oil soars, Dow dives...Bush pushes oil drilling...Captives freed

NEW YORK (AP) Oil prices have reached a new record above $144 a barrel as the government reported a bigger-than-expected drop in U.S. supplies and the threat of conflict with Iran weighed on traders' minds. This did nothing to improve the mood on Wall Street. The Dow finished with a loss of more than 166 points.

White House (AP) President Bush says it makes "no sense" for Congress to block drilling in the U.S. for oil and gas. He's asking Americans to take that message to their lawmakers. He says there's an opportunity to find more crude oil in "environmentally friendly ways."


BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Colombia says it's freed French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S.

military contractors from leftist guerrillas. The defense minister says military spies tricked rebels into giving them up without a single injury. In all, the operation freed 15 hostages including Colombian soldiers and police.

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) A new development today in the case of a missing 12-year-old Vermont girl. Federal officials say in a court paper that a 14-year-old witness told investigators the girl's uncle brought the girl to his home last month to initiate her into a child sex ring. The 12-year-old has not been seen since then.

GRANITE CITY, Ill. (AP) Police in Nicholas Sheley's (SHEE'-leez) home town say nothing in his criminal history suggested he was capable of the violence of which he's suspected.

Sheley is suspected of killing eight people in two states, from a toddler to a 93-year-old, all through what police describe as "blunt force trauma." (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 07-02-08 1558CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list