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By Shea Andersen Fri Sep 22, 5:19 PM ET BOISE, Idaho (Reuters) - A 2-year-old boy in Idaho and an 86-year-old woman in Maryland who both died from suspected E. coli infections raised to three the number of deaths from an outbreak traced to fresh spinach, state health officials said on Friday. And Maryland state health officials said three more children who became ill earlier this month appear to have been infected with the dangerous strain. Federal and state officials were inspecting nine farms in California's Salinas Valley, where the outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 is suspected to have originated, while growers pledged to help find and plug safety gaps and Democratic politicians questioned the government's oversight of food safety. Americans have been cautioned not to eat fresh spinach until the source of the outbreak has been traced. At least 157 people in 23 states have been affected, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. More than 80 have been hospitalized. Two-year-old Kyle Allgood, of Chubbuck, Idaho died on Wednesday at a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, said Ross Mason, a spokesman for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. June Dunning, 86, of Washington County in Maryland died September 13, family members told the Herald-Mail newspaper. A county health official confirmed the newspaper report. In both cases, family members said the victims had recently eaten fresh spinach. Health officials have been only able to trace the dangerous strain of E. coli 0157:H7 to a single bag of fresh spinach from the home of a victim in New Mexico, but are presuming any other cases are part of the same outbreak if the victim recently ate spinach. The child died of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a sudden kidney failure that has been associated with E. coli infection, Mason said. Children under 5 and the elderly are most susceptible to consequences of diarrhea and dehydration -- hallmarks of E. coli 0157:H7, a strain of the gut bacteria that infects 73,000 people and kills 61 in the United States each year. The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said it had discovered three more illnesses linked to the outbreak. "The cases involve children, each of whom consumed the spinach before the national alert was issued in mid-September," it said in a statement. HARVESTING HALTED Farmers have stopped harvesting their spinach crops and supermarkets are no longer selling the vegetable as investigators seek the source of the problem. The Produce Marketing Association, the largest group representing companies along supply chains for fruits, vegetables and flowers, estimates farmers and food processors may lose up to $100 million a month if consumers stop eating spinach. "The industry is moving with all due deliberation but also with a sense of urgency," said Tim Chelling, spokesman for the Western Growers Association. "Obviously there was a breakdown in the system somewhere," added Dave Kranz, spokesman for the California Farm Bureau Federation, the state's largest farm organization. "Now we need to find out if the system was flawed ... or if it was a breakdown that can be corrected. All those questions are still to be resolved." At least two Democratic Congressmen raised questions about farm and food safety regulation. "Quick action is needed at the federal level. Today, we have 12 different federal agencies stumbling over each other to ensure the safety of our food supply," Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin told a news conference held with consumer and food safety advocates. "I am concerned that FDA has not conducted adequate inspections of the plants that process spinach and other produce," California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman (news, bio, voting record) wrote in a letter to the FDA. (Additional reporting by Jim Christie and Adam Tanner in San Francisco, Mike Conlon in Chicago, Matthew Bigg in Atlanta and Maggie Fox in Washington)

Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper collapsed twice during a welcome-home ceremony on Friday, a day after returning to Earth from a 12-day mission on space shuttle Atlantis. Stefanyshyn-Piper, who was on her first spaceflight and made two long spacewalks to perform work on the International Space Station, had "a couple of small dizzy spells" while speaking during the ceremony at Ellington Field in Houston, said NASA spokeswoman Lynnette Madison. A flight surgeon examined Stefanyshyn-Piper, 43, and said she was fine, but still making the readjustment to Earth's gravity from the weightlessness of space, Madison said. She was not placed in a hospital and "is doing great now," Madison said. Such spells are not uncommon for returning astronauts. "It's just one of those things that sometimes you come back from zero-gravity and it can make you a little dizzy," Madison said. Returning shuttle astronauts fly back into Ellington, which is near NASA's Johnson Space Center, and traditionally speak at a ceremony there. Stefanyshyn-Piper and her five crewmates restarted construction of the space station, which was put on hold after the 2003 Columbia disaster, by delivering and installing a 17.5 tonne solar power unit and truss structure on the space outpost.

