I 40 -NATION/WORLD Wildfires NEWS INBRIEF,, .1 burn moreWASHINGTON 0 homes in California SAN DIEGO (AP) - Ash fell on the beach like snow and drivers turned on their headlights in the smoky day- time streets yesterday as wildfires that have reduced entire neighborhoods to moonscapes skipped through the hills of Southern California and threatened 30,000 more homes. California's deadliest outbreak of fires in more than a decade has destroyed at least 1,100 homes, killed at least 13 people and consumed more than 400,000 acres stretching from the Mexican border to the suburbs north- east of Los Angeles. "This will be the most expensive fire in California history, both in loss of property and the cost of fighting it," Dal- las Jones, director of the state Office of Emergency Services, said yesterday. Several people suffered burns and smoke inhalation, including eight hos- pitalized at the University of Califor- nia, San Diego, Medical Center. Two had burns over more than 55 percent of their bodies, spokeswoman Eileen Callahan said. Managers of California's power grid estimated that 70,000 to 85,000 South- ern California customers were without electricity because fires had damaged transmission lines. The dry, hot Santa Ana winds that have fanned the flames began to ease yesterday, raising hopes that over- whelmed firefighters could make progress with the help of reinforce- ments on their way from other Western states. But the danger was still great. President Bush designated the fire- stricken region a major disaster area, opening the door to grants, loans and other aid to residents and businesses in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties. "This is a devastating fire and it's a dangerous fire. And we're prepared to help in any way we can," Bush said at the White House. Gov. Gray Davis moved to activate the National Guard and summon help from neighboring states. He predicted the cost of the fires would be in the billions. He toured the fire area in San Bernardino and saw "homes reduced to rubble, charred belongings still sending off smoke." He was later followed by Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had a fire briefing in Ventura County and praised work by firefighters. He thanked Bush for swiftly declar- ing an emergency and said he would go to Washington Today to meet with federal officials "to make sure that the federal money will come through." IRAQ Continued from Page 1. bold, stunning attacks, beginning with a rocket barrage on a U.S. headquarters hotel Sunday that killed a U.S. colonel, wounded 15 other people and sent Americans scurrying to safety, includ- ing the visiting deputy defense secre- tary, Paul Wolfowitz. Later Sunday, three U.S. soldiers were killed in two attacks in the Bagh- dad area. Then, at 8:30 a.m. yesterday, on a warm, clear morning beginning the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the first of four thunderous explosions rocked the city. A police car, somehow comman- deered for a suicide mission and driven by a man in police uniform, blew up after entering the courtyard of the al- Baya'a police station in southern Baghdad, said police Brig. Gen. Ahmed Ibrahim, the deputy interior minister. Officers said the blast killed 15 Iraqis and one U.S. soldier, and the U.S. military said six other Americans were wounded. American troops have been working with Iraqi police and guarding the stations. Just five minutes later, a second blast struck the local headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross, a small, three-story building on a quiet street in central Baghdad. This bomber, too, used a subterfuge - an Iraqi ambulance that apparently was able to approach the ICRC offices without suspicion. "I saw this ambulance driving up toward the Red Cross, and then sud- denly it blew up," said cigarette vendor Ghani Khadim. The vehicle stopped 60 feet from the front of the Red Cross building, at a protective line of earth- filled barrels, and disintegrated as it blew a 15-foot-wide crater in the road. The blast knocked down a 40-foot section of the ICRC's sandbag-backed front wall, demolished a dozen cars FBI: Percentage of women arrests rises When an arrest is made, it is becoming more common for the handcuffs to be on a woman, according to an FBI report yesterday that also found the number of crimes reported to police was virtually unchanged last year. Arrests of men and women in 2002 are part of the FBI's annual look at seri- ous crime. It showed a slight increase - less than one-tenth of 1 percent - to about 11.9 million murders, rapes, thefts, robberies, burglaries, aggravated assaults and vehicle thefts. Men still accounted for the vast majority of adults arrested for these and other crimes - about 77 percent of the total. But women are gaining ground, with the 1.9 million arrested in 2002 representing 23 percent. That was a 14 percent increase from 1993. An even larger jump occurred between 1986 and 1995, when arrests of women rose by almost 38 percent. During those years, women were being placed in cus- tody more frequently for almost all crimes, including violent offenses such as murder, robbery and aggravated assaults. Between 1993 and 2002, women's arrests for murder, robbery, burglary, theft and arson have begun to fall. Increases for women are most notable for such crimes as embezzlement (80 percent higher), forgery and counterfeiting (19 percent), drug abuse (50 percent), vagrancy (42 percent) and liquor law violations (49 percent). BEIJING China deports imprisoned American spy Citing his "repentant behavior," China deported a Chinese-born American citi- zen convicted of obtaining state secrets and put him on a plane to the United States yesterday, less than two years before his prison sentence expires. Fong Fuming, 68, a naturalized American and a business consultant from West Orange, N.J., had been on a list of 13 prisoners that the U.S. government identified to China as priority cases. Even Secretary of State Colin Powell brought up his case with Chinese leaders. In the past, Beijing has freed Americans or U.S. residents to coincide with visits from top-level Washington politicians. One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that a U.S. official who deals with human rights arrived in Beijing yesterday. The ailing Fong "has had his sentence reduced and was deported from China," the official Xinhua News Agency reported last night. It referred to Fong's "repen- tant behavior in jail" but didn't give details. Fong, an electrical engineer and one- time power official in China, long denied charges he illegally obtained documents containing state secrets and bribed government officials. 0 JERUSALEM Sharon claims Israel will not kill Arafat Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said for the first time yesterday that Israel has no plans to kill Yasser Arafat, even as he accused the Palestinian leader of contin- uing to orchestrate attacks on civilians. Sharon delivered his assessment as Israel confirmed plans to begin provid- ing services to eight settlement outposts in the West Bank. The announcement dealt another blow to the faltering U.S.- backed peace plan. That plan, known as the "road map," calls for a construction freeze in Israeli settlements and removal of outposts erected since 2001. Palestinians have complained that Israel is undermining the peace plan - but have also balked at the requirement that they dismantle militant groups. In another development, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said that he is making progress in talks with Islamic militants about halting fighting with Israel. WASHINGTON States sue over Clean Air Act rule changes A lawsuit filed yesterday by 13 states and more than 20 cities, which seeks to block changes to the Clean Air Act, con- tends new rules from the Bush adminis- tration would weaken protections for the environment and public health. The Environmental Protection Agency regulation makes it easier to upgrade util- ities, refineries and other industrial facili-. ties without installing additional pollution controls. The rule, proposed in December and signed by EPA's adminis- trator in August, was made final yester- day. It will take effect in two months, and states have up to three years to comply. The agency said in a statement it does not believe the rule will result in significant changes in emissions. CHICAGO More adults don sexy Halloween costumes Step into Frank's bar and you'll get a glimpse of what Halloween is becoming. The popular tavern in Chicago's Lin- coln Park neighborhood has been decked out for weeks in black and orange, and patrons can order drinks with such names as "Sex on a Tomb- stone." On the night itself, manager Robby Ehlert expects to see a number of costumes that won't be G-rated. "A lot of the costumes are, uh, not costumes kids would wear," he said with a chuckle. "You'll see sexy cops, sexy pirates - anything sexy basically." Increasingly, Halloween is a holiday for adults, sometimes celebrated with kids but often without them. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. Attend all required classes or make-up sessions, complete all scheduled tests, and do your homework. 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