilized apartments will be paying more, after the Rent Guidelines Board approved a hike during its final vote Tuesday night. The increase for one-year lease renewals in buildings that provide heat will now go up three percent, while two-year renewals will go up six percent. For tenants who have lived in their building for six or more years, the increase will be either $30 or $60, whichever is more. One-year lease renewals in buildings that do not provide heat will go up 2.5 percent, while two-year renewals will go up five percent. For tenants who have lived in their building for six or more years, the increase will be either $25 or $50, whichever is more. Tenant advocates had been pressuring Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who appoints members to the board, to ask for a rent freeze, citing the economic crisis. "It's true that taxes have gone up; however it's also true that the rent increases that the Rent Guidelines Board passes are passed every year," said tenant advocate Marina Metalio. "And, as I mentioned, they've never had a freeze, no matter what have happened with the landlord costs." Landlords say they need the rent hikes to cover increased property taxes. "Double-digit increases for the last three years alone, it's been a tremendous burden on the building owners' back," said Frank Ricci of the Rent Stabilization Association. "And they need some ability to recoup some of that, which is why we're hoping for a higher rent increase this year." The new rent hikes will take effect for lease renewals starting October 1st.

NEW YORK. 15 YEARS FOR SUBWAY CONDUCTOR IN FATAL STABBING. By Yebhe Diallo. Maurice Parks, a veteran mass transit conductor who fought back after getting mugged is sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the stabbing death of an apparent good Samaritan in Manhattan. Parks was convicted last month of second-degree murder in the death of Flonarza Byas in Harlem on January 10, 2008. Prosecutors say Parks chased down Byas and stabbed him 15 times after he mistakenly thought Byas was part of the group that attacked him. But Parks' lawyer argued he thought he was acting in self-defense against one of the attackers and did not mean to commit a crime.

NYPD REPORTS By Yebhe Diallo and David Nkazen June 24, 2009 IN MANHATTAN *A boxcutter-wielding mugger didn't get far in the West Village, police sources said Tuesday Rinaldo Colon, 37, confronted a 21-year-old out-of-town visitor at Gay Street and Waverly Place at 2:50 a.m. Sunday, cops said.The victim resisted, and Colon allegedly pulled a box-cutter and swiped a wallet and a camera. A patrol cop saw Colon fleeing on foot and nabbed him after a brief chase, cops said. The victim was not injured.

*A Staten Island man was arrested in an attempted West Village street robbery, police sources said. Andrew Alexander, 24, of Stapleton, approached the 41-year-old man, threatened him and demanded the bag he was carrying at Christopher and Hudson streets at 4:15 a.m. Sunday. Police quickly apprehended Alexander, sources said.

*A woman about to emerge from a taxi suffered a hand injury when her purse was snatched in Greenwich Village, police sources said. The 24-year-old victim was about to get out of the cab at Thompson and West Houston streets at 3:30 a.m. Saturday, cops said.

*An unidentified man pulled open the door, jerked the woman out and snatched her purse, the sources said. The thief then jumped into the cab, which sped away.Sources said the woman was intoxicated and could not identify the robber or cabby.

*A pervert with a large stash of drugs beat and fondled two women in Midtown, authorities said yesterday. Wilkens Adonis, 24, allegedly grabbed the crotch of one victim at East 42nd Street and First Avenue at 9 p.m. Friday, cops said. He then allegedly struck her in the face, and squeezed the buttocks of the other victim. Responding cops witnessed Adonis tossing away 74 Xanax pills and a bag of crack, authorities said, and arrested him. He was charged with drug possession, assault and sexual abuse, a DA spokeswoman said.

IN STATEN ISLAND *A man assaulted his wife with a baseball bat in their Mariners Harbor home, authorities said yesterday. Pablo Ortiz-Aguilar, 35, allegedly attacked his spouse in their home on Netherland Avenue near Harbor Road at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Ortiz-Aguilar punched her several times in the face and struck her with the bat, cops said. The victim called 911 and Ortiz-Aguilar was arrested, said a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan. The victim was treated for bruises at Richmond University Medical Center.

IN QUEENS *A man was arrested for throwing a brick through the window of a female acquaintance's Woodside apartment, authorities said yesterday. Marcello Depaula, 40, allegedly tossed the brick into her bedroom on Northern Boulevard near 60th Street, and was caught nearby, a spokeswoman for DA Richard Brown said. The brick thrower and the woman who was not injured are acquainted, authorities said.

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ALBANY. SPECIAL SESSION OF STATE SENATE TO BEGIN TODAY. By David Nkazen and Yebhe Diallo Governor David Paterson is ordering the State Senate to convene for a special session at 3p.m. to try to break the leadership stalemate that's paralyzed the chamber for more than two weeks. However, Republicans have called their own session to begin an hour earlier.The move will give the GOP control of the chamber before Democrats arrive for the governor's session. The regular session ended yesterday with no resolution to the power struggle that began June 8th, when Democrats Pedro Espada Junior and Hiram Monserrate voted with the GOP to oust the Democratic leadership. Monserrate has since gone back to the Democrats, creating a deadlock. The governor refused a request by State Senators to delay today's special session so they could keep working on a power-sharing deal. Paterson says he'll keep calling them back every day, including weekends and holidays, until they deal with legislation such as mayoral control of schools and the city's request to raise its sales tax. "The people's business has been delayed long enough," said the governor. We have to get back to completing this session's agenda, and it's important for us to continue and finish that job." Even though senators are required to attend the special session, the governor cannot force them to vote.

TRAIN HORROR IN THE DISTRICT OF COLOMBIA. By Diaraye Nzaken and Jacques Dusseck

The accident in Monday's rush hour on the Red Line of the Metro system was the worst in the 33-year history of the subway system in the nation's capital. District of Columbia officials have lowered the number of fatalities in Monday's subway system accident to seven, instead of the nine reported earlier.Mayor Adrian Fenty said officials are "going to let the investigation run its course" and said that hopefully the number will not exceed seven by the end of the day. Fenty also said that two in the accident remain in critical condition in area hospitals. He said he has been told that their condions are stable. One of the dead was Jeanice McMillan, the operator of the train that rear-ended another stopped in front of it just outside the Fort Totten station on the Red Line in northeast Washington. The impact was so powerful that the trailing train was left atop the train it struck. Of those injured, at least six were in critical condition. Firefighters had to use heavy rescue equipment to cut open the cars to reach people trapped inside. A Metro source said McMillan was relatively inexperienced, ranking 18th from the bottom on the seniority list of 523 train operators. Tom Baker, 47, was in the first car of the train which rear-ended the stopped train. "You could hear all this crashing and glass breaking," Baker said. "I didn't hear any brakes at all." He said he couldn't gauge how fast the train was moving, but said it was traveling at moderate speed. He saw the train lift into the air, he said. President Obama sent his condolences to the victims of the crash. "Michelle and I were saddened by the terrible accident in Northeast Washington, D.C., today," Obama said in a statement issued last night. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy."

NYPD REPORTS By Yebhe Diallo and Diaraye Nkazen

IN MANHATTAN *A prowler swiped two computers from a Hell's Kitchen apartment after slipping in through a back door, police sources said yesterday. The thief made off with a laptop and desktop from the apartment on Ninth Avenue near West 48th Street at about 5 p.m. on June 12.

* A Queens man was mugged at knifepoint near Times Square, police sources said yesterday. The 21-year-old victim was hanging out on Broadway near West 41st Street at 3:15 a.m. last Thursday when a thug accosted him and demanded cash. The victim handed over $40 and the robber fled.

* A burglar stole jewelry and electronic equipment from a woman's TriBeCa apartment, police sources said yesterday.The bandit entered through the front door of the building on Worth Street near Broadway at 8:30 p.m. last Wednesday. He snatched a MacBook, Van Cleef gold necklace and a jewelry box.

* A teenage burglar was busted after he left his DNA-laden jacket on a fire escape when he fled from a woman's Hell's Kitchen apartment, authorities said yesterday. Luis Vurgo, 17, broke into the apartment on West 44th Street near Eighth Avenue at 6:50 a.m. on May 28, cops said. After allegedly taking cash, he ran into the tenant and scurried out onto the fire escape. As he fled down the ladder, he left his gray and blue jacket behind, sources said. Police recovered his DNA from the jacket and matched it to his profile on record. A spokeswoman for the Manhattan DA's Office said Vurgo was arrested on June 17 and charged with burglary.

* A thief stole a man's iPhone as the victim strolled through Greenwich Village, police sources said yesterday.The 57-year-old victim, who lives on the Upper East Side, was texting as he walked on Fifth Avenue near East 12th Street at 7:30 p.m. on June 19. The crook approached him and threatened, "Let go or I'll cut you," then swiped the pricey gadget and fled.

* Two thugs were arrested for choking and robbing a man in Central Park, police sources said yesterday.The 52-year-old victim was walking near West Drive and the 102nd Street Transverse at 7:30 p.m. Sunday when the suspects, Fredrick Wright, 44, and Rudolph Lang, 40, confronted him and Wright put the victim in a chokehold, cops said. The victim fell to the ground and Lang allegedly snatched his wallet. Both suspects fled, but were soon nabbed and charged with robbery. The victim suffered minor injuries.

IN STATEN ISLAND *A razor-wielding thug attacked two men outside the West Brighton Houses, authorities said yesterday. Virgil Williams, 24, got into a fight with the victims just after 6 p.m. Friday, cops said. He slashed one of the men in the face and neck, then punched the other. Responding cops arrested Williams, who was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon, said a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

* A two-month police investigation has led to the arrest of a heroin dealer in Eltingville, authorities said yesterday. Police executed a search warrant at a home on Winchester Avenue near Tennyson Drive at 7:15 p.m. Friday, and found Corinne Igneri, 27, in the upstairs bathroom dumping her heroin supply in the sink, authorities said. Police recovered eight glassine envelopes and two spoons, all containing heroin residue.Igneri was charged with sale of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence, Donovan's spokesman said.

IN BROOKLYN *A teenager landed behind bars after he bashed a $3,500 computer during an argument over a bill at an IHOP restaurant, authorities said yesterday. Queon Burke, 18, clashed with a group of patrons in the restaurant on Livingston and Bond streets in Downtown Brooklyn at 5:10 a.m. Saturday, cops said.Suddenly, Burke slammed his fist into the restaurant's computer, breaking it, authorities said. A manager called 911 and Burke was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.

* A motorist was arrested for beating a woman during a road-rage incident in Canarsie, authorities said yesterday. Kevin Patrick, 31, was driving on East 83rd Street near Foster Avenue at 9:40 p.m. Sunday when he was cut off by a car in which the 21-year-old woman was a passenger, cops said.The two cars stopped at a red light and the occupants got out, sparking a nasty confrontation. Patrick began yelling at the woman's boyfriend, who was the driver of the other car. When the woman came to her boyfriend's aid, Patrick allegedly punched her in the mouth, causing a lip laceration. Police were called and arrested Patrick, who was charged with assault.

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ALBANY. GOVERNOR PATTERSON CALLS FOR SPECIAL SENATE SESSION. By Yebhe Diallo and Jacques Dusseck Governor David Paterson has called for a special session this week in an effort to break the political stalemate that has prevented the State Senate from voting on key legislation. The special session will begin Tuesday, and could last for several days. The 2009 legislative session was scheduled to end this Monday. During a press conference Sunday, Paterson said he will keep members of the State Senate in Albany to take up time-sensitive legislation, including mayoral control of city schools and a half percent sales tax increase. "Over the last couple of weeks, the senator's conduct has been laughable, but what's going around here these days is no joke and I don't find it funny," said Paterson. "To the senators, I tell you, you have inconvenienced the lives of all New Yorkers for a couple of weeks and now you will come back to work and do the people's business." Under state law, the governor has the power to call for a special session, but has no authority to force a debate or vote on the Senate floor. On Saturday, Paterson announced that he appointed two former state lawmakers to mediate the State Senate's power dispute, hours after the Democratic state senators proposed bipartisan rule over the Senate. Former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Stan Lundine and former State Senator John Dunne will now mediate the State Senate's struggle over which political party has majority control. Lundine served as lieutenant governor under Mario Cuomo and was a former congressman, while Dunne served in the State Senate from 1966 to 1989 and served time as deputy majority leader. Paterson has also said Chief Judge Jonathan Lippmann has agreed to preside over a special session if the mediation doesn't work. The chaos in Albany started back on June 8th when Senator Pedro Espada Jr. and fellow Democrat Hiram Monserrate voted with Republicans to give the GOP a majority. Since then, Monserrate has gone back to the Democrats, placing the State Senate in a 31-to-31 deadlock. Meanwhile, both Espada and Republican leader Dean Skelos say they're willing to convene a session every day to pass priority legislation. Since they claim their coalition is in power, they say they're not bound by the previous senate calendar, which would eliminate the need for a special session. In a released statement, Espada said, "What we do need is all 62 Senators to show up for work, starting Monday morning, and remain in Albany as long as it takes to address, debate and vote on important legislation."

BROOKLYN. FOUR PEOPLE INJURED IN FOUR-STORY BUILDING COLLAPSE. By Diaraye Nzaken and David Nzaken Four people suffered minor injuries Sunday afternoon when a four-story residential and commercial building collapsed in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn. Fire officials say several people were inside the building at 493 Myrtle Avenue when it started to come down around 2 p.m. Officials at the scene say the building's five tenants made it out safely. Crews are now working to remove debris from the site to make sure no one was trapped. There was a construction crew that had been working on the building. It is still unclear how this may have played into the collapse. "It appears at this time that there were some structural issues with the building as you can see by the scaffolding that is adjacent to the building that you can see in the collapse site. But we are still in discussions with the DOB to figure out what those structural issues were," said FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief John Sudnik. A little girl was one of the four people injured in the collapse. Fire officials say all of the injuries were minor and that only one person required hospital treatment. Authorities have evacuated Myrtle Avenue between Ryerson Street and Hall Street while the Department of Buildings conducts an inspection of nearby structures.

MANHATTAN. PROTEST BY IRANIAN OUTSIDE THE UNITED NATIONS. By Scott Strong and Jacques Dusseck Hundreds of protestors rallied outside the United Nations Saturday calling for an end to the violence in Iran. Protestors wore green, the color of Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign and black, to mourn those killed in the protests. They also called on the UN to not recognize the election results. "People are asking for peace in Iran. They're speaking up, they're dying, they're shedding blood for it. So we're asking the UN to not to recognize Ahmadinejad as a representative of Iran." "People want their votes. Everyone with a sound mind knows this election was rigged. How could could you win by landslide when all these people are not happy with the results." Demonstrators also took to the streets in Washington, D.C. They marched to the White House where they rallied for fair elections and democracy in Iran. Meanwhile, the daughter of a former Iranian president and four other family members are under arrest for taking part in protests over the disputed presidential election. According to Iranian state TV says authorities took in the relatives of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, who runs two powerful groups within Iran and has been openly critical of incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The official death toll from the protests stands at nearly two dozen. Demonstrators are rallying in support of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi who claims widespread voter fraud in the June 12th election. The government says Ahmadinejad won re-election in a landslide, but Mousavi is demanding the vote be annulled. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has approved the election results and warned opposition leaders to end street protests or be held responsible for any more chaos.

NYPD REPORTS By Yebhe Diallo, Elizabeth Menos and Diaraye Nkazen

IN THE BRONX *Police yesterday were searching for this elderly man (above), who wandered away from his Bronxdale apartment. David Koster, 77, who suffers from Alzheimer's, was last seen in his apartment on Cruger Avenue and Pelham Parkway South at 7 p.m. Saturday. He was dressed in a blue shirt with a yellow stripe, black pants and black boots.

IN BROOKLYN A teenager has been arrested for attacking a woman at a Cypress Hills group home where he lives, cops said yesterday. Jahqim Washington, 18, was supposed to take a drug test for his job, but knew that he would fail it because he smokes marijuana, cops said. He became irate and attacked the 54-year-old employee in the home on Schneck Court at 11 a.m. on April 1, cops said. He bizarrely yelled at the victim, telling her that his problems were her fault, sources said. Then he grabbed her hair, pushed her into the dining room, knocked her to the ground and threw her into the living room, police said. Washington fled, but was busted last Thursday and charged with assault, menacing and harassment. The woman was not seriously injured.

IN MANHATTAN *A female bartender smashed a woman in the head with a beer bottle during an argument in a Chinatown saloon, police sources said yesterday. The bartender had a "disagreement" with the 43-year-old New Jersey woman in Winnie's Bar on Bayard Street at 11 p.m. on June 14, sources said. As the victim left the bar, the bartender smashed her in the head with a bottle. The victim was treated for a facial laceration at St. Vincent's Hospital. The suspect has yet to be arrested.

* A burglar swiped three books from an Upper East Side real-estate office, police sources said Saturday. The thief slipped inside the executive office of Sotheby International Realty on East 63rd Street and Park Avenue at around 9:30 a.m. Friday. He took the books from a bag and fled. Hours later, the victim, a 40-year-old vice president, discovered the theft and reported it.

*A would-be thief assaulted a cleaning person in a West Village restaurant, police sources said yesterday. The unidentified man, in his 20s, sneaked into Negril Village on West Third Street near Thompson Street while the cleaning crew was bringing garbage bags to the curb at 5:04 a.m. Saturday. One worker spotted him and confronted him, telling him to leave. The burglar punched and kicked the man, then fled.

*A thief made off with $5,165 in electronic equipment after breaking into a TriBeCa apartment, police sources said yesterday. The burglar smashed the front door and entered the apartment on Leonard Street near Broadway at around 6:45 a.m. Friday. He took a PlayStation, laptop, BlackBerry and iPod. Later that night, the 25-year-old tenant returned home and found his possessions missing.

* Employees at Lincoln Center nabbed a Bronx man who tried to swipe a fellow worker's pocketbook, police sources said yesterday. Calvin Hemby, 53, walked into a restricted area of the New York State Theater at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, cops said. When Hemby attempted to take the woman's purse, he was stopped by several employees and held until police arrived, authorities said. Hemby was charged with burglary.

* A 17-year-old boy pummeled a female acquaintance and burned her with a cigarette while holding her hostage for three days, the alleged victim told cops. Between June 15 and 18, the suspect allegedly punched the 18-year-old Brooklyn woman in the head and body. The alleged victim told police that he also burned her back with a cigarette while keeping her in his apartment on West 21st Street near Sixth Avenue. She got away and filed a police report. No one has been arrested.

IN QUEENS *A man violated an order of protection by threatening to kill a Far Rockaway woman over the phone, authorities said yesterday. Anthony Perez, 35, allegedly called the woman at her home on Seagirt Boulevard at around 11:30 a.m. on June 8 and told her, "If you think you are taking my kids out of the borough, the only place you will go is the grave." Perez was arrested on June 15 and charged with harassment and criminal contempt charges, according to a spokesman for DA Richard Brown's office. It was unclear what their relationship was.

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ALBANY. NO RESULTS IN SENATE CLOSED DOOR MEETINGS. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong Closed-door meetings held by state senators Thursday afternoon, in lieu of a planned legislative session, yielded no agreement to end the stalemate that has brought Albany to a halt. In fact, observers say the situation has gotten even more acrimonious. For the fourth straight day, Republicans attempted to hold a session, but, without the Democrats, they did not have enough for a quorum.Little other than arguments has been accomplished since the Republicans, along with Democratic Senators Pedro Espada Junior and Hiram Monserrate, staged a coup last Monday to oust Democratic Senator Malcolm Smith as majority leader. Espada's split from the Democrats and Monserrate's return to the party created a 31-31 split in the Senate. Earlier in the day, Democratic State Senator Jeffrey Klein of the Bronx called on the GOP to replace Espada as the Senate president with someone who is willing to "meet in good faith and find a workable solution." Democrats say they are going back to court to file an appeal after they say they have failed at convincing Republican leaders to share power. The Democrats are appealing a ruling by a State Supreme Court judge earlier this week to dismiss a claim that the Republican takeover last week was illegal. Espada suggested Wednesday that the state Constitution allows him to cast two votes, which would give the Republicans a quorum. The GOP claims Espada was elected Senate president, which they say makes him acting lieutenant governor and would allow him to cast two votes. "They have to come to work," said Espada. "You have to come to work. You're getting paid. It's the one matter that I don't think is defensible at all." While the State Senate remains gridlocked, the State Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a measure that largely preserves the mayor's control over the public school system. Under the bill passed Wednesday, the mayor would still appoint eight of the 13 members of the Panel for Educational Policy, but two of those would also have to be public school parents. The five borough presidents would each choose one additional member. The bill also keeps the schools chancellor as a nonvoting board member. "When I was sent here to work on the issue of mayoral control, the people in my district cared about three things: parental input, greater transparency,and greater accountability," explained Queens Assemblyman Rory Lancman. "And after a long and winding process, this bill accomplishes that." "The only thing they're using to evaluate teachers and principals these days are standardized test scores. And because of that, the entire school year has become an obsession in trying to get those scores up," said Queens Assemblyman Mark Weprin. "And I believe that students are doing less learning and more testing." The Assembly bill would extend mayoral control for six years. The current law is set to expire at the end of the month.

TEHRAN. KHAMENEI SPOKE AND DEMANDED HALT TO ELECTION PROTESTS By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Romy Dussek. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defended Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday as the rightful winner of a presidential election that has sparked the biggest street protests in the Islamic Republic's history. (In his first address to the nation since the upheaval began, Khamenei demanded an end to the demonstrations and denied any possibility that the poll a week ago had been rigged, as Ahmadinejad's opponents have asserted. "The result of the election comes from the ballot box, not from the street," he told tens of thousands of worshippers who had gathered in and around Tehran University for Friday prayers. "Today the Iranian nation needs calm." He said Iran's enemies were targeting the legitimacy of the Islamic establishment by disputing the outcome of the election. The protests by supporters of Mirhossein Mousavi, runner-up in the poll, are the largest and most widespread since the revolution in Iran, the world's fifth biggest oil exporter, which is also at odds with the West over its nuclear program.

" Khamenei said politicians should shun extremism and would be responsible for any bloodshed due to "extremist behavior," adding that street protests would not pressure the establishment into accepting "illegal demands" of losing candidates. Mousavi has called for the election result to be annulled. The supreme leader, Iran's ultimate authority, in theory stands above the factional fray, but Khamenei acknowledged that his views on foreign and domestic policy were closer to those of Ahmadinejad than to those of the hardline president's foes. People chanting slogans and holding posters of Khamenei, Ahmadinejad and the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei, the father of the 1979 Islamic revolution, packed streets outside the university. At least one police helicopter hovered overhead. "Ahmadinejad has been our president for four years, and during this time he has always told the truth to our people," said Javid Abbasirad, 48, outside the university gates. At the same venue, hundreds of university students had demonstrated in support of Mousavi on Sunday, hurling stones at riot police trying to disperse protesters outside the gates. Some in the crowd for this Friday prayers were draped in Iranian flags. Others held placards with anti-Western slogans.

MANHATTAN. A TISHMAN CONSTRUCTION WORKER FELL 20 FEET ON CHURCH STRET. By Jerry Blumberg A construction worker in Lower Manhattan was hospitalized Thursday after he fell 20 feet into an excavation site. Fire officials say they were able to pull the victim out of the ditch on Church Street using ropes. They say the victim was taken to Saint Vincent's Hospital in serious condition. "A flag man had fallen approximately 20 feet down into the excavation site, they went down they and performed first aid on the injured worker," said FDNY Deputy Chief James Daily. "At that time we figured bringing the guy up with ropes was the best bet so we had to latch him into a basket, give him O2 and lift the guy. And while he was being lifted we were worried about these two big I beams that were on the sides we were worried about the basket going under there," said FDNY Lieutenant Billy Ryan. Tishman Construction, who oversees this construction project, says the worker was from Urban Foundation System. The company says the incident is under investigation.

