| EUROPE: Kosovo Sends Out Ripples of Fear
Belgrade, which wants to at least formally retain Kosovo, will most likely temporarily recall its ambassadors from countries that recognise the region's sovereignty.
Serbia's northern neighbour Hungary says it wants a unified EU position on Kosovo, and has supported the UN Secretary-General's report on Kosovo recommending a settlement without delay, but it is also considering the importance of having a stable neighbour and economic partner which is home to 300,000 ethnic Hungarians.
Budapest is aware that it will be up to the great powers to decide Kosovo's future and that Hungary could gain Serbia's forgiveness by demanding extensive minority rights for the Serbians left in Kosovo and promoting the neighbour's accession to the EU.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia have also made statements indicating they oppose linking Serbia's EU aspirations to anything concerning Kosovo.
Crime lab manager resigns, two others resign after accusations
Sujatha Yarlagadda, a criminalist specialist at the lab since January 2007, was suspended indefinitely, the Houston Chronicle reported in its Saturday editions. A criminalist specialist who was not identified received a temporary suspension. A probe by police internal affairs found that Nelson and Yarlagadda failed to use sound judgment when administering the lab's proficiency exam, police said. In August, criminalists in the crime lab's biology section were given a proficiency test. Some workers alleged that others openly discussed the test and that a manager told them what to look for and explained how to identify specific body fluids. The test was eventually retrieved and a new proficiency test ordered, according to the police statement. "In keeping with our policy of transparency, and because of the time, energy and over $5 million that we have spent bringing the crime lab up to standards and achieving accreditation, it is critical to maintain the highest integrity of the HPD Crime Lab," Chief Harold Hurtt said in a statement.
Virus Found in Some Best Buy Digital Frames
According to news reports, Best Buy is not recalling the frames, but it has pulled the remaining units. It said this was the only Insignia frame product affected, and the product has been discontinued. Precautionary Measure The company said that once it was informed of the contamination, it "immediately" withdrew the product from stores and Web sites "as a precautionary measure to protect our customers." Best Buy did note that "some affected units" were purchased from either its brick-and-mortar stores or from the retailer's Web site before the virus was detected. Best Buy reportedly learned of the infection after customer complaints, but there is no indication of how the virus was acquired during manufacturing, or what the consequences may have been for customers.
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