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Reuters - Eighteen Chinese air marshals on Friday completed two weeks of training in the United States on how to be armed undercover officers aboard China's passenger jets.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One in six Americans frequently have difficulty falling asleep, and 4.5 percent of them use some type of alternative medicine to treat their sleeping problems, a new study shows. ADVERTISEMENT "Most respondents who used herbal therapies or relaxation techniques found these therapies helpful for managing their insomnia or trouble sleeping," Dr. Nancy J. Pearson and colleagues from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland report in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Pearson and her team analyzed information from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey to find out how common sleeping difficulties were and how often people used alternative techniques to treat them. Of those surveyed, 17.4 percent reported that, over the past 12 months, they regularly had difficulty falling asleep or suffered from insomnia. The researchers found that 4.5 percent of those with sleeping troubles, or an estimated 1.6 million people, are using complementary and alternative medicine to help themselves sleep better. Herbs and relaxation exercises were the remedies most commonly used. About 60 percent of those who used alternative medicine for insomnia said they told their doctor they had done so. Alternative medicine use was more common among younger people, and among more educated individuals. Pearson and her team also found that people with anxiety or depression were more than five times more likely to suffer from insomnia. Congestive heart failure doubled the risk of sleeping problems. Hypertension and obesity also boosted the risk of insomnia, but to a lesser degree. Sleeping troubles peaked among 45- to 54-year-olds, declined somewhat for older people, and then increased again among those 85 and older. This contradicts past research that has suggested insomnia is most common among the elderly, the researchers note. "Taken together, our data justify further research on the efficacy of these complementary and alternative medicine therapies to treat sleeping disorders such as insomnia and trouble sleeping," the researchers conclude. SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, September 18, 2006.

by Nareerat Wiriyapong Fri Sep 22, 3:32 AM ET BANGKOK (AFP) - Since Thailand's coup, tanks decorated with roses and yellow ribbons have become the kingdom's hottest tourism draw, with Thais and foreigners vying for the best spot to take pictures. ADVERTISEMENT "It's cool to take pictures next to tanks. I will definitely bring my kids here this weekend to take pictures with soldiers," sid Sinsak Jiarasincharoen, a 43-year-old businessman. Since Tuesday's coup that ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Sinsak said he has taken more than 10 pictures of soldiers and tanks in front of the Royal Plaza in central Bangkok. Sinsak was one of hundreds of Thais and foreign tourists who flocked to the plaza to see the forces who staged the kingdom's first coup in 15 years. Some local travel agencies even organized bus tours of coup sights. "Normally, you hear about a coup and it's something violent, you know, and people are panicking," said Christopher Wilcox, an American backpacker in his late teens. "As you can see around here, it's no big deal and so it's exciting," he said after posing for a picture with three Thai schoolgirls in front of a tank. Behind the tanks, vendors quickly cashed in on the event, selling T-shirts bearing slogans saying "No Thaksin" for 100 baht (2.50 dollars) each. "It's more like a tank festival than an actual coup," said John Koldowski, director of the strategic intelligence center at the Pacific Asia Travel Association, an umbrella group of travel agencies in the region. "It's so mild, almost to be unbelievable," Koldowski said. Under the watchful eye of soldiers, Thais and foreigners climbed onto tanks and waved at their friends who were taking pictures, while soldiers willingly helped young children to hop aboard big vehicles. Army officer Yuth, who declined to give his last name, said posing for pictures with curious Thais and foreigners helped him relax as he had been guarding the Royal Plaza since late Tuesday. "I can talk to people, although most of them are kids," said the soldier. "It might look strange to people outside Thailand to see children climbing on tanks and taking pictures with soldiers. It shows there is no violence in Thailand," he said. Chatanan Itthidecharattchati, a 41-year-old housewife, said she and her four-year-old daughter and her two-year-old son were having a field day at the plaza. "We got up early in the morning to come here. My children are very excited to see tanks and soldiers," she said. Jit and Rat, Thai women in their 20s and 30s, handed out pink roses to soldiers before taking photos with the troops in front of the tanks. "I'm not scared by the coup. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Our boss gave us a break today to see the tanks and soldiers. I will keep my pictures as souvenirs," Jit said.

Reuters - American television viewing remains on the rise despite the distractions of alternative media platforms, according to new data from Nielsen Media Research.

Dear Abby - DEAR ABBY: I'm writing because I'm not sure who else to ask. I'm 22, in college, and I'm tired of having to defend what I want to do with my life. My major is liberal arts. I chose it only because I have no passion for any specific area.

