Fourth body found at collapsed garage

Fourth body foundat collapsed garage
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Rescue workers gingerly searching through the wreckage of a collapsed casino parking garage found the body of a fourth victim early today in a crushed stairwell.
Because of the location and the danger of the unstable wreckage, it took searchers nearly four hours of cutting through cement and clearing debris by hand to remove the body. Afterward, they were ordered off the structure while workers tried to stabilize it with steel cables.
"Everyone now has been accounted for," Deputy Fire Chief John Bereheiko announced.
Nearby, cement slabs that had been the 10-story garage's top five floors still sloped precariously downward, and officials warned that the rest of the garage, which had been under construction, still could fall.
Two workers were found dead in the debris Thursday, several hours after the collapse. Another died at a hospital, and 21 were injured.
Medicare bill talksyield no agreement
WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers failed to agree on tax-free health savings accounts, one of several major unresolved issues in negotiations on a Medicare prescription drug bill.
Closed-door talks that stretched late into the evening Thursday failed to produce any agreements, lawmakers said.
The core group of negotiators -- all but two of them Republicans -- are trying to write legislation to provide a prescription drug benefit for seniors and try to remake Medicare, the government-run program for older and disabled Americans. President Bush has called for its completion by year's end.
Some parts of the bill are independent of Medicare, including the health savings accounts. Lawmakers took up a House-backed measure that would allow people to invest in and draw on these accounts, akin to various retirement accounts that have favorable tax treatment.
Unlike the retirement accounts, however, which allow investors either to take a tax deduction on the money they invest or withdraw it and any interest earned tax free, the proposed health accounts would offer tax breaks on both ends.
They would be available only to people who have health insurance policies with sizable deductibles, $1,000 a year for singles and $2,000 a year for couples.
Israel tightens security;U.S. offers $5M reward
JERUSALEM -- Israel limited access of Muslim worshippers to a disputed shrine for prayers today during the holy month of Ramadan, setting off an angry scuffle.
About 175,000 Palestinians flocked to the sacred hilltop plaza in Jerusalem for Ramadan prayers, while others were turned away at army checkpoints. Control over the site, revered by Muslims and Jews, is one of the most hotly contested issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the West Bank town of Bethlehem, soldiers prevented a few hundred worshippers from entering Jerusalem and some tried to push and shove their way through. Troops fired a stun grenade, setting off a loud blast. One Palestinian was reported slightly injured.
Separately, the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv said the State Department was offering a $5 million reward for information that helps find those behind the roadside bomb attack that destroyed a U.S. diplomatic vehicle and killed three American security guards. The Oct. 15 attack in Gaza led the United States to suspend official travel to the coastal territory and has also set back U.S. involvement in peace efforts.
U.S. soldier is killed
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A U.S. special forces soldier died from wounds he suffered during fighting in a southern Afghan province, the U.S. military said today. The fighting broke out Thursday when troops from the U.S.-led coalition patrolling with Afghan militia in Helmand province met between 10 and 15 combatants about 35 miles west of Deh Rawood in neighboring Uruzgan province, the coalition said in a statement. A-10 Thunderbolt warplanes and Apache attack helicopters were called in to reinforce the ground troops in small-arms fighting between the sides.
Berlusconi pens album
ROME -- Long before his days as billionaire head of state, Silvio Berlusconi used to croon on a cruise ship. Now, Italy's premier has co-written an album of love songs.
Despite governmental duties, Berlusconi found time to write half the tunes on the album "Better With a Song" ("Meglio Una Canzone"), 14 ballads in the romantic Neapolitan style. A sunset graces the album cover; inside there is a picture of the Italian leader grinning. Berlusconi does not sing on the CD. The songs are performed by Mariano Apicella, who earned his keep singing at restaurant tables before being adopted as Berlusconi's favored musical ally.
Associated Press