By Dan Whitcomb Fri Sep 22, 3:37 PM ET LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. Marines were so locked in battle with Iraqi insurgents on the day 24 civilians were killed in Haditha that a U.S. Marine officer considered bombing a house where the insurgents took refuge, he told investigators. Maj. Sam Carrasco, who was overseeing troop movements in the area when two dozen men, women and children were shot in Haditha, said he believed at the time the civilians died in cross-fire between Marines and insurgents. Carrasco was not at the scene of what Iraqi witnesses say was a massacre by U.S. troops, but was questioned by military investigators over his report of the November 2005 killings. Reuters obtained a transcript of an interview Carrasco gave two investigators in March. Reached on Thursday, Carrasco declined to comment, citing the investigation. "We saw insurgents go into a house, and we did not drop bombs on that house because we did not have (positive identification)," Carrasco told investigators. "They had engaged a previous unit and had run into a house with weapons." "We vectored the (Marine) squad and they got shot up. I watched the whole thing happen as they got shot up ... And now I'm kicking myself in the [bleeped!] because we didn't drop the bomb and we didn't lead with appropriate force because we didn't have positive identification." Iraqi witnesses say Marines shot civilians in their homes to retaliate for the death of a comrade, Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, in a roadside bomb. Investigators are weighing charges. There were multiple firefights around the city that day and Carrasco was questioned over why his report was not more thorough. 'THIS HAS BEEN A BAD DAY' Carrasco told investigators that he was not aware of serious fighting in Haditha until more than 90 minutes after the bomb went off that morning and because of the ensuing chaos learned of the civilian deaths only hours later. "I have got units all over the battle space," he said. "I have got a company on the east side of the river, we got a company on the south side of the river; both are reporting explosions. "The enemy situation at the time was one where we were expecting a coordinated complex attack throughout the triad city. This is what we were afraid of. This is what is developing." Carrasco said after he learned of the civilian casualties he reported them to a superior. There were U.S. troops and insurgent troops and Iraqi troops, he said, "And there was civilians caught in the middle."' "I said, 'I do not know if they were killed by the (bomb) blast, how many got killed by the (bomb) blast. I do not know how many were killed in the cross-fire, but it is fair to assume that this has been a bad day if there is dead civilians in the battle space."' Carrasco told investigators he had never considered the possibility that war crimes could have taken place in Haditha until a Time magazine article months later. "At that point, at the end of November ... I just, Roger that, next operation," he said. "Let's talk about the memorial service for Terrazas. Let's try to keep our boys alive. Let's try to do our jobs to the best of our ability and focus on the next operation." (Additional reporting by Adam Tanner)

