COTABATO, Philippines (Xinhua) - Philippine security forces have killed six leftist rebels, including a female, in a clash in southern Philippines, a military official said Tuesday.

The bodies of slain New Peoples Army (NPA) were recovered on Monday. Soldiers were dispatched to verify reports of rebels sightings when the fighting broke-out on Saturday, regional military spokesman Major Randolph Cabangbang said Tuesday.

"We have no casualties. Our men recovered assorted weapons and explosives from the enemy," he said.

Military estimates the NPA strength at more than 5,000 men scattered in more than 60 guerrilla fronts throughout the country.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A star for former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has been added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

At a whimsical ceremony outside the Capitol Records building Monday evening, Starr's name was unveiled as the 2,401st star on the sidewalk attraction. The Hollywood Walk of Fame also marked its 50th anniversary of groundbreaking Monday.

Those by Starr's side for the unveiling included actress-wife Barbara Bach, musicians Jay Walsh and Ben Harper, producer Don Was, director David Lynch and actor Noah Wyle. 

The Walk of Fame also includes individual stars for the drummer's former Beatles bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison. 

The Beatles as a group received a star in 1998. 

The Hollywood Walk of Fame attracts an estimated 10 million visitors annually to the 18-block stretch lining Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.

OUTPOST BELLEAU WOOD (AP) – Take a desert of yellow-orange dust so flat it looks like Mars, with a freezing wind that blows so hard it can lift a large tent.

Add hundreds of US Marines, squads of Afghan soldiers, some Drug Enforcement Administration agents, a few private contractors, along with dozens of armored cars, mine breachers and an improvised helicopter landing zone. 

That's Outpost Belleau Wood, a Marine base near the edge of the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah, which the Marines plan to attack in the coming days. 

It took barely a week for the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment to create the outpost from scratch. 

They bulldozed earth berms to make a protection wall, pitched lines of pup-tents that bend and wobble in the gale, and set up batteries of mortars and 155-millimeter artillery cannons. 

"Those guns started shooting the night they got here," said the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Brian Christmas, as he leaned forward against the wind while walking through the base in full body armor and helmet.

Named after a World War I battle where the 6th Marines earned the label "devil dogs" for the ferocity of their fight against German troops, Belleau Wood lies about seven miles (10 kilometers) north of Marjah. 

Several units from the battalion are already pushing in toward the town, where an estimated 600 fighters are entrenched. While the outpost has been hit only once, companies closer to Marjah face daily skirmishes and bombings. 

Marjah is the biggest community in southern Afghanistan that is under Taliban control and a center of their logistical and drug-smuggling networks. The NATO command believes restoring government control there would go a long way to discrediting the Taliban among Afghans in a part of the country where the militants have been strong for years. 

The offensive proper is expected to be the biggest in the nine-year Afghan war, and troops on the outpost are all waiting for battle.

Dozens of Marine engineers have been rehearsing how to lay out massive metallic bridges they plan to use when troops will need to cross the canals surrounding Marjah. Route clearance teams were also fine-tuning their tactics to detect the bombs that litter the area.

NATO commanders have been very outspoken on their plans to take Marjah. But they've remained tightlipped on one key bit of information: timing.

Few know when the offensive will begin, and those who do are saying nothing. So the Marines are in the starting blocks, waiting in the cold.

"The wait is part of the fight," says Daniel Perez, a Navy medic. "It gives people the time to pump up with anticipation." 

Marjah is suspected to be one of the biggest, most dangerous minefields NATO forces have ever faced, and hundreds of the fighters barricaded inside could be planning to fight until death. 

But Perez said he hasn't seen anyone frightened by the fight — "or if they are, they're hiding it very well." 

He says waiting, however long, doesn't matter for the Marines. 

"It's almost like the Olympics," he said. "You train and train and train ... and this is finally the big show."

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Michael Jackson's doctor pleaded not guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop star at a brief hearing that had all the trappings of another sensational celebrity courtroom drama.

Dr. Conrad Murray, accused of giving Jackson a fatal dose of an anesthetic to help him sleep, appeared in court in a gray suit and burgundy tie as Jackson's father Joe, mother Katherine, and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Randy watched from courtroom seats behind prosecutors. 

Neither Murray nor the Jacksons showed much emotion as the six-foot-five Murray entered his plea through his attorney Ed Chernoff, but as he emerged from court, Joe Jackson declared, "My son was murdered." 

"We need justice," he added before leaving with family members in a fleet of Cadillac Escalades. 

On Monday night, Joe Jackson told CNN's Larry King that he doesn't believe Murray is the only person responsible for his son's death. "To me, he's just the fall guy. There's other people I think involved with this whole thing," Joe Jackson said, without elaborating.

