LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12 (UPI) –

Former Miss California USA Carrie Prejean started to walk out on CNN’s Larry King Live after telling King he was being inappropriate but did not leave.

Prejean, who is promoting a book about her experience losing the Miss California USA crown, told King she takes full responsibility for the sex video that surfaced last week, leading her to settle a lawsuit against pageant officials. However, when King asked her why she settled, she refused to answer, saying terms of the settlement are confidential.

King insisted he was not asking about terms of the settlement but about her reasons for settling instead of fighting for her principles.

I think that you are being extremely inappropriate right now, and I’m about to leave your show, she said.

When King took a phone call from a viewer Prejean removed her microphone and after a brief period of confusion the show went to a commercial break.

After the break, Prejean was …

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LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12 (UPI) –

Kevin Ollie made two free throws with 4 seconds remaining Wednesday to wrap up Oklahoma City’s 83-79 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Thunder won on the road for the second time this season by limiting the Clippers to 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma City was clinging to a two-point lead inside the 30-second mark when Ollie stole the ball from Chris Kaman. Rather than foul immediately, the Clippers tried to play defense for the duration of the 24-second clock.

As the clock wound down, Ollie put up a 3-point attempt and when that shot missed he grabbed the rebound. Ollie was promptly fouled by Marcus Camby and made good on both free throws to clinch the win.

Kevin Durant scored 30 points to lead the Thunder, who trailed by three entering the fourth period. Jeff Green had 13 and Ollie scored 11 points.

The Clippers were paced by Kaman with 20.

See the full post at NBA: Oklahoma City 83, LA Clippers 79

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 12 (UPI) –

Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani and his generals are satisfied with the military’s preparedness in its counterinsurgency operation, officials said.

Kayani met with corps commanders Wednesday in Islamabad and the participants expressed satisfaction about preparedness and the successful conduct of the nearly monthlong offensive against terror groups in South Waziristan, Dawn newspaper reported.

Thus far, the military has claimed its security forces have killed more than 400 militants and gained much ground in the battle area, while keeping its casualties low.

However, 10 soldiers reportedly died in separate incidents Wednesday in the troubled northwest region, including a landmine blast and an ambush by militants. At least nine other soldiers were reported missing in the battle that followed the ambush.

Kayani condemned the recent wave of deadly terrorist attacks on civilians across the country, saying the attacks would onl…

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SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 12 (UPI) –

California Attorney General Jerry Brown says the state’s regulatory framework has too many rules for businesses and the courts.

In an interview with Legal Newsline, Brown said the state has so many regulations legislation is sometimes counterproductive.

The whole framework of law is crucial for the operations of business enterprises, he said. But when over prescriptive, it creates a huge and growing amount of overhead and it does seem that we’re reaching the point of counter-productivity.

An annual Harris Interactive survey of in-house corporate counsel ranked California’s legal climate 44th among the states.

Brown spoke with Legal Newsline after delivering an address at the 7th Annual General Counsel West Coast Convention in San Francisco, where he told corporate lawyers the state’s environmental and workplace laws and regulations lead to unnecessary litigation.

We are moving every year to add more and mo…

See the full post at Brown: \’Too many\’ Calif. business rules

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 12 (UPI) –

U.S. researchers found norovirus — stomach flu — RNA detectable in groundwater for more than 18 months.

To better understand the risks of waterborne norovirus transmission, researchers at Emory University’s Center for Global Safe Water examined how long norovirus remains infectious in water.

Common symptoms of norovirus gastroenteritis include diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramping.

Noroviruses are highly contagious and easily spread through several different ways such as eating foods or drinking liquid contaminated with a norovirus. Treatment for norovirus gastroenteritis consists of managing the symptoms while the body fights off the infection.

Outbreaks of norovirus are associated with contaminated groundwater, surface water and recreational water and causes serious morbidity and economic losses.

The researchers presented the finding at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting in Philadelphia.

See the full post at Norovirus detectable in groundwater

BEIJING, Nov. 12 (UPI) –

Human Rights Watch Thursday called on China to close what it called unlawful black jails where a large number of citizens are held incommunicado.

