The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Jackson's Lawyers Release a-List of Defense Witnesses ; May Call Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson's lawyers announced Monday they may call celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross and Kobe Bryant to the witness stand during the pop star's molestation trial. The list of possible witnesses sounded like coming attractions for a major Hollywood spectacle: "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno, producer Quincy Jones, actor Chris Tucker and singer Stevie Wonder, along with Taylor, Ross and Bryant.

Around the World

Coal mine blast kills at least 203 SHANGHAI, China - A gas explosion at a coal mine in northeastern China has killed at least 203 miners, the government said Tuesday.

Bush Asks for Quick $82b ; for Iraq War, Middle East, Relief Efforts

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday urged Congress to approve quickly his request for $82 billion to cover the costs of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and a myriad of other internationally related expenses, such as training Iraqi security forces, aiding tsunami victims and helping military forces in other nations. "The majority of this request will ensure that our troops continue to get what they need to protect themselves and complete their mission,"' Bush said before the Whit...

Race for Prime Minister Narrows ; Iraqi Shiites May Seek Support Pact with Kurds

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A French-educated finance minister and a former London physician emerged Monday as the top candidates to be Iraq's next prime minister, as leaders of the clergy-backed Shiite Muslim alliance launched consultations after failing to get a two-thirds majority in the vote for Iraq's new Parliament. The prominence of urbane, moderate, Western-oriented figures appears designed to counter concern in Washington that Iran's influence will grow in Iraq after a Shiite-dominated governmen...

Nun Who Said She Saw Virgin Mary Dies at 97 ; Sr. Lucia, One of the Children of Fatima

LISBON, Portugal - Political parties suspended their election campaigns and long lines of worshipers paid their final respects Monday after the death of Sister Lucia, the last of three shepherd children who claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary during 1917 apparitions in the town of Fatima. The Roman Catholic nun, who died Sunday at age 97 of apparent heart failure, will be buried today in the graveyard of the Carmelite convent where she had lived since 1948. Flags around the country were orde...

'Baby 81' Returning to Rightful Parents ; Sri Lankan Court Backs Tsunami Survivors' Claim

KALMUNAI, Sri Lanka - The 4-month-old boy dubbed "Baby 81" now has a name - Abilass - and a birth date - Oct. 19 - and two loving parents who can't wait to get him back. A Sri Lankan court, relying on DNA tests, ruled Monday that the baby recovered from tsunami debris belongs to the couple who launched an agonizing court battle to claim him.

U.S. Alarmed by Crisis in Nepal

KATMANDU, Nepal - Nepal came under mounting international pressure Monday over its king's dismissal of the government and the suspension of civil liberties this month. The United States recalled its ambassador for consultations on the crisis.

Lebanon Fears New Strife After Bomb Assassination ; Islamist Group Says It Killed Former Leader

BEIRUT, Lebanon - The car-bomb assassination of one of Lebanon's most prominent politicians raised fears Monday that the country once again would become a battleground for dueling ethnic and religious groups. An unknown Islamist group claimed responsibility for the death of Rafik Hariri, a multibillionaire businessman and former prime minister whose motorcade was blasted apart shortly before 1 p.m.

N.J. Senate Kills 'Pay-to-Play' Bill ; Democrats, Republicans Trade Blame for Defeat

Campaign-finance reform suffered a significant setback Monday, when the state Senate failed to muster enough votes for a bill restricting political giving by state contractors. Although the bill had the public support of acting Governor Codey, who is also the Democratic president of the Senate, five of his party's 22 senators did not vote for it.

Complacency Alarms Officials ; N.Y. Man's Illness Prompts New Warnings On Safe Sex

The threat of a possible new strain of HIV that is resistant to drugs prompted New Jersey health officials to renew warnings against unsafe sex Monday. Several of the state's leading researchers and physicians said the great success of drugs that restrain the virus from attacking the immune system has made many people complacent in their sexual practices.

