Norwegian club officials arrested in fraud probe

updated 12:58 p.m. ET Nov. 30, 2011

OSLO, Norway - Stabaek and Vaalerenga officials have been arrested in a fraud investigation centered on former Iceland striker Veigar Pall Gunnarsson's transfer between the two Norwegian clubs.

Police say the clubs illicitly structured the deal to lower French club Nancy's share of the transfer sum. Gunnarsson left Nancy for Stabaek in 2009 and transferred to Vaalerenga in July.

Vaalerenga sporting director Truls Haakonsen and Stabaek counterpart Inge Andre Olsen were arrested on suspicion of breach of trust.

Police prosecutor Morten Stene says both deny wrongdoing and have been released after questioning.

Stabaek claims it has settled the matter with Nancy, but Stene says there is still cause for a criminal investigation.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Galaxy win in Indonesia

Robbie Keane scored in the 14th minute to give the Los Angeles Galaxy a 1-0 win over an Indonesian all-star team in the first exhibition game of the MLS champions' Asian tour.

Season set

Major League Soccer's 2012 season will open March 10 with six games.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45494793/ns/sports-soccer/

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Singer Mindy McCready's 5-year-old son in custody (AP)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. ? By the time Arkansas authorities took country singer Mindy McCready's 5-year-old son from her and into custody on Friday evening, one thing had already become apparent to much of America: McCready's life has come to resemble a bad country song.

Since her success in the mid-1990s as a honey-voiced success story out of Nashville, McCready has been increasingly known for her personal foibles instead of her music.

This week's custody battle was the latest in a long saga of personal heartache and brushes with the law.

Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Terri Durdaller said in an email Friday night that her agency was working with Arkansas state officials to bring McCready's son, Zander, back to his maternal grandmother in Florida. His grandmother has been his guardian since 2007.

Officials say he's safe and in good health.

Gayle Inge, Zander's grandmother and McCready's mother, was tearful when she talked about the news by phone Friday night with The Associated Press.

"I'm real excited that he's safe," she said. "But I can't explain what this is like. We feel for Mindy and we feel for Zander."

Inge said Zander was taken into custody at McCready's boyfriend's lake home in Arkansas. Inge said that her son ? McCready's half-brother ? texted McCready, who responded with a text that said her mother would never see her again.

"I want to wrap my arms around her and tell her that I love her," Inge said, adding that her daughter and grandson were found by authorities "hiding in a closet."

McCready, who turned 36 on Wednesday, did not respond to emails late Friday.

The evening's developments capped a days-long struggle between McCready ? who is seven months pregnant with twins ? and several others, including state of Florida child welfare authorities, a Fort Myers, Fla. judge and her own mother.

Authorities say McCready took the boy during a visit late last month to her father's Florida home, where she was allowed to visit the boy. McCready's parents are divorced.

A Florida judge signed an order Thursday telling authorities to take the boy into custody and return him. It's not yet clear whether the singer could face criminal charges.

McCready said earlier in the week that she would not bring her son back from Tennessee, where she has a home, despite violating the custody arrangement. She told the AP that her son had suffered abuse at her mother's house, a claim that Inge vehemently denies.

"I'm doing all this to protect Zander, not stay out of trouble," McCready wrote in an email to the AP on Thursday. "I don't think I should be in trouble for protecting my son in the first place."

McCready told the AP Wednesday night she was in Tennessee and couldn't travel because she is pregnant with twins.

The boy's father, Billy McKnight, told NBC's "Today" show Friday he spoke on the phone with McCready and their boy after the judge's 5 p.m. EST Thursday deadline expired.

"He did sound healthy and ok. He wasn't crying or scared," McKnight said about their son.

"I think she believes she has a case and doesn't realize she's pushing her luck on this one," he said.

McCready and her mother have had a long custody battle over the boy, who was living with McCready's mother.

"We can confirm that Zander has been taken into custody and we are working with Arkansas state officials to bring him back to his legal guardian in Florida," Durdaller wrote late Friday. "He is safe and in good health.

