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Arroyo directs military to look for gunmen

MANILA, Philippines, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed the country's military to search for gunmen in the hostage-and-killing in Maguindanao province Monday.

Gunmen took dozens of hostages Monday, killing many them, officials said. Accounts of the number of people seized and killed varied. CNN reported 30 people were taken hostage and at least 21 killed. The Philippines New Agency reported about 50 people were taken hostage and 29 killed. Los Angeles Times reported 30 died, including 13 women.

In addition Arroyo ordered authorities to secure the affected area, saying nothing would be spared in searching for, arresting and prosecuting of the perpetrators, PNA said.

Arroyo also ordered checkpoints and choke points in the area, her office said.

The sister and the wife of Esmael Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan in Maguindanao, were going to file his certificate of candidacy in the provincial gubernatorial race when they were attacked near the town of Ampatuan. They were traveling with an entourage of lawyers and local journalists.

The Philippine armed forces said the gunmen allegedly were led by followers of incumbent Andal Ampatuan. Ampatuan, has controlled the autonomous Muslim region for the last decade.

Army Col. Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, said the bodies were found about three miles from where the victims were taken captive, the Times reported. Philippine military troops were searching for at least a dozen more victims who also had been among the group.

"Many of them (were) beheaded, including probably journalists," Ponce said. "Troops are in the area and tracking down those responsible in these killings."

Amnesty International, meanwhile, condemned the killings and called for an immediate investigation.

"These killings underline the danger facing civilians in the run up to the national elections. The authorities must immediately launch an independent and effective investigation into these murders and ensure that they do all they can to prevent killings and other violence," Donna Guest, deputy Asia Pacific director for Amnesty International, said in a release.

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Obama pushes science, math

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama announced Monday a 10-year, nationwide effort to move U.S. students to the head of the global class in science and math achievement.

The "Educate to Innovate" campaign has an initial private-sector commitment of more than $260 million from corporate giants such as Intel, Xerox and Time-Warner to take science and math programs "beyond the classroom," Obama told an audience of educators, scientists, mathematicians and engineers, along with science students from several schools.

The key to facing down a variety of global challenges, Obama said, "will be reaffirming and strengthening America's role as the world's engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation."

At the grassroots level, teachers and other organizations would being a National Lab Day to reach 10 million young people with hand-on learning and "get their hands dirty," Obama said.

The lab day would give students a chance of "being the makers of things, not just the consumers of things," he said.

The Obama administration also would be involved, he said, by starting an annual national science fair at the White House "to show young people how cool science people can be."

Also, several television giants -- the Discovery Channel and "Sesame Street" -- will provide commercial free education either in the classroom or over the airwaves.

"This is only the beginning," Obama said, adding that he also would challenge the private sector to partner with community colleges to help train today's students for tomorrow's jobs.

"(This) is a difficult time in our country and it would be easy to grow cynical and wonder if America's best days are behind us ... ," Obama said. "But I believe we have an opportunity now to move beyond the failures of the recent past and to recapture that spirit of American innovation and optimism."

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Obama, Pentagon differ over troop costs

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- The White House and the U.S. military are using different methods to estimate the cost for the anticipated build-up of Afghanistan troops, analysts say.

The Pentagon says the troop increase will cost $500,000 per year for every additional soldier, but the White House Office of Management and Budget is figuring twice that amount, partly because the president's advisers are being careful not to underestimate the costs and then lose the public's faith, The Chicago Tribune reported Monday.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, is concerned that "sticker shock" might work against them as they seek to justify sending 40,000 more troops to the war zone, the newspaper said.

"Our resources in manpower, our resources in human lives and our resources in money are not infinite," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told the Tribune. "The notion that we wouldn't take each of those things into account does not make a lot of sense to this commander in chief."

But conservatives reportedly suspect the Obama administration is purposely "high-balling" the cost numbers to weaken support for the troop push.

"The large-scale message has been, 'This is going to be hard and expensive,'" said Thomas Donnelly of the American Enterprise Institute.

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Sanford faces 37 ethics charges

COLUMBIA, S.C., Nov. 23 (UPI) -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford faces ethics charges on 37 counts of using his office for personal financial gain, the state ethics commission said Monday.

Charges on the list released by the committee include spending state money on business-class plane tickets, instead of flying coach; using state aircraft for political and personal events, and using his campaign fund for non-campaign expenses, The New York Times reported.

The list offers the first details of accusations the ethics commission will pursue after a review of Sanford's travel and financial records, the newspaper said.

A legislative committee Tuesday will take up an impeachment resolution, which deals with accusations different from the ethics commission, officials said. The ethics commission reviewed charges of misuse of public resources, while the impeachment resolution concerned Sanford's secret trip to Argentina in June to visit a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair.

The 17-page document released Monday listed 18 instances when Sanford flew business class or first class instead of coach as required by law. Nine counts concerned misuse of state aircraft, including accusations of using government planes to get a haircut, attend a son's sporting event and go to a birthday party. Ten counts charged Sanford with using money from the Sanford for Governor Campaign fund for personal or non-official expenses.

A hearing on the charges will probably take place early in 2010.

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Black Wednesday? Retailers extend deals

NEW YORK, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Black Friday may not be confined to Friday anymore, as some U.S. retailers said sales would begin before Thanksgiving to make up for a slow economy.

"Retailers understand that consumers are reconfiguring their balance sheets. We know they're not spending as much or as frequently," James Russo of Nielsen Marketing told The Detroit News.

Kmart and Wal-Mart are already pushing Black Friday sales, which traditionally occur the day after Thanksgiving -- called Black Friday as it is said to be the day stores move into the black for the year.

It is still expected to be a slow year. The National Retail Federation said the average shopper will spend $507.90 on the holidays, down from $534.79 a year ago.

"Despite some of the prevailing thinking that the economy is turning around, there are still major headwinds facing the consumer," Russo said.

One market analyst urged shoppers to make quicker decisions this year, as stores, burnt with too much inventory a year ago, are cutting back.

"If you see it, you should buy it, because there's a good chance it will be gone," said Darla Bowen, marketing director at Fairlane Town Center, a Michigan firm.