Clues from a child’s fossils

In an ancient streambed in Ethiopia, scientists discover the primitive, fossilized skeletal remains of a 3-year-old girl who apparently drowned about 3.3 million years ago.

The announcement comes in the journal Nature. Naturally, no one knows the story behind the ancient child’s death, but the remains are at least 3 million years older than any other comparable fossil of childhood.

The bones are yielding rare insights into the origins of such things as upright walking, brain development, the beginnings of speech and the pace of childhood development that sets humankind apart from other primates. Page A18

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Automakers sued on global warming

California’s attorney general sues the nation’s largest automakers, charging that they create a public nuisance by selling vehicles with emissions that add to global warming.

The defendants are GM, Toyota, Ford, Honda, Chrysler and Nissan.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for existing and future environmental damage to the state’s waters, coastline, forests, wildlife and public health.

Environmentalists hail the suit as a means to goad governments into action against global warming. The automakers dismiss the move as without legal merit. Page C1

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A shouting match at Hussein’s trial

A new chief judge takes over at the genocide trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and six others.

On his first day, he confronts a walkout by the entire team of defense lawyers and shares a shouting match with a complaining Hussein.

“You do not have the right to speak,� the judge tells him.

“You should listen to my opinion!� Saddam shouts back.

“I am the presiding judge, and I will decide who to listen to,� the judge says. And then he orders Hussein removed. “Take him out, Take him out!� Page A6

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Immigration bills advance

Measures to toughen enforcement against illegal immigrants make headway on Capitol Hill.

The Senate agrees to consider a bill to build a double fence along 700 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, and the House approves a measure to require that voters show photo identification at the polls.

Democrats dismiss the bills as political ploys aimed more at the midterm elections in November than effective enforcement.

Democrats also argue there is no proof that illegal immigrants vote. “How the heck do we know we don’t have any?� demands one Georgia Republican. “We don’t check.� Page A21

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Bad spinach from Salinas Valley

Federal investigators say the bacteria-laden spinach that has killed one woman and sickened more than 140 others in 23 states was grown in California’s Salinas Valley.

The precise source has yet to be pinpointed, but contaminated water is considered likely.

The E. coli bacterium involved is so pervasive in the valley, one of the world’s most heavily farmed areas, that virtually every waterway there violates national standards. Page B1

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Actually, what I meant to say was ...

In another attempt to defuse the crisis swirling around his remarks on Muslims last week, Pope Benedict XVI expresses deep respect for Islam and emphasizes how Christians and Muslims both believe in one God. In his weekly audience, the pontiff repeats his regret for the furor. Page A4

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CALENDAR WEEKEND

Straight outta Biola

Not so long ago, members of the Cold War Kids had to sneak practice sessions in campus buildings at Biola University. Now, the band has signed with a prominent record label and will release its first CD next month. Cold War Kids is one of five acts spotlighted by Calendar Weekend in its second annual Local Music Report. Our experts also suggest 10 more bands you ought to know and list 10 bands that might break through in 2007. Page E28

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Jet Li is ready for a new direction

Jet Li says that although martial arts are known as wushu in his native China, the true meaning of the word is “stop fighting.� In a sense, that’s what he wants to do cinematically.

After “Jet Li’s Fearless� opens Friday, the 43-year-old actor wants to move away from the martial arts genre. “In this movie and in my past three movies, I continue to say that violence is not any solution,� he says.

Whenever kids see Li, they urge him to demonstrate his fighting skills, which he says concerns him. And he has a special message for young people in China, which reported 280,000 suicides among young people in 2003: “I want to tell them to be strong.� Page E6

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No change yet for KKJZ-FM

Although Cal State Long Beach is still considering changing the management at KKJZ-FM, the jazz station will continue broadcasting for the time being.

KKJZ hasn’t conducted any on-air fundraising campaigns lately, raising speculation that it might temporarily go silent. But the CSULB Foundation says it will provide financial support while evaluating the station’s future. Page E12

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Maybe he wants to play tic-tac-toe?

Methods of communicating in the digital age continue to multiply. Actual understanding of these communications? Uh, not so much.

