Ex-Enron CEO denies he cheated on his taxes

Ex-Enron CEO denieshe cheated on his taxes
HOUSTON -- Former Enron Corp. Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling ended lengthy testimony in his federal fraud trial Thursday by denying a new government accusation -- that he may have cheated on his taxes. Skilling calmly said he didn't recall backdating a $10,000 gift check to an ex-girlfriend to avoid paying taxes on it in 1998, and he told jurors that he has heard nothing from the Internal Revenue Service despite repeated reviews of his tax returns. "I paid my taxes," he testified -- more than $66 million from 1997 through 2004. Several other witnesses were scheduled to testify before Skilling's co-defendant, Enron founder Kenneth Lay, takes the witness stand Monday or Tuesday.
Research links genetics,chronic fatigue syndrome
ATLANTA -- Chronic fatigue syndrome appears to result from something in people's genetic makeup that reduces their ability to deal with physical and psychological stress, researchers reported Thursday. The research is being called some of the first credible scientific evidence that genetics, when combined with stress, can bring on chronic fatigue syndrome -- a condition so hard to diagnose and so poorly understood that some question whether it is even a real ailment. Researchers said the findings could help lead to better means of diagnosing and treating chronic fatigue syndrome and predicting those who are likely to develop the disorder, which is characterized by extreme, persistent exhaustion. "The results are groundbreaking," said Dr. William Reeves of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reeves said the study demonstrates that people with chronic fatigue syndrome are unable to deal with everyday challenges and adversity. That could include injuries, illnesses, divorce, even stressful jobs, the researchers said. The CDC estimates more than 1 million Americans have the condition, with women suffering at four times the rate among men.
Haitians go to the pollsfor runoff election
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Haitians prepared to take the final step in their return to democracy with a legislative runoff today to select the first popularly elected government since a 2004 revolt threw the country into chaos. The race for 127 parliament seats features several hundred candidates from more than a dozen parties, ranging from members of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's center-left Lavalas party to former rebels who helped oust him. Observers say a large turnout would boost President-elect Rene Preval's legislative agenda to rebuild the Caribbean nation, which has been battered by gang violence, the closure of many textile factories and high unemployment. Preval's Lespwa party is likely to capture the largest number of seats, but will probably fall short of a majority and will have to forge a coalition government, observers say. Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, has not had a functioning parliament since 2003, and a huge amount of work will be needed after it is installed, said Dan Erikson, a Haiti expert with the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue.
7.7-magnitude quake hitsremote region of Russia
MOSCOW -- A 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit a distant, sparsely populated region of Russia's Far East today, and there were reports in at least one coastal village of damaged buildings -- including a school and a hospital. The quake hit around 12:30 p.m. local time in the Koryak region, nearly 4,350 miles east of Moscow and some 625 miles north of the largest city in the area Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, said Oleg Kotosanov, a duty officer with the regional emergency situations ministry. The U.S. Geological Survey and Japan's Meteorological Agency estimated the quake's magnitude at 7.7. Kotosanov told The Associated Press by telephone that there were reports of damage in some villages of the Pacific region, and that emergency officials were flying by helicopter to several locations..
Northwestern Plainsdig out from blizzard
LEAD, S.D. -- Residents of the northwestern Plains started to dig out Thursday from this week's spring blizzard, which dumped up to 5 feet of snow, cut power and threatened to flood low-lying areas. The heaviest snow was reported in the city of Lead in western South Dakota, near the Wyoming line, where the weather service reported 59.4 inches. Crews struggling with the weight and volume of snow also had to find a place to put it after scooping it up, said Pat Milos, Lead's city administrator. "There's nowhere to put it when there is this much of it," Milos said. About 10 miles to the north in Spearfish, part of the roof at a Wal-Mart store collapsed Thursday afternoon, apparently under heavy snow. There were no reports of injuries.
Associated Press