NEWARK, NJ. CONTINENTAL FLIGHT 61 LANDED AFTER PILOT DIED By Debhe Diallo and Jacques Dusseck A Continental Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Newark International Airport Thursday afternoon after its pilot died while on board. According to Continental, the pilot, identified as 60-year-old Craig Lenell, died of natural causes. He was based out of Newark and had 32 years of service with the airline. A co-pilot and a relief pilot aboard safely landed the Boeing 777 aircraft at Newark, which was scheduled to be the plane's final destination, just before noon. Carrying 247 passengers, Flight 61 departed from Brussels, Belgium at 9:45 a.m. Passengers say that they were not informed about the pilot's death. The passengers were not informed of the death. A cardiologist on board who responded to an announcement asking for doctors said he believes a heart attack killed the pilot. He said he and the crew tried to revive the pilot using a defibrillator, but there was "no chance at all" of saving him." "The airport gave priority landing to the flight, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

BROOKLYN. NICOLE BOSTIC SENTENCED FOR HER ROLE IN NYPD COP'S DEATH. By David Nzaken The sister of a man convicted in the July 2007 shooting death of New York City Police Officer Russel Timoshenko was sentenced Thursday for her role in the crime. The Brooklyn District attorney says Nicole Bostic was sentenced to three years probation for hindering prosecution. Police say she drove her brother Dexter Bostic, along with Robert Ellis and Lee Woods, after the shooting and attempted to dispose three guns, including the murder weapon. Officer Timoshenko was shot along with partner Herman Yan during a traffic stop in Brooklyn. Yan survived the shooting. Dexter Bostic and Lee Woods are serving life sentences after being convicted of murder in separate trials. Robert Ellis was acquitted of murder charges, but was sentenced to 15 years for weapons possession.

NYPD REPORTS By Yebhe Diallo, Diaraye Nkazen and Jacques Dusseck

IN STATEN ISLAND *A Tompkinsville teen arrested for stealing $300 in coins from a neighbor's home later confessed to having sex with his underage girlfriend, law-enforcement officials said yesterday.Scott Perlmutter, 18, broke into the house on Stanley Avenue near Portland Place on May 6 and swiped the money as well as diamond and gold rings, gold bracelets, a cellphone, two digital cameras and two iPods, officials said. Police interviewed a cashier at a nearby store who told them Perlmutter had come in with a lot of change, which led them to interview his 15- year-old girlfriend. The girlfriend ratted him out for the burglary, sources said. When Perlmutter was taken in for questioning, police allegedly found 11 baggies of marijuana in his underwear. He was charged with burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of marijuana, sexual misconduct and endangering the welfare of a child, said a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

*A drug dealer was arrested in his West New Brighton home after police discovered a large bag of crack in his apartment, authorities said yesterday. Raoul Edwards, 29, sold an undercover officer two baggies of crack on March 4, sources said. The officer obtained a search warrant on June 9 and searched his home on Winegar Lane near Broadway Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., officials said. Edwards was charged with selling and possessing drugs, the DA spokesman said.

IN BROOKLYN *A 16-year-old boy was arrested for assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Coney Island, authorities said yesterday. Bashear Abdullah got into an argument with the victim on Neptune Avenue near West 31st Street at 8:30 a.m. on March 8, officials said. Abdullah grabbed a recycling bag containing glass bottles, allegedly swung it and hit the girl in the face. She was taken to Coney Island Hospital where she received eight stitches to close facial gashes. The victim's cousin knows the attacker from the neighborhood and ID'd him for cops. Abdullah was arrested Wednesday and charged with assault, menacing and harassment, a spokesman for DA Charles Hynes said.

IN MANHATTAN *A patient thief made off with $500 after waiting in a teller line at an Upper East Side bank, authorities said yesterday. The robber walked into the HSBC branch on Third Avenue near East 68th Street at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, sources said. He awaited his turn, then handed a demand note to a teller, who forked over the cash.

*A man with a knowledge of cash-pickup routes was arrested for posing as an armored-car-service security guard and stealing more than $120,000 from businesses in Chinatown and Washington Heights, authorities said yesterday Jesus Bailey, 19, carried a gun and dressed in a Rapid Armor Corporation uniform with an unidentified accomplice and made a pickup of more than $30,000 in cash from a store on East Broadway near Forsyth Street on Aug. 31, 2007, sources said. About 15 minutes later, a real guard from the company arrived looking for the money. Bailey pulled the same ruse the next day, taking more than $90,000 from a travel agency on St. Nicholas Avenue near West 181st Street. After an extensive investigation, he was arrested Saturday and charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of a weapon, a DA spokeswoman said.

*A visitor from upstate Auburn was assaulted by four muggers on the Upper East Side, cops said yesterday. The victim was walking on East 87th Street near Second Avenue at 3:30 p.m. Monday when one member of the group approached and asked him for the time, sources said. The thugs then punched the 21-year-old victim and grabbed his cellphone.

*A man power-napping in Central Park was robbed of his laptop computer, camera and book, authorities said yesterday. The victim was relaxing near the boathouse at 3 p.m. Tuesday with his belongings next to him when he shut his eyes.He said that when he opened them a few minutes later, his possessions were gone. (Posted 6/19/09

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ALBANY. SHOWDOWN IN THE SENATE. REPUBLICANS CLAIMED CONTROL. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong Supreme Court Justice Thomas Mc Namara dismissed dismissed Tuesday the the Democrats motion to overturn the Democrats motion to overturn last week's coup. Senate Republicans Claim Leadership.The Republicans are claiming control over the New York State Senate after the judge's decision. . "The failure of the Senate to resolve this issue in an appropriate manner will make them answerable to electorate," said the judge. "Absent circumstances not present here a court should not impose a legal solution. Accordingly, the motion is granted and the complaint is dismissed." Republicans claim the judge's dismissal validates last week's Republican takeover, as he did not rule that it was illegal. Democrats say they will appeal the judge's decision. The Senate is currently divided at 31 Democrats and 31 Republicans after State Senator Hiram Monserrate rejoined the Democrats on Monday. Democrats say that a coalition government with Malcolm Smith as the president pro tempore to gavel in the session is the only viable option with the split the way there is. However, an indignant Pedro Espada Jr., the senator who voted with Monserrate to sway the power toward the GOP majority, and Dean Skelos insisted that since the vote was 32-30 to oust Malcolm Smith, the session should resume with Espada as president pro tempore and Skelos as majority leader. At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, they said that all senators should come together to get back to work. "Now we're calling all senators to report to work," said Espada. "We need them to act. We ask them to honor not just the court decision, but their sworn oath." Democrats called the 32-30 vote "last week's news." They say they offered Republicans several perks at Monday's meeting, including alternating leadership on certain days and a bi-partisan review process for bills before they come to the floor. Governor David Paterson offered to step into the Senate chamber and run the session as he did when he was lieutenant governor, thus eliminating the problem of having no one to gavel in the session. He says this temporary move will allow both parties to enter the chamber and pass essential bills. "What this is delaying is about 21 bills that expire in a couple of weeks that are sunsetting, mostly involving sales taxes and other local government operations," said Paterson. "There are another 20 bills or so that need immediate action, for instance the New York City sales tax, the bond issue in Nassau County. I'm getting calls from leaders all around the state who are anxious that if there isn't immediate action, it actually hurts the financial stability of their governments and their own chagrin that the Legislature is not conducting the people's business in favor of having a political fight." Paterson says the Democrats have been more open to the power-sharing agreement than the Republicans. Skelos said that since Paterson was not elected as a state senator he should not lead a session. Several dozens of protesters gathered outside the state Capitol Monday, criticizing the inactions of the state government. Despite his vote last week to oust Malcolm Smith as leader, in an interview, Monserrate on Monday that he never stopped being a Democratic senator. "I took one vote, and that was to change leadership in the State Senate," Monserrate said. "It was to remedy dysfunction in a system that was broken and not working." Senator Malcolm Smith is insisting that he still retains the title of majority leader. But Monserrate only agreed to rejoin the Democratic conference on a key demand – that Smith, in essence, be replaced as head of the party. Senator John Sampson of Brooklyn was given the title of leader of the Democratic conference. "We had a vote, we voted for John Sampson to be our leader for day-to-day business," said Smith. "As you know, any business or corporate structure where you have a chairman, you have a CEO. You can look at John Sampson as the CEO." Meanwhile, Pedro Espada Junior -- who was named President Pro Tempore under the takeover -- is being investigated by the Bronx District Attorney in connection with earmarks he's received. The DA is also looking into whether Espada's primary home is in his Bronx district. In an interview Smith says Espada requested two million dollars in earmarks from Senate Democrats to fund two groups linked to his health clinic chain, the Soundview Healthcare Network. "There were two organizations he had basically had formulated and was trying to put the money in that direction," said Smith. "Whether or not he was going to spread amongst other organizations thereafter, I don't know. I only can tell you what we received, what the Secretary of the Senate received, and we made a judgment based on that." Espada says the Bronx DA has subpoenaed his senate records dating back to 1993 -- but he already has those records, from a lawsuit a jury threw out in 2000. Espada says the subpoenas are politically motivated, and he's asking the state's Inspector General to get involved. In a separate legal action, Democrats are seeking to hold Espada in contempt of court for holding a short session Monday. Espada insists last week's vote is binding, despite Monserrate's decision to flip back to the Democrats. "It's no longer up to Monserrate; quite frankly, it's no longer up to any individual senator," Espada said. "A legal, binding resolution has passed and the Constitution of this state must be respected. I will go to my grave defending the 32 votes that counted last Monday and transformed this place for good." At a news conference with the Democratic conference, Monserrate said he and Espada remain friends. But Monserrate walked out before answering whether he views Espada as the president of the Senate.

NEW YORK. SEVEN MORE H1N1 VIRUS CONFIRMED BY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH By Diaraye Nkazen and Debhe Diallo. The city Department of Health confirms seven more New Yorkers have died from complications related to the H1N1 virus.According to a new report released Tuesday, a total of 23 New Yorkers have now died from the flu. sThe Health Department says not all of the deaths occurred in recent weeks and that test results have now linked new deaths to the virus. Many of the newly confirmed flu deaths involved people who were hospitalized with underlying health conditions in late May, during the peak of the outbreak.

NEW YORK. FORMER NYC MAYOR ED KOCH HOSPITALIZED By Jerry Blumberg Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch has been hospitalized ahead of a procedure to increase blood flow to his heart. A spokesman for the 84-year-old Koch says he was scheduled to undergo a coronary angioplasty on Monday at New York Presbyterian Hospital. That's when doctors discovered a damaged valve that was put in place after the three-term mayor suffered a heart attack in 1999. Ed Koch is expected to stay at the hospital and will undergo surgery later this week or early next week.

TEHRAN, IRAN. MOUSAVI'S BACKERS PLAN MORE PROTESTS. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong Supporters of Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi aim to keep pressure up with new protests on Wednesday over a disputed poll which has led to the biggest upheaval since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Despite the authorities' readiness for a partial recount, Mousavi's backers plan a fifth day of demonstrations since Friday's poll in which hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was officially declared to have won a resounding victory. Seven people were killed in a big opposition protest on Monday in central Tehran, state media said, and Mousavi urged his followers to call off a planned rally in the same area the following day. Tens of thousands of pro-Mousavi demonstrators marched instead on Tuesday in northern Tehran and many of them to the state television IRIB building, which was ringed by riot police, witnesses said. Wearing wristbands and ribbons in his green campaign colors, they carried his picture and made victory signs. Some were sending messages to others to meet again on Wednesday for a rally at Tehran's central Haft-e Tir Square. "Where is our vote?" read one placard at the rally. "A new greeting to the world," said another beneath a picture of the bespectacled and bearded 67-year-old Mousavi.

In an apparent bid to head off the opposition rally in the center of the capital, Ahmadinejad's supporters mobilized a big crowd of demonstrators where Mousavi's supporters had originally planned to gather. In what appeared to be a first concession by authorities to the protest movement, the 12-man Guardian Council, Iran's top legislative body, said it was prepared for a partial recount but ruled out annulling the poll. Further protests are a direct challenge to the authorities who have kept a tight grip on dissent since the U.S.-backed shah was overthrown in 1979 after months of protest. Women's rights activist Sussan Tahmasebi said protesters were not just backing Mousavi. "They want answers and they want to make sure that their vote was counted," she said, adding the size and consistency of the rallies had surprised her. Finland's ambassador to Tehran, Heikki Puurunen, said the protests had come as a surprise to Iran's leadership. "It will continue for sure, because now in a way the taps of discontent have been opened ... There is no revolution coming in my view, but some kind of compromise will be made," he told Finland's national broadcaster.

TEHRAN. FOREIGN MEDIA ACCREDITATION CANCELED BY CULTURE MINISTRY. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg On Tuesday the government banned foreign media journalists from leaving their offices to cover protests on the streets of Tehran following the country's disputed presidential elections. The Culture Ministry said journalists could continue to work from their offices but that it was cancelling press accreditation for all foreign media. "No journalist has permission to report or film or take pictures in the city." The announcement came after three days of streets protests against Iran's election results, during which at least seven people were reported to have been killed. The demonstrations have riveted world attention on the world's fifth biggest oil exporter which is locked in a nuclear dispute with the West. Defeated presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi canceled a planned rally on Tuesday in a move he said aimed to protect his supporters' lives. Backers of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad planned a counter rally at the same site. "This crude censorship must end immediately and all journalists, foreign and domestic, should be allowed to cover the historic news unfolding in Iran," the CPJ said in a statement.

NYPD REPORTS By Yebhe Diallo, Elizabeth Menos and Romy Dussek

IN MANHATTAN *An 11-year-old boy and a 77-year-old man were wounded when they were caught in a crossfire at an East Harlem housing project yesterday. The violence erupted at 3:10 p.m. in a courtyard at the East River Houses when two groups of armed thugs unleashed at least a dozen rounds at semiautomatic fire at each other. When the smoke cleared, the boy, who had been standing on a basketball court, was left with a graze wound to his leg. The man, who had been on a bench, suffered a gunshot wound to the buttocks.

* Two drug pushers roughed up a pair of teenage moviegoers on the Upper East Side after the young duo refused to buy pot, police said yesterday. The victims were walking east on 86th Street near First Avenue just after midnight Saturday when the suspects approached them and asked them if they wanted to buy weed. The teens tried to get away, but the dealers followed them and demanded that the teens sit down. The suspects then smacked one of the victims in the head and made off with an iPod, cellphone and $430 in cash.

* A Long Island man was busted after robbing and beating members of a Queens family -- including an 11-year-old girl on an Upper East Side street, authorities said yesterday. Franklin Concepcion, 26, of Glen Cove, pounced on his victims on Lexington Avenue near East 76th Street at midnight Sunday, officials said. He allegedly snatched a cellphone from one member of the family and then punched all three.

* Cops are looking for a man who tried to steal another guy's wallet after the victim left a West Village hot spot, sources said. The 44-year-old victim was just a block away from the Employees Only bar on Christopher Street near Bleecker Street early Friday when the suspect pushed him into scaffolding. The thug then reached into the man's pocket and tried to grab his wallet before taking off.

IN STATEN ISLAND *A thug cut off part of an acquaintance's ear outside a New Dorp bar during a fight about an old car accident, authorities said. The argument at the watering hole on New Dorp Lane near South Railroad Avenue early May 23 spilled out onto the street after the suspect, Juan Hernandez, 30, allegedly asked the victim to step outside. There, two unidentified accomplices grabbed the victim while the suspect whipped out a knife and sliced off a portion of the man's ear, police said. Hernandez was picked up Sunday night. Surgeons were able to reattach the victim's ear.

* A bar brawl ended with a person getting stabbed on a Tompkinsville street corner, authorities said. Andres Tejeda, 33, got into an argument with the victim inside the watering hole on Victory Boulevard at Westervelt Avenue early Sunday, officials said.Tejeda allegedly pulled a knife and plunged it into the man's stomach. The victim was rushed to Richmond University Medical Center, were he received several stitches. Tejeda was charged with assault and possession of a weapon.

IN BROOKLYN *A man who was locked out of his friend's Bath Beach apartment went on a bizarre rampage against a neighbor after he asked him for help, authorities said. The suspect, Charles Raffa, 49, was causing a ruckus with a pal in a third-floor apartment on Bay 14th Street near Benson Avenue early Sunday when they got locked out, officials said. The duo then went downstairs to ask the 44-year-old neighbor for help. When the victim complained about the noise, Raffa allegedly punched him in the head, breaking his hearing aid. Raffa was charged with assault and harassment, according to a spokesman for DA Charles Hynes.

* A 35-year-old man was shot dead in Prospect Heights, police said. Phillip Reed of Manhattan was found with a bullet wound to his chest at Dean and Franklin streets just before midnight yesterday. Sources said the victim, who had arrests for attempted murder, robbery, assault and drug-related crimes, was shot nearby. His killer is on the loose.

* A man was shot to death and another seriously wounded in an SUV on an East New York street, cops said yesterday. Daud Abdul-Hakim, 28, and another man were found with bullet wounds in a Cadillac Escalade on Hinsdale Street near Blake Avenue at 9 p.m. Sunday. Abdul-Hakim, 28, was rushed to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The other victim was listed in stable condition. Police are still looking for the shooter.

====== NEW YORK. SENATOR SCHUMER SAID CONGRESS WILL PROVIDE $ 350 MILLION Federal help could be coming to the city to fight the H1N1 virus. Senator Charles Schumer said Sunday that Congress is set to approve $350 million in emergency funding - to help state and local municipalities respond to the virus, and other pandemics.He believes millions could go to city government and first responders. Schumer says the city is expected to spend more than four million dollars combating the virus, and may need even more to prepare for next flu season. The city has seen more than 850 cases of the virus and 16 deaths.

MANHATTAN. SUNDAY PUERTORICAN PARADE ATTRACTED MORE THAN A MILLION. By Elizabeth Menos and Diaraye Nzaken. More than a million spectators celebrated and enjoyed music at the 52nd Puerto Rican Day Parade along Manhattan's Fifth Avenue on Sunday. The year's theme was "Celebrating Our Music," featuring colorful costumes and music on its floats. The parade began at 43rd Street and ended at 86th Street. Many onlookers carried large Puerto Rican flags and wore clothing in the flag's colors of red, white and blue. To several spectators it is the pride of the island. Local politicians, including State Senator Malcolm Smith, the man at the center of Albany's recent coup, Mayor Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate William Thompson were also among the parade's marching dignitaries, who tried to appeal to the Latino voter bloc.

ROCKAWAY, QUEENS. SEARCH FOR MISSING MAN IN WATERS IS OVER. By Debhe Diallo and Jacques Dusseck Rescue crews resumed their search Sunday for Ramon Figero who vanished Saturday while swimming in the East Rockaway Inlet in Queens. The city police and fire departments, and Coast Guard used boats, divers and helicopters to comb the water for 35-year-old Ramon Figero. Authorities said Figero was swimming with 24-year-old Daria Miranda yesterday morning when Miranda got sucked into a strong current. They say Figero dove in after Miranda and disappeared. A passing boat rescued Miranda, who was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Local residents said warnings were posted recently about strong currents. "They always put the flags up when the weather is bad so people don't go in the water and they were up all day yesterday, meaning that people weren't supposed to be in there," said Juan Ramos, an East Rockaway Inlet resident. Officials said the couple was swimming before lifeguards went on duty.

TEHRAN AHMADINEJAD RE-ELECTED WITH 63% OF THE VOTE. PROTESTS COMING UP. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong This Monday, supporters of Iran's defeated presidential candidate plan a rally in Tehran to protest against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which has sparked two days of violent protests in the capital. Former Prime Minister Mirhossein Mousavi has appealed to the Islamic Republic's top legislative body to annul Friday's election result, in which hard-liner Ahmadinejad took 63 percent of the vote, because of what he alleges were irregularities. Ahmadinejad himself held a triumphant rally on Sunday, attended by a cheering crowd of tens of thousands of people. It was not clear whether authorities would allow any demonstration by his opponents. The unrest that has rocked Tehran and other cities since results were declared on Saturday is the sharpest show of discontent against the Islamic Republic's leadership for years. The election result has disconcerted Western powers trying to induce the world's fifth-biggest oil exporter to curb its nuclear program. U.S. President Barack Obama had urged Iran's leadership "to unclench its fist" for a new start in ties. Pro-Mousavi demonstrators threw stones at police at Tehran University on Sunday and also clashed with Ahmadinejad supporters on a main street in the city that was littered with broken glass and fires. In the north of the capital, a stronghold of Mousavi backers, riot police patrolled streets after midnight. Rubbish burned in the street, some cars had their windows broken, and police blocked access to roads. In a statement on his website, Mousavi said he had formally asked Iran's legislative Guardian Council to cancel the election result. "I urge you, Iranian nation, to continue your nationwide protests in a peaceful and legal way," he said. Mousavi's supporters handed out leaflets calling for a rally in Tehran on Monday afternoon. After dusk some took to rooftops across the city calling out "Allah Akbar" , an echo of tactics by protesters in the 1979 Islamic revolution. Ahmadinejad appeared at his rally amid a sea of red, white and green Iranian flags waved by supporters thronging Tehran's Vali-e Asr square, some perched on rooftops or cars, to applaud his win. "Some say the vote is disrupted, there has been a fraud. Where are the irregularities in the election?" Ahmadinejad said in a speech that the crowd punctuated with roars of approval. "Some people want democracy only for their own sake. Some want elections, freedom, a sound election. They recognize it only as long as the result favors them," he said.

NYPD REPORTS By Yebhe Diallo, Diaraye Nkazen and David Nkazen

IN BROOKLYN * A man was shot dead inside a Dyker Heights home last night, cops said. The victim, whose name and age weren't immediately released, was found with a single gunshot to the head on the first floor of the 15th Avenue building near 75th Street around 10:30 p.m., officials said. Police would not immediately say if anyone was in custody.

*A fleeing gunman was arrested after killing a man in Brownsville, police said. Kareem Cunningham, 30, allegedly shot Gavin Sullivan, 26 at the Howard Houses on East New York Avenue near Rockaway Avenue at 2:30 p.m. Friday. After the shooting, Cunningham jumped in a car and sped away, sources said. Using a description of the getaway car, cops caught up and busted him less than a mile away. In the car was the murder weapon, sources said.

* Two teens were arrested for stabbing a man in Williamsburg, police said. Pablo Soto and Ivan Payamps, both 16, attacked a 20-year-old man at 10:30 p.m. Friday, police said. The critically wounded victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital. Cops quickly arrested Soto and Payamps, sources said.

IN MANHATTAN * A hit-run driver was arrested just blocks from the Harlem street where he had killed a pedestrian. Victim Jerome Johnson, 48, had been crossing Seventh Avenue near 120th Street at 11 p.m. Friday when he was fatally struck by a Dodge Durango SUV, cops said. Police caught up with the driver, Jamel Bowles, 21, on 124th Street near Eighth Avenue, sources said. Charges were pending yesterday.

* A man was stabbed to death in Harlem early yesterday, police said. Police responded to a 911 call reporting the attack on West 159th Street near St. Nicholas Avenue at 2:30 a.m. They found Darkel Copper, 19, with a stab wound to the chest.

