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By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press Writer Sun Sep 24, 5:25 PM ET HOUSTON - Former Enron Corp. employee Diana Peters knows there won't be any suspense when Andrew Fastow, a key figure in the former energy giant's collapse, is sentenced this week because he's already agreed to a 10-year prison term. ADVERTISEMENT But she is grateful that those affected by Enron's downfall will have a chance to face Fastow before he goes to prison and tell him how his actions affected their lives, since the federal judge in the case has invited them to speak their minds. Peters won't be able to attend Fastow's sentencing hearing Tuesday because she can't take time off from work. But she has submitted a letter to the court detailing how Enron's collapse caused her financial hardship. She has been forced to work two jobs, including cleaning office buildings on weekends; she also had to swallow her pride and ask her son to move back home so he could help his parents pay their bills. "If (Fastow) can spend 100 years in jail, that would be fine with me," Peters said. "If he spends 10 years in jail, he still has a life. I will never get back what has been taken. I will never be able to retire." Peters, 57, said she lost about $75,000 in her 401(k) retirement plan at Enron, where she worked 10 years as a computer technician, when the company's stock became worthless. Under a two-year-old federal law that enhances the rights of victims of federal crimes, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt is allowing Enron's victims to speak about how the company's financial implosion hurt them. Fastow, whose complex schemes as chief financial officer helped lead to the company's downfall, agreed to serve the maximum 10-year term for his admitted crimes when he pleaded guilty in 2004. His cooperation and testimony helped prosecutors secure the convictions of Enron founder Kenneth Lay and the former chief executive, Jeffrey Skilling. "I really think you will hear some gut wrenching stories from people who are going to say that this ruined their lives, their savings, their retirement," said Steve Cron, a criminal defense attorney in Santa Monica, Calif. Fastow, 44, was originally indicted on 98 counts of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading, money laundering and other charges. He pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy, admitting to running various schemes to hide Enron debt and inflate profits while enriching himself. As part of the agreement, he surrendered nearly $30 million in cash and property. Charles Prestwood, 68, a former pipeline operator who retired from Enron in 2000 and then lost $1.3 million in retirement savings a year later, said he is grateful Hoyt is allowing victims to face Fastow. "It's good that we can be heard because normally that don't happen," he said. "It gets a load off of (victims') shoulders." But Prestwood, who has heart problems, said he'll skip Fastow's hearing so he can save his strength and speak out at Skilling's Oct. 23 sentencing. Skilling and Lay were convicted in May of conspiracy and fraud. Lay's attorneys are working to erase his convictions since his July 5 death from heart disease. During four days of testimony and cross examination, Fastow said Lay and Skilling knew that the CFO and his staff engineered fraudulent financial structures. Fastow also shed tears when he recounted how he roped his wife, Lea, into helping him hide ill-gotten gains from his schemes. She pleaded guilty in 2004 to a misdemeanor tax crime and served a year in prison. Enron, once the nation's seventh-largest company, crumbled into bankruptcy proceedings in December 2001 after years of accounting tricks could no longer hide billions in debt or make flailing ventures appear profitable. The collapse wiped out thousands of jobs, more than $60 billion in market value and more than $2 billion in pension plans. Still, not all former Enron employees are interested in speaking at the sentencing of Fastow or any other Enron defendant. "It's probably not worth the time and effort for something that is so much water under the bridge to some degree," said Eric Eden, 38, who lost his job running Enron's computer-drafting department. Eden now runs a Houston-area sprinkler company called Watering Made Easy with his brother. Justice Department spokesman Bryan Sierra said he couldn't predict how many Enron victims would speak at Fastow's sentencing. David Gerger, one of Fastow's attorneys, had no comment.

