Jailed Mapuche Indian activist passes 100 days of hunger strike

An indigenous-rights activist jailed for setting fire to a farm once owned by Mapuche Indians passed the 100-day mark of a prison hunger strike by urging colleagues to "continue to fight" for the recovery of their lands.

"Let's keep advancing, more united than ever to defend our rights to land and freedom," Patricia Troncoso said in a letter dated Jan. 18, the 100th day of her fast, and released by other activists on Monday.

"Each one of us has a responsibility, the responsibility of continuing to defend all those who generously fight to support the Mapuche Nation, communities and exploited poor people," she wrote from the …

Big-time baseball dream deferred, not dead, in mind of determined Schaumburg Flyers star: Injury could keep him out for the rest of the season

Ten minutes before game time, Nelson Gord is signing autographs.This is what you do when you've fractured a bone in your glove handand can't play. You suit up all the same and sign autographs forlittle kids who think anybody in a uniform is Babe Ruth, for teenagegirls who think you're cute, for grown men and women who think, whoknows, you might still be the next Barry Bonds.

If you play for the Schaumburg Flyers, as Gord does, chances areyou're not the next Bonds. The Flyers play in an independent minorleague and that puts them at the very bottom of the professionalbaseball ladder. Any lower and you're playing just for fun.

But until he injured his hand, Gord was …

The establishment of a national system of food inspection in Canada

Over the past decade, public and professional concern over the links between diet and ill health has grown enormously but in the relative absence of discussion about the policymaking levers currently in place to handle what is seen by some as an emerging public health crisis. How will nutrition policymakers tackle these difficult emerging health policy issues? What are the nutrition policymaking levers that are currently available to reverse the increasing levels of nutrition-related problems, such as the rising levels of diabetes and obesity observed in the population?

The federal government's system of food regulation (because it develops food standards, regulates food quality, …

Microsoft, Yahoo stock rise on deal talks report

Yahoo Inc. shares rose more than 5 percent Wednesday as The Wall Street Journal reported Microsoft Corp. has talked to other media companies about teaming up to buy Yahoo's search business.

The paper reported Microsoft has spoken to News Corp., Time Warner Inc. and others about a way to complete the proposed deal, which the software maker has been exploring since withdrawing a $47.5 billion bid to buy Yahoo in its entirety in May.

Microsoft had previously proposed buying Yahoo's search operations for $1 billion and investing an additional $8 billion for a 16 percent stake in Yahoo's remaining business.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo rejected that …

Stocks surge on strong earns from Intel, JPMorgan

Surprisingly strong earnings reports from Intel Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are sending stocks sharply higher.

In early trading Wednesday, the Dow Jones industrials were about 40 points away from the 10,000 mark, a level not seen in a year. Major stock indexes all rose about 1 percent.

JPMorgan Chase, the first major bank to report third-quarter earnings, stoked the market's optimism as it handily beat Wall Street's expectations, reporting a profit of $3.59 billion for the July-September period. However the bank also said loan losses are still high and are likely to remain so for some time.

Intel also beat analysts' estimates, reporting a …

3-year defending state champions No. 1 in country // Fremd dynasty gets even better

What can Fremd do for an encore?

After winning three consecutive state championships and settinga record last season with 151.75 points, the Vikings are even better.

So much better that the National High School Gymnastics CoachesAssociation has ranked Fremd the No. 1 girls gymnastics team in thenation this season.Fremd returns state all-around champion MaryAnne Kelley, ajunior, Kendra Ciancio, also a junior, and senior LisaPellegrinetti. They finished 1-2-3 in the floor exercise at thestate meet last year. Ciancio captured third place in the all-aroundwhile Pellegrinetti was seventh.The trio took seven of the top 12 spots in the four events lastyear. Add …

APNewsBreak: Corps pegs '11 flood damage at $2B

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Army Corps of Engineers estimates it will cost more than $2 billion to repair the damage to the nation's levees, dams and riverbanks caused by this year's excessive flooding.

That sum dwarfs the $150 million the corps has on hand for such repairs and will likely rise because it doesn't account yet for damage caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

The Senate …