McCready had provided a series of emails to the AP with Lee County Judge James Seals' ruling to return the boy.

"Mom has violated the court's custody order and we are simply restoring the child back into our custody," the judge wrote. "Nothing more. Nothing less. The court makes no judgment about whether Mom will or will not competently care for the child while in her custody. It only wants the child back where the court placed him."

McCready found fame in the mid-1990s when she moved to Nashville at the age of 18, armed with only her karaoke tapes. Her first album, "Ten Thousand Angels," sold two million copies.

Her next four albums weren't as successful. Her personal troubles began encroaching on her professional success. According to her website, she suffers from severe depression.

McCready fought the release of a tape in which she reportedly talked about former Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, with whom she had an affair as a teenager.

In August, she filed a libel suit against her mother and the National Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc., over a story published in the tabloid newspaper that quoted Inge.

And in 2008, McCready was admitted to a hospital after police said she cut her wrists and took several pills in a suicide attempt.

During the TV show "Celebrity Rehab 3" in 2010, McCready came off as a sympathetic figure, and host Dr. Drew Pinsky called her an angel in the season finale.

Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111203/ap_en_mu/us_people_mccready

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Oil price drops below $100 a barrel

NEW YORK (AP) ? Oil prices are falling after a four-day surge as traders await a key U.S. jobs report.

Benchmark crude dropped by 96 to $99.40 per barrel in New York. Brent crude lost $1.66 at $108.32 in London.

Prices had risen every trading day since Thanksgiving. They were boosted by tension over Iran's nuclear program and an effort by the Fed and central banks of other nations to increase the flow of dollars to foreign banks.

Now traders are awaiting the November unemployment report, to be released Friday by the Labor Department. High unemployment has been a drag on the economy and has kept demand for oil and gas weak.

"Everything's on hold right now," PFGBest analyst and oil trader Phil Flynn said. "We're a little worried about what those jobs numbers will be tomorrow."

Government data released Thursday suggested that the U.S. jobs market remains weak. The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits rose above 400,000 last week for the first time in a month, the Labor Department said. Applications would need to fall below 375,000 for an extended period to cut into the nation's 9 percent unemployment rate.

Separately, other reports gave a better reading on the economy. Manufacturing activity in the U.S. rose in November to a seven-month high. Auto makers including Chrysler, General Motors and Ford reported big increases in sales last month. And builders spent more in October on homes, offices and shopping centers, though construction spending remains anemic compared with previous years.

At the pump, retail gasoline prices slipped by less than a penny to $3.292 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. A gallon of regular is about 69 cents cheaper than it was at its peak this year, near $4 per gallon, but it's still almost 43 cents higher than at the same time last year.

In other energy trading, natural gas prices jumped 7 cents, or 2 percent, to $3.62 per 1,000 cubic feet, after the government reported an unexpected decline in U.S. supplies last week.

Heating oil fell by 5 cents to $2.97 per gallon, and gasoline futures fell 1.86 cents to $2.5398 per gallon.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-01-Oil%20Prices/id-ea5e5cb6a7be43c095c4eeec1ab5d3ba

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Honduras turns to army to battle drug gangs (Reuters)

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) ? Honduras' Congress voted on Tuesday to deploy the army to fight encroaching Mexican drug cartels in a bid to curb violence in the world's most murderous country.

By an overwhelming majority, lawmakers decided to follow a model used by Mexican President Felipe Calderon who launched an army-backed campaign against powerful drug gangs soon after taking office in late-2006.

Since then, more than 45,000 people have died in drug violence in Mexico. But on a per capita basis, the small nation of Honduras far out paced every other country in the world in homicides with 82 murders per 100,000 people last year according to the United Nations.

Around 20 people are killed in Honduras every day.

Officials blame the bulk of the murders on cartels smuggling South American cocaine through Central America to consumers in the United States. Honduras also struggles with violent youth street gangs that extort local businesses with death threats.

