China benchmark stock index falls 7.2 percent in second day of global sell-off

Chinese stocks plunged Tuesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index falling 7.2 percent to its lowest close since early August amid the second straight day of global declines.

The drop, and the losses in many major markets, reflected growing fears of a sell-off on Wall Street once markets reopen in the U.S. following a public holiday on Monday, analysts said.

The Shanghai Composite index lost 354.69 points to 4,559.75, its lowest close since Aug. 2, when it ended at 4,407.73. The Shenzhen Composite Index of China's second, smaller exchange fell 7.7 percent to 1,337.24.

Trading was volatile, with the Shanghai index falling sharply in the …

In the courts

CASES dealt with by Nor th Avon magistrates (all addresses Bristolexcept where stated) on December 27, 2001 included:

Simon Afflick-Stewart, aged 34, of Woodhill Views, Nailsea, finedGBP600 for two counts of driving over four-and-a-half hours without abreak, and two counts of not using recording equipment to monitorlength of time driving.

Fokrul Alam, 31, of Westgate Street, Gloucester, fined GBP60 forspeeding and driving without a licence.

Ebony Maximen, 27, of Maskelyne Avenue, Manor Farm, fined GBP100for speeding.

Adrian Phillip Spicer, 27, of Clarence Avenue, Staple Hill, finedGBP235 for speeding.

David Charles Whyte, 32, of Smith Road, …

Inner-city credit union prepares to open doors

Harrisburg's low-income residents will soon have a community development credit union to call their own, now that the proposed Greater Harrisburg Credit Union has selected a manager and board and gathered nearly $2 million in deposit commitments.

The new credit union should be ready to open its doors by the second quarter of 1999, said Carl Payne, former CEO of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency who has been tapped as manager designee.

Ultimately, the credit union hopes to secure deposit commitments totaling $5 million for the start-up, according to a Nov. 9 credit union status report. And about 1,500 people have completed a survey indicating they support the credit …

US diplomat says Pakistan should focus on safety, food, power shortages, not Musharraf

A senior U.S. envoy who spent three days in Pakistan said the South Asian ally should focus on problems of security, rising food costs and power shortages rather than the future of embattled President Pervez Musharraf.

"Frankly, President Musharraf is not the issue right now," Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher told reporters Wednesday who persisted in asking about the future of the longtime U.S. ally.

"This is not the problem that Pakistan faces right now," Boucher said. He said "there's dangers of bombings and suicide bombers. There's rising food prices. There's energy difficulties."

It was a message …

UN says Israel, Palestinians committed war crimes

The U.N.'s top human rights official backed a report Thursday accusing Israeli forces and Palestinian militants of war crimes during their conflict in Gaza last winter.

Navi Pillay's endorsement of the report by an expert group led by Judge Richard Goldstone came as Israel warned the U.N. Human Rights Council that approving the document risked undermining Middle East peace.

Pillay told the 47-member council that she supported the report's recommendations, "including its call for urgent action to counter impunity" _ meaning that Israel and Hamas must investigate and prosecute those who committed war crimes.

The 575-page report concluded …

Film critic Roger Ebert recalls Royko as a friend and guide to Chicago.

New Year's Day of 1967 brought a blizzard to Chicago, and bynightfall, the city was socked in. I was one of the few peopleworking in the Sun-Times city room that night. At the other end ofthe building, the Daily News was dark, except for a light in MikeRoyko's corner. At the coffee machine, he asked me how I was gettinghome. I said I didn't know. He said he had borrowed hisfather-in-law's Checker and would give me a lift.

I was a kid still working part-time. Mike was already the topcolumnist in town. He looked right at home behind the wheel of aChecker. He was in his 30s, but looked older; he was one of thoseguys like Robert Mitchum who always looked about 50, no matter …

AP: McCready says pregnant, can't return for court

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) — Country singer Mindy McCready said Wednesday she probably will not be able to bring her 5-year-old son back to Florida to fulfill a judge's order by Thursday afternoon — because she is nearly seven months pregnant with twins. By not returning as ordered, she risks arrest.

Speaking exclusively to The Associated Press, McCready said she and her mother have had a long custody battle over the boy, Zander. Her mother was awarded guardianship in 2007.

The battle became more public this week, when the Florida Department of Children and Families said a missing person report was filed with police after McCready took Zander from her father's home. McCready …