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AP Top News at 4:37 p.m. EDT(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Bush says rebates going out Monday should help economyWASHINGTON (AP) _ President Bush said tax rebates will start going out Monday, earlier than previously announced, and should help Americans cope with rising gasoline and food prices, as well as aid a slumping economy. Democrats said they were glad the rebate checks were about to go out, but suggested that multinational oil companies were not among the businesses the stimulus package was originally designed to help. US contracted ship fires warning shots at boats in GulfCAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ A civilian ship contracted by the U.S. military fired warning shots at two small boats that approached it in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy said Friday, the latest in a string of similar incidents to trigger concern in Washington. The U.S. military has been wary of small boats operating near its ships since an explosive-laden vessel rammed the USS Cole as it refueled off Yemen in 2000, killing 17 sailors. 3 NYPD detectives cleared in wedding-day shootingNEW YORK (AP) _ Three detectives were acquitted Friday in the 50-shot killing of an unarmed groom-to-be on his wedding day, a case that put the NYPD at the center of another dispute involving allegations of excessive firepower. Scores of police officers surrounded the courthouse to guard against potential chaos, and as news of the verdict spread, many in the crowd began weeping. Others were enraged, swearing and screaming "Murderers! Murderers!" or "KKK!" Obama presses on gas prices, Clinton hits on debatesINDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Democrat Barack Obama on Friday blamed high gasoline prices on Washington and a political establishment, including his rivals for the presidency, that he says hasn't stood up to oil companies. Hillary Rodham Clinton highlighted his vote for an energy bill she opposed and his campaign contributions from oil company executives. "The candidates with the Washington experience _ my opponents _ are good people. They mean well, but they've been in Washington for a long time and even with all that experience they talk about, nothing has happened," Obama said at a local gas station. "This country didn't raise fuel efficiency standards for over 30 years." Oil prices up on word US ship fired on boats in Persian GulfNEW YORK (AP) _ Oil prices rose sharply Friday on news that a ship under contract to the U.S. Defense Department fired warning shots at two boats in the Persian Gulf. Retail gas prices as expected rose further into record territory, nearing $3.60 a gallon. Crude prices rose on initial reports that a U.S. ship had fired on two Iranian boats; the news raised concerns that a conflict between U.S. and Iranian forces could cut oil supplies from the region. A Navy spokeswoman said the origin of the boats was unclear. Prosecutor: Pregnant teller wounded in robbery loses twinsINDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ A pregnant bank teller lost the twins she was carrying when she was shot in an Indianapolis bank robbery, a prosecutor said Friday. Katherin Shuffield, who was five months pregnant, was critically wounded in the robbery Tuesday morning at a Huntington Bank branch. Police have been searching for the gunman. Zimbabwe police raid opposition, election officesHARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) _ Heavily armed police swooped down on opposition headquarters and independent election observers' offices on Friday, arresting hundreds and beating and shoving scores of people in the clearest signal to date that the government intends to hold on to power. Police seized material on vote counting from both offices in raids that came a day after the United States declared opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had won the presidential elections. Zimbabweans are still awaiting official results. The opposition charges that President Robert Mugabe is using violence and coercion to hold on to power. Stocks mostly up as investors overcome economic worriesNEW YORK (AP) _ Wall Street has ended a wobbly session mostly higher after earlier slumping on concerns about consumer confidence and inflation. The day's trading reflected the market's performance for the week. The major indexes managed slight gains although quarterly earnings reports and mixed economic data presented an uneven picture of the economy. Madonna shows her documentary on Malawi at Tribeca festivalNEW YORK (AP) _ Madonna's harrowing new documentary on Malawi is clearly designed to draw attention to the poverty-stricken nation's plight and help to its people. But the superstar doesn't think much about enlisting aid from the U.S. government. "I don't know what our government does period, instead of getting us in more debt and blowing up countries," she told the audience at the Tribeca Film Festival after premiering the film "I am Because We Are" on Thursday night. The packed audience included close friend Rosie O'Donnell and Natalie Portman. Woods leaves no timetable for return from knee surgeryIRVINE, Calif. (AP) _ Tiger Woods is no longer on crutches since surgery last week on his left knee, but he said Friday in his monthly newsletter that he does not know when he will return. "I knew a couple of months ago I was going to have the surgery," Woods said. "The knee has been bugging me for a while. The only decision was do you miss the Masters or play in the Masters? I decided to play. Even if I had won, I still would have had the surgery." Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |