Baptismal clothing is apparel worn by Christian proselytes (and in some cases, by clergy members also) during the ceremony of baptism.

He then sprinkles the newly-baptized with water and washes all of the places the chrism was applied, and performs the tonsure.

Christening Gift

WASHINGTON (Reuters) –
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki meets President Barack Obama on Wednesday in a visit aimed at asserting Iraq's newfound sovereignty and encouraging foreign investors to return to the war-ravaged country.

Three weeks after U.S. troops withdrew from Iraqi towns and cities, paving the way for a full withdrawal by the end of 2011, both Washington and Baghdad are eager to show their relationship has moved into a new phase, one that will see more emphasis placed on non-military cooperation.

Maliki will also hold talks with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and attend an investment conference, U.S. officials said.

"The visit will highlight the non-security ties and lay the groundwork for future economic cooperation and trade," one official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Maliki's Shi'ite Muslim-led government is aggressively courting foreign investors as it struggles to resurrect an economy calcified by decades of sanctions, neglect and war.

During his trip to the United States this week, Maliki will tout Iraq's improved security after six years of conflict that saw tens of thousands of people killed in insurgent and sectarian violence and millions more forced from their homes.

More than 4,300 American soldiers have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein. There are still 130,000 U.S. troops in the country.

But investors remain unsure whether Iraq's legal and regulatory framework will offer them sufficient protection, and while violence has dipped sharply, major bomb attacks are not uncommon. Iraq is also riven by deep divisions among majority Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds.

The Obama administration remains concerned about the pace of political reconciliation in Iraq but, unlike the Bush administration, there are no plans to set political benchmarks for Maliki's government to meet.

"We are not going to be dictating to the Iraqis what they need to do," the U.S. official said. "The main focus will be to stress the importance of a comprehensive long-term partnership that goes beyond security."

The official said he did not know whether Obama planned to raise the issue of political reconciliation at his White House meeting with Maliki.

Both Obama and his vice president, Joe Biden, have used trips to Iraq this year to call on Iraq's government to reach a political accommodation with opponents on disputes ranging from sharing oil revenues to resolving internal boundary issues.

LIFTING CHAPTER 7 STATUS

There are also concerns over growing tensions between Iraq's semi-autonomous territory of Kurdistan and Baghdad that analysts fear could trigger renewed conflict just as the country recovers from years of sectarian bloodletting.

Kurds want to fold the disputed city of Kirkuk, which U.S. officials say could hold as much as 4 percent of world oil reserves, into their northern region, but Maliki's government strongly opposes the move.

"Maliki will ask the U.S. to increase pressure on the Kurdish government. Finding a solution for this issue is vital and cannot be postponed any longer," said Saad al-Hadithi, a political analyst at Baghdad University.

Maliki, whose nationalist stance has helped him outmaneuver political rivals, is also determined to change the perception that Iraq is a client state of the United States and not in control of its own affairs.

"This trip is considered very important because it takes place in the search for a framework for a relationship that is not military but civilian, including diplomatic, political and cultural ties," said Maliki's spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh.

Dabbagh said Maliki in meetings with Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would also press for the lifting of Iraq's Chapter 7 status under a 1991 U.N. Security Council resolution that requires it to pay 5 percent of its oil revenues as war reparations for the 1991 Gulf War.

Dabbagh said the Chapter 7 status had "handcuffed Iraq, restricted its sovereignty and burdened it with the crimes of the former regime," a reference to Saddam and his ill-fated invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Saddam was executed in December 2006.

(Additional reporting by Louis Charbonneau in New York, and Waleed Ibrahim, Missy Ryan and Mohammed Abbas in Baghdad; Editing by Peter Cooney)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) –
Latin singer Marc Anthony has acquired a minority interest in the Miami Dolphins football team, joining entertainers Jimmy Buffett and Gloria Estefan who also are associated with the storied sports franchise.

Anthony, who has sold more than 10 million records in his career and is married to actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, said on Tuesday that he grew up in a sports-oriented family and dreamed of being part of a franchise.

"It's just a dream come true, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a no-brainer," Anthony said in a conference call with reporters.

The Dolphins, whose majority owner and general partner is real estate developer Stephen Ross, played their first game in 1966 and are the only professional football team to have enjoyed a perfect season, winning all their games and the Super Bowl in the 1972/1973 season.

Anthony expects to be an active part of the Dolphins organization working in Miami to drum up community support for the team.

Estefan and her husband, record producer Emilio Estefan, also are minority partners in the team, and "Margaritaville" singer Buffet recently announced a promotional partnership that included renaming Dolphin Stadium to LandShark Stadium, named after Buffett's LandShark lager.

Anthony's involvement with the Dolphins was announced at a news conference in New York City. Financial details were not disclosed.

(Editing by Dean Goodman)

These garments are placed on the newly-baptized immediately after coming up out of he waters of baptism (the Orthodox baptize by immersion, even in the case of infant baptism). As the robe is being placed on the new Christian, the priest says the prayer: "The servant of God, N., is clothed with the robe of righteousness; in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." and the choir sings: "Vouchsafe unto me the robe of light, O Thou who clothest Thyself with light as with a garment, Christ our God, plenteous in mercy."

In Orthodox theology the baptismal robe symbolizes the "Garments of Light" (i.e., the fullness of Divine grace) with which Adam and Eve were clothed in the Garden of Eden before the Fall of Man. Baptism is believed to cleanse the believer of all the sinful defilements both of original sin and personal sins and the white garment is symbolic of this. During the ektenia (litany) before baptism, the deacon prays "That he (she) may preserve this (her) baptismal garment and the earnest of the Spirit pure and undefiled unto the dead Day of Christ our God...", referring not so much to the material garment as to the spiritual cleansing it represents.

Christening Gift

KASOTA, Minn. – A plainclothes sheriff's deputy shot and killed an unarmed 24-year-old man returning from a day of swimming with friends after an argument ensued when he confronted the man for erratic driving, authorities and witnesses said Tuesday.
Le Sueur County Sheriff's investigator Todd Waldron, 37, shot Tyler Heilman after the two scuffled Monday afternoon in Kasota, a town about 60 miles southwest of Minneapolis. Heilman was fatally shot wearing only swim trunks, and those who saw the argument said it wasn't clear the man he was fighting with was a law enforcement officer.
"This ain't right," said Heilman's father, Mark Heilman. "I think the cop just freaked ... Why didn't he just say 'Freeze' or something? Or shoot him in the leg? He shot to kill ... I think he just flipped."
Authorities said Waldron was working another case and driving an unmarked sport utility vehicle on Monday when he saw Heilman driving a car erratically, and at times speeding, so he followed him. At one point, Heilman drove his car off the road and up an embankment.
Waldron called for backup from a marked squad car, but before the car arrived, Heilman pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex and got out of the vehicle. The two began arguing, and when Waldron tried to arrest Heilman, he resisted and the two got into a physical confrontation, said Andy Skoogman, a spokesman with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the case.
BCA investigators believe Waldron fired four shots. Skoogman said Waldron was not in uniform, but he had a sheriff's badge on his belt. Waldron was not working undercover, and Skoogman said authorities are investigating whether the deputy identified himself.
Witnesses give a similar account. Kris Hoehn, who was in the car with Heilman and other friends, said the group was on its way back from a day of swimming at the Minnesota River when they noticed an SUV following them. Hoehn acknowledged the vehicle may have swerved some, and he said Heilman drove up a sledding hill at one point.
Hoehn said the group didn't know Waldron was a deputy. When they arrived at the apartment complex, Waldron asked Heilman for a driver's license, and then the two started arguing, Hoehn said. He said Heilman and the deputy ended up wrestling on the ground.
Heilman ended up on top of Waldron, but got up and "that's when he seen the badge — as he's getting up," Hoehn said. "Then came the gunshots, just as my buddy's hands were going up.
"It was too late. ... We had no idea who he was. If we would have known he was a cop, none of this would've happened," said Hoehn, 24.
Hoehn said Heilman was gasping for breath and said, "I'm done, man. I'm done." He staggered a few feet and fell, face down, on the grass.
It wasn't clear if alcohol played a role in the argument. Tyler Heilman was treated for alcohol abuse while back in high school, but his father said he had kicked the problem, though he still drank a little bit. Hoehn said the group of friends had been drinking "a little" at the lake on Monday, but not enough to affect Heilman's driving. Authorities are conducting an autopsy, which will include toxicology tests.
Summoned by a friend who heard about the shooting, Heilman's father arrived at the scene moments later to find the area sectioned off by police tape, and his son lying on the ground as firefighters attempted to revive him. Heilman said his son was shot twice in the chest while another bullet grazed his right side, and he made the sign of the cross on his forehead a few times.
"I just knelt down by his head, brushed his head, brushed his scar," Heilman said in a telephone interview, noting that his son had brain surgery in May to remove a blood clot.
Skoogman said Waldron suffered non-life threatening injuries, but did not elaborate. The incident — from the time Waldron started following Heilman to the shooting — lasted less than 20 minutes, Skoogman said. There was no weapon found on Heilman or in his car, Skoogman said.
