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Reuters - The band at the heart of the recently concluded CBS reality series "Rock Star: Supernova" has a new name, following the resolution of a trademark dispute with a pre-existing group that had used the Supernova moniker.

By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer 1 hour, 25 minutes ago WASHINGTON - President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan says the United States threatened to bomb his country back to the Stone Age after the 9-11 attacks if he did not help America's war on terror. Musharraf says the threat was delivered by Richard Armitage, then the deputy secretary of state, to Musharraf's intelligence director, the Pakistani leader told CBS-TV's 60 Minutes. "The intelligence director told me that (Armitage) said, 'Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age,'" Musharraf said in the interview to be shown Sunday on the CBS television network. It was insulting, Musharraf said. "I think it was a very rude remark," he told reporter Steve Kroft. But, Musharraf said he reacted responsibly. "One has to think and take actions in the interests of the nation and that is what I did," he said. The White House and State Department declined to comment on the conversation. Armitage told CNN on Thursday that he never threatened to bomb Pakistan, wouldn't say such a thing and didn't have the authority to do it. Armitage said he did have a tough message for Pakistan, saying the Muslim nation was either "with us or against us," according to CNN. Armitage said he didn't know how his message was recounted so differently to Musharraf. In a speech in January 2002, four months after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Musharraf gave a speech in which he clearly came down on the side of reform at home and opposition to Islamic fundamentalism. Pakistan to this day is considered a close ally of the United States in the struggle with militant groups. Sometimes, however, Pakistan appears reluctant to go after Taliban, which controlled neighboring Afghanistan until 2001 and has intensified its insurgency in the southern part of the country in recent months. He is scheduled to meet on Friday at the White House with President Bush and then see Bush again next week in a three-way meeting with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. Musharraf told 60 Minutes that Armitage's message was delivered with demands that he turn over Pakistan's border posts and bases for the U.S. military to use in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Some were "ludicrous," such as a demand he suppress domestic expression of support for terrorism against the United States. "If somebody is expressing views, we cannot curb the expression of views," Musharraf said.

Reuters - The Pentagon's inspector general on Thursday dismissed claims that an Army intelligence unit code-named Able Danger uncovered data that could have thwarted the September 11 attacks, saying the allegations could not be substantiated.

By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 25 minutes ago WASHINGTON - A Pentagon report rejects the idea that intelligence gathered by a secret military unit could have been used to stop the Sept. 11 hijackings. The Pentagon inspector general's office said Thursday that a review of records from the unit, known as Able Danger, found no evidence it had identified ringleader Mohamed Atta or any other terrorist who participated in the 2001 attacks. The report was ordered following the assertion last year that the unit had identified four of the 19 hijackers in 2000. That claim was made by a former intelligence officer who worked on Able Danger, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, and by Rep. Curt Weldon (news, bio, voting record), vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees. Weldon, R-Pa., has said the unit used data-mining to link Atta and three other hijackers to al-Qaida more than a year before the attacks. The 71-page report, blacked out in parts, rejected Weldon's claim that the unit wanted information given to the FBI but that Pentagon lawyers would not allow it. Weldon questioned the "motives and the content" of the report and rejected its conclusions. "Acting in a sickening bureaucratic manner, the DOD IG cherry-picked testimony from witnesses in an effort to minimize the historical importance of the Able Danger effort," Weldon said in a statement. "The report trashes the reputations of military officers who had the courage to step forward and put their necks on the line to describe important work they were doing to track al-Qaida prior to 9/11," Weldon said. He said the investigation did little to answer the questions it was supposed to examine. The report acknowledged that one Able Danger member alleged he was prohibited from providing a chart to the FBI in 2000 by a senior Special Operations commander. But, the report said, "the senior official did not recall the incident and we are persuaded that the chart would have been of minimal value to the FBI." The Pentagon had said some employees recall seeing an intelligence chart identifying Atta as a terrorist before the attacks. The report said those accounts "varied significantly" and witnesses were inconsistent at times in their statements. Several lawmakers had asked the Pentagon to investigate whether Defense Department officials mismanaged Able Danger and retaliated against Shaffer. He was a leading proponent of the program who later had his security clearance revoked. The report said Shaffer was not retaliated against because of his involvement. But the inspector general did find "procedural oversights" in the handling of his office contents and his performance evaluations. A message left with Shaffer's lawyer was not returned immediately on Thursday. Last year, the bipartisan commission that investigated the attacks dispensed with the issue by calling it "not historically significant." Thomas Kean, the commission's co-chairman, said he hoped the report would put an end to discussion about Able Danger. "After this I don't know where it can go," Kean said. ___ Associated Press writer Pauline Jelinek contributed to this report.

