The victims — three males and two females — were found shot to death Sunday, Long Beach Deputy Police Chief Robert Luna told reporters.

Very little is known about the victims, who are still being identified, Luna said.

Some of the victims were shot multiple times, and all are believed to have been killed within the past two days, according to the coroner’s office.

As of September, 760,000 jobs have already been lost this year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And a quarter of U.S. employers expect to make layoffs in the next 12 months, according to a recent report by consulting firm Watson Wyatt.

But which industries will suffer the most? Experts say certain sectors are more vulnerable to layoffs than others.

Housing: Jobs in the housing sector were the first to go when the mortgage meltdown took hold. But with the industry outlook at an all-time low, even more layoffs could follow.

Beyond mortgage lenders and homebuilders, jobs in commercial real-estate and at real-estate agencies will be the next to go, according to Dean Baker, director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C.

With the worst September for new home sales since 1981, "some of the big [real-estate] chains will do some consolidation," Baker said, "clearly you need fewer offices," Baker said.

Finance: Few in the financial sector are feeling secure about their positions. The latest employment figures from the Department of Labor show financial firms have eliminated an estimated 110,000 jobs over the past year through September, and experts say there will be even more losses in the months ahead.

As financial firms reorganize and consolidate, there are going to be a lot more layoffs, Baker said.

"Financial services firms have cut tremendously and I don't think that's over," echoed Lee Pinkowitz, associate professor at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business.

Retail: Before the credit crunch, retailers were already struggling with soft sales as high gas prices and falling home equity forced consumers to curtail non-essential purchases. Now retail sales are dismal heading into the holiday season. "This could be the weakest holiday hiring season since 2001," said John Challenger, chief executive of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, and that's not good for those employed in the retail industry.

"I doubt we'll see the pick up in seasonal hiring that we'd normally see," Pinkowitz said.

But while department stores and high-end boutiques may be particularly hard hit, discount retailers, like Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) could fare well in the current climate, Challenger said. Wal-Mart is also the nation's largest private-sector employer, and could be a safe haven for those who work there.

Publishing: As consumers cut back, advertisers follow, and that means tough times for print publications, including newspapers and magazines, experts say.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, employment in the publishing industry has been contracting since the beginning of last year.

But the "grand decline" of jobs in the media industry, which also includes broadcast and digital media, began with the dot-com bust in 2001, noted Heidi Shierholz an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a research group based in Washington. Now a loss of jobs in traditional publishing is being exacerbated, in part, by the move away from print toward digital media.

"Every time you have a recession it pushes companies that have been holding on by their fingernails out of business," Challenger said. "It clears away an old generation of companies and I think we'll see that with print."

Autos: While sales at the Big Three automakers have fallen 20% this year and are likely to tumble further, trouble in the auto sector is not confined to manufacturing. All told, about 2 million Americans work in the industry.

While declining sales will likely lead to more job losses, those in "the tentacles of the auto industry" could be particularly hard hit in the coming months, Pinkowitz said, which includes those jobs at dealerships and suppliers.

Travel: Airlines have already announced layoffs across the board, but as consumers and businesses continue to scale back discretionary spending on travel, the implications go far beyond flying.

"All the industries under the umbrella of travel are going to be at risk" Challenger said, including rental cars, hotels and even restaurants.

If people are cutting back, travel and leisure activities are the easiest things to do without, explained Baker. Big restaurant chains will close locations, he said, which means eliminating many wait staff and service jobs, while some smaller restaurants will be forced out of business entirely.

But despite the mostly doom-and-gloom predictions, some say there are some bright spots ahead for American workers.

"Even if you're in an industry where there has been some job downturns, there still can be some opportunities," said Kimberly Bishop, vice chairman of Chicago-based executive search firm Slayton Search Partners.

Bishop suggests focusing on those skills and experiences that can translate beyond the industry in which you work. There are certain roles that every organization needs, she said, and you may be able to fulfill that role in another industry that has more promise

Indonesian legend has it that six centuries ago, a princess hurled her youngest child into a fiery volcano to appease mountain gods who had granted her fertility.