Joe Jackson also told King his son believed his life was in danger. "Michael said it himself that he would be killed," Joe Jackson said. "He even told his kids that he would be murdered." 

Earlier, several people shouted "murderer" as Murray walked past a crowd of hundreds of reporters and Jackson fans on his way to a courthouse adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport. Others held signs urging "Justice For Michael."

Murray, 56, a Houston cardiologist who was with Jackson when he died June 25, entered his plea just hours after he was charged. 

Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz set bail at $75,000, three times more than the amount people normally face after being charged with involuntary manslaughter. Murray posted it about two hours later and was released.

Chernoff said outside court that Murray plans to return to practicing medicine in Nevada and Texas while he awaits trial. The judge ordered him to return to court April 5 for a preliminary hearing. 

"He'll be back in Vegas this week, he'll open his medical practice," Chernoff said.

The judge warned Murray he is not to use general anesthesia on anyone while he is free on bail. 

"I don't want you sedating people," he said.

Deputy state Attorney General Trina Bell also told the judge the state Medical Board is planning to seek the suspension of Murray's medical license. The action would only affect his ability to practice medicine in California. 

It appeared authorities were taking extra steps to ensure the arraignment did not become a media circus.

Lines were formed to gain admission to the courtroom, and the Jackson family was escorted in separately and seated before anyone else arrived. 

Despite the precautions, the upcoming proceedings promise to be the focus of widespread attention, especially if the Jackson family continues to take a high-profile role.

Immediately after the hearing, Latoya Jackson issued a statement saying she believed her brother had been murdered and that others besides Murray were involved in his death. 

"I will continue to fight until all of the proper individuals are brought forth and justice is served," she said.

Jackson, 50, hired Murray in May to be his personal physician as he prepared for a strenuous series of comeback performances. 

Officials said the singer died in Los Angeles after Murray administered the powerful general anesthetic propofol and two other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac to sleep. 

Murray is accused of the single felony count in a five-page complaint that said he "did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson" by acting "without due caution and circumspection."

The complaint contains no details on Jackson's death, but authorities have said the singer died after Murray administered the anesthetic and other drugs. 

If convicted, the doctor could face up to four years in prison. 

Known as "milk of amnesia," propofol is only supposed to be administered by an anesthesia professional in a medical setting because it depresses breathing and heart rate while lowering blood pressure.

Los Angeles investigators were methodical in building a case against Murray, wary of repeating missteps that have plagued some other high-profile celebrity cases, most notably against O.J. Simpson and actor Robert Blake, both of whom were acquitted of murder. 

When prosecutors filed their criminal complaint Monday the coroner's office released its autopsy report on Jackson. The document, previously obtained by The Associated Press, found the singer was in relatively good health and died from acute propofol intoxication.

Dr. Selma Calmes, an anesthesiologist who reviewed the autopsy report at the coroner's request, said the level of propofol in Jackson's body was akin to what would be given for major surgery. After such a dose, a patient normally would have a tube inserted in the airway to help with breathing and be ventilated by an anesthesiologist.

"The standard of care for administering propofol was not met," she wrote. 

Court documents state Murray told police he administered propofol just before 11 a.m. then stepped out of the room to go to the bathroom.

There is some dispute about what happened next. According to court filings, Murray told police that upon his return from the bathroom, he saw Jackson was not breathing and began trying to revive him. 

But an ambulance was not called until 12:21 p.m. and Murray spent much of the intervening time making non-emergency cell phone calls, police say. The nature of the calls, which lasted 47 minutes, is not known.

Murray's lawyer has said investigators got confused about what Murray had told them, and that the doctor found his patient unresponsive around noon. 

A large number of witnesses have been interviewed by police, including those who were present during Jackson's last days, those who worked with him in preparation for his series of comeback concerts, "This Is It," and members of his personal entourage, including his security guard and personal assistant. 

The comeback concerts sold out in anticipation of Jackson's return as the "King of Pop" after years of odd behavior and a lengthy molestation trial that had overshadowed a lifetime in music. Despite years of self-imposed exile, he retained a huge, loyal following of fans overjoyed at the prospect of seeing him reclaim the glory he'd attained with albums like "Thriller" and songs like "Beat It!" and "Billie Jean."

NEW YORK (AP) – The New Orleans Saints' victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H" to become the most-watched program in US television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday.

Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season. 

"It was one of those magical moments that you don't often see in sports," said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.

Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched Sunday's Super Bowl. The "M-A-S-H" record was 105.97 million.

The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record viewership for a Super Bowl — last year's game between Arizona and Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen said. 

