UPI News Update

S.Korean leaders oppose sanctions on North

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- South Korea's incoming and outgoing leaders said Tuesday they oppose the U.S. move to isolate North Korea and any pre-emptive strike on its nuclear facilities. The two men also said possible U.S. economic pressure on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions could trigger armed conflicts on the world's last Cold War frontier. "We cannot again go back to the Cold War system or to extreme confrontation," said President Kim Dae-jung, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his efforts to improve long-frigid relations with the North.

American missionary recovering in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A U.S. pharmacist reportedly was improving a day after being shot apparently by an Islamic extremist, Yemen's Interior Ministry said Tuesday. Donald Caswell is the only survivor among four Baptist missionaries shot when Abid Abdulrazzaq Al-Kamil allegedly opened fire on a staff meeting at Jibla hospital.

More DNA tests sought in search for killer

LAFAYETTE, La., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Authorities next week will ask another 50 to 100 men to voluntarily submit DNA samples to help in the investigation into a serial killer who has slain four women in the past 14 months in south Louisiana. Police want to compare the samples to the DNA of a man who has been linked through the testing to the slayings of three women in Baton Rouge and most recently the beating death of a woman last month near Lafayette. Samples have been voluntarily submitted by about 800 men at Baton Rouge and 600 of those individuals have been eliminated as possible suspects, Baton Rouge Police Chief Pat Englade said Monday. Test results are pending in the other cases.

Accused N.H. priest possible suicide

MANCHESTER, N.H., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Authorities on Tuesday awaited the results of tests to determine if a New Hampshire priest accused of molesting a minor took his own life. If confirmed, the Rev. Richard T. Lower, 57, would be the third Roman Catholic priest this year -- and at least the 13th since 1986 in the United States -- to commit suicide following allegations of sexually abusing children. Lower, the pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church in New London, N.H., was found dead Sunday morning in a rural area not far from where his car was parked in Enfield.

U.S. bankruptcies set record in 2002

NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- For a second year, U.S. corporate bankruptcies reached record levels. "The combination of massive accounting fraud and the free spending of the past decade has brought down a string of household names in the past year, including five of the 10 biggest collapses on record," the British Broadcasting Corp. said. In 2002, there were 186 bankruptcies of public companies, with $386 billion in assets. Of the five biggest failures, four featured accounting trouble. There was phone company WorldCom, whose $104 billion in assets "made it the most expensive collapse in history," Conseco, Global Crossing and cable company Adelphia Communications.

Consumer confidence falls 4.6 points

NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The Conference Board said Tuesday consumer confidence in the nation's economy was knocked down in December by the rising unemployment rate and the discouraging job outlook. Economists on Wall Street were expecting confidence to inch up to 86 during the month. The private research group said its index measuring consumer confidence, which uses 1985 as a base of 100, fell 4.6 points to 80.3 from a revised 84.9 in November but up from its 9-year low of 79.6 in October. The board had originally reported confidence as 84.1 during November. Consumer confidence hit an all-time high of 144.7 in May 2001.

Stocks torpedoed by consumer confidence

NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Prices on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market were lower in light pre-holiday trading early Tuesday afternoon as investors digested a disappointing report on consumer confidence. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average, which rose 29.07 points Monday, was down 8.57 points to 8,324.28. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index, which slipped 8.77 points in the previous session, was down another 2.12 points to 1,3376.42.

Six bowl games dot sports lineup

ATLANTA, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The college football season heats up Tuesday with six games on tap. The busiest day of the off-season slate started with WAC champion Boise State (11-1) hosting Iowa State (7-6) in the Humanitarian Bowl. Washington (7-5) takes on Purdue (6-6) in the Sun Bowl, Fresno State (8-5) faces Georgia Tech (7-5) in the Silicon Valley Classic, and Conference USA champion Texas Christian (9-2) battles Mountain West winner Colorado State (10-3) in the Liberty Bowl. In night games, Tennessee (8-4) meets Maryland (10-3) in the Peach Bowl, and Air Force (8-4) clashes with Virginia Tech (9-4) in the inaugural San Francisco Bowl. The game of the day likely will take place in the Georgia Dome, where the Terrapins and Volunteers square off.