Police and protesters clash in Georgia's capital

Police armed with truncheons clashed with opposition leaders and stick-wielding protesters Wednesday in the first major outbreak of violence in a month of demonstrations against President Mikhail Saakashvili, police and government opponents said.

Hours later, thousands of protesters converged on parliament in a late-night rally to demand the president's resignation.

Police and opposition leaders accused each other of starting the clash, which occurred when opposition leaders and hundreds of protesters marched to police headquarters in the capital, Tbilisi, to demand the release of three jailed supporters.

Interior Ministry spokesman Shota …

An awesome release from ignorance of apothegms

The writer hasn't been born who doesn't yearn now and then foran offbeat word. Day after day we write the same stuff, and then aday comes when 52 autos pile up in a fog in Green Bay, Wis. Theincident produced a graphic photo. The picture editor in Seattlewrote a cutline: "At least three people died in the melee."

Ah, but "melee" wasn't the word the writer wanted. It wasclose, for a melee can mean "a confused and tumultuous mingling, asof a crowd," but a melee in ordinary usage is a free-for-all,hand-to-hand fight.

I wouldn't ever discourage a writer from reaching out for theunusual word, but let us make sure that our reach does not exceed ourgrasp. Before you …

Calpine non-exec chairman dies

HOUSTON (AP) — Power generation company Calpine Corp. said Tuesday that its non-executive chairman, William J. Patterson, died last week.

Patterson, 48, served as managing director of SPO Partners & Co., which owned 21 percent of …

Toyota recalls additional 1.09 mln vehicles in US

Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it will recall an additional 1.09 million vehicles in the United States over problems with gas pedals and floor mats _ a fresh blow to the world's top automaker as it struggles to salvage its safety reputation.

The new recal would affect five models _ 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe, Toyota said.

The announcement came just a day after Toyota said it would suspend U.S. sales of eight models _ including the Camry, America's top-selling car _ to fix faulty gas pedals that could stick and cause acceleration without warning.

Last week, Toyota issued …

Medicaid's flaws imperil the poor

Children are dying of preventable diseases again in our cities, afew short years after public health professionals bragged aboutvirtually wiping them out. In Chicago alone, nine children died ofmeasles last year.

And many of the doctors who used to treat poor children andtheir families are turning them away.

These two findings, part of a report that is on its way toCongress, are obviously related.

What is not so obvious is why the 27 million poor people in thiscountry who depend on Medicaid are finding it harder to obtainroutine preventive care.

Part of the answer is supplied by the U.S. Physician PaymentReview Commission, which recently …

[Poverty & inequality in Latin America: issues & challenges]

In Latin America, the 1980s were the "lost decade," a period of regression in all of the economic growth and social welfare indices. Double digit inflation, currency devaluation and recession in almost every Latin American economy contributed to growing poverty and increasing inequality. The 1990s have generally been a period of recovery and stabilization, yet in only two countries-Colombia and Uruguay-has the recovery improved the distribution of income.

This collection applies a multidisciplinary perspective to the new challenges in the distribution of wealth that, alone, seem to unify Latin America. The book is based on the papers presented at a workshop held at the University …

Summary Box: Gustav damages estimated near $10B

LIGHT PUNCH: Insured losses caused by Hurricane Gustav are estimated to be between $4 billion and $10 billion, far less than Hurricane Katrina's $41 billion toll.

DARK DAYS: More than 1 million customers lack power, …