Chile names 23-man WCup squad

Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa has omitted defender Roberto Cereceda from his final 23-man squad for the World Cup.

Cereceda was included in the initial squad as cover for Universidad de Chile midfielder Marco Estrada, who has since proven his fitness.

The final squad named Tuesday, which is dominated by European-based players, includes Real Zaragoza forward Humberto Suazo, who has been reported in various media as having suffered a hamstring injury in training this week.

Bielsa reduced his 30-man squad to 25 players last month, before further paring it back with the omission of striker Hector Mancilla shortly after.

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County man catches a robber without its mask: Rare albino raccoon caught outside city

Conward "Red" Humphreys is used to finding fat, sneaky raccoonsraiding his chicken coop at night.

What threw him a couple of days ago was the white fur, glowing redeyes and missing mask of the animal that padded onto his property.

Humphreys on Tuesday found what seems to be an albino raccoon, arare white or off-white breed of the familiar creature often foundmaking a racket with garbage cans and pet food dishes.

Humphreys, who uses a cage to catch and release raccoons thatfrequently creep into his yard and dine on his chickens, planned torelease the strange and surprising creature back into the wild today.

He found it sitting in the cage late Tuesday …

Sundhage Hired to Coach US Women

Former Swedish star Pia Sundhage was hired Tuesday to lead the U.S. women's soccer team through the 2008 Olympics, as American officials turn to a foreign coach for the first time.

Sundhage, an assistant for China during this year's World Cup, is familiar with many of the U.S. players after coaching in WUSA during the league's three years of existence.

The 47-year-old Sundhage replaces Greg Ryan, whose contract was not renewed after the Americans finished third at the World Cup. His departure followed a contentious decision to switch goalies before the U.S. team's lopsided semifinal loss.

Ryan was 45-1-9, with the lone loss resulting in the …

Are you ready for the new Apple tablet?

For all the excitement and discussion about the next great thing from Apple, its groundbreaking new tablet computer, one things seems to get lost in translation:

IT DOESN'T EXIST …

At last - McCaskey's shot at a McRoast

There probably isn't anyone who would enjoy roasting Jim McMahonmore than Michael McCaskey.

Now the Bears owner has his opportunity.

McCaskey - ridiculed extensively by McMahon in his best-sellingbook McMahon! - has been invited to be a roaster at "McMahon of theYear - A Roast."

And you thought Sugar Ray Leonard-Marvelous Marvin Hagler wasthe fight of the century.

McCaskey has yet to respond to the invitation, and yesterday didnot return a phone call on the subject.

If he decides to attend the April 24 event at the ChicagoHilton, …

Official: Japan Prime Minister to Resign

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose year-old government has suffered a string of damaging scandals and a humiliating electoral defeat, has told ruling party leaders he intends to resign, an official said Wednesday.

Tadamori Oshima, parliamentary affairs chief for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Abe would make a statement later in the day.

"Unfortunately, he will announce that he will resign," Oshima told party members.

National broadcaster NHK said Abe made the announcement in a morning meeting with ruling party leaders, citing unidentified top officials of the Liberal Democratic Party. Other TV networks carried similar reports.

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Italy's Mediaset looks to grow in pay TV market

In one small corner of the media market, the world of Italian pay television, it's Berlusconi vs. Murdoch.

The chief financial officer of Mediaset, founded by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi before he went into politics, doesn't look at it that way, though.

Marco Giordani says Mediaset's push into pay television, which until two years was inhabited only by Murdoch's Sky Italia, was sparked by the advent of new technology in the form of digital terrestrial and the decline of advertising revenues on traditional free-to-air television _ not as an epic battle of media moguls.

"The decision to enter this market is not a decision to go up against …