IN QUEENS * A drunken driver was busted after he sped through a red light in South Ozone Park and nearly slammed into a police car. Keith Ramsaran, 35, was speeding in a 2007 Nissan van at 11 p.m. last Sunday when he blew through a red light at Sutter Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard, cops said. The patrol cops stopped Ramsaran's van nearby, and inside were nine passengers, including two kids under age 4 sitting on adults' laps, sources said. Ramsaran told cops he had consumed two beers, the sources said.

*A Breathalyzer test determined his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit, said a spokesman for DA Richard Brown.

IN THE BRONX * A gunman killed a teen boy and wounded another in Bedford Park, police said. Cops responding to a 911 call of gunfire on 198th Street near Creston Avenue at 9:40 p.m. Friday found the two 15-year-old victims. One had been shot in the leg and the other twice in the chest, police said. Posted 14/6/

===== LIBREVILLE, GABON. PRESIDENT OF GABON OMAR BONGO HAS DIED IN SPAIN. By Jacques Dusseck, Yebhe Diallo, Diaraye Nkazen and David Nkazen The president of Gabon, Omar Bongo, has died after 41 years in power. He was 73. The absence of Bongo risks creating a power vacuum in the oil-producing West African country. Opposition leaders fear the president's son Ali Ben Bongo, currently defense minister, will step in. - Bongo took power in the wealthy but sparsely populated central African state on November 28, 1967, as the designated successor to Gabon's first post-independence ruler Leon M'ba. In 1968 he created the Parti Democratique Gabonais, the sole political party for 22 years. He was a staunch opponent of multi-party politics but a series of strikes and demonstrations in early 1990 led to the legalization of opposition parties in March the same year. Bongo ruled unelected for 26 years until the December 1993 poll which he said was free and fair, although his backers and the 12 challengers traded lively accusations of vote-buying and electoral fraud. U.S. observers to the presidential elections said the poll was chaotic and open to fraud but could not say if it was rigged by incumbent Bongo or the opposition. Bongo won again in 1998 as the main opposition leader Pierre Maboundou of the Gabonese People's Union boycotted meetings with Bongo to discuss reforming legislation. Gabon's parliament ratified legislation in 2003, that removed a constitutional clause limiting presidents to two seven-year stints in office. Mamboundou said Bongo wants to be "president for life" by altering the constitution. Opposition protesters smashed shop windows and cars in Gabon's capital Libreville after he was declared winner of November 2005 elections with 79.2 percent of the vote.

He was born Albert-Bernard Bongo on December 30, 1935 and is a member of the minority Bateke tribe near the Congolese border. He entered the Foreign Ministry in 1960 and was soon transferred to President M'ba's private office, becoming its director in October 1962. He was named vice-president in 1966 and president a year later following Mba's death. Abroad, his image was given a boost in 1986 when he received the Dag Hammarskjold Peace Prize for efforts to resolve the Chad-Libya border conflict. In October 1973 Bongo converted to Islam and changed his name to El Hadj Omar Bongo.

" NEW YORK. RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL.BILLY ELLIOT SWEEPS THE 63rd TONY AWARD By Jacques Dusseck, Diaraye Nzaken and Romy Dussek

Sunday night at the 63rd annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall, the best of Broadway was honored The musical about a boy who longs to be a ballet dancer swept the night. "Billy Elliot, the Musical" took home nine awards, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The three boys who play Billy became the first trio to ever win a Tony Award. David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish share the Best Actor in a Musical award. "Next to Normal's" Alice Ripley won for Best Actress in a Musical. The show also won for Best Original Score. Composer Tom Kitt and lyricist Brian Yorkey accepted the award. "Hair," the favorite to win Best Revival of a Musical, took home the prize. The show went up against "West Side Story", "Guys and Dolls" and "Pal Joey."

The Best Play award went to "God of Carnage," which also picked up the Best Actress award for Marcia Gay Harden. "God of Carnage" beat out "Dividing the Estate", "Reasons to be Pretty" and "33 Variations" for the honor. "The Norman Conquests" won Best Revival of a Play. Nominated in the category were also "Joe Turner's Come and Gone", "Mary Stuart", and "Waiting for Godot." Also receiving honors this evening were Karen Olivo for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Anita in "West Side Story" and Geoffrey Rush for Best Actor in a Play for his part in "Exit the King." The awards for Best Featured Actor in a Play and Best Featured Actress in a Play went to Angela Landsbury for "Blithe Spirit" and Roger Robinson for "Joe Turner's Come and Gone."

SEOUL TWO U.S JOURNALISTS JAILED FOR 12 YEARS HARD LABOR FOR GRAVE CRIME. By Jacques Dusseck and Debhe Diallo North Korea, facing U.N. sanctions for last month's nuclear test, on Monday raised the stakes in its growing confrontation with Washington by jailing two U.S. journalists to 12 years hard labor for "grave crime." The sentence follows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's warning on Sunday the United States was considering putting the reclusive North back on its list of states that sponsor terrorism, which would further isolate the impoverished country. The journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, of U.S. media outlet Current TV, were arrested in March working on a story near the border between North Korea and China. The trial for the two, working for the company co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore, opened on Thursday. "The trial confirmed the grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing as they had already been indicted and sentenced each of them to 12 years of reform through labor," the official KCNA news agency said in a brief dispatch. The harsh sentence is certain to deepen the chill in relations with the United States which has been trying for years, with scant success, to convince Stalinist North Korea to give up its ambition of becoming a nuclear weapons power. "We are deeply concerned by the reported sentencing of the two American citizen journalists by North Korean authorities and we are engaged through all possible channels to secure their release," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in the statement. "We once again urge North Korea to grant the immediate release of the two American citizen journalists on humanitarian grounds," the statement said. Clinton had also appealed for the two women's release saying the charges against them were baseless. "North Korea is using the sentence as bait to squeeze concessions out of the U.S. amid heightened tension," said Lee Dong-bok, a senior associate with the CSIS think tank in Seoul and an expert on the North's negotiating tactics. South Korean markets were for the most part unmoved by the sentencing, that came in line with expectations. A currency trader said the U.S. reaction to the sentencing and developments thereafter were more important for local markets. Analysts say it would take it would take a military clash at sea or on the border to have a major impact on global markets.

President Barack Obama at the weekend called the North's latest nuclear test, which was followed by a series of missile tests, "extraordinarily provocative" and said that this time there would be no appeasement by Washington. Communist North Korea kept up its rhetoric which is increasingly unnerving a region that accounts for a sixth of the world's economy. It threatened to retaliate with "extreme" measures if the United Nations punished it for last month's nuclear test.

RECIFE, BRAZIL. 41 MORE BODIES RECOVERED FROM LAST WEEK'S AIR FRANCE CRASH. By Scott Strong, Jerry Blumberg and David Nzaken 41 bodies have been recovered from last week's crash of an Air France jetliner off the South American coast, Brazil's military said Sunday. A boat from the Brazilian navy picks up debris in the Atlantic on Sunday. The Brazilian navy and air force said they found nine bodies in the Atlantic Ocean, where the Airbus A330-200 went down. The crew of a French vessel taking part in the search has found eight, military officials told reporters Sunday evening. Air France 447 disappeared over the Atlantic early Monday. The jet was en route to Paris, France, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with 228 passengers and crew aboard. The bodies were found floating about 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) from the Brazilian coast. Items found in the same area Saturday were confirmed to have come from the jet, including pieces of the aircraft's wing section, luggage and a leather briefcase containing an airplane ticket with a reservation code for the doomed flight, Brazilian air force spokesman Jorge Amaral told CNN. The exact location of the crash has not been determined, since ocean currents likely caused the bodies and debris to drift in the six days since the crash. And two key pieces of evidence -- the flight data and cockpit voice recorders -- remain missing, and could lay on the ocean floor. The part of the ocean where the debris and bodies have been found ranges between 19,685 and 26,247 feet (6,000 and 8,000 meters) deep. The search area covers 77,220 square miles (200AP,000 square km), an area nearly as big as the country of Romania. Fourteen aircraft -- 12 Brazilian and two French -- were participating in the recovery efforts, along with five Brazilian ships and one French frigate. In Washington, a U.S. defense official told CNN the U.S. Navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen for emergency beacons still operating in deep water.

BROOKLYN. TWO DEAD, ONE INJURED IN SHOOTING By Elizabeth Menos and Yebhe Diallo. Police in Brooklyn are continuing to investigate a triple shooting that left two men dead and another critically injured Saturday night. Police say the three men were shot outside a grocery store near the intersection of Avenue A and Remsen in East Flatbush around 8 p.m. Dwanye Pascoe, 26, and Lennox Lewis, 38, were pronounced dead at the scene. Pascoe's father is in critical condition at Brookdale Hospital. Investigators say Pascoe and Lewis got into an argument and Pascoe's father tried to intervene. Regina Dudley, who knows the victims, said she overheard arguing and then gunshots. "Nobody deserves to die like that and to have to lay in the street and for everybody just be gawking at their bodies 'cause it was just a horrible scene before the police got here, they were just laying there," said Dudley. No arrests have been made.

MANHATTAN. FREDRICK ZAPPULA CHARGED IN STABBING DEATH OF ROOMMATE By Jacques Dusseck and Diaraye Nzaken. An Upper West Side man has been arrested on murder charges. Police say Fredrick Zappulla, 51, stabbed and killed his roommate Saturday afternoon in an apartment on West 71st Street. Walter Walker, who police say was in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene. "Pretty shocking to come out your door and see about seven cop cars and five ambulance and the crime scene unit and fire engines going away and everybody's wondering what's going on," said one Upper West Side resident. Zappulla is charged with second-degree murder.

NYPD REPORTS By Yebhe Diallo, Diaraye Nkazen and David Nkazen

IN BROOKLYN *A thug attacked a friend with a fire extinguisher and kept him hostage for nearly 12 hours in a Crown Heights apartment, authorities said yesterday. Norman Hungerford, 43, got into an argument with his 53-year-old pal over a cellphone in Hungerford's apartment on Prospect Place near Ralph Avenue at 4 a.m. Thursday, sources said. Hungerford allegedly grabbed the extinguisher and struck his friend in the legs and arms. He then allegedly left the apartment and locked the door. About 11 hours later, the victim found a back door, slipped out of the apartment and called police. Hungerford was arrested later that day and charged with assault, menacing and unlawful imprisonment.

*A bat-wielding motorist terrorized a livery driver during a road-rage incident in Brownsville, authorities said yesterday. Frank Rodriguez, 45, became irate when the driver in front of him failed to move fast enough after the light turned green near Rockaway and Lott avenues at around 1:40 p.m. Thursday, cops said. He allegedly drove up alongside the livery car, cursed at the driver and cut in front of him, preventing him from moving. Then Rodriguez jumped out with the bat and smashed the driver-side mirror of the livery cab, cops said. Police were called and arrested Rodriguez, who was charged with menacing, reckless driving and weapon possession.

IN MANHATTAN A mugger slugged a Virginia man during a botched knife-point robbery in Greenwich Village, cops said yesterday. James Riddles, 48, confronted the 27-year-old man, who was chatting on a cellphone at La Guardia Place near Washington Square South at 8:50 p.m. Thursday, cops said. Riddles allegedly hit the victim in the face, pulled a sharp metal object and demanded his wallet. Riddles fled empty-handed, but was arrested nearby on a charge of attempted robbery. The victim was not injured.

*A Manhattan man was attacked as he left a Meatpacking District nightclub yesterday, police sources said. The 20-year-old victim was stepping out of The Lounge at West 14th Street and Ninth Avenue at around 2 a.m., when he stumbled upon a fight and was struck in the head with a hard object. He was taken to New York Downtown Hospital, where he received stitches. No one has been arrested.

*A Chelsea man was arrested for pummeling a bouncer who refused to let him inside a bar, police sources said yesterday. Daniel Menendez, 22, repeatedly punched the 48-year-old man in the face at Woody McHale's on West 14th Street near Eighth Avenue at 2:50 a.m. Saturday, cops said. Responding cops frisked Menendez and found pot on him, sources said. He was charged with assault and marijuana possession. The victim suffered a minor facial laceration.

*A teen beat a 14-year-old boy with a traffic cone on the Upper East Side, police sources said yesterday. The 16-year-old boy wielded the yellow cone as he chased the victim for unknown reasons on Second Avenue near East 95th Street at 9 p.m. Saturday. The assailant caught up to the boy and clocked him in the head with the cone, knocking out his tooth and rendering him unconscious. The suspect was still at large last night.

IN QUEENS *A bandit has been arrested for swiping nearly $2,000 during a gunpoint robbery in a Springfield Gardens gas station, authorities said yesterday. Neil Johnson, 25, pulled a black gun as he confronted a worker and demanded "all the money in the register" at the Shell gas station on North Conduit Avenue near 181st Place at around 7 p.m. on May 9. The employee handed over about $1,900, and Johnson fled with the loot, cops said. But he was tracked down on June 1 and charged with robbery.

IN STATEN ISLAND *A 10-year-old girl got the scare of her life when she was confronted by a burglar in her parent's bedroom at their Silver Lake house, police sources said yesterday. The child went into the second-floor bedroom of the residence on Howard Circle at around 11 p.m. on May 28. She was immediately confronted by the 5-foot-10 man with a scarf wrapped around his face just below the eyes. The thief, who had just snatched a watch from the room, placed his finger against his lips in an effort to keep her quiet. He then left the room and dashed from the house. Police sources said the burglar gained entry by pushing in a first-floor laundry- room window.

LONDON. TALIBAN AND PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPEECH By Jacques Duseck and Diarraye Nkazen. The Taliban said on Saturday that U.S. President Barack Obama's speech to the Muslim world was full of "deceptive slogans" and did nothing to change relations between America and Muslims. The speech, which Obama delivered at Cairo University on Thursday, "had nothing substantial in terms of content in order to reduce the dissonance that has reached its peak between Muslims and America," the Taliban leadership said in a message posted on Islamist Internet forums and translated by SITE Intelligence Group. "His occupation and transgressing forces continue to kill, torture and arrest Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq, trample upon their deserved rights with their feet, mercilessly kill them for defending their rights and throw them in the most horrible prisons in the world," the message added. Obama's address, lasting almost an hour, was merely the "continuation of the previous deceptive slogans of America," the message said. Violence in Afghanistan has surged to its highest levels since the 2001 U.S. invasion toppled the Taliban, which had harbored the al Qaeda network responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States. Washington also is worried about the stability of nuclear-armed Pakistan in face of a growing insurgency and has urged action against militants to help defeat al Qaeda and disrupt support for the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani army launched an offensive against Taliban fighters and their allies in the Swat valley in the northwest of the country last month. The message from the Taliban was its first reaction to Obama's speech, which has been widely scrutinized in the Muslim world. Many Muslims who listened to Obama's address welcomed the change in tone from Washington but said they wanted to see more specifics about how he would heal long-running sores that include the Arab-Israeli conflict. Egypt's opposition Muslim Brotherhood, a group that renounced violence decades ago, said the speech was mainly for public relations.

PARIS. BRAZILIAN SEARCH CREWS FOUND TWO BODIES FROM CRASHED AIR FRANCE. Brazilian search crews on Saturday retrieved the first bodies from a crashed Air France flight in the Atlantic, and investigators said faulty speed readings had been found on the same type of jets. Navy ships found the bodies of two men and debris including a blue seat with a serial number matching Air France Flight 447, a rucksack containing a vaccination card, and a briefcase with an Air France ticket inside, rescue officials said. "This morning at 8:14 a.m., we confirmed the rescue from the water of pieces and bodies that belonged to the Air France flight," air force spokesman Jorge Amaral told reporters in the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife. Brazilian air force planes and navy ships have been scouring a swathe of the Atlantic about 1,100 km (683 miles) northeast of Brazil's coast since the Airbus A330-200 plane disappeared on Monday, killing all 228 people on board. The crash of the flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris was the world's deadliest air disaster since 2001 and the worst in Air France's 75-year history. Rescuers, who said that only family members will be informed of the identity of the corpses, believe many bodies could have sunk or been devoured by sharks. Searchers previously had retrieved debris from the ocean that turned out to be unrelated to the crash. French investigators trying to establish the cause of the crash said on Saturday that Airbus had detected faulty speed readings on its A330 jets before last week and had recommended that clients replace a sensor.

Air France later issued a statement saying it had begun changing airspeed sensors on Airbus long-haul aircraft due to icing fears five weeks before the crash, but only after failing to agree on a fix with Airbus. Investigators are considering the possibility that the speed sensors on Flight 447 may have iced up, resulting in faulty readings that caused the pilots to set the plane at a dangerous speed as it passed thunderstorms. But the head of France's air accident agency (BEA) said in a news conference in France that it was too soon to say if problems with the pressure-based speed sensors were in any way responsible for the disaster. "Some of the sensors (on the A330) were earmarked to be changed ... but that does not mean that without these replacement parts, the (Air France) plane would have been defective," BEA chief Paul-Louis Arslanian said. Airbus confirmed it issued a bulletin asking the plane's 50 or so airline operators to consider changing the speed sensors, known as Pitot tubes, but it said it was an optional measure to improve performance and not related to safety. In its statement on Saturday, Air France said it began noticing airspeed problems from icing on both A330 and A340 planes in May 2008 and had requested a solution from Airbus.

HERMOSILLO, MEXICO. FIRE AT DAYCARE CENTER KILLED 38 CHILDREN. By Jerry Blumberg and Debhe Diallo. The death toll from a fire at a daycare center in northern Mexico rose to 38 children with 23 more hospitalized, many with life-threatening burns, Mexican authorities said on Saturday. Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered an investigation into Friday's fire at the ABC daycare center in the northern city of Hermosillo to find who is to blame and later visited hospitals where survivors were being treated. Three additional children have died and more seriously burned victims remained in the hospital, Health Minister Raymundo Lopez told reporters late Saturday. "Unfortunately, fifteen of them are in danger of losing their lives over the next few hours," Lopez said. As flames blocked the center's doorway, employees and neighbors used cars to punch holes through a wall and stumbled over unconscious infants and toddlers as they tried to rescue them, witnesses said. Smoke inhalation killed many children before rescuers could reach them, with the victims ranging in age from a few months old to about 3 years old, authorities said. It was unclear where or how the fire started, although it may have broken out in a nearby warehouse or a tire workshop, the government said. "According to what our people saw, there was an explosion followed immediately by flames," said Daniel Karam, head of the Mexican agency responsible for health care and social security. Crying family and friends buried three children in small gray coffins and another 10 funerals were set to be held simultaneously on Sunday. The city of about 700,000 people is located 170 miles south of the border with the U.S. state of Arizona. Calderon said he was rushing medical assistance to overwhelmed medical staff in Hermosillo, including air ambulances and specialists in reconstructive surgery. "I have ordered the attorney general, along with local authorities ... to investigate as soon as possible to find out exactly what happened and identify whoever may be responsible," Calderon said earlier on Saturday in Quintana Roo state. More than 140 children were in the ABC daycare center when the fire broke out, Karam told reporters. Karam said the center had passed its last government inspection in May. Six adults also were hospitalized in less serious condition after the fire, authorities said. A 3-year-old girl was flown to the Shriners children's hospital in Sacramento, California, which specializes in burns, and another was due to be sent, the hospital said. "Our burn team here has been working all night with the medical professionals in Mexico to triage these patients, on the phone," said Shriners spokeswomanCatherine Curran.

NEW YORK. JOHN ZAUBLER JAILED FOR THREATENING PRESIDENT AND SOTOMAYOR. By Jacqus Dusseck and Diaraye Nkazen A Manhattan man is in custody for allegedly threatening to kill President Barack Obama and his recent Supreme Court nominee. Authorities say John Zaubler, 48, called 911 last week and told police he was going to kill Judge Sonia Sotomayor. According to the criminal complaint, Zaubler allegedly said he was going to "blow her up" so his girlfriend would not have to go to federal prison, and threatened the life of the president. Zaubler faces felony charges of making terrorist threats. He was ordered by a judge to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and is due back in court next month.

ALBANY, NY. GOVERNOR PATTERSON CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION IN DEATH OF P.O. Governor David Paterson announced in Midtown Manhattan Friday that a statewide task force will be formed in the next two weeks to investigate so-called friendly fire police shootings of undercover police officers. The announcement came more than a week after the shooting death of Police Officer Omar Edwards, 25, by another city policeman in East Harlem, which has raised questions about race. "We don't want to see this happen to any police officer of any color ever again," said the governor. "We want to try to put in protocols that prevent the shooting of police officers on or off duty who are trying to apprehend criminals." The parameters of the commission remain unclear, but the governor said the panel would investigate data of other friendly fire shooting, fatal or otherwise, to see whether officers of certain races are more often the victims. Paterson said that other racially-charged police matters like "stop and frisk" policies have been previously investigated. Paterson expressed confidence in the investigation of the incident currently being undertaken by Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. However, the governor also said he "will not close the door on [the] possibility" of asking for an independent investigation. Edwards was gunned while chasing a robbery suspect in East Harlem last Thursday. Police say Edwards was in plain clothes and chasing the suspect with his gun drawn. The governor said Edwards's shooting probably did not result from "institutional or direct racism," and claimed he "goes to bed praying that this [shooting] was a complete accident." The Reverend Al Sharpton, who joined the governor, Albany lawmakers and the head of the state's NAACP at Friday's meeting, disagreed with the governor and said a federal investigation was still needed. "Maybe of us feel a special prosecutor may be necessary in this case," said Sharpton. "And let me explain why. One, it's troubling to some of us, and I'm speaking now for myself and the civil rights community, that some of this story was told by the morning after the shooting, when there were no witnesses." Sharpton also feared that Morgenthau's successor would treat the investigation differently. NYPD officials say that 10 city police officers have been shot and killed due to mistaken identity since 1930. Four of the officers were black, five of the officers were white and one was a white Hispanic. Police officials also said they are looking into gun technology to help policemen locate each other. Mayor Michael Bloomberg posthumously promoted Edwards to detective at his funeral, increasing the death benefits to his family. Meanwhile, just a few blocks from where Edwards died, members of Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church in East Harlem devoted their Friday service to remembering the slain officer. The pastor called all worshippers to the pulpit to pray for healing in the local community, the police department and Edwards's family. Church officials hoped for the governor's task force to be a step in the right direction. "We live in a society where injustices have been a part of our history and we want justice to be assured for our future," said the Reverend Luonne Abram Rouse of Metropolitan Community. "That kind of split-second thinking, you have to look back at your entire profile, the way you were raised, the conversations at your dinner table. That moment is a composite of your whole life, and I think that needs to be checked out," said the Reverend Bruce Grodner of the Universal Peace Federation of New York. Metropolitan Community's pastor said he is eager to see the outcome of the investigation, but felt an external one might be more effective. Edwards is survived by a wife and two young children.

NYPD REPORTS By Yebhe Diallo, Diaraye Nkazen and David Nkazen

IN BROOKLYN * A serial counterfeit-DVD salesman was nabbed again, police said. David Fletcher, 53, had a crowd around him at Willoughby Street near Jay Street at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, sources said. A cop who had arrested Fletcher before for selling counterfeits moved in for a closer look and found him in possession of 200 pirated movie discs, said a spokesman for DA Charles Hynes.

* A raging thug slashed an acquaintance outside a Gravesend home, cops said. Roman Khazanov, 19, attacked the man arriving home at 5 p.m. Monday, sources said. He slashed the man's ear with a box cutter and said he'd be back to "take care" of his friends, police said. The attack was retribution for an earlier fight, sources said. Cops caught Khazanov Wednesday when they found him allegedly swinging a hammer wildly and threatening people on Avenue V near East 22nd Street.

