Briefs

Parents accept Medal of Honor

for SEAL killed in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON - Navy Lt. Michael Murphy sacrificed his life on an Afghan mountainside two years ago, moving into the open in the middle of a daytime firefight with 50 Taliban militiaman to call for help for himself and three other SEAL commandos.

Already wounded, Murphy collapsed in the midst of his distress call as an enemy round struck his back. Then he raised himself up, said "thank you" into his satellite phone, and returned fire.

As his parents brushed away tears, the nation did its best yesterday to return Murphy's thanks. In a White House ceremony, President Bush awarded the fallen SEAL the Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration.

In a private meeting before the ceremony, Dan and Maureen Murphy of Patchogue, N.Y., gave Bush a gold dog tag, imprinted with their son's name and the date - June 28, 2005 - of the firefight in which the 29-year-old officer was killed.

It was the first Medal of Honor awarded for action in Afghanistan and the first for any member of the Navy since Vietnam.

Elective double mastectomy

on the rise - right choice?

WASHINGTON - More women who have cancer in only one breast are getting both breasts removed, says research that found the trend more than doubled in just six years.

It's still a rare option: Most breast cancer in this country is treated by lumpectomy, removing just the tumor while saving the breast.

Young women are most likely to choose the aggressive operation, researchers report yesterday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

"Are these realistic decisions or not?" asks Dr. Todd Tuttle, cancer surgery chief at the University of Minnesota, who led the study after more women sought the option in his own hospital.

"I'm afraid that women believe having their opposite breast removed is somehow going to improve their breast-cancer survival. In fact, it probably will not affect their survival," he said. The initial tumor already may have sent out seeds to key organs, Tuttle explained.

But removing the remaining healthy breast does lower, although not eliminate, chances of a new cancer developing on the opposite side.

Heavy rains on New Orleans

raise new fears of flooding

NEW ORLEANS - The Army Corps of Engineers closed a gate on a suburban canal as heavy rains lashed the flood-prone city, raising fears that climbing waters would top the walls holding them back.

More than 8 inches of rain fell on parts of New Orleans by late afternoon. Mayor Ray Nagin shut City Hall early, and schools also closed. People were asked to stay indoors until the flood potential subsided. More rain was expected overnight.

The Harvey Canal in Jefferson Parish was one of several in the area placed under new safety guidelines after Hurricane Katrina's flood waters breached two New Orleans canals in August 2005, causing catastrophic flooding. The area around the canal includes homes and businesses.

Woman convicted of killing pregnant woman, taking fetus

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A woman whose attorneys had argued that she was delusional when she killed an expectant mother, cut the baby from her womb and took the infant home was found guilty yesterday.

Jurors convicted Lisa Montgomery, 39, of kidnapping resulting in death in the 2004 attack on Bobbie Jo Stinnett, 23, in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore.

The jury deliberated for about four hours before rejecting Montgomery's insanity defense. Jurors could have acquitted her outright or found her not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors said they plan to seek the death penalty.

U.N. rights investigator gets

green light to visit Myanmar

UNITED NATIONS - Myanmar's government has agreed to a visit by the U.N.'s human rights investigator, who has been barred from entering the military-ruled country since 2003, the United Nations said yesterday.

Myanmar has been strongly criticized for sending troops to quash peaceful protests by students and monks last month. The U.N. Human Rights Council condemned the crackdown at an emergency session on Oct. 2 and urged an immediate investigation of the rights situation in the country.

The Human Rights Council has been criticized by the U.S. for failing to act on urgent human rights issues around the world and spending too much time criticizing Israeli actions against the Palestinians.

The body, which replaced the discredited U.N. Human Rights Commission, lacks enforcement powers and is limited to focusing attention on human rights offenders. *

- Daily News wire services