"This legislation will allow the armed forces to take on policing roles to confront organized crime and drug traffickers operating across the country," congressman Oswaldo Ramos from the ruling conservative party said.

Some rights activists worry the military is not prepared to combat civilian crimes and have accused Mexican soldiers of torture and disappearances in the drug war.

The concerns are heightened in Honduras, where the military helped oust leftist President Manuel Zelaya in a 2009 coup.

"We have serious doubts about the implications of sending the army to do policework," said leftist congressman Sergio Castellanos. "They are not prepared to deal with civilians and this will only strengthen their position in society after the coup," he said.

The move is popular though, and polls have shown people feel safer with soldiers patrolling the streets.

(Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111130/wl_nm/us_honduras_army

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Can this continue?

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I was so excited by the fact that Rosenthal and I disagree on six games ? and that I feel very good about my position in each of them ? that I posted the weekly PFT picks without the perfunctorily pithy opening comments.

Yes, we disagreed on five games last week.? Yes, even though I picked the Packers when Rosenthal picked the Lions and the Broncos when he picked the Chargers, he got me on the other three and extended his season-to-date lead by a game.

It doesn?t matter.? This week, his 12-game lead gets cut in half.

For the week, he was 11-5 and I was 10-6.? For the season, he?s 120-56.? I?m 108-68.

Eagles at Seahawks

Florio?s take:?? Vince Young gets another crack at Pete Carroll, nearly six years after Young stole from Carroll an NCAA title that the NCAA would have stolen from Carroll last year.? The last time the Eagles faced a short week amid so many challenges and distractions, they blew out the Cardinals on Thanksgiving night, 2008.? Though this one won?t be a blowout, it?ll be enough to prolong for another week or two the ultimate demise of the Dream Team.

Florio?s pick:? Eagles 27, Seahawks 19.

Rosenthal?s take: The Seahawks quietly have a strong defense, the fourth quarter of last week?s game notwithstanding. The Eagles don?t do anything quietly. Just when you think their season has bottomed out, they find a way to go lower. Losing a third game to an NFC West team is the new rock bottom.

Rosenthal?s pick: Seahawks 20, Eagles 17.

Titans at Bills

Florio?s take:? The Bills are disintegrating and the Titans still see an opportunity to steal a playoff spot.? With Chris Johnson waking up and the rest of the team doing enough to get more wins than losses, look for the Titans to extend Buffalo?s misery, without having to resort to any Music City Miracles.

Florio?s pick:? Titans 24, Bills 16.

Rosenthal?s take: Buffalo?s meltdown has mostly been on the road. Things might look different at home against a mediocre opponent. Chris Johnson showed renewed quickness last week, but the Titans passing game remains limited. The receivers either can?t get separation or are in the wrong place. Matt Hasselbeck has worked wonders to get this team to 6-5.

Rosenthal?s pick: Bills 24, Titans 21.

Chiefs at Bears

Florio?s take:? Kyle Orton wanted to return to Chicago.? He gets his wish, in a roundabout way.? But he won?t be starting and he may not be playing.? Which is good news for the team for which he wanted to return.

Florio?s pick:? Bears 27, Chiefs 17.

Rosenthal?s take: Todd Haley may not start Kyle Orton, which would be a shame. Orton?s revenge tour starts Sunday in Chicago and ends in Denver on January 1. Don?t discount the Chiefs no matter who starts at quarterback. Caleb Hanie?s pocket presence was Gabbert-like last week. He?s no better than Tyler Palko.

Rosenthal?s pick: Bears 17, Chiefs 14.

Falcons at Texans

Florio?s take:? Coach Gary Kubiak?s decision to entrust the offense to a rookie quarterback gets its toughest test against a team with an offense that has the firepower to test the Texans? much-improved defense.? Though Atlanta could still swipe a playoff berth in the NFC, the home team in this one has the horses to grind the clock, limit Matt Ryan?s chances, and ultimately outscore the Falcons.