 

Villagers catch offerings thrown by Hindu worshippers during Kasada festival at Mount Bromo on September 15.

Today thousands of pilgrims flock to Mount Bromo on East Java each year to offer the spirits food, live animals and money and ask for prosperity and health. Bromo, a 7,641-foot (2,329-meter) volcano, is one of Java's most popular tourist attractions.

The poor arrive days ahead of the ceremony, carrying fishing nets to catch money and anything edible. They camp under tarps in the crater atop the mountain's chilly slopes.

Yadnya Kasada, as the ritual is known, started in the 15th century in the final days of the Majapahit Hindu empire. As the story goes, Princess Roro Anteng and her husband, Joko Seger, settled in the foothills of the volcano.

Unable to have children, the ruling couple went in despair to pray to the mountain gods who, according to the tale, agreed to help in exchange for the ultimate sacrifice of their last child.

The couple consented and had 25 children. But when the time came to give up their son, they refused and the gods became furious. They threatened disaster and the destruction of the village unless the couple made good on the deal.

Kesuma, as the boy was named, was flung into the depths of Mount Bromo. The dying child is believed to have called out to villagers to visit the mountain each year and bring gifts to express their gratitude.

Indonesia straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire," a system of fault lines stretching across the tropical archipelago, that give it more active volcanoes than any other country. Bromo usually roars to life once a year, often blasting pumice, smoke and ash into the sky. The last major eruption in 2004 killed two hikers.

Long Beach Police got the call around 8:30 Sunday morning and found the bodies in a makeshift camp on West Wardlow Road just east of Santa Fe Avenue near the 710 interchange.

All five people died from apparent gunshot wounds.

Long Beach Police officers were unable to provide any further information about the victims. Officers said they have not yet determined any suspects or a motive for the crime.

Deputy Chief Robert Luna said police are still trying to get back in contact with the caller. Officers believe the person may know more about the murders then they let on.

The collector road on the southbound 405 was closed at Santa Fe Avenue, as were ramps to and from surface streets in the area and the transition road from the southbound 405 to the northbound 710.

Israel's internal security agency is "very concerned" that extremists in that country might assassinate an Israeli leader to disrupt the peace process with the Palestinians, Shin Bet's director said Sunday, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

"We discern a willingness among the far-right to resort to using guns in order to prevent progress in the diplomatic process," Yuval Diskin, head of Israel's Shin Bet security service, told the Israeli Cabinet, according to Haaretz.

Haaretz reported that a participant of the meeting released Diskin's comments. The participant revealed the comments on condition of anonymity because the session was closed, Haaretz reported.

Diskin's comments came two days before the anniversary of the 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

"Just ahead of the anniversary of Rabin's murder, the Shin Bet sees in the group we're talking about on the extreme right a willingness to use firearms in order to halt diplomatic processes and harm political leaders," Diskin said, according to Haaretz. "The Shin Bet is very concerned about this."

Shin Bet makes up the country's intelligence community along with Aman and Mossad.

Israel this week is marking the 13th anniversary of Rabin's assassination. He was shot by an Israeli opposed to the signing of 1994 Oslo Accords, which set a framework for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.

U.S. President George Bush had hoped for the Israelis and Palestinians to reach a peace deal by the time he leaves office in January. However, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigned in September amid allegations of corruption.

Kadima Party leader and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni gave up efforts to form a new coalition government late last month and is seeking to hold early general elections, which could be held in February, Livni's spokesman has said.

Olmert will continue to lead as Israel's interim prime minister until a successor assumes power either by forming a coalition in the current Knesset or through general elections. However, it is unclear whether he will be able to strike a deal with the Palestinians before Israel forms its new government.

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A new national poll suggests that Sarah Palin may be hurting John McCain more than she's helping him.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Sunday indicates that McCain's running mate is growing less popular among voters and may be costing the Republican presidential nominee a few crucial percentage points in the race for the White House.

Fifty-seven percent of likely voters questioned in the poll say that Palin does not have the personal qualities a president should have. That's up eight points since September. Fifty-three percent say that she does not agree with them on important issues. That's also higher than in September.