Waldron, who has been a deputy with the department for 10 years, has been placed on standard paid administrative leave, and the investigation could take six to eight weeks, Skoogman said. The BCA said Waldron has never been disciplined. Waldron's resume indicates he also worked as a jailer with the department. He was promoted to investigator in 2004, and focuses on narcotics, sexual assaults and robberies, Skoogman said.
Waldron also served as a patrol officer with three small-town police departments and has a degree in law enforcement from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He's taken several continuing education training courses, including training in use of deadly force, according to his personnel records.
A working phone number for Waldron could not be found and his parents, whose house he visited on Tuesday, declined comment.

Heilman acknowledged his son had gotten into past trouble for stealing and getting into fights, but said he had no serious problems in the last five years. Court records show Tyler Heilman has over a dozen convictions in recent years, mostly from 2004-2006, and mostly for traffic and alcohol violations. He pleaded guilty to burglary in 2004 and also has a petty misdemeanor drug conviction and a misdemeanor assault conviction. His most recent conviction was in 2008 for driving with a suspended license.

___

Amy Forliti contributed to this report from Minneapolis.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Federal agents have arrested a convicted murderer for allegedly providing the gun later used to kill ex-NFL quarterback Steve McNair.
Adrian J. Gilliam Jr., 33, of LaVergne, Tenn., was arrested by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
A criminal complaint unsealed Friday in Nashville says that Gilliam — who was convicted of murder and attempted armed robbery in 1993 in Florida — admitted he sold the gun to the woman who later shot McNair.
McNair was shot to death on July 4 at his condo by his 20-year-old mistress, Sahel Kazemi, who then turned the gun on herself.
The complaint, signed by ATF agent Mickey French, charges Gilliam with illegally possessing a firearm, which he is barred from doing as a felon.
Detectives traced the gun, a 9 mm Bryco/Jennings, to its 2002 sale at a pawn shop, according to the complaint. Gilliam eventually bought it from an individual for $100 about a year or year and a half ago. Investigators said Gilliam told them he bought the gun for protection after his home was burglarized, and police reports indicate he did report a burglary about the time of the gun purchase.
According to court documents, Gilliam admitted to detectives he sold the gun to Kazemi for $100.
Federal prosecutors in Nashville planned to announce the case at a press conference later Friday.
Police announced in a news conference last week that Kazemi purchased "a fully loaded nine millimeter pistol from a private individual" who met her in the parking lot of the mall where she worked at a Dave & Busters restaurant.
Kazemi met the person when she was trying to sell her car. She mentioned to him that she was looking to buy a gun and he told her he had one for sale, police said. The sale took place two days before McNair's shooting, outside the restaurant where Kazemi worked and first met McNair.
Authorities believe McNair was asleep when Kazemi put the pistol to his head and pulled the trigger. She put two more slugs into his chest and a fourth bullet into the other side of his head before shooting herself.
McNair, a married father of four, walked away from the NFL last year. "Air McNair" was known as a gutsy quarterback who played through serious injuries and led his Tennessee Titans to a Super Bowl.
Though the gun sale in question did not involve a licensed gun dealer, the ATF recently warned all gun dealers in Tennessee that they must still comply with federal gun laws despite a new state law aimed at easing such requirements for weapons manufactured and sold in-state.
___
Associated Press Writers Harry Weber in Atlanta and Devlin Barrett in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report.