Reuters - Iran's president, responding to Western criticism of his questioning of the Holocaust and a call for Israel to be "wiped off the map," said on Thursday his quarrel was with Zionists and not Jews.

LAHORE, Pakistan - About 1,000 Muslim clerics and religious scholars meeting Thursday in eastern Pakistan demanded the removal of Pope Benedict XVI for making what they called "insulting remarks" against Islam. Benedict "should be removed from his position immediately for encouraging war and fanning hostility between various faiths" and "making insulting remarks" against Islam, said a joint statement issued by the clerics and scholars at the end of their one-day convention. The "pope, and all infidels, should know that no Muslim, under any circumstances, can tolerate an insult to the Prophet (Muhammad). ... If the West does not change its stance regarding Islam, it will face severe consequences," it said. The meeting was organized by the radical Islamic group Jamaat al-Dawat, which runs schools, colleges and medical clinics. In April, Washington put the group on a list of terrorist organizations for its alleged links with militants fighting in the Indian part of Kashmir. The meeting came after the pope said Sunday he was "deeply sorry" about the reactions to his remarks and that they did not reflect his own opinions. He said Wednesday that he has "deep respect" for Islam, but he did not offer an apology that was demanded by some Muslim leaders offended by his remarks in Germany last week. The pope acknowledged that his remarks were open to misinterpretation, but insisted he had not intended to endorse a negative view of Islam. In Germany, Benedict cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith." "This quote unfortunately lent itself to be misunderstood," the pontiff said Wednesday. "In no way did I wish to make my own the words of the medieval emperor. I wished to explain that not religion and violence, but religion and reason go together." The clerics and religious scholars said they did not regard Benedict's latest comments as an apology. "The pope has neither accepted his mistake, nor apologized for his words," it said. The statement also said jihad was not terrorism and that "Islam was not propagated with the sword, but it became popular and was accepted by the oppressed peoples of the world because of its universal values and teachings." "Jihad is waged to rid an area, state, or the world of oppression, violence, cruelty, and terrorism, and bring peace and relief to the people. History is full of incidents where Muslims waged jihad to provide relief to people of many faiths, especially Jews and Christians," it said. Pakistan is the world's second most populous Muslim country, and its people have held small, peaceful rallies since the publication of pope's remarks about Islam.