"Just after the GOP convention in early September, 53 percent said they would vote for Palin over Joe Biden if there were a separate vote for vice-president. Now, Biden would beat Palin by 12 points if the running mates were chosen in a separate vote," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

And what if voters were allowed to vote for president separately?

If you listen carefully, every so often Joe Biden will slip a few words into his speech not intended for those he’s giving the speech to.

“Stop moving the prompter.”

He’s talking about the two glass panels on either side of his podium — the teleprompter with his speech scrolling down that — controlled by Biden’s speechwriter and an assistant.

Typically, he can slip the line in without his supporters noticing — but Sunday, afternoon when the crowd laughed, Biden revealed the goal isn’t just to help him remember his remarks, but to keep him on message.

“I believe the possibilities for this country are absolutely amazing, and stop moving the prompter,” Biden told a laughing crowd of over 4,000 on the University of Florida campus. “There’s a prompter I hardly ever read here. They don’t want you to know that. They put it up to make me sound disciplined.”

With three days to go before the elections and polls showing him trailing, Republican presidential candidate John McCain appeared on NBC's late night comedy show "Saturday Night Live," poking good-natured fun at his campaign.

The Arizona senator appeared in the opening skit, next to former cast member Tina Fey reprising her role as his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

"This past Wednesday, Barack Obama purchased airtime on three major networks," he said in the first skit. "We, however, can only afford QVC (the television home shopping network)."

Later, McCain -- who delivered his lines with a smile on his face -- took another shot at his own expense.

"Look, would I rather be on three major networks? Of course," he said. "But I'm a true maverick -- a Republican without money."

He dubbed the latter "McCain Fine Gold," a play on the name of the campaign reform act that he sponsored with Russ Feingold, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin.

McCain pointed to a set of 10 commemorative plates that he said celebrates the 10 town hall meetings he would have had with Obama.

"They are blank," he said. "He wouldn't agree to those debates."

Obama had rejected McCain's proposal for the joint town hall meetings. The two participated in one such appearance as part of the three presidential debates.

As for Biden, the SNL skit had Fey hawking a set of "Joe" action figures: Joe the Plumber, Joe Six-Pack and Joe Biden.

The plumber reference was meant to invoke the now-famous Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who McCain has held up as a small business owner who will see his taxes rise if Obama wins the presidency. Joe Six-Pack is a term Palin has used to describe a regular American.

Fey, as Palin, pointed to the Joe Biden doll and said, "If you pull this cord, he talks for 45 minutes." McCain added, "It's great if you want to clear out a party."

The skit ended with the senator delivering the signature line that opens the show every weekend: "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night." iReport.com: Palin talks equality with iReporter

McCain also joined cast member Seth Meyers in the "Weekend Update" segment, where he unveiled radical last-minute campaign strategies he was considering.

Among them was the 'Reverse Maverick' ("that's where I do whatever anybody tells me"), the 'Double Maverick' ("that's where I go totally berserk or just freak everybody out, even the regular mavericks") and the "Sad Grandpa."

"That's where I get on TV and go, 'Come on, Obama's gonna have plenty of chances to be president. It's my turn,'" he said.

McCain has made two previous appearances on the show, which airs Saturday nights on NBC.

The program, which has drawn attention for its political skits this year, garnered its highest rating in 14 seasons two weeks ago when Palin made an appearance.

Obama canceled an appearance in September as a result of Hurricane Ike, but he appeared on the show in November 2007, making an unannounced cameo during an opening skit about a Halloween party at the house of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama's rival during the Democratic primary.

It's one of John McCain's closing arguments in his bid for the White House. The Republican presidential nominee suggests that Democrats will increase their majorities in Congress, and he warns of one-party rule by the Democrats if Barack Obama is elected president.It's one of John McCain's closing arguments in his bid for the White House.

The Republican presidential nominee suggests that Democrats will increase their majorities in Congress, and he warns of one-party rule by the Democrats if Barack Obama is elected president.

The poll suggests that 53 percent think McCain would mostly carry out Bush's policies, with 45 percent saying he would not. As for Bush, only 28 percent approve of the way he's handling his job as president.

Likely voters questioned in the poll were also asked whether Obama will win the election.

