The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Yushchenko Looks to Halt Government ; Rival in Ukraine Vote has Not Conceded

KIEV, Ukraine - Viktor Yushchenko, fresh from his victory in Ukraine's disputed presidential race, called on his supporters Tuesday to blockade the Cabinet of Ministers building to prevent his opponent from holding a government session. Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, the Kremlin favorite who has come under increasing pressure to concede defeat to Yushchenko, returned to work Tuesday after taking a vacation to campaign ahead of last Sunday's vote.

Iraqi Police, Deputy Governor Among 25 Killed by Insurgents ; Further Attacks Seen Before Vote

BAGHDAD, Iraq - With car bombs, assassinations and raids on police stations, insurgents killed at least 25 people, including Iraqi policemen and a deputy governor, across the volatile Sunni Triangle on Tuesday, and a militant group claimed it executed eight Iraqi employees of an American security company. The string of attacks - including one in which 12 policemen's throats were slit in their station - were the latest by the insurgency targeting Iraqis working with the American military or th...

Around the Nation

Death row killer opposes appeals NEW LONDON, Conn. - Serial killer Michael Ross, at times crying, testified Tuesday that he deserves to live, but doesn't want to pursue any more appeals of his death sentence because of the pain it would cause his victims' families.

Neither Rain, Snow nor Temptation ; Postal Worker Returns Lost Cash

VENTNOR - Talk about cash on delivery. An honest postal worker found a bundle of cash in an unmarked envelope, then tracked down its owner and returned the money.

Bronx Zoo Closes Animal Wildlife Preserve in Ga. ; 30-Year-Old Center Ends Research

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Bronx Zoo is closing an animal preserve on Georgia's St. Catherines Island, moving 435 animals of 46 species to zoos around the country. The undeveloped island about 50 miles south of Savannah was home to animals including Madagascan lemurs and the maleo, a turkey-like bird from Indonesia.

N.J. Supreme Court Proceedings to Be Webcast

TRENTON - It won't have the flair and chatty commentary of Court TV, but anyone with a computer, Windows Media player software and a high-speed Internet connection will get to see gavel-to-gavel action of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Starting at 10 a.m. Monday, oral arguments before the seven- justice court will be broadcast over the Internet. The first scheduled arguments concern what documents are covered by the state's Open Public Records Act.

Senator Fears Stadium Woes ; Traffic, Sewage Impact Concerns Lautenberg

Sen. Frank Lautenberg says that if a stadium is built on Manhattan's West Side, it may have an adverse impact on New Jersey, including the possibility of more sewage being dumped in the Hudson River and more traffic in and out of the Garden State. Lautenberg, D-N.J., is among the growing chorus of people voicing worries over the building of the proposed stadium that would lure the New York Jets from their East Rutherford home at Giants Stadium.

Body Found Near Where Worker Fell Off Barge Into the Delaware ; Search for N.J. Man Had Been Called Off

The body of a man wearing a life jacket was found along the New Jersey coast Tuesday, near where a tugboat crewman fell off a barge and into the frigid Delaware River, officials said. Delaware State Police spokesman Capt. Timothy Winstead said the body was found near Elsinboro, across the river from Delaware City, Del.

Washington Crosses ... Over to the Lectern

There's a lot to complain about in Trenton, but one of the cool things is that every so often, the guy on line in front of you at Derby Dog in the food court is wearing a tricorn hat and a Revolutionary War soldier's uniform. History's never far away here, especially this time of year. Every Christmas, crowds gather about nine miles to the north to watch volunteers reenact George Washington's 1776 crossing of the Delaware River, the breach of military protocol that surprised Hessian mercenari...

Deaths Soar Past 58,000 ; Hunger, Disease Threaten Survivors

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Rescuers battled to reach survivors in stranded villages, restore basic services and prevent the outbreak of deadly diseases across South Asia on Tuesday in the aftermath of a massive undersea earthquake and subsequent tsunami that ravaged the region. The death toll in 12 countries soared to at least 58,000, and thousands of bodies were decomposing on beaches and streets and wedged among shattered husks of trees.