BANGALORE, India (AFP) - A non-profit organisation has set up a school in India for children infected with HIV/ AIDS and barred from other institutions, an official said. ADVERTISEMENT "All the seven orphans and children who have only one parent were turned down by other schools," said Jyotish Joseph, director of Karunalayam, the organisation which started the school in Andhra Pradesh state. "We teach them local and English alphabets, mathematics and also take care of their medical needs," Joseph told AFP. "The idea is to give them a lively and happy atmosphere." The school in southern Warrangal district, which started operations last week, is being staffed by a HIV/AIDS counsellor, a teacher and a nurse. Before the school was launched, the children had been accommodated with adults at the 40-bed center run by the organisation with the help of government funds. "The decision to start a school was taken as we felt that if we put children along with adults there were more chances of abuse. Also it demoralises them," Joseph said. "But the main purpose is to give them education." "Here the concept is of exclusive care. In some schools HIV-positive kids are pushed around by other children and looked down upon. Others deny them admission. They face no such problems in our school," he said. Two years ago parents of more than 400 children in India's most literate state of Kerala threatened to pull their children out of classes if two HIV-positive kids were admitted to a government-funded school. "In India there is a lack of awareness about HIV/AIDS among teachers and parents. There needs to be more education," Joseph said. "We plan to take in more children maybe 25 initially and open more such schools in other regions." India outstripped South Africa as the country with the largest number of HIV/AIDS infections last year. India has 5.7 million people living with AIDS against South Africa's 5.5 million.

By Caroline Jacobs Tue Sep 19, 1:14 PM ET PARIS (Reuters) - The French are becoming bigger and fatter and French women in particular are increasingly giving up on their renowned "taille fine," a survey that tracks weight patterns in France shows. ADVERTISEMENT Nearly 42 percent of the French population older than 15 years has a weight problem, an ObEpi-Roche survey showed on Tuesday. Almost a third is overweight and 12.4 percent is obese. Despite a notion that the French shun overeating and junk food, obesity is still on the rise, according to the study, which has been conducted every three years since 1997. The closely watched survey is sponsored by drugs group Roche, which makes weight loss products, but it also mirrors growing concern in France on obesity and reflects other surveys which have shown trends such as rising average clothes sizes. While the problem in France is not as serious as in countries such as the United States and the pace of growth has slowed compared with previous surveys, the data showed a steady rise in severe obesity that requires medical care. "There is a small hope that a favorable trend is starting," Marie Aline Charles, head of research at the National Institute of health and medical research (INSERM) said. "But you cannot state that we might begin to reverse this trend in France until other studies confirm our results." Three years ago 11.3 percent of the adult population in France was obese against 8.2 percent in 1997, while the share of the population which is overweight has remained unchanged. People are called overweight when their body mass index (BMI) -- weight divided by height -- is 25 or more and are obese when it exceeds 30. Severe obesity begins at 35, according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards. "More than anything else, obesity is a health problem," Anne-Sophie Joly, head of French obesity lobby group CNAO told Reuters. "If you don't inform people they won't know." Survey sponsors Roche produces a weight loss drug known as Xenical. Others include Sanofi-Aventis's Acomplia and Abott Laboratories's Meridia. Campaigns were launched in France last year warning of the health dangers linked to obesity and by the end of this year the CNAO hopes to highlight a growing number of obese children. Obesity is linked to income, the study showed. The highest percentage of obese people, nearly 19 percent, earn less than 900 euros ($1,139) a month. For the first time since 1997, however, obesity has diminished among those earning over 5,300 euros. A separate TNS Worldpanel survey last week showed French households are spending 3 euros more on average -- or 132 euros in total -- on health products such as yoghurts and cereals that promise weight loss and lower cholesterol, in 2006 than in 2005. TNS in an earlier survey said that extra-large clothes sizes accounted for 22 percent of French women's clothing sales at the beginning of this year compared with 18 percent in 2004. The percentage of women buying bigger C-cup bras rose 7 percentage points to 56 percent between 2000 and 2005, it showed.

AP - Gun dealers in three states agreed to have their sales monitored to settle a lawsuit accusing them of recklessly selling firearms later used to commit crimes in New York City, according to a deal announced Friday.

Reuters - Senate Democrats on Friday said legislation that would require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections was little more than a poll tax and urged Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to stop the bill.

AP - Hasbro Inc., the nation's second-largest toy maker, is recalling parts of a toy workbench set after two children apparently suffocated on oversized plastic toy nails, company officials said.