By MARINA SAPIA, Associated Press Writer Sun Sep 24, 4:52 PM ET CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday praised an Italian nun for pardoning her killers as she lay dying from an attack in Somalia that may have been linked to worldwide Muslim anger about his remarks on Islam and violence. ADVERTISEMENT Benedict spoke to pilgrims at his Castel Gandolfo summer palace where he will meet Monday with ambassadors from predominantly Muslim countries in an effort to defuse tensions arising from a speech he gave Sept. 12 while on a pilgrimage in Germany. Rosa Sgorbati, an Italian missionary who worked in a pediatrics hospital in Somalia's capital Mogadishu under her religious name Sister Leonella, was shot by two gunmen on Sept. 17, the day Benedict apologized for offending Muslims. Her bodyguard also was killed. Speaking Sunday about the need to overcome selfishness, Benedict cited Sgorbati's slaying. "Some are asked to give the supreme testimony of blood, as it happened a few days ago to the Italian nun, Sister Leonella Sgorbati, who fell victim to violence," the pontiff said. "This nun, who for many years served the poor and the children in Somalia, died pronouncing the word 'pardon,'" the pope told pilgrims during his traditional Sunday noon appearance. "This is the most authentic Christian testimony, a peaceful sign of contradiction which shows the victory of love over hate and evil." In the pope's controversial speech in Germany, Benedict quoted 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." The pontiff has stressed that the words he spoke did not reflect his own opinion. Among the countries expected to send a representative to meet with the pope Monday was Indonesia, where Christian-Muslim tensions were sharpened last week by the execution of three Catholic militants. Benedict last month had appealed to Indonesia to spare the men. Representatives from Iran, Egypt, Turkey and other nations are also expected to attend. The Vatican's spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters Sunday there were "expectations for a cordial meeting." He also said the meeting "certainly is a sign that dialogue is returning to normal after moments of disturbance, of misunderstanding in the past days." French Cardinal Paul Poupard, the Vatican's top official on dialogue among religions, told Rome daily La Repubblica at least 18 ambassadors assured the Vatican they would come to what he said "will be, without a doubt, a profound and emotional meeting." Amid the fury over Benedict's remarks on Islam, the Vatican also ordered papal representatives around the globe to meet with leaders of Muslim countries to explain the pope's point of view and the full context of his speech.

Sun Sep 24, 4:51 PM ET PARIS (AFP) - Several hospitals around Paris are facing an upsurge of antiobiotic-resisitant bacteria known as VRE, France's General Health Board said. ADVERTISEMENT A total of 313 people have been infected with Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) in the last two years and the bacteria could have been a factor in at least three deaths, the organization said. Specialists fear that the bacteria could boost the resistance of another germ, staphylococcus aureus, as has been the case in hospitals in the United States. VRE is a mutant strain of enterococcus, a group of bacterial species that live in the digestive and urinary tracts, which is resistant to Vancomycin. Vancomycin is a powerful antibiotic that is generally only used as a last resort against bacteria that are already resistant to penicillin and other antibiotics. The bacteria generally does not cause any problems for healthy people, who can be carriers, but it can be fatal to people with weak immune systems, such as the sick, the eldery or the very young. Doctor Didier Houssin, director general of health, said 313 people had become infected with VREs since August 2004, 53 of whom had fallen ill, mainly with urinary infections. "Among these cases, we have noted three deaths in which we think the bacteria played a role," Houssin added.

AFP - Archaeologists said they had uncovered decorated human skulls dating back as long as 9,500 years ago from a burial site near the Syrian capital Damascus.

Reuters - Egypt has banned editions of two French and German newspapers, Le Figaro and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, because of articles deemed insulting to Islam, the state news agency MENA said on Sunday.