Charities, Countries Join for Historic Relief Effort

WASHINGTON - Humanitarian groups and governments across the globe launched the largest relief effort in history Tuesday in a desperate race to save thousands of tsunami survivors facing a new threat from deadly diseases. Health experts warned that illnesses linked to contaminated water, poor sanitation and cramped living conditions could add tens of thousands of victims to the death toll from Sunday's earthquake- driven monster waves. The magnitude of the disaster - more than 55,000 dead in 1...

Oceans Away, News of Family and Friends Is Hard to Obtain

Some North Jersey residents were still waiting for news Tuesday about loved ones affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami. For others, it took hours, in some cases days, to get through to friends and family members in South Asia. Stories came trickling back - of heroism, of confusion, of tragedy.

J&J Seeks Approval of Drug for Premature Ejaculation

Another male sex drug may soon enter the bedroom. Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday that it filed an application for the first drug designed specifically to treat premature ejaculation. The application for dapoxetine goes to the Food and Drug Administration, which typically takes a year for its reviews.

N.J. Could Embrace Drug-Sentencing Reform

After a decade-long fight to change the drug laws in New York, reform advocates declared partial victory this month when Gov. George Pataki signed a bill to reduce the state's prescribed penalties for drug convicts. Can New Jersey be far behind?

Rally Offers Encouraging Sign for Abbas' Bid for Power ; Palestinians Prepare for Vote

JERICHO, West Bank - Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the front-runner in upcoming presidential elections, received a loud ovation from thousands of supporters at his first public rally Tuesday, generating some excitement for the low-key politician seeking to replace the late Yasser Arafat. The rally came as Palestinian election officials announced anti- fraud safeguards for the Jan. 9 vote, saying voters will be marked with indelible ink and ballot boxes will be sealed.

Aftermath Likely to Spawn High Rates of Disease ; More Woes for Millions of Homeless in Regions Already Racked by Poverty

It's the disaster after the disaster. Poverty-stricken areas reeling from a tsunami that struck 11 nations on Sunday now must cope with the sickness and death spawned by contaminated food and water.

Pharmaceutical Companies Send Cash, Drugs, Supplies

New Jersey's robust industry of pharmaceutical and medical companies responded to the South Asian tsunami disaster Tuesday, with some sending cash, medicines and supplies, and others evaluating the needs of the stricken region. Johnson & Johnson, the New Brunswick-based health-care giant, is giving $2 million to relief efforts, and plans to match dollar-for- dollar contributions to the American Red Cross made by its employees, spokesman Jeff Leebaw said. In addition, J&J was sending container...

Bergen-Based Charity Reacts Within Hours ; Honed Skills After 2001 Quake

PARAMUS - It took just hours after a tsunami struck India for the Share and Care Foundation to solicit money, contact businesses to hold donated clothes and arrange for 60 tons of medical supplies to be shipped to the disaster zone. The charity's response was almost surgical in its precision compared with other small U.S. non-profits that have been struggling to maintain communication with their counterparts in India.

Death Was Resort Train's Final Destination ; More Than 800 Perished When Tsunami Reached Packed Railcars

TELWATTA, Sri Lanka - The train known as the Queen of the Sea chugged slowly up the sandy, palm-fringed coast of eastern Sri Lanka, carrying hundreds of residents from the capital to visit relatives or enjoy a day at the sunny resorts near the town of Galle. The train had nearly reached its destination Sunday when the tsunami struck - a wall of water some 30 feet high, enveloping the Queen and lifting its cars off the track into a thick marsh, killing at least 802 people.

Boy Found Alone at Resort Reunited with His Uncle ; Man Saw Photo of Swede, 2, On Web

PHUKET, Thailand - A 2-year-old Swedish boy who was found dazed and alone on a roadside in the wasteland of a tsunami-devastated Thai resort was reunited Tuesday with his uncle, who spotted the child's picture on the Internet. The boy, identified by his uncle as Hannes Bergstroem, was found Sunday night on a road in Phang Nga province near the beach resort of Khao Lak, about 60 miles from the island of Phuket. He was taken to Phuket International Hospital, where the staff posted pictures of t...