Divers recover 17 more bodies, death toll hits 211

Italian divers recovered 17 more bodies Monday from a smugglers' boat that capsized and sank to bottom of the Mediterranean Sea with hundreds of migrants on board.

That brought the confirmed death toll from Thursday's tragedy to 211 before poor weather off the southern island of Lampedusa again halted the recovery operation.

Only 155 people of the estimated 500 on board survived the sinking. Scores of bodies are believed to be still trapped in the hull of the 18-meter (59-foot) boat, which is resting 47 meters (154 feet) below the surface.

Monday was the first day that divers entered the hull. Coast Guard Capt. Filippo Marini estimated it would take two more days to complete the search and recovery mission.

"Bodies have been recovered from outside the ship and from the ship's cabin. Now we have to get inside the hold," Marini said.

The Coast Guard hoped to resume the search later Monday if the weather clears.

Diver Riccardo Nobile, who did multiple dives on Sunday when 83 bodies were recovered, said the work inside the boat is much more complicated. Divers can only stay submerged for seven to 10 minutes, depending on the conditions.

"I found myself for more than an hour among these corpses. It was difficult to look straight at their faces, to see their wounds, see their tormented expressions, their outstretched arms," said Nobile, who also spent stretches on a boat while other diving teams worked. "It was extremely difficult. But this is our job."

The ship had arrived within sight of Lampedusa, a tiny island that is Italy's southernmost point, after two days of sailing from Libya. The capsizing tossed hundreds of people into the sea, many of whom could not swim.

Tens of thousands of migrants from African and the Middle East try to cross the Mediterranean Sea each year, seeking a better life in Europe. Hundreds die in the process.

Officials blamed in Mexico monster truck crash

Officials blamed in Mexico monster truck crash

Mexican government officials and event organizers on Monday blamed the driver of a monster truck for losing control and plowing into a crowd of spectators, killing eight and injuring 79. Motor-sports experts, however, pointed at the organizers, saying the setup of the state-sponsored show was blatantly deficient and life-threatening.

Organizers of the "Extreme Aeroshow" said hundreds of families had gathered without permission in what was supposed to be the pit area at one end of a makeshift arena in a park in Chihuahua, capital of the border state of Chihuahua.

The pit area was unprotected by any barrier and sat feet from where the monster truck known as "Big Show" was crushing a pair of old cars, leaping into the air and rolling over their hoods and roofs. Video of the accident shows the truck coming down hard off the second car, bouncing and then speeding out of control into the crowd.

One organizer said the spectators hadn't been moved out of the pit zone before the show because "crowd management is very difficult."

The safety situation was "about as bad as it could get," said Marty Garza, spokesman for the Monster Truck Racing Association, the primary safety organization for the industry in the United States.

"There was some pretty blatant disregard for the safety of spectators," he said. "There is no excuse for why the spectators were situated as they were, period."

It was the second disaster in less than a month to focus attention on Mexico's patchy and loosely enforced system of consumer safety. Experts widely blamed much of the billions of dollars' worth of damage from Tropical Storm Manuel and Hurricane Ingrid, which killed 157 people and displaced thousands, on the government's failure to prevent home construction in floodplains and enforce building standards for highways and bridges.

State prosecutor Jorge Enrique Gonzalez Nicolas told reporters Monday that he was investigating whether the city of Chihuahua's civil protection agency or the air show organizers had been criminally negligent by ignoring international standards for monster truck shows. He said he might try to bring in international experts as consultants.

Chihuahua Gov. Cesar Duarte and organizers of the weekend event sought to pin responsibility on the driver, saying he should only have driven in one direction over the cars, away from the pit area.

"He turned and came back in the wrong direction, came back to do a jump, and that's unfortunately where this accident happened," Duarte told Milenio Television on Monday.