"Nine in 10 think it's likely; nearly half say it is very likely. Only 1 in 10 say it is very likely that McCain will win, while half say a McCain victory is unlikely," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

How will Obama supporters react if he does not win on Tuesday? One in five will be angry; one in four will be upset but not angry. Most Obama supporters, however, say they will be disappointed but not angry or upset if McCain wins.

The poll also suggests the Democrats are much more excited about this election than Republicans. Forty-five percent of Democrats questioned said they are extremely enthusiastic about voting this year, compared to 28 percent of Republicans.

"The economy remains the No. 1 issue to most voters. But although 8 in 10 say that economic conditions are poor now, 62 percent say that the economy will be in good shape a year from now," Holland said.

"The economy, which is already a strong issue, jumped even further in importance after the financial crisis hit in September."

"And since the public tends to blame the Republicans more than the Democrats for that crisis, that event provided a boost not just to Barack Obama but to Democratic candidates across the country. Democratic congressional candidates have a 9-point lead in the 'generic ballot' question," added Holland.

The generic ballot asks voters their preference for U.S. House without naming the candidates running in each district.

Reporters began asking questions immediately after the White House schedule last week noted Bush had no public events Friday through Monday, and would spend most of his time at Camp David.

"The president is pretty focused on the activities that we have here, especially getting this economy back in order," White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said Wednesday.

"We canceled a lot of our fundraisers, and he's going to focus on being with Mrs. Bush and others this weekend at Camp David."

But Perino couldn't list any fundraisers that had been canceled recently.

Friday, Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto offered a more detailed explanation.

"The truth is we're also trying to stay out of the public limelight during this period of the election season," said Fratto. "There are two individuals out there running to be president of the United States, and we don't want to complicate that for them."

Political experts acknowledge the reality that a lame-duck president with record low approval ratings -- 28 percent according to the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll -- is a political liability for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

"These are all politicians who are running for office. They all read the polls. They all have their finger wetted and up to see where the breeze is blowing," said Stephen Hess, a veteran staffer of the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations and an adviser to Presidents Ford and Carter. "You can be sure that if George W. Bush was more popular, he'd be out there."

The numbers tell the story.

The last time Bush appeared at a public fundraiser stumping for an individual candidate was August 27, 2007.

And the four fundraisers the president attended for Republican nominee John McCain have all been closed to the news media.

It's a stark contrast to the farewell campaign tour of the last two-term GOP president, Ronald Reagan, who left office with one of the highest approval ratings ever at the end of a presidency -- 64 percent.

Reagan embarked on a marathon coast-to-coast campaign swing for George H.W. Bush, the current president's father, during the final weekend of campaign '88.

"We went to battleground states, not safe Republican states. We went to Illinois. We went to Ohio. We went to Missouri. We went to Pennsylvania," said Ken Duberstein, who was Reagan's chief of staff.

A young George W. Bush attended the November 5 Reagan campaign rally in Mesquite, Texas, the Saturday before Americans went to the polls that year.

"It was a celebration," recalls Duberstein. "It wasn't simply a victory lap. It was almost a thank-you tour."

Duberstein, who is planning to vote for Barack Obama, said it must be difficult for the current President Bush to have seen that and know he'll never get one of his own.

"Yes, there might be some sadness today or tomorrow because he is like a good political thoroughbred. He wants to be out there running," Duberstein observed. "But sometimes you have to stay in the stable."

"If you think you could ever vote for Barack Obama, consider this: Obama chose as his spiritual leader this man," the ad's narrator says before clips of Wright's controversial statements are shown.

"Does that sound like someone who should be president?" the ad asks.

The retired pastor's ties to Obama became an issue during the primary season after controversial clips of Wright's sermons were circulated and widely discussed on the Internet and on television.

Obama later condemned Wright's remarks and said he would have left his church if his pastor had not retired and had not acknowledged making comments that "deeply offended people."

Sen. John McCain has repeatedly said he does not believe Obama's relationship to Wright should be an issue -- to the ire of some Republicans who feel it raises questions about the Illinois senator's judgment.