IN QUEENS * A man was busted over a parking space after threatening the rival motorist with a knife, police said. Robert Tromp, 51, began arguing with the foe Tuesday after refusing to move his car from a driveway the pair share by their home on 86th Avenue near 162nd Avenue, sources said. Tromp allegedly called the man a "terrorist" -- then pulled a knife and threatened, "What are you going to do now?" The neighbor called police and Tromp was arrested, said a spokesman for DA Richard Brown.

* A drunken driver was busted after he plowed into three parked cars in Corona, police said. Juan Campoverde, 29, was behind the wheel of a 2008 Infiniti speeding down Corona Avenue near Alstyne Avenue at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when he smashed into the three vehicles, witnesses told cops, who found Campoverde standing outside his wrecked car. He was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred, sources said. His blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit, court papers revealed.

IN STATEN ISLAND * In a "CSI" scenario, DNA evidence on a screwdriver helped cops link a parolee to the burglary of an Arden Heights home, sources said. Anthony Carruth, 45, allegedly broke into a home on Drumgoole Road West near Van Allen Avenue sometime after noon on Jan. 14. Cops found a screwdriver in the basement and lab tests found DNA traces on it. It matched Carruth's DNA from a previous burglary conviction. He was arrested Tuesday at a parole office in Jamaica, Queens, said a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan.

* A vandal was busted after he was caught on surveillance video scratching graffiti at a Dunkin' Donuts in Woodrow, police said. José Librado, 24, was caught scratching the word "Dose" on a plastic display case in the store on Rossville Avenue near McBaine Avenue at 3:30 p.m. on May 29, sources said. Cops used the video and the "tag" to identify Librado, who has previous graffiti arrests.

PARIS. PRESIDENT OBAMA WILL BE IN FRANCE SATURDAY By Jacques Dusseck, Yebhe Diallo and Scott Strong. President Barack Obama sought to change Muslim perceptions of the United States on Thursday in a speech that urged Arabs and Israelis to declare in public the realities he said they accept in private. Addressing the world's more than 1 billion Muslims from Cairo, Obama called for a "new beginning" in ties between Washington and the Islamic world in his speech that also tackled grievances over two U.S.-led wars and tensions over Iran. Some Muslims welcomed Obama's fresh tone after George W. Bush's departure even as others expressed frustration that he failed to outline specific changes to U.S. policy, reflecting skepticism in the region Obama must still overcome. In his keynote speech, occasionally interrupted by shouts of "we love you," Obama said he did not want U.S. troops to stay in Iraq or Afghanistan forever and offered mutual respect in seeking to resolve differences with long-time foe, Tehran. "We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world -- tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate," Obama said in the address that included quotes from Islam's holy book, the Koran. "I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect," he said. "America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition." "This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," he said. Highlighting hostility the U.S. leader faces from some quarters, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, in a message on a website, warned Muslims against alliance with Christians and Jews, saying it would annul their faith. The supreme leader of Washington's regional arch foe, Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said before Obama spoke that America was "deeply hated" and only action, not "slogans," could change that. The choice of Cairo for the speech underscored Obama's focus on the Middle East, where he faces big foreign policy challenges, from trying to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to curbing Iran's nuclear plans that Washington says is to build atomic bombs. Tehran denies any such aims. His trip included touring a 14th century mosque and the pyramids in the desert on the edge of Cairo. He was seen off at the airport, walking up the red carpet in the t-shirt and trousers he wore while visiting the ancient pharaonic sites. Although the administration tried to lower expectations in recent days about what the speech would accomplish, there were high hopes in the region that he would take a tougher line on Israel and follow up his words with actions. He offered few specifics on democracy, rule of law and human rights in the Arab world, issues many hoped he would spell out. "He should have been outspoken about democracy and the universal principles of human rights," said Syrian lawyer Mohannad al-Hassani. President Obama is leaving Germany this Friday to be in Paris Saturday.

FLUSHING, QUEENS. AT THE 109TH PRECINT, ARMANDO TORRES SHOT AT 109 PCT. By Jacques Dusseck and David Nzaken A knife-wielding man who was shot inside a police precinct house in Flushing Thursday morning remains in critical condition as investigators look into the bizarre chain of events that led up to the confrontation. According to police, an armed man, identified by sources as Armando Torres, was shot after he entered the 109th Precinct house in Flushing, Queens, and attacked a civilian and an officer. Police say Torres stabbed a 48-year-old man in the back and forearm outside the station house. Police say the stabbing was unprovoked. Torres then ran into the precinct house. Police say that after Torres lunged at an officer at the desk, there was a struggle and he then allegedly took off running through the station house. Police say two detectives and an officer followed him, demanded he dropped the weapon, pictured right, and shots were fired. A total of five rounds were shot. Torres was struck in the stomach. He was taken to New York Hospital Queens in what hospital officials describe as critical condition. The stabbing victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The relationship between the stabbing victim and the armed man is not known at this time. Several officers were taken to the hospital for trauma. An 11-inch knife was recovered at the scene. Police say 38-year-old Torres has a criminal background, which includes an assault of a police officer. Torres is now under arrest in connection with this incident. Charges are pending. Union Street was closed to traffic, but reopened shortly before 2:30 p.m.

BROOKLYN. THURSDAY MORNING MORE THAN A 1,000 ATTEND COP'S FUNERAL By Diaraye Nkazen and Yebhe Diallo. Officers, elected officials, friends and family gathered Thursday morning for the funeral of the New York City police officer fatally shot by a fellow policeman last week. The ceremony for Omar Edwards began following a procession of the casket to Our Lady of Victory Church in Brooklyn. About 800 mourners packed the church and hundreds more filled the street to listen to the funeral on a loudspeaker. Edwards, 25, was gunned down by another officer while chasing a robbery suspect in East Harlem last Thursday. Police say he was in plain clothes and chasing the man with his gun drawn. Governor David Paterson, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly all delivered eulogies, describing him as a man who loved his job, his family, and the New York Giants. "Becoming a police officer was truly a dream come true for Omar and he planned to make the most of it," Bloomberg said. "Omar's passion for policing was well-known to the other officers and his impact response team as well. They'll tell you that in any situation, no matter how tense or in any chase, no matter where it led, you could rely on Omar without a second thought." The mayor said Edwards will be posthumously promoted to detective, increasing the death benefits to his family. He leaves behind a wife and two young children. "We'll leave here feeling that hope will triumph over experience, that dreams are more important than reality, that faith inevitably will outlast history, and that love is stronger than death," said the governor. City leaders expressed hope that the lessons learned from the tragedy would prevent anything like it from happening again. "Last week, as he left work, Omar responded to a criminal act – a man breaking in to his car," said the police commissioner. "The crime set into motion a tragic chain of events, which we will do everything in our power to understand." "Omar Edwards was everything we could hope for in a police officer – conscientious, hardworking, driven to learn about policing from the time that he was a child," said the police commissioner. Thoughts were also with Officer Andrew Dunton, who shot Edwards. "Officer Dunton, who now lives to regret the fatal results from what he did in the line of duty, he, too, needs our compassion and our prayers," said Reverend Paul Jarvis, pastor of Our Lady of Victory. According to the New York Times, a preliminary report is shedding some light on what happened immediately after the shooting. The paper says police on the scene did not know Edwards was an officer until they discovered he was wearing a distinctive police academy T-shirt, and then found his shield. The incident has raised questions about race, since Dunton is white. Meanwhile, the Police Department says it is trying to learn from the incident and refocus the way it trains officers. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said there are also plans to update the officer training video to include more focus on such encounters. The increased training comes on the heels of calls for a federal investigation into Edwards' death. The Manhattan district attorney said Wednesday that he is confident his office can fairly investigate the shooting.

KEW GARDENS, QUEENS. 21 YEAR OLD DRIVER KILLED IN CAR CRASH, By David Nkazen and Jerry Blumberg A 21-year-old driver was killed Thursday morning when he lost control of his car and smashing into a home in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens. Police say the car was traveling eastbound on Horace Harding Expressway when it hit a pole, became airborne, and slammed into two homes on 61st Road. No one other than the driver was injured. "It was 12:30 at night, I was lying in bed, and all of a sudden I heard screeching, a loud noise," said Tony Kullawattana, owner of the damaged home. "My whole house shook. I came outside and the car was upside down, on fire. I called 9-1-1. That was it. In five minutes the car was completely in flames." Residents say the crash occurred at a dangerous intersection that has similar accidents in the past. They say drivers coming off the Long Island Expressway speed to try and beat the traffic light at the end of the exit ramp. "It seems that with the combination of the curve and the slipperiness, especially when it gets wet," said one local resident. "All of the houses on this block, the front porch has been hit over the years, once or sometimes even twice." "Either it's speed or just poor driving, there's just a lot of common accidents around here," said another. It took about an hour to put out the fire.

NYPD REPORTS By Yebhe Diallo and Malherbe Metelus

In Queens *A 17-year-old thief was killed and two others injured early yesterday after the car in which they were fleeing crashed in Rego Park, police said. Cops said a call came in at 1:47 a.m. of teens stealing car parts. Arriving officers spotted a black Lincoln Town Car with Pennsylvania plates speeding along Eliot Avenue. The car made a left onto Woodhaven Boulevard and crashed into a concrete barrier at the Long Island Rail Road underpass. The identity of the teen who died was not immediately revealed. The 14-year-old and 16-year-old suspects were treated at Elmhurst Hospital. Charges against them were not known.

*Cops are asking for the public's help finding the man (right) who allegedly tried to sexually assault a woman in Forest Park. The sicko grabbed the 60-year-old from behind, forced her to the ground and tried to rip off her clothes at Myrtle Avenue and Forest Park Drive Tuesday at 6:45 a.m., police said. The victim screamed and fought back, and the man fled, officials said. The suspect was initially believed responsible in the rape the previous night of a 47-year-old woman nearby, but Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said there was no immediate link between the two. The latest suspect is described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, approximately 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds. He was wearing a three-quarter-length green jacket and dark pants.

* A man was arrested for presenting a fake Mali passport at Kennedy Airport, law-enforcement officials said Wednesday. Fodie Siby, 32, showed the passport, bearing a photo apparently of someone else, as part of pre-flight screening on May 24 for an Air France flight. A Transportation Security Administration inspector then asked Siby his date of birth. Siby first said "1970" but then hastily uttered "January 2, 1960," according to court papers. He was charged with criminal impersonation, identity theft and obstructing governmental administration, a spokeswoman for DA Richard Brown said.

* A man was found dead Wednesday morning in a minivan in Jackson Heights, cops said. The body of the 59-year-old man, whose name was withheld, was found in the vehicle at 6:45 a.m. at 34th Avenue and 65th Street. Sources said the body showed no signs of trauma, and no criminality is suspected. An autopsy was scheduled.

IN MANHATTAN *Police are investigating an alleged rape of a Queens woman by a friend of her sister's fiancé in a Midtown nightclub. The 25-year-old woman told cops she was partying in the club on West 35th Street near Sixth Avenue at 12:30 a.m. Saturday. Moments later, the fiancé's friend dragged her to a second-floor bathroom and raped her, she said. She reported the alleged incident later that day, but could not provide a name or description of her attacker.

IN STATEN ISLAND * An out-of-control motorist was arrested early Wednesday in Clifton after taking cops on a miles-long chase, authorities said. Cops spotted Sheldon Bell, 19, recklessly driving a 1992 white Nissan Maxima and attempted to pull him over at 1 a.m. at Fairway Avenue and Kimberly Lane, law-enforcement officials said. Bell ignored police lights and sirens and sped away. He crashed into a tree then fled on foot. Cops soon arrested him on charges of reckless endangerment, unlawfully fleeing a police officer, reckless driving and resisting arrest, a spokesman for DA Daniel Donovan said.

IN BROOKLYN *An armed teen and his friend were busted after cops found them loitering in Mount Prospect Park after hours. Erich Turner, 16 and Jermaine Simmons, 17, were hanging out near Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue shortly after midnight on Sunday. As cops approached the pair, Simmons allegedly tossed a pistol to the ground and the two ran. After a brief chase, cops busted the teens and recovered a .380 handgun and a clip with five rounds of ammunition, according to court papers. Simmons was charged with weapons possession and Turner was cited for failure to comply with police, a spokesman for DA Charles Hynes said.

SAUDI ARABIA. PRESIDENT OBAMA ARRIVED THIS WEDNESDAY IN RIYADH. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg President Obama arrived Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, his first stop on a Middle East trip that will include a major speech intended to repair a damaged U.S. image. President Obama arrives Wednesday in Riyadh, on the first leg of his international trip. The president will deliver the widely anticipated address Thursday in Cairo, Egypt, in hopes of reaching out to Muslims and begin a dialogue. "I think what is important is that we demonstrate that the United States wants to pursue a different relationship and ensure that Muslims around the world understand the message of the United States," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday. "We have more in common than we have disagreement about, and I think that's what he wants to ensure that the vast majority of the Muslim world hears." Mideast expert Mamoun Fandy said Muslims want more than talk; they want action. They want to hear "that he is very serious about solving the Israeli-Arabian problem, that he is very serious about engaging the Muslim world on the basis of recognizing the equality," Fandy said. The Arab-Israeli conflict is the most important, most intractable problem in the Muslim world. Gibbs was quick to tamp down expectations of how much the president can accomplish with one speech. In recent days, the president has been getting tough on Israel, pushing a two-state solution in meetings with a resistant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The solution aims to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by establishing an independent Palestinian state peacefully co-existing with Israel. "Part of being a good friend is being honest," Obama said in an interview with National Public Radio. "And I think there have been times where we are not as honest as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory, in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests but also U.S. interests. And that's part of a new dialogue that I'd like to see encouraged in the region." After Egypt, Obama will visit Germany and then France for a D-Day commemoration ceremony.

WASHINGTON. GM AND CHRYSLER TO FACE THE SENATE SCRUTINY ON DEALERS. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong. General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC, both bankrupt, will try this Wednesday to ease congressional concern, and in some cases anger, over their plans to slash more than 2,400 dealerships. Members of the Senate Commerce Committee plan to grill GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson and Chrysler President Jim Press about the lone aspect of restructuring that has triggered a broad response from Congress since dealers are nationwide. "Rapid dealer reductions increase unemployment, threaten communities and decrease state and local tax revenue without any material corresponding decrease in an automaker's costs," said John McEleney, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association who sells vehicles made by GM, Toyota Motor Corp and Hyundai Motor Co in Iowa. At risk are dealers at both companies that employ more than 100,000 people, industry estimates show. In his testimony, McEleney will emphasize the need for government to provide new financing to Chrysler so the company can buy back unsold inventory, parts and other assets, and give dealers more time to close their businesses. Press told Congress last month in a letter the company would help dealerships losing their franchise agreements beyond the deadline set by the company. Chrysler plans to shut 789 showrooms, about 25 percent of its dealers, by June 9. On Monday, a bankruptcy court judge in New York approved the sale of substantially all of Chrysler's assets to a group led by Italy's Fiat despite objections from dealers and other groups that Chrysler was moving too fast. The court must still approve Chrysler's dealership strategy. Chrysler, which is close to stepping out of court protection, would not comment on Press's testimony ahead of the hearing. Henderson, who steered GM into bankruptcy on Monday, plans to contrast his plan as a softer landing for dealers not part of GM's future. GM wants to cut 1,100 of its smaller and least profitable dealerships and will lose another 470 by cutting its Saab, Saturn and Hummer brands. GM expects to offer an agreement to those businesses slated for closure to wind down their operations in orderly fashion over the next 18 months. GM plans to end up with about 3,600 showrooms. That plan must also be approved by the judge overseeing GM's bankruptcy. More than three dozen lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and Senate have asked the Obama administration to intervene on behalf of dealerships.

PARIS.PAUL LOUIS ARSLANIAN, CHIEF INVESTIGATOR ABOUT FLIGHT RECORDER By Romy Dusseck and Elizabeth Menos. France's air accident investigation chief is not optimistic the flight recorders can be recovered from the Air France plane which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Paul Louis Arslanian, the head of France's air accident investigation agency, made the comments at a news conference in France this Wednesday, May 03, 2009. Debris has been sighted by a spotter plane about 745 miles (1,200 km) northeast of the Brazilian coastal city of Recife, and the Brazil navy has dispatched four navy ships with recovery equipment to the area. France is preparing to send a boat with an unmanned submarine aboard that can explore as deeply as 6,000 metres (19,680 ft) as part of the attempt to locate and recover the Airbus 330's black boxes, which could shed light on the mysterious disaster.

French officials who said there is now no hope that anyone survived the crash of an Air France jet that plunged into the Atlantic said Wednesday they may never find the doomed jets' flight data recorders. A French AWACS reconnaissance aircraft prepares to leave its Dakar, Senegal base to search the crash zone. 1 of 2 The Airbus 330, with 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board, disappeared from radar screens, some three hours after it took off from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil en route to Paris. A memorial for the victims of Flight AF 447, which included 61 people from France, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans and people from 29 other countries, will take place at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris at 10 a.m. . Brazil has declared three days of mourning. Air France CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon said aircraft encountered heavy turbulence about 02:15 a.m. local time Monday (10:15 p.m. ET Sunday). At that point, the plane's automatic system initiated a four-minute exchange of messages to the company's maintenance computers, indicating "several pieces of aircraft equipment were at fault or had broken down." The jet, which was flying at 35,000 feet and at 521 mph, also sent a warning that it had lost pressure, the Brazilian air force said. Its last known contact occurred at 02:33 a.m., the Brazilian air force spokesman added. Map of Flight AF 447's flightpath » "We need time to reach the recorders," said Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of France's Accident Investigation Bureau. The recorders give off a locator signal that lasts for up to 30 days, and the French government has sent a research vessel with a deep-diving submersible on board to the area where the plane's debris was found. French officials said weather conditions at the site -- believed to be a major factor in the crash -- remain "extremely difficult" and the depth of the Atlantic near the sites where wreckage was found is around 7,000 meters (21,000 feet). "Even in history recorders from time to time were found after the 30 days. But I'm not so optimistic," said Arslanian at a press conference Wednesday. "It's not only deep it's also very mountainous at that place of the ocean." Arslanian said answers on what caused the crash could take a long time. "It could be long, we can not do with 80 percent understanding," said Arslanian. "This catastrophe is the worst that our country has known in our country's air history." He said there appeared to be no problems with Flight AF 447 before take-off, but that everything had to be "checked and verified." The Brazilian Air Force said in a statement later Wednesday that one of its planes had found another four areas of debris -- 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of the area initially covered by its aircraft. Various objects were spotted scattered in a circular area covering a 5 kilometer radius. On Tuesday authorities found wreckage, which included an airplane seat, metal debris, an orange float, a drum and an oil spill, in two separate debris fields 60 kilometers apart located about 650 km (400 miles) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha Islands, an archipelago 355 kilometers (220 miles) off the northeast coast of Brazil. French investigators were first mobilized on Monday, with four teams set up to conduct the probe. One has been tasked with recovering the wreck and flight recorders, the second group are looking at the aircraft's maintenance history, the third checking the operations of the plane, and the last group studying the plane's systems and equipment. The investigation's team leader, Alain Bouillard, said their first preliminary report would be submitted by the end of June.

SIX MORE SCHOOLS CLOSED FOR H1N1 By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong

City officials have decided to close six more schools because of a high number of students reporting flu-like symptoms. Four of the schools are in East Harlem. They include P.S. 83, which shares its space with P.S. 182 and P.S. 155, which includes P169, a school for children with disabilities. The two remaining schools are in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. They are P.S. 503, which shares its space with P.S. 506. All six of the schools are scheduled to reopen on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the city's Department of Health has confirm 32 more cases of the H1N1 flu virus. The total number of cases citywide now stands at 388.

HARLEM, NY. OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICER OMAR EDWARDS KILLED IN EAST HARLEM. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg An off-duty police officer has died following a shooting Thursday night in East Harlem in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity. Investigators say it happened around 10:30 p.m. near Second Avenue and 125th Street. Police say 25-year-old Omar Edwards, a housing officer, left his shift and saw Miguel Santiago breaking into his car. They say Edwards called 911, drew his gun and started chasing Santiago. Investigators say plainclothes officers responded to the scene when one of them noticed Edwards, drove after him, and fired six times, hitting him in the arm and chest. He was not wearing a bullet proof vest at the time. Investigators say Edwards was rushed to Harlem Hospital, and was pronounced dead about an hour later. "And while we don't know all of the details of what happened tonight, this is a tragedy. Rest assured we will find out exactly what happened here, see what we can learn from so it may never happen again," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "On behalf of the entire department I extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Officer Edwards," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Edwards recently married and leaves behind two children. Police say Santiago is in custody. A full investigation into the shooting is now underway.

CITY HALL. MAYOR BLOOMBERG BLASTS A REPORTER AT PRESS CONFERENCE. By Jerry Blumberg and Romy Dussek. Mayor Bloomberg lashed out at a reporter at a press conference Thursday, calling him a disgrace for asking a question about term limits. The mayor's temper was in full view Thursday, as he blasted a reporter for asking him if an improving economy takes away one of his reasons for overturning term limits. "I don't know where you get, why don't you just ask serious questions here. The rationale for extending term limits was the City Council passed it and the public's going to have a chance on November third to say what they want and I don't think we have to keep coming back to that," said Bloomberg. The mayor later went back to the topic, just as he was leaving the podium, calling reporter Azi Paybarah of the New York Observer a "disgrace." The incident occurred at an event announcing federal stimulus funds to help retrain out of work New Yorkers. The mayor says he's optimistic about the city's fiscal outlook. That's a sea change from last October when he pushed for ending term limits, saying the city needed his business expertise with the economy in a tailspin. This isn't the first time the mayor lost his temper with a reporter this year. Back in April, Bloomberg lost his cool when a disabled journalist had trouble turning off a tape recorder that accidentally went off. The mayor later met with the reporter and said he was sorry if he offended him. The political editor of the New York Observer, Josh Benson, said, "It was an interesting response to a reasonable question." As critics say the billionaire mayor is prepared to spend whatever it takes to drown out other candidates messages in the mayoral race, at times it appears Bloomberg may be his own biggest obstacle to winning re-election. Democratic mayoral candidate William Thompson Jr. says he's not surprised by the mayor's outburst. "It's an attempt to try to prevent an honest discussion about the future of New York City and the issues that face New Yorkers each and every day. I'm not surprised that he'd be irritated by it, because it's the truth," said Thompson. With five months to go before election day, Thompson's certainly hoping Bloomberg will hand over free ammunition like this to his campaign.

WASHINGTON. PRESIDENT OBAMA NAMES JUDGE SONIA SOTOMAYOR By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong President Barack Obama nominated federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor, a New Yorker, for the Supreme Court Tuesday morning, calling her an "inspiring woman." If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor, 54, would become the first Hispanic to serve on the nation's highest court. The South Bronx native would succeed retiring Justice David Souter. Following the official nomination, Sotomayor called the selection, "the most humbling honor" of her life. "I chose to be a lawyer and ultimately a judge because I find endless challenge in the complexities of the law," she said. "I firmly believe in the rule of law as the foundation for all of our basic rights." Sotomayor while an undergraduate student at Princeton University. Sotomayor was born in the Bronx in 1954, attended North Bronx's Cardinal Spellman High School, and graduated from Princeton University and Yale Law School. She's been a judge since 1992, and has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since 1998. Earlier this month, Sotomayor was honored as an influential Latina by El Diario/La Prensa. Her parents came to New York from Puerto Rico during World War II. New York Senator Charles Schumer said he recommended her to Obama because she met three important criteria: excellence, moderation and diversity. "It's a great New York story and it's a great American story," Schumer said following the announcement of her selection. "And, she will give the courts some needed understanding of how ordinary Americans live. Her outstanding legal mind and her compelling life experience is just the combination this court needs in its next justice." Governor David Paterson, who wrote a letter to Obama recommending Sotomayor to the post, praised the New York judge's nomination alongside other Albany lawmakers today. "It is a catalyst for empowerment for belief that any child in this country can grow up to become whatever they want. And one of those children grew up to become president of the United States just a few months ago," said the governor. "As a Puerto Rican woman, I'm proud," said Bronx Assemblyman Carmen Arroyo. "As a Puerto Rican mother, I want to send a message to every mother in the world: if you raise your children with dignity and you use that dignity to prepare them for the future, we will have more Sonia Sotomayors in this world." Sotomayor is expected to be confirmed since Democrats hold the majority in the Senate. If approved, she would join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the current Court.

