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U.S. forces may be close to unlocking the mystery of who is behind a deadly innovation in Iraqi insurgents' weapons, a "lob bomb" now being used in Baghdad to target U.S. and Iraqi combat outposts, a senior American general said Friday in an Associated Press interview.

Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, called the weapon "the greatest threat right now that we face," and he likened the shadowy group behind it to the American military's elite Delta Force.

The weapon is particularly worrying because it is designed to cause catastrophic damage and cannot be stopped once it has been launched, Hammond, commander of …

Quote of the day

"There's a lot of other people in life that don't get secondchances. ... I'm very fortunate to be in this position."

Eric Larson, Mark Calcavecchia's caddie, who's back on the bagafter 10-plus years in federal prison on drug charges

LUCKY SIGN

Other teenagers may go ga-ga over rock stars. Courtney Shattuckwill take Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods any day.

Especially today -- which happens to be her 16th birthday.

That's why she went out of her mind when she found out Mickelson,Woods and Geoff Ogilvy would be playing at 8:30 this morning in thefirst round of the PGA Championship at Medinah. Shattuck, whoseparents are members at Medinah, will …

Ciudad de M

Ciudad de M. Dir, Felipe Degregori. Per�, 2000. Duraci�n: 105 minutos.

La pel�cula, con el llamativo t�tulo de Ciudad de M, es una adaptaci�n de la novela Al final de la calle (Oscar Malca), obras que abordan la tem�tica de la delincuencia juvenil dentro de los cordones de miseria urbanos, que tiene ya una larga tradici�n en Am�rica Latina, estando presente en el cine latinoamericano desde la �poca de Los olvidados (1950), de Bu�uel. El gui�n de Ciudad de M fue premiado por el Consejo Nacional de Cinematograf�a (CONACINE) y tiene como guionistas a Oscar Malca y Giovanna Pollarollo (guionista de varias pel�culas dirigidas por Francisco Lombardi, quien en esta pelicula es el …

Palestinian couple in Alabama fights deportation

An immigrant couple with six children are trying to block the government's attempt to deport them and their oldest son from Alabama, arguing they are stateless Palestinians with nowhere else to go.

Mohammad Mohammad said he and his wife, Sana Alsayed, and their 18-year-old son, Imad Mohammad, were arrested Jan. 12 at their home in Hoover as the couple's five younger children _ all U.S. citizens _ watched. They were detained on warrants for failure to depart the country after being denied asylum in July 2001.

The father, who works as a handyman, has since been released from custody to care of the younger children _ ages 6, 7, 13, 15 and 17. But the mother …

7 former POWs return to U.S. soil Cheered by crowd as plane lands at Texas base; spirits high

FORT BLISS, Texas--Seven former U.S. prisoners of war returnedhome Saturday to a crowd of flag-waving family and friends, a weekafter they were rescued in Iraq.

Thousands of well-wishers waved flags and cheered as the C-17transport plane landed at Fort Bliss.

Friends and family gathered under the tail of the plane with openarms as the soldiers exited, including Spec. Shoshana Johnson, whohopped on one leg as she was helped onto a golf cart. She was shot inboth ankles by Iraqi fighters.

The cart then took a victory lap in front of the overjoyed crowd.Spec. Joseph Hudson, one of the former POWs, jumped off the cart atone point and said "This is a great country. …

WVU third-string quarterback will have shoulder surgery

DAILY MAIL SPORTSWRITER

Coach Rich Rodriguez might have a new sideline sidekick at thisseason's Gator Bowl.

Rodriguez said redshirt freshman quarterback Adam Bednarik, who isthird on the West Virginia University depth chart, will have shouldersurgery this month and will be unavailable to practice for theMountaineers' Jan. 1 Gator Bowl date with No. 16 Florida State.

Bednarik, who played briefly at the end of routs of East Carolinaand James Madison, will have the rotator-cuff surgery on his throwing(right) shoulder. The Bethlehem (Pa.) Catholic High graduate alsostood by Rodriguez during games and helped signal offensive plays.

"The injury came around …

US consumer credit grows in October, reflecting higher use of credit cards

Consumer borrowing in the U.S. rose in October at a slightly faster rate than the previous month as shoppers continued to depend on their credit cards to finance purchases.

The Federal Reserve reported Friday that consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in October, faster than the 1.6 percent growth rate for September.

The gain reflected an acceleration in the growth of credit card debt which offset a second straight month of declines in the category of debt that includes auto loans.

Revolving credit, which includes credit card debt, increased at a rate of 8.3 percent in October following a gain of 6 percent in September and an …