The "M-A-S-H" record has proven as durable and meaningful in television as Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs was in baseball until topped by Hank Aaron. Ultimately, it may be hard to tell which program was really watched by more people. There's a margin for error in such numbers, and Nielsen's Monday estimate was preliminary, and could change with a more thorough look at data due Tuesday. 

"It's significant for all of the members of the broadcasting community," said Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp. CEO. "For anyone who wants to write that broadcasting is dead, 106 million people watched this program. You can't find that anywhere else."

Moonves predicted CBS will earn more in advertising revenue than in any other Super Bowl. The good ratings for the game and football in general also set CBS and other football broadcasters up well when selling advertising for next season, he said. 

The Nielsen estimate also drew some congratulations from Alan Alda, the star of "M-A-S-H," and the slugger whose record was beaten.

"If the 'M-A-S-H' audience was eclipsed, it was probably due in large part to the fact that the whole country is rooting for New Orleans to triumph in every way possible," Alda said. "I am, too, and I couldn't be happier for them. I love that city." 

There are more American homes with television sets now (114.9 million) than there were in 1983 (83.3 million). An estimated 77 percent of homes with TVs on were watching "M-A-S-H" in 1983, compared with the audience share of 68 for the Super Bowl.

Nielsen also measures only the United States, and it's possible some World Cup soccer games were seen more worldwide. Accurate measurement of television audiences outside the United States is spotty at best. 

Alda also wondered whether the numbers were too close to declare a new champion. He thinks Nielsen didn't take into account large numbers of people watching "M-A-S-H" communally, which is often the case for football games, too.

"Not to say I'm competitive, but in part we are talking about sports," he said. "And I actually AM competitive." 

McManus didn't want to jinx it, but the abnormally strong viewership for football this year left him hoping for a record. The NFC and AFC championship games both had their biggest audiences since the 1980s. The growth of high-definition television and its appeal to sports fans has also helped.

A competitive game until the final minutes sealed it. McManus acknowledged some nervousness when Indianapolis jumped out to a 10-0 lead — a Super Bowl rout often makes people turn away from the game — but New Orleans roared back. 

The Mid-Atlantic blizzard also helped CBS. After New Orleans, the highest-rated market was snowbound Washington, Nielsen said. More people watched the game from their homes in that area instead of going to parties or bars, and Nielsen does a much better job counting viewers in homes than outside of them. 

"Bad weather in the Northeast and good weather in Florida was a good combination for us," McManus said.

The Super Bowl also proved a strong launching pad for the new CBS series "Undercover Boss" that premiered after the game. An estimated 38.6 million people watched the first edition of a series about corporate honchos working secretly as low-level employees in their own companies, Nielsen said. That's third only to a 1996 "Friends" and 2001 "Survivor" as the most-watched program after the Super Bowl. 

Meanwhile, Dorito's was a big winner in a measurement of interest in the commercials played during the Super Bowl. TiVo Inc. said the snack company's ad featuring a boy telling a man to keep his hands off his chips and his mom was stopped and played back in 15 percent of homes with the digital video recorder. 

The secretly filmed CBS promo with David Letterman, Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey came in second, followed by the Snicker's ad with Betty White and Abe Vigoda flattened in a football game.

In general, however, TiVo found less interest in the commercials than it has in previous years, judged by how many people paused live action to see them, said Todd Juenger, general manager of TiVo's research department.

THE mock elections held in Baguio City Saturday were successful, said a top official of Smartmatic, the winning bidder of the automated poll contract.

Marivic Madayag, regional coordinator for Smartmatic said the transmission was fast and did not require them to use the satellite antenna or the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN).

At 6:30 a.m., some personnel of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) were already at the Pines City National High School (PCNHS) to set up the equipment and at the City Hall, where the transmission hub was.

The mock elections started at 8 a.m. and ended two hours later. There were 100 voters who joined in the mock elections.

The central server in Manila received the results of the mock elections before noon, according to the Comelec.

In PCNHS, the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine rejected a lone ballot due to human error.

“The shading was not done properly,” said Elenita Tabangin, Comelec provincial election officer.

Baguio City has 221 clustered precincts ready for the May polls.

THE communist rebels clashed anew with government troops in Balbalan town in Kalinga in a 30-minute gunfight killing three more soldiers.  

Army Colonel Remigio de Vera, commanding officer of the 501st Infantry Brigade said Friday three soldiers belonging to the 41st Infantry Battalion were killed when members of the Kilusang Larangan Gerilya “Baggas” of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) Kalinga ambushed the patrolling government troops at 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

De Vera said two more soldiers were wounded during the encounter.

For the past two weeks, the death toll of government forces reached to 13, with similar gun fights in the Mountain Province and Abra.

In Abra on January 10 two platoons under 501 Infantry Brigade encountered an undetermined number of communist terrorists at Barangay Kili, Tubo.

