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06-08-2000
AP Top News at Midnight EDT

Wednesday, June 7, 2000

Ruling May Frost Microsoft's Relations

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Much of the high-tech industry has been gradually distancing itself from Microsoft since the software giant's legal troubles began, and that tendency is likely to accelerate regardless of whether Wednesday's breakup ruling is upheld on appeal. While still an industry powerhouse, Microsoft's name no longer carries the weight it once did because operating systems have become less crucial components in the increasingly important business of getting the Internet into everything from computers to cellphones to automobiles.

AT&T Defers Plan To Raise Many Rates

WASHINGTON (AP) -- After being sharply rebuked by federal regulators, AT&T said Wednesday it will defer its plan to raise many per-minute rates for tens of millions of customers. The nation's largest long-distance carrier said it will study ways to restructure its rates, focusing on basic rate consumers who make few calls. The company will freeze its current per-minute basic rates until it has completed its review and has informed customers of any changes and available options. The move came hours after telecommunications regulators said they would enforce a pledge by AT&T to pass on to consumers billions of dollars in savings from a restructuring of the phone system.

Survey: Kids Fuel Internet Explosion

SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) -- Children are fueling the Internet explosion, according to a new national survey that found the number of 2- to 17-year-olds logging into cyberspace has tripled since 1997. ``The notion that children are an emerging market is no longer true. They have emerged,'' said Peter Grunwald, president of the San Mateo-based Grunwald Associates, which conducted the survey. The survey found that more than 25 million children in the United States are on the Internet, up from 8 million in 1997. And by the year 2005, the number of children online is expected to increase by another 70 percent, the survey projected.

Bob Hope Released From Hospital

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) -- A week after he was hospitalized for intestinal bleeding, a frail but smiling Bob Hope stood and waved to cameras Wednesday and then was sent home. The 97-year-old entertainer's appearance outside Eisenhower Medical Center had been planned, but not his discharge. Hope decided Wednesday that as long as he was up and dressed that he would go home, and his doctor agreed, hospital spokeswoman Lea Goodsell said.

Dismissals Sought in Columbine Suits

DENVER (AP) -- Jefferson County attorneys asked a federal judge Wednesday to dismiss four lawsuits filed by families of Columbine victims saying the lawsuits unfairly blame the sheriff's department for the massacre. ``Although it is natural to assign blame after a tragedy of this magnitude, the law does not support the attempts to blame law enforcement officers and government officials for atrocities committed by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold,'' assistant county attorney William Tuthill said in a statement.

Sri Lankan Official Killed in Bomb Blast

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- A suicide bomber detonated an explosion in a capital suburb Wednesday, killing a Cabinet minister and 20 others, officials said. The bomber's severed head and limbs were scattered around a traffic island, while police officers and army commandos gathered evidence and pushed the crowd back from the site. Minister for Industrial Development C.V. Gooneratne was among the 21 people killed by the bomber.

Tunnel Found Linking Gaza, Egypt

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Palestinian security forces on Wednesday unearthed a tunnel between Egypt and the Gaza Strip apparently used to smuggle goods into Gaza. Hussein Zanoon, the Palestinian security chief in charge of the Rafah area where the tunnel was found, said five suspects have been arrested. Police were to close the 150-yard-long, 9-yard-deep tunnel later Wednesday, which Zanoon said was used to smuggle Egyptian food and other products into Gaza.

Tokyo Stocks Edge Higher

TOKYO (AP) -- Tokyo stocks edged higher Thursday, supported by an overnight advance on Wall Street. The Nikkei Stock Average gained 29.54 points to 17,174.50 in early trading. On Wall Street Wednesday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 77.29 to 10,812.86 while the Nasdaq composite index rose 82.89 to 3,839.26.

Lakers Defeat Pacers 104-87

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal put up numbers worthy of a champion, scoring 43 points and grabbing 19 rebounds as Los Angeles kept a comfortable lead most of the way and defeated the Indiana Pacers 104-87 in Game 1 on Wednesday night. As expected, O'Neal was an unstoppable force against an opponent with few options for slowing him down. Whether they single-teamed him or used double-coverage, nothing really worked for the Pacers in trying to stop the Lakers' 7-foot-1 center.

AP NewsBrief by ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY

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