Gov. Sarah Palin appeared to suggest last month that Wright is a fair issue to raise, but said ultimately it is McCain's decision.

"[Obama] sat in the pews for 20 years and heard Rev. Wright say some things that most people would find a bit concerning. But again that is John McCain's call," Palin told reporters.

The state GOP did not release the extent of the ad buy, but defended airing it.

"We feel that it is necessary that the American people remember that Obama sat in a church and listened to this man preach hate for many, many years," said a statement on its Web site. "What does that say about his judgment? Do we want the next president of the United States to have spent years listening to hateful rhetoric without having the good judgment to walk out?"

The ad was paid for by the Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania and was not authorized by the McCain campaign.

McCain and Palin have barnstormed Pennsylvania in recent weeks as they try to win the state's 21 electoral votes. Obama leads McCain by 7 points in Pennsylvania, 51 to 44 percent, according to CNN's latest poll of state polls.

Earlier Sunday, Democratic VP candidate Sen. Joe Biden condemned the "politics of division" at a rally interrupted by protesters.

"We can't move past the politics of division unless after this election is over, if God willing we win, we reach out to the very people out in the outer parking lot," he said, calling out the protesters at the Tallahassee, Florida, event.

"We've got to reach out, we've got to end this. Somebody's got to be big enough to stand up and end this," he said.

With two days left until the election, Obama holds a 6-point lead over McCain, 50 to 44 percent, according to CNN's average of national polls.

Six percent of respondents said they are still undecided.

McCain on Sunday told supporters that he and his running mate would "shake up Washington" with a win in Tuesday's presidential election.

"I want to repeat to you one more time, my friends -- we're going to win, and we're going to bring real change to Washington," he said at a rally in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

"Two days, two days to victory," he said to roaring applause.

Obama has maintained a steady lead over the last month, but CNN Polling Director Keating Holland cautioned against assuming the election is over.

"Keep in mind that this is not a prediction of the final outcome," Holland said. "That's not an easy task with two full days of campaigning to go, in a country in which roughly one in 10 voters tend to make up their minds in the last few days." Watch more on the final days of campaigning »

Obama on Sunday told voters that their future depends on the final days of the campaign.

"Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power will concede without a fight. We have to work like our future depends on it in these last two days, because it does," he said in Columbus, Ohio.

Obama also continued his push to tie McCain to the current administration, calling attention to Vice President Dick Cheney's endorsement of the McCain-Palin ticket.

"I'd like to congratulate Sen. McCain on this endorsement, because he really earned it. That endorsement didn't come easy," Obama said.

"Do you think Dick Cheney is 'delighted' to support John McCain because he thinks John McCain's going to bring change? Because he thinks that somehow John McCain is really going to shake things up?"

Obama's campaign on Sunday released a 30-second ad that highlights Cheney's endorsement, which came Saturday.

"And boy, did McCain earn it. He voted with Bush and Cheney 90 percent of the time," the announcer says of the endorsement. "And that's not the change we need."

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds responded Saturday in a statement: "Barack Obama and Dick Cheney aren't just cousins; they've shared support for the Bush energy policy and the out-of-control spending that John McCain has fought to oppose."

"We feel that it is necessary that the American people remember that Obama sat in a church and listened to this man preach hate for many, many years," said a statement on its Web site. "What does that say about his judgment? Do we want the next president of the United States to have spent years listening to hateful rhetoric without having the good judgment to walk out?"

The ad was paid for by the Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania and was not authorized by the McCain campaign.

McCain and Palin have barnstormed Pennsylvania in recent weeks as they try to win the state's 21 electoral votes. Obama leads McCain by 7 points in Pennsylvania, 51 to 44 percent, according to CNN's latest poll of state polls.

Earlier Sunday, Democratic VP candidate Sen. Joe Biden condemned the "politics of division" at a rally interrupted by protesters.

"We can't move past the politics of division unless after this election is over, if God willing we win, we reach out to the very people out in the outer parking lot," he said, calling out the protesters at the Tallahassee, Florida, event.

"We've got to reach out, we've got to end this. Somebody's got to be big enough to stand up and end this," he said.