Duarte said that the driver reported drinking a couple of sips of beer, but that tests found there wasn't enough alcohol in his blood to be considered intoxicated. He said the driver apparently hit his head and lost consciousness after crushing the parked cars, explaining why the truck continued to accelerate even after it hit the crowd Saturday afternoon.

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Graphic locates Chihuahua, where fatal accident took place; 2c x 2 inches; 96.3 mm x 50 mm;

Veteran monster truck show organizers said spectators should never have been standing that close to the arena floor unprotected, regardless of the trajectory of the truck.

Properly organized shows take place in an arena with a safety zone separating spectators from the trucks, and the vehicles are equipped with remote-control switches that can shut down a truck the moment something appears to be going wrong, said Stephen Payne, a spokesman for Feld Entertainment, whose Monster Jam is the world's largest touring monster truck show. That show appears in dozens of stadiums around the world each year, including in Mexico.

"The setup at that event is not something we would ever, ever permit at one of our shows," said Payne, who saw video of the Chihuahua accident.

Jorge Cuesta, president of the group that organized the event, said it wasn't possible to prevent families from gathering in the pit area.

"Crowd management is very difficult," he told reporters. "I was there and this is a tragedy that couldn't have been avoided."

Payne said his firm seals off the first rows in arenas, often several dozen of them. If any spectators move into that area, "the show stops," he said. "We don't even let people put jackets on it."

A dozen people remained in intensive care Monday, including Mague Flores Dominquez, whose ribs were broken and lung punctured when the truck ran over her, and her 11-year-old daughter, who had broken bones in her legs and back.

"I haven't been able to calm myself down," said Daniel Dominguez, the husband and father.

Madeleine McCann's Parents 'Encouraged' by New Leads

Madeleine McCann's parents say they're "greatly encouraged" by the expanding investigation into the case of their missing daughter that has yielded new leads.

"I am confident we're getting closer just by filling more pieces of the jigsaw,'' Gerry McCann said today in an interview with the BBC.

Gerry and Kate McCann released a statement Sunday, saying they are "greatly encouraged by new information coming to light.'' The McCann's statement comes days after British investigators announced they're scouring 39,148 documents containing data collected from thousands of mobile phones from residents and tourists who were staying in the same area, hoping to narrow down the 41 persons of interest, 15 of whom are U.K. nationals.

Portugal Police to Aid Scotland Yard's Hunt for Madeleine McCann

Madeleine McCann was just days away from her fourth birthday in May 2007 when she went missing from her hotel room bed while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant. The McCanns were immediately named suspects by Portuguese police but were eventually cleared.

By examining mobile phone data, authorities said they hope to map out exactly who was in the area at the time of McCann's disappearance and narrow the list of persons of interest considerably. The coastal village, which is situated in Portugal's Algarve region, is home to around 3,000 residents, plus numerous tourists.

Police Scour Phone Records for Clues in Madeleine McCann Case

"So you have a lot of temporary visitors, lot of people who were working in the hotels and the cafes, and tracing all of those people, linking real people to the phone numbers you have is going to be a significant challenge," Cybercrime expert Peter Sommer said.

McCann's parents are set to appear live on BBC's episode of "Crimewatch" next Monday to make a heartfelt plea to anyone who has any information on their daughter's disappearance.

Why Madeleine McCann May Still Be Alive

The show will feature a reconstruction on the latest, most detailed understanding of the events around the time McCann went missing. The McCanns are hopeful it will bring them a step closer to finding out what happened to their daughter.

Speculation has run rampant over the years about what happened the night McCann vanished. Some have speculated that the child could have been kidnapped by a sex trafficking organization, while a British newspaper recently asserted that she might have abducted as part of a robbery, after a series of break-ins in the area.

Scotland Yard would not comment on the investigation, but Detective Chief Inspector of the Metropolitan Police Andy Redwood said he believes there is hope she is alive.

''There is no clear, definitive proof that Madeleine McCann is dead, so on that basis I still genuinely believe that there is a possibility that she is alive,'' Redwood said.

