Six dead after train crashes into taxi

COMPTON, Calif. - A commuter train struck a taxicab trying to beat it across the tracks Saturday night, killing all six people in the car. The Metrolink Blue Line conductor, the only person aboard the southbound Los Angeles-to-Long Beach train, did not suffer any serious injuries. She told police the taxi had been driving along side the train when it suddenly went around the railroad crossing gates and drove into the train's path, Lt. Danny Sneed said. The impact set the taxi on fire and tore it in half, Sneed said. All the victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The accident occurred just after 11 p.m. in Compton, about 16 miles south of Los Angeles. The Metrolink Blue Line is a 22-mile route between downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach.

National Zoo's giant panda dies

Hsing-Hsing (AP).

WASHINGTON - Hsing-Hsing, the National Zoo's only giant panda, was put to sleep Sunday after months of failing health due to kidney disease. The panda was 28, an advanced age for the rare animal. Hsing-Hsing's death leaves only five giant pandas in American zoos - three in San Diego and two that arrived earlier this month in Atlanta. Hsing-Hsing and his mate Ling-Ling came to the National Zoo from Beijing in 1972, a gift from the Chinese government following President Nixon's visit to China that year. The two produced five offspring, but none lived longer than four days. Ling-Ling died of heart failure in 1992 at age 23.

Merchants, Web feel holiday cheer

Shopping trends Last year, about 46% of Americans did their holiday buying in the 10 days before Christmas, while just 9% bought gifts during  Thanksgiving weekend (AP photo).

NEW YORK - Registers across the nation are ringing in the holiday season this weekend as merchants slash prices - to the tune of up to 50% in some cases - in a bid to get shoppers to buy rather than browse. Many shoppers have been showing up at stores before dawn - some even before midnight - as stores and malls dangle attractive discounts, luring even the tightest scrooges out of bed.  The World Wide Web is hopping, too. At e-commerce giant Amazon.com, volume is more than three and a half times that of last year's post-Thanksgiving Day blitz, helped by an addition of other retail services since 1998. Internet retailer eToys wouldn't tell of specific sales numbers, but a spokesman said ''things are buzzing'' on a day he called ''our Super Bowl and our World Series all rolled into one.'' Last year, merchants rang up more than $170 billion in sales during the holiday period. Analysts project sales at traditional stores will rise 5% to 6% from last year, while online sales are expected to at least double from December 1998

• Experts: Shoppers can expect lousy service
• Online shopping: Point, click, buy
• Paper or plastic? The impact of credit cards
• Shopping photos
• Safety report on dangerous toys
• National Retail Federation spokesperson Pamela Rucker: Retailers expect a merry Christmas
• Rucker: Lists where people will shop this holiday season

Santa's wish: CPR for all

Russell and Quentin (AP).

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The children who crawl onto Santa Howard Russell's red velvet lap at Cordova Mall whisper wishes of finding dolls and games under the tree. But at the top of Santa's own list a gift of life. ''I just want everyone - everyone - to learn CPR,'' Russell says. Last Christmas, Russell saved 3-month-old Quentin Orr's life through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when the baby stopped breathing at the mall. Doctors said the baby probably became excited and choked on his own saliva when he saw Santa. Russell says Quentin's brush with death made him realize how fragile life can be. He began teaching CPR and has taught it to about 400 people in Red Cross classes. ''To be able to help somebody ... that's what life is all about,'' he says.

Coast Guard calls off search for Cubans

MIAMI - The U.S. Coast Guard called off its search Saturday for three Cubans still missing and presumed drowned after their boat capsized during an ill-fated attempt to reach the United States. The search began Thursday after a 5-year-old boy and two adults were found clinging to inner tubes off the southern coast of Florida. The bodies of seven others who had been on board the small power boat when it capsized Tuesday were recovered from the ocean during three days of searching that turned up no other survivors, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Silvia Olvera. Five-year-old Elian Gonzalez was found Thursday by fishermen about two miles off Fort Lauderdale. He was treated for dehydration and cuts and released to his Miami relatives the following day from Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood. The other survivors, Arianne Horta, 22, and Nivaldo Fernandez-Ferra, 33, were in good condition Saturday and expected to be released soon from Jackson Memorial Hospital after being treated for dehydration and severe sunburn, a hospital offiical said.