With two days left until the election, Obama holds a 6-point lead over McCain, 50 to 44 percent, according to CNN's average of national polls.

Six percent of respondents said they are still undecided.

McCain on Sunday told supporters that he and his running mate would "shake up Washington" with a win in Tuesday's presidential election.

"I want to repeat to you one more time, my friends -- we're going to win, and we're going to bring real change to Washington," he said at a rally in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

"Two days, two days to victory," he said to roaring applause.

Obama has maintained a steady lead over the last month, but CNN Polling Director Keating Holland cautioned against assuming the election is over.

"Keep in mind that this is not a prediction of the final outcome," Holland said. "That's not an easy task with two full days of campaigning to go, in a country in which roughly one in 10 voters tend to make up their minds in the last few days." Watch more on the final days of campaigning »

Obama on Sunday told voters that their future depends on the final days of the campaign.

"Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power will concede without a fight. We have to work like our future depends on it in these last two days, because it does," he said in Columbus, Ohio.

Obama also continued his push to tie McCain to the current administration, calling attention to Vice President Dick Cheney's endorsement of the McCain-Palin ticket.

"I'd like to congratulate Sen. McCain on this endorsement, because he really earned it. That endorsement didn't come easy," Obama said.

"Do you think Dick Cheney is 'delighted' to support John McCain because he thinks John McCain's going to bring change? Because he thinks that somehow John McCain is really going to shake things up?"

Obama's campaign on Sunday released a 30-second ad that highlights Cheney's endorsement, which came Saturday.

"And boy, did McCain earn it. He voted with Bush and Cheney 90 percent of the time," the announcer says of the endorsement. "And that's not the change we need."

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds responded Saturday in a statement: "Barack Obama and Dick Cheney aren't just cousins; they've shared support for the Bush energy policy and the out-of-control spending that John McCain has fought to oppose."

"We feel that it is necessary that the American people remember that Obama sat in a church and listened to this man preach hate for many, many years," said a statement on its Web site. "What does that say about his judgment? Do we want the next president of the United States to have spent years listening to hateful rhetoric without having the good judgment to walk out?"

The ad was paid for by the Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania and was not authorized by the McCain campaign.

McCain and Palin have barnstormed Pennsylvania in recent weeks as they try to win the state's 21 electoral votes. Obama leads McCain by 7 points in Pennsylvania, 51 to 44 percent, according to CNN's latest poll of state polls.

Earlier Sunday, Democratic VP candidate Sen. Joe Biden condemned the "politics of division" at a rally interrupted by protesters.

"We can't move past the politics of division unless after this election is over, if God willing we win, we reach out to the very people out in the outer parking lot," he said, calling out the protesters at the Tallahassee, Florida, event.

"We've got to reach out, we've got to end this. Somebody's got to be big enough to stand up and end this," he said.

With two days left until the election, Obama holds a 6-point lead over McCain, 50 to 44 percent, according to CNN's average of national polls.

Six percent of respondents said they are still undecided.

McCain on Sunday told supporters that he and his running mate would "shake up Washington" with a win in Tuesday's presidential election.

"I want to repeat to you one more time, my friends -- we're going to win, and we're going to bring real change to Washington," he said at a rally in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

"Two days, two days to victory," he said to roaring applause.

Obama has maintained a steady lead over the last month, but CNN Polling Director Keating Holland cautioned against assuming the election is over.

"Keep in mind that this is not a prediction of the final outcome," Holland said. "That's not an easy task with two full days of campaigning to go, in a country in which roughly one in 10 voters tend to make up their minds in the last few days." Watch more on the final days of campaigning »

Obama on Sunday told voters that their future depends on the final days of the campaign.

"Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power will concede without a fight. We have to work like our future depends on it in these last two days, because it does," he said in Columbus, Ohio.

Obama also continued his push to tie McCain to the current administration, calling attention to Vice President Dick Cheney's endorsement of the McCain-Palin ticket.

"I'd like to congratulate Sen. McCain on this endorsement, because he really earned it. That endorsement didn't come easy," Obama said.

"Do you think Dick Cheney is 'delighted' to support John McCain because he thinks John McCain's going to bring change? Because he thinks that somehow John McCain is really going to shake things up?"