Kate and Gerry McCann have maintained a website and a 24-hour tipline to keep their daughter's case in the public eye.

Gravity' launches to top of worldwide box office

Gravity' launches to top of worldwide box office

"Gravity" soared to the top of the worldwide box office in its debut weekend.

The Warner Bros. space drama starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney boasted the biggest October opening ever with $55.78 million in North American ticket sales and more than $27 million overseas.

Last week's top film, Sony's animated sequel "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2," fell to second place, followed by 20th Century Fox's "Runner Runner," which debuted in third.

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The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Monday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com, are:

1. "Gravity," Warner Bros., $55,785,112, 3,575 locations, $15,604 average, $55,785,112, 1 week.

2. "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2,'" Sony, $20,950,192, 4,001 locations, $5,236 average, $60,006,918, 2 weeks.

3. "Runner Runner," 20th Century Fox, $7,706,712, 3,026 locations, $2,547 average, $7,706,712, 1 week.

4. "Prisoners," Warner Bros., $5,748,464, 3,236 locations, $1,776 average, $47,928,432, 3 weeks.

5. "Rush," Universal, $4,477,525, 2,308 locations, $1,940 average, $18,163,844, 3 weeks.

6. "Don Jon," Relativity Media, $4,155,261, 2,422 locations, $1,716 average, $16,072,578, 2 weeks.

7. "Baggage Claim," Fox Searchlight, $4,075,011, 2,030 locations, $2,007 average, $15,135,092, 2 weeks.

8. "Insidious: Chapter 2," FilmDistrict, $3,899,566, 2,607 locations, $1,496 average, $74,773,153, 4 weeks.

9. "Pulling Strings," Lionsgate, $2,467,168, 387 locations, $6,375 average, $2,467,168, 1 week.

10. "Enough Said," Fox Searchlight, $2,192,642, 437 locations, $5,017 average, $5,429,238, 3 weeks.

11. "Instructions Not Included," Lionsgate, $1,842,297, 858 locations, $2,147 average, $41,258,393, 6 weeks.

12. "We're The Millers," Warner Bros., $1,605,475, 1,606 locations, $1,000 average, $144,895,488, 9 weeks.

13. "The Family," Relativity Media, $1,531,825, 2,023 locations, $757 average, $34,637,728, 4 weeks.

14. "Lee Daniels' The Butler," The Weinstein Company, $1,227,395, 1,536 locations, $799 average, $112,405,135, 8 weeks.

15. "Grace Unplugged," Roadside Attractions, $997,949, 511 locations, $1,953 average, $997,949, 1 week.

16. "Metallica: Through The Never," Picturehouse, $697,763, 589 locations, $1,185 average, $2,738,978, 2 weeks.

17. "Riddick," Universal, $540,650, 795 locations, $680 average, $41,199,570, 5 weeks.

18. "Battle Of The Year," Sony, $540,397, 907 locations, $596 average, $8,486,893, 3 weeks.

19. "Despicable Me 2", Universal, $485,010, 485 locations, $1,000 average, $362,435,610, 14 week(s).

20. "Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters," 20th Century Fox, $430,081, 513 locations, $838 average, $65,985,471, 9 weeks.

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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia,Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.;Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned byLions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned byRelativity Media LLC.

Malibu Teachers Worry School Building Is Giving Them Cancer

School officials are launching probe into presence of possible environmental contaminants

World's fastest Riva Aquarama returns to the sea

World's fastest Riva Aquarama

Commissioned and owned by none other than Ferruccio Lamborghini, manufacturing magnate and founder of the legendary supercar company, the one-of-a-kind boat has been painstakingly restored to its former glory over the past three years.

How do you make an already incredibly fast and incredibly exclusive Riva Aquarama even more special? Fit it with not one, but two glorious 350hp 4.0-litre V12 Lamborghini engines.