By Joal Ryan 2 hours, 48 minutes ago Meredith Grey can't make up her mind. Imagine how torn TV viewers felt. With a choice between the season premieres of Grey's Anatomy and CSI Thursday night, channel surfers, by and large, chose the ABC doctor drama. Per final numbers from Nielsen Media Research, Grey's Anatomy won the 9-10 p.m. time slot with 25.4 million viewers; CSI trailed with 22.6 million. The victory is a huge one for ABC, which gambled by moving Grey's Anatomy from Sundays, where it was ensconced after Desperate Housewives, to a historically blighted night for the network. Instead of becoming a Wasteland or a Push, Nevada, two latter-day ABC Thursday night bombs, Grey's Anatomy became a giant-slayer. CSI has ruled Thursdays since moving there in 2001, mid-way through its first season. More than that, Gil Grissom's forensic gang has ruled prime time as TV's most watched scripted show since the 2002-03 TV year. Up against Grey's Anatomy, CSI saw its audience shrink 22 percent from last fall's premiere. (Grey's Anatomy, by comparison, was up 32 percent.) CSI got beat in total viewers, it got beat in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic, and it got beat in the 18-to-34-year-old demographic. According to ABC, the defeats were the first for CSI in five years, excluding a handful of times it lost out to super-sized finales, a la the 2004 Friends farewell. In the drama department, CSI countered Grey's Anatomy's man troubles (Will Meredith choose Dr. McDreamy or Chris O'Donnell-y Finn?) with the apparent date rape of Catherine ( Marg Helgenberger). Thursday marked the first time both science-minded shows went blood lab to blood lab with new episodes. Grey's Anatomy rolled out its third-season premiere; CSI, its seventh. By the end of the night, Grey's Anatomy had its third-most watched episode ever. Only the two hours that aired after last February's Super Bowl attracted more viewers. Looking for a bright side, CBS found it by crunching the numbers for its entire Thursday lineup--including the latest episode of Survivior: Cook Islands (17.4 million) and the series premiere of James Woods' Shark (14.7 million)--and declaring itself the most watched network of TV's most watched night. Usually a non-player on Thursdays, ABC kept things close by managing 13.7 million for a Grey's Anatomy clip show that aired from 8-9 p.m., and 12.6 million for the series premiere of Six Degrees in the 10-11 p.m. hour. Though its numbers weren't as scarce as say, Kidnapped's, and marked a big improvement for ABC in the time period, Six Degrees needs to work on relationship-building. In the course of an hour, the J.J. Abrams soap lost fully 50 percent of the audience ABC assembled for Grey's Anatomy. (Shark lost 35 percent of its CSI lead-in.) Still, with CBS moving hit Without a Trace to Sundays, the 10 p.m. Thursday hour is up for grabs. NBC's aged ER, now 13 seasons old, eked out a win there with an estimated 15.6 million viewers. NBC couldn't eke out much else on the competitive night. Fresh out of footballs, the Peacock made do with the season premieres of My Name Is Earl (estimated 9.9 million), The Office (estimated 9.1 million) and another Deal or No Deal (10.1 million). Earl's Emmy win last month translated into an opener that was 29 percent down from last fall's; The Office's was good for a whopping 1 percent gain. Fox, meanwhile, presumably would like to left alone with its thoughts after viewers left it alone with three new episodes of 'Til Death (estimated 5.7 million), Happy Hour (estimated 4.4 million) and Celebrity Duets (estimated 3.3 million).

By JOE STINEBAKER, Associated Press Writer 36 minutes ago An astronaut collapsed twice Friday, a day after she returned to Earth in the shuttle Atlantis, and officials attributed her wobbles to the adjustment from 12 days at zero gravity. Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper left the welcome-home ceremony at the hangar at Ellington Field but was not taken to a hospital. Officials said she was doing fine. Piper, the fifth of the six astronauts to speak, appeared to be confused before her legs buckled during her address. NASA officials and crew members braced her and lowered her to the ground. She stood up again, and the crowd applauded. "Boy, if that's not a little embarrassing," she said. After speaking for another half-minute or so, she again appeared confused and gripped the podium. Crew members stepped to her side and lowered her to the floor. Two NASA officials then helped her leave through a side door, and she was allowed to return home by early afternoon, said Smith Johnston, the crew's flight surgeon, who was at Piper's side when she fell. Astronauts typically lose 10 percent to 14 percent of their blood volume while in space, usually regaining it in a day or two, Johnston said. "It's like they just went to the blood bank," he said. Glenn Piper, who was at the ceremony, blamed his wife's fall on the combination of effects from her recent return, a relatively warm hangar and the excitement of the ceremony. "She's doing 100 percent well," he said by phone from home later in the day. "Basically, she's embarrassed." The Atlantis crew returned Thursday after performing the first construction work on the international space station since the Columbia disaster 3 1/2 years ago. They performed three grueling spacewalks to hook up a 17 1/2-ton addition, which included a giant set of electricity-producing solar panels. Piper, 43, of St. Paul, Minn., is a commander in the Navy and was a mission specialist and cosmic electrician aboard the shuttle. She carried out two of the spacewalks, joining an elite club of only six other U.S. women and a single Russian woman who have made spacewalks. ___ Associated Press Writer Archie Ingersoll contributed to this report from Minneapolis.