NEW YORK. GAY MARRIAGE SUPPORTERS RALLY AGAINST PROPOSITION 8 By Jerry Blumberg and Romy Dussek Hundreds of New Yorkers gathered in Greenwich Village Tuesday evening to march to Union Square in support of gay marriage, after California's Supreme Court ruled to uphold a voter-approved ban on gay marriage earlier in the day. The same court which legalized same sex marriage in California a year ago, ruled Tuesday to uphold Proposition 8, which narrowly passed in November. However, the judges also decided to recognize the marriages of the approximately 18,000 couples who tied the knot between June and November, before the law took effect. Rallies were planned in 90 cities, including the one here in New York. As rain began to fall, protesters gathered in Sheridan Square, near the site of the Stonewall riots that begin the gay rights movement in 1969. "People are rationalizing their discrimination," said a protester. "They're saying things like, 'Well, that's just my opinion,' or 'Let's agree to disagree.' But it's still discrimination. You're telling someone, 'You can drink at my water fountain but you can't eat at my restaurant.'" "We're where we are as lesbians and gays because of a movement that we built, And this movement began here on this street," said another protester. "It's affected the whole world, it's affected the society as a whole, and we're here to say that we're going to continue to fight for our rights." New York's State Senate is considering a same-sex marriage bill that was passed by the Assembly earlier this month.

GENERAL MOTORS MOVE STEPS CLOSER TO BANKRUPCY. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg

GM, Ford, and Chrysler, the former Big 3 now dwindled to the Detroit 3, have gone in such different directions they don't seem to be on the same planet - let alone the same city. Will they make it? Fortune grades each on its performance and prospects. General Motors said Wednesday it has fallen far short of the bondholder support it needed for its proposed debt-for-stock offer, virtually guaranteeing that the nation's largest automaker will be forced to file for bankruptcy court protection within the next five days. The bondholders were not satisfied with the prospect of owning only 10% of the company when the U.S. government would own nearly 70% and a union-controlled trust fund up to 20%. The bondholders own $27 billion in corporate notes. GM needed owners of 90% of those bonds to accept stock in return for the debt in order to reduce its interest expenses to a more manageable level. But GM's announcement said that bondholders who took the company's offer were "substantially less than the amount required." The company owes the bondholders $1 billion in interest payments on June 1 - money it says it does not have. The company also faces a June 1 deadline to win concessions from its union, creditors and other parties or be forced into bankruptcy by the U.S. Treasury Department, which is funding GM's operations through direct federal help. "The GM board of directors will be meeting to discuss GM's next steps in light of the expiration of the exchange offers," said the company's statement. The ad hoc committee of major bondholders had no immediate comment on the vote. The group, which includes major pension funds and mutual funds that own large blocks of the bonds, had proposed the bondholders as a group receive 58% of the stock in GM, rather than the 10% being offered. The major bondholders have also said they want to continue negotiating with Treasury's auto industry task force overseeing the federal bailout of GM and Chrysler LLC. source with knowledge of GM's restructuring discussions said Treasury is willing to hold negotiations up until June 1. "We've said consistently that we were happy to talk to any stakeholder any time about anything," the source said. "Recently there have been far more constructive and orderly conversations."

But the source added that Treasury believed the offer made to GM creditors, which would give them 225 shares of GM stock for every $1,000 they are owed, is fair and equitable, and that it is not likely to be substantially increased. The 225 shares would be worth $324 based on Tuesday's closing price, although the value of these shares could be significantly less after a reorganization. However, if GM does go into bankruptcy, the source said that Treasury believes the bondholders would likely get even less than what was offered. "In any kind of liquidation scenario, they would get nothing or something unbelievably small," said the source. It is estimated that about 20% of the $27 billion in debt, between $5 billion and $6 billion, is held by individual investors who bought the bonds for the steady revenue stream they provided. Most of the bonds pay better than 7% interest, and those that were purchased at a discount since GM debt was downgraded to junk bond status in 2005 pay an even better return. GM stock does not pay any dividend and will not do so for the foreseeable future. Stock is also a riskier investment than bonds because stockholders are certain to be wiped out if there is a bankruptcy filing, while bondholders can hope that they will recover some of their investment in court. But rating agency Standard & Poor's estimates that the bondholders, whose debt is not secured by specific company assets, will get between 0% and 10% of their investment back in bankruptcy court. The stock being offered bondholders would be equal to only about 10% of the company. GM's stated plan is for the government and a union-controlled trust fund to own 89% of the company between them. The United Auto Workers union disclosed to its local presidents Tuesday that it has agreed to accept 17.5% of GM's common stock to cover future retiree health care costs, as well as warrants for an additional 2.5% that give the trust fund the right to buy shares at a very low price. Previously, many had expected the union to control nearly 40% of GM shares, rather than 20%. But the source familiar with the restructuring discussions said the lower stake for the UAW does not open the way for bondholders to get a larger stake in GM. The source said the Canadian government will own a small percentage of GM, as it does of Chrysler. The source added that a Treasury stake well above 50% is fair given that the government has provided GM with $19.4 billion in help so far and will likely give the company tens of billions of dollars more to fund its operations during bankruptcy.

SEOUL, NORTH KOREA FIRED 2 SHORT MISSILES By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong. The firings came a day after the reclusive communist state conducted a nuclear test and fired another short-range missile. "We should be clear that these are short-range missiles. They are in the realm of anti-ship or anti-aircraft missiles, not missiles designed to target cities or other country population centers," said analyst Daniel Pinkston of the International Crisis Group, which describes itself as an independent non-profit group committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict. The U.N. Security Council condemned Monday's nuclear test as a "clear violation" of international law. Watch U.N. condemnation » Even the North's closest ally criticized its actions. China said North Korea "disregarded the opposition of the international community." "The Chinese government expresses firm opposition to this," a statement from Beijing's foreign ministry said. It urged Pyongyang to return to the talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear program, abide by its existing commitments and "cease any actions that might cause the situation to deteriorate further." North Korea agreed in 2008 to scrap its nuclear weapons program -- which it said had produced enough plutonium for about seven atomic bombs -- in exchange for economic aid. But the deal foundered over verification and disclosure issues, and the North expelled international inspectors and announced plans to restart its main nuclear reactor. At the United Nations, Security Council members took about an hour Monday to express their unanimous condemnation of the move. Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin called Monday's test "very serious" and said it "needs to have a strong response." Watch how Pyongyang has used nuclear tests to gain concessions » In a statement authorized by the council members, Churkin said the test was a "clear violation" of previous resolutions calling for North Korea to avoid provocative steps such as nuclear weapons or missile tests. U.S. ambassador Susan Rice said Washington will seek "strong measures" against North Korea.

"The U.S. thinks that this is a grave violation of international law and a threat to regional and international peace and security," she said. France and Japan also signaled support for new sanctions against North Korea, already one of the most isolated nations in the world. North Korea first tested a nuclear weapon in October 2006. Pyongyang had threatened last month to carry out a new test after the Security Council condemned its test-firing of a long-range rocket and extended economic sanctions against the nation, which is in dire need of food and energy assistance.

Monday's blast, conducted just before 10 a.m. (9 p.m. Sunday ET) showed up on seismographs with the punch of a magnitude 4.7 earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Russia estimated the force of Monday's blast at 10 to 20 kilotons, in the neighborhood of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs of World War II and far larger than the 2006 test. Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency said only that the latest test was safely conducted "on a new higher level in terms of its explosive power and technology of its control." The North Koreans followed up with a short-range missile launch as well, according to the White House. Watch more analysis on the nuclear test » Less than three weeks ago, the White House announced a new diplomatic effort to restart the stalled six-party nuclear talks. The discussions involve China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the United States. Several analysts said the test could be an effort to improve Pyongyang's bargaining position, or a sign of a power struggle within North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's government. Han Park, a scholar at the University of Georgia, said North Korea wants normal diplomatic relations and a non-aggression pact with the United States -- and is "angry enough and hungry enough to sell anything they can put their hands on." "They are a big-time weapons trader," Park said. "If we are going to try to do something about nonproliferation, we have to include diplomatic relations with North Korea." Analysts say North Korea is years from having a weapon it can put atop a long-range missile like those in the U.S., Chinese or Russian arsenals.

Meanwhile, Kim is widely reported to have suffered a stroke in August and has been absent from many public functions in recent months. In April, he named his son Kim Jong-un and brother-in-law, Jang Song Thaek, to the country's powerful National Defense Commission, suggesting his son might be his heir. Rebecca Johnson, executive director of the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, that Kim "needs to demonstrate domestically that he is in charge." "Doing the nuclear tests, firing a couple of missiles, is a way to do that -- perhaps the only way to do that -- because he can't feed the people," she said. North and South Korea technically remain at war, because no treaty formalized the truce that ended the Korean War in 1953. The conflict also involved China and the United States, and about 25,000 U.S. troops are still based in South Korea. But Johnson said renewed conflict is unlikely; rather, Pyongyang is "playing a political game." "It causes a lot of anxiety in South Korea and Japan, but they are sensible countries," she said. "They know that this can be dealt with politically and diplomatically. This is not a situation where anyone should start saber-rattling and threatening to go to war."

UNITED NATIONS. BILL CLINTON APPOINTED SPECIAL ENVOY FOR HAITI By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced on May 19, the appointment of Bill Clinton as the United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti, building on the former United States President’s extensive engagement with the Caribbean nation. “I am confident that President Clinton will bring energy, dynamism and focus to the task of mobilizing international support for Haiti’s economic recovery and reconstruction,” said Mr. Ban. According to a news release, the appointment builds on Mr. Clinton’s extensive engagement with Haiti, while serving in the White House, and most recently, through his Call to Action on Haiti at the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2008. I believe Haiti is better positioned to make progress for all its people than at any time since I first visited in 1978 The Secretary-General and Mr. Clinton joined forces to help Haiti when they visited the country in March to raise awareness of efforts to help its people and Government bolster their economic security. Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, suffered a string of severe setbacks last year, and was deeply affected by the rise in global food and oil prices. In addition, the country was devastated by four successive storms in as many weeks, leaving 800 people dead and another one million either homeless or badly affected. “It is an honour to accept the Secretary General’s invitation to become Special Envoy to Haiti,” said Mr. Clinton. “Last year’s natural disasters took a great toll, but Haiti’s Government and people have the determination and ability to ‘build back better,’ not just to repair the damage done but to lay the foundations for the long term sustainable development that has eluded them for so long.” As Special Envoy, he will support the efforts of the Haitian authorities to jumpstart sustainable social and economic development. He will focus attention on the importance of new partnerships and efforts among the private sector, civil society, and donors, as well as strengthen local capacity, and create a more stable and prosperous future for the children of Haiti. “I believe Haiti is better positioned to make progress for all its people than at any time since I first visited in 1978,” Mr. Clinton added. “It offers unique opportunities for public and private investment to improve health and education in ways that will be good for Haitians and all their partners in our interdependent world.” Some Haitian politicians have reacted negatively to this Clinton's appointment by the UN.

BROOKLYN, NY. FOUR BROOKLYN YESHIVAS CLOSE OVER FLU FEARS. By Romy Dussek and Elizabeth Menos. As the city prepares to reopen more than a dozen schools Tuesday following the latest H1N1 outbreak, flu concerns at four Yeshivas in Brooklyn have prompted school officials to close their doors. Magen David Yeshivah Elementary School, Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel, Masores Bais Yaakov, and Yeshivat Shaare Torah will be closed for the rest of the week. Officials at the schools say they made the decision because of high absenteeism and probable cases. Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who represents the area, says the closures will allow the schools to sanitize. "Clearly these schools were concerned. They wanted to protect the student body, so they decided to do what they considered the safest thing and that is to close the schools for a number of days, deal with the issue and then everybody will be able to back," said Hikind.

The United Federation of Teachers has set up 11 hotlines in the five boroughs to gather information on school flu outbreaks and school closings. The Department of Education is now posting daily attendance rates for every public school in New York City. The Department of Health says there are no confirmed cases at these schools. They also say they are only testing unusual clusters and severe illness. On Sunday, city health officials confirmed that a Queens woman in her 50s with underlying health conditions died over the weekend as a result of complications brought on by the H1N1 virus. The name of the patient has not been released. On Monday, Queens City councilman Eric Gioia said city officials should be more forthcoming about the H1N1 outbreaks. "I don't think any of us have any information and that is part of the problem," Gioia said. "Right now people in Queens are under a lot of stress because there are so many unanswered questions. When you hear 'underlying conditions,' it's so vague and you have no idea what it means." The first victim in the city was assistant public school principal Mitchell Wiener, who died earlier this month. The total number of confirmed H1N1 cases in the city stands at 280. However, the DOH stresses that most of the cases remain mild. One of the schools preparing to open Tuesday morning is I.S. 318 in Williamsburg, where the school's fire marshal said crews had worked around the clock to make the school clean for the students' return. "We had a crew of seven," said Nelson Montalvo. "We're doing what's called a general cleaning – tables, walls, chairs, bathrooms – everything we could possibly think of. Everything is cleaned throughout the building." Meanwhile, a person in Illinois is said to be the latest to die from the H1N1 virus. Health officials would only say the person lived in the Chicago area and had other medical conditions. This brings the national death toll due to the virus to 12, including the two in New York City. The Centers for Disease Control says there are more than 6,700 cases in the U.S., most of them mild. The World Health Organization has tallied more than 12,500 H1N1 cases worldwide.

MANHATTAN. NO DRIVERS IN TIMES SQUARE By Jacques Dusseck Department of Transportation workers painted fresh lines and changed street signs Sunday in preparation for the major construction project meant to ease traffic and create more space for walkers and bikers. The pedestrian plazas will provide shoppers and tourists with a place to relax and will be similar to the ones already in use in Chelsea and the Flatiron District. Broadway in Herald Square, between 33rd and 35th Streets and Times Square between 42nd and 47th Streets will be traffic-free starting at 7 p.m. Sunday. Some think it's great that the people get to walk and get to see the lights and experience the thrill of Broadway without all the traffic and commotion. The changes will also impact several bus routes in the area.

NEWBURG, NY. PLOT TO BOMB BRONX TEMPLE. FOUR ARRESTED BY FBI AND NYPD. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg Four men have been arrested after an alleged plot to detonate a bomb outside a Jewish temple in the Bronx was foiled by law enforcement agents Wednesday night. Officials say the arrests follow a year-long undercover investigation by the joint terrorism task force, which is comprised of agents from the FBI, NYPD and state police. The U.S. attorney's office says James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen have all been charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles. Authorities say the suspects had planned to detonate a car with plastic explosives outside the Riverdale Jewish Center at West 237th Street and Independence Avenue. They're also accused of plotting to shoot down military planes at the Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport in Newburgh with surface-to-air guided missiles. Investigators say an undercover informant provided the suspects with an inactive missile and inert explosives. "The bombs had been made by the FBI technicians. They were totally inert. No one was at risk or in danger of being injured this evening," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "Hatred of the west. The leader of the group concerned about deaths at the hands of the U.S. military in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Also an anti sentiment towards the Jewish people," said FBI representative Joseph Demarest. Governor David Paterson says three of the men are U.S. citizens, and the fourth is Haitian. All four men are expected to appear in federal court Thursday in White Plains.

TWO MORE QUEENS SCHOOL TO CLOSE FOR FLU. By Scott Strong and Jacques Dusseck City officials have added two more Queens schools to a growing list of those being closed due to the spread of a flu-like illness, while confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus remain minimal. Beginning Thursday, P.S. 242 in Flushing and P.S. 130, which includes part of P.S. 993, in Bayside will close for at least five days. Of the 28 schools that are now closed, only I.S. 238 in Hollis, Queens has currently diagnosed cases of H1N1, otherwise known as swine flu. I.S. 238, which was closed last Thursday and scheduled to reopen this Friday will reopen to staff only Friday. Students are scheduled to return Tuesday. Currently there are more than 200 confirmed cases of H1N1 in the city, but city health officials say most of the confirmed cases have been mild.

The United Federation of Teachers has set up 11 hotlines in the five boroughs to gather information on school flu outbreaks and school closings. The Department of Education has also begun posting daily attendance rates for every public school in New York City which can be viewed by clicking here. The large numbers of student absences in many schools are due to illness and concerned families who are keeping their children home in fear of infection. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the Department of Education's decisions on school closings were not based on the number of student absences, but rather the number of severe flu-like cases in each student body. "City officials, I think, are exercising good judgment and restraint," said the mayor. "Every step we’ve taken and will take has been carefully weighed and the best ways to fight anxiety is with facts. That’s what we’ve done and that’s what we’ll continue to do, and the best thing that we can all do is follow the common-sense precautions and go about our lives." At J.H.S. 189 in Flushing, a third of the school's 743 students were absent Wednesday, and 31 of 52 teachers called in sick. Due to the teacher shortage, Queens Councilman and city comptroller candidate John Liu taught math to a class in J.H.S. 189 today. Officials said they needed to keep the middle school open so their students could continue learning. “Anybody who’s had breathing difficulty, or any other conditions doesn't want to be here,” said JHS Principal Cindy Diaz-Burgos. “And I don't blame them, but at the same time we have to provide instruction." Liu said that 16 percent of students and 18 percent of staff in his council district were absent this week. Parents of students at P.S. 121 in South Ozone Park, Queens also held a protest outside the school Wednesday morning, saying officials should shut the school down. Teachers said more than 200 students were either absent or sent home from the school so far this week. Many parents said their children got sick over the last several days with flu-like symptoms, and claim it all could have been prevented. "My daughter came to school on Monday, she came to school very healthy and when she went home, she was crying for her throat and her head. And then an hour later, she had a high fever," said one parent. "We've been calling, they won't answer the phone, they're switching us to different places," said another. Staff said the school nurses see an average of 10 students a day, but this week that number has been closer to 60 to 70.

QUEENS, NY. FUNERAL SERVICES FOR QUEENS ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL. By Romy Dussek and Jerry Blumberg. Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon for the assistant principal who died from the H1N1 virus. Hundreds of friends and family, along with students and faculty members from I.S. 238 gathered at Sinai Chapels in Fresh Meadows to say goodbye to 55-year-old Mitchell Wiener. "When I was in trouble, he helped get me out of it, when I needed help in class, he gave me a tutor and stuff like that. He was a very nice generous man to me," said one student. Wiener passed away Sunday, four days after being hospitalized at Flushing Hospital Medical Center. Meantime, preliminary tests indicate the 16-month-old Queens boy who died Monday night did not have the H1N1 virus. The Centers for Disease Control will make a final determination of the cause of the boy's death later this week. Utah Reports First H1N1-Linked Fatality On Wednesday, health officials in Utah reported the state's first death associated with H1N1. They say a 21-year-old man infected with the virus died at a hospital in Salt Lake City. They say the man had pre-existing health conditions including respiratory problems. In Arizona, health officials say a 13-year-old boy from Tucson died from the virus -- becoming the third in that state. The latest H1N1-related deaths bring the nation's total to 10.

QUEENS, NY. 27 PEOPLE INDICTED FOR IDENTITY THEFT AND CREDIT FRAUD. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg

Law enforcement officials Thursday announced the indictment of 27 people from Queens who allegedly stole personal identities through an Internet-based phone call scheme. Police say a city-based identity theft and credit fraud ring with roots in Nigeria, stole thousands of personal identities from people across the U.S. and Canada, racked up charges on individual accounts, and shipped forged credit cards to eager buyers worldwide, including in Japan, India, Saudi Arabia and Ireland. It's international in scope," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Kelly and Queens District Attorney Richard Brown say the ring was based in Queens and broken up after a 21-month operation in which police recovered card-making equipment, cash and credit reports. Banks and individuals on both sides of the border have already lost $15 million in the scheme. The NYPD says investigators started working on Operation Plastic Pipeline after someone at a Queens realty firm reported opening a package not meant for him. "Inside were 60 new credit cards, valid, meant to be delivered after customers renewed," said Kelly. Police did not say how those legitimate credit cards were intercepted. Investigators also warned about "spoofing", a technology allowing virtually anyone to make a call that appears to originate somewhere else and claims to be someone else. One website that sells so-called "spoof cards" says you can legally "Display any number for the caller ID" and use the technology to change your voice, even sounding like the opposite sex. In this case, investigators say the suspects called up banks, and convinced officials they were the customer whose number showed up on the caller ID. "It allowed pins to be changed, new lines of credit to be opened," said Brown. fficials are now looking to criminalize the technology. "We are investigating if it's legal, and if not, will seek legislation making it illegal," said Brown. Police say the best way to protect yourself is to keep an eye on your credit accounts and credit reports. Police also said the suspects were careful not to spend too much money at once using the bogus credit cards, and avoided suspicion for some time. According to past reports, this ring from Nigeria, had been in action in Texas for sometimes.

NEW YORK. MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND HIS COMPANY'S DISCRIMINATION SUIT. By Scott Strong and Jacques Dusseck

Mayor Michael Bloomberg testified in a Midtown Manhattan law firm Thursday for a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by formerly pregnant employees against his own finance and media corporation. In 2007, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Bloomberg L.P. over an alleged pattern of underpaying or demoting women employees after they announced that they were pregnant or after they returned to work from maternity leave. The mayor spent the entire day answering questions in regards to the lawsuit.Plaintiffs - over 80 formerly pregnant females - alleged the improprieties were severe, systematic and pervasive throughout his company," said Richard Roth, an attorney for two plaintiffs. "We are determining if and when Mr. Bloomberg became aware of these issues, whether they were happening under his watch, and if so, what he did about them." He founded the company in 1981 and stepped down as its chairman in 2001, but later admitted to keeping up regular contact with the company's executives. Bloomberg officials denied all allegations and said they will fight the charges in court.

QUEENS, NY. THREE QUEENS SCHOOLS TO BE CLOSED FOR 5 DAYS OVER NEW FLU. By Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos.