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer 2 hours, 20 minutes ago ATLANTA - Federal health officials Thursday recommended regular, routine testing for the AIDS virus for all Americans ages 13 to 64, saying an HIV test should be as common as a cholesterol check. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines are aimed at preventing the further spread of the disease and getting needed care for an estimated 250,000 Americans who don't yet know they have it. "We simply must improve early diagnosis," said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. Nearly half of new HIV infections are discovered when doctors are trying to diagnose a patient who has already grown sick with an HIV-related illness, CDC officials said. "By identifying people earlier through a screening program, we'll allow them to access life-extending therapy, and also through prevention services, learn how to avoid transmitting HIV infection to others," said Dr. Timothy Mastro, acting director of the CDC's division of HIV/AIDS prevention. Although some groups raised concerns, the announcement was mostly embraced by health policy experts, doctors and patient advocates. "I think it's an incredible advance. I think it's courageous on the part of the CDC," said A. David Paltiel, a health policy expert at the Yale University School of Medicine. The recommendations aren't legally binding, but they influence what doctors do and what health insurance programs cover. However, some doctors' groups predict the recommendations will be challenging to implement, requiring more money and time for testing, counseling and revising consent procedures. Some physicians also question whether there is enough evidence to expand testing beyond high-risk groups, said Dr. Larry Fields, the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. "Are doctors going to do it? Probably not," Fields said. But the recommendations were endorsed by the American Medical Association, which urged doctors to comply. The CDC said it's difficult to predict how many doctors will. Previously, the CDC recommended routine testing for those at high-risk for catching the virus, such as intravenous drug users and gay men, and for hospitals and certain other institutions serving areas where HIV is common. It also recommended testing for all pregnant women. Under the new guidelines, patients would be tested for the AIDS virus as part of the standard tests they get when they go for urgent or emergency care, or even during a routine physical. The CDC recommends everyone get tested at least once, but annual testing is urged only for people at high risk. Consent for the test would be covered in a clinic or hospital's standard care consent form. Patients would be allowed to decline the testing. The CDC's guidelines say no one should be tested without their knowledge. An American Civil Liberties Union official protested the CDC's idea of dealing with HIV on standard consent forms, and the agency's de-emphasis of pre-test counseling. "By eliminating these safeguards, what they're calling 'routine testing' will in practice be mandatory testing," said Rose Saxe, a staff attorney with the ACLU AIDS Project. The cost of the new policy is not clear. A standard HIV test can cost between $2.50 and $8, public health experts say. New rapid tests cost about $15. If an initial result is positive, confirmatory tests can cost another $50 or more. Treatment for HIV can cost more than $10,000 a year. WellPoint, the Indianapolis company that owns 14 Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans across the country, has not yet taken a position on the CDC guidelines. It also hasn't estimated what it will cost to expand HIV testing for its 34 million members, but it traditionally covers tests recommended by the CDC, said WellPoint spokeswoman Shannon Troughton. The recommendation, if fully implemented, could mean testing for to 100 to 200 million Americans, said Ron Spair, chief financial officer of Pennsylvania-based OraSure Technologies, one of three companies that sell rapid-result HIV tests in the United States. The other companies are MedMira Inc. and Trinity Biotech. Standard HIV tests are done through both public health labs and private and commercial labs. "This certainly expands the rapid HIV testing market," Spair said. Identifying more HIV patients will place an added burden on public health programs that pay for such care, some of which are facing potential cuts under a proposal before Congress. But more diagnoses may help win bolstered funding, said John Peebles, an assistant branch chief over HIV programs at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Resources. "If you don't know what you need, you can't make the argument for resources," Peebles said. The CDC has been working on the guidelines for about three years, and got input from more than 100 groups, including doctors' associations and HIV patient support groups. ___

By LYNN BREZOSKY, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 57 minutes ago LA VILLA, Texas - Investigators tried to determine Thursday how a former police officer facing drug charges was able to escape with five other inmates from a privately run federal jail near the Mexican border. As the hunt for the men stretched into a third day, authorities halted shipments of new prisoners to the East Hidalgo Detention Center, which remained in lockdown. The six prisoners escaped late Tuesday by overpowering a guard, opening a power-controlled door and cutting through several fences, which included an alarm-equipped electrical fence that apparently was not functioning and may have been turned off. No alarm was sounded. The guard was not injured. On Thursday, the company that manufactured the fence checked its system. The jail also reviewed security measures and added more external lights, security cameras and armed guards. "Everything's being looked at," said Joe Magallan, a deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service. Jail officials conducted a "top-to-bottom shakedown" of inmates and staff, said Patrick LeBlanc, co-owner of jail operator LCS Corrections Services Inc., of Lafayette, La. LeBlanc apologized to the community. "Before this issue, we were under the assumption we had good security," he said. "Sometimes it takes an event to show us that we didn't." The search for the fugitives was expanded beyond Texas to include other states and Mexico, Magallan said. Investigators were questioning the prisoners' relatives and asking Mexican authorities for help. Detectives believe the fugitives split up and were probably picked up in a vehicle on the highway that runs in front of the jail, officials said. On Wednesday, more than 60 law-enforcement officers used helicopters and bloodhounds to search near the jail, about 20 miles north of the Mexican border. Investigators went door-to-door, asking residents to stay home. Schools were closed. Search dogs lost the scent of some footprints at the highway and of other footprints at a levee near the prison, Magallan said. LeBlanc offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Francisco Meza-Rojas, the former McAllen police officer. Meza-Rojas, 41, was scheduled to stand trial on federal drug trafficking charges Oct. 3. The other escapees were illegal immigrants from Mexico alleged to be members of Raza Unida, a violent drug gang. The jail is a minimum-to-maximum security unit with 950 beds. LCS bought the jail about five years ago.