Florio?s pick:? Texans 23, Falcons 20.

Rosenthal?s take: The Texans will have to throw more to win this week. The Falcons rush defense can slow down Arian Foster, especially if Houston stays ultra-conservative. I?m hoping for the sake of Texans fans that T.J. Yates shows promise, but it?s hard to see a fifth-round rookie beating many playoff-caliber teams.

Rosenthal?s pick: Falcons 22, Texans 17.

Raiders at Dolphins

Florio?s take:? The Dolphins played well enough to beat the Cowboys in Dallas.? The Dolphins will play well enough to beat the Raiders in Miami.? And the Raiders, still banged up, are due for a stumble.? Tony Sparano may not save his job, but he?ll definitely throw a wrench into the franchise?s plans to draft a quarterback in the top ten.

Florio?s pick:? Dolphins 24, Raiders 21.

Rosenthal?s take: Miami is favored by three partly because Oakland misses its big play threats. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Chaz Schilens, and Louis Murphy make too many mistakes. Michael Bush is playing well, but he?s no Darren McFadden. It?s a credit to Hue Jackson and Carson Palmer this team keeps winning. (And will keep winning.)

Rosenthal?s pick: Raiders 28, Dolphins 24.

Broncos at Vikings

Florio?s take:? Tebowmania invades the Twin Cities, along with a Minnesota native who has become one of the best young receivers in the NFL.? The only way to beat the Broncos is to build a big lead against them, something that the Vikings were able to do back in September, when they were blowing big leads.? Look for this one to remain close and for Tebow to generate a Vick-in-2002 highlight for the winning touchdown run, possibly in overtime.

Florio?s pick:? Broncos 23, Vikings 17.

Rosenthal?s take: Florio?s record would be a lot better if he didn?t go with the Vikings so often early in the year. This week, I?ll return the favor. The Vikings aren?t as bad as their record indicates. The Broncos aren?t as good as their winning streak indicates. Tim Tebow can?t exploit Minnesota?s big weakness in the secondary.

Rosenthal?s pick: Vikings 24, Broncos 21.

Colts at Patriots

Florio?s take:? Once the greatest non-division rivalry in the NFL, the absence of Peyton Manning has made this one a stinker.? The fact that the Colts haven?t won a game this year doesn?t help matters.

Florio?s pick:? Patriots 42, Colts 13.

Rosenthal?s take: Dan Orlovsky has awful luck, becoming the Colts starter just in time to face back-to-back AFC powerhouses on the road. (The Colts head to Baltimore next week.) I think Orlovsky will avoid going down in 0-16 infamy again, but in a week where the Colts can compete. Bill Belichick is going to enjoy this one.

Rosenthal?s pick: Patriots 38, Colts 17.

Bengals at Steelers

Florio?s take:? The Bengals get another chance to prove that they?re for real.? Though they have managed to keep it interesting against the Steelers and Ravens, at some point the Bengals need to win one of these games.? It?ll eventually happen, but the Steelers have been tougher than usual to beat at home this season, and they know they need to keep pace with Baltimore.? Injuries to the Cincinnati secondary coupled with an improving corps of young wideouts could be the difference.

Florio?s pick:? Steelers 28, Bengals 24.

Rosenthal?s take: This is the Bengals? last stand in the AFC North. Andy Dalton did some good things against Pittsburgh last time out should be more prepared for the rematch. The bigger concern is the Bengals secondary. They don?t have enough bodies ? especially at safety ? to deal with the Steelers.

Rosenthal?s pick: Steelers 27, Bengals 21.

Panthers at Buccaneers

Florio?s take:? The Bucs finally get a break from their crippling schedule, which now features three of four games against three-win teams.? If Tampa blows this one, Raheem Morris should go ahead and leave now.

Florio?s pick:? Buccaneers 30, Panthers 20.

Rosenthal?s take: It?s a scary thought for the Bucs that they could be in the NFC South cellar with a loss Sunday.? Another scary thought: Carolina has the diverse running game to pound the Bucs? soft defense for four quarters.