By Gina Serpe 55 minutes ago Sandra Bullock is going to need a lot more than two weeks' notice if and when her alleged stalker is released from a Tennessee mental health facility. And to make sure she gets it, Bullock's production company, Fortis Films, has filed a lawsuit against the state's Department of Mental Health. The legal action, which seeks no monetary damages, was filed in Davidson County Circuit Court Sept. 13 and simply attempts to ensure the state complies with an earlier California court order stating that Bullock be notified of the man's release. Thomas James Weldon IV voluntarily entered the state-run Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute in 2003, around the same time the Miss Congeniality star received a restraining order against her overzealous admirer. According to the 2003 court filing, Bullock claimed that Weldon trailed her across several states, from Michigan to Texas to California, and inundated her with emails, faxes and phone calls. He also reportedly mailed her several gifts, including, inexplicably, a bottle of red nail polish. As the attempts at contact allegedly grew more aggressive, Bullock sought and was granted a permanent restraining order, barring Weldon from coming within 200 yards of her in any state. The injunction was good through June of this year, at which time it was extended, at the actress' request, through 2009. "She's still concerned about it and we're concerned about it for her," her attorney, Edwin McPherson, said at the time. The order also applies to the star's sister, Gesine, an executive at Fortis Films who was also contacted by Weldon, whom the 42-year-old star's attorney told the court was, per "numerous sources," an unmedicated schizophrenic. While Sandra Bullock has never actually come face to face with Weldon, the new filing states that Fortis wishes to be made aware of his release so "it can take the steps necessary to protect its employees who were earlier stalked by Mr. Weldon." The suit also mentions that Weldon has a "fixation on a certain employee of Fortis Films," though it failed to mention either Bullock or her sister by name. McPherson says the new lawsuit was simply a precautionary step because Weldon is under consideration for a 90-day leave of absence.

By Yara Bayoumy Fri Sep 22, 1:24 PM ET BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday rejected international calls to disarm his Lebanese guerrillas and told a huge "victory" rally they still had more than 20,000 rockets after a month of war with Israel. Speaking to a sea of followers at a "divine victory" rally in south Beirut, Nasrallah said Hizbollah had emerged stronger from a conflict in which Israel declared it had destroyed most of the Shi'ite Muslim group's arsenal. "The resistance today, pay attention...has more than 20,000 rockets," he told hundreds of thousands of cheering supporters in his first public appearance since the war broke out in July. "(It) has recovered all its organizational and military capabilities...it is stronger than it was before July 12." Nasrallah warned the reinforced United Nations peacekeepers who are deploying in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces withdraw not to seek confrontation with Hizbollah. "Your mission is not to spy on Hizbollah or to disarm the resistance," he told a crowd packed into the Shi'ite Muslim suburbs which were heavily bombed in the 34-day war. "...There is no army in the world that can (force us) to drop our weapons from our hands, from our grip," he declared. Nasrallah's estimate of Hizbollah's retained arsenal is five times greater than the total number it fired into Israel during the war, and higher than any previous figure he has given. He also said measures to stop Hizbollah rearming, including international forces patrolling the Lebanese coast and tighter security on the border with Lebanon, would have little impact. "I say to them: blockade the borders and the seas and the skies -- this will not weaken the will of the resistance or the weapons of the resistance," he said. NEW GOVERNMENT The huge turnout in a country of just four million was a gesture of defiance to Israel but also marked a challenge to the U.S.-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Hizbollah has two ministers in the cabinet, but most cabinet members oppose the group's alliances with Syria and Iran. Nasrallah called for a change of government in Lebanon and slammed Arab leaders for failing to defend the Lebanese people. "The current government is unable to protect Lebanon, or to reconstruct Lebanon or to unify Lebanon," he said. "The building of an able, just and strong state starts first with the establishment of a national unity government. This is our new project that we will work for with all our force in the coming stage." The rally had been expected to coincide with the final withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south, but Israel's army chief said on Wednesday the pullout might take a few more days. Israeli forces have been gradually leaving territory they captured in fighting that began after Hizbollah guerrillas seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid. Israel and Hizbollah have both declared themselves victors in the war which killed nearly 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 157 Israelis, mainly soldiers. Israeli warplanes pounded Hizbollah strongholds during the war and bombarded bridges and roads across the country, forcing almost a million people to flee their homes. Hizbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets into northern Israel. Thousands had walked to the rally from Shi'ite villages in south Lebanon battered by Israel's bombardment and invasion. The Beirut crowds carried pictures of Nasrallah and yellow Hizbollah flags bearing the message: "Here we are Nasrallah." Many wore yellow T-shirts and chanted pro-Hizbollah slogans. Some said they were there not only to celebrate but also simply to see the charismatic Nasrallah. "God was generous to us and granted us this victory against our enemy. He was generous to us and gave us Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah so we come here to celebrate with him," Hussein Kaddouh, 29, from the southern village of Yater, told Reuters.