That's what Ferruccio Lamborghini demanded when he approached the company in 1968, during its heyday. And despite the technical challenges required in making two engines rotate in opposite directions in order to drive twin propellers and in making sure that the powerplants -- that until then had been exclusively available in the original land-going Lamborghini 350GT -- could deal with the rigors of seawater, the boat was completed in just three months.

The result, a speedboat capable of 48 knots, compared to 40 knots for regular Riva vessels (which used twin V8 units as standard equipment), and a page in the history books.

The boat became legendary and when its owner died in 1993, there was a fear that it could pass from legendary to mythical status as no one was sure of the boat's whereabouts.

And so started a search by devoted Lamborghini and Riva Aquarama collectors and enthusiasts who eventually tracked it down to a boatyard. Restored in Holland by Riva World, the restoration was a complex affair, requiring regular visits to the Lamborghini museum in Italy to understand how the original engines had been adapted so that the company could rebuild two motors it acquired from Lamborghini road cars.

But as well as a new 24-cylinder heart, the boat has had a lick of paint -- 25 coats to be exact -- and all upholstery, brightwork and even individual switches and knobs have been painstakingly restored or replicated.

In production for only 34 years, just 768 Riva Aquaramas in four different model variants were ever built, making any surviving example hugely collectible. But this example could well be priceless.

US launches new $100 banknote

US launches new $100 banknote

The United States launches on Tuesday a new $100 bill that comes with, for the iconic greenback, a new touch of color, as well as special features to foil counterfeiters.

In its first remake since 1996, the $100 banknote, which takes a key role in cash transactions for everyone from small traders to big drug traffickers worldwide, sports the traditional portrait of American Revolutionary War statesman Benjamin Franklin on the front.

On the back, too, it depicts Philadelphia's Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.

But it adds a yellowish "100" in one corner and, next to Franklin, a tan quill and bronze-colored inkwell that holds inside it the Philadelphia Liberty Bell in changing colors from darker brown to green, depending on the angle the note is held.

Cutting vertically through the middle of the banknote is a blue security ribbon that shows numerous small Liberty Bells and 100s printed in darker blue, which appear to move as the note is shifted.

While the feature appears like a hologram, the 100s and bells are actually microscopic in size and are enlarged by millions of micro-lenses printed on the note which make the figures appear to move, said Sonja Danburg, program manager in charge of currency education at the Federal Reserve.

The new design comes primarily to fight the increasing sophistication of counterfeiters, Danburg told AFP.

"It's our most global banknote. Between a half and two-thirds of them are circulating outside of the United States, and it's also the most counterfeited of US denominations outside of the United States," she said.

"We want to stay ahead of counterfeiting threats, we want to protect the public."

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A view of a the new 2009 series $100 bill October 4, 2013 in Washington (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowsk …

Danburg said that counterfeiters, from small-time printers to state-sponsored crooks, remain a challenge though their production is small in contrast to the total amount of greenbacks in global circulation -- about $80 million last year, compared with about $1 trillion in US notes circulating.

The new $100 banknote, printed on the traditional cotton and linen paper with green and black ink, has other foils for copiers.

For instance, the design includes showing the back of Independence Hall, rather than the building's front as before, so copiers cannot just use their old printing plates.

The government has printed 3.5 billion of the new banknotes, which will hit the streets in the United States on Tuesday.

It will take some days before banks that receive them from the Federal Reserve ship them to branches and counterparts around the world.

But the Federal Reserve wants to make sure users around the world recognize the new design as valid and do not reject them.

"People are relying on it not only as a medium of exchange for business or consumer transactions. It also offers a store of value. We want to make sure that everybody who is relying on US currency maintains that faith and confidence in it."

With some $900 billion of the old $100 notes still out on the market, Danburg stressed they will be honored as long as they circulate.

"It's US government policy that all our designs remain legal tender. So you don't have to rush out and trade in the older ones," she said.