Rosenthal?s pick: Panthers 29, Buccaneers 28.

Jets at Redskins

Florio?s take:? Once an intriguing rivalry given the pipeline of players between the two cities, this one has lost a lot of its pop.? In large part because the Redskins aren?t very competitive.? The Jets need this one badly, but perhaps not as badly as a head coach who hosts the Patriots next weekend.? Perhaps Mark Sanchez will get some extra motivation once he realizes that his inconsistency could put him on the Rex Grossman career arc.

Florio?s pick:? Jets 20, Redskins 14.

Rosenthal?s take: Rex Ryan seasons have a formula. First comes the early overconfidence. Then the humbling midseason swoon.? We?ve hit the portion of the schedule where the Jets go on a winning streak against bad teams with improbable fourth-quarter plays. It all wraps up with the Jets peaking in January.

Rosenthal?s pick: Jets 24, Redskins 21.

Ravens at Browns

Florio?s take:? The Ravens chased three big wins against good teams with deflating losses against bad ones.? Baltimore gets a chance to reverse the trend in Cleveland, where the team that used to be in Cleveland has won four out of five times.? And coach John Harbaugh never has lost there.? The Ravens can see the bye and the home playoff game(s) waiting for them the season?s finish line.

Florio?s pick:? Ravens 30, Browns 17.

Rosenthal?s take: Peyton Hillis returned to the starting lineup just in time to face the Ravens and Steelers four times in five weeks.? Hillis ran hard against the Bengals, but the Browns are too limited offensively to move the ball on Baltimore. This closing stretch will make Colt McCoy?s dreadful numbers even worse.

Rosenthal?s pick: Ravens 22, Browns 13.

Cowboys at Cardinals

Florio?s take:? An old NFC East rivalry renews, with the Cardinals having beaten the Cowboys two times in a row.? This year, the Cowboys have found a way to consistently outscore inferior teams, and that?s simply what the Cardinals are in relation to the current kings of the division these franchises once shared.? As long as the Cowboys don?t kick to Patrick Peterson.

Florio?s pick:? Cowboys 31, Cardinals 21.

Rosenthal?s take: All John Skelton does is win. That?s more proof that judging a quarterback by wins and losses is overrated. Kevin Kolb should be back, and he?ll upgrade the team?s passing game. That doesn?t mean they can beat Dallas. Arizona lost all four games they?ve played this year against teams that currently have a winning record.

Rosenthal?s pick: Cowboys 27, Cardinals 20.

Packers at Giants

Florio?s take:? The possibility that the Giants could upset the Packers will prompt at least one prominent commentator to say, ?That?s why they play the games.?? After this one ends, there?s a chance Giants fans will be saying, ?Why did they play this game??

Florio?s pick:? Packers 35, Giants 20.

Rosenthal?s take: Eli Manning should keep the Giants competitive, but the rest of the team has fallen apart. I?ve been waiting for weeks to pick the Giants in this game, but it makes no sense after New York?s implosion in the Superdome. Justin Tuck isn?t the same guy this year and Osi Umenyiora is hurt. The Giants don?t have much if they don?t have a pass rush.

Rosenthal?s pick: Packers 33, Giants 24.

Rams at 49ers

Florio?s take:? The firing of Jack Del Rio possibly has primed the pump for other coaches to be prematurely punted.? If (when) the Rams get blown out in San Fran, Steve Spagnuolo could the next one to go.

Florio?s pick:? 49ers 30, Rams 7.

Rosenthal?s take: The Rams offense scored three touchdowns combined in their last four games. Brandon Lloyd scored all of them. That slump came against mediocre competition. They?ll be lucky to score one touchdown in San Francisco.

Rosenthal?s pick: 49ers 24, Rams 9.