SAN ANTONIO - A high school assistant principal is suing two students and their parents, alleging the teens set up a Web page on MySpace.com in her name and posted obscene comments and pictures. Anna Draker, an assistant principal at Clark High School, is claiming defamation, libel, negligence and negligent supervision over the page on the popular free-access Web site. Draker claims two 16-year-olds, a junior and a sophomore, created the page using her name and picture and wrote it as through Draker herself had posted the information, according to Draker's attorney, Murphy Klasing. Draker found out in April that someone had created a page on MySpace. It had been up about a month before she discovered it. The site falsely identified Draker as a lesbian. Klasing said Draker, who is married and has small children, was "devastated." MySpace.com removed the page when Draker told them it wasn't hers. One of the students also is facing criminal felony charges. Bexar County Assistant District Attorney Jill Mata would not release information about the case, but confirmed that juvenile charges are pending against a local high school student involving retaliation and fraudulent use of identifying information. Both are third-degree felonies. Draker is suing for an unspecified amount for damages for emotional distress, mental anguish, lost wages and court costs.

LONDON (AFP) - A company has produced what it says is the world's most expensive jar of marmalade, making breakfast a pricy proposition at 76 pounds per slice of toast. The one kilo jar costs 5,000 pounds and contains generous lashings of 62-year-old Dalmore malt whisky and Pol Roger vintage champagne, as well as edible gold leaf. Marmalade, a kind of bitter jam made with oranges, is a staple part of the traditional full English breakfast, which also includes bacon, sausages and eggs. It is said to have first arrived in England from Portugal in the 15th century and rapidly became a favourite with the aristocracy, many of whom believed it had aphrodisiac qualities. Manufacturers Duerr's, who produced the one-off to mark the company's 125th anniversary, say the jar will be auctioned for charity on auctions website eBay later this year. The marmalade is presented in a crystal glass decanter and each mouthful will cost an eye-watering 11 pounds. Richard Duerr, sales and marketing director of Duerr's, said: "Thanks to some exclusive ingredients and a priceless one-off designer jar we believe that we have created the worlds most expensive jar of marmalade."