Ny Waterway Bailout Moves a Step Closer ; Partial Route Takeover Tentatively Ok'd

The bailout of a financially troubled ferry operator that shuttles about 15,000 people across the Hudson River each day got a tentative OK on Monday from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. A company owned by a Manhattan attorney would take over about half of Weehawken-based NY Waterway's ferry routes under an agreement announced by the authority. Service on those routes would continue uninterrupted.

Autopsy Points to Homicide in Chemist's Death ; Co-Workers Being Questioned in Treatment-Plant Drowning

It was a homicide. A chemist found dead last week in a storage tank at a Totowa water treatment plant was killed, most likely by one of her co- workers, authorities said Monday.

Trump Hotels Moves Closer to Exiting Chapter 11

A bankruptcy court Monday blessed an agreement between Donald Trump and shareholders of Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc. on reorganizing the company. Many of the objections raised over the plan, which shareholders viewed as enriching majority stakeholder Donald Trump, were addressed in an amended version filed Sunday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Camden.

Minimum Wage Increase Clears Senate ; Codey Backs Two-Step Raise to $7.15

TRENTON - A measure raising the minimum wage by $2 over the next two years advanced Monday despite warnings from business owners that additional labor costs could force them to close. The Senate approved the measure Monday afternoon. Earlier, the Assembly Labor Committee heard hours of testimony before voting to move the bill forward to the full Assembly.

Airport Drug Probe Nets 4 More Arrests ; Workers Accused of Smuggling at Newark

NEWARK - Four more people, including three airline baggage handlers, were arrested Monday in a continuing investigation of cocaine smuggling at Newark Liberty International Airport. The Continental Airlines handlers and a man who had worked as a security guard were charged with using their access to secure areas to act as lookouts while others diverted luggage containing cocaine from international flights so it could be claimed at domestic carousels, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement o...

Gunman Fixated On School Shooting ; Mall Suspect Had Columbine Cache

KINGSTON, N.Y. - A man who opened fire in a crowded shopping mall with an assault weapon, wounding two, seemed to have a "lurid fascination" with the Columbine High School shooting, a prosecutor said Monday. Robert Bonelli Jr., 25, is accused of wounding two people and sending shoppers scurrying for safety Sunday after shooting his way into the Hudson Valley Mall, then giving up when he ran out of ammunition.

Gop Chief Asks Probe of Codey's Brother

TRENTON - The state's new inspector general is being asked to investigate the brother of the man who appointed her. State Republican Chairman Tom Wilson on Monday requested that Inspector General Mary Jane Cooper - as her first official act - investigate a $47,000 pay bump given to Robert Codey, the brother of acting Governor Codey.

N.Y.C. Says Stadium Delay Could Doom Olympic Bid ; City, Among 5 Finalists, Hosts Evaluation Panel Sunday

NEW YORK - Wait-and-see on a stadium means wait-and-lose for the city's Olympic bid, Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff declared Monday. Doctoroff was responding to comments late last week by state Senate leader Joseph Bruno, a Republican from Rensselaer, and Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver of Manhattan. Each suggested that there was no need for the state to approve a West Side stadium before the International Olympic Committee votes in July on a site for the 2012 Summer Games.

Passenger Hangs Self in Airport Closet

NEWARK - A passenger who had just flown in from Lisbon, Portugal, was found hanged in a janitor's closet at Newark Liberty International Airport, authorities said. The death of Anandio Da Conceicao was ruled a suicide by the state medical examiner, said John Hagerty, a spokesman for the state Division of Criminal Justice.

Slaying Will Slow Return to Normalcy ; Loss of a Moderate Could Delay Elections

BEIRUT, Lebanon - On the surface, Lebanon has largely recovered from its civil war - its rebuilt stone buildings glowing in the mellow Mediterranean sun, its sidewalk cafes glittering. But its politics are still brutal, largely because of Syrian influence and decades-long feuds. The assassination Monday of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri silenced a powerful and moderate voice that could prove hard to replace. The killing is certain to set back Lebanon's steady march toward normality after ...