City officials say three public schools in Queens will be closed for the next five days due to reports of a high number of kids with flu-like symptoms. The decision effects IS 238 in Jamaica , PS 16 in Corona and IS 5 in Elmhurst. "Though there might be some inconvenience, this is the best procedure, to close these schools for public safety and the continued safety of the families involved," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. At IS 238, city health officials say four students and an assistant principal have tested positive for the H1N1 virus, otherwise known as swine flu. They also say the sickened assistant principal has been hospitalized and is listed in critical condition. Mayor Bloomberg reassured city residents that the severity of the case is not typical. "This person may have had other health problems earlier we are trying to identify that and ascertain whether those other problems were exacerbated by the flu or whether it's totally unrelated," said Bloomberg. Since May 6th, a total of 50 students have been sent home from IS 238. At Intermediate School 5, 241 students were absent Thursday with flu-like symptoms, while 29 students at PS 16 were sent to the nurse's office with symptoms. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the closures are being done as a precaution. He also urged residents to continue washing their hands and cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing. In a statement, United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten says, "The United Federation of Teachers has been working closely with the Department of Education, the Department of Health and the Mayor's office on this matter, and we are very concerned for students and staff at all three schools as well as their families. We hope that the measures being taken to address the situation will alleviate the need for additional steps. We will continue to monitor the situation and we hope that everyone affected will make a quick recovery." Fears regarding the strain had subsided recently, and it appears that there is no reason to believe the virus is getting more dangerous. Bloomberg also says there's no reason to believe the latest round of cases are connected to the recent outbreaks at Saint Francis Prep or PS 177. He says anyone who is experiencing flu symptoms should get medical attention and stay home from work. Meanwhile, federal health officials believe a fourth person in the country has died from the H1N1 flu virus. Officials say an Arizona woman in her late 40s died late last week, apparently from complications from the flu. They say she tested positive for the strain. The Centers for Disease Control is expected to include the woman's death in the nation's H1N1 death toll on Friday. Officials say she had a pre-existing lung condition, making her more susceptible to serious illness.

BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA. HAITIAN SMUGGLING. 9 DEAD IN BOAT CAPSIZE. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg. At least nine Haitian migrant are reported dead on Wednesday after the U.S. Coast Guard spent hours scouring the waters off Boynton Beach in search of survivors from a suspected smuggling operation gone wrong. Sixteen known survivors were adrift in the Atlantic Ocean for more than 10 hours before they were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. The migrants were part of an apparent smuggling operation that set off from Bimini in the Bahamas in a vessel carrying 30 people, including some children. The overloaded boat sank sometime around 2 a.m. Wednesday, but authorities didn't learn about it until 10 hours later, when a passing boater spotted three passengers in the water about 15 miles from Boynton Beach. Ocean temperatures were in the 70s. That discovery touched off a massive and dramatic air-and-boat rescue at sea that was captured live by a television station in West Palm Beach. Strong currents pushing northward complicated search efforts. At a Miami news conference, U. S Coast Guard Captain Jim Fitton said ''We don't know how many people we're looking for ``We will continue the search through the night and make sure no one is left out there.'' A pregnant woman and the others were taken to safety aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Cormorant. Eight of the survivors were wearing life jackets, according to Coast Guard officials, who said the others must have spent hours treading water. Three of the survivors were taken ashore after a doctor aboard the Cormorant decided they required immediate attention at a hospital, Chief Warrant Officer James Mullinax said. One person died at a hospital, Mullinax said. A Coast Guard cutter was set to continue searching. ''They said there was some sort of collision,'' Fitton said. ``The boat was obviously overloaded.'' Palm Beach County sheriff's Sgt. Yvonne Cacioli's marine unit was among the first to arrive after the migrants were spotted. They found people scattered across the water along with shards of boat debris. The survivors, Cacioli said, were dehydrated, exhausted and ''in total shock.'' Cacioli said. ''The ones who were able to hold on, thank goodness we could get to them,'' Cacioli said. Eight body bags were brought to a Riviera Beach park about dusk Wednesday and carried on gurneys down a short pier and to investigators. Fitton said authorities believe the boat was being used to smuggle Haitians into the United States. Coast Guard officials said there has been a recent uptick in the number of Haitians caught at sea. Nearly 1,400, have been apprehended since last October, up from 972 during the same seven-month period a year ago. The Royal Bahamas Police Force was investigating Wednesday's incident, said Duty Officer Sgt. Alexander Bannister in Nassau. He said his agency had not confirmed whether the boat left Bimini or any other Bahamian port or even passed through Bahamian waters. The survivors said they were on a white boat with two engines. A triage area was set up at the Boynton Beach Inlet, with dozens of rescue workers waiting to assist those brought in from the sea, said Steve Lewis, a spokesman for Boynton Beach Fire Rescue. The bodies of the dead were taken to Phil Foster Park, where they were being turned over to the medical examiner's office.

NEW YORK. MAYOR BLOOMBERG NAMED JOHN RHEA TO NYCHA By Scot Strong and Romy Dusseck Mayor Bloomberg named John Rhea, a former Wall Street investment banker, to head the city's Housing Authority Wednesday, an agency hit hard by a recent string of deadly accidents and a ballooning budget deficit. The Mayor said: "I think that the strategic experience in the private sector equips him well to manage NYCHA's two biggest priorities going forward securing the authority's finances over the long term and bringing greater accountability," Some City Council members expressed skepticism at the announcement, including Leticia James who released a scathing statement questioning the mayor's appointment of an investment banker when firms are buying affordable housing to convert them into luxury developments. But Rhea says his professional experience has prepared him to lead a large public agency with a nearly $3 billion budget. "I have not only managed within large complex organizations in which NYCHA clearly is. I've also managed multi-billion dollar budgets," said Rhea. NYCHA is the city's biggest landlord, running nearly 350 public housing complexes with more than 400,000 tenants. Tenants who have been speaking out about chronic maintenance problems in their buildings, particularly its elevators, after a five-year-old boy plunged to his death after crawling out of a stalled elevator at a public housing complex in Brooklyn last August. n October, another child died in an elevator-related incident, followed by a fire that killed five family members in their apartment at the Robert Fulton Houses in Chelsea later that month. "We've been seeing problems with basic maintenance, problems with them trying to close community centers and other valuable services," said Judith Goldiner of the Legal Aid Society. "We've been very concerned with the direction that the agency has been going in." The mayor says Rhea's business acumen will help lead the authority out of its fiscal black hole. Rhea says he's aware that tenants may be dubious of the Harvard Business School graduate who's spent more time in board rooms than public housing apartments. "One of the first things I want to do is actually get out and visit many of the NYCHA buildings," said Rhea. It's expected to be a goodwill tour of sorts for an agency that's recently been in short supply.

BROOKLYN, A YOUNG BOY LOSES HIS FOOT AFTER CAR JUMPS CURB. i By Elizabeth Menos and Malherbe Metelus A boy's foot was severed Wednesday afternoon after a driver lost control of his vehicle in Brooklyn. The young boy was apparently sitting on the steps of his building in Kensington after being let off by his school bus. Police say that's when a vehicle jumped the curb and crashed into the side of the building. The child was taken to Kings County Hospital. "When he hit, the mother jumped up to try to run and the little boy spinned. Like, tried to get up but it was too late to get up 'cause he had already hit the little boy. And as he knocked the little boy into the door, the little boy went into the building and the door came down on his leg," said one witness. The driver of the car was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries and is not expected to face charges. An investigation is ongoing.

ANKARA. TURKEY. WEDDING ATTACK KILLS 44. By Elizabeth Menos, Zynep Omar and Jacques DusseckI - The bride and her groom were killed in Monday evening's attack in Bilge, a village of a few hundred people in the conservative heartland of mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey. Masked men armed with assault rifles and grenades attacked a wedding party in southeast Turkey, killing 44 people in an apparent blood feud over the bride. "Eight people have been caught and detained, and their weapons confiscated. This can be understood as a blood feud between two families," Interior Minister Besir Atalay told a news conference. Local residents said there had been a feud dating back more than a decade between rival groups of state-sponsored village militia that included the families of the bride and groom. State news agency Anatolian quoted witnesses as saying up to six attackers stormed two houses where guests had gathered for prayers after the wedding. Sevgi Celebi, the daughter of the village chief, called a muhtar, was being married when the attack occurred. The groom was named Habip Ari. "They broke into the house and started spraying the place with bullets, hitting both men and women, their faces were covered with masks," said a 20-year-old female eyewitness, who declined to be named. Atalay said 44 had been killed, including 16 women and six children. Earlier, authorities said 45 had died. A high-school student survived because the body of his slain brother fell on top of him. The attack was one of the worst involving civilians in the modern history of European Union candidate Turkey. "It was because of the bride, but we don't know who did it," Besir Erten, a 44-year-old driver mourning the death of two relatives, told the press. Marriages in the conservative southeast can spark rivalry between clans because the groom and his family must often pay some kind of prize to the bride's family for marriage and sometimes the highest bidder wins. "I am ashamed to be from here, this is brutality, it is like a natural disaster, an earthquake," Mahmut Yildiz, 43, Pointing to bulldozers shoveling earth for mass graves, he said: "I don't know how we will be able to live in peace." Some of the assailants appear to have escaped from the isolated region of Turkey on the border with Syria before soldiers surrounded the village and cut off road access. The government has improved the rights of women in the southeast but the European Union says more needs to be done, including dealing with honor killings. "No kind of tradition can justify this killing, no conscience can justify this kind of pain," Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara.

Security in the southeast is also regarded as key to improving stability in Turkey and reducing tensions with northern Iraq. The Village Guard is a heavily armed state-backed militia set up to combat Kurdish separatist guerrillas and provide intelligence in southeast Turkey. The village head of Bilge, Hamit Celebi, and 10 members of his immediate family, including daughter Sevgi were among the dead, Anatolian said. The local imam was also killed. The scale of the latest attack would concern the government, which is attempting to defuse tensions in the southeast born of separatist conflict. The village guards were set up to protect villages and fight Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas. They have been criticized for abusing their power. The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984, seeking an ethnic Kurdish homeland in the southeast. Some 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

QUEENS, NY. SAINT FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL REOPENS. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg After being closed for a week, the Queens school at the center of the city's H1N1 Influenza A outbreak reopened Monday morning. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden were on hand to welcome students back to Saint Francis Prep High School in Fresh Meadows. Workers spent last week thoroughly sanitizing the school, which has the bulk of the city's confirmed cases of swine flu. Some students said they were still a little hesitant about returning to classes. The city says there are now 73 confirmed cases of H1N1 in the five boroughs, and health officials are still waiting for confirmation on six other possible flu cases. Across the state, there are a total of 90 confirmed cases, 17 of which have surfaced outside the city. Frieden says it is likely even more cases will be discovered, but that none reported so far have been any more severe than seasonal flu. "The flu spreads, like other viruses, and we will be seeing it in the days and weeks to come in different populations, in all likelihood," he said. "The good news is it's no more severe, from what we've seen, from seasonal flu. We've looked at every intensive care unit in New York City every day for the last 10 days. We've yet to see a single person who has severe illness that could be from this." There is one confirmed case in Nassau County and many probable cases around the state. The mayor credited the city's response to the illness for the lack of severe cases. "The important thing now is for students at St. Francis and New Yorkers across the city to continue to be calm and confident," Bloomberg said. P.S. 177, a public school near St. Francis, also has several confirmed H1N1 cases. That school is scheduled to re-open Wednesday. The Centers for Disease Control says there are now more than 280 confirmed H1N1 cases in more than 35 states, and more than 700 probable cases in 44 states. Health officials say the increase is the result of catching up on a backlog of lab tests and streamlining federal procedures. They also say they're working to prepare a vaccine. In Mexico, the H1N1 death toll now stands at 26, with more than 700 people sickened by the virus. Mexico City's mayor says the flu alert has been lowered and businesses and cafes are set to reopen Wednesday. Churches and museums will be allowed to open Thursday. It has still not been determined when bars, nightclubs and movie theaters can reopen. Meanwhile, the virus is still spreading around the globe, with more than a thousand confirmed cases worldwide. Some countries are taking drastic measures in response to the virus. China quarantined more than 70 Mexican travelers. Mexico is calling the move discrimination and now says it will charter a plane today to bring its citizens home from China.

BROOKLYN, NY, TYRONE BROWN, HS MUSIC DIRECTOR ACCUSED OF RELATIONSHIP. By Scott Strong and Romy Dussek. Thee man who ran the Brooklyn Steppers, the famed high school group that performed at the presidential inauguration, has been accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a member of the group.A spokesperson for The Department of Education says nearly 3,000 text messages were sent between 31-year-old Tyrone Brown and a 17-year-old band member. Richard Condon, the special commissioner of investigation for city schools, says his office was informed about the relationship from the student's principal last June. The student, other band members and Brown, were all interviewed. Brown will not face charges. "There's no criminal acts alleged here. First of all, we don't allege a sexual relationship although some people said there was a sexual relationship, we don't allege that. And the girl was 17 during the time that we looked at so even if there was a sexual relationship it wouldn't be a crime," said Condon. Education officials say Brown, who was interviewed prior to the inauguration, resigned last month. The special investigator has asked that the resignation be made permanent. The Department of Education has placed Brown on the ineligible list, meaning he cannot be in contact with any DOE students. The DOE says it is working with the Brooklyn Steppers to continue the program without him. Iin an interview, Brown denied the charges.

MANHATTAN. STAFF CUTTING MAY AFFECT NYPD. By Jacques Dusseck The staff of the NYPD is poised to shrink, but the department won't be cutting police officers. Instead, it will reduce its civilian ranks by more than a thousand jobs. The proposed move is expected to save the city tens of millions of dollars but Councilman Peter Vallone says the cost to public safety will be too high. "When they say civilian cuts people say thank God they're not cutting police officers. What that means is that cop now has to come off the street, sit behind a desk and pick up those phones," said Vallone. Under the mayor's proposed budget, in the coming months, the NYPD would cut 1,154 civilian jobs. About 750 are open positions that the department just wouldn't fill. But 395 would be actual layoffs, people in administrative positions throughout the department, including at local precincts. When Police Commissioner Ray Kelly last appeared before the City Council in March, he said he didn't have an exact figure on how many of those civilian jobs would be filled by uniformed officers. The work of those 1,200 civilians wouldn't be the only work uniformed officers would have to cover. New Traffic Enforcement Agents who were supposed to be hired now, probably won't be -- more slack to be picked up by those who remain. On Monday, the NYPD issued a statement saying, "We would prefer not to have any layoffs. But the fiscal reality required it." If the City Council approves the mayor's budget, the layoffs would go into effect on July 1.

MANHATTAN. MACY'S FIREWORKS TO MOVE BACK TO THE HUDSON RIVER. By Jerry Bloomberg The country's biggest Fourth of July fireworks display is moving back to the Hudson River. Macy's, who sponsors the massive display, says the move celebrates the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage on the river. The fireworks had been launched off barges in the East River since 2001. This year's theme is "American River" and will feature 40,000 fireworks which will be shot off six barges positioned between 24th and 50th Streets on the Hudson.

NEW YORK. SOME SWINE FLU CASES REPORTED IN ST FRANCIS SCHOOL OF QUEENS. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the Centers for Disease Control has confirmed eight cases of swine flu at a Queens high school after dozens of students reported mild flu-like symptoms this past week.The mayor made the remarks during a press conference in East Harlem Sunday afternoon and is asking the public to remain calm despite recent cases of the flu strain around the U.S. The CDC confirmed eight cases in students at Saint Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows after samples were sent to a lab for further study. As a precaution, the school will remain closed Monday and Tuesday. Mayor Bloomberg says the city is closely monitoring the outbreak and assured New Yorkers that all of the reported cases have been mild, but that precautions should still be taken.

The state Department of Health has set up a 24-hour hotline to answer questions about swine flu and can be reached at 1-800-808-1987. "To members of the public: if you have fever and cough or sore throat, stay home. Do not go to work or to school. Wash your hands frequently and as always, when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose. This is how to reduce the risk of transmitting this illness," said Bloomberg. Health officials say the cases of swine flu in Mexico City have been more severe and may have even led to several deaths. They say patients in the U.S. have recovered without treatment from hospitals. Senator Charles Schumer also attended the press conference and says the CDC is working with City Health Commissioner Tom Frieden to monitor the situation. "They have the most advanced testing that there is, and will be readily available on an hour-by-hour basis to the city. Second, monitoring Mexico and third, providing support. There are people from CDC here working with Tom's folks in New York," said Schumer. The city's health department was also looking into a possible outbreak at a Bronx day care facility, where 30 children got sick. Five of the six samples sent out for testing, however, came back negative. Department officials say they haven't seen any recent city-wide increases in flu-like symptoms, but that they are monitoring the situation every 12 hours to make sure more people aren't getting sick. Health Commissioner Tom Frieden is urging anyone who feels sick to stay home, but says the city is ready for any emergency. "The city is very well prepared. We have been preparing for years at every level. We've been preparing with detection, so we can track whether a pandemic or other serious problem comes, and if so where it is, what the characteristics are," said Frieden. Governor David Paterson has also directed the state Department of Health to monitor and respond to possible cases of swine flu. He says 1,500 treatment courses of the antiviral Tamiflu have been sent to New York City. Overall, federal health officials have confirmed at least 20 cases of swine flu across the country. They're now declaring a public health emergency as a precautionary measure, to give state and federal governments easier access to flu tests and medications. The Centers for Disease Control says cases have been reported in Ohio, Kansas, Texas, California and New York. Health officials say all of the cases that have been reported involve mild symptoms, but are expecting more cases and more severe illness to pop up among Americans."As we continue to look for cases we are going to continue to see a broader spectrum of disease. What we know about this virus is it looks to be the same virus as is causing the situation in Mexico. And given the reports out of Mexico I would expect over time we're going to see more severe disease in this country,” said CDC Acting Director Richard Besser. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says roughly 12 million doses of the drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are being released from a federal stockpile so that states can get it if needed. Both are anti-viral drugs, believed to be effective in treating severe cases of the flu if taken early enough. Meanwhile, New Zealand's health minister says 10 students who just returned from Mexico have tested positive for influenza and that the cases are "likely" to be swine flu. The news comes a day after two dozen new suspected cases of flu were reported in Mexico City. The World Health Organization says at least 81 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by a flu-like illness in Mexico. Tests have confirmed swine flu as the cause of death in 20 of the cases. In response to the outbreak, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has assumed new powers to isolate infected people. The powers also allow the country's health department to inspect homes, incoming travelers and luggage. The U.S. Embassy is warning Americans traveling in Mexico to avoid crowds. The White House says President Barack Obama's health is fine a little more than a week after he visited Mexico, and that he is being updated regularly on the flu outbreak.

NEW YORK. GOVERNOR PATERSON RECEIVED SUPPORT AT NEW YORK CITY RALLY. By Scott Strong and Elizabeth Menos. Governor David Paterson's popularity is still pretty high at the National Action Network in Harlem. Dozens of people turned out Saturday to show their support for the governor, a day after he announced his plans to run for a full term next year. "I will be there with your great support and the great work you have done for justice and equality," said Paterson. The governor spoke to the crowd while appearing on the Reverend Al Sharpton's weekly radio show which also doubled as a rally for Paterson. While on the air, the governor used his time to outline his accomplishments so far. I want to know who out there that could cut the budget that effectively and remember those who need to be protected the most," said Paterson. Paterson spoke in front of a packed house and among the supporters were more than a dozen city and state political leaders who came to cheer him on. Paterson has seen a decline in his approval rating in recent weeks -- something many at the rally blame on the media. "They are polling the wrong people. Maybe they are taking polls in their newsrooms that has the diversity of the Rocky Mountains. They are not polling the people of the State of New York who know him and support him and love him," said Sharpton. "I have been around a long long time and I have never seen the press be so devastating in terms of a concentrated attack on one governor," said Congressman Charles Rangel. As Paterson gears up for the gubernatorial race, many attendees at the rally downplayed a possible challenge from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo who could run against him in a Democratic primary. Former mayor Rudy Giuliani hasn't ruled out a run on the Republican line either -- a challenge many at the rally welcomed. "Come on Rudy. It's about the one who represented how we got into this mess against the one trying to lead us out of this mess. It's about the one who ignored the Diallo's against the ones who went to jail for the Diallo's. Come on Rudy. Let's have a race. Don't attack Paterson announce you gonna run and let's get it on," said Sharpton.

NEW YORK. LONG TIME STATE SENATOR JOHN MARCHI DIES AT 87, By Romy Dussek and Jerry Blumberg. Long-time State Senator John Marchi has died at the age of 87. According to members of the Republican Party, Marchi passed away while in Italy. He represented New York's 24th Senate District for 50 years, announcing his retirement in 2006. As a lawmaker, Marchi was committed to preserving Staten Island's cultural institutions, helping to build up the College of Staten Island, and closing the Fresh Kills landfill. Marchi was also well-known as the father of Staten Island's secessionist movement.

HARLEM, NY. THREE PEOPLE SHO IN HARLEM. NYPD IS INVESTIGATING.. By Jacques Dusseck Police in Harlem are investigating a triple shooting that left a 13-year-old boy in critical condition early Sunday morning. Police say officers answering a call of a man shot at 121st Street and Lenox Avenue around 1:30 a.m. found three people with gunshot wounds. The 13-year-old had been shot in the head and was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in critical condition. A 17-year-old boy and a 26-year-old man were both shot in the leg. Both were taken to Harlem Hospital for treatment.

YANKEE STADIUM. THOUSANDS OF WORSHIPERS WELCOMED PASTOR BRINGS. By Scott Strong, Romy Dussek and Elizabeth Menos. Pastor Joel Osteen brought a message of hope to thousands of worshipers Saturday night at Yankee Stadium, making it the first non-baseball event to take place inside the new home of the Yankees. They were clapping, shouting and praising the lord inside Yankee Stadium. This, as evangelical pastor Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria hosted what they called a night of hope. Followers from the city showed up, but people from across the country came as well to hear the word and witness the first non-baseball event in the new stadium. Osteen is often called the most popular preacher in the country with millions watching him on television every week. He has filled many arenas before, not to mention the 40,000 who show up to his Houston, Texas church every week. "It's almost like a dream come true. We can't believe, ministers from Texas, what are we doing here? But the people of New York have been so kind and so generous and I don't know, it's an amazing thing," said Osteen. "It's almost surreal to see the beautiful stadium. And I can't say enough good about the Yankees and their willingness to have a ministry come in here for the first non-baseball event." The Osteens prayed with the audience and urged them to be positive despite any negative situations they are facing. "You can go further than you think, you can accomplish more than you think," said Osteen.

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MOGADISHU, SOMALIA NAVY SEALS FREED CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. 3 PIRATES DEAD. By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong. U.S. Navy special forces freed an American ship's captain by killing three Somali pirates who held him hostage in a lifeboat, ending a five-day standoff but risking more confrontations in violence off the waters of east Africa President Obama granted the Pentagon's request to use force to save the life of Captain Richards Phillips. The life of cargo ship captain Richard Phillips was in danger when Navy snipers aboard a U.S. destroyer shot at his Somali captors on Sunday, freeing him unharmed and killing three of four pirates who had held him after trying to seize his vessel, the Navy said. The fourth pirate was in custody. A U.S. Navy commander made a split-second decision to fire on the pirates because he believed that Phillips, who tried to escape on Friday, faced imminent danger amid tense hostage talks with his captors and deteriorating sea conditions. "They were pointing the AK-47s at the captain," Vice Admiral William Gortney, head of the U.S. Naval Central Command, said in a Pentagon briefing from Bahrain. "The on-scene commander took it as the captain was in imminent danger and then made that decision and he had the authorities to make that decision and he had seconds to make that decision." The U.S. Navy 5th Fleet in Bahrain said the rescue took place at 12:19 p.m. EDT (1619 GMT) and the lifeboat had drifted to about 20 mile from lawless Somalia's coast. Phillips, captain of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama container ship, contacted his family after the rescue, received a routine medical evaluation, and was resting comfortably aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer. "We are all absolutely thrilled to learn that Richard is safe and will be reunited with his family," said Maersk Line chief executive John Reinhart. Phillips' crew set off flares, hoisted an American flag and jumped for joy at the news of their captain's rescue. Phillips, 53, was the first American taken captive by Somali pirate gangs who have marauded in the busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes for years. Asked about fears pirates could now decide to act more violently, Gortney said: "Yes, there's second and third order effects to every action and this could escalate violence in this part of the world, no question about it."