Rosie O'Donnell gave co-star Julian McMahon an eyeful when they were shooting a [bleeped!] scene for FX Networks' Golden Globe-winning drama "Nip/Tuck." O'Donnell told "Access Hollywood" that the director tried to shoot around a tube-top that they made her wear. But the director kept yelling "cut" because a bit of the tube-top could be seen in the shot. So, Rosie fixed the situation by pulling down the top. O'Donnell said McMahon, who plays plastic surgeon Dr. Christian Troy on the show, looked down and told her "nice boobs," adding, "but he was so nice." O'Donnell said she would "love to do that show again and again and again." O'Donnell's episode of "Nip/Tuck" airs Oct. 3. She plays a woman who has just won $381 million in a Powerball lottery and goes to the South Beach plastic surgery practice for her whole family. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060921/ap_en_...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

Welcome to the Jungle, Mickey. Having banked a billion-dollar booty with the summer sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, the Mouse House is looking to transform yet another theme park ride into a potential blockbuster franchise. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the studio has signed the brain trust behind the CW's Smallville, Al Gough and Miles Millar, to write a screenplay for an action-adventure flick based on the popular Disneyland attraction, the Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise is one of 22 original rides built by Uncle Walt that wowed attendees when he opened his fabled theme park back in 1955. Like Pirates, the Jungle Cruise is a boat journey through a mysterious, fantastical world. Only instead of the high seas of buccaneer lore, passengers are guided by an intrepid captain down a treacherous jungle river straight out of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and must contend with the likes of charging hippos, killer crocs and rampaging gorillas. Disney first announced its intention to adapt Jungle Cruise into a film in 2004. Studio reps declined further comment on the project Thursday, other than revealing that the movie will be set in the 20th century. It will be up to Gough and Millar to craft a compelling narrative out of the ride to approach the success of the Pirate series, which stars Johnny Depp as the comical Captain Jack Sparrow. Speaking of which, Disney Home Entertainment announced this week that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, the second in the planned Pirates trilogy, will hit stores on Dec. 5 as both a single-disc DVD as well as a deluxe two-disc special edition. The single-disc release will retail for $30 and feature screenwriter audio commentary and an outtakes reel dubbed Bloopers of the Caribbean. The $35 special edition includes those features along with a making-of doc and featurettes on Captain Jack, the legend of Davy Jones, Dead Man's intricately choreographed swordplay, the Caribbean islands where the movie was shot and the special effects wizards behind the film's sea monster, the Kraken. Also includes: an on-set photo diary by mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, a guide to the newly "re-Imagineered" Pirates of the Caribbean resort attraction and red carpet footage of Dead Man's Chest's's Hollywood premiere. The first chapter in the yo-ho-ho saga, The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, raked in $654 million in worldwide ticket sales since its 2003 release, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Dead Man's Chest has fared even better, tallying $1.03 billion and counting, making it the third-higest grossing movie of all time behind Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Despite Pirates's blockbuster success, Disney hasn't been able to mine other theme park rides. Country Bears earned a bare $20 million in 2002, while 2003's Eddie Murphy vehicle The Haunted Mansion scared up $75 million, well below its $90 million budget. Memo to Mickey: Jungle Cruise might have potential, but It's a Small World: The Movie-- not so much. http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20060921/en_mov...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