By FRED GOODALL, AP Sports Writer 41 minutes ago TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Bay quarterback Chris Simms had his spleen removed after taking several hard hits in Sunday's 26-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers and was resting comfortably in a hospital. "Chris is doing well and we anticipate a full recovery," team physician Dr. Joe Diaco said in a brief statement, adding the 26-year-old son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms was in stable condition. Simms had a blood transfusion as part of his treatment and was expected to be hospitalized for several days, Peter King said during a break on NBC's Sunday Night Football, citing a conversation the Sports Illustrated reporter had with Simms' mother, Diana Simms. Simms, who left the game briefly but returned, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, a few blocks from Raymond James Stadium. Coach Jon Gruden said during his postgame press conference that Simms hurt his ribs early in the game and was also battling dehydration. "He is hurting right now, there is no question," Gruden said. "He left the game. I don't know that it was because of his ribs, dehydration or both." Simms was replaced by rookie Bruce Gradkowski for the last play of the third quarter and first play of the fourth. He went to the ground on one knee before leaving the field and walking to the locker room on his own power. The Bucs punted two plays later, and Simms returned to the game when Tampa Bay got the ball back. He led a fourth-quarter field goal drive that gave the Bucs a 24-23 lead, but the defense couldn't hold. When he left the game, the team announced he was cramping. Simms finished the game, which Carolina won on John Kasay's 46-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining, and left the field with his teammates on his own power. Simms completed 13 of 24 passes for 139 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked once and also took a hard hit when he scored on a 2-yard run that gave Tampa Bay a 21-20 lead in the third quarter.

58 minutes ago TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices fell to a new six-month low below $60 a barrel on Monday as news of BP restoring output at Prudhoe Bay added to a sense of healthy global supplies. U.S. light, sweet crude for November fell 56 cents to $59.99 a barrel in Globex electronic trading. By 0108 GMT it stood 61 cents lower at $59.94 a barrel, deepening a seven-week rout that has knocked more than $17 a barrel off prices. Prices fell below the previous $60.00 a barrel low posted on September 20. Previous frontmonth October was reported last week to have fallen as low as $59.80 a barrel on September 20, but detailed NYMEX trade data on its website showed the contract hit a low of $60.05 a barrel in Globex trade and $60.00 in open-outcry pit trade. NYMEX sometimes revises detailed trade data.

LONDON - The singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, who converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam, joined the furor over Pope Benedict XVI's recent comments about Islam by criticizing the pontiff on Sunday. In the pope's controversial speech in Germany this month, Benedict quoted words of a Byzantine emperor that characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman." The singer, whose hits such as "Moon Shadow" and "Peace Train" made him a star in 1960s and 1970s, said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. that the pope's words proved he was not infallible. "At one point, I used to believe that the pope was infallible," Islam said, referring to teachings he received while attending a Catholic school as a boy. The pontiff "should have looked elsewhere if he wanted to quote but we respect the pope and his position," he said, adding it was good Benedict had retracted his statement "in a way." Since his conversion to Islam in 1977, the 58-year-old has become well known to Britons as a campaigner for good causes. In 2004, after flying to the United States from London, the singer was barred from entering the country after U.S. security officials said his name was on list of banned individuals.