Somali pirates vowed to avenge the shooting of their comrades, as well as a French military assault to rescue a yacht on Friday. "The French and the Americans will regret starting this killing. We do not kill, but take only ransom. We shall do something to anyone we see as French or American from now," Hussein, a pirate, told Reuters by satellite phone. The Maersk Alabama, a container ship carrying food aid for Somalis, was attacked far out in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, but its 20 American crew apparently fought off the pirates and regained control. Phillips volunteered to go with the pirates in a Maersk Alabama lifeboat in exchange for the crew, Gortney said. "The actions of Captain Phillips and the civilian mariners of Maersk-Alabama were heroic. They fought back to regain control of their ship, and Captain Phillips selflessly put his life in the hands of these armed criminals in order to protect his crew," he said in a statement. Experts had expected a quick end to the standoff, but the pirates held out for both a ransom and safe passage home. Friends told Reuters the gang wanted $2 million. Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Program, said the rescue would change the stakes in future pirate attacks. "This is a big wake-up to the pirates. It raises the stakes. Now they may be more violent, like the pirates of old," he said. So far, pirates have generally treated hostages well, sometimes roasting goat meat for them and even passing phones round so they can call loved ones. The worst violence reported has been the occasional beating and no hostages are known to have been killed by pirates. The U.S. Justice Department said in a statement it "will be reviewing the evidence and other issues to determine whether to seek prosecution in the United States."

NEW YORK. EDWARD CARDINAL EGAN CELEBRATES HIS LAST EASTER MASS By Jerry Blumberg and Jacques Dusseck. Edward Cardinal Egan presided over his final Easter Sunday Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral as the New York Archdiocese prepares for the installment of its new leader later this week. There had been concerns Egan would miss the mass after he was hospitalized last weekend. But after being released on Tuesday, Egan said he couldn't bear the thought of missing his final Holy Week at St. Patrick's. "I've fallen in love with New York and I'm very, very grateful and I only wish I had the eloquence to express that gratitude as it should be expressed," said Egan. Egan says the message of Easter is strength and peace. He says he has never known a time where the weight of problems in the city, nation and world has been so heavy. He also recalled meeting many people this year who have lost their jobs, homes or pensions and urges them not to lose hope. "The answer my dear friends is the Easter answer. This is not all that there is to life. We are here for a passing moment of eternity and we are destined to live forever in the presence and the embrace of a loving creator and savior. And this is what Easter is all about," said Egan. Meanwhile, Cardinal Egan's successor is scheduled to arrive in the city sometime Sunday night. Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan was selected by the Vatican to replace Egan. Dolan will be installed as the new head of the Archdiocese on Wednesday, and Egan is expected to take part in the ceremony.

BRONX, NY. MAURICIO JACQUES KILLED BY POLICE DURING DISPUTE. By Romy DUssek and Elizabeth Menos. A 35-year-old man is dead after a domestic dispute led to a police-involved shooting Sunday morning in the Soundview section of the Bronx. Investigators say officers responded to a call Sunday morning that a woman and her children were being held hostage inside their apartment on Commonwealth Avenue.When police arrived on the scene, they say they could hear 35-year-old Mauricio Jacques threatening his wife and children. Police were able to get Jacques' wife and her three children out of the apartment before trying to negotiate with him. Police say the officers fired six shots at Jacques after he lunged at them and slashed their vests. Jacques was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. One of the officers was released from the hospital after being treated for a bruise on the arm. While the investigation is still in the early stages, police say the shooting was within departmental guidelines.

NEW YORK. CEREMONIES ACROSS THE CITY MARKED GOOD FRIDAY By Jacques Dusseck Good Friday was solemnly celebrated around the city with Masses and processions commemorating the Passion, Crucifixion, and death of Jesus Christ. On Friday morning, the group "Pax Christi Metro New York" held its 27th consecutive Way of the Cross procession in Midtown. It started at the Holy Family Church on 47th Street at 8:30, proceeded along 42nd Street, and wound up across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal near Holy Cross Church.Participants stopped along the route at 15 Stations of the Cross, which recalls the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, and recited with Gospel readings and sang. The group said the annual walk helps people get back in touch with their religion. "It's a witness to what Jesus did 2,000 years ago for us," said one participant. "And I think in the world that we live in, we don't give enough time to the idea of being there for one another or the love that needs to be there." Thousands of others participated in another annual Way of the Cross procession from Brooklyn on Friday, which has been run by a group called Communion and Liberation for the last 12 years. Following a brief service in Downtown Brooklyn's St. James Cathedral, participants walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, stopped mid-span for some readings and singing, and made several stops in Lower Manhattan including the World Trade Center site before ending at St. Peter's Church. "It's much like our everyday lives are - very distracting, hard to focus on prayer, people talking, traffic coming, the noises of the city coming at you from all over the place," said participant Mike Hayes. "But at the same time, it was really moving to be around this many people who are all Catholic and all here for the same purpose." One first-time participant, former city police detective and parishioner Steven MacDonald, has been wheelchair-bound since he was seriously injured in the line of duty in 1986. "I think it's important to witness to our faith, what we believe in and to share it with people on the street," he said. "People who have jobs and the people who don't, people who have homes, those who are homeless - Jesus is there for everyone." Meanwhile, Edward Cardinal Egan held his final Good Friday services at St. Patrick's Cathedral as head of the New York Archdiocese. He returned to the altar Thursday for the first time since being released from the hospital. The outgoing head of the New York Archdiocese gave the homily during Holy Thursday services. He was released from St. Vincent's Hospital on Tuesday after being taken there last weekend for stomach pains. Doctors say Egan eventually will need surgery to install a pacemaker. "None of us in our lives ever expect to totally escape suffering. Physical illnesses that slowly deplete our energies, we've all experienced it," said Egan. "And for all of you who are young, let me tell you - it is an experience that grows even more intense as you grow older." The cardinal said he has not completely recovered from his stomach ailment, but he's feeling pretty good and would not dream of missing his final Holy Week as New York's Archbishop. "This is my last Holy Week here at Saint Patrick's Cathedral and to miss Holy Thursday and Good Friday and Easter Sunday would have been kind of a heavy cross to bear," he said. Egan is also set to celebrate Easter Sunday Mass and take part in next Wednesday's installation ceremony for his successor, Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

NEW YORK. 19 NEW SCHOOL STUDENTS ARRESTED BY NYPD AFTER TAKEOVER. By Jerry Blumberg and Scott Strong Police arrested 19 New School students who took over a university building in Union Square on Friday and demanded the resignation of the university's president and vice president and more sway in school policy. The students were charged with burglary, rioting and criminal mischief, according to police. New School officials also said that all students who occupied the building will be suspended pending administrative review. Around 5:30 a.m., about 60 students from the protest group "New School in Exile" barricaded themselves inside the graduate faculty building at 65 Fifth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets. Just after 8 a.m., six of those students, dressed in black and waving flags, screamed out a list of demands from the roof. About 100 students stood on the sidewalk below cheering them on. More than 100 police officers, fire chiefs, and emergency responders arrived on the scene just after 11 a.m. with plastic handcuffs. The police officers then communicated with the protesters by megaphones from the roofs of neighboring buildings, before entering and removing the students. According to a statement released by the university, the police were called after the students forcibly entered the building, took a phone from a building cleaning man, assaulted a security officer and a maintenance man, and did physical damage to the building. School officials said the security officer had to be taken to St. Vincent's Hospital for his injuries. Along with demanding the resignation of the president, the students were protesting the school's high tuition and lack of scholarships and what they claim is a lack of communication between the university and the students. "Our demand for them to resign is consistent with the faculty's 'no confidence' vote in Bob Kerrey," said student Andy Folk. "That demand was not met. Other demands were met, such as starting a socially-responsible investment committee, which Bob Kerrey is trying to bury in red tape. So, we need to show him by force and civil disobedience that students have a right over the school that they pay money for. This is just a demonstration of students taking back their space." Dozens of people turned out to Union Square late Friday to support the jailed students and throughout the day students and faculty said they stood by the protesters' statements. "I know a lot of concerns have to do with militarism in the university, also concerns about students' conditions of education," said New School faculty member Jan Classon. "And I think that the administration needs to listen to the students and furthermore, I'm really shocked at the police presence." "A lot of them are my friends so I wish they hadn't gotten arrested. I believe in a lot of their goals," said student Cat Ferguson. "These people have million-dollar salaries and Parsons School of Design students don't even have desks to work on, we don't have a library, we don't have any funding to do any research," said New School student Kyle Reaves. Other student, however, say they did not appreciate the shutdown of Fifth Avenue and disruption of classes. "n December, students protested outside the school, calling for Kerrey to step down. In February, the students announced they would "shut down the university" if Kerrey and Executive Vice President James Murtha did not resign by April 1. The university released a statement Friday afternoon that the group's claim that they made a simple political protest is false. "Students and faculty who choose to peacefully and passionately oppose the policies of the university will have their rights to do so protected as strongly as we protect our right to safely and securely operate our university," said the university in a statement. The city chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, however, said that some of the arrested students were not inside the occupied school building, and that they should be released. A handful of student protesters stayed in front of New School President Bob Kerrey's house in Greenwich Village during the evening, holding signs supporting the demands made earlier by their arrested classmates. The school charges that earlier in the year, the same protest group was caught stealing an entire edition of the student newspaper and vandalized the university president's residence.

NEW YORK. BERNARD MADOFF FILING FOR BANKCRUPCY. By Jerry Blumberg A Federal judge allowed investors to force Bernard Madoff into bankruptcy proceedings Friday. Federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission said it would be unnecessary and costly for the convicted financier to file for bankruptcy. A trustee is liquidating Madoff's business assets. The self-confessed swindler is currently in prison awaiting a June sentencing after pleading guilty last month to charges that he defrauded investors of about $65 billion.

CORONA, QUEENS, NY. TWO YOUNG MEN SHOT DEAD IN CORONA. By Jacques Dusseck Police are searching for the gunman who fatally shot two young men in Queens early Thursday morning. Police say a 19-year-old man and his 17-year-old friend were shot and killed around 1 o'clock this morning at 54th Avenue and 111th Street in Corona. Investigators say the two were confronted by a man wearing a hood, who shot them and ran off. Witnesses say they heard three shots. Police are trying to determine a motive. Friends say the 19 year old was the father of a small child, with another on the way. "Everybody's like really upset and, you know, so it's like very, I don't even know. I'm out of words myself. I've been crying all day," said one friend. "Nice kid, very nice kid, quiet, very nice," said a neighbor. "I never knew him to be in any kind of trouble."

ISTANBUL, TURKEY. PRESIDENT OBAMA APPEALS TO MUSLIM FAITHS By Jacques Dusseck, Elizabeth Menos and Zynep Omar U.S. President Barack Obama met religious leaders in Istanbul on Tuesday as part of an effort to unite moderates of major faiths against extremism. Obama told the Muslim world in a speech on Monday the United States was not at war with Islam, using his first international tour to try to repair the United States' damaged image abroad. Pursuing his message, Obama talked with Istanbul's senior Islamic official, the city's chief rabbi and representatives of Orthodox Christian churches. In a further sign of engagement, Obama toured Turkey's most important mosque, the Blue Mosque, accompanied by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Mufti Mustafa Cagrici. Obama is on the last leg of his debut trip on the world stage as president. He is trying to rebuild ties with Muslims after anger at the invasion of Iraq and war in Afghanistan, made more urgent by a strengthening al Qaeda and Taliban insurgency. "Let me say this as clearly as I can: The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam," he said in a speech to the Turkish parliament in the capital Ankara on Monday. The speech was both directed to NATO ally Turkey, a secular but predominantly Muslim democracy, and to the wider region. As part of a new drive to engage with youths around the world, as Obama did in Strasbourg, he held a town hall meeting at a cultural center in Istanbul. "Meeting with the youth symbolizes the expectation of hope and change, because the previous administration had a problem with its image in the Muslim world," said Salih Altundere, 23, studying international relations at Bogazici University. "Turkey has a special position in the Muslim world. This government is religious but still democratic," he said as Obama made his way to the youth town hall event. His two-day visit is a nod to Turkey's regional reach, economic power, diplomatic contacts and status as a secular democracy seeking European Union membership that has accommodated political Islam. The visit to Turkey was also driven by a recognition that Ankara could help the United States work toward resolving confrontations and conflicts ranging from Iran to Afghanistan. Turkey is a key ally for the United States as it has close ties with Israel, Iran, Iraq and Syria, and also acts as a transit route for U.S. troops and equipment bound for Iraq and Afghanistan

BAGDAD, IRAQ. PRESIDENT OBAMA ARRIVES IN IRAQ. By Jacques Dusseck Zynep Omar and Scott Strong U.S. President Barack Obama pushed Iraq's feuding factions to compromise on Tuesday, sounding a note of impatience as he said Iraqis should take responsibility for their country so U.S. troops could leave.Obama, whose troop withdrawal strategy assumes Iraq staying relatively stable over the next 18 months, voiced concern that elections late this year could bring unresolved political issues "to a head" in a country that is only slowly emerging from years of sectarian violence in which tens of thousands died. He flew to Baghdad on a previously unannounced trip to meet U.S. military commanders and Iraqi leaders and assess security there first-hand.The strategy Obama announced after taking office in January aims to wind down the six-year war launched by his predecessor George W. Bush, seeking to withdraw all U.S. combat troops by the end of August 2010 and other forces by the end of 2011. "It is time for us to transition to the Iraqis. They need to take responsibility for their country ... In order to do that they need to make political accommodations," Obama told some 1,500 cheering troops at the sprawling Camp Victory U.S. base military just outside Baghdad. Iraq experts worry that recent security gains could unravel if Iraqi factions fail to compromise on issues such as sharing oil revenues more equitably and giving Sunni Arabs, who formed the backbone of an insurgency, greater say in political life. The Shi'ite-led government, which includes minority Kurds and Sunni Arabs, has made some reforms but often failed to reach agreement on the political issues that really matter. Iraqi officials said both sides agreed in their meetings with Obama that recent security gains needed to be matched by progress in political accommodations. "Iraq is an important country, and it depends on political leaders for its administration toward prosperity and development in a civilized manner," the three-member presidency council led by President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, said after they met Obama. Obama's visit to Baghdad, which lasted just over four hours, was shrouded in the security-conscious secrecy that marked similar trips by Bush, whose legacy was defined by the war he launched in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein. The trip was made known only after Air Force One, flying from Istanbul at the end of Obama's first major international tour, had touched down at Baghdad International Airport. Obama met the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General Raymond Odierno, and also held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Talabani and the two vice presidents. His arrival came a day after a string of seemingly coordinated bombings across the Iraqi capital killed 37 people. On Tuesday, a car bomb killed nine people in a Shi'ite district in northwest Baghdad, police said. His position on the war was a defining distinction between Obama and Bush, said Iraq government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. "The Iraq war is not Obama's war, and he wants to bring about a withdrawal. President Bush would often talk about a long-term presence of American troops in Iraq, whereas Obama wants a withdrawal as quickly as possible, that's the difference, and that is positive for Iraq," he said.

L'AQUILA, ITALY. WORST QUAKE KILLED MORE THAN 275 IN ABRUZZO. By Jacques Dusseck Jerry Blumberg and Zynep Omar Rescuers used mechanical diggers and their bare hands to search through the night Tuesday for survivors of Italy's worst quake in three decades which killed nearly 180 people. More than 24 hours after the quake shook the central Italian region of Abruzzo, emergency workers dug out two students early Tuesday from collapsed buildings in L'Aquila, the medieval mountain city of 68,000 people worst hit by the disaster. Rescuers have pulled some 100 people from the rubble but with other missing, civil protection officials said hopes were dimming of finding many more alive. Early Tuesday morning civil protection officials put the number of dead at 275. There were at least 34 people missing and 1,500 injured. They said the number of homeless was at least 17,000, far less that the some 50,000 estimated Monday.The quake, measuring between 5.8 and 6.3 on the Richter scale, struck shortly after 3:30 a.m. Monday, catching residents in their sleep and flattening houses, ancient churches and other buildings in 26 cities and towns. Aftershocks rattled the area, some 100 km (60 miles) east of Rome in the rugged Abruzzo region, well into the night as thousands of people sheltered in their cars and in tent camps. "It is a serious disaster. Now we must rebuild and that will require huge sums of money," said Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose government already faces a high deficit and huge public debt. Berlusconi declared a national emergency and pledged to seek hundreds of million of euros in EU disaster funds. In L'Aquila, civil protection officials estimated two-thirds of buildings had been ruined. By the glare of floodlights, emergency workers and firemen combed the rubble of a university dormitory, where several students were still believed buried. Each successful rescue sparked celebrations by anxious relatives and emergency workers, many of them volunteers. A fireman recounted how he pulled a boy alive from the mangled remains of his house after a day-long search. "All we could see was his head sticking from the rubble, his entire body was buried. We kept digging, picking piece by piece of debris and we finally managed to get him out -- when we did the fatigue was great but so was our joy," he said.

"Police patrolled houses ripped open by the quake and arrested several people for looting. Thousands of tents were put up in parks and on football pitches to shelter the homeless for the night and hotels on the Adriatic coast were requisitioned. Berlusconi, already scrambling for funds to cope with an economic crisis, said his cabinet would provide 30 million euros ($40.60 million) for immediate assistance and vowed to build a new town near L'Aquila in the next two years. He ordered 1,000 troops to the area Tuesday. Continued

ANKARA, TURKEY. PRESIDENT OBAMA VISITING TURKEY By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong, Elizabeth Menos This Monday, President Barack Obama pledged to help Turkey resolve its differences with Armenia as the United States sought to strengthen ties with a crucial NATO ally in its war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. On his first trip to a predominantly Muslim country as president, he said the United States was willing to provide further support against Kurdish separatist rebels based in northern Iraq from where they attack Turkish territory. Obama's visit is a nod to Turkey's regional reach, economic power, diplomatic contacts and status as a secular democracy seeking European Union membership that has accommodated political Islam. It is the last leg of his debut trip on the world stage as president. "I am trying to make a statement about the importance of Turkey not just to the United States but to the world," Obama told a news conference with Turkish President Abdullah Gul. "It is a member of NATO and it is also a majority Muslim nation, unique in that position and as a consequence has insights into a whole host of regional and strategic challenges we may face," he said. Turkey is a major transit route for U.S. troops and equipment destined for Iraq as well as Afghanistan. As the United States reduces its troops there, Incirlik air force base could play a key role and Obama will discuss this. "Given Turkish activity and credibility in the wider region stretching from Afghanistan to the Middle East, passing over energy transit routes, Obama wants to give new blood to a real strategic partnership with Turkey," said Cengiz Candar, a leading Turkish commentator and Middle East expert.The U.S.-Turkish relationship suffered in 2003 when Ankara opposed the invasion of Iraq and refused to let U.S. troops deploy on its territory. Turkey has also criticized Washington for allowing Kurdish separatists to be based in northern Iraq.

Obama sought to strike a balance over the issue of the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, a sensitive issue which has poisoned ties between the two allies before. In his election campaign, Obama pledged to call the killings of the Armenians genocide and a resolution to so designate them was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last month. "My views are on the record and I have not changed those views. What I have been very encouraged by is news that under President Gul's leadership you are seeing a series of negotiations, a process in place between Armenia and Turkey to resolve a whole host of long standing issues including this one," Obama said. "I want to be as encouraging as possible around those negotiations which could bear fruit very quickly, very soon." Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks during World War One but denies that up to 1.5 million died as a result of systematic genocide. Turkey will not be the venue for Obama's promised major speech in a Muslim capital but his stop will still be a way to emphasize his message of goodwill to Muslims.

NEW YORK. CARDINAL EGAN HOSPITALIZED By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg Edward Cardinal Egan remains in the hospital this morning after being hospitalized over the weekend with stomach pains. New York's archbishop will undergo surgery to implant a pacemaker; however, a date for the surgery has not yet been set. Egan, 77, checked into the hospital Saturday night, complaining of stomach pains. After a battery of tests, doctors determined the Cardinal would need a pacemaker. He was first scheduled to have the surgery today, but doctors at St. Vincent's Hospital want to take care of his stomach problems and help him regain his strength first. "If it was an emergency situation they'd have already done it," said Archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling. "So they can wait. They've got a little bit of flexibility. They'll continue to monitor it and schedule the pacemaker surgery for when he's feeling better." After missing Palm Sunday Mass, it's not clear if Egan will be able to take part in Holy Week events, or if he will be able to attend next Wednesday's installation of Archbishop Timothy Dolan. The Archdiocese spokesman says Egan is in good spirits and relaxed, and looking forward to getting back to St Patrick's Cathedral.

BINGHAMPTON, NY. MASSACRE IN BINGHAMTON. GUNMAN VOONG AND 13 KILLED By Jacques Dusseck and Scott Strong. This Friday 3rd of April, a horrible situation happened after a gunman killed himself and at least 13 others in a immigration center in this small town of Binghamton, in upstate New York. Jiverly Voong, 42, attacked the American Civic Association which provides services for immigrants. Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said in a press conference Friday evening that the gunman likely died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after going on a killing spree at the American Civic Association. Four victims remained in critical condition Friday night. Authorities described Voong's attack as methodical, and say he barricaded the building's back door with his car and then walked in the front door shooting. "The shooter borrowed a vehicle to attend a class there. Preliminarily, he is no stranger to the civic association," said a law official. Zikuski said Voong shot one of the center's receptionists dead and left another wounded. The injured woman pretended to be dead, then crawled under a desk and called 911. Police arrived in two minutes, but by that time the gunman had entered a classroom where immigrants who were taking a citizenship test and opened fire, killing 13. "Twenty-six people took refuge in the boiler room in the basement - a very trying time for them," said Zikuski. "We had to repeatedly reassure them over the matter of a few hours, 'Do not come out, we will come get you." A nearby high school was put in lockdown and apartments in the area were evacuated while SWAT teams surrounded the building. In total, 37 people were forced to hide in terror before they were safely removed by police from the center. Governor Paterson arrived in Binghamton in the late afternoon, and expressed his shock at what he called a "senseless act of violence." He blamed the media for initially reporting "erroneous information" regarding the gunman and number of victims, and said it only made a "strenuous situation" worse. In Europe, President Barack Obama said in a statement, "Michelle and I were shocked and deeply saddened to learn about the act of senseless violence in Binghamton, N.Y. today. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and the people of Binghamton." "We don't yet know all the facts, but my administration is actively monitoring the situation and Vice President Biden is in touch with Governor Paterson and local officials to track developments," continued Obama. The civic center provides a crucial service to the small upstate city of about 47,000. Foreign-born people represent the second-largest population in Binghamton. Although the company says they do not have record of it, initial reports said Voong worked for IBM, which has downsized in recent years. The city's unemployment rate shot to over 11 percent in February. Paterson stressed Friday that it would take a long process to identify the victims, and law enforcement officials were still investigating the gunman's motive. In addition to the ammunition Voong was wearing, police also found two handguns and a hunting knife at the shooting site. On Friday, they searched Voong's home and confiscated computer equipment and a rifle case.