Obama's campaign on Sunday released a 30-second ad that highlights Cheney's endorsement, which came Saturday.

"And boy, did McCain earn it. He voted with Bush and Cheney 90 percent of the time," the announcer says of the endorsement. "And that's not the change we need."

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds responded Saturday in a statement: "Barack Obama and Dick Cheney aren't just cousins; they've shared support for the Bush energy policy and the out-of-control spending that John McCain has fought to oppose."

Bounds was referring to research done by the vice president's wife showing that Cheney and Obama are distant cousins.

An estimated 50,000 people packed into a Bangkok sports stadium Saturday to hear Mr. Thaksin speak from an undisclosed location overseas. He urged his followers to do what they can to bring him back to Thailand, saying there's nothing that could allow him to return "except for the king's mercy or the power of the people."

Mr. Thaksin has been living in self-imposed exile in Britain since August, contending that he wouldn't be fairly tried on a series of corruption charges filed against him after his 2006 ouster in a military coup. In October, in the first such case, Mr. Thaksin was convicted in absentia by Thailand's Supreme Court and sentenced to two years in jail for violating conflict of interest rules while serving as premier.

Saturday's stadium rally was conducted in a festive atmosphere, with many of the attendees wearing red to display their loyalty to Mr. Thaksin. Food stalls and entertainment were supplied to attract the large crowd, many of whom had traveled from Mr. Thaksin's large support base in rural northern Thailand.

Political analysts said the rally was carefully orchestrated to show that Mr. Thaksin still carries substantial clout in Thailand at a time when his allies in the country's current government are coming under increasing pressure -- both from their political opponents and the prospect of a sharply slowing economy as the global credit crunch bites deeper.

One key Thaksin ally, former Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, was ousted after Thailand's courts ruled in September that he unlawfully accepted payments to appear on a television cooking show. Mr. Samak's successor, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, is now feeling the brunt of opposition anger, largely because he is Mr. Thaksin's brother-in-law.

Despite Mr. Thaksin's strong support in Thailand's poorer, rural provinces where the bulk of the population lives, much of wealthier Bangkok appears implacably opposed to the rule of Mr. Thaksin's followers, who took power after the military restored democracy last year.

A group known as the People's Alliance for Democracy has occupied the main government complex in Bangkok for two months to protest what it says are Mr. Thaksin's attempts to diminish the influence of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej by pursuing populist -- and sometimes authoritarian -- policies.

The PAD wants to scrap Thailand's one-person, one-vote democracy in favor of a system where the majority of parliament is appointed by professional and social groups. That, they say, will prevent Mr. Thaksin regaining control of Thailand.

Mr. Thaksin on Saturday urged his followers to resist the opposition's attempts to uproot Thailand's Western-style democracy, arguing that it could trigger a wave of violence. "If we can't uphold democracy and rid the country of dictatorship, the chances of our country returning to a peaceful state are slim," he said.

Thailand recently has been rocked by political violence, alarming investors and damaging the country's valuable tourism industry at a time when tourism is already dipping because of the global financial crisis.

A street clash on Sept. 2 between Mr. Thaksin's supporters and opponents left one person dead. On Oct. 7, a person was killed when the opposition alliance tried to blockade parliament, which triggered running battles with police that left more than 400 injured. Thursday, a grenade attack on PAD supporters wounded 10 people.

The airstrike was part of the government's intensified offensive against the guerrillas' de facto state in the north. Officials have pledged to crush the rebels by the end of this year.

Air force spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara did not provide details of damage or casualties at the training camp and logistics facility in northern Mullaitivu district, but said the pilots confirmed they had "hit the target accurately."

It is difficult to contact rebel officials for comment because most communication lines to their territory have been severed.

The airstrike came a day after a sea battle between the navy and the Sea Tigers, the naval wing of the Tamil guerrillas, off the northern Jaffna peninsula.

The military said the navy destroyed four rebel boats, killing 14 rebels, while air force planes destroyed two more boats and killed three more rebels. Five sailors were wounded in the fighting, it said.

