No. 1 Ducks smash Huskies 53-16 after slow start

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Running back LaMichael James felt it, and so did the rest of the top-ranked Ducks.

There was something inexplicably amiss at the start of Oregon's 53-16 victory over northwest rival Washington on Saturday. Something completely out of character for the nation's most prolific offense.

"I don't know, it was something. We weren't really playing up to standards the first two quarters," said James. "Our tempo wasn't good, I was having some mishaps and other players were having some mishaps. Sometimes you're going to have those games."

The Ducks (9-0, 6-0 Pac-10) were held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time this season. Their first points came …

Norwegian police to question Brits in terror probe

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norwegian police will question several British citizens in their search for potential accomplices of confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik, authorities said Thursday.

Prosecutor Paal-Fredrik Hjort Kraby said the names of other Britons came up when police questioned British anti-Muslim blogger Paul Ray last week. Investigators say they haven't yet found any evidence that Breivik had any accomplices, but don't rule out the possibility.

The British citizens will be questioned shortly in Norway or in Britain, he said.

Breivik was questioned again Wednesday about the Oslo bombing and shooting spree on July 22 in which he killed 77 people.

The …

Sanctity of marriage, reality-TV style

Listen up, gay people, American society is sick and tired of you militants trying to redefine what marriage means. It is a holy union that hasn't changed one teeny-tiny bit over 5,000 years, and it needs to be protected. And what better way to showcase what Miss California calls old-school "opposite" marriage than to feature it on reality television? Fox will soon be giving us "I Married a Stranger," in …

Putin, in last foreign outing as president, looks forward to an end to NATO expansion

This week's NATO summit in Romania will be Vladimir Putin's last appearance at a top-level international forum before he steps down as president, and the place where he expects to finally see an end to NATO's expansion into the stamping grounds of the former Soviet Union.

The Kremlin realizes that it does not have the power to force the West to reverse its recognition of Kosovo's independence or persuade Washington to drop its plan to deploy missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic.

But Putin has had notable success in blocking NATO membership for its ex-Soviet neighbors _ Ukraine and Georgia.

"Georgia's accession into NATO will be …

Hamels earns first win in Phillies' 10-6 victory

Cole Hamels pitched six impressive innings to earn his first win since the World Series, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 10-6 on Friday night.

Jayson Werth, Chris Coste and Chase Utley homered for the NL East leaders, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Making his first start since spraining his left ankle on April 28, Hamels (1-2) allowed two runs, three hits and struck out seven. Hamels was MVP of the NL championship series and World Series last year, but struggled the first month. He lowered his ERA to 6.17.

Atlanta's Casey Kotchman hit a three-run homer off Brad Lidge in the ninth, and Omar Infante also went deep.

…

Glenbrook N., Leyden Start With Momentum

Glenbrook North and Leyden, two programs that won statechampionships in the 1970s but have struggled to rekindle their oldmagic, will carry some momentum into the 1992 season.

Both have tough opening assignments. Glenbrook North willhost Hinsdale South Friday night while Leyden will entertainPalatine.

Glenbrook North, which returns nine starters, was 5-4 last yearbut allowed only 20 points in its last four games and almostqualified for the state playoffs. But can the Northbrook schoolbeat perennial power Deerfield in the Central Suburban North?

"Glenbrook North or Deerfield will win it," Glenbrook Northcoach Larry Heise said. "We must throw the ball …

Afghan gunmen kill 9 guards protecting NATO convoy

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Gunmen killed nine Afghan workers who were guarding a NATO supply convoy in the south of the country, police said Monday.

The attack in Gereshk district happened on Sunday night, said the deputy police chief for Helmand province, Kamaluddin Khan. Military supply convoys are regularly attacked in Afghanistan, where they are seen as an easier target for insurgents than NATO bases.

The shootings come about a week after trucks bearing NATO supplies for troops began flowing again through the important Khyber Pass crossing from Pakistan into Afghanistan. Pakistan had closed the Torkham crossing in protest at a NATO helicopter strike that killed two …