(Corrects profit decline before preferred stock divideds to 5 percent from 7 percent, in 3rd paragraph)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp posted a lower quarterly profit on Friday, hurt by a surge in troubled loans as more credit card and mortgage customers fell behind on payments.

Second-quarter net income applicable to common shareholders fell 25 percent to $2.42 billion, or 33 cents per share, from $3.22 billion, or 72 cents, a year earlier.

Before preferred stock dividends in both periods, profit fell 5 percent to $3.22 billion.

Net revenue rose 61 percent to $32.77 billion, helped by the acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co.

Analysts on average expected profit of 29 cents per share on revenue of $33.26 billion, according to Reuters Estimates.

"Difficult challenges lie ahead from continued weakness in the global economy, rising unemployment and deteriorating credit quality that will affect our performance for the rest of the year and into 2010," Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis said.

Results included a gain from selling part of its stake in China Construction Bank Corp. Results also included $713 million of dividend payments tied to a federal bailout, and a charge to bolster a federal deposit insurance fund.

Bank of America shares rose 7 cents to $13.24 in premarket trade. Through Thursday, the shares had fallen 6 percent this year, compared with a 14 percent drop in the KBW Bank Index.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; editing by John Wallace)

WASHINGTON – The Defense Department frequently awards no-bid work to small contractors for repairs at military bases under the new economic stimulus law, costing taxpayers millions of dollars more than when businesses compete for the work, according to an Associated Press analysis of 570 such contracts.
The Pentagon saves more than three times as much money when companies compete, the AP analysis showed. Yet more than $242 million in federal contracts — representing more than one-fourth of the military's stimulus contract spending so far — has been awarded under the recovery program through no-bid contracts for repairs and maintenance.
President Barack Obama promised last month to save money through competition.
"By ending unnecessary no-bid contracts and reforming the way government contracts are awarded, we can save the American people up to $40 billion every year," Obama said, as he announced new procedures to increase competition.
In many of the cases, the military bases are eager to spend the stimulus money. Speed is an important element of the Obama administration's effort to jump-start the economy. Bidding and its delays can be avoided by federal rules that permit contract awards to small and disadvantaged businesses without competition, said Navy Cmdr. Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman.
Across the government, more than $543 million in federal contracts have been awarded so far without competition under Obama's $787 billion stimulus program.
Much of the spending is for common construction work at a time when contractors crippled by the recession are offering steep discounts. State governments are taking advantage, reporting millions in savings as road and construction contracts come in under budget after making companies bid for the work.
The Defense Department can do that, too, and "ensure that we're getting the best deal possible," said Scott Amey of the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group that tracks government spending and waste.
"It's not surprising because of the economic times, that guys are actually taking jobs at a loss," said Eric Moore, who helps run Vanguard Construction in Arroyo Grande, Calif. The company has received competitive and no-bid stimulus contracts for maintenance work at Edwards Air Force Base.
Obama's recovery program includes about $7.4 billion for military construction, repairs and improvements at bases put off in recent years because of wartime expenses. The Defense Department also is seeing big savings in its construction contracts, but it is saving far more money when making businesses compete.
The AP reviewed project estimates and actual contract amounts for $420 million in stimulus projects given to contractors hired by military bases. Military bases have awarded about 1,445 contracts totaling $955 million for maintenance and repairs, but only $420 million could be readily compared to earlier Defense project estimates sent to Congress.
The 570 projects reviewed by the AP included $284.4 million in competitively bid contracts and $135.5 million in no-bid contracts.
The work that was competitively bid saved $34 million, with contract costs coming in about 11 percent less than budget estimates. The no-bid work saved $4.4 million, with contract costs coming in about 3 percent less than estimates, the AP's analysis shows.
Military bases have a long list of undone maintenance projects, and some used smaller contractors already working for them or already approved for no-bid work to spend stimulus money efficiently and effectively, said James, the Pentagon spokesman. Some bases also assigned the maintenance work without competition to eligible small contractors before Congress approved the stimulus program, he said.
Small businesses are receiving the bulk of the construction work, and most of that work is being awarded to the lowest bidder, James said.
The Pentagon doesn't have to rely on no-bid contracts to help small businesses. About $138 million of military maintenance contracts awarded through some type of competition went to small, disadvantaged or minority businesses, saving about $22.7 million, or 14 percent, the AP analysis shows.
The difference between some contracts is striking.
_Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska estimated spending $9.2 million on paving jobs, but approved $9.4 million in contracts without competition. Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee estimated its paving work at $650,000, and awarded $400,815 in contracts after receiving competing bids, or about 38 percent under estimate.

_Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida figured it would spend $638,000 in sewer repair work and awarded the contract without bids for $629,118, slightly under its estimate. Travis Air Force Base in California estimated a sewer repair job at $3.7 million, and awarded a $2.5 million contract after bids, or about 32 percent under estimate.

_Glendale Luke Air Force Base in Arizona estimated it would spend $2.7 million on a heating and air conditioning conversion job but awarded the contract without bids at $3.1 million, or about 17 percent over estimate. The base estimated two other electrical jobs to replace and repair transformers to cost $440,000, but the actual contract was awarded through competitive bids at $454,990, slightly over its estimate.

Some agencies may follow the military's lead — turning to approved small businesses that can win contracts without bidding — so they can meet a requirement of Obama's stimulus program to spend the federal money fast, said Michael Pain, a lawyer who heads the federal construction practice of Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman in Philadelphia.

"The agencies are under some pressure to get this out as quickly as possible," he said.

But that shouldn't lead to waste, said Amey, with the watchdog group.

"There is a premium paid for working with these small companies," Amey said. "But that's where, to the extent possible, the government should entice as much competition as possible."

JERUSALEM – Bruno's flamboyant sashay across the Middle East has succeeded in one thing — uniting Sacha Baron Cohen's unwitting Israeli and Palestinian victims in their joint disdain for his latest comedic creation.
Bruno is an over-the-top gay Austrian fashionista with a Nazi streak whose goal is to become the biggest Austrian celebrity since Hitler. To do so he travels to America, where he is told he must take on a charitable cause to achieve worldwide fame. So he decides to bring peace to a troubled place he calls "Middle Earth."
There, he nearly sparks a riot in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem when he struts down the street in a sexed-up Hassidic outfit that includes skintight shorts. On the Palestinian side, he tries to convince a West Bank militant to kidnap him, while giving the man condescending fashion tips. Bruno confuses the popular chickpea spread "hummus" with the Islamic militant group "Hamas" when he tries to bring together Israeli and Palestinian personalities to make peace.
Baron Cohen, an observant, Hebrew-speaking Jew with close ties to Israel, has ribbed the region before. In his 2006 movie Borat, his fake Kazakh language was actually Hebrew and his shtick was peppered with Israeli slang. In Bruno he goes a step further, taking aim at the Middle East's most sacred cows.
The movie opened worldwide a week ago and became the top grossing film in the U.S. over the weekend. It's making waves in Israel, too.
The locally shot scenes got big rounds of applause and hearty laughs at a recent Jerusalem screening. But the subjects of his pranks don't seem to be in on the joke.
"This man, I think he is not a man," said Ayman Abu Aita, a former member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group that has been largely disbanded. "He is not saying the truth about me. He lied."
In their scene together, Bruno identifies Abu Aita as a "terrorist" and asks to be abducted.
"I want to be famous, and I want the best guys in the business to kidnap me," Bruno says. "Al-Qaida are so 2001."
Before Abu Aita has a chance to reply, Bruno suggests that the mustachioed man lose his facial hair. "Because your King Osama looks like a kind of dirty wizard or a homeless Santa," he says before being kicked out.
In an interview with David Letterman, Baron Cohen, 37, said he set up the meeting in the West Bank with the help of a CIA agent.
Abu Aita's Israeli-Arab lawyer, Hatem Abu Ahmad, denied his client has been involved in any acts of violence. He said he is preparing a lawsuit against Baron Cohen and Universal Studios alleging that the terrorist reference could get Abu Aita in trouble with the Israelis and the homosexual association could get him killed by Palestinians. "This joke is very dangerous. We are not in the United States, we are not in Europe. We are in the Middle East and the world operates differently here," Abu Ahmad said.
The jokes apparently had their share of dangers for Baron Cohen as well. His production team said he narrowly escaped an angry mob during his prance in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Jonathan Rosenblum, an ultra-Orthodox columnist, said he hasn't viewed the scene but said the reaction was to be expected.
"It was offensive. It was meant to be offensive and it succeeded," he said. "I don't have any interest in going to the movie but I am sure it will have its fans."
Yossi Alpher, a former Israeli Mossad officer, and Ghassan Khatib, a former Palestinian Cabinet minister, are apparently not among them.
In a panel Bruno holds with them in the movie, he tries to find common ground.
"Why are you so anti-Hamas? I mean isn't pita bread the real enemy here?" Bruno asks with a straight face.

The dumbfounded interviewees look awkwardly at each other before taking the bait.

"You think there is a relation between Hamas and Hummus?" Khatib asks.

"Hummus has nothing to do with Hamas," Alpher insists. "It's a food. We eat it, they eat it."

To which Khatib responds: "It's vegetarian, it's healthy, it's beans."

Both men declined comment for this article. But following the prank, Alpher published his account of the meeting in the Jewish publication The Forward in which he said he became suspicious when he saw Baron Cohen dressed in leather and studs, his face heavily powdered, and his arms and chest shaven.

In the movie, Bruno encourages the Palestinians to return the pyramids and asks Jews why they can't get along with Hindus.

Among the nuggets not appearing in the movie but said nonetheless, according to Alpher, were: "Your conflict is not so bad. Jennifer-Angelina is worse" and "Vy don't you Jews and Arabs settle the conflict with a time share on the land?"

The wearing of costumes has become an important part of such holidays and festivals as Mardi Gras and Halloween (see Halloween costume for more information), and (to a lesser extent) people may also wear costumes in conjunction with other holidays, such as Christmas and Easter. Mardi Gras costumes usually take the form of jesters and other fantasy characters, while Halloween costumes traditionally take the form of supernatural creatures such as ghosts, vampires, pop culture icons and angels.

Designing a costume differs when creating for either a male or female dancer. Female dancer’s standard costume includes tights that cover the legs and hips and a leotard that covers the hips and trunk (Penrod 13). Leotards are an important basic garment in which most dance costumes are based from (Harrison 8). If the tights have a seam it is worn on the back of the legs. Women can wear underwear under their tights; however, if they do wear underwear, it must never be seen. By showing the line of their underwear on the leotard the long look of the leg is destroyed.