By Duncan Martell 1 hour, 55 minutes ago PALO ALTO, California (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ - news) Chief Executive Officer Mark Hurd said on Friday he had approved an e-mail ruse to track down media leaks, admitting for the first time his involvement in a deepening scandal. But HP's board appointed Hurd chairman after asking Patricia Dunn to resign, saying her departure would remove a distraction and allow the company to move forward. Analysts, however, were not convinced that these moves would necessarily be enough for HP to put an end to the controversy, since California's attorney general continues to investigate the company for possible criminal charges. "It's tough to say that (Hurd) is definitely in the clear," said Shaw Wu, an analyst at American Technology Research. "I don't think we have all the answers. At minimum, this investigation is still a distraction for the company." Hurd, favored by investors for leading a comeback at HP since becoming chief executive in April 2005, said he had approved the sending of e-mails from a fictitious source in an effort to root out the media leaks. He apologized for the company's action. HP has also said private investigators hired by the company had used false identities to obtain the phone records of directors, employees and journalists. Fictitious e-mails may be common amid a flood of daily spam, but legal experts say they could still lead to legal trouble. "Where you intentionally misrepresent the nature of a communication to get information, that's certainly a wrong," said Boston attorney Bruce Sunstein. HP shares rose 1 percent in extended trade following Dunn's resignation on Friday. The stock had been largely unaffected by the controversy, but fell about 5 percent on Thursday on speculation that Hurd might have been closer than thought to the investigation. COULD HAVE, SHOULD HAVE Hurd told reporters HP still did not have all the facts about its inquiry into leaks dating back to 2005, but some of the findings are "disturbing." He acknowledged there was a written report of the investigation that he did not read. "In the second phase, while many of the right processes were in place, they unfortunately broke down and no one in the management chain, including me, caught them," Hurd said. "I understand there is also a written report of the investigation (the second phase) addressed to me and others but I did not read it. I could have, and I should have." Nevertheless, Hurd defended the investigation, saying it was important to discover the source of the leaks and that he believed Dunn had the company's best interests in mind. "It was the responsibility of the HP chairman to pursue the leak situation," he said at a news conference where he declined to take questions. "This was an appropriate course of action." Mike Holston, an outside attorney for HP, said the company's investigation ranged from the review of internal e-mails and instant messages, to the surveillance of an HP board member and at least one journalist. He said investigators may have also sifted through individuals' trash. The growing controversy has attracted the attention of California's attorney general, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Justice Department and a Congressional committee. The scandal has tarnished the reputation of one of Silicon Valley's most venerable company's and taken away attention from Hurd's so far successful efforts to turn HP around after it ousted Carly Fiorina last year. HP also said it appointed Bart Schwartz, a former U.S. prosecutor, to conduct an independent review of the methods the company used in its leaks investigation. Schwartz will report to Hurd and chief financial officer Bob Wayman.

CHICAGO (AFP) - The controversial leader of the US Nation of Islam has stepped aside due to illness, according to a letter Louis Farrakhan wrote to his members. Farrakhan, who leads the religious group which rose to national prominence under Malcolm X during the civil rights movement, said he is suffering from a painful infection that has plagued him since March. The letter, dated September 11, was published in this week's edition of the Final Call newspaper, which Farrakhan founded. Farrakhan, 73, said he will be available to offer guidance should any major problems arise but has asked the executive board to deal with the day-to-day operations and issues of the group. "In this period of testing, you can prove to the world that the Nation of Islam is more than the charisma, eloquence and personality of Louis Farrakhan," he said in the letter. Farrakhan, who visited Cuba in March, likened his illness to that of Fidel Castro and said that just as Cuba did not fall apart without its leader, neither will the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan is one of the United States' most influential black leaders, although he is rarely far from controversy. He has frequently been accused of being anti-Semitic and also made headlines with his accusations that the government deliberately destroyed levees in New Orleans in an attempt to wipe out the city's black population.

By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer Fri Sep 22, 5:21 PM ET WASHINGTON - Civilian employees rather than police stopped an armed intruder at the U.S. Capitol, authorities acknowledged Friday, adding new details to an already embarrassing security breach. Carlos Greene, 20, accused of carrying a loaded handgun and crack cocaine, assaulted one civilian employee and struggled with another before a third got him in a bear hug, seconds before officers caught up with him Monday morning, police said. "It was the civilians who did have him corralled or subdued," said Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol police spokeswoman. "We were hot on his trail. We just didn't get there in time." On Monday, following the arrest, acting Capitol Police Chief Christopher McGaffin said his officers subdued Greene outside a basement office that distributes flags to lawmakers. At a detention hearing Friday in federal court, Caw pitol Police Detective Nettie Watts said Greene eluded two officers in his car, ran past a third officer on the Capitol grounds and slipped through an unguarded door into the Rotunda. "At different locations, officers gave chase. They would lose him and another officer would spot him, but at a distance," Watts said. U.S. Magistrate John Facciola ordered Greene held without bond on a charge of illegally possessing a firearm. In an interview before Greene's court appearance, Schneider called the security breach unacceptable and said police are reviewing procedures to ensure it can't happen again. Lawmakers also have said they want to review the incident and find out what went wrong. Schneider praised the "valiant efforts" of the civilians but said police still recommend that people call them rather than getting involved in security threats.