President Bush and Senate Republicans hammered out a deal on Thursday for interrogating and trying foreign terrorism suspects, and Bush hailed it for preserving his program for CIA questioning of detainees. The Bush administration has argued the program of CIA questioning is vital for U.S. security after the September 11 attacks but critics have assailed it on human rights grounds, saying tough interrogations border on torture. The Bush administration denies that prisoners are tortured. "I'm pleased to say that this agreement preserves the most single -- the most potent tool we have in protecting America and foiling terrorist attacks, and that is the CIA program to question the world's most dangerous terrorists and to get their secrets," Bush said of the deal. "The measure also creates military commissions that will bring these ruthless killers to justice," Bush said on a trip to Orlando, Florida, adding he hoped Congress would send him the legislation before it wraps up its business next week." Bush was forced to make concessions after three leading Senate Republicans challenged his plan last week and offered a rival bill that drew more Senate support. Sens. John Warner of Virginia, John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina had said Bush's bill would undermine the Geneva Conventions' protections for war prisoners, and allow abusive interrogations and unfair trials. Congress is trying to pass legislation to establish trial procedures for foreign terrorism suspects picked up since the September 11 attacks. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Bush's original program for such trials in June. The United States has faced international criticism for the indefinite detention of prisoners at the U.S naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Rights groups and others have accused the United States of torture and abuse of detainees. Senate Republican leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said the deal still must be shown to senators and members of the House of Representatives. The compromise then faces likely passage in both the House of Representatives and Senate next week before Congress breaks to campaign ahead of November elections. McCain brushed off any talk about who prevailed in this showdown with the White House, saying, "We're all winners because we've been able to come to an agreement through a process of negotiations and consensus." He said "the agreement that we have entered into gives the president the tools that he needs to continue to fight the war on terror and bring these evil people to justice." http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060921/pl_nm/...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

A prominent Republican who chairs I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's legal defense fund co-hosted a fundraiser Wednesday for Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is running for re-election as an independent after losing the Democratic primary. Mel Sembler, a former Republican National Committee finance committee chairman, helped organize a reception that raised about a "couple hundred thousand dollars" for Lieberman, who was in attendance. Sembler said the event at his firm's office in St. Petersburg, Fla., drew a mix of Republican, Democratic and independent donors. "He's a man of principle," Sembler, a former ambassador to Italy and Australia, said of Lieberman in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. "Everybody crossed party lines, that's what was interesting ... He's an excellent candidate. We're happy to support him." Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, was indicted last year on charges that he lied to FBI agents and a federal grand jury about how he learned CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity and when he subsequently told reporters. Sembler, who is board chairman of the Sembler Company, a real estate and shopping center development company, said he has worked hard to raise money for Libby's legal defense fund. "It's amazing to go to all this hard work when a crime never got committed," said Sembler, who also described himself as "dear friends" with Cheney. The Libby defense fund's steering committee includes a few Democrats and several Republicans; Sembler is its chairman. Sembler said the three-term Connecticut senator was supportive of him in 1989 when his nomination to be ambassador to Australia stalled in the Senate. Sembler said he was bothered by what he termed distortions of Lieberman's record during the August primary, which upset him. That, coupled with Republican nominee Alan Schlesinger's low name recognition, persuaded him to back Lieberman financially in the general election. Democrat Ned Lamont, an anti-war challenger, stunned Lieberman, the party's 2000 vice presidential nominee, in the Aug. 8 primary. Lieberman then embarked on an independent bid to hold his Senate seat. Lieberman has stressed that he's reaching across the aisle for Republican votes. He's also reaching for GOP wallets. Republican New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to host a Nov. 1 fundraiser for Lieberman with former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch. Bruce Bialosky, a longtime Republican fundraiser in California, said he's getting a strong response as he helps organize an Oct. 10 fundraiser in Los Angeles for Lieberman that also will be a bipartisan affair. "It should be a smashing success," Bialosky said. "There are a lot of people across the country who are Republicans who are raising money for Joe." Lieberman will need Republican and independent votes to prevail in November. One of his television ads shows him erasing a line between the words "Democrat" and "Republican" on a chalkboard. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060921/ap_on_...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