The firefights lasted for over two hours in separate sites killing five soldiers, wounding eight others.

Two more platoons engaged in a firefight for over two hours with still an undetermined number of communist terrorists, wounded six more soldiers in Abra.

The wounded were brought to the Abra Provincial Hospital while casualties were brought to Bangued town.

De Vera said the rebels might have also suffered casualties because pursuing government forces found blood stains along the rebels’ withdrawal route to Abra.

At the start of the year the Northern Luzon Command was hopeful that the fight to win over communist rebels was near.

Dinner by candle-light on Valentine’s Day? Ah, wouldn’t that be so romantic? Yes, but only if you’re dining at some fine restaurant and not eating at home, where the power has suddenly been cut off because you can’t pay your electric bill. And the light of your life has blown her fuse and is now raising hell.

In this season of love that tugs at the heartstrings, we must do all we can to stretch our pursestrings as we brace ourselves for higher power rates this month. EcoWaste Coalition, a waste and pollution watchdog, shares some down-to-earth tips to help homes and offices cut their electricity costs and at the same time cool the planet.

Says Rei Panaligan, EcoWaste coordinator, “The judicious use of electricity is not only good for the purse, but also for the planet. By saving energy, we cut greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels like coal that is propelling climate change.”

Two heads (make that 12 organizations) are better than one. Putting their brilliant ideas together are sustainable lifestyle advocates from Ang Nars, Buklod Tao, Concerned Citizens Against Pollution, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Krusada sa Kalikasan, Miss Earth Foundation, Mother Earth Foundation, Sagip Sierra Madre Environmental Society, Sining Yapak, WomanHealth, and the EcoWaste Coalition’s Secretariat.

The tips are quite doable. They’re as simple as turning off lights, remembering to unplug appliances when not in use, opening the windows, organizing household chores, and choosing not to iron clothes (or maybe scheduling a press day — that is, when you press all your clothes).

“Declutter as much space as possible so that natural light and ventilation can penetrate and circulate freely,” stresses Rene Pineda, president of the Concerned Citizens Against Pollution. If we may add, it’s good feng shui and good for the health.

 “The crumpled look is in so you don’t need to iron clothes and linen at home,” goes the smart motherly advice of Baby Reyes, vice president of Mother Earth Foundation.

“Hand wash instead of using the washing machine,” suggests Bro. Martin Francisco, president of the Sagip Sierra Madre Environmental Society.

And now, this bright idea from health rights advocate Dr. Leah Primitiva Samaco-Paquiz, president of Ang Nars: Why not a weekly “one-hour lights off” nationwide to cut down on power consumption?

Here are more top kuryentipid tips to bring your electric bill down while doing your bit to save Mother Earth.

• Open the curtains and windows and declutter your home or office to let the natural light in. Remember less is more — you use less power, save more money.

• Put skylights wherever possible to maximize the daylight.

• Switch off lights when not needed.

• Wipe lighting fixtures clean to improve illumination.

4.  Don’t leave appliances, computers, and gadgets on standby mode; never ever forget to unplug.

• Open the windows and let the sunshine or sunlight and fresh air in.

• Use fans and airconditioners sparingly, ensuring that blades and filters are kept clean.

• Organize well your chores like cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing clothes, and try to do these less frequently.

• Put leftover food on top of newly-cooked rice to warm it instead of using the stove, toaster or microwave.

• Keep your washing machine loads at maximum; wash manually if possible.

• Use just the right amount of detergent to avoid extra rinsing.

• Hang clothes to dry instead of using the electric dryer.

• Don’t bother ironing house, school, and even office clothes.

• Plan your refrigerator trips to avoid frequent opening and closing of the fridge.

• Set fridge temperature at 5°C, and leave enough room around the top and back to let the heat escape.

• Use the kulambo (mosquito net) instead of electric mosquito repellants.

And these final tipid words: “Spread these kuryentipid tips and persuade your housemates, officemates, and friends to live sustainably,” EcoWaste enjoins the public.

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Once more, with feeling

In Dr. Willie Ong’s column “Mind your body” last week which tackled “How to handle nine common emergencies,” there were typographical errors in the preparation of the oral rehydrating solution for diarrhea. The correct mixture is as follows: “Mix one glass of water with two teaspoons of sugar and one-fourth teaspoon of salt. Stir well and drink as much as you can. Children or adults can also be fed rice water (am) with a little salt added. These liquids help replenish the fluids and electrolytes lost in the stools. Doctors also recommend the BRAT diet, which stands for banana, rice, apple, and tea. However, if the patient cannot drink or eat anymore, it’s time to bring him/her to the hospital where doctors will give fluids through the vein.”

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