Nadal rises to world no.1, Federer drops

Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a return during his men's singles final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia

Rafael Nadal was confirmed as the new world number one in the latest ATP tennis rankings published on Monday, pushing Novak Djokovic to second as Roger Federer drops to seventh.

Nadal has 11,160 points, just 40 ahead of Djokovic, who lost his grip on the top spot despite defeating the Mallorcan to win the China Open on Sunday.

Britain's Andy Murray, currently recuperating from back surgery, is third in the revised rankings but Swiss great Federer sinks one place from sixth to seventh.

Spain's David Ferrer remains at number four, just 185 points off Murray's tally, while Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro moves up two places to fifth after winning the Japan Open.

Since returning in February after seven months out with a left knee injury, Nadal, 27, has won 10 titles, including the French Open and US Open.

Until Sunday's loss to Djokovic, he had been unbeaten since Wimbledon, where he was a shock first-round loser to Belgium's Steve Darcis.

Nadal has previously had two stints at the summit of men’s tennis. He first became number one in August 2008 and stayed there for 46 weeks, regaining top spot in June 2010 and adding 56 weeks to his tally.

ATP world rankings

1 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 11,160 (+1)

2 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 11,120 (-1)

3 Murray, Andy (GBR) 6,895

4 Ferrer, David (ESP) 6,710

5 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 4,925 (+2)

6 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 4,610 (-1)

7 Federer, Roger (SUI) 4,515 (-1)

8 Wawrinka, Stanislas (SUI) 3,150 (+1)

9 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 3,115 (-1 0

10 Gasquet, Richard (FRA) 3,095

11 Raonic, Milos (CAN) 2,815

12 Haas, Tommy (GER) 2,355

13 Isner, John (USA) 2,115 (+3)

14 Simon, Gilles (FRA) 2,095

15 Janowicz, Jerzy (POL) 2,060

16 Almagro, Nicolas (ESP) 2,030 (+1)

17 Fognini, Fabio (ITA) 1,885 (+2)

18 Nishikori, Kei (JPN) 1,840 (-5)

19 Robredo, Tommy (ESP) 1,830 (-1)

20 Anderson, Kevin (RSA) 1,775 (+1)

NKorea rushes to finish lavish ski resort

NKorea rushes to finish lavish ski resort

The secretary-general of North Korea's ski association views the sprawling alpine landscape before him with unabashed pride. Facing a strong, cold wind, he points to a dip in the rugged, tree-covered mountains and says the sunrise there is a sight of unmatched beauty, worthy of the nation's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un.

This is the Masik Pass ski resort, North Korea's latest megaproject, the product of 10 months of furious labor intended to show that this country, so often derided for its poverty and isolation, is as civilized and culturally advanced as any other.

The complex of ski runs, resort chalets and sleigh rides will formally open Thursday, though late last month the main hotels appeared to be little more than shells, potholes filled the access roads and foundations were still being dug for secondary buildings.

Who will ski here? Perhaps Kim Jong Un, who reportedly enjoyed the sport as a teenager studying in Switzerland. By the estimate of the ski official, Kim Tae Yong, there are only about 5,500 North Korean skiers in this country of 24 million — a skiing population of 0.02 percent.

Even so, as he sweeps his hand over the scene, the official displays no doubt that what his country really needs right now is a multimillion-dollar ski resort in the secluded depths of North Korea's east coast. Kim bristles at the suggestion Masik will be a playground for the nation's elite and a trickle of eccentric tourists.

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In this Friday Sept. 20, 2013 photo, a North Korean soldier passes by a ski slope under construction …

This, he says, is his country at work. It is proof of the great love of the great leader.

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In this Friday Sept. 20, 2013 photo, North Koreans work on at building project to construct a ski re …

The narrow road to Masik Pass winds through rugged mountain terrain, small farming hamlets and lush foliage — beauty untouched by modern development.

