Paterson not bitter at sacking

Steve Paterson admitted he was not surprised at his Peterheadsacking.

The 49-year-old was axed by the Blue Toon after a poor run ofresults in the Second Division.

The former Aberdeen boss said: "I am not overly surprised as yourarely get time in football these days to see a job through. Clubswant results quickly.

"I realise football clubs are run by directors who areresponsible for the financial side of things.

"They are the men who have to make the difficult decisions and Ihave the utmost respect for the board at Balmoor.

"Despite leaving the club I have no axe to grind."

The decision will come as a blow to the former …

Gov. Lang? Campaign moves to the Internet

Gov. Lang? Campaign moves to the Internet

He hasn't yet made it official, but it's no secret either- State Rep. Louis Lang (D-16th) has his eye on the governorship in the 2002 election.

In fact he's had it there since 1998, but now he's seeking support online for his exploratory efforts because, he says, the time seems right.

He's been travelling around the state - visiting 85 counties in the last month - where he's been getting "a tremendous amount" of encouragement.

He says that there are 50 or more Democratic country chairmen ready to support him.

"I'm out of the gate first," Lang told the Jewish Star this week, "and anyone else will have to catch …

Paul Newman is mourned in Iran

Iranians mourned Paul Newman on Sunday in a rare instance of adoration of cinema trumping ideological and political differences.

In an unusual move, even a major state newspaper, IRAN, ran a front-page story about Newman's death. Government dailies traditionally trumpet the Islamic Republic's staunch anti-American stance and rarely cover American pop culture.

More liberal independent newspapers, including Iran's largest circulation Hamshahri, also ran front-page articles on Newman's death. The independent Etemaad and Kargozaran splashed large photos of the American actor on their front pages.

"The end of the last classic star," was …

MP calls for help for families hit by end of education allowance

Wells MP Tessa Munt has called for action to help families hit bythe scrapping of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) last year.

EMA paid students up to Pounds 30 a week if household income wasless than Pounds 30,000.

One North Wootton parent says that it costs Pounds 1,400 a yearto send her children to Strode College and the axing of EMA has hitthe family finances hard.

Ms Munt said: "Getting student funding right for AS and A2 levelsis crucial, as if you can't do your A levels, you're not in aposition to apply for a place at university."

Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, says he willreplace EMA with more targeted support …

Democrats Want Troops Out if Goals Unmet

WASHINGTON - House Democratic leaders have coalesced around legislation that would require troops to come home from Iraq within six months if that country's leaders fail to meet promises to help reduce violence there, party officials said Thursday.

The plan would retain a Democratic proposal prohibiting the deployment to Iraq of troops with insufficient rest or training or who already have served there for more than a year. Under the plan, such troops could only be sent to Iraq if President Bush waives those standards and reports to Congress each time.

The proposal is the latest attempt by Democrats to resolve deep divisions within the party on how far to go to scale back …

New Zealand to attend New Delhi games

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand athletes will compete at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games but officials will review progress around athletes' accommodation and security on a daily basis.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee announced after a near seven-hour meeting Friday that it would continue planning for its athletes to begin arriving in the Indian capital from Sept. 28.

President Mike Stanley said progress made by games organizers in the past 24 hours had been significant, but his organization would continue review hygiene, security and other standards around games facilities.

"We remain hopeful that things can be turned around," Stanley told a news …

Indian officials to meet to decide BlackBerry ban

Indian authorities are scheduled to meet Monday evening to decide whether to ban some BlackBerry services in India, one day ahead of a government-imposed deadline for the device's maker Research In Motion Ltd. to give security agencies access to encrypted data.

Home Secretary G.K. Pillai will meet officials from the Department of Telecommunications, the Intelligence Bureau and the National Technical Research Organization _ a cyber intelligence organization _ to discuss BlackBerry security issues, Home Ministry spokesman Onkar Kedia said by phone from New Delhi.

He declined to discuss details of the talks, which will determine whether some one million BlackBerry …