French Maid Costume

NEW YORK – Frank McCourt is gravely ill with meningitis and is unlikely to survive, the author's brother said Thursday.
Malachy McCourt said that his 78-year-old brother, best known for the million-selling "Angela's Ashes," is in a New York hospice, "his faculties shutting down."
"He is not expected to live," said McCourt, himself an author and performer.
Frank McCourt was recently treated for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, but his brother says he had been doing well until about two weeks ago, when he contracted meningitis.
"He was out and about, being active, doing talks and so forth," Malachy McCourt said.

WARSAW (Reuters) –
Former leaders and officials from ex-communist eastern Europe have appealed to U.S. President Barack Obama to boost American involvement in European security and to resist what they call Russia's "creeping intimidation."

In an open letter published on websites on Thursday, a week after a U.S.-Russia summit in Moscow, they urged Obama to show greater commitment to NATO's regional role, to missile defense and to efforts to reduce Europe's reliance on Russian energy.

"Twenty years after the end of the Cold War, we see central and eastern European countries are no longer at the heart of American foreign policy... (But) all is not well either in our region or in the transatlantic relationship," the letter said.

"Russia is back as a revisionist power pursuing a 19th century agenda with 21st century tactics and methods... It uses overt and covert means of economic warfare, ranging from economic blockades... to bribery and media manipulation."

East European governments, especially in Poland and the Baltic states, were alarmed by Russia's brief war with Georgia last summer over the rebel Georgian territory of South Ossetia and also by Russia's disputes with Ukraine over gas supplies.

The letter's more than 20 signatories, including Poland's Lech Walesa, the Czech Republic's Vaclav Havel and ex-presidents of Romania, Latvia and Lithuania, said they welcomed Obama's decision to "reset" U.S.-Russian relations but urged him not to be naive.

"The danger is that Russia's creeping intimidation and influence-peddling in the region could over time lead to a de facto neutralization of the region," they said.

The letter urged Obama to work closely with the European Union on security issues and to back the Nabucco gas pipeline and other projects aimed at lessening Russia's energy dominance.

It also said Obama should not be swayed by Russia's opposition to U.S. plans to deploy elements of a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.

"Abandoning the program entirely or involving Russia too deeply in it without consulting Poland or the Czech Republic can undermine the credibility of the United States across the whole region," the letter said.

(Writing by Gareth Jones, editing by Angus MacSwan)

LONDON (AFP) –
Europe's leading stock markets rallied on Wednesday as investors eyed a global economic recovery following the release of some positive earnings and economic data, analysts said.

Approaching midday in London, the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 1.64 percent to 4,307.30 points.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 climbed 1.99 percent to 4,876.69 points and the Paris CAC 40 jumped 2.1 percent to 3,147.39 points.

The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of leading eurozone shares surged by 2.07 percent to 2,419.79 points.

On the foreign exchange market, the European single currency advanced to 1.4065 dollars.

"Stock markets across Europe rose for the third day in a row on Wednesday after better then expected Intel results after the bell last night," said City Index market analyst Nick Serff.

The FTSE was additionally helped by some positive unemployment data.

"Although the unemployment number hit its highest rate since January 1997, the number of people claiming jobless benefit rose by less then expected. This helped the FTSE trade above 4,300 (points) for the first time in weeks," added Serff.

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in Britain rose in June at the slowest pace for 13 months, official data showed on Wednesday.

The unemployment rate however jumped to 7.6 percent, the highest level since January 1997, emphasising the depths of Britain's worst recession in decades.

US stocks struggled higher Tuesday as a stronger-than-expected profit report from financial giant Goldman Sachs helped investors look past lacklustre economic data.

On Tuesday, Goldman Sachs posted a net profit of 3.44 billion dollars in the second quarter, topping market expectations and easing fears about a collapsing financial system.

"Investors will be making the most of this post-Goldman optimism," said IG Index market strategist Anthony Grech.

