þ The News in 2 Minutes

<b>LA archdiocese to pay $600 million on abuse cases</b><br>LOS ANGELES The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will settle its clergy abuse cases for at least $600 million, by far the largest payout in the church s sexual abuse scandal, The Associated Press learned Saturday.

Attorneys for the archdiocese and the plaintiffs are expected to announce the deal Monday, the day the first of more than 500 clergy abuse cases was scheduled for jury selection, according to two people with knowledge of the agreement. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the settlement had not been made public.

The archdiocese and its insurers will pay between $600 million and $650 million to about 500 plaintiffs -   an average of $1.2 million to $1.3 million per person. The settlement also calls for the release of confidential priest personnel files after review by a judge assigned to oversee the litigation, the sources said.

Lead plaintiffs  attorney Ray Boucher confirmed the sides were working on a deal but he would not discuss specifics. He said negotiations would continue through the weekend and said there were still many unresolved aspects. Tod Tamberg, archdiocese spokesman, declined to comment on any settlement details.

Among the largest total payouts elsewhere was $100 million in 2004 by the Diocese of Orange, Calif., to settle 90 claims. The Archdiocese of Boston agreed in 2003 to pay $84 million for 552 cases, roughly the same figure the Diocese of Covington, Ky., agreed last year to pay to settle about 360 claims. Facing a flood of abuse claims, five dioceses   Tucson; Spokane, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; Davenport, Iowa, and San Diego   sought bankruptcy protection. limitations for

Business groups challenge

employer sanctions law

PHOENIX Two business groups have filed a lawsuit challenging a new Arizona law that makes it a crime to knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

The Arizona Contractors Association and Arizona Employers For Immigration Reform asked a federal judge for a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the law, which was signed into law 11 days ago and takes effect Jan. 1.

The business groups argued the law is an unconstitutional attempt by the state to regulate immigration and that cracking down on such hirings is a responsibility of the federal government.

<b>Indian doctor charged in terrorist attacks</b><br>LONDON An Indian doctor arrested the same day his brother allegedly drove a Jeep into Glasgow s main airport was charged Saturday with a terrorism offense in Britain. A distant cousin in Australia was also charged in the failed attacks in London and Glasgow.

Sabeel Ahmed, of Liverpool, became the third person to face charges in the alleged plot. He was charged with withholding information that could prevent an act of terrorism, police said in a statement. Ahmed appears in court in London on Monday.

In a sign of the heightened tension across the country, police said Saturday they had closed at least 14 Tesco supermarkets across Britain following a series of threats. However, they said the incidents were not believed to be related to terrorism.

<b>Gilmore drops out of presidential race</b><br>RICHMOND, Va. Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore ended his long-shot campaign for the presidency Saturday.

The 57-year-old Republican said in a written statement that his late start, near the end of April, and the front-loaded primary schedule have made it impractical to continue to pursue this path towards further public service. 

Gilmore is the first of the 10 Republican presidential candidates to drop out. He barely registered in the polls and his latest financial disclosure report showed him with about $90,000 in cash on hand. Gilmore also underwent emergency surgery for a detached retina last month, which forced him to cancel at least a week s worth of campaign appearances.

<b>Students to spend 4 hours daily on English</b><br>PHOENIX Arizona students who are learning English will have to spend at least four hours a day in language lessons starting this fall.

That s a big change for children who have been spending about an hour on English a day and the rest of their school day with kids who already know the language.

The new model is based on a law passed last summer that state officials hope will help students become proficient in English within a year or two so they can master other subjects.

Arizona has an estimated 135,000 students who need to learn English. While the primary language for most of them is Spanish, for others it s Navajo, Somali or dozens of other languages.

Schools that do not follow the new game plan will not get extra money the state has promised to help reimburse the cost of implementing the new program.