VIENNA (Reuters) - Burglars in Vienna opted for a speedy getaway after they found eight severed human heads when breaking into the basement of an apartment building, Austrian police said Friday. A dentist had stored the mummified heads, which he used for research, in a chest in the basement. Burglars stumbled upon the collection when they broke in, police said. "The burglars were looking for loot when they discovered the heads," said a spokeswoman for Austrian police. "From what it looks like, they just left them lying and bolted away." Austrian authorities said they were investigating whether there had been a breach of the regulations for storing research materials.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Couples in Amsterdam are writing out their dreams of passion for the chance to spend a night in a small car fitted with a bed and hoisted up on poles. For a free overnight stay, couples must write to the Italian artist who converted the hatchback, and explain their romantic intentions -- ranging from marriage proposals to re-enactments of teenaged backseat fumblings. Federico D'Orazio said he removed the seats of the Opel Kadett, squeezed a double bed into it and placed it on 13-foot-high poles to provide a place for "real love" in a city famed for its [bleeped!] trade. "I tried to make a space for real love in a city where [bleeped!] is dominant," said Federico D'Orazio. "You can have [bleeped!] because it is a safe structure." The car is not anywhere near Amsterdam's famous red light district -- where scantily clad prostitutes display their charms in the windows of brothels -- but it has received enough offers to be filled for six months. It is available until mid-October. Dutch couple Hanne Hagenaars and Hans Bolscher said they recently spent a night in the car, although at one point a passer-by tried to climb in with them. "In cars a lot of aggressiveness takes place so to invite people to make love in the car, I think it is really nice," said 45-year-old Hagenaars.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - A fee of 25,500 euros ($32,000) is way too much for a woman to charge a man for fondling her bosom, a Finnish district court ruled. The court jailed a couple in their twenties for more than a year for charging a 74-year-old who suffers from dementia a total of 25,500 euros to enjoy the woman's breasts on 10 occasions. "Based on general life experience alone, it is indisputably clear that a 25,500 euro charge is disproportionate to the compensation in question," Judge Hasse Hakki, who heard the case, told Reuters Friday. But he said the court in Kokkola, about 300 miles north of Helsinki, would not decide "the proper financial value of the compensation." The retiree filed charges against the couple, who were convicted of extortionate overcharging, even though he told the court he paid the price willingly at the time.

BEIRUT (AFP) - Israeli forces, originally due to be out of south Lebanon by Friday, have withrdawn from two more border points and should have pulled out completely by the end of the month, the head of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said. The Israeli army "started to withdraw from two areas along the Blue Line," the UN-drawn border between the two neighboring countries, French Major General Alain Pelligrini, the head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Friday. On Wednesday, Israel announced it was delaying completion of its promised withdrawal until after the Jewish new year holiday which ends Sunday evening. Army chief of staff Dan Halutz said that problems, which he did not specify, were holding up withdrawal but he hoped these would be resolved in the two or three days after the holiday. Pellegrini said the Israeli army on Friday pulled out of an "area south of (the Lebanese coastal town of) Naqura, and the general area of Mays al-Jabal," a Lebanese village in the central border zone. "The UNIFIL Indian and Ghanian battalions are to set up checkpoints and conduct patrols today in order to confirm" the Israeli pullout and coordinate the deployment of Lebanese troops in the area on Saturday, he said. "I welcomed the continued withdrawal of the (Israeli army) from south Lebanon, they have vacated most of the territory in the south," he said. "I expect the rest of the IDF troops to finalize their withdrawal by the end of the month," he said. "We are almost there, and with the assistance of UNIFIL, Lebanese armed forces will very soon be able to take control of the whole south Lebanon including the areas along the Blue Line," he said. Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr warned that Lebanon will resort to the UN Security Council if Israel does not complete its troop pullout by next Friday. It is now well over a month after UN Security Council Resolution 1701 came into force on August 14, establishing a ceasefire between Israel and Shiite militants following their devastating 34-day war. Israel's delayed pullout casts a shadow over Hezbollah celebrations of a "divine victory", being marked with a massive rally in the Shiite southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday.