Take the e-mail signatory “XO.� When it comes from someone of the opposite sex, is it a symbol of platonic friendship, or does it reveal a desire for physical kisses and hugs? Writer Anna David wonders how to mind her online Ps and Qs. Page E18

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BUSINESS

Do you know your

Wobbe number?

Natural gas from across the ocean might soon be hissing through Southland pipes, and some parties are worried that the hotter-burning imports could worsen air pollution while making home appliances and furnaces more susceptible to fire -- and maybe even explosions.

At issue is the heat value of natural gas, as measured by something called the Wobbe index. The higher the Wobbe number, the hotter the gas. And regulators are getting lots of advice on where to set the Wobbe number. Even two big gas companies don’t agree on a figure. Page C1

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A British invasion of supermarkets

Tesco, a British grocery chain, plans to set up shop in an abandoned Albertsons market in Glassell Park, the first of what is expected to be 150 stores in Southern California and the Las Vegas and Phoenix areas.

The store is about twice the size analysts expected Tesco would launch in the highly competitive Southland market.

The chain is readying a concept called Fresh & Easy that would be aimed at shoppers who want to run in and grab enough for a dinner rather than go through a full-scale shopping trip. Page C1

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SPORTS

Give him credit for brainpower

In his second major league season, Ryan Howard is approaching 60 home runs, and unless Swedish Fish candy are an illegal supplement, he probably is doing it the old-fashioned way. He grew up studying lefty power hitters such as Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr., but he also followed Tony Gwynn, who hit just 135 homers in 20 years.

“I would watch Gwynn when I was younger as far as him being a good contact hitter,� Howard says. “And I always thought to myself, you can’t hit home runs or anything without making contact.� Page D1

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A thousand pardons

College football columnist Chris Dufresne considers the Pac-10’s apology to Oklahoma for officiating errors that cost the Sooners a victory Saturday and wonders when others in the sport are finally going to apologize for their transgressions.

For example, when is Colorado going to tell Missouri, “We used five downs to beat you in 1990 and then went on to win a share of the national title. Was that wrong?� And when will Steve Spurrier say to Central Michigan, “Beating you 82 to 6 back in 1997 may have been excessive�? Page D9

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ON LATIMES.COM

We are what we rent on DVD

Citizen Netflix: What does your Netflix choice say about you, or, more to the point, about your neighborhood? The Entertainment News page takes a look at the DVD rental service’s lists of top rentals divided by community and finds some interesting differences. What, judging by its residents’ rentals, is the most highbrow area in and around Los Angeles? Would you believe 90210? And which city in America is most obsessed with seeing itself on film? (Hint: a certain foggy neighbor to our north.) Check out how your neighborhood or hometown stacks up at latimes.com/entertainment.Is it over? In his Political Muscle blog, which explores the inside world of California politics, Robert Salladay takes a survey of the state of the governor’s race and declares that although anything can happen in California politics, state Treasurer Phil Angelides faces some “serious structural problems in his campaign� to unseat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Read his assessment and share your views.

latimes.com/politicalmuscle

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HOME

Houses win awards but make enemies

Do homeowners and architects have a responsibility to be considerate to neighbors? It’s an issue in changing neighborhoods such as Mar Vista, where big, bold houses are replacing smaller structures, sometimes to the neighbors’ consternation.

For example, Brenda Bergman, left, fulfilled a dream when she replaced her old, dark house. The new house is roomy and light-filled, and it even won a top architectural award. It’s also ultramodern, quite a bit taller than surrounding houses and hated by the next-door neighbor, who no longer is Bergman’s friend. Page F1

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A touch of France in Altadena

Maybe houses that evoke 1920s Normandy are out of place in Altadena, where the flatlands of the San Gabriel Valley melt into the foothills. Or maybe they’re totally appropriate, considering that these little touches of France reside on a cul-de-sac.

They were designed long ago by an architect who, although he also has a connection to the Santa Barbara Courthouse, died too young to build much of a reputation. Today, residents enjoy the period flavor of their street, the storybook feel of their cottages and, of course, the French doors that open to their yards. Page F6