STRASBOURG. PRESIDENT OBAMA AT THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY NATO SUMMIT. By Jacques Dusseck and Jerry Blumberg President Barack Obama on Friday talked up his plans to eliminate nuclear weapons, close the Guantanamo Bay prison and tackle global warming. In return, he's hoping for European popular support in the anti-terror fight in Afghanistan. Obama seems likely to win fresh commitments at this Saturday's 60th anniversary NATO summit. He can expect more civilian aid and small troop increases for training Afghan forces and providing security for upcoming elections. But the European public has no stomach for more intense military involvement by their nations. So Obama is unlikely to get additional help in the way of either major combat troops or new deployments to the toughest areas of the fighting in southern and eastern Afghanistan. President Obama and his aides sought ahead of time to frame that outcome in the best possible light. "It's not just a matter of more resources, it's a matter of more effectively using the resources we have," Obama said. That comment came in the midst of a remarkable event he created at a basketball arena in Strasbourg, a campaign-style "town hall" in which he fielded questions from young French and German men and women. President Obama is fighting a cold, but he continues to keep an ambitious schedule. He started his European tour in London, and will wrapping up his trip in Turkey next week. Thousands are cheering the Obama at every stop, but there are also many protestors - usually kept far way from the president. Police in France fired tear gas at several hundred demonstrators in Strasbourg. This weekend up to 40,000 protestors are expected at the NATO summit.

MEXICO CITY. VICENTE CARRILLO, DRUG LEADER OF JUAREZ CARTEL CAPTURED. By Romy Dussek and Jerry Brown. Mexican police have captured a drug baron from the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, the country's most violent place in a turf war among trafficking gangs that killed 6,300 people last year. Vicente Carrillo Leyva, 32, a leader of the Juarez cartel, was seized while jogging in a park in an upscale residential district of Mexico City, police said on Thursday. He was presented to the media, wearing a white track suit, shortly before U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder arrived for talks with the Mexican government about plans for tougher border controls to stop U.S. weapons reaching Mexican drug gangs. "His capture marks another significant victory for Mexican law enforcement," the U.S. Embassy in Mexico said. The Juarez cartel is locked in a bitter war with rivals from the northwestern state of Sinaloa for control of smuggling routes into Texas. The fighting prompted the government to send 5,000 extra troops into Ciudad Juarez last month. Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora, meeting Napolitano and Holder in the city of Cuernavaca, said the 1,600 drug-related murders so far this year were 25 percent less than during the last three months of 2008. That likely reflected a drop in the number of killings in Ciudad Juarez, an important manufacturing center, in recent weeks.

Carrillo Leyva is the son of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, a drug lord known as the "Lord of the Skies" who flew jetliners full of cocaine into Mexico in the 1990s and who reportedly died in 1997 during plastic surgery to change his appearance. Mexico put a $2 million reward on Carrillo Leyva's head in a list of dozens of top drug smuggling suspects made public last month. He was one of two Juarez cartel members listed. Carrillo Leyva had "roles of leadership and managing illicit resources in the organization," senior prosecutor Marisela Morales told reporters. The drug war has blown into a huge challenge for President Felipe Calderon and is starting to frighten investors away from northern Mexico and worry foreign tourists whose dollars are increasingly needed as the economic crisis bites.

U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Mexico later this month, following a March trip by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as Washington worries that drug violence could spill over the U.S. border. Mexican officials say 90 percent of the weapons used by drug gangs come from the United States. "The reality is that too many weapons are flowing from the U.S. and into Mexico and having a negative impact on the government of Mexico's ability to fight the narcotraffickers," Holder told a news conference.

- LONDON, G-20 MEETING. MOST POWERFUL NATIONS MEET TO BRIDGE THE GAPS. By Jerry Bloomberg and Jacques Dusseck

On his first day on the world stage, President Obama met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and, as Chip Reid reports, announced negotiations on a new treaty to reduce their nuclear arsenals. Leaders of rich and developing countries arrived Thursday morning at the Group of 20 summit in London, where they will seek to bridge divisions on how to fix the global economy. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown greeted President Obama and other leaders at London's ExCel conference center ahead of a breakfast meeting thisThursday.

Mr. Obama has urged European governments to spend more to get the economy going. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have refused calls for more government spending, and said the meeting must take concrete steps on tougher financial regulation. Mr. Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the summit's host, have said they are confident a strong agreement will be reached.

Many analysts have predicted that team Obama-Brown will likely settle for a pledge from their counterparts to take further economic stimulus action when and if they deem it necessary in their individual countries. The big question looming as the leaders gathered Thursday was the extent to which the EU and China would be able to persuade the U.S. and Britain to back tougher regulation on financial institutions and instruments. It was the under-regulation of these companies and practices that is now blamed for causing the global economic meltdown. Following his busy schedule of bilateral meetings with America's allies Wednesday, President Obama met Thursday morning before breakfast with South Korea's leader The South Korean presidential office issued a statement after the meeting saying the men had agreed "to work together in the course of" a joint reaction to the launch. North Korea says it will launch a communications satellite into orbit, but the U.S. and its allies suspect it will actually be a test of ballistic missile technology. The diplomatic highlight of Wednesday came out of Mr. Obama's meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The two announced an agreement to restart nuclear disarmament talks - stalled since 1997 - and Mr. Obama accepted an invitation to Moscow in July. It was a marked change in direction for the relationship between the two nations, which declined to near-Cold War levels under former President George W. Bush, primarily due to differences on NATO's eastward expansion and U.S. plans to install missile defense hardware in Eastern European nations, close to Russia's borders.

Mr. Obama also accepted an invitation to Beijing extended to him during his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The meeting is to take place "in the second half of this year," according to the White House. China's crucial role in the global economy was expected to make Hu a key player at Thursday's summit. While Mr. Obama and Brown team up to seek a firm commitment from Europe, China and other fast-growing economies, Beijing has sought assurances from Washington that all the federal stimulus money being put on the American taxpayers' tab won't cause dramatic inflation in the future. As a country which has billions of dollars in reserves invested in the U.S., China's concern is that the value of the dollar could plummet and with it, the value of their investment.

The protests that cadres of police managed to contain in London's financial district on Wednesday were set to begin anew, with law enforcement officers bracing for a larger turn out on summit day. The ExCel center, where leaders of the world's 19 richest nations, plus the European Union, were meeting, was surrounded by a wide security cordon, and demonstrations were confined to areas well out of earshot of the VIP guests.

DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY. THE AK PARTY FAILED TO CONQUER KURDISH BASTION . By Elizabeth Menos, Romy Dusseck and Jacques Dusseck Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party failed to conquer the Kurdish bastion of Diyarbakir in Sunday's local polls because they misjudged decades-old grievances by minority Kurds. Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addressed the media at his ruling AK Party headquarters in Ankara late March 29, 2009. Turkey's ruling AK Party won local elections on Sunday but Erdogan, hurt by a weak economy, fell short of a sweeping victory that would have smoothed the way for reforms in the EU candidate.Jubilant Kurds took to the streets of Diyarbakir, the biggest city of the Kurdish southeast, to celebrate the victory of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) over the AK Party, which campaigned on a message of improving services in the impoverished region rather than stressing Kurdish identity.

The southeast has been torn by separatist violence since the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) took up arms against the state 25 years ago. Some 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict and ending it is seen as key to boosting Turkey's security. Turkish President Abdullah Gul stressed the point in Baghdad last week, calling on Iraqi Kurdish officials to do more to prevent the PKK from using Iraq as a base to attack Turkey. He also recognized the Kurdistan government in northern Iraq, a move expected to improve ties between the state and Kurds. Erdogan's Islamist-rooted party had hoped to dislodge the DTP from Diyarbakir and other local administration in the southeast after it swept the region in a 2007 general election. But the DTP won 67 percent of the vote in Diyarbakir, pummeling the AK Party which took 31 percent of the vote.

The result was a big disappointment for Erdogan, who had worked hard to win the support of Turkey's 12 million minority Kurds, telling them all Turkish citizens were equal and granting more rights to Kurds under pressure from the European Union.Launching a Kurdish-language state television channel and handing free washing machines to locals did not convince them that the AK Party was best placed to run their cities. However the government is expected to continue pushing for reform. DTP officials had accused the government of granting some rights to Kurds only to win votes and had pointed out the many restrictions that still exist on the Kurdish language.

"We are so happy that the DTP won. It is our party and this is our victory," said some young students. "Only old, religious people voted for the AK Party. The young voted for the DTP because we are most concerned about our identity and the future and not about religion. Some Ankara-based expert on Kurds, said the results had sent the message to Erdogan that "the road to Europe passes through Diyarbakir." The EU has long pressed Ankara to expand more cultural and political rights to Kurds.

"Kurds don't want to be given rights by the government. They say it is their own rights and they want to exercise them because they belong to them. The Turkish state has long feared that easing restrictions for minorities will lead to the carving up of the country founded on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. In recent months the military has made conciliatory gestures, saying force might alone will not defeat the separatists. DTP leader Ahmet Turk, whose party faces closure by the Constitutional Court on charges it has links to Kurdish separatist rebels, said the results were a success for Kurds. "The people gave a lesson to the government. We got our votes back. Governments are temporary, people are always there

NEW YORK. SIFMA COMING MARKET STRUCTURE CONFERENCE 2009 By Jacques Dusseck SIFMA, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association will entertain the representatives from the Broker/Dealer, Institutional Sales and Trading Options, Technology and Legal Regulatory communities during its Market Structure Conference on May 20, 2009. The affair will take place at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York City. Those who are responsible for market structure issues should make it their priority to attend this special event. The 10th Annual Market Structure Conference will address the latest regulatory and structural changes impacting the markets. The featured qualified speakers will be Annette L. Nazareth, the former SEC Commissioner and Director of the SEC division of trading and markets, Lawrence Leibowitz, Group Executive Vice President of U S Markets and Global Technology, NYSE Euronet, Robert L. D. Colby, Counsel at Davis Polk and Wrdwell, former SEC Deputy Director of Trading and Markets.The topics of this conference will include Market Turmoil, the year in review and resulting financial regulatory reform efforts, the changing landscape, market centers and execution menues, the recent regulatory initiatives, the market structure changes and regulations, buy side and sell side market structure issues, the recent trends and predictions for the future. This conference will not have the long list of speakers who were in the podium for the 2007 SIFMA Institutional Brokerage Conference held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York but it will be an exceptional strategic and informative conference at the right time when the market is in turmoil.

WASHINGTON.GENERAL MOTOR AND CHRYSLER AND THE BAIL OUT MONEY. By Jerry Blumberg and Jacques Dusseck resident Barack Obama and his top advisers have determined that neither company is viable and that taxpayers will not spend untold billions more to keep the pair of automakers open forever. In a last-ditch effort, the administration gave each company a brief deadline to try one last time to convince Washington it is worth saving, said senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to more bluntly discuss the decision. President Obama was set to make the announcement at 11 a.m. Monday in the White House's foyer. In an interview with CBS' Face The Nation broadcast Sunday, Mr. Obama said the companies must do more to receive additional financial aid from the government. "We think we can have a successful U.S. auto industry. But it's got to be one that's realistically designed to weather this storm and to emerge - at the other end - much more lean, mean and competitive than it currently is," Mr. Obama told Face The Nation host Bob Schieffer.

Frustrated administration officials said Chrysler cannot function as an independent company under its current plan. They have given Chrysler a 30-day window to complete a proposed partnership with Italian automaker Fiat SpA, and will offer up to $6 billion to the companies if they can negotiate a deal before time runs out. If a Chrysler-Fiat union cannot be completed, Washington plans to walk away, leave Chrysler destined for a complete sell-off. No other money is available.Shawn Morgan, a Chrysler spokeswoman, said the company wants to work with the Treasury Department and Mr. Obama's auto task force but declined to comment on the White House's plans."With the administration's announcement on the restructuring of the automotive industry imminent, it would be inappropriate to comment on speculation," Morgan said in a statement early Monday President Obama will be in London this week for G-20 Meetings.

TURKEY. THE LATEST ABOUT THE ELECTION: The AK PARTY IS LEADING. By Jacques Dusseck and Elizabeth Menos. The ruling AK Party seems to be heading for victory after Sunday's elections. So far, 99.6 percent of the votes have been counted, according to several news reports. The AK Party leads with 38.9 percent. The opposition Republican People's Party is currently second with 23.1 percent. Nationalist Movement Party is third with 16.1 percent. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the elections are a milestone in the country's democratic history. "These elections have strengthened democracy," Erdogan said. "No matter which party wins." For a man who rarely accepts defeat, the disappointment expressed by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan over Sunday’s local elections suggests the ruling party will address its shortcomings and in turn boost democracy. The AK Party won 39 percent of the municipal vote, but the results were below its 47 percent target and the worst since it first came to power in parliamentary elections in 2002. The results are a wake-up call for a party grown comfortable in office and a prime minister allergic to criticism, analysts say.Erdogan, who made the local polls a referendum on his 7-year rule, clearly misjudged voter dissatisfaction over his government’s handling of the $750 billion economy, seen going into recession in 2009 after years of stellar growth.“We think that Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will read the results correctly and concentrate on economic problems,” said Yarkin Cebeci, a senior economist at bank JP Morgan in Istanbul.“The Turkish electorate sent a clear warning to the ruling AKP, stating its dissatisfaction over the recent economic downturn,” he said. During campaigning, which had all the trappings of a general election, Erdogan played down the effects of the global financial crisis on Turkey and blamed incompetent businessmen for rising unemployment, currently at a record 13.6 percent. The AK Party failed to win key cities it had campaigned hard for, particularly Diyarbakir in the mainly Kurdish southeast, Izmir and Adana. The party also saw its lead in the capital Ankara and Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, shrink considerably.

Local elections have traditionally been important in Turkey, with governments severely handicapped if they failed to score well. The results are not expected to halt reforms but may force Erdogan to seek compromises with the opposition to achieve his goals, which may in turn strengthen democratic institutions. Erdogan has pledged to reform the constitution drafted by the military in 1982 and change the way the Constitutional Court works—steps that would remove some obstacles to EU membership but could revive tension with secularists who accuse him of pursuing an Islamist agenda. Erdogan denies this. “As an example of a positive effect (of the results), we can say that political cooperation on constitutional changes which will come onto Turkey’s agenda soon has become more important or even inevitable,” wrote Erdal Safak, editor of Sabah newspaper, seen as having close ties with the government. Heads will undoubtedly roll as a consequence of the AK Party’s poor showing, but Erdogan said on Sunday any changes in his cabinet would not be done because of the election results. “We will have some ministerial changes but only Erdogan knows which ones and the timing of them,” a senior government source, who declined to be named, before the polls. Will the boy of Kasimpasa, a poor neighbourhood in Istanbul where Erdogan learned the politics of the street, take note of the election and shed his confrontational style—at full display in a war of words with Israel’s President in Davos? Judging by past promises, maybe, but only partially. Erdogan presides over his Islamist-rooted AK Party government like a sultan would over his court. He follows in the footsteps of Turkish politics where leaders are rewarded at the ballot box for their toughness, not compassion. But businesses, including association TUSIAD, and analysts say his style is sowing divisions at a time when Turkey needs to urgently address economic, political and social reforms. Erdogan pledged a new era of compromise when his party won a landslide re-election in 2007, a poll sparked by a row with the secularist opposition over the direction of the country. Instead shortly thereafter, he pushed for lifting a ban on female students wearing the Islamic-style headscarf at university, sparking further political tensions and a court case to close the ruling AK Party for Islamist activities. Erdogan is the brains behind the AK Party’s successive wins. Charismatic yet severe, he is currently Turkey’s most popular politician and heads the most stable single party majority government in decades. On a recent campaign trip to Sivas in central Turkey, Erdogan’s influence was all too noticeable. Silence fell as he entered his party’s campaign bus and soon after he was taking mobile phone calls to issue orders ranging from finance approval for a local municipality to national politics. “Erdogan runs the show. He is the boss,” said a close aide. It will now be up to Erdogan to address the weakening economy and push ahead with reforms, including greater rights, as voters in southeast Turkey clearly expressed by voting for the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party. Launching a Kurdish-language state television channel and handing free washing machines to locals did not convince them that the AK Party would address decades-old grievances over rights for the Kurdish minority. We think it is important to take lessons both from achievements and from failures,” Erdogan said on Sunday night.

WASHINGTON. PRESIDENT OBAMA LEAVING FOR THE G-20 SUMMIT By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Romy Dussek

- This week's London Summit brings together the leaders of the world's 20 largest economic powers, known as the Group of 20, to discuss the global financial crisis and decide new measures to set the world on a more stable economic footing. Barack Obama, Gordon Brown , Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and Silvio Berlusconi are among world leaders attending this week's G-20. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who hosts Thursday's talks, has set a bold agenda for this year's summit, calling on governments to sign up to a "global deal" to haul the world out of the crisis triggered by the collapse of the banking system. "We need a global New Deal -- a grand bargain between the countries and continents of this world -- so that the world economy can not only recover but... so the banking system can be based on... best principles," Brown said at a pre-summit meeting of European leaders last month. Since it first convened in 1999, the G-20 has traditionally been a gathering of finance ministers. But Thursday's meeting will bring together heads of state and government following the precedent set at last November's gathering in Washington DC in response to the scale of the economic meltdown. The G-20 brings together the world's seven leading industrialized nations, the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Canada, also known as the G-7 -- and the world's largest developing world economies: China, Russia, India and Brazil. Other members are Australia, Turkey, Indonesia, South Korea, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Spain and the Netherlands have also been invited to participate. The European Union is also admitted, representing member states without a seat at the summit table.

ALBANY, NY. DRUG LAWS REPLACE JAIL TIME WITH TREATMENT, By Scott Strong and Romy Dussek Albany lawmakers reached a deal Friday that will repeal much of what remains of the state's 1970s-era Rockefeller drug laws and replace it with a program based around rehabilitation. Governor David Paterson said the laws over the past 36 years have proven to be ineffective and have lead to a revolving door in a constant "cycle of arrest and abuse." "We are hoping to forever eliminate the regime of the Rockefeller drug laws and replace it with a system that will give addicts and those who have committed crimes because of that the treatment that they need and will give those who profiteer from drug sales the punishment that they deserve," said Paterson. The changes, the lawmakers say, are based on a shift in thinking: drug addiction, according to the governor, is a treatable illness. As a result, services will switch from being focused on punishment to being focused on treatment. "It's a more just, more effective and more humane drug policy for New York," said State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Instead of being considered solely a criminal act, drug offenses will also be deemed a public health hazard. The bill will give judges the discretion to send addicted first and second-time nonviolent offenders to treatment programs, rather than prison – even over the objections of prosecutors. It will also eliminate mandatory sentences for some drug offenders. "It is my fervent hope and belief that the courts will no longer have the same people come in and out of the justice system again and again and again in a revolving door system of justice, in which we never address the underlying root problem: drug addiction," said New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman. This will all be overseen by the establishment of special drug courts, where judges will have more of an expertise on drug-related crimes and be able to use more discretion to oversee and monitor non-violent cases. The State Assembly speaker said the cost of putting a drug offender in a residential drug facility is one-third of the cost of incarceration, which currently costs the state $45,000 a year per convict. Officials stressed that drug dealers would face prison time with the creation of a new drug "kingpin offense" for high-level drug traffickers. The governor said the new laws will also increase the penalties for drug sales to children. Despite the warm reception these new laws got from the dozens of lawmakers on hand for the press conference, some critics already blasted the legislation, saying it will be too soft on criminals. In a video released by the mayor's office, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was shown being notified by an off-camera individual about the agreement Friday morning. Bloomberg responded, "They are? Good. Just what we need, to put more criminals back on the streets." The mayor has previously not spoken out about the issue. "There's only one focus, and that's to coddle the criminals and put them back on the streets at the cost of public safety across this state," argued State Senator Martin Golden. "And I guarantee you, mark our word here today, crime will be up this time next year if this becomes law. Families will suffer, people will die, guaranteed." While the New York Civil Liberties Union applauded the state's decision to move forward with this legislation, it warned that transparency is key. "After 36 years of locking up people who suffer from addiction and mental illness, this is an exciting step," said NYCLU said in a statement. "The leaders of our state have finally recognized that the revolving door of 'lock them up and throw away the key' does not work.... It's really important that we all pay attention to the details that unfold in the coming days. The details could be the difference between meaningful reform of the Rockefeller drug laws and more of the same." Meanwhile, legislators continued negotiations behind closed doors on other controversial elements of the budget. Lawmakers debated a proposal to raise income taxes on those making $300,000 a year and more, with two additional tax rates – for those making more than $500,000 a year and those making more than $1 million a year. A bill being championed by Bronx Senator Jeff Klein would tie the tax increase with a tax break for the middle class. "If you do the high-earner tax and we have money left over, which I think we will, this is I think this is the perfect time to give homeowners relief from the high property taxes that they pay," said Klein. Another bill that allowed wine sales in supermarkets was said to have failed. Also on Friday, city education officials warned of the impact of not allocating enough funds for education. Officials are waiting to see how the state divides up about a billion dollars in federal aid. But they are preparing to slash jobs, though it's unclear how many would be cut. The state Legislature has tentatively agreed to restore all of Governor David Paterson's proposed cuts, but the size of the deficit – more than $16 billion – could mean more pain. The Campaign for Fiscal Equity settlement could become another casualty of the economy. The CFE ruling would have brought an additional $1.5 billion for city schools starting next year – boosting aid to the neediest districts over four years. Sources say the deal is now on track to take seven years, with no funding increase from last year. The state budget is due on Wednesday.

NEW YORK. BERNARD MADOFF PLEADS GUILTY IN $65B SCHEME Wall Street financier Bernie Madoff was hauled away in handcuffs today, Thursday March 12, 09, after he pleaded guilty to 11 felony charges - including securities and wire fraud - in connection with running a massive, $65 billion scheme. In his statement he declared I am deeply sorry and ashamed," said Madoff, after the judge asked him if he understood the charges. He also admitted that the brazen Ponzi scheme began in the early 1990's in response to a recession and that he concocted the scam in order to meet the lofty expectations of his exclusive clients. "I am actually grateful for this opportunity to publicly comment about my crimes, for which I am deeply sorry and ashamed," Madoff told the judge during the nearly two-hour hearing. "As the years went by, I realized my risk, and this day would inevitably come," he added. "I cannot adequately express how sorry I am for my crimes." The judge informed Madoff that the guilty plea could result in a maximum prison term of 150 years. Madoff will be sentenced June 16. Prosecutors successfully argued that Madoff should be remanded and immediately jailed, although his lawyer Ira Sorkin had argued that his client is not a flight risk and should be allowed to go home. After arguments began as to whether Madoff should remain free on bail, Sorkin described the bail conditions and how Madoff had, "at his wife's own expense," paid for private security at his $7 million penthouse. The 24 victims sitting in the courtroom burst into loud applause once the judge denied bail. Madoff was taken to a holding cell in a lower Manhattan correctional facility. Some observers understand that most of his exclusive clients, mostly Jewish, benefited from his skills in investments.

HAITI. UN BAN KI-MOUN AND BILL CLINTON PUT HAITI ON THE WORLD MAP. By Jacques Dusseck, Scott Strong and Romy Dussek. According to Bill Clinton, Haiti is worth supporting. On board a US government plane bound for Haiti were also philanthropists, investors and even a Haitian star Wyclef Jean. Mr Ban and Mr Clinton are different in many ways, but both share a love of policy papers, and are enthused by one about Haiti written by economist Paul Collier. He suggests that if jobs can be created in Haiti's garment industry, this - coupled with Haiti's access to US markets - could transform the country. Electricity must be made cheaper, and Haiti's port put under better management. Mr Ban and Mr Clinton want to draw the world's attention to Haiti, emphasising what investors and the international community can do to help. En route to Haiti, Mr Ban says that he wants to show solidarity with the country, and create a good political atmosphere. razilian UN peacekeepers patrol the streets. Their robust approach is credited with reducing crime here. At a spick-and-span school in Cite Soleil, small children in smart uniforms are having lunch in a feeding centre. They sing for their