A surprise drop in regional factory activity reported on Thursday suggested that the U.S. economy may be losing momentum faster than most economists anticipated, stunning financial markets on the view that the Federal Reserve may soon have to cut interest rates to avoid a downturn. The sluggishness was also seen in a forward-looking economic gauge released early in the day, which hit its lowest level in nearly a year, sending fears of an economic slowdown through financial markets. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note -- a proxy for how the bond market views the economy's long-term prospects -- sagged to six-month lows around 4.64 percent on the weakening data. In the regional factory report, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank said its business activity index tumbled to -0.4 in September from 18.5 in August, far below Wall Street economists' consensus forecast for a reading of 14.8. It was the first time the index had fallen below zero since April 2003. When the index turns negative, it means manufacturing is declining. Even though the report's weakness clashed with signals from some other recent regional economic data, "generally the Philly data has the best correlation with industrial production of all the regional indices, so it needs to be treated seriously," said Alan Ruskin, chief international strategist with RBS Greenwich Capital. The dollar dropped sharply on the report, extending its early-day losses and lifting the euro toward its biggest daily gain in about two months. U.S. stocks turned lower, with the Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI - news) down nearly 80 points. Short-term U.S. interest rate futures shifted modestly lower after the Philadelphia Fed report to show a slight chance that the Fed might cut interest rates at its December policy-setting meeting if the economy continues to decelerate. "We're seeing some potential moderation in inflation pressures. The (Philadelphia Fed report's) prices paid component decreased. This is good news for the Fed," said Gary Thayer, chief economist with A.G. Edwards and Sons in St. Louis, Missouri. "It suggests that if the economy is cooling off, inflation pressures may also be subsiding," Thayer said. The trend suggests that "the Fed will probably hold rates steady for the foreseeable future and could perhaps cut interest rates early next year," he added. Earlier, a report showed the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose slightly last week. First-time claims for state unemployment insurance benefits rose to a seasonally adjusted 318,000 last week from an upwardly revised 311,000 in the prior week, the Labor Department said. Separately, the New York-based Conference Board said its index of leading economic indicators fell 0.2 percent to 137.6 in August -- the lowest since October 2005 -- after a downwardly revised 0.2 percent fall in July. It was the fourth decline in the past five months. Another report also helped fill out a picture of a slowdown. The Chicago Federal Reserve Bank said its gauge of national economic activity fell to -0.18 in August from an upwardly revised -0.07 in July, weighed down by weaker production and employment indicators. The Conference Board said the drop in its leading index signaled modest economic growth this fall and likely through the holiday season and into the winter. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060921/bs_nm/...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

Anna Nicole Smith has been dealt her first card and is waiting to see if she's handed three of a kind. E! News learned exclusively Wednesday that the first of three toxicology tests performed on Smith's son, Daniel, turned up no traces of illegal substances in his bloodstream. Anna Nicole's attorney and confidante, Howard K. Stern, said that, as expected, doctors found the antidepressant Lexapro and sleeping medication Ambien in Daniel's system but not at levels that could have caused his sudden death Sept. 10 at age 20. The first toxicology report was based on blood drawn at the hospital in the Bahamas where Daniel died while visiting his mom, who had given birth to a baby girl three days earlier, Stern told E! News. The reality TV star is still waiting for the results of tox screens from each of the two autopsies performed on Daniel's body. Both autopsies ruled out various natural causes of death (heart disease, stroke, birth defect, etc.) but did not lead to a definitive answer. Bahamian officials finally issued a death certificate (the cause of death was listed as "pending chemical analysis") Wednesday and released Daniel's body to Anna Nicole, who has been so devastated by the loss of her son that she suffered memory loss shortly after it happened, requiring