Lions at Saints

Florio?s take:? With or without Ndamukong Suh, who has in many respects been ordinary this season, the Lions won?t be able to stop an offense that is largely unstoppable in the Superdome.? Unfortunately for the Saints, even running the table likely won?t prevent them from having to travel to San Francisco or Green Bay in the playoffs.

Florio?s pick:? Saints 38, Lions 24.

Rosenthal?s take: The Lions have lost four straight games to winning teams. The Saints haven?t lost at home all year, with three of those wins coming against winning teams. That doesn?t bode well for the Lions. Detroit will make this more interesting than New Orleans? last primetime game, but the result will be the same.

Rosenthal?s pick: Saints 34, Lions 28.

Chargers at Jaguars

Florio?s take:? This could be the most uninteresting Monday Night Football game since Raiders-Seahawks in 2006.? Or perhaps ever.

Florio?s pick:? Jaguars 17, Chargers 10.

Rosenthal?s take: It?s painful to pick a winner of this game. It may be even more painful to watch it. The Chargers defense versus Blaine Gabbert is the ultimate matchup of weakness against weakness. The difference here: Maurice Jones-Drew. He should go to the Pro Bowl for overcoming Gabbert.

Rosenthal?s pick: Jaguars 20, Chargers 17.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/01/pfts-week-13-picks-2/related

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Gender inequality persists in multitasking: study

By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK | Thu Dec 1, 2011 2:45pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Men may be helping more in the home but working women still do more multitasking in U.S. families than their partners and are finding it stressful, according to a new study.

Whether it is housework, cooking or childcare, women do about 10 hours more multitasking in the home each week -- 48.3 hours compared to 38.9 -- which researchers say constitutes an important source of gender inequality.

"When you look at men and women in similar kinds of work situations they look very similar," Barbara Schneider, a professor of sociology at Michigan State University and a co-author of the study, said in an interview.

"But when they come home it is very clear that women are shouldering much more of the responsibilities of housework and childcare."

Schneider and Shira Offer, an assistant professor at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, used data from the 500 Family Study, which looked at how families in eight U.S. urban and suburban communities balance work and family life.

Their research, which is published in the American Sociological Review journal, is based on responses from a subset of 368 mothers and 241 fathers in dual-income families, which they said reflects the most time-pressured segment of the population.

"This (the findings) suggests that working mothers are doing two activities at once more than two-fifths of the time they are awake, while working fathers are multitasking more than a third of their waking hours," Schneider said.

In addition to doing more, the jobs women perform at the same time in the home are more labor intensive, such as housework and childcare, than what men tackle.

The study showed that 52.7 percent of all multitasking for working mothers involved housework, compared to 42.2 percent for fathers, and 35.5 percent was taken up with childcare, as opposed to 27.9 percent for men.

"Fathers, by contrast, tend to engage in other types of activities when they multitask at home, such as talking to a third person or engaging in self-care. These are less burdensome experiences," Schneider explained.

The researchers said the study showed multitasking is also more stressful for women. Only women reported negative emotions when they multitasked at home or in public, while men found it a positive experience.

"We should not be under any false assumptions that things have dramatically changed," said Schneider when asked about the role of women at home and at work.

"I think there are still many issues, both in the workplace and certainly in the home, that suggest there are and continue to be gender inequalities."

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/rqZiY7FiFws/us-multitasking-families-idUSTRE7B01ET20111201

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Conn. man pleads guilty to securities fraud in NYC (AP)

NEW YORK ? A Connecticut man has pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges in New York City, admitting his role in trades that reaped more than $1 million in illegal profits.

John Bennett entered the plea Monday in federal court in Manhattan. The film producer and former investment professional pleaded guilty to conspiracy and securities fraud charges. The 48-year-old Norwalk, Conn., man faces up to 45 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 23.

Authorities say Bennett conspired with a longtime friend in a scheme aimed at making more than $2.6 million in illegal profits by trading on pharmaceutical stocks. His friend had worked at a global human resources consulting firm.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111129/ap_on_re_us/us_insider_trading_arrests

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