by Marc Burleigh Sun Sep 24, 3:55 PM ET PARIS (AFP) - A French intelligence memo suggesting Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden might have died of typhoid has been met with scepticism around the world, including the highest levels of the French government. France, the United States, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia all said they had no evidence to support the assertion in the memo, which was published Saturday in the French regional newspaper l'Est Republicain and Sunday in Le Parisien. "To my knowledge, Osama bin Laden is not dead. It is quite simple," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told French television on Sunday. French President Jacques Chirac on Saturday confirmed the memo was genuine, stating he was "surprised" it had been made public and ordering an investigation into its leak. But he stressed that the information it gave was "in no way confirmed." However, persistent reports that bin Laden was struck with illness fueled speculation about his fate. The confidential document, drafted by the French foreign intelligence service DGSE and dated September 21, stated that according to a normally reliable source Saudi Arabia's intelligence services were "convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead." It said the 49-year-old Saudi Islamic militant, who has been held responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, succumbed to typhoid fever in Pakistan between August 23 and September 4. The Saudis were seeking evidence of bin Laden's death, notably by looking for his remains, the memo said. In response, the Saudi embassy in Washington issued a two-sentence statement saying "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has no evidence to support recent media reports that Osama bin Laden is dead." "Information that has been reported otherwise is purely speculative and cannot be independently verified," the statement stressed. It did not, however, address the French intelligence memo nor say whether its evaluation of what Saudi intelligence believed was inaccurate. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice simply said: "No comment, and no knowledge." Several US intelligence officials told US media they had noticed no unusual Internet or communications "chatter" which would likely follow such a momentous development. Pakistan's interior minister, Aftab Sherpao, told AFP in Islamabad: "No, we do not have any such information with us." Security officials hunting Al-Qaeda in Pakistan rejected the report. A senior official told AFP on condition of anonymity that "no such information has been shared" by the Saudis and that it was "inconceivable that an event of this nature would remain unnoticed in Pakistan". Bin Laden has several times been rumoured to have died in the past, only to appear later in audio or video recordings. The last verified message from bin Laden was posted on the Internet on July 1, accusing Iraqi Shiites of waging "genocide" against Sunnis. A US official said the message was deemed authentic. The last time images of him were seen was in October 2004, in a videotape delivered to the Arab television network Al Jazeera. Born in Saudi Arabia to a wealthy family with close ties to the royals, bin Laden allegedly funded and directed the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington that killed around 3,000 people. His Al-Qaeda organisation has also been linked to several other attacks, including the 1998 US embassy bombings in Africa, a 2000 suicide bomb attack on a US warship off Yemen, and the 2004 Madrid train bombings. He has been successfully avoided capture despite the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, which toppled the Taliban regime that had provided him refuge and protection, and a 25-million-dollar bounty on his head. Reports have regularly surfaced that the Al-Qaeda leader is in poor health. The latest came from the US newsmagazine Time and the television network CNN -- both owned by Time Warner -- which reported on the weekend that bin Laden had fallen ill with an unspecified waterborne illness. Both stopped short of saying he was dead, however. Time said "a well placed source in Washington" believed the hypothesis of bin Laden's death originated with "some Saudi intelligence analysts with no hard evidence to back it up. No one at a high level is satisfied it's true."

By Tim Gaynor 1 hour, 25 minutes ago TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, New Mexico (Reuters) - A rocket packed with cargo is set to blast off into space from a desert launch range in New Mexico, an event backers say will usher in a new era of cheap public access to space. UP Aerospace plans to launch the SpaceLoft XL rocket early on Monday from Spaceport America, a remote desert launch site near the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The telephone pole-sized rocket will carry around 50 items of payload -- including a Ziploc bag of Cheerios, some cremated remains and several high school science projects -- on a brief suborbital flight 70 miles above Earth. The rocket is not the first privately funded bid to reach for the stars. Two years ago, SpaceShipOne brushed the edge of space with a man on board, scooping up a $10 million prize for its backers. But Connecticut-based UP Aerospace says the brief 13-minute flight will inaugurate a new era that puts space within reach of large numbers of paying customers. Chief executive Eric Knight said clients could buy payload space starting at a few hundred dollars for items weighing a few grams, rising to "many tens of thousands of dollars" for larger pieces of cargo. "This is the first time that a company has allowed direct access to space for the public," Knight told Reuters. "It's low cost, it can be regularly scheduled, (and) it's the way it's going to be done by the commercial sector in the future," he added. 'NOW HE CAN LOOK DOWN ON ALL OF US' The rocket, which is plastered with sponsors' logos, was subjected to a series of final pre-flight checks by engineers on Sunday. The firm has nine flights booked over the next 12 months, hurtling payloads of up to 110 pounds (50 kg) up to the edge of space on a solid-fuel rocket that reaches speeds of 3,500 mph (5,633 kph) -- five times the speed of sound. The items on board range from the sentimental to serious-minded high school and university science experiments. Among the payload are the ashes of Warren Kirkley, a veterinarian from Colorado. His family trekked miles down dusty ranch roads to visit the launch site on Sunday. "This is wonderful, he would be very happy," his widow Betty said as she gazed up at the rocket. "Now he can look down on all of us and say 'you people enjoy life."' The rocket is to return from space in two parachuted sections landing at nearby White Sands Missile Range. Should all go as planned, the flight will also inaugurate Spaceport America, the world's first commercial spaceport, a $225 million project developed with support from the New Mexico state government. "Monday's flight is a very important first step toward developing Spaceport America," said Charles Wollmann, a spokesman for New Mexico's economic development department. British tycoon Richard Branson said last year he would use the site as a base for his space tours firm, Virgin Galactic, which plans to blast tourists into space by the end of the decade. Wollmann said data from the rocket flight would be used for an environmental impact study authorities need to conduct before getting Federal Aviation Administration approval to operate. "Obviously were all very excited about it right now, but also just a little bit nervous," he added.