Stern to break the news to her a second time. Another of Anna Nicole's lawyers, Michael Scott, has since said the TrimSpa spokesmodel is doing much better and was hoping for more information from the various tests being conducted. Meanwhile, David Giancola, the director of the sci-fi film Anna Nicole recently starred in, Illegal Aliens, told E! News that Daniel Smith, who worked as an apprentice on the movie, had been hospitalized off and on in August to be treated for an elevated heart rate. Giancola said that Daniel lost nearly 30 pounds during that time and suffered from constant stomach pain. The second autopsy performed Sept. 17 at Smith's request by a private pathologist, Cycil Wecht, turned up traces of prescription meds that Daniel was taking to treat depression he started to experience four to six weeks before his death. Both Wecht and the Bahamian coroner who did the first autopsy both found no evidence to suggest Daniel died from a suicidal overdose. However, the coroner did at the time deem the cause of Daniel's death to be "not natural." Meanwhile, though Bahamian head coroner Linda Virgill told reporters it was not unusual for families to request an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding a loved one's death, authorities reassigned Virgill Wednesday in light of public concern she may have given the Smith case special treatment. Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez told the Associated Press that complaints started rolling in when an inquest date was announced. "They've been complaining that, 'How is it that this case just came up and a date has been set and our case has been pending for years and we don't have a date yet,' " Gomez said. The official said that an inquest scheduled for Oct. 23 will be canceled if authorities can determine that Daniel died of natural causes. Anna Nicole is currently free to leave the Bahamas but has chosen to stay put for the time being. Stern says funeral arrangement are being made in California. Daniel was Anna Nicole's son with husband Bill Smith. The duo tied the knot in 1985 and divorced two years later. http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20060921/en_cel...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

British billionaire Richard Branson on Thursday committed to spending all the profits from his airline and rail businesses -- an estimated $3 billion over the next 10 years -- on combating global warming. The Virgin Group chairman, whose company also includes music and mobile phone ventures, has already created Virgin Fuels, which will invest $400 million over three years in renewable energy initiatives as part of his pledge. But profits from the Virgin Group's transport businesses, which make up nearly half the company, will also be spent on separate investments in biofuel research, development, production and distribution, and projects to tackle emissions through a planned Environmental Trust. "We have to wean ourselves off our dependence on coal and fossil fuels. Our generation has the knowledge, it has the financial resources and, as importantly, it has the will power to do so," the flamboyant 56-year-old entrepreneur said. Branson, who has a knighthood and is known as much for his daredevil stunts as his business, unveiled his plan at a news conference at the Clinton Global Initiative, a summit run by former U.S. President Bill Clinton to combat world problems. The second annual New York-based initiative, which ends on Friday, has brought together some of the world's richest and most influential people to brainstorm and commit money to fight world problems. By Thursday night the total value of commitments made was more than $5.7 billion, surpassing last year's total of more than $2.5 billion. "Richard's commitment is groundbreaking not only because of the price tag -- which is phenomenal -- but also because of the statement that he is making: clean energy is good for the world and it's good for business," Clinton said. FACING CATASTROPHE The pledge comes one day after the Bush administration said it was committing $3 billion to climate technology research and development. Climate experts and members of Congress criticized the administration's plan as long-delayed and inadequate. Branson said he used to be skeptical about climate change, but reading a lot of books on the issue changed his mind. His decision to commit billions of dollars to the cause came after former U.S. vice president and long-time environmentalist Al Gore visited him in England a year ago. "He's hoping by Virgin doing something like this it will attract other companies," Branson told Reuters Television. "Then instead of it being $3 billion, hopefully it can be $50 billion or $100 billion and that's the kinds of resources that are going to be needed to come up and invent a fuel that is actually going to take on oil." He said oil and coal alternatives were urgently needed. "I really do believe the world is facing a