By JORDAN ROBERTSON, AP Business Writer 1 hour, 33 minutes ago PALO ALTO, Calif. - Hewlett-Packard Co. shoved Chairwoman Patricia Dunn off its board Friday, severing its ties to a leader whose efforts to plug a media leak morphed into a spying scandal that has spawned criminal and congressional investigations. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company will turn the chairmanship over to its chief executive, Mark Hurd, who was supposed to take over that job in January as part of changes announced two weeks ago. But things have changed since then amid a wave of leaked documents revealing how deeply HP's investigators intruded into the personal lives of seven directors, nine journalists, two employees and family members of those targeted individuals. Dunn authorized the investigation and received regular updates, although she said she didn't realize HP's investigators were going to such extremes. "Now that we know the depth of what has transpired, I take full accountability to drive the actions to set it right," Hurd told reporters as he announced Dunn's departure and reviewed what the company has learned about its spying program. He took no questions. Dunn had previously planned to remain an HP director after relinquishing the chairmanship in January, but now she is leaving the board entirely. "I continue to have the best interests of HP at heart and thus I have accepted the board's request to resign," Dunn said in a Friday statement. Dunn, 53, continued to defend her decision to initiate the probe to identify the boardroom leak and reiterated her intention to appear Thursday before a congressional panel looking into HP's spying spree. Determined to protect confidential board discussions, Dunn hired investigators who impersonated board members, employees and journalists to obtain their phone records. The detectives also surveilled an HP director and concocted an e-mail sting to dupe a reporter for CNet Networks Inc.'s News.com, an online technology site. Hurd on Friday acknowledged authorizing the bogus e-mail, but said he didn't recall approving the use of software to trace the reporter's computer. California Attorney General Bill Lockyer and several federal agencies are investigating whether HP and its executives broke any laws in their crusade. Hurd so far isn't among the group of HP insiders that Lockyer expects to charge, spokesman Tom Dresslar said Friday. But the attorney general is still examining Hurd's role in the scandal. "We are not ruling anybody out in terms of criminal culpability, Dresslar said. Hurd also said Friday he plans to appear at the hearing being held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Dunn and General Counsel Ann Baskins, who also played a central role in the spying program, previously accepted the panel's invitation to appear. ___ AP Business Writer Michael Liedtke contributed to this report from San Francisco.

AP - Danny Flores, who played the saxophone and shouted the word "tequila!" in the 1950s hit song "Tequila!", has died. He was 77.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Tom Petty has come home. "Every corner you turn is some kind of memory," said the 55-year-old rocker, who grew up in Gainesville and hasn't played here in 13 years. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' concert at the O'Connell Center on the University of Florida campus Thursday night sold out in 10 minutes. The long delay between Gainesville concerts was the result of the band's summer tour schedule, Petty said. He said the band decided to expand its tour schedule this year. Guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench were born and raised in and around Gainesville, and bassist Ron Blair lived in the area for many years. Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan presented each band member with a key to the city and proclaimed Sept. 21 as "Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Day." "It's a lot nicer than the one we got in Chicago," Petty quipped while holding his key. Although he never attended the University of Florida, Petty was once a member of the grounds crew. While working at the school, he planted a tree that is now called the Tom Petty tree. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. An exhibit showcasing the band is on display at the rock hall and museum, located in Cleveland.

AP - A scorching internal review of the Bush administration's reading program says the Education Department ignored the law and ethical standards to steer money how it wanted.

AP - The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is recommending approval of AT&T Inc.'s $67 billion purchase of BellSouth Corp., people familiar with the matter said Friday.

By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer Fri Sep 22, 3:56 PM ET The Bush administration has begun quietly urging Arab countries to help overcome Sudan's resistance to deploying 20,000 U.N. peacekeepers and police to the troubled Darfur region, the new U.S. special envoy for Sudan said Wednesday In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Andrew Natsios said U.S. contacts with Arab countries have begun. He declined to identify the countries. "We are engaging and we are going to continue to engage with them," Natsios said. The initiative is based on the premise that as the humanitarian crisis in Darfur deepens, the Islamic government in Khartoum will be more receptive to pressure from fellow Arab countries than from non-Muslim countries. The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution three weeks ago for the deployment a U.N. force, but the Sudanese government has rejected the plan. Natsios expressed disappointment that China, a permanent member of the Security Council, has shown little willingness to lobby Sudan to accept peacekeepers. The two countries have close economic and political ties. "The role of China cannot be overstated," said Natsios. "They are the country with the most influence with the Sudanese government." With the humanitarian situation in Darfur worsening by the day, President Bush appointed Natsios as special envoy this week. Natsios was deeply involved in Darfur policy as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, a post he held from 2001 until early this year. The African Union agreed Wednesday to extend the mandate of its underequipped peacekeeping forces in Darfur through the end of 2006. The United Nations and many human rights groups say that since 2003, fighting between rebels and government-backed militias in Darfur has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million.