However, the rebel-affiliated TamilNet Web site said rebel suicide fighters sank two navy vessels and damaged another. Seven rebels were killed in the mission, it said.

With reporters banned from the war zone, the media must depend on government and rebel statements for most information about the war.

Meanwhile Sunday, army troops prevented a rebel attempt to infiltrate a defense line in the northern Vavuniya district and later found a rebel body, the military said in a statement.

On Saturday, a Tamil rebel committed suicide by biting a vial of cyanide to avoid being captured in Jaffna, and another died in retaliatory fire from army troops, it said.

Fighting has escalated in recent months in the 25-year-old civil war as the military has captured a series of rebel bases and large chunks of territory in the north.

The Tamil Tigers have fought since 1983 to create an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils, who have suffered marginalization at the hands of successive governments controlled by ethnic Sinhalese.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the violence.

The torrents of mud and rock hit near Chuxiong city in Yunnan province, and in countryside near the province capital Kunming, toppling or damaging nearly 1,000 houses, Xinhua news agency reported.

The brief reports did not give reasons for the mudslides. "The disaster is still under further investigation," said the report about Chuxiong.

Local media reported showers over the past few days in Chuxiong, which is dominated by the Yi ethnic minority.

Yunnan is dominated by steep terrain, and many of its farmers live in villages perched on steep slopes. Mining takes place in some areas.

In September, a mudslide triggered by dammed up tailings from an iron ore mine killed over 250 people in north China's Shanxi province.

Flash floods over the weekend also killed at least 7 people in south China's Guangxi region.

Tomorrow's election will affect everything from security in Afghanistan and Pakistan to trade with China and relations with Washington's former superpower rival in Moscow. Surveys show that if everyone in the world had a vote, Barack Obama would win a landslide victory. Yet John McCain can count on support in surprising places. Our writers look at public opinion in nine cities across the world

The navy said no crew members were wounded in the incident in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday. The pirates disappeared by the time a Danish Navy helicopter arrived.

The navy says the ship's crew took measures, including spraying water from high-pressure hoses, to prevent the pirates from taking it over.

The Gulf of Aden connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and is one of the world's busiest waterways with around 20,000 ships passing through each year.

Somalia is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has no functioning government, navy or coast guard to police its coast.

At the same time, he says conditions in Tibet are getting worse and worse.

The exiled spiritual leader has pursued a "middle way" approach with Beijing aimed at achieving a form of autonomy that would let Tibetans freely practice their culture and religion. But there has been little progress, and the Dalai Lama has grown more frustrated and vocal about that. At a public function at his home in Inida a week ago, he said he had "given up" on persuading China to accept his "middle way."

Still, new talks have been scheduled with China.

However, the Dalai Lama also called a special meeting of Tibetan exile communities and political groups set for later this month that could mark a significant shift in the Tibetan strategy for engaging Beijing

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Dalai Lama headshot, Tibet spiritual leader, with waving Tibet flag, on texture, partial graphic

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to intensify talks aimed at ending a decades-long conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The announcement came Sunday in Moscow, following a one-on-one meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisyan.  The two leaders were later joined by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, who sponsored the meeting.

In a statement, the two Caucasus leaders said they are ready to continue pushing toward a "political settlement" to the conflict.  They said they have agreed to instruct their foreign ministers to step up negotiations.

The Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1988, sparking a six-year armed conflict that claimed 35,000 lives.  A 1994 cease-fire has been periodically interrupted by firefights.

Moscow is vying with Washington for influence in energy-rich Azerbaijan, a key exporter of oil and natural gas through pipelines that run through Georgia and Turkey.

The United States, Russia and France co-chair an international panel, the Minsk Group, that has sought to mediate the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

The first account came from the police: In a September raid on a fourth-floor apartment in a crowded Muslim neighborhood, authorities stumbled upon the heart of a militant network behind a series of bombings.

They shot two militants, arrested dozens over the following weeks and gutted the network of much of its leadership, authorities bragged.

Then there's this version: "It was fake, everybody here knows that," said Shahabuddin Hafeez, who owns a small shop in the neighborhood known as Jamia Nagar. "They needed an encounter so the politicians could say they were taking care of the problem.