As the road turns to dirt, brightly colored propaganda posters and ubiquitous slogans in blood-red letters come into view, followed by rows of barracks for workers — drab, hastily built shacks of stone carved out of the slopes along a clear flowing river.

Beyond that, hundreds, if not thousands, of soldier-builders in drab olive-colored uniforms — "shock brigades" assigned to especially urgent and difficult tasks — scour the slopes. Some, carrying blocks of concrete on their backs, look like they are barely teenagers. Other workers pound at the stone with hammers. Young women march with shovels over their shoulders. Minivans equipped with loudspeakers blast patriotic music into the crisp mountain air.

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In this Friday Sept. 20, 2013 photo, North Korean soldiers work at building project to construct a s …

Masik's ski runs — at the moment long stretches of bright-brown dirt dotted with rocks, weeds and patches of stubborn grass — cut their way through the trees to converge at the hotel construction site below. Though two simple lifts have been installed, neither was working during a recent visit by Associated Press journalists; visitors drove to reach the top of the slope at Taehwa Peak.

Officials claim the resort will be a wonder for all to see.

As the showcase capital of Pyongyang, with its many amusement parks, looming bronze statuary and countless marble-laden pavilions so amply demonstrates, North Korea has a tradition of diving into lavish, monumental projects, no matter their relevance to larger economic conundrums such as producing reliable electricity or adequate food.

But why a luxury ski resort?

With South Korea set to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, there is little doubt Pyongyang felt it had to do something lest it be outdone yet again by its prosperous southern brethren.

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In this Friday Sept. 20, 2013 photo, a North Korean construction worker carries bricks at a building …

Ski chief Kim said Masik was floated as a potential venue for the 2018 Games, but Seoul turned that offer down. Kim — who began skiing as a child and competed in international cross-country competitions — vowed that with Masik as a training center, North Korea will have a world champion of its own in just a few years. So far, it has won only two medals at the Winter Games — both in speed skating.

There is more going on here, however.

Outside the North Korean bubble, most of the world's attention has been on how Kim Jong Un has pushed ahead with his late father's strategy of establishing North Korea as a nuclear state, no matter the cost in lost trade and international sanctions. But internally, it is not forgotten that Kim has said improving the economy is as important as nuclear weapons development.

Kim and his coterie of advisers have vowed repeatedly to lift North Korea's standard of living, which is among the world's lowest and, if left unchecked, could lead to domestic instability.

They have focused on boosting tourism, providing the impoverished country with the accoutrements of a "civilized" nation and, most visibly, encouraging a broader interest in sports. The development of Masik Pass dovetails nicely with all three policy goals.

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In this Friday Sept. 20, 2013 photo, North Korean soldiers salute next to a propaganda billboard at  …

Sports are billed as a means of energizing and mobilizing the masses, or as North Korea's slogan spinners say, "the hot wind of sports blowing through Korea."

All this is reflected in North Korea's otherwise head-scratch-inducing association with former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who had Kim's ear and received the red carpet treatment both times he visited this year.

In Pyongyang, a plethora of recreational sports parks, basketball courts and inline skating rinks have popped up over the past several months. Very few North Koreans could afford Masik Pass, but the leadership could offer trips as rewards for loyalty or exceptional work.

Planners foresee droves of tourists making the drive after arriving by airplane at a converted military airbase in the nearest city, Wonsan. The resort also has its own heliport.

"All of Wonsan will be turned into a tourist area," Ri Ki Song, an economist for the Institute of Economy at North Korea's Academy of Social Science, said in a recent interview in Pyongyang. "It will have a big impact on the economy. We are now trying to build a lot of tourism sites, and skiing is the kind of sport that developed countries enjoy. It will also be a place for our own people to use."