Chipmakers meanwhile got a boost after US semiconductor maker Intel posted better-than-expected second quarter results and offered a bright outlook.

Japanese stocks ended narrowly mixed Wednesday as investors reacted coolly to the gains on Wall Street, dealers said.

Leading the way in London on Wednesday were miners and banks. Anglo-Swiss miner Xstrata soared 5.27 percent to 646.7 pence and Barclays banking group gained 3.18 percent to 309.55 pence.

"Commodity producers are leading the charge higher, as analysts are forecasting increased demand from China," added Grech.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) –
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer said on Wednesday it delivered an audit opinion to its lenders showing the troubled studio is financially sound enough to continue operating and was in compliance with all of its debt covenants.

Sources familiar with the studio, which is scrambling to refinance $3.7 billion of debt, last week told Reuters that results of the audit, conducted by the Bank of Montreal, were expected.

"Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc today delivered its March 31, 2009 financial statements to its lender group with an unqualified audit opinion along with a certification that MGM is in full compliance with all of its debt covenants," the company said in a statement.

The studio, which is expected to soon release "Fame" and "Hot Tub Time Machine," faces a payment of $250 million in April 2010 on its revolving credit, with the $3.7 billion of term debt due in June 2012.

The debt largely stems from the acquisition of MGM by an investor group in 2004. MGM is owned by a consortium of companies, including private equity firms TPG Capital LP and Providence Equity Partners, Sony Corp and Comcast Corp, which paid about $5 billion in debt and equity to buy the then-publicly traded studio from its majority owner, billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.

(Reporting by Susan Zeidler; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

DEAR ABBY: My daughter, age 15, was just diagnosed with the herpes virus, and she is devastated by the news. I had cautioned her to wait until she was older to become sexually active because I understand that decisions made in haste cannot be unmade, and some -- as in this case -- carry lifelong consequences. I also know that many, if not all, teenage girls do not cope very well with all the baggage that goes along with having sex.

At the time we had that discussion my daughter brushed me off. She said I couldn't look at the situation clearly because my feelings were influenced by my own mistakes and regrets. Now she sees that I knew what I was talking about.

Besides having to deal with a lifelong contagious disease and the possibility of infecting someone else, she has to deal with her irresponsible boyfriend who is threatening to tell people that they are infected and it's all her fault.

Please tell me what I can do to protect my daughter from further harm. And please caution other teens about the risks of unprotected sex while letting them know that moms and dads really DO know what is best for them. -- DEVASTATED MOM IN OHIO

DEAR MOM: It isn't enough to tell young men and women to wait until they are older to have sex. In addition to that message they need to know how to protect themselves against an unplanned pregnancy, about the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and how to prevent it if they do become sexually active, and how to recognize the symptoms if they do get one so it can be promptly treated.

The rate of STDs in teens today is very high. It is estimated that one in four young women in the U.S. ages 14 to 19 is infected with at least one common STD including herpes, HPV, chlamydia and trich (trichomoniasis).

Most STDs often have no symptoms -- until there are more serious complications. Left untreated, some can make it difficult to conceive in adulthood.

Teens who are sexually active should have an STD checkup at least once a year. And any teen who thinks she -- or he -- might have an STD or learns that a sex partner has one should go and get tested right away.

Because there have been financial cutbacks in education, comprehensive sex education classes are being -- and have been -- eliminated. I publish a booklet, "What Every Teen Should Know," that is frank, informative and answers many of the questions teens ask about drugs, alcohol and sex. Many parents find conversations about sex difficult to start, and my booklet has helped many parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents start the discussion.

It can be ordered by sending your name and address, plus check or money order for $6 (U.S. funds) to Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price.

You asked me how to protect your daughter now that her boyfriend is threatening to say this is all her fault. Much as you might wish to, you can't muzzle the young man. You can have a chat with his parents and let them impress upon their son how unwise that kind of slander would be for both of them. And that's what I'm advising you to do.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.