The Record, Bergen County, NJ

6 Charged in Effort to Smuggle Children From Chad ; Officials Say Kids Disguised As Darfur Refugees

N'DJAMENA, Chad Chad charged six French citizens with kidnapping after they tried to fly out 103 African children from the remote border region with Sudan, bandaging them up to look injured and claiming they were Darfur orphans in need of rescue. The case threatens to impede aid efforts for hundreds of thousands of Darfur refugees by intensifying already deep local suspicions about the motives of humanitarian workers.

North Korea has New Aid Deal to Shut Reactor

PANMUNJOM, Korea North Korea agreed Tuesday to accept half of the economic aid it has been promised for disabling its nuclear reactor in energy-related equipment and other materials, a South Korean official said. The chief U.S. nuclear envoy said a team of experts would go to the North this week to disable the reactor, which produces plutonium for bombs.

Machines' Reliability Challenged in Top Court

Tens of thousands of New Jersey drivers get pulled over every year, breathe into a machine, and end up losing their licenses and sometimes their liberties. But who said the devices that are used to convict them are right each and every time?

Corzine Opens His Wallet to Push Stem Cell Measure ; $150,000 for Ads Backing Research Bond

Governor Corzine has dipped into his own deep pockets to urge New Jersey voters to approve a plan to borrow $450 million for stem cell research. Corzine, a multimillionaire, has given $150,000 to New Jersey for Hope, a recently formed political committee, to run ads supporting the initiative.

Senate Gives Commuters a Lift ; Oks Long-Term Funding Legislation for Amtrak Upkeep

Commuting by train from North Jersey into New York could become more reliable under a bill the Senate approved by a wide margin Tuesday providing $11.4 billion over the next six years for Amtrak. The Senate also defeated an amendment that could have pushed up the cost of beer and candy on Amtrak trains.

Two Arenas Are Better Than One ; Report Says Keep Izod Center Open

The Izod Center should remain open indefinitely in spite of last week's debut of the competing $380 million Prudential Center in Newark, according to a report by a Meadowlands Sports Complex subcommittee obtained by The Record. The former Continental Arena is being officially renamed before the NBA Nets' season opener tonight against Chicago.

People in the News

King of earnings Elvis Presley is still the King.

Green Building Impresses Corzine ; Firm's Innovations Supply All Its Power

BRANCHBURG Governor Corzine said Tuesday that other businesses should follow the lead of a construction company that has been cited for its innovations in using clean-energy and energy-efficiency technology. The governor toured the headquarters of Ferreira Construction, where management has used a combination of solar panels and energy- efficiency measures to create a "net zero electric energy building."

Black Friday Is No Day Off for State Workers

TRENTON State workers will not be getting their traditional Friday after Thanksgiving holiday this year. That's the word from the governor's office, which says Governor Corzine wants state offices to be open that day.

Front-Line Doctors Are Frustrated in N.J. ; Poll Finds Business Costs the Biggest Complaint

Felt rushed at your last doctor's visit? New Jersey physicians spend less time with patients than they did five years ago, according to a Monmouth University/New Jersey Monthly Poll's Physicians Survey released Tuesday.

Around the Nation

Tasered student won't be charged GAINESVILLE, Fla. The University of Florida student stunned by a police Taser and arrested after his fervent, videotaped outburst at a Sept. 17 event with Sen. John Kerry won't go to court if he stays out of trouble during 18 months of probation, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Pelosi Calls On Bush to Fire Agency Chief ; Safety Official Fought Funding Increase

WASHINGTON House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday called for the resignation of the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission after the recall of millions of Chinese-made toys. Nancy Nord, the agency's acting head, has been under fire in Congress for opposing Democrats' legislation to overhaul her agency.

Ag Nominee Is in Hot Water ; Won't Call Interrogation Technique Illegal

WASHINGTON In response to growing Senate criticism, attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey on Tuesday condemned a controversial interrogation technique as "repugnant" and possibly "over the line," but he declined to explicitly rule it out as torture. Mukasey, a retired federal judge, said he could not speculate on the legality of waterboarding because he had not been briefed on any classified practices. However, he pledged to scrutinize the current interrogation techniques.

Bloomberg: Wtc Cop 'Not a Hero' ; Police Unions Demand Apology

NEW YORK A fury erupted Tuesday over Mayor Michael Bloomberg's remarks that a police detective who worked on the World Trade Center cleanup is "not a hero" because his death was ruled unrelated to the toxic debris. The family of the detective, a native of North Arlington, and the city's police unions called for an apology from the mayor, saying his comment was heartless. They said every officer is a hero for putting their lives on the line, particularly those who worked in the months-long cl...

Man Charged in Fort Dix Plot to Plead Guilty

CAMDEN An Atlantic County man accused of supplying firearms to a group of "radical Islamists" allegedly plotting to attack Fort Dix is due in federal court today to plead guilty to a weapons offense. Agron Abdullahu, 24, of Buena Vista Township, who faces the least serious charges of the six men in the case, was expected to enter a guilty plea during a scheduled 9:30 a.m. hearing before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler.

North Jersey Dems Raise More, Spend More ; Party Hoping to Retain Majorities in State House

Democratic legislative candidates in North Jersey have outraised and outspent their Republican counterparts by wide margins, according to campaign spending reports released Tuesday. North Jersey Democrats have raised more than four times what Republicans have and spent more than three times as much in the most recent reporting period, from Oct. 6 through Oct. 23. For the year, including funds rolled over from the primary elections, North Jersey Democrats have raised $3.4 million, or more than...

State Department Downplays Immunity ; Officials Say Deal Wouldn't Harm Blackwater Case

WASHINGTON Limited immunity has been routinely offered to private security contractors involved in shootings in Iraq, State Department officials said Tuesday, denying such actions jeopardized criminal prosecu- tion of Blackwater USA guards accused of killing 17 Iraqi civil-ians. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to discuss specifics of the agency's role in the investigation, but said any immunity deals should not stop the Justice Department from prosecuting.

Space Station Wing Rips While Opening ; Snag Could Delay Next Shuttle Mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A giant solar wing ripped as it was being unfurled by astronauts aboard the international space station on Tuesday, creating another problem for NASA at the orbiting outpost. The next shuttle flight could be delayed if this latest problem isn't resolved quickly, said NASA's space station program manager, Mike Suffredini. Atlantis is supposed to lift off in early December with a European laboratory.

Around the World

Syria accused in assassination plot CAIRO, Egypt The leader of Lebanon's parliamentary majority claimed Tuesday that Syria was behind a plot to assassinate him and the Lebanese prime minister ahead of crucial presidential elections next month.

When Goblins Scare You, It's Not a Mystery ; Studies Finding Roots of Fear

WASHINGTON Science is getting a grip on people's fears. As Americans revel in all things scary on Halloween, scientists say they now know better what's going on inside our brains when a spook jumps out and scares us. Knowing how fear rules the brain should lead to treatments for a major medical problem: when irrational fears go haywire.