Talks aimed at salvaging 'Nutcracker'

'Nutcracker' performance (AP file).

NEW YORK - Dancers opened the perennial holiday favorite ''The Nutcracker'' at Lincoln Center on Friday performing to a recorded score as musicians from the striking New York City Ballet orchestra failed to reach a contract settlement after hours of negotiations. The two sides were still talking after the performance started at 8 p.m. In a written statement, the ballet said using a recorded score was the only way to fulfill its mandate to the public. ''We do not want a darkened theater ... Our only alternative is to proceed with tonight's performance of 'The Nutcracker' to taped music,'' the statement said. A ballet official did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Widow settles suit against du Pont

MEDIA, Pa. - John du Pont, the chemical fortune heir convicted of murdering Olympic wrestler David Schultz, has settled the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Schultz's widow. Du Pont is to pay Nancy Schultz at least $35 million, reports say. In 1997, du Pont was found guilty of third-degree murder but was also determined to be mentally ill in connection with Schultz's January 1996 shooting death. During the criminal trial, defense lawyers did not deny that du Pont shot and killed Schultz, but said du Pont suffered from delusions that rendered him unable to recognize that what he did was wrong. Schultz, 36, had been training at the wrestling facility on the compound where du Pont lived. Du Pont, 61, is serving a 13- to 30-year sentence. Prosecutors in his criminal trial estimated his net worth at about $250 million, making him one of the richest murder defendants in U.S. history.

At game, Aggies remember fallen students

Thousands join a vigil Thursday (AP).

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - As flags fluttered at half-staff above, Texas A&M upset archrival Texas in football Friday, riding a wave of emotion over the deaths of 12 people last week who were building the annual pre-game bonfire. The No. 27 Aggies' 20-16 comeback victory over the No. 7 Longhorns came after tributes to the dead that included a pre-game jet flyover and the playing of ''Amazing Grace'' at half-time. ''If anything, I think the spirit for this game has just exploded because of the accident,'' A&M student Erica Deleon said. The crowd of about 85,000 at Kyle Field held a moment of silence before the kickoff. A&M players knelt at the 50-yard line during an opening prayer. Four F-16 fighter jets from the Air Force Reserve's 457th Fighter Squadron flew over the stadium in the missing man formation, usually reserved for military aviators killed in the line of duty. At the University of Texas, the traditional pregame ''hex rally'' - a ceremony aimed at bringing bad luck to their rival - was canceled.

• Bonfire graphic: What caused the collapse?
• Tragedy photos

Small plane crashes in Newark, killing 3

NEWARK, N.J. - A small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood Friday morning, killing everyone on board and leaving a fiery trail as it hit two buildings. At least 20 people on the ground were injured. The single-engine 1964 Beech Bonanza 35 took off from Linden Airport and was en route to Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va. Air traffic controllers lost radio and radar contact with it five minutes later. Mayor Sharpe James revised the death toll down from four to three. The cause of the crash and the identities of the dead were not immediately known. The plane hit a factory, which was set afire, and broke apart before hitting a fast-food restaurant that was closed. Several witnesses said they saw body parts and plane parts scattered in the area.

Cocaine found on ships docked in Miami

MIAMI - Customs inspectors found almost 1,500 pounds of cocaine stashed in two small cargo ships that docked on the Miami River this week after voyages from Haiti, officials said Friday. There were no immediate arrests. One ship, the Sylvania Express II, arrived Wednesday, and 832 pounds of the drug were found in the mast during a routine customs inspection. The other ship, the Biak, arrived Tuesday. Drug Enforcement Agency agents and sheriff's deputies found 656 pounds of cocaine in a hidden compartment in a cargo hold. Haiti has long been a stop on the route used by cocaine traffickers from South America.

Research may help break bad habits

WASHINGTON - We grind our teeth, we smoke, we eat too many sweets. That's a given. But, how many times do we have to do something before it becomes a habit? Brain scientists says they're one step closer to finding out. After studying rats, they discovered that as the rats learn maze routes, firing patterns of neurons in their brains change. This new pattern may mark the way habits are acquired. It may also clue us in on how to break a habit after it's formed. If researchers knew that, it could help them find drugs or other therapies for disorders. It could also clue them in on how good habits, such as daily exercise and doing homework, are formed.

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Copyright 1999 USA TODAY. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.