LONDON (Reuters) - A large number of Britons would be prepared to give up [bleeped!] if it meant they would live to be 100, according to a survey Friday. The Mori research found that 40 percent would pass on the passion for longevity, although far more women (48 percent) were willing to make the sacrifice than men (31 percent). However nearly all (94 percent) would not give up their friends or family in order to reach their century while a half thought scientists should keep trying to prolong people's lifespans. Private health care provider BUPA commissioned the survey as part of a debate on the implications of an aging population. "Britain is facing an aging time bomb with major challenges presented by retirement, the desire to live longer and the increasing burden of caring for older people," said Andrew Vallance-Owen, BUPA's medical director.

AP - A Tennessee woman whose husband predicted she wouldn't have any luck gem hunting at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park made a sparkling discovery: a 1.30-carat diamond.

By HANS GREIMEL, Associated Press Writer Fri Sep 22, 6:22 AM ET TOKYO - Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). said Friday it will slash the price of its much-anticipated PlayStation 3 video game console in Japan by 20 percent, heating up the competition in the next-generation gaming war against rivals Microsoft and Nintendo. ADVERTISEMENT The announcement comes just days after Microsoft Corp. announced that it would roll out an external high definition DVD player for its Xbox 360 in an effort to match the PlayStation 3, due to be released in November with its own Blu-ray DVD technology. Sony Computer Entertainment President Ken Kutaragi, speaking at the Tokyo Game Show in Makuhari, just east of Tokyo, said the move was in response to consumer complaints the upcoming console was too pricey. Sony will cut the domestic price of its basic PlayStation 3 model to 47,600 yen, or about $410, from an originally planned 59,800 yen, or $515. That puts the PlayStation 3 in the same range as the combined basic Xbox 360 and HD DVD player in Japan, where the duo will sell for 49,600 yen, or $427. There are no plans to lower prices in the U.S. or other markets, Sony spokeswoman Nanako Kato said. In Japan, the game will hit stores on Nov. 11. In the U.S., it will go on sale Nov. 17 at $499 for a 20 gigabyte hard drive version and at $599 for the 60 gigabyte version. The decision could give Sony a badly needed boost at a time of embarrassing delays for the highly anticipated upgrade. Rival Nintendo Co. is also scheduled to release its next-generation Wii gaming system by year's end, while Xbox 360 has been selling in Japan since December 2005. PlayStation 3, initially planned for earlier this year, has been postponed twice. Sony now expects to ship only 2 million units by year's end instead of an original projection of 4 million. The price cut affects the basic PlayStation 3 model, which comes with a 20 gigabyte hard drive. Another upscale version of the PlayStation 3 will have a 60 gigabyte hard drive, but Sony is leaving its pricing to retailers. Xbox 360 was rushed to market last year to get a headstart on its rivals, but it has seen sluggish sales in Japan, which is one of the world's biggest video game markets but one in which players have a deep loyalty to homegrown Sony. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft's decision to launch an HD DVD peripheral in Japan on Nov. 22, based on a rival format to Sony's Blu-ray, is seen as one attempt to eat into that base. The basic Xbox 360 doesn't come with any high-definition DVD capability. Nintendo said last week its new Wii game console will arrive on schedule in the final quarter of the year, priced below both rivals, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