The agency, with headquarters in New York, said Chinese citizens have been secretly held for days or months in such jails — often found in state-owned hotels, nursing homes, and psychiatric hospitals in Beijing and other cities — since 2003.

In a report titled An Alleyway in Hell, HRW said government officials, security forces and their agents routinely abduct people from streets, strip them of their possessions and imprison them.

Detainees are generally petitioners who come to Beijing and other provincial capitals seeking redress for abuses ranging from illegal land grabs to police torture, the report said. Local officials, seeking to avoid receiving demerits from the government, use black jails to ensure the petitioners are punished and sent home, the report said.

In one case cited…

See the full post at HRW: China\’s \’black jails\’ violate rights

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Nov. 12 (UPI) –

Marcus Ginyard had 17 points Wednesday and No. 4 North Carolina went on a huge run midway through the first half before crushing North Carolina Central 89-42.

The one-sided victory allowed the Tar Heels to give nine bench players plenty of action in the second game of the season.

North Carolina scored the last 21 points of the first half and allowed the Eagles only three points in a span of 9:51.

Tyler Zeller added 12 points for the Tar Heels, who have opened the season with two one-sided triumphs. Freshman Leslie McDonald scored seven points and heralded newcomer John Henson had four.

C.J. Wilkerson paced North Carolina Central (0-1) with 16 points.

See the full post at COL BKB: North Car. 89, N.C. Central 42

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov. 12 (UPI) –

A landmine explosion and an ambush by militants killed at least 10 Pakistani soldiers in separate incidents in the northwest region, security officials said.

Eight of the soldiers died Wednesday in the Daw Jungi area after their vehicle hit a landmine, Pakistani Dawn newspaper reported. A passerby died and several other soldiers were injured in the attack.

An ambush Wednesday by militants on a paramilitary convoy in the Mohmand tribal area left two soldiers dead and nine others missing, the report said. Security forces killed 10 militants in a four-hour gun battle that ensued.

Pakistan’s Frontier Corps in Peshawar, capital of the troubled North-West Frontier Province, said four other soldiers were injured in the Mohmand gun battle. Sources told Dawn the ambush occurred in Atum village near the border with Afghanistan as the soldiers were returning to base.

The Pakistani military has been engaged since Oct. 17 in a major offensive …

See the full post at Landmine blast kills 8 Pakistani soldiers

MOSCOW (AFP) –

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was expected to ramp up his drive for economic reform Thursday when he delivers an annual state of the nation speech with industry still reeling from the economic crisis.

Medvedev’s plans, which aim to trim the government role in the economy, would target Russia’s “state corporations” — a key legacy of his Kremlin predecessor, Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev, who last month slammed state corporations as “out of control,” in August ordered audits of the conglomerates that control some of Russia’s prize industrial assets.

The probe showed state funds squandered and executives overpaid, Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika reported to the Kremlin leader on Tuesday.

At that meeting, Medvedev gave the initial nod to a proposal to transform state firms set up by Putin into more transparent joint-stock companies.

Under Putin, now th…

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TUALATIN, Ore., Nov. 11 (UPI) –

A man opened fire with a rifle at a drug-testing clinic near Portland, Ore., killing his estranged wife and apparently taking his own life, officials said.

Robert Beiser, 39, fired multiple shots just before noon Tuesday inside the Legacy MetroLab in Tualatin, Ore., police Chief Kent Barker said, The (Portland) Oregonian reported.

His estranged wife, Teresa Beiser, 36, of Gladstone, was working at the clinic when she was fatally shot, police said. Two of her co-workers were wounded — a 63-year-old man who suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was flown to the Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland, and a 20-year-old woman who was taken by ambulance to the Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland after fleeing to a restaurant near the clinic.

Robert Beiser was found dead at the scene, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Barker said.

A week ago, Teresa Beiser filed for divorce from her husband of 15 years, who work…

See the full post at Oregon man kills estranged wife, himself