Update on the latest news, sports, business and entertainment:

MICHAEL JACKSON-INVESTIGATION AP Source: Coroner rules Jackson's death homicide

LOS ANGELES (AP) A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that Michael Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide.

The official says the Los Angeles County coroner has determined that Jackson was given a fatal combination of drugs hours before he died June 25.

The official refused to be identified because the findings have not been made public. Forensic tests are said to have found the powerful anesthetic propofol acted together with at least two sedatives to cause Jackson's death.

The findings could mean that Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, could face criminal charges. Murray is already the target of a manslaughter investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to a search warrant affidavit unsealed today in Houston, Murray told investigators he administered a 25 mg dose of propofol around 10:40 a.m. after spending the night injecting Jackson with two sedatives in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to sleep.

CIA INTERROGATIONS: REPORT CIA report: 'Inhumane' tactics used on detainees

Washington (AP) The government is launching a criminal investigation into what a newly released report describes as "unauthorized" and "inhumane" practices by the CIA in dealing with terror suspects.

Documents reveal that interrogators threatened to kill the children of one detainee Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and that an interrogator implied that another suspect's mother would be sexually assaulted.

The documents released by the CIA's inspector general said interrogators went even beyond what was authorized under Justice Department legal memos that have since been withdrawn and discredited.

In one instance, the documents say, an interrogator pinched the carotid artery of a detainee until he started to pass out, and then shook him awake and that he then did it twice more.

Investigators credited the interrogation program for identifying terrorist plots. But they said it wasn't clear whether "enhanced interrogation" tactics contributed to that success.

Also today, the Obama administration is announcing a new policy for future interrogations. They'll be handled by a unit led by the FBI, and under White House supervision.

CIA-INTERROGATIONS Obama spokesman announces interrogation unit

WASHINGTON (AP) Some changes are coming in the way the government handles terrorism interrogations.

President Barack Obama has approved the creation of a new interrogation unit to be supervised by the White House. During the Bush administration, the CIA had the lead role and sometimes an exclusive role in questioning al-Qaida suspects.

The White House says the CIA will still be involved, as will other agencies. The unit is to be based at FBI headquarters in Washington and led by an FBI official.

In an effort to end a debate over interrogation methods, senior administration officials say all U.S. interrogators will be required to follow the rules laid out by the Army Field Manual. The manual prohibits forcing detainees to be naked, threatening them with military dogs, exposing them to extreme heat or cold, conducting mock executions, depriving them of food, water or medical care, and waterboarding.

The officials also say that when terror suspects are transferred to other countries, the U.S. will work harder to ensure they are not tortured.

Afghanistan One American, two Estonian troops killed in southern Afghanistan

KABUL (AP) Three NATO troops, including an American soldier, are the latest to die in attacks in southern Afghanistan.

The U.S. military says the American service member died in an insurgent attack yesterday, but it hasn't provided details. At least 37 American deaths have occurred this month. Estonian defense officials say two of their soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Helmand province.

Word of the deaths comes as NATO jets fired on targets near the airport in Kandahar, a major NATO base. Witnesses say half a dozen aircraft fired on targets to the southwest of the airport's main runway.

China-MINE ACCIDENT NEW: 11 miners dead in northern China mine blast

BEIJING (AP) China's official Xinhua News Agency says 11 people have died in a coal mine gas blast in northern Shanxi province and three are missing.

Xinhua says the explosion ripped through a mine shaft in Jinzhong city Monday morning. It says 16 miners were working underground at the time in the Xingguang Coal Industry Co. mine.

Rescuers have rescued two workers and 11 bodies. They are still searching for the missing.

CASH FOR CLUNKERS Paperwork can wait - dealers get extension

WASHINGTON (AP) Auto dealers will get more time to submit their Cash for Clunkers deals to the government for repayment after the Department of Transportation extended the deadline for filing claims.

Dealers will now have until noon Tuesday to file the paperwork they need to get repaid for the Cash for Clunkers credits of up to $4,500.

The Transportation Department says the extension is due to an overwhelming demand on the computer system set up to handle the claims. The Web site was shut down temporarily Monday afternoon because of the overload.

The deadline of 8 p.m. EDT Monday still stands for the end of all Cash for Clunkers sales.

WEIGHT LOSS DRUG-FDA FDA probes liver damage with weight loss pill

WASHINGTON (AP) The Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of liver damage in patients taking alli, the only nonprescription weight loss drug approved by the agency.

Regulators say they have received more than 30 reports of liver damage in patients taking alli and Xenical, the prescription version of the drug. Twenty-seven patients had to be hospitalized, and six suffered liver failure.

Alli and Xenical are both marketed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, though Xenical is manufactured by Swiss firm Roche.

The FDA says it has not established a definitive relationship between the weight loss drugs and liver injury.

The agency says patients should continue using the drugs as directed.

MULTITASKING MAYHEM NEW: Study: People who multitask often bad at it

WASHINGTON (AP) Multitasking may be hazardous to your attention span.

Researchers at Stanford University studied multitaskers, and found that those who do it the most are the ones who are worst at it.

The researchers divided 262 college undergraduates into two groups: high and low multitaskers. They compared such things as memory, ability to switch from one task to another, and the ability to focus on a particular task.

They found that people doing a lot of multitasking didn't score as well as others.

Communications Professor Clifford Nass of Stanford's says what it shows is the more media people use, "the worse they are at using any media." The study's findings are reported in the latest edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

SPACE SHUTTLE UPDATE: Shuttle fueled, Colbert gives launch a 'go'

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) Space shuttle Discovery is fueled and ready for an early morning flight to the international space station.

Discovery is scheduled to blast off at 1:36 a.m. Tuesday with a full load of supplies. Forecasters put the odds of good launch weather at 80 percent.

The seven astronauts will deliver equipment and experiments, including a half-dozen mice for a bone loss study and a new $5 million treadmill named after TV comedian Stephen Colbert.

Colbert wasn't going to be at the launch but said in a recorded message that he couldn't be prouder that a treadmill will soon be installed at the space station "to help finally slim down all those chubby astronauts." He added: "I am 'go' to launch me. Let's light this candle!"


MILWAUKEE'S HERO MAYOR NEW: Milwaukee mayor Barrett back at work after beating

MILWAUKEE (AP) Milwaukee's mayor is back at work while continuing to recover from a beating after he confronted a metal-bar wielding man near the state fair.

Mayor Tom Barrett's chief of staff says the mayor attended a meeting with city department heads Monday. He's planning to work shortened days all week.

The 55-year-old mayor suffered gashes to his head and face, smashed teeth and a fractured hand after responding to a grandmother's cry for help Aug. 15 near State Fair Park.

Prosecutors say 20-year-old Anthony J. Peters was arguing with the grandmother because he wanted to see his 1-year-old daughter.

They say he beat Barrett with a metal bar when the mayor tried to intervene.

Peters is charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors in the attack.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 08-24-09 2001CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list