By Jonathan Landreth Fri Sep 22, 1:19 AM ET BEIJING (Hollywood Reporter) - How do you say, "You're fired?" in Chinese? ADVERTISEMENT A Chinese version of the hit reality series "The Apprentice" is in the works, although details of the project are shrouded in secrecy. According to a marketing brochure, "The Apprentice" will be the "first reality television show in China to be fully licensed for production and localization from original North American producers." The document, which was made available at a prelaunch party in Beijing for the series, added, "In cooperation with Creative Artists Agency, (series creator) Mark Burnett grants official authorization and license to Beijing Golden Sea Film and TV Prods. Co. for the local production of 'The Apprentice.' " No one was available for comment at Mark Burnett Prods. or CAA. But sources in the United States confirmed that a Chinese version is going ahead. CAA and Beijing Golden Sea representatives declined comment on the record at the party, which featured clips of the U.S. show starring Donald Trump. The State Administration of Radio Film and Television, which tries to keep a tight grip on what China's 347 million television households can watch, could not be reached for comment. Talk of a local Chinese version of the hit reality show has been circulating for about a year. Media reports more than a year ago said that Beijing real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi might host a version. The original "Apprentice" can be seen in China by those who can access Hong Kong-based broadcaster STAR TV and by anybody willing to buy illegal copies widely available on pirated DVDs sold at a fraction of the cost of the licensed originals. The Beijing Golden Sea brochure, which features a picture and miniprofile of Burnett, said, "'The Apprentice' China highlights a successful case of intellectual property rights protection in China television production." Before the party -- and a week after China's Communist leaders held a news conference detailing the importance of developing local culture -- a panel discussion titled "TV 2.0: 'The Apprentice' and Reality TV in China" addressed China's readiness for the format. Panelist Miao Di, dean of the School of Literature at the Communication University of China, said the reality TV concept was not mature in China and that he hoped that a local version of "Apprentice" could be made to appeal to Chinese. "Everybody knows that Chinese love money more than Americans, but they hate to mention it publicly," Miao said. Chris Reitermann, a managing director of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising in Beijing, told the Beijing audience, "It's always good news when high-production value shows are coming to China because a lot of our clients are moving away from advertising on TV where content in China does not always fit their brand." Corporate sponsors featured in the original "Apprentice" are listed in the Beijing Golden Sea brochure, titled "The Apprentice China" in English and "Xue Tu" in Chinese. They include Wal-Mart, Microsoft and Proctor & Gamble, the largest buyer of primetime television advertising on China Central Television this year. In 2005, the hit "Super Girl Voice," an "American Idol" mimic on Hunan TV, drew criticism from communist media regulators. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

By ALLISON LINN, AP Business Writer 2 hours, 51 minutes ago SEATTLE - Got three bucks? That and a nickel will buy you a coffee drink at Starbucks. ADVERTISEMENT Starbucks Corp. said Thursday that it planned to raise prices of its lattes, cappuccinos, drip coffee and other drinks by 5 cents, or an average of 1.9 percent. The increase, which goes into effect Oct. 3 at all company-operated stores in the U.S. and Canada, will mark the first time the company has boosted drink prices in two years. Starbucks also is increasing the price of its coffee beans by about 50 cents per pound, or an average of 3.9 percent. That's the first price increase for whole beans in nine years, spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil said. Starbucks isn't raising prices on the prepared drinks it sells in refrigerated cases. O'Neil said the company decided to charge more because costs, including fuel and energy, are going up. "It's not one specific thing. It's part of our ongoing evaluation of business costs," O'Neil said. Starbucks' pricing varies based on the market, but the 5-cent price increase will be across the board, regardless of drink or part of the country, O'Neil said. Currently, a tall, or 12-ounce, cup of Starbucks coffee costs between $1.40 and $1.65. Twelve-ounce lattes cost between $2.40 and $3.10, depending on the market, and a tall mocha costs between $2.70 and $3.40. Seattle-based Starbucks had 8,624 stores in the United States as of Aug. 30, about 5,500 of which are company-operated. O'Neil said Starbucks has 495 company-operated stores in Canada, but she did not have a figure for the total number of stores there. The coffee retailer has said it expects to open as many as 30,000 stores worldwide. The price increase does not affect Starbucks stores overseas, where Starbucks mainly operates its stores in partnership with other companies in those markets. O'Neil said Starbucks and its overseas partners could choose to raise prices in a certain country or local market at any time, but wouldn't have an across-the-board increase like this one because of the different operating structure. Starbucks shares ended unchanged at $34.01 on Friday on the Nasdaq Stock Market