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In this Friday Sept. 20, 2013 photo, propaganda signs stand at the top of a ski slope overlooking a  …

Many outside economists argue that if it's serious about improving its economy, North Korea should implement market reforms, build its energy and agricultural sectors and improve international relations by focusing less on nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

"Certainly, the calculus is different in North Korea than in most places — they've demonstrated pretty consistently that economic efficiency is not the priority," said Andray Abrahamian, executive director of Choson Exchange, a Singapore-based nonprofit that aims to build North Korean business savvy and economic growth.

But Abrahamian said Masik is not merely a gilded albatross.

"These kinds of projects are no more a boondoggle than say, hosting the Olympics or the World Cup," he said. "The financial costs are very high, but the broader social gains — which don't show up on a balance sheet — are deemed to be higher. Nationalism, civic pride, health, urban regeneration, tourism dollars, construction projects for cronies — all these things come into consideration."

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Though the actual ski season begins around December, officials plan to open the resort Oct. 10, the 68th anniversary of the Korean Workers Party.

Kim Jong Un has visited the site twice, most recently last month. "Masik Pass Speed" has joined the long list of North Korean propaganda accolades for those who selflessly carry out the orders of their rulers.

With the clock ticking, the pace is frenetic. North Korean media recently claimed workers are "carrying out their daily quotas at more than 200 percent."

As recently as last week, worker brigades were scrambling to finish not only the two main hotels — a 250-room, eight-story building for foreigners and a 150-room hotel for Koreans — but also an underground parking lot, employee housing and access bridges and a pumping station.

The resort won't be finished by Thursday; Kim Tae Yong, the ski association chief, said much of it will be built in phase two.

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In this Friday, Aug. 23, 2013 photo, North Korean propaganda stands at the base of a ski slope at a  …

His only concern: the ski lifts.

Last month, the Swiss government nixed plans for a company to sell North Korea 7 million francs ($7.7 million) worth of lifts and cable car equipment because of new sanctions barring the sale of luxury goods to the North. Austrian and French ski-lift manufacturers also have reportedly said no.

North Korea's state-run media has called the Swiss decision a "serious human rights abuse that politicizes sports and discriminates against the Koreans." Kim called it "a pity," but said Masik Pass will have three functioning lifts this year.

"We can make nuclear weapons and rockets," he said. "We can build a ski lift."

US government shutdown runs afoul of hunters

US government shutdown runs afoul of hunters

Hunters hoping to bag their limit on federal land joined a chorus of frustrated citizens urging a halt to the US government shutdown Monday.

"People are traveling hundreds of miles this time of year and getting to their favorite hunting or fishing holes and finding they've closed," said Miles Moretti, president of the Utah-based Mule Deer Foundation.

October marks the beginning of what is usually a brief hunting season for waterfowl and larger game like deer and elk.

But with Congress unable to reach a deal on the federal budget and only essential government work permitted, some 329 federal wildlife refuges have been closed to hunting.

That will increase pressure on already crowded state-run public hunting grounds, and could have a serious economic impact, sportsmen's groups warned.

It could also dash the dreams of hunters who've finally snagged a rare permit.

"In Colorado, hunters who've waited 12 years to hunt elk are being forced to turn in their tags," said Gaspar Perricone, co-director of the Bull Moose Sportsmen's Alliance.

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Normally packed with tourists, the stairs leading from the Capitol Visitors Center up to the Capitol …

"The hardship isn't only being felt by the hunters and anglers, but also by the locals and rural economies that depend on them," he said in a conference call.

Hunting and fishing is an $86 billion industry while other forms of wildlife recreation, like birdwatching, bring the annual total up to $144 billion.

"It's a big business," said Desiree Sorenson-Groves of the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

"For commercial guides, this is Macy's at Christmas."

The shutdown also has halted critical habitat conservation efforts which need to be conducted in the fall ahead of the spring breeding season, she said.

Adding insult to injury, people can't even call their congressmen to complain because the shutdown also affects constituent services.

"Our community is getting pretty frustrated," said Whit Fosburgh, president of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

"We want the damn thing to be fixed and want the federal government open."