catastrophe and there are scientists who say we are already too late, but I don't believe that is the case. The majority of scientists think we can still do something about it," he said. Most international experts say emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels in power plants, factories and cars, are the primary cause of a 1.1 degree F (0.6 C) rise in temperatures over the past century. A dwindling group of scientists say the dominant cause of warming is a natural variation in the climate system, or a gradual rise in the sun's energy output. "I think it's a very encouraging step. Richard Branson prides himself in being ahead of the field, so I hope it will lead to other people taking note," British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said in New York. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060921/ts_nm/...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT - news) said on Thursday it would slash prices on nearly 300 generic prescription drugs to $4 in the Tampa, Florida, area and expand the plan across Florida and other states next year. The world's largest retailer, which has been hit with accusations that it provides inadequate health care for more than a million U.S. employees, said the program would be available to customers and associates of 65 Wal-Mart pharmacies in the Tampa Bay, Florida, area starting on Friday. The plan will then be rolled out to the rest of Florida, home to many retirees on limited incomes, in January, and to as many states as possible next year. "It's a big market where there is a need," Bill Simon, executive vice president of the Professional Services Division for Wal-Mart, said of the Tampa area, home to many senior citizens and people without health insurance. Simon, speaking at a press conference held at a Wal-Mart store in Tampa, declined to say how much the program would cost, but said the company could make the changes due to its pricing and distribution strength. "We're in business to make money," Simon said. Shares of top drug chains were down sharply after Wal-Mart's announcement. Walgreen Co.'s (NYSE:WAG - news) shares were down 6 percent to $46.98 while CVS Corp. (NYSE:CVS - news) plunged 10 percent to $31.80, both on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares of Wal-Mart, a component of the Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI - news), rose 19 cents to $49.06 in early trading but were down 44 cents, or nearly 1 percent, to $48.43 by mid-morning. Wal-Mart said its program will be available to the uninsured and insurance will be accepted. Under the plan, a generic drug will cost $4 for up to a 30-day supply at commonly prescribed dosages, a small fraction of the price of most branded drugs. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is already well known for slashing prices on items ranging from food to toys, putting pressure on suppliers and competitors. If such a plan were to be rolled out nationally, it "could have major negative repercussions for existing and new generic pricing as it has in many of the categories in which Wal-Mart has entered," said David Maris, an analyst who covers generic companies at Banc of America Securities. Wal-Mart said that the plan covers 291 generic medications used for conditions such as allergies, cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. The retailer also said that some antibiotics, antidepressants, antipsychotics and prescription vitamins are also part of the plan. Not all generics in each therapeutic category are included. The initiative could help jump-start Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart's pharmacy business, revenue of which declined slightly in the most recent fiscal year. The lower priced generic drugs could help Wal-Mart beef up sales in other parts of its stores. "There's a huge benefit in that people buy other things in the store when they go in to pick up their prescriptions," said Sarah Henry, a retail analyst for Sovereign Asset Management, which manages $2 billion. "Wal-Mart has picked up on that and it's not only a nice-looking thing for Wal-Mart to do, but could potentially help shopping in other parts of the store." Henry noted that Walgreen and CVS can show same-store sales growth of 6 percent even when general merchandisers have sales growth of just 3 percent, indicating the pharmacy brings in repeat business. Wal-Mart's move comes as several major drugs are facing, or are about to face, competition from cheaper generics, such as Merck & Co. Inc.'s (NYSE:MRK - news) cholesterol fighter Zocor, which lost patent protection in June. Although generic medicines are cheaper, they are more profitable for pharmacies since the prices of branded drugs are tightly controlled by the major pharmaceutical companies that manufacture and sell them. (With reporting by Robert Green in Tampa and Chelsea Emery in New York) http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060921/bs_nm/...HE0BHNlYwN0bWE-