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday he has a problem with the Republican agreement on rules for the interrogation and trial of suspects in the war on terror. President Bush is pushing Congress to put the agreement into law before adjourning for the midterm elections, but Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., said Sunday he "vigorously" disagrees with the habeas corpus provision of the bill. The provision would allow legal counsel and a day in court to only those detainees selected by the Pentagon for prosecution. Other terror suspects could be held indefinitely without a hearing. "The courts have traditionally been open to make sure that individual rights are protected, and that is fundamental," Specter said on CNN's "Late Edition. "And the Constitution says when you can suspend the writ of habeas corpus, in time of rebellion or invasion. And we don't have either. So that has to be changed, in my opinion." Specter scheduled a hearing on the issue for Monday. Otherwise, he said, most of the legislation is a "big improvement" over what Bush originally proposed. The White House was forced to make concessions by a group of Senate Republicans who objected to the harsh treatment that would be allowed against detainees. The Bush administration agreed to drop one provision narrowly interpreting international standards of prisoner treatment and another allowing defendants to be convicted on evidence they never see. The bill lists acts that would constitute war crimes, including torture, rape, biological experiments and cruel and inhuman treatment. White House officials said these provisions would provide the CIA the clarity it needs to continue with the interrogation of its most valued suspects. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said Sunday he expected the bill would pass before Congress adjourns. "It's very important, because right now these detainees that we have down in Guantanamo Bay right now, we can't even try them now," Frist said on ABC's "This Week." "Right now, unless we pass this bill, we cannot have an interrogation program continue that we know has been lifesaving that has uncovered terrorist attacks against the United States."

Sun Sep 24, 4:09 PM ET LONDON, England (AFP) - Yusuf Islam, the British singer known as Cat Stevens before his conversion to Islam, added to the criticism of Pope Benedict XVI's recent remarks about the religion. ADVERTISEMENT Islam, known for his 1970s hits including "Father And Son" and "Wild World," said that the pope quoting from a medieval text which attacks some of the Prophet Mohammed's teachings as "evil and inhuman" showed the pontiff was not infallible. Roman Catholic theology says that the pope cannot err in teachings on faith or morals. In an interview with BBC television, Islam said that he went to a Catholic school, "so at one point I used to believe that the Pope was infallible." But he added that the pope's comments on Islam showed he was fallible, "because of the kind of interpretation he had of Islam, he should read Gandhi and find out what he said about Islam," the singer said, adding that the Indian leader had a more peaceful interpretation of the faith. The pontiff "should have looked elsewhere if he wanted to quote but we respect the Pope and his position -- I do believe he has retracted in a way that statement and that's all to the good." The pope's comments sparked outrage around the Muslim world and he has now said he was "deeply sorry" for the reaction they caused. Perhaps Britain's most famous Muslim, 58-year-old Islam became a Muslim in 1977 after a near-death experience and is now a children's charity campaigner. In 2004, Islam was on a flight from London to the United States which was diverted when he was found to be on a no-fly list. He was detained by US security officials before being sent back to Britain. The music star said he has had "no explanation" for the incident but says he is now welcomed when he travels to the United States. He also spoke out against Muslim extremism after British Home Secretary John Reid last week was barracked by a protestor, saying: "When a person actually doesn't abide by the basic etiquettes of Islamic life and behaviour, you can't blame Islam, you have to look at the individual."

HealthDay - SUNDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Cutting calories may halt or even reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's, according to a new animal study.